The first Hogsmeade trip of the new school year took place the second weekend in October. Thanks to the information Ginny had been feeding them since her return to Hogwarts, Bill and Charlie knew about the trip and were in Hogsmeade on research purposes. The pair had found a ramshackle old house perfect for their purposes, and using their savings they'd managed to purchase the house from the old witch who owned it. Bill had also been in contact with his former colleagues in Egypt, and he had some spells they could place on the cottage. Of course, they still weren't anywhere near ready to lure Voldemort into their trap, but they'd both decided to scope things out and try and settle on a target to help them get what they wanted.
Bill and Charlie hadn't mentioned their trip to Ginny, but they were both sure they would see their sister as they prowled the village. Not wanting to be seen, Bill and Charlie apparated into the back yard that belonged to Fred and George. Unfortunately, they'd arrived just as their brothers were bringing out some rubbish from some new stock they'd just had delivered.
"What are you two doing here?" Fred asked, eyeing his two older brothers suspiciously.
"Visiting," Charlie answered, not too convincingly.
"Visiting who?" George questioned.
"You two of course," Bill said.
"And is it a coincidence you happen to be visiting on the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Fred asked suspiciously. "You're in the village just as Harry and Hermione will be here."
"We don't care about either of them, we care about our family," Charlie said. "In case it escaped your attention, Ginny will also be in the village today."
"So now you've come to see Ginny," George snorted.
"We're not buying it," Fred added. "The three of you were thick as thieves over the summer. You're up to something."
"And what if we are?" Bill asked defiantly. "We've discussed this, and you know we can't just sit back and do nothing."
"We get that," Fred said. "But you also said you understood why we can't be a part of whatever it is you're planning."
"And we do," Charlie said. "We're not involving you."
"Make sure you don't," George warned. "We're going back inside. If you want to come and see us one day when the students from Hogwarts aren't in the village feel free. But whatever plans you've got for today, we want no part in them."
Bill and Charlie watched as their brothers headed back into their shop and closed the back door behind them. Sharing exasperated looks, the pair slipped out of the twins' back yard and into the back streets of Hogsmeade. Wandering the back streets, the pair watched as the students of Hogwarts trickled into Hogsmeade.
"So what do we think?" Bill asked as they prowled the streets, waiting for any signs of any of Voldemort's family.
"Harry and Hermione are the obvious targets," Charlie replied, knowing exactly what his brother was asking him. "But they're not the only options. Rosmerta could prove easier. She's in the village more than Harry and Hermione."
"But will he walk into a trap for Rosmerta?" Bill asked. "Harry's his grandson, and Hermione's his daughter."
"But Rosmerta is his daughter-in-law," Charlie argued. "She's still family, and he'll probably do it for his son. It's just a shame his wife isn't still teaching, she could have been a good target."
Ginny had informed them about Beth stepping down as Potions Professor and Narcissa replacing her, but they still didn't know why. Their sister hadn't been able to elaborate on why the change had happened, and they hadn't been able to find out anything for themselves.
"Maybe, but don't forget both Beth and Rosmerta are fully trained witches," Bill cautioned his brother. "Harry or Hermione could be easier to handle."
"True," Charlie conceded. "Let's watch them today, and see what sort of opportunities we can spot. I think it would be better if we could deal with as few people as possible."
"You won't get any arguments from me there," Bill said. "Whoever we target, we'll have to be able to get them away from the village without causing a stir."
As they continued to wander around the back streets of Hogsmeade, the pair finally got their eyes on Harry and Hermione. Unfortunately, the pair weren't alone, they were surrounded by people. Given what Ginny had told them they expected the pair to be accompanied by Draco Malfoy and possibly Daphne Greengrass, but they were also with another couple of boys and another two girls.
"If they're always going to travel in a pack like this, we can kiss goodbye to grabbing one of them," Bill muttered as they watched and the group showed no signs of going their separate ways.
"Maybe we're going to need Ginny's help," Charlie said. "Once we decide who we want, she might be able to help separate them from the crowd."
"It's worth a shot," Bill agreed. "Let's see if we can find her and have a talk with our little sister."
Abandoning their stalking of Harry and Hermione, the pair set about finding Ginny. For a while they wondered if their sister was even in the village, but then they spotted her sitting all alone on a bench on the outskirts of the village. Checking no-one was watching, the pair casually strolled out of the village and towards their sister. Not wanting to sit and talk where anyone could see them, they gestured Ginny to follow them as they strolled around the corner, and settled down on another bench out of the view of Hogsmeade. Now they would see anyone coming, and no-one could see them without alerting the trio to their presence.
"What are you two doing here?" Ginny asked as she gave her brothers a hug.
"Scoping out our potential victims," Bill answered.
"And what were you doing sitting all alone?" Charlie asked.
"Keeping a low profile," Ginny admitted. "All I want to do is confront Harry and Hermione, but I'm doing as you asked and keeping quiet."
"Don't worry Gin, they're both going to get what's coming to them," Bill reassured his sister.
"And we know how you can help," Charlie added.
"How?" Ginny asked excitedly.
"We've decided that we're going to use either Harry or Hermione as bait," Bill answered. "But from what we've seen so far, they seem to travel in a pack."
"You're telling me," Ginny snorted. "Since they've come out, they've been joined at the hip with the Slytherins. Although, at least I don't have to put up with Hermione this year."
"Why not?" Charlie asked.
"Didn't I tell you? She's shacked up with Malfoy in some sort of head dorms," Ginny said. "It's clearly just favouritism. Snape's obviously just done this because it's his sister. McGonagall clearly doesn't like it, but from what I can gather, she was overruled."
"They never had head dorms in my day," Bill mused. "I wonder what prompted the change."
