Chapter Twelve: Knowledge and Priorities

Hermione worked on the research for days. In the two weeks leading up to the Yule Ball and the Christmas break, she spent every waking moment not in classes or taking care of Head Girl duties in the library, or off somewhere in the school getting information, or studying what she'd found. Harry spent hours in the library with her, as did Ginny and Ron, trying to find any reference that might help them.

Between this, classes, and quidditch practices, the day of the Yule Ball arrived quickly. Hermione had announced that morning that she was close to something, and that she hoped to get a few hours research in before getting ready for the Ball. Ron looked nervous.

"Don't worry, Ron," she said softly as she stood from the breakfast table and slung her book bag over her shoulder. "I'll be ready in time."

"I just think..." Ron colored. "You're working too hard, Hermione. You need to take a day off."

Hermione sighed, and Harry looked up to see her watching Ron.

"I agree," he said. She turned to him.

"Harry?"

"It will keep, Hermione."

"But..."

"Hermione... you're exhausted. There is no reason for it. I appreciate the effort, but it's not worth it to me if you kill yourself over it. Please."

She glanced between the boys and then nodded. "Fine... I have one thing I want to look up, it was bugging me all night... then... then I'll leave off for the day, okay?"

Both boys nodded, and Hermione smiled, leaning down and kissing Ron on the cheek. "Thanks."

Ron flushed as she left, and Ginny squeezed Harry's thigh. "That was a nice thing you did."

"Nice? She's been working her tail off for this. It's important, but..."

"It was still nice, Harry," Ginny smiled.

Ron left them outside the Great Hall, telling them he had a few things to do for the Ball as Head Boy, and Harry and Ginny headed back to the Gryffindor Tower hand in hand. Halfway there, Harry was surprised, yet again, as she grabbed him by the robes and dragged him through a door into a broom cupboard.

Setting a quick locking charm, she turned on him in the darkness.

"Well, Harry?"

"You have to stop doing that..." he swallowed as she ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling him close against her.

"You really want me to stop?" she asked, nibbling at his ear.

"Umm..." he tried to remember what it was he'd said, but was distracted by her lips running down to the sensitive hollow beneath his ear.

"Or do you want me to keep doing this...?"

"Ginny..."

"I thought it was a very, very nice thing you did at breakfast."

"Hmm..."

"And I thought... we have all day..."

Harry's hands began to explore on their own. Ginny had done this several times since the first time she'd pulled him into the broom cupboard on the third floor on their way to the DA club meeting. Harry never knew when it was coming, but had had absolutely no objections to being surprised. At least, not like this.

He pulled her tshirt up and explored beneath it, shocked when he found no bra strap... and with an immediate and rather uncomfortable reaction when his hand skated around to her front to find nothing there encumbering her, either.

"Umm, Gin?"

"I figured we could skip that step," she whispered. He could hear the smile in her voice.

"Skip...?" he swallowed. She'd planned this?

"Harry?"

"What?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

His lips were on hers, barely giving her time to finish the sentence, and he groaned as her own small hands explored under his shirt. Ginny's hands drove him wild. Having her touch him was incredibly satisfying, but incredibly frustrating at the same time. He wanted much more than what was currently on offer, but knew that there was a point he wouldn't cross without her full involvement.

"Did I lock that door?" she muttered.

"Yes."

"Can you double it?"

"Double it?"

"Make it so that no git with the ability to do an alohomora can get in?"

Harry quickly set another locking charm, and a privacy charm for good measure.

"Okay?"

"Hmm..." his lips nuzzled her neck, and he was unpleasantly surprised when Ginny pulled back from him.

"Gin?"

Only to be silenced as she pulled her shirt off over her head. His first rational thought was that he, apparently, didn't need to breath. She was utterly beautiful in the dim light from the rather large crack under the door.

"Come here..."

"Ginny..."

"Come here."

Harry didn't hesitate. This time, when he pressed her up against the wall, she wound herself around him in a way she never had before. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and he groaned, even through his shirt, he could feel the warmth of her. Then, with a funny little hop, her arms around his shoulders, she wound her legs around his waist and pressed back.

He gasped.

"Ginny!"

