Chapter Six: Leaving

When they arrived back at the Burrow they checked in with a relieved Molly and proceeded directly up to Harry's room. Molly was in and out of Ron's room and the room that Ginny was sharing with Hermione regularly throughout the day, but for some reason seldom ventured into Harry's. They emptied their packs onto the bed and floor after Hermione set up the privacy charms, and began to go through it all.

"I still can't believe it," Ginny stroked the shaft of her new broom. It was a Firebolt 2000, and the best broom that Quality Quidditch Supplies had had in stock. Harry had bought three of them. The very happy storekeeper had thrown in flying gloves, goggles and broom servicing kits free of charge.

Hermione folded up a set of all-weather robes and clucked. "I still say we could have made do with the Moonbeams..."

Ron snorted, then flushed as Hermione shot him a look. As she looked away, he coughed, but to Harry his cough sounded suspiciously like 'chick broom'. Harry stifled a laugh.

Sorting out their things, they repacked their rucksacks with their new robes and bedding, and the few things they'd collected to take with them. Ginny had a list she was going over, and she sighed, satisfied, as she came to the end of it.

"We only have to pack some food and things at the last minute, Harry... and anything personal we want to take along."

"Keep it minimal," Harry said.

"I'm going to need to take parchment and quills..." Hermione said, inspecting her pile. "And my copy of Hogwarts: a History..."

"Hermione," Harry turned to her. "Keep it minimal. We can't carry a library with us."

Hermione sighed. "I know."

"Harry, we really ought to take a good medical charm book, though," Ginny said.

"We should have gotten that in Diagon Alley today," Harry sat down on his bed. "What else?"

"No... just that. Mum's got one, though. I can nick it before we leave..."

"Harry? When are we going?"

Harry looked up at Ron, then the others. "This is stupid. I'm putting it off, aren't I?"

No one said anything.

"Tomorrow... tomorrow we'll go. Early. So that we can be well gone before..."

"But... where are we going? Where do we start?" Hermione asked.

"Where it started for him."

"Where is that?"

"London. The orphanage where he grew up."

That afternoon, after lunch, they took Hermione's rucksack with the tent in it out to the forest beyond the orchard and found a sheltered clearing to set it up. Harry wanted to make sure before they carried it with them that it was what they needed. They made quick work of the tent stakes and Ginny was the first to enter, crawling through what appeared to be a low, small flap into what looked, from the outside, to be a two-person pup-tent.

"Oh," they heard her as she crawled in. "Oh, Harry, this just isn't going to do..."

"Why? What's wrong?" Harry asked, watching as Hermione's backside disappeared into the tent. He could hear her laughing.

Ron and Harry followed, to find the girls standing in the middle of a rather large room.

"Something you want to tell us about your ancestors, Harry?" Ron laughed.

The place was decorated like a bordello. Harry's eyebrows rose as he noticed the bar along the far side, the staircase heading up and the doors along the hallway, visible from the floor below. There were several small tables, and a large, tacky chandelier hanging in the middle.

"Wow," Harry looked around, quite amazed. "You think it might be one of the Marauder's pranks gone bad?"

"All we need is some dancehall girls..." Ron muttered. Hermione clipped him with the back of her hand. "Ouch."

"This is nothing, we can take care of this," and with that, she took out her wand and began redecorating. With moments, the rather overblown room was sporting clean hardwood floors, sleek Scandinavian styled furniture and bright white walls. The bar, much to Ron's dismay, was replaced with a long, low table, and the small tables and chairs with couches and chairs. There was a fireplace already there, but Hermione enlarged it and added a colorful modern painting above it to replace the rather dated mirror. The chandelier disappeared, to be replaced by much cleaner track lighting.

Through a doorway, Hermine attacked the rather well-worn kitchen, and soon had a tidy area ready for them to prepare their meals. Harry was stunned, once more, by the innovation of the wizarding world in such a way.

"Now... upstairs."

"Do we dare?" Ginny asked, eyeing the doors above suspiciously. "Given the rest of it, what are we going to find up there?"

"Come on," Hermione tugged her along. Ron and Harry followed.

