A/N- This chapter has been nothing short of a challenge to write. I hope you like it as much I enjoyed writing it.

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Chapter 6

Harry was laying in his makeshift bed that evening thinking about the events of the day. There had been many surprises to be sure. The sudden arrival of Bill and Remus had come as something of a shock to them but not nearly as much as the news they'd brought or the things they'd learned.

Fred, George, and Charlie were missing. The Lovegoods likely were too though no one knew for sure. Harry himself was wanted in connection with the death of Professor Dumbledore. Lastly there was that stupid Muggle-Born Registration Commission. He was as livid about hearing that as Ron and Hermione had been. The Death Eaters were certainly making a mess of things in the Wizarding World; there could be no doubt about that.

The snores coming from the bed next to him stirred him from his thoughts. Ron, who had quietly lie awake long into the night just as he was now, had finally fallen asleep. Harry smiled at his best mate. Ron had agreed with him about trying to find somewhere safe for Ginny. Not that they'd had a chance to try and not that it would have done any good. Harry knew that now.

The things that Remus and Bill had said about the safest place for Ginny was being with Harry were not lost on him. Harry just wished that there was some other way. He knew full well that he'd really hurt her feelings by wanting this and pushing for it. It would be a long time before he could forget the look of betrayal and hurt on her face when he'd first suggested that she go with Remus and Bill when they left.

Harry rolled over and closed his eyes hard. Sleep was eluding him tonight, and he knew full well why. His mind was occupied with his thoughts and worries for Ginny.

Didn't she know that the only reason he wanted her out of the way was because he couldn't stand to see her get hurt? Couldn't she understand that? Couldn't she see the reasons behind it? He cared for her. A lot. He cared for her in ways that went far beyond her just being Ron's sister...but he didn't have time for that now. He didn't have time for caring or for feelings of any kind. He had to find those Horcruxes.

Once that search was over, maybe, if by some small possible miracle if he could defeat Voldemort, then he could have time for feelings. Right now though feelings like the kind he carried for Ginny were a distraction. Just a dangerous distraction to what had to be done. And Harry didn't need any more distractions just now.

Harry sighed heavily. Who was he trying to fool? Dumbledore himself had told him to trust her. He had always been a champion of love and claimed that a lot of power could be derived from it. If the truth were to be told, Harry knew that he owed it to Ginny to let her try. She had taken a great chance in joining them the way she did.

The question was as simple as it was aggravating: What would she be able to do now that she was with them? Without some way to break the trace, there was little that she could do without tipping their enemies to where they were hiding.

Thoughts of trying to find some way to break the trace on Ginny and finding a way for her to be able to help them now that she was with them occupied Harry's mind enough that he was able to get some sleep. Fitful sleep though it was.

It was very early when Harry's eyes opened again. He was tired but knew it would do little good to try and go back to sleep. He was awake now. Quietly he got out of bed and put his shirt on. Once he got downstairs, Harry made to go into the kitchen and make some tea. There was light coming from under the door.

Harry stopped at the door and listened. There was no sound to be heard except the occasional crackle coming from the fireplace. Cautiously, quietly, Harry pushed the door open just enough to see inside the room. He looked around carefully. The fire in the fireplace was not an old one. It was burning brightly and a freshly added log was just starting to catch.

A movement of shadow from by the stove caught his attention. When he looked over in that direction he saw a head of long, bright red hair standing there leaning against the stove itself. There was steam coming from behind the person there. Harry immediately recognized Ginny standing there with her back to him holding a hot cup of tea. He must not have been the only one who didn't get much sleep.

Debating about whether or not to leave her in peace with her thoughts, Harry decided against it. They would have to talk sooner or later. Better to do it now when it was just the two of them. Harry pushed the door open and stepped into the warm kitchen.

When Ginny didn't turn, Harry knew that she must be lost in her own thoughts. As much as he wanted a cup of that tea himself, he decided to let her have the time she needed to herself. He sat down silently in a chair at the table to wait until she noticed him. As it turned out she already knew he was there.

