Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and its various publishers own Harry Potter. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed! I love reading them. They help keep me focused. Is it just me? Or did summer pass by really fast this year? Anyway, school starts this week, so its back to the old grind for me...
Chapter 26
A Different War
Outside the high arched windows the sky was dark and sprinkled with stars. The frost forming around the edges of the glass was the only indication that the night was cold. Harry stood among the scattered remains of several training dummies. Sweat poured off his face as he surveyed the damage. He stripped off his wet shirt and walked over to his bag for a fresh one.
A quiet scraping sound behind him warned him that the fight wasn't over. Moody must have charmed them to regenerate. Without any hesitation, Harry swung around low, firing off spells with both hands as he dove behind a conjured table. His spells sent a few of the offending dummies clattering across the floor. The rest he dispatched with his sabre.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he swung around with his weapon ready — only to find Rhys standing by the door smiling. Summoning a sabre just like the one Harry was holding, he said, "So much for your opponents." He slashed the air with his sabre and asked, "Want some live action?"
Still slightly out of breath, Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Where'd you come from? It's kind of late for a fencing lesson."
Rhys answered lightly, "I just got here. I need to see Professor Snape. He said he'd meet me here." Making an 'x' in the air with sabre, Rhys adopted the formal stance for challenging an opponent. "What do you say?" he asked.
Pulling a clean shirt out of his bag, Harry shook his head and laughed. "If only you'd shown up an hour ago. I can't stay…it's late and…I have to meet some friends." He slipped the shirt over his head.Rhys dropped his arm so the blade dragged on the floor. "This group of 'friends' wouldn't happen to include Ginny Weasley, would it?" he asked, smiling. "I mean, it's Valentine's and all." He put his weapon away.
Looking puzzled, Harry laughed and said, "You're right, of course, but we had classes all day so we're celebrating tomorrow. We're going to that new place in Hogsmeade -- the one that serves French pastries. Have you ever been there?" Harry had heard about the place from Zach Smith who'd sworn they served standard British pub food along with great French pastries. He figured it had to be better than Madame Puddifoot's.
Watching Harry carefully, Rhys shrugged his shoulders. "I seldom get to Hogsmeade, but Valentine's Day is…difficult…no matter how old you are. Good luck."
Harry wondered briefly if Rhys was about to give him advice about girls. He'd never mentioned a girlfriend before, but then why would he? Before Harry could ask, the two of them heard a feminine voice calling, "Harry…Haaarry!" With a grin, he pulled his mirror out of his bag. Turning his back to Rhys, he spoke quietly with Ginny.
He didn't notice Snape and Moody entering the training room. Examining the shattered pieces of the training dummies, Moody picked up a mannequin head. Looking oddly cheerful, he asked, "Did the Resurrection Spell work?"
Nodding at the usually gruff Defense Professor, Harry put away his mirror. He kept his back to the others as he stuffed his sabre into his bag. At the same time, he pulled his wand out, hoping no one would notice that he had been fighting with just his hands and a blade. He waved his wand and muttered incantations to repair the broken training dummies.
Moody picked up a training dummy that was still in one piece and stiff as a board. "Is this the Ossification Hex you found in your book?"
Nodding, Harry said, "Lays them out flat for a good hour…do you think it would last as long on a person?" Harry had found the Ossify! hex, which temporarily turned its victim to bone, in his Myrddin's Torch book. It lasted longer than Petrificus Totalus! and couldn't be thrown off as easily.
Moody voice was gruff. "I think you'll find most of your spells have a similar, or stronger, effect in a real life situation. But I've never tried turning anything to bone."
Using his wand, Harry released the dummy from the hex and floated it out of Moody's hands toward the storage shelves.
Interrupting impatiently, Snape snapped at Harry, perhaps from his long habit of dislike. "It's well past curfew, Potter. What are you doing training so late at night?"
Before Harry could answer, Moody stepped forward. "He's my assistant, Snape…He can go anywhere he wants. Staff members don't have a curfew."
Without comment, Harry finished putting the room in order and hurried away. He was anxious to get back to Gryffindor. As he turned the corner, a statue of armor fell off its plinth, blocking his path. Harry was sure Peeves had done it because he could hear a distinctly Peeves-ish cackle echoing further down the hall. He stepped carefully over a sinister looking axe and continued down the hall, only to have some hidden force slip the handle of his bag off his arm.
This time there was no sign of Peeves, but something else told him he wasn't alone -- a distinctly fresh smell, not unlike Ginny's shampoo. "Accio Invisibility Cloak!"
Ginny's smiling face appeared as the silvery cloak flew into his hands. "No fair…I was just getting started," she said, making a face at him.
"The mirror call was my first clue." Harry took her hand and continued toward Gryffindor.
Letting her footsteps fall in with his, Ginny said, "I wanted to know where you've been hiding tonight…when are you going to admit that you don't have anything to give me for Valentine's and that's why you wanted to wait until tomorrow? You didn't have time to buy anything during our last Hogsmeade trip."
"What makes you say that?" Harry asked, knowing full well that his girlfriend had spent the last few weeks searching his belongings for signs of a gift.
Hands on her hips, she said, "I searched your backpack while you were gone that day. There wasn't anything remotely resembling a Valentine's gift."
"You're sure…maybe I just took it with me." Harry chose not to remind her that he was pretty good at the Disillusionment Charm.
"I found your note, Harry…or should I say notes." Ginny answered smugly.
"I hope you don't mean what I think you mean." Harry narrowed his eyes and nodded as if considering something. "Fred and George warned me about you."
Ginny smiled. "So you should know that I've looked through everything you own." She shook her head at him, as they reached the corridor near the entrance hall. "You think you're so funny with those notes. 'Ginny, you're getting colder'…and what was the other one… 'try looking in the library under 'Invisible.'' You have to be joking unless…" A gleam of light appeared in her eyes as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe you're hiding the present on you, and keeping it invisible."
Harry's eyes widened as though he was trying to look innocent. That was enough encouragement for Ginny. Turning toward him, she backed him up toward the wall and started feeling around in his pockets. At first the feeling of Ginny rifling through his pockets made Harry laugh softly because it tickled. Then he realized that his girlfriend running her hands over his chest and sides was a different pleasure altogether.
