A/N: Erm… okay. Nothing to say. Ha ha!

Lock and Key

Chapter 18

The next morning, Harry, Ron, and Ginny ate breakfast with Remus and Charlie. Harry discovered that the door next to the fireplace was the bathroom, and the gigantic closet was by the bookshelf. Having retired late, he had been too tired to inspect the last door.

"Mum, we're going to Fred and George's place after breakfast." Ron said, when Molly entered the kitchen. (He had just had his third helping of scrambled eggs).

"Well, thank you for telling me so soon Ronald," replied Molly, "How do you plan on getting there?"

"Floo."

"I see…. No."

"Huh?!"

"Why not?!" demanded Ginny.

"You'll have all vacation to go to your brothers' little franchise!" she remarked.

"Yes, but we want to go today!" Ron insisted.

"Well I want you to stay here and help clean."

"Clean what?! The house isn't dirty!"

"Maybe not the only two rooms you see Ron, but this happens to be a very large home! Two years later and it still isn't finished. So, no—you will stay and be of assistance." Molly explained. Ron scowled profoundly and Ginny frowned.

"Really Molly, they don't have to stay here today," said Remus, who sat in between Charlie and Harry.

"Nonsense Remus! You can't possibly do it alone. And you haven't had time lately with your Order duties."

"So we're just the Order's cleaning crew." Ron grumbled. His mother glared at him, hands on her hips.

"You will meet me in the drawing room in an hour. I'll tell you what you'll be doing," Molly venomously said. Ron didn't dare make eye contact, "Now, Harry, love—you don't have to listen to me, but I would hope—"

"I'll clean too, Mrs. Wealsey," he assured. She gave a small smile. There's no point in going by myself, he thought.

"Want to help us Charlie?" Ron asked, when his mother and Remus had gone.

"Sorry Ron, but I've got other matters to deal with!," he smiled, standing up. He used his wand to put the dishes in the sink, "See you later!"

"One day, I'm simply going to run away." Ron said when they were the only ones at the table.

Harry was assigned to help Remus clear out the Black's master bedroom. Apparently no one had stepped foot in it for (at least) five years. The room was massive and gave off an immensely eerie feeling; every single thing was black, even the linen. Remus reported its size would be useful.

"Um… Remus?" Harry prompted, after being shaken by what seemed a real severed foot under the dusty bed.

"Yes Harry?" he responded, a concentrated frown on his face. He had his wand pointed directly at the vanity table and was preparing to open one of its drawers.

"In my room, or… Sirius' old room… t-there's an extra door. Do you know what it is?"

"Oh, that…," A sad smile dawned on Lupin's fact, "Quite clever, actually, but that was Sirius for you. It was an old storage room of some sort, originally, but he bewitched it to his liking. If you go inside, you'll find another door. It leads to any other place in the house, one way meaning you can't go back the way you came. You merely imagine the desired location, and it shall be on the other side."

"Brilliant." Harry muttered, half smiling.

"It was definitely useful." Remus returned to his task at hand. Harry began to scrub a filthy wall as the other man dealt with whatever horrors the vanity table held. He had a session with Arthur Weasley at about four o'clock. Not for the first time, Harry wondered just what exactly Albus Dumbledore had told the group of wizards instructed to help him learn to protect himself. He hadn't mentioned tbe prophecy, had he? They didn't know of it, right? But then how had the headmaster gotten them to agree if they didn't know Harry's very life hung in the balance?

"Er, Remus?" Harry began.

"Yes?" He was kicking something that had started to scurry across the floor.

"When Dumbledore enlisted help for me, regarding Voldemort… what did he say?" He had stopped washing. Remus turned to face him properly.

"Well… he said that you needed to learn how to defend yourself against Voldemort… needed advanced magic. He said Voldemort has proved that he'll stop at nothing to have you in his clutches, and if and when it happens again, you need to be ready," he somberly relayed. Harry nodded slowly. So, the secret was still his to tell. Remus was studying him with a pained expression and Harry guessed an uncomfortable talk was on the verge.

"I'm… going to get a bucket of clean water," he said, picking the pail up. He left the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. The prophecy burden seemed to only grow heavier with each passing day. He assumed that if it was still kept by February, he would die from the duress of it.

