The lessons with Sirius and Tonks continued. Remus joined them for the next lesson, and was touched to get a warm welcome of applause. Many of the older students went out of their way after their lessons to let him know they had missed him, and that he was the best DADA teacher they had ever had.

The numbers had dwindled slightly, which worried Harry. Some students said they didn't have time, due to OWLs or general school work. A few said they had written home to tell their parents and had been told by them 'not to bother with such foolishness'. The general opinion was that while Dumbledore was there, Hogwarts wouldn't and couldn't be attacked. Most of the ones that had discontinued were the older Slytherins. Only Tracey Davies and, surprisingly, Blaise Zabini had continued.

Rose Zeller had returned to Hogwarts mid-October, and had immediately been surrounded by well wishers. To their surprise, she had sought out Harry and Ginny, begging to be allowed to train with them, and asking for private lessons until she had caught up with the others. She was determined to be able to protect herself, which reminded Ginny of how she felt the year after the Chamber of Secrets. Rose had been staying with her dad's sister, a Squib who had no interest in the magical world, even more so now it had taken her brother and his family. Rose hadn't had much to do with them before, but now she was forced to live with them. Harry and Ginny took Rose under their wing, and she became their 'little sister'.

Harry found himself facing his everyday lessons with ease. With his magical core increasing, he found Charms and Transfiguration easy. With the help of the Half Blood Prince, he was top of the class in Potions, and with Neville's help, was actually enjoying Herbology. His extra work with Dumbledore over the summer made DADA a breeze, and he actually found himself helping other students around him when they practiced certain spells. Snape watched on, but tp Harry's surprise said nothing.

With his free time, Harry found himself thinking up lesson ideas for the training sessions with Sirius, Remus and Tonks. He noted each student in the fifth to seventh years, and where their individual strengths and weaknesses were. Then he wrote spells that they could work on, and suggested groups for ones that were at the same level. He'd send the notes to Sirius, so they would be able to implement his ideas for their next level. Hedwig had never had so much flying to do, but she enjoyed helping her Harry.

Ginny was studying hard, determined to do well in her OWLS. She had always enjoyed Charms and Transfiguration, and she loved Ancient Runes. She was doing well in Potions and was one of the stroingest in her class in DADA, thanks to her training with Tonks, Sirius and Harry. She was struggling slightly in Astronomy, always forgetting the names of the many planets and stars. She was doing well in Care of Magical Creatures, even if Romilda Vane did say it was because the teacher was her own brother.

The only downfall was that Harry and Ginny didn't get much alone time. After the delights of their first time together before they returned to school, they hadn't really had much opportunity to be alone for any decent amount of time. As much as they had the Room of Requirement, with Ginny constantly studying, Harry didn't want to make it a rushed event. He wanted to take his time, re-acquaint himself with her body, pamper her. He often took his frustrations out on Sirius or Remus when they were duelling. When Sirius pulled him aside and asked him to explain, he told his story to Sirius. Instead of laughing and teasing, or telling him to 'take matters into his own hands', Sirius actually came up with a good suggestion. Harry sent out an owl, and plans were made.

The first Hogsmeade visit of the new school year brought the first big drop of snow. Harry and Ginny bundled up and eagerly made their way to the little town close to the school. They had decided to do a bit of shopping first before meeting with Madame Rosmerta for a chat about the tunnels. Then they had the afternoon free. Ginny had suggested returning to the Room of Requirement and snuggling in front of the fire before the Halloween Feast. Harry had made dubious noises and in the end shrugged and simply said, "we'll see." Halloween wasn't his favourite time of year.

They grabbed some more quills and ink, then spent a good half an hour in Honeydukes. Ginny suggested getting some of their favourite chocolates for Sirius, Remus and Tonks to give to them at their next lesson. Harry thought it was a nice gesture and agreed. They also picked up a Sugarquill for Rose.

They wandered hand in hand down the main street. They passed Madame Puddifoot's and Harry glanced over to see Cho in there. Harry couldn't see who she was with, but he nodded in recognition when their eyes met.

They met up with Neville, Hannah and Susan. Daphne walked past with Tracey Davies, sending Neville a lingering look. He pretended he didn't see it.

"We're meeting Luna for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. We'll be in the back booth if you want to join us," said Neville to Harry, who nodded. Neville actually knew of Harry's planned meeting with Madame Rosmerta, but Harry didn't want to draw attention to it by having it downstairs where everyone would see. He was glad Neville could distract his friends by sitting in a booth far away from where Harry and Ginny would be.

"Thanks mate, might see you there," said Harry, non-commitedly. He and Ginny walked on.

"The Hogs Head. I've never been in there, have you?" she asked.