"What is it Harry?" Ginny asked. There was some hostility to her tone. Harry was taken aback by it. She'd never spoken to him this way before.

"Ginny...I..." Harry stammered.

"You what?" She asked, turning now to face him.

Harry saw that her eyes were glassy, like she'd been crying. Her cheeks were flushed and her ears had turned red. Harry realized that Ginny was really not happy with him.

"I...um...ah..." Harry tried to go on. He was feeling like he was in really deep water and didn't know which way to swim.

"Well? Spit it out!" Ginny ordered. Her eyes now held a hint of fire in them.

Harry felt color rising to his own cheeks. He'd never really quarreled with Ginny before. He'd seen her upset, sure. He'd even seen her good and mad a time or two, usually at Ron or one of her other brothers. This was the first time her ire had been directed at him alone.

When he failed to say anything, Ginny pushed roughly past him. "Excuse me, Harry. I know when I must be in the way,"

"Ginny, wait. Please," Harry called after her.

She was gone. He heard her going up the stairs and debated going after her. Then he thought better of it. The state she was in, she'd have Ron and Hermione up in no time and the last thing Harry wanted was more witnesses to what was going on between them. Instead he sat down in the kitchen Ginny had just left. He spent the morning there lost in thought until Hermione came down to join him just a few short hours later.

Later in the day when everyone was up, the group all gathered around the table in the kitchen. They needed to make some plans. Ginny gave no indication that she was acknowledging Harry in any way.

"What we need to do," Hermione said by way of beginning, "is to make a plan of things."

"What do you mean?" Ron wanted to know.

"For example, we should list out the Horcruxes we know," Hermione answered him as she pulled a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink out of her beaded bag.

"We should also make a list of places we can look for them," Harry added.

"Like where?" Ron asked.

"Hogwarts could be one place," Harry replied thoughtfully, "It's a place that always meant a lot to Voldemort. I think he might try to hide something there,"

Hermione looked at Harry skeptically but nodded her head, "That's one place to try,"

"What about where he grew up?" Ron asked.

"That orphanage was torn down, remember?" Harry answered his best friend.

He caught Hermione looking at him shrewdly. She then directed her gaze to Ginny who sat as far from Harry at the table as she could get. Harry realized that she was probably putting things together.

"Ginny," Hermione asked deliberately, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Nope," Ginny said curtly. Her eyes flicked over to Harry and away again in the same instant.

Looking from Ginny to Hermione, Harry realized that Hermione was trying to get Ginny to open up and talk a little bit. He really wished she wouldn't. The last thing that Harry wanted at the moment was to have to explain to everyone why Ginny was so mad at him. It didn't help that he didn't fully understand it himself.

"Where were the Horcruxes found again?" Ron asked thoughtfully.

"I got that diary from Malfoy's dad," Ginny ventured quietly.

"Right, and then the fake locket was found in that cave by the sea," Hermione added making a note.

"The ring was found in the floor of the old Marvolo place," Harry contributed.

"And we know he keeps that snake with him most of the time," finished Ron.

"So that leaves the real locket and that cup of Hufflepuff's that we know of for sure," Hermione finished.

"Plus one that we have to figure out," Harry sighed.

"What do you think it could be?" Hermione asked, looking sidelong at Ginny who was staring off into nothing.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, "Though Dumbledore said it would likely be something belonging to one of the school's founding members. The only two members that we know of who have not had a Horcrux made from something belonging to them is Ravenclaw and Gryffindor,"

Hermione busied herself making notes on her parchment. The room was silent while her quill scratched over the sheet, pausing every now and again as she dipped it in ink.

"I think the first order of business here should be figuring out how to destroy a Horcrux. That way when we find one we'll know how to get rid of it." She said.

"I destroyed Tom Riddle's diary with a Basilisk fang," Harry ventured, "And Professor Dumbledore used Gryffindor's sword to destroy Slytherin's ring,"

"Could the sword be a Horcrux?" Ron asked.

Shaking her head vigorously, Hermione answered; "No, that's impossible."

Curious, Ron asked why.

"Because it's goblin made," Hermione answered, glancing again at Ginny.

