Harry and Ginny: A Love Story
Chapter 27: Birthday Surprises
Mundungus Fletcher smiled in satisfaction. He had gathered together a small band of ne'er-do-wells to execute the fake attempt at snatching Harry Potter.
Albus Dumbledore had given him Fifty Galleons per man and being the shrewd businessman that her was, Mundungus had paid each man twenty-five, pocketing the remainder for himself. That along with what Dumbledore was paying him, gave him a nice tidy sum for the evenings work.
Of course his job involved just more than organizing the raid, getting black robes for the participants had been easy enough. No, he had to make sure he got to Hogsmeade to intercept Tonks who would be showing up with Harry to hand him over to Hagrid. After a couple of quick Stunners from a hidden location, it would be easy sailing.
To bad Hagrid didn't know a thing about his supposed part in the evenings festivities. Mundungus was to take Harry to a special place and keep him there till Dumbledore arrived to take charge of the boy.
Mundungus took one last glance at the clock, and seeing it was time to get things rolling, he downed the last of his Firewhiskey, threw down a few coins and headed out to meet the others.
In a few hours, he'd be on easy street, without a care in the world, at least until he needed more Galleons, but with what he was being paid and what he had skimmed, that wouldn't be for quite some time, if he played his cards right.
XX HP + GW XX
Sirius was awoken the the aroma of some of the most wonderful smelling food that he could remember. It brought back memories of the time the Order had met at the Burrow. Molly was well known for her cooking and from the smell of it, she hadn't lost a single ounce of her skill.
Sirius felt his stomach growl, and he tried telling it to be patient, if all went well, maybe he'd be able to enjoy some of that fine food as a free man in a short time. He just hoped that the fates allowed him to get his justice tonight, for it had not served him well the night James and Lily had died.
He was just about to move when he heard a small contingent of people Apparate into the area. From his hiding spot he saw ten men, talking lowly. Luckily, his dog senses were much more acute than his human ones and he was able to overhear what they were saying.
"All right, teams of two. Shacklebolt said that the attack on the perimeter would just be a diversion, so we just need to play it cool and make sure no one gets away, got it?" said one of the men.
"Got it," the others replied, then they began to drift off, finding places that they could observe from, but remain hidden.
Sirius began to think quickly, someone was going to try to penetrate the wards, but only as a diversion, that meant the true attack would happen elsewhere.
He frowned, well if a dog could have, he would have. Did this mean that somehow Wormtail was involved in a plot to snatch Harry from inside the Burrow while the false attack distracted the others?
Since he didn't know for sure, Sirius saw no other option that to get as close as possible, as soon as possible and be ready in case he needed to act before he had originally planned. He didn't care if he was discovered, there was no way he was going to fail Harry this time. Whatever it took, he would rather end up in hell than let something happen to James and Lily's son a second time.
Stealthily he crept off, keeping to the shadows and cover as much as possible, he had to get to the spot he had discovered and get through the wards so that he could be near enough Harry to protect him.
Listening carefully, he made sure that the groups of Aurors were far enough away that he wouldn't be discovered prematurely. He made his way to the stream that cut through the wards, and submersed himself in the cool water. If he was correct, he should be able to slip through as any wild creature was able to do, if not, well he'd been in tight spots before and he just hoped he'd be able to get out of it, if it came to that.
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Molly had Ginny keep Harry occupied while she, Minerva, Hermione, Ron and the Twins finished decorating the back garden for Harry's party.
She was keeping a close watch on the Twins because she knew that they'd certainly try something, they always did. Sure enough, she saw Fred placing something under Harry's chair, while George kept watch.
"Boy's! What are you up to?" she said sternly.
"Aw, Mum, it's just a little harmless prank," George said, disgustedly.
"It's Harry's first Birthday here and I'll have none of that. Hand it over this instant," she said, holding out her hand.
Fred rose and handed a small package to Molly, he and George looking quite downhearted. Then as Molly turned and left Hermione saw Fred give George a thumbs up and George wink back at Fred.
She couldn't help herself and she went over to them. "You let her catch you on purpose, didn't you?" she asked.
Fred and George smiled at her, "Well if she thinks she's foiled us, it makes it all that much better for the stuff we hid earlier," George said, having come to realize they usually didn't have to worry about her.
