8. It's Just A Warning

Harry rose late the following morning. He'd stayed up late into the night with his friends in a rare chance to act like teenagers again. He found Ron, Hermione and Ginny sitting at the kitchen table while Mrs Weasley bustled around near the hearth.

"Happy birthday, Harry." Mrs Weasley handed him a plate of bacon, eggs and toast.

"Thank you." He sat down next to Ginny, wondering how he had managed to forget it was his birthday. Perhaps because he'd not celebrated one since his seventeenth, before going on the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes.

"Fred and George are coming around later." Ginny said, watching Harry eating his bacon. "I'm not sure about Bill and Charlie."

Harry noticed she'd missed Percy out. He wondered if the third eldest son was still out of the family. They'd fallen out with him between Harry's fourth and fifth years at Hogwarts, and as far as he knew, they'd never been in touch since Professor Dumbledore's funeral.

"Why don't you go out into the orchard for a while." Mrs Weasley suggested. "It'll give me time to fix things for your birthday meal this evening." She added, looking at Harry.

Harry glanced out the window. The sun was shining merrily, but clouds threatened to get in the way. On the other hand, it would be nice to spend time with his friends, especially Ginny.

Harry lay on his back in the shade of the trees. He rested his head on one of his hands, enjoying the relaxed sensation that he'd missed on his mission. Across the other side of the orchard Ron, Ginny and Hermione were in a heated argument. Ron and Ginny were trying to persuade Hermione to try Quidditch while Hermione adamantly refused. Harry, sensing a loosing battle, had left them to it. He smiled to himself as the raised voices reached him.

"Go on, Hermione, it's really fun, just give it a go."

"I've got more important things to do than play Quidditch, Ronald."

"Are you scared, Hermione?"

Harry could tell Ginny was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"No, I am not scared. I just don't think it's safe, think about how many times Harry's been hurt…"

"I knew it." Ginny sounded triumphant. "You are scared."

Harry laughed and closed his eyes. A few minutes later he felt the ground vibrating as someone walked up to him. He opened one eye lazily and caught a flash of red.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Hi, Harry. I decided to leave Ron to it. He might have more success that way." She waggled her eyebrows and jerked her head in the direction of the other two.

Harry opened his other eye and rolled onto his front. Ron and Hermione seemed to have abandoned their argument, for their faces were firmly glued together. He turned back to Ginny.

"Don't even think about it, Potter!" She caught the look in his eyes. "Mum would kill me."

"Yeah, I guess." Harry sighed, the smile sliding from his face. The prolonged war had left everyone nervous and jumpy.

Slight movement in the trees behind Ginny caught his eye. He cautiously got to his feet while Ginny watched him closely, a confused expression upon her pretty features.

"Stay here, I won't be long." He motioned for her to stay low to the ground and crept forwards into the trees. He skirted around the long grass and old leaves and paused in a deep shadow. A pair of pale eyes gazed out at him through the gloom. The eyes moved closer revealing the pretty face of a light brown horse that stepped into the light. Branches snapped and leaves rustled as a foal trotted after its mother. The younger horse stopped dead as it spotted Harry. He grinned and left them to it.

Ginny sat quietly as Harry approached.

"It was a couple of horses." He said, sitting back down beside her.

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him lightly. "I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Ginny, but you know we can't be together, not until all this fighting is over." And then only if we're both still alive.

"I'll wait as long as I have to for you, Harry."

"Thank you, Ginny." Harry returned the kiss.

A loud snap behind them made both turn to face the noise. Harry stood up slowly, drawing his wand as the rustling leaves brought Ginny to her feet too.

"That isn't horses." Ginny whispered.

Harry grasped her hand. "Ginny." He whispered urgently, needing her to understand his instructions. "Go back to Ron and Hermione. Go with Hermione to the house and get help. Send Ron over here."

"No, Harry. I am not leaving you." She held his hand even tighter, glancing over and the other two teenagers. She saw Hermione looking in their direction and discreetly beckoned for her to join them.

Hermione pulled Ron to his feet. Seeing Harry and Ginny had their wands out, she motioned to Ron that they should get theirs out too. They reached their friends without incident.

"What's going on?" Hermione whispered.

"No idea…we need to get back to the house." Harry muttered, but then a large circle of black-robed, masked people emerged from the trees.

Hermione scanned the circle quickly, looking for any escape. She spotted a small gap in the surrounding Death Eaters and wordlessly sent a message for help.

The four teens stood back-to-back, wands pointed straight out in front of them, all on their guard. It reminded Harry rather forcibly of the battle in the Department of Mysteries. Don't think about that. He told himself sternly. Concentrate on what's going on now.

One of the Death Eaters raised his wand and pointed it into the sky.

"Minus Morsmordre."

All four turned towards the smaller version of the Dark Mark that hovered above the orchard.

"This is just a warning." One of the masked men hissed before all of them disappeared without a trace.

Harry stared out the grimy window into the street below. Lupin and some of the Order had come running at Molly Weasley's call. Hermione's Patronus had done its job spectacularly, and it had gone unnoticed, unfortunately the mini Dark Mark hadn't. Harry and the Weasleys had since moved the party to Grimmauld Place, but Harry no longer felt like celebrating his birthday. Ginny sought him out just before the festivities were due to begin.

"He deliberately did it today." Harry muttered.

Ginny didn't reply. She didn't know what she could possibly say.

"At least he had the courtesy not to attack me."

"Harry, forget it. It's your birthday, Mum's gone all out to make it a good one."

Harry turned his back on Ginny and walked out the room.