"So what does that have to do with it?"

"Because Ron, goblin armor only absorbs that which makes it stronger. When Harry used the sword to kill the Basilisk in second year, it would have absorbed some of the Basilisk's venom. Basilisk venom is one of the few things that can be used to destroy a Horcrux. If the sword was a Horcrux, then it would have been destroyed when Harry killed the Basilisk. Instead..."

"It wasn't, which is why old Dumbledore could use it to destroy the ring!" Ron finished proudly.

Hermione nodded at him with a smile. Ron's returning smile was infectious. Even Ginny's face registered something resembling a smile until she looked at Harry and it disappeared again as if it was never there. Harry saw her smile and felt hopeful. He was going to smile back at her until she looked at him. He was a little hurt to see the speed with which her face changed.

"So, where does that leave us?" Ron asked in an effort to break the building tension in the room.

Looking down at her parchment, Hermione read over it and sighed.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I think you may be right Harry. I think we may need to go to Hogwarts."

"Why is that?" Harry asked curious to know why Hermione seemed to be changing her mind so suddenly.

"Because even if there isn't a Horcrux there, we know that there are Basilisk fangs in the Chamber of Secrets. It wouldn't surprise me if Dumbledore's office still has the Sword of Gryffindor too," Hermione admitted thoughtfully.

"And, since we'll be in the school anyway, we can look to see if there's a Horcrux there too! Hermione, that's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. He reached over and hugged her. She returned the gesture.

"So at least now we know where we're going, when do we go?" asked Ron happily.

"I think it should be before school starts," Harry said.

Hermione readily agreed; "If things really are as bad as what Bill and Professor Lupin are saying, you're right. We have no idea what things out there in the world will be like once school begins,"

The remainder of the morning was spent going over the best ways to approach getting into the school. They didn't even consider walking into the grounds of Hogwarts through the main gate. School wasn't in session. The grounds would be closed.

Ron suggested the Shrieking Shack. It was an idea that Harry quickly put down; "Snape knows about the Shrieking Shack. He used the tunnel into the school grounds to track us when we first discovered Sirius back in third year, remember?."

At Ron's downcast expression, Hermione added comfortingly; "It would have been a good idea otherwise,"

Harry smiled at the two of them, wondering if he and Ginny would ever be like that again someday. Too bad he couldn't just buy her a box of Chocolates and say he was sorry, he thought. Then Harry's mind froze.

"Ron, you're bloody brilliant you are!" Harry shouted suddenly.

Everyone jumped at Harry's sudden outburst.

"What? Me? What are you getting at, Harry?" Ron asked as he recovered from the sudden surprise.

"The Shrieking Shack tunnel might not be an option," Harry exclaimed, "But that doesn't mean that the tunnel into Honeyduke's Sweet Shop isn't!"

Ron and Hermione's eyes widened in understanding at the same time.

"Harry, that's it! We can use the tunnel from Honeydukes to get into the school," Hermione said happily.

She bent low over her parchment and started writing furiously again. She was making notes and itemizing lists. While she did this, Ginny stood up.

"I guess I should go find something to make for lunch," Ginny said to no one in particular.

Harry watched Ginny as she stood up and began putting together their lunch. He was aware of Hermione's eyes on him and glanced over at her. Not able to read her expression and know what she was thinking, Harry decided it was best to change the subject.

"I reckon," Harry began as his mind raced for something to talk about, "That after lunch we should start working on learning new magic, like Remus suggested."

"Good idea!" Ron agreed a little too enthusiastically, "What should we learn first?"

Hermione only looked at Harry for another moment before she got out another piece of parchment and began making notes on it. While she was writing she suggested, "I think the first thing we should do is work on using magic non-verbally."

Harry rolled his eyes. He had never been good at this. It was one of Snape's favorite things to point out as far as Harry's magical capabilities were concerned. He mentioned this to Hermione.

"That's true, under Professor Snape you were never very good at using non-verbal magic. Except that didn't you say that you were able to use it while under the effects of the Felix Felicis potion?"

