The Hazard of the Die
Slave, I have set my life upon a cast,
And I will stand the hazard of the die.
Richard III, Act V, Scene IV
Getting into Greengrass Manor was the easy part of the plan. While Polyjuice, glamours and charms could be detected and be undone with a simple antidote or Finite, Metamorphmagi, like Tonks, were extremely rare and virtually undetectable. Few wizards ever came across one during their lifetimes. The really tricky part of the plan was revealing a location under the Fidelius Charm to the rest of the would-be rescuers. That information could only come from the Secret-Keeper. They knew that the liberated Death Eaters would have to be told the location by the Secret-Keeper either verbally or in writing, and the contingencies that each option opened had been carefully considered.
The verbal contingencies were a nightmare. They would involve Tonks somehow liberating and rearming Ginny with her wand, which had been found near the Burrow's apparition point. Then they would have to either sneak or fight their way out against some twenty Death Eaters. Thankfully they got a break and the written option had been used. As soon as they walked into the manor, Narcissa Malfoy had unmasked herself and demanded the destruction of the pieces of parchment she had given each of the prisoners. Tonks had quickly pulled the wand given to her, and Incendioed a small piece of parchment she had concealed just for that purpose. Harry had insisted on the importance of her being the first one to destroy the parchment. Just as he predicted, the other prisoners followed her example before Narcissa Malfoy could think of a reason to object. Nothing else was said amid the wave of self-congratulations and greetings with family members in the large entrance foyer of Greengrass Manor. The Muggle psychological tricks Harry had learned worked with wizards just the same.
Tonks was amazed at how quickly the celebrations had ended and the plans for revenge and mayhem had started. After a short conference with his wife, Lucius Malfoy had directed all of them to go into the stately reception room of the manor. Her mission was to gather intelligence and disable the Floo, so she tried to observe as much as possible. Besides the twelve liberated Death Eaters, Tonks counted at least half a dozen more that had been on the run since the end of the war. There were also about twenty family members of the prisoners, whose fighting abilities were unknown, but could not be discounted. In all, there were about forty potential combatants. Enough for a pretty sizable and dangerous battle.
"The hour of our revenge has arrived!" Lucius Malfoy announced to the assembled crowd. "An attack on Diagon Alley will be the final nail in the coffin of Arthur Weasley's blood traitor government. Tomorrow, we attack!"
A roar of approval rose from the crowd, even though some of enthusiasm seemed feigned, and many in the crowd seemed alarmed at the announcement. Malfoy went into the standard blood purist nonsense and declared himself the leader of those upholding the values of blood purity. After the long-winded speech, dinner was served by house elves. Tonks tried to keep a low profile and to commit to memory all the details of the layout of the building.
"Crouch," Lucius called out, startling Tonks, "the only reason you were included in the list of prisoners to be traded despite your lack of financial backing, was your proven loyalty to the Dark Lord. I expect you to remain loyal to the House of Malfoy from now on. Is that clear?"
Tonks had studied Crouch's mannerisms and voice for a couple of hours and had managed to morph her larynx and vocal cords to produce a reasonable approximation to his voice, but her impersonation would probably not stand up to close scrutiny. "You can count on me for anything, Mr Malfoy. I'm looking forward to our trip to Diagon Alley," she replied with a deferential bow. After a few seconds she excused herself claiming the need to visit the loo, to Bulstrode, who was sitting next to her. He barely acknowledged her departure. There were several lively conversations around the table, and no one seemed to pay much attention to Crouch. A big advantage of impersonating him was that he was the least likely to be missed, since there wasn't any family member present.