"You're not going to rat us out, are you?" asked Fred, just to make sure.
"Not me," Hermione said with a grin. She was starting to like the mostly benign pranks they pulled on everyone, well all except Percy. He seemed to suffer the most from more extensive and not quite so benign pranks.
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Up stairs, Ginny was trying to keep Harry occupied so he wouldn't peek out the window to see what was taking place.
In reality, Harry really wasn't interested all that much, he knew he'd love whatever they did because he had never had a party before. He was just having fun, seeing what Ginny would do to keep him away from the window.
Though, of course, because of the Bond, Ginny knew what Harry's game was. She could tell by his emotions that he was much more interested in her than what was happening outside, so they were having a fun little game of who could outfox who.
It was a fun time for the pair, silently teasing one another, with Harry pretending to drift toward the window, just to see what Ginny would do.
"Harry," Ginny sent with a laugh, "stop teasing, I know you really don't give a hoot what's going on out there."
"Yeah? Says who?" Harry sent playfully back.
"Me, your Bond-mate, that's who."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle, but he did go back over to where Ginny laid on her bed, where he promptly crawled up beside her.
"So if I'm not going to look out the window, what should I do?" he asked, idly playing with a lock of her hair.
"Just stay here with me," Ginny replied, smiling at him.
"Okay," Harry said, a sly smile forming on his lips.
Ginny was having a hard time reading Harry's emotions. Yes, she could tell he was happy, quite elated when she concentrated on it, but she felt something more, something new, that hadn't been there before.
"What's up?" she asked, inquisitively.
"Nothing," Harry replied with a shrug.
"Harrryy," Ginny sent, knowing he seemed to be thinking something.
Their eyes met and Ginny was surprised again when she saw something she hadn't seen before, but before she could even think about trying to figure it out, Harry leaned over and softly kissed Ginny on the mouth.
They had kissed before, but there was something much different about this kiss and Ginny felt like she was catching of fire. Just when she thought she go mad with the intensity of the feelings Harry was creating, he stopped.
Ginny looked at him, her eyes filled with wonder, "Why did you do that?" she whispered.
"I'm not sure, really. It just felt like the right thing to do. Didn't you like it?" Harry asked softly.
"Harry, I loved it, but I just didn't expect it," Ginny replied.
"Do you want me to do it again?"
Ginny smiled coyly, "Yes, I think I'd like that very much," she said, as she reached up and putting her hand behind Harry's head, she pulled him down to her.
Once again, as their lips touched, both felt things they had never experienced before. It seemed as if they were burning up and freezing at the same time, a wonderful tingling sensation ran up and down their spines as they kissed deep and longer than before.
Ginny felt like she'd gone to heaven, she was enjoying their kiss so much. Never before had she felt anything that even approached the sensations she was experiencing.
She pulled Harry even closer, causing him to slip down a little. To steady himself, he dropped his one hand, and it inadvertently brushed across Ginny's breast.
Ginny felt her body react to Harry's touch and she jumped when she felt a pleasurable sensation rocket through her. It cause her to moan a little, as she felt it explode though her.
Harry quickly removed his hand, "Did I hurt you?" he asked in concern.
"No, Harry, you didn't. In fact could you do it again?" Ginny asked.
Tentatively Harry reached out and softly touched Ginny's breast again.
"Harder," Ginny sent, wanting to feel the same thing she had before.
Harry slowly increased the pressure, and feeling a nub rise up, he concentrated on that.
Ginny groaned louder, "Oh yes, Harry!" she sent to him, feeling even more pleasure than before.
Harry began to run his hand around her small mound, finding out what please Ginny the most. She began to writhe beneath his gentle ministrations.
Harry felt her excitement and pleasure growing and he found that he enjoyed making her feel so wonderful. Their lips were still locked together in a pulse pounding kiss that was rocking them to their cores.
"Oh Harry, that feels so wonderful," Ginny sent in sheer ecstasy.
Just when they thought it couldn't get any better they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.
"We'd better stop for now," Harry sent, regretfully.
Ginny sighed, she knew he was right, but she vowed that they'd explore this further the first chance they got.
