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The Wounded Beast

Ginny Weasley stopped short, after running through the brick and stone column to get to Platform 9 3/4. The trunk on her trolley slid to the front edge, but didn’t go over. Her best friend Hermione Granger came through behind her, pushing her own trolley. Hermione’s cat Crookshanks let out a complaint from his carrier on top of the trolley. They turned together around the column to see the great steam engine of the Hogwarts Express.

Their fiancés came through behind them, stopping together.

Hermione said, “Voila! Here we are!”

Her brother Ronald Weasley yawned and said, “We’re only an hour early, Hermione. We could have slept in at least another half hour.”

Her friend gave her fiancé a sharp look. “I counted at least nine things that could have gone wrong on our way here, that could have made us over two hours late. That doesn’t include the unforeseeable circumstances, like a House Elf blocking us from getting through this column.”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

“This is Ginny and I’s last year, I’m not missing the train!”

“Yes, darling.”

Ginny’s fiancé, Harry Potter, walked up to her and helped her push her trolley to the baggage cars. “Ron, at last you’ve learned the right thing to say!”

She bumped against his arm as they reached the train. He smiled at her, and she couldn’t help but smile back. After the battle at the school had been over, it had taken weeks before she saw him smile like that again. Every time she saw it now it made her entire day.

The conductor was standing by the car, checking his pocket watch against the clock on the stone column.

Harry started to ask, “Pardon me, sir, when does-”

“Ten minutes,” the conductor said. “We start boarding in ten minutes. Stay with your baggage until then. You never know what a Death Eater might add to it.” He smiled like he was making a joke, then took a closer look at who he was speaking to. He turned a little pale. “Pardon me, Mister Potter. I meant no offense.”

“No offense taken. So we just sit on the bench and wait?”

“Yes, sir. The driver needs to come off his break with the keys.”

They sat on back-to-back benches, Harry immediately started to snog with Ginny, and Ron snogged with Hermione.

It seemed like just an instant before they heard the conductor yell, “Now boarding! The Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is now boarding. Departing at precisely eleven A.M!”

Harry pulled away from Ginny before coming back in for a quick buss. “There you go, Ron, ten minutes of snogging we wouldn’t have had if we’d slept in.”

A short queue had formed at the baggage car while they passed the time. They joined the line, and it was just a matter of minutes before Ginny’s trunk was loaded. Harry carried her suitcase as they walked past the baggage cars to the lead passenger cars, she held his other hand. They went to the back of the first car. Harry let Ginny board first, and she got to choose their compartment. They were first to the car, so Ginny chose the last compartment at the back. She slid the door open and took the front-facing bench, by the window. Harry used his wand to lift her bag onto the rack over their heads, then sat next to her.

Ron followed Harry, carrying Hermione’s case. He lifted her bag the same as Harry, although it clattered in the rack a bit more.

“Careful, there, Ron,” Ginny said.

He stepped out of Hermione’s way, and she was preceded by her pet carrier. She transferred the carrier to the rack smoothly. Just one complaint was heard as it settled in place. She sat across from Ginny, and Ron sat next to her.

Harry quietly asked Ginny, “Do you need any money for the food trolley?”

“I have some.”

“Take this, just because you never know.” He passed her a pair of Galleons.

She looked at Ron, to see if he noticed that Harry was giving her money. Ron wasn’t noticing anything, he had his lips locked to Hermione’s already.

That seemed like a terrific idea to Ginny. The wounds on Harry’s face were almost entirely healed, and she knew where she’d hurt him if she wasn’t careful. She wouldn’t hurt him for the world. She laid her hand against his neck and pulled his face in close. He got the hint.

The train whistle blew the ten minute warning. Harry pulled away from her, oh, so reluctantly. His glasses were thick with fog, and the compartment windows were mildly steamed as well. He cast the spell to clean his glasses.

He gave her another quick kiss, then stood up and kissed the top of her head. She heard him inhale through his nose, but it wasn’t as deep as it used to be. He was still having trouble with deep breaths.

She said, “I love you, Harry.”

He smiled at her as he slid the door open, “I love you, Gin.” And he was gone. Ron followed after, giving Hermione one last look before closing the slider.

As soon as they left, Hermione stood and got the pet carrier down from the racks, and released her cat Crookshanks. The cat looked around the bench, hissing and spitting, while Hermione returned the empty carrier. Then she picked him up, sat on the bench, and placed Crookshanks on her lap. The cat squatted on her legs, purring loudly enough to be heard in the corridor.

Ginny was watching the boys, who stood outside the compartment and waved. She saw her brother Percy approach Ron on the Platform. They shook hands and talked for a few minutes. She said, “That’s odd, Percy’s here.”

Percy had a suitcase and a book bag, so it looked like he was coming with them. After a few minutes, Percy shook Harry’s hand, picked up his suitcase, and boarded the train.

Just a moment later, Percy was knocking on their door. Ginny waved him in. He slid open the door and put his bags down. “Hi, Ginny. Hello, Hermione. I’m the substitute teacher for the first term in Transfiguration.” He pulled his wand from his pocket and whisked his bags up on to the rack, then sat on the bench next to Ginny. “Headmaster McGonagall hasn’t been able to fill the post, yet, so she asked the Board of Governors for help, who passed it on to the Ministry. We’re going to be doing a lot of repairs and reconstruction, and my name came up for that.”

Ginny said, “Well, it’s good to see you, Perce. You’ll forgive me if I have trouble remembering to call you Professor Weasley, won’t you?”

Hermione giggled.

He replied, “Yes, I’m going to have trouble adjusting to that myself. But so long as the Gryffindor team keeps winning matches, you can use my first name as much as you like.”

A woman knocked on their door. Percy stood and slid it open for her. She said, “May I join you? We seem to be filling up in the front.”

Percy said, “Please come in, Miss Green.” He helped put her bags on the racks, and she sat next to Hermione.

Hermione asked, “This is Crookshanks. You aren’t allergic to cats, are you?”

Miss Green smiled at the cat. “Not at all. That’s a fine, big kitty. May I pet him?”

“Best not,” Ginny said. “He really is a one-woman boy.”

Percy introduced her to the girls, “Miss Green, this is our Head Girl, Hermione Granger, and my sister, Ginny, Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ladies, this is Olivia Green, who works at the Ministry down in the Department of Mysteries.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both, truly,” she said. “Miss Granger, I’ve been reading about you all summer. I look forward to hearing your story directly.”

Hermione sounded a trifle suspicious, “So you’ll be working at the school?”

“Oh, yes, sorry I missed the salient point. I’m the new DADA professor. But please call me Olivia.”

The whistle blew on the train, and they got underway. Hermione and Ginny waved at the boys until the train left the platform behind.

Olivia stayed quiet until the girls stopped waving. “My lord, that was Harry Potter! And you’re both wearing engagement rings. Are they your fiancés? I assume, Ginny, you aren’t marrying your brother, so you’re engaged to Harry?”

Ginny answered, “Correct, Professor! Sorry, Olivia. It’s funny, I’m supposed to call my brother Professor, and you by your first name. I don’t know if I’ll get used to that.”

“And what will you be teaching, Professor Weasley?”

“Transfiguration, Professor Green. I’m filling in during the repairs, until the Headmaster can find a permanent teacher.”

“I understand, Professor. I was a last-minute choice, once again.”

Hermione asked her, “Have you been a Professor before?”

Percy piped up, “I remember you taught part of my Third Year.”

“Yes, this is my second time as fill-in DADA professor, the last time was about ten years ago. They used to say that Lord Voldemort had jinxed the job, so I quit at the end of the school year. We tried to confirm if there really was a curse, and couldn’t verify it. It has continued, though, hasn’t it? But he’s well and truly gone now, thank you all for that, so it should be safe to come back.”

Percy said, “It’s feels strange just remembering that we can say the name now.”

“I know! I’ll be happy if I never say ‘you-know-who’ ever again.”

“So did you quit the Unspeakables?”

“I’m on temporary leave. I told my manager, if it works out I’d like to stay. I found before that I like teaching.”

Hermione asked, “I have to talk to the Prefects this afternoon, before we arrive. Is there anything either of you know that I can tell them?”

Percy answered, “The Headmaster is arranging for trauma therapists and a Mind Healer to be at the school at least through the Fall term. They’ll be available to all the students and staff.”

Ginny said, “Oh, I think I could use some of that. It’s not like we haven’t all been traumatized.”

Percy said, “Yes, I’m still having nightmares over Fred, and killing Rookwood.”

Ginny took her brother’s hand, and they both had a brief cry.

She heard Hermione tell Olivia, “Their brother Fred was killed when a wall of the castle was exploded by a Death Eater named Rookwood.”

“I remember Fred and his brother, they were in my First Year class. They were disruptive, but they were a lot of fun, too. But this reminds me, did you receive the list of closed sections? You should talk to the Prefects about that.”

“Yes, it’s on my agenda.”

Percy wiped his eyes on the back of his hand. “That’s part of my job. There’s a repair crew working on the castle, and my classes will be helping them. Even the First Years, once they have the levitation spell down, can help move small rocks.”

Hermione said, “Oh, Percy, it has been a long time since you were eleven, hasn’t it? I wish you luck with that.”

“She’s right, Perce,” Ginny said. “You have to remember that some of the students will be just like Fred and George were, and some may be even worse.”

Hermione added, “You let me know if you want a Prefect or two on hand, so they don’t hurt each other by throwing rocks.”

Ginny noticed that Percy’s ears turned pink, the Stage One blush. Just like their father. She knew she did it, too.

The lady with the lunch cart stopped by. Olivia said, “It would be my honor to buy you all lunch. Get whatever you like.”

Hermione ordered an extra chicken sandwich, and fed the meat to Crookshanks, with just a bit of the cheese. After they had all eaten, Hermione said, “Thank you for lunch, Olivia. It just feels weird, having a stranger buy us lunch, because of what we did. Ginny, that happens sometimes with Harry, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, there are even some restaurants in Diagon Alley where they don’t allow him to pay. I suppose that will just happen more often for him now. For us.”

Percy asked, “What does he do when they say that?”

“It makes him uncomfortable. I haven’t been out with him yet this year, but before, they were always honoring him for something he did when he was a year old. It’s not like he planned it. He tries not to frequent those places very often. Except the ice cream shop.”

Olivia said, “I’m sorry if I made you all uncomfortable. I was just expressing my gratitude.”

Ginny said, “We appreciate your gesture, Olivia. It’s just an aspect of fame that we’ve never had to deal with before. Harry’s been getting it for seven years. I think I understand him a little better now.”

Hermione said, “I need to use the loo before I go to the meeting. I should be back in an hour or two.”

Ginny asked, “Would you like some moral support?”

Hermione looked at her with a straight face. “I think I know how to use the loo.”

Ginny could feel her ears get warm. “Silly, I meant the meeting.”

She grinned, “I think I’ll be alright. I know what I want to say. Keep an eye on Crookshanks for me, please.” She put the cat on her bench seat, took her pocketbook and left. Crookshanks curled up in the warm spot and fell asleep.

Olivia said, “You get along like sisters.”

“She feels like a sister to me. Meaning no offense to my brothers,” she took Percy’s hand again. “I met her when I was ten, but in the last four years we’ve gotten close. I love her as an older sister, and it feels the same to me as the love for my brothers. I appreciate them and her.”

Percy said, “I’m glad for you. I have only one sister to love.” He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back.

Olivia said she was going to the loo, then she was going to walk the train and talk to some of the students.

When they were alone, Ginny confessed, “I missed you, Perce.”

“I missed all of you. I only hope I’m done being a prat. You will let me know  if I get that way, won’t you?”

