A week into the summer, and still no word from Dumbledore about the DA. Harry had received several letters from Ron, Hermione and Ginny already, but they were almost as useless as they had been last year, saying things like “It won’t be long,” and “I can’t go into too much detail here.” He thought that he might have channelled some of Ginny’s energies yesterday, when he had yelled at Aunt Petunia for being too protective; his aunt had been telling him he was an ungrateful waste of life and that she wished he had never been born at the time.
Harry picked up the letter that he had received from Ginny that morning, and read it through for the fourth time.
Dear Harry,
Yesterday was rubbish. Actually, so was the day before… I really miss you, and I can’t wait to see you again, but don’t get your hopes up too high “ life here isn’t much better than it is there at the moment; you’ll see what I mean when you get here.
I’m a bit of a loner “ Ron and Hermione keep disappearing for hours on end, and I’m left with none other than the likes of Mad-Eye Moody and the delightful Mrs Black. Mum is coming to her wits end, I think; I’ve never seen her more hassled or stressed than she is now, and that is saying something. I had a right go at her earlier because she kept trying to make sure that I was never alone, and now she’s in even more of a huff than she was before. You have to come and save me from this hellhole!
Thinking of you all the time,
xxx Ginny xxx
Harry folded it up carefully and lay it back on his desk. No matter what Ginny said, he was sure that it must be more fun there than it was in Little Whinging. Just as he was sitting back down on his bed, a huge tawny owl flew through the open window, and landed gracefully next to Harry. He detached the scroll from its leg, and, with one spectacular beat of its fine wings, the owl took off into the night.
Harry untied the red ribbon that was tied around the parchment and read:
Midnight tonight at Arabella’s.
He smiled; this could only mean that he would be leaving the Dursleys’. He packed up his things straight away (although it didn’t take long because he had never unpacked) and looked at his clock: ten thirty “ he would just have to wait…
He drifted in and out of sleep for an hour and a half, then woke with a start as the digital display flashed from eleven fifty-nine to midnight. He jumped up, grabbed Hedwig’s cage and the end of his trunk, and started to drag it down the stairs. The trunk banged on every step, but he didn’t care if he woke the Dursleys up now “ he was leaving, anyway.
“Where in God’s name do you think you’re going?” cried Uncle Vernon as Harry reached the foot of the stairs.
“I’m leaving,” said Harry, now proceeding towards the front door.
“I can see that!” yelled Uncle Vernon. “Come back here!”
“Why?” said Harry, stopping and turning around. “Don’t you want me out?”
Uncle Vernon spluttered with rage, but Harry just pulled open the front door and slammed it behind him.
He walked briskly to Mrs Figg’s house, then knocked sharply on the door. It opened almost immediately.
“Wotcher, Harry,” said Tonks, who ushered him inside.
Arabella Figg was standing beside the fireplace, holding a pot of Floo Powder, and looking slightly anxious.
“Hello,” she said, “come on, quickly now.”
“You go first, Harry,” said Tonks. “I’ll bring up the rear.”
Harry took a handful of the green glitter and threw it into the ashes. Stepping in after them, he called: “Twelve, Grimmauld Place!” and immediately felt himself spinning uncontrollably, until, thankfully, he slowed down. Opening his eyes, he gained his bearings and peered out into the familiar kitchen of the Order’s headquarters.
“Move it, then!” said Tonks in his ear, as she appeared right behind him.
He stepped out of the fireplace, followed by Tonks, who was promptly followed by another witch, then a wizard, then two more witches. They all hurried past Harry and Tonks, walking with purpose through the door and out of the kitchen.
“Who were they?” asked Harry.
“Ministry employees,” replied Tonks, “I think you’ll find we’re a bit busier than normal.”
They exited the kitchen and crept across the hall, where a few small gatherings of important-looking people were whispering to each other.
“Come on, Harry,” whispered Tonks, “let’s get you upstairs straight away.” They tiptoed up the stairs to the bedroom that Harry and Ron had shared two years previously. “Got to go, now. Oh, and it’s best you stay in there. They’ll fill you in.”
She scampered off, tripping slightly on her robes as she went, and Harry opened the door to see Ron, Hermione and Ginny sitting on one of the beds.
“Harry!” cried Ginny, and she jumped up and ran towards him, flinging her arms around his neck.
“Hi, Ginny,” said Harry.
She kissed him forcefully, then pulled away and looked at him, then kissed him again.
“Does anyone else get to see him?” asked Ron, who had come over with Hermione, and was now grinning broadly at Harry. “Good to see you, mate.”
“You too,” said Harry, also grinning.
Now that Ginny had stepped back, Hermione hugged him warmly.
“Come and sit down,” she said, pulling him over to the beds by the hand. “We’ve got loads to tell you.”
“Everything you didn’t say in your letters, I suppose,” grumbled Harry, sitting down opposite Ron and Hermione.
“Oh, don’t start that again,” said Ginny, lying down beside him. “It’s a bit two years ago.”
