Chapter 15 - The Real WeasleysThe three teens packed their trunks for the rest of the summer and school. They were headed to the Quidditch World Cup today, and then after that to The Burrow for the rest of the summer. The Weasleys would take them all to the train for school.
Harry was quite pleased with the summer. He had had a great time on their hiking holiday. Despite the fact that they had spent a lot of time learning spells, customs, history, dancing, discussion of duelling, and whatever else Sirius could come up with. Almost all of that had been fun. He could see where it would benefit them later, especially the spells. Harry was starting to feel like he could actually protect himself with magic now.
Another highlight had been that he and girls had started a little real kissing. Just as the girls had done for him on his birthday, Harry had snogged Ginny soundly on her birthday week before last, and he was planning on doing the same for Hermione in a month's time.
Besides carrying Dan's clubs in a slightly magically lightened bag and walking on the golf course, Harry had started doing some of the exercises with Emma and Ginny. He only joined them every other day, while they did it every day, but he was certain he was feeling better. Dan had bought him a small weight set which he used on the days he did not exercise with Emma and Ginny. He really liked life overall.
In a room across the hallway, Hermione was also packing. While she was having trouble deciding which books to take and which to leave at home, she was quite happy with the summer too. She felt that she, Ginny, and Harry had grown a lot closer, and more importantly, they had kept their bond hidden. There had been a few close calls, but they had managed to hide their secret. Hermione was starting to become convinced that they would have to tell their parents soon. She was truly dreading that moment, as she feared they might pull her and Harry out of Hogwarts for sure, if not the entire magical world.
Next door, Ginny was trying to decide how to arrange things in her trunk. She was having trouble fitting everything in. The main reason for that was that Harry had bought her a number of things. Even though it was small, the Wizarding Wireless Radio took up some precious space. Then there were all the clothes he had bought her this summer. Looking to the side she saw the bras and exercise clothes Emma had bought her. She grinned to herself and remembered the pleasant moment when Harry had hugged her and first discovered she was wearing a bra. She felt like she had grown up right there in his arms as he carefully looked down and eyed her chest briefly before he blushed and quickly looked away at being so obvious.
As much as Ginny appreciated all the things that had been purchased for her, she would give them all up in a heartbeat for these wonderful people. She loved her brothers and her father, but here she really felt at home and so loved. That was mostly because of Harry and Hermione, but Dan and Emma, and even Sirius, had all accepted her unconditionally, and she loved them all back.
"Sirius is here!" Emma shouted up the stairs.
Harry closed his trunk, barely managing to latch it. Given how difficult that was getting, he was seriously considering looking for a trunk that was bigger on the inside than on the outside. Maybe that would make a good Christmas present for the girls as well, he thought. As he levitated his trunk after him, he decided to think about it later. The girls fell into line behind him, levitating their trunks too.
"I'm glad everyone is ready. Our Portkey goes off in five minutes," Sirius told the teens.
"Did you really get tickets in the top box?" Harry asked excitedly.
"I sure did, kiddo. I also got the camping site next to Arthur, so we'll see them there. That will also make it easier for you to go home with him," Sirius pointed out.
"Harry?"
Harry turned to Emma and gave her a hug, while Hermione hugged her father.
"Have fun at the match, and behave yourself with Sirius and at the Weasleys," Emma told both of her children.
"I will, Mum," Harry promised as he and Hermione traded parents for new hugs.
"And I'll keep him in line," Hermione teased.
"I'm sure you will," her father said with a chuckle. "Ginny? It's been good to have you here." He clapped his hand lightly on her shoulder.
"You're also welcome back anytime," Emma told her as she gave the redhead a hug. "Exercising is a lot more fun with a partner."
"Thank you so much for having me over," Ginny said, a little emotional. "This has been the best summer of my life."
"And I hope your next one is even better, but you all need to come gather round and grab onto this," Sirius cut in, holding out an old wooden drumstick. The teens each grabbed on with one hand and held onto their magically-lightened trunks with the other. Sirius was wearing his small backpack, which contained their tent.
"Don't forget to write," Emma told them.
Before they could answer, the four felt the jerk of the Portkey and they were off. A long moment later, they landed in a crowded field.
"Name?" a man holding a long roll of parchment asked in a bored voice.
"Sirius Black."
The bored man checked the name off on his list. "Right on time. Throw your Portkey in the box and hurry that way to your campsite." He pointed behind them. "The next group will be here in less than a minute."
Sirius chucked the old drumstick into a crate of other junk and ushered the teens off. It took them nearly twenty minutes, but they finally found their campsite. The one on their left contained a family Sirius did not know. The site on their right was still empty.
"It looks like we beat your father, Ginny," Sirius said as he pulled his backpack off. "Everyone stand back." Sirius placed the tent in the middle of where it should go and touched his wand to the proper rune. The tent inflated and set itself up.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching that," Harry said with a grin. "It's just so … brilliant." He pulled his lightened trunk inside the tent and to "his" room. Ron had been invited to stay with them, but Ron had not replied if he would or not. Sirius took one room for himself, leaving the last room for Hermione and Ginny.
Sirius had invited Remus to come, but his friend had declined, citing the fact that a full moon would be coming the next night and it was just too close.
Harry came out of his room and went into the kitchen. He pulled out four Butterbeers from the cold cabinet where Sirius always kept a stock of them. He put three down on the living-room table and then opened his. The others came out and each grabbed a bottle.
"Sirius, while we're waiting, can we start on the next 'big project'?" Harry asked.
"As long as we're in here, I don't think anyone will detect you using magic, there's so much around here. Remind me what the next one was? I think that between you and Hermione talking about different things, I've forgotten." Sirius looked over at Ginny and winked. "Why can't you be more like Ginny? She hasn't asked to learn any special spells." Ginny stood there with a very pleased and proud smile, even if she was going along with Sirius's joke.
Hermione looked indignant while Harry snorted. "Yeah, yeah, tease us all you like, but I know you really like teaching us stuff."
Sirius pulled his wand out and twirled it around in his fingers. "You know me too well," he said with a grin. "Now, what do you want to know?"
"Conjuring, especially things that are useful to block spells," Hermione quickly said.
"Right, I think I do remember that request." Sirius plopped down into a chair. The three teens squeezed onto the sofa. He had noticed they normally did that and almost asked why when there were other chairs, but decided it did not really matter. "You're asking about something that's not normally taught until the spring term of your fifth year."
"I know, but it's so useful," Hermione replied. Harry and Ginny both nodded.
"Well, you've surprised me with the other things you've learned this summer that I didn't think you could do, we might as well try this. McGonagall would be a better teacher, as she does this all the time," he said, trying to talk them out of it.
"We can compare your approach and hers later," Hermione said. The other two nodded, still looking eager.
"Very well. Conjuring is really nothing more than an exceptionally hard exercise in visualizing. The spell is Prodidi and the wand motion looks like this." He slowly did the wand motion as he spoke the trigger word and a fist-sized rock appeared on the table. "The hard part is to correctly visualize what you want. The better you mentally know something, the easier it is to conjure and the more likely you are to get it right. As an extreme example, I could attempt to conjure an automobile. It might have the right shape if you looked at it from a distance, but close inspection would show it to be wrong and it would never run because I don't know what an engine is really like. Does that make sense?"
"Perfectly," Hermione said as she pulled out her wand and sat up straighter. She closed her eyes for a few seconds then cast. "Prodidi!" A greyish lump appeared a few inches above the table and then fell down. When it hit the table, it hit with a splat and turned into a pile of greyish sand. She scowled at the pile of sand. "What happened?"
Harry and Ginny grinned. Like many times this summer, Hermione would jump at trying a new spell and would almost make it work the first time. The failure usually came because she would start before Sirius finished explaining.
Sirius chuckled. "A good first try. I'd say that you didn't visualize it correctly. You must visualize all of it, both inside and outside. That includes texture and composition, even smell if it has one. The details are why this is so hard, besides the fact that it takes a lot of power. Not that any of you have shown a lack of that." Sirius muttered the last part.
"My turn next," Harry announced, before Hermione could try again. Just as he was about to go, Hermione's pile of sand disappeared.
"That wasn't very long." Hermione sounded disappointed.
"The length of time it stays depends on how much power you apply and your experience, because items that are closest to normal last the longest," he explained. "Harry?"