"No. Shall we stick our heads in for a look?" laughed Harry.

"Come on, we've still got time before we meet Madame Rosmerta, and it's starting to snow again. We can say we ducked in to get away from the cold," said Ginny, tugging his hand.

They ran hand in hand to the run-down building. They opened the door.

"Shut the ruddy door, you'll let the goat out," cried a voice.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other. Was the voice talking to them?

"Shut it, shut it," the voice yelled.

A bleating sound ran straight for them, and Harry quickly shut the door. The goat didn't look happy about having his plans shut down, and bleated angrily at them.

"Get back 'ere, you old goat," yelled a man, coming from the side of the bar. He came forward, shuffling slightly. "You two look a mite young to be in my fine establishment."

Harry looked around the empty bar. Dust had settled on a couple of tables, and a broken beam looked like it might let the ceiling come crashing down at any minute. Surely he should be happy for some patronage? His attention was caught by a large portrait of a pretty young girl, before he turned back to listen to the stranger and Ginny talk.

"-the cold, you know," smiled Ginny, blowing on her hands. "so we just popped in. We're from the school, it's a Hogsmeade visit day."

"Yeah, yeah, I got warned. None of the kids usually come in here. Well, no-one usually comes in here. It's just me, Gertie and A-never mind," he said suddenly.

"Oh so they let the shopkeepers know when we're coming?" asked Ginny, making conversation. Harry's eyes were drawn back to the portrait. The young girl smiled and waved to him. He nodded back.

"I don't know about the rest, but Albus always lets me know," the stranger said gruffly.

"You know Dumbledore?" asked Harry.

The man scoffed. "Do I know Dumbledore? I should, he's our brother. Aberforth Dumbledore is my name, but I go by Abe." The man stared at them, waiting for their reaction.

"Merlin, I didn't realise you lived so close to your brother, did you Harry?"asked Ginny.

Harry shook his head. "You said 'our'. 'He's our brother'. You have other siblings?"

"Had. I had a sister, Mr..."

"Potter. Harry Potter, and this is Ginny Weasley. I'm sorry you and Albus lost your sister,"said Harry.

"Harry Potter, eh. Bet you think the sun shines out of his ass, like the rest of the sheep up there," snarled Abe. He nodded in the direction of the castle.

"We're not blind to Albus' faults," said Harry, defensively.

Abe stepped behind the bar and poured a shot of what looked like Firewhiskey. He downed it, keeping his eye on Harry. "Then you'd be in the minority, Mr Potter. Would you like one?" He indicated his shot glass.

"I don't think so," said Harry, angered. Abe's amused glance landed on Ginny.

"What about you, Red? Put hairs on your chest," he grinned. Harry stepped forward, protectively.

"Couldn't you come up with anything better than 'Red'. Of course we don't want a drink, you foolish old man," snapped Ginny.

Abe just shrugged. "Been called worse. Got a bit of a firecracker there, Mr Potter. Good luck with that one."

Ginny huffed. "I'm standing right here! Come on Harry, let's go. It's nearly time to go see Madame Rosmerta."

She started to walk away, with Harry following her. She stopped and turned back.

Ginny walked back to stand in front of him, despite Harry calling her to come on. "Do you support the same side as your brother? Will you fight against Voldemort or join him, when the time comes?"she asked, defiantly.

"I would never support a power hungry bastard like Voldemort," said Abe, taking offense.

"I fought Albus in his crazy ideas with Grindelwald, and I was proved right. The cost, it was too high though," he finished sadly. He looked over to the portrait. The young girl smiled sadly at him.

"What do you mean, with Grindelwald. I thought Albus was the one who imprisoned him?" asked Harry, confused.

"He did, in the end. At first though, the two of them had the idea of taking control of the Muggle world. They were both exceptionally strong wizards. The power, it sucked them both in. But where Grindelwald wanted more, Albus pulled back. They fought and...he left. Albus has never let anyone get as close to him as Gellert did,"said Abe.

"We know they fell in love," said Ginny.

"You do, do you? Suppose you think its wrong, two wizards being in love?" asked Abe, defensively.

"Why? Do you?" asked Ginny, turning the tables back on him.

Abe turned away. "There wasn't many that could match Albus. Always knew he was destined to be 'Somebody'. When Gellert came into our lives that summer at Godric's Hollow, I knew then that Albus had met his match. In all areas of his life."

"Godric's Hollow? You lived there? Albus never mentioned he lived there. My parents lived there, I was born there," said Harry.

"Everyone knows your story, Mr Potter. I'm sure my brother has long forgotten his life in Godric's Hollow," said Abe sadly. He picked up a dirty cloth and started wiping the bar with it.