XX HP + GW XX
Sirius crept along, keeping to the under-brush and the shadows. Getting through the wards had been just as easy as he had thought it would be. He would need to tell the Weasleys about the weak point, but only after he had fulfilled his own mission.
The closer he got to the Burrow, the stronger the scent of Wormtail became. He felt his hackles rising and he fought the urge to rush the house and find the traitor. Losing his head, at this point, would be very counterproductive.
He found it easy to manoeuvre near the back garden where the party was being set up.
Sirius smiled to himself, the decorations reminded his so much of Harry's first birthday, it was uncanny. The Snitches and Quidditch players that were floating above the heads of the ones decorating look almost identical to the ones he and Remus had acquired and decorated James and Lily's.
He found a great spot to hunker down and still have a great view of the area. He lay perfectly still, his senses at their most heightened ability. His eyes, ears and nose, all in action, picking up on virtually every little thing in the area. Now all he needed to do was wait for the perfect opportunity.
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Ron went running up the stairs, he had forgotten to bring down his present for Harry and though he was still struggling with him and Ginny's relationship, he didn't want to make a scene. Harry was his mate after all.
As he opened the door to his room, he saw a small grey form dart out. "Scabbers!" he yelled as he started down the stairs after his pet.
To Ron it looked rather comical as his rat, tumbled off a step, almost as if he had misjudged it somehow and went crashing into the wall. As Scabbers righted himself and shook his head, Ron caught up with him and grabbed the wayward rat by the scruff of his neck.
"What am I going to do with you," he said, shaking his head. "Stupid rat," he muttered.
He hurried back up to his room, threw Scabbers back into his cage and grabbed his present. He looked back at the cage on the small table by the door and was surprised to see Scabbers trying to open the sliding bar that held the door shut.
"Hey, none of that now. There are going to be too many people here for you to be wandering about," Ron said disgustedly. Sighing, he grabbed the handle on the top of the cage. "I'll have Mum or Dad put a locking spell on this until everyone is gone. That should hold you!" he said humorously.
Ron could have sworn he saw Scabbers stare up at him when he mentioned locking the cage, and with a look that only said "annoyance" to Ron, he proceeded down the stairs to find someone to keep Scabbers locked up for the evening.
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Harry and Ginny were laying on the bed when they heard Ron yell "Scabbers".
They both looked at each other, wide eyed, each remembering the question that they had and failed to remember to ask. Just how long did magical rats live, anyway.
Harry, tonight will be the perfect time to ask someone about rats!" she sent excitedly.
Harry felt her excitement and it mirrored his own. "I know Ginny. I can't believe we forgot to ask, but with all that has happened, I not really that surprised."
"I know. I bet Aunt Minnie will know, so lets ask her first," Ginny sent happily.
"Is it time to go down, yet?" Harry asked, giving her a sly smile.
Ginny glanced at the clock, "Almost," she replied, smiling back at him.
Though Harry had been pretty blasé before, as the time drew closer, he couldn't help but start to get a little anxious to find out just what a real birthday celebration was like, especially since it was for him.
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Tonks arrived at the Burrow with plenty of time to spare, so she headed for the kitchen to see if she could help out.
Since Molly had been giving her some instruction, she was more than happy to help out as she didn't feel so lost when it came to preparing a meal anymore. She actually got a great sense of accomplishment now when she helped out.
With her added help things were progressing smoothly and she had just finished up the task Molly had assigned to her. Ron came bounding down the steps, Scabbers bouncing crazily in his cage.
"Mum, can you give me a hand for a moment?" he asked.
Molly was up to her elbows in preparing one of the dishes, "Can it wait, Ron? I'm a little busy right now. What do you need help with anyway?" Molly asked, glancing over her shoulder.
"Scabbers keeps getting out of his cage and with all the people that are going to be here later, I really want to keep him in his cage. I was hoping you could put some kind of locking spell on it, or something," Ron replied, a bit disappointed.
Tonks smiled, "I think I can handle that for you," she said with a smirk.
Ron looked at her in surprise, never even thinking about the young Auror as someone who could help him out. "That'd be great," he said.
Tonks drew her wand and came over to Ron. She looked at the lock and was surprised that his rat kept getting out. It was a two stage lock, not something that an animal should have been able to open at all, let alone as easily as Ron seemed to indicate. Shaking her head, she quickly cast a pretty advanced locking spell on the door and lock mechanism.
