Harry Potter and the Magnificent Seven
Chapter 25: Assault on the Burrow and Regrouping
The Secret of Harry Potter's Disappearance Revealed!
By Angela Evans
For many months the wizarding world has been speculating as to the whereabouts of the Boy-Who-Lived, who disappeared from Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on Christmas day, along with six of his fellow Gryfinndor students. Little clues to their whereabouts have existed, and indeed many had begun to believe that they were dead; a claim rebuffed by Mr. Potter himself in a surprise visit to the Daily Prophet three months ago.
At the same time, the wizarding world has been fascinated by the appearance of an elite group of masked wizards who over the last several months have been fighting the forces of Lord Voldemort. The identity of these wizards has been speculated over ever since their first appearance. Like the disappearance of Mr. Potter and his friends, there have been few clues.
One month ago the Daily Prophet announced a dual contest concerning the fate of Mr. Potter and his friends as well as the identity of the mysterious "Phoenix Team." Simply stated, the first person to discover either the fate of Mr. Potter or the identity of the Phoenix Team would receive a prize of 10000 galleons respectively. Since the announcement, many theories had been offered, but none have offered proof. Until now.
Last evening, we here at the Daily Prophet received an owl from one Pavarti Patil, a student at Hogwarts, which not only revealed the fate of Mr. Potter but also the identity of the Phoenix Team.
As incredible as it may seem, the fate of Mr. Potter and his friends and the identity of the Phoenix Team are directly tied to one another. Earlier last evening Ms. Patil overheard a conversation between Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and the Minister of Magic, and Minerva McGonnagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts. They were discussing the assault on the French wizarding school of Beauxbatons. During this conversation, Minister Dumbledore revealed that the identity of the Phoenix Team was none other than Harry Potter and his friends.
We here at the Daily Prophet would like to congratulate Ms. Patil on winning both contests.
Dumbledore threw down the Daily Prophet in disgust. He was very angry at the moment; angry with the Prophet, angry at Ms. Patil, but most importantly, angry with himself. A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts.
"Enter." He said. The door opened and Professor McGonnagall entered, with Pavarti in tow.
"Ah yes, Ms. Patil." Dumbledore said, his voice serious and his eyes missing the normal twinkle that was there. "I assume you know why I have called you here?" Pavarti nodded. "I'm afraid in your rush for gossip and to win a prize you have put many people in great danger. I would have expected better of you."
"Is everything ready, Wormtail?" Lord Voldemort hissed. The small, balding man before him cowered slightly before answering.
"Y..Yes my Lord." Peter Pettigrew (aka Wormtail) answered. "The initial strike force is in the woods as we speak. The follow up waves are standing by." Voldemort smiled. When the letter from Parkinson's brat of a child had arrived, he saw his chance to destroy Potter and the others in one fell swoop. A combined force of muggle mercenaries and Death Eaters would overcome the guard detail and attack the house. Voldemort knew that the "Phoenix Team" would be the first ones on the scene. Once they were there, Voldemort and his inner circle would put a series of powerful anti-apparation and portkey wards on the property. Then the second and third waves of forces, hiding in the woods, would attack. These waves would include more Death Eaters and muggle mercenaries, but also werewolves under special spells to keep them from attacking Voldemort's people, Vampires, Trolls and Red Caps.
"Excellent." He said. "In mere hours we will destroy Potter and his friends. Then the world will be ours.
Just outside the village of Ottery St. Catchpole, Aurors Eric Michaels and Jeremy Foote were patrolling along the edge of the forest that bordered the property of Deputy Minister Weasley. It had been a long and boring shift, and both were looking forward to the end of the next hour, when their relief would arrive. To pass the time, they had been discussing the contents of the special edition of the Daily Prophet that arrived earlier in the evening.
"I still can't believe it." Eric said. "Potter and his friends, the Phoenix Team!"
"I don't see what's so hard to believe." Jeremy said. "After all, they've been through more in the four years they've been at Hogwarts than most people. Besides, now that it's in the open, it makes sense. After all, the Phoenix Team made its first appearance shortly after Potter and his friends left Hogwarts."
"True." Eric replied. "I was at one of the scenes of their raids. All I can say is I'm glad they're on our side." Jeremy chuckled slightly. A rustling sound at the edge of the woods ahead brought them out of their discussion. Both men immediately became alert and drew their wands.
"Whose there?" Jeremy said. He heard a small pop and a groan. He whirled to see his partner fall to the ground, a bullet hole in his head. A second later he felt a sting at the back of his head and the world fell dark.
