A/N: Luna's mother's name was never mentioned, so I picked one at random for her. "Jocasta" is greek in origin and it means "shining moon". This chapter went in a totally different direction than I had planned, which is one of the reasons is took two weeks as opposed to a week. But I think it ultimately ended up better than what I had originally decided on, so I guess it's for the best. Enjoy!
"Harry."
"Hmm."
"Harry. Wake up, darling."
Reluctantly, Harry opened his eyes and spotted Pad laying right in front of him, which affirmed for him immediately that he was still in the new world. He had been having a rather good dream, although he couldn't recall what it had been about. Lights went on in the room and he cringed, shielding his eyes, as the charm that darkened the windows began to vanish. Had he pushed the button yesterday? The last thing he remembered was sitting on the bed examining the parchment sent to him by his mystery writer, and wishing that he had a wand so that he could do some exploratory spells on it.
"Are you alright, Harry?" Lily asked, approaching the bed. She laid a hand on his forehead to check for a fever. "You don't feel warm."
"I'm okay. Just a bit of a headache," he managed.
"You didn't take your potions last night. I didn't have the heart to wake you when you were sleeping so soundly. That's probably why you don't feel well." Lily pointed to a tray that had been set on his nightstand. "If you still don't feel better when once you've taken them, I'll firecall Arabella. I'm also making breakfast, so get dressed once you've taken them and come on downstairs. Anna is so excited to meet you."
Harry was more interested in the vial of headache potion sitting on his stand than he was in another little sister. He swiped it eagerly and downed it before Lily had even gotten out of the room. The cool feeling of his headache vanishing gave him the strength to sit up and drink the rest of the potions, wincing and cringing as the sour tastes combined into something truly horrendous. One of the doors in his room that he hadn't investigated the night before proved to lead to a bathroom; eagerly, he dove inside and rummaged around until he found a toothbrush and some toothpaste.
Once he was cleaned and dressed in a pair of brown pants and a green shirt that had been laid out over a chair, Harry headed downstairs, feeling a lot better than he had when he'd first woken up. He was nearly to the kitchen when a younger girl with black hair ran into him – literally. He stumbled backwards and would have fallen if there hadn't been a small table in the hallway that he grabbed onto. As he regained his balance, the girl looked up at him. Tears shone in burning emerald eyes and she gave a huge sob.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"My... my kitty r-ran away," she cried. "I was playing with her o-outside and someone pushed a h-horn and she got scared. What if she gets hit by a c-car?"
He had little experience with children, but Harry crouched down and searched for something encouraging to say. This had to be his youngest sister – the emerald green eyes were a dead giveaway – and in spite of himself he wanted to make a good impression. "Why don't we go find Mom and Dad?" he suggested at last. "Maybe one of them could do the summoning spell to bring your kitty back. Are you Anna?"
The little girl nodded and rubbed her eyes. "You must be my big brother," she said. Without warning, she stepped closer and wound her arms around his neck.
"I guess I am," Harry said, feeling peculiar at the warm reception and all thoughts that she wouldn't accept him gone. Her body was so slender and small that he was almost afraid of hugging her back. Gingerly, he embraced her around the shoulders, amazed at the realization that she could give such a warm reception to someone that, for all intents and purpose, she had never met. "My name is Harry. It's good to meet you, Anna."
Anna smiled through her tears and clung to his hand as they moved into the kitchen. James was sitting at the nook, sipping from a cup of coffee and deeply involved in a copy of The Daily Prophet. Lily was humming as she strolled around the kitchen and poked occasionally at frying pans filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns. As Harry watched, she gave a flick of her wand and five glasses instantly leapt out of the cupboard. A pitcher of milk rose from the table and filled each one. Lia was sitting beside James, flipping aimlessly through a rather thick and dusty book. The glum look on her face told him that she wasn't exactly reading for leisure.
"Daddy!" Anna wailed suddenly, releasing Harry's hand in order to throw herself at her father. James looked up, surprised, and gasped for breath as his youngest daughter hurtled herself onto him. "Twister ran away!"
"Annabelle Sky, did you take that cat outside again after I expressly told you not to?" Lily demanded, setting her knife down sharply. An exasperated look crossed her face as she seized her wand and walked towards the kitchen door. She opened the door and stepped just outside, holding her wand at the ready. "How many times have I told you to leave Twister inside? Accio Twister Potter!"