"There, that should hold him," Tonks said with a smile.
Ron blushed at Tonks as she smiled at him, "Ah, thanks," he said, sheepishly.
"No problem. Glad I could help out," Tonks said with a chuckle.
Ron went to set the cage on the table, "Ronald Weasley, do not place that cage on the kitchen table. Either take it back up stairs to your room, or at least place it in the parlour for this evening," Molly chastised him.
"Yes, Mum," Ron said, his face and ears turning a deeper shade of red.
Tonks watched Ron head off toward the parlour, still wondering on how the rat was able to open the door, when Molly called her, "Could you take these plates out back, dear?" she said genially.
Tonks turned to help Molly, all thought of the rat and his cage banished from her mind for the moment.
"Hey, Molly, I almost forgot, Kingsley is coming to the party tonight, in fact he should be here soon. I hope you don't mind?" Tonks said.
Molly looked at here apraisingly, a slight smile on her face, "Anything I should know about, Dora?" she asked teasingly.
Tonks rolled her eyes, "No, Mum. He's my boss and well, I may have hinted to him about the special event that may happen tonight," she said sheepishly. "I trust him with my life and he will never betray my trust. I haven't come right out and told him who's birthday it is, but he's pretty astute and I'm certain he's figured it out."
Molly's look changed from one of teasing to one of contemplation, "If you trust him, then that's good enough for me," she said with a smile. "And thanks for remembering to tell me, I'll need to set another place at the table."
Molly glanced at the clock, it was almost time to get things started, Aberforth would be here soon and then things would be ready in case the attempted kidnapping did take place. "Well, once Ab gets here we can begin," Molly said.
"Let me know as soon as he's here, I need to have a quick word with him," Tonks said.
XX HP + GW XX
Harry and Ginny made their way down to the parlour, where Harry would wait until he was called for dinner. He and Ginny were surprised to see Scabbers in his cage sitting on one of the side tables and they went over and looked at him closely.
For a rat, he was rather plain, an even slate grey, his only distinguishing feature being his missing toe on his left front paw. Though when Harry looked closely at his eyes, something seemed slightly off, they didn't look exactly like he remembered the eyes looking on the rats his class had raised.
Harry just shrugged, it might be nothing more than he was a magical rat, in any case, he hoped that he and Ginny would have their answer later in the evening.
They went over and sat down on the smaller couch and Ginny tucked into his side. Harry could feel just how contented she felt, it was radiating off her like a beacon.
"What's got you so content?" he asked.
Ginny giggled, "You do, silly," she sent happily.
"And why is that?" he asked, smiling back at her.
"That kiss you gave me," she sent shyly. "It was something I didn't expect, but it made me feel so bloody brilliant."
Harry couldn't help but blush a little. "Yeah, it felt brilliant to me too," he said, as he reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
Ginny felt the soft touch of Harry's fingers as they lightly touched the perimeter of her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes took a a bright, almost feverish quality, with a coy smile forming on her lips.
Harry had his eyes fastened onto Ginny's and between the look she was giving him and the feelings he was receiving, he had another urge to kiss Ginny deeply.
He slowly started to lean towards her and he felt her approval, but just before their lips came together, Molly called out from the kitchen, "Harry, Ginny, dinner's ready."
Both felt the disappointment from the other and they shared a small chuckle, "I guess we should be going," Harry sent.
"Yeah, I guess so, but I'm going to give you a birthday kiss later tonight," Ginny sent, her emotions barely under control.
Harry rose first and held out his hand to Ginny, who took it with a smile, letting Harry gently pull her up.
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Molly knew she needed to get Harry and Ginny out of the house, not wanting them to be there when Aberforth arrived with his "friends". They would be staying in the house unless they were needed.
The plan was to get Harry into the house as quickly as possible and defend him there. Tonks would take charge just as Dumbledore wished, but she wasn't going to leave the protection of the Burrow under any circumstances.
She called out to the pair who were waiting in the parlour, and she was happy to see them come directly out. She smiled at them because they looked so happy, it virtually shined out of them and she was surprised to actually feel their happiness radiating off them, something that had never happened before.
