Nope! I have the same crappy computer so I can't own Harry! Cause if I did then I'd definitely have one that is less then 10 years old! :)

Chapter Thirty-seven

A Wrapped Little Box

Somewhere in the house a clock started to chime. It was ten o'clock. She needed to get back to camp so that she could take her watch and relieve Hermione.

"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, Greg, but I really need to get going," Taylor said as she stood from the sofa.

"So soon?" Greg asked as he stood up beside her.

"Yeah. I promised I'd be back at ten."

"Thank you dear for coming. It was very nice to finally meet the girl that Greg keeps going on about." Mrs. Hunter said as she and her husband stood up also.

"Mum!" Greg growled.

"Yes, thank you for coming Taylor. I'm sorry that it must have felt like an interrogation. I hope we didn't scare you from coming back again?" Mr. Hunter said with a gentle smile.

"Oh no Sir. I'd have asked questions myself if someone showed up like I did." Taylor said with a smile. She could see where Greg got his straightforwardness.

Mr. Hunter chuckled. "You have a lot of courage young lady. A true Gryffindor you are! Promise me that you will be very careful going home. I assume you are going to apparate? Correct?"

Taylor laughed a little too, "Oh yeah. That was the plan. I plan on getting my license when I am old enough, if that makes any difference."

"I'm glad to hear it. Not to worry, your secret is safe with us, besides I've seen wizards with licenses who can't side along as well as you can. You are a very talented young witch." Mr. Hunter added with a smile, at Taylor's confused expression he added, "Moody told me about you apparating Mr. Potter away from the Ministry."

Greg walked with Taylor to the door and passed her cloak to her, as his parents hung back to give them a little privacy. "When will I see you again? I never even got the chance to give you this," Greg said quietly as he pulled a small box out of his pocket and put it in her hand.

Taylor looked down at the beautifully wrapped box and remembered the conversation she had overheard Christmas Eve at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. She caught her bottom lip in her teeth as she looked up into his soft blue eyes. "I didn't get you anything…" she started but he interrupted her.

"Sure you did, you gave me this evening. Thank you." Then he pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm hug. Taylor thought she could have stayed wrapped up in them forever, but all too soon he released her, kissing her on the forehead as he drew away.

Taylor bit her bottom lip harder to keep it from trembling as emotions coursed through her and her heart pounded wildly. "No. Thank you. This evening was very special." Her voice was none too steady.

"Please promise me that you will stay safe! I hate the idea of you leaving here alone! But I am so selfish, that I am praying that you will come back again sometime" Greg's voice dropped to a whisper as he breathed the last bit into her ear.

"Can't make any promises." Taylor whispered as she slipped the small box into her cloak.

"I know. Meet me at Sofia's Diner!" When Taylor looked at him confused he went on quickly, "It's a restaurant not far from the Ministry where a lot of them go to eat. It's heavily warded and always well guarded. I have a picture of the apparation point in my room, so you could apparate right there. There are enough Ministry officials who bring their kids there that they'll never detect you." Greg finished pulling his wand and with a flick he Accioed the picture from his room and handed it to her.

"I know the place. It would be safe, as safe as is possible at this time." Mr. Hunter said as he and Mrs. Hunter joined them by the door.

Taylor looked at the picture for a long moment, memorizing it before she handed it back to Greg. "I can't promise. It will depend on just how angry Harry is, but if I can, I'll send you my Patronus."

A grin split the Head Boy's handsome face, "I will pray that Potter is in a very forgiving mood then and wait for your beautiful doe to appear again."

Taylor was about to reach for the door when Mrs. Hunter pulled her into a hug, "Please be careful. And thank you for coming."

"I will, Mrs. Hunter." Taylor replied as she stepped back from the kind older woman.

"Next time we will talk about you calling me Mrs. Hunter!" Greg's mother said with a smile.

Greg opened the door for her and she smiled at him. "Be careful, I'll be waiting."

"Bye," Taylor whispered as she stepped out the door, "Thank you again!" Waving once more as she was halfway down the walk she didn't slow down until she approached the wards surrounding Hunter's Place. Taking a deep breath of the frigid night air, she flicked her wrist so that she would have her wand in hand as soon as she stepped outside the wards. Shacklebolt's deep voice booming in her mind about being ready at all times. Without looking back and fixing the campsite firmly in her mind's eye, Taylor stepped through the wards and turned, apparating away.

A second later the huge bands released her and she was standing not twenty feet from their tent in the thick forest. Dropping to a crouch she looked around listening, the wards on their camp effectively hiding it from view. Once she was satisfied that there wasn't anyone else out in the forest, a quick revealing spell showed her that. She conjured a small bird and sent it towards the tent. The signal that it was only her that was returning and that all was well.

She waited a few more seconds before she then stood and made her way through the last few trees and into the campsite. All was still and dark. A movement by the tent alerted Taylor that there was someone there.

"Raisins in the snow." Taylor said and Hermione's voice answered "Only when the snow is yellow."

"You're late!" Hermione's voice was clipped and ice hard.