Arthur Weasley was sitting in his living room, reading the special edition of the Daily Prophet with disgust. He silently cursed both the paper and the girl Pavarti who leaked the story.
Don't they know the danger they're putting people in by printing anything they want? He thought. He looked up as his wife walked into the room.
"Did you message the children?" Arthur asked. Molly nodded.
"Earlier today. They said provided things remain quiet after this article, they'll be here Sunday for dinner." She said, smiling. It would be the first time in over a month that they would see their children, both biological and "adopted." Suddenly the sounds of curses and small arms fire erupted outside. Moments later the house shuddered as curses and explosions hit the wards surrounding the house. The door burst open and Senior Auror Alice McKinsey rushed in, her shoulder bleeding from a wound.
"Death Eaters and muggle mercenaries have taken out most of the guard force." She said breathlessly. "You have to get out of here." Molly immediately went over to the fireplace and threw in some floo powder.
"Hogwarts!" she shouted as she stepped in. Nothing happened. Turning to Arthur and Alice, she said "They've blocked the Floo Network!" Arthur reached into his pocket for the emergency portkey he carried.
"Grab hold, we'll try this." All three grabbed the portkey and Arthur touched it with his wands and said the activating code word. Nothing happened. "Damn! It's not working." Suddenly the house rocked and the glass on the windows shattered.
"They've broken through the wards!" Alice shouted as she pushed both Arthur and Molly behind their large sofa, and then took cover behind a chair herself. A second later the front door exploded into hundreds of shards. Immediately all three began firing curses at the intruders making their way into the home. The first five Death Eaters that came through the door were hit and taken out. But more kept coming.
Arthur heard a scream and turned in time to see a pair of Death Eaters on the stairs, having obviously come in from the roof. One of them fired a curse at Alice, which hit her head on and she dropped to the floor, dead. Arthur was able to fire two curses at them before he himself was hit by a stunning curse. His last sight before the darkness overwhelmed him was of Molly being hit by another curse and falling to the ground.
Neville yawned slightly and took a sip of the coffee he had in his mug. He had volunteered to stand watch in the Operations Room tonight, along with Sergeant Erika Forbes of Team-4. The two had become close friends over the last few weeks, after they discovered they had a mutual interest in muggle comic books. But deeper than that was the fact that Neville had begun to develop a crush on the 19-year-old Erika.
I wish I could tell her how I feel. He thought to himself. But even if I did, what good would it do? She's four years older than me. She wouldn't be interested in me. Little did he know that sitting at the other desk a few feet away, Erika was thinking along similar lines.
He's really cute. And certainly a lot more mature than his age. She thought. But he's still four years younger than me. The base alarms began blaring, bringing both out of their daydreams. Neville looked at the Situation Map and paled.
Harry had just drifted off to sleep a few minutes earlier when the alarms began blaring. He and Ginny had stayed up rather late, trying to figure out the best way to control the reaction to the Prophet story. Groggily he called out to Neville in his mind.
What the hell's going on? Harry asked Neville through the mind link. Next to him, Ginny was also now sitting up.
Voldemort's launched another attack. It's a big one. Neville replied. Harry, the target is the Burrow. Upon hearing those words, both Ginny and Harry shot out of bed and rushed to their lockers. In record time they had their gear on and rushed to the Operations Room. Along the way they met up with Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, Ding, and John. A moment later they were all gathered around the Situation Map.
"Damn." Ron said as they saw the size of Voldemort's force. Harry turned to John.
"How long will it take you to get all of your people together?" he asked.
"About fifteen minutes." John replied. Harry looked at the other Marauders. They all nodded. Then he turned to John.
"As soon as they're assembled, use the portkeys to get to the Burrow. We'll go ahead and keep them busy." He said. Both John and Sirius opened their mouths to object, but before they could the Marauders had apparated away.
The Marauders re-appeared behind the large shed Arthur kept on the far side of the property. Looking around, they were horrified at what they saw. The bodies of four Aurors were strewn on the ground. Several hundred yards away, the newly remodeled and expanded Burrow was in shambles, having clearly been hit with a combination of curses and muggle explosives. Several lookouts were posted between them and the house. Harry signaled the others and they began to slowly and covertly make their way towards the house, stopping only to take out the lookouts with their silenced MP-5s.
