A/N

TravisJameson: Thank you for this important hint. I already corrected the typo. In German it is called "Schnatz". Because of this I didn't notice the "snitch/snatch"-autocorrect-error.

Katzztar: Daphne was too far away to hear anything from the discussion between Fred and Ginny. She only saw that Fred was angry about something. Fred whispered because of Harry who was listening. Despite his anger Fred tried to avoid embarrassing Ginny with her feelings towards Harry.

Harry: How strong-willed do you like Harry to be? I think this is an important and endless question. Be assured that he'll change over the course of the story but in the beginning I imagine a teenager who just lost a possible caring parent (Sirius) and now is searching for a person of morale and honor. He's still a teenager struggling to find his way after more than a decade of not being allowed to make his own decisions and with no inspiring example in the Dursley household.

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Shadows in the Night

Quidditch Field Camp – 17th of August, late evening

.

Laden with souvenirs and in higher spirits than before, the Weasley family had reached the camp an hour ago. Molly instantly started to prepare supper, forcing Ginny to help her and banishing Harry from the cooking fire. He would have liked to help. Cooking had been the sole chore in the Dursley home he had started to like and he was quite proud of his ability to prepare simple meals without burning them to charcoal. But Molly wanted to hear nothing of it. "Enjoy yourself," she uttered.

Enjoy – how could he? With Percy gone – certainly following the Minister again – Ron still on the road with Seamus and Dean – Hermione had assumed for some boasting about the Irish victory and drinking Butterbeer out of Molly's sight – and Bill and Charlie trying to find whatever they tried to find, only Hermione, Fred and George were at the camp. Hermione had retired to the tent she shared with Molly and Ginny, a book in her hand, and Harry knew better than to disturb her only because he felt bored. Hermione had never been a great fan of Quidditch and certainly deserved a bit of peace.

As Harry turned around he saw Fred playing with one of his fake wands. One of those had been part of the bet he had won this afternoon. Ludo Bagman had offered him five galleons for the wand, nearly the same amount a student had to pay for his first real wand. Harry found it easy to imagine the twins living from selling those joke articles and not living bad from it. But it wouldn't be easy to convince Molly of their plans. And they needed more money to start with that shop, money the Weasley family simply did not have to spare. Roxanne had mentioned the money of his parents. Perhaps he should speak with her about it.

Fred was still mad at his younger siblings. Perhaps he should try to soothe the waves, Harry pondered. Playing the peacemaker would at least be a change to sitting around bored.

"Fred," he started and waited for the twin to look up before he continued. Harry had always liked Fred more while Hermione preferred the slightly more serious George. If anyone was able to see something serious about one of the twins, Harry sniggered silently. Since they gave him the Marauder's Map, the same map his father had created with the help of Sirius and Remus more than a decade ago, the twins were in Harry's good books. "You do know that Ron and Ginny… they didn't want to hurt you or something. They wanted to protect you in a way. I think they learned something about interfering in others' love affairs today."

"Do you?" Fred's expression was a mask of resignation. "I… I'm not sure about that. Yes, you're right about Ginny and Ron wanting to help me. But it is wrong to follow prejudices like this. And they really assumed I would be the same. Do they even know me? I certainly don't like the Slytherins. George and I pranked them more often than members of all other house together. Only Filch…"

He smiled shortly remembering all those pranks they had played on the unpopular caretaker – a smile that Harry shared happily as he had been on the receiving end of Filch's curses way too often in the past.

"But I don't play pranks because they're Slytherins. I prank them because they're prats and Slytherin has the largest accumulation of prats." Fred sighed and leaned his back against a tree, shortly scrubbing his back against the bark. "But you know… Daphne… she's not like that. She's one of the few Slytherins with a sense of humor. Not the 'humor' of Draco, only anxious to hurt someone's emotions but real humor. Not that I would dare to hassle her. Last year we spent a week of detention together after she hexed Montague. He certainly deserved the three days he had to spend in the Hospital Wing. Daphne never said the reason for the hex but I've never seen someone smiling so happily in detention, sometimes bursting with laughter while she was polishing the cups."

Montague – Harry remembered him: a giant of a boy, playing on a Chaser position in the Slytherin team, equally untalented as Draco Malfoy but even more tending to foul play. Fred was right about that: Montague deserved any Hospital stay he got.

"But what bothers me the most about all this is the picture of Ginny and especially Ron acting exactly the same next time. You know them long enough, Harry. Do you really think that Ron will change his ways in the future? That he will be able to see his error and act more mature next time? Don't get me wrong: I love my little brother and there is no girl as important as Ginny to me, not even Angelina – well, she is a close second – but I see their faults very clearly and painfully sometimes."

