AN

By popular demand, I have brought Emily back into the story, if only briefly. She won't be in here extensively, but he may see her a few more times before we're through ;)

Ten points to anyone who can spot the LotR tribute in this chapter (of course, you can't use the points for anything, but still...)

I'm going to let you all know this now. In 12 days, I'm going to Florida for exactly one month. During that time, I will be working for a friend of my dad's (making loads of money in the process I hope) and unable to access a computer. Needless to say, there won't be any updates during that time. I will be able to do a considerable amount of writing, but it'll be on paper and I'll have to type it up when I get home. Hopefully, I'll have at least 5 or 6 chapters just waiting to be put up by the time I get back.

Thanks to JC-S and Yavinbase for their invaluable help with this chapter. I'm hopeless without them.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 14

Picnic

Harry blinked sleepily as he and Ginny walked down the stairs Sunday morning. She had had another nightmare last night, and he'd stayed up most of the night watching to make sure she didn't have any more trouble.

They entered the kitchen together, and Harry nearly groaned aloud at the sight of all three of his relatives sitting at the table. How could he have forgotten? Sunday the Dursleys always ate much later. He should've woken Ginny up earlier. Too late now, though. They'd just have to live with it.

He decided to just make some quick cold cereal, and moved to the counter to gather the things he needed. Ginny moved beside him, and he could feel the hostile glares of his aunt and uncle boring into the back of his school, though he studiously ignored them.

Glancing over his shoulder as he poured cereal into two bowls, Harry could see that Dudley was once again staring intently at Ginny in a way that made the Boy-Who-Lived's blood boil. Ginny must have noticed it too, for she shivered and, seemingly unconsciously, moved closer to Harry.

Deciding it would be better to conjure a table and eat in his room, Harry handed Ginny one of the now-filled bowls and a spoon and motioned for her to follow him back upstairs.

Before they had gone more than a half-dozen steps, however, they were stopped by the sound of Vernon's gruff voice.

"Just a minute, boy."

Harry froze, debating whether or not to just run for it. Eventually deciding it was best to upset his uncle as little as possible; he turned around, raising and eyebrow and responding politely, "Yes, Uncle Vernon?"

Vernon's eyes narrowed, and he watched his nephew for a moment, as though trying determine whether he was being cheeky in some way. Apparently finding nothing to criticize, he growled, "There is a community picnic today that we're going to attend. You two," he motioned to them as if they were a pair of slugs he'd rather never see again, "Are coming with us."

"Why?" Harry asked icily.

"Because we're not leaving you two alone in the house, that's why," Vernon stated, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry's angered flared, and a low growl emanated from the back of his throat. He would've started a blazing row with his uncle right then, but Ginny laid her hand gently on his arm and pulled him into a corner.

"Can we please go Harry?" she whispered. "I've never been to a muggle picnic before; I'd like to see what it's like. Please?" She gave him her best pouting look, the one her father had never been able to resist.

As he looked at her wide, brown eyes and slightly trembling lower lip, Harry felt a powerful tug on his heartstrings, and even though he knew she did it on purpose, he found himself unable to tell her no. He doubted very much he'd be able to resist giving her anything she wanted when she gave him that look.

"Alright," he whispered back. "We'll go then." He turned back to his uncle and said curtly, "Fine," before heading back up to his room, Ginny in tow.

They all piled into the car shortly after noon, and Harry was careful to place himself between Ginny and his cousin, though the three of them just barely managed to cram themselves into the back seat.

Fortunately, it was only a ten minute car ride to the huge park where the picnic was taking place. As they clambered out of the car, Harry saw Ginny's jaw drop. He was inclined to agree with her, even though he'd been to a picnic like this once before.

The fact was you couldn't really call it a picnic so much as a carnival. There were dozens of stalls where various foods were sold and games could be played, several empty fields where loads of children were involved in various games, and even a few eating contests.

The most amazing thing of all, though, was the sheer number of people there. There had to be several hundred, most of them families wandering, mingling, eating, and playing. -More than just a local community thing, then.- Some of these people had to have come from quite a ways.

