The Unbreakable Vow 24
by
Ash Darklighter
It all belongs to JK Rowling and I thank her for her inspiration – There are no galleons to be made from me. This little story is my first Harry Potter fic. It is AU and of course comments are welcome. My thanks to Tad and Mona for their help.
Harry parked his car next to Ginny's smaller one in front of the garage. He couldn't say that his concentration at work had been particularly good today but he hadn't made any obvious mistakes in front of the bank's customers. Hopefully, his was the impersonal face unremembered by the general Muggle population. An ordinary bank in such a small town would not be frequented by wizards unless they had Muggle relatives. Luckily for he and Ginny, Harry hadn't seen a single wizarding head in the town since he'd arrived four years ago.
He switched off the lights and climbed wearily out of the car. The warding last night had taken more out of him than he'd suspected that it would and the temptation to remain in his bed this morning had been strong. However, Harry didn't want to deviate from his normal routine. He was pretty sure than no one had any idea of his whereabouts apart from the goblins but with Voldemort back… Harry swallowed. Voldemort was really back. He had a lot to lose and wasn't taking any chances with the life of his family.
"Ginny!" he called as he pushed open the front door and sauntered into the house. "Ginny!"
"Harry!" She flew at him and threw herself into his arms.
"What?" he asked bemusedly, his arms full of soft, enticing witch.
She smiled up at him. "I'm glad that you're home."
Harry pulled back and surveyed the woman in his arms. "If I hadn't known that you were at work today for an hour or two, I would have said that you'd been stuck in the house all day with a stubborn toddler."
"Nope," she said, nibbling on his lips. "I was just needed at work this morning. Therefore, I picked up Jamie early from the nursery and he'd been a little angel…" She beamed. "…for once."
"Our son!" Harry exclaimed. "I thought he was always a little angel. Are you suggesting that he's not?"
"You know he can be a little hellion." Ginny smiled. "I'm just glad to see you home on time and in one piece. It means that we can take the first real steps in returning to our magical life."
"We did that the moment we decided not to let the bad guys win," Harry retorted, dipping his head and kissing her. "Speaking of our son," he said cocking his head and listening in vain for the chattering boy. "Where is 'Trouble'…sorry, the little angel?"
"In the kitchen smearing his food all over his face under the guise of eating his tea," Ginny said with a chuckle. "He's strapped into the high-chair but I swear it's magic the way he gets food in places that it's impossible to reach. His whole face will be green by the time I go back in the kitchen."
"You're not feeding him avocado again?" Harry asked warily.
"He needs a proper balanced diet," Ginny said primly. "And that includes vegetables."
"Avocado is not a vegetable," Harry said. "It's a fruit. I read it somewhere."
"You sound like Hermione," Ginny said with a bittersweet smile.
Harry looked momentarily horrified. "Do I?" He then grinned. "That's a compliment."
"I guess it is," she said dryly. "Dad's have to know…stuff."
"I'm going to have to become a lot more like her, Ginny-love," he said with a sigh. "We both are. We have some time to make up in the education department."
"We've both been studying," Ginny said. "We've not sat on our backsides doing nothing since we moved up here. You've been doing your bank exams and I did my nursery nurse's diploma and the teaching assistant's qualification."
"If we remain as Muggles I still think you should do the teaching degree…"
Ginny considered his words, her head tilted to one side. "Maybe I will."
"I won't stop you doing what you want."
"I wouldn't let you," she murmured and then kissed him. "Bat-bogey…"
"Nope," Harry said, once she'd let him go. "You could just kiss me and I'd be putty in your hands."
"Putty?"
"Sort of soft, cement-like substance used in building," Harry said. "It was used to keep the glass in the windows before double glazing units became the norm. I'm not precisely sure of the exact uses of putty these days. It's a Muggle saying."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "One of those, eh? I'm happy where I am right now and, yes, I don't want to be my mother as much as I love her."
"So no to staying at home fulltime and producing a Quidditch team then?" Harry said with a grin.
Ginny chuckled. "What do you think?"
Harry tapped his chin pretending to mull over her question. "We'll have as many as you want us to."
"Good answer," Ginny said admiringly. "And I know that you were really talking about our magical education. Come and say hello to Jamie." She linked her arm through Harry's and drew him through to the kitchen where, indeed, an avocado-covered toddler greeted his father with joy. Pulling out her wand, Ginny smiled at Harry and cast a cleaning charm, siphoning off the mess. "I didn't think you'd want that on your suit jacket," she observed with a smirk. This is what she should have been able to do since she'd reached seventeen. She should have been able to be a proper witch. She didn't blame Harry for this; no she blamed Malfoy, Percy and Voldemort.
Harry lifted Jamie from his high chair, gave him a kiss and set him down on the floor where he proceeded to toddle off towards his toys. "No, I don't think the bank would be too happy if my uniform was covered with random globs of green." He ginned at his wife. "Nice wand work, by the way – swish and flick?"
"No, it was more of an abbreviated swirl ending in a sharp jab." Ginny handed Harry a mug of tea. "We'll eat after you've spoken to my brothers," she murmured calmly. "I don't think we have time just now."
"I said half-past six and both of us will be speaking to your brothers," Harry said, checking the time on his watch. "We have fifteen minutes yet."
"Then let's get Jamie ready for bed now," Ginny decided, with a mother's knowing glance. "He's absolutely knackered and if we don't move him shortly, he'll fall asleep in the middle of the floor. I thought his head was going to land in his dinner at one point. I can be reading him his story while you contact the boys. It gets us out of the way."
"But I thought that you wanted to speak to them," Harry said quietly.
"I do but not with Jamie around. We decided that yesterday, remember?"
"Yeah." It was the right decision for safety reasons but not what they wanted to do. They were proud of their baby and wanted to show him off to the family but Molly had to be the first to meet her grandson.
"Jamie likes the telephone," she said with a chuckle. "He would want to speak in the mirror."
"He would. Especially to his weird uncles." Harry's face showed pretend horror. "We don't need them encouraging him yet. I like my toilet seat where it is."
