27th May

"Ginny, be careful!" Harry warned as she entered the house. She scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. They'd just been to a physiotherapy session, where they'd been astounded at Ginny's fast healing. It had only been a month since Ginny's accident, but the healing was moving very quickly. It had reached the point, in fact, where her cast had been taken off and she'd been told that she could move around as much as her ribs would let her.

Ginny had been quite disappointed by the lack of magical healing in her ribs, because she knew that she and Harry needed to start to blend themselves into the community more, putting themselves out there so that they didn't seem oddly in all the time. She also knew that Harry hated leaving the house without her when he occasionally went to the shop. His face when he returned was enough to know that he was petrified that he'd come back and find her gone.

"Can you help me up the stairs please?" Ginny asked politely and Harry smiled at her. The physiotherapist said it would take a bit longer for her to be able to properly navigate stairs but that soon it would be second nature again. Harry took her hand and led her up the stairs. Ginny hated the way that her heart raced as she felt his hand in hers.

"I was thinking, Gin, if you think you're up for it, we could just walk to the shop and back," Harry suggested as they reached the top of the stairs. "We could grab a few bits for a nice tea tonight, a celebration for getting your cast off."

Ginny smiled. "That sounds like a lovely idea," she agreed, letting go of his hand and making her way over to the couch. "Can we have lunch first though?" she suggested, her stomach's growl backing up her question. Harry chuckled and moved towards the kitchen.

XXX

"I need to show you something," Sirius said to Bill and Charlie when he walked in on the two of them just sitting in the living room of their house. He'd been trying to find an opportunity to show them the locket for a while now and here it was. Sirius took the locket from his pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

"What are we looking at here?" Charlie asked with furrowed brows. Bill picked the locket up and examined it.

"Looks like Slytherin's emblem," Bill commented offhandedly and Sirius nodded in agreement. Bill then tried to open it and Sirius shook his head.

"We all tried last summer to open it and it wouldn't budge. We found it in the drawing room, I think. Anyway, we put it into storage with everything else and then, the other day, I was banishing the whole lot and this wouldn't be banished. The bag that it was in and everything else in the bag went and this remained," Sirius explained to them. Bill furrowed his brows and got out his wand.

He cast various spells that Sirius didn't recognise and a dark black cloud emerged from the locket. With another wave of his wand, Bill dispersed it. He was looking at the locket in sort of wonder but also disgust. "What is it?" Charlie asked him.

"Do you know what a horcrux is?" Bill asked to Sirius and Charlie's confusion. They both shook their heads. "It's a way to make yourself live eternally. They're created by murder and then a ritual. Essentially, they take part of your soul and store it in an object. I've only come across them once before, but they're a bitch to destroy," Bill said with a sigh.

"Whose horcrux do you think it is?" Sirius asked, but all three men knew really. "Why the hell would Voldemort store a horcrux in my house?"

XXX

"Come on then, Harry," Ginny said rather excitedly. They'd eaten beans on toast for lunch and now they were going to go to the shop. Other than to the hospital, Ginny hadn't left the house in the past few weeks. The pair of them had been inexplicably bored with nothing to do.

"Remember, it's Will and Clara," Harry said, his hand on the handle to the outside door. Ginny nodded and gestured for him to open the door. Harry chuckled and opened it. The two of them stepped outside. It was a beautiful May day, the sun shining and the wind practically non-existent. Perfect for a walk.

The walk to the shop really wasn't long. They chatted a bit, about what food they wanted to buy, about what they wanted to eat that night, but mostly walked in a companionable silence, happy to be quiet in each other's presence.

Before long, the large supermarket came into view. Ginny was sore. She couldn't lie to herself. If she was honest, she was more than sore. Her ribs ached, despite her pain meds. It wasn't far home, though. She could cope.

It was miles to the supermarket through the carpark. Each parking space was another mile, another distance that Ginny could have collapsed in. This was a stupid idea. Why wasn't she sat at home on the couch? Tears welled up in her eyes and she refused to let them fall. It wasn't far. It wasn't far. It wasn't-

"Harry," she cried suddenly as her legs gave way to the pain. Harry gathered her up in his arms, holding her to him protectively.

"Clara, what's wrong?" he asked her quietly and the tears in her eyes spilled down her cheeks. He scooped her up in his arms and sat her down on a bench outside of the supermarket.

"My whole body hurts," she sobbed. "Every time I breathe, my ribs ache and even my stupid foot is protesting." Harry looked broken. She knew he was desperate to help her but he didn't know how.

