Chapter 5!
"How about Laura for a girl?"
"Hmm, that sounds nice. Actually, I've always been rather partial to unique names… you know, being that I have one. I mean, think about it! How many Hermione's do you know?"
Ron laughed. "Just the one. That's more than enough."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Okay, we'll come back to girls. Any boy names you like?"
"Yeah, I like Daniel." Ron said, writing the name down on the parchment in his lap. "Daniel Ronald Weasley… has a nice ring don't you think?"
"It does. You know what name I like? James. It's a good strong name." Hermione said, tapping the parchment to make sure he wrote it down.
Ron looked at Hermione. "You think Harry would be alright us calling our baby that?"
"Well, he really doesn't have a say Ron. It is our baby after all, and we have any right to call it James or Sirius or hell even Dolores if we wanted. Er, not that I would call her Dolores!" Hermione added quickly seeing the look of horror on her husband's face.
"Just thinking of him is all. It seems a bit…intrusive to call our son that without his permission for some reason." Ron said quietly. He shrugged and wrote the name down. "But, I'm more inclined to want to escape your wrath than his, so we'll put James as an option."
Hermione smiled and tapped his knee, shifting against the sofa a little more. "That's a good husband."
Ron smiled and kissed her just as the front door flew open, revealing Harry carrying a very large box in his arms with such difficulty he was almost on his knees.
"Er, some help?" he grunted.
Ron leapt up and rushed over, taking the other end of the box.
"Ah, that's better. Thanks Ron."
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? You could break your back doing this!" Ron cried, walking backwards with Harry as they moved into the living room. "You seem to forget you're a wizard and as such can levitate things, or at least make them lighter!"
"I couldn't in front of the muggles!" Harry said.
"Muggles?" Hermione asked, shifting again as both men placed the massive box in the small space in front of the sofa. "Harry, what is it?"
"It's bloody heavy, that's what it is." Ron panted, stretching a little.
"This, my friends, is the ultimate in viewing technology. Top of the range… took a wild swipe in my bank account mind you, but I reckon it's worth it if we can watch two channels at once!" Harry said with an excited gleam, rubbing his hands together.
Ron quirked an eyebrow and looked at his wife. "A translation please? I can't speak muggle."
"A television?" Hermione asked Harry, her eyes locked on the box.
"Not just any television!" Harry said, kneeling down beside it. "This is the new 74 inch, Plasma screen from Panasonic! Digital sound…multi channel option… widescreen compatibility…" Harry let out a feminine sort of sigh and threw his arms around the box. "My life is now complete."
"Harry!" Hermione cried, trying to stand up. "Do you have any idea how much these things cost?"
"Of course I do, I just bought one!"
"Wow." Ron said, examining the box with interest. "This has got to be the biggest feletision I've ever seen!" he said, clearly impressed.
"And who's going to set it up?" Hermione suddenly demanded, her hands on her hips.
Ron and Harry both looked at each other. "Er – "
"You two would have to be the only men that don't have a technical bone in your little bodies. And I'm certainly not sitting here going over the instructions in Chinese, trying to set the damn thing up by myself."
"You won't be by yourself." Harry said. "Junior will help you."
"Harry that is the dickiest thing you have ever said to me… and that's saying something." Hermione said flatly.
"No, come on." Ron said, still admiring the box. "We can have a go, cant we Harry? It can't be too difficult. If there are instructions we can't be that terrible."
Harry smiled. "Okay, let's do it."
Hermione rolled her eyes as they began opening the box like it was Christmas morning. "Men." She said to herself, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Hey, where are you going?" Ron asked as Hermione began to leave.
"To get the first aid kit."
"What for? Are you okay?"
"Yes, but I want to be prepared." She said, giving the power outlet a glance.
"So, where's Ginny this afternoon? I haven't seen her today." Harry asked, pulling out the remote and examining it.
"Said she had stuff to do today." Ron said simply with a shrug. "I don't know, maybe she went shopping or something. That girl has way too much energy sometimes… gets it from Dad I assume."
Harry nodded, wishing Ginny hadn't gone out. "I don't get the big fascination over shopping myself."
"Except when it comes to elekterik equipment?" Ron smiled, ripping the sides of the box open.