"Yeah, I remember that I felt like not only could I do it, but that any problems I had with it in the past would be easily overcome. So what?" Harry asked irritably.

"Harry, don't you see? You can't get over you're dislike of Professor Snape enough to put aside your feelings for him and learn something from him,"

"What do you mean, Hermione?" Harry was getting more and more irritated with this line of discussion.

Patiently, Hermione explained; "It's like when you were supposed to be learning Occlumency. You were never able to get the hang of that either, were you? I think it's the same thing with learning to use magic without words. Now that Professor Snape is out of the picture, I reckon you'll pick it up quickly."

"It's worth a shot mate. What have you got to lose?" Encouraged Ron with a nod.

"Fine, we'll try practicing magic without words. Happy?" Harry gave in.

"Not as happy as you will be when it works," Hermione responded.

Shaking his head at Harry and Hermione, Ron asked; "What's next then?"

"I was thinking about that. My invisibility cloak won't hide us all anymore. What about learning Disillusionment Charms?" asked Harry thoughtfully.

"Good idea," Hermione wrote the idea down.

"What about learning to become an Animagus?"

"That takes a really long time, Ron. I'm sure it took Sirius, Harry's dad, and Professor Lupin quite a while to get it right," Hermione argued.

"What about a potion to become an animal for a little while? Like a few hours? That could be really helpful," pushed back Ron.

"I'll look at the potions book and see what there is there. We could transfigure each other into animals though. Remember when Professor Moody turned Malfoy into a Ferret?" Hermione reminisced.

"That was brilliant! Malfoy never looked better," Chortled Ron.

Ginny quietly started setting the lunch in front of them. Tinned kippers and some crackers. Smiling her thanks at Ginny, Hermione waved her wand and the one tin of kippers and half a box of crackers multiplied greatly.

"I hope that Bill comes back with some food soon," Ron said as he helped himself to a tin of fish and a roll of crackers to eat them with.

Watching Ginny as she took her share of the lunch, Harry had the impression that she would rather be anywhere else now than stuck with him as a fugitive. Suddenly not feeling very hungry or like being a part of the group, he stood up and left the room to go upstairs. This time however instead of going to the room he shared with Ron, Harry went up to the attic. He wanted to be by himself for awhile.

It was some time later when Hermione found him. Harry was sitting with his back propped up against the wall, looking out of the window in front of him. He was wide awake but his eyes weren't seeing the clouds or the birds that occasionally flitted past. They were staring into his memories.

When Harry didn't acknowledge her right away, Hermione took it upon herself to sit down next to him. She waited for a few minutes before reaching out and taking his hand.

"Hello, Harry," she said quietly.

"Hey," Harry replied. His voice was so quiet it was nearly unintelligible.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

Harry knew full well that Hermione knew what was going on. She may not know it all, but she knew enough. Those things that she didn't know, she could probably guess at. However she wanted to hear it from him.

"Ginny," was all he said. It was enough. Hermione only nodded, completely unsurprised.

"I thought as much,"

"I don't know what to do," added Harry. His voice was still not much more than a quiet whisper.

"Have you apologized to her?"

"I tried, she didn't make it very easy,"

"Harry, it isn't her job to make apologizing easy. She's upset right now. You know why, don't you?"

"Kind of, I reckon. I don't think she liked it that I tried to get Bill and Remus to take her with them,"

"You're right about that, she didn't like that at all. I wonder though if you know why that is?" Hermione asked as she leaned her head on Harry's shoulder.

Frowning as his thoughts deepened, Harry finally looked away from the window and the sky outside. His eyes fell upon the hand he held in his lap. At that moment he wished fervently that it was Ginny with him now and not Hermione. Then he let his mind wander over what it was he thought that Hermione was suggesting.

"She thinks I want to be rid of her," he sighed.

"More or less, yes. She took an awful risk joining us. While it wasn't planned, she's still here. You seemed to accept that. We all thought so, especially after you explained everything to her. That's why, when Bill and Remus showed up, it felt to her like you were pushing her out the door the first chance you got," Hermione explained thoughtfully.