“Count on it! I want to say, Perce, you’re my brother, and I will always love you. Some of the things you’ve done over the last few years have hurt Harry deeply. That means you hurt me, deeply, too. I’m not sure I’m entirely ready to forgive you for that, but I’d like to, eventually.”

“I’m sorry. If I can find a way to make it up to him, and to you, I would like to mend those hurts.”

“Alright, I appreciate that. I want to take a kip until Hermione comes back. Why don’t you go to the loo, and I’ll go when you get back? One of us needs to watch the bags.”

“You don’t want to go while Olivia might be in there? Alright. One thing I want to know, while we’re alone: Does he make you happy?”

She looked at her ring. “Happier than I thought I’d ever have the right to feel.”

“You’re practically glowing right now. Congratulations!” He kissed her forehead.

When she awoke, Hermione was sitting across from her again. Crookshanks was curled against her leg.

Ginny yawned. “How was the meeting?”

Hermione rolled her eyes. “They’re all so young! They can’t be younger than Fifth Years, but they feel like Second Years to me.”

Percy asked, “Who’s your counterpart?”

“Justin Finch-Fletchley. Both his parents are Muggles, like mine. He said they went to America last year, to get away from the Death Eaters. He’s alright, just a little into everyone’s feelings. Although this year, that’s probably a good thing. It just puts most of the Prefect supervision on me. I need to work up their schedule.”

Ginny said, “Of course you do, but not right now, alright? Put your notebook away and enjoy the train ride.” Hermione smiled at her, and put her quill in her notebook and packed it in her pocketbook. Percy told Hermione what he remembered from his year as Head Boy.

Hermione said, “There was something I wanted to ask you about, Percy. When you were Head Boy, how did you distribute the schedule of duties for the three years worth of students, as the year progressed?”

Percy seemed confused, “I’m not sure what you mean, we kept to the same random schedule for the entire year.”

Hermione frowned, “I remember from when I was a Fifth Year Prefect, it didn’t seem fair to treat everyone equally, and not take into account the circumstances of the year. What I’m thinking is to keep the patrol schedules random, but bias the other duties, like the guest-greeter, and the incident response team. During the Fall Term, assign those mostly to the Fifth Years. During the Winter Term, assign mostly the Seventh Years. Then, in the Spring Term, when both Fifth and Seventh Years have critical tests, assign mostly the Sixth Years.”

Percy raised his eyebrows. “That sounds very fair, Hermione. You may want to keep the incident response team a blend of all three years, so the Fifth Years are stabilized and mentored by the Seventh Years. I would explain it to everyone, so they understand why they’re suddenly getting more of the secondary tasks. If it looks like that’s working for everyone, we can discuss it with Professor Flitwick before the end of the year, see if they want to make it regular practice.”

Just as they felt the train slowing, Olivia returned.

“What’s the mood of the students?” Percy asked.

“Concerned and relieved, I’d say. Concerned about the condition of the school, relieved that they shouldn’t have to worry about Death Eaters and Voldemort anymore. Even the First Years.”

They let Olivia out first, then Percy. Hermione had Crookshanks back in his carrier, and Ginny followed her out, double-checking to be sure nothing was left behind. They put their bags in the wagons next to the train. The lead carriage was reserved for teachers, so Percy led Olivia that way. 

As they passed the rear carriage in line, they saw the animals tied to the carriages. They had felt Thestrals before, even ridden them on a heart-stopping flight to London, but they had never seen them before. They had a terrible dark, majestic beauty.

Hermione stopped to look. “Hagrid and Luna were right, about all of it. It’s amazing.”

“I believe I did say they have a terrible beauty.”

Ginny and Hermione turned. Luna had come up behind them.

Hermione seemed confused. “But why can I see - Dobby. I watched Dobby die.”

Ginny said, “And I saw Remus and Tonks get killed.”

Luna said, “Yes, it’s a horrible price to pay, to see such beautiful creatures.”

Hermione said, “I need to check on the Prefects, so I want to ride in this next carriage.”

Ginny said, “I’ll save you a seat.”

A few minutes later, she heard a horn blow from back near the train. A similar horn blew from the front of the line. Hermione jumped into the carriage and sat down just before it started moving.

They talked with Luna about their summers. She told them that once her father was released from Azkaban, he had found them a new home, near the shore at the south edge of Scotland. It seemed an indulgence after that, to show her their engagement rings, but she expressed appreciation for the rings, and wished them both happy and bountiful marriages.

When the castle came into view, it was lit up like usual, but the gaps and cavities tarnished the image. It seemed like a beautiful wounded beast, slowly being nursed back to health.

When they stepped into the Great Hall, the heart of the wounded beast lay before them. All of the windows were covered. The enchanted ceiling was simply dark stone. The tables for the four Houses had only a single banner each hung over them. Instead of floating candles, the room was lit by one hundred floating balls of light, shining brightly.

Headmaster McGonagall sat in the large seat at the teacher’s table. She said, “Please take your seats so we may bring in the First Years.”

Looking around, the building wasn’t the only thing wounded. There were students with casts on their arms, or legs, and using canes or crutches. Some of that may heal over the next few months, some won’t.

As they sat at the Gryffindor table, Ginny asked Hermione, “So who’s escorting them in? Who is the Deputy Headmaster?”

Hermione scanned the table at the front of the room. “Professor Flitwick. He’s missing, and so is Hagrid, but we know Hagrid escorts the First Years to the castle.” She stood up and looked around. “The students are all about done finding seats, so as soon as Hagrid comes in-”

Ginny interrupted, “He’s here.”

Hermione sat down, and they watched their friend make his way past Olivia and Percy to get to his seat. The doors to the Great Hall closed by themselves.

A moment later they were opened again. A line of young students came in. Professor Flitwick cast fireworks from his wand, bursting right over the line. At the front of the tables, he directed them to go first to the left, then to the right, so the new students lined up in front of everyone.

The Headmaster held up the scroll with the students’ names, and the Professor levitated it to his hand.

The Sorting Hat was already placed on the stool for the students. It’s brim opened it’s mouth and it gave it’s annual speech.

Oh, what a year it was, 

of fear and pain, of sorrow for the mistreated,

The dear friends we lost,

The hated enemies we defeated. 

 

The Badgers who fought for justice,

and tried to heal the wounded, 

Hufflepuff fought the unforgiving, 

Provided refuge for the hounded.

 

Canny Ravenclaw saw the chance

For victory over tyrants,

Creative Ravens, makers of traps,

With assistance from the parents.

In the middle of the speech, Hermione nudged Ginny, indicating with her chin to the end of the teacher table, where Professor Trelawney was coming down to stand near the hat.

The Slytherin, who sought to aide,

when we could not let them,

Lacking trust and forgiveness,

Even for the purest among them.

 

Brave Lions, fighting with a mighty sword,

To bring a tyrant to his knees,

Stubborn Gryffindor, let no surcease,

Battling so all may live in peace.

 

The Dark Lord was defeated,

By hearts steady, brave, and true,

By students and their teachers,

And allies old and new.

 

Oh, what a year it was, 

of fear and pain, of loss and sorrow. 

Here’s hoping the new year’s grief

will turn to a brighter, happier tomorrow.

 

When the Hat was done speaking, the students cheered and applauded. When they finished, Professor Flitwick said, “As I call your name, come take a seat on the stool and be sorted into your House.” The first student came up, sat on the stool, and Professor Trelawney rested the hat on their head until it announced their House.

As the ceremony progressed, Ginny didn’t hear any familiar names. She did hear sniffles coming from her friend. She dug out a kerchief from a pocket and handed it to Hermione.

After the last student was sorted, everyone cheered. Hermione said into Ginny’s ear, “It’s the ceremony of it. It says ‘we will go on.’”

The Headmaster stood up at her chair as the two Professors made their way to their seats. “You may refer to me as Headmaster McGonagall. I feel ‘Headmistress’ distinguishes me as separate from and perhaps less than my male predecessors, so please don’t use that particularly patronizing moniker. 

“I should like to say a few words. We have been wounded, but we will go on. Let the feast begin!” She clapped her hands together loudly. The tables were suddenly laden with plates, cups, and cutlery, and pitchers of things to drink, and trays with food of many varieties. The Headmaster said, loud enough for all to hear, “Thank Merlin, it worked!”

As they were finishing eating, The Headmaster came down to the podium to speak. “Your attention please, I have announcements to make!

“Professor Flitwick has agreed to become Deputy Headmaster. I appreciate his time and efforts!” Moderate applause at this announcement. Ginny liked the Professor’s sense of humor.

“We have a couple of professors on loan from the Ministry of Magic. Professor Green is our new teacher in Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Olivia stood up and got mild applause. “This is Professor Green’s second time teaching at Hogwarts, we’ll see if we can keep her this time.

“Professor Weasley will be our primary Transfiguration teacher.” Percy stood up and also got mild applause, except from Ginny and Hermione, who cheered loudly for him.

“As usual, the forest is forbidden to all students. While the centaurs recently came out in our support, our general level of communication with them is touchy, at best. 

“Your Prefects have been given lists of the areas of the castle which are off limits due to construction, or because they are awaiting construction. Please listen when they give you updates. We hope to have updates to our status on a weekly basis, but if things go slowly, it may only be monthly.

“We have arranged for trauma therapists and a Mind Healer to be available for all students and staff. If you wish to have a meeting, after you receive your class schedules in the morning there will be forms to fill out with your available hours, and turn them in at the school administrator’s office, or at the infirmary.

When you receive your class schedules in the morning, Sixth and Seventh Year students will notice that you have classes scheduled in Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts, even though your class plan doesn’t require it. 

“I have declared an All Hands On Deck for Transfiguration. We will have multiple Professors to cover all students from Third Year and up. Students will be helping with the more basic aspects of our cleanup and construction needs.

“For the Dark Arts class, the Ministry has asked me to have a history written of our Battle last year, which they are referring to as the Battle of Hogwarts. Our entire Fall term we will be using the class time to gather stories, so the history gathers everyone’s perspective. Our school administrator and the Mind Healer will be on hand for those sessions. We feel this class is the most appropriate for a review of practical spellcasting.

“If you are scheduled for the class, and are not otherwise required to take it, and you were not actually present at any time for the Battle, speak to your Professor and they may allow you to drop the class.

“Thank you. If you have finished eating, you may go to your dormitories. First Years, stay where you are and your Prefects will escort you to your House dormitory.”

Hermione told Ginny, “I’m going to stay and help with the First Years. I believe we’re sharing a room with the new girl Prefect. Could you go up and let out Crookshanks? He may want some water.”

Getting to Gryffindor Tower was a challenge. Not only were the stairs crowded, but one of the moving staircases had collapsed in the battle, and it was only partly restored so far, so it was closed off. Finally she reached the Tower. The fat lady opened the portal at the first day password on the slip Ginny had been given. Hermione and Justin were the only students with all four passwords. She checked the directory at the base of the girl’s staircase. The top room had the names “H. Granger”, “N. McDonald”, and “G. Weasley”. That middle one must be the Prefect.

As she climbed to the top room, she thought that this will certainly help keep her in shape for Quidditch. Their luggage was stacked next to their beds. Crookshanks complained mightily when he saw her, from the carrier on the floor at the end of Hermione’s bed. Ginny caught her breath, then dug out his water dish from the bag on the side of the carrier.

Rank has its privileges, there was an open door on one side of the room, showing a compact bathroom inside. The whole space was smaller than their beds, but it included a shower. She filled the water dish from the sink and tucked it on the floor beneath the corner of Hermione’s bed. Then she popped open Crookshanks’ carrier.

