Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related things are property of JK Rowling. I claim no ownership, and am making no profit.
Author's Notes: Again, thank you to every one who reviewed. It is greatly appreciated. This chapter is in Ginny's point-of-view, and I'm very curious to know what all of you think.
Chapter Three
The Boy-Who-Lived
Ignoring the nervous feeling she had, Ginny followed Ron through the door into Ye Olde Pub.
The pub was small, though it was crowded with people, all of whom were laughing and smiling happily. Ginny began to slowly relax, as the friendly atmosphere started reminding her of life at the Burrow.
Hermione had taken a seat at one of the few empty tables, and motioned for everyone else to join her.
Ginny glanced around, trying to look for anyone that resembled the image they had seen nearly a week ago. No one seemed to have that same untidy dark hair, or the brilliant green eyes.
Taking a seat next to Ron, she continued looking around the pub anxiously.
"Do you see him?" Ron asked quietly, clearly trying to not draw attention to the table.
"Not yet." Hermione replied calmly. "Just wait and see for a while. The image we saw of him showed him behind the bar. So he's got to work here. He's bound to show up eventually."
"Even if he doesn't, someone in here should know him. We'll have to ask them where he lives." Ron said.
Ginny didn't understand how they could be so calm about everything. For the first time in her life, she was feeling very negative. What were the odds that they'd find Harry, anyway, even if they did know what he looked like?
She shook her head, and tried to concentrate on more positive thoughts. After all, it was natural to be a little nervous. It was her first official mission for the Order. Even though she had been a member for a while already, she hadn't been able to help very much because of her school work.
"Er- you don't suppose that the Death Eaters'll find us here, do you?" Neville asked Hermione.
Hermione replied, "I don't think so. I suppose that they could, but probably not. All they know right now is that five members of the Order are in Ireland. They don't know why, and that's what's important."
Still, Ginny couldn't shake the feeling that Neville's fears could come true. Even if the Death Eaters didn't strike yet, they would eventually.
A few more minutes passed before Ron abruptly got up from the table.
"I'm going to go ask the bartender if he's seen Harry." Ron informed Hermione.
Ginny saw him walk over to the bar, and begin asking questions. He held his hand in mid-air, and Ginny supposed he was probably describing Harry's height (which was relatively small next to Ron's tall stature.)
Trying to start-up a conversation, Ginny voiced a question that had been bothering her for a while. "I still don't understand why no one could ever find Harry. He's alive, so why didn't anyone ever recognize him?"
Hermione considered this for a moment. "Well, first of all this town has few wizards or witches, if any. You know that we tend to live slightly outside the cities and town. Besides, even if one wizard or witch did stumble into here, which it highly unlikely, they might have not paid enough attention to notice Harry's scar."
Ginny was about to respond when Ron returned to the table.
"The bartender said that Harry'll be working here tonight. We'll just have to wait a little while." Ron told everyone.
Hermione nodded. "Well, that's good news. It'll only be a few more hours and we'll be able to get Harry and go back to Hogwarts."
Ginny seemed to be the only one who saw a problem with this plan. "Don't you think that's going to be a little difficult? Getting Harry back to Hogwarts?"
"Why should it be?" Ron shook his head. "Other than the fact that we'll have to drive for another week, and now we'll have to fit six people into that tiny car."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure that everyone will fit just fine." Hermione assured him.
"That's easy for you to say." Ron snapped. "You get to sit in the front seat. I just wish one of us knew a charm to enlarge the inside of the car-"
Ginny interrupted, hoping to stop the argument and tell everyone what the real problem with the plan was. "No, no, that's not it. Doesn't anyone realize that Harry might not want to come with us?"
Ron and Neville both exchanged a confused look, but Hermione seemed to finally understand.
"Of course!" She said. "Why didn't I think of that? Harry was only nine-years-old when he disappeared, he's not even going to know about the Wizarding World."
Ron replied. "How are we supposed to convince him? Use magic? Even if we do, why should he believe that we're telling him the truth. He's going to think we're crazy if we tell him that he's a wizard!"
"Ron, keep your voice down." Hermione warned. "We don't want to attract attention. Anyway, the point is that we'll just have to tell him the truth about everything. We know far too much about his past for him to not believe us."