As Harry came out of the kitchen with fresh, hot water, he heard two voices. Up ahead the corridor stood Snape and Alastor Moody, speaking. Harry rolled his eyes. He had just seen the greasy professor two days earlier—couldn't he get a break?! Moody put a distorted hand on Snape's shoulder (causing him to grimace slightly) and then walked in Harry's direction.

"Potter," he greeted, patting him on the arm and sending water flying. He walked a little farther and went through a side door. Harry ignored the fact that Snape remained in his exact spot as he started moving once more. If he was lucky, Snape had simply forgotten how to walk. He passed him.

"Potter." No such luck.

"What?" Harry replied, keeping the vexation in his voice to a bare minimum.

"I have a message for you from Professor Dumbledore. He asked me to tell you that he will be here the day after tomorrow for your lesson."

"When?"

"The time has seemed to slip my mind. Perhaps you will merely have to wait around all day and find out that way." Snape smiled cunningly. Harry gritted his teeth and his grip on the handle of the pail tightened.

"Well, you can tell him my anticipation for it will surely cause me to lose sleep," he replied. Harry wasn't truly annoyed with Dumbledore; he just wanted to hurt the messenger.

"Amazing, Potter. People actually bother to help you combat your little problems and you still continue to show disrespect and ungratefulness. Your arrogance never wavers, does it? I cannot move past the similarity between you and your dear father."

"It's people's interferences with my life that gets me in those situations in the first place!" Harry angrily told him, half snarling. Snape looked at him crossly for a moment before icily saying:

"Do not think that because of anything that has happened to you, I will feel any differently about you Potter. Whether you're destined to clash with the Dark Lord or not, you will evoke no pity out of me." Snape then left Grimmauld Place with a rapid turn and swish of his cloak. Harry stood there, mouth completely agape.

The one thing Harry had learned since his first year about Severus Snape was that he knew much more than he let on. He also had a tendency to say crucial things and refuse to elaborate on them. What did Snape know about Harry and Voldemort? Did he know about the prophecy? Had Dumbledore only told him something about it? Maybe he just guessed, Harry frenziedly thought, maybe he noticed how Voldemort always singles me out and put two and two together. He also couldn't forget that Snape was an ex-Death Eater. He had been in Voldemort's inner circle and knew numerous dark facts. But even that wasn't a great argument; Voldemort to this day had no idea what the prophecy had said.

Harry made his way back to the master bedroom and Remus. He was shaking faintly and didn't know what to think.

Snape regrettably returned in the evening. Harry avoided him at all costs and had been somewhat subdued since his earlier encounter with the Potions master. Fred and George showed up for dinner and his mood didn't change much, even when they set the main dish on fire. (Mrs. Weasley had been livid). The next day Ron, Ginny, and Harry managed to go to Diagon Alley to visit the joke shop, despite concerns for safety coming from a few Order members. (It was decided they would be secretly followed by two wizards, just in case). Ron was relying on it to shake Harry from his state. They left an hour before noon, using the Floo Network, and arrived in the upstairs office, if an office was a suitable name to call it. The only business-like piece of furniture was a desk, which had been painted gold and scarlet. Besides that, two sofas, extremely irregular lamps, statues missing important, various body parts, dragon skinned beanbags, an obnoxious rug, a coffee table with seven legs, and a barrel full of Honeydukes' sweets filled the room.

"I love this place," smiled Harry, forgetting Snape. Ron walked over and grabbed a handful of candy.

"At least they have the sense not to fill this up with their candy," he observed. A pop was heard and a second later, a twin was present.

"Here are you?," he questioned, "Good. Come downstairs, we've got a few things to show you."

"Hey, George," Ron began as they descended the stairs. Harry gave a small smile, still not able to tell them apart, "Can we go by your flat when we're done here?"

"First, you ask to impose on us while we're working. Then, you eat our sweets. Now, you want to invade our home. What else do you want Ron? The clothes off my back?" George said. Ginny and Harry grinned; Ron glowered.

They saw Fred at the counter, just having sold a large box to a young customer.

"Be sure to wreck havoc!," he grinned after the boy, "Ah, so you've made it." He came from behind the counter and joined them. There were a couple of people milling around the store.

"We've decided to let you three have your Christmas presents early." Fred told them.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"Pick out anything you like and it's yours," clarified George.

"Really?!"

"Wicked!" cried Ron. There was then a loud "poof" heard somewhere in the back of the shop.

