AN: Thank you again everyone for your patience. As a reward for your diligence, this is where things will start to heat up a bit. :) "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus". Hope you're all having a fantastic start to Spring!
The Last Days of Summer
Harry took training seriously, and he pushed his friends hard. He started by building up their endurance, which was as dismal as his own had been in the beginning. Ron's constant whining was irritating, but Harry discovered that he wasn't the only one that found the sight of sweaty and out of breath girls quite stimulating.
Both Ron's and Neville's eyes would drift towards the girls whenever they thought it was safe to steal a glance. Harry, on the other hand, had to be careful not only of being caught by the girls, but also of being caught by Ron whenever he was ogling at Ginny.
Ron only had eyes for Hermione, but Neville would look admiringly at all three girls, and in particular at Ginny, which made Harry feel wretchedly jealous. He somehow always found himself running closest to Ginny, in what he realized was a pathetic attempt at a territorial claim. Thankfully, the petite redhead was in the best physical shape of all five of his friends by far, so she would invariably run along with him the longest. It wasn't until the beginning of the second week when things started to become more clear and obvious to everyone.
They were all laying under a tree on a hot day, catching their breaths after a grueling training and sparring session, when Hermione offhandedly said how much she would like to take a dip in the pond. Her suggestion was seconded by Ginny, and soon all six teens were running towards the pond.
"The last one in is a Slytherin!" Ron called out.
None had a proper swimming costume, but all were wearing shorts and tee-shirts. Harry pulled off his tee-shirt as he approached the pond, and after placing it next to a tree with his wand, jumped feet first. Luna was lagging behind, but Neville stopped to wait for her as the rest jumped in. From that moment forward, the Ravenclaw girl stayed close to Neville, who looked embarrassed, but pleased nevertheless. Ron appeared to have developed a sudden passion for splashing water on Hermione, which surprisingly the bushy haired witch didn't seem to mind. That left Harry and Ginny ignored by the others on their own corner of the pond.
"There is a lot of accidental contact going on between those two, don't you think?" Ginny said with a mischievous smile as she watched her brother and Hermione horsing around in the water.
Harry turned to look at her with a sly smile. "You mean like this?"
He dove underwater, took a hold of her ankles, and pulled her under. The two wrestled under the surface, their arms and legs intertwining until they resurfaced.
"Are you trying to drown me, Potter?" Ginny asked, apparently angry and struggling for air.
Harry was dismayed. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I was just play..."
His apology was cut short when the redhead pushed him back, laughing madly, and forced him underwater. Harry took a hold of her arm, and pulled her down with him for another bout of underwater wrestling. They both resurfaced laughing, but Harry was very conscious of the fact that never before in his life had he been in such close contact with a girl. Ginny was standing just inches from him. They were both silent, and the tension grew heavy in the air. Harry was staring into her big brown eyes, oblivious to everything else.
Ginny regained her composure first. "Are you flirting with me, Harry?"
Her expression and tone had the perfect balance between seriousness and amusement to allow for plausible deniability.
Several seconds went by, which for Harry, and unbeknownst to him, Ginny, seemed like hours. He had been struggling with his newly discovered feelings for Ginny for several days, but the weight of the prophesy still hung over his head. At times he hated the power he was giving Voldemort over his life, but his first instinct was to protect Ginny from himself.
"I don't know if I should," he whispered with complete sincerity.
The redhead could see the internal struggle going on behind his eyes, and oddly enough, she expected no less from him. She was about to reassure him, when Ron approached.
"Let's water joust!" he screamed excitedly.
The teams created themselves without any discussion. Luna was quickly on top of Neville's shoulders, who was nervously holding on to her smooth bare legs. Ron lowered himself in front of Hermione, who only hesitated a moment before perching herself on top of him.
"I guess we're teammates again," Harry said turning to Ginny.
"Let's win this, Potter," she said moving around to his back.
Harry crouched in the water, and Ginny slid one leg over each of his shoulders. Harry was unsure if he should hold on to her thighs, or to her ankles, but regardless, he was certain this was the most brilliant idea Ron had ever had.
