Chapter 64 – Darkened Paths

It was several moments before Fleur was able to catch Hermione, just at the base of the stairs which led up toward Gryffindor tower.

"What's gotten into you, Hermione?" she asked, as she reached out to grasp Hermione's elbow.

The younger girl turned and regarded Fleur, excitement in her eyes. But it was several moments of gasping breaths before she was able to catch her breath enough to blurt, "I think I know how we can help Harry!"

"I think you mentioned that," Fleur stated with some patience. "What do you mean?"

"No time," Hermione said over her shoulder as she began to walk away again. "Let's find Harry; then we can find an empty classroom and I'll tell you what my idea is."

Clearly it was a situation in which Hermione would not be moved, so intent was she upon finding Harry and sharing her idea with him. Sighing, Fleur ran to catch up with her friend and then fell in beside her, matching her quick pace. Fleur had a healthy respect for Hermione's intelligence and abilities, but she wondered just what the other girl had discovered, or thought she had discovered. Hermione's book knowledge was second to none, but she was not precisely innovative in her thinking patterns—she more soaked up what she learned like a sponge than took the knowledge she gained and improved upon it.

She was also excitable when it came to her knowledge, and the opportunity to learn more, and she was very inquisitive. She generally was not prone to over-exaggeration either, which led Fleur to believe that if Hermione thought she had discovered something, then it was likely that she truly had. The thought of finding a solution to Harry's horcrux problem caused Fleur no small level of excitement as well, but she tempered it, knowing that she as yet knew nothing of Hermione's idea, and not wanting to be too disappointed should it not work out.

"You know, it's rather ironic," Hermione said as they hastened up the stairs. "If my idea does work out, it's because of those mini-Death Muncher morons and their inability to keep their stupid mouths shut."

Fleur peered curiously at her friend. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," Hermione replied as she hurried up to the portrait and gave the password. "I want Harry to hear it too."

They stepped into the common room, noting that it was busier than it had been fifteen minutes prior when Fleur had departed. It was closer to curfew, so it was not surprising. A quick glance around the room showed them that Harry was not there.

"He said he wanted to go for a walk and think about things," Fleur stated, as Hermione scanned the room for her friend.

"Maybe he's still in the dorm," Hermione replied.

She turned to Ron, who was sitting on one of the sofas close to the fireplace, and commanded, "Ron! Go up to your dorms and see if Harry is still there."

Although Ron started with surprise, he readily obeyed, jumping to his feet and dashing up the stairs. He was only gone a moment when the twins approached them.

"You're looking for Harry?" asked one.

At their affirming nod, the other said, "He left more than ten minutes ago."

At that moment, Ron arrived back in the common room. "He's not there."

Surreptitiously glancing around the common room, Hermione leaned forward and in a low voice said, "I think I might have figured out a solution to Harry's… umm… problem."

It took only a moment for the three boys to understand what she was saying, and merely an instant more for them to realize that if her idea worked, it would also benefit their sister.

"We need to find him," one of the twins stated.

"Do you know where he would have gone?" the other asked.

Fleur shook her head. "He said he wanted to go and think about things alone."

"The map!" Ron said, snapping his finger. "We can find him on the map!"

He turned and raced back up the stairs, but when he came back a moment later, he was not carrying it. "It's not where he usually keeps it, and I couldn't find it in any of his other stuff."

"He's been taking it with him lately when he doesn't want to be found," Hermione said.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find him," Fleur replied. "We can try all of his usual places."

Thus began a long half hour of frustration. They split up and searched all of the places Harry would usually go when he wanted to be alone—the Astronomy tower, the Room of Requirement, the Quidditch pitch, and even some other locations which they considered less likely. All came up empty. They even enlisted the aid of some of their extended group of friends—Tracey and Daphne, whom they met by chance, Neville, Luna, the Gryffindor Quidditch team along with some other house members, and even a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were all conscripted into the search. But it was all in vain; Harry Potter apparently did not want to be found.

"So what do we do?" Ron asked when the group gathered a little later in the entrance hall. It was now only a few minutes before curfew, and a check up in the Gryffindor common room and the dorms had revealed that Harry still had not returned.

"Maybe we should just wait until he comes back," Neville suggested. "He can't be too much longer now."

Uncertain, Fleur glanced at Hermione who was chewing on her lower lip. To be honest, Fleur was worried—Harry had been down lately and had spent a lot of time by himself, but he had always obeyed curfew scrupulously and returned to the tower before the time came, even when it had been evident he would have preferred to keep to himself. When pressed he had mumbled something about setting a good example since he was a prefect, but nothing more.