"I'll get him ready for bed and then come down and join you," she said decisively. "Perhaps a mild sleeping charm?"
Harry nodded his head and went to grab his son.
"Dad…Dad…Dad!" Jamie chanted.
"Bath…bath…bath," returned Harry, proceeding to climb the stairs with a giggling boy held upside down in his arms.
"Harry, he's supposed to be getting ready for bed. Don't wind him up too much or he'll never sleep. Even with a charm." Ginny shook her head, laughing softly at their antics and sped up the stairs to join them.
xxxxx
Fifteen minutes later, Harry sat at his desk in the study, pulled a chain that held a dangling key from around his neck and unlocked one of the drawers. Taking a deep breath, he reached inside and pulled out something covered in a soft white cloth.
"Oh, Sirius," he whispered, the pain still present even after seven years. Carefully, Harry unwrapped the object on his desk, revealing the mirror that could have saved his godfather's life - if he'd remembered to use it.
"Gred and Forge," he said clearly. The mirror hummed and vibrated in his suddenly clammy fingers. The clear surface of the mirror went cloudy and then, he was staring at some weird two-headed apparition.
"Is it working?" someone asked.
"Gerroff, Gred!" exclaimed another voice irritably. "I want to talk first. I'm the oldest."
"No, you're not. We came out of our poor mother's womb in this order: Gred and Forge, not Forge and Gred."
"If there's any more arguing…" A third voice broke in above the other two. "I can claim seniority by several years and I will speak to Harry first."
"You apparently spoke to him yesterday but you're keeping the details of that quiet," accused Fred. "That's really not fair."
"Because I have to keep it quiet. He's under a Fidelius," Bill's voice said wearily. "I couldn't say anything more – even if I wanted to."
"Oh," the twins said in unison.
"You knew that it was about Harry without me saying anything," snapped Bill above the sound of renewed bickering. "Until Harry gave me leave to divulge the information I was effectively gagged."
Harry could quite believe that the twins had guessed without Bill saying anything to them. And the arguing - it was so normal – so Weasley. "Hello, guys," he said.
There was a sudden silence at the other end and the two pressed-together faces tried to take in as much as they could.
"Harry!" There was a shout of joy.
It was difficult to know what to say in return. Five long awkward years stretched between them and the young wizard felt the distance. But it was time to begin bridging the gap.
"Harry, you okay?" asked Fred, when the young man at the other end just sat looking at them.
"Yeah," said Harry eventually. "Better than I was."
"Why are your eyes brown?" asked George. "And why aren't you wearing your specs?"
"My eyes…brown…Oh…contacts," Harry said. "It's a disguise. You know. Boy-who-lived. Green eyes, round glasses and scar."
"I don't see the scar either," said George.
Harry looked a bit embarrassed. "Muggle concealer helps with that. You know…make-up. I don't want the scar to be obvious."
"Glad to know that you're okay," said Fred lightly. "We worried, you know."
"Thought you might do something like this but we didn't ask," said George.
"I thought that you'd guessed," admitted Harry, fidgeting in his chair. "There was far too much pressure on me and I needed a break."
"Tried not to think about it," added George. Harry wasn't telling them the whole story. The poor kid had needed far more than just a break. "After all…"
"What you don't know…" said Fred.
"Could save your life," stated George.
"Or ours. They can't torture it out of you…" said Fred.
"Or tease it out of you with Legilimency or Veritaserum," finished George.
"Constant vigilance," they chorused together.
Harry chuckled. "I'm glad that you two haven't changed."
"Oh, we've changed," said George, a hint of darkness in his tone.
"We don't trust so blindly in the people or things that we used to," said Fred. "Even our friends and family are under suspicion."
"A sad state of affairs but a necessary one," chipped in George.
Bill growled his agreement behind them. The Weasleys were learning to stick together. Well, most of them.
"How's business?" asked Harry, not quite ready to talk about the past but knew that it had to be done. They needed to move forward and quickly but he was human enough to want to put it off for a few more minutes.
"Your investment is more than safe, dear Harry," sang Fred. "Business at Weasleys Wizard Wheezes is booming, as they say."
"I never doubted it." Harry smiled. "Bill?"
The twins passed the mirror to their eldest brother. "The head of the family Potter wants to talk to the head of the family Weasley," declared Fred.
"This isn't satisfactory," said Harry finally, squinting into the mirror. "There are things I need to tell you – important things - and I know there are things you need to ask. It might be better if we do it face to face."
"We're face to face now," called George.
"In person," said Harry impatiently. "Not at a distance."
"How are we going to do that?" asked Bill.
"You come here," answered Harry.
Bill's blue eyes were solemn. "What about your wife?" He really wanted to shout: 'What about Ginny. She loved you. Where is my sister?' But he bit his tongue and said nothing.
There were sudden exclamations of surprise from the twins. "Wife! Ickle Harry is married?"
Harry went pale and swallowed a swear word. "You know that I'm married?" he said.
Bill's face was calm, his eyes watchful. "You were wearing a wedding ring during the warding. I assume that it's to a Muggle because there were no traces of magic around your house. Does she know that you're a wizard?" If Harry had married a Muggle then she was in grave danger. Muggles couldn't protect themselves against magic and Harry would still have to contend with Voldemort one day.
Harry turned and looked behind him and connected with the bright brown eyes that had been his salvation from the moment that he'd known he loved her. "Excuse me a moment." He put down the mirror, covering it with the white cloth and cast the Muffliato spell. He beckoned his wife to him. "They can't see or hear you, so it's okay to talk. I'd like to have them come here and I wondered what you might think about that?"
Ginny sat down on the chair opposite Harry. "Jamie's asleep and I've moved his high-chair, tidied away some of his toys and cast Obscuro over all photographs containing him. I would like to see my brothers." She turned away, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"Oh, Ginny," he murmured.
"It's okay," she said, pulling out a tissue and giving her nose a defiant blow. "Tell them to come. Harry Potter's 'Muggle' wife has no problems with several red-haired wizards showing up in her home. It will be easier in the long run." She managed to smile.
Harry caught her hand and pressed it. "I'll tell them…witch."
