Chapter 5: A Darkened Star

Harry woke with a start. He quickly sat up, realizing that it was already morning. After his confession last night, the four of them had talked late into the night before finally falling asleep on the hard rock floor of the cave. Harry stifled a laugh as he remembered the awkwardness of figuring out the sleeping arrangements. It had been Hermione who had suggested, averting her eyes from Ron and with a slight pink blush to her cheeks, that the four of them should sleep close together to share their body heat and keep them all warmer in the cold night. Ron had immediately agreed, much to Harry and Ginny's amusement. The four teenagers had finally arranged themselves in a row, with Ron and Ginny in the middle, Harry next to Ron, and Hermione next to Ginny. Harry remembered the slight disappointment he'd felt when everyone agreed on the sleeping arrangement, but he couldn't figure out why.

Surprisingly, he'd had a very restful sleep, despite the discomfort of the cave. The nightmares that had plagued him all summer hadn't bothered him at all. He had dreamt of something, but it was a memory of sunlight and laughter.

"Mm," the warm body next to him murmured, then shifted positions. Harry's eyes widened as he realized that, somehow, during the night, he'd rolled right up next to Ginny. She felt so warm and soft lying next to him that for a moment he just closed his eyes and savored the feeling. Reluctantly and careful not to disturb her, Harry got up and moved a safe distance away. He stifled another laugh as his eyes fell on Ron and Hermione. The compromising position he'd found himself in with Ginny was nothing compared to his two friends. Ron had pressed himself right up against Hermione's back, one arm slung over her waist and his face buried in the nape of her neck. Harry decided against touching either of them, waiting with anticipation to see what would happen.

Hermione woke up first. After a moment's pause, she realized someone was on top of her and started scooting away, but then she recognized who it was. Hermione bit her lip and, hesitantly, nestled deeper into Ron's embrace. With a smile softly playing at the corners of her mouth, she closed her eyes again and relaxed her body.

Good job, Hermione. Harry thought with satisfaction.

A few minutes later, Ron woke up as well. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on Hermione, but his mouth dropped open in shock when he realized exactly what—or who—he was holding. Ron quickly released Hermione as if she'd burned him and checked her face, heaving a sigh of relief when she appeared to still be asleep. His face bright red, Ron got up and looked around. His eyes lighted on Harry, who was struggling to contain his laughter behind his hands. Ron shot him a glare, but before either could say anything, both heard footsteps sounding near the cave entrance.

Harry's first thought was that the dementors had arrived, but he quickly checked himself when he remembered that dementors would not make any noise. Who had found them?

The shadow of a tall and thin man darkened the entrance.

"Ah, Harry, Ron, I see you two are already awake," Dumbledore smiled. "Are the girls still sleeping, then? Best to wake them up, as we must be getting you four back to Hogwarts. Your parents are quite worried, Ron, especially when we heard of the dementor attacks on Hogsmeade, and you four did not return to the meeting spot."

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. "Yeah, we saw them. We ran up here to hide from them."

Ron had walked over to Ginny and was shaking her shoulder roughly. "Wake up, Gin!" Ginny groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Ron crouched down next to Hermione and, careful not to touch her, leaned in and spoke softly in her ear. "Hermione? It's time to wake up. We have to go."

Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "Why couldn't you wake me up like that?" she asked. Ron ignored her.

"Right then," Dumbledore said. "Now that we're all awake and well-rested, we had best be going. Hogsmeade is not as safe as we all might like. Hurry now, you can have a bite to eat when we reach Hogwarts." Dumbledore turned and led the way down the rocky slope, the four teenagers following him.

As Harry walked through the empty streets of Hogsmeade, he couldn't help but shiver. The town looked deserted. Everyone had either fled or hidden behind closed doors and boarded up windows. Harry wondered about the dementors' victims, but he quickly banished the thought. He didn't want to think about soulless people, not when he himself had come so close to becoming one. He did have another question that he could ask, though.

"Professor Dumbledore? When the dementors attacked, we all conjured Patroni…" Harry explained. "And Ron used a charm later… I know we're not supposed to do underage magic, but we didn't receive any owls or anything from the Ministry. Will we be punished?"

"Not to worry, Harry. The Ministry has relaxed some of its restrictions so that underage wizards may defend themselves if they need to. In any case, whatever magic that happens within Hogwarts is shielded from the Ministry's control," Dumbledore assured the teenagers.

When they arrived at Hogsmeade, a carriage was waiting to take them back up to the castle. Harry looked at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, wondering if they could now see the thestral that waited patiently in front of the carriage. The other three appeared to have no reaction, though, so Harry guessed that they needed to actually see a physical death.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting for them in front of the castle, Mrs. Weasley with her face buried in Mr. Weasley's chest. He was patting her comfortingly on the back, trying to sooth her sobs. Mrs. Weasley turned when she heard the clatter of wheels on the stones.

