A/N: Hey everyone. Thanks for the reviews and next chapter we shall find out what is going to happen at the Manor!
DISCLAIMER: Only the plot and the five slaves.
Chapter Six"Least it is warm in here," said Ginny rubbing her arms as they stood in the Hogwarts entrance hall. She looked around her and smiled, "You don't realize how much you miss this place until you are standing in it again."
"Yeah, that is true," nodded Lupin rubbing his hands together, "We are lucky to get here without being caught."
Ron, Ginny and Harry swapped looks. They knew the reason they got to Hogwarts safe was because no one had a chance to spill the beans to the Death Eaters. There was indeed a snitch amongst them, but who that was they didn't yet know. As they were beginning to chat amongst each other McGonagall descended down from the Entrance Hall staircase, a stern look on her face.
"Sorry for the delay," she said, "I had to deal with some trouble making students in Slytherin. They were causing havoc for some muggleborns."
"Ah… I thought no muggleborns would be attending Hogwarts during this time," said Molly confused.
"Albus would never let this stop muggleborns attending Hogwarts. All magical humans deserve a right to learn magic. No Death Eater can get inside Hogwarts. The two way cabinet has been destroyed and burnt and the ashes were washed away in the lake. There is no possible way for the cabinet to be fixed."
Ron sniggered, "Malfoy is screwed now if he ever tried to fix it."
They all smiled lightly at Ron's comment but looked back at McGonagall who looked as stern as ever.
"Well let me show you your living quarters. Albus kept this section of the castle for cases like this. He always liked to be prepared for every situation."
The group of Order members followed McGonagall up the staircase. Many students walking past to the Great Hall stared at the newcomers in awe. Most recognized Harry for who he was and fell silent. Harry paid no attention to them as he spoke quietly to Ron and looked at the familiar surroundings. They were home again; only it had a different feel to it. Not the warm fuzzy feeling a more cold feel. Regardless of the fact that the school was the safest place in England, it didn't feel that way.
McGonagall led them past the Transfiguration classrooms, the Gryffindor Common Room entrance, the Room of Requirement and past the Gargoyle entrance. Finally they came to a spiral staircase that McGonagall led them up. At the top was yet another corridor, only with doors running along either side.
"Here we are. There are six rooms. Each can fit four people. On the door is a board for you to write your names on so staff and students will know who is in which room. The doors are charmed to only allow you in, so you all don't have to worry about unwanted intruders."
"Wonderful," smiled Molly at McGonagall, "Thankyou so much for this Minerva."
"It is not a problem Molly. I shall see you all in my office tomorrow at nine am sharp so we can discuss protection and other arrangements. I have had Argus set you up a table in the Great Hall."
"Oh, Hogwarts food!" moaned Ron as his stomach growled.
Ginny snorted and Harry held back a laugh.
"I'll let you decide rooms," said McGonagall before leaving for the Great Hall.
"Well, Remus and I will have one together," said Tonks before her and Remus walked over to the first door and wrote their names on the board. The door clicked open and they went in, shutting it behind them.
"I'll share one with Harry and Ron," said Ginny to her mother, "That way you and Dad can have some space and the twins need a place to their own. They are driving every insane."
"Hey!" cried Fred and George in unison.
"Ginny," started Molly glancing at Harry then looking at her daughter.
"Mum, I am old enough to look after myself."
"Actually," said Arthur looking at his daughter, "Ginny you decided not to come to Hogwarts this year to stay safe… we are at Hogwarts now and term has only just begun."
"What? Dad-" started Ginny.
"I agree. You can finish your final year off now we are here," nodded Molly taking Ginny by the arm, "Come on, we can go tell Minerva you are coming back."
Ginny looked at her brothers and Harry for support but Molly shot them a look, keeping them silent.
"Mum," said Ginny as they walked down the stairs, "Why are you doing this? Fred and George-"
"Have talents in different areas. You have the potential to do this, Ginny. And it will keep you away from Harry. I know how things are between you two."
"What do you mean?" asked Ginny coolly walking alongside her mother, "Harry and I are friends."
"For now Ginny. I know I used to want you to be with Harry, but the two of you… it is not the time to pursue a relationship with him."
"You don't have to worry about that," said Ginny thinking back on Harry's distant behavior, "I think he loves someone else anyway."
Molly gave her daughter a concerned look but didn't push the matter. To her it was best if Ginny thought that. As much as she loved Harry as her own son, she had seen how crushed Ginny was when he broke it off with her. Both, well everyone had a huge battle ahead of them and Molly was protecting the both of them from getting hurt should one of them die in the inevitable battle.