Harry held his wand in front of him and closed his eyes. He thought that was a very good idea on Hermione's part. He did his best to visualize a black rock. It should be heavy and smooth, the blackness and material going all the way through. He started the spell motion and cast "Prodidi!" as he opened his eyes. A round black rock appeared several inches above the table and fell. When it hit, it split into two halves, each rolling a little until they came to rest.
"An excellent first try, Harry. You're on the right track and need more experience. I'd also suggest you find a real rock and break it open so you can examine it closely. In fact, you should all do that." Sirius looked at the last teen. "Ginny, I don't know if your magic is developed enough, but you can try too, if you like."
Ginny shot him a determined look as she pulled her wand out. She thought about something she had used and handled many times. She cast "Prodidi!" and they saw a drinking glass appear directly on the table.
Sirius was again impressed with the petite redhead. She constantly amazed him. Going last helped, but it was more than that. He supposed she had seen almost every common spell before, growing up in a Wizarding home with six older brothers, and that must have helped too. He reached out and tapped his wand on the glass. It clinked and did not fall apart.
"Spectacular, Ginny!" Harry gave her a tight hug.
"I didn't know a lot about rocks, but I've handled a lot of these. I've also broken a few," she said sheepishly.
"I'm impressed," Sirius told her.
Hermione nodded. With determination, she cast "Prodidi!" and a sheet of paper fluttered to the table.
Sirius reached out and touched it. "It feels very real." He bent it and it acted like real paper. "Very well done, Hermione." The girl smiled and preened.
"My turn again," Harry said. He thought carefully. He still wanted something heavy to block spells. With a grin, it came to him. "Prodidi!" A cast-iron pan appeared and thudded onto the table.
Sirius grabbed it by the handle and lifted then dropped it. It stayed in one piece. "Impressive. You three make me look like a very good teacher," he said with a chuckle. "Either you three are prodigies, or…" He looked at them with a penetrating look. "How do you account for your ability to do all of these spells that you shouldn't be able to do yet?"
They looked at each other, as if they did not have a clue, but they all knew quite well it was the bond. It gave them all more power - temporarily - than they would normally have. They had all felt the slight pull on their magic when one of the others had conjured. They were so used to it, and it was so small, they were able to hide their reaction now.
"I know Hermione is a prodigy," Harry finally said with a grin. "Everyone says she's the smartest witch at Hogwarts."
Sirius chuckled and Harry felt they had dodged this one too. They again got lucky when everyone heard, "Anyone home?" They turned to look to see who it was.
"Dad!" Ginny shouted and ran to him to give him a hug.
Arthur Weasley walked the rest of the way in. Behind him were Ron, Fred, and George.
"Wow, nice place…" Ron said softly as he looked around. When he saw Harry, he grinned. "Hey, mate, I like it here. Are you ready to see some good Quidditch?"
Harry chuckled. Trust Ron to focus on Quidditch first. "I am. Where do you want to stay? I didn't hear back from you."
"Oh, right, sorry about that. Mum kept us busy cleaning the house." Ron shook his head. "With us gone for today and tomorrow, I don't know why. She had plenty of time to do it," he groused. "Anyway, I'll stay here with you."
"Well, that leaves more room for us," Fred proclaimed.
"Definitely, although I do like the idea of a Butterbeer," George said as he spied the empty bottles on the table.
Sirius laughed. "They're in the kitchen. Help yourselves, boys." The three Weasley boys headed for the kitchen while Arthur left to start setting up their tent. Their model did not have the automatic setup or take-down features. Sirius headed out after Arthur to give him a hand.
Ron came back out with a bottle of Butterbeer in hand. "So, what have you been up to?" he asked Harry as he plopped down in a chair.
Harry traded places with Ginny, so he could sit closer to Ron, giving Hermione and Ginny an easier time to talk. "We went hiking in Switzerland and that was lot of fun."
"Did you really go walking for three weeks?" Ron asked incredulously.
"We did and it was great. Sirius told us a lot about Wizarding customs, taught us to dance…"
"Dance?! Why would you want to do that?" Ron looked like he had seen a spider.
Ginny glared at her brother. "Because it's a lot of fun." Hermione gave him a disappointed look.
Ron looked back at Harry.
"She's right, Ron. It was a little hard at first, but it was actually fun once I learned how. Ginny is a good teacher," Harry told his friend, causing Ginny to blush.
"You're mental," Ron proclaimed with a distasteful look.
"Don't worry, Harry," Fred said from the doorway, bottle in hand.
"Yeah, he'll grow up one day and understand the advantages." George wiggled his eyebrows.
Ron twisted in his chair to look at his brothers. "What advantages?"
Both boys put their bottles of brew down and walked over. George grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her up. She squeaked in surprise but Harry could tell she was not unhappy. George then twisted her around to face Fred, and grabbed Ginny's hand, pulling his giggling sister up in turn. The two boys started to dance with the girls, showing more enthusiasm than talent but again Harry could tell his bond-mates were not unhappy.
"Do you not understand, Ronnikins?"
"This allows you to hold a pretty girl and not get slapped."
Everyone but Ron laughed. The twins let the girls go and bowed deeply with elaborate flourishes. The girls simply curtsied and returned to their seats, giggling quietly.
"Mental, all of you," Ron said firmly.
In the top box of the stadium, Harry, the girls, Sirius, and the Weasleys joined the Ministers of England, Ireland, and Bulgaria. Bill, Charlie, and Percy had Apparated to the site only a couple of hours ago. Every seat in the huge stadium was taken and the group was all watching out the front as the game was about to start.
The Irish Leprechaun mascots came out and started throwing gold around. Ron wanted to get some, but Bill grabbed him and held him back. "It's not real, Ron. Leprechaun gold will disappear in a few hours."
"Oh, right, thanks," Ron said sheepishly and sat back down.
Harry looked at Hermione and they smiled at each other. He looked at the oldest Weasley brother, wondering what he was like.
Bill seemed very confident; he was also sporting his long hair in a ponytail and a small dragon fang earring. He had greeted Harry and had been pleasant so far. He barely even glanced at Harry's scar.
Charlie seemed pleasant too. The second brother was stockier and had a couple of burn scars on his arms. He wore his hair very short. Ginny had whispered to Harry that Charlie did that to keep it from being burned by dragons, since he worked on a dragon preserve.
Percy was still an enigma. Despite going to school with him for three years, Percy greeted Harry formally and respectfully, before turning to talk to his father. If Percy had not looked so much like his dad, Harry would have wondered if he was really a Weasley, but it would have been rude to ask if he was adopted.
The Bulgarian mascots came out: the small pack of Veela danced vigorously, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Ron and the twins started making a move towards the rail to get to them, causing their older brothers and father to have to restrain them.
Harry laughed at their antics. When he turned to see what Hermione and Ginny thought, he was surprised to see the girls smiling at him.
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said just before she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"You'll get more later for that," Ginny whispered before she gave him a peck on the other cheek.
As usual, Hermione was on his left and Ginny on his right. He had no idea what to make of their actions, so he only smiled at each of them. Then realizing what had just happened, he quickly looked over at his friend and was relieved to see that Ron was still avidly watching the Veela. His older brothers had not noticed the quick kisses either.
The game soon began, and Harry enjoyed it immensely. While he spent most of his time talking to Ginny about what was happening, he also tried to include Hermione and Ron from time to time. He cheered with over half the stadium and most of those in the top box when Ireland won, even though Viktor Krum from Bulgaria had caught the Golden Snitch.
They all went back to their tents, laughing and loudly talking about the game, just like everyone else.
Sirius supplied Butterbeer for everyone, then joined Arthur and his three oldest boys in the Weasley tent. The teens from the twins down partied in Sirius's tent. They told stories and laughed. The twins were especially good at telling stories.
Eventually, Sirius came back and sent the twins to their tent and directed the last four to head to bed.
Harry went into his bedroom and Ron followed. Before Harry could take his clothes off, Hermione called "Hello?" and poked her head in.
"Harry, could you help me for a moment? I was looking at my journal about one of the history stories Sirius told us, and I'm not sure if I wrote it correctly. I wanted to do a little reading before going to sleep. Can you come see if I wrote it correctly?" She looked at him a little shyly.