She got to her feet and left the study. Harry knew that she would be heading to the kitchen to prepare some scones or something like that. She wasn't Molly Weasley's daughter for nothing and needed to do something when upset. But as they'd been living without magic for the past five years it was more than likely that Ginny would be making them the Muggle way.
Harry took down the silencing spell, marvelling at the ease of his actions. Last night's magic hadn't hurt his recovery at all but he knew that he needed to start working on building up his strength and endurance. Voldemort would not be felled by a simple muffling charm.
He pulled the cloth away from the mirror. "Hello again," Harry said smoothly. "I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to check that she was okay with everything. My wife knows that I am a wizard and is happy for you to come here. Then we can meet face to face."
Bill frowned. "But what about the Fidelius charm?"
"We thought ahead," Harry said. "Check in the pockets of the robe you wore last night. There should be a small piece of blank parchment in one of them. It will reveal its secret when you ask it to but then you must destroy it. No one must know where I live. There's far more at stake here than you know."
All three red heads nodded.
"You should then be able to apparate to where we are. See you soon." Harry winked out of view leaving the mirror clear once more.
xxxxx
Bill turned to his brothers. "You're not expected anywhere else tonight?"
"No."
"Right, then." He went and grabbed his cloak then headed to the sitting room. "Fleur?"
His wife lifted her head from the book she was reading. "Oui?"
"I've just got to run an errand. It may take me a little while and I may as well take Fred and George with me."
"Of course and tell Harry that I said hello!" She smiled smugly. "Close your mouth, mon amour. Remember, you married a clever witch."
"That I did," he said faintly. He dropped a kiss on her pouting lips. "I only hope that he knows where Ginny is."
Harry had been in love with Ginny. To Fleur it was as clear as the straight little nose on her face. There was no way that he would have left her behind. Their plan had been very ingenious. But her husband... he was a man. Intelligent though he was, he sometimes missed the subtler nuances of a blossoming relationship. She could be wrong but she doubted it. "You think that he does?" Fleur had a smile on her lips.
Bill shrugged. "I don't know. He has to because if he doesn't…" He kissed her again and returned to his brothers. Placing his cloak about his shoulders, he fished around in his pockets. Sure enough, there was a crumpled piece of blank parchment in one of them.
"Is that it?" asked George.
"Must be," murmured Bill. Holding out his wand he waved it over the parchment. "Reveal yourself," he intoned. Words appeared on the piece of parchment in Harry's familiar loopy scrawl.
"Shielhill Cottage," Bill said aloud. "It's up north somewhere," he said. "Accio map!"
"I think he's left you a grid reference." Fred pointed to a series of numbers. "It's an address in the traditional sense."
"That's a very Muggle thing to do," observed George. "But safer if he's dealing with wizards."
"But Harry often thinks like a Muggle. He was brought up as one," said Fred.
"That's why I've asked for a map," growled Bill. "You're sounding as bad as Hermione."
"We don't want that, do we Gred?" asked George, horror on his face. "Although it could be said that our brother has kindly given us a compliment. Our sister-in-law to be is an extremely intelligent witch."
"Do you still have a store of illegal portkeys?" asked Bill. "We could apparate but this would be easier and would take less energy."
"We do," said the twins together.
Bill tried not to let his exasperation show. "Do you happen to have any about your person?"
Fred produced a pink-satin ballet slipper from somewhere in his robes. "Luckily, we are prepared for many an eventuality and indeed carry such an item about our persons."
"I won't ask where you acquired that," Bill shook his head.
"And we'll never tell," said the twins in unison.
Bill checked the map references once more, visualised the site he'd landed on the previous evening and tapped the ballet slipper with his wand. "Shielhill, Portus." He looked up at his brothers and grinned. "Ready?"
Fred and George grinned, "Ready," and three hands reached for the dancing shoe.
The familiar feeling of being sucked by their stomachs through a very thin tube indicated that the ballet slipper jaunt had been successful.
"You've landed us in the middle of nowhere, Bill," muttered Fred.
"No," said Bill, with relief. "If you look behind you, there's a signpost marked with the name of the place we want to go to. I think that it's not exactly a settlement - more of an area."
"Then it is in the middle of nowhere," said George. "Good idea, too, if you want to hide from Muggles and dark wizards."
Bill stood for a moment, letting the surroundings fill his senses and work with his magic. Curse breaking was sometimes an instinctual art and Bill was very good at it. A quick check up into the clear night sky confirmed his thoughts. "It's this way." Ten minutes later they came upon a set of large grey metal gates and as they approached, the gates swung open. "I remember these from last night."
"It looks as if we are expected," said Fred, giving the metalwork an admiring stare.
"It's not far now." Bill led the way up the long twisting drive until the house came into view.
"Nice place he's got here," said George, looking suitably impressed. "Well hidden, too. Did you go inside yesterday?"
"No," said Bill. "Harry came out to us."
"It's a very grown-up house," said Fred slowly. "Harry means business living here with his Muggle. She's probably never met wizards apart from Harry before. It's going to be interesting to see how she copes with the rest of us."
"But how could Harry have married without having a proper Weasley Wedding party?" asked George.
"He was in hiding," said Bill. "The reason why he's not been seen in the wizarding world for over five years?"
"He could still have let us know," muttered Fred. "'Hey, guys, I married a Muggle but don't come and find us as we're in hiding.'"
"You're being ridiculous, Fred. He's been in hiding for a reason." Bill's face was tight with irritation. "Come on."
As they approached the front door it swung open and Harry stood waiting for them in the hallway. "Come in," he said with a shiver. "It's very cold out there tonight. "I wouldn't be surprised if we have a hard frost. It'll be slippery tomorrow." He ushered them inside, nervously muttering the polite phrases and found himself engulfed by two identical wizards.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," they said in the way of Gilderoy Lockhart, their useless DADA professor in Harry's second year, but there were tears in their eyes.
"Guys, I'd like to breathe," wheezed Harry. "You're crushing me to death and I'm supposed to be finished off by Voldemort, not my adopted family."