All three teams started trying to push each other off balance, the boys with their legs underwater, and the girls with their arms on top of them. Hermione was the first one to fall to the water, and Ron somehow found a way to fall on top of her. The struggle between the two remaining couples was surprisingly competitive. Ginny was trying to push Luna off balance with one hand, while with the other, she was holding on to Harry's hair. It was Harry who finally managed to trip Neville with his legs, toppling the pair to the water.
"We win, we win!" Ginny cried triumphantly. She leaned forward to smile at Harry, who was also turning his head towards her, but he tripped and both fell to the water.
"I think I have a bald spot," Harry said playfully as he stepped out of the water and sat under the tree, massaging his scalp.
"Poor baby," Ginny said mockingly, stepping out of the water dripping wet.
The tee-shirt and shorts she wore were clinging to her body, making Harry exhale all the air out of his lungs. She leaned to one side gathering her long, wet hair in her hands, and started wringing the water out of it as if it were a wet towel. It was the most sensual thing Harry had ever seen.
Then another thing caught his attention.
Ginny Weasley had nipples.
Their perky shape was clearly visible under the tee-shirt and bra. Apparently the cool water, combined with the breeze, was having a rousing effect. At that point Ginny must have realized what Harry was looking at, because she casually crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking mortified.
Harry was brought back to reality by a shove from Ron, who looked at him with hostility. "Let's get back home," he said curtly.
OoOoO
Ron wanted Harry and Ginny to get together. Honest. It would be an ideal situation as far as he was concerned. It would give him the peace of mind of knowing that Ginny was safe from all the smarmy, lecherous Hogwarts blokes that seemed to gravitate towards her whenever she was around. Harry, by contrast, was the epitome of selfless nobility. He would never dream of laying a finger on his little sister.
Right?
Ron had tried to subtly push them together, although according to Hermione, his attempt in the Hogwarts Express at the end of last term had been anything but subtle. He had watched with satisfaction how Harry had shielded Ginny from Neville's covetous eyes, forcing him to turn his attention to Luna instead. Although, truth be told, despite being barking, Loony Lovegood was kind of easy on the eyes.
Now that his plan seemed to be coming to fruition, and Harry appeared to be getting closer to his little sister, he felt betrayed. He recognized the look in his best mate's eyes when Ginny came out of the pond, and he knew exactly what he was thinking. That was alarming, because if Harry was thinking the same disgusting, impure thoughts that he had about a certain bushy haired witch, then he couldn't be anywhere near Ginny.
Ron was sitting on his bed, and he immediately took Harry to task when he came into the room from the shower.
"What the bloody hell you think you're doing, ogling at my little sister's... ti... knock... breasts?" Ron demanded.
Harry had the decency to look contrite. "I'm sorry, mate, but in case you haven't noticed, Ginny's... grown."
The dark haired boy realized that was the wrong thing to say when Ron turned positively murderous, although he figured a lot of his demeanor was mere posturing. "What do you mean, grown?" Ron demanded.
Harry wasn't intimidated in the least, even though he was almost a head shorter than his friend. "All I'm trying to say, is that she isn't a little girl anymore. I'm sorry, okay, but I couldn't help noticing... you know..." he said sincerely.
Ron apparently realized Harry was being honest, because he calmed down a little. "Look, Harry, I've always wanted the two of you to be together, but if you want my permission to go out with Ginny, you have to promise me that you won't be ogling at her boobies... I mean breasts."
Harry rolled his eyes. He was tired of people thinking they could tell him what to do, but he managed to remain calm. He went on the offensive. "I can't promise you that anymore that you can promise me not to stare at Hermione's bum every time she turns her back to you. I swear the only reason you get up to train with us, is so you can stare at Hermione's bum while she is wearing shorts."
Ron was caught like a deer in the headlights, so Harry pressed his advantage. "And what's the big idea of letting yourself fall on top of her in the pond? You could have hurt her!"
Ron was looking horrified at that point. "Did she complain to you?"
