The Burrow fluttered with cleaning spells, brooms, and dusters. All the children, except for Percy locked away in his room with vital correspondence, helped their Mum re-tidy the home. Despite setting a myriad of self cleaning charms, after its three-week vacancy a thin cloud of dust covered all surfaces. Ron and the twins dusted the rogue dust bunnies out of the sitting room while Ginny and Molly scrubbed the kitchen clean.
The kitchen shone bright and cheerful in the midmorning sun. Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Mess Removal sat next to a wooden bucket of hot water. Periodically Molly dipped her wand against the bucket reheating the water.
"Are you excited to head back to school?" Molly asked rhythmically tapping the bucket.
"Yes," Ginny replied without hesitation as she suppressed a bubble of anxiety rising against her chest. She scrubbed harder at a stubborn spot of dirt on the floor as she tried pushing the anxiety back into her churning stomach.
"You seem to be sleeping better," Molly said as she manually scrubbed back and forth on her hands and knees knocking into Ginny.
"I do?"
"Yes, you are snoring again." Molly stopped scrubbing and smirked at Ginny. "Funny how you started snoring about halfway through the end of our Egypt trip."
"Yes, well, I guess my pillow trick only works in English air." Ginny looked her mother straight in the eyes, daring her to say more.
"Guess so. Pity, I am sure Ron's roommates would have appreciated some quiet nights." Molly returned to scrubbing replacing her piercing glare at a nasty spot on the floor instead of Ginny. "Especially Harry."
Ginny's face flushed tomato red at the mention of Harry's name. The idea of his sleeping arrangements flooded her body with heat. She scrubbed harder looking down on the task at hand. Removing the stubborn dirt spot suddenly was the most important job in the world.
"RON!" Ginny yelled out. "Didn't you say you needed help de-gnoming the garden?"
"Right, I did," Ron shouted from the other room. " Mum, I need Ginny's help."
"Really?" Molly looked quizzically at Ginny.
"Well, you are always telling us to get on better. Right. I better…" Ginny popped up from her knelt position on the floor and sprinted out of the kitchen into the garden before she had a chance to finish her thought. Ron sauntered through the backdoor about five minutes later lazily chewing an apple. He found Ginny sprawled out like a star hiding in the dirt floor of the garden.
"So, what caused the code worthy escape?" Ron asked chewing his apple with his mouth wide open. Bits of apple fell to his shirt.
"Mum asking me about school and Harry's sleeping arrangements."
"Ah. Yes, that is an appropriate use of the code." Ron flopped down next to Ginny's starfish form. One arm lay beneath his head propping it up while his other hand held his apple. He chewed the apple looking at the clouds stretching his body out as if he were lazing in a hammock instead of next to his panicking sister. The sun hid behind a fluffy white mass of clouds causing a shadow to fall over them. Ginny's eyes un-squinted as she opened her eyes wider taking in the sights of the clouds drifting through the bright summer sky.
"Shall we get on with it?" he asked after a few minutes.
Ginny sat up and started looking for gnomes. Every few minutes she would peek up towards Ron to see if he would get up and help her. He stayed laying on the ground munching his apple.
"Well, aren't you going to help me?"
"No, you called the code, not me."
"Remind me of that at dinner when she starts asking after Hermione."
Ron took another bite of apple completely undisturbed. The twinge of pink at the tips of his ears was the only sign of any emotional reaction to her response.
"Let her," He said with defiance. "We are mates. You don't see me turning into a dumb and deaf tomato at the mention of her."
Ginny stuck out her tongue in response and flung the last gnome into Ron's lap before tearing off towards the orchards to hide.
It took a day and a half to get the Burrow back to all of its hygienic glory. The rest of summer past by in a lazy haze. Fred, George, and Ron spent the majority of their time playing Quidditch, much to Ginny's chagrin. No amount of begging, pleading, or stomping her feet convinced her Mum to let her out there with the boys. Ginny followed her Mum around the kitchen soliciting her case. Flying alone at night no longer felt like enough. A small bubble of anticipatory anxiety had settled in the pit of Ginny's stomach ever since their conversation about returning to school.