There was a pause, and then a small black ball of fluff flew into Lily's arms. Lily cradled the rather surprised-looking kitten in her arms as she closed the door and turned towards Anna, who gave a cry a joy when she saw the cat. "Stop taking her outside," Lily ordered, handing the kitten to her exuberant daughter. "One of these days something might happen to her before your father or I can summon her back. I know you love her, Anna, and that's why I want you to understand that it's dangerous. Twister can't protect herself from a car or a dog."
"I won't take her out any more, Mommy," Anna promised.
Lily's stern look softened into a smile. "I know you won't, honey. Now put Twister down and go take a seat the table, okay? Breakfast is ready."
Harry followed his father and sisters into a large room that had ample space for a dark wood table. James sat down at the head of the table, and Anna and Lia sat down on the left. He approached slowly, wondering where his place was, and finally sat down across from Lia. Judging by the smile that she gave him, he assumed that he had chosen correctly. There was a faint popping sound, and then all of the food, including a pile of warm toast, that Lily had been preparing in the kitchen appeared on the table, along with plates, utensils, pitchers of juice and milk, butter, sugar, sliced strawberries, melted chocolate, and syrup. Then Lily herself entered the room and took a seat to the right of Harry and directly across from James, and looked around with a smile.
"Tuck in, everyone," she said cheerfully.
"I'm starving," Anna said happily, all traces of her earlier tears gone. She took a pancake and spread butter over it, then added a pool of chocolate and several strawberries.
"Anna, make sure you eat more than just chocolate with a bit of pancakes and strawberries," said James, helping himself to several rashers of bacon.
"Yeah, yeah."
Harry placed some scrambled eggs and a couple of sausage on his plate, then took a piece of toast. Lily caught his eye and gave him a warm, misty smile. He realized in a flash that his mother had probably been dreaming of this, almost a whole family meal, for years. It was his own first real meal in his house with his parents and two sisters and he ate happily, with more appetite than normal. It was exciting to think that later on that night, Jon would arrive home from his trip, and then he would have a family meal that included everyone. Even in all of his wildest dreams, he had never dared to hope for this.
The doorbell rang when the meal was almost done. Lia wiped her hands and chin with a napkin and jumped up, hurrying to answer the door. Harry finished his last bite of hash browns and bacon and sat back with a sigh; Lily was an even better cook than the house elves at Hogwarts. All of the food had been cooked just the way he liked it, and even though he was full to bursting, he found it hard to stop. James seemed to feel the same way, because every so often he would reach out and snag another piece of bacon or toast.
"James, you've had enough," Lily finally admonished, shaking her head. "I can't believe you can still put away so much food. It's amazing you don't eat us out of house and home sometimes."
James grinned. "It's just proof of what a wonderful cook you are, my love," he said. "I always know when to stop, Lils."
"Yeah right," said Lily, rolling her eyes, but a smile had broken out across her lips. "That's why you still overeat to the point where you have a stomach ache sometimes."
"Totally coincidental. I can't help it if my stomach is on occasion too delicate."
"Harry, your friends are here." Lia stood in the doorway, her cheeks flushed pink. She turned to Lily and said, "Mum, I'm going over to Luna's house for a while, okay? I promised that I would help her look after Jocasta's Garden for the day. She's having a terrible time with gnomes. They know she's alone and that she can only toss so many of them at once."
"Alright, dear. Have a good time, be sure you're home in time for supper, and do make sure you don't get bitten. Gnome bites are nasty things."
"I won't. Bye."
Lia ran off and Harry stood up slowly, feeling his stomach flutter. He had been both anticipating and dreading this moment since he woke up. Lily and James exchanged anxious looks, and James rose to accompany him into the living room. Harry was grateful for his father's silent support as he headed for the entryway, wondering how his friends would look and act around him. Although he tried to tell himself not to anticipate too much, being that the two of them had grown up in entirely different worlds, he couldn't help praying that Ron and Hermione would be just like he remembered them.