The way they were looking at one another made her heart skip a beat, the obvious love they had, was so apparent, they seemed years older. Her smile faltered slightly, as she sighed. She knew in her heart that they were never going to have anything that approached a normal childhood, and though it saddened her slightly, she was also a little excited for them. They were without a doubt a most extraordinary couple and she was sure their life together would reflect that.
Just after they had exited the door, Molly heard the Floo in the parlour flare and Aberforth came into the kitchen. "All clear?" he asked, with a grin.
Molly nodded, "All clear, Harry and Ginny just went out back where everyone is gathering. Once your friends are settled, join us."
Ab nodded, "Wouldn't miss it for anything Molly. The kid deserves some happiness and I'm sure we'll be able to thwart my overzealous brother."
Molly nodded, grabbed a last platter and headed outside herself, still a little apprehensive, but confident that they had done everything in their power to protect Harry from the kidnapping attempt.
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Ginny led Harry to the edge of the house, just to the point where he still couldn't see the back garden, but still be able to hear what was happening there.
Harry smiled, he could hear lively talking, the Twins loudest of all, but he could also hear Ron and Hermione's snipping at one another. Ron complaining about how much time she seemed to be spending with the Twins.
He also heard, Arthur, Minerva, Poppy, Tonks and Percy having a discussion about the goings on at the Ministry, and from the sounds of it, Tonks must have been rolling her eyes at what Percy was saying about the Minister's office.
Harry was then surprised to hear a voice he hadn't expected. It was the soft-spoken voice of Neville Longbottom, one of his year-mates from Hogwarts. He looked questioningly at Ginny who shrugged at him, letting him know by her emotions that she had no idea that he was going to be there.
"Ready?" Ginny asked, feeling Harry's anticipation and excitement.
"Ready as I'll ever be," he sent back.
Ginny tugged lightly on his arm, leading him around the corner.
Harry came to a standstill, his eyes trying to take in everything at once. Above his head, Quidditch players zoomed about, along with Snitches and Bludgers. The players were tossing Quaffles about like it was a warm-up before a big game.
There were also Fairy lights that would undoubtedly light once it became dark enough, along with streamers in Gryffindor colours. All in all it was an amazing scene and topping it all off was a huge banner that read "Happy Birthday, Harry!"
Ginny felt Harry's emotions, he was at once, choked up and elated, and she wasn't surprised to see his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He looked at her, a smile on his face.
"It's for me. ME! Harry," he said emotionally.
Ginny nodded, "Yes Harry, it's for you. We love you and want to celebrate your birthday with you so you'll know just how much we care."
Harry hugged Ginny tightly and then became aware that the chatter had died down. Reluctantly, he released Ginny from the embrace, but kept a firm grip on her hand.
He and Ginny felt Molly, Kingsley and Aberforth come up behind them. He spun toward Molly and threw himself at her, almost knocking the platter from her hands. Luckily Aberforth was quick and snatched it before it could fall, allowing Molly to wrap her arms around Harry.
"Happy Birthday, Harry," she whispered.
With tears in his eyes, Harry whispered back, "Thanks, Mum." The first time he had called her that since the fight that they had.
With tears in her eyes, Molly said emotionally, "You're welcome, Harry." After a moment, she gently disengaged from him, "Why don't you and Ginny go sit down, so we can get this party started.
Harry's face light up, his smile as large as they'd ever seen. He just nodded, turned and grabbed Ginny's hand and walked the rest of the way into the garden, where everyone was waiting.
Dinner seemed to go on forever for Harry, and it wasn't until the sun had set and the Fairy Lights had flickered on, lending a very festive air to the already fun time that it was time for cake and presents.
Molly summoned the cake form the house, and Harry smiled as it come into view. It was a huge Snitch, that had candles and his name on it. What was really surprising to him were the wings that seemed to be flying it toward the table.
Harry was astounded at the pile of presents that were brought over magically and appeared before him. Ginny felt his emotions skyrocket and she was afraid he was going to hyperventilate.
"Breathe, Harry!" she sent tenderly.
Harry turned and looked at her, his eyes glistening again, but he was smiling a mile wide.
"I can't believe this. It seems like one of my dreams from when I was locked at my relatives," he sent emotionally.