"You wouldn't happen to know of any tunnels that lead from here," Ginny gestured to the empty bar, "to Hogwarts, do you?"

Abe looked amused. "And if I did?" Ginny just sighed and shook her head.

"I guess we should go. It was nice-uh, " Abe scoffed when she said that, so she amended it, "interesting meeting you. I guess I'll see you when I'm seventeen."

"What for?" he asked.

"You owe me a Firewhiskey," she said, with a toss of her hair. He tried to hide a smile, and shook his head. "Go on with yeh." He waved them away.

"Goodbye," said Harry, saying it to Abe and the portrait girl. The girl waved shyly, then looked at her brother with worry.

Harry and Ginny walked away, slamming the door quickly when they realised the goat was trying to make a run for it again. They walked away, with Harry glancing back at the run down store.

"Wow, that was-wow. I can't believe he's Dumbledore's brother, can you?" asked Ginny.

"I know. I don't know why he didn't say anything to me when we were at Godric's Hollow," wondered Harry.

"Well, you did say he rescued you and Sirius from Nagini. Or maybe he just knew how much seeing your parents graves would mean to you, and he didn't want to take away from that," said Ginny, hopefully.

Harry shook his head. "No. He told me about some of the other witches and wizards that lived there, like Bathilda Bagshot. Hell, he even mentioned Grindelwald. I don't get it," said Harry.

"Maybe Sirius is right. We really can't trust him one hundred per cent," said Ginny, threading her arm through his. "What did you think of him? Abe Dumbledore?" she said.

"Sad. Bitter," said Harry, saying the first two words that came to his mind.

"I know," agreed Ginny. "Yet he lives close to his brother, and he almost got defensive when he thought I had a problem with Dumbledore and Grindelwald being in love. Strange."

"I know. It's like he hates Albus, but then he stands up for him, and is even proud that he's such a strong wizard," said Harry.

Ginny sighed. "Maybe it's a sibling thing. My brothers Percy and Ron haven't treated me well since I got put into Slytherin, but I hated what Draco did to Ron in his first Quidditch match. I won't let anyone badmouth Percy, even if he has become the Ministry's bitch," grinned Ginny. "Only me and my brothers are allowed to stick it to 'em."

Harry heard a clock chiming. "Come on, we need to go now and see Rosmerta. Then-"

"Then what?" asked Ginny, hurrying along.

"Lunch. I'm starved," lied Harry.

"Good, me too," said Ginny. She grinned, "Shall we sit with Neville and his ladies?"

Harry chuckled as they went inside the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta must have been watching for them, as she indicated with a toss of her head that she would meet them upstairs.

"Ginny, Harry, over here," called Hermione, waving to them.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, then went to where Hermione was sitting with Ron, Seamus and Dean.

"Would you like to join us?" asked Hermione, indicating the two spare seats.

"Oh, no thanks. We're actually meeting up with Charlie. Have you seen him?" lied Ginny, pretending to be looking for him. She knew Charlie was still at Hogwarts.

"I'll just go to the loo," said Harry, leaning over to kiss Ginny on the cheek. He whispered in her ear, "Come upstairs in one minute." He nodded to the table and left.

"So Ginny, what are you meeting Charlie for?" asked Ron, suspiciously. He hated that his sister was in the know and he wasn't.

"Shopping for Bill's birthday present," said Ginny. "Will you excuse me? I wanted to go and see Mandy." She started to walk off.

"If you find something, I'll chip in with you, yeah?" asked Ron, hopefully. Ginny stopped and sighed. He was such a doofus sometimes. She turned back to tell him that when Hermione spoke.

"We saw you, you know. Going in to the Hog's Head," said Hermione, smugly.

"We just wanted to get out of the cold weather for a bit," shrugged Ginny.

"You shouldn't go in there. It doesn't have the best reputation," said Hermione.

"Yeah? Maybe you should let Professor Dumbledore know what you think of the place," said Ginny.

Hermione perked up. "Do you think I should? Goodness only knows what goes on in there."

"Or we could go and find out for ourselves," said Seamus, with Dean nodding enthusiastically. "I heard the owner serves anyone Firewhiskey in there. No ID needed."

"I have to go. Excuse me," said Ginny, heading over and waving to Mandy Brocklehurst before going up the stairs.

Harry was waiting for her. "Come on, Rosmerta is already here."

Ginny walked in to a room. She greeted Madame Rosmerta, apologising for keeping her waiting. "It's fine, my dear. I took the liberty of ordering some lunch for the two of you. Something warm for your tums, dear."

It turned out to be beef stew with homemade bread. "Mmm, perfect," said Ginny, taking a swallow. "Thanks."