Knowing something was afoot, but not what, Harry told her, "Sure." He looked at Ron. "Be back in a minute." He followed Hermione back to her room. She hurried him in while Sirius was in the kitchen.
Inside, Hermione shut the door quickly while Ginny grabbed him and threw her arms around his neck and proceeded to kiss him soundly.
When she finally let go, Harry sucked in a deep breath. "Wow! What was that for?"
Hermione grabbed his shoulders and turned him to her. "You were such a good boy by ignoring the Veela that we thought you should be rewarded." Hermione then kissed Harry until he was out of breath again.
"Double wow!"
The girls giggled. "Thanks, Harry," they each said. Hermione opened the door and Ginny pushed him out.
"What happened to you?" Sirius asked.
"Erm, why?" Harry was panicking, wondering how he was going to explain this.
"You looked dazed."
"Oh, yeah, well…" Harry was having to think very quickly. "The girls wanted me to help them move their trunks and the Feather Weight spells had worn off. I think that left me momentarily breathless. 'Night, Sirius." Harry hurried off to his room before Sirius could ask any more questions.
"Everything all right, mate?" Ron asked as Harry closed the door.
"Yeah, sure. They're squared away now." Harry was about to try again to get undressed when he heard shouting in the living room. He quickly opened the door and saw Mr Weasley looking very harried as he spoke to Sirius. The twins were right behind him.
"Please, take them all to the woods down the way and hide in there. Bill, Charlie, Percy and I will try to help the others get away." Arthur Weasley did not even wait for an answer and hurriedly left.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked. He noticed that Hermione and Ginny were at their door too.
"It looks like a group of Death Eaters are trying to ruin things. Is everyone dressed and in shoes?" Sirius looked at all the teens. "Good, everyone out, I'm packing up. Accio backpack!" Sirius grabbed his backpack out of the air and was the last one out. He touched his wand to the "packing" runes and the tent collapsed and turned itself back into the little bundle for storage. Sirius threw it in his little backpack and shrugged it on.
"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed.
"Wands out and everyone follow me. Keep an eye on each other and don't get lost," Sirius sternly commanded as he started to lead them towards the woods through a crowd of people hurrying every which way. "Fred, George, you take the rear and make sure no one gets left behind."
"Why don't we take a Portkey away?" Harry asked.
"Because my return Portkey doesn't go off until tomorrow at eleven and I can't make a Portkey," Sirius replied tersely, looking around and trying to find the easiest path through the crowd and chaos.
It took some effort, but they all made it to the woods a few minutes later. A few others were in the trees too, but they were heading deeper in.
"We should be safe enough here," Sirius said with a hopeful tone, while he continued to try and look in all directions at once for danger.
"What's that?" Hermione asked.
Harry looked at where she was pointing. "It looks like people floating in the air, and they're coming this way."
"Crap!" Sirius looked into the woods, trying to decide how much cover the area really provided.
"They have Death Eater masks too, just like in the pictures, so we'll do it just like we talked about this summer," Harry said.
Sirius's head snapped around to look at his godson.
"Hermione, you take defence when we need it. Ginny is on offence and I'll do both, depending what how we're doing. Everyone do Diffindos or Reductos. Hermione, you cast a Cushioning charm under those people so they don't get hurt."
"Harry, we have to run!"
"No, Sirius. You told us this summer that if more people had fought back, the last war wouldn't have been so bad. We have to fight back and they're getting close," Harry argued before he turned to the twins. "You guys want to help?"
"Sure."
"Yeah, we've learned those spells and the basic shield too."
"Right, I'll fire the first one to get us started. Everyone duck behind a big tree if they fire a spell at you," Harry told them.
"What about me?" Ron asked.
"Throw the Cutting charm we learned last year or just hide behind that big tree. Be sure to get behind it if any spells are cast at you," Harry told him before he turned to watch the Death Eaters continue to walk their way. Ron nodded acknowledgement nervously. The others found a good-sized tree to take shelter behind.
As the enemy group got closer, Harry counted an even dozen people in Death Eater robes and masks. "Fred, George, take the right side. Hermione, Ginny, take the left. Sirius and I will take the centre. Ron, you take right-centre. That way, we all don't hit the same person."
When they were only about thirty yards away, Harry said, "Now, Hermione," as he stepped out from behind his tree and fired a strong cutting curse towards one of the Death Eaters that was levitating their victim nearly fifty feet in the air. The other Death Eaters did not see the spell as they were looking in the other direction and firing randomly towards all the tents.
Harry's cutting spell took the man's wand arm off and the person the Death Eater was levitating started to drop. He fired one more cutting curse at another person levitating a Muggle and then quickly cast a cushioning charm to help Hermione out.
The others had cast their spells and it looked like half of the Death Eaters were on the ground. Ginny had hit the last Death Eater still levitating a person and all the victims were out of the air and safely lying on the ground.
As Harry's team started yet another barrage, the Death Eaters figured out where the spells were coming from and they all fired a Killing Curse. Harry saw one coming his way and ducked behind his tree. There was a small explosion and his tree shook, wood splinters flying to the sides. A quick glance showed Ron huddled and hiding behind his tree. Harry turned the other direction and, still squatting, fired a Reducto back. He did not get to see if he hit anyone, as more spells were flying his way. They missed his tree, fortunately.
Harry turned back to the other side and fired another Reducto. Sirius and Ginny were casting too. The three hexes hit the Death Eaters, causing them to go flying through the air. At the same time, red spells came from the other direction and hit the last two Death Eaters standing, dropping them.
"Crap! Crap! Crap!" Sirius exclaimed as he dug in his robes. He finally pulled out a length of rope. "Everyone come here and grab this, quick!" They all ran over, stumbling slightly in their haste; Ron was the shakiest.
"I thought you said you couldn't make a Portkey," Harry said as he grabbed hold.
"I can't, but if you're desperate enough and lucky enough, you can alter the time of an existing Portkey." Sirius was waving his wand over the rope and it suddenly turned blue. He was relieved to feel the jerk and the spinning that a working Portkey made. When the group landed in his living room and he saw they had all made it, he was even more relieved. The fact that he was lying on the floor instead of standing was of no consequence.
Ginny had landed half on top of Harry. She smirked impishly at him as she very slowly got up. He blushed deeply. It did not help that Hermione had landed so that their legs were tangled and essentially preventing him from moving. The others were piled haphazardly around the room from their landing.
"Now that was fun!" George said with a grin.
"Very! I love your parties, Harry."
"Do invite us to the next one."
"We shall be most put out if you don't."
"Do you realize how much trouble we could have been in if we were caught?" Sirius croaked, still lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, very relieved they had all safely gotten away.
"Sirius, we were helping the Aurors until they could get there. Those Death Eaters must have broken several laws, and that doesn't include the use of the Unforgivables," Harry replied.
"Trust me, Harry. It's far better that no one knows that was us." Sirius propped himself up on one elbow. "That goes for everyone here. This is our secret. We don't tell anyone: brothers, parents, friends, no one. Understand?"
"Yes, Sirius!" they chorused.
"If anyone asks, we ran into the woods as Arthur asked. We heard spells being cast, so for safety, I pulled out my Portkey and we all came home. Can everyone remember this?" Sirius looked around sternly, trying to impress upon everyone what could and could not be said.
"That's a very creative view of the facts," Hermione said with a slightly amused look.
"But none of it is untrue," Ginny pointed out. "They just don't need to know the other parts."
Sirius cleared his throat as the twins looked like they wanted to add their two Knuts worth. "Are we all agreed on what happened?"
"Yes, Sirius!" was chorused to him to him again.
"Thank you. Now, I have to Floo call Molly so she'll know I have you here safely. Dan and Emma should know too. Damn! How am I going to tell Arthur? He'll be sick with worry when he can't find us." Sirius was shaking his head.
"I have an idea," Hermione said very quietly.
"Please!"
"After you tell Mrs Weasley, Apparate back to where our tent was and wait for Mr Weasley or his sons. My parents can wait until tomorrow as they won't know there's any problem. We'll all promise to stay here and out of trouble." Hermione gave a nervous smile.
Sirius blinked a moment and then smiled. "Brilliant, but we need one change." Sirius thrust his backpack to Harry. "Take this since it has all of your things in it and all of you Floo to The Burrow now. I'll go find Arthur and then come get the tent sometime later. I'll tell Dan and Emma first thing in the morning."