"Only by fifteen minutes, I…" Taylor started.

"You're lucky I didn't go wake Harry and Ron! I can't believe you ran off alone like that! Do you know how stupid and dangerous that was? What if you'd been caught?" Hermione tore a strip off of Taylor, which would have made Mrs. Weasley proud. It was twenty minutes before Taylor could get a word in edgewise.

"Hermione, will you just lay off! I think I have a way of getting the horcrux from Umbridge!" Taylor finally squeezed in and watched as Hermione's jaw dropped.

"How?"

Taylor quickly filled her in on the Diner that Greg had told her about, and where it was located. "Now all we need to do is watch to find out when the toad goes there, create a diversion and take the necklace off of her."

"You think she would go to such a place?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"If there are that many wards around it then I'd say some high up Ministry officials must go there, and if they do the toad will too." Taylor said with confidence.

Hermione stared at Taylor for a long moment before standing up and saying in clipped tones, "I'm going to bed. If you don't tell Harry in the morning about leaving then I will. Goodnight Taylor."

It was a long while before Taylor even started to feel the cold. Her mind was busy replaying the evening she'd had at Greg's house. True it had been quite tense at times but she was left with such a warm feeling that it had been more than worth the trouble.

The next morning at breakfast she began to second-guess the idea of it being worth the trouble.

"You did what! What the hell were you thinking?" Harry bellowed when she told him about her adventure the night before, well about leaving and going to Greg's. She didn't bother mentioning her side adventure of just getting there.

"You mean to tell me that you snuck off last night to see that… that…" Harry seemed lost for words.

"Arrogant pompous Hufflepuff dick!" Ron growled.

"Freezing Hermione! What if a Death Eater had come along? Do you ever stop to think?" Harry ranted.

"I released her before I left you dickhead!" Taylor snapped.

"Don't you give me that tone! You know what you did was reckless and incredibly dangerous!"

"You are not my boss Potter!" Taylor screamed back, immediately regretting her words.

"Well you sure seem to need one!" Harry bit out before he wheeled and headed out of the tent.

Taylor glanced over at Ron and could see that he was almost as pissed off as Harry, then she looked at Hermione to see that her friend was indeed angry too. Lifting her arms in defeat Taylor turned and went back through the curtain to her bed.

The move a few hours later was silent. No one spoke. Taylor took first watch that night even though it was still an hour or more before dark, just to get out of the angry silence that seemed to permeate the tent.

When Hermione came out to relieve her, Taylor refused and sent Hermione back in. Taylor decided that sitting outside in the cold was a lot better then sitting in the little tent with two angry wizards.

The next morning, she had come in last night when Ron came out to take his turn, Taylor didn't bother to get out of her bed like she usually would. She heard Hermione get up and could hear her getting breakfast. Normally she'd get up just to keep the other witch company, but not this morning. Rolling over onto her back Taylor stared up at the canvas that separated her from the cold wintry weather. Lifting her left hand she looked at it. Her wrist was feeling almost back to normal. She was glad Harry hadn't seen it wrapped, so she decided that she wouldn't push her luck and removed the bandage. It was a little tender. She'd need to be careful. She rolled up the bandage and stuffed it under her pillow. She'd put it with her things later.

It was then that her eyes fell on her cloak hanging beside her bed. In the pocket was still the gift from Greg. She hadn't opened it yet. Slowly she reached out and carefully removed the little beautifully wrapped box with a piece of gold ribbon tied around it. She stared at the box in her hand for a long time, relishing the memory of Greg's arms around her. She didn't allow her mind to examine too closely these feelings that the Hufflepuff could stir in her, and for the most part she kept them hidden away. Still though, as she looked at the little box in her hand her heart pounded and warmth spread through every fiber of her body.

She wasn't sure how long she just looked at the box. The deep rumble of Harry's voice and the softer sound of Hermione's reminded her that she wasn't truly alone, even though she was hidden behind the curtain.

"Do you think she's still asleep?" Harry's deep voice asked quietly.

"I'd say she is. I haven't heard her stir at all yet." Hermione answered softly. "How long are you going to stay mad at her? She does have an idea you know for getting the horcrux from Umbridge."

"What idea? How come you didn't mention it sooner?"

"I thought that maybe Taylor would tell you. You know as a peace offering." Hermione's voice was matter of fact and Taylor could imagine the serious look she was giving her brother.

"If she would just think! She acts without ever thinking of the consequences! First with the Dark Magic, and now running off all by herself. What is she going to do next?"

"Harry, I really think you need to cut her a little slack." A short pause "Don't give me that look. She has been under a lot of pressure. I know you are too, but you have Ginny. I'm lucky I have Ron and we rely on these people as emotional supports. Taylor has never had an interest in any guy as far as I know, but she is very fond of Greg Hunter. I think he would be very good for her." Another pause, "Oh come on Harry, you've seen her when she sees him! Remember that night at the joke shop? You even thought she would fall over the railing watching Hunter leave." There was a snort that could have only come from Harry. "I know you only want what is best for Taylor, and that you want to protect her, so please talk to her. Talk this through. It only gets harder the longer you put it off."