The big cat stepped out, stretched, and looked up at her. He chuffed, then began exploring the room. Ginny checked out the view from her small window. The only times she had been higher than this were in the Astronomy Tower or on a broom. 

On her bed were two books, The Hogwarts Book of Quidditch, and Gryffindor Quidditch Coaching Manual. Opening the Manual, it had signatures and dates on all the opening pages, some of the dates were hundreds of years in the past. She flipped to the back, and most of the pages inside the back cover were fairly well covered. She got out her quill, found an empty spot, and added her name, then ’1998’. She found Harry’s signature, Oliver Wood, and Charlie.

She started unpacking, starting with her new broom, the Nimbus 2002 that Harry had given her at the party that her Mum had thrown for her and Hermione. She checked it out, it appeared undamaged. She added her name near the end of the handle, then tucked it underneath her bed. Then she removed the wardrobe from her case and tucked it by the head of her bed. 

She thought briefly which she would rather have, the four wardrobes that she inherited from her great-aunt, or the Nimbus. She couldn’t decide, but a dearer price had been paid for the wardrobes. She always thought that her great-aunt was a great lady.

She had left the door to the stairs open, and she could hear steps coming up and heavy breathing. The girl was saying “I can do this,” taking deep breaths between every word. It didn’t sound like Hermione. Crookshanks went to the top step and looked down.

Slowly, a small girl with an oval face and straight black hair came around the corner. The cat hissed and ran away.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a grumpy prat,” Ginny said. “Do you need help?”

The girl nodded.

Ginny drew her wand and cast the levitation spell, lifting the girl to the third bed. She landed face down on the bed, with her feet hitting the floor. 

“Do you have a leg cramp, or a stitch?”

“Stitch.”

“I’ve certainly been there before. There isn’t much I can help you with, you just have to breathe it out. You lay there and take deep breaths, and when you can, turn on your side, it’ll help. I’m going to ask you some yes or no questions. Just move your head, or give a thumbs up or down.”

She raised her thumb.

“Are you Prefect McDonald?” Thumbs up. “Nice to meet you, I’m Ginny Weasley. I’m up here because I’m Captain of the Quidditch team. I’ll get your first name later.”

“I’m guessing you’ve met Hermione?” Thumbs up. “Good.”

“Are you Sixth Year?” Thumbs down. “Fifth Year?” Thumbs up.

“To your knowledge, are you allergic to cats?” Thumbs down. “Good, then you won’t have to be swapped out.”

“Are you starting to feel better?” Thumbs up. “Are you ready to roll on your side?” Thumbs up. “Would you like help with that?” Thumbs up.

“That tells me you aren’t really quite ready, but we’ll do it anyway, since you’ll recover faster.”

Ginny walked over to the side of her bed, nearest her head. “I want you to raise your arms over your head. Good. I’m going to pull on your arms to get you more onto the bed. At the same time, you need to do two things. You need to straighten your hips, so your legs point straight out, and you need to twist so this side-” Ginny tapped one of her hands. “-is up, and the other side is down. Can you do that?”

She wheezed, “Yes.”

“On three.” Ginny got a grip around the girl’s wrists. “One. Two. Three.” Ginny pulled, and the girl slid across the bed, twisting as she went. She wound up on her side, her hands and feet hanging over the sides of the bed.

“Great! You should recover faster now. Bend a little forward. If you can put your hands on top of your knees, that’s about the right posture.”

“Let me guess, she got a stitch?” Hermione was holding on to the doorframe, recovering.

“Yes, the easy rookie mistake.”

“I almost had one, just now. Don’t feel embarrassed, Natalie, it happens a lot.”

“Look at it this way, even Crookshanks may wind up healthier by the time the year is over.”

Hermione chuckled, on the way to her bed.

“When last sighted, he was running away from our roommate.”

“So you two were getting acquainted?”

“Yes, I got all the pertinent information except her first name and her hometown.” She spoke to the girl. “Your first name is Natalie?”

Thumbs up.

Hermione dug out Crookshanks’ food dish and put down some food for him. He was wrapping himself around her legs before she finished.

Ginny said, “Natalie, let me warn you about Crookshanks. He’s only nice to one person in the entire world, and it isn’t me. He may look like he wants to be petted, or his head scratched. Do not be fooled. He can turn into a tornado with claws and fangs in the blink of an eye.”

Hermione replied, “He’s a darling kitty, really. For me, he’s a big warm bundle of love.”

“Natalie, I’d show you the scratches, but my Mum makes good healing salve.”

“You brought some, right?”

“Two jars, we can get more at the holiday break.”

Natalie said, “London. I’m from London.” Her breathing sounded easier and quieter. She swung around on the bed and sat up facing them.

“Thank you, Ginny, for helping me.”

“What are roommates for?”

“Hermione, I wanted to tell you, whatever you need done here in our tower, or around the castle, I’m your girl. I have the greatest respect for you, even before last year. It’s my honor to be your roommate.”

Ginny had to tease her, “As soon as you learn to climb the stairs without hurting yourself.”

“Right, that.”

Hermione sighed.

“Natalie, you have your O.W.L.S. this year. You have no idea how much homework you’re going to have from that, it will bury you. You’ll be lucky to get your Prefect duties done. So I appreciate the offer, but don’t commit to something when you’ve no idea what else is going on. Trust me on this.”

“Alright. I’d still like to help you, when I can.”

“We’ll see how things go. I may take you up on that, occasionally.”

“Are you both engaged? I see your rings.”

Ginny said, “Yes, we received proposals right after the Battle. Hermione’s marrying my brother Ron.”

Hermione said, “Ginny, are you really going to try to keep it a secret? Your wedding photo will probably be in the Daily Prophet, for goodness sake! And you know the boys will be coming to your matches.”

Ginny flicked her wand at the door to close it. “I’m hoping to keep it quiet until then. Alright, go ahead and tell her.”

“Ginny’s engaged to Harry Potter.”

Natalie’s eyes got wide. “Wicked!”

Ginny said, “Just don’t lay it about, please. The rumor mill at this school is bad enough, we don’t need to add to it.”

“I would never!” Natalie exclaimed.

Hermione yawned, “I’m going to bed.”

First Day Of Classes 

When Ginny woke up and opened her side curtain, Hermione was sitting at the small writing desk by her bed. She couldn’t see Natalie’s bed from this side, so she quietly said “Good morning.”

Hermione didn’t look up. She was already wearing her robes. “Good morning. I’ve already had my shower, so you should get ready as soon as Natalie’s done in the bathroom. Breakfast is in about forty-five minutes.”

There was a privacy screen up, between her desk and the bathroom door. It hadn’t been there when Ginny went to bed. The design on it was a beautiful pattern.

“Where did that come from?” She pointed at the screen.

“I figured it wouldn’t be practical for us to always get dressed in the bathroom. Natalie added the design while I was showering.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, I was going to tell her that when she got out.”

They all went downstairs together, taking it slowly to avoid leg cramps. When they reached the Great Hall, Hermione handed Natalie one of the schedules she had written up, then went around to the other seven Prefects, and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

When she finally sat down next to her roommates, Ginny said, “You know, it would be more efficient, not to mention easier on you, if we sat at the end of the table and you had them come by and see you every morning.”

“The walk isn’t the part that takes time, it’s the search. I think it would be better if the Prefects sat at this end of their tables, at least for breakfast. I’ll start that tomorrow.”

Natalie asked Ginny, “I have friends who want to come to tryouts, do you know when they’ll be?”

“I expect there will be a Captain’s meeting this week with Professor Hooch. I should find out then.”

Before breakfast was served, Professor Flitwick announced that students shouldn’t leave without their class schedules. Then he walked over to the Ravenclaw table and handed stacks of papers to his Prefects. 

Percy came by with a stack. He asked Hermione, “Who are the Fifth Year Gryffindor Prefects?”

She pointed to Natalie. “Nigel is coming up behind you. Are you our faculty advisor?”

“For now. Alright, Prefect, here’s your half.” He gave half the stack to Natalie, and turned to the small, curly-headed boy coming up the table, who took his share. “Student names are in the upper corner.”

Hermione called to him, “Nigel, don’t run off yet! Professor, allow me to introduce you.” She said, “Professor Percy Weasley, this is Nigel Wolpert, Fifth Year. Across the table is Natalie McDonald, also Fifth Year.”

Percy said, “Pleased to meet you. I’m certain I’ll be seeing you in classes this week.”

Nigel said, “Nice to meet you, Professor. Can I go, boss?”

“Please continue.” Ginny saw Hermione’s nose wrinkle as Nigel moved down the table.

“You know he’s testing you.”

“Teenagers do that, but I’m not his Mum. We’ll get it straightened out.”

Natalie got up and started distributing her papers, often calling out names she didn’t recognize.

When Ginny got her schedule, she saw that she had classes in Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts, as the Headmaster had told them. Her NEWT focus was Sports and Sports Medicine. She did have a couple of classes with Professor Hooch, and another with Madam Pomfrey. Her DADA class was right after breakfast.

She asked Hermione, “Did you get scheduled for DADA? I have it, and I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Yes, and Transfiguration, and I don’t even need them, as Ron happily pointed out. At least they shouldn’t require any studying. I expect my Pre-Law and Latin classes will provide more than enough.”

When Natalie returned to her seat, she asked Ginny, “Just to be sure, Professor Percy is one of your dozen brothers?”

Ginny snorted, “He’s third of a half-dozen. My Mum wasn’t that busy!”

Natalie giggled, “Sorry.”

They picked up their book bags and went to the classroom. Olivia was there at the center desk. Off to the side were two other adults, with writing tables. Olivia stood up.

“Good morning, students! My name is Olivia Green, and I dislike being called ‘Professor’, so you may call me Olivia. This is our school administrator, Miss Rowling, and the director of our therapy team this term, Healer Mantooth. Miss Rowling will be recording our stories, and Healer Mantooth may recommend you for further counseling at a later time.

“The Healer asked to say something before we start. Healer Mantooth, are you ready?”

“Yes, Olivia.” He was a medium-sized man, slightly balding, slightly heavyset. His voice had a trace of gravel, like he’d used it a little too much.

He stood in front of the gallery and asked, “Please be honest, this isn’t a test. Raise your hands if you’ve been hit by the Cruciatus Curse.” Ginny and Hermione both raised their hands, then looked over their shoulders to see. About a quarter of the students raised their hands, and several teachers in the back.

“Put your hands down, please. Raise your hands if you know you’ve been under the Imperious Curse.” Just a few students raised their hands.

“Thank you. Raise your hand if you were in direct threat of the killing curse. There’s only one person who could say he’s actually been hit with it and still raise his hand, and I’m reasonably sure he’s not in the castle today. But if you felt it as a direct threat against you, raise your hand.” Ginny and Hermione raised their hands, and many students did as well. It looked like nearly all the professors did.

“If you raised your hand for any of those, please consider requesting therapy sessions. You may put your hands down.” He sat down again.

Olivia said, “Thank you, Healer. Miss Granger, the Headmaster informed me that she awarded you full scores in this class, after the Battle, and from what I’ve read about you, I’m absolutely certain it is well deserved.” Ginny started clapping, and much of the rest of the class quickly followed. Hermione blushed a solid red, giving Ginny a look.

“Be that as it may, I feel you have the most to tell us. I shouldn’t be surprised if we could easily spend a week or more hearing your story alone. So if you insist, I will allow you to drop the class, but I’m asking you to please stay.”

Miss Rowling added, “If you drop the class, I’ll get your story anyway, even if you are bound while you tell it.” She smiled. Many in the class giggled.

