I am not JKR and I am not making any money off of this. Sigh.

A/N: There's a wonderfully immature scene involving inappropriate humor of an anatomical nature. The Double Delights strike again!

Chapter Four

The next day saw the beginning of the cleaning efforts. The four teenagers woke fairly late in the morning and had a leisurely breakfast before getting started on the top floor. They all worked together, Mrs. Weasley working beside them in case of some unknown danger. An old radio played music from the Wizarding Wireless Network and so the work went fairly quickly.

"Wait a moment before starting on those curtains, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said, walking over toward the heavy, dark drapes. She inspected the moth eaten fabric. "Just as I suspected, the doxies are back. I'm going to get some doxy remover – don't touch anything until I get back." She left the room and the four promptly straightened up from whatever backbreaking chore they were doing and plopped down on the floor.

Ginny had no sooner sat down before shooting back up to her feet with a loud squeal of fright.

"What? What is it?" Hermione asked, also getting to her feet.

Ginny pointed at a spot near where she'd been sitting. "Spider – Eugggh!" she said with a disgusted shudder.

Ron stared at the spot she was pointing at. "Where?"

"There!"

Ron squinted as did Harry. He thought he saw something. "Oh, Merlin," Ron muttered. "It's just a little house spider. Here, I'll get it." He took three steps and stomped on the spider.

He showed Ginny the bottom of his shoe that was decorated with tiny spider guts. "Okay, now?"

Hermione turned to Ginny. "I didn't know you were afraid of spiders."

"Oh, I'm not. I just don't want them crawling on me – there's a difference. That one took me by surprise."

"And speaking of arachnophobia," Harry said, gaping at Ron, "who are you and what have you done with Ron? Aren't you…well…afraid of spiders?"

Ron seemed to ponder this. "Ehh, not so much. Not anymore. I noticed it shortly after getting back. A large jumping spider landed on my bed and my first reaction was to be afraid but I looked at it and I just knew that I wasn't scared – not anymore. It's like, being afraid was something I'd done because I'd always done it before – like an automatic response – habit. But I realized that that fear wasn't really there, I just picked up the spider and threw it out the window. They haven't bothered me since. Weird," he said with a shrug.

"Well, not really," Hermione said. "I mean, I've felt that way too. I realized it the day O.W.L. results arrived and I realized that I hadn't once thought or worried about the results. And once they were here I felt somewhat ambivalent. I just knew that I had done well enough no matter what my score and that there was no need to worry about it. Well, I was a little worried, after all they are very important and have a huge impact on our futures," she admitted with a small smile, sounding once again like herself.

"Anyway, now I hear Ron talk about it, I think I know why this is," Hermione continued. "We've experienced true fear, in the Department of Mysteries. Sure, we had been in adventures with you before, but not the worst of them and certainly not the kind of life or death battle we experienced there. A poor grade on some test seems kind of silly by comparison."

Harry nodded; he could understand that. Once again he was seeing yet another example of how the battle last June had affected his friends. He was so used to bearing the scars from his many encounters with Voldemort that it was hard for him to see those same battle scars on his best friends – even now faint silver lines crossed Ron's forearms – and to know that he was the cause of his friends' suffering. He couldn't think of this.

"So," he joked to Ron, "I take it your boggart form is no longer Aragog?"

At the name of the giant spider, Ron turned a familiar shade of green. "Oh, well now. Aragog is another matter, isn't he? I mean, common house spiders are one thing but Aragog…bleeghh," he shuddered.

Harry clapped Ron on the back. "Well, it's nice to know that some things don't change."

They rested from their labors that afternoon and enjoyed a respite. Ron and Hermione played chess while Harry and Ginny looked on. At the opposite end of the table Fred and George were discussing business while Mrs. Weasley darned socks in a corner.

Harry was really getting into the game as it had gone on for some time. Ron was playing uncharacteristically poorly; he had made many careless mistakes throughout the game. Harry could see that he was having a hard time keeping his mind on the game. Chess was one of Ron's favorite hobbies and one thing he excelled at. Harry wondered what could possibly be distracting him from the game. Or perhaps it wasn't a "what" but a "who" as Harry noticed Ron glancing repeatedly at Hermione when she wasn't looking. Her hair was still tied up as she had worn it for cleaning earlier and a couple of chestnut curls had escaped their ribbon confinement. Well, that explains it. He met Ginny's laughing eyes across the table and grinned.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ginny reach for the hard candy bowl. She blindly selected a piece, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth, all the while keeping her eyes glued to the game.

