On silent feet it came.
Breathing a sheet of flame,
It came!
Closing in on its rightful prey.
Burning a hundred years away…

The Morning of the Dragon, truth lit up the street.
The tiger we were stalking walked on paper feet.
And in the clear white heat of dawn,
Was gone…

THE MORNING OF THE DRAGON – MISS SAIGON


Morning of the Dragon—Chapter 1

"You can't be serious…"

"Harry, I am completely serious," Dumbledore wiped his half-moon spectacles on the sleeve of his magenta robe. Harry sputtered indignantly for a while, unable to think up a retort. "Not permanently of course, but it would be safer for you to remain at Grimmauld Place this year. I know how much you wish to attend Hogwarts, but it just isn't safe anymore." Harry slammed his open palm down on the Weasley's dinner table. "Harry, calm yourself! You know we must keep you out of harms way."

"But Headmaster, Hogwarts is near you! No Death Eater dares to go near you!" he cried out, losing all manners and control. "I'll not be exiled to some God-forsaken house! I will not be banished away!"

Woken by his volume, Ginny crouched at the head of the stairs, listening intently through the bars barricading her from the kitchen. Her faint pink nightdress snagged onto a broken section of one of the bars. As she pulled it out of its trap, she lost her balance, tipping over and letting out a slight yelp. Sharp, sudden footsteps coming up the stairs made Ginny groan aloud and sit up so as not to look like a fool. "Ginny?"

Harry pulled her up by grasping her hands. "Ginny what are you doing up this late? It's at least two AM and school starts next week. You need to get more rest…" Ginny leaned against his frame, smiling up at her lovely savior. Dumbledore had ascended the stairs silently, interrupting Harry's doting.

"Harry…" he said, looking at their entwined hands and the tender smile Ginny gave him. "Perhaps Miss Weasley should come downstairs," he sighed lethargically. Harry nodded slowly, confused, before leading Ginny down the steps. "Have some cocoa. It always cheers me up," Dumbledore stated, letting his laugh lines show. Harry cocked his head as he studied his Headmaster. It was like inside of him there were two people. One was a happy man who always did the right thing and never lost his temper. The other was a fiery-eyed man who could scare villains with a rapid glare. Harry had seen both sides, but apparently, all was normal for Ginny. "Go on, I haven't poisoned that cocoa, Miss Weasley."

Politely, Ginny refused the mug. Harry seemed worried though, so for his sake and her sanity, she walked over to the cabinet and brought back marshmallows her father had bought in a Muggle store to share. "I'm fine, honestly, Harry!" she laughed as Harry tucked her hair behind her ear. Watching the two dolefully, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"What is that on your finger, Miss Weasley?" he asked, pointing to an unusual ring on her right ring finger. Giving Harry a furtive glance, Ginny took off the ring that was obviously Muggle. Several, either seven or nine, iron butterflies were welded together at the wings to form a silver band.

"A promise ring, Headmaster… " Harry spoke first, his chin raised in the air confidently. Surprised, Dumbledore eyed Ginny behind his glasses. "I thought you knew the two of us were promised…"

"I assumed you were promised to Miss Granger when I saw a mock wedding ring on her right ring finger…" Dumbledore seemed like he was trying to figure something out. "So, who would be Miss Granger's betrothed then?"

"Not betrothed- be wedded." At this statement from an oblivious Ginny, two things happened; One: Harry glared at her fiercely, narrowly missing her leg, which he tried to kick, and two: Dumbledore nearly choked to death on his cocoa. "Ron and 'Mione married the weekend after Ron became legal. They were so in love. The only people there were 'Mione's parents, Mum and Dad, all their immediate family, and Harry. Harry was the best man; I was the maid of honor. I had a horrible dress though. This lavender, pouf-sleeved… thing… It completely clashed with my hair." Droning on about the wedding where she finally gained a sister, Ginny didn't notice Dumbledore motioning to Harry.

Sighing sadly, Harry followed Dumbledore's order and tapped Ginny on the shoulder, breaking her out of her memories. "Ginny… it's time for you to go back to sleep," he choked out. Smiling innocently, Ginny gave Harry a quick, chaste kiss before abandoning her never-touched cocoa to go upstairs. Pausing at the top of the stairs, Ginny fought an inner battle against her curiosity. Letting the devil on her shoulder win for her annual victory, Ginny was just about to crouch down again at her spot out of their sight to eavesdrop when: "Go to sleep, Ginny!"

At the click of her door as it closed fully, Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Oh, Harry… She's quite charming and lovely now, isn't she? But-"

"I know! I love her so much, Headmaster… I'm so glad you approve. We're going to get married to each other and have cartloads of kids. And we'll name 'em all after you- even the girls! And we'll-"

"Harry!" Dumbledore yelled to get his attention. "I don't think this is a good idea." Unknowingly, Dumbledore had just shattered all Harry's dreams. "It's not smart to create this weakness right before-"

"Weakness?"

"Yes, Harry, she's a weakness!" Harry recoiled from the old, weary man in front of him. This wasn't the Dumbledore he liked. Shrouded by the darkness and the midst of an argument, a man with bright red hair crept just near enough to hear all they were saying. "You gave her a promise ring! She'll be used against you."