"I'm sure we'll be able to convince him. It's not like we're telling him anything unbelievable." Luna added.
Ginny truly didn't know if Luna ever considered anything to be unbelievable. She'd probably believe it if the Quibbler ran an article about how there was a colony of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks living on Mars.
For almost another hour, the group remained silent, having their drinks and the occasional snack, before Neville pointed towards the doorway.
Ginny turned around to see a boy, slightly older than her, entering the pub, and making his way for the bartender. He had the same lightening-bolt scar that Ginny had seen on Privet Drive.
Harry was now pouring drinks for people sitting at the bar, while the other bartender waved good-bye and left the pub.
Hermione looked around the table. "This is it." She said. "Should we all go, or should one of us go talk to him first?"
"I'll go." Ginny volunteered. She didn't know why, but she really wanted to find out what Harry Potter was like.
She had heard of him as a child, and had desperately wanted to meet him. It wasn't that he was some great, brave hero or anything. He had only been a year old during the attack on Godric's Hollow, and no baby could possibly act like a hero. Still, his story had always fascinated her, and she wondered what had happened to him. Harry Potter's whereabouts as a child were always unknown. It seemed that only Dumbledore himself, and possibly some of the other professors knew where the famous boy was living.
Now that she had the chance to meet him, she didn't want to pass it up.
Ginny walked slowly towards the bar, and sat down on one of the stools. She waited for a moment before Harry finally came-up to her.
"Hello." He smiled. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
Ginny concealed her smile. She was finally meeting Harry Potter. "Um," She replied nervously, "I'll just have a glass of water."
He went to get her drink, and she took a deep breath. How was she supposed to tell him the truth about everything? Hello, my name is Ginny Weasley. I'm a witch, and you should know that you're famous in the Wizarding World. You're Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the hero to thousands. Of course, you wouldn't know any of this, you don't even know you're a wizard. Ginny thought to herself, Oh yes, that'll sound wonderful. He'll probably have me carried off by men in white coats.
He returned with her water in a moment, and she thanked him.
"Wait." Ginny said timidly when he was about to leave to serve someone else.
He turned around, a curious look written on his face. "What is it?" He asked.
He probably thought that she just wanted to ask for another drink, or some snack. How wrong he is, she thought.
"I... I have something to tell you." Ginny replied, before realizing how stupid she must have sounded.
"Really?" He said, smiling. "What is it?"
Alright, now just tell him about how he's one of the most famous people on Earth, Ginny thought sarcastically.
"I'm... you're..." Ginny pausing, trying to take deep breathes. "I know who you are."
"I'm the bartender." He replied, amused. "That's what they typically call the people who serve customers at bars.
At least he's got a sense of humour, Ginny thought.
"No, I mean... I know things about you... About you're past..." She said, not loosing eye contact with him. "Not everything about you, but I know who you are. And, I know that you once lived with you're relatives, the Dursleys."
The smile immediately left Harry's face. "How d'you know that? Who are you...?"
Ginny shook her head. "I can't explain right now. But I know things that you deserve to know."
Harry looked around. "Listen, I can't keep talking now. I have more customers to serve. I'll have time for a break in a little over an hour when people starting clearing out. Okay?"
Ginny nodded, and made her way back to the table, looking back at Harry once. He looked very concerned all of a sudden, not anything like the happy person who had entered the pub earlier.
"What did he say?" Ron asked when she returned.
Ginny explained, "He's busy right now, but he's willing to listen a little later, when the pub is less crowded. So, we'll just sit here for a little while."
"Alright, but what did you say to him, anyway?" Hermione questioned.
"I didn't tell him much. Nothing about the Wizarding World, or You-Know-Who." She replied. "I just told him that there were things I needed to tell him, and that I knew about his past with the Dursleys. I guess he assumed that I must know something important if I knew about his childhood."
Hermione nodded.
An hour later, people slowly began filing out of the pub, as the sky darkened.
From her table, Ginny saw Harry motion for her to come back to the bar.
She went back and sat down on the same stool, about to say something, but she was interrupted.
"Listen, first I want to know how why you know things about me?" He said clearly, "I mean, I just met you, and you already know my entire history."
"Well, I actually, I don't know you're entire history, no one does, not even you." Ginny explained, but then realized that he had no clue what she meant by that. "But that's irrelevant. First, I need to know something. What happened? How did you end-up here, in Ireland?"