The teens grumbled at not being allowed to stay alone, but they obeyed. As soon as the six of them were through, Sirius went as well and explained the situation to Molly. She was beside herself with worry, having heard of the commotion on the Wireless, so she enthusiastically greeted each child.
That done, Sirius took a moment and Apparated to the Grangers to give them a quick update, for which they were thankful. He then Apparated back to his campsite now that he knew where it was. Percy was there and they quickly found Arthur.
"Sirius, where are the children?"
"They're safely at The Burrow," Sirius quickly told the father, who breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I, uh, I forced my Portkey to take us back to my house and then I sent them all to your house."
"Thank you so much, Sirius! There was a fight near the woods with the Death Eaters, so I was afraid you had been caught in that when we couldn't find you."
Sirius used his Marauder skills to smile and put the man at ease. "We must have been in a different part of the woods. They really are all safe with Molly."
"Thank Merlin!" Arthur gave him another thankful look. "The spells used were so powerful I don't think many of those Death Eaters got away. Some probably won't survive either."
Sirius nodded in concern, while wondering what the outcome of this was going to be and if they would eventually get caught.
"Gosse, report." Rufus Scrimgeour barked.
Frank Gosse turned to his superior. "Jones and Li were the first on the scene. Eye-witnesses say a group of about a dozen Death Eaters were floating the four Muggles who own this area in the air and making sport of them. As they got to this location, spells came out of the woods over there. There was a small fight with these bastards casting the Killing Curse. Jones and Li saw it from a distance. By the time they got here and cast their own Stunners, another set of hexes hit the remaining Death Eaters and it was over."
Scrimgeour looked around the scene. "Why are they still floating?" he asked while pointing at the Muggles who were lying about a foot off the ground.
"The Death Eaters had them about fifty feet in the air, we were told. Now, they're just lying on a Cushioning charm. Whoever it was in the woods did try to protect them when they fell. They aren't very badly hurt, so we put them to sleep until we have time to deal with them," Gosse explained.
"What about them?" Scrimgeour asked, pointing at the Death Eaters. "You said a dozen and I only see nine."
"Li said three of them were hit at the end with the Blasting hex, but they had shields up so they were just knocked back on their arse. Apparently, despite the shaking they were given, they still had enough sense to activate a Portkey."
Scrimgeour looked at an Auror who was taking photos of the scene. There were also a few Healers here, but they were only tending to two Death Eaters. "So the other nine will stand trial?"
"Uh, no sir. Only four will stand trial. The other five will have to be buried. They all died from blood loss," Gosse said.
Scrimgeour walked over and started looking at the corpses. "High-powered cutting curses. I don't think most Aurors could do this," he groused.
"No sir. I can think of only a few handfuls who could."
The head Auror looked around a moment more in silence. "Did you find who was in the woods?"
"No sir. They were long gone by the time we got there. Jones thinks they probably took a Portkey as well. I'd guess it's someone who lost family in the first war and wanted some revenge. Li said he thinks it was five or six people and one of them seemed to be able to cast with two wands simultaneously." Gosse paused for a brief moment. "May I say something, sir."
Scrimgeour grunted.
"Sir, these are Death Eaters," Gosse said quietly so only the two men could hear. "Every one of them has a Dark Mark on their arm. They were torturing Muggles. They were firing some fairly nasty Dark curses into a crowd of people and into tents that had people in them. They fired Unforgivables on people. I don't know that I want to go find out who was in the woods. We can easily put this scum away for so long they'll never leave Azkaban alive. If I found out whoever was in the woods, I'd prefer to thank them for doing our job such that none of us got hurt, not put them on trial."
Before more could be said, an Apparation crack sounded a short distance away. Everyone saw a very upset-looking Amelia Bones, Director for Magical Law Enforcement, walk their way.
"Scrimgeour, Gosse, what do we have?" Bones looked at her direct subordinate, so Scrimgeour started talking, repeating what Gosse had told him. When he was done, Bones looked around herself and then walked over to the wooded area the spells had come from, the two Aurors following her. She looked around and made sure no one else was nearby.
"Gentlemen, if any evidence is found on who was here, it comes to my desk and I will deal it properly and carefully. At the moment, we have what appears to be a happy ending to a tragic event." She stared at each for them for a moment. "It will stay that way if at all legally possible. I don't need to explain the pressure Fudge will bring to bear on us otherwise, do I?"
"No, Director. We understand perfectly," Scrimgeour said dutifully.
"Take a Pepperup if you need it, but I want your reports on my desk when I get in first thing in the morning. Rufus, you're authorized to release the information that we have captured nine Death Eaters breaking the law, including the use of Unforgivables." She turned to the other man. "Gosse, you and your team will remain silent on this."
"Yes, Director, no speaking to reporters."
Bones nodded and Apparated away.
"Looks like you'll get your wish, Frank."
"Yes, sir. A happy ending indeed." Gosse returned to talk to his team with a spring in his step. There would be no "I was under the Imperius Curse" excuses this time because there was no Dark Lord to do it.
The next morning started a long day for Harry. He got up a little later than usual, but then again, he had stayed up very late the night before and yesterday had been a very long and energetic day. A part of him had trouble believing he had battled Death Eaters last night.
He got dressed and went out into the living room of the tent. They had stayed in it when Mrs Weasley told everyone to go to bed, but she had not really said where. Since their things were in the tent, Harry had decided they would stay in it.
Hermione was already up and waiting. She also looked as bleary-eyed as he felt.
"Where's Ginny?"
"She's getting dressed. She'll be out in a minute." Hermione looked pensive and answered with little thought.
"What's wrong?" He sat down beside her.
Uncharacteristically for her, she leaned into him. "I was - I was thinking about last night."
"Yeah, I can hardly believe we did that."
"Harry? I … I know I hurt some people badly and I might have even killed one of them." She buried her head into his chest.
He wrapped her in his arms and patted her gently on the back. "You took care of the abused Muggles, Hermione. You didn't get many offensive spells off."
"I know I hit one with a cutting spell, and I'm sure I got one with a blasting spell at the end," she said with disagreement in her voice.
"The ones hit with the blasting spell at the end had a shield up, so they survived," Harry corrected her.
"But the other one…"
"Might still have lived," he said firmly.
"Hermione," Ginny's voice sounded from across the room, "you did what you had to do to protect people, and you did it to … to animals … who didn't care if they killed people or not. Half of them cast the Killing Curse at us, Hermione."
"But we shot first," the brunette insisted.
"Actually, they did," Harry said calmly. "They cast the first spell at the Muggles, and they were casting spells into the crowd of campers. We were defending the crowd and rescuing the Muggles. I know your conscience doesn't like what we had to do, and part of me didn't like doing it either, but Ginny's right. It had to be done and there was no one else willing to stand up to them and do it."
Hermione breathed a heavy sigh. "My brain tells me you're right, but my heart doesn't like it."
"And that's what makes you a good person, Hermione. If you liked hurting people, you'd be a Death Eater," Ginny told her.
"What about you, Ginny?"
Ginny looked her female bond-mate straight in the eye. "Like Harry, a large part of me didn't like doing that, but I knew it had to be done so I did it. I know what Tom Riddle is capable of and how he would use Death Eaters. We have to take as many of them out of the picture as possible."
"I still don't like it."
"But I know you won't give up either, and I like that about you," Harry said with a smile.
It was weak, but Hermione gave him a smile back.
"Come on, let's go and eat," Ginny said and led the trio out of the tent.
As they emerged into the daylight, Bill and Charlie were coming out of the house. Each of the brothers drew Ginny into a hug.
"I'm glad you made it out all right," Bill told her as he ran his hand over her head, holding it lovingly.
"Thanks, us too. Are you leaving?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's time for us to go. Will you be all right?" Charlie asked her.
"Sure, I've got Harry and Hermione to help me," Ginny said with an impish grin. "We watch each other's backs."
Charlie gave her a hug too. "Well, you take care. You might even see us later this year, you never know," he told her with a wink.
Everyone shouted "Bye!" at the same time before the two brothers Apparated away.
Ginny led them into the house. As they got into the dining room, Ginny's mother practically stomped into the room, a stormy look on her face. "Where have you been?! I've been looking all over the house for you three! If your hand on the family clock hadn't pointed to 'Home', I would have made your father come back."
