I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7It was Ron's turn to look stupid. Finally he sat down hard on the plastic yellow chairs.
They waited a long time for her to come out; Ron sitting with his head in his hands, Hermione tried to comfort him, Harry and Draco taking turns pacing the surgery, Blaise outside smoking and Kingsley and Tonks whispering frantically at each other.
The surgery door opened and all movement and conversation halted immediately. The doctor held the door open for a tired looking Ginny. She said something to her and Ginny nodded. She'd been crying. She looked up and saw the boys had arrived.
Suddenly she burst into tears again and ran to Ron who hugged her and offered his most comforting word of comfort.
"I'm so sorry, Ron. Please don't hurt Dean. It wasn't his fault. I pressured him. What'll I tell mum?" Ginny was sobbing and hiccupping all at once as Ron, arm around her shoulder, led her to the car.
"Shh" he said and Harry had to admit, he was taking it extremely well considering he'd freaked out at her having a boyfriend last year.
"Come with me, Harry" Tonks said, leading Harry, Malfoy and Blaise to the pink car.
"Let them talk. We'll see them back at the leaky cauldron." She unlocked the car and they got in.
"Where the hell do you get these cars?" Blaise was sitting in the passenger seat, running his hand over the white leather interior.
"Well" Tonks explained, starting the car. Kingsley did the same to his car. "Everyone in our secret club-" Harry rolled his eyes "-got a car. Most of them were crap so we all fixed them up to our satisfaction. Kingsley and I have the fastest, hottest cars because we do the street dealings. Seeing if we can find out anything from other hot heads. So don't expect anyone else to have cars like this" they drove slowly around the block, it had started snowing heavily, until they reached the Leaky Cauldron.
The got out of the car just as Lavender and Parvati disappeared into the pub.
Hermione was comforting Ginny now. The red head had a yellow envelope tucked under her arm. Harry hadn't noticed it in the surgery. Ron wandered over to them, hands in pockets.
"How far along is she?" Tonks asked, leading Harry through the door by the shoulder. They had to be cautious now that other wizards and witches were around. Any of them could have been spies.
"Twelve or thirteen weeks" Ron mumbled. Dean had just spotted his upset girlfriend and had his hands on her shoulders, looking her straight in the eye and trying to coax words out of her. They moved across the room and took their own table where Ginny handed him the envelope containing the ultrasound.
"Hey, Harry" Claire flounced over and gave him a hug. "I like your eyebrow"
"Whose this, Harry?" Tonks asked. She chewed loudly on her gum and stared at Claire with one eyebrow raise. She acted the age. Claire looked confused, glancing from Harry to Tonks who still held his shoulder. Harry laughed and brushed her hand away.
"Tonks, this is my girlfriend, Claire. Claire, this is my bodyguard, Tonks" they shook hands.
"You're a bit young to be a bodyguard, aren't you?" Claire asked, lacing her fingers through Harry's.
"And I thought our Harry here was to young to have a girlfriend! It's a disguise, sweetie" Kingsley joined them at that moment.
"Lets move it on, Harry," he said in his deep voice, Claire watched him with awe. Tonks grabbed his arm.
"Kingsley, this is Harry's girlfriend…he had a girlfriend!" Kingsley smiled slightly and looked around the room for his other charges. Hermione was whispering with Lavender and Parvati. Both girls looked shocked out of their minds meaning Hermione was telling them about Ginny.
Ron was sitting at the table, head hanging, while Neville patted him on the back.
Malfoy was waiting patiently with Blaise. They were watching Harry intently.
"Claire this is my other bodyguard, Kingsley"
"Nice to meet you Claire" he said without looking at her.
"Can we go now?" Hermione called out as they grouped together. Harry noticed a shady man sitting at the bar watching him.
"The dress robe shop closed last year." Seamus informed them "so we'll have to get over to the classy side of town and buy muggle stuff" Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Wasn't that the plan to start with?"
"Everyone in the car" Kingsley said suddenly. He grabbed Harry, who noticed his gaze on the man at the bar, and led him outside again.