Bill looked on with a smile on his face. He'd already gone through something like this the previous evening.
"You consider us family?" queried the twins, who were now thumping Harry on the back.
"Yes," said Harry, wondering if he'd be black and blue the next morning. "I told Bill that yesterday. Surely you knew."
"We knew. We wondered if you did?" said Bill.
The twins let him go and again there was an awkward silence. Harry coughed nervously and fiddled with his shirt cuffs for a moment. "Come through to the lounge. We can't remain standing out here in the entrance hall."
Fred assessed Harry, taking in the thin frame dressed in a Muggle suit and the messy hair. "You seem different."
"Five years is a long time," said Harry lamely.
"You've still got brown eyes," said George.
"I told you - Muggle contact lenses," said Harry. "I can only wear them for so long as they irritate my eyes - not enough tears apparently. My eyes are a little too dry. But it was the only way to disguise the colour."
"Your hair isn't as dark and you're taller," said Bill. "I didn't notice that yesterday.
"Muggle hair dye," said Harry. "As for being taller… I suppose I have gained an inch or two over the years. You didn't see me that last time in Diagon Alley as I was under my invisibility cloak. I couldn't remain that short forever."
"Actually," declared Fred with a frown, "you remind me of Dad's second cousin, the one that is an accountant."
"I've got a job in a bank." Harry grinned at the three astonished faces. "So you're close with the 'accountant'." He'd always loved the idea that the Weasleys were slightly ashamed of the accountant whereas his own relatives had been horrified at having a witch and a wizard in the family.
"You have a job?" breathed George.
Harry shrugged. "I had to do something with my time or I'd have gone madder than Moody."
The twins chanted "constant vigilance" once more.
"I'm not used to sitting about doing nothing. Plus, I don't think that the wife would have let me." He ushered the three wizards into the lounge and waved his hand towards the comfortable brown leather sofas.
Bill looked around as they divested themselves of their cloaks. He'd noted that Harry was reluctant to talk about this mystery woman and he could understand it. Did the young wizard realise how much danger she could be in because she'd married him? He placed his cloak carefully over the arm of one of the chairs. "Where is your wife?"
Harry shifted uneasily. "She's probably in the kitchen. She wanted to give us a little time first and thought we might want a cup of tea and a sandwich or something."
"What's her name?" asked Fred.
"And how did you meet her?" added George quickly. "We want details."
"I...ah..." They could sense Harry's reluctance.
"Look, Harry, we won't do anything to her. No pranks or hexes," said Fred. "Wizard's oath. If she's your wife, then she's family."
Harry had gone pale. "Her name's…Jenny."
Bill's blue eyes narrowed at that. "Jenny? You married a girl called Jenny?" This wasn't right. Harry shouldn't be married to some anonymous Muggle called Jenny. His voice rose angrily. "I thought that you loved our sister. Where's Ginny, Harry?"
"What!" Harry jumped to his feet. "Ginny!" He looked like a startled deer caught in headlights. "I'll just see what's keeping the tea." He had to get out of here. He was going to have to learn to hide things better than this. This wasn't even a hoard of Death Eaters; these were his brothers-in-law – although they didn't know they were his brothers-in-law.
The Weasleys looked at each other in confusion as Harry's rangy frame raced from the room. "I'll go and see if everything's alright," muttered Bill, getting to his feet. "If I didn't know any better I'd say he was…scared."
"Give him a few minutes first. He's certainly wary of letting out any information," observed George. "All the photographs in this room are covered by an Obscuro spell. I could try a Finite Incantem but somehow I don't think that will work."
"He knows where Ginny is," declared Fred quietly. "He knows what's happened to her."
Bill froze and then slowly turned his head to look back at his brothers. "Are you sure?"
Fred nodded. "He was waiting for you to mention her and as soon as you did he was up and out of here."
"That's it! I want answers and I want them now." Bill stalked to the door through which Harry had disappeared.
"Bill…" The twins looked at one another.
"Merlin!" exclaimed Fred. "We'd better go and see that he doesn't do any damage. It's getting near the full moon and his temper is always that bit more unpredictable and this is a very nice house."
Bill pushed open the door and found Harry with his arms around what had to be his wife, her long, dark hair, caught at the crown of her head with a red ribbon, curled down her back almost to her waist.
"Are you ready?" Harry asked softly, tenderly tracing a hand over Ginny's cheek.
"As I'll ever be," she said.
The door gave a tell-tale creak and the Potters stiffened. Harry lifted his head and stared at Bill whilst the young woman – Jenny – removed herself from his arms and, without turning round, moved to pour tea into large blue mugs.
"Harry," Bill said, his voice cracking painfully. "I need to know. Do you know where Ginny is?" He was joined in the kitchen by the twins.
"Guys," Harry said with a sidelong glance at the woman calmly placing pieces of cake onto a plate, her face hidden. "This is my wife."
The girl hesitated, as if she was building herself up to do something momentous and then turned to face them. "Hello, Bill, Fred…George," Ginny said calmly. "Long time no see."
"This is my wife," Harry repeated, sounding proud and a little afraid. "May I introduce you to Ginny Potter?"
You could have heard the rustle of the tiniest beetle's wings in the kitchen and then they were all laughing, crying and embracing one another.
Finally Ginny grabbed a tissue and wiped her eyes. "Please." She indicated the tea and the cake. "I made it myself."
Five minutes later they were all sitting around the scrubbed wooden table nursing their mugs of tea. It didn't replace five years of hurt and loss but it helped.
"Actually," Ginny said with a smile, "I usually go by the name of Jenny Peters. This is my husband, Gary."
The twins chortled. "Jenny and Gary Peters. Funny."
"Easy to remember," said Harry. "When telling lies, keep as close to the truth as possible. Easier to remember."
"How's mum," asked Ginny softly.
Bill gave her a reassuring smile. "Doing fine," he said. "Missing you, worrying about you, still ruling the roost and trying to feed any witch or wizard that crosses her path."
"How long did she stay in St Mungos?" asked Ginny, relief on her pretty face.