Harry's eyes went wide, not expecting to be yelled at. Hermione moved a little closer to him. Ginny, used to this treatment, stood there impassively. "We spent the night in Sirius's tent."
"What on earth for? You have perfectly good beds upstairs," Molly fumed loudly.
"Because our clothes and things were in the tent. And actually, the beds in the tent are more comfortable," Harry told her, causing her to turn her glare on him. "You and Mr Weasley are welcome to try the one in the extra bedroom that Sirius uses."
She ignored the invitation. "You must sleep in the house. It's not proper for you to be out there unsupervised."
"Mum, we can't really do anything improper out there. Hermione and I share a bedroom and Harry has his own," Ginny explained.
"It is still not proper. I want you move your things into the bedrooms upstairs immediately after breakfast," she huffed. "Ginny, come get the food." Turning on her heel, she stormed back to the kitchen.
Ginny mouthed, "Sorry," as she followed her mother out of the room.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other, a grim expression on each of their faces.
They had just sat down when an owl flew in the open window and landed in front of Hermione. Expecting this, she pulled a Knut out of her pocket, put it into the bird's pouch and pulled off her copy of the Daily Prophet, allowing the bird to leave. She read the headline and gasped just as Ginny and her mother returned.
"It says that five Death Eaters were killed last night and four others were captured. Plus…" Hermione's voice stopped as the newspaper was pulled out of her hands.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, but Arthur shouldn't have left his newspaper laying here. I'll take it and put it away," Molly said quickly and firmly.
"Mrs Weasley, that was my newspaper."
"What?" Molly looked surprised. "No, I'm sure it's Arthur's. You don't have a need to be reading something as horrid as this."
"Mrs Weasley," Hermione said a little louder. "Not only did I pay for that, but my parents request that I read it to know what's going on in the world, even though we all know that what they print is not entirely truthful."
Molly looked at the girl as if she did not believe her.
"It's true, Mrs Weasley," Harry said. "Hermione did pay for the paper moments before you walked in, and our parents do want us to read it."
"But, but you don't really need to read this one. It's not fit for someone your age," the woman insisted. "Eat your breakfast instead." She turned and started to leave the room, Hermione's newspaper still in her hand.
Harry whipped out his wand and silently summoned the newspaper. He reached out and grabbed it as Mrs Weasley spun around. As he handed it to Hermione, he told her, "I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley, but there is no real danger in reading a newspaper and you don't have the right to take Hermione's newspaper. If you are deeply offended, we can leave and go back home." He stared at her, doing his best to keep a neutral face, despite the fact that he was quite angry at the woman. Harry again wondered how Ginny had survived growing up here. This woman seemed as bad as his Aunt Petunia, though in a different way.
Molly's eyes narrowed, but Harry held his neutral look firm.
Before anything else could be said, Ron wearily stumbled into the room. "What's all the shouting for?" he asked as he dropped into a chair at the table.
His mother gave a small snort before spinning and leaving the room, anger in each step.
"So?" Ron asked just before he yawned.
"Mum didn't like it that we slept in the tent. She also didn't like it that Hermione has a Daily Prophet," Ginny informed him as she started dishing out food and then handing the bowl to Harry.
Ron shrugged and grabbed the plate of bacon before it could be snagged by someone else.
Harry looked at Hermione. "So, what else is in there?"
While they ate, Hermione summarized most of what she read, although she did quote a few choice parts.
Ron started to comment on what happened, so Ginny shook her head. "Secret," she whispered and then pointed towards the kitchen. Ron looked blankly for a moment before he cottoned on and nodded. He finished his breakfast and went back to his room.
The trio went out to the back garden and pulled their things out of the tent. When they were done, Harry made the tent fold itself.
"Ginny? Did you notice that your mother didn't comment on my using magic to get the newspaper from her?"
The redhead looked at him for a moment before she started chuckling. "No, I didn't, but I think she was too angry to notice. She may say something later, so be ready." Ginny sighed. "I'm sorry, you two. I know that wasn't pleasant."
Harry sighed and looked guilty. "Ginny, I'm sorry, but I don't want to, uh, …"
"I know, I know. Dad won't be happy, but I think he'll understand that I don't want to come back next summer." Ginny looked at the other two. "We'll work something out."
"Yes we will," Harry said with conviction. "I think we need to tell them something at the beginning of next summer. I'll claim you if I have to."
"That won't be easy, even with preparing our parents, Harry," Hermione told him. "I can only imagine what it will be like here."
Ginny winced at the thought. "I know it's the wimpy way, but I'll suggest telling Dad on his own and letting him tell Mum."
Harry grinned at her. "That's not a very Gryffindor thing to do."
"Maybe not, but I can see the merit in it," Hermione said.
Harry grabbed the small bundle of tent on the ground and his lightened trunk and headed towards the house.
"I think I'll do a quick workout," Ginny told them.
"In that case, I think I'll take a shower and get ready first," Hermione said.
"Right, and I'll take a shower after you, and Ginny can go after her workout."
"You're not going to join me and workout, Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Not today, probably tomorrow though," he replied.
They all went to the appropriate bedroom. Ron was now dressed and sitting in bed while leaning against the wall. He had a Quidditch magazine in hand; he looked like he was planning to spend the entire morning right there.
Harry pulled out some clothes to change into after he showered. He was starting to look around to see what else he needed to do when he heard stomping coming from the stairs below. A glance at Ron showed his friend to be ignoring it all, apparently used to it. Harry went to the doorway to try to figure out what was going on now.
Suddenly, he heard music playing, a tune with a fast beat. Ginny had already started her workout. He had not heard the radio, so he assumed she had silenced the door. He was not sure what had gone wrong.
"Shut that thing off!" Her mother yelled.
Harry made it to the stairs as the music cut off. He listened more closely now to the argument from the floor below.
"What are you doing stomping on the floor and playing that music so loudly! And where did you get that thing anyway?" her mother demanded.
Ginny must not have silenced the floor, or so Harry guessed.
"I was only exercising, Mum…"
"In that tarty outfit? Shameful! It's a good thing your father is at work this morning and not here to see that. Quit jumping on the ceiling, take that outfit off and give it to me, and act like a proper young lady." Mrs Weasley sounded doubtful that could be done.
Apparently, Mrs Weasley did not like Ginny in a spandex exercise outfit. Harry thought it was fine on her and did not really show all that much. In a couple of years, on the other hand, he thought it might be very interesting to see Ginny in an outfit like that.
"Mum! Exercising is good for you. It helps you to grow up and build muscles," Ginny retorted. "Plus it makes me feel good."
"I don't care, no one else does it."
"Harry does it sometimes."
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. That was the wrong thing to say and he braced himself against the stair rail.
"What?! He's seen you dressed like that?! Shameful! Give me those … those things so I can bin them."
"Mum, no! Mrs Granger gave them to me, and she exercises with me, too."
"Oh, so it's her fault. And what's that on your chest? When did you start wearing a bra?"
Harry sighed. He supposed this was the first time her mother had probably taken a good look at her, and the spandex did make the bra a lot more obvious, but why did she bring that up now?
"Since this summer. Mrs Granger noticed that I needed them to stay more modest so she bought me a few."
That seemed to calm the woman down a little. Harry was still debating with himself over whether he should go down or not. He heard a small creak and craned his neck to look down the stairs. He saw Hermione looking up at him, bed clothes in hand and with wet hair. She seemed very indecisive too.
"Why didn't you come to me for a bra?" Molly finally said, her voice now very firm instead of shouting.
"If I had been here, I would have, but I was at the Grangers. There was no easy way to contact you and Mrs Granger was very insistent on helping," Ginny explained.
"You could have owled me," Molly insisted.
"It would have been too late," Ginny defended herself. "After she said I needed some, she immediately took Hermione and me shopping."
Harry could hear the woman huff from where he was.
"At least give me those ridiculous clothes and any others like them and then get dressed. We need to go shopping for school supplies this afternoon. I've been waiting on you to get home."
This was where it was it going to get really ugly, Harry knew. He started slowly and silently creeping down the stairs. Hermione looked up at him with fear on her face. She knew what would probably happen as well as he did.
"We'll stay here," Ginny said in a quiet voice, dreading what was coming.