After putting on the invisibility cloak that Harry had lent to her, Tonks surreptitiously banished all the Floo powder from the mantelpiece in the foyer and the living room. She made a quick exploration of the upper floor, and got rid of all the Floo powder there, before quickly moving down the stairs to locate the entrance to the dungeons. As in most wizarding manors, it was located not far from the entrance to the kitchen. She descended carefully down the poorly lit stairs and in one of the cells saw Mrs Greengrass and her daughter, Daphne, chained to the wall. She continued further down until she reached a large wooden door at the bottom. She looked through the bars on the door. The cell was very large and was guarded by a wizard with long black hair and dirty clothes sitting on a chair. Tonks was surprised to see that he had his wand out despite the fact that Ginny was unconscious on the floor and bound with chains to the wall at the far end. Suddenly a noise from behind startled Tonks. She barely got out of the way of a wizard coming down the stairs. The man inside the cell opened the door and let the other Death Eater in.
"You're late, Pucey," the one who had been inside the cell said angrily.
"Relax, Baddock, I was just finishing dinner," the man replied. "When was the last time she was stunned?"
Tonks was surprised by what she heard.
"About two hours ago," Baddock replied. "She should be regaining consciousness at any time now, so be ready. The Malfoy brat says she has very powerful wandless magical abilities. The orders are to stun her as soon as she stirs until they decide what to do."
"I'll take it from here, Baddock. I think I can handle a little girl. Go have your dinner, and for Merlin's sake take a bath. You stink," Pucey added with a laugh.
"Piss off, nancy boy," the stinky Death Eater replied before making his way upstairs.
One of Tonks mission parameters was to arm Ginny with her wand, if possible, but in view of the fact that she was unconscious, and that she would be stunned if she moved, she decided it was too risky. Tonks hurried up the stairs, unaware that Ginny had awoken moments before and was just pretending to still be unconscious.
-0-0-0-
Ginny awoke and forced herself to remain as still as possible while hearing the conversation between the two guards. She had lost count of how many times she had been stunned as soon as she moved. Her body ached all over and for a moment she felt panic at the thought of Draco taking advantage of her while she was unconscious. She concentrated internally on the feeling of her body and felt her magic flowing through it, giving her the feedback she needed. Her face was a mess, she had several bruised ribs and a bruised liver. The flow of magic also detected the beginnings of mild premenstrual cramping, but nothing more. She hadn't been sexually assaulted. The relief Ginny felt was so great that she had to force herself to suppress her reaction to it.
The relief gave way to anger with herself for having lost her concentration in the morning, when she had just stared blankly at her glowing finger while Draco was still a threat. Ginny tried to regain the feeling of Harry's magic inside her and she immediately felt it within her. It was both an exhilarating and comforting feeling. The power she felt was unfamiliar and needed to be tamed. She had no doubt she would be able to perform wandless magic if she could focus it. She just needed a little practice to be sure it would work on the first try against her guard. She made sure her hand was out of the line of sight of the Death Eater and concentrated on her index finger. It slowly started glowing, and despite her desperate situation, Ginny smiled.
-0-0-0-
Tonks apparated by the Hog's Head, where Shacklebolt had set up a field crisis facility with the cooperation of Aberforth Dumbledore. As soon as she stepped in, she was bombarded with questions from all the Weasleys.
"Everybody calm down," Harry screamed. "Let her give her report. The plan's success depends on surprising the Death Eaters before they notice Crouch is missing!"
Tonks walked towards Shacklebolt and waited for everyone to gather around. "I got the parchment the Secret Keeper gave me with the location of Greengrass Manor," she said eliciting cries of relief in the room. Tonks spoke as clearly and calmly as she could. "There're at least eighteen known Death Eaters and about twenty others of unknown fighting ability. Ginny is being held in the bottom cell of a dungeon that is accessed by a door just before the entrance to the kitchen. I also saw two other women being held prisoner in a different cell. There's one Death Eater guarding Ginny all the time, and they have instructions to stun her as soon as she moves. Apparently, she did some powerful wandless magic. I couldn't pass the wand to her. All the Floo powder has been banished and the manor is definitely warded against apparition. I'm certain the Apparition point is a few metres from the front entrance, but I don't know if they have Portkeys."
"They could Portkey Ginny out of there and they would still have us by the bollocks," Arthur Weasley said frustrated.
"O'Callaghan from the Countermeasures Department can put an Anti-Portkey jinx before we go in," Shacklebolt said.
