As Professor Dashall had told him Hermione was just fine the next morning. She joined them at breakfast seated next to Ron. Harry was nervous for the first quidditch game against Ravenclaw was in just a few hours. He saw that Ginny was hardly eating anything.
"Eat Ginny," he said. "You're going to need your strength today"
"I'm so nervous," she said.
"You'll do great Ginny," Ron said.
"Hello all," Wood said coming over to their table. "Just wanted to say good luck today"
"Thanks Wood," Harry said. A flurry of owls soared overhead and dropped the mail on the table. Hedwig landed in front of Harry. Harry untied the letter from her leg and rewarded her with a bit of biscuit. He saw that the letter was from Sirius and quickly left the table to open it. He went out and sat by the lake, the same lake where he'd conjured a Patronus last year and saved Sirius from a pack of Dementors. He sat on a rock and opened his letter.
'Dear Harry,
I have been in contact with Dumbledore, he told me all about the attacks. He has forbidden me from going into great detail but I can tell you that your suspicions of this happening before at Hogwarts is not unfounded. All I can tell you is to be careful. Don't let Ginny out of your sight. Hermione was lucky to have escaped unscathed but believe me this new enemy will be prepared next time. As far as this Professor Dashall goes, whatever she may be she has nothing to do with this. Just keep your head up and your eyes open.
Your godfather
Sirius'
Harry folded the letter with trembling hands. This had happened before. Girl's at Hogwarts had been attacked and raped before. Dumbledore was keeping it a secret, why? Why wouldn't Sirius tell him? And why would he tell Harry not to let Ginny out of his sight? Ginny was his friend, sure, and he of course would look out for her, but she wasn't anything more than that.
"Harry?" He looked up and saw Ginny standing there.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked her.
"You ran out of breakfast so quickly, I was worried"
"I'm fine. I just needed to read my letter in private"
"What does Sirius say?" she asked. Harry wasn't sure what he should tell her.
"He says that this has happened before"
"When"
"I don't know. He won't say. He just said to watch out"
"I can't believe this has happened before and no one told us"
"Well, they didn't tell us about the Chamber of Secrets either," Harry said. Ginny smiled weakly.
"Makes you wonder what other secrets lie within the halls of Hogwarts." Harry nodded.
"Sirius also said I shouldn't let you out of my sight," Harry said almost as an afterthought.
"Hmm," Ginny said thoughtfully. "With three older brothers at this school I wonder why he would give you that task"
"I guess he has this impression that you and I are something more than friends," Harry said awkwardly, the back of his neck suddenly getting rather sweaty.
"I wonder where he got that impression," Ginny said pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I...uh...have no idea...Ginny," as he spoke he drew closer and closer to her. His head bent slightly down to hers. His lips brushed lightly against hers, then suddenly he felt as though all the warmth had been sucked from his body. The feeling was entirely too familiar. He pulled away from Ginny and spun around. There they were.
"No," Harry gasped. "It can't be." He blinked several times trying to tell himself he was hallucinating.
"Harry," Ginny gasped clutching his hand tightly. Ginny saw them too, he wasn't hallucinating. They were there. There were so many of them, even more than had been at the lake. He could fight them off, he'd done it before.
"Ginny, think of something happy. Your happiest memory keep it in your head," he told her as he fumbled for his wand while keeping one arm tightly around her. Ginny was trembling hard. Harry thought hard about his parents, their memory strong in his mind. He pointed his wand at the dementors as they crept closer and closer.
"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted. His wand spat out a burst of light but it wasn't nearly strong enough to send them away.
"Ginny," he shouted, "pull out your wand. Say it with me. Keep hold of your happiest memory"
"Harry kissed me," Ginny whimpered pulling out her wand. "Harry kissed me"
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted. A stronger light came from his wand but it still wasn't strong enough.
"Expecto Patronum," Ginny said weakly. A very weak light burst from Ginny's wand. Harry could feel her growing limp in his arms.
"Stay with me Ginny!" he shouted. Where were the other professors, he needed help. There were just too many of them. Ginny's body softly fell to the ground. Harry could hear his mother's voice screaming in his head. The dementors were closing in on him. His wand arm dropped to his side. He looked ahead and saw someone coming, someone coming to help. The last thing he saw was a woman with dark hair staring at the dementors, the wand in her hand useless.
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