1. Ambush
Harry leapt from his broom, feeling the heat of twenty spells ripple over his head.
Fighting to concentrate, the full moon disappearing through the thick fog of the clouds as he fell, plunging him into near-darkness, Harry twisted in mid-air and felt out for Nothingness â“ his only chance of safety. But as the familiar pressured feeling of Apparition gripped Harryâs body, a blinding flash of yellow light suddenly released him, and he was still accelerating through the black cloud.
The pallid mask of the Death Eater that had blocked Harryâs Disapparation loomed from the darkness, grinning in triumph.
âDown here! Iâve got him!â he roared, diving after Harry through the clouds.
Shutting the impending darkness below and the jeering shouts above from his mind, Harry concentrated as he never had before. He couldnât die now, of all times. He mustnât.
Almost in slow motion, Harry sensed the thoughts of his pursuer and parried the curse before the Death Eater had even opened his mouth to utter an incantation; the force of it knocked him off his broom, but already several more hooded figures were swooping through the gloom to replace him.
âAccio broom,â thought Harry desperately, a second before soundlessly blocking two fiery jets of air as the wind whistled through his ears and he emerged, soaked, through the dense clouds, racing thick rain droplets to oblivion.
A mass of black figures plunged through the cloud seconds later, their lit wand-tips focussed on Harry like a spotlight. Harry shot Stunning spells into the pack of chasing broomsticks, and one body fell from the group. Several curses shot down in response, but Harry was ready: in one fluid movement he parried two spells aiming directly for his chest, then slashed his wand through the air and three Death Eaters fell off their brooms with anguished cries. But there were too many of them and he was running out of time. Sensing a Killing Curse about to be cast by the nearest one, Harry reached desperately into the air, willing his Firebolt to arriveâŚ
âAvada Kedavra!â screamed the Death Eater, but Harryâs hand closed around his beloved broomstick just in time to put on an extra spurt of speed, and see the jet of green light miss its mark and be swallowed up in the blackness
The Death Eaters were now closing in above and on every side. There was only one option. Easily outstripping his pursuers, Harry dived, faster than the rain that was splattering against his glasses in the vertical descent. Spells flew wildly past him, making tiny craters as they exploded on the fast-approaching hillside that was now just feet away.
Jerking the nose of his Firebolt up at the last second, Harry rolled sideways off his broom, feeling his back splatter with mud as he surveyed the hell of the heavens through his blurred glasses. Fiery sparks of red and green showered down like falling fireworks from the approaching wand tips of at least fifteen dark wizards.
Aware that he had only seconds to act â“ not enough time to perform the complex counter-curse for the anti-Disapparation jinx that had been placed upon him â“ Harry prepared for battle.
Gathering all his strength, he yelled âProtego maxima,â and drew his wand in a full arc above where he lay. The powerful Shield Charm instantly absorbed a shower of green light, but Harry knew it wouldnât protect him from a Killing Curse. Frantically shooting hot red sparks and hexes randomly into the air, like rapid gunfire, Harry saw a couple of explosions as his spells found their mark, and heard the dull thud seconds later of bodies hitting the ground.
But it was too late. The remaining Death Eaters were landing around Harry, swiftly forming a tight circle. Their leering masks, barely visible under each hooded cloak in the scant wandlight, seemed to foretell the inevitability of death even more than the multitude of raised wands, poised to perform a deadly curse at any second.
âItâs over, Potter,â growled a voice that Harry found vaguely familiar. âDid you really think you stood a chance against all of us? The Dark Lord will at last be avenged.â
Harry sprang to his feet, but before he could muster the strength to mount his final defence, several things happened at once. A loud crack punctuated the spattering rain and in a flash of long red hair someone materialised next to Harry out of thin air; a strangled cry of âKill him!â simultaneously rent the biting breeze and Harry felt his invisible defence barrier shatter by a spell that missed his face by inches as he instinctively ducked.
âGinny,â breathed Harry, adrenaline coursing through his veins as his heart seemed to stop. The Death Eaters, momentarily stunned by Ginnyâs sudden appearance, hesitated.
âKill them!â Harry heard, and the last thing he saw before Ginnyâs warm hand guided him into Nothingness was a flash of green light.
**
Ginny was shaking.
âHarry! Harry! Are you OK?â
Attempting to grasp the fact that he was sprawled over his kitchen floor, his drenched, muddy robes sticking to the tiles, Harry straightened up, still pumping with adrenaline, and surveyed the pale face of his wife.