"After you left?" Bill frowned. "Another three months and then she went back and fore for check-ups. Still does but not as frequently now. She's currently running compulsory family dinners and every so often cooks for a meeting at Grimmauld Place. Now that we know you're both still alive you'll have to start attending."
"I wanted to see her so much," Ginny admitted sadly. "But it was just too risky." She reached out and grabbed Harry's hand. "I couldn't marry Malfoy. I just couldn't. They would have forced me into it at wand point if they'd found me."
"How long have you been together?" asked Bill. He thought he knew the answer but was going to ask the question anyhow. "Did you meet up by accident or was this planned from the start?" His sister was happy and smiling. He wasn't sure about the dark brown hair but Weasley red was very distinctive and would certainly make someone look at Ginny more than once. He couldn't remember her hair ever being that long before either.
Harry snorted. "I don't know about 'planned'. I had a plan for myself. I was going to leave anyway. That's another whole story which I'll tell you about in a minute. When Malfoy made his claim I immediately asked Ginny if she wanted to come with me."
"And I did."
"Excuse me a moment," muttered Harry, getting to his feet with a quick glance at his wife. "I need to…get these lenses out of my eyes. I'll only be a moment." He disappeared through the door and they heard his footsteps running up the stairs.
"More tea?" asked Ginny.
"How long have you been married?" enquired George.
"Four years." Ginny smiled. "We got married in a Muggle church. Actually, it's very close to Diagon Alley. There was just Harry and I, the Minister and his wife and a couple of church elders as witnesses. I wore Mum's wedding dress."
"The blue velvet?" asked Bill.
"Yes." Ginny's mouth curved into a smile. "It was a lovely ceremony but sad, because my family couldn't be there." She glanced up at the kitchen door as Harry pushed it open. "We had to get married because Potter wouldn't let me have my wicked way with him."
Fred blanched. "There are some things a brother does not need to know, Gin."
"I was respecting my witch," said Harry with a virtuous expression on his face. "I thought you'd be pleased that I was considering the feelings of her brothers. Not every wizard would be so understanding."
"We are really pleased but we don't need details," muttered George.
"You've had no magical backlash at all?" asked Bill.
Ginny frowned. "From what?"
"Failure to complete your betrothal," said Bill. "Lucius Malfoy would have spared no expense making sure that you were tied into this marriage. There can be some nasty clauses inserted in contracts like these. They're never in the best interests of the witch."
Harry's green eyes sparkled wickedly behind his round spectacle frames. "Let me tell you a little fact about this so-called magical betrothal." He smirked at his wife who waggled her eyebrows in return.
"I never touched the parchment," she said smugly. "Harry made sure that I didn't."
"What!" The three Weasley brothers sat with mouths open in stunned shock.
"I would close those gaping holes," said Ginny. "There are no flies in this part of the country at this time of year but…"
Harry grinned. "Many contracts need to be touched by the recipient to seal the deal. Ginny refused to accept it and therefore didn't touch it. Neither did I for that matter."
"Oh," Bill began to grin. "So all that searching we did was all for nothing?"
"No. It just made us all very knowledgeable about binding magical contracts and how to protect ourselves from them."
Ginny took over the tale. "There were other loopholes that no-one considered. We had the greatest wizarding minds on the task and they all failed to see the obvious."
"Percy came to give the contract to me on my seventeenth birthday. I was of age not under it as he kept saying. They had it drawn up before I was of age but he presented it to me on my birthday. I was an adult witch."
"You're saying that Percy got the date wrong?" asked Fred.
"No, I don't think that he got the date wrong exactly," Harry said thoughtfully. "But he wanted to be present on her birthday. The party was the day after, so he could have got mixed up over his grand gesture."
"He could have", chuckled George.
"Percy doesn't make that kind of mistakes. I think he was doing everything for show as usual." Ginny's face told them all what she thought of her estranged brother. "The betrothal would take place on my birthday for maximum effect."
"So even if she had touched it, I don't know if the spell would have been binding." Harry shrugged. "She could have just given in. Dumbledore was so certain that there was nothing we could do that she might as well have been tied to Draco on the spot. Ginny and I had already claimed one another and we felt the magic take hold."
Fred and George were grinning but at Harry's last sentence they stopped. "Already claimed?"
Harry sat up straight. "As soon as I saw Malfoy, I knew that something was up. He would never have set foot in The Burrow otherwise." A sneer Severus Snape would have been proud of crossed his face. "And please, Percy Weasley in cahoots with Lucius Malfoy? That was no innocent deal Percy was brokering. Draco Malfoy had been watching Ginny very carefully all of that last year and I thought rightly that it might have something to do with her."
"We made a blood oath," said Ginny simply.
Bill's eyes flew to his sister in alarm. "What sort of words did you say?"
"We didn't use words," said Harry. "We didn't need to. Ginny and I belonged together. We'd only split up to protect her."
"As if that was going to work!" Ginny said dismissively. "Mum's clock has had the whole family at mortal peril since I was in my third year. I was never in favour of that plan for us to split up but if it made Harry worry less about me, then I was prepared to bide my time. I knew I'd get him back eventually."
"Our magic recognised our claim on one another – I felt the spell take hold. I was making preparations to leave the magical world as soon as I was ready. When Malfoy made his bid to take Ginny away from me I just changed my plans and took her with me."
"Yes, but I went first so that it would confuse everyone. Everyone couldn't believe that Harry hadn't vanished with me. Let me tell you that I was terrified."
"Where did you go?" asked George.
"I have a flat in London…"
"It's very close to Diagon Alley," chipped in Ginny. "Walking distance. Your Metamorph Munchies meant that I didn't need a disguise."
"You fled in disguise," said Fred. "Ingenious."
"You helped me get away, Bill," said Harry. "Your spat with Percy in the middle of the street meant that I was able to walk out of the wizarding world covered by my cloak."
Bill's eyes narrowed. "I get the feeling that I'm just about to ask the important question."
"Ask away," said Harry.
"Why were you leaving, Harry?"