Harry gently lifted Ginny's chin with his forefinger, closing her gaping mouth and causing her to blush brightly. He grinned, grabbed her hand to ensure they didn't get separated in the crowd, and led her after the retreating backs of the Dursleys.

There was a fee to enter, and naturally, the Dursleys refused to pay for Harry and Ginny, so Harry pulled a few bills from his pocket and paid for them both, completely unperturbed.

Once they were inside, they didn't even try to stay with his relatives, knowing that they could always Flame Travel home if they were left there.

They wandered around for a while, hand in hand, sampling various foods from the stalls, and playing a game here or there. Ginny was utterly fascinated by everything, and Harry, amused, let her drag him where ever she wished to go.

After several hours of wandering, they decided to join a few others of their age who had started an impromptu game of football. Ginny picked up the rules fairly quickly, but neither she nor Harry did very well compared to the rest of the players. This mattered little to them, though, and they had a great time regardless.

When they all got hungry, they split up to go and find something to eat for dinner, and Harry bought Ginny and himself some grilled chicken and soft drinks from one of the larger stalls. As they headed for an empty picnic table, Harry accidentally knocked into a man about Ginny's father's age. They both apologized, and he introduced himself as Jeff Clark, minister of a small church near Privet Drive.

Ginny wasn't quite sure how it happened, but somehow he ended up sitting down with them to eat, and soon he and Harry were having a deep philosophical discussion on whether or not it is ever right to take a human life.

"Take this example," Harry was saying, "Hypothetically speaking, if a madman were attempting to take over the world, and was killing millions in the process, would it be 'wrong' to kill him?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Or beyond that even, would it be 'wrong' to take the lives of his followers, who are doing much of the actual slaughter? You say it is evil to kill, yet is it not a greater evil to allow so many innocents to perish?"

Jeff nodded thoughtfully, evidently considering his answer carefully. "You raise the age-old question of choosing the lesser of two evils, Harry. Remember this, though: no one is innocent. At heart, we are all just sinful, fallible mortals. You, me, your hypothetical madman, we're all the same deep down, even if some of us show it more strongly than others."

Harry nodded ruefully. "True, I'm certainly no saint."

Jeff chuckled briefly before sobering and continuing, "That said, I honestly don't know what choice I would make in your hypothetical situation. I suppose I would probably pray for help, and let my Lord guide me in my decision. Your example is fairly straightforward, but remember that things are not always black and white. Sometimes the choice is not clear, and that is when you must choose most wisely. Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgment, for no one can see what the future holds."

He shook his head and chuckled again. "Let us just pray we never have to make that choice, eh?"

"Yeah," Harry muttered, and Ginny knew what he was thinking. He would have to make that choice some day whether he liked it or not, as it was his destiny.

At that moment, Vernon came rushing over, having evidently been passing by when he noticed Harry talking to the minister.

"I'm sorry about my nephew, Minister, he isn't bothering you, is he?" he said, with a scowl at Harry.

Jeff looked up in surprise. "Of course not, Mr. Dursley," he said. "We were actually just having the most interesting discussion. I must commend you on raising such an intelligent and eloquent young man."

Harry had to fight hard to keep the smirk off his face when he heard this, and Vernon forced a smile as he thanked the minister and muttered something about getting back to his wife.

"How did you know I live with them?" Harry asked when he'd gone.

"Oh, I've heard quite a bit about you, Harry," said Jeff, his eyes twinkling in a positively Dumbledore-ish fashion. "You've got quite the reputation as a juvenile delinquent in our area. Though now that I've met you, I wonder where it all came from. You neither look, nor act the part."

Harry shrugged. "Mostly from him, I guess," he said, jerking a thumb towards Vernon's retreating back. "My family always tells everyone that's the way I am. I don't think they like me very much."

He didn't know why he was telling Jeff this. Ordinarily, he never told anyone much about how the Dursleys treated him. Jeff seemed to already know, or at least suspect, that what Harry said was true though, for he didn't act at all surprised.

He shook his head. "It's a shame, that. You don't seem bothered by it, though."

