"I'm sorry, you did what!?"

Ginny winced at her Dad's sharp words. Mum looked too shocked to even utter a word. The cause of their distress, the Diary that Ginny had sto- no, liberated, from Borgin and Burkes, sat on the table between them.

"I… may have, er, liberated this Diary," she said, biting her lip. Mum and Dad narrowed their eyes at her in sync. Merlin, she was in trouble now. "Confiscated it?" She tried. "In a very non-legal manner?"

If anything, that made them look more mad. "But I did it for you," she added quickly to Dad.

She could understand the cause of her parents' anger. In her hurry to find the evidence against the Malfoys, she hadn't spared a thought to what could have happened to her if the Diary had been cursed in a harmful way.

"That isn't your job!" Mum finally cried. "You could have been hurt! You could have died!"

"No, I wouldn't have!" Ginny defended. "I saw Malfoy and Borgin take it in their hands! I knew it was harmless."

Mum opened her mouth again, but Dad placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "You don't know how Dark Magic works, Ginny," said Dad, who looked a lot more troubled than he did before.

"I don't want to tell you how it works, either," he continued. "But, I beg you, stay away from it. For both our sakes."

Ginny nodded, not even sure if she'd had a choice in the matter. Her parents looked relieved, though.

She then explained how she'd run into Harry, carefully avoiding any mention of how close she'd come to being caught, and then how they'd both escaped. That had been the end of it, so Ginny pretended to walk up to her room and hid near the First Floor landing.

"What are we going to do with this girl?" Mum asked, sounding extremely tired.

"I have no idea where to even begin," said Dad. She heard the sound of a chair scraping, and then a sort of warbling sound. "But she was right."

"About?"

"The Diary," Dad explained. "It isn't cursed to destroy things on touch."

"It doesn't matter," replied Mum, sounding annoyed. "It wasn't her job. Besides, the diary is oozing with Dark Magic."

"I agree, to both your points," replied Dad, much to Ginny's chagrin. "But…"

"What?"

"This could be enough to build a case against Malfoy," Dad whispered. "It's the one piece of evidence I've been looking for."

"This Diary?" Mum asked.

"Anything Dark originating from the Malfoys' Vault or Homes, really, but this is more than I could ask for," Dad replied absently. She could imagine him scratching his beard absently.

"Is it enough for an arrest?" Mum sounded hopeful.

"Technically, yes," Dad sounded hesitant now. "We would need a statement from Ginny, even an anonymous one could work. That would be enough to allow the administration of Veritaserum in court."

She felt someone tapping her shoulder and turned around to see Percy staring at her with a disapproving expression. "You shouldn't be snooping, Ginevra."

Arguing with Percy was a losing game, so she reluctantly started walking up the stairs. "You were snooping too!" Ginny hissed at him, trying to listen to her parents' fading voices as she went farther away from the landing.

"I was not!" Percy replied, indignant.

"Yes, you were," Ginny told him. Her parents' voices had completely faded. "You were snooping on me!"

"What?" She hadn't ever seen Percy look so flabbergasted. Ginny turned away from him, unable to hide her grin. She quickly ran up the stairs, ignoring his calls.

She went into Bill's room to see if he'd found anything between the last time she'd asked him, which was right before she'd gone to tell her parents. More than enough time for a discovery in her opinion.

Bill opened the door when she knocked. "I haven't found anything, Ginny," Bill said when he saw her, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. She pouted, disappointed.

"Nothing?" She asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

"I'm not telling you what type of Magic the Diary has," Bill said firmly. She sighed, giving it up as a lost cause.

"What about my Wand?" Ginny pressed.

"I haven't looked into it at all," Bill grimaced at her apologetically. "I thought it would be better for Dad if I sorted this mess with the Diary out first."

Trying to bite back her disappointment, she nodded. He was right, after all.

"It was Black Liquid, right?"

"What?"

"The thing you saw that materialised," Bill said.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny replied. "It was."

"I've never heard of anything about Black liquid taking form by itself," muttered Bill, shaking his head. "It's got to be some old and rare form of Magic."

He sounded like he'd just cracked the mystery. Ginny scoffed. "That's what I've been telling you for ages."

"Right, yeah." Bill chuckled sheepishly. "I'm… sorry?"

Ginny smiled, patted his head and laid down fully on the bed as Bill's watch rang. He blanched when he saw the time and dashed out of the room, leaving Ginny alone.

All wasn't looking down, though. While Bill hadn't been able to determine what the object was exactly, he had been able to prove, beyond all possible doubt, that the object was Dark in nature. This was helpful, only because it would help Dad build a case against Lucius Malfoy.