"Yeah, except for that." Harry grunted, pulling on the other end.
A few more tugs later, they peeled the sides of the box apart and let the front fall down, revealing the unit wrapped in bubble paper. Harry pulled it away so they could see the black, plasma screen clearly, framed with a metallic-type rim and speakers on the side.
Ron and Harry both let out a happy sigh and smiled at it fondly.
Just then, Harry jumped as something in his pocket began to vibrate. "Ah! Cripes, it scared the begeezers out of me." He cried, pulling out his wand. It was vibrating and glowing a pale blue, which meant he was needed at the office immediately.
"Bugger. Looks like you're gonna have to give it a shot on your own mate." Harry said, getting up.
"Ah, no worries. I'll be fine… you go. I'll just sit here and work my magic on it. So to speak." Ron said, flipping through the pages of the set-up manual, trying not to look completely lost.
Harry smiled and grabbed his cloak. "Have fun." And he left with a crack.
"Okay I have bandages incase you electrocute yourself, I have Valium incase you get stressed out and…" Hermione, who had come back into the room carrying a bag full of medical supplies, stopped as she spotted Ron levitating the television out of the box up onto the table. "Where'd Harry go?"
"To the Bat cave. They sent the Potter signal up into the air."
"Ah I see. We'll just you and me then?" she said, picking up the instructions.
"Yep. Now, let's see if we can't do this for ourselves."
"So, what's happening?"
Just as Harry had expected, the moment he apparated to the location Tonks had given him, the team present all looked at him as if the day were saved simply because of his presence. They were all huddled out of sight in the shadow of a nearby oak tree, preparing themselves for an ambush.
The nearest wizard, a tall man with brown hair and a very friendly face rushed forward. "This is the warehouse Benson was telling about last week. Witnesses around here talked about a cloaked figure going into the alleyway. A shifty-looking character they reckon." He said in a low whisper.
Harry nodded, examining his surroundings. There were outside a beaten down factory on the bad side of town. There were barely any people walking around the street and although it was only just becoming dark, it seemed much later in the shadow of all the industrial buildings.
"Right, anything else I should know?" Harry asked, pulling his wand out and starting slowly forward.
"Just that we've refrained from checking the area for any other suspects. We didn't want them alerted to our presence so they couldn't scamper quick-smart without us getting any of them." Said the wizard, hot on Harry's heels.
Harry smiled. "Good work Parker. Now, I want you and the other half of the team to go down that side of the warehouse down there. I'll take the other half and we'll circle around. Any trouble, send up red sparks. I wouldn't worry too much about discretion around here either Parker… muggles seem a bit scarce."
Parker nodded once. "Got it boss. Okay, team Omega, come with me…"
Harry watched Parker rally his Aurors for a moment, before gathering up his own team of four and indicating they follow him up the alley way that circled the factory.
It was slow, tense work, but it needed to be that way. Harry led his team around the side of the factory, each of them creeping along the wall in the shadows, camouflaged by their dark cloaks and robes. They all had their wand pressed against their chest and not held out in front of them.
It's quiet. Harry thought to himself, letting his gaze wander around his dark surroundings once more. Too quiet. Surely Peregriene would have some guards around here…
Indeed, they were yet to run into anything suspicious. Perhaps the call-out had been a hoax. The windows of the factory were dark, and no-one appeared to be inside. Harry was getting a bad feeling, and he didn't like it at all.
Finally, the came to the end of the alley and turned right, finding Parker and his team already there. They were pressed against the opposite wall, each with their wands held tightly in their hand. Harry made his team do the same and looked at Parker, half hidden in shadow.
Parker took two fingers and jabbed them sharply in the direction of the corridor that lead off the wall behind them. Harry nodded, understanding.
There was someone down there.
Harry stroked his chin, then pointed to Parker's team and then to his eyes. Parker nodded, turned to the agent behind him and did the same thing. That wizard nodded and passed it on, just as Harry had.
Harry leant forward a little and peered around the corner. There was definitely someone down there, hidden in shadow. They were dressed in a heavy cloak and were peering in windows as if looking for someone. Harry frowned. It was rather peculiar… but perhaps they were a spy for Peregriene.
