"No! Please, Tom!" wailed Ginny as she opened he eyes. Ginny could see Dumbledore in front of her. "That was my first proper attempt into invading your mind, Ginny. So far, I have shown some lenience with you, but I'm afraid being lenient will not help. You will have to be stronger and resist with all your willpower. But, you know what? You've shown amazing strength and courage. Five points to Gryffindor!"
"H-How is Harry's Occlumency coming through, Professor?" Ginny asked. "Harry is also learning to block invasions into his mind, and he is spectacularly strong. But compete with yourself to become a better version of yourself than yesterday, Ginny, not with others." Dumbledore added with a smile.
It was midnight as Ginny left Dumbledore's office. The air seemed cold as she walked. But she suddenly felt something warm cover her. It was the familiar lime green cloak. An arm wrapped around her, and she felt herself going red and warm at the same time. "Y-You waited for me here for three hours?" She asked. The gentle voice that she loved said from above her head, "I couldn't let you walk back alone."
Ginny couldn't believe she was sweating on a rather chilly night by the time she and Harry reached the Fat Lady's portrait. As the drowsy painting revealed the doorway inside, Harry and Ginny were treated to the sight of Ron and Hermione fast asleep holding hands. A muggle fairytale lay open on Ron's lap, and it appeared as though they were reading muggle stories to fill up the waiting time before Harry or Ginny returned.
Understandably, Ron and Hermione demanded an explanation the following morning as to why neither Harry nor Ginny had woken them up the previous night. They wanted to know how the session had gone. Ginny giggled as she told them that they resembled a prince and a princess in their land, so she and Harry hadn't bothered to disturb them.
Ron had retorted, saying, "You and Harry are the prince and princess in the distant land, given how Harry had waited three hours in the cold for you to come out and then safely brought you here warm."
The next several weeks, of course, were filled with practice and revisions (The Third Task for Harry and end of year tests for Ginny, Ron, and Hermione). Ron and Hermione dedicated several hours of their study time to actually help Harry prepare, something he was grateful for. As for Ginny, she was always around to cheer him when Hermione wasn't glaring at her in a why-aren't-you-studying look? In the evenings, Harry and Ginny would take a walk up the mountains and spend time together. As for Ron and Hermione, the lake was their favorite hangout place. Finally, the day of the Third Task arrived.
Harry would go with Cedric Diggory into the maze first, followed by Viktor Krum, and finally Fleur Delacour. Mrs. Weasley and Bill Weasley had come as Harry's family to watch. They hugged Harry and wished him luck. Ron and Hermione hugged him together and a little longer.
"Harry, you know the spells."
"You will need to use your knowledge, Harry."
"Once you're back, Harry, we should plan a nice trip. Why don't you and Hermione come over to the Burrow in July itself?"
"That's so kind of you, Ronald! I'd love it!"
Ginny hugged Harry, too, her head barely touching his chin. She heard his heartbeat as she wished him luck. Harry then walked into the maze. Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Bill found comfortable seats. They waited.
After what seemed like an eternity, especially to a worried Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, the music suddenly blared. Many people cheered, but then a lot more people screamed in shock. There lay Harry clutching tightly to Cedric! It took a moment of shocked silence for everybody to understand what had happened. Everyone seemed to run to the arena.
The Weasleys and Hermione ran to Dumbledore in the arena, who had crouched over Harry. Amos Diggory wailed in agony, beating his chest, while Mrs. Diggory had collapsed on her knees next to her son's still body, shaking violently with emotion. Diggory's girlfriend, Cho Chang, stood with a horrified expression, tears streaming down her face. There was chaos everywhere.
Harry held Dumbledore's wrist. "He's back," Harry whispered. "He's back. Voldemort."
"He wanted me to bring him back," Harry muttered—it seemed important to explain this. "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents..."
At Cedric''s funeral,Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and many others looked tearful, worried, and concerned. Dumbledore insisted that Harry wasn't lying when he claimed Lord Voldemort was back and that they had to be united.
Later, Dumbledore went over to Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and ushered them into an empty classroom, where he stood with Tom Riddle's diary. He plainly told them, "This dairy is a Horcrux, and I have sufficient reason to believe that Voldemort created more than one Horcrux! I want the four of you to be prepared for a world-changing mission. This is not going to be easy." Dumbledore then briefed the four of them about the meaning of Horcruxes and wished them happy summer holidays.