Within an hour, they had a clean, livable area that, on the outside, wouldn't take up much more room than a six by eight foot piece of ground. The part that impressed them the most was the fact that what appeared to be a tent flap on the outside was actually a very sturdy wooden door. Hermione nodded her approval when she was done.

"Good," she said. "Now, let's pack up and get this put away. I have some letters to write tonight."

In the end, they all spent some time that evening writing letters. Harry, especially, felt he had some things to say, some explanations to make, that he couldn't make clear any other way. He wrote to Remus, and to Professor McGonagall, and then a very long letter to Mr and Mrs Weasley. After he was done with that, he wrote two short notes, one to Neville and the other to Luna, and rolled them up. He labelled each and left them sitting on his desk. Molly would see to it that they were all delivered, he knew.

A little after eight, Harry headed downstairs for a drink, and found Arthur sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of tea.

"Hello, Harry."

"Mr Weasley," Harry took a bottle of butterbeer from the cupboard and looked at it for a moment before casting a quick chilling charm. He sat down at the table across from Ron and Ginny's dad and took a drink.

"You have something to say, Harry?" Mr Weasley looked at him, his eyes calm.

"I..."

"Don't think of me as Ginny and Ron's father, Harry... right now, you have to think of me as the head of the Order."

Harry met his eyes.

"Tomorrow," Harry said softly.

"I rather thought so. You were all so quiet at dinner. Ginny kept looking at her mother..."

"I'm sorry, Mr Weasley. I have to... and you know that the others won't let me go alone."

"I'm very aware of that, Harry. I would suspect that you've even considered leaving rather earlier than they expect...?"

Harry looked up at him, surprised at his intuition.

"Don't, Harry," Arthur said gravely. "They'd only follow you."

"I did think of that, but I knew that Ron wouldn't..."

"I know. Is there anything I should know? Anything you can tell me?"

"Fred and George are safe," Harry glanced around, then met Mr Weasley's blue eyes. "They have... what they need to make you safe, as well. They know what needs to be done, and will... well, they'll do it as soon as they hear that we're gone."

"You know that as soon as it's known that you've disappeared..."

"Fred and George have... they'll arrive shortly after they find out. Make sure they find out quickly. And please, do exactly as they say. They're... well, arrangements have been made to keep you all safe. Safer, anyhow."

"I understand. Molly... and Fleur..."

"All of you."

"I have a job to do, Harry."

"And you'll be able to do it. Just get out of the Burrow."

"Headquarters?" Arthur looked at him, curious.

"Fred and George will take you where you need to go. Just do as they say, and make Mrs Weasley go. She'll think she needs to stay in case we change our minds and come back. We won't."

"I know."

"There will be letters..."

"Oh?"

"I've left a few on my desk. I'm sure that the others are going to, as well. Can you see that they're delivered?"

"Yes."

"I'll try to keep them safe," Harry finished his butterbeer and stood, placing the empty bottle on the countertop and moving towards the door.

"I know."

"I'm sorry, Mr Weasley."

"I'm not, Harry. I knew it would come to this. Ginny and Ron are well prepared."

Harry awoke before dawn the following morning. He packed everything he wasn't taking with him in his trunk and put a note on it asking Mr Weasley to take it with them. He was quite certain that not much would remain of the Burrow in a very short time. He released Hedwig from her cage and stroked her feathers.

"We're leaving, girl, but you've got to fly. Stay nearby and come to me when I get outside."

Hedwig hooted with understanding, then flew out through the window. Harry knew she wouldn't go far. Taking up his rucksack, he made sure that his letters were in plain sight on the desk, and closed the door behind him. It was time to leave.

Heading quietly down the stairs, he was startled when the girls' door opened and Ginny and Hermione slipped out silently. Ron slid down the stairs from his room on the floor above as they congregated there. Without speaking, Harry led the way down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky third step, and through to the kitchen.

To be confronted by Arthur and Bill sitting at the kitchen table. Harry stopped dead.

"Good morning," Arthur spoke quietly, although Harry was very aware of the silencing charm on the room.

"Mr Weasley, Bill."

"Relax, Harry," Bill smiled. "I know what's going on. I'm not going to try to stop you."

"But..."

Bill shook his head and stood, pulling Ginny into his arms. "Bye, Smidge. You be careful."

Ginny looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Bill."