"Madame Rosmerta, thank you for agreeing to meet with us today. My godfather, Sirius Black, always speaks highly of you," said Harry.

Rosmerta smiled. "Ah, Sirius Black. I still remember the four of them from when they were at school. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Now here you are, years later, James' son. Merlin, I feel old," she said shaking her head.

Harry quickly finished his bowl as she recounted the times she'd seen the Marauders together in the Three Broomsticks. "Course, Sirius was the charmer. James was the one looking for some fun. Remus was the level headed one, but he was always up for an adventure. Then there was Peter, poor little Peter. Always the tag-along. I think the others felt sorry for him," she said affectionately. She looked at Harry. "I know why you're here today. Sirius owled me. I'm happy to help in anyway I can. Do you really think You-Know-Who would attack the castle?"

"I honestly don't know. Even if they did, it might happen tomorrow, it might happen next month, it might happen next year. This is just so we have a plan to get the younger students out of the castle. They're the weakest. We need to minimise loss of life," said Harry, seriously.

"How can I help?" asked Rosmerta.

"There's several tunnels that links Hogwarts to Hogsmeade. One comes out in your basement. We'd like to send students through the tunnel to keep them safe," said Harry. "Mostly the younger students, but really, if anyone wanted to leave, we wouldn't stop them."

"Would you be able to let me know when they're coming?" said Rosmerta, thinking hard. "I'd need to shut the place. I can't be having underage students just turn up."

"I could probably send a Patronus," said Harry. "How many do you think your basement would hold? I was guessing thirty or so. It would mainly be first and second years, they'd be our priorities."

"Thirty or Forty. Fifty would be a squeeze. I guess a Disillusionment spell would keep anyone away from the basement," Rosmerta mused.

"Do you know of any other tunnels? We asked Abe Dumbledore, but he never really answered, did he?" asked Ginny, looking at Harry.

Rosmerta laughed before Harry could reply to her. "You met that old goat?"

"I think we met him and his old goat," chuckled Harry. "What's his story?"

"He's a strange one, is Abe Dumbledore. Younger than Albus. They had a falling out years ago, some family thing. Why, I even heard him and his brother got into a punch up at their sister's funeral. Abe broke Albus' nose, so the story goes," sighed Rosmerta.

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look.

"He has a lot of oddballs in the Hog's Head. There's talk of shady deals and such being done there. Mundungus Fletcher is a regular, so that should let you know about the clientele," said Rosmerta.

Ginny nodded, having heard of the light fingered crook who was a well known informant to the Order of the Phoenix. "I've heard of Dung," she said.

"Well," said Rosmerta, standing up. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave you to it. Perhaps you can owl me, if anything comes up that you think I need to know. Or tell Sirius to stop by," winked Rosmerta.

She waved her wand to gather up the used crockery and went out the room.

"Well, she's on board," sighed Ginny in relief. When Harry didn't reply she looked at him. "Harry?"

"Hmm, oh yeah, great," said Harry.

"What's up?" asked Ginny.

"Well now, let's see, there's you over there, on the bed. There's me, over here, near the bed. We're all alone, with a bed. Are you seeing a common theme here?" he asked, shrugging off his jacket and hat. He leered at her.

"Harry, we can't," gasped Ginny. "We'd have to pay to use the room."

"I've already done so," said Harry, smirking. He undid the buttons on his shirt as he came closer. "Unless...you don't want to?" he asked uncertainly.

"Harry, of course I do!" cried Ginny. She looked around. The room was cosy. "Are you sure we can stay?"

"All afternoon. We don't have to be back at the castle till four," said Harry.

He had just enough time to catch Ginny as she launched herself into his arms. They fell back onto the bed, laughing and kissing. Clothes were being tossed off and flung across the room, in their haste to be together.

"Silly me, I almost forgot how beautiful you are," said Harry, moving in between her thighs and looking down at her.

"Silly me, for thinking studying is more important than this, than you,"said Ginny, linking her arms around his neck.

They spent the rest of the afternoon getting 're-aquainted'. They had to run nearly all the way back to Hogwarts, and only just made it by four o'clock, to Filch's displeasure.

They enjoyed the Halloween Feast with their friends in the Great Hall. While Harry privately took a moment to remember his parents, he decided it was one of his happiest Halloweens ever.

Ginny brought her books with her to the Room of Requirement, and Harry brought his Potions book. They had intended to do some studying, but with the memory of how they'd spent the afternoon still strong in their minds, neither book got opened that night.

Meanwhile, out in the hall close by, Draco Malfoy was trying to get into the Room of Hidden Things. Again.