“Is Ron going to stay here?”

Ginny let out a weak sigh. Of course he would ask about Ron,she thought. Ginny had been listening to the conversation from the top of the stairs. At the mention of her brother, she quickly left her perch and went into the nearest bathroom. She laid a pair of shorts and a pink shirt on the bathroom counter, turned on the shower faucet, stripped off her bathing suit and stepped under the water. She washed quickly, not wanting to keep everybody waiting, but her mind was working as fast as her hands.

What was Harry doing here? Something had obviously happened that had forced him away from his adoptive family, but what? She didn’t understand why Kevin and Sara had been sent for him and not someone he had known and trusted, like Professor Lupin, or her mother and father. While she liked them both, Kevin and Sara had been acting odd over the last few days. They had both been very nice and fun to be around, but they had been bringing extra beds into the house. It was as if they were expecting more people, but whom? Students, or more adults?

Ginny shook her head. These were questions she would have to ask Kevin and Sara themselves. She rinsed herself clean and turned off the water. Grabbing a bath towel, Ginny dried herself and changed into the clothes she had brought in with her.

Ginny bounded down the stairs and headed off to her right. She entered a dining room with a long wooden table. The two sides could seat twelve people each, while one could sit at the head of the table and one at the foot. In front of each chair was a linen place mat, which had a silver plate on top of it. A crystal goblet and flatware lay beside each plate, reminding Ginny of the tables in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. She continued on towards the kitchen and found Kevin and Harry putting together a platter of meats, chesses and vegetables. She and Harry exchanged glances before Kevin handed her a platter. “Would you take that to Sara on the patio?” he asked.

Ginny smiled at him in acknowledgment. She carried the tray back through the dining room, through the living room and out the door to the stone patio. Sara was found setting plates on a table. She gave Ginny an affectionate squeeze on her shoulder as the young girl set the tray in the center of the table. The guys soon came out carrying trays of bread, fruit and a jug of lemonade.

The four of them took a seat around the table and began putting together sandwiches of turkey, ham and roast beef. They ate in moderate silence for a few minutes before Ginny spoke up. “Harry,” she said. “Why aren’t you still staying with your relatives?”

Harry paused, unsure how much to tell her, but an approving nod from Kevin quashed that debate. “I was attacked,” he said.

The statement caused Ginny to choke on her ham sandwich. Sara patted her back until it passed. “You were attacked?” she asked in disbelief. “Who? Where?”

Harry didn’t know where to begin. “I was out with my relatives and Lucius Malfoy showed up.”

“Malfoy?” This surprised Ginny. “But he should be locked up in Azkaban, shouldn’t he?” She looked over at Kevin. Harry’s gaze followed hers.

Kevin took a long drink from his glass. There was a moment of pure silence before he said, “Azkaban prison is empty.”

Harry looked as if he were going to be sick. “Empty?” His voice was a whisper.

Sara took up the conversation here. “Without the Dementors to guard the place, Azkaban became a revolving door for Dark Wizards. One week ago, there was a massive breakout.”

Another few moments of silence passed. Kevin took an apple from the fruit tray and bit into it. A determined look found its way to Harry’s face. “Well, we have to do something. Surely the Order could use can use another wand to help out.” He started to stand.

Kevin reached over and pushed Harry back into his chair by his shoulder. “Dumbledore said you had a brash streak. I didn’t save you from one Death Eater so you could go out and find a hundred more. You’re here because it’s the safest place for you and here’s where you are going to stay.” Ginny saw that Harry wanted to press the matter further, but Kevin’s eyes and voice had closed the discussion.

She decided to try and help Harry out a bit. “Can you at least tell us what’s been going on, Kevin? Maybe it will calm Harry down a bit.” She shot Harry a comical look.

Kevin conceded to Ginny’s request. “The most we know is that Voldemort put a nice bounty on your life, Harry. Something spooked him enough to call off all his other major plans for the moment. Once we got wind of it, Dumbledore sent me to get you. Everything else is just the usual minor mayhem and terror.”

“Is the Ministry cooperating now that Voldemort’s return has gone public?” Harry couldn’t believe he had just heard Ginny say his name.

Kevin nodded. “Mostly. Even though he has openly acknowledged that Voldemort has been revived, Fudge is still trying to downplay the importance of it all. Thankfully, heads of other departments are being more cooperative then the minister. The Magical Law Enforcement Department has supplied a contingent of Aurors to aid us in our campaigns.”

”Has the Order gone public?” Harry asked, remembering that it was Kevin’s knowledge about this “supposed secret” society that made Harry trust him.

Kevin shook his head. “The Order, no, but the ministry has asked Dumbledore to coordinate offensives. He’s back in the ministries good graces after what happened three weeks ago, and he’s using Phoenix members in these offensives.”

“Well,” Ginny said, smiling. “Sounds like things are going well then.”

Kevin sat silent.

Sara jumped in again. “Actually, even though Voldemort has stopped his major plans, the Death Eaters are making life terrible for wizard families. There have been constant attacks, which is where we come in.” She nodded at Kevin. Ginny shot Harry a questioning look. Harry shrugged. “Oh come on, Ginny,” Sara said. “You have to have noticed the extra beds upstairs.”

“Yeah, I did,” Ginny replied.

“Well, with all the attacks, there are some families who are a little worried for their children’s safety. You see, most of the attacks have been directed towards Hogwarts’ students and incoming students. Parents are concerned about how to keep them safe enough to get them to school. So, wizards around the world are setting up these safe houses for students to stay at. They’ll stay there until term starts.” Sara stood up, took her husband’s empty plate along with her own, and walked into the house.

Harry took Ginny’s plate and set it on top of his own. “How many more students are coming here?” They all stood and walked towards the house.

“About eighteen more,” Kevin answered. “They’ll mainly be first and second-years, but there will be a few upper class students.” He took the plates from Harry’s hands as they entered the kitchen and set them in the sink. He looked around. “Where did Sara go?” They went back into the main hall and Kevin called up the stairs. “Sara, are you up there?”

There came the sound of fast approaching footsteps from the upstairs. Four large dogs came bounding down the stairs. A Golden Retriever and a black Labrador leapt from the stairs into Kevin’s torso, knocking him on his back. They licked at his face and neck as a Saint Bernard and a German Shepard nudged him with their noses. Kevin covered his face with his arms and tried to stand up.

Sara came down the stairs and helped her husband. She pulled the Retriever and the Labrador away while Kevin handled the other two. “Chris, Shawn, sit,” he said to the German Shepard and the Saint Bernard. The animals obeyed.

“Sorry about that,” Sara said, still holding onto the other dogs. “When they heard you call, they had to come and see you.” Kevin gave each dog an affectionate pat on the head.

“Yeah, I bet they did,” he replied. Kevin turned to Harry and Ginny. “Well, meet the rest of the family. This is Chris,” he pointed to the German Shepard, “Shawn,” the Saint Bernard, “Stacy,” the Labrador, “and Lita,” the Golden Retriever. Ginny knelt down in front of Stacy and Lita. “They’re beautiful,” she said, as she scratched the dogs behind their ears.

Kevin nudged Harry’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get your stuff put in your room.” He took out his wand and waved it at Harry’s trunk. It rose into the air and followed the two guys up the stairs. Halfway up, Kevin turned back around. “Sara, don’t forget that the first of the students should be arriving some time today.” Sara nodded in acknowledgment.

Special note: I had real trouble writing this chapter since it had so much information. I always have difficulty with these kinds of chapters because I’m afraid I’m going to bore my readers. If you made it all the way through on the first read, then I congratulate you and I promise that I will try to update sooner.