"Come on, I'll carry you home," he told her. Her sobs didn't stop even when they had returned to the house.

XXX

"I think that should be all for today," Dumbledore said as the Order meeting finished. Sirius sighed in relief, happy that it was over. Order meetings had become something of a chore. Tonks had let them know that they were certain that Harry and Ginny were in Edinburgh, having taken the memories of some guards who had chased a young boy with Harry's description. Sirius was petrified that Harry and Ginny would be found.

"Sirius, can we talk?" Remus said quietly as people began to leave the kitchen. Sirius nodded once with a smile to his old friend. "I want to apologise," he said finally. The kitchen was empty save the two of them. "I've not been supportive enough. I wanted to try and bridge the gap between you and Dumbledore, but I realise now that Dumbledore is not the priority here. Harry is and I want you to know that I don't believe that he attacked Umbridge."

"Why didn't you tell me this weeks ago?" Sirius asked without emotion. Remus sighed.

"Like I said, I didn't want you and Dumbledore to become more estranged. You need the Order and I don't know, Sirius, you get so wound up so easily that I thought you might-"

"I was wound up because I thought my best friend didn't believe in our best friend's son!" Sirius shouted.

Remus shook his head. "I know, Sirius, and I'm so sorry. Harry is my priority now. I want to help you find him, to find them."

Sirius looked at the table. "I forgive you," he said softly with a roll of his eyes. "You were only looking out for me, I suppose." Remus nodded. "Are you staying here?" Sirius asked him and Remus nodded. "Bill, Charlie and I bought a house for when Harry and Ginny are back, if you wanted to come and stay with us?" Sirius suggested. Remus' face lit up, agreeing readily.

"Oh, there's something else I have to tell you." Remus' brow furrowed. "Zoe Angevin is alive."

XXX

"Ginny," Harry said soothingly as she cried on her bed. Harry was holding her with his hand rubbing what he hoped were soothing circles on her back. Her cries were making Harry's heart ache, wishing he could do anything for her.

"I'm fed up of being a liability," Ginny said through bursts of tears.

"Ginny," Harry said again, firmly. "You are not a liability. Injury or not, I couldn't have done this without you." He wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. "Ginny, please, I can't stand seeing you like this."

"I can't stand being like this, Harry," she returned and then shook her head. "I hate crying but I hate being incapacitated even more."

"I know, Gin, I know," he whispered, rubbing her arm. She leaned against him and Harry sighed. He hated this. At Hogwarts, she'd have been fixed up already, within a few hours of the accident, not within a few months.

They sat there for a while, not speaking, just taking comfort from one another. It was the loud sound of something dropping upstairs that drew them away from each other.

"What the fuck," Ginny said, eyes wide as she looked up above them. There wasn't anything that should have been able to make that sound. Maybe the bookcase had fallen over? Or maybe there was someone upstairs. "Harry," Ginny started but he shook his head and told her to stay put, before he ran out of the room, his wand out.

"Harry!" Ginny shouted after far too long waiting in her room. Why oh why did she have to get hit by a car? "Harry! What's going on?"

A few moments later, after no reply, Harry finally started descending the stairs. "Will you move a bit quicker?" Ginny shouted impatiently. When he entered her room, he was holding a perfectly round stone.

"It's a stone," Harry said unnecessarily. Ginny rolled her eyes and held out her hand.

"Have you learned nothing over the years? This is how goblins communicate," she told him and his eyes widened. He passed her the stone and she examined it carefully. Bill had received quite a few of these over the years and, fortunately, she knew what to do with them. "The message is inside the stone, because they don't want muggles finding it. You could hit it as much as you wanted, with magic or with any sort of muggle thing," she said to Harry's amusement, "but you'd never be able to get into it, unless you knew the code."

"The code?" Harry repeated unbelievingly.

"Trust me. Bill's had these loads of times. You have to draw a rune on the stone and it'll crack open. Goblins like runes," she stated simply. Harry shook his head, letting out a deep breath.

"Go on then; do the rune."

Ginny grinned and drew the rune for "open" on the flat side of the rock. As soon as she did, the rock cracked in two. Ginny sent Harry a victorious smile and he smiled back at her. Dragging her eyes from his, Ginny pulled the scroll out of the center of the rock and opened it.

Mister William Joseph Masterson; Miss Clara Jane Didsbury,

This is a formal summons for both recipients to present themselves at Gringotts Bank, Edinburgh, on 1st June 1996 at 11am.

"We have to go to Gringotts," Ginny said, a touch nervously. She'd not been able to make it to the shop, never mind the centre of Edinburgh.