It took Ginny a moment to realize that Harry had stopped laughing and was staring at her, his green eyes lit and his mouth slightly open. His breathing was shallow. She moved her hands up around his neck and leaned in. As their lips met, a familiar current ran through them both. Ginny pressed into him, trying to feel his body through their thick robes. Harry enveloped her in his arms, gently deepening the kiss at the same time.
Out of thin air, Harry's phoenix appeared. But unlike before, she simply landed on his shoulder instead of snatching him away. Harry broke the kiss and said, "Hello, girl…when did you get here?"
Ginny laughed and straightened her robes. "It's still a mood killer…I thought you were planning to have a little talk with her. And haven't you named her yet? You can't keep calling her girl." She was trying not to be jealous, but if she wasn't a phoenix…
"Oh…I thought I'd call her Aurora because she likes to meet me at dawn for a run. Hermione looked it up for me. Aurora means dawn. Since she's the colors of a sunrise, I thought it would fit…she seems to like it." Harry looked proud of himself as he fished some Ginseng roots out of his pockets and gave them to Aurora.
"It suits her, Harry. It's kind of like Auror…only prettier." Ginny smiled. "Maybe I ought to leave the two of you alone. I have some studying to do." She couldn't help wondering if she should be a little more worried about this bird, but at least they were making some progress with the disappearing act.
Harry shook his head and simply said goodnight to Aurora, which, to Ginny's surprise, actually made the phoenix disappear. He wrapped the Invisibility Cloak around her for the rest of their walk. Despite the late hour and the fact that it was a school night, the common room was full of fifth years hunched over their schoolwork. Somewhere a clock chimed eleven.
They said goodnight. Harry needed a shower and Ginny went to find Hermione who had promised to lend her all of her notes from Transfiguration last year.
As Ginny approached the sixth year's dorm, she heard some wild laughing. In truth, the gigglers were primarily Lavender and Parvati. The two of them were trying on clothes and gossiping.
Giving them a brief nod, Ginny headed over to Hermione's bed. "Thanks for the notes. You're making my study group very happy."
Hermione finished braiding her hair and smiled at Ginny. She was all ready for bed, having promised Ron she'd go to sleep early. Pointing to the large stack of notes on her bedside table, she said, "I'm glad to see everyone taking their O.W.L.s so seriously."
Dropping the deep purple robe she was holding up to herself and reaching for a blue one, Lavender Brown spoke in an exasperated tone. "Really, Hermione. You're too much. How can you think about tests right now? We don't even have to worry about O.W.L.s this year. You should be wondering what Ron's planning for tomorrow."
Parvati giggled and whispered something to Lavender, but Ginny was too far away to catch what she'd said.
"And you haven't had any chance for romance in weeks. Right? What with that whole illness thing." The way Lavender lifted her eyebrow as she said, 'romance,' made Ginny gag. She had a pretty good idea of what the older girl's idea of romance entailed. Her opinion must have shown on her face as she pursed her lips and looked Lavender up and down.
But it was Parvati who stepped closer to Ginny, and said, "You really should let us help, Ginny. We don't want a repeat of your last trip to Hogsmeade, do we?"
'We…who's we?' thought Ginny, looking at Hermione for some help. Hermione put her book down with an air of inevitability and shrugged.
Lavender nodded. "Don't feel bad about it Ginny. Seamus and Parvati told me about finding you crying in the loo because Harry left you alone in the pub."
Shocked, Hermione said, "What are you two on about? Harry wouldn't do any such thing." Looking prim in her Muggle flannel pajamas, she sat up and tucked her feet underneath her.
But Lavender continued as though she hadn't heard Hermione. She patted Ginny's arm and said, "Don't worry. We've all had something like that happen."
Cutting off Ginny's protest by holding up her hand, Parvati said, "Seamus was on his way to the gents. He said it sounded like a banshee. And I was there…you were the only other person in the loo." She and Lavender nodded in unison. Then Lavender noticed her reflection in the mirror and began to fuss with her own hair.
They'd never believe her if she told them that the truth was they'd heard an insane ghost wailing so instead of arguing, Ginny tried a different tactic. Shrugging, she said with a bright smile, "So this weekend can only get better."
"You're not planning on making the same mistakes all over again!" Parvati sounded appalled.
"She's right. You need help, Ginny. And we're the ones to do it." Lavender said, completely abandoning her mirror.
Smirking, Ginny said, "If you're talking about a makeover, no thanks. I've seen Neville's hair." She burst out laughing, but she was the only one. She looked at Hermione pleadingly, and said, "It's late. We can't keep Hermione awake. She needs her sleep."
Hermione was no help. She waved her hand as though she was batting something away. "I've been sleeping for weeks. Besides…I'm sure it will be fun, Ginny. No one knows more about clothes and hair than Lavender and Parvati. And I'm sure Harry will appreciate it." Ginny thought she detected a small smirk on her friend's face before it disappeared behind a book.
Hands on her hips, Ginny answered, "And I'm sure Harry wouldn't even notice…in fact, the first time he kissed me I was covered in mud. Maybe he prefers a casual look." She laughed, thinking her mud story would give the girls a clue.
Lavender shook her head and looked at Ginny critically, moving over to stand directly in front of the younger girl. Parvati joined Lavender with her arms folded in front of her. She tilted her head and tapped her chin as if she was lost in deep thought. Ginny self-consciously stepped backward, away from their scrutiny. She looked toward Hermione, but her friend's face was still hidden behind a book.
Adopting a serious look, Parvati spoke as though she was trying to break some difficult news. "It's worse than I thought. That mud story sounds…very sweet, but you've been going out for a while. Now you need to give it a little effort…to keep his interest." She looked really sympathetic. "You do like kissing him?" She threw the last question in as if she suddenly had some doubts.
Lavender nodded at Parvati's wise words. "If you don't make the effort, someone else will. I guarantee there're plenty of girls who'd like to find out whether or not they like kissing Harry."
This pronouncement struck a chord with Ginny. She knew that, although it was common knowledge that Harry and she were going out, 'Professor Potter' still received a fair amount of female attention. Of course, Harry never appeared to notice and mostly it was the younger girls -- but still, it was food for thought.
Seeing that Ginny was weakening, Parvati said in a delighted voice. "Great! We'll start with your clothes. What are you planning to wear?"