The first person he saw was Ron. Or at least... Harry thought that it was Ron. The boy in front of him bore little ressemblance to the youngest Weasley boy that was so vivid in his memory. This Ron had longer hair, that, while still the same shade of red, was cut in a shaggy style that just hung over his pale blue eyes. His skin was tanned and he was taller and stockier, with strength written in every movement. He was wearing a tight black muscle shirt and a pair of blue jeans that even Harry could tell must have been modified to cling.
Right beside Ron was a girl with a glossy, shining, perfectly styled dark hair that fell around her shoulders and complimented her dark brown eyes. She was wearing a form-fitting blue sundress that showed off her curves to the fullest. Every blink showed off the paint on her eyelids, and her lips were covered with a pale pink lipstick. Most shocking of all, she was actually wearing a pair of dark blue shoes that had at least a three inch heel on them. Harry stopped walking and stood still, outright staring and trying to reconcile this fashionable, beautiful young woman with that of his dearest friend. Was... this... Hermione? What in Merlin's name had happened to her?
"Hermione?" he rasped, feeling weak. James quickly gripped his arm, sensing that his son had experienced a bad shock. "Is... Is that you?"
"Yes, it's me," said the girl, looking nervous at his reaction. Her voice sounded exactly the same. It was too much for Harry, who allowed his father to steer him across the room and into one of the comfortable chairs near the fireplace. Harry sank down gratefully, aware that his knees wouldn't have supported him for much longer, and stared into the fire with dull eyes. He had suspected a change, but this...
A door closed in the distance and then two more people walked into the room. Harry could hardly find it in himself to look up at them. Reluctantly, he did, wondering how much more of this new world he could take. The new male arrival had long, silvery blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail and silvery blue eyes. He was tall and slender, not nearly as muscled as Ron, but with a grace that the other boy was missing. His clothing spoke of wealth and promise, even though he was wearing a simple pale blue shirt and a pair of black pants. There was a silver chain around his neck, but nothing to identify him; that was alright, though, because Harry didn't need it. There was no question in his mind as to who this was, the only question that was plaguing him was why the hell Draco Malfoy was standing in his house.
The second arrival was a girl. Her hair was wavy and hung nearly to her waist, and was a deep auburn color shot through with golden highlights. She wasn't wearing any make-up and her clothing was a green sundress with an empire-style waist designed from a white ribbon. It wasn't nearly as short or revealing as the blue one Hermione wore. The shoes she wearing were white sandals with a small heel. Harry looked straight at her and saw that her eyes were the palest shade of golden brown he'd ever seen. He recognized her vaguely, but his mind couldn't place her; his gaze kept straying back to the two strangers who looked only vaguely like his best friends.
"Harry," James said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "This is Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Ginevra Weasley, Ron's sister. You had mentioned only Ron and Hermione, but your mother and I thought you might like to see Draco and Ginny as well."
Ginny! Harry wasn't even listening to his father by that point. He was too busy gawking at the other girl, who was turning a lovely shade of red during his close examination. It was almost as difficult to think of this slender, lovely girl as Ginny Weasley as it was to think of the other two as Ron and Hermione. It was only once he'd made a full assessment of the group that his father's words penetrated and he turned to give him a puzzled look.
"Why would I want to know Malfoy?" he asked, trying hard to keep the venom that was normally in his voice when he spoke of the boy as quiet as possible.
James' eyebrows rose. "Lily and I are acquainted with the Malfoys," he remarked. "I wasn't quite sure whom you were friends with in your world. Besides, if you were friends with Hermione, it only made sense that you would be close with Draco as well." He emphasized the name with a warning look. Obviously Harry had done a lot worse at sounding polite than he'd thought.
A very bad feeling was growing in his chest. "Why would that matter?" he said, afraid of the answer.
"Because Draco and I are dating, of course," Hermione said, staring at him like he'd grown a tail. As she spoke, Draco approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Hermione smiled and snuggled into his side as though she had belonged there all her life. Ron shot them a look of hatred, and Ginny's expression was one of sheer horror. Harry knew how both of them felt. Seeing Hermione, no matter how different she looked, cosying up with Malfoy was enough to make his breakfast come back up his throat.
"Be right back," he managed and took off for the bathroom. He made it just in time to throw up everything he had consumed less than twenty minutes ago. Panting, he leaned over the toilet and rested his forehead against the cool porcelain. Tiny images of Hermione and Draco embracing danced on the inside of his eyelids. It was the most disturbing thing he had seen yet, and it was the first time that the fact that everything was completely, totally different really struck him.