She checked the time, and noticed that she was almost late too. She was supposed to be meeting Harry today as well.

It had been over a week since they'd met at the flying Broomstick again, and since then, Ginny had the most fun she could remember having. They had been able to do so many things in the short time they knew each other: flying, exploring Diagon Alley, talking about their worlds and what it was like growing up for them. Harry never told her much about his family though, so she had decided to show him the parts of Diagon Alley that she'd been to, mostly the grocers and toy shops.

His expression of wonder at all of it was brilliant. Everything he'd told her about the Muggle world also sounded exciting. She was hoping she could get him to take her there, maybe with Dad. He'd love the place, she was sure…

The only thing she hadn't done, that she really wanted to, was tell him about the Diary and the Wand. She didn't want to show off (well, maybe a little), but she thought he should know. He had been there, after all. He had tried to help her escape.

She would tell him. Soon.

It wasn't long after that, that Ginny left to go to the Flying Broomstick. Mum had been… hesitant to let her go, but Ginny had managed to convince her. It was Diagon Alley, after all; one of the safest places in England! There was no reason to be scared.

Harry was already up in the air when she arrived. He had improved in the past week, he was already zipping around the air, dodging stray Quaffles and Bludgers like a pro. She'd even go as far as to say that he was as good as she was, which was a bold statement.

She got on her broom and flew up to meet him just as he did a barrel roll and flew in front of her. "Hi," she said. "Show off."

"Oh?" He asked, floating towards her a bit and making a sharp turn to the right. He turned the broom left and circled behind her. "I don't know what you mean." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"How've you been?" He asked.

That was a good question. For the past week, she had been tiptoeing about how she should tell her parents about the Diary that she had stolen, then when she had told them, they'd gotten angry, and even Bill couldn't help her with getting answers.

"Splendid!" She lied. "You?"

"Oh, same old, same old," he replied, looking away from her. "I did manage to save us two spots for a Quidditch game over there, though."

Ginny's eyes went wide. That had also been something they'd started doing. Or at least, they tried to. Many people who wanted to play Quidditch came in with a full group, so they'd never had any luck.

The game was brutal. A few of the other kids' friends hadn't been able to come, and they were 3 players short, which meant that Harry had been able to talk them into letting them both play.

The rest of the kids they'd been playing with were quite good, more so than she and Harry were. She'd been on the same team as Harry, and despite that, they still managed to lose. The other team was just too good, too co-ordinated, and they'd had absolutely no chance. Still, she managed to carry the Quaffle over to Harry in the final moments of the game. He scored right before the opposing seeker caught the Snitch, resulting in a final score of 10-370.

"That was horrible," she said, grimacing as they left the Flying Broomstick not five minutes after their defeat.

"It was fun," Harry tried, but his heart just wasn't in it. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine, it was very embarrassing. There."

"Exactly," she replied, nodding.

A good part of it was her fault, she supposed. Her head hadn't been in the game, and she'd missed many good passes that should have at least made them lose with a bit more dignity. It was part of the reason why she'd run out of there so quickly.

"Is everything alright?" asked Harry.

Ginny blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

"You seem… distracted," he replied. "Even back on the pitch."

Ginny felt her cheeks burn. So he had noticed it, just as she had wondered. Should she tell him? The question weighed on her mind, like it had for this past week, but today, she didn't want to lie about it, or keep it from him. He was too close to her, and she knew that she would have wanted to know if she was in his place.

"It's a long story," she said.

"I've got time," he said.

She suggested that they go to Florean Fortescue's. It was too sensitive to share in public like that, and she didn't want anyone else to know either. Harry agreed, and it didn't take them long to get there and find some seats.

"So," Harry slowly said once they were there.

"So," Ginny absently replied in the same tone, wondering how she should start.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded to emphasise her point.

She then told him how, on her birthday, Muriel had brought a Wand for her. She went over the fact that she, as the first daughter in seven generations, was meant to have the Wand, and how the Wand was an Ancient Prewett Relic.

"Hey, hey, hey, slow down," Harry said. Ginny was glad for it because she was running out of breath. "What's a Prewett Relic?"

"They're supposed to be these really Powerful Magical Objects," Ginny explained. "Like the Deathly Hallows, only these are real."

Harry still gave her a questioning look at that. She remembered her Dad mentioning that Muggle fairy tales were different to the Wizarding ones. She shook her head. "Don't worry about the Hallows, I'll explain later."

She then went on to tell him the rest of the story: how Bill had told her to keep trying the Wand, and then she had told him everything that she had kept from him about Diagon Alley, the building forming in between two already existing ones and then finally she told him about the Diary.