Harry began to open his presents, going at a much slower pace than the Weasley children were accustomed to. He had to look at each one carefully before he went on to the next, as if he was memorizing each and every one.
Ron had muttered something, but was quickly quashed by Molly and Arthur. It was after all Harry's first real birthday party.
Finally there was one present left, Ginny's. Harry felt Ginny's apprehension, wondering if Harry would like her present.
Harry smiled at her, trying to let her know that no matter what she had gotten him, he would love it. Slowly he unwrapped the gift, until it was revealed.
Harry stared at the pictures of him and Ginny and the one of Ginny alone. It was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen, he thought.
"Ginny!" he said emotionally, "This is . . . ." and words failed him.
Ginny could feel how extraordinarily happy he was, in fact she had never felt him happier.
Harry turned towards her and pulled her to him in a vicious hug, far surpassing anything she had ever felt from her mother, who was notorious for her bone crunching hugs.
"Well, lets see it," one of the Twins called out, but before Harry could even move, the wards sounded that they were under assault.
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Mundungus and his helpers appeared near a copse of trees just outside the wards. "Git, dem stones placed," he said lowly.
Two of the others went up to the edge of the wards and placed two crystals about ten feet apart, and then they stepped back.
They all drew their wands in anticipation of the wards being breached.
Mundungus smiled, Albus had given him the crystals and a spell that would allow them to penetrate the words without collapsing them completely.
"All right, remember, as soon as I get the opening formed, git in and act quickly. The chaos should give us an a'vantage."
To the others, this was a straight snatch, no knowing that their leader had conspired with the planner that their effort was just a diversion and that Mundungus would be leaving them to themselves while he Apparated off to Hogsmeade to get Potter when he arrived there with Tonks.
Mundungus murmured the spell, and a bolt of light shot from one crystal to the next, it then arced up, forming a semi-circle ten feet wide and ten feet high.
The half-a-dozen men poured through, and headed straight for the party that they could see light up before them. They had about 50 yards to cover over open ground till the reached the garden.
Mundungus smiled as they charged forward and just as he turned to Apparate away, he heard someone to his right, "Stop! Or we'll be forced to hex you."
He wasted no time and without a though Apparated away.
"Damn," yelled one of the Aurors, as he had his partner rushed out of the copse of trees. His partner had fired off a Patronus to the others, giving them the location of the breach in the wards.
With in a moment, the others arrived, they all stepped through, and the one kicked the closest crystal away from the wards, causing the hole to close immediately.
"They're trapped in here now," he said, "Lets get them."
XX HP + GW XX
Sirius was watching Harry with great interest, he couldn't believe how happy he looked and there was something special between him and Ginny. He could just feel it.
Suddenly the wards rang out and he could see a small group of men rushing towards the party. Growling deeply, he sprang into action. He bounded across the ground, heading for the last man who was falling slightly behind the others.
Sirius smiled, "Easy pickings," he said to himself.
The man never saw the black dog come tearing at him through the darkness, one moment he was running and then something hard and strong had slammed into him, biting hard down on his wrist that held his wand. He was about to scream when he was slammed into the ground, knocking the wind out of him and causing his head to strike the ground, knocking him senseless, effectively silencing him.
Sirius grabbed the wand and without breaking stride, he headed for the open door of the Burrow. He could see men pouring out and several people being hustled inside.
Smiling to himself, things couldn't have been going better for him, if he had planned it himself.
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As soon as the wards sounded, the adults sprung into action.
"Children! Get into the house, immediately!" yelled Arthur.
Molly and Tonks were immediately at Harry's side, "Come on Harry, we need to get you to safety," Tonks said.
Molly was confused for a moment, because instead of heading for the house, it seemed Tonks was trying to pull Harry in the other direction. When Molly looked at her, she saw Tonks' eyes had a strange look to them, and she knew that she was under some type of spell.
"Aberforth!" she yelled out.
Aberforth took one look at Tonks and cursed his brother, he had confunded her to take Harry to Hogsmeade, just in case.
"Forgive me, Dora," he whispered as he pointed his wand at her. "Stupefy," he called out and watched the red beam hit the young Auror, sending her to the ground.
Molly then grabbed Harry, who had not let go of Ginny and hurried them towards the door.