"I do believe it's your turn Georgie." Fred noted.

"I'm on it," his twin answered, going to help the poor browser.

"Right then. Would you like to start looking?" They didn't need to be told twice. The three of them shot off in different directions, smiles on their faces.

Ten minutes later they drifted to the middle of the shop, coming together.

"Did you notice how they use the word 'victim' in the directions?" Ginny mentioned to Harry, half grinning. Ron then walked up with a purple, medium sized bag.

"Language Pellets," he proudly proclaimed, holding it up, "All you do is chuck it at someone's head, and five minutes later they're speaking gibberish!"

"How long?"

"Three days! Malfoy's going to be my first test subject!"

"What's this?" Harry pondered, picking up what looked like a tiny megaphone.

"That is a newer product," Fred replied, coming in from the left, "You tap it with your wand, say someone's name, speak into it, and out comes that person's voice."

"Cool," observed Ginny. Ron took it from Harry and whipped out his wand.

"Severus Snape," he excitedly said. He put his mouth to the speaker, "I have no life and disgusting hair." It was indeed Snape's voice. They all laughed.

"Granted, it will only be useful in certain circumstances," said Fred. Harry took it back. It was called the Person Personifier. Did it work if the person was dead?….

The twins closed shop for an hour at twelve and went to eat lunch with Ron, Harry, and Ginny at a fast food place in London. While walking through Diagon Alley, they (Harry) received many stares, and the word 'dementor' was heard. When they returned, the three of them stayed for a few more hours, strolling the aisles and watching Fred & George sell items. Ginny ended up selecting Beauty Powder, a substance that if came in contact with a person's skin, caused him or her to erupt in hideous, colorful boils. Harry chose the Person Personifier.

He sat in the office with Ron & Ginny, talking and munching on sweets, when Fred came in clapping his hands.

"All right, you lot have been here practically all day! It's time for you to leave," he remarked.

"Leave?" questioned Ron, surprised.

"Yes."

"Well then can we go over to your flat?"

"No, you can't go there, for about the 20th time."

"Why not?!"

"Because Fred has a date and needs to get ready for it," George responded, coming in and carrying a box full of rubber chickens, "These keep spewing slime, Fred."

"A date?" grinned Ginny.

"Yes, and it's not too far off," commented Fred.

"With?" Harry probed.

"Angelina," said George. Fred gave a savvy smile.

"Aaaaw!" remarked Ginny.

"Fair enough," smiled Ron.

"Tell her former teammates say hi." Harry said.

"Yes, yes, okay, okay. Have a jolly time getting back! See you tomorrow." Fred said, giving them powder.

"Oi! You! Drop the head!" George yelled to someone, just outside the office.

"Oh shite," the other twin mumbled, going to help.

"Can you imagine what Hermione would've said about how we spent the day?," Ron inquired as his sister tossed powder into the fireplace, "I can practically hear her nagging!"

"Yeah…." Harry mumbled, giving a false smile. Hermione.

Harry stepped out of the hearth after Ginny, wiping himself clean. They were in the sitting room.

"You know, I don't know if I got to thank you properly Ginny." Harry said.

"For?" she pondered.

"Helping out that Saturday at Hogsmeade."

"Oh please, I didn't really do much. I ended up going for help with Colin!"

"So? You still needed bravery to deal with the dementors in the first place. Thanks for not caving in on me… none of you did. There is no way I would have made it without the DA's help," he explained.

"Years of being around you has thickened my skin, Harry." Ginny grinned. He smiled back and she was forced to turn away, appalled that she felt like blushing.

"So… why isn't Ron here yet?" she asked after an interval of silence.

"I'm not sure." Harry said, uncrossing his arms.

"It should not take this long."

"I know. You think something happened to him?"

"I hope not!" After three more minutes and no Ron, they began to panic.

"Where could he be?! Harry—what if he ended up in… the wrong hands?!" Ginny cried, wringing her own hands wretchedly.

"I'll go get some Order members and your parents," he quickly offered. Suddenly a long figure came plummeting out of the fireplace, coughing and gasping.

"Ron!" Ginny yelled, crouching on the floor and hugging him.

"What in Merlin's name happened to you?," Harry asked, helping him up, "We were going mad!"

"I got lost." Ron answered breathlessly.

