Disclaimer: I don't own it

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Chapter Thirteen: Threats and Curses

Hope and Hermione were sitting on Hope's bed, sorting through party items, to insure they had everything. The ball was set to commence in two weeks, and they couldn't wait.

Hope got up and stretched as she looked through some of the pictures that she had gotten from the vault while she was shopping. She had also removed the keys to the bigger vault and to her parent's manor. She thought it was time to finally take Severus up on his offer to see where her parent's used to live. But first…

"Hermione, I had an idea the other day. What if we talked to my dad, and Draco, you, Harry, Severus and I all go down to where the Burrow used to be and build a new one? It could be bigger, and everyone could have their own room. I mean, it wouldn't have to be a manor, and it would take a couple days, but they deserve their own home. And I want mine back."

Hermione looked at Hope before getting a pensive look on her face. "We would need to make sure Harry and Draco were willing to help, and research all the spells, and we would have to get started in the next couple days."

She turned toward Hope. "I'll ask Draco while you ask Harry and then we'll all go to your father and ask him. We could do it as a surprise too, that way they aren't expecting it. Oh, this is going to be so much fun."

Hermione jumped up off the bed and headed off to Draco's room before Hope could object to asking Harry. Sighing, she dejectedly made her way down the hallway and knocked on his door. She heard a crash and shuffling around his room before Harry opened the door.

"Hope, hey. Come on in," he said, holding the door open wider.

Hope entered his room and ducked her head as the snitch she had given him for Christmas came flying by. He jerked around her as he tried to catch it, but missed, and turned to her apologetically as she laughed.

"Catch your snitch," she said as she sat in the chair beside his desk. She watched him chase the snitch around the room. Again the snitch raced toward her, and she went to roll the chair out of Harry's way. Unknowing that the chair had been moved, he went to go around the chair and tripped over it, sending both the chair with Hope and himself to the floor.

Harry shook his head and laughed. He look at the girl who had landed beside him to make sure she was okay. At the glare he was receiving, he laughed even harder. Standing up, he put his hand out to help her. She jerked it hard causing him to have to regain his balance. Once up, the snitch flew by and Hope jerked her hand out and caught it, holding it out to an astonished Harry.

"Next time you're playing with a snitch, leave me in the hallway," she muttered as she sat on his bed and ran a hand through her hair.

Harry grinned. "But then you'd miss all the fun."

Hope couldn't help but smile at him. "Guess so."

Harry pushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "I'm guessing you didn't come in here to catch the snitch that's avoided me for the past two hours. What's up?"

Hope looked up. "Hermione and I were wondering if you wanted to help us rebuild the Weasleys house. It would be this weekend, and we won't tell them till it's done, but we need you and Draco's help before we ask my dad."

Harry laughed again. "Hope, the Weasleys are the closest thing to a family I've ever had. Of course I'll help."

Hope sighed in relief. "Good, now come help me convince my brother and father." She went to stand up but was pulled back down.

"Hope, there's more on your mind than just the house. What's going on?"

Hope looked away. "Harry, now isn't the time."

Harry put his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Your brother can keep Hermione occupied for a bit. What's wrong?"

Hope locked eyes with Harry. "You kissed Ginny."

Harry closed his eyes in understanding. "You're still upset about that? I thought you understood that I loved you, not her."

"Then why did you kiss her?"

Harry sighed. "Hope, she kissed me. She came in here crying, so we talked. She asked me to play Quidditch with her, and I said I had plans with you. She was put out and asked if we were dating again, and when I told her no, she kissed me. It happened less than a second before you walked in. I wouldn't have let it continue even if you hadn't come in."

Hope looked into his eyes to make sure he was telling the truth. "So where does that leave us?" She asked, even more confused. "It was easier to hate you for kissing her than it was to be confused by not knowing where we stand."

Harry smiled gently at her. He pulled her a little closer to him and softly kissed her. When he pulled away, he saw the turmoil in her eyes.

Hope was about to say something when there was a knock on the door, followed by Hermione yelling for them to hurry up.

Harry laughed. "Hope, your calling the shots on this house thing. Let's go. We'll finish talking later."

Hope got up and followed Harry out into the hallway in a daze. She turned to Hermione, who was dragging Harry and Draco down the hallway. She stopped halfway down and put her hands on her hips. "Hope Leanne Collins, what is wrong with you? This was your idea, now let's go!"

Hope shook her head to clear her thoughts, and hurried to catch up with them just as Hermione knocked on Severus' door. There came a muffled enter from inside and Draco pushed the door open.

"Are you doing anything that could possibly blow the house up if you're distracted?" He asked jokingly as he entered and saw Severus sitting at a desk with piles of paperwork surrounding him.

Severus glanced up at his children and their friends. "No, just working on lesson plans for the second half of term. What do you children need?"

Hope pushed the door closed and sat on her father's bed. "We were wondering if we could go and rebuild the burrow for the Weasleys this weekend. I mean, that would give us two days to look up construction spells. We wanted to surprise them."