"So she thinks that I don't think that she's capable of taking care of herself? That she'll only be in the way?"

"I think that sums it up pretty well, yes."

Sighing heavily, Harry looked out the window again, "That's not it though,"

"What do you mean, Harry?" she asked. Harry had the distinct impression she that Hermione knew what it was that was bothering him. She wanted to hear him say it.

"Hermione..."

"What is it, Harry?"

"The reason I wanted her to go with them is because I can't stand the thought of seeing her get hurt,"

"And you don't think that she feels the same way about you? You don't think that the thought of something happening to you while we were away wasn't more than she felt she could take?"

"I know that, it's just..."

"Just what, Harry?" Hermione pushed.

"It's just that...that...it's just that I love her," Harry said finally. He looked down in his lap and closed his eyes.

He'd done it. Harry had admitted his love for Ginny. He realized that he'd felt that way for some time. It was only just recently that he was becoming more aware of it.

Hermione sniffed quietly next to Harry. He was surprised to look up and over at her and see tears in her eyes. She smiled embarrassedly as she wiped them away.

"I knew it," Hermione said quietly. Then going on, "Don't you think you should tell her?"

"I doubt it would do any good now," Harry said. He felt a lump in his chest at the thought of this.

"Why do you think that?"

"You saw the way she was acting downstairs, Hermione. She hates me!"

"No, she doesn't hate you, Harry. I thought you were smarter than that. Yes, she's been hurt by you and she's mad at you. You need to talk to her, Harry. Tell her how you feel; make things right."

"What about Ron?" Harry asked. It was a feeble excuse and he knew it. By the look Hermione was giving him she did too.

"What about him?"

"He's Ginny's brother,"

"Yes he is. He's also fine with it. You know that, Harry. He was fine with it last year, and I know he'll be fine with it now," Hermione smiled at him.

Harry knew his argument was lost and so he abandoned it. Hermione was right, just like always. She sat next to him as he stewed over his thoughts and feelings a little more.

When they were just about to get up and go back downstairs, Ron's Jack Russell Patronus came through the door and landed in front of them. Harry and Hermione looked at it in surprise. A cold feeling washed through Harry. Then the Patronus spoke in Ron's voice: "Get down here quick; it sounds like someone may have just apparated outside the front door,"

Instantly on guard, Harry was on his feet and moving out the door with his wand in his hand before Hermione had finished standing up. He flew down the stairs and onto the floor where Ron stood with his own wand raised and pointed tentatively towards the door. Ginny too had her wand out and was standing back a little from her brother. Her eyes were fearful as she looked at Harry and Hermione coming down the stairs.

"Where are they?" Harry asked, clutching a stitch in his side.

"No one has come in yet," Ginny replied cautiously.

"What?" Harry looked at Ron who nodded confirmation.

"So how do you know that someone Apparated outside the door?" Hermione asked.

"You could hear that cracking sound someone makes when they Apparate; it was right outside the door!" Ron replied defensively.

Looking at Ron and Ginny, Harry came to a decision; "We need to open the door,"

"WHAT?" Ginny was shocked.

"Are you mental?" Ron was looking at Harry as if he'd gone round the twist.

Ignoring them and the startled and fearful exclamations, Harry ran upstairs to the room he shared with Ron. He rummaged through his blankets until he found his Invisibility Cloak. Hastily he made his way back downstairs again. The others watched him in outraged silence as he quickly put his cloak on.

"Harry wait!" Hermione came forward, "What if it's a trap? What if this is what they want?"

"That's why I'm wearing my Invisibility Cloak. The rest of you get back!" Harry ordered his friends.

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked.

"I'm just going to open the door and have a look. If anyone is watching the place they won't see me. If it's a trap, then they should have tried to open the door by now, but I'm not taking any chance, that's why I grabbed my Invisibility Cloak," Harry explained as he moved towards the door.

The drapes covering Sirius' mother flew open as Harry passed in front of her,

"Filth! Brats! Mud..."

"Langlock," Harry said calmly as he directed his wand at the painting of the Black Family matriarch.