"I've packed up a sack of things..." Arthur said quietly, indicating the bag on the counter. "Some of your mother's biscuits... and such. I thought it would save you time today, you won't have to stop for... well."

"Thanks," Harry nodded. "We need to go."

They each said their goodbyes, but it wasn't until Harry shook Bill's hand that their eyes met.

"You take care of her, Harry. Understand?"

"I'll do my best."

Bill nodded shortly, shortly enough that Harry could tell that he really didn't approve of this particular plan... or maybe didn't approve of the fact that he wasn't going along with them. Unfortunately, Bill's fighting days were probably over for the time being. He still had a long time to go before he was fully recovered.

They made surprisingly quick work of leaving. Ginny grabbed the sack of food that Mr Weasley had put together for them, and her mother's book of healing spells off the shelf above the sink, avoiding her father's eyes as she did. Arthur watched her the entire time. They left by the kitchen door and headed out past the front and down the driveway. Hedwig soared over them and then came to rest on Harry's outstretched arm. Pig fluttered over Ron before perching on his head. Ron grabbed the tiny owl and clutched him firmly. Hermione glanced back at the house.

"Mum'll take care of Crookshanks, Hermione," Ginny said softly. "He'll be fine."

"I know. I'll miss him, though," Hermione replied, tears in her brown eyes.

"He'll be here when we get back," Harry said. Hermione met his eyes, reading his silent message. And if we don't come back, he'll be better off than if he were with us.

Without another word, Ron took Hermione's hand and they apparated away to the spot they'd agreed on in London. Harry held out his hand for Ginny and she smiled sadly as she took it.

"Time to go," Harry said softly. She nodded, taking one look back over her shoulder to look at the Burrow, it's crooked additions and oddly shaped windows, before turning back to him and looking directly into his bright green eyes, her resolve clear.

And then they were gone.

My lovely reviewers, now we get to it --

CQ

YelloWitchGrl: My thoughts exactly. And, HEY! You're not supposed to strain your eyes with those drops in them!

Trixie7: At this point, I don't think he's thinking that far ahead.

Shotgunn: Yes, but are his MOTIVES pure, or self-centred?

IndiaInk: I see Gred and Forge playing a more important role in future canon... don't know why. I think because everyone dismisses them so easily – it's like they're flying under the radar.

Kazziedal: You read my mind. I've also got some ideas about the Weasley family...

LarnaMandrea: I'm actually playng around with an idea that I had to bring the Weasley family to the fore... it's still percolating, but I'm messing about with it for after this one...

SubStandardAuthor: I'll check it out, thanks!

Kordolin: You might want to start monitoring your caffeine intake...

TnaSeeIN: Thank you! Harry is most definitely reactionary when it comes to his feelings about Ginny. I think he will find it difficult in canon to come to terms with this, as well.

Critique: Only that horrible half-gelatin garbage you get with the fruit already mixed in. The REAL stuff isn't like that... really.

NightmareAlley: Really? Mundungus? I haven't heard that one yet – but it certainly makes sense! As for the title, it comes from the true meaning of the word, not the band!

TedMHammett: Harry can be rather obstinate at times. He's got it in his head that he's a danger to Ginny, but sometimes simply can't help himself.

Doffy99: Ah, yes... Arnold... I do tend to overlook things, don't I? LOL!

RyougaZell: I'm working under the assumption that James and Lily were NOT in the main house when they were attacked. JKR has said, in being questioned on exactly what Godric's Hollow is, that it is a village – I'm working under the assumption that the main house... the manor house, is still there, but that James and Lily's "safe house" that they went to in hiding wasn't this house... was a house in the village nearby. Ginny couldn't take the jewellery because it was too intimate – Harry can't have it both ways.

And the rest – you guys are GREAT: BrittSchrick, DracosWifeLover, MarinePotterFan, highbrass, CharminglyHolly, HarryandGinny4eva, AlliBaby, joeyandpaceyforever, NotAWriterYet, Allimba, Andy-May, Honorable, Nandhp, Realist, harryginnyluv4ever, 2InsanitiesInl, krissygurl, life2me, meg, tomanak, articulatedgiraffe, BellonaBellatrix, kaiserzacc, Manatheron, Aimee, SparkleTangerine, Lacy1