Harry paid this no attention; Ron seemed to be rallying as he took Hermione's queen with his knight. But a warning bell was beginning to go off in the back of his mind.

Then it suddenly hit him.

"Ginny, no!" he warned. But it was too late. She was staring wide-eyed at the empty wrapper in her hand. A loud gurgling rumble could be heard from her stomach. She cast a hurt gaze on Fred and George as a horrified realization dawned on her. She had eaten a Double Delight.

A choked sob fell from her lips as she stood to her feet. Wrapping her arms around her herself, she fled from the kitchen, long red hair flying behind her. Harry flinched as he heard her bedroom door slam above him.

He turned to the twins to gauge their reaction. They too were staring at the wrapper.

"She didn't," George said.

"She did," Fred replied.

"But she's already got-…"

"I know. Isn't this great!" There was a mad scientist gleam in Fred's eyes as he stood to his feet. "We should document the results," he said. But he was stopped with a glare from Mrs. Weasley as she got to her feet. Having missed most of the events, she was only just piecing together what had happened. And she was not happy.

Hermione stood, obviously anxious not to witness the coming display of Mrs. Weasley's temper. "I'd better go check on Ginny," she said softly, walking quickly from the room.

Mrs. Weasley wasted no time launching into the twins. "THAT'S IT! I HAVE HAD IT! Fred Weasley, don't you DARE tease your sister now! She's been through enough at your hands. And as for the two of you and your wheezes – I HAVE HAD IT! It's one thing for you to pass them off on the poor fools who actually pay for them, but to intentionally leave them lying around for your own unsuspecting family and friends to stumble onto, well it, IT ISN'T FUNNY!

"Now, I didn't say a word when you left school last year to open your shop, because believe it or not, all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy – BUT YOU WILL STOP BRINGING THESE THINGS HERE!"

Mrs. Weasley was too busy yelling to notice the kitchen door open, but Harry turned to see Bill coming through with a concerned expression on his face. "Mum, what's wrong with Ginny? I can hear her crying throughout the house." Harry noticed that there was an underlying edge of panic in the young man's voice.

Mrs. Weasley calmed a bit. "She's fine," she soothed. "She's just been the victim of these two again," she said somewhat casually, in extreme contrast to her previous reaction.

But Bill was having none of it. "What! This nonsense again!" The oldest Weasley son rounded on his brothers. Harry was shocked at the hard expression on his face. Always the epitome of cool, Bill had never even shown the slightest temper in front of Harry before, but as Harry looked on him now he knew that Bill was definitely a Weasley.

"What is wrong with you two?" he roared.

Fred and George turned shocked eyes to their oldest brother. Clearly, they were just as surprised by Bill's reaction as Harry was. "We've already had a lecture from Mum, thanks," George said.

"Yeah, we get the message," Fred agreed.

"No, I don't think you do," Bill replied hotly. "She is your sister – your only sister. You should be protecting her from pain – not being the cause of it." His anger having apparently passed, he continued in a calmer, softer voice. "She won't always be with us. One day you'll realize how special she is – but it will be too late." Harry froze at Bill's ominous words. What was he talking about?

"Bill," Mrs. Weasley said in warning. Bill suddenly paled, as if realizing he'd said too much.

"I, I just mean that she's growing up, and she won't always be around," he explained quickly.

Harry and Ron exchanged bewildered glances. Mrs. Weasley, having just taken notice of their presence, sent them away to wash up for dinner while Fred and George's punishment was to help in the kitchen – "no magic!"

After exiting the bathroom, Harry stopped outside the girls' room. He was relieved when he didn't hear any crying but instead Hermione's voice.

"There, I think that's got them back to their normal size."

Harry cringed, not sure if he wanted to overhear this type of conversation. But he didn't move away.

"Thanks, Hermione," came Ginny's sniffling voice. "Stupid gits – why can't they just leave me alone? As if I didn't already know that I'm an ugly sniff misshapen, big-chested freak. I don't need them reminding me of it every five seconds."