"I will help him," Bill Weasley intervened. "That way it will be done faster."
"How long do you think it will take to discretely put the jinx on, O'Callaghan?" Shacklebolt asked.
"With help... about fifteen minutes," a voice with a thick Irish accent said from the back of the room.
"We'll do it in ten minutes," Bill Weasley said with determination.
"They should go ahead and start right away," Harry said urgently.
Both men stepped forward and Tonks gave the parchment to Bill first, and then to O'Callaghan, who then returned it to her. Hermione meanwhile had burst in with the plans that had been submitted for the building permit for Greengrass Manor. The plans looked just like a jumble of lines to everyone else, but Bill pointed to a location suitable for apparating on the layout of the surrounding area with a sure hand, and the Irishman nodded.
"Whatever you do, don't get caught," Ron called out as his brother stepped out of the Hog's Head.
"There're more of them than I expected," Shacklebolt said. "We'll be outnumbered. I have only thirty-five Aurors for this type of mission and we have to secure the perimeter, so no one escapes. This will be dangerous, and I don't expect everyone to make it back. I cannot take the responsibility of taking volunteers."
"I've been deputized, and I'm definitely coming," Neville said firmly.
The voices of Hermione, the twins, Charlie, Lupin and Sirius all rose at the same time to indicate they would not be excluded. Luna didn't say anything as she looked at the ceiling, but no one doubted she was going, one way or another. Ron on the other hand was looking at Hermione as if wanting to say something, but the implacable look she gave him kept him quiet.
"They can go under my responsibility," Arthur Weasley said. "They all distinguished themselves in the Battle of Hogwarts and have dueling experience."
Shacklebolt hadn't expected anything less, but he needed to stress the danger of the mission to them. "If they use deadly force...which they will... the use of deadly force is authorized," he said as the parchment was passed around. Shacklebolt started to give the Aurors their specific targets, inside and outside the manor. Some had to secure and hold specific rooms, others the perimeter. One of the critical missions was to destroy all the chimneys as quickly as possible. Even though Tonks was certain she had gotten all the Floo powder, they could not risk someone having a secret stash.
"I'm going after Ginny," Harry said in a tone that left no room for argument.
"I'm coming with you," Luna said calmly in her dreamy voice.
"No!" Harry said firmly.
"Harry, you're not invincible," Sirius told him sharply.
"As soon as we get in, I'll go for Ginny under the invisibility cloak," Harry replied to reassure Sirius and Luna. "There won't be enough space for three people on the way back."
Sirius seemed skeptical, but finally relented. "Just be careful, Harry."
Luna looked at Harry with a slightly displeased expression as Tonks handed him the parchment, his cloak, and Ginny's wand. They all gathered in front of the manor architectural drawings showing apparition and entry points, which Shacklebolt pointed out. The location of the field hospital was also agreed upon for the treatment of the wounded and the healers left immediately to set it up.
"Listen everyone," Shacklebolt shouted. "We don't know if the Death Eaters and their associates are in a single room or spread around the manor. This will be close quarters fighting, and I don't need to remind you it is the most dangerous type of combat situation. Hit them fast and hit them hard. Let's go!"
-0-0-0-
Ginny was making quick progress. She had managed to levitate small pebbles but couldn't risk doing anything more without alerting her guardian. She had no idea where she was, and if she stunned her guard, she had no idea how to sneak out of there. The battered redhead was going to roll the dice and try to escape. If the Malfoys went ahead with their plan, she didn't think they would let her live, and she had every reason to live. She would have to take the risk. Everything is possible if you have enough nerve, she thought as she tried to gather her courage.
One... You can do it, Ginny... Two... Think of how worried Mum, Dad and Harry must be... Th...
A loud explosion rocked the house followed by several smaller ones. Ginny felt both relief and anxiety. She was sure Harry and her family would be front and centre of any rescue attempt. This is it!