"No. That should give you a hint."
Harry could see the wheels inside Ron's head slowly turning.
"Are you saying she liked it?" he asked almost a minute later.
Harry was both exasperated, and amused. "What happens whenever you do something that Hermione doesn't like?"
"She nags me."
"Exactly."
Ron lay down on the bed, and stared vacantly at the ceiling.
"Ron," Harry called out a minute later.
"Huh?"
"Just so you know. I don't need your permission to go out with any girl. Not even Ginny."
"Okay," Ron replied, smiling absently.
OoOoO
That night Hermione was in bed trying to concentrate on reading, but every muscle in her body was aching from the past week's training. She had never been an athletic girl, but she had always been a competitive person. She hated the fact that she ran like a girl, punched like a girl and kicked like a girl.
Ginny's performance was to be expected. Her running form was flawless, and despite being the most petite of all three girls, she packed amazing punching strength. It was Luna who had caught Hermione by surprise.
The Ravenclaw had plenty of endurance and strength, which always left Hermione last among the girls. After questioning Luna about her astounding performance, the reason became apparent. Hiking through inhospitable climates, while looking for non-existent animals, builds up strength and physical endurance. By contrast, the only physical activity that she had ever engaged in, was lying on a beach in France while on holiday with her parents. Turning pages, and turning her body to even her tan, wasn't conducive to aerobic conditioning.
It wasn't all bad, though. Her soft and tan body had an ardent admirer. Ron wasn't very good at pretending he wasn't looking, and today at the pond, he had taken every opportunity to be in contact with her. It was contact that made her body feel tingly, although she still couldn't figure out why she was so attracted to the uncouth, exasperating, underachieving redhead boy.
Ginny came in from taking a shower and turned her back to Hermione. She put the towel on the writing desk, and was briefly just wearing knickers while she put on her pajamas. Hermione noticed that Ginny surreptitiously took a quick glance at her sinewy body on the mirror.
"You have nothing to worry about. Harry was salivating like a Pavlov dog when you came out of the pond," Hermione said chuckling.
Ginny turned, buttoning her pajama shirt. "Huh?"
"Never mind, it's a Muggle reference. What I'm trying to say, is that Harry fancies you."
Ginny continued to slowly button her shirt, digesting what her friend had just said. "I know," she whispered, "but he is going to be a prat about it."
"What do you mean?"
"He isn't sure he should take the next step," Ginny sighed frustrated. "He thinks he is being noble by not being with me, but he is only being selfish."
"He'll come around," Hermione said reassuringly. "Just give him a little more time."
"You think so?" the redhead said skeptically.
"If that doesn't work, we just have to put you in a wet tee-shirt again," Hermione said laughing heartily.
The redhead opened her mouth feigning surprise and disgust as she reached for the wet towel to throw at her friend.
The two friends talked happily until late into the night about the things they were learning, the two boys in their lives and about what they would buy on the upcoming trip to Diagon Alley.
OoOoO
Extra security measures were being taken for this year's trip to Diagon Alley. Voldemort had been quiet lately, perhaps too quiet. Other than a limited Death Eater attack in which Mr. Ollivander had disappeared, there had been hardly any activity reported.
There was a feeling that something big was in the works, and everyone was on edge. Harry had tried to carefully probe with his mind to see if the link between the Dark Lord and himself was active, but he hadn't been able to get any sense of Voldemort at all. Maybe the Occlumency was really working. He sincerely hoped so.
Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry were accompanied by Mrs. Weasley, Tonks and Remus, who had insisted Harry take his invisibility cloak with him, just in case. There were also several Order members discretely keeping an eye for suspicious activity on the Alley. Neville and Luna were already waiting for them at the Leaky Cauldron when they flooed in. The group walked into Diagon Alley, vigilant, but in a good mood.