When the reached the house, the carefully peered around the corner. Beyond the house they could see a several large clusters of Death Eaters and mercenaries, apparently dividing up the valuables they looted from the house. Several feet away, arrayed in a circle, was a smaller group of Death Eaters. Then they heard the screams.
"That's dad!" Ginny said. No sooner had the words escaped her mouth then one of the Death Eaters shifted, giving them a partial view inside the circle. Molly was on the ground, clearly unconscious and badly injured. Arthur had flung himself on top of her in an effort to block the multiple Cruciatus curses being flung at them. Harry felt a boiling rage rise up inside himself and felt the same from the others. He knew that they were outnumbered and it would be suicide to attack now, but he didn't care. Without glancing back at the others he opened fired with his submachine gun and charged out from cover. Right behind him were the others. Ron and Ginny moved to the left, charging towards their parents, while the rest of the Marauders began dealing with the others. Within moments Ron and Ginny had cleared out most of the Death Eaters in the vicinity of their parents and dragged them to a crater nearby.
Meanwhile, Harry and the other Marauders had their hands full. When the rest of Voldemort's troops that had been dividing up their booty saw what was happening, they turned towards the group. A fierce fire-fight erupted as bullets, curse, and explosives were hurled between the two groups. Harry grinned savagely as he fired an exploding hex that took out two Death Eaters and several mercenaries. For a few short moments, it looked like despite the odds, the Marauders were going to effective wipe out the enemy force. Then Harry heard Ron yell through the link.
Harry! Twelve O'clock! Ron said. Harry turned in that direction to see another group of mercenaries and Death Eaters come charging out of the woods. There were at least two hundred of them. Then another sound caused him to look in another direction. His eyes widened as he saw a mass of Death Eaters, Mercenaries, Trolls, and Vampires emerge from another clearing. This was Voldemort's main force. Next to him, Hermione also saw them.
Shit! There must be at least a thousand of them! Hermione said through the link.
We need to get out of here! Harry said through the link. Everyone apparate now! Ron, you and Ginny take your parents. A moment later they tried to apparate out, only to find that they couldn't. Damn. Voldemort's set up some kind of ward. The five Marauders retreated to the crater where Ron and Ginny had taken shelter with Arthur and Molly.
"How the hell did he manage that?" Fred asked.
"It wasn't just him." Harry said. "From what I felt when we tried to leave, there were magical traces of at least three hundred witches and wizards on the wards blocking us."
"What about our emergency portkeys?" Ginny asked as she fired at some approaching mercenaries. Harry ducked down to avoid a curse that was heading for the space that had just been occupied by his head.
"No good." He said, firing a quick burst of his weapon. "I felt anti-portkey wards as well."
"Then how the hell are we going to get out of here?" Ron asked.
Meanwhile, back at the Rainbow base, the entire unit, minus the Marauders had been assembled and briefed.
"Okay people, let's go." John said. They activated the special portkeys. Nothing happened. Sirius and Remus immediately paled. "What's wrong?"
"Voldemort's found some way to block the portkeys." Remus said in disbelief. Over by the Situation Map, Sergeant Forbes spoke up.
"Sirs, I think you better take a look at this." She said, a mixture of awe and fear in her voice. John, Ding, Sirius and Remus went over to the map. The map was displaying the layout of the Burrow and the property surrounding it. Seven gold dots, indicating the Marauders, along with two blue dots (indicating Arthur and Molly) were clustered together. Surrounding them were two hundred red dots (indicating Death Eaters) and four hundred silver dots (indicating mercenaries). But that wasn't the worse of it. Moving towards this cluster from three spots in the woods was a mass of dots indicating an addition three hundred Death Eaters, six hundred mercenaries, one hundred vampires, fifty trolls, and about one hundred werewolves.
"Shit." Ding said, turning to John, Sirius, and Remus. "We have to figure out some way of getting there. They're going to be overrun if we don't." Sirius nodded grimly. Despite the power of the seven, the shear numbers of troops that Voldemort was throwing into the battle would overwhelm them eventually. And he had no doubt that there might be even more reserves hiding elsewhere. The problem was, without portkeys or apparition; they would be limited to muggle transportation. Vehicles would take too long; the battle would be over before they could get there. Suddenly he had an idea.
"What about the choppers?" he said. John turned.
"Did they finish the modifications?" he asked. Sirius nodded.
"Yeah, but we haven't had a chance to test them." He replied. Ding grinned.
"Well, there's no time better than the present." He said.