-0-0-0-
"The house is surrounded. Drop your wands!" Shacklebolt bellowed as he burst through the front door ahead of Tonks, Sirius, Lupin, Neville, Luna, Hermione and the Weasleys.
Good thing for the Head Auror that several shields had been raised in front of him, because the flashes of several curses collided and dissipated just ahead of him.
There was a feral smile exchanged between Sirius and Lupin. "This is going to be like old times," Sirius said just before pandemonium broke loose.
In another room of the manor, Draco Malfoy's first instinct was to reach for the Portkey inside his pants pocket. He cursed loudly when it failed to activate, drawing the attention of his mother and father. He pulled out his wand instead with a shaky hand.
Narcissa also pulled her wand and did a complex movement. "They put up an anti-Portkey jinx!" she said alarmed. "I don't understand! The Fidelius Charm is still working."
"We have to get the Weasley girl," Lucius said to his wife and son. "She is our ticket out of here."
The three Malfoys started to make their way to the dungeon avoiding the multiple individual duels going on around the manor. The fighting was particularly vicious in the entrance foyer. The Death Eaters had realized that they were trapped, and their only hope was to somehow get out of Greengrass manor to Apparate away. Another point of heavy fighting was the second-floor balcony where several Death Eaters had headed as an alternate exit point.
Luna and Hermione were dueling together but became separated when Luna noticed the Malfoys trying to sneak by. "Frendo!" she bellowed walking after them. The powerful bludgeoning spell missed Draco's head by an inch and shattered a large piece of the stonework behind him. Three curses were fired towards Luna simultaneously. She blocked one, and casually stepped out of the way of the others. Just then, Gregory Goyle came down from the second floor.
"Goyle, kill her!" Draco ordered his old classmate. Goyle seemed doubtful, but he had never been able to disobey an order from Draco Malfoy. The loony bitch was blocking the way to the exit anyway, so he attacked her. The Malfoys continued to make their way to the dungeons as Goyle launched a vicious combination of dark spells toward Luna, making her take several steps back as she blocked and dodged the barrage. Several Death Eater, including the former Slytherin Quidditch captain, Marcus Flint, came down from the upper floor and joined the attack on Luna. She had no alternative but to continue to fall back, despite the fact that she knew the Malfoys were going after Ginny. Just as the bloodied but unbowed Luna was about to be overwhelmed, Hermione, Ron, Tonks and Neville joined the fight.
-0-0-0-
The Death Eater guarding Ginny, was startled by the explosions rocking the manor, but was even more startled when he saw Ginny stand up and fire a powerful stunner from the tip of her finger. It shattered the shield he raised, and he barely managed to dodge out of the way. Pucey fired a bludgeoning spell and looked wide-eyed as the redhead blocked it by drawing a circle in front of her with a glowing hand. Ginny fired three consecutive stunners. One tore through his shield, and Pucey had nowhere to run. He avoided one stunner but was hit with the full force of another. He crashed unconscious against the stone wall.
Ginny summoned the wand and the keys before binding the body in conjured ropes. Just as she liberated her binds, the door of her cell was shattered to sawdust. Ginny expectantly stood ready to fire as soon as anyone came in, but there was no one there.
"It's me, Ginny," Harry said taking off his invisibility cloak as he rushed towards her.
"Harry!" Ginny said, opening her arms to embrace him.
After an embrace that Harry knew lasted too long given the situation, he pulled back to look at her. He tenderly caressed her swollen face trying to suppress thoughts of bloody revenge. There were no evident cuts or broken bones. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Yes. I'm fine," she answered.
"Okay. This is what we're going to do," Harry said looking directly into her eyes. "We're going to put the invisibility cloak on, and I'm going to take you to a field hospital that has been set up outside the manor so they can check your injuries.
"No way!" Ginny protested loudly. "I'm not leaving until my family is out of here... I also have to find Draco Malfoy and his mother," she added gritting her teeth. "That bastard tried to rape me, again,"
Harry was so furious he was shaking with rage. He took several deep breaths to calm himself down. After handing Ginny her wand, he put his left hand on her shoulder to tell her to stay close to him, but he was too shocked to talk. Ginny's magical power was palpable in his hand and Harry was startled to detect a very familiar magical signature within her. He looked puzzled at her.