Harry looked back at Parker and held his hands up so everyone could see. He stuck up three fingers, his message clear.
On the count of three.
And slowly put one down, then another, then another…
They all leapt into the dark alleyway at once, Harry in front. The person jumped so high with the shock of a dozen wizards suddenly appearing out of no-where that their feet actually left the ground. The cloaked figure froze for a moment, before whirling around and attempting to run.
"Hold it!" Harry roared.
The person didn't stop running however, but did trip over into a puddle with a crash and a cry, making their hood fly off.
"Stupe-"
"NO!" Harry yelled, holding his hands up as the Aurors were about to stun he figure. Harry gave them the signal to hold their fire and took two steps towards the figure pulling themselves up from the ground.
And his belly flopped as he realized who it was he was looking at.
"Ginny?" he asked in completely disbelief.
The person whipped around and moved forward a little.
"Lumos." Harry commanded.
And there, half-lit by the light of Harry's wand, was Ginerva Weasley, soaking wet and looking completely terrified. Her eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights.
Ginny kept her eyes fixed on the table as Tonks circled slowly around her without saying a word, her gaze locked on her. The interrogation room was a plain room without any windows and contained only one table with two chairs on either side.
Ginny chanced a look at Tonks. Her pink hair was nearly crackling with irritation as she continued to pace around the room. Harry was standing in a corner, his arms folded over his chest and his face hidden in shadow.
"So,' Tonks finally said. 'Trespassing on private property, causing a panic amongst locals, spying, disrupting an ambush by my team of Aurors, diverting their attention away from real suspects…' she trailed off, her voice rising higher and higher.
Ginny jumped as Tonks leant on the table in front of her, her face inches away.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't lock you up right now." Tonks whispered, her tone deadly.
Ginny bit her lip and looked at Tonks for a long moment. "I'm pretty?" she said, shrugging.
The corner of Tonks's mouth twitched the smallest amount, and there was a small splutter from the corner of the room, but other than that a stunned silence followed this suggestion from the red head.
Tonks continued to gaze angrily at Ginny for a long moment, before smiling and shaking her head. She straitened up, ruffled her hair and let out a sigh. "Potter?"
"Boss?"
"It was your assignment thwarted this afternoon by Ginerva Molly Weasley, was it not?"
"It was."
Ginny watched as Tonks gave her one last look and waved a dismissive hand at Harry.
"You deal with her then."
And with that, Tonks left, leaving Ginny feeling more horrible that she had when Tonks had been there.
Her eyes immediately went to Harry in the corner. Slowly, he pushed himself off the wall, came over to the middle of the room and sat himself down opposite her, crossing one leg over the other. He looked at her with a blank, hard expression and it made her feel very uncomfortable.
And it only took her a few moments to realize that he was not going to say anything, but was going to simply sit there across the table, looking at her and waiting for her to crack. But she held his eye contact, determined not to let him break her so quickly. Ron used this strategy when playing chess, and she wasn't going to let Harry have the satisfaction of making her feel like she had done something wrong.
It was like a staring competition. Ginny was relentless about keeping his eye contact, but the effort she was having was not shared by Harry it seemed. But then again, he was a professional, and probably did this on a regular basis.
Is he angry? She wondered, peering into his face. But it betrayed nothing. In fact, he looked almost bored. He must be mad.
After what seemed like forever, but was only five minutes, Ginny sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Will you just say something?"
"I was actually waiting for you to speak." He said calmly.
"What do you want me to say then?" Ginny asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you could tell me why you thought it was a good idea to go to one of the scummiest parts of London, by yourself, and poke around a building where Dark wizards and muggles with guns hide out!" Harry cried, his eyes flashing.
Oh yeah, he was mad alright.
"I was trying to help." Ginny said defensively.
Harry's mouth went a little slack. "Wait, I'm sorry… trying to help? How does trying to get yourself killed help me out in any way or form?"
"I wasn't trying to get myself killed." Ginny snapped. "You asked me the other week, that night to find out what they could be using Dragon's blood for, and that's what I was doing."
"You know that's not what I meant Ginny." Harry said in a low voice.
"Wasn't it?"
"Of course not! I meant for you to ask some of the people you know at work, or do some reading and research."