"It'll be okay, Gin. We've got four days. We can build you up to it and, if need be, we'll find a wheelchair," Harry promised her. Ginny huffed. She was not going to need that wheelchair.

XXX

28th May 1996

Bill Weasley was nervous. Was that even the right word? He was petrified. So much had changed in his life over the past few weeks, months, year really, but through it all one thing had remained constant: Fleur.

It hadn't really taken him long to realise he was in love with her. She wasn't just some pretty girl. She was brave and kind and funny and, yes, beautiful. And late. Bill checked his watch once again and then looked towards the door. Charlie, Sirius and Remus had gone to Grimmauld Place for the night so that Bill and Fleur could be on her own.

"Bill?" he heard her shout through the house in her beautiful French accent. Bill sighed with relief. He'd been a bit caught up in where she could've been. "I'm sorry I'm late, mon amour," she said, kissing him lingeringly. Bill shot her what he was sure was a goofy grin. "I got lost in time doing a translation for Paris."

"I'll let you off," he returned, kissing her again and pulling her onto the couch next to him. "I picked up an Indian takeaway that I've been keeping warm," Bill told her, spreading out the food on the coffee table. Fleur made her thanks known by peppering kisses up and down his neck.

Eating took time and Bill tried to hide his nerves. They both ate their curries and afterwards Bill chuckled as he tasted the heat on his girlfriend's tongue. "I need to talk to you," he said quietly and Fleur pulled away from him, her perfect eyebrows furrowed curiously. He couldn't help but smile. "It's nothing bad," he assured her. "It's just that- well, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. When we first started dating, I had this feeling that I'd never had before, like this was something big. And it is. This is amazing and I love you so much," he confessed emotionally. Fleur was staring at him and her eyes were sparkling. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you; I want you to be my wife." Tears began to work their way down Fleur's cheeks and he knew that she knew what was coming next. "Fleur Isabelle Delacour, will you marry me?" he finished softly.

She nodded, almost desperately, crying, "yes!" A smile split Bill's face and he drew his new fiancée to him, his own eyes feeling rather wet. He was really going to marry this girl. He was the luckiest man in the world, he considered as he pulled her closer to kiss her.

XXX

1st June 1996

Harry and Ginny had done quite a bit over the past few days. With Ginny improving, they finally completed their food shop and then, the day after, they'd gone into Edinburgh to go book shopping, looking for something to actually do. It got them used to going out without the cloak on, and calling each other Clara and Will. In fact, they'd gone into town quite a few times, just for short amounts of time. They went for a couple of meals out, which meant that Ginny could be off her feet for long periods.

"Cheers, mate," Harry said as they got off the bus. Ginny repeated what Harry said and, with a smile, she got off the bus, taking Harry's hand. Holding hands was something they had discussed in order to keep up the pretence of a relationship. And, if Harry was honest, it wasn't too much of a chore.

"Okay, so up towards the castle," Ginny said and Harry nodded. They had both hypothesised over what on earth Gringotts wanted, but they'd finally given up. They would find out in a few minutes. It was quarter to eleven. They hadn't wanted to linger about on the street but also obviously didn't want to be late.

Ginny's grip on Harry's hand increased as they ascended the hill towards the entrance. Harry had almost forgotten about the hill. "Shall we try and find a-"

"No," she said definitively. Harry looked over at her and saw that stubborn Weasley steel in her eye. He squeezed her hand.

When they reached the alleyway, they shared a look. Harry knew that no one would look at Ginny and think that she was a Weasley. Her hair had been dyed this pretty honey colour and, with a full fringe, she looked nothing like her old self. She'd also stopped wearing her hair like she'd used to, in a ponytail, and always had it down, using either the straighteners or the curling wand she'd bought from the salon. Her face was also covered in makeup now. She didn't look like the slags that hung out with Dudley's mate, though. It was like the makeup enhanced her face. With different clothes than she'd used to wear too, Ginny was like a completely different person. She was Clara.

"Let's go," Ginny said with a smile. They entered Castle Street.

The street was busier than the last time they'd visited, but still as pretty. There were a few stalls in the courtyard at the end of the street that looked interesting. As though they were there as customers, Harry and Ginny wandered around for ten minutes until they were expected at Gringotts.

"Will," Ginny said, clasping Harry's arm tightly. Harry followed her gaze. She was staring at a copy of the Daily Prophet that was being sold outside the newsagents. Their faces were emblazoned on the front page.