After stopping at Gringotts to retrieve funds, there was some argument about what to do first. Hermione wanted to go to the Flourish & Blotts for books, Ginny wanted to go to Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, Ron wanted to take a look inside Quality Quidditch Supplies and Neville was anxious to get to Ollivander's, now being run by one of his sons, to buy a new wand. Finally, Mrs. Weasley imposed herself, and the group was grudgingly dragged into Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
A couple of hours later the group walked into Fred and George's new shop. It was painted with striking color combinations and there were outrageous, but funny signs on the windows. Inside there was a fairly large crowd of students going through a wide selection of products. George spotted Harry and quickly made his way to him.
"Our financier finally comes to check on his investment," he said theatrically.
"It was a contribution, not an investment," Harry said. "I feel more than re-paid by the effort you two have put into this place. Congratulations."
"Thanks, Harry," Fred said approaching. "Feel free to take anything you want. On the house, of course."
"I might take you up on that." After the two brothers left to take care of their business, Harry turned to his friends, smiling wickedly. "You heard them. Take anything you want, and give it to me before we leave."
The teens were ecstatic about the offer, and peeled off in different directions, looking for products to take. Harry was walking aimlessly through the store, when he spotted Draco Malfoy and his mother walking by outside. They suspiciously looked around to make sure they were not being followed, and nervously walked in the direction that lead to Knockturn Alley.
Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak, and started to make his way to the door.
"Where are you going, Harry?" Tonks asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Draco and his mum are on their way to Knockturn Alley. They are up to something. I know it," he said without stopping.
Tonks followed Harry as he ran until the Malfoys came into view. They followed keeping a safe distance until they reached the entrance to Knockturn Alley.
"Put the cloak on," Tonks said.
As Harry watched, the Auror changed her appearance to that of a much older witch. She transfigured her clothes into a tattered black robe, and walked into the Alley ahead of Harry, who had no other choice than to put the invisibility cloak on and follow her.
They made their way through the colorless streets until they reached a store that Harry remembered from four years back. Draco and his mother walked into Borgin & Burkes.
"Follow closely when I get in," Tonks said trying to guess Harry's location.
When Tonks walked in, the small bell on the door rang. From the back of the store several people came forward with wands drawn.
"What do you want?" Mr. Borgin demanded as he sent the others to the back of the store.
"Is that a Hand of Glory?" Tonks asked calmly.
As Mr. Borgin moved forward to attend to his customer, Harry moved to a vantage point where he could spy into the back of the store.
Gathered around a large cabinet were Draco, his mother and four other people. Among the group was a tall blond man, another with canine features and heavy facial hair, and a pair that looked so similar, they had to be brother and sister. All six were examining the cabinet with curiosity, and obviously talking about it.
"The price you're asking for is outrageous!" Tonks said in a creaky voice. "Do you mind if I ask how are you obtaining the left hand and fat of a hanged convict? It's been almost a century since the Muggles hanged criminals."
Mr. Borgin looked insulted. "Are you suggesting this item isn't authentic, old hag? I'll have you know that hand belonged to a left-handed murderer. How we get our supply is a trade secret," he added haughtily. "Now if you are not buying, get out of my store."
Tonks walked to the door, and stood holding it open until she felt Harry go by. After they reached Diagon Alley she morphed back to her usual self, and Harry emerged from under the invisibility cloak.
"What did you see?" Tonks asked.
As they walked back to the twins' shop, Harry described the people he saw as best he could. "They were all looking at a strange, very large cabinet. I doubt the Malfoys were shopping for furniture, though."
"Me too. What I don't understand, is what was Draco doing there. Usually, for operational security reasons, only those participating in the operation know about it," Tonks said stopping in front of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. "I'll report what you saw to the Order, if you don't mind." She waited for a nod from Harry before continuing. "I'll also report the Hand of Glory to the Auror Office. The Hand of Glory is useless without the proper candle, and the only way for Borgin to get his hands on the fat of a hanged convict to make the candles, is if he is hanging the convicts himself."
"Could he be snatching Muggle prisoners and hanging them?"
"It's the most logical explanation. Escaped prisoners, I'm sure."
Just before Harry went into the store, he noticed Ginny looking at him through the window with a serious expression. He had been gone for less than ten minutes, and had hoped no one would notice his absence. He went into the store, and after a couple of minutes, Ron called him to the register. He was having an argument with the twins over several items on the counter.