"Nonsense, you need to come. Now, get out of those clothes and don't make me tell you again."
Harry was almost at the bottom of the stairs. He motioned for Hermione to stay back.
"Not really, Mum. You see, since the book list came to me, we went shopping two weeks ago."
"What?!" Molly yelled. "And how did you pay for that? You didn't let them buy that too?"
"I had some extra spending money left over from what Dad gave me for my trip …"
"There is no way you could afford all of your school things with 'extra spending money', young lady."
Ginny was quiet for a moment and Harry took that moment to step into the room, the intense look on his face giving away how he felt about this conversation.
"It doesn't matter if she could or not, Mrs Weasley," he said evenly. The woman spun around, surprised to see him there. "I have an arrangement with your husband. If I want to buy her a book or two, I will. If I think a new set of robes would make her happy, I'm allowed to buy them for her."
"But, that could be over twenty Galleons! And don't think I've forgotten about the radio." Molly's look dared him to disagree.
Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter. A gift is a gift. The same applies to anything my mother gave Ginny."
Molly looked thunderous, but she held it. With a soft growl, she stormed from the room. "Be ready to go to Diagon Alley in an hour," she threw over her shoulder as her feet pounded on the steps as she headed back to the kitchen.
Harry looked at Ginny, his unhappiness fully visible now.
"We'll talk about it later, Harry. Go tell Ron to get ready while I shower and change," she told him.
He nodded after a moment, not fully trusting himself to speak about what just happened. Heading out, he looked over at Hermione and over her shoulder, he saw Percy standing at his door and looking at them with an amazed expression, blinking owlishly. Harry nodded to him and walked up the stairs.
In Ron's room, his friend looked up from his magazine. "I really don't want to know, do I?"
"No, you don't," Harry said softly, still very upset at the woman. "If you didn't hear, we're leaving in an hour to go to Diagon Alley. You're supposed to be ready before then."
"Not a problem, I'm ready now." Ron looked at him carefully. "I'd ask if you'd like to play a game of chess to get your mind off of things, but I don't think that would work too well. How about flying instead?"
Harry took a deep breath and gave a faint smile. "Thanks, Ron, that might be just what I need at the moment."
They quietly went downstairs and snuck past Ron's mother before heading out. A few minutes later, Harry was feeling the wind whip through his hair. By the time Hermione called them down so they could go, Harry felt almost normal - almost.
After putting their brooms away, the boys joined the others. Mrs Weasley led them all through the Floo and into the shopping district. The first place they went was Madam Malkin's. Ron grumbled about being there, but he had outgrown his school robes, and there was a note about dress robes, which Molly hoped to find for cheap.
"If you'll excuse us for a few minutes, Mrs Weasley," Harry said formally, "I need to visit Gringotts and the girls said they would like to accompany me. I'm sure we'll return before you are finished here."
The woman stared at him for a moment as she considered the white marble building she could see not far away out the window. "You and Hermione may go, but Ginny needs to stay here. I need to get her robes for school."
"I already have some, Mum," Ginny told her, not looking her in the eye.
Molly glared at Harry. "She saw something she really liked and so I bought them." When Molly did not respond, Harry continued. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and the two girls hurriedly followed him.
Harry practically growled, "Ginny…"
"Not now, Harry," she hissed quietly. "I promise we'll talk about it this evening, but this is not a good time or place."
As Harry struggled with that, Hermione added, "She's right, Harry. Stay calm a little longer."
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out as they walked into the bank. After a few minutes in line, a goblin took them to the carts and took them to his school vault.
The three walked inside. Harry was still angry and started throwing money into his bag. Ginny reached out and gently took it from him. He glared at her, but she handed the bag to Hermione.
"Hold this please," she asked her friend, who took the bag. Ginny pulled Harry to the side so they were not in direct view of the goblin. She pushed Harry against the wall and proceeded to snog him thoroughly. He only protested for a brief moment before his arms went to her waist and he returned the kiss. When she backed up, she smiled impishly at him before going over to Hermione and taking the bag from her. "Your turn to calm him down."
Hermione almost laughed, but she kept it to a smile and walked over to Harry, who was looking back and forth between the two girls. She heard Ginny continue to fill the money bag while she pressed herself against Harry and applied her lips to his. He was more eager this time. When she broke the kiss, she told him, "Now, keep those thoughts front and centre until this evening."
"OK," Harry said, somewhat dreamily.
They left the vault and went back to the clothing shop. When they arrived, Mrs Weasley had a few school robes but proclaimed there were no decent second-hand dress robes for Ron. He would have to wear some of Arthur's old ones.
It took another hour, but they bought books and potions supplies for the twins and Ron before heading home for a late lunch. Arthur was there when they arrived.
The family and guests sat down for a very quiet lunch. The tension was palpable, causing the twins to be unnaturally quiet, at least for them. When lunch was over, all the teens beat a hasty retreat to their rooms.
When they arrived on the floor for Ginny's room, Harry looked at Ron. "I need to talk to them for a few moments. I'll be up soon."
Ron took the hint and nodded. "Do you want to play some chess when you come up?"
Harry smiled, "Sure, go ahead and set the board up."
The trio walked into Ginny's room. As soon as she closed the door, Harry threw up six silencing charms to fully contain their conversation. "I know it's not evening yet, but I'm so angry I don't know that I can hold it in much longer," he told them fiercely.
Ginny, trying to prevent an ugly situation, walked over and pulled him into a hug. He was a little stiff, but he did not fight her. "I know this is hard, Harry, but I really don't think every day will be like this. We've surprised her a lot today. We also only have a week and then we'll be back at school."
"I can't take much more of this, Ginny. I also won't stand for any more of her treating you like you're three. You're thirteen and you have your own friends, and we are real people with brains and feelings," he said passionately.
Hermione came over to them. Ginny loosened her grip and slid over so Hermione could enter and make it a three-way hug. "Ginny's right. It's only for another week. But I understand what you're feeling. I hated how she couldn't even trust me over a little newspaper. I don't want to come back here next summer like we have for this summer and last."
"We won't," Harry agreed with finality. "I'll call in the Life Debt if I have to, but none of us will come back here if we don't feel like it."
Ginny stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Harry." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I'll want to come visit from time to time to see my brothers and Dad, but I agree too, I don't want to stay here anymore after this summer."
"Harry," Hermione said a little hesitantly, "you know that might force us to tell both of our parents about the bond. I think we can avoid it, but it could be a risk."
He squeezed both of them to him and held them that way for a long moment. "I know, but I still hope we can keep the bond secret and avoid all the yelling from everyone." He chuckled for a moment and the girls gave him questioning looks. "We should include Sirius in that conversation as well; he can help us."
Ginny giggled and Hermione chuckled as they imagined the old Marauder's reaction.
"That will make it amusing," Ginny said.
A true smile came to Harry for the first time in the conversation. He gave each of them a quick hug. "I should probably go upstairs before Ron comes back down looking for me."
They each gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before he took his spells down. As he opened the door, they all heard stomping coming up the stairs. Harry pulled back and stood behind the slightly-open door.
A door slammed on the floor below them and then muffled yelling started.
"Arthur, he can't keep doing that to her. I won't stand for it!"
Harry looked at Ginny with anger on his face and she grimaced in the pause from shouting.
"Don't you 'Molly' me! I told you, I won't stand for it any longer!"
There was a pause and the three strained to hear.
"I don't care about any bloody arrangement you have with him. It's shameful the way he buys things for her, and the things he buys! It's as if he thinks she's his to do with as he pleases. Ar…" The shouting cut off in mid-rant.
Harry had to consciously work at maintaining his temper, lest it get the best of him. His partial calm of a moment ago was completely gone. He spoke through gritted teeth. "What if I can't take another week of this? She's purposefully exaggerating things to make you sound like a … a tramp or something." Suddenly turning, he saw tears in her eyes so he grabbed the redhead and held her close in a tight hug. "Don't listen to her, Ginny. She's completely wrong. You're a wonderful person."
Ginny sniffled a little as she laid her head on his shoulder. After a long moment, she sniffed hard one last time and then let go of him. "Thank you, Harry, but I'm OK, really. It just caught me a little by surprise. You better go up. Like you said, Ron will come looking for you if you take too long."
He looked her over and then looked to Hermione. "Take care of her, will you please?"
