Harry stared morosely into his bowl of cereal. The headlines in the Daily Prophet announced another horrific Death Eater attack, this time in Lancashire. This sort of headline had been an almost-daily occurrence since Harry's arrival at the Burrow, but he was beginning to feel much odder than usual about the news. It made him feel sick to his stomach, as it always had. He couldn't escape the underlying feeling that he'd had a hand in this, if indirectly. If Voldemort hadn't used Harry's blood to re-embody himself… Harry gave himself a mental shake. He knew such thinking was unproductive, but the thoughts insisted on haunting him in spite of this.

But in addition to the feelings of guilt, something strange was happening. Ever since his arrival at the Burrow his scar had ceased to bother him as much as it used to. It still gave the occasional twinge but nothing on the scale it ought to with all the attacks going on. Harry wondered what this might mean, but no solution suggested itself. Were the attacks being carried out by someone other than Voldemort? Certainly any attacks in Europe were being carried out by lackeys--he couldn't be everywhere at once--but Lancashire? Harry ought to have sensed that, yet he'd had no idea anything had happened until he'd come down to breakfast and seen the newspaper.

"I don't like it one bit," Mrs Weasley was tutting. "I don't think you should go into Diagon Alley today."

Ron looked up, his arm buried to the elbow in a box of Quidditch Crunch, from which he was trying to extract the collector card (he was missing Arthur Frampton, a Chudley Cannons Chaser, and once he'd got that one, he'd have the whole team). "Come on, Mum, we'll be fine. Why should today be worse than any other?"

Hermione, who'd been looking askance at Ron while he dug through the cereal, came to his defence. "Diagon Alley is well protected with wards, and the Ministry has Aurors on patrol 24 hours a day."

"I know, dear, but I still don't like it. It's bad enough with Arthur and Percy there every day and Bill and Charlie so far away with barely a word." Harry knew that post owls to the continent were having more and more difficulty getting through. He didn't expect much word from Sirius while he was there.

"Mum, all the attacks have been miles away from London, and we have to get our school supplies some time." No one believed Ron wanted to buy his school books that badly, and everyone stared at him.

"Yes, well it will be good to get away from the house," put in Hermione to cover the awkward moment. "We'll hardly be in more danger there than here. We'll have our Portkeys," she added soothingly. In these uncertain times, many witches and wizards carried Portkeys, which could be activated for emergency use with a tap of the wand. Mr Weasley had prepared four of them, which would transport any of them immediately back to the Burrow if necessary, for today's outing.

"And if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't think of letting you go," said Mrs Weasley, a note of finality in her voice. "You'll all stick together, won't you?"

"Of course, Mum," said Ron, perhaps a bit too quickly, while Harry and Ginny exchanged a guilty look. Harry noticed Hermione also looked uncomfortable and wondered what she and Ron had up their sleeves. Perhaps it would be easier than he expected to lose them. Luckily for all of them, Mrs Weasley's back was turned, and she missed their expressions.

Ginny rose from the table and excused herself. Harry watched the back of her dressing gown retreat towards the stairs until it disappeared and then turned back to his bowl of Quidditch Crunch. He wasn't very hungry, but he forced himself to eat several spoonfuls, anyway. Ron plunged his hand back into the cereal box, letting out a cry of triumph, as he withdrew the collector's card. His face fell for a moment in disappointment, but Harry saw his eyes glint a second later.

"Here," he said, handing the card to Hermione. "You may as well keep this one."

Hermione frowned slightly as she took the card. "What would I… Oh, Ron! Honestly!" But she was laughing as she said it. Harry leaned over and saw Viktor Krum's surly face scowling up at him. After a few minutes, Harry, Ron and Hermione had all finished their breakfast and got up from the table to get dressed.

Harry was collecting his things for a quick shower when Ron stopped him. "Listen, Harry, do you mind if Hermione and I, well, do our own thing today?" His ears were going red.

"Er, no, I suppose not." Harry wondered what they could possibly get up to in Diagon Alley, and he asked.

Ron looked very uncomfortable for a moment. "Oh, nothing much. It's just that there's not very much chance to be alone here at home with Mum hovering about, and when we get back to school, there's not a whole lot of places we can go either." Ron gave Harry a sort of pleading look.