"All of this stuff is for Harry. You can ask him. Right, mate?" Ron said as the raven haired boy stood next too him.
Soon, the other four teens found their way to the register with a horde of products.
"All of this stuff is mine," Harry said innocently. "Just pack it, if you don't mind."
The twins looked at each other. "We are being swindled," they said in unison.
The twins, though, had to have the last laugh. Among the items on the counter were several from their "Wonder Witch" line of products. Fred picked up one of the bottles, and held it up as he spoke into a fake microphone charmed with a Sonorus charm. His voiced boomed throughout the store.
"Price check on a Monthly Curse Relief Potion, please!"
Everyone turned to see a sick looking Harry standing right next to the source of the voice.
As they were walking out of the store, Harry was stopped by several witches asking him to show them where he had found the potion. One even asked him if it really worked.
Ginny was laughing so hard, she needed help walking.
OoOoO
That afternoon at the Burrow, Harry stepped into the garden where Ginny was de-gnoming by herself. He ran after one of the fleeing creatures, and launched it over the fence.
"I don't think you are supposed to help me." Ginny said a little winded.
"I doubt your mother will say anything."
The redhead laughed. "You're right about that."
The pair worked in silence for several minutes, until no more gnomes were to be found. They started to walk silently to the house, but Harry suddenly stopped.
"Aren't you going to ask me where I was this morning?" he inquired looking into her big chocolate eyes.
Harry had been expecting Ginny to ask him that question all day, and her silence had him a little unnerved.
She shook her head negatively. "No, but I was hoping you trusted me enough to tell me."
Harry smiled at her, and Ginny felt a flutter in her stomach. It wasn't a normal smile. There was tenderness behind it.
"I trust you, Ginny," he said sincerely and resumed walking. "Tonks and I followed Draco and his mother to Borgin & Burkes." Ginny stopped and so did he. "They met with four other people, probably Death Eaters."
"Did you hear what they said?"
"No. They were looking at a strange looking cabinet. Tonks is going to report it to the Order."
"That's strange," Ginny said pensively. "Why was Draco there? Tom would have to be a fool to trust a blabbermouth like Draco with anything important."
"My thoughts exactly."
They resumed their silent walk to the house, but just before going in, Ginny took his hand and stopped.
"Thank you for trusting in me, Harry."
"You earned it," he said smiling at the redhead. "It's almost time for today's Agnitio, and Hermione is really anxious to learn Enochian Magic, should we wait until you shower?"
"Give me ten minutes," she beamed, before running into the house.
OoOoO
During the night Harry couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about what could possibly Draco be up to, and what the mysterious cabinet could be. Voldemort wanted something with that cabinet, and whatever it was, Harry wanted to be sure he couldn't have it.
Harry was convinced that the passive approach followed by Dumbledore was wrong, and this presented an opportunity to take action. He got up and silently stepped out of the room. He walked out of the Burrow, and towards the edge of the wards, making sure no one followed him.
Just as he was starting to spin to Apparate into Diagon Alley, he saw Ginny swooping down on a broom. The redhead recklessly jumped from the broom and took a hold of his arm. Harry couldn't stop at that point, so he had no choice but to hold on firmly to Ginny and hope he didn't splinch her.
The feeling of one person being forced through a very tight rubber tube was unpleasant enough. The feeling of two people being forced through a very tight rubber tube was...
That was kind of nice, actually...
They landed in front of the twins' shop, and Harry immediately lost his balance. Ginny fell on top of him, and the curtain of her hair covered his face.
Harry inhaled the subtle flowery smell of her, and he was startled by the sudden realization.
"It was you. It was always you," he whispered with surprise and admiration.
Ginny propped herself on top of him, looking puzzled. "Huh?"
The boy came out of his amazement and bolted to his feet, pulling Ginny up with him. He patted her, and held up her hands to count her fingers. After he was sure she wasn't missing any body parts, he let her have it.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking! You could have been splinched!"