Harry shrugged. "Nah. Bit late for that, really. I'm used to it." He straightened and swung an arm around Ginny's shoulders as he said, "Besides, Ginny's folks have all but adopted me anyway. She and her brothers and parents are my real family. Isn't that right, Ginny?"

Ginny, who was rather preoccupied by the fact that Harry Potter's arm was around her, only caught the last few words, and finding that she couldn't speak, settled for nodding vigorously to whatever Harry had asked her.

Jeff grinned, clearly amused, and shot Harry a questioning look, causing the young man to blush brightly.

A few minutes later, Jeff excused himself, saying that he had to get home soon to work on his sermon for the following week. When he was gone, Harry and Ginny got up to wander around for a while longer, and Ginny felt a strange sense of loss when Harry took his arm from her shoulders. It disappeared a moment later, however, when he once more grasped her hand in his own to lead her through the crowd.

They were considering buying some dessert when something small collided forcefully with Harry's leg, nearly bowling him over in the process. He looked down to see what it was, and found a small girl clinging to him.

"HARRY!" the girl cried happily.

His eyes widened in shock. "Emily?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded excitedly and released him. "It's me, Harry!"

He glanced around anxiously. "Where are your parents, Emily?"

She pointed behind him, and he saw Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson trying to fight their way through the crowd toward them. Emily, though, was now staring at Ginny, who was still clutching Harry's hand. "Hi, I'm Emily. Who are you?" she asked, sticking out her hand.

Ginny, of course, thought this was incredibly cute, so she giggled and shook the little girl's hand. "I'm Ginny Weasley. Pleased to meet you, Emily."

Then Emily, in typical childlike innocence, asked, "Are you Harry's girlfriend?"

Both teens blushed brightly, but were saved from answering by the arrival of Emily's parents.

"Emily!" cried Mrs. Stevenson. "How many times have we told you not to wander off like that? You could get lost again, and then what would we do?

"I'm so sorry if she was bothering you," she said to Harry and Ginny.

Harry opened his mouth to say that it was quite alright, but never got the chance, as Emily said instead, "But mummy, it's Harry!"

Her parents froze, and Harry cringed inwardly, wondering what their reaction would be.

"Harry?" Mrs. Stevenson asked her daughter. "As in the Harry that brought you home?"

Emily, who was by now holding her father's hand and grinning like mad, nodded in typical Emily fashion.

Mr. Stevenson spoke this time, and he was addressing Harry, "Is this true? You're the one that brought her back?"

"Er . . . yeah. That would be me. I'm Harry Potter," Harry replied apprehensively. To his surprise, Mr. Stevenson immediately rushed forward to pump his hand excitedly, thanking him profusely for returning his daughter to him.

When he finally let the young man go, his wife jumped in to take his place, wringing his hand and tearily expressing her thanks for him bringing her baby back to her.

They ended up inviting Harry and Ginny to sit down for some apple pie with them; an offer the two teenagers eagerly accepted.

Emily insisted that she be able to sit next to Harry, and immediately started asking him question after question about the strangest things, which he answered as patiently as he could. Ginny, sitting on his other side, giggled silently at his amused look as he answered a question about, of all things, his shoes.

She couldn't help thinking that he would make an excellent father one day. Unbidden, an image of redheaded, emerald-eyed children playing in the front yard of a beautiful house came to the front of her mind. She brushed the thought aside firmly. That had been one of her favorite fantasies in her first few years at Hogwarts, when she'd been a love-struck little girl. On more than one occasion, she had neglected to take real notes in a class, too busy doodling her own name in various forms with the name Potter replacing Weasley.

Inwardly, she cringed remembering those days. Those were memories she'd rather forget. Full of embarrassment and unreturned feelings.

Harry must've sensed her mood, for he squeezed her hand briefly under the table, shooting her a reassuring look, before letting go and returning his full attention to Emily once more. She blushed. Merlin, he was sweet.

Mrs. Stevenson interrupted her daughter then, insisting that Harry recount the story of his finding Emily. Ginny's ears perked up curiously. Harry had given her the abbreviated version in a letter, and he'd told pretty much the same thing to Remus, but she'd never heard all the details.