Lavender shook her head. "No…her clothes won't matter if she keeps wearing her hair pulled back in that ponytail thing. What she needs is a change — something to make him take some notice. Your hair is your best feature." As Lavender spoke she took the liberty of removing the band holding Ginny's hair back.
She kept talking, but Ginny tuned her out. Without listening to their conversation, she let them try several glamour charms on her hair. She watched Hermione close her book with a self-satisfied grin. Deciding that her friend had set her up, Ginny asked innocently, "What about Hermione? She's worn her hair the same way for years." Seeing the panicked look on Hermione's face, Ginny persisted. "Oh, I insist…you work on Hermione's hair for a while and I'll get us some snacks."
"Would you? We're all a little thirsty." Parvati had already begun to remove Hermione's braid.
Lavender looked Hermione up and down, appraisingly. "We all saw how devoted Ron was these last few weeks. Don't you think you owe him a little surprise in return? Something of a reward?" She nodded knowingly.
Ginny left quickly as the glamour girls converged on Hermione. But true to her word, she returned with an armload of snacks procured from the kitchen and spent an intensive late night listening to Parvati's advice on clothes and Lavender's slightly deranged views on how to keep a man interested. Even Hermione had fun after her lengthy hospital stay. It was good to see her relax a little. Ron wouldn't know what hit him the next time they were alone.
While the girls had their fun, the sixth year boys were awake late too. After Harry took his shower, he walked into the dorm to find Neville and Seamus in a contest to see how many Bertie Botts Beans they could balance on their heads without using magic. Ron and Dean were placing the beans. Harry's entrance caused Neville to shake his head, sending the sweets scattering.
"Ah…you were winning!" Ron groaned. He handed Dean a Sickle. "Best two out of three?" he asked hopefully.
"No way! I know how to quit while I'm ahead." Dean put the money on his nightstand. "Besides, Neville was winning." He cracked a broad grin as Seamus punched him in the arm.
"Longbottom's just got a bigger head than me," Seamus complained. "Let me take you on, Ron. Your head looks a little…pointy."
"I do not have a pointed head," Ron protested.
"Fine, prove it then."
Before their ridiculous argument could go any further, Ron said, "We should all get some sleep…besides, I've been waiting to talk to Harry…about…you know."
This speech was greeted by four looks of confusion. No one knew what Ron was talking about. Ignoring them, Ron pulled Harry by the arm over to his bed and said quietly, "I still don't know what I'm going to do about tomorrow."
A look of recognition crossed Harry's face. "Oh…you mean…" Ron nodded. "I picked this up from Greenhouse Twelve this afternoon." He held up a rather sad looking potted plant with dark brown leaves. "Luna helped me graft the Blabber Blossom onto the original stem of an everlasting rose brush. Then we were working on charming it to speak to Hermione in my voice."
"Does it say anything?" Harry asked, looking at the drooping brown plant doubtfully.
Ron shook his head.
Neville spoke up. "Luna tried to keep the charms fresh while Ron was busy in the infirmary, but…."
"What about all those other plants in Greenhouse Twelve? The place was full of…interesting plants when I was there. Crabbe and Goyle didn't smash them all." Harry had helped Luna put the place back to rights. Madame Sprout mainly used the area for storage. Hogwarts students put it to many other uses, especially at night, but Luna Lovegood used it to store several of her 'experimental' Charms projects.
Seamus broke into their conversation, "Better get rid of it, Weasley. From the look of it, Crabbe and Goyle may have cursed it."
Everyone laughed at the thought of the Slytherin goons placing a curse on anything.
"Where did you get those?" Harry asked, pointing to the enchanted boxer shorts Seamus was holding in his hand.
"Lavender bought them for Valentine's. She wants me to wear them tomorrow." Seamus blushed. The shorts had little bunnies holding hearts and chasing, but never catching, other bunnies.
Dean was getting under his covers, wearing a manly gray tee shirt and sweat pants. Nodding sympathetically at Seamus, he said, "She's making you wear bunnies…that's harsh."
With a wide smile, Seamus said, "I'm sure she'll make it worth my time."
Everyone laughed at his comment, except Ron who just looked miserable. For weeks he'd been so absorbed in helping Hermione, and trying to find her attacker that he'd forgotten everything else. On top of that, he'd never had to think of anything romantic before.
Ron had tried asking Ginny for advice, but she'd outright refused. His owl to Fred and George had brought some rather questionable chewy candies in reply. Only Harry had promised to help.
Harry did seem to be trying. Sounding a little unsure, he suggested, "I'm sure Luna would let you give one of the…pretty plants to Hermione. You can ask her tomorrow at breakfast."
Shaking his head, Ron said, "I couldn't ask Luna for any more help."
So Harry tried a different approach. "Don't worry so much. Hermione doesn't know a thing about the talking plant you tried to charm. Just make her a card or something. And take her out somewhere nice in Hogsmeade."
Harry's suggestion sounded so reasonable. And, other than himself, who knew Hermione better than Harry? "Fine…if you're sure."
Neville spoke up as he got under his covers. "Really, Ron, you don't have any worries. At least you have a girlfriend."
"Still haven't asked Luna out…eh, Neville?" Seamus asked, turning off his light.
Harry didn't hear Neville's answer as Ron put his face in his hands and said, "How do I make a card? I can't just use parchment. Am I supposed to write a stupid poem or something?" Seeing that his roommates didn't share his panic, Ron asked Seamus, "What are you doing for Lavender?"
"Nothing…I mean nothing that difficult. I bought her some candy. Harry gave me the idea." Seamus held up a box of chocolates from Honeydukes.
Ron looked at his friend accusingly. Putting both hands in the air, Harry said, "I was just buying some sugar quills for your sister, Ron. They weren't even for Valentine's Day." He rummaged around in his messy trunk for a minute, muttering, and pulled out a package wrapped with a big red bow. "I'm giving her a picture of everyone playing in the snow at the Burrow."
"I can't believe you, Harry." Ron folded his arms over his chest.
Harry's face fell. He was trying to keep his promise and help Ron. Rummaging through his trunk muttering again, Harry fished out the unopened box of sugar quills. "Why don't you give Hermione these? Or do you have some Chocolate Frogs left?"