Within moments, spells were flying everywhere, and chaos reigned. Then the adults at the Burrow formed up, creating a corridor for Molly and all the children, allowing them the space they needed to get to the Burrow.
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Sirius saw his opening, a group of men had just come out of the Burrow, heading to cut off the group heading for the party. He could see with their numbers, along with the ones at the party, they should easily be able to handle the attack.
The thing he focused on was they had left the door open, and Sirius knew he'd probably never have a more perfect opportunity to get inside and find Wormtail than now.
If anyone had noticed the black shadow as it slipped inside, they didn't show it. All their attention was focused on the group attacking the party.
Sirius skid to a halt just inside the door. He sniffed the air and knew that his quarry was close, in the parlour, if his senses hadn't failed him. He changed back into his human self and crept cautiously into the parlour.
Sirius almost laughed out loud, there, trapped in his cage, a frantic Wormtail tried desperately to free himself. He casually walked over to the cage and bent down slightly. "Hello, Peter. Bet you never expected to see me again, did you?"
Peter Pettigrew froze in fright, trapped in the cage, unable to transform back into his human self, he was terrified beyond belief, so much so he unconsciously soiled his cage.
Sirius lifted the cage up to eye height as he stood upright, he raised his wand . . ."
"Who are you?" he heard behind him.
Sirius spun around, there before him were Harry and Ginny. Harry had his wand drawn, but Sirius could see his hand shaking ever so slightly, but he had a look of hard determination that made him smile, James would have been so proud of his son at that moment.
Slowly, Sirius lowered his wand, "Hello, Harry. You may not remember me, but I'm your godfather, Sirius Black. You may remember me better as Padfoot."
Harry stood and stared, images flashing through his mind, could this ragged, scraggly man, truly be his fathers friend, Sirius Black?"
Ginny could feel Harry's confusion, "What is it Harry?" she sent.
Never taking his eyes from Sirius, Harry replied, "I think it really is him, I think he's my Dad's best friend."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know, Ginny. Can you get someone?"
"I'd rather not leave you alone, he could overpower just one of us," Ginny sent, a little concerned, but not unusually so, considering the circumstances.
"Please Ginny," Harry sent.
Sirius was watching the young pair before him, and once again he was struck by the way they were acting. "May I put the cage down?" he asked, still holding it at eye level.
Harry just motioned with his wand, a couple of short movements, indicating for Sirius to place the cage back on the table.
"Thank you, Harry," Sirius said, a smile forming on his lips. It felt so strange to him, he had nothing in the last twelve years to smile about and his muscles didn't seem to want to react as normal.
"You can put you wand down if you wish, Harry. You and Ginny have nothing to fear from me, I promise you." he said softly.
Harry considered it for a moment, holding his wand full out was beginning to tire his arm. It didn't help that he was a tense as he'd ever been, even when he had fought Riddle.
Slowly Harry lowered his wand, "Ginny, Please go get someone," Harry sent once again.
Ginny looked from Sirius to Harry, "Okay, Harry, but if anything happens to you, I'll kill you, understand!"
Harry couldn't help but smile, knowing her threat was unenforceable. "Fine, but please just go get someone."
Ginny frowned, but turned and left, hoping that her mother and some of the others were still right outside the door.
XX HP + GW XX
The attack quickly fizzled, what with a large contingent in front of them and the Aurors coming up behind, they stood little chance. It was over in a matter of moments.
The adults all gathered around the fallen attackers, though they were wearing black robes, they really didn't look anything like real Death Eaters. The Aurors were bundling them up, removing their wands, though they were puzzled, the one they had found further back didn't seem to have one, and even with a search of the immediate area, they couldn't locate one.
Aberforth headed back to the garden and went to Tonks. Shaking his head he cast "Rennervate", hoping Tonks wouldn't be upset at having been stunned.
Tonks came to slowly, groaning lowly as she sat up. She looked up at Aberforth and said, "Thanks Ab, I knew what was happening, but I couldn't stop myself."
Aberforth extended his hand to her and helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry I had to do that, but it was the quickest way."
Tonks just nodded, "I know, and I don't hold anything against you, I would have done the same in your shoes. No one is to blame but Albus."
"Aye, that's the truth."
Tonks rolled her neck, "Where's Harry?" she asked.