How can Ginny think she's ugly, Harry wondered. He had half a mind to tell her so, but that would mean admitting that he'd heard their conversation.

"Ginny Weasley, you are not ugly! You know half the boys at Hogwarts are crazy about you, right?"

"If they aren't, then they will be when they see these things," Ginny replied glumly. "I feel like they are the only thing people see. I can hear them now, 'Here comes Ginny's Knockers.'"

Harry heard a sound as if Hermione was holding in a laugh and came out instead as a snicker. "Now you're being silly. They aren't even as big as all that. There are much bigger 'knockers' at school."

"Really?"

"Well, yes. I mean, Pansy Parkinson's are huge – why do you think she's so popular with the Slytherin boys/"

"I had wondered about that – I mean, she's ugly even by Slytherin standards."

This time Hermione didn't hide her laughter. But Ginny wasn't yet done with her insecurities. "But Fred and George…"

"Are just being Fred and George," Hermione interrupted. "You know you can't take anything they say seriously. They're just freaked out because you're their 'baby sister.' Trust me, you are just the right size for your body. I myself wouldn't mind being a little bigger…"

And at this Harry quickly walked away. He definitely didn't need to hear the rest of that conversation.

Harry and Ron were quiet in their room while they waited for the call to come down for dinner. They weren't there long though when there was a loud CRACK! Followed by the twins' sudden appearance in the middle of the room.

"Dinner's ready," George said in a somewhat subdued manner. Subdued for the twins, at least.

"Listen, we've been thinking of a way to cheer Ginny up," Fred began.

"But we're going to need everyone's help for this," George finished.

"And it's going to require…a bit of a sacrifice."

And so it was when Ginny finally entered the kitchen for dinner that she found everyone else already sitting at the table. Her sad eyes swept over the table, looking for an empty seat. They stopped and then with a questioning frown they passed over the people again, slowly. Her face slowly broke into a grin and she shook her head as the occupants at the table began laughing.

"I don't believe this," she groaned.

Everyone seated at the table, with the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Hermione, were currently bearing the effects of Double Delights.

"Very funny, you guys," Ginny said, but her voice showed she wasn't angry. As if to prove her good humor, she chose an empty seat between Fred and George, who both grabbed her in a suffocating hug that mashed her face in Fred's chest.

"MMMPH! Get those things out of my face!" she cried, laughing. And with that everyone at the table set to.

Between mouthfuls of amazing beef stew, Harry snuck glances down the table. He was amazed at the feeling of belonging that settled over him. As he sat at the table, surrounded by his friends, his true family, he realized that he was the happiest he'd been since losing Sirius.

But the reminder of Sirius threatened to chase away his fleeting happiness. He looked around him; they were sitting in Sirius's kitchen, laughing and talking at his table. And no one seemed to notice that they were missing someone, that there should be someone else there.

Harry sighed inwardly, trying to shake his mood off. It wasn't like he wanted to feel this way. He yearned for the early days, the good old days when everything was so much simpler. Before Voldemort and secret prophecies.

He remembered fighting a Voldemort-possessed Quirrell for the Philosopher's Stone, fighting a pre-Voldemort Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets. How easy life had seemed then. The thought almost brought a wry smile to his face. He couldn't believe that he was actually wishing to be back in the Chamber of Secrets.

"That's a good look for you." A feminine voice in his ear brought him out of his thoughts.

He looked up into Ginny's rich chocolate brown eyes.

"Um – what?" he asked.

In answer, her eyes darted down to his chest. He followed her gaze to his chest, where it was obvious the effects hadn't yet worn off.

"Oh, right," he grinned sheepishly, feeling his cheeks burn. Fred and George were sooo going to owe him for this.

Her eyes met his and her face grew serious. "Thank you," she said softly before rejoining her brothers at the table.

You're welcome.

They were joined by Remus, Tonks, Charlie and Mad Eye Moody partway during dinner. Dinner passed and stomachs grew full. Gradually the light conversation lulled and the room fell silent. A tension that Harry hadn't noticed before hung in the room. Remus directed Harry with a firm gaze.

"Well, I guess you'll be wanting to know what's been going on, then."