Harry shared Fred's smile again, but his smile was a bit stressed. In a way he had thought the same. More than once Ron had misbehaved in the past and acted on his stubbornness and prejudices. It was easy to get on his wrong side and difficult to be back on good terms afterwards. More than once Hermione had to apologize to Ron despite him being the one who had wronged her. "You don't have to answer, Harry, I see it in your face."

They sat there in silence for some time, staring into the fire. Just as Harry thought about wandering around a bit – in sight of the tents but able to move his legs a bit – Fred looked up again: "I have a favor to ask you, Harry. You're still planning to go there again – to this family?"

Harry deliberated on that question for some moments. He wasn't certain that the Pinegrew ladies – especially Daphne – would like to have him back at the Manor after this afternoon. But the invitation of Roxanne was still pending and he knew that Hermione would gladly have a prolonged conversation with the Pinegrew ladies. "I think so. Hedwig is still there, my tomcat and my trunk too. At least for a day, I have to go there and I plan to spend some more time at the Manor. Why do you ask?"

"Could you speak with her in my stead? Speak with Daphne and explain…"

"… that you don't have qualms about mingling with the snakes," Harry continued with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, something like this. Perhaps you could reword it a bit. I don't want to lead her on should she still fancy me, only want to make clear that I didn't want to hurt her. And I'd like to avoid Angelina overhearing that conversation. It would certainly not enhance my chances with her."

"I don't think she still has those feelings. It only embarrasses her to speak about it. Like Hermione if you reminds her of her crush on Lockhart in our second year." For a moment both boys thought about Hermione and the adoration she shared with half of the girls at Hogwarts two years ago. She had been flattened to see 'her hero' betray the trio out of fear as they descended to the chamber of secrets.

"Okay, I'll speak with her," Harry stopped Fred's cry of joy with a gesture. "I'll speak with her under one condition."

Fred frowned. "I thought you were my friend," he grumbled.

"I am and because of this I have a condition: if I speak with Daphne you'll stop admiring Angelina from afar and invite her to the ball. And I want her to have the most wonderful evening with 'Fred the complete gentleman' – with sweets, flowers, compliments and all. Good night kiss included. Do we have a deal?"

In the last year more than one game and more or less every training session had suffered under Fred and Angelina ogling each other. That even Harry had noticed their behavior spoke volumes about the 'we're only platonic friends'. And he had enough of this. If they needed a small push then Harry was willing to use this opportunity.

"Invite Angelina? Flowers? I can do that." Fred blushed as he tried to convince himself. "Gentleman, yes, that's what I am." He blinked at Harry as he realized: "Ball? What ball do you speak about?"

Harry looked around – no listeners: "It's still kind of secret in the moment. There will be a ball at Hogwarts this year. And I don't think of a kind of costume or Halloween but a real ball. Roxanne told me. She even gave me a coupon for Gladrag's Wizardwear to buy a new robe."

"I see, good to know." Fred narrowed his eyes as he stared intensely at Harry. "So Roxanne it is now?"

The slightest hint of color entered Harry's face: "She offered me to call her… I mean… she'll be my mother in a way… godmother… adoptive mother. It is only natural that I call her…"

"Mother, yes," Fred grinned. "Quite a looker of a mother, don't you think so? Even more than her daughter."

"Oh," the color intensified. "I didn't even notice. And Daphne, she'll be my sister. I don't look at her like this."

"Sister, yeah," Fred's face nearly split in half with the grin. "If you say so."

Luckily the darkness hid most of the color now, as Harry left his place and mumbled: "Git."

.

For the twenty-third time Harry turned around on his cot and the night was still young. The message from Roxanne left him unable to find sleep. The whole afternoon and evening he had been restless, waiting for some kind of attack. But nothing happened. Should he speak with Arthur about the warning? Or perhaps tell Ron about it? He was uncertain, especially about their reaction and if he would be able to hide the source of it. In the end it had been Bill he warned…

.

"Bill, do you have a minute?"

The smile left Bill's face and he shortly narrowed his eyes as he noticed the serious expression on Harry's face. With a silent nod he suspended his unpacking and followed the boy. Harry, shifting his stance every few seconds and his eyes more concentrated on the surroundings than on his conversation partner, did a good job at alarming the curse-breaker.

"I… I got a warning." Harry shifted his stance again.

"What kind of warning?"

"Kind of… unspecified warning… that something could happen tonight."

"An attack on you?" Bill asked, now feeling really troubled.