Instantly she was silent. She held up her fist and waved it at Harry who waved his wand and shut the drapes again. Harry sighed wearily. He'd have to find a way to remove or permanently silence the portrait if they were going to stay here very long.

"Be careful, Harry!" Hermione called.

"I will," Harry said glancing back at his friends.

He waved them back when he got to the door. Once they were out of sight, Harry held his wand steady, ready to use it in an instant. He reached out and touched the door handle. Something about all this felt very weird. Why apparate right outside the door if you weren't coming in? Had the Death Eaters been given the location of Grimmauld Place and were now laying in wait for Harry to take the bait of their trap?

Tentatively and with great care, Harry opened the door to Grimmauld Place just the slightest bit. Then he stepped back and got down low allowing the door to swing open on its own. He figured if anyone was there, they wouldn't be aiming down. They would aim for chest level.

When the door did open up enough to see outside, what Harry saw was not a person or multiple people. It was a stack of boxes. On the bottom was an old trunk, very much like the one he used for school. On top of it were two wooden crates that were big enough that he'd have a hard time handling them alone. On top of that were two smaller boxes, a folded copy of the Daily Prophet, and lastly, sitting right on top with his name written clearly on it in a script that Harry vaguely recognized, was a letter.

"Hang on, what's this?" Harry asked no one in particular. He stood up and cautiously approached the stack of boxes.

"Harry?" Hermione called nervously from where she was hidden, "Is everything alright?"

"I'm not sure, wait a moment," Harry called back over his shoulder.

Looking away from the stack of boxes, Harry looked out into the surrounding neighborhood. He was surprised to see two Death Eaters standing some distance away. He was even more surprised that they didn't seem to be taking any precautions about hiding their appearance. Muggle passersby gave the two dark robed figures a wide berth as they walked by them. What's more they seemed to be arguing about something. They were moving and gesturing agitatedly.

Not sure what to make of them for the moment, Harry returned his attention to the boxes in front of him. He used his wand to prod the envelope and the folded copy of the Daily Prophet. Nothing happened.

"What do you make of it?" Ron asked from beside him.

Harry jumped in surprise. He'd never heard Ron's approach.

"This or them?" Harry asked when he'd caught his breath again. He motioned to the two Death Eaters outside and across the street.

"When did they show up?" Ron asked.

"I have no idea, but they don't seem to happy do they?"

The two young men stood and stared for a moment at the Death Eaters. It was clear that they didn't have a clue that Harry and Ron were standing there, or they'd have started slinging spells and hexes. Harry judged it safe to remove his Invisibility Cloak. He set it to one side, just inside the door on a coat tree.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she too approached. Ginny was silently walking behind her, eyeing the boxes and stuff apprehensively.

"I think so," Harry nodded. He reached forward to pick up the envelope but Hermione's hand held his arm back.

"Wait!" She said, "You don't know if it's a trap,"

"I don't think it is, Hermione,"

"Exactly how do you know that?" she argued back.

"Easy," Harry said as he pointed across the street, "Them. If it was a trap, I don't think they'd be standing there like that. Not right out in the open. I think they may have heard it when this stuff came from wherever it was sent from. They can't see it to know if it's a person or not, or the door open to know if someone is coming or going..."

Ginny eyed the two Death Eaters and her eyes grew fearful and wide. Harry watched her and forgetting for the moment that she wasn't talking to him, asked; "Are you alright?"

Returning his gaze without hostility for the moment, she nodded in reply.

"They can't see you, you know," Harry told her.

"I know," Ginny replied quietly, looking again at the Death Eaters.

"Well, let's not just stand here. Let's get this stuff inside!" Ron said. He too seemed to be nervous about seeing the Death Eaters right outside of the place where they were staying.

"Alright then, let's," Harry agreed. He handed Hermione the letter and the copy of the Daily Prophet.

Hermione took the proffered items and looked with more than a little trepidation at the trunk, two crates, and two boxes that remained. Harry nodded at Ron and they cautiously moved forward. Reaching out and taking the first box on top, Harry was amazed to find that it wasn't as heavy as he thought. While it had some heft to it, it really wasn't that bad at all. Not more than twenty pounds if that.