Harry's ears perked up. "Yes, I've been following the news but I haven't seen anything that looked like Voldemort."

"Well, you wouldn't. He's been…"

Remus was interrupted by a soft "ahem." Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley who looked ready to argue that Harry shouldn't be hearing this. But as if remembering a similar argument last year and how it turned out, she didn't. Instead she turned to her youngest, who had been watching the conversation with a rapt expression.

"Ginny."

Harry expected a tantrum, like last year's, or at least an outburst. But the redheaded girl simply rolled her eyes and stood to her feet.

"I know, I know. Time for bed. Goodnight everyone. G'night, Harry." She ruffled his already messy hair as she passed, causing him to smile briefly.

"So…Voldemort?" Harry prompted, hungry for information.

"Well, you haven't hard of any attacks because there haven't been any. Voldemort's been lying low."

"Which doesn't make sense," Bill spoke up. "It's not like last year when the Wizarding world didn't know he was back. You'd think that now that the truth is out he'd unleash everything he has before he loses the element of surprise. By lying low, he's just giving us more time to prepare."

"An all-out attack, though, is the stupidest move he could make," Ron argued. "And unfortunately, he probably knows that. Look, in chess, the first thing you do is move your pieces into position. Only after you have all your men in place do you begin offensive maneuvers. You-Know-Who has to get his army together before he can even think of attacking."

"And that's precisely what he's doing; building his army," Remus said. "You already know about the dementors, plus the Death Eaters that were put in Azkaban last June have already broken out and rejoined him. The number of Death Eaters is growing daily, made up of both new and long time supporters of Voldemort. Unfortunately, we're having a hard time discovering who they are or even how many there are. It's not a stretch to say that the number of Death Eaters that you saw in the graveyard have probably quadrupled since then."

Harry frowned. "So we're looking at about 50 Death Eaters as a guess. That doesn't sound like a whole lot – I mean, in the big picture, not when you pit them against the Ministry Aurors and Order members," he said.

"He didn't have much more than that in the first war," growled Moody. "Yet, he and his Death Eaters managed to terrorize the Wizarding community for years. A lot of his dirty work isn't done by his Death Eaters, but by fairly decent witches and wizards under forcible coercion or the Imperious Curse. Besides," he said with a dark sigh, "it only takes one person to cast the killing curse. As long as they are willing to kill and we aren't, we will always be at a disadvantage. It won't matter how many people we have on our side."

"His main weapon has always been fear anyway," Remus said. "There won't be any traditional military battles, not until he's ready to end it, anyway. No, instead he'll use terror tactics like random killings and surprise attacks until the populace is too afraid to even think of resisting him. And if he can play on the wizarding world's old prejudices against muggles and muggleborns at the same time, well people will practically hand control over to him, if they think that all he wants to do is remove muggleborns from the wizarding world."

There was an uncomfortable pause. "Right. Plus, we've just learned that he's managed to bring a number of giants over to his side," said Mr. Weasley.

"Giants?" Harry gulped. He imagined a dozen Grawps stomping through Hogsmeade.

"Yeah, and that's not all," Bill said darkly. "He's added a number of dark creatures to his army as well, like banshees."

"And Vampires," Remus added darkly. "Of course, he won't be able to use them during the day."

"We think he's mainly going to use them for attacks on Muggles and Muggleborns," said Charlie.

Bill nodded. "Makes sense. They aren't magical creatures so they'll be able to slip through any wards we try to put up. Plus they can move around virtually undetected."

"They're dead strong; nearly impossible to destroy," Tonks said. "And as they feed, they create more."

"A never ending supply of soldiers for his army," said Fred without a trace of his usual humor. "How do we fight something like that?"

"We'll have to contact the Watcher's Council," said Remus. "Maybe they have a spare Slayer or two they could lend us."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Moody replied. "Ever since that stunt they pulled in the States, they've got Slayers popping up out of the woodwork."

"Um, what's a Slayer?" Harry asked.

A slight frown appeared on Hermione's face. "Slayer…" She paused as if searching her memory. "A chosen warrior given supernatural strength and abilities who 'slays' vampires. For nearly as long as Vampires have walked the earth, there has been a Slayer; always female, and when one dies, another is called," Hermione recited.