"N-no, didn't sound like that. More general trouble. But she… the warning said I had to watch out for Hermione."

Bill studied Harry's face quite intensely. While he didn't know the boy as well as his parents or Ron did, they had spent enough time together to be sure that Harry wouldn't fabricate stories about something like this. And he seemed really agitated and concerned.

"Alright. I'll set a few wards around the camp, to warn us. With all those drunkards around I can't put on something more serious."

Harry nodded thankfully, allowing a small smile to appear on his face. With confusion he watched as Bill removed a silvery chain with an amulet he wore around his neck. He put it in Harry's hand. "For Hermione to wear tonight."

.

Ginny had glared at him as he put the amulet around Hermione's neck. Perhaps he should have waited until they were alone but at least his friend understood the reasoning of the gesture.

Harry turned around for the thirty-second time as something small hit the tent, the alarming wards instantly awakening Bill. As the eldest Weasley left his cot and banished within seconds the charm that had given him the appearance of wearing pajamas, Harry realized how serious he had taken the warning. With his words so often belittled by other adults in the last years he felt deep thankfulness towards Ron's brother.

Bill left the tent and Harry sat up. He started to put on his boots and was hardly done as Bill returned. With a hard face he stirred Charlie, ignoring Harry's questions: "Charlie, wake the others. Put on boots, cloaks, wands, nothing else. Hurry up! I'll wake the girls."

Trusting his dragon-tamer brother to follow his instructions Bill hurriedly left the tent again, leaving behind a gaping Harry. With his lack of sleep Harry had at least the benefit of not being drowsy as the Weasleys. Grumbling and moaning but still following Charlie's orders – Arthur being the fastest one and leaving the tent seconds before Charlie turned Ron's cot around and poured the cursing boy to the ground.

With some silence spells still active on the tent it came as a shock to see and hear what was happening in the camp. Everywhere wizards and witches of all ages were running around, mostly in nightwear and not nearly everyone with a wand at hand. Many were discussing in small groups about what was going on. At a distance some tents were burning and there seemed to be quite an uproar. Slowly the whole Weasley family plus Harry and Hermione had gathered.

"Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Hermione… you'll go with Mum to the meeting place at the portal. Charlie, Dad and I check up what's going on."

"We want," George started.

"To come with you," Fred continued.

"We're old enough," George ascertained.

"We can help," Fred offered.

Noticing the hard, no-nonsense look of the eldest Weasley brother Harry refrained from saying anything and went at Hermione's side instead. "You'll do as I said. You'll watch out for Mum and the kids and not endanger them."

Still unhappy about not being allowed to go with Bill but proud to be entrusted with their family's security the twins nodded and quickly started to harass Ron and Ginny, urging them to leave. Before he left Bill shortly stared at Harry and after a silent exchange to stay safe he hurried away, Charlie and Arthur closely behind.

.

If he expected the walk to the meeting place being anything like orderly or peacefully, Harry was in for a bad surprise. Dozens of other wizards and witches around them hurried in the same direction. Constant chatter was filling the air and an eerie light allowed them to find their way. They had stopped to use Lumos spells because of the many campfires around them and a few more burning tents.

The reason for these burning tents became clear very fast as they noticed some shadows flying over the treetops. Apart from the brooms and dark cloaks not much was visible but the effects of their doings couldn't be ignored. From time to time these shadows pelted the fugitives with small objects that caused fire or created clouds of smoke. The whole experience was quite surreal and reminded Harry of some WWII-films he had seen years ago.

Before they had left the tents, Harry ascertained with a touch to Hermione's neck that she still wore the necklace. Not realizing that Ginny was glaring again, he shook his head in mild amusement as he noticed the book bag his friend wore around her shoulder. Trust Hermione to set right her priorities even in the darkest hour, he sniggered.

With Molly at the front and the twins taking flanking positions Harry stayed at Hermione's side while Ron helped his baby sister. Not that she really needed his help. Ginny was far more agile and less clumsy in this nightly forest and in a duel Harry would bet on her victory over her older brother every day. But this was the Weasley way, a kind of Ginny-protective-gene. More than once he had the feeling that someone was observing him but with so many persons around it was hard to ascertain.

A shadow skimmed across the treetops, a second following closely behind. Harry felt more than saw them changing directions and come back. Seizing Hermione's hand Harry hurried on, his eyes now more trained to the sky than to the way. Something small was falling down, not much greater than a snitch. Thrusting her aside Harry pushed Hermione to the ground. Only a few steps away something exploded and set a tree on fire. Several smoke bombs followed, one of them nearly hitting the boy. The smoke filled his lungs within seconds and prompted him to choke and cough.