She was returning to Hogwarts in several days. All the happy anticipatory feelings she felt a year ago were replaced with utter dread. She was returning to a place where her only house friend was petrified by her, her roommates hated her, and her name would permanently be tied to the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk she unwittingly released into the school.
The anxiety built throughout the days. Her body itched to be on the broom. She needed to fly with her brothers. It made no sense for her Mum to deny her this. Ron started flying over the summers with the twins as soon as he entered Hogwarts. Why was she different? Why would her Mum deny her this?
"But Mum, Ron is one year older than me and you don't mind him being used for bludger practice. How am I supposed to make the team if you never let me fly."
"Ginny we are not having this conversation again. If you are bored help me prepare dinner or work on your knitting."
"Knitting! Knitting? You expect me to sit in here knitting while you let Ron fly off whenever he wants. He stole a sodding car a year ago and he still has more rights than I do."
"Ginevra Molly Weasley," Molly's pumice face contorted with rage. "Not one more word about broomstick, Quidditch or the like. And if I hear that type of language again, I am warning you."
"But why, just tell me why, why do you treat me so differ-" Ginny was cut off by her father tumbling through a sudden burst of emerald green flames in the previously dormant fireplace. Molly and Ginny stopped arguing and looked at Arthur lying on the floor, bum over head, covered in soot.
"Not your finest landing dear. Now, do you mind telling me why you are lying in the middle of the kitchen three hours early?" The annoyance from her fight with Ginny twinged Molly's voice as she walked over helping Arthur to his feet.
"Leave the room, Ginny," Arthur growled. His voice lacked all its usual kindness and civility. Ginny stared at him. His face was as pale as the starch white apron hanging around her Mum's neck. His blue eyes pierced into her as he yelled, "NOW!"
"Arthur! What is going on?" Concern replaced the annoyance in Molly's voice. She reached over rubbing Arthur's back as he sank into the closest chair. Ginny crept out of the room slowly and deliberately making a scene of her leaving. As she headed out to the garden she made out the word "Black" before the heavy wooden door slammed silently in her face.
Ginny stood staring at the silent door. Black. What was black? She heard whistling behind her and swung around. Percy was walking up the lane reading a letter and whistling cheerfully. He had a jovial spring to his step to match the broad grin on his face.
"Percy!" Ginny called out. Percy looked up annoyed at having his happy isolated bubble of himself and his letter burst.
"What do you want."
"What does black mean?"
Percy stopped and looked completely confused. He looked around both ways and behind his shoulder to make sure no one was about to sneak up on him.
"Is this a trick? Are you asking stupid questions to cause a diversion? Fred, George, get out here!"
"What? No, I am serious, what does black mean to you."
"I am not sure what grade you skipped, Ginny, but black is a color, the absence of light."
"No, why would Dad leave work early, shove me out of the kitchen like he saw a boggart, and whisper something to Mum about black."
"Oh not black, you mean Black. Haven't you been reading the news?"
Percy continued walking past her heading towards the shed where Errol, their old family owl, was sure to be dozing. Ginny followed asking more questions in his wake.
"What is a Black then? Is it something bad?"
"It isn't a what but a who Ginny. Sirius Black, he was a criminal who escaped from Azkaban."
"But no one can escape from Azkaban."
"Apparently someone could. Not shove off, this letter is private." Percy walked into the shed and slammed the door in her face.
Ginny kicked the door and stuck her tongue out at Percy. She scraped her feet as she walked back to the Burrow, seeing the top partition of the kitchen door was once again open waiting for her to come in.
Her anxiety bubbled to the size of a boulder. Why was Dad so worried about an escaped convict? Shouldn't this be something the Aurors handled? As Ginny reached for the door handle to cross-examine her Mum the door burst open and Molly barreled out sending Ginny spinning off to the side. Ginny straightened herself as she tore after her Mum.
"Ronald!" Mum was practically sprinting into the Quidditch Pitch screeching for Ron. "Ronald Billius Weasley!"