"Wow," Harry said, wide eyed when she finished.

"Yep," she replied. "I wanted to tell you a bit sooner, but…" she trailed off with a shrug. "I'm sorry if that was too much."

She would be sorry if that was too much, but she hadn't anticipated how good it felt to talk about it, especially to someone like Harry who actually listened without interrupting, unlike six other boys she knew…

"No, no it's not," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. "I need to tell you something as well."

"Oh?"

"I'm Harry Potter," he said without any preamble. Or any way to ease her into the bloody topic!

"Bullshit." She felt her jaw drop open, almost of its own accord.

Harry started laughing. Oh, so it was a prank? "That was a joke, wasn't it?"

"No," he said, his shoulders still shaking. "It's just the most unique response I've heard."

Well, that was something at least. She just couldn't believe her ears. Harry Potter. The Harry Potter, apparent slayer of Dragons, saviour of Damsels, blah blah blah, was sitting in front of her? Impossible.

"You're actually Harry Potter?"

"Why would I lie?"

"I…" she trailed off, not wanting to mention the collection of Harry Potter story books she had. If he actually was Harry Potter, then she reckoned he wouldn't know about them, and wouldn't really have a reason to lie… "I don't really know?"

"Yeah," he said.

A silence fell upon them, and it reminded Ginny of the time she'd first met Harry. Properly met him. That silence had been just as awkward, but she hadn't known him then. She didn't like the awkwardness now.

"So," she said, just to say something. "I'm assuming you weren't just curious about Wandless Magic?"

Harry nodded sort of self consciously. "I can do it," he said. "Have you seen Star Wars?"

"Er…" she trailed off, trying to place the name. "No, I don't think so. What's that?"

"It's a movie that… it's a long story," he said, chuckling. "Anyway, I can make things float, and I can summon them and send them away. Pretty useful, but I was looking for a book to try and understand it more. That's why I was in Knockturn Alley."

Oh. That whole incident made more sense now, even though she thought it was rather strange that he would go there by himself. Still, it wasn't like she was any different. She, too, had stolen the diary at first glance without thinking about it too much, hadn't she?

Wandless Magic did sound like a good reason though. She hadn't ever thought it possible, but… if he could do it…

"Can you show me?" She asked hesitantly. Harry looked a bit surprised at that, judging by the way he blinked. "You don't have to," she hurriedly added. She didn't want to lose his friendship. "But -"

"No, I can," he said, nodding. "But I can't do too much."

"Or it will attract attention." She nodded in understanding.

"What?" He shook his head. "No, I mean I actually can't do anything with it other than what I told you."

"Oh," she winced. Of course. "Yeah, right. That makes sense."

He looked around and she followed his gaze to a stack of crates near their table. She looked at him, but he seemed to be focusing on the crates. A small movement caught her eye, and she saw that the crate was floating up ever so slightly.

Harry's hands were on the table, and she could see him raising two fingers in the direction of the crates. He let out a breath and lowered the crate back on top of the pile. He smiled and turned to look at her. "So? What do you think?"

She just stared at him open-mouthed for a long moment before she saw his smile begin to fade. "If there wasn't an audience, I'd clap," she said in a bit of a daze.

She was quite impressed. She knew he wasn't holding a wand, and there was no way he could have faked it, judging by the sheen of sweat that was forming on his forehead.

"Thanks." He smiled fully, seeming much less guarded about it now.

She smiled back, and she just stared at him for a long time as the reality of everything set in. She had so many questions that were brimming in her mind, so much that she wanted to know…

"How'd you learn it?" She asked, leaning forward. "Why were you living with Muggles this whole time? Did they teach you this…?" She trailed off as Harry's face went blank in an instant when she mentioned the Muggles. He looked away from her. "Harry?"

"You could say that," he spoke at the same time. Ginny decided not to ask him any more questions about the Muggles. There was something else she wanted to ask, though…

She waited a moment, and then: "Will you teach me?"

《••••••••••••••••••••》

This was a bad idea.

It was such a bad idea.

Harry didn't know why he'd shown and told her that he could do Wandless Magic, nor did he know what had possessed him when he said that he would teach her. In the moment, he felt like he could do it, and a part of him might have wanted to make an impression, but now that he was here the next day, trying his best to explain what to do, he had no idea if she'd be able to learn.

"So, tell me," said Ginny. "How does this work?"

Harry nodded. "First, you've got to calm yourself."

He thought it best to describe it that way. The first time he had tried it, he had been exhausted, which had led to detachment.