"Harry?" a soft voice asked. He glanced up to see Ginny Weasley standing in the doorway. The sympathy and warmth in her eyes almost reduced him to tears. "Are you... okay?"
"No." Harry flat out admitted it as he leaned back and studied her. He had never been close to Ginny, so maybe that was why it didn't affect him so severely to see her looking different. Certainly, her hair and clothing were of a better quality, but if he observed her more closely, he could see flashes of the Ginny he had known. The way she smiled and the tilt of her head was so familiar that he could have hugged her. "It's... I knew things would be different from my... my dream world, but I never expected it would have changed so much. What happened?"
"I don't know," Ginny said, leaning against the counter. She linked her hands in front of her and thought. "I wasn't there during the first year of Hogwarts," she said slowly. "But Ron told me Hermione was kind of weird. She was interested in books and being really smart and well, she didn't fit in very well. I suppose she was probably lonely, and I guess when she came back from vacation after the first year, she was totally different. No one even recognized her, but now she's apparently best friends with people like Padma and Lavender." There was a fair amount of disdain in her voice.
Harry cradled his head in his hands. That explained everything, didn't it? In his dream world, he had been the one to bridge the gap between Hermione and the remainder of Hogwarts, particularly Ron. But in this world, that had never happened, and as Ginny had said, Hermione had most likely been desperately lonely. Books couldn't fill in for everything. He hated the thought that she changed her identity just to fit in with airheads like Padma and Lavender. Did the old Hermione still exist somewhere under that girly exterior? If so, how could he get her back?
"When did she start dating Malfoy?"
"Ah... Well... I'm not really sure. I... Hermione and I aren't close."
"Are she and Ron friends?"
"Not really. They don't seem to be. Ron hasn't really talked to her at all since we got here." She frowned. "The Weasleys and the Malfoys have never been particularly friendly, you know, and Ron and Malfoy are the ones who hate each other the most. But Hermione's a popular girl now and Malfoy always has to have the best of everything, right? So I guess, even if they were close or friendly before, that only drove even more of a wedge between her and Ron." Ginny sighed and crouched down, looking completely miserable. "I wish this wasn't so hard."
"Me too," Harry said quietly. "I should probably go back out there, though. Dad seemed pretty annoyed with how impolite I was being." It was an odd thought to acknowledge. People had admonished him about his lack of manners before, but it had never meant so much.
Ginny smiled bitterly. "If I were you, I'd run out the door and never look back," she said, looking him square in the eyes. "I... They're not who you think they are, Harry. They're not your friends anymore."
He couldn't look back at her. Harry dropped his gaze and stood up, not wanting to admit how much the truth of her words stung. "I know. But I... I can't just let them go so quickly, you know? For the past five years, Ron and Hermione have been my best friends and I always thought that they would be. Maybe in this world that can't be, but I don't think I can just turn my back on them without giving it a try."
Her expression softened. "I should have known," she murmured. "You're right, Harry. Maybe you shouldn't give up on them yet. You had such a big influence on the two of them before... If only you could bring them back..."
He lifted his head and glanced up at her oddly. Even though it felt like his mind wasn't working at full speed yet, he could tell that something seemed... strange... about what she had just said. It hit him suddenly that somehow, she knew that he had been the one to befriend both Ron and Hermione and bring them together in his world. She also didn't know when Hermione and Draco had begun dating – an event that surely would have caused some news in Hogwarts if the two of them were so popular – or if Ron and Hermione were close, and she was the only one who had come after him... and she was so familiar. Harry sat down heavily on the edge of the tub; he was on the brink of something momentous. Ginny stared back at him, her eyes wide, and it was clear that she had realized it herself.
"Ginny... " he whispered.
"Harry." James poked his head into the bathroom, startling both of them. "I realize that it was a shock for you to see your friends, and I understand if you need some time to absorb things, but you should at least come and say good-bye to them before they leave."
"What?" Unwillingly, he dragged his eyes away from Ginny and glanced dazedly at James. Too many surprises had been heaped upon him in one day.