"One of the reasons was that I'd lost my magic," said Harry quietly. "Other reasons…exactly what I told you earlier. They put far too much pressure upon a child and then wondered why I was unhappy?" He sighed. "A hex from Voldemort during a Death Eater attack drained my abilities away." He stared down at the surface of the table not wanting to see the horror or pity in their eyes. "I couldn't even do the simplest of spells."
"The fight at Hogsmeade," stated Fred. "Dumbledore said that you AK'd Voldemort out of his body again."
"Voldemort likes to taunt his victim – namely me - with the manner in which they will lose their lives. He sent the hex at me and then I knew he was preparing to kill me. I had nothing left to lose and sent the Unforgivable his way."
Bill swore. "Harry…"
"Yes, but the curse he fired drained away my magic gradually over the next month. The more magic I used the quicker it drained away. I had to let it all go before it could start to repair itself. I didn't want anyone to know because it made me extremely vulnerable. I was a sitting duck unable to defend myself against any sort of magic."
"It's a very dark curse," said Ginny. "We were lucky that Madam Pomfrey was close to Harry and had read up on the curse a day or so before the battle. She performed certain saving techniques that probably rescued his magic by stabilizing his core and allowing for the recovery to take place."
"Dumbledore did nothing," said Harry. "He knew what had happened but it took him a whole month before he told me what I already knew. I think that deep down he wanted me to be less powerful. For all I've done to save my friends and family, there are people in the wizarding world that still think I want to succeed Voldemort. You know how I'm perceived. I'm either their saviour or a deluded liar. I don't want to be the next dark lord. I want to live in peace with my family but I sometimes wonder if Dumbledore believes that of me, too."
"Dumbledore threatened to send Harry back to his relatives even though he was of age," declared Ginny indignantly. "Can you believe it?" She looked to Fred and George for confirmation of her outrage. "You know how his relatives treated him."
"Oh, they didn't beat me within an inch of my life but there are other ways to abuse a child. They didn't want me and gave me virtually no love and precious little care. Me being there as an adult just wouldn't work. What was Dumbledore thinking of? Okay, I couldn't defend myself if a Death Eater decided to challenge me in the street," muttered Harry. "But I couldn't return to Privet Drive and stay with people who hated me. That would have killed me. In fact, did Dumbledore expect me not to leave my room in Privet Drive for several years? He might as well have placed me in Azkaban."
Ginny placed her hand over Harry's and gave it a gentle squeeze. She turned to her brothers. "Before he died, Sirius made plans with the goblins for Harry's future. He wasn't happy with the way Dumbledore, the Order and the Ministry were treating Harry. He arranged for the goblins to purchase on his behalf a couple of safe retreats for Harry."
"He wanted them to be in the Muggle world where I am unknown but have all the benefits that magic could provide. When Voldemort sent that curse after me, I decided to leave things non-magical for the moment. I told you that our flat is close to Diagon Alley and the location was carefully chosen so that it could mask my magical signature. With all the witches and wizards around, it would be harder to pick up on me if I happened to do something I shouldn't." He grinned at Ginny. "We stayed there for a year."
"You were that close and we never found you?" whispered Bill.
"Yes," Ginny smirked smugly. "There were a few near misses but they never spotted us. Harry calls it 'hiding in plain sight'."
"After a few weeks, people stopped actively looking for us around that area," continued Harry. "Most wizards thought we'd run as far as we could. I even caught sight of an article in one Daily Prophet - it's amazing how some wizards can be so careless when getting rid of an old newspaper - that said we were in America." Harry ran his hands through his hair to no discernible effect. It still stuck up in all directions. "But Remus thought that we were still around."
"I had a part time job as a waitress in a café," said Ginny. "Remus and Tonks came in for a cup of tea on a couple of occasions and I nearly had to serve them. I thought we were Potions ingredients."
"Yes, that gave us a reality check. We'd been getting a little too overconfident," said Harry. "But they hadn't come anywhere close to finding us."
"We got married and then moved up here once the renovations on this house were complete. It's pretty isolated, so it's perfect for a wizard." Ginny took a sip of her tea. "We love this house. It won't be so far away now that you know where we are and now that Harry's magic has started to return we can begin to move back into wizarding society."
Harry nodded "At first Madam Pomfrey said that it would be ten years before my magic recovered. Now I'm hopeful that it will be less."
"No magic," said Fred, appalled. You really had no magic?"
"I said I was as powerful as a squib," admitted Harry. "I couldn't even do a Lumos spell. But it was easier for me to exist in this world than it was for Ginny. I didn't know that magic existed until I reached the age of eleven and I did without magic every summer holiday. I've lived my life without magic for longer than I did with it."
"Whereas, we were the complete opposite," murmured Ginny. She gazed around her kitchen. It was all hers…and Harry's. He liked to cook as much as she did. "Dad would be so proud of me and would have loved to spend time with us. Everything runs off electricity here. Can you imagine what he would have been like?"
Her brothers smiled fondly. Their father had been obsessed with Muggles and the way they managed to exist without magic.
"I'm going to see if I can eventually get the generator to run off magic," Harry announced decisively. "Most muggle technology doesn't run too well around heavy concentrations of magic." The kitchen light chose that moment to flicker wildly. "It does that."
Ginny checked the bulb. "Harry's more aggressively magical than I am…"
"You're just as strong as I am, Gin," Harry protested.
"Probably," she agreed aloud, although, she thought that Harry might have the edge. She could sometimes feel the power humming along his thin frame and it was definitely getting stronger. "But I think the electricity just about coped with one fully grown wizard in the house. I'm not sure about two."
"And currently there are five," said George."
"I think that it shows my magic's recovering," said Harry. "You will see Poppy for me? I gave her one of the Defence Association galleons but there's no guarantee she carries it with her. She has this test she does and it shows the state of my magical core. The first time she did it after I'd been hexed everything was black. But then, I couldn't even do the simplest of levitation spells."
Bill noted the younger man's anxious expression. It was unlikely that the mediwitch still carried a galleon around with her after five years. "I'll go and see Poppy, the first chance that we get," he soothed, experience as the eldest of a large family taking over. Harry had never had an easy life but to lose his magic like he had was tragic. Bill didn't know what he'd have done if that had happened to him. Harry had had every dark wizard in the country out to get him and little chance of defending himself. No wonder he'd chosen to run.