"I know," Ginny said emphasizing her own amazement. "Somehow it's like your magic and mine have merged." She paused and furrowed her brow. "Haven't you felt it?"
Harry concentrated on his magical flow, and he detected Ginny's energy within him. He was about to say something when the three Malfoys came through the threshold firing curses. The couple blocked the barrage with twin shields.
"I'm going to kill you, Potter!" Lucius Malfoy screamed with a mad glint in the eyes. "I'm going to cut you up!" he said, raising his only arm.
Harry was unimpressed. "The Lord hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword!" Harry quoted calmly as he leaned towards Ginny, without taking his eyes off the Malfoys. "Narcissa is yours," he told her succinctly.
Ginny nodded with a smirk, and assumed a dueling position several steps away from Harry.
Harry passed his wand to his left hand as he conjured Gryffindor's sword in his right one. Draco Malfoy whimpered as he hid behind his father.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
-0-0-0-
The remaining Death Eaters and their accomplices had been quickly pushed from the entrance foyer and from the second-floor balcony. The fighting now concentrated around the main staircase. Remus Lupin saw with horror how Tonks was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The members of Dumbledore's Army were spread in front of her, protecting her. Ron and Hermione appeared unscathed, but Neville had an obviously broken left arm, and Luna was bleeding from several lacerations. Almost a dozen dead and unconscious bodies in front of them indicated that they had meted out more punishment than they had received. Lupin rushed towards Tonks, and she smiled faintly when she saw him.
"The kids are great, aren't they?" Tonks said a little delirious.
"Take her out of here, Remus!" Sirius screamed as he furiously fired curses.
As Lupin carried Tonks out to the field hospital, Shacklebolt and half a dozen Aurors joined the fight by the staircase. The rout was on.
-0-0-0-
In the dungeons another type of rout was developing. Harry had fully expected Malfoy to use his favorite Unforgivable, so he rolled forward and out of the way. He blocked a cutting curse from Draco, and a bludgeoning one from Lucius as he quickly shortened the distance between them.
"CRUCIO!" was the last word that Lucius Malfoy ever said. Harry dodged the curse and swung his blade across Malfoy's neck, severing the throat of the unrepentant Death Eater. The blade then elegantly changed direction, cutting across his lower abdomen. The one-armed blond dropped his wand, and tried to keep his bowels from spilling to the floor. Thankfully, he was successful long enough to collapse face first to the floor. A large pool of blood quickly spread out from underneath the body.
Draco Malfoy was in shock as he saw his father collapse dead. His wand arm was extended and pointed in Harry's general direction, but the power of speech had abandoned him. Without missing a beat, Harry turned towards the silver blond wannabe Death Eater.
Draco's right arm... the arm that had punched Ginny... the arm that had dared touch her, was there for the taking. With a blood curdling battle cry, Harry jumped and swung down his sword, severing the arm just above the elbow. Draco was now, quite literally, unarmed, so Harry banished the sword. Draco was screaming in pain, but Harry silenced him with a savage chop of his forearm against the Slytherin's throat. As a wide-eyed Draco struggled for air, Harry punched him in the liver with all his strength, making him collapse to his knees with unbearable pain. The last thing Draco Malfoy saw for the next several hours was Harry's fist as it was about to collide with his face.
On the other side of the cell, things had been equally swift. Narcissa Malfoy was as powerful and vicious as her sister Bella, but Ginny was no longer an underage witch. Ginny's shield easily blocked a barrage of dark curses; Organ Shredding curse, Entrails-Expelling curse, Sectumsempra, Transmogrifian Torture hex. The Dark repertoire of Narcissa Malfoy was impressive. "CRUCIO!" she bellowed in desperation. Ginny was barely able to sidestep the Unforgivable. She was through playing games. "Quasso! Frendo! Diffindo!" the redhead screamed, as she fired in quick succession.