Ginny only looked a little remorseful. "I figured you could use some back-up. You're here because of the cabinet, aren't you?"
The redhead girl was too perceptive for her own good. "You are underage, Ginny. How will you be able to help me?" he demanded.
"I'll be damned if the restriction on underage magic ever stops me from protecting you, or myself," she said fiercely. "You need someone to cover your back, Harry. I don't intend to use magic unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Did you follow me from the Burrow?"
"No. I couldn't sleep so I went out to fly to relax a bit. I saw you just before you crossed the wards."
Harry remembered the story of Ginny sneaking out in the middle of the night to fly on her brothers' brooms. "Do you often have trouble sleeping?" he asked suddenly concerned.
Ginny was uncomfortable with the question, but she saw the care in his eyes. "I still sometimes have nightmares involving Tom," she said with a soft voice, "but a little less every year," she added defiantly.
Harry put his right hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Both teens stood in silence for several seconds. They shared something that few people, if any, could boast about. They had both been possessed by the most evil wizard of the Age, and survived.
It was Ginny who broke the silence. "What's your plan?"
"Very simple, actually," Harry said matter-of-factly. "Walk in, destroy the cabinet and Apparate away."
"Let's do it then."
Harry took out his invisibility cloak and made room for Ginny.
"So this is what is like to be under the cloak," she said smiling at him.
Her bright face was just inches away, and being under the cloak afforded a surprising level of intimacy. His body was hyper-sensitive to the close contact, and he cursed his teenage hormones. He needed to focus on the mission.
As soon as they stepped into Knockturn Alley they were both all business. Ginny was alert, with her wand at the ready. Harry led the way until they reached the door of Borgin & Burkes. He pointed his wand at the building, doing a wide motion with his arm.
"Homenum revelio," he whispered.
On the second floor there was a glowing figure lying down and breathing evenly. It was the only person revealed by the charm. He then pointed the wand at the door, and did a complex hand movement to cast a "Magia malefica revelio" spell.
The door glowed with a light green color. "Mr. Borgin doesn't play around," Harry whispered to Ginny. "That's a Transmogrifian torture curse. It's only marginally milder than a Cruciatus."
After a complex chant, Harry did the Dark Magic revealing spell again, and it showed that he had removed the curse successfully. He whispered "Alohomora" but the lock didn't budge.
"Is it cursed?" Ginny asked.
"No. It just has a very strong locking charm." Harry turned to make sure there was no one else in the dark street. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Ginny replied firmly.
"Get your Portkey out. Use it if anything goes wrong." He waited to make sure the redhead complied, and then removed and folded the invisibility cloak. He pointed his wand at the lock. "Bombarda silenciosa minima."
The only noise heard was the sound of iron pieces of the lock breaking and falling. Harry carefully pushed the door open, but stopped. "I have an idea," he whispered. "Accio unregistered wands," he said pointing his wand into the store.
Nothing happened.
"Try, Accio untraceable wands," Ginny suggested.
Harry tried the spell again, and this time there was some noise inside. A moment later he caught a small, elongated box in his hand. After making sure there were no curses, he opened it and found about a dozen wands inside. He handed the box to Ginny, who quickly flourished several of the wands until one generated a very strong shower of golden sparks.
"Wow! That wand really likes you," Harry said surprised.
"It's the witch, not the wand," Ginny said smiling smugly. She took the rest of the wands out of the box, and put them on the back pocket of her jeans.
Before walking in, Harry did another complex chant.
"What was that?" Ginny asked.
"I disabled the Anti-Apparition ward."
"Are we going to learn that?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes. You'll learn that, and all the Anti-Dark Magic spells when you get to Grindelwald."
They both said "Lumos" in unison, and walked in carefully. Harry lead the way to the back of the store, and stopped when he saw the cabinet. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when he heard a low growl.
Next to the cabinet was a large dog-like creature with enormous claws and teeth. The black beast assumed a threatening position and charged with a blood curdling roar.
"Petrificus Totalus," Harry bellowed.