“Sorry,” Harry muttered. “So, who are all the people in the hall?” he said, trying to change the subject.
“Ministry officials,” said Hermione, “or what’s left of them, anyway. They’re having to try and keep some semblance of order from here, since they don’t have the Ministry any more.”
“What’s even happening at the Ministry,” asked Harry, now realising that he still didn’t know anything about the world outside Hogwarts.
“Well, let’s just say that you don’t want to be going outside,” said Ron, gravely.
“What do you mean?” asked Harry.
“Harry, Voldemort wouldn’t touch Hogwarts “ he knows that there would be no point with Dumbledore there,” Ginny told him, “and this place is guarded by ancient charms and countless lookouts, but everywhere else… “
“What?” stabbed Harry, with the feeling that they were avoiding telling him something. He looked round at Ron and Hermione, but they were both staring down at their knees. “Ginny?”
She took a deep breath, then proceeded to tell him, wincing occasionally.
“Well,” she said, “the Dementors are everywhere “ you can’t walk down a street without bumping into one “ and they’re multiplying like crazy. The Dark Mark has been performed so often that the sky is actually lit green. The majority of people we know are either in hiding or have had to put major security measures on their houses, and there are more Death Eaters now than there have ever been. It’s like a ghost town out there, or a ghost world…”
Harry stared at her, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing.
“Oh my God,” he whispered.
“I know,” said Ginny.
Harry put his feet up on the bed and lay back, staring up at the moth-eaten drapes. Ginny rolled over and held his hand in hers, shuffling up so she was right next to him.
“But we’re okay here, right?” asked Harry.
“As far as we know,” said Ron.
“Blimey,” murmured Harry.
He squeezed Ginny’s hand and she reciprocated.
“Are you okay?” said her voice.
“Just trying to take it all in,” he thought.
“So I assume that you two are sleeping upstairs like last time,” he said, trying to lift the mood.
“Er, actually,” said Hermione, “there are too many people. Everyone wants to stay here now that it’s one of the safest places around, so we’re all going to have to share one room.”
Harry sat up. “One room?”
Hermione nodded. Harry glanced at Ron and saw that he was looking uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry,” said Hermione, “we’ll conjure up some more beds!”
“Yeah,” said Ginny, “it’ll be fun.” But then: “We don’t need another bed, though.”
Harry grinned and looked at her. “You think I’m going to let you take up all the space on my bed?”
“You mean you don’t want me there?” she said, batting her eyelashes.
“I don’t think Ron would be too impressed,” thought Harry, noticing that Ron was still shifting around awkwardly.
“His problem,” said Ginny’s voice. “Anyway, he doesn’t have to know…”
At that moment, Mrs Weasley opened the door sharply and marched into the room. Harry saw what Ginny had meant about her looking stressed; she was a lot thinner than she had been, her hair was unkempt and her face was drawn and pale.
“Hello, Harry, how are you?” she asked, but without waiting for an answer, she snapped: “Bed! All of you! It’s gone midnight!”
She waved her wand and two clinical, uncomfortable-looking beds appeared, one either side of the original two.
“Goodnight,” she said distractedly, and she swept out of the room, shutting the door slightly harder than usual.
“Your poor mum,” said Harry to Ron and Ginny.
“Poor us, more like,” said Ron. “She’s hardly the loving, motherly sort at the moment.”
“I gathered,” said Harry.
Ginny wandered over to one of the new beds and poked it gingerly.
“Ugh,” she muttered, “let’s change these.”
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at each bed in turn; they disappeared, only to be replaced by two plush, four-poster doubles, with elegant, deep red covers and long white drapes at either side.
“Wow, Ginny,” gasped Hermione, “that’s some darn good Transfiguration you’ve got going on there.”
“I try,” said Ginny, now going and prodding one of the new beds. “Ah, that’s better!”
“Er, Ginny?” said Harry. “You’re not supposed to use magic.”
“They don’t care anymore, Harry,” said Ginny, lying back on the new bed and stretching out. “More important things to worry about.”
“Hey!” cried Ron. “How come you get the good bed?”
“Er, I conjured it, older brother,” said Ginny, looking very comfortable, “otherwise you’d be free to fight me for it.”
“I’m having the other one, then,” said Ron.
“No you’re not!” said Ginny. “That’s for Harry!”
“Since when!” cried Ron.
“Since I put it there and I said so!” retorted Ginny.
“Couldn’t you just… conjure up two more of those?” asked Ron, pointing at Ginny’s bed.
“Umm… no,” said Ginny. “But Hermione could.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Ginny,” said Hermione. “I don’t think I could make them quite like that.”
“You could try,” said Ron, looking at her expectantly.
“Well… well okay, but don’t get your hopes up.”
Hermione pointed her wand at the two original beds, and they changed to leave two which looked exactly like Ginny’s, only with lilac covers and dark purple drapes.
“Nice!” exclaimed Ron, and he jumped onto the nearest one and reclined like Ginny.
Harry laughed and sat down on his bed.
“Well,” said Ginny, “I’m tired; I’m going to sleep,” and she pulled her top off.