"He's a death eater," Kingsley told him as he forced him into the passenger seat. Blaise, Malfoy, Ron, Neville, Dean and Seamus piled into the backseat, which enlarged itself to fit the large load. The girls went in the pink car.
"Come on, Tonks, faster!" Kingsley glanced at the rear-view mirror and informed them that the death eater was following closely in a dirty green car.
"Right. We're not going to lose him so a few rules. Harry, I want you to stay in the middle of your friends. Do not wander off by yourself or with Claire. He won't try anything while we're in a group. Use no magic and do not mention Zabini's party. The last thing we want is for them to turn up there. I don't think he was expecting you to show up. I s'pose he wants to put a good word in for the boss. If they find info on you, Harry, they get promoted a rank. He'll be in Voldemort's inner circle now. Lets do this as quickly as possible"
They got out of the car, careful not to disturb the puppy that was asleep on the floor, and walked over to Tonks' car.
"Is that shop all right?" she asked the girls. They had parked outside an elegant shop called 'all occasions'.
"If it isn't, there's one next door, and another one next to that."
"This is fine" Parvati said, eyeing a silky blue gown in the window. Harry watched the death eater exit his car further up the street.
A shop attendant met them at the door and led them to the back of the shop where the evening clothes were situated. The girls set out trying on clothes and complimenting each other. The boys went a bit slower, unsure of what to get. Blaise pulled out a white suit with a fake flower in the pocket. His eyebrows flew up to his hairline.
Kingsley and Tonks busied themselves in the wedding section where they had a good view of Harry and the street at the same time.
"Wear this one, Finnigan" Blaise tossed the suit at him and pulled out another one. This suit he tried on himself.
"Very sexy" he said, smoothing his hair back as he checked it in the mirror.
Harry sorted through the multitudes of different coloured suits and, without noticing, he picked out a green one. His mind was on tonight. If what Blaise had said were true, he'd have to fight Voldemort in his sleep. Love would destroy him but Harry couldn't exactly send his own love. He had to fight with something Voldemort has lost…then it hit him. Send Voldemort images of his parents! Voldemort's Mother died during birth and his father was a muggle. All Harry had to do was find a picture…Dumbledore might have one.
Feeling happier now that he had a plan, he looked at the suit.
"Oh gross!" he tossed it back on the shelf.
"Have you got a date, Nev?" Harry asked, watching Neville try on a grey suit. The ugly colour suited him well.
"No. But I was thinking of asking Ginny's friend, Olivier. Hows this?" he straightened his tie and Harry gave the thumbs up. He looked around for Claire who was parading in a slim red dress that had a slit on the left side that went right up to her hip.
Ron was trying the green suit with a pink shirt.
"Do you want to look cheaper than you are, Weasley?" Blaise said. "Wear black, it'll go with your hair." Ron shrugged the jacket off and replaced it with a slick black one.
"That's better"
It was an hour before each of the boys had finally settled on a suit. Harry, Blaise and Seamus had white ones, Ron, Malfoy and Dean had black ones and Neville had a bluey-black one.
All the girls except Lavender had a dress. Hermione had adopted the red dress that Claire had tried on, Parvati had a white strapless dress, Ginny had a pretty pink dress with off the shoulder sleeves, Claire had a black dress in the same shape as the red one.
Lavender finally settled on the blue dress form the window.
All their outfits costed over two thousand pounds but it was easily affordable due to Harry and Hermione's full pockets. Dean had done the same spell with his money as well.
"We have to go home now, Harry" Tonks said once they were back on the street. Harry nodded and turned back to his friends.
"Well we're off. We'll see you back at school" Harry gave Claire a fleeting kiss and whispered, "I'll see you at Blaise's party." She nodded and walked off down the street with Parvati and Lavender.
Kingsley said something to Tonks who nodded and got in her car. Hermione and Ginny got in with her.
Harry, Ron and Draco got in the black car. Harry scooped the puppy up and sat it on his lap. He then watched the side mirror as the Death eater jumped up and got in his own car.