"How are the others?" asked Ginny.
"Ron is working in the office of Magical Sports and Games at the Daily Prophet," said Fred.
"Poppy told us that," said Ginny. "So he's still there?"
"It suits him very well and he's not really ambitious. Does a chess problem every day and gets to attend all the Quidditch matches he wants."
Ginny chuckled. "Good for him."
Bill frowned. "What do you mean, Poppy told you?"
"She came here a couple of years ago to check my magic," said Harry smoothly. "I'd had a couple of accidental outbursts. Oh, she knows we're okay but she has no idea where we are. We used one of those illegal portkeys you created for us. She should still have it."
Bill raised his eyebrows in surprise. Poppy had known more than anyone in the wizarding world and hadn't breathed a word to a soul.
"Patent healer confidentiality," said Harry.
George grinned. "Hermione works at the Ministry. She's Percy's assistant."
"She's still working for Percy?" asked Ginny and then shook her head at the expression on her brothers' faces. "Poppy told us, remember? They would certainly work well together and Percy wouldn't be able to complain about her work."
Fred gave Ginny a look. "I'm not sure who is spying on whom."
"Probably a bit of both," muttered Harry and Ginny together. "That's what we said the last time."
Bill chuckled. "You're probably right. Percy has managed to get a promotion and took Hermione along with him but is nowhere near the exalted station he expected to be by now."
"Hermione and Ron…" Harry trailed off.
She and Ron got engaged two years ago but there's no sign of a wedding yet."
"Knowing those two," said Harry. "Ron won't be in any hurry and Hermione will be considering her career path."
"They've never given up on either of you," said Bill, a hint of censure in his voice.
"They're the hardest for me to deal with," admitted Harry. "And the ones I feel most regret over. It's not because I don't trust them – I do. But I can't trust them to do what I want. I thought it was safer for them if they had no knowledge of our plans. I don't know what I've done to our friendship by my behaviour but I'm not risking Ginny for anyone."
"Hermione trusts authority to the point of sometimes failing to see that they aren't always correct," stated Ginny forcefully, "and Ron cannot keep a secret under pressure. All someone has to do is to rile him up and watch things fall apart."
"Remus and Tonks have finally moved in together," mentioned George. "They man the fort at Grimmauld Place."
"Wonderful," said Harry. "And about time too. I knew that Tonks would wear the old wolf down eventually."
"He wants you to be his best man when he marries her, Harry," said Bill.
"I would be honoured but he should just go ahead and marry Tonks without me. It's not fair on Tonks."
"He won't do that. He's reluctant because of his furry little problem, too." Bill's fingers traced one of the scars on his own face. He'd been attacked by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback but fortunately, he'd escaped the horrible fate of becoming a wolf once a month. "It could so easily have been me."
"Remus is a wonderful wizard. One of the best," said Ginny. "Tonks should just drag him to the registrar."
"Hagrid has been spending some time on the continent," added Bill. "He and Madame Maxime are continuing their…friendship."
"I'm glad for Hagrid," murmured Ginny. "He always was keen on her."
Harry took a deep breath. "And Dumbledore?"
Bill couldn't help noticing that Harry's voice had been strangely neutral. He'd heard that they'd had 'issues' before Harry had left. "Nothing much changes as far as the headmaster is concerned. He's still splitting his time and attention between the school and the Wizengamot. He misses you, Harry. I think he deeply regrets the way that he treated you. That was another one of your reasons for leaving, wasn't it?"
"He should regret the way he treated Harry," Ginny cried fiercely. "He should!"
"He played chess with our lives," said Harry, bitterness in his tone. "I was treated the way I was because of his idea to foster the greater good scenario. I was a child... an individual... not some super-wizard. He didn't have the right to sacrifice me in this way." Harry's eyes were burning. "I'm not saying that I was perfect in all of this. I wasn't. I made mistakes dealing with Dumbledore and with Ron and Hermione, too. But hindsight is a wonderful luxury that I didn't have at the time."
There was an awkward silence. In an attempt to move past the subject of the headmaster, Bill muttered suddenly, "Fleur says 'hello'. She guessed what I was up to."
"Can't keep anything from your wife," said Fred admiringly.
"She guessed. I said nothing. Fidelius charm, remember?" Bill said indignantly.
Harry's face brightened. He was very fond of Bill's wife. "How is the beauteous Fleur?"
"She's very well, in fact she's…" He stopped, closed his mouth on what he was going to say and instead finished with, "she's wonderful."
"That's how Harry refers to me," Ginny said smugly. Her days of referring to the French beauty as 'Phlegm' were long gone. Fleur had chosen to be with Bill despite is badly scarred face. She loved him as much as Ginny loved Harry.
"Oh, all the time Ginny-love." Harry winked at her.
"Where do we go from here?" asked Bill. "When are you coming home?"
Ginny and Harry reached for one another. "This is my home, Bill," Ginny said. "This is my 'Burrow'."
"Bill didn't mean it like that," said Fred. "We're wondering when you're coming back to the magical world."
"When it's safe," said Harry promptly. "We'll return when it's safe and only then."
"Harry," Ginny drawled, her face grave. "It's never going to be safe - not for us. Now's as good a time as any to tell them. We still have our secrets to keep but this one can't wait."
The three Weasley brothers became serious. "We're listening," said George.
"The real reason I contacted Gringotts and asked for Bill's help in warding our property, wasn't just because I wanted to keep my family safe…" He took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to tell you this…but…"
Bill looked at his brothers. He had a churning feeling in his stomach as if he knew what Harry was about to tell him. Charlie's last report from Rumania had mentioned one or two disturbing things. "Go on, Harry."
"On Halloween, Voldemort regained his corporeal form once more. The third rising has begun."
Ginny turned her head into Harry's shoulder to hide her tears, wondering if Bill knew the contents of the prophecy regarding Harry. Had Dumbledore informed the Order of the necessity of locating Harry? Without the Boy-who-lived they would be unable to destroy Voldemort.