"Harry?"

Damned, he had released her hand. Hermione was nowhere to be seen. No wonder with the sight being under three steps now.

"Hermione?" Coughing and spitting he started to search her, heard the twins calling for their mother, the voices surprisingly far away. Someone rushed through the darkness in panic, crashed into the boy and sent him flying away. A second later the unknown shadow was gone, swallowed up by the smoke again.

Fearing that he was running around in circles, Harry was relieved to stumble over something, recognizing it as Hermione's bag. "Hermione?" He was going in the right direction, he simply had to be. "Hermione?"

A red flash penetrated the darkness, a low cry… her voice. His heart pumping wildly Harry followed the voice. More spells between two duelists crossed the night. There were more shadows in the night, not fully visible for Harry. More than one attacker? He expected at least a second one. How justified that was became clear a few seconds later. A small form – Hermione – just left her position, her enemy on the ground after being hit by a Jelly-Legs Jinx. Just as Harry opened his mouth to call her, she went down with a cry, her movement impaired through a Leg Locker Jinx, swiftly followed by an Expelliarmus she was unable to dodge.

Her second enemy was hidden from Harry's view through a number of trees. To distract him, he sent two stunner spells in rapid succession roughly in his direction. As expected he only hit trees but at least the attacker stopped his steps and turned around. A dark cloak, a silvery mask – a Deatheater costume, Harry groaned.

He had to fight the fear in his heart as he saw the first attacker rising from the ground. Apparently he had been able to counter Hermione's jinx in the meantime. And then there was the third person he had sensed somewhere to the left. He could only hope that it wasn't an attacker as well but simply another refugee. Certainly he couldn't hope for help but two Deatheaters were already more than enough for two students barely in their fourth year.

"Protego!"

Harry had been thinking about the situation a second too long. The stunner of his enemy would have hit him without Hermione's shielding spell. Unable to spare the second to send her a thanking nod Harry concentrated on his enemy again. He dodged a jinx, a second one, sending an Expelliarmus on the way but missing again. He had to win this duel and win fast before the second one…

"Reducto!"

In the nick of time Harry dodged the spell that blasted the tree behind him to shreds. The soft ground broke his fall and he protected his face from the hail of splinters with his arm.

As fast as possible Hermione sent her spells towards the first attacker who had flanked Harry and cast the dangerous Reducto spell while the boy was concentrating on the second attacker. This was nothing like the dueling classes in Hogwarts. It was only a question of seconds before Hermione would succumb to her enemy. How could they beat two adult Deatheaters, two Deatheaters that seemed to know what they did? Like a baboon Harry dodged the next spells, never able to really fight back. Fast the ground around him was packed with broken off branches. His own Protego spells were unable to block more than one spell of his enemy while that blasted dark-cloak seemed more amused than anything else about Harry's attempts to hit him in return.

Harry stumbled, watching out for his friend a split second too long. He crushed to the ground, nearly losing his wand in the process, scraping the skin of his arm. Cursing he started to stand up, looking directly into the mask of his enemy, sensing the grin behind the mask. Hypnotized following the tip of the wand Harry tried to anticipate the spell and how to avoid it.

"Reduc…"

"Reducto!"

From the left a second spell darted through the darkness and hit the hand and wand of Harry's foe. With a cry of pain he stumbled back, clutching the stump where his hand had been seconds before. Horrified Harry turned around to see the third 'attacker', also a dark cloak but his face hidden behind some dark fog instead of a mask. Something blinked at his wrist as he hastily turned around and cast a powerful Protego in front of Hermione, who had tried to hide behind a tree, panting heavily from exhaustion.

"Reenervate!" Feeling new energy coursing through her body Hermione sensed someone pulling her up from the ground. Forcing the first attacker away with three powerful Reducto spells, even sending a smaller tree crushing to the ground, Hermione's savior started to run away, dragging the girl behind. The stranger had no regards for Harry, perhaps simply trusting the boy to keep in step. The wailing of his impaired enemy was left behind and after a time Harry felt reasonable secure that their attackers weren't following them.

Someone had just lost his wand hand, an injury even medi-witches weren't able to fully compensate. And he had nearly been hit by the same spell, targeted to kill him. Harry felt his knees weaken in shock, but he had no time for these emotions. The small and slender frame of the stranger in front of him, Hermione at his side, Harry realized that the meeting point couldn't be far away now. Hopefully the Weasleys had reached it; hopefully they hadn't tried to search for Hermione and him.