Harry seemed to be considering whether or not he should tell her. Apparently, he finally decided that it would be best to tell. "I don't know exactly. When I was nine, I was sitting at home one day, in the cupboard-"
Ginny was caught between feelings of surprise and amusement. "Um, why exactly were you sitting in the cupboard?"
"That's where I lived. The Dursleys couldn't bother to give me a proper bedroom, so they said that's where I'll live."
So, not only had Harry grown-up without parents, but he had grown-up with people who treated him like dirt. Ginny didn't know how to respond to that.
Fortunately, though, she didn't have to. "Anyways, I remember Uncle Vernon getting a call from the police, telling him that Aunt Petunia and Dudley had been found dead. Uncle Vernon was too shocked to do anything, and he didn't even blame me, which is odd because I got blamed for everything from starving people in Third World countries to the bad weather outside." Harry paused for a moment, and Ginny noticed that he had a troubled look as he spoke of his relatives. He looked as though he'd rather not talk about them, but seemed to decide that he'd have to. "Anyway, no one even knew how they died. They were found with their eyes wide open, lying on the ground."
The Killing Curse, Ginny thought, recalling her Defense Against The Darks Arts lessons at Hogwarts.
"Uncle Vernon and I were about to leave the house to go to the police station." He continued. "I was probably only coming because he didn't trust me alone in the house. But, we never got there. The door to the house opened, and a few people walked in. I don't know how they got in, but next thing that I knew they were taking something out of their pockets, and muttering some nonsense words. I saw Uncle Vernon scream and drop to the floor, and then I fell, too. I don't know what happened, maybe I just fainted from the shock, or something."
"They stunned you." Ginny answered, but then realized that she had probably stunned him by saying that. "Er... I mean, they... never mind. What happened after that?"
Harry looked curiously at her, then continued. "I don't know. I woke-up, and I was in a hospital here in Dublin. The doctors told me that I was found at night time, lying on the grass, by a few children. My arm had been cut badly. They said that if I had been found any later, there was a good chance I would have bled to death."
Some Death Eaters must have taken him. They're getting clumsy, though. Probably thought that he'd just bleed to death, and they didn't bother killing him properly. Ginny though grimly.
"They asked me what had happened to me. I told them the truth; that I didn't know."
Harry paused, looking very tired. Ginny thought he looked more troubled than sad. He clearly didn't have a good relationship with his uncle, but she couldn't imagine what it would be like to watch a relative die.
"They asked me where my parents were, and I told them that they were dead, and so were all the other relatives that I knew of. When they asked my name, I lied." Harry confessed.
"Why?" Ginny asked, concerned.
Harry shrugged. "Because I didn't know whether or not I should tell them. And because I didn't know what the point was. I had no family left anyway, so what did it matter? I told them I was Harry Smith. I guess they looked for records of a Harry Smith and never found him. The next thing I knew, I was being placed in an orphanage."
Ginny nodded, silently wondering how she would fair if she went through all of that.
"Now," Harry continued. "You have to tell me what you know."
Ginny gulped, and decided that it was finally time. "Harry, um, have you ever done anything unexplainable?"
His eyes narrowed. "What d'you mean?"
"Things that made no sense. Blown things-up when you're angry, etc. Done things when you're feeling especially emotional." Ginny answered.
Harry considered this for a moment, and replied. "Yes... I have. When, I was younger, at the Dursleys' house, when I'd get really angry or scared. I even ended-up on the roof of the school once when Dudley's gang was chasing me. It was almost like magic."
"It was magic." Ginny replied slowly.
Harry didn't understand. "Huh? How could it be..."
"Magic exists, Harry." She answered. "I swear, it does."
"That's silly..." Harry said. "There's no such thing... I mean... there can't be... right?"
Ginny said, "Yes, there can be. Magic exists Harry. There are plenty of magical people. You're one of them."
"That's not possible." Harry replied stubbornly.
"Of course it is."
"Then..." Harry looked very confused. "I'm magical?"
"Yes." Ginny replied, hoping that he'd believe her. "You're a wizard."
"I don't understand. I..." He trailed off.
"I'll explain everything, all right? But, first, I need to know when we can leave here." Ginny replied.