Fred and George let off a stream of curses. Bill's face paled but he said nothing.
"This is not news I ever wanted to give you," Harry whispered.
Bill swallowed and then said quietly, "To tell you the truth, Harry, I cannot say that I'm surprised about this. There have been rumours for several months now of a darkness growing in Eastern Europe. That's where Voldemort's shade was known to be hiding the last time. Charlie's last letter from Rumania told of a co-worker disappearing. He's never been found. I've noticed that some wizards with suspected links to the Death Eaters have become more confident in their behaviour. It's just little things but they add up."
The Potter's recounted the story of the lights in the wood and then finding Snape, bruised and unconscious a day later. "They'd left him to die," spat Harry in disgust. He didn't like the Potions Master but he accepted that the man performed a dangerous task.
"We knew he was missing," confessed Bill. "And although Snape often goes on these little working jaunts, he's never not come back on time before. The Order was worried this time."
Harry's arm tightened around Ginny. "The manner in which he was injured reminded me of a certain Tri-wizard competition. The evidence was too strong and I came to the only conclusion I could. Voldemort has arisen once again." He pointed to the scar on his forehead. "Since Halloween, I've begun to feel a familiar prickling sensation in my scar – a sort of dull ache. I've not felt that for over five years."
"Then do you think that he can find you?" asked George.
"We're under the Fidelius and I can do Occlumency fairly well now, so I shouldn't think so. He may try and assail me through my dreams and certainly by attacking my friends and family. But I'll just have to wait and see." He looked at his wife, still clinging to his side. "I have more to lose this time."
Ginny lifted her head, her brown eyes defiant. "Our family comes first," she said.
Harry nodded his agreement. "Whatever the old man decides to do or say, I'll listen to his advice but I and…" he glanced down at Ginny again, "my wife will discuss what we plan to do. She keeps telling me that she's the brains in our operation and that I should listen to her."
"I can see how that would be a good plan," said Fred.
"Until I know the true state of my magic I cannot return. If there's any doubt, I will have to stay hidden. I couldn't defend myself against the mildest of hexes. But I won't dismiss Dumbledore's advice. He is the only one Voldemort was ever afraid of. Although I hope that snake-face might be wary of me these days."
"Do you think that your magic is back?" Bill stared hard at Harry.
"I do, actually, but whether it's a partial or full recovery I need to be certain."
"Sensible idea," said Bill.
Guys, Snape really wasn't in a good way when I sent him back to Hogwarts. If he's still out of it or worse, dead, then you need to tell the Order that Voldemort is about to cause mayhem once more. They have to know."
The three redheaded wizards nodded.
"Fair enough," Bill said. "But I take it that you'd like me not to mention the existence of you and Ginny as my source just yet?"
"Yes," said Ginny. "We're going to contact the rest of the family in our own good time. Say that it's a Gringotts contact." She smirked impishly. "It's not a lie."
"You sure you were in Gryffindor, Mrs. Potter?" Bill checked his watch. "Look at the time. We'd better be going."
Harry let go of Ginny and ran his fingers through his hair and again it didn't make any difference. "I'm working tomorrow. Got to pay those bills."
"What about keeping in touch?" Ginny enquired. "Owls are a bit risky. They can be tracked and intercepted."
Harry stiffened. He'd sent Hedwig to stay with Hagrid when he'd left the magical world and he missed her more than he say. "You don't have a telephone, do you?"
The Weasleys shook their heads. "Sorry, Harry. "We'll look into getting one. I'm sure Hermione has a mobile one," said Fred.
"She's got Muggle parents. That's how she keeps in contact with them," said George. "Until Harry tells Hermione that he's back, I suspect that we can't just borrow hers to phone Harry and Ginny. But she would be able to advise us on one to get."
Fred got to his feet and wandered around the kitchen. "How about we set a time and you contact us via the mirrors?"
"Floo is not an option yet, unfortunately," said Ginny.
Bill yawned and rubbed his eyes. "I would expect an Order meeting to be called within the next couple of days now that Snape has been found. Dumbledore will want to pass on the news. He'll understand the significance of Snape's condition."
"It will depend on how he is," said Harry. "If he's regained consciousness, they'll have information of sorts. I need to know what the Order knows. Whatever happens, Snape is going to be as pissed as hell. He won't know that it's me who saved his life and I'm not sure that I want to tell him. He hates me enough as it is."
Fred gave a crow of awed amazement. "Snape has a life debt to you."
"In a manner of speaking, I suppose he does," murmured Harry. "Strange. However, his spying days are over and I would guess that Snape is the type that wants to be useful."
"We need to know what's happening with the Order of the Phoenix. You can't let us be kept in the dark, Bill," pleaded Ginny. "It wouldn't be fair."
"Okay." Bill didn't need to be persuaded. He reckoned that it was Harry and Ginny's right to know what was happening.
"Don't look Dumbledore in the eye," warned Ginny, "or Snape. Remember they can read your thoughts. They can't learn about us yet."
"If you could tell Poppy that I want to see her and it's urgent. But tell her its 'good urgent' and not 'bad urgent'."
"We will, Harry" said George. "I think we also need to brush up on our Occlumency skills."
Harry tapped a finger against his lips. "There are books in the library at Grimmauld Place. Hermione will know where they are."
"Harry, can we apparate from here now or do we have to walk five miles down the road?" asked Fred, pulling on his cloak.
"You can do it from here now," said Harry, watching as Ginny rushed around to hug her brothers. "Keep in touch," he said.
"We will," replied Bill.
Three pops and they were gone.
"Jamie?" asked Ginny.
"He was sound asleep when I went to change out of my lenses and into my specs. I stuck my head around the bedroom door."
"I thought you might have," said Ginny. "It was good to see them, wasn't it?"
Harry grinned. "It was and now I feel that we really have moved forward with our life."
Ginny placed the mugs in the dishwasher and began switching off the lights. "Come on, Mr. Potter. It's time we got some sleep."
Harry yawned. "Yes, let's sleep while we still have the chance." He slipped his wand into his hand and murmured. "Nox."
21