“GINNY!” yelled Ron, shielding his eyes and turning away from her.
“What?” asked Ginny, now proceeding to undo her jeans.
Harry turned away as well, more because of Ron than because he wanted to.
“Oh, for goodness sake, you two!” said Ginny. “I can’t even get changed in front of my brother, my best friend and my boyfriend?”
Ron just spluttered, but Harry was smiling at Ginny’s remark; it was funny because it was true.
“You can turn around now,” said Ginny, and Harry and Ron both looked at her. She was still in her underwear.
“GINNY! HONESTLY!” yelled Ron, turning away again, positively fuming.
Ginny giggled to herself and pulled a nightie over her head. Harry was still laughing at Ron, but also couldn’t get over the fact that he had just seen his girlfriend in so little clothes.
“Get over it, Harry,” said Ginny’s voice, and he realised that she had probably just heard what he had been thinking.
“Damn it,” he thought, “I forgot that you could hear.”
“Yeah, well, at least it was all good,” said Ginny, climbing into her bed and pulling the covers over her.
Ron eventually calmed down, bent down to his trunk.
“I’m going to the bathroom to change,” he announced with his nose in the air, and he marched out of the room, his pyjamas under one arm.
“We’ve got a whole summer of that,” muttered Hermione, who had changed discreetly behind one of the beds.
“I know,” said Ginny, “can’t wait.”
“Night, you two,” said Hermione, and she extinguished the lights, got into bed and closed the drapes.
Harry changed into his pyjamas and got into his own bed, but when he turned over, he saw Ginny watching him.
“What?” he asked her in a whisper.
“You didn’t come and say goodnight to me,” she teased.
Harry got out of bed and crept over to her.
“Goodnight,” he said, and he knelt down beside her and kissed her on the forehead, just as Ron came back into the room.
“What are you doing over there?” he asked Harry, staring at him warily.
“Just saying goodnight,” said Harry. “Keep your voice down “ Hermione’s trying to get to sleep.”
Ron grunted and he and Harry both climbed into their beds. Harry was glad for the comfort of a soft mattress “ he was exhausted, and couldn’t stop thinking about what Ginny had told him earlier. He pulled the duvet up to his chin, turned over, and promptly fell asleep.
It must have been the middle of the night; it was pitch black and colder than it usually was at this time of year. He scrabbled about for his wand.
“Lumos,” he whispered, as he grabbed hold of its handle.
He sat up and pulled open the drapes, and the light rested on the door to the room. He stood up and began to walk towards it, but then he heard something which made him stop.
“Harry?”
He swung around, and the beam of light pointed towards her bed, whose white drapes were still pulled shut. He drifted towards it and lifted one of the drapes back a little. Ginny was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, leaning against the headboard.
“What’s wrong, Gin?” whispered Harry.
She shuffled along to the other side of the bed to allow him to sit next to her. He put his arm around her and she leant against his shoulder.
“The world’s a mess, Harry,” she whispered back in a shaky voice. “Everything is completely messed up “ we can’t even go outside!”
“I know,” said Harry, “but there are loads of people out there trying to make it right.”
“Those of them who weren’t blown to pieces,” muttered Ginny bitterly.
Harry felt a twinge of guilt; it was when they had been trying to save him that all this had happened.
“It’s not your fault, Harry,” whispered Ginny. “This was always going to happen, it was just a matter of time and place.”
Harry took his arm out from behind her and lay back on the bed, and she copied him.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, taking hold of his hand.
“Well, all we can do is try,” said Harry.
“And with a bit of training from the master…”
Harry smiled. “You don’t need any training from anybody.”
“Oh, no, I want to be trained by you,” said Ginny. She rolled over and looked him in the eye. “Do you realise how sexy you are when you’re ordering us about like that?”
They both laughed.
“Watch it, Weasley, or I’ll have to give you a rematch of that tickling fight.”
“Ooo, I’m quaking in my boots,” she said sarcastically. ”I could take you down in a minute.”
“Well apparently not, if last week’s performance is anything to go by.”
“I stand by my word that I will get you back for that,” said Ginny seriously.
“Now I’m the one who’s scared,” teased Harry.
“Shut it, Potter,” she said, “you know you are really.”
“Actually, you’re right “ I am.”
Ginny giggled reluctantly.
“Where would I be without you?” she whispered.
“Still sitting up in bed, probably,” Harry whispered back.
She pinched his side and he jumped.
“Watch it,” said Harry, “Ron and Hermione are asleep you know. In fact, I should probably get back to bed before Ron wakes up and has a hissy-fit.”
“No!” hissed Ginny. Then, seeing Harry’s raised eyebrows, she added: “Just… stay here for a bit.”
“Okay, a bit longer.”
She snuggled up to him, and Harry felt her breathing get deeper and deeper as she fell asleep. Not being able to move without waking her up, he watched her until he fell asleep himself…
A/N: A little longer than the last few, just to make up for their shortness! Hope you liked it. Please R/R!