"Very good, Hermione," Remus praised. "You've done your homework."

"Hermione always does her homework," Ron said with a roll of his blue eyes.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," she shot back with a smirk.

"Dementors and vampires – talk about a match made in heaven," George said. "The dementors suck the soul out of a person, leaving them vulnerable to the vampires who suck their blood. It just sucks all around."

Silence fell upon the table and Harry stared into nothingness while his brain struggled to grasp what he'd just learned. It was all so overwhelmingly…impossible.

"So we've got dementors and vampires and giants. Oh my," he said humorlessly.

"Don't forget the banshees," Ron added. He wore an oddly green complexion and looked like Harry felt.

"I'm not too worried about the banshees," said Bill. "A simple Silencing charm takes care of them. Plus, I'd be surprised if he had more than a couple on his side. Despite what the old legends say, banshees generally aren't malevolent creatures, unless you're an Englishman trespassing on their lands. Then, they can be quite nasty. And given their 'love' for the British, it's unlikely that they would leave Ireland to take orders from one."

"But his army is only one reason why Voldemort has been quiet. You, Harry, are the other," Remus spoke up.

"Me?"

"Yes. You…concern him. You've faced him five times now and you're still alive. That in itself, even without the prophecy, is enough to make him rethink his plans. And then there is the prophecy, which, until recently, he had only heard a portion of. A portion that said that you had the power to destroy him."

"Wait," Ron interrupted. "Is this the same prophecy that we found in the Department of Mysteries?"

"Yes, it is," Harry answered quietly. He hadn't yet been able to bring himself to tell his friends of the prophecy and since they weren't yet Order members, they hadn't yet heard of it.

"I thought it was broken," Ron said slowly, a slight frown creasing his freckled forehead.

"The record of it was. But Professor Dumbledore, who was the recipient of the original prophecy, told me what it said." He took a deep breath and relayed the words of the prophecy. There was a deep silence in the room.

"So that's why he came after you as a baby."

"Yes, but he only knew a portion of it, which is why he's been trying to obtain the record of it."

"Exactly, which is why he's been so quiet," Remus said. "You are the only thing that can stop him. He can't move forward with his plans until he has dealt with you."

"What do you think his plans are?" Harry asked.

"He'll probably try to take over the Wizarding community – overthrow the Ministry, kill anyone who is less than pureblood. And more. The thing about wanting power is you can never have enough. I can see him trying to take over the entire world. His primary objective is going to be what it has always been, though. Immortality. But, he can't do any of this until he eliminates you, Harry."

"Professor Lupin," Hermione spoke up. "You said that Voldemort had only heard part of the prophecy – until recently. Does that mean that he has now heard it in its entirety?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We wouldn't even know about it if it wasn't for your dream, Harry."

"Dream?" Ron asked, looking at his friend with concerned blue eyes. He knew that it had been awhile since Harry had had any dream visions.

"I had it just before I came here. Voldemort had Professor Trelawney under Veritaserum and she repeated the prophecy along with another one I hadn't heard before."

"Trelawney? I thought she was hit by a muggle bus," Fred said.

"Well, she was. But upon closer examination the chief mediwizard at St. Mungo's found that she was already dead when the bus hit her. She had been killed by the Killing Curse."

"So Harry's dream really did happen," Hermione said. "Voldemort killed her and then staged her death so it would look like an accident."

"Question. I haven't had a dream like this since June – why is it starting now? Also, last year I was able to pick up on his moods, yet I haven't felt a thing all summer. Why?"

"Well, before, Voldemort wasn't aware of the link that connect you two. Now that he is, he's blocking you to keep you from seeing what he's doing. Remember, you said that at the end of your dream, he looked at you and knew you were there. He purposefully allowed you to see what he was doing. He wanted you to see it. He is an expert Legimens – which means that you're going to have to treat any further dreams or visions you have as suspect. You can no longer assume they are real."

"Don't worry," Harry said darkly. "I've learned my lesson."

"One more thing, Harry," Remus said. "Now that Voldemort has heard the entire prophecy, there's nothing to keep him from coming after you in full force. He may even attack Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts? But Dumbledore is the only wizard that Voldemort's ever feared," Harry protested.