Harry cursed slightly as he fired another spell at the advancing mass. The Marauders had been fighting furiously for the last fifteen minutes and had taken down a large number of the enemy. But more just kept coming to take their place. All of the Marauders now had minor wounds, and by the way things were going, if help didn't arrive soon there would be some serious injuries very soon.
"Incoming!" Neville called as the sound of an incoming mortar round reached their ears. The Marauders threw themselves to the ground. The shell impacted just outside of the crater, making the ground shake. Harry raised his head in time to see about thirty pale figures approaching at rapid speed. As they grew closer, he realized what they were.
"Vampires!" Harry shouted to the others. "Lumos Solarum!" The sunlight spell caught three of the undead warriors. They shrieked as their bodies blistered and turned to dust. Next to him, Ginny also made contact with two targets with the same spell. Ron had put his MP-5 down and was using a small crossbow pistol he carried to fire wooden darts at them, taking out four more. Meanwhile, Hermione, Neville, Fred, and George continued firing at the Death Eaters and mercenaries that were slowly making their way toward them.
Harry cursed as two of the vampires leapt into the crater. He drew the wooden stake he carried on his utility belt (it had been Hermione's suggestion) and fired several rounds into the nearest vampire. The bullets impacted the creature, causing it to be disoriented for a second. A second was all Harry needed. He lashed out with his right arm and plunged the stake into the foul creature's heart. As the creature crumbled to dust, Harry was knocked over, landing on his back. Standing over him was another vampire.
"Now you shall die, Harry Potter." It said. Suddenly he burst into dust. As it crumbled, Ginny's face appeared holding her own stake. She rushed over to Harry and helped him up.
"Are you okay" she asked, her eyes betraying her concern. Harry grinned.
"Yeah, thanks." He replied, moving back to his position. All the attacking vampires were gone, but the enemy was now getting dangerously close.
I think we're going to have use our special spell. Harry said through the link. Quickly the Marauders joined hands.
"Maximus Expelliarmus!" they shouted in unison. A bright flash erupted in all directions from the crater, sending about three hundred of Voldemort's troops flying back about a hundred yards; killing many.
Sirius stared out the door of the Blackhawk helicopter with grim determination. It had been thirty minutes since they had taken off from Rainbow's base and began the forty-five minute trip at maximum speed towards the Burrow. Outside, fifteen more Blackhawks were flying in formation with them. Sirius silently wished there was someway to make them go faster. Given the size of the attacking force, it became less likely with every minute that passed that they would arrive in time to aid the Marauders.
"We'll get there in time." John said, leaning over to him. Sirius turned.
"I hope you're right." He said.
Standing a small hill about a mile from the battle at the Burrow, Voldemort watched the battle with joy. Potter and his friends were fighting fiercely, inflicting heavy casualties on his troops, but it was clear that they were becoming tired and running out of ammunition. He smiled.
Soon. A little longer and they will be mine. He thought, and then turned to the Death Eater standing next to him. "Send in the last of the reserves." The Death Eater nodded and moved off. Voldemort watched as a few minutes later, an additional six hundred muggle mercenaries were thrown into the attack. Slowly the flashes of gunfire from the crater where Potter and his friends had taken refuge began to slow. They were running out of ammunition.
"I'm out of ammo!" Ron called as he finished off the last clip for his MP-5 and pulled his .45 pistol. Harry nodded grimly. He too had used the last of his MP-5 ammo only moments before. He glanced around. Of the seven, only Fred still seemed to have ammo for his submachine gun. The rest had drawn their pistols. Turning back to survey the enemy, Harry winced. The combined Death Eater/mercenary force was now within fifteen yards of their position. Worse, another group of reserves had just been thrown into the attack.
The Marauders had been fighting fiercely for nearly forty-five minutes. The shear numbers that Voldemort had been throwing at them had left them all rapidly draining of magical energy, as evident by the weakening power of their spells. Suddenly the enemy stopped firing. A moment later they heard Voldemort's voice boom through the darkness.
"I'll give you one chance to surrender Potter. You and your friends have fought bravely and well. But as always, such courage has been wasted. You cannot win. Give up now and you may live. I can always use a few more Death Eaters." He said.
I'd give really money to have just one shot at him before we die. Ron said disgustedly through the link.
Harry, tell this asshole to get stuffed! Neville said. The others agreed. Harry quickly cast the Sonorus charm on himself.