Narcissa Malfoy put up a powerful shield. It would have stopped any regular curse, but Ginny Weasley was no ordinary witch. The breaking curse went through her shield like the proverbial hot knife through butter. It was still powerful enough to break both of Mrs Malfoy's legs like matchsticks. As she began to collapse, the bludgeoning curse hit her on the chest inflicting severe, but not terminal damage to all her internal organs. Her luck ran out when the cutting curse hit her neck, severing the jugular vein. She was dead in less than a minute.
Harry bound Draco tight enough to stem the blood flow from his arm. The young couple glanced at the horrible mess before them.
"Always remember, Ginny," Harry said turning her body so she could see his eyes, "that they chose this. When they kidnapped you, they gambled with their lives, and they lost."
"I'm fine, Harry", she said firmly. "It's horrible, but I'll be fine. I want to live, and if this is what had to happen, so be it."
Ginny and Harry soberly made their way up from the dungeon. They liberated Daphne and Helena Greengrass, who dazedly followed them up the stairs. At the main level they found the Aurors mopping up the scene. The groans of the injured rose everywhere. The operation had been a complete success. In less than twenty minutes, thanks in grand part to the element of surprise, the Death Eaters had been defeated, and Greengrass Manor had been secured.
Sirius, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys ran into Ginny and Harry as they were about to make their way to the dungeons. After a round of hugging in which Ginny thanked her brothers, Harry insisted on taking her to the field hospital. Everyone else backed him up despite Ginny's protests that there were people more seriously injured than her.
Once there, Ginny stopped by Luna and Neville to be sure that they were okay. She was told that their injuries were minor, and they would be released in a matter of minutes. Ginny was taken to a Mediwitch station, where the redhead was subjected to several diagnostic spells.
"Where are Lupin and Tonks?" Harry asked Sirius as Ginny was being healed.
"Tonks was badly cut and lost a lot of blood," Sirius answered. "The Healer said she got here just in time to save her. They stabilized her and gave her blood replenishing potion before taking her to St Mungo's."
Neville came over with his recently healed arm still in bandages. "I heard one of the Mediwitches say that the baby is going to be fine."
"THE BABY!" several voices cried simultaneously.
Neville was startled and his eyes dashed between all the people looking at him. "Yes, I don't think that she even knew herself."
They all heard Mrs Weasley before they could see her. She loudly demanded to be taken to her family. Ginny was relieved that her face had been quickly fixed, and there was hardly any trace swelling. Mrs Weasley hugged her husband, her sons and her only daughter with her usual vehemence.
"My baby, how are you feeling?" Mrs Weasley asked Ginny.
"I'm tired and I need a bath... badly," Ginny answered visibly exhausted. "Then I want to sleep in my own bed... I just want to go home."
"Of course, dear," Mrs Weasley said effusively, "I'll make you a hot bath and have some hot milk and cookies just for you."
Ginny looked at her mum surprised. "I don't mean the Burrow, Mum. I mean my other home," she said as she firmly grabbed Harry's hand with hers.
There was a long uncomfortable silence. Mrs Weasley's eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"Of course, dear," she said with a slightly broken voice. She turned to Harry. "Would you mind if I prepare Ginny a bath and some milk and cookies? I'll leave as soon as they're done," she asked imploringly.
"It would be an honour, Mrs Weasley," Harry answered before turning to Ginny.
"That would be lovely, Mum," Ginny said with a bright smile.
-0-0-0-
In the aftermath of "The Battle of Greengrass Manor", as the Daily Prophet called it, Arthur Weasley was hailed for his handling of the crisis. He was reelected to the post of Minister of Magic. Two thirds of what remained of the Malfoy fortune was awarded to the Greengrass family and one third was awarded to Ginny Weasley as compensation and reparation payments. Draco Malfoy was sentenced to a lifetime term in Azkaban prison. He became very popular with the other male prisoners. As they say... karma is a bitch.
-0-0-0-
EPILOGUE: Eight months later...