Desperate to read about themselves, the couple forced themselves to stroll over to the newsagents and purchase the paper, as well as a few packets of sweets. He also organised for them to have a Daily Prophet delivery. "Thank you," Harry said as they left. The man on the till repeated the same sentiment. Shoving the paper and sweets in his backpack, Harry promised Ginny that they'd read it when they got home.

Stopping in a few more shops, Harry and Ginny bought some parchment and a couple of quills, as well as a book each from the Flourish and Blotts branch. "Let's head to Gringotts," Ginny said with a smile. Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist and they headed towards the bank.

However, as they did, Ginny tripped over a cobble stone and fell to the ground. "Ginny!" Harry cried out without thought.

XXX

Betsy Wilkins had worked at the Castle Street salon for as long as she could remember. She'd never attended Hogwarts. Her mother had sent her to the small day school which operated on Castle Street and, as soon as she had graduated, she worked in the salon with her mother and sister. When her mother died, the salon went to Betsy and her sister, Florrie.

She was wandering into work one morning and, as she was about to enter the salon, she watched a young brunette fall to the floor. Never having been one for niceties, Betsy struggled to contain her giggles. What really interested her, however, was the cry of the young man next to her. He shouted "Ginny!"

Betsy tore her eyes from the couple and hastily bustled into the salon. "Florrie!" she shouted to her sister who was sweeping the floor. "You won't believe who I think is outside!"

Before long, Florrie had floo called her husband, Abel. If those little murderers got away, Betsy knew she'd done all she could.

XXX

Frodrick was just as regal as he had been the first time they'd met. Harry and Ginny took seats opposite the head goblin, trying as hard as they could to be unconcerned with what had just happened. They didn't think anyone had noticed Harry's shout, but, even so, they couldn't wait to get home.

"What can we do for you, sir?" Harry asked Frodrick.

"I just wanted to inform you that it is unlikely that your passports will arrive for another month or two, but I have got your birth certificates," he offered. Harry's smile faltered and Ginny knew why. Although they loved their Edinburgh house, they'd wanted to get out of the country since day one. It was safer elsewhere. The birth certificates had their new names on.

"If you did want some ID, you should apply for provisional driving licences," suggested Frodrick. Harry and Ginny nodded, taking the suggestion basically as an order. "I would also like to tell you that you have successfully purchased the properties in York, London and Cornwall and any of them are ready to be used by you," he informed them. Harry and Ginny both smiled. Their safe houses were ready.

Soon afterwards, they left Gringotts and quickly left the street, eager to return home.

XXX

2nd June

"Sirius! Bill! Charlie!" Remus shouted through the house. Swiftly, Remus heard the familiar thunder of Sirius' footsteps. "Where are Bill and Charlie?" he asked.

"Work," Sirius answered quickly. "What's going on?"

Remus grimaced and passed his best friend the Daily Prophet. Watching Sirius scan the front page was painful, but seeing the anguish on his face afterwards after was worse. "They were sighted? But- but- that doesn't look like them!"

"It looks as though they've changed their appearances," Remus said grimly. Sirius nodded distractedly and wandered into the living room, Remus following. "At least we have a better idea of where they are!" Remus tried to enthuse.

It seemed to perk Sirius up slightly. "True. Although it's not like I can do anything about it, can I?" he groused. Remus sighed. Sirius struggled being inside all of the time, even in the new house. He would fly about outside and he had even taken up running, but nothing beat being able to leave the area.

"Why don't you go and see Zoe again?" Remus suggested. "I'm sure she'd want to help us try to find Harry. That's the reason she came home, isn't it?" Sirius nodded, but Remus didn't see any noticeable change in his demeanour. "We're gonna find them, Padfoot, whether it takes us another month or a year," he promised. Sirius sighed and left the room.

XXX

Ginny's hair was a horrible fake blonde and she hated it. "Please, just fix it," Ginny said, playing the part of a demanding bitch rather well she thought. "It's awful. I should never have home dyed!" she told the hairdresser who stood behind her.

The day had been rather a whirlwind. Ginny had awoken from a restless slumber to Harry shaking her. The front page of the Prophet had been a wake up call. They'd been spotted. Harry, deciding that he looked the least obvious of the two of them, had walked to the shop and bought two home hair dyes, a blonde colour and a darkish brown. He and Ginny had both agreed that the lighter brown he'd had didn't look natural because of his eyebrows.

Once they'd done that, they had caught the train to Newcastle, where they were having their hair done again. Harry, being rather happy with the colour that his hair was now, was having it styled so that it was short on the back and sides but long on top. Ginny was having her hair dyed a soft ashy blonde and having it done a bit choppier, with a side fringe. They just needed to look different from the pictures of them on the front of the Prophet.