Tonks pulled into the street and Kingsley followed suit. But instead of going back toward Grimmauld place they drove around the streets until they were on a country road. Tonks picked up the pace and soon they were flying along the ice-covered road at a hundred and twenty miles an hour.
"Now, Tonks!" Kingsley growled as Tonks approached a corner. She was going way to fast to turn and as she slid up and hit the kerb her car vanished with a pop. Kingsley rounded the corner like a pro. So did the death eater. Kingsley forced his car to go faster and by the time they hit the next corner they were going a hundred and sixty. Kingsley forced his car up on the bank then, with a deafening 'pop', they were parked safely behind Tonks' pink car outside Grimmauld place.
"Good job" Tonks said to Kingsley as they waited for the door to be unlocked. Draco had the puppy hidden in his jacket, ready to hide it upstairs in Harry's cupboard.
Lupin opened the door and they stepped in out of the cold.
"You lost him?" Lupin asked anxiously. Tonks must have alerted headquarters because when they reached the dining room, minus Draco who was hiding the puppy, they found that Dumbledore, Snape, Nixon, and McGonagall, were sitting around the table with Sirius, Moody, and Arthur.
"Did he try anything?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry's piercing. It was starting to hurt now that the numbing cream was wearing off.
"No. He only followed us," Tonks said, taking off her invisible jacket and tossing it in the corner. At that moment Molly came in from the kitchen carrying a plate of biscuits. She took one look at Ron, screamed and dropped the plate.
"RONALD WEASLEY!" she hollered, grabbing her son by the wrist. Tonks was whispering to Ginny who wiped away a tear and nodded.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR FACE? WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR EYEBROW!" Molly dropped his arm and rounded on Kingsley. "YOU LET THEM GET PIERCINGS?"
"They're kids, Molly, let them have their fun. They come out anyway." Kingsley was taking it quite well, considering Molly was trying to kill him with her wand. Arthur was holding her back.
"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE! YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE LET THEM DO SUCH A STUPID THING!"
"My job, Molly, was to protect Harry. I have no right telling them what they can and cant do. That's your job."
"He's quite right…" Dumbledore tried to intervene.
"ARE YOU SAYING I'M AN IRRISPONSIBLE MOTHER? WELL I GUESS I AM, LETTING THEM GO OUT WITH YOU IN THAT RECKLESS SLAB OF METAL YOU CALL A CAR…"
"That's enough, Molly" Dumbledore was quite firm this time. Molly stopped.
"Mum" Ginny said quietly.
"Yes dear?" Molly still had her eyes on Kingsley but she listened.
"Can I talk to you? It's important" Molly looked over and saw Ginny crying.
"Of course, come" Molly glared at Kingsley one last time then led Ginny out of the room.
"Hermione, Ron, Draco? Can you please leave us? I'd like a private word with Harry" Dumbledore graciously ordered Harry's friends out of the room. Ron, mumbling viciously, retired to the TV room. Hermione went upstairs to the room she shared with Ginny. Draco followed her.
"You looked good in that dress today" he said, leaning on the doorframe and watching her unpack her shopping. Hermione straightened up and glared at him.
"Just because I helped you with that mark thing doesn't mean I like you, and it doesn't mean I'm open for flirting."
Draco dropped his head and laughed. The feeble sunlight flitting through the window bounced off his messy blonde hair that was hanging across his face. Hermione felt her stomach lurch.
No! She thought, her eyes widening in shock, as she watched the boy in the doorway, no! No, no, no! I cant like him! She shook her head in an attempt to clear it of these frightening thoughts. He's the enemy! Just because he's cute…
She slapped herself in the forehead. Draco looked up and their eyes met, grey to Brown, and he stepped into the room.
"I mean it, you did look good," he whispered, tickling her ear with his breath. She tried to push him away. His arm brushed against her breast as he used his hand to catch her by the shoulder.
"Come to the ball with me" he said urgently.