"Harry... I want you to..."

Harry swallowed and tried for rational thought. He stroked her breasts and kissed her softly, grinding his hips against her. He groaned, and then pulled back from the very soft, very inviting centre of her.

"Harry...?"

"I want to, Gin. I really, really want to... but not in a broom cupboard. Not the first time..."

"Harry?"

"I want it to be special."

"It is."

"A dusty old broom cupboard, where Filch keeps his cleaning supplies, and half the school has been snogging for years? I want to be able to look into your eyes... we can't do that here. Being with you is special, but I want more for us than this, okay?"

Ginny was silent, but reached forward and touched his face softly. "Okay."

"Now let's go... I have to have a cold shower before I forget everything I just said..."

Ginny shrugged on her shirt and reached up to kiss him softly on the corner of his mouth.

"You're a nice guy, Harry Potter."

"I'm glad you think so... because right now I feel like punching something," he muttered. "Malfoy had better not be anywhere between here and the Tower."

She giggled and pulled him from the cupboard behind her.


"Harry! Harry!" Hermione ran into the boy's dormitory later that day to find Harry laying on his bed reading and Ron and Neville playing a game of Wizard's Chess on Ron's bed.

"Hermione..." Harry sat up, looking at her as she ran across the room and jumped on his bed, the papers in her arms scattering as she did so.

"No bloody girls in the dorm, Potter!" Dean muttered as he came through from the showers. "Can't you keep it to one at a time, at least?"

"Shut it, Thomas!" Ron growled, leaving the game and coming over to where Hermione was excitedly bouncing on her knees at the end of Harry's bed. "What is it?"

"I found it... I found it!"

"Found what, Hermione?"

"Everything!" her eyes glowed. "Remember I told you that that one thing was bugging me? That I was thinking about it all night? Well, I went and check it out... and it turned out it was the key! I know what it means!"

"Hermione," Harry glanced around the room. "I take it you've figured it... all... out?"

"That's what I'm telling you, Harry!"

"Then maybe we need to..."

Hermione glanced around the room, and nodded, flushing. "I'll get Ginny, shall I?"

"What time is it?" Harry glanced at the clock on his bedside table, seeing it was only two.

"We have plenty of time, Harry," Hermione said as she rushed to the door. "Common Room?"

"Meet you there," he nodded.

Five minutes later, the four were on their way to the Room of Requirement. Hermione was nearly bursting with her discoveries, and Harry was itching to begin them.

The moment the door was closed and locked behind them, Hermione exploded with excited speech.

"I knew it was something... and I found this one old charm, and then a spell..."

"A spell?"

"Well, a potion and a spell, really... and it was so much like what we were working on here and... oh, Harry, you'll never guess!"

"Guess what?"

"I checked the checkout history on the book I found this in, and you'll never guess..."

"Hermione... focus!"

"Harry, your mother checked this book out... in her final year! She knew this stuff, Harry! I'll bet that she was the one who..."

"Okay, okay..." Harry nodded. "So what do we have to do?"

"It's long, and involved, but the spell itself takes no time at all, I think... the potion has to be brewed, and it's very difficult, but it doesn't take time like the Polyjuice Potion did..."

"How long?"

"We can brew it there, as we're about to do the spell..."

"Can we get the things we need?"

"We can... there is only one... well, Harry, you're going to have to either ask Snape for it, or..."

"Don't worry about that," Harry nodded. "I was just wondering if everything is available."

"That's what really threw me..." Hermione nodded. "Everything is quite common... a couple of the ingredients are restricted to Potions Masters... but any apothacary sells them. The only thing is..."

"What?"

"Well, by rights..."

"Hermione?"

"One is supposed to be a Potions Master to brew anything requiring human blood, Harry... but..."

"Does the Ministry regulate that?"

"When they find out about it, yes," Hermione nodded. "It's... well, it's generally looked upon as a misdemeanor so long as the intent is... well..."

"I understand, Hermione. Don't worry about that."

Hermione's eyebrows knit together, but she wasn't saying anything more.

"I'll talk to Dumbledore tomorrow," Harry said softly.

"Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

"A comrade in arms," Harry smiled sadly. "My parents were in the Order. We're going to need him."