Ron took the box of candy and said, "You know the Frogs are all gone. Besides, Hermione would see right through them. She knows you bought those for me." Harry handed him the rest of the red ribbon he used to wrap Ginny's present.
As Ron took the ribbon and disappeared behind the closed curtains around his bed, Harry looked around the room at his fellow Gryffindors. Dean was in bed with his charmed Muggle headphones in his ears, listening to Muggle music with his eyes closed. Seamus was hugging his pillow tightly, which was usually a prelude to sleep. Neville was reading in his bed, and shaking his head as though he was talking to himself. Except for maybe Seamus, none of them appeared to have a clue.
With a sigh, Harry climbed into bed, and closed his eyes. Lazily using his wand to close his own curtains, and shut off the light. If nothing else, he supposed the troops deserved a good night's rest before going into battle.
The following morning, Albus Dumbledore watched the sun come up over the lake while he stood at his window, drinking his morning tea. He smiled when he noticed the familiar sight of a bird circling high above Harry, then dropping down to ground level, flying low beside him as he took his morning run. He should have realized weeks ago that only a phoenix would follow Harry so vigilantly.
He'd been in his nineties when Fawkes appeared, not long before he fought Grindelwald. Sometimes Harry still seemed so young…but he couldn't put off talking to him much longer. It had to be soon. But this morning, he simply watched as the phoenix disappeared and Harry walked toward the castle.
After hurrying up to his dormitory for a quick shower, Harry carefully made his way through the masses of discarded clothes around Neville's bed. He marveled that his friend could find anything. Leaning against his own trunk, he pulled on fresh trousers. "What is all this, Neville?"
"I can't decide what jumper to wear today."
"Er…have you forgotten that we all wear uniforms?" Ron asked, pulling on his own well-worn jumper.
"I…I'm going to ask Luna to go out with me at breakfast. I want to look my best. Besides…it's the weekend."
"It'll be all right. You'll do fine," Ron said, using the same speech to reassure Neville that he'd been trying on himself.
At least, Harry thought that's how it sounded. "Have you decided where you'll go today, Ron?"
"I'm going to ask her at breakfast…just like Neville." Ron looked worried as it sunk in that he and Neville had the same plan.
Harry couldn't believe it. "Are you saying you haven't even asked her to go to Hogsmeade with you?" He didn't want to say it out loud, but Ron could be in real trouble here. Hermione wouldn't like being taken for granted.
Ron looked uncomfortable. "I'm waiting for the right moment to bring it up. She's only just out of the infirmary. I don't want to rush her. You'll notice that I don't ask what you plan to do with my sister today." He turned his back to Harry.
Putting a hand on Ron's shoulder, Harry steered him towards out to the common room. Neville trailed along behind, looking ruefully at the cuff of his jumper. "Rush her? Valentine's Day was yesterday," Harry said. "We're only pretending it's today because we're trapped at boarding school and it's our one free day of the month." Harry shook his head. Softening his tone, he said, "You'll do just fine, Ron. It's a sure thing. You've been going out since last summer…."
As Neville, Ron and Harry headed down the stairs, they found Ginny, sitting in the common room with Parvati and Lavender. The disgusted look on Ginny's face made Harry wonder what the older girls had been doing.
Harry was right. Parvati and Lavender had been up to something. Ginny had been sitting by the cold hearth in the common room, waiting for Harry and Ron to come downstairs. She'd thought vaguely about starting a fire to warm the room because her hair was wet. She hadn't done a good job performing a Drying Charm on her hair after her morning shower. Instead she'd opted for closing her eyes for a few more minutes. Blissfully falling back asleep, she hadn't noticed Parvati and Lavender join her.
Parvati's voice dripped with sympathy. "Good idea, Ginny, getting up early to spend time with your boyfriend. That's the way to get over this little — bump in the road." Nothing Ginny could say would convince her that she and Harry weren't having trouble.
Ginny opened one eye. Staying up late to hear all the good gossip and listen to the older girls' advice on everything from clothes and makeup to "giving your man what he needs" was one thing, waking up early to it was another. She groaned and said, "I…I'm sleeping right now." Ginny hoped that keeping her eyes shut tight would make them leave.
Perhaps speaking gave her away. Lavender giggled. "We know you're awake. Now sit up and let me fix your hair. The boys will be here any minute."
Ginny sat up, a little grumpily, and let Lavender finish drying her hair, parting it on the side, before curling the ends slightly. Ginny had to smile, watching the older girl concentrate. Lavender always looked so perfect, even in the school uniforms, and she was only trying to be nice. "You're frightfully good at this, Lavender. Thanks."
"You can thank me later…after you get what you want. Purse your lips." Lavender knew a lot of glamour charms, too.
Parvati warned, "Careful…I'm sure Harry prefers the natural look, or he wouldn't have fallen for Ginny in the first place."
"Thanks…I think," Ginny said. She'd heard plenty of comments like that last night or she might have been more offended. The older girls meant well with their blunt comments and Ginny had privately begun to think of them as the glamour police. Though it had been fun watching them work on Hermione. And even if they used the same hair and glamour charms that they used on Neville, she knew Harry wouldn't mind. Remembering last summer when Fred turned her hair blue and she'd knocked Harry down, Ginny smiled.
Parvati said, "That's right, smile…no one wants a high maintenance girlfriend."
Ginny was spared further comments by the entrance of the boys. Noticing the expression on Ginny's face as he greeted her, Harry said, "If you're waiting for Dean and Seamus, they're still sleeping."
Giggling in unison, Lavender and Parvati streaked up the stairs past the others. "Now we know how to get rid of them," Ron said, stomping down the rest of the stairs.
"You go on ahead, Ron," Harry said, staring at Ginny intently. "We'll be along in a minute."
Giving them an exasperated look, Ron left with Neville. Relieved that his friend didn't protest further, Harry smiled at her. She looked positively glowing despite the fact that her eyes were only half open. "You look really nice this morning," he began, only to be interrupted by a troop of first year boys stomping down the stairs and shouting. "Sometimes I wish we had somewhere where we could truly be alone for a while. I doubt we'll have a moment all day. Anyway, Happy Valentine's." Without any further ceremony Harry pulled a package with a big red bow out of his pocket.
Ginny gave him a dreamy smile and unwrapped the photograph. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Harry. I've got something for you, too, but it's upstairs."