She could not explain it, but Fleur felt that there was something more to this disappearance than any of the other times they had not been able to locate Harry.

Her fears were heightened further when, a few moments later, the twins came running up. They shouldered their way through the group of friends and stopped in front of Hermione and Fleur, their faces troubled.

"We can't find Ginny either," one blurted out.

"We'd have thought that she'd be in the thick of the search for Harry," said the other, "but no one has seen her since just before Harry disappeared."

Hermione, Fleur, and the three Weasley brothers shared a grim look, though no one else in the group would understand the additional connection between the two. That fact was made quite clear when a loud voice spoke up from the back of the group.

"Is that what we've wasted our time on?" Seamus demanded. "Looks like Potter's just off with another girlfriend. You'd think the guy would leave some for us!"

"Shut up, Finnigan!" Ron growled. "Don't talk about things you don't know nothing about!"

Seamus appeared ready to deliver some scathing retort when they were interrupted.

"What are you all doing here?"

It was the voice of the Assistant Headmistress and she stepped toward them, looking at them with curiosity, rather than ire. "Shouldn't you all be making your way back to your common rooms? I shouldn't have to remind you that it's almost curfew."

"Harry's missing," Hermione stated, before anyone else could reply. "And it looks like Ginny's gone too."

A frown met Hermione's declaration. "Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley? When did you discover this?"

"About half an hour ago," Fleur replied. "He's been spending a lot of time alone lately, but he's always back before curfew. We can't find him anywhere."

"And you think Miss Weasley is with him?"

Fleur and Hermione shared a glance—they had to be careful, as most of those in the hall did not know of the horcrux connection, including the professor. Could it be something to do with the horcruxes which had prompted Harry and Ginny's disappearance? Fleur could not be certain, though it was the only explanation which made sense. Knowing as she did that Harry's feelings for the girl did not extend beyond friendship, Fleur discounted Seamus's rather crass suggestion out of hand.

"She might be," Ron replied for them. "But we're not sure."

The Professor looked at them with some concern before she nodded tightly. "The Headmaster should be informed."

She summoned a house-elf and dispatched it with a message to summon Dumbledore to the hall, and the Headmaster arrived moments later. He wore his usual genial persona that evening, but underneath, Fleur thought that she could sense a tension in him which was normally not present. It seemed that recent events had affected Dumbledore as much as any of them, more so, perhaps, because of his own personal esteem for Harry.

"What seems to be the problem?" he queried as he approached.

At McGonagall's nod, Hermione took up the explanation. "It's Harry and Ginny, Professor. We can't find them anywhere."

An eyebrow rose at Hermione's statement. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"More than forty-five minutes ago," Fleur replied. "I left him in the common room to go find Hermione in the library. He said he wanted to go out and think for a while. But he's always back by curfew."

"Did anything seem odd about him?" the Headmaster asked.

Fleur thought back on her time with Harry tonight, and though she had felt at the time that he was distant, as he had been much of the time since the discovery of the horcrux situation, the more Fleur thought about it, the more she felt that he was off a little.

"Maybe a little," Fleur replied, thinking hard. "I'm not sure I can explain it properly, but he was almost… I'm not sure. Impatient, maybe? He did his homework and then we read in the common room for a while. I'm not sure, but I don't think he actually read very much."

"And Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore prompted.

"She came up to the dorm about fifteen minutes before that," one of the fourth years stated. "Then she left, and no one has seen her since."

Dumbledore nodded. "Please wait while I try to find out where they are."

At that, the Headmaster withdrew a few paces. Fleur watched him as he visibly calmed himself and went still for the next few moments, seemingly oblivious to the curious stares of the students situated in the hall.

"If Mr. Potter is here, the Headmaster will discover his location," the Deputy Headmistress said. But though her tone was confident, Fleur could sense the underlying unease in her voice. Not, Fleur suspected, that the Headmaster would be unable to find them were they in the school, but more the same thing that concerned Fleur. Could Harry have left the school for whatever reason? If so, then where could he have gone? Could the Death Eaters somehow have captured Harry? And what of Ginny?

Within moments, the Headmaster returned to the group and Fleur had her answer, first from Dumbledore's expression, and then by his words.

"I have queried the wards. Neither Harry nor Ginny are in the school."

Bedlam broke among the gathered students, with exclamations and claims that Harry had been captured by Voldemort. Dumbledore, however, ever the calming influence called out for quiet.

"Now, let's be calm, everyone," Dumbledore said, motioning with his hands. "I assure you that if Harry had been captured by Voldemort, we would know about it almost immediately, as the Dark Lord would make it known to us as soon as possible."
"Then where has he gone?" a voice demanded from the crowd. Fleur thought that it was Seamus who had spoken, though she could not be certain, as Dumbledore did not respond by name.