Handing the box to Ron, Harry reached forward and picked up the next box. It too was lighter than he'd expected. It weighed roughly the same as the first one he'd touched.

"Why don't we hand these to Ginny and Hermione, then we can take the other ones," Harry nodded towards Hermione as he said this.

Ron passed the first of the smaller boxes to her, then took the other from Harry to hand to Ginny. The girls looked at the boxes as if they were afraid of them. Like they might contain something foul or loathsome.

"Take those into the kitchen please," Harry encouraged them.

Without a sound the two young women turned and carried their respective boxes down the corridor and up the stairs. Ron and Harry then turned towards the other two. Harry reached out and grabbed the first of the wooden crates.

When it moved, it make a clinking sound as if it contained glass of some kind. It was very heavy. Ron, noting that Harry was having difficulty moving the crate on his own, came forward and together they lifted the crate and set it down just inside the door. They repeated the process for the second crate as well. Harry noted that this one was considerably heavier, but made no clinking sounds.

They set down the second wooden crate next to the first and turned their attention towards the large trunk. That's when Ron did a surprised double take.

"Bloody Hell! That trunk!" Ron exclaimed in equal parts fear and excitement, "It's my Dad's!"

Surprised, Harry wheeled around and looked at the trunk. There, on the lid or top of the trunk, stenciled on a metal plate, were the initials A. L. W. The trunk was old, battered and showed its age. The coloring on it was faded but there were some fresh looking marks on the surface.

Coming forward excitedly, Ron reached out to try and take one end of the trunk. It barely moved. He swore darkly under his breath as he rubbed his arm and shoulder. Harry smiled to himself and moved forward to help his friend.

Together they both heaved and pulled and pushed. They used all their strength and only succeeded in moving the trunk a few centimeters. Tired from all the wasted effort with so little return and anxious about standing in plain view of the Death Eaters for so long, Harry pulled out his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" He said with a swish and a flick. The trunk abruptly lifted off the ground.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Ron asked grumpily.

Using his wand to direct the trunk, Harry moved it into the hall as Ron shut the door behind them. As soon as the latch clicked, a figure arose from the dust and moved menacingly forward towards them. Both Harry and Ron's ability to speak were temporarily paralyzed. Then, suddenly, as if a light switch had been thrown, their tongues loosened.

"SEVERUS SNAPE?" The figure growled in Professor Moody's gravely rasp.

"We didn't kill you!" Harry said calmly. The figure vanished in a great 'POOF!'

"Forgot about that part," Ron said as he recovered from the shock of the figure and having his voice made useless.

"So did I, come on,"

They placed the wooden crates back on top of the trunk and again Harry levitated it. This time nothing happened as they moved back into Grimmauld Place, climbed the stairs, and entered the kitchen. Here they found Hermione and Ginny waiting for them. The boxes the women had carried in were sitting on the table. Hermione still held the copy of the daily prophet and the letter addressed to Harry.

After having set the trunk and crates down on the floor just inside the door of the kitchen, Harry turned to Hermione. She was looking at everything carefully. Then she saw that Harry was watching her. Smiling at him, Hermione held out the letter and the copy of the Prophet.

Harry took the letter and folded the copy of the Daily Prophet under one arm. Then, carefully and slowly, he opened the letter. There were several pages, but Harry's eyes were only on the page on top.

"It's from Remus!" Harry exclaimed right away. He went on to read the letter.

'To the New Marauders,

We hope that things are going well. I apologize for not being able to return in person. Things are such that we cannot afford the risk of exposing you by returning to visit as we had promised. We are being watched more closely now than ever before.

Since we cannot join you now and it is unknown when we might be able to visit next, we are sending what supplies to you we can to aid you on your journey. You will find food in the trunk, enough to last you for some time if you are judicious with it. The crates contain books, potions, and tools that you may find useful. Breaking that charm we discussed last is going to be of paramount importance. It will not be easy, but we have found and marked some things that you may find useful in this task.