It was a perfect shot, and it hit the beast in the middle of the chest, but it had no effect on it whatsoever.
"Bombarda Maxima!" Ginny screamed a split second later.
Her shot was a perfect example of moving target shooting. It hit the ground in front of the charging beast with perfect timing. The explosive wave sent the animal crashing to the wall, and Harry immediately collapsed a heavy wooden display on top of it for good measure.
"What the bloody hell was that?" he asked perplexed.
"That's was a Barghest," Ginny explained. "A goblin-dog. They are immune to wizard magic."
"How did you know that?"
"Luna is my best friend, isn't she?" she said smiling, but her smile disappeared when she heard the sound of a man running down the stairs.
Mr. Borgin stood for a moment in the middle of the stairs, looking surprised, but immediately started casting curses.
Harry dodged a spell, and cast a shield to block the others. At the first opportunity he fired a barrage of spells that quickly put the older wizard on the defensive.
"Destroy the cabinet. I'll cover you!" Harry screamed.
Ginny turned to the cabinet. "Reducto!" she bellowed.
The resulting explosion turned the cabinet to sawdust. Both Harry and Mr. Borgin froze in surprise. The young wizard came out of his amazement the quickest, firing a bludgeoning curse that hit the older wizard right on the face. He collapsed down the remaining stairs, until he crashed to the floor.
The noise had roused the neighbors, and a crowd was starting to gather outside. Several men walked into the store and fired curses at the pair of teens. Their response was blistering. Quickly half of the men were down and only the most talented remained in the combat.
Harry moved closer to Ginny. "When I say go, fire a Bombarda in front of them. GO!"
The explosion blasted several men away, and momentarily startled the rest, but they kept firing blindly through the dust.
Harry cast a powerful shield before embracing Ginny tightly, and with a spin, they Apparated away.
He landed perfectly on the edge of the Burrow wards, without letting go of Ginny. "Are you alright?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she replied still embracing him tightly. She sank her head into his chest. "I know how to Apparate, you know? I learned from Wilkie Twycross himself."
Harry chuckled. "Yes, but this is much nicer."
Ginny felt him kissing the top of her head. "It is," she answered softly.
Neither wanted to let go. Maybe it was the adrenalin that was keeping their courage up.
"You know my history with you, Harry. You wouldn't be a tease with me, would you?"
Harry looked down, and found a pair of beautiful, slightly insecure, brown eyes looking up at him. "No, I wouldn't tease you..."
Ginny lightly stepped on top of Harry's trainers and strained her neck upwards. Harry bent down slightly.
"...but I could still be just flirting with you," he added with a chuckle.
Ginny beamed at him.
"Just shut up, and kiss me already," she demanded closing her eyes.
As their tongues slowly caressed each other, Harry discovered how brilliant it was to kiss the right girl. How spine-tingling, transcendental and fulfilling it could be. Ginny's left hand moved up to his face, and tenderly placed it on his cheek. After their mouths came apart, he felt himself bursting with happiness.
"Ginny, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.
Ginny's eyes filled with tears, but none were shed. "I've waited a long time to hear those words, Harry. The answer always was, and will always be, yes."
They sealed their new status with another searing kiss. Afterwards they walked back to the Burrow holding hands, and after a long kiss goodnight, went to their rooms.
Just before falling asleep, Harry felt a dull pain in his scar. For the first time ever, the pain made him smile. Voldemort had just found out the cabinet had been destroyed, and he was very angry. Harry shored up the defenses around the area of the scar, and happy thoughts of Ginny obliterated the dull pain away.
OoOoO
The morning of August 31st, Mr. Weasley eagerly read the latest news on The Daily Prophet, to the gathered crowd of family and guests. The paper had a double column banner headline that read:
"Attack on Knockturn Alley?"
"The Auror office reports that last night there was a burglary attempt at the establishment of Borgin & Burkes in Knockturn Alley. However, the level of destruction observed by our reporters, and the fact that valuable objects were left undisturbed at the scene, suggest that the motive of the intruders may have been other than just theft. The facts are made more difficult to ascertain because the proprietor, Mr. Rufus Borgin, who was released from St. Mungo's Hospital after being treated for a severe concussion, refuses to cooperate with the authorities.