âGinny â“ I â“ you shouldnât â“ howâŚ?â
Ginny nodded to the large clock suspended above the kitchen sink, where large dials labelled âHarryâ and âGinnyâ rested on âHomeâ.
âIt was pointing to âMortal Perilâ a minute ago,â she said. âI was scared, Harry. I donât know how I did it, but I knew I needed to find you.â
âBut you could have diedâŚthe babyâŚyou shouldnât have,â breathed Harry, shivering.
Ginny took Harryâs hand softly, spreading warmth from her fingertips. âI would have thought you, of all people, would understand why a child needs its parents. Weâre in this together, Harry. I wonât lose you, and nor will the baby. Weâre going to be a family.â
Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss Ginny, to tell her how much those words meant to him, to thank her for saving his life â“ but now was not the time. He was already on his feet pacing the kitchen, his Auror instincts taking over.
âIâll have to inform the Minister, straight away,â said Harry, running his fingers through his messy hair. âDeath EatersâŚat least twenty of themâŚâ
âThey must have escaped from Azkaban?â said Ginny quietly.
âMaybeâŚbut there arenât that many left, are there? And Iâve heard nothing of a breakout, so unless it happened tonight, it looks like some new ones have joined the club.â Harry paused, remembering something. âOne of them spoke to me. I recognised his voice; I just canât quite place it.â He continued pacing, a little frustrated.
But Ginny was now frowning. âHarry, I donât understand why you were out there in the first place. We were in bed â“ and next thing, I wake up to find you not there. I was worried. And you can imagine how I felt when I came down here to find out you were in mortal perilâŚâ
Harry stopped his pacing and looked momentarily disarmed. âWell, you know me, Gin. I like to go flying if somethingâs on my mind. And â“ well â“ the good news â“ about the babyâŚâ Harry trailed off looking embarrassed. âBut youâre right â“ I should have at least told you where I was going.â
He had never told Ginny about his occasional night-time flying habits. He shared everything with Ginny, but sometimes he considered flying to be a private, almost spiritual, activity â“ especially when he wanted time alone to ponder something.
âOh,â said Ginny, looking slightly affronted. âEr â“ are you sure youâre happy, Harry, about â“ about the baby?â
âYou know I am, love.â Harry took her hand and squeezed it. I could probably make the worldâs most powerful Patronus right now. Thatâs why I went flying â“ it almostâŚadds to the magic of the occasion.â
Ginnyâs face cracked into a wide smile and she kissed Harry, who suddenly forgot everything that had just happened in a moment of bliss. Pulling Ginny closer to him, kissing her back fiercely, the realisation hit him, harder than ever, of just how much he loved her.
âThanks for rescuing me,â said Harry softly, running his finger down a strand of Ginnyâs hair that framed her beautiful face.
âYou donât know how scared I was, Harry,â whispered Ginny. âIâd forgotten how it felt, knowing I could lose you. I donât even remember trying to Apparate â“ it just sort of happened when I started panicking. I just knew I needed to find you. And next thing, I was by your side.â
Harry saw a small tear leak from her brown eye. Marvelling at Ginny for a piece of magic he had never even heard of before, he kissed her again: slowly, reassuringly. Time seemed to stand still. It could have been a matter of seconds or many minutes later when Ginny eventually drew away, and Harryâs memory of why he was stood in the dark kitchen with sodden robes in the middle of the night gradually ebbed back into his consciousness.
âIâll have to go to the Ministry,â sighed Harry, releasing Ginnyâs hand. I need to request an emergency meeting with the Minister.â
Ginny nodded in resignation as Harry glanced out of the rain-slashed window into the skies over Godricâs Hollow.
âThey must be patrolling the area,â muttered Harry. âStay inside â“ youâll be safe here. They all think Iâm as paranoid as old Mad-Eye was back in his day, at the office, for having a Secret-Keeper. But I knew something like this would happen sooner or later.â
Harry shook his head and pointed his wand at himself, and with one smart flick performed a Drying Charm â“ restoring warmth to his soaking clothes. He stepped towards the mantelpiece and took a pinch of Floo Powder.
âHang on, youâve still got mud all over your back,â said Ginny, who aimed her wand with a mutter of âScourgify.â
âThanks, Gin.â
Harry ignited the empty fireplace with his wand, scattered the Floo Powder, and gave Ginny one last smile before stepping into the fire, stating âAuror Headquarters,â and allowing himself to be swallowed up in the emerald-green flames.