"In a few minutes. The pub'll close soon, and William - that's the owner - will lock-up."
Ginny nodded. "Okay. I'll be waiting there, with my friends..."
"Um," Harry replied, "I don't think I ever got you're name."
"Ginny." She smiled, "Ginny Weasley."
"So... are you a... witch?" He asked.
"Yes." Ginny replied. "And, so are my friends. Well, not all of them, obviously, two of them are wizards, but you know what I mean..."
Harry tried to smile, but Ginny sensed that he was probably too overwhelmed to really smile.
Ginny went back to the table. She was immediately greeted with questions of what happened, and whether or not Harry believed her.
"He believes me, I think." Ginny sighed. "We're going to talk more after. The pub's going to close in a few minutes."
They all nodded, but didn't say anything else.
A few minutes later, Harry motioned for them to leave the pub, and they did, with him following them.
"Is there somewhere we can go?" Ginny asked Harry. "It might not be safe out in public." She knew that the Death Eaters could come at any moment.
"Why wouldn't it be safe...?" He asked slowly. "I mean, I know it's night, but still..."
"It's just a better idea if we're in a more private place." Hermione said hurriedly
Harry turned to look at her. "And you are...?"
"Hermione Granger." She supplied. "And, that's Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood."
Harry nodded his head, looking a bit overwhelmed. "I suppose we could go to my flat. If it's that important."
"You're a wizard, Harry." Ginny said. "Isn't that important enough?"
"I just ... don't understand everything yet." Harry said.
"Come on, we've got a car, we'll drive to your place." Hermione replied.
Harry looked curious at this. "You've got a car? Shouldn't you have broomsticks or a magic carpet?"
Ginny suppressed a giggle at Harry's curiosity.
Ron groaned, "I wish we had broomsticks. They're much more comfortable. How are we supposed to fit six people in the car?"
"Harry can right up front, and the four of you can sit in the back." Hermione answered calmly, as they walked towards the car.
"Great. That'll be really comfortable." Ron replied.
Oh boy, Ginny thought. Now they'll be bickering about the car for days, and it'll be sickening for everyone except them, because they like being argumentative, and then they'll make-up and be sickeningly sweet for a few days. Not that she didn't want them happy, but she'd much rather not have to think about her brother in a romantic relationship with anyone.
Ginny thought. Not that she didn't want them happy, but she'd much rather not have to think about her brother in a romantic relationship with anyone.Ginny squeezed into the back of the small car, in between Ron and Luna. Ron was still muttering about Muggle transportation, and how much better it would be if they could just have Apparated here. Luna, on the other hand, was continuing to gaze absentmindedly out the window, as she had done in the morning.
In about ten minutes, Harry pointed out a small apartment building to Hermione and she parked in front of it. The six of them got out of the car and headed for the door to the building.
Once they were upstairs, Harry pulled the key out of his pocket and lead them into his apartment.
The apartment was small, but had a very cozy atmosphere about it. It was clear that Harry probably enjoyed living in the apartment, much more than he had in the Dursleys' house.
Still, it wasn't the most clean place on Earth. It wasn't particularly dirty, either, but Ginny was strongly reminded of Ron's room when their mother hadn't ordered him to tidy-up for a few days.
There was a sofa, and a coffee table sitting in front of a large box. Ginny thought she remembered Hermione telling her something about that being a television, but she wasn't sure.
Sitting down on the sofa, she waited for everyone else to settle down. Harry brought in a few chairs from the kitchen table, and began to speak once everyone was seated.
"Okay, now please explain everything to me." He pleaded.
Ginny took a deep breath and then began. "All right, you already know that you, Ron and Neville are wizards. And that Hermione, Luna and I are witches.
"Years and years ago," Ginny continued, "there was a very Dark wizard, who was trying to take over the entire Wizarding community."
"There's a Wizarding community?" Harry questioned.
Hermione answered this before Ginny had a chance. "Yes," she said, "there is. There are schools, and government."
Harry nodded, taking in all the information.
"Right." Ginny said. "Now, some people obviously agreed with the Dark Wizard-"
"What's his name?" Harry interrupted.
"Voldemort." Ron answered.
Ginny flinched at the sound of the name, and saw Neville do the same. Ron had just recently begun using the name, and Hermione and Luna both thought it was pointless to not say it.