"You're all right!" she cried, engulfing the four in hugs the moment they stepped out of the carriage. "I thought… I thought… Oh, I'm so happy to see you all safe!"

Mrs. Weasley's worry was shortlived, though. The next morning, Harry was startled when, after breakfast in the Great Hall, Mrs. Weasley plopped down a list of chores in front of him and Ron.

"What's this, Mum?" Ron eyed the scrolls warily.

"We've got to clean up the castle for the start of term, dear!" Mrs. Weasley chirped happily. "Professor Dumbledore has been very gracious, allowing us to stay here for the summer. The least we can do is help in tidying up the school."

Harry was about to bring up the house elves, but one look at Hermione was all that was needed to deter him from that particular course of action.

"Your mum is right, Ron! We should absolutely do our part," Hermione beamed.

Ron snorted, then smiled as he quickly figured out a way to get out of cleaning. "Oh, Mum," Ron moaned. "I think I'm still feeling a bit faint from the dementor attack… and my night spent in a cold, dark cave…"

Harry burst out laughing as Mrs. Weasley gave her son a withering glance. "Don't be silly, Ron, you've had all of last night to rest up. The castle is quite big; we'll need all the time we can get. Now let's see… Harry, dear, why don't you start with the Astronomy Tower? You should pair up now…"

"I'll go with him," Ginny volunteered. Harry glanced at her; she seemed completely relaxed.

Harry was climbing the stairs to the second floor, Ginny behind him, before either said anything.

"You know why I volunteered to go with you, don't you?" Ginny asked softly. Harry's mouth suddenly went dry and his heart stopped beating.

"No…" he managed to choke out.

"We absolutely need to talk about Ron and Hermione," Ginny finished. "Are you okay?" she gave him a sidelong glance. "What did you think I wanted to do?"

"N-nothing," Harry hastily replied.

"You've spent more time with them," Ginny mused. "Does it seem to you like they like each other?"

"I guess so," Harry answered, not sure where Ginny was going.

"But my brother is too stubborn to admit it," Ginny said. "So it's up to us, Harry."

"Us? What are we supposed to do?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Make them realize what everyone else already knows," Ginny replied confidently.

"Any ideas yet?" Harry asked.

"No… but we'll think of something," Ginny hummed as they finally reached the tower. The classroom was circular and decorated in tones of dark blue. Large tables were scattered about, each covered with parchment mapping the celestial sky. In the center of the room were three-dimensional models of the solar system, galaxies, and the universe. What really amazed Harry, though, was the ceiling. It depicted the entire night sky, complete with twinkling stars made of light in their constellations.

"What a beautiful room," Ginny breathed.

"You've never had an Astronomy lesson before?" Harry asked.

"No, but maybe I'll sign up for it. This room… makes me feel so small and insignificant," Ginny went on, "but not in a bad way. I don't know."

"I know what you mean," Harry quickly responded. "You realize just how tiny and fleeting you are when measured on such a grand scale."

"Yeah…" Ginny agreed. A moment of silence descended, then, "What should we do first?"

"Well," Harry looked out the doors that led to the balcony and the stairway up to the viewing platform with the telescopes. "I suppose we could leave the outside for later. Let's start by rolling up these maps and putting them away."

The two worked in comfortable silence, first putting away the maps, then dusting the tables, and then scouring the floor. Harry had climbed up a ladder to fix some of the stars in the ceiling when he noticed that one in particular was not shining. Curious, he inspected it more closely. It appeared to be attached to something… Harry grasped the star and was surprised to feel it solid within his palm. Harry tugged. A small door, perfectly camouflaged, became outlined in midair. Harry pulled harder, and the door silently swung open. Harry saw a small crawlspace that ended in a staircase.

"Harry?" Ginny asked from below. She was kneeling over something on the ground. Harry quickly closed the door and descended the ladder. He would try to come back some other time. Should he tell Ginny? No, he decided. He didn't even know what it was yet. It might just be storage space. And, he thought, it might not be safe.

"What?" Harry asked, walking to where Ginny was on the floor. "Is something wrong?"

Ginny looked up at him and smiled. She had a smudge of dirt on her nose, Harry noticed. "You have some dirt on your face," Harry mumbled.

"Here?" Ginny wiped her left cheek, but her dusty hand only succeeded in leaving a trail of grime in its wake. "Oh, shoot."

"Let me help before you get yourself any dirtier," Harry laughed. He rubbed his sleeve over her cheek and then her nose.

"Thanks!" Ginny said. "I think it's time for a break."

"Is it time for lunch yet?" Harry asked as he followed Ginny to the door. Before shutting the door and going down the stairs, Harry turned for one last glance at the secret passageway he'd found.

A/N: Reviews make me write faster.