Chapter 13 Part 1 Finding What Is Lost

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to John, who has recently reminded me that we've known each other fifteen years. Cheers!

It's a hard lonely road

When you're standing outside in the cold

Hoping…

Ginny felt as if her whole body was being turned inside out, the dinner she consumed earlier threatening to make a reappearance. In a matter of seconds, the unpleasantness was gone and her feet had touched ground.

She was transported right outside the door of a building of some sort, a house most likely, that she did not recognize. She quickly reached inside her pocket for her wand but found it empty. Her heart skipped a beat. She must have left it in her bedside table.

Her pulse began to race, her mind going through the different dangers possibly lurking in the unfamiliar territory. She tried to keep still, repeating to herself what had Harry always told her: Don't give away your position. The mantra calmed her down a bit, allowing her to assess the situation.

The key was the first thing she remembered. She was transported just after she read the words inscribed at the back of the key. Vaguely, she recalled Professor Binns' lecture about portkeys. He said that back when Apparition wasn't common and not yet approved by the Transportation Regulation Commission of the Ministry, witches and wizards used a lot of different ways to travel, among them permanent portkeys. They transport holders to one specific place, much like modern portkeys, the only difference was that they were triggered by passwords, fingerprint charms and other such enchantments wizards deemed necessary. And they worked as long as they were regularly used.

Judging by the ancient look of her key, it was easy to conclude that it was one of those left from centuries ago. And if it led her here, it must open the same ancient looking lock of the doorknob.

What were the odds that she bought an antique key from the flea market that still works?, she thought, knowing that the magic wears off after a long period of disuse. Better yet, what were the odds that the house it belongs to still exists?, she marvelled.

She snapped herself from her momentary reverie and looked around her, careful not to make the slightest sound. From the dim light overhead, she can make out a set of red framed glass double doors in front of her surrounded by apple green sidings with white trimmings, fifteen steps of wooden stairs behind separating her from the ground. It struck her as unusual that the antiquated lock did not resemble the fresh and vibrant feel of the other parts of the house.

There was a pot of red dahlias beside the door and a red mat with a word stitched in that read Ora Legore Villa, Like in the key!, she thought excitedly. And then a niggling feeling went over her, one that kept saying she's seen this place recently. And then it hit her.

Noooo. No way! This isn't… I can't be in… "Summerville," she whispered.

I won't ever let go

All that I want to hold onto

Harry couldn't keep the smile from appearing on his face as he took the stairs to his room. Ginny loves him and things couldn't get any better. Except, of course, when she gets her memory back and they make it to their wedding in three days time. But that's out of the question now and all he could hope for is that she recovers in the future. In the meantime, he would just enjoy all that they have going now, plan for another proposal and eventually get married. It sounded simple but he knew it was a rough road ahead.

There were reasons they were only tying the knot after eight years of being together – they were too young, their careers got in the way, they weren't ready to have a family, they were both emotionally immature, etc. And then a year ago, he noticed they didn't quarrel as much, they were spending more time together, work was easier, they were madly in love with each other and he knew, when he saw Ginny picking up little Fitz in the garden, that both of them were ready. He started looking for a house right away and consulted with jewellers for the perfect ring. He did not know what it was but it seemed like the planets were aligned or something because everything went smoothly from there. He accidentally heard of Summerville two days later from a co-worker, he found the perfect rose gold diamond ring a week after, Ginny signed a new contract with the Harpies that allowed her to get married and have children, and he was promoted to Senior Auror which meant more liberties with his schedule.

He proposed to her one starlit evening after celebrating their recent career accomplishments. He took her out to a lavish restaurant in London and had a bottle of champagne. Before taking her back to her place, he asked if she would accompany him on a midnight stroll and she agreed. He Apparated them both to Crystal Plains and though she was clueless as to where they were, she remained silent and held on to him, letting him take the lead. They walked this way for a few minutes until they stopped in front of a gated fence and before she could ask, Harry had already opened the gate with his wand and led her inside.