"Not anymore. It isn't Dumbledore who has the power to vanquish Voldemort. It's you. One day Voldemort is going to decide to test his power against Dumbledore's. They will face each other one last time…"

"And?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"And Dumbledore will fall," Remus finished quietly.

"So Harry has to fight him," Ron said, as the meeting's news began to sink in.

Harry stared at the table as he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"Yes. But not yet. You aren't ready, Harry. It's Dumbledore's – all of ours – job to keep you alive and safe until you are ready."

The three friends were quiet as they padded up the stairs toward their beds. The reached the girls' room and Hermione turned to Harry.

"Ginny's going to want to know what the meeting was about. What do you want me to tell her?"

Harry pondered this. He hadn't thought of telling her about the prophecy. "Tell her everything," he said, surprising himself with his answer. "She was with us last June. She deserves to know why she almost died."

"Does this apply to Neville and Luna as well?"

"No. Not because they don't deserve to know – it's just too dangerous. Ginny's already in the thick of everything but there's no need to endanger Neville and Luna. Of course now that Voldemort already knows about the prophecy it's probably a moot point. Also, you know how the prophecy said the one to defeat Voldemort would be a boy born at the end of July to wizard parents who had narrowly escaped Voldemort three times?"

"Um, yeah?" Ron answered.

"Well apparently there were two boys that met that description. I was one, and Neville was the other. That's why there was a question mark before my name on the prophecy's label – because at the time of the prophecy they didn't know which one it would be."

"You mean – it could have been…Neville?" Ron said, disbelief evident in his voice.

"I don't know. There's no question that I'm the one in the prophecy simply because of the way the events played out. Voldemort came after me and as a result 'marked me as his equal.' But I don't know what would have happened had he come after Neville first. Perhaps the events would have played out in the same manner with the result of Neville being marked. Or perhaps he would have died and I still would have been marked. That's the real question, isn't it?" Harry asked, mainly of himself.

"Am I 'The One' because I was born to be; because there's something special in me that makes me able to fight him? Or is it because Voldemort chose me over Neville and transferred some of his powers to me, and that's why I'm supposed to be able to fight him?"

His two friends were silent. "I don't know the answer to that, Harry," Hermione said, her expression sympathetic. "But I believe that this is what you were born to be. There's just such a wonderful, noble…goodness and, and power about you that could not have been the result of some power transfer. Yes, we know that some of his powers were transferred to you when he tried to kill you, but the only proof of that is your ability to speak parseltongue, and I doubt that will help you much against Voldemort."

"Dumbledore says that my secret weapon against Voldemort is my ability to love," Harry said with a wry, half-joking smile. "Apparently, I'm going to love him to death."

Harry was still thinking about the prophecy hours later, long after everyone else had gone to bed. He'd long ago given up trying to fall asleep himself; his mind was just too full of the Order meeting and the subsequent conversation for him to be able to relax. He did feel a bit better where the prophecy was concerned now that his friends knew. They hadn't run screaming from him, and he was able to voice a secret fear he'd had since learning of the prophecy.

"nooo, I don't like it…gerremoffme…..no…"

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts by low moans from the next bed. Ron was mumbling in his sleep. His face was contorted in expressions of such intense pain that Harry jumped out of his bed and ran to his friend's side. A fine sheen of sweat covered Ron's face and neck and he was rubbing his forearms.

"nooo…gerremoff…stop it"

"Ron!" Harry hissed, lightly shaking Ron's shoulders. "Wake up! You're dreaming. Ron! It's just a dream!" He shook a little harder and was shocked when suddenly Ron's eyes flew open. Ron saw Harry and leapt at him, knocking Harry to the floor and pinning him under his massive weight.

"Ron – wha?" His words were cut off when Ron's hands circled his neck, squeezing tightly. He stared in shock at Ron's eyes that were gazing back at him – madness reflected in the blue depths.

"I'll kill yeh!" he rasped in a voice that was not his own. "Bastard! Yeh won't sneak up on me. Thought yeh could take it for yerself, did yeh? Well, I'll kill yeh firs', and tha' pretty little wife of yers – after I've tasted her, tha' is."