"That I do not know," the Headmaster replied. He turned to Fleur and Hermione, and motioned them to follow him. "I shall return to my office and make a few Floo calls; there are a few places where Harry might have gone, but I will need to confirm. For now, Miss Granger and Miss Delacour, please come with me. The rest of you will please return to your common rooms."

A murmur of protest rumbled through the group, but Dumbledore was firm. "Rest assured that you will be notified about Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley's status as soon as I discover something. Until then, it is now time for curfew."

"Excuse us, sir," Ron said, stepping forward, "but our sister is missing too. Can we join you?" he asked, motioning to himself and his two brothers.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied, motioning them to follow him. "Let us go."

The five friends, in the company of the Headmaster and the Transfiguration Professor, made their way from the hall and toward the Headmaster's office, and though Fleur could hear the three boys talking quietly amongst themselves, she and Hermione walked in silence. The question ringing through Fleur's mind now was whether Harry had been waiting for an opportunity to slip away that evening, or if something had happened to him. If Fleur were to guess now, she was leaning more toward the opinion that he had slipped away, though she could not fathom for what reason he would have done such a thing.

It appeared, when Fleur glanced at Hermione, that she thought the same, if her darkening expression was anything to go by. All thought of Hermione's potential idea to rid Harry of the horcrux was now gone, replaced by a worry over her friend and the suspicion that he was out doing something impetuous. And though Fleur had not really experienced that impetuosity to any great extent, Harry having settled down considerably in the past year, she had heard enough stories to know that not only was it possible, it was also probable that the reason for his absence had something to do with that facet of his character.

They entered the office in silence, trailing after the two professors, and they sat down to wait while Dumbledore went to the Floo and made some calls. In short order, Sirius and Remus had been called to the office, and Dumbledore had placed a call to the Auror department to request their assistance in a search of the area around Hogwarts.

After waiting for some time while Dumbledore completed his calls on the Floo, Fleur watched as the professor rose and regarded the group which was waiting anxiously for any news he could impart. He took in the worried faces—his own mirroring them in every respect—and shook his head.

"I admit that I cannot locate Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley," he stated. "They are not at Grimmauld Place, and no one I have spoken to has seen them. Given the fact that they are joined together by circumstance, I can only conjecture that they are together, though where they would have gone, I have no idea."

"Joined?" McGonagall asked with some confusion.

Dumbledore regarded her for a moment, before he turned to Remus. "I believe that we should acquaint Professor McGonagall with the truth of the matter. Can you please do the honors, Remus?"

"Of course," Remus stated.

Dumbledore nodded and turned back to those in the room. "Aurors should be arriving shortly to assist in the search. Everywhere which seems even remotely likely will be investigated—Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, the Ministry, and other locations. If any of you can think of anywhere else we should look, please inform me.

Fleur nodded along with the rest of them, while Remus took Professor McGonagall to an unused corner of the room, set up some privacy charms, and began to lead her through the oaths and the explanation concerning horcruxes. Within minutes, Aurors began arriving, to fan out to take up key positions in and around the school, while others began searching the environs nearby, including the forest. Fleur could not imagine that Harry had taken Ginny into the forest, dangerous as it was, but no stone could be left unturned.

As worried as she was, Fleur watched as the search began. Fleur could not state with any surety why Harry was missing, but she suspected that he was out doing something he knew the rest of them would disapprove of. Whatever the case may be, when he returned, Fleur fully intended to give her wayward betrothed a piece of her mind for making them all worry about him. Or at least whatever remained of him after Hermione got through with him. Regardless, the night was still young and there was still much searching to be done. Speaking in low tones with Hermione, Fleur settled in for a long wait, while her friend explained her idea. Fleur only hoped that that the two teens could be recovered for them to attempt Hermione's cure. The alternative was unthinkable.

The decision made to allow Ginny to accompany him—not that Harry had truly been given a choice—Harry immediately got down to business. The first thing to be done was to attire Ginny in the same kind of clothing Harry had donned before he had left Hogwarts—this was accomplished by a quick transfiguration of her clothes. Then, knowing the remaining light in the evening sky was rapidly fading, they began to scout the area, trying to get a sense of not only where they were located, but also where Voldemort made his lair in relation to their present position.

As Harry had first noted, the area in which the portkey had deposited them was one of rolling hills, and damp, mossy ground. There were a few patches of low lying brush, and a few stunted trees which twisted and struggled, branches reaching desperately for the life-giving warmth of the sun. It was a dismal and gloomy place, made even more forbidding by the fact that the light was almost gone.