"Of course," Hermione said with a caring smile. She walked over and pulled Ginny into a loose hug and rubbed her back. "Go on, Harry. I think Ginny and I need to talk; we'll come find you later."
Harry leaned over and lightly kissed both girls on the top of the head before he headed out. He closed the door to the room, and as he turned to go up the stairs, he saw Percy standing in his doorway and looking at him thoughtfully.
"Mr Potter," he said pleasantly. In fact, it was the friendliest that Percy had ever spoken to him.
Harry nodded to his bond-mate's brother and hurried up the stairs, wondering why Percy was acting a little differently. As he reached Ron's room, he heard someone going down the stairs. By process of elimination, he knew it had to be Percy. The girls were in Ginny's room, Ron was visible in his room, and the twins' room was on the same floor as their parents' room.
He was about to go into Ron's room when he heard a loud knocking. He froze in the doorway of Ron's room; his friend looking at him and obviously wondering why he was just standing there. Some instinct told him to stay where he was. He barely heard the next bit of conversation.
"Now's not a good time, Percy."
"Actually, Father, now is an excellent time as understanding will come easier."
"What are you on about?"
"What I'm trying to communicate is that I believe the direction this family is going is the wrong one…"
"What?" Arthur Weasley's raised voice was a little easier to hear now.
"I said," Percy raised his voice a little as well, "this family is heading in the wrong direction, and I cease to desire to be a part of it."
"What are you talking about?!" Molly Weasley asked, easily heard up two flights of stairs.
Harry looked at Ron. His friend got up and quietly walked over. They both stood at the railing to hear better.
"I hardly know where to begin, I have so many choices," Percy said with disdain. "Shall I start with how the family can barely put food on the table? Or how about that the family is disintegrating? Perhaps the lack of ambition by some in this family is a good place to start? Or…"
A loud slap was heard. Harry and Ron both winced at that.
"Or we can discuss abuse," Percy said bravely, as if he had not been interrupted. "No matter, I have better things to do and better places to be. I must pack and be off. Good-bye."
The two boys heard Percy walk up the stairs. They were so shocked, neither moved. As Percy came up to the second floor and headed towards his room, he looked up and gave a brief nod to both of them. They heard his door close a moment later.
"Blimey…" Ron whispered.
Harry was not sure what to think. A door opening and footsteps got his attention. He saw Hermione and Ginny at the bottom of the stairs and Ginny was waving him down and hoarsely whispering, "Harry!"
"Er, back in a minute, Ron."
His friend looked a little hurt at not being included, but he nodded and returned to his room. Harry hurried down as fast as he could and still keep it quiet. Ginny had already started walking towards Percy's room and Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
Ginny wondered if this was Percy's moment to leave. She opened the door and walked in, Harry and Hermione were right behind her now. She waved her hand at the door and Hermione closed it.
Ginny looked around and saw that the room was bare, except for one trunk standing in the middle of the room, next to Percy himself.
"Ginevra," he said calmly, as if nothing had just happened and as if the red hand-print on his left check did not exist.
"I knew you'd make it dramatic, Percy. That was either the bravest thing I've ever seen, or the sneakiest thing I've seen. I suppose it depends on whether you did that just for yourself, or for others too," Ginny reasoned.
Percy looked slightly amused. "Or perhaps because it was the easiest time to do it."
Ginny cocked her head and thought about it. "Naw, it's too easy to get Mum riled up."
For the first time Harry could remember, Percy actually smiled.
"Too true. I was going to wait until next summer, but I found a very good deal on a place to live. And…" Percy walked the few steps over to his sister and laid a hand on her shoulder caringly. "And I thought you could use the distraction while you finish your week here."
Ginny threw her arms around his body and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Percy!"
He patted her on the back and scrutinized her. "Does Mr Potter treat you well, Ginny?"
"Like a princess," she said with a grin. "We're best friends and we watch each other's backs."
Percy nodded, as if that was the only correct answer. He looked up at Harry. "I was unaware you had an arrangement with Father, Mr Potter."
Harry felt like he had been punched he was so surprised at that being brought up. It took a brief moment, but he realized Percy was referring to what Mrs Weasley had shouted not too long before. "Err, uh, yeah, I do. I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourself."
"Of course, Mr Potter. It is family business and no one else's. I must say that makes me feel better about several things." Percy paused briefly, but it was obvious he had more to say. "However, while that will help Ginny, if I may be so forward, would it be correct for me to assume that you and Ginny have agreed on the role Miss Granger will have? If my sister's husband will have a mistress, I would feel better if she gave her blessing first."
Harry heard a rustle of clothing and, despite that his gaze never wavered from Percy, his hand shot out to the side to grip Hermione's wand hand that was next to him. He hoped she stayed quiet this once.
Before he or Hermione could say anything, Ginny quickly spoke up. "Percy, that is a private matter between the three of us. Also, we are still a little young to formalize everything, but we are aware of the possibilities."
Feeling it was for the best, Harry nodded and stayed silent. To his relief, Hermione said nothing.
Before more could be said, they all heard stomping coming up the stairs. Percy quickly let go of Ginny and walked back to his trunk.
"Percy, please talk to Dad at work. Even if you have to make him swear a secrecy oath to keep it all from Mum, talk to him. He'll understand, I know he will," Ginny quietly pleaded.
As the heavy footsteps reached the landing and turned to come this way, Percy gave one last smile. "I'll consider it. Until we meet again…" He gave a short formal bow to Harry and a nod to Hermione before an overly loud Apparation crack filled the room, and Percy and trunk were gone.
The door burst open and Mrs Weasley stood there. The anger on her face drained away as she took in the empty room. "Percy?" she softly called in vain and stepped into the room. The trio used the moment of Mrs Weasley looking lost to leave the room; she made no effort to stop them. In fact, it was like she did not even see them.
Hermione still looked a little upset over Percy's comment, but Harry felt it was best to let Ginny cool her down, so he went back upstairs. He found Ron sitting on his bed and looking at his chessboard. He was picking up the pieces and examining each one carefully, as if inspecting it for damage.
"Why do you think Percy left?"
Harry was surprised by the question. He decided that being vague would be best. "You're his brother. Wouldn't you know him best?"
Ron put the rook he was holding down and picked a knight up. "I'm not sure anyone really knows Percy. I guess I'm asking if he said anything about why when you went down."
"No, not really." Thinking he had to say something, Harry said, "He did say he was leaving a little sooner than he had originally planned."
Ron nodded and put the knight down before turning to Harry with a sad look. "There's been a lot of yelling here today, a lot more than usual."
Harry could not decide whether to be upset at that or not. Doing his best to keep his voice level, he asked, "Are you saying it's my fault?"
Ron looked a little surprised. "No, not at all, I was only noticing… I mean…" He stopped and Harry did not say anything. "I suppose I mean that I'm not surprised Percy left. I thought when Bill and Charlie left, it was only something you do when you finish Hogwarts. But then, I had barely turned, uh," Ron paused a thought for a moment, "nine and eleven when they left. I suppose I'm wondering if there were other reasons for them leaving." Ron shrugged as if saying he was not sure about anything he had just said.
Not sure what to do, Harry came over and sat across from Ron, with the chess board between them. "I don't know, Ron. But if I were you and really wanted to know, I'd write them and ask." Harry moved a white pawn forward.
Ron responded by moving a black pawn. "I'll think about it."
They played the game for a few minutes before Ron broke the silence. "Harry, you've changed a lot this summer. I never would have imagined you standing up to Mum like you did this morning."
Harry considered which piece to move. In a way, it probably did not matter: Ron would win anyway. Chess was merely a way for them to spend some time together as friends, or what passed for friendship for them. Harry did not consider them all that close anymore. "I've had to. A lot has changed since last Christmas." When Ron did not say anything, Harry added, "I've also spent a lot of time with Sirius lately and he's taught me a lot about the Wizarding World and … well, and my supposed place in it." Harry moved his knight.
"What place is that?" Ron asked curiously, as he moved a bishop with little apparent thought.
"I'm the last of the Potters, Ron, the very last one in my family. I have a family name to uphold and a place in our society. I'll never be the ponce that Malfoy is, but I am a wizard and the head of my family. If I'm to fit into that, there are things I have to know and things I'll have to do some day." Not knowing what else to do, Harry moved his queen.