In the house, as far as I know, that's where they were headed last I saw," Ab replied.
They both headed towards the house, glancing off to where the Aurors and the rest of the adults were standing over the attackers, who were now bound up and being readied to be portkeyed to the Ministry.
Tonks frowned, If they're all there, who's with Harry?" she asked.
Before she got her answer, Ginny came flying out of the house, almost knocking Tonks down. "Whoa, Ginny. What's the rush?" she asked, with a smile.
"You need to come quick, Harry needs help," she said.
Without even bothering to get an explanation as to why, Tonks and Aberforth hurried into the Burrow, followed closely by Ginny.
When they came to a dead stop in the kitchen, Ginny said, "In the Parlour," as she brushed by and headed back to Harry's side.
XX HP + GW XX
Sirius and Harry stood facing one an other, neither moving for the moment. Sirius smiled, "May I sit down?" he asked, motioning to the nearby chair.
Harry just nodded. Though he had lowered his wand, he hadn't put it away and remained wary of the man across form him.
Sirius was looking at Harry, who began to get a little nervous. Then Sirius said softly, "You look so much like James, it's uncanny."
"So I've heard," Harry replied softly. "What are you doing here?" he asked, curiously.
Sirius gave a small chuckle, "I came for him," he said, indicating the rat.
"Scabbers?" Harry said incredulously.
"Ah, you may know him as Scabbers, but I know him by a couple of other names. Isn't that right, Wormtail?" he said malevolently to the rat.
Harry was surprised when Scabbers went crazy, running around the cage and throwing himself against the bars repeatedly, trying to escape.
"Wormtail? You mean one of the other Marauders?" Harry asked in surprise.
Sirius smiled, "Yes, that's right. I'm surprised you know about that."
"Fred and George, have a map you did," Harry replied.
Sirius' face brightened, "No kidding, I would have thought Filch would have destroyed it after he took it from us. Bad day that was, oh well, that's far in the past and of little consequence anymore. I hope they're putting it to good use."
Harry couldn't help himself, though leery of Sirius, the fact that he hoped that the map was still being used to cause mayhem at Hogwarts pleased him. "Yeah, they are the head pranksters there now."
"I hope I get a chance to meet them," Sirius said softly.
Harry walked closer to look at Scabbers, "Ginny and I have questions about him," he said softly.
Sirius looked at him in surprise, "Really? How come?"
"We got to talking about rats, and Ginny mentioned that her older brother Percy had him, before passing him on to Ron. She said that Percy had him since before she was born."
Harry then looked at Sirius, "I know that common rats only live about three years from going to a muggle school, and we thought that 12 years was quite a long time, even if he is a magical rat."
Sirius looked at Harry with a new found respect, "Very astute of you and her," he replied. "You are right, of course, even a magical rat wouldn't live 12 years, if that's all he was."
It was then that they heard a commotion in the kitchen, causing Harry to turn his head in that direction. In that moment, Sirius sprung up and pulled Harry in front of himself. He whispered, "Sorry, Harry. I mean you no harm, but I need to be careful. I hope you understand."
Harry offered no resistance, somehow knowing that there was a lot more to the story and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He wanted answers about Wormtail and the only way he was going to get them was if he could somehow diffuse the situation."
"Ginny," he sent frantically. "Try to keep everyone calm."
"Okay, Harry, but what's going on?" she replied.
"I'm trying to get answers about Scabbers, though Sirius calls him Wormtail."
Harry's answer took Ginny by surprise. "Wormtail, like from the Twins' map?"
"That's right, if what Sirius says is correct."
Ginny stopped in the doorway, effectively slowing down Tonks and Aberforth, who almost fell over her.
"Ginny, what the bloody . . ." Tonks said, until her eyes fell on Sirius.
Ginny quickly spun around, "Harry wants you to behave, there is more going on here than you realize." Ginny gently reached up and pulled softly on Tonks' wand arm, slowly lowering it down.
"Ab, why don't you go get the others," she said, calmly. "Looks like tonight's events aren't over yet."
XX HP + GW XX
A/N: Well, Albus was a sneaky bastard, wasn't he. Sirius is in a bit of a spot, but it looks like Harry at least wants to hear what he has to say.
It will be interesting to see how things play out.
Please review, as usual.