"If my brother is ready to leave, I should get going," Ginny said, jumping up quickly and smoothing her skirt back down. "It was lovely to meet you, Harry." This time she was the one avoiding Harry's eyes as she slipped past James and disappeared down the hall. Harry leapt to his feet and raced after her, all thoughts of how weak he was feeling forgotten as he rounded the corner to the living room. He stopped abruptly, having nearly run into her. She was standing in the doorway, staring at the scene before her.
Ron and Malfoy were both on their feet glaring at each other. Ron's fists were clenched, and Malfoy's hands were at his side – Harry was pretty sure that he was either holding onto his wand or that he was prepared to get it at any time. Hermione was clutching Malfoy's arm, her cheeks flushed with anger. There was a bright red, hand-shaped mark on Ron's face that was only just beginning to fade. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened, and although the situation could have easily escalated into something more dangerous, he was almost glad to see that some things would never change.
"You take that back, Weasel," Malfoy said coldly.
"Make me," Ron snapped, breathing hard. He looked as though he'd like nothing more than to snap Malfoy's neck. "What I said is true. Only a slut would want to be with someone like you."
"Ron!" Ginny and Harry said his name together, their voices ringing out with the same note of disgust and appall.
Ron glanced at them, having only just realized they were there. "What?"
"You called Hermione a slut?" Ginny said, horrified. "What is wrong with you?"
"What do you care? You don't even like her," Ron said.
Ginny's mouth snapped shut and she looked at a loss. Harry glanced at her, then glared at Ron and said, "It's clear to me that I don't know either of you that well anymore, but you should know that I won't tolerate that kind of thing in my house, Ron. Hermione is my friend and you shouldn't talk about her that way. Even if she is dating Malfoy." He grimaced as he spoke those words, still having trouble with getting used to the idea.
The tips of Ron's ears turned a brilliant red color, but he spun without saying a word and stormed out the front door, slamming it so hard that it bounced once before closing. It was the smartest thing he could have done, because Harry wasn't feeling as in control of his magic as he would have normally been. In the silence that reigned, Ginny sighed, and Hermione glanced at Harry with a tentative look in her dark brown eyes. She didn't seem to know what to say. Harry made it easy for her by approaching and gazing straight into her eyes, searching for the remnants of the sweet, wise friend that he had known. He couldn't be sure, but he thought she was in there.
"I want to be friends with you, 'Mione," he said, the nickname slipping out before he could stop it. Hermione jerked as though she had been the one slapped. "We were close in my..." he hesitated, unsure of what he should be calling his 'dream world' after his talk with Ginny. "In my world. I don't want to loose that just because some things have changed."
Hermione gave him a tiny smile. "I'd like to be friends. But... I am dating Draco."
Harry glanced at Malfoy and met the silvery blue eyes he had once hated so much. It was cruel to hold things against Malfoy that he had never actually done, but at the same time, it was hard to let go of everything all at once. Especially when this Malfoy seemed so similar to the one from his world. He remembered Malfoy's cutting comment about Sirius's death... Hermione punching him... Malfoy being turned into a ferret by the fake Moody... and all of the other times over the years that the blonde boy had caused them untold trouble. Was he really that different in this world? The other Malfoy would never have held onto Hermione so gently. Could he – or Hermione, for that matter – be trusted, or was this a trick?
Cool hands touched and held onto his arm, and Ginny appeared by his side. "He'll try, Hermione," she said softly. "We both will. Whatever happened in the past between us, I'd like to put it behind us. I'm not my brother. I want to be your friend, too. Both of you," she added, looking up at Malfoy.
Malfoy's eyebrows rose slightly, but that was the only indication he gave that he was surprised. "I would like that," he said with a nod.
"Me, too," Hermione smiled shyly. "Maybe we could go to Diagon Alley tomorrow."
"I'll owl you," Harry said, certain that his parents must have some kind of access to an owl, even if he hadn't seen one around the house. "Tonight."
"Sounds good." Malfoy opened the door and Hermione walked through, giving an uncertain wave of her hand. It was easy to tell that she couldn't quite believe what had just happened, and Harry was almost amused. Ginny waved back and Malfoy nodded to them both as he followed Hermione outside and closed the door behind them.
"Never thought you would be friends with Draco Malfoy," Ginny said.