Harry complied with a sigh, and related everything that happened those couple of days, editing it only slightly for muggle consumption. When he was finished, he started apologizing profusely for his foolishness for not contacting the police immediately.

The Stevensons were surprisingly understanding, and waved it off, saying that no real lasting harm had been done, and his heart had been in the right place at least.

An hour later, the picnic seemed to be winding down, and many people had left or were leaving. Harry and Ginny gave the Stevensons their thanks for the pie, and bid them good night. Emily tugged on Harry's pants leg before they left, and he crouched down to her eye level.

"Will you come visit me?" she asked.

Harry glanced at her parents, who nodded, and replied, "We'll see. I have to go back to school in September, but I promise I'll try to come visit you before then."

She grabbed him in a hug, which he returned, and Harry and Ginny headed for the Dursleys' car.

When they reached it, they found the Dursleys already there, with Vernon glaring at them when he saw them approach.

"It's about ruddy time, boy," he snarled. "Get in."

Harry, deciding he didn't want to go through another ride with them, replied, "You go ahead, Uncle. We'll get home on our own."

Vernon turned a nasty shade of purple. "I said, get in the car, boy, and I mean it. Your minders have insisted that you not be far from the house without your aunt."

Harry matched him glare for glare, and ground out, "We will be fine. Leave my 'minders' to me."

"Fine," Vernon spat. "But be sure to tell them that we had nothing to do with it." Then he hopped into the car and sped off.

"Harry," Ginny started worriedly. "Were we supposed to be away from the wards on Privet Drive for this long?"

He chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. As long as Aunt Petunia is with me, we're safe staying away from the house for a day or so. Besides, Tonks has been trailing us all day.

"Isn't that right, Tonks?" he called back over his shoulder.

An elderly lady approached them, scowling. "How'd you know it was me, Harry?"

He chuckled. "I've never seen a lady of your supposed age fall flat on her face, then spring to her feet, cursing like a sailor."

They were walking away from the crowd, towards a secluded patch of trees. Ginny giggled at his explanation, and Tonks blushed, smacking him lightly on the arm good-naturedly.

"Prat," she muttered.

They made it to the stand of trees, out of reach of prying eyes, and Tonks reverted to her favorite form, spiky bubble-gum pink hair and all.

"So, Tonks," Harry started. "How's life treating you?"

"Um . . . Well enough, I suppose. Why?" she replied warily, having noticed an odd smile on his face as he asked his question

He ignored her question, instead asking another one of his own with a distinctly mischievous smile. "Has he asked you out yet?"

"Wh-what?" she stuttered incredulously. "Who? What are you on about?"

"Remus," Harry replied, as though it should be obvious. "I wondered if he'd got up the courage to ask you out yet."

Tonks blushed horribly, and Ginny stared at him in shock.

"What?" he said defensively. "Just because Ron is blind doesn't mean I am."

Ginny giggled. "I had no idea you were so perceptive, Harry. I guess I just assumed that you and Ron were the same that way."

Tonks finally got her voice back. "What did you mean by that, Harry? Remus doesn't-"

"Oh please," Harry interrupted. "Don't give me that. I've seen the looks you two give each other ever since last summer. The only reason he didn't ask you out a long time ago is because he's afraid you won't want to date a werewolf."

He could see the hope in her eyes, as she asked, "Do you really think he may fancy me?"

"I know it," said Harry confidently, "But you may have to make the first move. You know how he is."

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Harry."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. I just want to see Remus happy for once. He's had a hard life."

He straightened. "Now, Ginny and I have to get back to Privet Drive. We have some studying to do before bed. Want a ride?"

Her eyes lit up at the prospect of traveling by phoenix, and she nodded excitedly.

Within moments, they were all in Harry's room at number four.

"You'd better get out of here before the Dursleys come back, Tonks," Harry warned. "They won't be happy to see you inside."

She nodded in agreement. "I'll sneak out the back. It was good seeing you, Harry, Ginny." She shook Harry's hand and gave Ginny a small hug, then disappeared out onto the landing.

Her footsteps were heard going down the stairs, then a yelp, and a muffled crash.