They passed through a thicket of trees before the three-storey structure came into full view. Ginny gasped and stopped in her tracks as she saw the house, turning questioning eyes on Harry.

"This is Summerville," he said. "I purchased it recently. It's my home, and I hope it will be yours, too." With this, he knelt down on one knee and took the ring out of his jacket pocket and offered it to her along with the words "Will you marry me and make me the happiest man, Ginevra Weasley?"

She couldn't breathe. She knew what was coming weeks before when he started looking at her all funny but she dared not think of it in case it turned out to be a disappointment. And now he had actually proposed and she was just so happy tears started to well on her eyes. She knelt down on the ground and touched his cheek and with the widest smile, she whispered "Of course I'll marry you. I'll marry you any day," and kissed him.

"HARRYYY?"

The voice of Mrs. Weasley coming from the kitchen jolted Harry from his reverie. She must have just come back from Fred and Angelina's through the Floo. Doubling back, he found her walking from the kitchen to the stairs, holding out a wand.

"Ginny left this on the counter. If you would be a dear ..."

"Of course. I'll give it to her directly," he replied, reaching for the wand. "Good night, Mum."

"Good night, dear."

Harry knocked on Ginny's door twice, knowing she was usually still awake at this hour reading her novel. She did not answer, though he could see there was still light in the room indicating that she was not yet asleep. He knocked again and still nothing. Cautiously, he turned the knob and opened the door. Ginny wasn't inside. She might be in the loo, he thought, so he decided to wait a while. Minutes went by and she did not return. She probably went to his room and thought of something she needed to tell him, he surmised. He quickly went to his room but she wasn't there either. He guessed maybe she was downstairs looking for her wand already so he went down to look for her there. He searched for her in the whole house and made such a ruckus that he woke Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the process.

"What's the matter, Harry?" Mr. Weasley inquired groggily.

"I can't find Ginny," he answered hastily.

"What do you mean you can't find her? She's in her room, I saw her enter as I headed to bed earlier."

"She's not there, Dad. I've looked for her all over the house and she's not here."

"But you were with her earlier, weren't you?" asked Mrs. Weasley, who had gone down on her robe.

"Yes, we came back together. She went to bed before I did because I stayed behind to read some mail. And then just as I was going upstairs you asked me to return her wand and that's when I found she wasn't in her room or anywhere in the Burrow for that matter," he explained.

"Have you tried looking for her outside? She could have wandered in the garden or the lake," Mr. Weasley suggested. "I'll go see."

"Maybe she went to one of her brother's for something. I'll Floo them," Mrs. Weasley said, going directly to the fireplace.

A few minutes later and the couple came back without finding Ginny but brought Bill, Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Hermione back with them. "They were worried," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Where do you think she's gone to, Harry? I mean, it's past midnight and Mrs. Weasley said she hasn't got her wand with her," asked Hermione.

"She wouldn't. That's to say, she wouldn't go anywhere wandless at this time and not tell anyone. Not unless ..." He paused, not wanting to even entertain the thought. But the gang leader responsible for the Sidle kidnapping went to mind, and the last words he said to him during the trial was "I'll get you for this."

"Not unless what, Harry?" Ron prompted.

He looked Ron in the eye and said "Not unless she was taken." And he knew Ron understood.

A/N: Okay, so it's been a while. You were probably wondering if I've abandoned this story but obviously, that's not true. I've just been having trouble because 1) I've been busy and 2) it's been hard trying to make sense of what I want for the ending. I've told you I've envisioned the ending before I wrote the chapters but it just needs more tweaking. So instead of making this chapter a very looong last chapter, I cut it into two parts. That way, you read some now while I'm still finishing the ending. Pretty neat, eh?

I appreciate all your comments and I'm very grateful that you're still sticking with me. Hope to hear from you guys, so drop me a line. Tell me what you liked, what you hated, and I'll get back to you:)