"I only just realized it," continued Ginny after a while, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes, "I am so stupid… how could I not see it?"
Molly patted her daughter on the arm before muttering the password to McGonagall's office. Ginny wiped her eyes and followed her mother up the revolving staircase. Perhaps her mother was right. Going back to school would be best.
HD
"This is nice," nodded Harry and him and Ron walked into their new home.
The room was square. In one corner was a fireplace with two double seater lounges with a coffee table in the middle. The opposite side had four beds with matching sheets. On the far side of the room was a door with a sign saying BATHROOM on it. Beside on either side of the door were two sets of draws, making four in total. Near the entry doorway were bookshelves with books, naturally, and some display pieces. The floor was wooden with rugs placed at the lounge area and the doorway. The walls were painted white and the curtains on the windows either side of the fireplace where a navy blue to match the rugs.
"I like it," said Ron taking the bed furthest from the bathroom, "Fancy Mum and Dad deciding Ginny can go back to school… poor girl."
"Maybe its for the best," shrugged Harry, "Gets the mind off the whole Hermione thing."
"Yeah I suppose so."
Harry nodded and began unpacking his gear as Ron lounged on his bed, "So… how do you suppose we will get her back? She doesn't even know we are here."
"True. One of us will have to risk the travel back to the hideout to check for anymore of her letters. Or we can tell Rosemerta to send them to Hagrid's Hut."
"Either way is a risk. But we have the DA thing."
Harry nodded as he placed clothes in a draw. He turned to Ron and frowned at him, "Are you going to pack your stuff away?"
"Oh yeah. I might have a decent shower first," replied Ron getting off his bed and grabbing a change of clothes, "Then lets head to the kitchens and get some old fashioned Hogwarts food."
Harry nodded and Ron walked into the bathroom leaving Harry to stew in his own thoughts. As soon as the bathroom door snapped shut Harry sat on his bed and broke down in tears. He'd never cried before now but he felt horrible. He completely, 100 percent, blamed himself for Hermione's capture. He should have protected her, but he didn't. He had let his bestfriend down and for all he knew she could be getting beaten to death at that very moment.
Harry sat up straight and wiped his tears away, ashamed at himself for breaking down like he did. Now was not a time to cry. Now was a time to work out a way to bring Hermione back to where she belonged. If Sirius were alive, Harry knew he would wholeheartedly help Harry work out how to rescue Hermione. But he wasn't and nothing could change that fact.
Harry finished his unpacking and made sure his face held no sign of him crying. When Ron exited the bathroom freshly showered and dressed they headed to the kitchens to bring back a feast they had missed for a long time.
HD
Ginny walked into the Gryffindor Common Room and sighed. It looked the same and surprisingly had the same feel to it as it always had. Ginny placed her bag on the ground and looked around her smiling. The warmth of the fireplace radiated out to her filling her with pure happiness.
"Ginny?"
Ginny looked up and grinned when she saw Colin, "Colin! I am so happy to see you! Oh you are so lucky to be here."
"I know. So is Dennis. I thought you had dropped out," said Colin as him and Ginny walked over to some empty seats.
"I had but now my family, Harry, Lupin and Tonks are living in the castle. So my parents decided I would finish my seventh year."
"Oh ok… I heard about Hermione. Everyone has. The Slytherin's constantly gloat about it."
"Let them gloat because that will be us when we bring those Death Eaters down once and for all."
Colin smiled at Ginny; "Good to see you still take no crap from anyone."
"No point in taking it," replied Ginny standing up, "I'm just going to pack my gear away and I'll be back down. We can go to the Great Hall for dinner… or have you been already?"
"I've been but I am always up for seconds."
Ginny grinned and headed up to her dormitory. Her bed was empty and the sheets made nicely. She placed her gear on her bed and opened her trunk unpacking everything along with the brand new uniform McGonagall had kindly given her. She changed into it for the dinner and looked at her reflection in the room's mirror. She looked like herself again. That did sound odd but the uniform had always managed to suit her. Ginny fixed her hair into a long red pony tail and left the dorm, running down stairs into the Common Room.
"Ready?" asked Colin with a smile.
Ginny nodded and left with Colin feeling rather content and happy.
HD
With a yawn, Harry rolled over and opened his eyes expecting to see a reddish coloured wall across from him and smell Molly's cooking breakfast. Upon seeing a set of draws Harry sat up looking around him in confusion. Where was he? Behind him he heard Ron snort in his snore. Finally he remembered he was now living at Hogwarts. Glancing at his watch he saw he had enough time for a shower and decent breakfast before the meeting with McGonagall that morning. He went and showered and when he re entered the main living area dressed in fresh clothes Ron was up and just finishing dressing by buttoning up his top.