Severus smiled at them. "I think it'd be a good idea. I'll contact Albus. The books you will need are in the back of the library on the top shelf. Draco knows how to get them down without being inflicted with a hex."

Draco nodded and the four teens stood. Draco and Hermione immediately went downstairs. Harry said something about finally beating the snitch, and shut himself off in his room. Hope laughed and went upstairs to start drawing a plan of the house on parchment. She entered her room and went to shut it the door when it was obstructed by something.

She turned around, curious as to what was blocking the door, and Ginny stood in her way.

"Ginny, what do you want?" She asked a tad bit rudely.

"I want you to stay the hell away from Harry. He isn't interested in you. Obviously you have put some kind of spell on him, but don't you know it's me he's interested in?"

Hope shook her head. "Ginny, I'm not arguing with you. Harry can decide who he wants to be with on his own."

"Really? Then why won't he even talk to me?"

"Maybe he doesn't like you. I don't know, go ask him."

"I can't ask him!" The redhead yelled furiously as she pulled out her wand. "He's too preoccupied with submitting himself to your every wish and command to even give me the time of the day. Voldemort should have killed you while you were in his clutches. Instead, he let you come back her to ruin everyone else's life!"

Hope looked at the wand and back to the teen's face. "Ginny, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to make sure that Harry never even considers going out with you again."

"Ginny, what is wrong with you?! You were invited into my house and now you're in my room threatening to hex me? What simple hex do you know that my father or the headmaster would be unable to reverse?"

Ginny glared at the girl. "What if I set your skin on fire? Surely the burns will be enough to turn Harry off of you forever."

Hope back away from the girl. "Ginny, calm down. You're being extremely rash."

Ginny raised her hand and said the incantation. Hope dodged the curse and watched as her bed was set up in flames. She grabbed her wand and put up a block for the next curse that Ginny sent out to her. The block broke and Hope fell to the ground and looked at the burn on her arm.

"Hey, Hope I was wondering if you…" Harry walked in and stopped at the sight of Hope's bed on fire and another spell crashing into her wall. He grabbed his wand and put out the fire on her bed before snatching Ginny's wand.

"What the hell are you thinking, Ginny? You could have killed her."

Ginny pouted and looked apologetic. She glanced at the damage that was done. "I don't know what happened. She said that you were hers and wanted nothing to do with me. I'm sorry, Harry, but you're one of my best friends, and after losing Ron, I guess I snapped." She turned to Hope, glaring since Harry was behind her. "I'm sorry, Hope."

Hope glared at the girl while standing. "I don't care how sorry you are, you get the hell away from me."

Hope inspected the burn on her arm and winced. The skin was completely eaten away and the area around the burn itself was severely red. She looked up and saw Harry's sympathetic eyes as he watched Ginny go downstairs.

"Hope, don't tell me you're going to kick her out of the house. She has nowhere to go."

"Harry, I'm not going to kick her out. Go get my father so he can put something on this."

Harry glanced back at her before rushing down the hallway. Hope sat on the couch since her bed was destroyed and closed her eyes against the pain. She desperately wished that potions would still work on her.

She heard footsteps entering and saw Hermione and Draco enter. "What happened!?" Hermione exclaimed.

"Ginny decided to try to finish what Voldemort started," Hope answered darkly. "She said that she'd make Harry never want to go out with me again."

"By burning your room?"

"No, by cursing my skin off by flame."

Hermione eyes got wide as she conjured a wet cloth. She placed it on the burn and winced as Hope let out a hiss of pain. As soon as she did this, Severus walked in and growled at the damage in her room.

"What the hell happened in here, Hope?!" Her father yelled, turning dangerous eyes upon her.

"I was testing some shields. I set them against an item and fired a curse. It didn't work, obviously."

Severus glared at his daughter. "Then you can fix everything yourself. Next time, think about what you're doing, you idiot child."

Hope watched him storm out of her room sadly. She looked at her brother.

"I'll go talk to him," he assured her as he left.

"Hope, why didn't you just tell him what happened?" Hermione asked as she got some kind of cream and put it on the burn.

"Because then he'd kick her out of the house. Maybe she is just overwhelmed with everything. No reason to make it worse."

"She could have killed you!"

"I know, Hermione, but I just have to give her the benefit of the doubt. Unless she is a dark wizard, I don't want to make her life any worse. Since she doesn't bear the dark mark, I'll let my father believe I was being stupid."

Hermione nodded and wrapped the arm tightly in bandages. "Every morning and night after you shower, put on this ointment and change the bandages." Hope nodded. "Do you need anything else?"

Hope shook her head and watched as Hermione and Harry left. She sighed and pulled out her journal to record the latest news of how her life was spinning out of control.

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A/N: Here's another chapter. Poor Hope. :(
Let me know what you all think.
See ya next Friday.
Kayla