"Yes ... him." Ginny replied nervously. "Like I said, some people agreed with him, but there were many who didn't. In 1970, he began to gain power. The war went on for eleven years, until 1981. In those eleven years, many people fought against him. Most just tried to remain well-hidden, and hoped that he would ignore them. However, there were some that fought. Including your parents."
Harry's eyes widened. "My parents... they were a wizard and a witch...?"
Ginny nodded.
"Oh." Harry said, comprehension dawning on him. "That's why the Dursleys hated them so much, isn't it? Aunt Petunia always said my Mum was a freak, but she never said why she felt that way."
"Some Muggles feel that way about wizards and witches. And many wizards and witches feel that way about Muggles. That's why the war started in the first place." Ron replied.
"Muggles?" Harry inquired.
"That's what we call none magical people, like the Dursleys." Ginny answered. "Anyway, Ron's right, that's why the war started in the first place. You-Know-Who thought Muggles and Muggle-borns - magical children with Muggle parents - were filth."
Harry nodded. "So he wanted a world that only had...?"
"Purebloods." Ginny finished. "Now, like I said, your parents fought against him. But he was very powerful, and it was only a matter of time before he got them." Ginny gulped, not wanting to continue.
Hermione picked-up where she left off. "On Hallowe'en, 1981, he went to your parents home, and killed them. Then he tried to kill you. Except that it didn't work. Somehow the spell rebounded, and Voldemort was gone."
Harry blinked. He didn't say anything for a moment and Ginny was sure that he had finally gotten too much information and would soon tell them that they were all crazy.
"Why?" Harry asked eventually. "If he could kill that many people, he shouldn't have any problem killing a little baby..."
"Yes, he should have been able to kill you." Ginny agreed. "But for some reason, he couldn't. I don't know why. Nobody does. Well, Dumbledore might..."
"Who's Dumbledore?"
"He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Ron answered. "They say he's the only one that Voldemort ever feared."
The sound of the name once again brought an unpleasant feeling to Ginny's stomach.
"I... I still don't understand." Harry replied.
Ginny looked at him curiously, wanting to help. "What don't you understand?"
"Why did you come and get me? I don't understand why it's so important to find me, and why no one did before." He answered.
Hermione sighed. "Well, no one could find you before. We had no idea what had happened to you. And, there were other things that the Wizarding World had to deal with then."
"What?" Harry asked.
"He came back." Ginny replied. "You-Know-Who came back, only days after you went missing."
"Did the war start again?" Harry asked, and Ginny was sure that he was genuinely concerned.
She nodded. "Yes. In fact, it's ... it's still going on."
"Oh." Harry said quietly. "Still, you haven't told me why you wanted to find me."
"To be honest, we're not exactly sure." Hermione replied. "Professor Dumbledore told us that it was vital that we try and find you."
"But that's all he told us." Ron interrupted.
"Exactly." Hermione agreed. "Whatever the reason, we all trust Professor Dumbledore's judgement. It must be important, especially since he said that it had to do with the war."
"Okay." Harry replied.
"But it's not just to do with the war." Ginny said smiling. "You deserve the chance to be where you belong. In the Wizarding World. You should have never missed your opportunity to go to Hogwarts, and grow-up like a normal wizard."
Harry eyed her carefully for a minute. "So... I'm supposed to come to the Wizarding World now?"
Ginny nodded. "That's what Dumbledore told us. I know you'll have to adjust, but-"
"No," Harry interrupted, "it's all right. I didn't like living with the Dursleys, and I don't like living here. But up until now, I've had no choice."
"Good." Ginny smiled.
"I'll... I'm going to call William - the owner of the pub - to tell him that I'm quitting."
"You don't mind leaving your job...?" Hermione asked timidly.
"Not one bit."
"Well, that's good news." Ron smiled. "Anyways, we should probably get going. Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna and I will stay at a hotel. We'll come back in the morning to pick you up. All right?"
"All right." Harry agreed, getting-up and walking across the apartment.
Harry held the door while everyone left, saying good-bye.
"Good night, Harry." Ginny said.
"G'night." He said, still looking as though he were in a small state of shock.
Ginny smiled at him, before the apartment door shut, and she followed Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna outside.
Author's Notes: Thanks for reading, everyone! Please review! Comments and constructive criticism welcome.