Harry couldn't imagine anywhere in Diagon Alley they could very well go for privacy, either, but this fit in too well with his plans to begin pointing out flaws.

"I'm sorry if that leaves you stuck with Ginny," Ron added.

"I don't mind, really." This was perfect. Now all Harry had to do was be careful no one, especially Ron and Hermione, spotted him and Ginny leaving Diagon Alley.

The thought of his impending excursion into the Muggle world reminded Harry of something else. "Ron? Would you mind if I borrowed a pair of jeans?" Ron raised an eyebrow at him, before turning to the mirror to comb his hair. "Well, they'd fit better than what I've got." He held up a pair of Dudley's old trousers. "Even if I do have to turn them up."

"Planning on borrowing my trousers all year then?"

"Erm, no. I've got that taken care of. I just need these for today."

Harry hoped fervently that Ron wouldn't ask any tricky questions, but Ron was obviously not giving the matter much thought. He was too busy trying to make his hair lie just so. Once he was satisfied, he took a small bottle from the top of his chest of drawers, poured something into his hand and began to pat his face. Harry sniffed suspiciously. "Is that after-shave?"

Ron's reflection looked back at him from the mirror. "So what if it is?"

Harry was tempted to bring up Hagrid's behaviour during their fourth year when Madame Maxime was a guest at Hogwarts but thought better of it. At least Ron wasn't trying to slick his hair down with axle grease. "Nothing," Harry said, and he beat a hasty retreat down the stairs towards the bathroom.

A short while later Harry found himself back in the kitchen along with Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Mrs Weasley was fussing again, handing out Portkeys and making last minute admonitions. Finally, Ginny had had enough. "Honestly, Mum, we're not babies anymore!"

She put her Portkey in the pocket of the summer dress she was wearing. Harry was thankful that the younger generation of Weasleys typically wore Muggle-style clothing over the summer holiday. It would certainly have made for some interesting questions from her mother otherwise. Ginny turned and took a battered flowerpot from the mantelpiece, pulled out a pinch of Floo Powder and with a cry of, "Diagon Alley!" was soon whooshed out of site. Ron and Hermione followed suit, but when it was Harry's turn, Mrs Weasley held him back a moment. "You will be careful, Harry, dear?"

Harry found her concern quite touching, but he didn't let it show. "Sure, Mrs Weasley. Nothing's going to happen. See you later!"

He threw a pinch of Floo Powder into the grate and stepped into the emerald flames. Soon he was whirling past a blur of successive fireplaces until he suddenly came out at the Leaky Cauldron. Keeping a firm hold on his glasses, he stumbled forward into Ron, who caught him.

"Where shall we be off to first?" he asked.

"Gringott's, of course," replied Hermione. "I have to exchange money."

"Right," said Harry. He'd have to exchange money, as well, but in the other direction: Galleons for pounds. And he wouldn't be able to do it in front of Ron and Hermione without arousing their suspicions. He'd have to come back to the bank later with Ginny.

So they made Gringott's their first stop. Hermione went to the counter, and Harry watched discreetly as she counted out five twenty-pound notes. The goblin made some rapid calculations and counted 28 Galleons back to her. "Shouldn't there be more?" she asked.

The goblin gave a nasty sort of smile. "Exchange rate isn't favourable these days, Miss."

Hermione looked as if she wanted to argue, but another goblin came to escort them down to the vaults then. Harry tried to work out how many Galleons to exchange on the ride down, but concentration was difficult, and he only succeeded in making his Quidditch Crunch shift alarmingly in his stomach, making him glad he hadn't eaten more. In the end, he settled on withdrawing fifty Galleons more than usual from his vault. He did so quickly, not wanting Ron to remark on it. He had little idea how much clothes in Muggle shops cost, but he'd heard Aunt Petunia complain often enough about the expense of clothing him. Although he knew this was a ridiculous claim, he imagined this outing could end up costing more than he'd expected.

An hour later, they'd made the rounds of the shops and acquired most of their school supplies. They'd found the atmosphere in the shops very heavy and subdued, no doubt due to the imposing presence of tight-lipped Aurors at almost every turn. In addition things had become a bit awkward between the four teenagers, as it was now time to split up, and yet no one seemed to want to admit it. They stood in front of Florean Fortescue's until Harry finally said, "How about some ice cream?" He wasn't hungry, but he hoped Ron would take his cue.