Only as the meeting point with hundreds of escapees came in sight, the foreigner allowed them to stop and released the iron grip on Hermione's wrist. Panting Harry hurried at Hermione's side and grabbed her shoulders.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" His words came haltingly.

Her exhaustion not allowing her to respond with words Hermione hugged him. "I'm okay."

Allowing her to find her breathe again Harry looked back, fearing to see their attackers again. But there were no shadows between the trees. Only after some moments he noticed that they were alone again. The stranger had left without a word.

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The Burrow – 19th of August, mid-morning

The hours since their rude awakening had been confusing and exhausting. Molly's tears, Ron's fruitless tries not to be too unmanly in his relief, the twins' anger – do you have an idea what Bill would have done to us? – and the uneasy feeling when Ginny hugged him at the meeting point. Slowly news trickled through about the events in the camp.

Apparently a large number of former Deatheaters – even disregarding the obvious exaggerations, Harry assumed that there had been more than a score of them – had tried to cause a lot of trouble and to cast a poor light on the competence of the Ministry. And to his regret, Harry had to admit that they did a splendid job at it. Dozens of Aurors and Ministry officials had not been able to bring order to the thousands of panicked spectators. Dozens had been hurt, thousands of galleons in property been destroyed.

Shielded by their co-conspirators, a handful of Deatheaters had terrified the family of the groundkeeper. The Muggles had been levitated into the air, not understanding what happened, not knowing if they would survive. Arthur, Charlie and Bill had tried to instigate some resistance and to help the poor people, but some officials had intervened, held back the helpers because of the 'possible danger'. There had even been some brawling between the helpers – Charlie had a black eye and Bill some bruises – certainly causing endless joy to the Deatheaters.

In the end it had been a quartet of furious harpies that broke the stalemate. The ancient Griselda Marchbanks – leader of the board of examiners and still able to remember the day Dumbledore had taken his NEWTs – had lashed out at the stunned Ministry officials with biting words, allowing her dear friend Augusta Longbottom, flanked by Minerva "my-eyes-are-on-fire" McGonagall and a surprisingly livid Pomona Sprout to break the lines and open fire on the surprised Deatheaters. With the Weasleys quickly joining many bystanders felt ashamed by their own helplessness and rushed in too. Sheer numbers did what the Aurors hadn't been able to do: drive the Deatheaters away.

Perhaps the Ministry officials would have been proven right in the end, perhaps it would have ended bad for the family of Muggles, if not for a trio of Irish Chasers that proved with their 'fly-to-the-rescue' that their teamwork in the afternoon hadn't been a one-off. At the right time they had acted and rescued the Muggles, saved them from falling down as their abductors started to flee.

It was long before all Weasleys were together again and even longer before they had been able to return to their tents. With nobody able to find sleep they had started to pack and prepared to leave in the morning. There was still much chaos in the camp and they needed a long time before they were allowed to use the portkey. Aside from the still alert looking Charlie and Bill everyone was deathly exhausted as they reached the Burrow at last.

.

"Bill?" Hermione went to the eldest Weasley brother, clenching the amulet she had received the day before. Had it really only been twelve hours ago that Harry had put the amulet around her neck? She had sensed it each time that the amulet had absorbed a jinx, absorbed at least a part of a stunning spell. Hermione was more than a bit thankful about this splendid gift.

Harry followed her, even now unwilling to leave her unprotected. They had decided not to tell anybody about the attack. The attack had been deflected and the Weasleys certainly couldn't use more agitation now. Molly had been anxious enough and Harry had no idea how she would feel knowing that someone had tried to kill them. So they had made up a story of losing direction and stumbling through the woods, explaining their disheveled look.

"Thank you for the amulet," Hermione smiled at him and put it into his hands.

Bill returned the smile and started to speak as he stiffened. Frowning, narrowing his eyes he stared at the amulet.

Was he able to feel that…

Harry groaned inwardly. Naturally Bill would somehow feel that something happened to the amulet and its wearer; that it hadn't been only branches that hit Hermione.

In silence he stared at her, locked eyes with Harry, noticed the plea to stay quiet about his knowledge and understood that they didn't want to frighten his parents. Bill simply nodded and instead of accepting the amulet back he stepped forward and put it around Hermione's neck again. "You should wear it for a while. You can return it later."

Before he entered the house Bill shortly stopped at Harry's side and whispered with an iron voice: "Never again hide something like this from me, understood?"

Harry could only nod to Bill and accept the grateful hug of Hermione.

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A/N

I'm not certain that a Reducto spell can really be used like this, that it works on living flesh and not only on objects. But I've seen the spell used like this in many stories and liked the idea.

HermionhH