Ron flew over to the ground at the side of the pitch. He descended his broom and stood next to his Mum with an annoyed expression on his face.
"What Mum, we are in the middle of a game."
"When did you last hear from Harry?"
"I dunno, a few days ago I think?"
"You think or you know? How can you not know? Well was it yesterday or the day before. Come here, I need you to go write him a letter this instant. Tell him we will see him the day after tomorrow when we go to Diagon to pick up school supplies."
"We are going to see Harry?" Ginny piped up. Excitement bubbled off of her as she bounced between feet.
Molly simply stared at her before turning back to grab Ron by the arm. They brushed past her in a hurry as Molly dragged Ron over to the shed where Errol was asleep. Ginny looked at the ground at the discarded broomstick. She felt her body pulled towards the wood and straw lying abandoned and helpless on the ground. But her curiosity was piqued and she was desperate to know what Mum and Ron were going to write to Harry about. Taking one last forlorn look at the broom she sped off after Mum and Ron to try and catch some news about Harry.
By the time she caught up with Ron and Mum they were at the shed. Molly turned the handled sharply only to find it locked.
Pounding on the door, Molly yelled, "Whoever is in there had better open this door before I reducto my way in."
Percy opened the door looking ashen faced and completely mortified simultaneously.
"Percival, I am not sure I want to know why you need the shed locked but Ronald and I need the owl." Molly tapped her foot. "Now please."
Percy stepped out of the way of their Mum as she bullied her way into the small shed with Ron and Ginny following behind.
"Out Ginny and Percy."
"But Mum,"
"No buts, out. NOW."
Ginny huffed. She turned around and kicked the doorway grumbling about how she never was allowed to do anything. And she might as well be flying.
"And stay away from that Quidditch Pitch." A voice shrieked from behind the closed door of the shed.
Ginny walked kicking a stone back to the kitchen. She sat glumly at the large wooden table. She sprawled her arms out in a dramatic fashion sighing as she rested her head on her arms. Percy soon followed in behind her, red faced and equally grumbling.
"What?" He challenged looking at his little sister.
"I didn't say anything."
Percy humphed and walked upstairs towards his room. Fred and George tumbled in after him. They were sweaty, smelly, and their hair was windswept. Pangs of jealousy rose from the pit of Ginny's stomach.
"What was that all about?" Fred said.
"Why was Mum going on about Harry?" George finished.
"I am not sure."
"Did he do something daft like use magic on his muggles or something?" George lifted the pitcher in the middle of the table and poured himself a tall glass of water. He chugged it down while Ginny sat thinking. Why was Mum so upset? First Dad came home in a tizzy over this Black fellow and now Mum is practically punishing Ron for not keeping up with his correspondence with Harry.
"Unless."
"Yes…" Fred and George stopped drinking their water and looked at Ginny.
"Unless Mum and Dad's tizzies are the same...unless they are both upset over Black."
"Hm…" Fred and George exchanged a look that only the two of them could decipher. They silently finished the conversation with their eyes while Ginny stared out the kitchen window. The yellow curtains wafted in the breeze as she thought about escaped convicts and Harry alone somewhere. A deep chill ran through her body chilling her to her veins.
"Interesting indeed. Well, he better come back to school in the fall, we need him to win the Cup," said Fred.
"Why wouldn't he come back?" Ginny asked alarmed. The idea of not seeing Harry again filled her with deep-seated dread. "Hogwarts is the safest place in the world."
Sensing Ginny's distress George walked over and placed his arms around her shoulders. "Nothing to fear Ginny my Dear, old Fred is just talking nonsense. Harry will return and you can write him all the toad analogous poems to your heart's content."
Fred laughed as the two of them left the room with a rousing rendition of "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad."
Ginny was too distributed by the day's events to chase after them. She was too upset to threaten to break their brooms if they kept singing or run between them kicking their shin before running away.
She sat staring out the window. Shaking her head she tried to get thoughts of expulsion and escaped convicts out of her head. The apprehension followed her around the rest of the day like a worn out shadow but no matter what she did, or what she tried, she just could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen. And it didn't feel like something good.