"Like I say, favouritism," Ginny replied. "Maybe precious little Hermione can't handle the hate up in Gryffindor Tower."
"Are they really that unpopular?" Charlie asked. The impression Ginny had been giving them was that now Ron was gone, she was their only opposition.
"Not really," Ginny admitted. "I seem to be the only one who can see their true colours. Even Neville's been sucked in by them, and he has every reason to hate them. After all, the dark are responsible for what happened to his parents."
"That's Neville's problem," Bill said with a wave of his hand. "Let's us just focus on getting on with our plan."
"So how can I help?" Ginny asked.
"We need to decide which one to target," Charlie said. "In your opinion, which one will give us more trouble?"
"They're both pretty dangerous," Ginny replied thoughtfully. "But I think Hermione could be more dangerous. She does have a slightly darker edge about her, and then there's Malfoy."
"You think he's a threat?" Bill asked. He knew Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous son of a bitch, so it made sense that his son was every bit as dark.
"He could be," Ginny replied with a nod of her head. "But mostly, you won't get to Hermione without going through him. They're always together, more so this year than last. They're really protective of each other, and I can't see you getting Hermione alone to grab her."
"So Harry it is then," Charlie said.
"Still be careful, Harry's not the innocent he pretended to be," Ginny warned. "If anything, he's a better actor than Hermione. Until the truth came out, I never suspected there was anything bad about Harry. Every now and again, Hermione would lose her temper, mainly with Ron, and you got a flash of her darkness, but it never happened with Harry. Don't let him fool you into thinking he's not capable of being problematic."
"Don't worry, we won't be taking anyone for granted," Bill reassured his sister. "Now the question is, can you help us get Harry away from his friends."
"I can try, but your best bet might actually be using Daphne," Ginny suggested. "Harry's mad about her, and say she went missing while they were in Hogsmeade, he'd go searching for her."
"So we could use her to lure Harry, then use Harry to lure his grandfather," Bill mused.
"Sounds convoluted," Charlie muttered.
"I guess we'll work out what works best on the day," Bill said. "But be prepared Ginny. When everything's set up and we're ready to go, we'll let you know and you can inform us of the suitable time to strike."
"I'll be waiting," Ginny replied with a wicked smirk.
She couldn't wait to help her brothers in their plans, and she would love it even more if Harry knew she was responsible for his capture. After all, what would be better than seeing Harry's face when he realised that he was in deep trouble, and it was all down to Ginny?
C.O.T.D.
Wandering through Hogsmeade with their friends, Harry and Daphne kept falling back from the group as they spoke quietly between themselves. The pair had spent a lot of time together over the summer, and Harry had made a big splash with Daphne's family, and they both knew their relationship was becoming more serious by the day. Since being back at school, they'd still spent most of their free time together, and they'd yet to grow sick of each other's company.
"Do you know it was a year ago that we had our first date?" Harry asked as the pair strolled around the village hand in hand.
"Roughly," Daphne replied. "The date was different, but it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year."
"A whole year," Harry said with a low whistle. "Who would have thought I'd have been dating the sexiest witch in school for a whole year."
"The sexiest witch in school?" Daphne laughed. "You can't possibly mean me."
"Of course I do," Harry replied, coming to a stop and turning Daphne to face him. "You're gorgeous, Daphne, and I can't believe you're mine."
"The feeling is entirely mutual," Daphne replied with a smile. "I can't believe I've got such a hot boyfriend."
"Don't we make a good pair, hot and sexy," Harry joked. "But seriously Daph, you mean the world to me."
"And you mean everything to me," Daphne whispered, leaning up and pressing her lips against Harry's.
Not caring that they were standing in the middle of Hogsmeade, Harry wrapped his arms around Daphne and deepened the kiss. Daphne eagerly responded to the kiss, and they only broke apart when they became aware of their friends clapping and cheering.
"Get a room," Draco called.
"Okay then," Harry replied with a smirk before turning to his girlfriend. "Do you fancy getting out of here and heading back to the castle? Maybe we could spend the rest of the day together."
"I'd like that," Daphne replied with a soft smile.
Saying goodbye to their friends, Harry and Daphne headed back up to Hogwarts. After deciding they wouldn't get any real peace if they stayed out in the grounds, plus it was getting a bit chilly, the pair headed indoors. Since Draco and Hermione had their own rooms, they didn't need either the secret room in the library or the magical room that transformed into whatever they wanted, Harry and Daphne had their choice of room.
"Which one?" Harry asked when they reached the library.
"The other one," Daphne said. "And let me summon the room."
"Got something in mind, have you?" Harry asked with a chuckle as he let Daphne lead him further up the school.
When they reached the private room, Harry stood to one side while Daphne sorted the room she wanted. When the door appeared, Daphne poked her head into the room to check it was what she wanted. Satisfied with the room, she turned back to Harry and taking hold of his hand she led him into the room.
As they entered the room, Harry took in what sort of room his girlfriend had conjured. The room was medium sized, with romantic candles floating in the air. However, Harry's eyes were glued to the large four poster bed in the middle of the room. The bed was the only item of furniture in the room, and Harry couldn't help but wonder about his girlfriend's intentions.
"Don't look so worried, Harry, I'm not going to force myself on you," Daphne chuckled. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"But you want to?" Harry asked, nervously licking his lips.
"I do," Daphne confirmed. "I love you Harry, and I'm ready."
"I love you too," Harry replied in a soft voice as he pulled Daphne into his arms and gave her a gentle kiss. "And I'm ready too."
Sharing another tender kiss, the young couple made their way to the bed, where they settled down to get to know each other a little bit better. Several hours later, they'd thoroughly gotten to know each other better and they couldn't wait to continue their exploration of the new sexual side of their relationship.