"Merlin, you're gorgeous," Harry said, watching Ginny approach from the foot of the girls' dorm stairs.

Her bright hair was wound up on the top of her head, and held there with what appeared to be dozens of tiny, living butterflies. When she got closer, he realized that the butterflies were just an illusion, but it was beautiful.

Looking down into her eyes, he smiled. "You're beautiful."

"Harry..."

"You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Ginny Weasley... bar none," Harry felt the heat in his own cheeks, but he couldn't not tell her.

Ginny flushed with pleasure. "Thank you. Now kiss me."

Harry happily complied, then turned as she pulled away to see the vision in blue coming down the stairs. Hermione stepped off the last step, her gauzy pale blue robes floating about her, and looked up, biting her lip.

Ron was speechless. Harry looked over at him to see his jaw literally hanging, and his eyes wide and shocked.

"Ron?" Hermione looked at him nervously, waiting for something, but Ron couldn't speak.

"I... you're..."

Hermione sighed, her face losing it's light as her shoulders fell just enough for Harry and Ginny to know she was disappointed. She stepped forward, obviously not waiting any longer for a positive response.

"Hermione..." Ginny said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you know what it takes to render a Weasley speechless?" Ginny smiled softly. The older girl's eyes met hers, and Harry could tell they were filled with tears.

"What?" Hermione seemed confused.

"Ron is speechless... I've never actually seen that before."

Hermione turned to see Ron, blushing and still staring at her. She smiled.

"You... you're... you look..." he stammered. "You're gorgeous, Hermione. Really, really beautiful."

Taking his arm happily, Hermione allowed him to lead her through the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall.


That Yule Ball would be talked about for many years for many reasons. The food was incredible, the decorations magical, and Draco Malfoy had to leave early.

It began innocently enough. Harry and Ginny were dancing, and Draco, being Draco, couldn't leave well enough alone. Although he'd come escorting Pansy Parkinson, he'd been dancing with almost every other girl there, leaving Pansy sitting, fuming, at their table. Draco, apparently oblivious, and stupid to boot, decided that Ginny Weasley would be his next dance partner.

So he cut in on them. Harry was about to tell him, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from the girls of Gryffindor, when Ginny laid a calming hand on his arm.

"Harry, please... not now. Not tonight," she pleaded with her eyes.

"Gin..."

"It's okay. It's a dance. I'm sure that Draco will be a perfect gentleman."

Draco's eyes glinted, but so did Ginny's, and Harry read the message there. He nodded, and turned away, trusting that Ginny could handle herself.

"You bloody prat!" Ron hissed at him at the edge of the dancefloor. "What are you doing, letting Malfoy cut in on you?"

"I was going to flatten him," Harry admitted, turning to watch the progression of his date around the dance floor in the arms of the handsome Slytherin boy. "But Ginny asked me to just let it slide. She can handle him."

"Malfoy? Are you insane?"

Harry turned to look at Ron. "If he tried anything, what would happen?"

"You mean besides my sister having been groped by that..."

"Yes, besides that."

"Well..." Ron glanced at the dancefloor, seeing her bright red head across the way. A rather evil grin took the place of his frown. "She'd hex him halfway into next week."

"And then?"

"And then, she'd slap him, and walk away from him on the dancefloor..."

"Ending up?"

"Coming to you..."

"At which point?"

"We would be well within our rights to take him outside and..."

"Precisely. Do you think Malfoy doesn't know all that?"

"He might know it, but is he smart enough to..."

At this point, there was a curse, the resounding echo of a violent slap, and a furious Ginny Weasley came striding across the dancefloor, fire in her eyes.

"Guess not," Ron grinned.

"Gin?" Harry looked at her, truly concerned. He really had thought that Draco was smarter than that.

He'd kill him.

"Stupid git!" she threw a downright nasty look over her shoulder, and Harry caught her arm, pulling her close.

"What did he do?" Harry's voice went low, his eyes narrowing as he searched the dancefloor for the blonde Slytherin.

"Tried putting his hand on my..." Ginny glanced up at Harry, her eyes narrowing at him dangerously. "I told you I could handle myself."