It was Ginny who first made the discovery of the manor house in the distance.

"Harry," she called in a low tone. "I think I see something."

Climbing to the top of the low hillock on which she was perched, Harry crouched down beside her and stared into the distance, noting the outline of a large house, perhaps two miles away. He could detect almost nothing about the house, and likely would not even have seen it at all, had the remaining light not been shining on it in the manner which made it stand out from its surroundings.

"That must be it," Harry said, nodding to Ginny in thanks.

Ginny turned and looked at him curiously. "How do you know?"

Shrugging, Harry replied, "Because I doubt Voldemort would choose a house where he would have any close neighbors. I think he would have chosen a location as far from any other habitation as he could manage."

"Are you even sure this is the right place?" Ginny asked. "I don't think you ever told me how you managed to find out how to get here."

"I just went to… an old friend of the family," Harry replied, intentionally keeping his answer vague. "We are in the right place, Ginny, but I'd prefer not to tell you any more."

Perhaps it was the fact that Harry had only been persuaded with great difficulty to allow her to stay, but Ginny was uncharacteristically silent. She merely nodded her head and turned back to her study of the surrounding landscape, an action Harry mirrored. There was little left to be seen, but Harry attempted to fix in his mind the location of the house, as well as some of the other features. But he doubted there would even have been much to see had he looked under the light of the noon-day sun—the area was drab and dull and had very little in the way of interesting features.

Motioning Ginny to follow him, he made his way back down the side of the small hill and drew her in closer.

"We'll have to make sure to keep any cover in between us and the house whenever we cast any spells," he said in a low voice. "If we are careful not to get too close, they shouldn't see us in the darkness."

"What about the moonlight?" Ginny asked, looking up at the sky.

"The new moon was only two days ago," Harry assured her. "It won't give off a lot of light when it rises."

Ginny nodded, and Harry took out his wand. "Now, let's see if we've got any company nearby."

Extending his wand, Harry intoned, "Homenum Revelio!"

The spell issued from his wand and swept over the area, but there was no indication of anyone in the immediate area.

Nodding to himself, Harry once again extended the wand and said, "Bestia Revelio!"

This time, as the spell blanketed the area, a veritable cornucopia of small, white markers appeared before his eyes, detailing the location of the various animals within range of the spell. Satisfied, Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was looking around seeing nothing.

"Revealing spells?" she queried.

"Yes," Harry replied. "The first one reveals any humans in the area, while the second any animals. Here, let me show you how to do them both. Then we can both see what's in the area. It should give us a greater chance to find the snake."

A few moments of instruction later, and Ginny was able to cast both spells herself, though they agreed that Harry would be the one to cast the human revealing spell, and they would only use it sparingly, as the risk of detection was great with overuse. However, armed with the signatures of all the animal presences in the area, they soon set out to cautiously investigate and see if they could find the snake.

It was slow going. For a location as devoid of life as the area around Voldemort's hideout appeared, there were still plenty of animals to be found. Squirrels and mice were the most common, little creatures just stirring from their winter's sleep, eager to venture forth into the crisp spring air to replenish their failing winter stores. But amongst the smaller wildlife, they came across badgers, hares, and even a few foxes, mixed with the rest. They saw nothing bigger, and Harry was unsure if that meant the locale was too far north for the likes of deer or any larger predators, but that was a relief, as he was not eager to come across any of the larger and more dangerous predators. With the exception of a certain snake, of course. Of birds there were plenty, though as night had fallen they were for the most part inactive.

They painstakingly searched for the snake amongst the plethora of signatures the spell provided, re-casting whenever the effects of the spell faded, trying to concentrate on those signals which appeared to be more promising. For example, groups of animal signatures were, for the most part, assumed to be a nest of mice of squirrels, and as such, were ignored, while they concentrated on those signals which appeared to either be situated far from any others, or those alone which were on the move.

On one occasion they startled a small fox which had been stalking a nice, fat hare, a situation for which they had had great hopes, as it appeared as though one had been following the other. The hare raced off while the fox ran off in another direction, before it stopped to watch them. Harry could almost fancy he could detect the reproach in the bright eyes, before it too disappeared.

About an hour after they had begun looking for Nagini, Harry pointed out a signature which appeared to be concealed in a large bush with nothing nearby.

"That looks promising. What do you think?"

"I think I'm wishing we hadn't come," replied Ginny with a nervous shake of her head.

"I could always take you back," Harry said in a teasing tone, though to be honest, he was quite serious.

"Not on your life, Potter," Ginny grumbled.

She sidled forward, cautious of whatever was hidden I the bush, drawing Harry along with her.