"I'm alright," she called back up. "Just gotta fix this . . . Reparo!"

Harry and Ginny collapsed onto the floor in silent laughter.

When they recovered, Harry got up and opened up his library trunk, holding the lid while Ginny slid down the ladder first. She stopped at the entrance. "Thanks for everything today, Harry," she said softly. "I had a lot of fun." She knew he had spent an enormous amount of money on her, what with the food they'd eaten and the games they'd played. She had tried to stop him, but he waved it off, saying that he had more money than he could spend in ten lifetimes, he might as well spend some of it on his friends.

As she climbed in, he said with a positively evil grin, "Don't mention it, Ginny. But remember, we skipped out on your training today. Be prepared to make it up tomorrow."

The only answer he received was a moan of mingled dread and resignation.

When they returned from the park Wednesday afternoon, Harry and Ginny found Professor Dumbledore in Harry's room, sitting in a conjured armchair and looking very grave.

"I'll just go grab a shower then," Ginny muttered, grabbing some fresh clothes, and leaving them to talk.

Harry shut the door, conjured an armchair (leather) for himself in front of the headmaster, and sat down. He had been expecting Dumbledore's visit ever since his 'lesson' with Snape, and carefully planned what he was going to say.

"Harry," Dumbledore finally started, "Why did you attack Professor Snape?"

:Well, that was direct.:

A year ago, Harry would've been horrified and ashamed at the amount of disappointment audible in the aging man's voice. As it was, Harry had lost a great deal of the respect he had once had for Dumbledore, and he couldn't care less what the headmaster thought of him.

"He insulted my parents," he replied calmly. "He deserved what he got."

Dumbledore frowned. "Now, Harry, I know you and Severus don't get on all that well-"

And just like that, all Harry's carefully prepared arguments were thrown out the window.

"Don't get on all that well?" he yelled incredulously. "Are you serious? Are you that blind? He's hated me from the day I first set foot in his classroom, without any cause other than my parentage. He's continually been absolutely unfair to me; docking points for breathing incorrectly, giving me detention because one of the Slytherin's cauldrons blew up and he knew he could get away with blaming it on me, humiliating me publicly, and insulting me, my parents, and my friends at every available opportunity. Frankly, he's lucky I didn't cut him up into little pieces and use him as fertilizer for Aunt Petunia's vegetable garden."

"Come now, Harry," Dumbledore replied doubtfully. "Surely it's not all that bad."

"Not that bad?" Harry repeated, unable to believe the headmaster could not know. "Not that bad? Professor, ask any student in my year that's not in Snape's house and they'll tell you. Everyone knows about the two of us, how can you not?"

Dumbledore's brows creased slightly. Certainly, he knew that Severus was less than fair to the boy, but as bad as all that? Surely not. Yet he couldn't help feeling that he had perhaps purposely overlooked the whole thing, not wanting to believe what was right in front of him.

"He deserved what he got," Harry said again firmly. "He can do whatever he wants to me - I've dealt with it for five years and I can deal with it a few more - but I'm not going to take him insulting my family or my friends again. Next time he does, I use magic, and he'll lose a lot more than a few teeth."

Dumbledore opened his mouth, but Harry held up a hand. "That's all I'm going to say on that matter, Professor. I'm not going to budge. Now, what else did you come here for?"

The twinkle completely went out of Dumbledore's eyes at this point, but he decided to continue that particular battle at a later date. "I want to test your mental defenses, Harry," he said.

Harry leaned back in his chair and waved his hand indifferently. "Go ahead."

Dumbledore drew his wand, leveling it at Harry, and murmured, "Legilimens!"

He emerged from his student's mind several minutes later, having determined that both Remus and Severus had been right. The boy's mind was impenetrable.

Harry yawned. "Anything else?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. We never had a chance to speak about your surviving the Killing Curse nearly two weeks ago."

"Like I told Remus," Harry replied, "I don't have any clue how that happened. Your guess is as good as mine; probably better." He shrugged. "Maybe I just can't be killed. I do seem to have a knack for surviving when I shouldn't."

"This is no laughing matter, Harry," Dumbledore chided, and Harry rolled his eyes. "You will tell me if you can think of any reason why you lived, won't you?"