Harry whirled. "I knew it," he said, seizing her by the waist. Without waiting for her to say anything else, he jerked her into the hardest, longest hug he had ever given anyone in his whole life. Ginny wrapped her arms around him and clung to him. He buried his face in her hair and drank in how good it felt to be embraced by someone who knew the whole story. There was a million questions burning through his mind – what was going on? How did Ginny know when no one else did? Why hadn't she told him as soon as she walked in? Was she the mysterious letter writer, or was there a third person? – but it felt so good to hold onto her that he never wanted to stop.
"I have to go," Ginny said into his shirt after some time had passed. Her voice was muffled. "Ron's probably furious."
"That's not your problem," Harry said. Reluctantly, he released her, although he kept a grip on her hands. "Or at least, it shouldn't be. Ron's a big boy, Gin."
"You don't know him that well anymore," she said. "From what I've seen in the past few days, he's become the golden boy of Gryffindor, just like he always wanted, and that power has gone to his head. He seems to think that he can do whatever he wants. His temper is enormous. It's kind of scary sometimes."
"I bet," Harry muttered, wondering if he would be able to bring his friend back from the brink. "We have to talk, Ginny. Soon."
"I'll come back tomorrow morning. Before we go to Diagon Alley with Hermione and Malfoy." Her eyes studied him. "Are you okay with that?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "It's... I mean, it's Malfoy. Part of me is screaming that even being in the same room with him is so completely wrong that I can hardly stand it, much less having to be cordial towards him for the sake of Hermione. But then I keep reminding myself that this Malfoy isn't the one that I knew, and he hasn't done of the stuff that Malfoy did, so he shouldn't be blamed. My dad even said that he and my mum are kind of friends with his parents! It's just hard to remember that when I see him with his arm around Hermione." He frowned, noticing that Ginny's eyes had filled with tears. "What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Ginny lifted her hand and wiped her eyes. "Oh, Harry. It's just... hearing you talk about your mom and dad. I never thought that I'd see the day."
Lily herself choose that moment to walk into the living room. Harry dropped Ginny's hands immediately and stepped away from her. Ginny blinked furiously to get rid of her tears and turned her warmest smile onto Harry's mother. Lily smiled back at her, but Harry noticed that she was darting curious looks between him and Ginny. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting to walk in on them holding hands, and he was relieved that she hadn't entered a moment earlier, when they were embracing. Then he really would have have had some questions to answer!
"Your friends have left so soon, Harry?" she asked.
"Yes, Mum. They all had somewhere to be," he explained. It was the easiest answer, and he didn't feel like going into the fact that he had had a fight with Ron. "Ginny was just leaving, too."
"It was lovely to see you and your husband again, Professor Potter," Ginny murmured, looking like she was having a hard time keeping from crying. Harry glanced at her, relieved that she had either heard or figured out that Lily worked as a professor at Hogwarts. She didn't notice; she was gazing at Lily as though expecting the woman to disappear. "You have a wonderful home."
"Thank you, Ginny," Lily said. "Harry, I just wanted to let you know that it's almost time for you to take some of your potions again."
"Okay," Harry said. Lily turned and disappeared, seeming to catch the mental hint he had been sending. He looked down at Ginny and told her, "I have to take potions because of this coma curse I was supposedly under. Of course, now I wonder if I need them at all. You look fine."
"I have a whole life I don't remember," Ginny answered, stepping towards the door and opening it. "I envy you, even if you do have to take a few disgusting potions. At least no one expects you to remember fifteen years of things that never happened!"
Harry smiled. "True. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Somehow, he was reluctant to see her go. He didn't have to watch what he said around Ginny. Making the resolution to forget about Voldemort and Death Eaters and just be normal had been more of a strain that he'd thought. Being around someone who had experienced everything, almost as much as Ron and Hermione, was refreshing.
"Definitely." She closed the door behind her, leaving him alone. Harry stood by himself in the living room and sighed, feeling overwhelmed by everything that had transpired in the past few hours. The day had not turned out like he had expected. Although he had known that Ron and Hermione would be different, he hadn't even imagined by just how much. No wonder Lia and Lily had given him those strange looks when he mentioned being friends with them! And now that he knew about Ginny, there were so many questions that had the potential to be answered. He suspected that she didn't entirely know just what was going on, but whatever it was, he resolved, he and Ginny were going to find out.
Next chapter: Harry and Ginny talk, and then they visit Diagon Alley with Draco and Hermione.