"Hold back," Harry told her. "I'll have a look. Cover me."

Nodding, Ginny stood still, watching the bush intently as Harry crept closer. When he had come as close to the undergrowth as he dared, he looked around and made sure the manor was not in sight, and then raised his wand, murmuring, "Lumos!"

A sudden rustling preceded a blur of motion as a small, weasel-like animal raced from the bush and off into the gloom, startling a loud shriek from Ginny.

Casting quickly about, Harry noted that there were no other animals close by. Harry quickly cast the human revealing spell, noting with some relief that there was no one within range of the spell, which meant that it was unlikely that Ginny had been heard. He turned and clapped a hand on his companion's shaking shoulder.

"You okay there, Ginny?"

Though he could feel her trembling under his hand, she nodded gamely. "It just startled me."

Harry nodded and cancelled the spell on his wand, casting around for the next likely possibility.

"One of these times, it will be the snake," Ginny said, the tremors still detectable in her voice. "We should be a little more careful."

"I would love to be," Harry replied, even as he began moving again. "But unfortunately, I don't think we really have the time to be subtle. I'm not sure how else we can find it."

Ginny said nothing. She merely followed him, and the dangerous game began once again. It was not ideal—of that Harry was well aware. But if they were to find the snake and put an end to it, they would need to persevere. Of course, if Ginny wished to go back to Hogwarts, Harry would be happy to allow her to do that as well he reflected once again. He could continue on and kill the snake himself, he was sure.

They had been searching for some time—likely upwards of two hours, though it was difficult to tell in the darkness—when by quiet agreement, the two intrepid hunters decided it was time to take a break. They settled up against the side of one of the taller trees which dotted the landscape, and Ginny allowed herself an almost inaudible sigh of relief, keeping it quiet so that Harry would not notice it. It would not do for him to hear it, and try to insist that she return to Hogwarts again.

It had been a long and draining day—it had in fact been a series of long and draining days—since she had been told of the horcrux, and she had spent many nights sleepless since then. The shock and horror of the situation would not allow for rest, and she found herself lying awake for the most part, thinking about horcruxes, Harry, Voldemort, and any other dark and dismal thing which entered her head.

Though she had been searching with Harry for Nagini that evening, even within the contents of her own mind Ginny could not completely determine exactly why it was that it was so important to her that she accompany him. It was partially for the same reason that Harry himself was doing it, she suspected—the feeling of complete and utter helplessness and the desire to do something—anything at all—useful in the fight against Voldemort. There was also a certain level of protectiveness toward Harry himself, she supposed. He really was a good person, but he had a tendency toward impulsiveness, which appeared to have once again made itself known since he had received the bad news. And this did not even mention his tendency to believe he could handle everything himself.

He was correct in that he had defeated the basilisk by himself—Ginny as a direct beneficiary of the heroism he had shown then would never refute or attempt to make light of what he did. She was also acutely aware of the fact that there were certain fortunate circumstances which allowed him to do so, not the least of which was Fawkes's appearance and assistance. The snake he was searching for tonight would almost certainly be smaller than the basilisk had been, and likely less magical, but it was not to be taken lightly. Ginny hoped that Harry was doing anything but underestimating the snake, as he would end up getting himself killed if he did.

All of these things combined together formed Ginny's resolve to help Harry kill the horcrux. What she still had no answers for, was what would happen after. The true nature of horcruxes had been made painfully clear to her, and she knew that as long as she and Harry lived, that the Dark Lord could not truly be defeated. However, Harry seemed to have developed a fatalism which was frightening. It was almost as though he now embraced the idea of his mortality, and had decided to go down fighting, while taking Voldemort with him.

But where did that leave Ginny? If she still lived, then any sacrifice Harry made would do nothing for them, as she would still anchor the Dark Lord to life. Was it expected of her that she would sacrifice herself as well?

Fortunately—or so she thought—Ginny was not quite as ready to face death as Harry seemed to be. There was still time after all; though the Dark Lord appeared to be pressing his advantage, attempting to topple all resistance as quickly as possible, Dumbledore and others who were very knowledgeable were looking into the problem, and Ginny desperately held to the thought that one of them would manage to find the answer. The alternative was unthinkable.

But Harry was still a problem with his attitude. Ginny knew that Hermione and Fleur were the ones who kept him grounded and positive, but they were not here. Ginny was. It was up to her to keep Harry optimistic and ensure he didn't throw his life foolishly against their prey. And in order to do so, Ginny would need to know what he was thinking.

"How are you doing over there?" she said after studying him for a moment. He had been leaning against the tree with his eyes closed, and though Ginny sensed that he had not been sleeping, he appeared to be every bit as fatigued as she was herself.