It was Hermione who spoke up first. "I'm not really hungry, and I'd really rather head back to Fourish and Blott's. You rushed me out of there much too fast earlier."

Harry saw her give Ron a nudge with her elbow. "Uh, yeah," Ron spoke up. "Why don't you two get ice cream, and we'll catch you up in a couple of hours."

Harry dearly would have loved to know where they were planning on spending two hours, but upon reflection he decided it was best not to ask. He stole a glance at Ginny and saw the curiosity evident in her expression. Hoping to head off awkward questions, he quickly agreed with Ron.

Ron and Hermione immediately set off in the direction of Flourish and Blott's. The moment their backs were turned, Ginny asked, "What are they up to?"

"No idea, but let's take advantage of it, shall we?"

"Right." And she began to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had to put out a hand to stop her.

"Not so fast. They might spot you. Besides, we need to go back to Gringott's for Muggle money. I don't have any, do you?"

"Oh, yes, I forgot." She sounded distracted. She was looking down at Harry's hand, which was still on her arm. He let go immediately. Making sure Ron and Hermione were now out of sight, they turned and went back to the bank.

The queue was thankfully short, and Harry soon found himself facing the same goblin that had served Hermione. "I'd like to exchange this for Muggle money, please," he said, laying his 50 Galleons on the counter. He sensed Ginny leaning forward beside him, watching the process with interest. He had a feeling she was going to include this in her essay.

The goblin made his calculations, as he had before, and counted out several twenty-pound notes. Harry counted along with him. "A hundred sixty? That can't be right!"

The goblin's smile became fixed, and he added another ten. Harry wanted to protest some more, but the goblin cut him off. "Exchange rate. Bank has to make a profit."

Ginny was tugging on his arm. Harry still felt a bit cheated but stepped away from the counter. As they returned so the street, Ginny said in a low voice, "You did well to ask for more, but you don't want to press your luck. Bill says they always cheat if they think you don't know any better." She giggled. "Dad never used to think to question them until Bill started working for them. But once you do, they remember and treat you fairly, as long as you let them make a bit of profit."

"Right. Next trick will be to get to the Leaky Cauldron without being seen. It would be nice if we knew where Ron and Hermione have got to."

There was no sign of them anywhere, but when Harry and Ginny arrived at the pub, there were Ron and Hermione sitting at a table. They were rather oblivious to everyone else, which was fortunate, because they didn't see Harry and Ginny come in and immediately retreat to the courtyard.

"He's taking her to lunch?" Harry had to struggle not to raise his voice too much in his exasperation. "How are we supposed to sneak past them?"

Ginny stole a glance inside the pub. "Well, they are sort of off in a corner, and they're not paying much attention to anyone. Let's just go through as quickly as we can and hope they don't notice."

Harry thought this was more easily said than done, but luck seemed to be on their side today. They soon found themselves in Charing Cross Road. Harry took a moment to get his bearings. He hadn't taken this particular walk since his eleventh birthday, and that time he'd been with Hagrid. He had no one to part the crowd for him now, and he realised that Ginny would have to stick very close to him so they wouldn't be swept apart. She must have reached the same conclusion at about the same time, for he felt her tuck a hand under his elbow. He met her gaze and saw she looked rather self-conscious. Attempting a reassuring smile and not certain he'd succeeded, he said, "I think we need to go this way," and he started off down the pavement.

After several minutes, they found themselves at the entrance to the Underground. They descended into its mouth, wound through a tunnel and descended some more. In some ways it was like a first year student trying to find his way at Hogwarts but much more crowded, smelly and noisy. When they'd reached the main concourse, Harry pulled Ginny aside and gave her the ten-pound note.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"You're going to buy the tickets. It's your essay."

Ginny muttered something under her breath, in which the words "hanging around Hermione" were easily distinguishable. "What do I do?" she asked a bit louder, sounding slightly panicked.

"You go up to the ticket booth and ask for two single-fare tickets. They'll cost one pound sixty each, so expect change."