Several other residents of the Alley were also treated for minor cuts and bruises at the hospital. Apparently they tried unsuccessfully to come to the aid of Mr. Borgin. These witnesses are also refusing to cooperate with the authorities...
Ginny was eating and listening with studied interest, nodding affirmatively at some of the comments by Bill as her father read the newspaper. Harry tried to follow her example, also feigning interest, but without talking.
The rest of the table was commenting and arguing, at times heatedly, about the news. In general there was very little sympathy for Mr. Borgin, and Ron was going as far as advocating the complete razing of Borgin & Burkes.
At some point Hermione noticed the calculated silence of both Ginny and Harry, and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Harry knew they had been busted.
About an hour later, Neville and Luna arrived by Floo for the daily training session. The six friends went outside and walked towards Mr. Weasley's shed, which now also doubled as a training room. Harry took Ginny's hand and they lagged behind a little.
"Hermione suspects something," Harry said. "I think we should tell them everything."
"Even this?" Ginny asked with a smile, swinging their joined hands.
"Yes, even this."
Ginny moved closer to him, and tightened her hold on his hand. "They will be with us till the end. It's only fair they know."
Hermione waited for them by the door, letting the others go in, and she immediately noticed their joined hands. Her serious expression transformed into a bright smile, and she made a wide-eyed expression with her face asking for confirmation from Ginny.
The redhead just nodded happily, and Hermione ran to embrace both of them. After offering her congratulations, and securing a promise from Ginny to tell her "all about it" later, she turned serious again.
"Are you going to talk?" she asked Harry.
"Yes, but let's go inside. I don't intend to keep my friends in the dark like Dumbledore does," he said before turning to Ginny. "Could you please go get the wands?"
"I left them hidden on the flowerbed, just in case," she said pulling out her untraceable wand from her jeans pocket. "Accio untraceable wands," she said pointing towards her room window.
Hermione was amazed to see a small bundle, tied with cloth, fly towards the outstretched hand of the underage redhead witch. They walked in and convened a meeting before the start of training.
Harry related in great detail the events of the previous night. Ron was outraged that Harry had not taken him, and so was Neville. Hermione was outraged for other reasons. She was also concerned about the fate of the Barghest.
"I'm sorry," Harry said honestly. "I thought this was going to be a simple matter of walking in and walking out, but it turns out I was really lucky that Ginny saw me and came along. I underestimated the situation, and in the end, I really needed help. I don't intend to make that mistake again. We are in this together, and from now on, I won't keep anything from you." Harry took Ginny's hand, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Ron's eyes went wide as saucers. "That's why I want to let you all know that Ginny and I are now together."
After Neville and Luna congratulated the couple, everyone turned to look at Ron, who seemed unsure of what his reaction should be. In the end he just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.
"You have my blessing," he said, not sounding too happy.
Ginny was about to say something, probably unpleasant, but she was stopped by a squeeze from Harry's hand.
"Thank you, mate. You don't know how important that is to me."
Ron was caught completely off-guard by Harry's comment. He smiled and congratulated them a little more enthusiastically.
"There is one more thing before we start today's training," Harry said. "Even if Dumbledore comes through, and gets the restriction on underage magic removed from us, I think it will be a good idea to have an untraceable wand available to us."
He laid the eleven wands on the floor, and started flourishing them. He narrowed his choices to three that produced a good shower of golden sparks, and finally picked a supple nine inch yew wand. One by one, the others made their choices, and Harry tied the rest with the cloth and gave them to Ginny.
The rest of the day the teens did their physical training, and for the first time they also did some magical training. That night Mrs. Weasley badgered them relentlessly to have everything packed and ready for the for the morning, but Harry and Ginny still managed to get some quality alone time in the back porch, before turning in for the night.
Harry went to bed eagerly awaiting the new day. Starting tomorrow, some things were going to change at Hogwarts.