Harry struggled against Ron's superior strength. He clawed at his hands. "Ron! It's me – Harry! Wake up, Ron!" he choked out. Black spots were beginning to form in his vision, the outer edges becoming gray and fuzzy.

Suddenly, Ron's eyes cleared. "Harry!" He jumped back while Harry doubled over on his side, coughing air into his raw lungs. "Harry, are you okay?" he cried frantically. "I'm so sorry – MUM!" he yelled.

Harry was so focused on trying to breathe that he wasn't sure if it was seconds, minutes, or hours before Mrs. Weasley bustled into the room. She took in the scene at a glance and dropped to Harry's side. She wasted no time with questions like, "What happened, or, What's wrong," but instead, as if she were almost expecting something like this to happen, was examining Harry's wounds and performing healing charms with expert skill.

Cool, calming air rushed into Harry's lungs and his wracking coughs subsided. He was shaking now, from cold or shock he didn't know. Mrs. Weasley wrapped him in a blanket from his bed and held him until his tremors faded. Harry was vaguely aware that others had entered the room, no doubt awakened by the commotion, but were thankfully keeping their distance until he could pull himself together.

He pulled away from Mrs. Weasley and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Mr. Weasley, Remus, Hermione and Ginny were in the room, the two girls watching the scene with panicked fear on their faces. Harry looked at Ron who was almost huddled in a corner. He was staring at Harry, shaking and horror struck.

"I'm, I'm s-so sorry, H-harry. It's th-the brains. Sometimes…" he trailed off, unable to finish.

Harry didn't know what to say; he was still trying to figure out what had happened.

"It's alright, Ron," Mrs. Weasley went over to her youngest son, speaking soothingly. "You just forgot to take your potion, that's all." She led him over to his bed and gave him a glass bottle she'd produced from her robe pocket. Ron drank from the bottle, avoiding Harry's eyes.

"I just woke him up," Harry said, his eyes still locked on Ron. "He was having a bad dream – about the brains and I woke him up and he just…attacked me."

"It's my fault," Mrs. Weasley said, as she rubbed a potion on Ron's forearms. Ron was now staring blankly at a far wall. "I forgot to warn you, Harry. The brains in the Department of Mysteries were from the worst criminals the wizarding world ever saw. Thieves, murderers, rapists. The brains were once studied in an attempt to find out what creates criminal behavior in people. Some of the thoughts and memories of one of those brains was transferred to Ron. He's okay," she rushed to reassure Harry. "He takes a potion that keeps the memories buried deeply in his mind, and this lotion helps with the scarring. He doesn't remember the actual memories, but sometimes when he's emotional – very angry, or when he's startled, the memories come to the surface and for a few moments he actually believes that he's this other person. The potion helps to keep him from getting overly upset, but we're still careful not to startle him."

Mrs. Weasley got Ron settled into bed and then turned to the others in the room. "Alright, everything's fine now so let's get back to bed." Everyone expressed their concern and wishes for a good night and left the room.

Ron turned to Harry. "I'm really sorry, Harry."

Harry smiled at his friend. "It's okay, Ron. I'm just sorry that this has happened to you."

"Yeah, well, I did it to myself – that's the part that stinks. It's one thing if a death eater had done this to me, but no, it was just my own stupidity."

"A death eater did do it to you – Ron, you were cursed! You weren't thinking clearly – you weren't thinking at all! I'm just glad that nothing worse happened to you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Well for the first time ever it's you waking me up from a nightmare," he said with an attempt at a joke.

Harry grinned. "Yeah. I think I prefer it the other way around. Much better for my health."

Ron just tossed a pillow at Harry who easily dodged it, laughing. A raucous pillow fight ensued, after which the boys were ready to put the night's events behind them and go back to sleep.

A/N: Yes, I realize the whole Double Delights/Ginny has boobs/Harry listens in on a girly conversation - is stupid, cliched, trite, silly, immature, serves no point, fill in whatever insult you like. However, I just couldn't bear to get rid of it. Besides serving as comic relief to balance the darker scene at the end of the chapter, it also serves to advance the plot in the form of Bill's mysterious and strange reaction to the twins' teasing.

Also there is a reference to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. This story will not crossover with that Universe as far as plot goes. However one or two characters may show up in cameo appearances. I also do not own those characters. Double Sigh.