Disclaimer: Is this really necessary?

A/N: Thanks for my new reviews from Callie, Jeefus, EvangelicShadowStrike, and classicjs. Callie, send me the link to your story, and I'd be glad to read it.

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The Final Quest

Chapter Three: Through the Floo

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Ginny Weasley was waiting impatiently for her brother's return. Rocking back and forth in a chair by the fireplace, she asked herself, "Where could he be? He left ages ago! Blast him for passing his Apparition test…"

She had a handful of what appeared to be glitter clutched in her right hand. A fire was roaring beside her, which seemed rather strange, considering the season.

Her rocking stopped when the door to the Burrow creaked open and Ron Weasley walked into the room.

Ginny stood up and narrowed her eyes. "Where have you been? Everyone's already left for Diagon Alley, and I was stuck here, waiting for you! You had better have a good reason-"

"Ginny, give it a rest. You sound like Mum," Ron pointed out.

"Ronald! I do not!"

"Ginevra! You do, too!"

Ginny's lightly-freckled cheeks began to blush prettily. "Don't call me that!"

"Okay, you two, stop fighting," came another girl's voice.

Ginny brushed a lock of red hair away from her face to see that Harry and Hermione were standing a few feet behind Ron, watching their quarrel.

"Oh…hello," she said, her voice quivering slightly at the sight of Harry. "Well, I hope you all have your gold with you, because we're going directly to Madam Malkin's. Mum says it's too dangerous to be walking the streets of Diagon Alley without Dad, though I reckon-"

Ron interrupted her. "Dad's been at the Ministry day and night-"

"Though I reckon," Ginny continued, "We're in as much danger there as we are anywhere else."

"Hear, hear," said Harry and Ron in unison.

"Well, I'm going to catch up with the others…Phlegm is bound to pick out hideous dress robes for me if I don't get there in time…" and with that, Ginny walked over to the fireplace and threw the glitter she held in her hand right into the blazing flames within it. They instantly turned green, and she carefully stepped into them. "Madam Malkin's!" Ginny called, and she disappeared.

Ron walked over to the place where Ginny had stood moments before and picked up a bucket that was filled to the brim with the glittery substance his sister had used. "It's a shame that the Ministry has put Anti-Apparition charms all over Diagon Alley. It won't help much. If the Death Eaters can get into Hogwarts, I'm betting they can go anywhere." Ron held out the bucket for Harry and Hermione. "Floo powder, anyone?"

Hermione hesitated. "Are you absolutely positive that it's safe?"

Ron gaped at her. "Hermione, have you ever read a book that said traveling by Floo is unsafe?"

"Well, no, but-"

"And you always trust information from books, don't you?" Harry questioned with a grin on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright." She took some of the glittery Floo Powder in her hand and tossed it into the fire. She stepped in, the green flames tickling her sides. After coughing a bit, she shouted, "Madam Malkin's!"

Ron laughed. "I swear, she's senile."

"Yeah," Harry replied, not paying much attention. He wanted to ask Ron the one question that had been on his mind for a week; since the day that he, Ron, and Hermione had left Hogwarts for good. "So…how's Ginny?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know, mate. When I talked to Mum from the fireplace in our room at The Leaky Cauldron, she told me that Ginny keeps to herself a lot. Maybe you should talk to her," he suggested.

Harry sighed in response.

He had been so happy with Ginny. Just thinking about the kisses they shared made Harry wish for more. Yet, he had broken off their relationship. It was for some "stupid, noble reason," as she had put it. Harry was concerned for her safety. If Voldemort, the most dangerous wizard in history, found out about Harry's feelings for Ginny, she could get hurt, or even murdered, like so many others who had been close to Harry. He refused to let that happen. It also did not help matters any that Harry was hunting Voldemort, or rather, searching for his Horcruxes. He needed to find and destroy the remaining, well-hidden pieces of Voldemort's soul before going after his body. Three down, four to go… Harry thought.

"Harry?" Ron asked.