Hermione sighed. “I’ll stay.”

“Thank you, Miss Granger, I appreciate you and your time. You tell me when you want to start, unless you want to go first?”

Hermione shook her head.

“Very well. I will inform you lot that anyone making derogatory comments during - or after - anyone’s story will get points removed from your House. I’m sure you noticed that the House hourglasses were restored in the Great Hall? I’m fully prepared to drain every point from a House, if any of you make it necessary. I told this to the Headmaster, when she explained this project to me, and she gave me her support. We are here to listen to the stories, perhaps to learn from them, we are not here to judge. Am I understood? I want to hear ’Yes, Miss!’”

The class shouted, “Yes, Miss!”

“Very good. Does anyone aside from Miss Granger wish to start?” She waited a short time. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, I happen to know that Miss Rowling has a prioritized list of names of people she wants to talk to. The first two names on that list are Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. So if we don’t get volunteers, she’ll start going down her list of names, below them.

A hand went up. “Yes, Miss? Please stand and give your name, your year, and your House.”

Ginny heard Luna’s voice, “Luna Lovegood, Seventh Year Hufflepuff.”

“Are you ready to tell your story?”

“Yes, Olivia.”

“Please come down front. And, I forgot a chair.” Olivia drew her wand to manifest a padded cloth-covered chair.

Olivia continued, as Luna took her seat. “Our action point is when Mister Potter, Miss Granger, and Mister Weasley arrived at Hogwarts on the night of May First this year. You can start there, or as soon after that as you became involved in the action.”

They spent the rest of the class time listening to Luna’s story. Miss Rowling asked questions to get details, which with Luna was like gripping an oily bag full of gelatin. If Olivia heard so much as a snicker, she removed ten points from the student’s House. After about the tenth time she did that, the snickering was stifled. Besides, Luna’s story got very dramatic.

She started by talking about taking Harry to get the Diadem of Ravenclaw, and finding a ghost. She talked about the fighting and support she did, to capture the Carrow twins, before she got to the final battle, and joining with Hermione and Ginny to fight Death Eaters. Then Ginny saw Bellatrix Lestrange, and directed them to attack her. They thought they were doing well, but it became clear she was toying with them, she could destroy them anytime she chose. Then Missus Weasley stepped in and beat her in seconds. “It was an amazing thing to see!”

Ginny was already proud of her Mum, but it felt great to hear it from someone else.

Her next class was in Coaching, with Professor Hooch. She wasn’t sure where to go to find her, so she headed to the Quidditch pitch. She found the Professor outside the castle, kneeling on the grass.

“Have a seat, Captain Weasley. I’m expecting the other three Captains. I wanted to say, I was sorry to hear about Fred. He was a good player, but more than that he was a joyful young man, good to be around.”

“Thank you, I appreciate hearing that.” 

She wiped her eyes as they were joined by two of the other Team Captains. The Professor waited another two minutes for the fourth, then she started. Ginny spent the time looking at the devastation of the outside buildings.

“I normally start the year out here, then we’d go to the training facility dressing rooms to talk. As you can see, we can’t do that.” The training facility building with the team dressing rooms was almost flattened and burned, with barriers surrounding it. “We’re on the repair crew’s to-do list, but not as important as fixing the castle, and I fully support that.” Ginny thought that the Professor didn’t quite sound sincere as she said it.

The fourth Captain joined them. He made apologies for his tardiness. Ginny noticed she was the only girl.

“Now that you’re all here, you should know that I expect you to have The Hogwarts Book of Quidditch memorized backwards and forwards by the time practices start. If we’re lucky, that should be in about a month.

“Once practices start, the players will need to dress in the dormitories and meet up outside the pitch. Speaking of, let’s see what we’re working with.” 

She stood up and led them to the pitch. The stone arch at the entry had collapsed. None of the scoring rings were fully standing. The scoreboard was split in half, looking like something flew through it. The stands were either broken, or completely burnt and collapsed. In several places the grass was torn up, revealing the platform beneath that was supposed to soften crash landings. It made Ginny want to cry.

The Professor wiped her eyes. “Don’t cry for the things we lost. Save your tears for the people. Things can be remade.” She used her wand, aiming at something beyond the training facility, to bring it to them. She had found the top of a scoring pole, raising it from the ground and summoning it back, to remount it, merging with the bottom of the pole it had broken from. It was a little short, so she stretched it a meter or two higher.

“We can, and we will. Once you have chosen your teams, we’ll do our practices together, just repairing the stadium. Then we’ll work on actually playing. Are you with me?”

Ginny shouted, “Yes, Professor!” with the others.

Professor Hooch wrote something in her notebook. She said she’d chosen a number between one and one hundred. The order of tryouts would be determined by who guesses closest. Ginny came in third, so Gryffindor would have tryouts two weeks from this Saturday.

“We have under two weeks to get at least one set of goals in place for tryouts. I don’t anticipate any trouble with that. I’ll make sure materials are ready. Our next meeting is this Friday. We’ll meet out here, rain or shine. Bring your brooms, we’ll need them for what I have planned. Dismissed.”

Ginny headed back to her room. When she reached the first set of stairs, she stood to the side and put her book bag at her feet. She spent a minute doing stretches of her calves and ankles, and a count of fifty side-to-side stretches. Then she climbed the stairs to her tower room, and made a tryout announcement sign using the parchment on Hermione’s desk. She posted it on the memo board in the common room on her way to lunch with Hermione.

At lunch, she asked Hermione when she thought she might be ready to “tell her story?”

“Never, if I had a choice. To explain how we three even got to the ’action point’ is going into some heavy magical legends. I don’t know if the Ministry is ready to have those things talked about, but I can’t explain last year without talking about them.”

“I’ve gotten bits and pieces from you three, but I haven’t heard the whole story straight. I have to say, I am looking forward to you taking the chair.”

“What about you, when are you going to tell your story?”

Ginny noticed that conversations in their vicinity of the Great Hall had gotten quiet, so students nearby were probably listening. “I really don’t have much to say. Mum kept me in the Room of Requirement to try to protect me from the action. After I got out, I did a little fighting, then I was helping with bodies on the lawn. Then the fight really started, and it went like Luna said.”

“I think you’re leaving out some things, but we can discuss that later.”

“As to when, I’d prefer to wait until after our first Quidditch match. Some things should be revealed, and my stress level will be lower after that.”

“Alright, if you’ll go within the first week after that match, I’ll take my turn on the couch right after you.”

Ginny’s first class in the afternoon was a double in Sports Medicine with Madam Pomfrey. She went to the infirmary and found one of the other Captains waiting there.

She said to him, “Sports Medicine?”

He stood until she sat down. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me, too. I’m Ginny Weasley, Gryffindor.”

“I know. I’m Carleton Burke, Slytherin.”

“Nice to meet you, Carleton.” She didn’t wave her ring in his face, but when she sat she put her left hand on her lap, where it was plainly visible. She didn’t want any boys this year to get any wrong impressions. However, it did lead to the question she knew she’d have to address.

His eyes popped when he saw it. “That’s a very nice ring. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“I’m not ready to answer that in the school, yet, Carleton. You’ll know before the year is over.”

“Well, congratulations anyway.”

“Thank you.”

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. She saw the ring, and gave Ginny a tight smile. Ginny knew she had seen her with Harry, so she could easily figure out who her fiancé was. But the school’s medical director kept secrets for a living, Ginny wasn’t worried that she’d say anything.

“Alright, Miss Weasley, Mister Burke, welcome. I like to start with a full tour of the Medical Wing, so you can find things when I need you to. Obviously, this is the infirmary, you’ve both been here before. The fireplace at the end has Floo access. There is a security screen you can’t see to prevent infiltration. Here is the infirmary office, where medical records are kept. You won’t be given access to those. Next to that is the loo.” 

The door to the office was still open. There was a girl at the desk, in robes but also a wimple, indicating she was part of the medical staff. The girl turned and smiled at her, and Ginny recognized Hannah Abbott. Ginny smiled back.

“The room behind you is for storage.” She walked around the side and unlocked the door with a touch of her wand. They got up and followed her. “I will give you access to this room next week, but not to the potions storage, which is this cabinet here.” Next to the door was a cabinet with a glass front but a wire grill to protect it. “The cabinet has layers of security on it, don’t go mucking about with it, it can hurt you pretty badly. Here we have bandages of all sorts, the shelves are all labeled. On this side on these shelves are various tools that we might need quick access to. I’ll go into those if we have need.”

They stepped out of the storage room and she relocked the door.

“We’ll meet in the upstairs office on Thursday, I’ll give you that tour then. So, remember, Sixth Floor. Any questions?”

Ginny said, “I do. My dorm room is at the top of Gryffindor Tower, and that’s a lot of stairs. One of my roommates got a stitch from climbing up, yesterday. Do you have flyers I could put up, that cover how to prevent a stitch, and how to deal with it if you get one?”

“Terrific question, and it leads into a whole topic on student fitness, which is an excellent place for us to start. I do have a pair of flyers that cover stitches, I’ll have those on the Gryffindor memo board by tomorrow. Mister Burke, I believe the more common ailment in the Slytherin dormitories would be sore feet, from all the walking. Would you like for me to put up a flyer on that?”

“Yes, please, Ma’am. I’ve been suffering from that myself since I started school.”

“I could wallpaper the walls of the dormitories with health flyers, but the school advisors prefer that I keep it down to the ones that are requested. You’ll have that one by end of day tomorrow as well. I’ll speak to the Team Captains for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw by the end of the week to see if they want any.”

She took a notebook and quill out of her pocket and made some notes. Ginny realized that the school expected the Team Captain to be responsible for the entire House’s fitness, not just the players on the Quidditch squad. It was reasonable to give them that responsibility, but it would add more work for her.

“Right, then. Miss Weasley, did you do anything to help your afflicted roommate, or did they need help?”

“She needed help.” Ginny described what she told Natalie, and how she helped her turn on her side.

“That’s reasonably close to what I would have done. There are charms to relieve the problem, but they aren’t commonly known, and I would prefer to use a simpler solution as you did, if the symptoms aren’t severe.”

They got into a discussion of student fitness, and how the castle itself promotes exercise. Carleton asked about the food that students were given, and Madam Pomfrey told him that diet was a big topic, to be discussed later.

Ginny asked Carleton, “Are you thinking of having your team go through exercise drills? Because I am.”

“I was just thinking that. Were you going to suggest that we work out together? In the old building, the teams took turns using the gym equipment.”

“I remember, but that was a small room, and all that equipment is probably smashed. If we’re going to make do, we could have forty people work out almost as easily as ten. Especially if we go outdoors.”

“All teams together? No, I’m sorry, I would prefer to keep such things private to the team. If someone is lagging, I don’t want another team to think we have a vulnerability.”

“That’s a valid point.”

Miss Pomfrey said, “The only rooms inside the castle with enough room for ten people to exercise are the Entry Hall, the Great Hall, and the Dueling Hall. You could remove the furniture from your common rooms while you exercise, but you’d anger your Housemates. You can ask the Deputy Headmaster about using the main floor rooms, but it’s never been granted before. You could talk to the Defence Professor about signing up for time in the Dueling Hall. That has the stairs in the gallery to exercise on as well.”

Ginny said, “That sounds like a good place. We should talk to the other Captains about this before we ask Olivia. I’ll bring it up Friday in our Coaching class.”

“Alright, that’s enough for today, you’re dismissed. Oh, and Miss Weasley, my congratulations. I think you found a good one.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I think so, too!” Carleton gave her a look filled with his curiosity, but she shook her head at him.