"Bat bogey?" Ron asked calmly, still gazing out over the crowd.

"Too good for the prat," Ginny grumbled. "He'll be peeing sitting down for a week."

Ron began to laugh, and Harry looked down at her, now tucked safely under his arm, with admiration. Ginny Weasley definitely could handle herself.

But that didn't mean that Malfoy didn't have some serious explaining to do at some point.


"Harry?" Ginny's voice was soft as they danced slowly about the room. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, Gin," he sighed.

"Harry, don't," she said, looking up at him. "I can feel it... you're so tense."

"You know me too well."

"I would hope so," she rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Now, what is it?"

"I've been trying to figure out how to get some of my aunt's blood."

"You mean, without killing her?"

Harry snorted. "Preferably, yes."

"Can't you just ask?"

"Ask? Aunt Petunia?" Harry laughed. "You did meet her this summer, right? Tall woman? Rather prickly disposition?"

"Yes, Harry... I know. But, if you need it, you have to ask, right?"

"Asking won't work."

"But you have to try, Harry. Even if you have strong reason to believe that someone will say no to you, even if they have every reason to say no to you, you still have to ask."

"I suppose," he nodded, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Will you spend Christmas with me?"

"Harry?" she pulled back to look up at him, her eyes wide.

"I had to ask," he grinned.

"You're going back to Potter Manor?" she asked, glancing away from him, then back. Her brown eyes were concerned.

"Of course I am."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"Ginny... your parents..."

"Oh, they'll probably be there, too. You know my Mum."

Harry laughed.

"What?" she smiled up at him.

"You were right, about asking."

"I generally am. Keep that in mind."

As the music ended and the lights brightened, the dance over, the students in all their finery headed out the doors and on to their various dormitories. The group consisting of Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Neville and Luna and Seamus and a dormmate of Luna's left together, with Neville and Seamus and their dates breaking off from the group to walk the girls back to the Ravenclaw dormitories at the first landing of the great staircase. Harry raised his eyes at this, suddenly realizing that Seamus hadn't escorted Lavender to the ball.

Curious.

Shrugging, he followed the others up the staircase. Halfway up, Harry stumbled.

"Harry?" Ginny grabbed his arm, pulling him close. Ron caught him at the other side and leaned down.

"Mate? You okay?"

"Fine..."

"Did Seamus spike the punch again?" Hermione asked.

"Not the punch..." Harry gasped.

"We must speak, Harry... it is time. Come to me..."

"Harry?" Ginny got an arm under him and supported his weight as he clutched his head. The pain was unbelievable.

"Voldemort? Harry," Hermione whispered. "Is it your scar?"

"No..." Harry shook his head.

"I am sorry... I have no other way to contact you while in this form... I am sorry for the pain of my invasion. You must come to me, Harry. I am in the Forest. You must come tonight."

And as quickly as it had begun, it ended, as though it had never happened.

"Harry?" Ron looked at him oddly. "Mate?"

"It was my mother... she's waiting for me... in the forest."

Hermione gasped, and Ginny tightened her grip on his arm.

"Dumbledore... we need Dumbledore..." Harry turned towards the Headmaster's office and began to walk, Ginny and the others at his side.

Ten minutes later, a silent Dumbledore led them from the school. He had listened carefully to Harry's story of the vision, and taken down the sword of Gryffindor, touching the blade reverently as Harry spoke. The expression on his face was grim.

"You have your wand?"

"Yes," Harry confirmed.

"Then come."

Entering the Forbidden Forest at this time of night was disconcerting. Ginny, of course, was close enough to Harry's side that he knew he could protect her should he need to. But he didn't think it would come to that. The Forest felt different tonight. Calm, and peaceful.

Rounding a corner on the pathway, they stilled as they saw the glow ahead in a small clearing.

"You've come... I knew that you would," a figure stepped out of the glow, and became distinct. Her flowing white robes floated on the slight breeze around her, making her look ethereal. Her long red hair flowed down her back. Her hands were held out to them.

Harry looked at her, then stepped forward, away from the group behind him.

"Mum?"

"No, Harry, this is not your mother," Dumbledore stepped forward. "Hello, Daisy."