A group of second year girls passed by them, giggling madly. One of the bolder girls said, "Good morning, Professor."
Embarrassed, Harry ignored them and said, "You can give it to me later…I just didn't want to wait. But why don't you get your cloak so we can leave right after breakfast…And don't forget your Portkey."
Ginny hurriedly retrieved his gift and the other items from upstairs. Her gift was also a photo of just the two of them, looking relaxed after a Quidditch practice. Colin must have taken it sometime when neither of them noticed him. In fact, the two in the photo didn't seem to notice anything but each other. He put his arm around her waist and said, "I guess we think a lot alike sometimes." He kissed her cheek and thanked her.
When they finally reached breakfast, the Great Hall was buzzing. People were pointing to the Hufflepuff table where several young girls with rainbow colored hair were glaring at a group of Slytherins.
As Ginny passed near the Slytherin table, one of them gave her a double thumbs up which she returned with a grin. "Do I want to know why?" Harry asked.
"Just passing the prank torch on to the next generation." Ginny smiled.
"And the torch is going to the Slytherin second years because?" Harry waited for her answer expectantly.
With an air of patience, Ginny answered, "They asked." Harry still looked confused so she continued. "They wanted to get the attention of a few of the Hufflepuff girls in their year. I thought it was a very good use of pranking power…not too mean…ever since we used the Repel Gel, I've felt it was time to change."
They looked at the far end of the Slytherin table where Draco Malfoy was eating his breakfast alone and reading. His arrogant smirk seemed to have been replaced with a more sinister scowl, but he was still perfectly coifed and immaculately dressed. Harry said, "Maybe it's not the Gel. Malfoy has a way of alienating people. Don't forget he's our main suspect for what happened to Hermione. According to Sophie, he's made some rather incriminating statements in their common room."
"I know…but now the Gel thing just seems mean. Pranks should be fun. I never meant for it to go this far." Ginny seemed sincerely sorry.
Harry smiled at her as they took seats near Ron. "So you're atoning for your pranks by arming the younger Slytherins with prank ammunition." He poured pumpkin juice for both of them.
"Of the highest quality. Besides, Fred and George pay me to test out their products and advertise here at Hogwarts. It's a rough job…but someone has to do it." She leaned her head toward Hermione and whispered, "Ron's not allowed."
Ron was reading the Daily Prophet with interest. Looking over at her brother, Ginny asked, "What is it?"
"Here…read it for yourself," said Hermione, handing over her copy of the newspaper. The banner headline read, "Death Eaters Routed! You-Know-Who on the Run!" Quoting an anonymous source at the Ministry of Magic, the article outlined the story of the recent capture of a Death Eater stronghold in the mountains of Wales. Apparently, Ministry Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was the hero of the day.
"Way to go, Kingsley! Don't you think, Harry?" Ron said enthusiastically. "And that's not all." He tapped the article at the bottom of the page.
"Azkaban Raid Comes Up Empty!" The article explained that a Death Eater raid on the wizarding prison was thwarted when the attackers discovered the cells of the prison were empty. Ministry officials explained that they had expected an attack for some time. They took the precaution of detaining the prisoners at an undisclosed location.
One raid successful, the other thwarted, and both good news for the fight against Death Eaters. Harry smiled and said, "That must be why the front door was unlocked this morning. Filch'll be glad he doesn't have to let me in anymore."
"They're only thinking of our safety," Hermione said, looking at them with disdain. "I, for one, am glad that someone is."
"Quite right, Hermione. That's very sensible of you," said Ernie MacMillan with a sniff. He'd come to the Gryffindor table hoping to interest Harry in his plans for capturing Green Wood Fairies for a Magical Creatures project.
Harry looked serious for a moment. "Don't you see? They've been locking us inside the castle just as much as they've been locking out the Death Eaters. This place has been like a prison, a really nice prison, but still… we haven't really been free to come and go."
Looking around at the puzzled looks on everyone's face, Harry wondered if maybe he was just sensitive about this issue. He'd grown up with Uncle Vernon locking him in — even putting bars on his windows — while they just thought locks were good for keeping burglars away. Seeing that none of them understood, he focused his efforts on his plate of eggs, tomatoes and bacon.
Ernie was about to speak, when Ginny touched Harry's arm, and showed him something small that Luna had just handed to her. It looked like a clunky silver ring with tiny markings. The two of them put their heads together to examine what looked like runes. Luna was standing behind them, staring up at the enchanted ceiling like a statue.
His face bright red, Neville stood up and walked toward Luna. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of the long table. Clearing his throat, he said, "Er…what do you have there?"
"Oh…it's a serenity ring that my father sent. It was my Mum's. The runes are Icelandic. Do you want to take a look?"
"No…yes…um." Clearly, words were failing Neville. "What I mean is…you could show it to me later…if you…what are you doing today?"
Luna didn't seem fazed by this speech. Looking directly at him for the first time, she said, "I'll be in the Greenhouse. Would you like to help?"
Letting out a sigh of relief, Neville nodded. "That would be nice." The thought of spending the day helping Luna with her charmed plants, an arena where Neville was always in command, filled him with a sense of accomplishment. It may not be the most romantic choice, or even the best way to let her know how he felt about her, but at least they'd spend the day alone together doing something that wouldn't make him feel like a complete fool.
Ron looked desolate. His day with Hermione wasn't so easily settled. He felt like a prize idiot. She deserved a really good Valentine's Day after all she'd been through. But she was so smart, she'd see right through an invitation to Hogsmeade and where would they go…Madame Puddifoot's? She might laugh in his face. And he couldn't just tag along with his sister and Harry, because those two made it clear they wanted to be alone.
Ginny and Harry were sitting side by side, their heads almost touching as they examined Luna's small ring. Ginny was giggling, and Harry was whispering so softly that no one else could hear. When those two were together sometimes, it was like the rest of the world didn't exist.
Ron wondered if he should insist they sit apart — at least for meals. Poor Ernie MacMillan was waiting so politely after all. Remembering that he had problems of his own, he said to Hermione, "So…what shall we do for Valentines?"
"I don't know, Ron. Hire dwarves to sing stupid poems to each other? I, for one, have too much studying to catch up on to worry about something so…superficial."
"Well said, Hermione," Ernie said.