When they were getting ready for bed, she told Hermione and Natalie about the signs that were going to go up. She also told them that Madam Pomfrey had guessed the identity of her fiancé.

Broken Ground

When they went down to breakfast the next morning, they reached the Great Hall about fifteen minutes early. Justin Finch-Fletchley and most of the Prefects had followed Hermione’s suggestion, so she had merely to walk down the line of tables to talk with them. She left her book bag on her seat. Justin got up and walked with her until she returned to the Gryffindor table. He greeted them and returned to the Hufflepuff table.

Ginny sat across from Hermione, with her back facing the walls of the Great Hall. This allowed her to keep an eye on Hermione, in case she needed something. Natalie was sitting next to Hermione’s seat. Ginny was saving a space next to her for Nigel, in case he decided to sit with them.

While they were waiting, Dennis Creevey came up to Natalie. “Would you mind if I sit next to you?”

She smiled at him, “Not at all, Dennis. Good morning! Ginny, have you met Dennis?”

“Certainly, good morning, Dennis.”

“Good morning, good morning!” He dropped his book bag and sat on the bench.

Nigel came in with several other students and walked to the seat next to Ginny. “Is this seat for me?”

Ginny said, “Yes, good morning. Please have a seat.”

“Thank you and g’morning. I’ll stay for the brief, if you don’t mind, then I’ll sit with my mates.”

“That’s a reasonable compromise, Nigel, thank you.”

Hermione came back a few minutes later. She greeted the two boys as she sat down. “Not much new from yesterday. Healer Mantooth should be coming around shortly and giving all the student leaders copies of the forms to sign up for therapy sessions. They want to make sure they are widely distributed, so if you see someone in need, go ahead and ask if they want a copy. Keep them with your books. If you need more, ask me or the therapist team.”

Ginny said, “I see him, he started at the Slytherin table.”

Nigel asked, “Ginny, would you mind if I get my set from you tomorrow?”

“No problem, go be with your mates.”

“Thank you!” He got up and walked off quickly.

Hermione watched him leave, then she nodded.

Ginny asked Dennis, “Dennis, I understand if you don’t want to say, in here, but when the Healer gets here with the forms, do you want one? I was sorry to see that Colin died.”

He said, “Thank you, Ginny, I was sorry about Fred as well. I think I would like one, thanks.”

Ginny and Hermione’s first class was Double Transfiguration, with Percy. When they entered the classroom, he was leaning on the front of his desk. She followed Hermione, who preferred to sit in the front row, either in the center or the left side. This morning she sat on the left side.

Before Ginny sat, she greeted her brother, “Good morning, Professor Weasley!”

He replied, “Good morning, Miss…” He had the gall to make her think he was going to use Harry’s name. She gave him their mother’s look, that could cause buildings to combust. “…Weasley. How are you this morning?”

“I’m fine, Professor, how are you?”

“I’m doing very well, thank you.”

She heard Luna’s voice behind her, “Good morning, Professor. Good morning, Ginny and Hermione!”

Ginny turned. Luna was sitting down behind her. “Good morning!”

The room seemed to be as full as it was going to get. Percy said, “Good morning, class! Please call me Professor Weasley, and welcome to Transfiguration for Sixth and Seventh Years.

“I’ve been given a prioritized task list, broken up by the classes I’m teaching. As you might guess, this class will get the dirtiest jobs, shy of what the actual repair team is doing. My list changed just this morning, so I apologize, but we will be going outside. I give you half an hour to meet me outside the doors that lead to the Quidditch pitch. Bring your wands, but you won’t need your books. The sky is clear so far, but it is a little chilly, so put on a sweater under your robes, or an overcoat.”

Ginny said to Hermione, “Do you want your overcoat, or a sweater? For a sweater, you’ll need privacy, but I can take your book bag and bring your overcoat.”

“I have a charm that will work, if the wind isn’t blowing and it isn’t raining. If you could take my bag, I’d appreciate it. I’ll go with Percy and meet you outside.”

Ginny left the classroom at a brisk walk, using the two bags to work her arm and shoulder muscles. She did side stretches before starting on the stairs, then climbed as fast as she dared.

Crookshanks was sleeping in the middle of Hermione’s bed. She set the bags down at the feet of their beds, then quickly used the loo. She grabbed her overcoat on the way out. When she reached the common room again, she glanced over at the memo board, and saw two flyers with figures on them. She resolved to read them later.

She gave a quick stretch to her tight calf muscles, then took off again, out the portal and down the stairs to the side door of the castle. By the time the crisp outside air hit her, she was quite warm. She figured it would be a few minutes before she needed her overcoat.

Percy was standing near the door, with a dozen of the other students. Hermione wasn’t with them. She looked around, and several students were walking down the path that led to the entrance to the pitch, or the training facility. There was a Hermione-shaped girl already down there, and it looked like Luna was with her.

When Ginny reached the building, Hermione and Luna were halfway down the near side. She tried to catch up.

Ginny said, “What’s up?”

Luna said, “We’re searching for bodies.”

Hermione added, “Percy told us that Madam Hooch was trying to find her office yesterday afternoon, when she smelled decay. She reported it, and we’re going to clear off pieces of the building until we find out what, or who, it is.”

“Nothing like doing something gruesome to wake you up!” Ginny said.

“Madam Pomfrey has been alerted, but since we don’t know how long it will take, one of us will send a Patronus when we have something for her.”

Luna had walked a little further along. She pointed into the building. “I think it’s here. This is where it smells strongest.”

Percy was leading the class down the path. 

She yelled to Luna, “Stay as close to that spot as you dare, you’ll be the marker. I’ll let the Professor know.” The breeze changed for a moment and she had to hold her nose. She almost lost her breakfast.

Ginny went to meet the class.

“Professor, have you told them why we’re here, yet?”

He turned to address them. “Gather around, please. Madam Hooch was investigating the training facility yesterday, and she smelled decay. We’re going to clear away parts of the building until we find the source.”

Ginny spoke loudly enough that everyone could hear her. “Professor, Luna thinks she’s placed the location of the source.” She turned and pointed. “The blonde girl, there. And I should warn you, I caught a whiff of it, and it almost turned my stomach.”

Percy yelled for Hermione and waved her over. While he was waiting for her, he turned to the class. “Raise your hands if you think your stomach can stand the smell of bodily decay.”

Three boys and a girl raised their hands. “Thank you. Make sure I get your names before we’re done today, and I’ll give you vouchers of your choice for the first Hogsmeade weekend.”

When Hermione joined them, he asked, “You’ve been looking at the wreckage more than I have. It looks like the roof collapsed almost straight down. We could cast a group Leviosa and lift it, to flip it this direction. Do you see issues with that?”

She replied, “It got pretty burned, but the beams may be enough to hold it together. It looks like the giants used some clubs or something to swipe the walls out, and the roof just fell on top of it, then someone lit it on fire, but it didn’t all burn up. There may be posts or pieces of the wall clinging to the roof, we might need to trim those off before we flip it.”

“Have you lead a group casting before?”

“Only in the classroom.”

“Alright, then can you swipe the wall pieces off while the rest of us hold it?”

 “Certainly.”

“Now I need two volunteers who are good at moving things with their wands. So if you’re really good at the Spinning Hoops game.”

Four students raised their hands, he chose two. “Thank you, you’re going to be trimmers, with Miss Granger.

“The rest of us are going to do a group casting. I’ll be standing over there,” He pointed at a place on the grass to their right, about twelve meters from Luna. “I’ll start us, and be the control. The rest of you will need to circle the building, being close enough that you can hear one another. My four people with strong stomachs will need to be on the far side of the building, across from where Luna is standing. You are most likely to be able to smell it.

“When I feel you all locked in, I’ll cast Wingardium Leviosa, and we’ll lift the roof section about eight meters. Then I need the trimmers to pull any pieces of wall or post off of the ceiling piece, so they don’t fly off and hit someone, or do some other crazy thing. Finally, I’m going to pull the roof towards me. Once the roof has cleared the site, I want this side of the roof to drop, and the roof piece should tumble.

Now, in case it starts to roll, I need the trimmers to squash it as well as you can. Under no circumstances should any piece of this thing hit a student.

“Are we clear? Group casting, lift the roof, hold while the trimmers clean the bottom. Then we slide it this way, and let it roll up to one time.”

“Hermione, tell your trimmers where you want them to stand. The rest of you, start circling the building. My brave quartet, I’m going to tell Luna our plan. From the far side you won’t be able to see her, but you’ll be able to smell the spot. I’ll send up fireworks just in case.”

Percy started walking. Hermione started planning with her assistants. Ginny started walking as well. She was going to back up her brother. She picked a spot roughly where he said he was going to be, but three or four meters closer to the path. She put on her overcoat as she walked.

By the time she reached her position, Percy was talking to Luna, some distance away from the building. He sent up a shot of red fireworks, then turned and headed for the spot he had pointed to. Luna started walking to the far end of the building.

On the way there, he changed course and walked towards her. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You’re barking mad if you think I’m going to risk losing another brother, and not be in position to help him!”

He threw up his hands, shook his head, and walked to his position.

Right after he turned back to the building, a green spray of fireworks went off over the far corner of the building. Then another, over the far corner near the pitch. Then a third, on the near corner by the pitch.

Taking that as a signal, all the students shot up green fireworks. At least, everyone was ready.

Percy touched his wand to his throat, and started humming. She could hear it, and she could feel it, like it was vibrating every cell she had. She did the same thing, touching her wand to her throat and humming. She tried to match his note, but he was too deep for her range. It didn’t matter anyway.

The humming passed along the circle. He would be the only one to know when they closed the circle, but they could all feel the energy being passed around.

It took over a minute, but finally Percy pointed his wand at the building, and said “Wingardium Leviosa”. With a twist of his wand, the roof section rose into the air, mostly evenly. It was apparent that the entire roof wasn’t well connected. The support posts by the front door were still hanging down, and several wall panels on the far side were still attached. The trimmers pulled and twisted those pieces off the roof, leaving just the roof’s triangle in the air.

Percy pulled the roof section towards him. It undulated in the air, like a rope bridge, as it floated towards him. Hermione shot up more green fireworks when it passed her position. He lowered the roof, dipping the edge nearest him towards the ground. The edge hit, and the far side kept moving, rotating so the upper roof hit the ground. 

About a quarter of the roof broke off, the end furthest from Ginny. It skidded to a stop.

The rest of the roof kept tumbling, so the edge that was pointing towards the sky tipped and fell to the ground. Now Ginny and Percy were looking at the open beams and rafters of the roof. It didn’t have enough momentum to lift the peak of the roof off the ground, but the magic that had pulled the roof towards him was still working. The roof slid toward them, scraping up grass.

“No!” She shouted, “Percy!” She pointed her wand at the roof. Her body shook with a powerful jolt of energy, then the ground shook under her, and everything went black.

When she woke up, she was looking up into the most beautiful green eyes she’d ever seen. The circles of his glass lenses just enhanced his eyes.

“Harry? What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see my favorite redhead.”

“Hey!” Ron’s voice came from her right.

“Ron, you can be second, alright? You want me to stare into your eyes, too?”

“No, Harry, you go ahead. I have my own pair of beautiful eyes to stare into.”

Hermione’s voice came from her right, too, she must be sitting next to Ron. She wasn’t going to look away to see her brother and her best friend. Everything she wanted to see was right in front of her. Harry wasn’t looking around either.

Hermione asked, “Do you remember when the roof was sliding towards you and Percy?”

“Mostly. I remember yelling his name.”