"I'm fine," Harry replied, without opening his eyes. How typical of Harry to come up with that answer, as an obvious attempt to dodge her question.

"Oh really?" Ginny drawled. "Because from where I sit, I'm pretty sure you're as tired as I am."

Harry opened his eyes and gazed at her, before giving her the barest shrug. "I suppose I am—sleep has come only after a lot of difficulty lately."

"You're telling me."

Lapsing into silence, Harry once again leaned his head back against the tree trunk. But Ginny was not about to allow it to sit at this.

"Harry," she began hesitantly, "are you sure we're going about this the right way?"

"What do you mean?"

"Going after Nagini in the first place. I'm sure Dumbledore could come up with some way to deal with the snake safely."

Opening his eyes, Harry regarded Ginny with a calmness which was not entirely authentic, she thought, though it was truly difficult to make out his features in the darkness. "I'm not sure how. The snake has to die, but if anyone gets close to it and kills it, they'll just be made a horcrux for their troubles. We've already been over this, Ginny."

"I know," Ginny replied with a sigh. She was not as convinced as Harry that this was the best way to go about it, but as long as he would not be moved, then she would stand beside him. "You know we're going to be in big trouble when we get back, if they discover they're gone."

"I'm hoping that Fleur will have thought I just went to bed, and won't think to ask anyone else," Harry admitted.

"That's a pretty dumb plan," Ginny replied.

Resignedly, Harry shook his head. "It was about all I could come up with. But it will be worth it if we can kill the snake. If Nagini is gone, Dumbledore can chew me out for the rest of the year for all I care."

It sounded like Harry was being a little too glib about it, but Ginny let it go in favor of another question she had wanted to ask him. "What do we do if we can't find the snake tonight?"

Shrugging, Harry replied, "Come back tomorrow, I suppose."

Ginny was more than a little skeptical. "Not if they discover we're missing."

"Then we'll just have to make sure we're successful. I'm sure the snake is out—we just need to find it."

Though she was not certain how Harry could be so sure, Ginny decided to let it slide for the time being. Their conversation turned somewhat desultory from that point forward, as they spoke of some mundane things—school work, Quidditch, and some of the normal things which teenagers would be expected to talk of when they were not off fighting Dark Lords and vicious beasts. It was when the talk turned to more personal matters when it once again became much more interesting to Ginny.

"So you don't have a boyfriend, right?" Harry asked casually.

Ginny peered at him, wondering if he was really that obtuse—or perhaps had just forgotten for the moment who he was talking to. He could hardly have missed the fact that she had had a crush on him forever. But as she considered it, the mere thought of the state of her love life, and the fact that Harry was not a major part of it, was not as painful as it had been in the past. Why this was Ginny was not certain, but she gamely made to answer his question.

"No, but I haven't really been looking for one. I'm still only a fourth year, after all. I've got plenty of time for that."

She ignored the whole horcrux business, but for once, Harry did not dwell on it either. He merely smiled at her and nodded his agreement.

"And what about you?" Ginny asked. "You seem to be getting along pretty good with Fleur."

A dreamy smile slipped over Harry's face, and she saw his eyes go unfocused. It was obvious that Harry's feelings for the French witch had matured and deepened in the previous months, and Ginny was certain that Harry was now in love with her.

"Yeah, we're pretty close," Harry responded. "She's great. I'm happy that she's a part of my life now." He turned and looked at Ginny. "She's a really great person, you know. To be honest, I can't even remember what it was like before we became betrothed."

It was clear that Harry meant more than he was actually saying—that he was happy with Fleur and that, although he understood and accepted Ginny's infatuation, that he wanted her to know that he was happy, and that he was not sorry how it all came about. She also knew that Harry did not mean to warn her off—he was merely trying to put her at ease and let her know of his feelings.

"And Hermione," Ginny replied, "The fact that you're with her too is just about the worst kept secret in the school."

Harry shrugged. "We've never actually tried to keep it a secret—we just didn't make a big deal of it. But you're right—Hermione's great too." He paused for a moment, and then said in a quiet voice. "I don't know what I'd do without her."

"That's great, Harry," Ginny replied, surprising herself with her sentiment, as she would actually have thought that she would be jealous, not only that Harry was now in love with Fleur, but even more so at the news that he was in love with Hermione too.

Curiously, Ginny rolled the idea of Harry being with the other two girls in her head, trying to get a sense of what her own feelings were. The attraction and draw which Harry exerted on her was still there, as it always had been. Even now, if he were to suddenly get on his knees and proclaim his undying love for her, she would have no choice but to be swept away by his feelings, along with her own.