"Like what?" Ron casually asked as he took Harry's queen with a rook Harry had not paid attention to.
Wincing at his stupidity in losing his queen, Harry picked up his pieces and put them back in the starting position, conceding that game. Ron smiled and reset his pieces as well.
"Like knowing how our government works, knowing the customs, knowing how to dance, knowing…"
"Did you say you have to know how to dance?" Ron asked wide-eyed, as if he had just seen a spider. "I thought you were trying to pull one over on me when you said that the other day."
"Sirius said I needed to know how to act at social gatherings, and that included dancing. Ginny taught both me and Mr Granger, while Sirius taught Hermione and Mrs Granger." Harry smiled as he remembered the time they had spent learning and then later dancing for fun. "It's not so bad. Ginny is a good dancer and Hermione became one."
"You're mental," Ron told him. "Go ahead and move first again. You need all the help you can get."
"In that case…" Harry grinned as he pulled Ron's queen off the board and then moved the pawn in front of his own king.
Ron smiled. "A little bit of a challenge, but you're still going down, Potter…" Ron did indeed win that game, but he had a harder time than normal.
Dinner that evening was another quiet meal. Mrs Weasley kept glancing at the empty place where Percy usually sat. Harry was grateful for the sacrifice Percy had made. He hoped it worked out for the usually stuffy Weasley boy.
When dinner ended, Mrs Weasley asked Ron and Hermione to help clear the table while she put the extra food away. Harry briefly wondered if she did that because she wanted Ron and Hermione to date one day, but decided he was probably reading things into the situation that probably were not there simply because he was unhappy with the woman.
Mr Weasley excused himself to the living room and Ginny leaned over and very quietly whispered in Harry's ear. "Go up to your room and stay there a bit. I need to talk to Dad alone."
He narrowed his eyes at her, as he tried to figure out what she was doing.
"I need to talk to him about Percy, and I need to warn him that he needs to stop Mum from making things worse."
"Ginny…" he hissed.
She put two fingers over his lips to silence him. "It's only fair I should warn him. Don't worry, I won't give any secrets away. Go," she shooed him.
Afraid of what might happen, yet having no good reason to stop her, he got up and left for Ron's room, hoping Ginny knew what she was doing.
As Ron and Hermione came back for their next load of dishes to carry into the kitchen, Ginny grabbed a wicker basket out of the pantry and went to find her father.
"Dad? I noticed that some of the pears in the top of the trees were ready to be picked. Will you help me get them? You can also check on the apples," she said.
Her father looked at her for a moment before his eyes suddenly brightened. He put down the book in his hands and stood. "A capital idea. I've been meaning to ask you about your summer as well." He opened the back door and they walked out. "How was your trip?"
"It was great," she said enthusiastically with a big grin. "Switzerland and the Alps are beautiful. The hiking was great, as was going with Sirius, the Grangers, and of course Harry and Hermione. Sirius spent most evenings teaching Harry customs and things. I even learned a few things too."
"Oh, like what?"
"Like how the Ministry works, especially the Wizengamot, and a few charms, like to heal small cuts and things." She purposefully did not mention the Blasting and Cutting hexes, the Shield spell, nor the Bubble-Head charm.
Arthur nodded. "That's useful. How was the rest of your summer? I missed you on your birthday." He gave her a very caring smile.
"I missed you too, but the rest of the time was just as good. The Grangers are very nice and they treated me just like Hermione and Harry. We got to visit Sirius at least once a week when we were at their house, or else he would come over. He's really funny." She giggled.
He chuckled with her. As they entered the orchard, he drew his wand. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Ginny sang as she gripped the basket tightly. She loved doing this with her father.
He levitated her to the top of the tree. She quickly found the ripe fruit and put it in the basket. They went from tree to tree, getting the fruit that could not be reached from the ground or by climbing into the tree.
When they finished the pears, the basket was quite full. Ginny set it down and they walked back to check on the apples.
Her father looked them over. "I think they'll be ready in a week or so, right as my help leaves for school," he said teasingly.
Ginny smiled back, but it was not as happy as before. "Dad, you need to do something or we won't be here even that long." Her father froze. She wished he was facing her so she could see his expression, but he was facing away from her.
"What do you mean?" he softly asked as he turned around, his expression neutral.
"While you were gone this morning, Mum yelled at Harry twice. She also took Hermione's newspaper away from her, until Harry summoned it back. That was bad, but the worst was when she yelled at me, making me sound like a … she called me 'shameful'."
Her father sighed and looked down.
"Dad, Harry may not like what she does to him, but he won't stand for anything bad being done to me or Hermione. Once more this week and he'll take us both away," she told him bluntly.
He shook his head as if he did not believe her. "I can't believe that she…" He paused for a moment. "That would be very upsetting for your mother."
"Harry won't care, Dad. Mum can scream and yell all she wants, but Harry only has to make one decision and have one conversation with you and it will be a long time before she sees me again."
His head shot up and he looked at her with alarm.
She smiled to soften the moment. "I'll still seek you out, Dad, but Harry won't put up with what she does. No matter what Mum does or wants, when it comes to deciding what happens to me, Harry will win in the end. I will only stay here as long as Harry is convinced I'm happy, and as long as we're not being mistreated."
Her father came over and pulled her into a hug and she returned it in joy. He always understood her and she loved him for it.
"Please ask him to be as patient as possible. I'd really rather not have to deal with losing two children in the same week," he told her sadly.
"We'll try, we'll really try," she told him honestly.
"Thank you, Angel," he told her lovingly and planted a light kiss on the top of her head. "Since you've delivered your message, I suppose we can take the fruit in now?"
"It was my decision; Harry didn't want me to do it. I think he didn't want me to get into trouble." She went to pick up the basket of fruit, but Arthur waved his wand and it floated, staying a few steps in front of him as they slowly walked.
He gave her an understanding look. "Harry really is a good lad."
Deciding this was a good place to change the topic, Ginny blurted out, "Dad, Percy is a good lad too."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Please talk to him at work," she said with a little pleading in her voice. "Promise him you'll keep everything secret from Mum, and he may tell you some things you really want to know." He looked sceptical, so she added, "I may be wrong, but I do think it would be worth the effort."
He did not say anything for a moment. "Do you know something about why he left home, besides what he said?"
"Not exactly, but I do have a few good guesses," she admitted.
"I'll consider it," he finally said.
They walked into the house a few minutes later. Her mother looked pleased to see the basket of fruit. Hoping things would go well for the evening, Ginny joined the other five, which included the twins, in a game of Exploding Snap. To her relief, there were no more arguments for the rest of the day.
The next day, the trio got up very early before anyone else was up and quietly left the house. Harry set up Sirius's tent on the side of the house where Ginny's mother was unlikely to see it by looking out a window. In there, Harry and Ginny changed clothes in separate bedrooms. Then Harry silenced the main room of the tent and Harry and Ginny did their exercises to the music from the Wizarding Wireless in there. Hermione sat on a couch and read. She had decided to come as a form of protection, so no one could say Harry and Ginny were alone and doing something "shameful". The cardio exercise was followed by some callisthenics from Harry's exercise book. When they were done, Harry and Ginny each showered and changed into their normal clothes, before Harry took the tent back down.
That would become their normal ritual for the rest of the week. Harry had sent a secret letter to Sirius yesterday telling him he would like his godfather to meet them on Platform 9 ¾ and Harry would give the tent back then; they had a use for it in the meantime.
Arthur joined everyone else for an unusually late breakfast, at least late for him on a work day.
"I'd thought you'd be at work by now, Dad," Ron said.
"Normally I would be, but I decided to stay home from work today. I thought a little time for private reflection after everything that has happened in the last few days was needed. I think the Ministry and Perkins can do without me for a day," Arthur said casually as he spread jam on his toast. His newspaper was sitting beside his plate, as Hermione's was beside hers.
Harry was quite relieved the man stayed home, after the difficulty they had yesterday. Mrs Weasley would give Harry questioning looks throughout the day, but fortunately, she did not say anything against them. Even when Arthur went back to work the following day, she continued in the same way. While not perfect, it was tolerable. Nevertheless, by the end of the week, Harry vowed they would never stay inside The Burrow for more than a single night - preferably not even that long - never, ever again.