The boxes contain some clothes, blankets, and things you might need to be able to go on. For the newest among you we expect this to be particularly useful.

To you all, we send our hope, our faith, and our love. You are the best hope we have and it in you we place our trust.

Moony'

Harry stared down at the letter for a long moment after he finished reading. Things must be really bad if Remus and Bill weren't planning on returning. Harry was staring hard at the letter, trying to read more into it than was written there. That was when he remembered the other pages. He right away recognized the hurried script of Mrs. Weasley. The pages were short letters addressed to each of them, though not by name. Like Remus she had refrained from using their names, and instead came up with other, easily recognizable names for each one of them.

Harry passed these letters to the people they were intended for. It took him several reluctant moments to look at his own. He was hesitant to read it, not feeling exactly sure what it would say. Finally he looked down at his letter from Mrs. Weasley and read:

"Dear Prongs,

As I'm sure you're aware, the hopes of the Wizarding World are upon your shoulders. This monumental task before you is one that, from very early on, Professor Dumbledore himself stated, only you can see to its end.

Please know that as you set out to accomplish this task that there are those who are both with you now and those who are not who would see you come home. You have been like a son to us, and it is as a son that we worry about you. We will help you in whatever way you can.

Since you have others who love you who are with you, I will only say that you should look out for each other. Trust each other and help each other. You have no way of knowing who you can trust outside of each other.

When the time comes for all this to end, I would see all of my children come home to me. Even those that I may not have had the pleasure of knowing since birth.

Take care of yourselves and each other!"

The letter was short and sweet. Harry had to turn away from the others and wipe his eyes when he was finished reading. He looked up to see that Ron and Ginny both were simply staring at their letters. Their faces were both white and for the moment devoid of expression.

Hermione's eyes however met Harry's. Hers too were wet. She swallowed hard and then carefully refolded her letter. She then tucked it into a pocket of her robes. When she cleared her throat Ron and Ginny blinked their eyes and looked around the room. First at each other, then at Hermione, then lastly at Harry. Their letters were forgotten at the moment as everyone in the room looked silently at each other.

Finally Harry broke the silence; "We should look inside these boxes,"

When the boxes were empty and the trunk devoid of its contents, Harry had to admit that the Order came through for them in fine style. They had received a box with clothes, mostly for Ginny, but some for them as well. The other box held cloaks, gloves, thick woolen scarves, mittens, and socks, as well as blankets. This is what was in the two smallest boxes.

The wooden crates contained several items that Harry thought would be really useful. There was a full potion making kit with a variety of extra ingredients, a sneak-o-scope, some Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, a supply of Polyjuice Potion, some Veritaserum, and a few potions to use for illnesses and injuries.

The other crate contained books, and many of them. This pleased Hermione immensely. She rushed forward and started going through them with exuberance. There were books on charms, potions, hexes, jinxes, and other, more complicated kinds of magic. There were tomes on recognizing when magic had been used on a person, place, or thing, how to detect the use of magic when it wasn't certain, and even books on identifying plants and animals of various kinds, both magical and non magical. Best of all were books that had been marked with ideas about how they might go about breaking The Trace that Ginny still carried.

The part that Ron liked best of all was the trunk and what was inside it. It had been charmed with an extension charm, so it held much more than it looked like it might from the outside. There were breads, rolls, biscuits, puddings, fruits, vegetables, and wrapped packages of meats, mostly ham, corned beef, pastrami, bacon, and sausages, but some other meats as well. There were tins of other foods; fish, tomatoes, and other things that Harry never really got a chance to look at. Best of all, they had teas, flagons of pumpkin juice, milk, orange juice, mead, and to Harry's great joy, Butterbeer.

That afternoon in the kitchen felt largely like Christmas morning. For the time being Harry and Ginny were laughing and smiling at each other like they would have at any other time. Their differences seemed to be momentarily forgotten. Ron and Hermione were holding hands as Hermione first read through the books and then started organizing everything. Ginny got up to help her. She smiled at Harry as she did. Harry couldn't help but wonder if she was putting it all behind her now, or if she was just enjoying a happy moment.

For now at least, all was well.