“When the roof was sliding towards you two, he said you yelled his name, then you did…something. He says it wasn’t him. All the beams in the roof, he called them joists, plunged straight into the ground, stopping the slide cold. It would take tremendous energy to do that. Then you fell down. Percy yelled my name, and I think I set the school record for the twenty meters dash getting to you. He might have accelerated me with his wand, I’d have to ask him. It doesn’t matter. I pulled some sugar cubes from my pocketbook and he forced them into your mouth.

“We sent out Patronus to get Madam Pomfrey and Headmaster McGonagall. While they were still coming, he sent his Patronus to Harry.”

Harry said, “When we saw him at the train platform, I made him promise to contact me as soon as possible if you went to the infirmary.”

Ron said, “We were in class at the time, and here comes this weasel Patronus that says, ’It looks like she’ll be alright, but Ginny’s going to the infirmary.’” They got a chuckle from Ron’s spot-on impression of Percy. “Harry grabs his books and heads for the door. Leaving me scrambling to catch up.

“The instructor gets in Harry’s way, says ‘Sit down, Mister Potter’. I couldn’t see it, mate, but you must have given him the look that says ’I’m going to walk through you if you don’t move’. I’ve seen that one before. He blinks and steps aside.”

Hermione said, “You have a great power to intimidate people, Harry. It’s kind of scary to see.”

Ginny said, “Mum’s done it too. I’ve seen her intimidate senior matrons.”

She replied, “Just so you know, we’re sitting here babbling rather than leaving you alone because your Mum and Dad should be here any minute, and we didn’t want them to find you two snogging.”

“Spoilsports!” She giggled, then asked, “How’s Percy?”

Ron’s voice, “He’s fine, aside from having the bugsnot scared out of him, twice.”

Hermione’s voice, “He had to stay at the training facility with his students, and to report to the Headmaster what happened. Professor Flitwick was sitting here, but I think he left when you woke up. You boys wouldn’t know, but he’s the new Deputy Headmaster.”

Harry said, “It’s not a big surprise, I think he and McGonagall have been buddies for decades now.”

Ginny said to Harry, “Just so you know, we’re talking about you this term, in DADA. It may get… personal.”

“Try not to give away all my secrets, Gin. And please try not to expend all your energy at once. I want some of that next year.”

“I look forward to sharing my energy with you, Mister Potter. In this case, it wasn’t entirely my decision.”

She saw the understanding come to his eyes, and he nodded.

Ginny realized they were in the infirmary when the doors were thrown open and her Mum’s voice called out, “Where’s my baby? Where is she?”

Ron and Hermione pulled Harry off the bed, and she finally looked at them. All three looked sweaty, like they’d been running hard.

Suddenly her Mum was sitting next to her, where Harry had been. She’d been running too.

She saw Ron whispering to Harry, then he got up, kissed Mum’s head, and patted Dad on the shoulder. He and Hermione went out the door. She reached out to Harry, and he leaned forward to take her hand.

Madam Pomfrey released her an hour before breakfast. She was only part of the way to the Tower when Natalie found her. “Hermione asked me to meet you at the infirmary and make sure you made it to breakfast alright.”

“Thank you, Natalie. I think I’m still a little wobbly.”

The girl looked around, “Just coming through the common room, I heard people saying Harry Potter was here last night. He was here to see you, wasn’t he?”

She sighed, “Do you see what I mean about the rumor mill in this place? They were here for two hours, they went directly in and out of the castle, but everyone knows he was here.”

“I haven’t said anything to anyone.”

“Thank you, Natalie. I know it can be a huge temptation.”

They took it slowly going up all the stairs, Natalie hooked her arm in hers. By the time they reached their room, she was more than ready for a shower. She chose fresh clothes and put them behind the privacy screen, then went into the bathroom and closed the door.

They reached the Great Hall just as breakfast was being served. Natalie went around to sit between Hermione and Dennis. Hermione wouldn’t eat until Ginny told her how she was doing. Ginny sat piling food on her own plate.

“Hermione, look at this plate! This should tell you all you need to know. Madam Pomfrey was feeding me biscuits and juice all night, and it still feels like my blood sugar is low. I need to eat.”

“I’m sorry, you eat and I’ll catch you up. Sorry, this is kind of icky. They found the body of a centaur in the training facility. The Headmaster contacted the herd leader, and about a dozen centaurs came to take the body.”

Dennis said, “At least now they know what happened to their friend. Not knowing must be hard.”

Natalie said, “I agree.”

Hermione added, “Oh, and the Headmaster wants to speak to you this week. Something about installing posts for the new Quidditch pitch.”

Ginny almost snorted food out through her nose. “HA! Oh, that was good, girl!”

Hermione smiled, “Seriously, she did say she wants to meet with you. She didn’t say what about.”

Ginny tried to swallow before talking, “We have Double DADA again this morning?”

“Right after breakfast.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’m tired of the whisper games. I want to tell my story today.”

“Are you sure that’s not the low blood sugar talking?”

“Maybe. Natalie told me she heard in the common room this morning that The Boy was here last night. You can hear the buzz of it flowing around this room now.” She knew Hermione and Natalie would understand that she was talking about Harry.

“Telling your story won’t make the buzz go away, it just changes the pitch.”

“At least it will be out in the open. I’m not holding you to what you said. You can still tell your story whenever you’re ready.”

She felt less wobbly after breakfast, and she didn’t need help getting to the classroom. Hermione sat up front center. Ginny sat on one side of her, and Luna sat on the other. When Olivia asked for volunteers, Ginny raised her hand up high.

Olivia pointed to her. “Please state your name, year, and House.”

She stood. “Ginny Weasley, Seventh Year Gryffindor.”

“Please come down and have a seat, Ginny.”

Hermione grasped her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. She walked to the padded chair and sat down. She took a deep breath.

She raised her left hand to show everyone her ring. Speaking loudly enough for all of them to hear, she said, “This. This ring was given to me by Harry Potter, as a symbol of his devotion to me. My story is about devotion, mine but mostly his. I don’t know exactly when he fell in love with me, but I know precisely when I fell in love with him. It was ten minutes to eleven A.M. on September First of 1991. As soon as I saw those beautiful green eyes at King’s Cross Station, I was hooked. As some of my brothers like to say, I was smit. I had just turned ten years old, and the depth of attraction I felt scared me to my core.

“My parents had been members of the Order of the Phoenix since before I was born, they knew all about baby Harry. When my mother told me about how he had destroyed Lord Voldemort, I was terrified. This was the boy I had fallen for?”

Olivia said, “Ginny, we really don’t need you to go back so far.”

“Olivia, it all relates to why I’m here, and Voldemort is destroyed, for good and all.”

“Alright.”

“In the years up to my Sixth Year, Harry saved my life, my father’s life, and my brother Ron’s life. To be fair to Ron, there’s a good chance he saved Harry at least once during that time. I wasn’t so afraid to be in love with him anymore, as I realized what type of person he was. This was the boy I had fallen for! I wasn’t willing to sit back any longer and wait for him to realize I was there. I showed my feelings to him, and thank blessed Merlin, he found or realized his feelings for me.

“In my sixth year, Hogwarts was taken over by our enemies. With many others, I fought against them, in Dumbledore’s Army.” This time it was Hermione’s turn to start the applause. She felt her ears grow warm, but she just gave Hermione a smile. They weren’t really applauding her, they were applauding the D.A. “Harry was off fighting a different side of the battle, and I’ll let my dear friend Hermione Granger tell that story, when she finds the strength. Or just gets irritated enough at all the whispers, as I did.

“For most of my school year, I didn’t know if my dearest love was alive or dead. We fought on. During the Spring Break, which I still can’t believe they let us take, my family’s level of risk from Death Eaters escalated, so they took me out of school and we went into hiding.

“Then on the night of May First, he walks into the Room of Requirement. See, Olivia? I got there.”

“Thank you.”

“Dumbledore’s Army was hanging on by a thread, but it wasn’t just Harry Potter that came through that door. Hermione and Ron came through too, and Neville Longbottom notified all the members that they had arrived, and my brothers and I made our way to the school while my parents gathered the Order of the Phoenix. Finally, the Gold Team had arrived!”

A few people in the audience whistled.

“My mother kept me safe in the Room of Requirement, guiding the evacuees out, the underage and untrusted. Yes, I know it was unfair to some of the Slytherins, but we had no time and no way to sort you, when you’d given us no indication we could trust you. But then, fear can lead to great shame, and there was shame in what we were doing, too. The goal was to keep the most people safe.

“Once the evacuees were gone, I was released from my confinement. I wanted to get into the thick of battle. I worked my way down to the Courtyard, and got close to two members of the Order who were close to my family, Remus Lupin and his wife, Nymphadora Tonks.”

Hermione started crying.

“They had just started fighting two Death Eaters, a man whose name I didn’t know, then, and a woman I had heard of many times, Bellatrix Lestrange. The names of people that were killed or destroyed by Bellatrix are too numerous to count, except for one. She killed Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black. If you still think Sirius was guilty of the murders that put him in Azkaban, you’re wrong. We have the evidence.

“Tonks was the niece of Bellatrix, and few people had greater reason to hate her aunt than she did. If anyone could beat Bellatrix, I thought she could. The unknown man used the killing curse on Remus, and he fell where he stood, trying to protect his wife. Tonks blasted the man so hard he made a large cavity in the stone wall of the Courtyard. I don’t know if they fixed that yet. I haven’t been able to look.

“While Tonks was distracted, Bellatrix used the killing curse, and Tonks fell. I guess it shows that Bellatrix respected her skill enough to kill her immediately, while she was off guard. Who knows what might have happened if they’d been at a fair start?

“I was scared I would be next, so I ran.

“Voldemort declared a break, giving us time to lick our wounds, and for Harry Potter to go to him, claiming he and his followers would just go away. I prayed that Harry would not believe him, would stay and fight with us. Instead, he did the braver thing. While I was helping to gather bodies, he walked into the lion’s den. He said he had to go on, so the fighting would end, so Voldemort would go away, and leave me alive. He was willing to die,” her voice broke, “so that would happen. 

“This past summer, he told me that he saw me on his walk towards his death. He almost talked to me, but I didn’t see him. If he had spoken to me, I might have talked him out of going. I certainly would have tried.”

Hermione wiped her eyes with a kerchief. Ginny was shaking, but she had long since gone through her tears at the story Harry told her.

“He told me that, in the forest, Voldemort tried to kill him, once again, the same as he did when he was fifteen months old, and didn’t even understand what was happening. Just like the first time, the killing curse was deflected, at least partially. Harry said his life hung on a knife’s edge, and he had the choice to let go, passing on to the next world, or come back. We know what choice he made. What you don’t know is he made the choice he did because he wanted to be with me.

“In order to achieve that, first he had to do that wee incidental thing, destroy Lord Voldemort. So he did, as many of you witnessed.

“Getting back to my story, once the centaurs broke in and the fighting got fierce, I was teamed up with these two warriors here up front, Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. We were doing pretty well together, fighting the Death Eaters, who were almost in a panic.

“Then I saw Bellatrix, and I nearly got my friends killed. I wanted vengeance, so I lead them to attack Bellatrix. Within a minute, I think we could all tell we were outmatched, even three against one. If That Bitch hadn’t found us amusing, she could have dropped each of us with the killing curse. But before she grew bored with us, my mother stepped in, Molly Prewett Weasley. To protect me, my mother destroyed Bellatrix, in a master-level duel. Miss Rowling, my mother has told me some of her history with Bellatrix. You should get that story from her.

“And that, classmates, is why this-” she held up her left hand again “-may be the most precious piece of metal and stone that I ever own. Harry and I will be married this next summer.”