"So ready for breakfast?" asked Ron, "I can smell those pancakes already."
"Anyone would think you missed Hogwarts food," replied Harry collecting his wand from his bedside table.
"No one needs to think that Harry," replied Ron following Harry out of the room, "Because it is true."
Harry chuckled as they caught up to Fred and George who were talking quietly together but upon the arrival of Harry and Ron fell silent.
"So…" said Ron eyeing his brothers curiously, "Planning something Mum would disagree with?"
"What gave you that idea?" asked Fred.
"Yeah," nodded George, "We are as innocent as you can get."
Ron snorted as did Harry, "Then if you two are innocent I would hate to see what misbehaving looks like."
"There you four are," said Molly climbing up the stairs towards them, "Get a move on! We have a meeting with Minerva this morning remember? No time to dawdle."
The four quickened there pace remaining close behind Molly. On their way they passed Ginny, who was heading back to the Gryffindor common room to get her books for classes. Harry nearly tripped as he watched her laughing happily with Colin Creevy.
"Okay mate?" asked Ron helping Harry steady his footing.
"Oh… yeah. Tripped over," mumbled Harry.
"Well that I noticed. What did you trip over?" asked Ron looking behind him on the ground for a loose stone, "I can't see anything."
"It doesn't matter."
Harry walked ahead of Ron into the Hall as Ron looked behind him again but this time not at the ground. He scanned the crowd and spotted his sister in the distance walking beside a guy… then that guy placed his hand on Ginny's shoulder.
"Ron! Get a move on!" barked his mother.
Ron looked at his mother and quickly followed her into the hall running into Luna Lovegood.
"Sorry Luna," said Ron steadying the girl in front of him.
"Hello Ronald," said she airily at him, "It is good to see you again."
"Yeah, you too. Listen, I have to go have breakfast."
Ron walked past Luna and over to Harry. He sat beside him and gave him a look. Harry frowned at Ron not getting the look. Ron sighed and leaned overt to Harry.
"I saw what you saw," he hissed.
"What did you see that I saw?" replied Harry confused.
"I saw my sister with a guy. I know you saw that."
Harry shrugged, "So? It's not like Ginny and I are dating."
"Yeah, but Harry I know you like my sister and I thought she liked you. You were both constantly together at the hideout."
"That's because we had nothing else to do but spend time together."
Ron sighed, "So?"
"So now we can finally get on with life. If Ginny wants to date Colin then she can date Colin."
"Colin? Is in Colin Creevy?"
Harry nodded and Ron laughed in relief.
"What's so funny?"
"N-n-nothing," sighed Ron calming down, "Everything is fine now. Ginny won't date Colin. He is like her best male friend."
"Oh."
"Okay," said Lupin, "We need to quickly organize what we are going to offer Minerva for our stay here. Harry?"
"DADA tutoring lessons and weekend lessons," replied Harry, "And flying lessons oh and Quidditch."
"Great… ah, Molly?"
"Cooking classes. I love to teach people how to cook with and without magic," smiled Molly.
"Right, Ron?"
"I don't know… I'm not that good at anything."
"You can help me," said Harry, "You are good at DADA and Quidditch."
"Alright. I'll help Harry."
Lupin nodded, "Great. Arthur?"
"Muggle classes," answered Arthur with a grin.
"Tonks?"
"DADA obviously or I can teach seventh year students some things they'll need to know about being an Aurour."
"Fred and George?"
"Joke shop fun on weekends," they answered in unison before Fred said to explain, "To lighten their mood and create bonding between muggleborn's and purebloods."
Molly smiled at her son pleased with them. Lupin wrote in what he was doing, which was helping students understand theory work in DADA.
"Okay," he said, "That is all done. Let's get going shall we?"
HD
The day passed and Ginny enjoyed being back in her classes. She didn't have much to catch up on seeing as term had only begun. She caught up with her old friends and hugged Luna when they met up in Charms. At lunch she looked over to the Order table and saw it empty. With a sigh she sat beside a group of her friends and ate a filling meal before heading back off to class. Her final lesson was a free. Wanting to escape her friend's clutches she made an excuse of needing the library.
Instead Ginny headed outside. The air was chilly from the Dementor's surrounding the outside of the school. The sky above Hogwarts was bare of them, showing a clear blue sky and sunshine. Ginny smiled at the sunshine, happy to see it after such a long time without it. She walked across the grounds towards the lake. On her way she caught site of Dumbledore's gravestone. Ginny walked over to it slowly and stood in front of it, just staring.
"Still hard to believe he is gone isn't it?"