"In your dreams!" Hermione managed to croak as she gave him another shove. She wanted more than anything to go with him but she couldn't say that!
Draco's lips brushed against hers in a ghost of a kiss then he walked away.
"Think about it" he said before disappearing through the door.
Hermione exhaled and flopped back on her bed. What would she do?
"How do we know he was telling the truth? He could have been covering up for some other scheme!" Moody banged his fist on the table. Harry had just told them about Blaise' warning.
"He was telling the truth. I cast the spell on him" Kingsley informed them. He was rocking back in his chair with his feet on the table.
"Well how are we going to stop him?" Sirius asked. He was watching Harry with worry. "If he's going to try and kill in his sleep…there must be something we can do"
"Occlumency" Snape suggested. Dumbledore nodded.
"But is Harry's Occlumency strong enough?" Arthur enquired.
"I have an idea," Harry said loudly. All eyes turned on him. "Well…Blaise said rebound is my best shot. So when he sends it to me, I rebound it then when he's weak I send my own dream to him. A friend said that love would destroy him. What if I send him dreams about the people he once loved? He doesn't feel for his parents anymore…what if I remind him?"
There was silence as everyone took it in.
"Brilliant!" Lupin muttered. All eyes turned to Dumbledore.
"All I need it a picture of them" Harry pleaded.
Dumbledore leaned over and said something to Snape who got up and left the room.
"I think it just might work" Dumbledore smiled.
"Well we don't have anything else" Moody told him.
"Yes, Alastor, I have just sent Severus off to get the picture I keep in my files. He should be back soon"
"Catch!" Fred had just come in from the kitchen and he tossed an apple at Harry who froze it in midair along with Fred.
"Hmm" Harry frowned and tried to apply the right amount of magic. The other members of the room fell quiet in order to let him concentrate better. Harry tilted his head and let the magic out through his hands. Very slowly Fred began to move but the apple stayed still, floating a metre or so from the ground.
"Yes!" Harry hissed, a little early. The apple dropped. "Ah, nuts!"
"Next time" Fred said, catching the apple and taking a bite.
"I've got it!" Snape strode back into the room, a little breathless. Harry snatched it and stared at the yellowing photo. There, hugging a balding man was a beautiful witch with long black hair and sparkling blue eyes. She was smiling brightly at the camera but she looked quite sad. The man wasn't smiling; he was watching his wife painfully.
"I wonder how Voldemort got so ugly," Harry stated. Fred laughed as he looked at the photo over Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up.
"Ok whose going to be my guinea pig?" Snape and Nixon glanced at each other, knowing they were going to have to do the dirty work.
"I'll do it" Nixon said, pushing his chair back and making room for them.
Molly entered the door from the hallway. She'd been crying.
"Arthur, come here please" the couple left and Sirius looked at the door quizzically.
"What was that about?" Harry hesitated then, figuring they'd find out anyway, told them.
"Ginny's pregnant"
Shock horror.
"Ok. Back to business" Dumbledore pulled everyone away from his or her own thoughts.
Nixon raised his wand and pointed it at Harry's forehead.
"Legilimens"
Harry felt his teacher burst into his mind but, instead of seeing his own memories, there was a film playing in his head. It was only a silly little one that Nixon must have thought up on the spur of the moment; Harry was walking through a paddock full of daisies. Suddenly he tripped on an invisible rock and fell into a stream. He sat up and looked at his reflection in the water. As the ripples slowly subsided, his face came into view and he found that Nixon had turned him into a clown.
Ok, Harry thoughts reached the back of his mind, easy now.
He used his magic to force the thoughts back on Nixon whose spell began to weaken. Once the clown was out of his mind he summoned the image of Voldemort's parents and sent it after the previous one.
His eyes flew open and he found himself laying flat on his back. Lupin and Sirius were kneeling next to him.
"How did it go, Harry?" Lupin asked quietly.
"Fine I think" he sat up and looked at Nixon who was standing in the same place, smiling.
"Good job"
Time to review! just press the little button...