"Lost?" the two repeated in unison.

"Well, not so much lost: I wound up at the Grimald's house."

"Who?" inquired Ginny.

"This old married couple. I guess I wasn't clear enough and came out of the wrong fireplace. The woman went nutters and started beating me with a broom, screaming about Death Eaters! I tried to reason with her as best I could while protecting my head. Finally the man believed me, I guess, and gave me some powder, yelling at me to hurry up while he held his wife back. I'm lucky she couldn't get to her wand! God, it was traumatizing," explained Ron. Harry snorted and Ginny held back a grin.

"A-as long as y-you're okay, mate." Harry commented, struggling not to laugh.

"Hey! It was anything but funny!," he insisted, "I almost died!"

Harry walked into the kitchen the next day only to find most all of the Weasleys. It was about three o'clock and Dumbledore had yet to appear for the lesson. Last night Harry had lied in bed and thought about Hermione for two hours. It had been both comforting and hard. Christmas was only a couple of days away, and then he'd be able to see her, but it currently seemed like it was a century away; Harry wanted her now. He hadn't seen her in three days and was missing her remarkably.

"I just want to know what is going on! You've been acting strangely at times for quite a few weeks now, don't think I haven't noticed! I want to know what it is!" Ron shouted as Harry neared the kitchen.

"Ron," began Molly, "I—"

"Why should I tell you?! You're just going to overreact, as usual!" Ginny countered back.

"No I won't! I have a right to know!" Ron exclaimed. Harry walked cautiously into the kitchen. The table separated Ron and Ginny, and both were visibly angry.

"No you don't! It's my life! But fine! If you want to know so much, Ron, I'll tell you! I am going out with Colin Creevey, all right? And I have been for awhile!" Ron's jaw dropped.

"You what?!" he demanded.

"Am Colin's girlfriend!" she said.

"But you… that's… you can't!"

"Oh can't I?! I'm not eleven anymore, in case you've forgotten!"

"Dad! Did you know about this?!" Ron remarked, turning to his father.

"Um, well, yes." Arthur admitted.

"And you're letting her?! Mum, did you?"

"Yes, dear." Molly responded, sighing.

"Charlie?" Ron inquired.

"Yeah."

"Fred? George?" he stated, beginning to sound desperate.

"Yep!"

"Of course!" they chimed.

"Harry!," Ron boomed, sounding hopeful again, "You had no clue, right?"

"Er… well, the thing is Ron—" Harry awkwardly said.

"You knew and you didn't tell me?! About my own sister?!"

"If it makes you feel any better, Bill doesn't know either Ron." Ginny coldly informed him. There was angry silence before:

"I'll kill him. When we get back to Hogwarts, I'll kill him!" Ron promised.

"Don't you touch him!"

"Really now Ron…" prompted Arthur.

"Don't have a fit, little brother! You don't want to go to Azkaban, do you?" remarked George.

"George and I have accepted it. In fact, we even sent Colin a nice Christmas gift before we came here." Fred mischievously grinned.

"He should get it tomorrow! Though, I do think Bludger was hesitant to deliver it." (Bludger was the twin's owl).

"We assured Bludger he'd be safe."

"What did you do?," Ginny asked, pale, "What did you do? What did you send Colin?!" Fred and George laughed, which caused Ron to grin happily.

"Mum! Mum! Dad! Punish them!," she pleaded, sounding frantic, "They've sent him something deadly!"

"It's not that deadly! And we can't be punished—we're 19!" replied George.

"Too above your parents now, are you?!" Molly wondered, puffing up.

"Boys, whatever you did, undo it." Arthur commanded. Ginny had begun to wail and Ron looked satisfied. Charlie tried to comfort his sister as Mrs. Weasley lashed out at Fred and George. Harry slipped out unnoticed and with a smile on his face. He sympathized with Colin and hoped he had enough sense to not open the package. Anything sent by the Weasley twins should be destroyed upon sight.

Harry figured he would go have tea with Remus, and unwillingly wait for his session with Dumbledore.

A/N: Okay, I want to clarify something about Floo. In my story, Grimmauld Place is not directly connected to the network, meaning someone just can't come as they please. It has to be set up in advance. Otherwise, anyone could just show up at Grimmauld Place. Same thing goes for the joke shop. Yeah, so, that was it. Chapter 19 on Friday. Ciao.