"Yeah…right…maybe I'll talk to her." Harry grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and soon after, he vanished from the room, just as Hermione and Ginny had done before him.

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Harry was not accustomed to traveling by Floo. He never liked it much. The constant spinning, the blur of color, and the howling wind made his stomach churn. Stepping out of the fireplace at Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, Harry felt like he was going to retch. The throaty voice of a beautiful French woman could not even help the situation.

The second she spotted him, Fleur Delacour exclaimed, " 'Arry!" and latched onto him.

"Hi, Fleur," Harry said, gripping his stomach.

"Bill and I are so excited about ze wedding. I already 'ave my gown, of course, but I want to see what ze rest are going to wear. I was just telling Bill's muzzer 'ow you would look seemply stunning in zese dark green robes!"

"Actually, I was saying that."

Harry looked up to see an angry Mrs. Weasley glaring daggers at her future daughter-in-law.

She handed Harry the dark green robes, and said to him kindly, "They'll bring out your eyes, dear, just like the ones I picked out for you in your fourth year at Hogwarts."

Harry thanked her, and she walked off to help Ginny and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, find Bridesmaid's robes.

"Ronald!" Fleur said dramatically, and quickly traded Harry for Ron as he stepped out of the fireplace. Harry glanced over at Hermione, who was looking at ivory-colored dress robes. Harry thought she might curse Fleur into oblivion if she didn't let go of Ron soon.

Harry spotted Bill (looking remarkably better than he had several days before, after an encounter with a werewolf) and Charlie Weasley looking at black robes in one corner of the store, and then-

"Harry, old boy!"

"How do we look?"

Harry turned to see Fred and George Weasley wearing identical dark red velvet robes.

They walked over to him and clapped him on the back. Harry pressed a hand to his mouth, still not feeling his best.

"We're absolutely stunning, I know."

"Lucky for us, we found a color of red that doesn't clash with the Weasley hair."

"You two will look great as ze ushers," came Fleur's voice.

"Ushers?" Harry asked the twins.

"Yup. At your service," answered George.

Fred winked. "Our little brother is very jealous, naturally."

Ron found his way over to them. "I am not!"

"Yes you are. You threw a fit when Mum told you by Floo."

"I...how do you…no I didn't!" Ron's ears were turning red as he went into a dressing room carrying midnight blue robes. He slammed the door shut.

"You ought to stop picking on him," Hermione called.

"If I'm not mistaken, Hermione-" Fred started.

"And he's not," George cut in.

"You just looked like you were about to kill him a few moments ago," Fred finished.

Hermione scowled. She ripped the ivory dress robes off of the rack, and walked over to the room next to Ron's. She did not even look back at the twins before slamming the door shut, making more of a racket than Ron had.

Twenty minutes later, they all had their purchases in hand. Mrs. Weasley bought turquoise robes for herself, and charcoal-colored ones for her husband. Bill was going to wear black dress robes, along with Charlie. Fred and George went with the dark red robes, and Ginny and Gabrielle had chosen gold. Ron and Hermione both bought the robes they had tried on in the dressing rooms, for they were too irritable to continue shopping.

As for Harry, he had decided to buy the dark green dress robes that Mrs. Weasley recommended. However, he was the only one completely dreading his transport back to the Burrow by Floo.

Before he stepped into the fireplace, he glanced out the window of the shop, and his jaw dropped. It looked as though the street of Diagon Alley had been completely drained of color and activity. Many stores were boarded up and closed down because of the terror that Voldemort was likely to ensue. Banners and displays had either been taken down or wrecked. The street was vacant.

"So this is what It's going to be like…" Harry said to himself.

"What was that, Harry?" Ginny asked from behind him.

Harry shook his head. "Nothing."

He walked into the flames and disappeared in a whirl of color.

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A/N: I hope you liked it! I just love Fred and George. Please review with any questions (I'll answer them!) or comments (I'll be looking forward to them!). Thanks for reading!

By: SammyLynn