Ernie might believe that Hermione had actually meant what she said, but Ron knew her better. She may want the world to think she was a practical person, but Ron knew she wanted a little romance just like everyone else. It gave him an idea. Actually, he'd had the idea from Harry weeks before, but he hadn't taken it seriously then. Aloud he said, "All right, then. We'll study all day if you like. Or…." The rest of what Ron had to say was whispered in her ear and brought a soft smile to her face.
If Hermione was disappointed, she didn't show it. Instead, she stood up and said, "We'll see all of you later. Have a great time in Hogsmeade." She smiled brightly and walked away.
Ron took one last bite of his eggs and grabbed some toast. With a smug grin, he said, "That's me sorted then." He hurried to catch up with Hermione.
Lavender Brown tapped Harry on the shoulder and asked, "Couldn't we turn the Room of Requirement into a sort of Madame Puddifoot's tonight, Harry? I mean, we have to be back from Hogsmeade before teatime."
"Surely not!" exclaimed Ernie. He said it as though he expected everyone to agree with him, but he didn't seem to notice that no one did.
"I…I don't have any objection, Lavender. Go ahead and have fun. Maybe you can get one of the house elves to help you." Harry started to turn back to Ginny, but Ernie cleared his throat and began his appeal for help gathering the fairies.
Parvati was already seated next to Dean and Seamus who both seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their food. Lavender was about to join them when a Hufflepuff seventh year walked up to her and pulled a huge bouquet of roses out of his sleeve. Harry choked a little at the cliched magical trick, but Seamus looked stricken.
The tall blond boy with the flowers was focused on Lavender, oblivious to anyone else's reaction. His head bowed shyly, he said, "I know you're spending today with your friends, but I wanted to thank you…for the other day. Maybe we can go to Hogsmeade together some other time."
Despite the quiet, shy tone he used, the whole Gryffindor table could hear him -- mostly because they were straining to hear. Lavender's answer was even quieter as she accepted the roses. Avoiding everyone's eyes, she sat down next to Seamus.
Harry never found out what happened next because Professor Dumbledore motioned to him to come to the head table. He dropped his napkin quickly and hurried over, worried that he was going to be told that — for security reasons — he'd have to stay in the castle today.
He was almost correct. The Headmaster said, "Use every caution as you go about in the village today. And return to the castle quickly if anything doesn't seem right to you. While we haven't received intelligence of any specific threats, the other side knows you might be on this school outing. A general exercise of watchfulness is of the greatest importance."
Looking over at Moody with a smile, Harry said, "So…constant vigilance!" Of course, he readily agreed. Harry was so happy to be leaving the castle and spending the day alone with Ginny, he didn't even chafe at the warning.
The day was cold and clear like the night before so they decided to take their time as they walked the short distance to Hogsmeade. Since Ginny was more awake after breakfast, she was entertaining Harry with all the gossip she'd learned from the older girls the evening before.
The only Slytherins who passed them on the road were Sophie and Blaise who greeted them cheerfully. Harry'd been meaning to ask them if they ever found out why Crabbe and Goyle were in the greenhouse that day, but now didn't seem the time. Maybe it was the absence of the more irritating Slytherins, but the day seemed to be going so pleasantly, Harry didn't want to spoil things.
Since Harry had promised romance instead of adventure for this trip, he let Ginny choose their agenda. She opted for shopping although, like her brother, she was reluctant to allow Harry to spend money on her. They had a nice time anyway. She had plenty of spending money thanks to her work for Fred and George. Honeydukes, or Harry's alibi, as Ginny had begun to call it, was their last stop before lunch. Here she did break down and let Harry buy her a box of sugar quills.
Then they headed off to Henri's for lunch. Ginny chose a table in a dark corner so they'd have a little privacy. Although the place was full of mostly Hogwarts students — Zach Smith greeted them at the door — at least they didn't have to worry about running into Ron.
Henri's was a normal looking English pub with a wide hearth and dark beamed ceilings. The menu was mostly standard pub fare, but boasted a large dessert selection featuring French pastries. Harry ordered a Ploughman's sandwich and Ginny asked for the chicken and ham pie. They both ordered Chocolate Souffle for dessert. The meal was very relaxed. Everything about the day seemed free and easy, none of the pressures of their last Hogsmeade trip.
"Did I tell you Mum thinks Bill's going to marry Fleur?" Ginny asked, before devouring a delicious mouthful of whipped cream and chocolate.
Harry had already finished his and was watching her eat with interest. "It's not really a surprise, is it? You saw how they were at Christmas." He licked his lips unconsciously.
She stopped eating and looked at Harry speculatively. "Would you like a bite?" she asked, amused at his interest in her dessert.
"Well…if you wouldn't mind…just a small one." He took a small taste, then he offered to get their cloaks. Ginny waited at the table while Harry rescued their cloaks from the coat tree by the door.
The hearth flared bright green, repeatedly, as though several people were rapidly entering the crowded pub through the floo connection. The screams of several patrons alerted Harry to just who had arrived. By the time he turned around, at least ten Death Eaters were busy casting stunning spells indiscriminately. He saw Ernie MacMillan putting up a good fight near the bar. Ginny's wand was drawn.
"That's her! The red headed one!" shouted one of the Death Eaters, sounding surprisingly young.
"Get Potter first!" shouted a tall man with a deeper voice.
Casting spells with both his wand and his free hand, Harry tried to cross the room to get to Ginny. "Use your Portkey!" he shouted, hoping she would get the message over the din created by the chaotic fighting. She shook her head and cast a Bat-Bogey Hex at one of the masked men.
If she wouldn't Portkey away, Harry would have to Apparate her to safety and return to finish this fight. There were too many people there for the freezing charm to do much good so he cast the crippling Ossify! hex he'd been practicing on his training dummies. Harry's spell took two of the Death Eaters out of the fight.
Several more Death Eaters entered through the fireplace. One of them shouted, "I'll get him!" Harry threw another Ossify! hex at this newcomer. Then in a flash of fire, he found himself in a familiar woodland clearing.
Panicking, he shouted, "NO!" Seeing Aurora tilt her head questioningly, he said, "Ginny's still there." Then he Apparated back to the fight.