"Forget it Tom!" he shouted. "You want us; come and get us!" Then he took off the charm. Ejecting the empty clip from his .45, he slapped a new on in and drew his knife with his left had. He glanced at the others and nodded. They two had taken out their blades. Together they turned back towards their advancing foes and prepared to make the enemy pay dearly for their victory.
"Oh my God." Captain Mark Gideon, the pilot of the Blackhawk in which Sirius was riding said as they approached the Burrow. Down below, illuminated by fires and the flashes of spells, was a seen straight out of hell. Craters were everywhere and bodies were strewn about like rag dolls.
At the door, Sirius and John looked out over the scene. Sirius spotted the crater where the Marauders were.
"There!" he shouted, pointing. John looked and saw nine figures in a large crater. On all sides, masses of enemy troops were closing. From the flashes, it looked like the Marauders were down to their .45 sidearms. He quickly keyed his mic.
"Attention Conastogas. Execute plan Bravo." He said. "Conastoga 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, lay down suppression fire around that crater. Conastoga 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, prepare for combat zip line deployment." The troopers in those helicopters immediately began preparing to drop zip lines and repel out of the choppers. Meanwhile, the other seven swooped down towards the battle. A moment later the twin mini guns located on each door began spitting a lethal rain of silver bullets at the masses of enemy troops, forming a perimeter around the crater. Once a sufficient number of bad guys were driven off or killed, then took back off into the air. The next group choppers then swooped in.
Voldemort screamed in rage as he clutched his right leg, blood-oozing out after the impact of a bullet. Mere moments ago he was sure he was nearing his greatest victory, when suddenly the cursed muggle helicopters arrived. He watched horror as seven of them swooped and proceeded to rip his troops to shreds. He could hear the agonized screams of his troops as the bullets tore through their bodies. A moment later a stray bullet had slammed into his leg.
"My Lord, what should we do?" the Death Eater next to him asked. Voldemort watches another moment as eight more helicopters came in low. Two ropes appeared from each and about twelve men from each helicopter came down the ropes and took up positions just outside of the crater, their weapons blazing at those of his troops still attacking. Once the men were all on the ground, the eight helicopter began firing their guns as well.
"We will retreat, for now." He said, almost choking on the words. A moment later he disapparted.
Harry's heart leapt in his throat as he heard the sound of helicopters approaching. He looked up to see the second most beautiful sight he'd ever seen (the first being Ginny, of course). Sixteen Blackhawk helicopters came flying into the area. He watched as seven of them swooped in and began forming a wall of silver bullets between the crater and Voldemorts troops. He watched as about four hundred of the enemy was cut down and most of the rest dive for cover. Then the choppers moved off. Some of Voldemort's troops regrouped themselves and resumed the advance but it was clearly not the overwhelming consensus of the rest. Then he saw eight more Blackhawks come in low and watched as the zip lines appeared. Less than two minutes later, ninety-six of his fellow Rainbow troopers had hit the ground and formed a perimeter around the crater, their submachine guns and wands already engaging the enemy. Two of the troopers jumped into the crater next to him.
"Everyone okay?" John asked. Harry nodded.
"Mostly magical exhaustion and some moderate flesh wounds. Arthur and Molly are unconscious though." Harry replied. "What the hell took you so long?"
"Had to stop for some bagels." Ding said. Harry grinned.
"They're pulling out!" Sirius shouted to the trio. They turned their attention towards Voldemorts troops. Apparently Voldemort had taken down the wards, because a large number of his surviving troops were either apparating or using portkeys to get away. Harry let out a sigh of relief. It was over.
"How is he?" Harry asked. After Voldemort and his forces retreated from the Burrow, the Marauders had taken Molly and Arthur to Hogwarts. The infirmary there had been enlarged several months ago to help treat the increase casualties that were occurring. Molly had awoken the next day and within a week was able to be moved out of the infirmary and into spare quarters. Arthur unfortunately was still in a coma, now going on seven days. The Marauders all decided to remain at Hogwarts by his side, leaving only when necessary. Currently Harry was standing in the infirmary, just behind Molly and Ginny.
The week since the attack had been quiet. It seemed the casualties inflicted by the Marauders and by Rainbow were serious enough to cause Voldemort to go into hiding to regroup his forces. Unfortunately, the lack of activity only meant that there was more time for everyone to dwell on what had happened and what had almost happened. Harry in particular was feeling a deep level of guilt; guilt for not being able to reach Arthur and Molly in time and even worse, for letting his emotions get the better of him and allowing him to lead the woman he loved and his five best friends into a confrontation that they barely escaped alive.