When she came back with their tickets, Harry thought she looked a bit more confident. As she handed him his ticket and his change, their hands brushed, and Harry felt strangely aware of the contact.

"Don't lose your ticket," Harry told her at the turnstile, as he demonstrated how to swipe the ticket. "You'll need it again on the way out."

Ginny tried to follow his example but managed to catch the hem of her dress on the turnstile, and Harry caught a glimpse of a good deal more of her legs than he'd ever seen before. They descended even further into the bowels of the Underground on an escalator, passing several buskers on the way. Ginny remarked how excited her father would be to see all of this, and Harry, looking into her eyes, thought he picked up a certain sense of adventure now in her demeanour. When they'd reached the circulating area at the bottom, they had to get their bearings once more. Two lines crossed at this stop, and they needed to be careful to get the right platform.

Ginny looked around a bit wide-eyed, taking it all in. The singing of the buskers filtered down to the platform. There were also a few people hanging about who looked as if they had nowhere better to go. One of them had a dog with him, and he was just sitting there, staring into space, a cup in front of him.

"Harry," Ginny whispered, not wanting to be overheard. "What's that man doing?"

Harry hesitated. This was the uglier side of the Muggle world. From what he'd seen, there were no homeless witches or wizards, and it saddened him to have to admit that there existed such people anywhere. "He's got no job and nowhere else to go. He's hoping people will give him money in his cup so he can get something to eat."

Ginny held out her hand. "Give me some Muggle money. The change from the tickets."

Harry reached into his pocket and gave her some change. He kept a close eye on her as she went over and dropped the coins into his cup.

They didn't have a terribly long wait until the train came, but the platform was quite crowded, and Ginny took Harry's arm again. He felt her cling a bit more tightly as they stepped across the gap into the carriage. The doors closed with a metallic bang. There were no seats available, and they were forced to stand much closer together than they normally would have. Harry fixed his gaze determinedly over her head, thinking it was abnormally warm in the carriage. As the train came into the next stop, the floor gave a sudden lurch, propelling Ginny against his chest. He caught her instinctively and managed to keep his own balance. Their eyes met, and he released her when he saw her face redden.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and Harry felt as if the temperature had risen even more. It was a relief to get out at the next stop.

They emerged into the bustle of Oxford Street, staring about them at the brightly decorated shops. As they began to walk along the pavement, Harry wondered how he was supposed to choose which one to patronise. Ginny tugged at his arm suddenly, laughing and pointing. He turned in the direction she indicated and saw a window full of incredibly garish clothes.

"Think that's where George got his shirt?" she asked.

"Perhaps," replied Harry, "but I don't think we'll go into that one."

He knew he didn't have enough time to go into all the shops, and in the end he chose one at random. He'd never had the opportunity to shop for himself, not in the Muggle world, and he found the selection of goods fairly bewildering. He decided it was probably a good thing he'd brought someone else with him to give him a second opinion. He began to look through a rack of trousers.

"May I help you?"

A strange feminine voice made him jump. Harry turned to see a tall blonde in a very tight outfit looking him up and down appraisingly. He felt uncomfortable under her blue gaze. She had more earrings in her ears than he'd have thought humanly possible, and it made him want to ask her if it had hurt to have all that piercing done, but he refrained and simply replied to her question. "Erm, yeah, I suppose so."

The salesgirl smiled and looked him straight in the eye, before turning to the selection of trousers. She pulled out several styles. "I think you might try these on for starters." She moved to a display of shirts and took out a few. "Then we might find something along these lines to go with them." She was looking him in the eye again, and Harry felt just as warm as he had on the Underground. Then she made matters worse by laying a hand on his arm. Harry swallowed. "You can try those on in there," she said, pointing towards the back of the shop.

Harry turned towards Ginny and was surprised to see her staring stonily at him and the salesgirl. Harry escaped into the dressing room to try on the clothes. The salesgirl put him in mind of something he'd read in Dr Zog's Practical Spells for Wizards last night. His curiosity had got the better of him, and he'd had a look at what Ron had referred to as the beginners' section. If a girl is interested, she will make eye contact and then look away. If this happens repeatedly, it is to be taken as a positive sign. An even better sign is physical contact. Could the salesgirl be interested? Harry had a hard time believing it. She didn't even know him.