"Reading and research? If you wanted that you should have gone to Hermione." Ginny snapped. "I am a Weasley. You wanted it done; I would have gotten it done. I was looking around their factory to see what they were using and…"
"What is this to you? Some little adventure? This is the real world Ginny. You're not trained to defend yourself properly against thirty or so dark wizards. You were scared shitless when we showed up today… how could you have handled it if it weren't us? You could have been killed Ginny!" Harry yelled, no longer keeping his cool.
Ginny watched on as he stood up quickly, sending his chair clattering to the floor. He hand a hand over his face and was breathing deeply.
"I could have killed you today." He finally muttered. "Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"
Ginny shivered. "You wouldn't have killed me."
Harry looked at her. "No, I wouldn't. But I could have hurt you. And I can find nothing more dreadful in my mind, than laying one finger on you in harm." He said softly.
They stared at each other for a long moment, Harry's words still hanging powerfully in the air. Ginny had not thought about such consequences when she had left that morning, determined to help Harry with his case. Her mind had been set on giving him leads and contacts to help catch this wizard.
But he was right. This wasn't like rule-breaking back a school. This was the real deal with dangers she didn't even know about. Harry carried such burdens with him everyday, and she had just added another to his shoulders.
She felt wretched.
Harry sighed, picked up the chair and set it right. "Go home Ginny." he said flatly, walking to the door and opening it for her. "I'll see you later."
Ginny stood up slowly, her bottom lip trembling. She pushed the chair in and walked to the door, her arms wrapped around herself.
As she passed Harry, she stopped and looked at him. "I was only trying to help." She whispered.
Harry didn't look at her, but kept his gaze on the floor.
Knowing she was about to breakdown any minute, Ginny hurried out of the door and away from him.
Harry shut the door behind her, leaving him alone in the room. He paused for a moment, before sliding down the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest and putting his head in his hands.
It was well past midnight when Harry was awoken by someone pulling back the covers and sliding into bed beside him. He rolled over and squinted into the night, making out the blurry outline of a woman with long, red hair.
"Ginny?" He mumbled, rolling onto his back.
Ginny tucked herself in, slid up next to him and wrapped her arm around his middle. "I'm sorry Harry. I'm so sorry I can't think straight. I didn't mean to make you worry; I just wanted so badly to help you…"
"Shh." Harry whispered, taking her hand in his. "It's okay."
"No, its not! You're right; I was totally vacant and stupid to do what I did this afternoon and…"
"Ginny, I understand what you were trying to do." Harry said, feeling another crying session coming on. "But, you know, it really was a rather dumb thing to do."
"I know that. And I feel very stupid about it. You know our Weasley motto 'cursing first, questions later'… and I just wanted so badly to help you out with this. I know you've been stressing about it and I wanted to take some of the pressure off you."
Harry sighed and groaned internally. How could he stay angry at her? He had been furious with her for the entire afternoon, all through dinner and all night henceforth. But his rage had now dwindled to a simmer, and with her holding him and lying with him in his bed, it was smothering his little flame of irritation in shite.
"I know you had good intentions Ginny," Harry said 'but some of the worst things imaginable have been done with good intentions. And loosing you… well, that ranks pretty high on one of the worst things imaginable."
Ginny sat up a little and looked down at him. "Really?"
Harry smiled. "Well, in my books it does."
She smiled, lay back down and snuggled into him. He was very warm and cozy.
"So, am I forgiven?" she asked.
Harry thought for a moment. His first instinct was to say no, but once he thought about it a little more, it did seem a little unnecessary to hold a grudge when she was so apparently sorry and aggrieved about what she had done.
"Harry?"
Harry smiled. "On one condition."
"Oh yes?"
"You make me breakfast in bed tomorrow. Full treatment. I wan eggs and bacon, not cooked to hard and eggs sunny-side up…"
"What? Harry…"
"And I want orange juice made from fresh oranges, no pulp…"
"This is enormously unfair Harry!"
"And chocolate-chip pancakes. Yes, with mounds of maple syrup and butter…"
A/N – It turned out a little more angsty than I anticipated, but I thought it would also bring out some underlying feelings for both of them as well.
Please review!