Ginny’s hands were shaking by the time she returned to Harry’s bedroom.
He was sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, staring at the wall opposite himself.
“Harry?”
He looked around at her.
“Oh,” he said. “Hi.”
An awkward silence fell between them, Ginny picking at her fingers as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“Erm -”
“You know, you should really get something to eat before you have to go,” said Harry, standing up. “It’s already ten o’clock.”
He brushed past her, down the steps.
Hoooo. . .
A soft whoosh of wings, and Hedwig fluttered through the window, a dead mouse in her beak and a letter tied to her leg. She landed on the bed, holding out her leg impatiently. She was obviously hungry for her kill. Ginny silently crossed the room, relieving Hedwig of her burden before she flew across the room to the top of her cage.
Ginny,
Received your letter. I’ve asked Dumbledore if Harry may come home today - and he informed me that it’s safe.
Ron and Hermione are flooing into the Muggle’s at four-thirty - make sure Harry’s ready.
Love,
Mum
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief; the sooner Harry got out of here, the better. And he would be happy about that.
She folded the note, stuffing it into her trouser pocket as she left the room.
Down in the kitchen, she saw Harry standing at the stove - frying what looked like slices of ham.
“Harry - I didn’t know you could cook!” Ginny said, surprised.
Harry looked over a her and smiled slightly. “Oh . . . yeah The Dursley’s had me do it a lot when I was younger.”
Ginny frowned.
Merlin - he needs to get away from here. . . she thought sadly.
“Just sit down,” said Harry, pouring the contents of the frying pan onto a plate.
Ginny sank into a chair at the end of the kitchen table, watching him as he moved around, frying eggs, pouring orange juice, and toasting bread in that . . . tosster, was it?
“Can I do anything -?” she began, moving to stand up.
Harry shook his head.
“You made breakfast for me yesterday,” he explained.
Ginny bit back a remark, sinking back into the chair.
“Here,” said Harry, setting a plate in front of her along with a glass of orange juice.
“Thanks,” Ginny murmured, noticing that he was still not meeting her eyes.
He sat down beside her with his own plate.
Ginny speared a piece of breakfast ham with her fork.
“Mmm - this is really good,” she said.
While she ate quickly, while noticing he barely ate anything, mostly pushing his food around his plate.
“Harry,” said Ginny, finally setting her fork down and pushing her plate away. “You need to eat something.”
He didn’t comment, simply raising a small bite to his mouth.
Ginny set her hand on his rested one.
“Harry I’m not mad at you if that’s what your thinking,” she said with a smile. “I’m glad I could be a comfort. . .”
He looked up at her, a question in his eyes.
“Yes,” said Ginny. “So stop being a prat.”
This startled laughter out of him, and he began to eat with a little more vigor.
“And by the way,” said Ginny, “I got a response to the letter I sent last night.”
She pulled the note out of her pocket.
“Received your letter,” she read. “I’ve asked Dumbledore if Harry may come home today -
and he informed me that it’s safe. Ron and Hermione are flooing into the Muggle’s at four thirty - make sure Harry’s ready. Love, Mum."
Harry brightened up.
“I get to go a day early?” he asked.
“Mm-hm,” said Ginny happily.
“Four-thirty?” asked Harry. “Oh but that’s too long.”
“You could show me how to play those vidio grams your cousin likes so much?” suggested Ginny.
He grinned.
“Harry hurry, it’s almost time to go,” said Ginny later that afternoon as packed the rest of his things.
Playing the vidio grams had been fun, but they’d spent so much time on “Monster Destroyer 3000” that before they knew it, it was four-fifteen.
Harry threw the rest of his belongings into the trunk, along with his broom, closing it with a snap.
“Ready?” asked Ginny, who was carrying Hedwig’s cage.
“Yeah,” said Harry.
Together, they managed to drag the trunk downstairs and into the living room.
“Any minute now,” said Ginny, checking her watch. Four-twenty-nine. She watched the fireplace expectantly.
Harry turned to her.
“Hey, Ginny,” he began.
She looked over at him.
“Yeah Harry?”
“I - well I just -” he faltered.
Ginny stepped closer to him.
“Yeah?”
Whooosh!
“Hey mate,” said Ron brightly as he stepped out of the fireplace, brushing soot off of his clothes.
Bad timing my dear brother, thought Ginny.
Whooosh!
“Oh!”
Hermione, bushy hair flying everywhere, stumbled out of the fireplace, and it was Ron that caught her.
“Oh, thanks, Ron,” said Hermione, steadying herself.
Ginny took to notice that Hermione’s cheeks were a little flushed, and she had a feeling it wasn’t from the Floo.
She caught Harry’s eye and they both smothered grins.
“You - er - ready?” asked Ron.
“Yeah,” said Harry, picking up Hedwig’s cage. “We’re going to the Burrow, right?”
Ron cast Ginny an anxious look.
“No - erm - we’re going to Grimmauld Place,” he muttered.
Hermione’s brow was creased.
“Oh,” Harry’s face had fallen, and Ginny noticed that his eyes had looked haunted. “A-all right.”
Ron cleared his throat.
“Erm - I’ll take your trunk, eh, Harry?”
He stepped forward and grabbed Harry’s trunk from him.
“Oh,” he said. He handed Ginny a pouch of Floo powder.
He heaved the trunk into the green-flamed fireplace, taking a pinch of Floo Ginny offered.
“Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!”
Whooosh!
“I’ll take Hedwig’s cage, shall I?” asked Hermione, picking up said cage and striding into the fireplace. She, too, took a pinch of Floo powder.
“Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!”
Whooosh!
Ginny turned to Harry.
“Will - will you be all right?” she asked tentatively.
He didn’t say anything, only staring into the fireplace with that haunted, transfixed look.
Ginny took his hand in hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Closing his eyes in resignment, he took a pinch of Floo.
“N-Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.”
Whooosh!
A/N: Okay, we've got about two more chapters to go.
Just on a little side note, this was originally intended to be a four chapter fic - but when I wrote the fourth chapter, it turned out to be too long for the folks over at SIYE - so I had to seperate it into three chapters. 4070 in case you were curious.