Harry shrugged apathetically. "Sure."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, but he made no further comment on that. He stared at Harry for a few moments before he continued, "Now, about your sister. We should, of course, begin searching for her immediately. I have already contacted a few people that I know-"

"Way ahead of you, I'm afraid," Harry interrupted dryly. "I've hired the best muggle and wizard detectives in England already. They've been at it for several weeks already, and I'm told it could take years to locate her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dumbledore replied with a frown. "If I can be of any help, please let me know."

"I think at this point, everything that can be done is being done, but I will take you up on that if needs be."

Harry's eyes flickered to the door for a moment. "Ginny probably won't like me telling you this, Professor," he said quietly, "But she's been having some pretty nasty nightmares about the Chamber lately. I think the close proximity to Voldemort awakened some unpleasant memories she'd rather have forgotten. Do you know of any way to alleviate her nightmares?"

He may have been upset with Dumbledore, but the headmaster was still one of the most knowledgeable wizards on the planet. If helping Ginny meant he had to swallow some of his pride and mistrust, so be it.

Dumbledore thought for a moment, but eventually shook his head. "I'm afraid I know of no spell that would help."

Harry's heart sank. If Dumbledore didn't know of a solution, there very likely wasn't one.

"On the other hand," the headmaster added suddenly. "A pensieve may at least help somewhat. If she were to put her memories involving Tom Riddle into one, it could deaden the effect they have on her. Putting them into a pensieve doesn't mean they're gone, but they're not as sharp and clear." He peered over his glasses at Harry. "It may also help if you show her your own memory of defeating the memory of Riddle. I understand she was unconscious when he was destroyed. It may be that seeing the whole thing could give her some closure."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Come in," he called. Ginny walked into the room, cautiously.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" she asked.

"Not at all," Harry replied, without batting an eye. "I was just about to tell the headmaster that Remus is looking for a pensieve for me."

"Oh," she said. "OK, I was just wondering if you could. . ." She trailed off, motioning to her still sopping wet hair.

"Of course," he waved his hand, and a small stool appeared from thin air in front of his chair. "Sit down; I'll take care of it."

She sat facing away from him, and he started running his hands through her hair softly, trailing his fingers all the way to where it ended in the middle of her back. Where ever his hands went, her hair became dry, and he marveled at the silky smooth texture of it.

Her eyes drifted closed at his touch, and without even realizing it, she started humming while he worked.

Dumbledore watched in amazement. Truly these two had become close in the short time they'd been together at Privet Drive. The simple intimacy of what Harry was doing astounded him.

"Harry," he said quietly, "You do know-"

Harry made a slicing motion across his own throat, effectively cutting off the headmaster. He knew very well that it was unnecessary to actually run his hands through her hair, but she didn't. When she first asked him to use a drying charm on her hair a few days before, he had said that he couldn't do it very well Wandlessly, so he'd have to actually touch what he was drying. It was a lie, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity. He loved her hair, and loved running his hands through it. She didn't seem to mind so much either.

Dumbledore gave him a very knowing look, and changed the subject. Indicating Harry's bed with his hand, he said, "As you can see, I've brought you something."

Without removing his hands, Harry craned his neck to see what the headmaster was pointing to. On his bed was a long, thin package of some sort and several letters. "What is it?" he asked.

Dumbledore smiled widely. "Your Firebolt, of course. I apologize for the time it took to get it here, but Minerva insisted on sending it back to the company for a complete inspection and cleaning, after what Miss Umbridge did to it. Your O.W.L. results and both your Hogwarts letters are there as well."

"I take it my ban has been lifted?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed it has. Unless there is anything else you'd like to tell me, I'm afraid I must be on my way."

He waited, and when Harry said nothing, got up, vanished his chair, and strode towards the door. He stopped just outside the room, and turned back around. "I almost forgot, Remus has volunteered to be your 'liaison' with the Order. He'll be keeping you informed of the latest news and happenings."

Harry nodded, satisfied, as the headmaster headed back downstairs. He would know more of what was going on now, and Remus would be sure to not hide anything from him.