Harry and Ginny sat by the shore of Lake Lucerne in Vitznau, waiting for their tea. It was a gloriously clear spring day, and a cool April breeze blew sharply in from the lake. The Bürgenstock peninsula rose magnificently on the south shore across the water. Earlier in the day they had ridden the cogwheel train all the way to the top of Mount Rigi. The view was spectacular, with misty, snowcapped mountains as far as the eye could see.
The waiter finally came with two cups of tea and crumpets.
"Wann färhrt das nächste Dampfschiff nach Luzern?" Harry asked.
"In ungefähr vierzig Minuten, mein Herr," the waiter replied after looking at his watch.
"Merci Vielmal." Harry then turned to Ginny. "We still have forty minutes till the next steamer back to Lucerne."
"It's so lovely here, I would love to stay longer."
"We could. We can stay in the town's hotel till tomorrow if you want."
Ginny seemed to be considering the idea but relented. "Our hotel in Lucerne is beautiful." After a thinking pause, she giggled. "It's also appropriately named... wild man," she gave him a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow.
"I'll take that as a compliment, Weasley," Harry said with a laugh. They drank and ate in silence for a while, admiring the view. "So, you like this dead drop?" Harry asked.
"It's definitely my favorite. I loved the sandwiches by the river in Bern, but this is definitely better. What's the name of that place... shewel... how do you say it?"
"Schwellenmätteli... it just rolls off the tongue. It's the only reason I put the dead drop there... so I could say, Schwellenmätteli."
"I must admit you have a talented tongue, but I can't believe that just rolls off the tongue as you say," Ginny said saucily.
"Are you getting frisky, love?"
"You know I am," Ginny answered wagging her eyebrows.
Despite the cool weather, Harry could swear it was getting hotter by the minute. "Okay, let me show you the actual dead drop."
"It's not important, Harry. They all have the same things in them, don't they?"
"This dead drop actually has something really special. You have to see it," he insisted.
They walked holding hands towards the Muggle church down the street. They made their way down the garden on the side of the church, and Harry stopped next to a medium-sized rock. He pulled his wand and cast a Notice-Me-Not charm before levitating the rock out of the way. Harry bent down to pull a weatherproof box out of the hole in the ground and opened it. He showed the contents to Ginny. The box had the usual Muggle currency, European 'Thaler' wizarding currency, Muggle documents for Harry, and now also for Ginny, generic wands and...
Ginny's eyes went wide with surprise.
"Take it," Harry said softly as the pupils of his eyes dilated.
Ginny slowly pulled out a small velvet box out of the larger box. She covered her mouth with her right hand in shock when Harry went down to one knee.
"Open it..." it was almost a whisper.
A one carat diamond ring was mounted around a cluster of smaller diamonds. The band was platinum and gold. Ginny looked down at Harry with eyes filled with tears.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley... I didn't know happiness, I didn't know beauty, I didn't know love, until I met you. We are one soul, we are one heart, we are one magic... I want to be yours for all eternity... will you marry me, Ginny?
Harry swallowed hard and awaited the verdict. He knew it was an irrational fear, but somehow it was always there. The fear of rejection.
"I want to be yours for all eternity, Harry James Potter... I will marry you," Ginny said with a beaming smile as happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
Harry got up, and there was a long, soft, loving kiss that was followed by several more. Some minutes later they were walking down the street towards the dock. Ginny constantly stole glances at her ringed finger with a silly smile plastered on her face. Harry's smile was even sillier. People were starting to board the steamer.
"How long is the sailing time to Lucerne?" Ginny asked.
"Fifty minutes," Harry answered.
"That's a long time," Ginny complained. She gave Harry a sideways glance and a mischievous smile. "Can't we Apparate directly to our hotel room, wild man?"
Harry gave Ginny a feral smile. "Are you a witch, Ms Weasley?"
"Are you a wizard, Mr Potter?" she replied raising an eyebrow.
With two loud 'pops' the couple was gone.
THE END