Hermione stood up and started clapping. Luna followed suit, then most of the audience. When Ginny got back to her seat, Hermione wrapped her in a hug. “That was so brave of you!”

Olivia dismissed the class. Ginny had talked for almost the entire two-hour period.

Hermione said, “I need to talk to Olivia. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Ginny waited in the hall. When Healer Mantooth came out, she stepped up to him.

“Healer, may I speak to you for a moment?”

“I need to get to an appointment, Miss Weasley, but we can talk on the way.”

They began walking. “Thank you. I’ve gone over the form to request sessions. Is there a way to specifically request you?”

“This is for yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I was going to send you a note recommending you apply.”

“Sir, it’s worse than you imagine. What do you know of horcruxes?”

He stopped walking. “They’re a myth, aren’t they? If they aren’t, they’d be an item of pure evil!”

“They are evil, but they are not a myth. Who do we all know who was purely evil?”

She watched the fear grow in his eyes. “You should be speaking to Olivia about that.” He started walking again, faster than before.

“I believe that’s exactly the conversation that Hermione Granger is having with her, right now. My concern has to do with the mind.”

“When you fill out the form, put ‘For Mantooth Only’ after your name. I look forward to speaking with you, Miss Weasley.”

“Respectfully, sir, I think your attitude will change.”

She finished filling out the application and turned it in to Miss Rowling’s office. Then she went to the Headmaster’s office, and she was surprised when the door popped open. She thought it might take several tries to find her in her office.

Going up, she saw the Headmaster behind her desk, signing papers.

“Please have a seat, Miss Weasley.” Ginny sat in the chair in front of her desk. She looked at Ginny. “I’m reminded of a few times when I had one-on-one consultations with your mother, when she was about your age. Smaller desk, smaller office, fewer grey hairs.

“Regardless, I wanted first to find out how you are doing. Are you feeling better?”

“I’m feeling reasonably well. Breakfast was a big help, and seeing Harry.”

“No doubt. Congratulations on your engagement.”

“Thank you, Headmaster.”

“I’ve spoken to your brother. He neglected to cancel the pull that he’d put on the roof. Had he done that, it would have stopped sliding towards you. He claims he was about to, but you acted first.

“So tell me, if you can, what in Merlin’s name did you do?”

“Honestly, Ma’am, I don’t know. I yelled his name, and I blacked out.”

“You have no idea what gave you that much power? Those posts are showing less than a meter above the ground. We’re going to have to excavate to pull them out. Professor Dumbledore could have done what you did, but he had the Elder Wand.”

“You knew about the Wand? The Ministry may be contacting you about the Deathly Hallows.”

“They’ve asked and I’ve just answered. I’ll be having a conversation with Miss Granger soon. I think Professor Green’s inquiry has scared some people silly. Don’t change the subject.”

“I have… some idea. I don’t know if it’s related, but it could have been the horcrux.”

“Horcrux? You mean the diary of Tom Riddle? Harry destroyed that.”

“I think it left traces in me. I’m not possessed anymore, that power is gone, Harry did destroy that, but there’s something there. It’s a kind of burning. I can control it, usually. Sometimes it slips out.”

“I think you need to talk to Healer Mantooth about this.”

“I did that this morning, after Defence class. He told me what to put on the therapy application so it goes directly to him. But I don’t think he entirely believes me about the horcruxes. Could we meet with you together?”

“I have Albus’ notes. I can show him parts of that. Alright, I’ll set up a time next week.”

She was late for lunch. She ate as much as she could, since she was still building her energy. She did mention to Hermione that she had met with the Headmaster, and McGonagall would schedule a meeting with her soon.

She stuffed her face like she was one of her brothers, then she went up for her broom and came down for her next class.

Advanced Flight was to learn aerial acrobatics, and working with the wind for long flights. When they kicked off, it gave another view of the devastation. She saw the remains of the pitch, the overturned roof from the outbuilding. She guessed where she was standing yesterday, and the edge of the roof was about three meters from there. When the beams went into the ground, it pulled the high side of the roof down, so now it looked almost like a sandwich.

It felt really good to be in the air again. There may be challenges with this class, but she will certainly enjoy the opportunity to fly every week.

When they were getting ready for bed that night, they caught each other up.

Ginny sat cross-legged on her bed in her pyjamas, brushing her hair. Natalie was sitting on her bed in her pyjamas, leaning against her headboard, reading a textbook with her bed curtains open.

Hermione took her nightshirt behind the privacy screen to change. Ginny made sure their door was closed.

She said, “I put in a form for therapy time today. I spoke to Healer Mantooth in the hall after DADA, and he was going to recommend it for me.”

Hermione said from behind the screen, “I think it could help you. As you said on the train, we’ve all been traumatized.”

“I hope so. What about you?”

“I’ll decide after I tell my story, but I probably will. Speaking of stories, did you hear the buzz level go up when you walked in for dinner? I think the whole school knows now who your fiancé is.”

“Good, that was the idea. Did you hear, Natalie? The identity of my fiancé is now public knowledge. You can talk - carefully - on that subject, if you care to.”

“Thank you, Ginny, and congratulations!”

“Thank you.” She asked Hermione, “How was your conversation with Olivia?”

“She said she’s going to check with her bosses in the Hall of Mysteries about the horcruxes, and whether they want me talking about them. I don’t think she believed me about the Deathly Hallows, but she’ll ask about that too.”

“Right, who wants to believe that powerful magic objects described in a children’s story are real?”

Natalie shouted, ”WHAT!? They’re real?”

Hermione came out from behind the screen, wearing her nightshirt and folding her robes. “The Hallows are real. The brothers seem to have been real. There’s a small chance that Harry’s descended from one of them. As for the story itself, fighting Death? Probably allegory. Or at least, I hope so.”

“Where are they now?”

“We don’t know. At one time or another, over the past year Harry apparently had all three of them. Not all at the same time. Then he got rid of them. We don’t know where they are now. I’m fairly sure even he doesn’t know.”

“He just got rid of them?”

Ginny scooted around on her bed to sit facing Natalie. “This is the thing about the man I love. Since he learned he was a Wizard, he’s had access to tremendous power and wealth. It just keeps coming to him. He’s never asked for any of it. He doesn’t care about any of it. All he cares about is people. How good they are, to themselves and others. He’s lost too many of the people he holds dear to care about things.”

Natalie seemed dumbstruck for a moment. She spoke quietly, “I think you’re an amazingly fortunate woman.”

Ginny replied with the same tone, “I totally agree.”

Hermione sat on the edge of Ginny’s bed, “Now, think about the pain and trauma that must be behind that, to make him that way. That’s why I will always be his friend.”

She gave Ginny a hug, whispering, “And yours, too.” They went to sleep.

Damage Assessment 

The next morning the first class was Transfiguration again, with Percy. As she came towards the front of the classroom with Hermione, her brother rushed up the aisle and grabbed her in a hug.

“Are you all right? I’ve been so worried. I knew they let you out of the infirmary, but I haven’t been able to check on you.”

“I’m getting my energy back. It’s alright, Percy.”

He released her, and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to start with a Q&A on what we did. Do you know what you did?”

She shook her head. “The Headmaster is curious as well.”

“Alright, take your seats.” He went back to stand in front of his desk.

“Good morning, class. We’ll start with a review of what happened Tuesday. The movement of the roof section was going to plan, until I blundered. Once the roof was on the ground, I forgot to cancel the pull command that I had given it, so it kept moving. And yes, I’ve received a review from the Headmaster, in great and livid detail.” The class laughed.

“Fortunately, Miss Weasley was able to stop the roof.”

One of the male students raised his hand. When Percy recognized him, he asked, “How?”

“Miss Weasley blacked out and is unable to recall. The Headmaster is investigating it.” The buzz in the room increased, before Percy cut it off.

“After that incident was dealt with, we successfully cleared away several pieces of wall to reveal the body of a centaur. It’s easy to say they died in the Battle, some four months ago. I see some of you are turning green, we’ll get off those details.

“The Headmaster contacted the Herd Leader, and the warrior’s family was summoned to carry him home. If I had a way to send condolences, I would. If any of you think of some gift we could give, let me know. 

“If I find any of you joking about this, it won’t go well for you. This was a brave warrior fighting on our behalf, in a battle they could easily have stayed out of. He’ll get only respect from me.

“Are there other questions before we move to today’s task?”

A girl asked, “How much energy would it take to do what Miss Weasley did?”

Ginny whispered in Hermione’s ear, “Almost more than I had.”

“That’s a good technical question, and the Headmaster was curious about that as well. She estimated that she could have impacted three of the joists into the ground, in a second of time.

“Think on that. Headmaster McGonagall is well respected in the wizarding community, for her knowledge, experience, and magical ability. She thinks she could manage three. There were nine joists. Pulling them from the ground will take excavation, there’s been talk of leaving them there and building around them, like a string of benches.”

The Headmaster’s rich brogue came from the back of the room, “Professor Dumbledore could have done, I feel certain. It’s well known he was one of the most powerful wizards in the world, if not the most powerful wizard in two hundred years. I’m not saying Miss Weasley is in his class. I’m not saying she isn’t. We’re investigating.” 

She walked forward as she spoke. When she reached the front of the room, she casually handed slips of paper to Hermione and Ginny. She turned to Percy,  “If you don’t mind, Professor, I’ll monitor your task this morning.”

“Not at all, Headmaster, you are welcome anytime. I welcome your guidance.”

He turned to the class. “Are there any other questions?”

No one raised a hand. Ginny and Hermione snuck a look at their notes. They both said the same thing, “My office, 3 pm!”

They finished Percy’s task without issues, and he and the Headmaster thanked the students for good work. Ginny had just enough time to reach the Medical Wing on the Sixth Floor before her Sports Medicine class.

Carleton was already there. He said, “So, Harry Potter, eh? I understand why you didn’t want to talk about it then.”

Before Ginny could say anything, Madam Pomfrey came out of a room near the door. “Welcome, welcome, let’s get started. Miss Weasley, I don’t recall that you’ve been here before. Mister Burke, you were here three years ago, weren’t you?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“We won’t talk about the reason. This room here is my office. Across from it is the loo. Next to my office is the Natal Ward, for babies with difficulties. There’s only two beds here, but thankfully we don’t need them much. When I started, we didn’t have even this much, but we discovered that moving newborns to larger facilities could cause its own issues, so we had this built.

“Next to that is the surgery, with just one table. Then physical therapy.

“You found our little waiting area, next to the loo. Then we have four beds for recovery. This room in the corner is the lab, for doing investigations and making fresh potions. Any questions?”

“No? Let’s continue our discussion of student fitness.”

At lunch, Ginny and Hermione tried to figure out what the Headmaster wanted to see them about. Discussing it without openly mentioning topics that they didn’t want to discuss in the Great Hall required some verbal dancing.

They arrived at the Headmaster’s office with a minute to spare. Percy caught up to them as they reached the door. The door popped open at their knock, and they rode the stairs up. At the conference table just above the stairs sat the Headmaster and Olivia, Healer Mantooth, and an older gentleman who sat next to Olivia. The gentlemen stood while the girls took their seats.

The Headmaster introduced everyone, for those who didn’t know. The only one unfamiliar to Ginny and Hermione was the older gentleman, whose name was Euclid Nobel. He was the Director of the Department of Mysteries, and Olivia’s boss’s boss.

When the Headmaster finished, Nobel said, “I should have known that you’d bring me here for two of your troublemakers, Minerva. What have they gotten into this time?”

The Headmaster’s lips pursed and her nostrils flared. “Director Nobel, Miss Granger played a key role in defeating Lord Voldemort, and Miss Weasley fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. What was the Hall of Mysteries doing during that? You will speak with respect to these young ladies, or I will give you flying lessons from one of our high towers. I might even let you have a broom.”