Finished with Ginny's hair, he gave her shoulder a light squeeze to let her know he was finished, and they both stood up to read their respective letters. Harry pried open his O.W.L. results letter and scanned it quickly. An 'E' in Potions and nine O.W.L.s total.

He tossed the letter into the wastebasket without reading any other particulars. He didn't care about the rest of his scores anyway - he had all the knowledge that could be gained from Hogwarts already. The only reason he was even going back was so that Dumbledore didn't know he was going to be taking military training in the States.

His regular Hogwarts letter felt surprisingly heavy, he noticed, slitting it open. Something cloth fell out, and he noticed, to his shock, that it was a patch in the shape of a golden 'C.'

He knew immediately what it was. The captain's patch of the Gryffindor quidditch team, to be sewn onto his quidditch robes. He grinned. Something to look forward to at Hogwarts after all.

He turned to Ginny, holding it out triumphantly. "I made quidditch captain!" he cried. She grinned happily and congratulated him, still holding her own letter. "Did you make prefect?" he asked.

She gave him a disgusted look. "Of course not. Why would I want to be a prefect? I wouldn't be able to pull any pranks that way."

He grinned widely. "Taking after Fred and George?"

She rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Already have. Harry, you don't honestly think Fred and George pulled as many pranks as they've been blamed for, do you? No, loads of the time they would do the distracting while I pulled off the actual prank. No one ever suspects sweet, innocent little Ginny, though. We're the perfect team."

His wide grin faded in shock, then returned, more feral this time. "Perhaps I'll have to help you out this year. Speaking of which, we haven't tried out those anti-Dursley pills your brothers gave me." He winked. "Should we go make some tea for my relatives?"

Her smirk, he reflected, could rival the twins' at their most devilish.

AN: Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review! I love reviews, they keep me going...

I know, I know, the fic is going agonizingly slow at this point. I promise only two or three more chapters before H & G get together and we get back to some real action! Of course, if every love is a road, H & G's is Pothole Central. Expect some bumps!

Before you all ask, Jeff is not an important character. He's just there to keep the whole thing about killing going. It's a central conflict in this fic.

I heard song on the radio the other day, and a few of the lyrics struck me as fitting concerning the relationship between Dumbledore and Harry. I can't post song lyrics, so you'll have to check out Just Like You by Three Days Grace on your own.

Thanks once more to all my reviewers! I'd thank you individually, but then when would I write the next chapter? If you're not mentioned in the following review responses, it's because I have nothing specific to say to you. I want you to know that you have my deepest, heartfelt gratitude for reviewing my story though.

marick: salutes!

iiropl: Not a big fan of love triangles, I'm afraid. Even as a joke, the whole idea just weirds me out too much. Ginny will undoubtedly become a Marauder, but her nickname should come from her animagus form, which we'll find out some time in the future.

bree: 1) Just a couple more chapters, I promise! 2) Why would they figure the Sirius thing out? Nothing like this has ever happened before. They probably wouldn't believe it even if he outright told them. 3) Nope, he's stuck with Harry. He died to save him, so that's who he got to come back to.

Potter and the Weasley: Hermione bashing is on the way! I'm not sure when, but it'll be there, as I don't really like her all that much, and she has some major problems to sort out. What do you mean by what will I do with her? I suppose she'll join Harry in his fight, and they'll try and learn what it's like to be brother and sister, if that's what you mean. She doesn't turn out to be some superweapon and they destroy Voldemort together or anything.

gallandro-83: Who wouldn't?

PaperbagPrincezz: I'll do that. Thanks.

athenakitty: I'll answer in the order I was asked: What charms? Yes. Maybe. Not physically. Probably. More than likely. Maybe. A few more months (in the story). Soon.

Maybe Baby: thanks! I do agree on Snape, now that I think about it, but I'm going to leave it that way anyway. After all, I'm going for the whole 'Harry is really scary and could be worse than Voldemort' angle. Even if he doesn't become evil.

Treck: I had a feeling about that. Screwed up my email notification of reviews too...

kazziedal: They will reconcile before the end of the fic. I promise nothing more