"I love her!" Harry shouted, startling Dumbledore with his rudeness. The man listening leaned closer to the stairs.

"I know you do!" This was the side of Dumbledore that he kept locked away behind his own veil. Harry, who had seen Dumbledore countless times in the good and bad, had only seen this side once before. The side that explained why Voldemort feared an elderly, useless excuse for a wizard… "They'll use what you most love. They'll use your love for Ginny to get at you. There are spies all around us, Harry…" They stood in silence for a moment. At the chiming of the clock, Dumbledore checked the time before collecting himself. "Harry, I want you to pack your things. We depart within the hour."


Stalking up the stairs to pack his things, Harry missed seeing the eavesdropper sneak into his old room. Ever since he had left the Burrow, he had turned his faith to that of the dark side. And because of this, he had moved back in to become an informant.

Pictures of the "golden trio", as the world called them, littered his floor with knife cuts over Ron and Hermione's faces. It was clear when this man had attended his younger brother's wedding that the option to use them both for weaknesses against Harry was now long ago swept away.

But this "fiancé" of Harry's… that opened a whole new stack of options for them to use.

Clearing his throat, Percy Weasley picked out a quill and composed a long letter to his leader Voldemort about all he had heard that night. Glancing down at his feet after he signed his name, Percy saw a loving picture of Harry and Ginny embracing. With his knife, he carved a circle around his only sister's face before attaching it to his letter.

Percy tied the letter carefully to his owl's leg. As Hermes flew into a spot bathed in moonlight, a sadistic smile drew itself across his face.


"Ginny…" Harry watched her chest rise and fall rhythmically with each breath. No matter his voice, she slept soundlessly before him. As he walked closer to her bed, he looked back suddenly to make sure Dumbledore wasn't following him. Seeing no one, he sat on the edge of Ginny's bed. "Ginny…" was it a trick of the light, or did she seem to be waking up? No- her eyelashes were fluttering. "Please wake up, Ginny."

"H-" she interrupted her own words with a yawn she could not suppress. "Harry? What are you doing? It's the middle of the night…" Closing her eyes and leaning back onto her bed, Ginny showed how she awaited his answer most intently.

"I love you." That definitely caught her attention.

"I love you too, Harry," she replied warmly. He didn't wait for her to elaborate her answer. As soon as the words left her mouth and swam through the air to his awaiting ears, he covered her mouth in their traditional virtuous kiss. But this time, he deepened this kiss, so it was far more than "chaste". "Harry, stop please!" Ginny begged. Breaking away from her lips, Harry saw fear in her eyes.

"Don't be frightened…"

"How can I not be?" she whispered. "You're acting so peculiar… I'm beginning to get scared…" Tsking softly, Harry gently pushed a stray lock away from her unusually flushed face. He took several minutes memorizing her face- every feature, every detail… "What's going on, Harry?"

"I just wanted you to know how much I love you. I do, you know. No matter what anyone might say, I do love you." Her forehead was slightly wrinkled as she furrowed her eyebrows together, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "I want you to know that whatever happens, I'll always love you… Always."

Her hand snaked up to his cheek, caressing it tenderly. "And I'll always love you no matter what." He kissed her again, trying to take as much with him as he could. "But, it's not like you're going anywhere or anything like that… I'll be at your side through thick and thin- just as I promised when I accepted this ring." He simply nodded.

"Go back to sleep, Ginny," he pulled the blanket up to her neck as he spoke. "I love you…" the whisper came in her ear after he kissed her cheek. Cuddling her pillow, Ginny quickly fell into a sound, dreamless sleep.

For a while after she slipped into the other world of our imagination, Harry watched her delicate form as it rose and fell with each breath. After about ten minutes, he kissed her lightly on the cheek once more before gathering his trunk off the floor. With a last look at her sleeping without a care in the world, Harry closed the door silently and joined Dumbledore to leave downstairs.


Disclaimer: All right, now many of you have been complaining about how Ginny's first name is Ginevra. I am perfectly aware of Miss Ginevra Molly Weasley's whole name. But for the sake of the plot devices in my story, which Ihave been working on since before she released her name, Ginny's first name is Virginia. Moving on:

I don't own the song in the beginning. As I said already, its from the play Miss Saigon. I don't own the characters and all that jazz. I own the plot. Technically speaking... More chapters are to come. I would like to thank all of my reviewers; even those whojust flamed and probably aren't even reading this. You all mean the world to me. A big thank-you to my beta Pixie, she is a godsend! You all can find her work under the name Rea Yume if you're interested.

Next chapter: The Weasleys discover Harry is missing. September first and all that implies, including a new school year with more Death Eaters in Hogwarts than ever before. Draco Malfoy is Head Boy. Voldemort makes a plan- an evil plan. And just so you know, my chapters are going to be much longer once I actually get into the plot. I had to start the chapter like this, you know, to get the ball rolling.

Talk to you all later. Hope you all enjoyed,

Emma Riddle