It had been on the day he'd turned his teacher's hair blue. He was starved for eight hours, and the Dursleys had locked him in the cupboard just because his defence had been "It was like Magic."

There had been a sandwich on the Dinner table, and Harry had never wanted something so badly before. The Dursleys' had gone out to attend Dudley's parent teacher meeting, which meant that it would be some time before they returned.

The incident was a bit of a blur as Harry had nearly passed out with a raging headache the first time he'd tried. He just knew that he'd been forcing the lock to slide out of its slot from the inside, using his Magic, though he hadn't known it was Magic then.

It had only worked after several failed attempts during which the most he'd been able to do was make the lock rattle. It was only when he was on the brink of passing out, but still determined that the lock had slid out, and Harry had nearly fallen out.

It was impressive how desperation drove him to achieve something that many, even in the Wizarding World, could only dream about…

"Okay, I'm calm," said Ginny, bringing him out of his thoughts and closing her eyes. Harry was sure she wasn't though, and sure enough, just a moment later, she opened her left eye. "I have a question."

"I'm pretty sure you can use it to pull a prank on your brothers," he told her, and she grinned.

"Will you give me pointers on what I can and can't do?"

"Fine." He rolled his eyes, smiling and gesturing for her to get on with it. "It will take time, you won't learn it fast." It had taken him about 3 weeks to learn how to do it properly, and another week to do it without tiring himself out.

Ginny chuckled. "Watch me," she said before closing her eyes again. She missed Harry raising an eyebrow at her.

She sat still and silent for quite a while, and Harry took the time to read a large paragraph about the Magic taught at Uagadou, the Wizarding School of Africa. Most of the curriculum there was Wandless, but it was passed down from person to person, without any books.

It had been the tourists he met yesterday that spurred him onto this new avenue of information. He remembered that Dumbledore had also mentioned other schools when he'd first met the man, and that increased his desire to know more.

"What are you reading?" Ginny asked, trying to peek over the book to catch his eye. Harry just gave her a look, and she blushed. "Sorrryyy." She dragged the word out. "I am curious, though."

"Magic in Uagadou," answered Harry, sure that he had butchered the name. "It's all Wandless there, apparently."

"Anything useful?" She nodded at his book.

"Nothing I don't know already," Harry replied. "Are you done?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do it."

"Okay, er…" he trailed off, trying to find some object that she could lift. They were in a small garden in Diagon Alley that Ginny had shown him not that long ago. "How about you try levitating one of those pebbles?"

She narrowed her eyes, fixing her gaze on the closest pebble near their seat and lifted a finger, trying to do it discreetly. Not many people were here, opting to stay indoors during the hot summer day. Harry reckoned they didn't have to worry too much about anyone finding out what they were up to, but still, he was glad that they weren't advertising it.

A few seconds later, she heaved a gasp. "Why is that so exhausting?"

"I don't want to say I told you so, but -"

"Don't finish that sentence," Ginny panted, wagging a finger at him.

Harry raised his hands in surrender, trying not to burst out laughing. "Fine by me," he said, unable to contain a small smile.

Ginny tried again, and again, and again, but to no avail. Nothing she seemed to do worked, and Harry hadn't been expecting anything different. To her credit, she never gave up, but he could tell that she was getting exhausted and frustrated by her lack of progress.

"Oh, I give up!" Ginny groaned in frustration after her latest attempt, one which unsurprisingly yielded no results.

"It's okay if you can't do it," he told her. He wasn't sure if he, himself, would have been able to do it if not for the circumstances.

"I can," she insisted. "Just not today."

"It took me three weeks before I could do it without a headache," Harry told her. "It's normal. I think." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You'll learn it. I know you will."

"Thanks, Harry."

She smiled at him, and Harry noticed just how tired she looked. "I think you should call it a day now, though."

She tried glaring at him, but it lacked any venom. "I am fine," she said firmly. Her face stretched into a grimace as rubbed her head.

"Aside from the headache, you mean?" He asked knowingly.

She looked annoyed, but nodded in agreement anyway. He didn't really understand why she was annoyed, so he chalked it up to her being a normal kid. Somewhat normal, anyway.

"When I tried it for the first time, I had a migraine for hours," he said. "I couldn't even stand up straight."

"That's not what I want to hear right now," she joked, snorting.

"Yeah, I guess not." He laughed, somewhat glad that she hadn't asked any questions about the Dursleys again. "It does get better, though."

"I hope so."

《••••••••••••••••••••》

A/N: If you enjoyed this Chapter, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thanks for reading so far, I'll see you in the next one. Byee!