Harry had only been gone for a minute but things had changed dramatically. As he entered the pub, he could see it was chaos now. The front and back doors stood wide open. Some students had simply run away, but many were sprawled out -- injured. Tables were overturned so food and drink was everywhere. Ernie MacMillan was stretched across the bar, out like a light. The men Harry had hexed still lay lifeless and bone-like. Several more Death Eaters were unconscious on the floor. One of the black robed figures was sitting on the ground with slimy bats still circling his head.
Ginny was still fighting, holding her own against the last three masked men, despite the fact that her robes were torn and she seemed to be standing on one foot. A white light shone from her as the torque around her neck provided some protection deflecting spells. But she was surrounded and they were closing in on her. The hearth was flaring green again as Death Eater reinforcements entered the room.
As if in slow motion, Harry saw a jet of purple light come out the end of a tall Death Eater's wand and stream toward Ginny. Her attention was drawn to the other two so she couldn't even see it coming. Harry leapt through the air in front of her, shooting with both his wand and his hand again. He blocked most of the cutting hex and blasted the Death Eater off his feet. Rolling as he hit the ground, he kept shooting as he righted himself, knocking out the last two.
"Ginny! We need to get out of here!" Harry could see more black robed, masked figures advancing on them from the fireplace. Aurors burst through the doorway and began to engage the Death Eaters in a firefight. Hexes were flying wildly around the room.
Ginny tried to put weight on her foot and winced in pain. Without a word, Harry lifted her into his arms and called out to Aurora who thankfully did appear. In a flash both Ginny and Harry were safely spirited away.
Thanking his phoenix, Harry set Ginny down in the cool grass. She was out of breath. "Thanks…for coming back," she said, her voice trembling. Sitting on the ground beside her, Harry pulled her close and held her until she stopped shaking. Then he gently examined her injuries. "This looks pretty bad, Ginny. We should get you to Madame Pomfrey and then I'll get back to the pub."
Grabbing his arm, Ginny said, "Don't go back…the Aurors were there…besides, you're their real target. Without you, the Death Eaters will just leave." Seeing that this last comment convinced him, Ginny shifted. The slight move made her wince in pain.
Casting a Pain Relief Charm on her foot that he knew wasn't nearly good enough, Harry asked, "Where's your Portkey?"
She shook her head. "It's in my cloak pocket…back at the pub…sorry."
Harry answered quietly, "You have nothing to be sorry for. You were wonderful back there." He gently pulled the fabric out of the wound on her shoulder to take a closer look. A cutting hex had torn her robes and the soft, clingy jumper she was wearing, but Harry healed the gash on her skin easily. It wasn't very deep.
"So were you." Ginny leaned against him, feeling secure at last.
"We're safe. Nothing can hurt us here." Harry rubbed circles on her back soothingly. They stayed like that for a while. Eventually ending up stretched out in the thick grass, using Harry's robe as a pillow. High above them, from the top of a nearby tree came the hauntingly beautiful sound of phoenix song, making it all seem just perfect. The sun disappeared behind the trees long before sunset. But in the east, the nearly full moon rose in the late afternoon sky. It came up pale blue, almost blending in with the fading sky and enlarged through some trick of the light. It felt like they'd stepped out of time or moved to another dimension. But they both knew it wasn't true.
When the moon moved on and hung bright against a darkening sky, Ginny broke the silence. "What is this place?" she asked.
Harry looked thoughtful. "I don't know really. But we're safe…I'm sure of it." He'd never taken the time to look around much, but they must be far from Hogwarts, maybe even far from Scotland. Wherever they were, it was the middle of summer.
Sitting up and brushing grass of her jumper, she said, "We should get back. Everyone will be worried."
"Of course…" Harry answered although he didn't move a muscle.
"Will she return us to Hogwarts if we ask?" Ginny asked, gesturing toward Aurora's treetop nest.
"You know…I've never asked her…but I suppose she would." Harry smiled at Ginny apologetically as he stood up and offered her his hand. "I'm sorry about Valentine's Day…it isn't what I planned for you. Henri's was supposed to be romantic, not life threatening."
She let Harry pull her to her feet, still favoring her injured ankle. He pulled her up into his arms and grinned. Ginny laughed cheerfully, "I think we did all right considering. You said you wanted time alone and I said I wanted to be swept off my feet."
Keeping his eyes locked on Ginny's face, he called politely, "Aurora, will you please take us back to school?" Ginny leaned against his shoulder. The phoenix flew excitedly toward them. He kissed the top of Ginny's head and grabbed Aurora's golden tail feathers.
No one noticed Harry and Ginny's arrival in the Hogwarts infirmary. Too much was happening. Madame Pomfrey hurried past them, carrying an armload of blankets. She called over her shoulder for them to take a seat and wait so they did.
Harry counted fifteen occupied beds from their seats near the door. Madame Pomfrey and her assistant were rushed off their feet. The doors swung open and several witches and wizards strode in purposefully. From their lime green uniforms, Harry reckoned that they were from St. Mungo's.
Looking really tired, Ginny leaned on his shoulder. He squeezed her hand. At least it was just her ankle and she'd already had a Pain Relief Charm. Harry put his head down lightly on the top of hers and closed his eyes. It wouldn't matter if he rested for just a bit.
Professor Dumbledore woke Harry up some time later. Moody and Remus were standing behind him looking amused. "So glad we could find you, Harry. Now we can call off the search."
"Sir…Ginny's ankle is hurt." Harry looked up at the adults, wondering just what was so amusing about his girlfriend being hurt.
Remus must have sensed his confusion because he said, "We've been turning Hogsmeade inside out looking for some sign of you, Harry. An eyewitness in the pub said you and Ginny just disappeared. We didn't know if you'd been kidnapped or…you know…birdnapped. We did find these." He held out Ginny and Harry's cloaks and packages.
"Thanks. We came straight here because of her ankle. I put a Pain Relief Charm on it, but it looks pretty bad." Harry looked at Ginny, still leaning peacefully on his shoulder.
Mrs. Weasley rushed through the door and looked very relieved when she spotted the two of them. "There you are! Such a scare…" She soon enveloped both Ginny and Harry in a big motherly hug. The parents of other students were entering the room.
Leaving Mrs. Weasley still hugging Ginny, Harry stepped away from them. He leaned close to Professor Dumbledore and asked in a whisper, "Is everyone accounted for?" He was terribly worried that somebody hadn't made it back. In the chaos of the pub, it was difficult to tell.