But the thought of him being in love with another was not nearly as painful as it would have been only a few short months ago. She would have thought she would be hurt, but all she truly felt was a sort of complacent acceptance, though she was not certain that was the proper terminology for how she felt.

Was she perhaps overcoming this infatuation which had held her in its grip for so long?

"Well, maybe not completely," she thought with a suppressed chuckle, given her thoughts of only moments before. But the truth could not be avoided—she was far more accepting of the situation than she would have been before, and that indicated some level of growth and maturity. She would always likely feel something for Harry, no matter how old or distant she became from him, but it was heartening that she would not always have the overwhelming fascination that she had always felt for him hanging over her head.

"You okay, Ginny?"

Startled by the sound of his voice, Ginny glanced at him, noting the way he was watching her carefully, no doubt concerned about her state of mind. But Ginny was not ready to discuss her feelings with Harry—the time for that would eventually come, but not until she had a chance to think it over and come to a resolution herself.

"Fine, though still tired," Ginny replied with a smile, deliberately choosing to misinterpret his question.

Harry peered at her a little dubiously, but evidently decided that now was not the time to pursue the conversation.

"Then I suppose we should get going again," he stated, and he rose, extending a hand to help her to her feet.

As they cast their spells again and set off, Ginny reflected that it had certainly been a most curious day. But now was not the time to think of such things; they had a snake to kill, and Ginny meant to do everything within her power to ensure that Harry lived through the experience.

When they were back on the trail of the snake again, Harry found that he had some things to think about. Their revealing spells once again lit the night up with indicators of abundant wildlife—though no humans, thankfully—and they once again began their task of searching the likely indicators for the elusive presence of Voldemort's familiar. At least he knew the snake was still out there; a quick visit to the Dark Lord's thoughts during their previous rest break had confirmed that, though he had been very careful, considering his close proximity to the Dark Lord. Still, Voldemort had not appeared to sense his presence in any way, and with his Occlumency once again firmly in place, Harry figured that if he did become aware of it, that he would be able to gather Ginny up and use the portkey to escape if necessary. Still, Harry did not think it would come to that.

What consumed Harry's thoughts at that time were thoughts of Ginny, and her words and reactions during their short rest. Harry had done his best these past months to meet Ginny's attempts at friendship with ones of his own, and he had thought that she was content with things as they stood. He was not, of course, blind to the fact that she still held a flame for him, but as she seemed to become less tongue-tied and more open in his presence, he had thought that she was getting over her infatuation.

Her words tonight had seemed to bear that supposition out. He had specifically mentioned his growing feelings for Hermione in an attempt to gage her reaction to the news, though they had hardly kept it a secret from any of their friends. It had not been kept a secret from the rest of the school either, for that matter. But she had responded with warm words of congratulations and not with a plea for him to consider her a prospective mate as well, which he had been half fearing. She had reacted with grace and poise, and had wished him well.

Harry had not relished the prospect of attempting to let Ginny down easily in this of all places. He was not categorically against a relationship with Ginny—she was nice, personable, intelligent, and certainly easy on the eyes. But more and more as he progressed into his relationships with Hermione and Fleur, he was coming to believe that he did not really want anyone else in his life. Trying to make two women happy was almost certain to be difficult enough, without trying to add a third or fourth.

"And that's assuming I even live long enough to really have those relationships," Harry thought morosely. Perhaps that was the biggest concern; he was not even certain he would survive this fight with Voldemort—and it was looking increasingly like he would not—and as such, there was no way he was going to encourage another girl to become emotionally attached to him.

"Or even more emotionally attached than she already is," he amended to himself. Or perhaps not. Maybe she was getting over it. Hopefully she would grow out of it.

"But then again, she's under the same death sentence as I am," was Harry next glum thought. That did not seem to give her the same measure of fatalism it had provided to Harry, but it certainly made future concerns less pressing.

But there was nothing he could do about that, he decided. Dumbledore was looking into the situation and trying to find a solution, and Harry hoped that it could be found, if only for Ginny's sake. However, in the meantime, Harry would do his duty and attempt to make sure that regardless of what happened, Voldemort would not be allowed to continue on with his reign of terror.

And part of that, Harry reminded himself, was concentrating on the task at hand. He determined to do that, as he looked out into the light.

"We're not having a lot of luck," Ginny commented from his side about a half hour later, as they startled another small animal from the underbrush.

Contenting himself with a grunt in response, Harry motioned Ginny to follow him. "We've been going around for some time now," he explained. "I'd like to see where we are in relation to the house."