Also in Newcastle, they had binned every piece of clothing they'd been wearing that day, along with the rucksack. They didn't need anyone recognising a piece of clothing and reporting them to the Aurors.

It was terrifying but it brought home to Ginny just how much it mattered that they call each other Clara and Will. Their names were recognisable and just looking different wasn't enough. This was real life and not some game. People thought they were murderers and, if they were caught, they were getting a one way ticket to Azkaban.

XXX

"What if they're in trouble?" Hermione said, worrying her lip. "Maybe they've not reported it but they've actually caught them." It was late at night and Hermione and Fred were sat on the couch in the common room. Since the night that Fred had found Hermione crying, they had spent a lot of time together.

"Hermione," Fred tried to placate, "they would've reported it. Fudge would be off his head for it! There's no way they wouldn't have. Harry and Ginny are clever. They'll have gotten away," he promised her, wondering whether his words were true. Hermione nodded and leaned against his shoulder. Fred moved his arm to wrap around her shoulder, feeling himself betraying his brother every time he did.

Fred was struggling with the feelings he was having for Hermione. Since he'd met her, he'd considered her to just be his little brother's best friend. He didn't even have the same feelings towards her as he had for Harry, who he considered to be practically his brother. He'd never had any sort of sisterly feelings for Hermione. Maybe he should have, but he hadn't and he was so grateful for that now. It would be a bit screwed up if he'd started fancying someone he'd considered to be his sister.

Fancying her was startling. He'd begun to notice who she really was, behind that bossy exterior. She liked a laugh; she was fiercely loyal. In truth, she didn't really follow all of the rules at Hogwarts and every time she broke one, Fred adored the slight look of guilt on her face. He loved corrupting her.

Fred's main problem wasn't that he wasn't sure he fancied her. He knew he did. It was that he couldn't do anything about it. He was confident that he could woo her. But Ron. His brother had liked Hermione for as long as he could remember, although Ron didn't know it. If Fred went for Hermione, Ron would never forgive him. And family always had to come first. That was how it worked in the Weasley house. Family first, everything else second. And, as Fred had just stated, he didn't consider Hermione family.

What on earth was he going to do? He was sitting there, cuddled up with the girl his brother fancied, with his brother's best friend. He was an awful brother, he considered, as he placed a kiss on Hermione's bushy hair and she looked up at him with a grin.

XXX

3rd June

"Hey, Harry, so I was thinking," Ginny said as she walked into his room that morning. Harry had clearly only just woken up, but Ginny wasn't deterred. "The forms we sent off yesterday, they'll get us the temporary driving licences. So, we may as well learn to drive?" she suggested, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"What?" Harry slurred through sleep, not even bothering to sit up. "Yeah, Gin, sounds good." Ginny grinned and flounced back out of the room.

Taking the steps slowly, Ginny marvelled at how her ribs were improving. The steps didn't make her ache or lose her breath so much anymore. She still took them one at a time, and as slowly as she could bear, but it was improvement. And that was all she cared about.

Well, it wasn't all she cared about. Over the past few weeks, Ginny had begun to realise that she cared about Harry far too much and she was trying to make it go away. Her feelings towards Harry were an annoyance. In close quarters like they were, Ginny was struggling to hide it, and she did not want to make things awkward.

They hadn't talked about their kiss. That was from another life, life before running away. The people who had kissed in the Gryffindor common room were completely different people than those who now lived in Edinburgh. Those kids in the common room must have been years younger. Ginny felt about a million years older than she had then.

But there wasn't anything she could do. She'd spent nearly five years of her life trying to convince herself not to like Harry, not to embarrass herself, or him. It had never stopped. It had changed, of course. She wasn't in love with Harry Potter anymore. She was in love with Harry.

She was in love with Harry.

Of course she was. This was love. Wasn't it? Was she too young to be in love? She was only fourteen. Was she only fourteen? She didn't feel it.

Harry wasn't perfect, she knew that. He was deeply flawed and had so many problems but she just didn't care. She loved him for his flaws; she loved him for the way he dealt with his problems. She loved him.

The only problem was that he didn't love her. She'd thought he might, back when she was naive enough to believe a kiss meant love. When he'd been kissing her, she thought that that was it. That was love. But then he'd looked at her in horror and run away, dashing any hope she had.

She had no idea what was going on in Harry's head, but there was no way it was the same thing as was going on in hers. No, she had to concentrate on being his friend. Yes, they were pretending to be together, but they were just friends. She needed to support him as best she could. Anything else could wait until they were free again.