Dumbledore answered with a simple, "Yes." Then paused with a solemn look on his face. "I wonder if you could come with us? We'd like your help with something."
Harry noticed Remus had the same serious expression. Quickly saying goodbye to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, he followed Dumbledore and Remus into the corridor.
The Headmaster said, "We need your help with one of the Death Eaters that was taken into custody. He was found unconscious in the pub, still confined within your Ossification Hex. He's in the dungeon with Professor Snape at the moment."
His forehead knitting in confusion, Harry asked, "Those were Ministry Aurors not Order members. How did you convince them to let you bring someone here? In fact why bring a Death Eater to Hogwarts at all?"
Remus answered, "This one's rather a special case." The prisoner's identity dawned on Harry before Remus finished explaining. "It's Draco Malfoy."To Be Continued…
A/N: Notes to reviewers. Thanks!
Nightwing509: Thanks for saying that. The phoenix could tell Harry needed rescuing. Thanks for reviewing!
Harry/Ginnyfan4ever: Thanks for your review! Nixy is such a cute name for phoenix. Harry needed an escape from Snape. And I agree that Snape is a hypocrite. But it makes him fun to write about.
Deathzealot: In this chapter, Harry took an extremely literal interpretation of the words, "a girl likes to be swept off her feet." But he'll have more chances to be alone with Ginny in upcoming chapters. Thanks for reviewing!
sarah: You do have good timing. I love it when people update quickly, too. Thanks for your reviews and your nice comments!
Retrieve the Melon: I'm glad you feel that way because it is fun to respond. Thanks for writing!
Inappropriate Goat: The cliffhanger in this chapter was deliberate. Sorry. Next chapter Snape shows just how difficult it is for him to adjust his attitude. Thanks for writing a review!
MsMiss Prongs: Good to hear from you. Thanks for reviewing!
shotgunn: Thanks for saying that! I'm glad you like the story so far. Thanks for reviewing!
Lady of the Dragons2: Thanks for writing! I really appreciate reviews so I enjoy responding to them individually. Thanks for all your nice comments about Harry's phoenix. I hope she makes a fun addition to the story.
GhostMagic19: Harry's taking some time getting used to having a phoenix. I agree that Dumbledore and Harry talking things over is long overdue. The next chapter, which is already partially done, will bring the two of them together some. Thanks for reviewing!
athenakitty: The phoenix does belong to Harry although he didn't quite see it that way in the beginning. Harry can't get more water right now because of the Death Eaters. Hermione's cured. The phoenix is named Aurora. I'll assume you meant phoenix babies…maybe in the epilogue. Thanks!
Jaquelyne: Lovely to hear from you again. I'm really pleased that you're still reading my story. Thanks for saying you like Harry's new phoenix and for writing a review!
C.Rose: Your comments were exactly right. I hope I figured Dumbledore's age properly. J.K.R. said somewhere that he's about 150 and someplace else that Grindelwald was supposed to be around Hitler's time. I hope to post the next chapter faster now that I'm away from the distractions of summer. Thanks for reviewing!
HBP15: Next chapter Crabbe and Goyle's motives will be revealed. Thanks for writing a review!
ezekial: Thanks for your nice comments about my story. I'm finding it easier to create a balance between adventure and romance in these later chapters. Thanks for writing a review!
Elementation: Thanks for saying that. I'm glad you like the story so far. Thanks for reviewing!
never: You are 100% right! All Harry had to do was ask. It just didn't occur to him to start ordering the phoenix around the moment they met. I purposely had him only think of asking it for help with Hermione's problem. He's catching on now though. Thanks for reviewing!
Lion of Gryffindor: Thanks for saying that. Snape is fun to write about because he is such a wonderfully complex git. Thanks for writing!
Ginevra Potter: Thanks for your nice comments and for wishing me luck. I need luck. Doesn't everybody? Thanks for writing!
GryffRavHeffSlythendor: Hope you like the phoenix' name. Thanks for reviewing!
Illuvatar: Thanks!
corwin: lol I can see why you thought I meant you. Mobilicorpus is the spell to float people along that they used at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban. Thanks for pointing that out. Thanks for writing a review!
master ferret: Thanks for reviewing! The phoenix will have a more important role later as will Draco.
Silly Gillie: It does seem like Fawkes and "girl" should meet. But for now the phoenix' storyline is focusing on Harry and she getting more in sync. Thanks for your nice comments. I agree with you about Snape. I appreciate your reviewing!
bogus 7: Sorry about that. Thanks for reviewing!
Caity: Thanks for your nice comments. The story has a ways to go before it's finished. Thanks for writing!
Crash3350: Thanks for reviewing! And thanks for recommending your story!
SilverWarrior: I think you're right. If they had another dance, Harry'd want to learn how dance properly for Ginny's sake. Thanks for writing!
Lady of Masbolle: Thanks for saying that. Hope you continue to like the story. Thanks for reviewing!
irishchic799: Sorry it took so long to get Harry and Ginny together. And about the luck of the Irish thing -- I hope you know that I meant no offense to the Irish. My father's family is from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. I think it's cool that you're an Irish dancer. Must be where your pen name comes from, too. Please accept my apology and my thanks for your reviews.
moonrider666: Thanks!
Severus' Wife: Thanks for your kind comments about my story and thank your husband for recommending it. His name's not really Severus, is it? Thanks for reviewing!
rosepetal13: You were right about taking Ginny to a safe place, but I guess it could have been in better circumstances. Thanks for writing a review!
Makaveli3: Thanks for reviewing! It's an interesting theory! And it shows you really have paid attention to details. Rhys will play a part in coming chapters.
LunaLovegood61: Hope you like the name Aurora. I looked up the Latin word for gold which is aureus and thought it sounded close to Aurora which is Latin for dawn. Since she supposedly has more gold feathers than Fawkes does, I thought it fit. Snape has trouble looking beyond his prejudices. Thanks for writing!
Twilight66: Thanks for saying you like the mix of romance and adventure and thanks for reviewing!
MalusMagus: Thanks for your comments! I'm glad you like it so far.Thanks for reviewing!
A/N: Want to tell me what you think? Please review!