Ginny looked up surprised and sighed when she saw it was Harry, "Yeah it is. You broke up with me here too."
"Oh… yeah I did," mumbled Harry suddenly looking and feeling uncomfortable, "So… umm how was classes?"
"Good," nodded Ginny looking around her, "Well I'm going to go this way."
Ginny pointed in the direction away from Harry and began walking that way. Harry stood still, watching her. He did have feelings for her but was too scared to act on them.
Ginny felt her heart pounding, like it was breaking all over again. That's when she knew it. She was in love with Harry. She'd never stopped loving him. Her walking quickened before she began running, tears streaming down her eyes. Life was completely messed up; nothing would ever be the same again.
"Ginny!"
Ginny kept running, wiping the tears from her eyes before she was grabbed by the arm and made to stop by a breathless Harry. Ginny looked definitely at the ground.
"Ginny-" started Harry before Ginny pulled away.
"I don't even know why I am crying," she said quietly slowly looking up at Harry to meet his green eyes, "I didn't when you broke up with me… why am I crying now?"
"I… I don't know."
Ginny laughed coldly, "Oh yeah, now I do. I'm crying because I love you but you are in love with someone else."
Harry frowned, "What? Who?"
"Hermione! You love Hermione, Harry! Yet I am still foolish enough to love you despite the fact that I don't even stand a chance."
"What… Ginny… what makes you think I love Hermione?"
Ginny looked at Harry bewildered, "How about the fact you constantly go on about her missing and you blame yourself-"
"She is my bestfriend!" snapped Harry furiously, "I was there when she was taken, and I saw it and I couldn't stop it! Hermione has always helped me through everything and I won't rest until my have my bestfriend… my sister… back here safely! And I don't love her in that way Ginny! I love you!"
Angrily Harry turned and stormed back up to the castle leaving a stunned Ginny standing alone by the lake with tears drying on her red cheeks.
HD
"Harry!" cried Ron seeing his bestfriend storm into the castle looking angry, "Lupin has called a meeting in the hall for us Order members."
Harry stopped walking and turned towards the Hall. He walked past Ron, ignoring his bestfriends-questioning look. Ron heard a sob and looked up to see Ginny.
"Ginny?"
Ginny looked up at Ron and started crying all over again. Ron rushed over to her and led her to the side of the Entrance Hall. He hugged her as she cried, trying to calm her down without making it worse. Ginny finally calmed after a few minutes.
"What happened?" asked Ron looking at her, "Does it have to do with Harry?"
Ginny nodded, "I accused him of something stupid… I said he loved Hermione… but… but he loves me and I ruined my chances completely."
"Ginny," sighed Ron, "Just let Harry cool down. Besides you aren't the crier. You are the strong one."
"I try to be Ron. But I can't be the strong one all the time," mumbled Ginny before heading into the Hall for the meeting.
Ron followed her in and sat down between his sister and Harry. Lupin was at the head of the table at the top end and McGonagall at the bottom.
"Now, we are here for two reasons," said Lupin seriously, his gaze lingering on a teary eyed Ginny and furious Harry, "One: to work out a way to get Hermione back and two: how to defeat the Death Eaters."
No one said anything. Lupin shuffled a few bits of parchment in front of him.
"So," he said after a while, "Let's start with Hermione. We know she was brought by the Malfoy family and was seen in Digion Alley."
"She was?" asked Harry confused.
"I got an anonymous letter stating they saw her with Draco Malfoy, who showed her off to the world… that was all that was said," said McGonagall, "We know she is alive, but for how long we don't know."
"We need an insider," said Harry suddenly, "Someone who will easily be trusted."
"Someone they don't know," added Ron nodding with Harry before Ginny looked at Tonks smiling.
"You," said Ginny too Tonks, "You can do it. You can transform yourself into some posh… someone who would look like a pureblood that Lucius Malfoy would instantly trust!"
"Me?" said Tonks before nodding, "I could do it. It would be simple. I could got to Diagon Alley and question people about him… get inside the Manor… get to Hermione."
"I don't know," said Lupin looking at his love with worry, "That would be dangerous."
"So would anything else we come up with," said Harry, "This is all we've got."
"I'm all for it," said Tonks with a firm tone.
Lupin sighed, "We'll take it to a vote. All in favor?"
Everyone raised their hand except Lupin.
"I'm outvoted."
Tonks nodded excitedly despite the fact the task could lead to her instant death. But it was all they had at getting to Hermione before anything horrible happened to her.
A/N: Well there you all go… Tonks is going in! Anyway the next chapter takes off from the cliffhanger I left you all on with the previous chapter from Hermione's view. Please review!
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