"How are you doing in there?" Her voice came through the closed door.

"All right, I guess."

"Are you going to let us see?"

Right. Ginny was out there, too, waiting for him. He couldn't hide in here all day. He came out dressed in a pair of khakis and a dark red shirt, and the salesgirl looked at him with frank admiration.

"Oh, now, that's just lovely."

Harry looked apologetically towards Ginny and saw a similar admiring look on her face, and somehow this affected him more. He coloured again. He tried on a few more things and made his selection based on the amount of money he'd brought with him. Ginny's reaction to various articles of clothing had nothing to do with it. The salesgirl had tried to convince him to try on a pair of leather trousers, but he adamantly drew the line there. It was just as well. He couldn't have afforded them.

It was another relief to pay for his purchases and leave. When they were out in the street once more, it seemed almost natural when Ginny slipped her hand into his. He didn't think to question her actions. If they were to become separated, she'd be lost, and he'd be in a great deal of trouble. He looked at his watch. They were going to be late getting back to Diagon Alley as it was, and there'd be no hiding the fact they'd gone out into the Muggle part of London.

As they walked back towards Charing Cross Road as quickly as they could in the crowded street, Harry cast about for a subject of conversation and finally decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since his birthday. Although they were in the middle of the street, this somehow seemed a safe place to bring the matter up. He doubted any of the Muggles around him much cared one way or the other, since to them he was just another face among the masses.

"Ginny," he began quietly. "About my birthday present." He placed a hand over his shirt to indicate the gem. "You never answered me when I asked you why you made it for me."

She didn't answer him immediately, but when she did, she merely said, "Only because my great prat of a brother interrupted." She was avoiding the issue and they both knew it.

"Will you tell me now?"

"You're going to think I'm stupid."

"No, I won't. I promise." And he squeezed her hand involuntarily.

"It was because of my debt to you."

Harry was surprised at her reply. "Debt?"

"You saved my life, Harry." Her voice was strangely thick, and she paused a moment before going on. "When I read about protective talismans and how if they worked properly they could save a person's life, I thought if it worked, it would be a way to save your life in return. But it's stupid, because it likely won't work." She paused again, and Harry thought she swallowed. "But I couldn't stop myself. There was something driving me to try. It was as if there was a voice inside my head telling me to make it, and it wouldn't shut up until I had." She stopped there in the middle of the pavement and looked directly at him. "Sorry, I told you it was stupid."

She tried to pull her hand away from his, but he tightened his grip. "No, it's not, Ginny. Thank you." He meant every word. There was something touching about her actions, something that made him want to return the favour somehow, to do something nice for her, like take her to lunch.

There was no time though. They were late as it was. They began walking again more quickly this time.

They entered the Leaky Cauldron, half expecting Ron and Hermione to pounce on them and demand explanations, but the pub was eerily quiet and empty. Even Tom the bartender was nowhere in evidence. Harry felt his insides twist. Something had happened. He exchanged a quick glance with Ginny and saw his dread mirrored in her face. Wordlessly they quickened their pace and went through to the courtyard from which they could access Diagon Alley.

Harry tapped the brick, which opened the portal and walked into a war zone. He barely noticed Ginny's gasp of shock, as in the space of a second his brain registered a number of black-robed, hooded figures standing over the bodies of several Aurors. One of the figures turned. Harry could not see his face; it was masked. But his cry of triumph in coming face to face with Harry Potter was unmistakable. Harry knew in that instant that the Death Eater was already anticipating his master's reward when he presented him with his most coveted prize. Harry drew his wand, stepping in front of Ginny to shield her from the onslaught.

"Expelliarmus!" he cried, but his spell was anticipated. The Death Eater leapt aside. Behind him, Harry was vaguely aware of Ginny doing something. He could hear her muttering an incantation, but he missed its significance, as he was completely focussed on the enemy before him.

"Crucio!"

The spell rocketed towards Harry, and he could not leap aside, or it would hit Ginny. He braced himself. At the same time he felt Ginny grab a handful of his shirt. The spell hit him squarely in the chest, but instead of blinding pain, there came a flash of white light. In the moment before he lost consciousness, he felt a jerk behind his navel, and then he knew no more.