They made their way through a slightly denser section of trees in the depression in which they were walking, and up to the sides of the ground which led up to the level ground upon where the house stood. Reaching the lip of the hollow, Harry stooped low and lay down on the ground, looking out over the landscape. Throughout the night, they had traveled around the house in a wide semicircle, approximately equidistant from the house during the course of their wanderings. Though it was difficult to tell due to the lack of light and the unfamiliarity with the countryside, Harry thought that they had possibly travelled around to approximately the opposite side of the house from where they had started. Given the location of Polaris—which was almost the first star they had studied in Astronomy class—Harry thought they were now to the southwest of the house, where they had started approximately north of it. The lair itself had not changed at all—it was still a dark and foreboding building, with lights shining from the windows in certain places, standing eerily in the middle of the moor. It was clear that at least some of the Dark Lord's minions did not sleep, but whether they were engaged in planning, or simply watching the surrounding landscape, Harry could not say.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Ginny spoke up from his side. "That's a lot of space to search, you know."

Harry crept away from the edge of the hollow and began making his way in the direction they had originally been heading, sensing, rather than seeing, that Ginny had followed him.

"The snake has to die," he responded.

"I know that," Ginny replied, a hint of impatience entering her voice. "But there must be some other way to do this."

"I'm all ears if you can think of one."

The silence which met his declaration spoke volumes as to Ginny's lack of alternate solutions. It was a few moments of searching later, before Ginny spoke again.

"How do you even know the snake is out here?"

Harry glanced at her before realizing that his connection to Voldemort had never been explained to her. However, she obviously interpreted his silence as not having an answer to give him, rather than hesitating over what to reveal to her.

"You don't know she's out here, do you?" Ginny said in a flat tone. "How could you be so reckless—?"

Unwilling to listen to another lecture, Harry cut her off. "I do know that she's out here."

Brought up short, Ginny peered at him suspicion evident in her skeptical gaze, which Harry could see even in the poorly lit night. "How?" was her blunt query.

"I have a… connection to Voldemort," Harry replied, pointing at his scar. "I see dreams of him. That's how I knew your father was in danger at the Ministry."

"So you had a dream about Nagini being out?" The skepticism was once again evident in Ginny's tone.

"No," Harry replied, scanning the landscape. "I can open up the connection between us if I need to. Spy on him, I suppose. That's how I found out that Nagini is out, and why I decided to come tonight. I was waiting for it."

Ginny's eyes narrowed to mere slits. "What about Voldemort? Can't he do the same to you?"

"He doesn't realize it's there," Harry stated, looking back at her blandly, daring her to challenge him on this.

"What if he learns about it?"

"Then I've got problems. But I've been very careful, and he still doesn't know."

Shaking her head, Ginny sighed. "Oh Harry. Only you could be so foolish."

Harry grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "What does that say about you? You came along uninvited, after all. It would seem to me that you following me out here when I have no clue makes you even more foolish!"

Playfully, Ginny slapped him on the shoulder, before she once again become serious. "Then why don't I have this connection to Voldemort?"

Frowning, Harry thought about the matter for a moment. Why did she not have the same connection? If they were both horcruxes, then should they both not exhibit the same characteristics? And for that matter, did the histories Remus spoke of have any information to suggest that horcruxes had a connection like his back to the one whose soul part they hosted? Harry was not certain, but he thought that Remus would have mentioned it if such a thing existed in the histories.

"Are you sure you don't?" he asked, stopping to look at Ginny.

"I've certainly never had him in my dreams," Ginny replied dryly. "I think I'd notice."

"Then I'm not certain," Harry admitted. "I don't think I've ever thought about it before and it didn't come up when Remus explained horcruxes to us."

"Maybe it's something that develops over time?" Ginny asked.

"It could be but I doubt it," Harry said after considering it for a moment. "The first time I ever noticed was when I got to Hogwarts in first year. That was also the first time I'd ever been close to him."

As Ginny opened her mouth to reply, Harry noticed a slight movement in behind her which caught his attention. It was then that he noticed two yellowed orbs glaring at them, glowing sickly at them in the gloom of the night. And that, of course, was when it struck.

Acting on pure instinct, Harry grabbed Ginny and threw himself to the side, as the jaws and fangs of the large snake hurtled through the air where they had been only a moment before. The snake's body clipped Harry's side as it went by, knocking the breath from him.

He landed in the dirt, immediately scrambling to his feet, ignoring the bruise he was almost certain would appear on his side, as he gulped in great gasps, attempting to get his breath back. Brandishing his wand, Harry watched as the snake reared its head and hissed at them. Harry exchanged a glance with Ginny. They had found Nagini.

Updated 06/13/2014