A few seconds later Taylor heard Ron enter the tent and the conversation changed to where they would be moving to today and when they would move.

Taylor lay in her bed thinking about what she had overheard. An hour later when she rolled out of bed, the little box was still unwrapped, and she stored it in her bag with her other things.

It wasn't until that night that Taylor finally had a chance to talk to Harry. They had moved around eleven, but when they apparated to their new spot, they had seen a couple of people off in the distance so they immediately apparated away to their emergency place. After some discussion they decided on a new campsite, but they were all nervous about being spotted and by whom. Hermione was more spooked than the others and insisted on double and triple checking their wards.

By the time they finally sat down to supper it was dark outside and Harry was on watch. Taylor washed up the dishes, Hermione had cooked, and then left Hermione and Ron alone in the tent. Taylor suspected that Ron would be able to calm Hermione better then she could, a quirky smile pulled at her lips for a moment, before it faded away. She needed to talk to her brother.

Outside the tent she stretched, rolling her tense shoulders and flexing her left wrist, testing it for any pain. There was none. Conjuring up a stool she sat down beside her brother and pulled her cloak tightly around her. They sat in silence for a long time, only the low moaning of the wind and the soft mumble of voices from within the tent could be heard.

Taylor wasn't sure how to start, but after watching another cloud pass over the full moon she decided that it was time. "I'm sorry Harry. I acted on an impulse. I knew it was dangerous but I went anyway."

Harry was silent for several long minutes. He had expected his sister to claim that it wasn't dangerous, that she wasn't in the wrong. "What if you had been hurt? Or caught? I didn't even know where you went. Or that you even left!"

"I know. I knew if I told you I wanted to go you wouldn't have let me. At the time it seemed worth the risk." Taylor answered softly.

"And now?"

Taylor looked up at the full moon that cast everything in its pale light. Way off in the distance they heard the howl of a wolf. They were too far off to tell if it was a werewolf or not. "Now, I think I would tell you, but I'd still probably go."

Taylor turned to look at her brother, the pale light from the moon making his face look paler then normal. "Harry, we are at war. Whether the Ministry of Magic thinks so or not. Most people think we are too young to fight, but the whole of the wizarding world seems to count on you defeating Voldemort. I will fight by you, for you and probably with you for as long as I live. I will do whatever I have to, to help you. I love you. But Greg makes me feel things I never knew existed. He can make me feel safe by just being near me."

"I am so torn, part of me wants to be with him, just to be close enough to hold his hand, to feel the way only he can make me feel, but the other part screams that it is too dangerous, that by even thinking of him I put him in danger. That it would be far safer for him if I stay with you, until the war is finally over. Then I think of all the people who have already died, if that should happen to me, then at least I will know… I had the courage to at least, get a peek at what it would be like to love someone like Greg."

Harry sat in shocked silence, as Taylor's words so closely resembled his own feelings for Ginny. He knew the awful price that this war might extract, how could he truly find fault with his sister when the same battle waged in his heart?

"Believe it or not I do understand. But I need to know I can trust you to not sneak off in the middle of the night. I need you Taylor, I wish to all those stars up there that I could send you someplace safe... I wonder sometimes what Mum and Dad must think of me putting you in all this danger. But I need your help. I can see that now. If we are going to find the rest of the Horcruxes and destroy them, and Voldemort too, then I need you… as wrong as it might be."

Taylor could hear the raw emotion in her brother's voice. She slid off the stool and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry Harry. I'll never do anything like that again! I need you too. You're all I have." Her voice broke as tears poured down her face.

Harry hugged his sister back. He could feel her shoulders shake as she cried on his shoulder. After Taylor stopped crying it was a while before either of them moved. It was comforting to simply show this rare display of affection to one another.

"So what did you do at Hunter's?" Harry asked, as his attempt to show his sister that he wasn't upset with her any longer.

Taylor told Harry about her visit to Greg's, even some of her adventure in getting there, though he was not pleased to hear that she went into a bar or stowed away on a truck. Though she did tell him about Mr. Hunter discovering that she was underage. After Harry calmed down again, she told him about the spell that he'd used to discover it and that the spell hadn't detected any Dark Magic. They pondered what this could mean for some time, and decided that they'd have to run it by Hermione and Dumbledore's painting.

It was well into Taylor's watch by the time she told her brother about the idea she had for getting the necklace from Umbridge, and by the time Ron came out to relieve Taylor, they had a plan almost hashed out.

A/N Well there Taylor made it back to the campsite and Harry was not impressed! LOL! So what did you think? :) If you want to know something or if something isn't clear leave a review and I will reply... I reply to all my reviews! Reviews just make my day!

Thank you to those who alerted and favorited this story! And to those of you who reviewed... THANK YOU!

I also need to say a HUGE thank you to my bata barbc! You rock girl! She has bata'd up to chapter 40! Yeah! So that means as soon as I go through them again and make the last corrections then I should be able to post at least another one maybe even two this week! So until next time, cytpotter.