Right Beside Me
Leaving the Burrow
The gentle thudding of steps could be heard as the young Harry Potter stepped silently down the stairs of the Burrow, being careful of all the creaking boards. But even after doing so, he could hear a door open in the distance and close, then another follow it's lead. In less then a minute, a mass of brown hair appeared, along with Hermione Granger. Following her was Ron Weasely, whose flaming hair stood out even in the darkness of the night. Harry watched as Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently on the wooden floor; reminding him all too well of Mrs. Weasely.
"Harry... what are you doing?" asked Ron, finally breaking the silence.
Harry simply shifted his eyes to the floor, where the carpet suddenly became very interesting. That was all his two friends needed.
An exasperated sigh came from the very annoyed Hermione as she dropped her hands in annoyance.
"Harry," Hermione stared at Harry for a response, but he just kept staring.
"Harry! Stop staring at the floor! I am here!" she pointed at herself, and then continued, "This is ridiculous! Do you think after 7 years I will leave you... that we will leave you? If you do, then you... Then you're just... UGH!" Hermione screamed and stomped her foot.
"Harry, mate, she's right... I mean, we didn't do all this to give up now. What are you going to do alone? You won't stand a chance, even if you are the boy-who-lived." Ron cut in, giving a small smile at the last part. He moved forward and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Hm... I know you both are going to always be there for me... but I don't want to lose you... I don't know what I was thinking trying to leave you, but... I don't know... I just don't." Harry shook his head, as if trying to get something out of his head.
"Hmmm... the almighty Harry Potter, Gryffindor Quidditch captain, the boy who every girl fawns over, has a weakness." Hermione smirked playfully and both the boys gave a chuckle.
"Okay, well if you guys have decided that you're going with me, get your stuff..."
"Of course..." Hermione said, suddenly taking her wand out and muttering "Accio trunks", as Harry stared incredulously.
"You packed your bags..." he said, and raised his eyebrows.
Hermione and Ron smiled proudly.
"Let's go." Hermione said.
"Wait, where are we going?" Asked a confused, Ron.
"Well, I thought maybe... Godric's Hollow. I mean, that's the best guess we've got."
"And how are we getting there?" Hermione asked, putting on a confused expression.
It was Harry's turn to smile, a real genuine smile.
"Brooms." was the simple answer. Right on cue Hermione gave a little yelp, but covered it up with a cough.
"Well, our brooms are in the shed." Ron said.
"Oh yeah! You guys go ahead; I'll be there in a moment." Hermione ran back to the living room. The boys kept moving.About halfway through the yard Hermione caught up. She was breathing heavily, seeming to have run all the way there.
"I wrote letters to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," she said and took a deep breath "and also my parents saying that all three of us are trying to finish something Dumbledore helped start. But I didn't tell them where we are going or anything or anything about the Horcuxes." Hermione added as they silently walked towards the broom shed.
Suddenly Ron stopped... in the distance could be spotted three little specks, apparently moving towards them.
"Owls?" The trio watched as the three identical cream owls dropped the envelopes in their hands and flew off.
"Uhm... that was interesting." Ron said, still staring at the sky. Silently they looked at their letters. Harry looked at the cover, the following was written:
Mr. Harry Potter
The Pathway to the Broom shed
The Burrow
It was a thin yellowish parchment and the address was written in dark blue-green ink. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned the envelop over hesitantly, there was an "M" sealed in emerald- green ink. Simultaneously the trio opened their letters.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you are a legal adult and, therefore will be able to do magic outside of Hogwarts. We are deeply sorry that this letter has reached you 15 days late; due to the number of people at the Burrow this owl could not reach its proper destination.
Enjoy your holidays!
Yours sincerely,
Matilda McFari
Dept. Of the Adult Wizard and Coming of Age Office
Ministry of Magic
"Sometimes the Ministry does come in hand." Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione nodded. Ron opened the broom shed door and led them to the dusty brooms. Harry picked up his Firebolt, and looked at it admiringly. We've been through a lot, eh? As Harry stared, a noise from the backyard could be heard. Without a second to move, Harry grabbed his wand out of his robe pocket and ran outside the shed, pointing to a space where the leaves were still moving. He looked and pointed around frantically.
"Who is it?" he yelled to no one in particular. Suddenly there was a movement behind a tree, and without a moment to waste Harry muttered a jinx.
"Harry!" a small voice squeaked as the spell hit the tree and through the hole could be seen the petite silhouette of Ginny Weasely. She came around the tree and stood there, not staring at anything in particular. Instantly Harry lowered his wand and blushed a bit, as this was his first time seeing Ginny after the wedding. He remembered the last month of school, and instantly felt like hugging her.
"Ginny! What are you doing here; you're supposed to be in bed." Ron, who had come outside after Harry along with Hermione, said shocked.
"So are you." Ginny managed to get out. Ron's scowled and crossed his arms, muttering something under his breath. Then everything was quite...
"So... uhm..." Harry tried in desperate attempt to break the tension. Unfortunately, before he could finish Ginny whipped past him toward the broom shed, and in a second emerged with the brooms the trio had left behind. However, in her hand she held four brooms, which Harry noticed right away.
"No time for chit-chat, let's get going shall we?" Ginny said, looking at them expectantly.
"Ginny, what are you playing at? You're not going anywhere!" Ron stated loudly, receiving piercing glares from Ginny.
"Of course I am... I'm old enough to handle myself, right Harry?" Ginny responded, suddenly turning to Harry. He had not been expecting that.
"Uh.. yes...uhm..maybe...nah... you,"
"What he is trying to say is, Ginny, that we all know you are a mature," Ron snorted, "... and a very responsible young lady. But that can not cover the fact that that you are still underage... plus, we can't take the chance." Once again Hermione saved the moment, and Harry made a mental note to thank her afterwards.
Ginny shifted from one foot to another, and then responded.
"Look, I am coming whether you like it or not. Nothing you say can stop me. I am old enough, and for the underage problem, I am turning seventeen in less then two months." The trio still did not look pleased. "And if that is not enough, then I would also like to tell you that I am holding your source of transportation right now. And if you are thinking of apparating, that is not possible because the mum and dad put a spell on the burrow. You can only apparate from one part of the house to the other." Ginny finished quickly. Ron opened his mouth in protest, but Hermione stopped him.
"I have to hand it to you, Ginny... you know we can't use the floo network because it's being watched... amazing, really." Hermione said, talking more to her then to the others.
"So, I'm coming?" Ginny smiled from ear to ear, standing on her tiptoes in excitement.
The trio exchanged glances, looking at each other for approval. Harry gave a little nod, still deep in thought, and Ron sighed.
"On one condition... if at anytime we feel the need of sending you home, or if we tell you to go home, no matter what the circumstances, you will go without another word."
Ginny nodded a little too enthusiastically, saying in a determined voice "Fine". She then muttered a spell, and her trunk came soaring out. She then turned to them expectantly.
"Well, first of all we have to find a way to make the trunks smaller... I've got it... reducio!" The four trunks turned into little boxes, just enough to fit in a pocket. Hermione stood with a proud smile on her face, her wand at her side. The three gave put their miniature trunks in their pockets after thanking her, and then started mounting their brooms. Harry, while getting his broom ready, saw that Hermione was still standing there looking at the broom with a confused expression on her face. Then it hit him...
"Uhm... I can't fly."