"He's still unconscious." Molly replied. "But Madame Pompfrey says his vitals are stable. He'll be alright, he's a fighter." Ginny got up out of her chair and went to Harry.
"I know that look." Ginny said. Harry blushed slightly, realizing that despite closing the mental link he shared with the Marauders, Ginny could always tell what was on his mind. "Let's get one thing straight. YOU have nothing to feel guilty for. There's no way we could have known Voldemort would have been able to assemble such a large force or that he'd be able block apparation and portkeys after we arrived. And do you honestly think that Ron, Fred, George and myself wouldn't have charged into the fray after mom and dad even if you had ordered us not to? And what about Hermione and Neville? They're like you; they've been adopted' into the family. Do you think they wouldn't have also?" Harry looked at her face, his eyes searching hers. In his heart, he knew she was right.
"You're right." He said. "But that still doesn't help. We could have been killed because of that. We should know better."
"Harry." John's voice called from behind. He had entered the infirmary a moment earlier and overheard Ginny's speech. "Ginny's right. No matter how good you are or how much you know, everyone still mistakes. What's important is that you learn from them."
Ron's eyes fluttered opened as the alarm next to his bed went off. Shaking the cobwebs from his face, he glanced at the vision of beauty that lay next to him. He smiled as his mind thought back to the previous night.
BEGIN FLASHBACK
Ron sat on the bed of the quarters that he and Hermione were sharing while they were at Hogwarts, deep in thought. Like Harry and Ginny, he and Hermione had been sharing a bed for a while now, though they had not moved beyond the exploration' stage. Not that Hermione would have objected if he suggested it. But like Harry, he was too noble to do so, preferring to take things slow.
But his thinking began to change over the last few days as the realization of the events at the Burrow hit him. Not only did he almost lose his parents, but he and his friends came perilously close to becoming casualties themselves. He had long ago reached the realization of what war would be like; but for some reason it never seemed as real as it did right now.
I almost lost her. He thought. And who knows how much time we have left?
"Galleon for your thoughts." Hermione said, having just entered the room. Ron looked up and smiled. Then he got up and walked over to her, pulling her into a passionate kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart.
"Hermione, I've been doing some thinking." He said as they sat down on the bed. "The last few days have really made me realize how little time we may have. And I can't live with myself knowing that we might not be able to be with each other. I guess what I'm saying is that if you're still ready-" He was cut off as Hermione pulled him into another kiss, this one more passionate than before.
END FLASHBACK
They had made love four times last night and it was truly the best experience of Ron's life. As he lay in bed reflecting, he realized that there was something else he wanted…no needed to do. Next to him, Hermione stirred, her chocolate-brown eyes opening to look at him.
"Morning." She said smiling.
"Morning love." Ron said. "Hermione, remember what I asked you at Christmas?" Hermione nodded. "Well, I don't want to wait any longer. I don't care how young we are. I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?" Hermione burst into tears, hugging him fiercely.
"Of course I will." She replied.
Two weeks later, the Marauders were back at Rainbow headquarters. There still had been no change in Arthur's condition, but everyone felt the need to get back to as normal a routine as possible. All seven of them still visited Hogwarts on a daily basis however. Ron and Hermione had announced their decision the same morning they made it and were married by Dumbledore three days later. Harry was extremely happy for them. In fact, his conversation with Ron that evening concerning why they changed there minds had gotten Harry thinking as well.
Ron was right. None of them knew what the future held. The prophecy implied that they would be the ones to beat Voldemort, but after what happened at the Burrow, who could be sure? He knew that he loved Ginny with all his heart and that she loved him. He also knew that he wouldn't…no couldn't allow their relationship to take the ultimate physical step outside of marriage; it just wasn't him. Ginny would be fifteen in three months; the legal age to marry in the wizarding world with parental consent. Harry planned on asking Molly for that permission that same day.
Madame Pompfrey made her way to the bed where Arthur lay, preparing to check his vitals for the third time in as many hours. As she sat down and began to do so, she noticed his eyes flicker slightly. She began to get excited.
"Mr. Weasley, can you here me?" she asked. At first their was no response and she thought that perhaps she had been imagining things. Then a low voice answered.
"Yes." Arthur said. "Where am I?"
Harry and Ginny had just returned from the gym having completed their afternoon workout when Ron came running up to them, Hermione close behind. Ginny immediately began to worry.
"What's wrong?" she asked. Ron broke into a huge grin.
"Dad's awake." He replied.