His cheeks turned red, and he said, “My apologies, ladies. I spoke out of turn. I’m still upset over the time you and your friends broke into my department.”

Hermione said, “That was part of the struggle, Director. I would go over the whys and wherefores behind it, but I don’t believe that’s why the Headmaster asked for you to come.”

The Headmaster nodded, “You are correct, Miss Granger. There are several things going on this week, and they all seem to center around horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. I brought you all together because it seemed the fastest way to cover all the issues. Professor Green, would you like to start?”

Olivia cleared her throat. “In Defence this year, at the request of the Ministry, we’ve begun gathering stories from students who participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. Yesterday morning we heard the story of Miss Weasley, and I had to save that memory. It would curl your beard, Director!

“After class, Miss Granger asked me if the Ministry would object if she told the students about horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows, as they are crucial elements of her story. I passed the question to my supervisor, and I believe he passed it to you, Director.”

Director Nobel cleared his throat. “Yes, we’re still debating those questions. We know of horcruxes, of course,“ Healer Mantooth was startled. “The question we’re discussing is, should we talk about them in front of children?”

Hermione opened her pocketbook and started fumbling inside. “Director, I’ll remind you that I hadn’t reached seventeen when I first heard of horcruxes.” She put a cracked locket on the table, then a dented metal goblet. The Headmaster waved her wand and a pair of objects flew out of one of her desk drawers, which she added to Hermione’s collection. Ginny recognized the diary of Tom Riddle, and there was a mangled metal ring. Hermione added a broken diadem. Several people at the table had turned pale. Ginny pushed her chair back a bit from the table.

Ginny said quietly, “I was eleven, but I didn’t know what I was dealing with.” Percy took her left hand, Hermione took her right. She tried not to disturb Hermione’s ring.

Hermione continued, “These are some of the horcruxes that Tom Riddle made, on his way to becoming Lord Voldemort. Another was his snake friend, Nagini. The last horcrux was Harry Potter himself, the night he was given the scar on his forehead.

“You can see why I can’t talk about the Battle without talking about them. As the Headmaster likes to call it, our ’extra-curricular research project’ last year was finding and destroying these horcruxes, so that Voldemort could die a final death, and not linger on, as he did the first time Harry destroyed his body.”

The Director looked up from the horcruxes to look Hermione in the face. His eyes were wide in shock, and his skin was pale. “Miss Granger, I absolutely believe you should tell your story to your classmates, Defence Against the Dark Arts seems like the perfect class for that. All I ask is to be allowed to witness it myself. I would also request that these items be turned over to my department when you are through with them.”

The Headmaster cut Hermione off, “We welcome you to audit our class so you can witness her testimony in person, Director. We can work out a time when we’re done with our discussion. As for storage of these items, that’s a separate issue to discuss.

“Miss Weasley, do you mind discussing your personal issue with this group?”

“I don’t mind, Headmaster, with a couple of caveats. I don’t want this to be public knowledge, the more tightly held it is, the better. Percy, that means I don’t want you telling our family. Harry knows, and that’s it. Promise me.”

Her brother looked solemn. “With the exception of a medical need, I won’t tell our family.”

“That will do. Healer, this is the preface to what I hope are successful meetings between us.”

Ginny took a deep breath, and gently squeezed the hands of her brother and her friend.

“Before my First Year at school, I found that black book stuck in the middle of one of my texts. We later learned that Lucius Malfoy had snuck it there under orders that he get it to some young Hogwarts student before they left for school. The order came from Voldemort, of course. Malfoy hates my father, so naturally his innocent little daughter would be a perfect choice. Perhaps he was just dumping it before my father raided Malfoy Manor.

“At first I used it as a diary, writing nonsense about my classes, and expressing my thoughts and feelings concerning Harry Potter. I could write in the diary, and the words would disappear. How much safer can you get?

“And then the diary started answering back. We corresponded for months. Meanwhile, terrible things started happening at school.“ She shook Hermione’s hand. “This brilliant woman figured it out, even as my correspondent was trying to neutralize her. Her research led to Harry and my brother Ron figuring out the answer.

“My correspondent was Tom Riddle, who had placed a piece of his soul in the book. Through our conversation, it learned enough about me to possess me, causing me to unleash a basilisk that was trapped deep underneath the castle, which was turning students and staff into stone.” She raised Hermione’s hand again. “Including this one.” She pressed the back of Hermione’s hand to her cheek for a moment.

“In doing that, Riddle was draining my life force, in a plan to reincorporate himself.” Percy’s hand started trembling. “Imagine having two Voldemorts to deal with.

“Ironically, Riddle provided Harry with the means to destroy him, because a tooth of a basilisk could break the horcrux spell. So Harry caused all that damage to the book, saving my life. At the bright young age of twelve, if I may add, Director. My correspondent was gone, I was no longer possessed, so I was all better, right? Except it turns out that close contact with the soul within a horcrux corrupts your soul. They really are evil.

“I believe I have some of that infection. For the most part, I can control it. Mentally, I wrap it in love and stick it in a drawer, and I have no problems with it.

“Every once in a while, if I panic or otherwise lose control, it seems I can use magical abilities at the level of Voldemort. Like pushing thick wooden beams deep into the ground. I’m not directly in control then, but so far as I know, no one has been hurt by it. It’s even saved people.” She kissed the back of Percy’s hand.

“So, Healer Mantooth, if we can’t cleanse it from my soul, at the very least I’d like to keep it under better control. With your help, sir.”

Hermione’s hand was shaking now. “That means Harry-”

Ginny cut her off, “Yes, we really are perfect for each other.”

The Healer was pale and shaking, but he spoke bravely. “I don’t know if we can accomplish anything, Miss Weasley, but it will be my honor to try.”

“Thank you, sir. Now it is my turn to say I look forward to it.”

Hermione spoke up, “The next thing we need to talk about are the Deathly Hallows: the Elder Wand, the Cloak of Invisibility, and the Resurrection Stone.”

The Headmaster said, “I confirm that the objects described in The Tales of Beedle The Bard are very real. Albus Dumbledore won the Elder Wand from Grindelwald, and had it for almost the entire time I knew him.”

“Voldemort stole it from his grave,” Hermione said. “It gets twisty, but it turns out that Voldemort wasn’t its rightful owner, Harry was. That’s why their duel turned out the way it did. That’s the key element I need to talk about.”

Ginny added, using  Hermione’s information, “During the last year, at one time or another, Harry was in possession of all three of them, just not all at the same time.”

The Director was getting his color back. “My department should receive those items as well.”

Ginny said, “Good luck with that, Director. We don’t know where they are. Harry got rid of them.”

“He destroyed them?”

“No, he just deliberately lost them. He might actually know where they are, but if he does, you’ll never get him to tell you. He doesn’t believe ordinary people should own that kind of power.”

The Headmaster looked like she was trying to avoid bursting out laughing.

Ginny added, “In case you’re thinking of methods that could be tried, think on this: He won’t tell you voluntarily, even under interrogation or intimidation. He’s resistant to Veritas Serum and the Imperius Curse. Physical threats have been attempted by the most powerful villain the world has yet seen, and he defeated him. Do you really want to try?”

Director Nobel cleared his throat, “I wasn’t actually considering any of that, Miss Weasley, but I thank you for the warning. If he dealt with me that way, he would deal the same or worse with other people with more dishonest motives, if they were to try.”

Ginny’s eyebrows rose. She hadn’t considered that. She said, “Quite so. Woe unto them.”

 The Director got his management mode back. “Alright, Miss Granger, can we compromise on this? You may speak of the Elder Wand. If you are able to avoid speaking of the Cloak and the Stone, it may simplify your story, as they don’t seem integral to it. Also, it may give your story more credence if you don’t start by mentioning a children’s book. But, be that as it may, it is your story to tell. I will be there as many days as it takes. When would you like to start?”

Hermione took a deep breath. “Monday?” She asked Olivia, “Does that work for you, Professor?”

Olivia looked startled. “Monday, sure.” She looked at the Headmaster. “It occurs to me we may ’pack the house’ with teachers who were here last year. The classroom has been close to capacity anyway, but if they don’t have other duties, they may want to witness this.”

The Headmaster asked Director Nobel, “Does Monday work for you, Director? It would start at nine.”

“It will be my pleasure. Ladies, I thank you for my education today, and I feel it will continue next week. I’ll see you Monday morning.”

As they closed out the meeting, Hermione discussed with the Headmaster the disposition of the horcruxes. Professor McGonagall brought out a lockbox that would hold them, and she promised to bring it on Monday.

“Miss Granger, it would take major calamities for me to miss your story. I will bring the box, or Professor Flitwick will. Professor Green, you will need two extra side chairs on Monday. Thank you, everyone.”

When they left the Headmaster’s office, Ginny said to Hermione, “I’m free until dinner. Would you like to take a walk outside? I think we have things to discuss.”

“Like, how you’ve had the power of Voldemort infecting you, for almost the whole time I’ve known you?” She slapped Ginny lightly on her arm. “You could have confided in me.”

“It’s not like it’s been a big deal up until this week. And it’s kind of a hard topic to bring up. ’By the way, I have residual corruption to my soul, from the most evil, powerful wizard ever.’“

“Alright. Yes, let’s go for a walk.”

They headed for a door to get out of the castle. Ginny stopped when she saw through the glass that the doors led to the Courtyard. Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t go out that way.” She choked up.

Hermione said, “Wait here.”

She went through the doors and looked around. Ginny watched her through the glass.

When she came back in, she said, “No, you can’t go out that way. There’s work going on, but they haven’t got to that yet. It is an impressive crater.”

Ginny turned to get to the side doors. “Did I tell you his name? The impact crater? Mum and Dad found out for me. Antonin Dolohov.”

She could tell Hermione stopped cold. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Ginny, I’m so sorry. The first night, when we Apparated from the wedding reception, we went to a cafe to strategize. Two men came in who were Death Eaters, though we couldn’t tell right away. We defeated them, then wiped their memories. One of them was Dolohov.”

“And if you’d killed him then, he couldn’t have killed Remus. No, but it would have been someone else. We have to believe that, or it could break us. Remus would still be dead, probably.”

“You’re probably right.  If we’d killed them at the cafe, we would have left traces. There would have been an investigation. Attention was the last thing we needed then.”

“Right, I understand. It’s probably a good thing that Ron didn’t know his background. Dolohov went to Azkaban because he was the leader of a group of five Death Eaters who murdered Fabian and Gideon Prewett, my mother’s brothers. It happened just before Ron was born. My parents told me that event drove them to join the Order.”

“Merlin’s beard! If Ron had known he might have cast the killing curse on the spot! Does he know now?”

“I haven’t told him. When my parents told me he was the one Tonks killed, they opened a bottle of champagne. They were ready to tell everybody!”

They reached the side doors and walked down the path leading to Hagrid’s hut. Hermione said, “So you think Harry has this infection, like yours?”

“I’m almost positive of it. We haven’t really been straightforward with each other about it, but I see the recognition in him.”

“Hey, if your Mum hadn’t stepped in then, do you think you might have been triggered to deal with Bellatrix?”

“I don’t know, but I was almost as panicked then as I was on Tuesday. If it had come down directly to saving you, or Luna, I think it could have. I’m kind of glad it didn’t. As much as I wanted to kill That Bitch, the damage could have been devastating. You know, Voldemort-level blow down the walls devastating.”

They visited with Hagrid for a cup of tea, sharing stories of their summers. Hagrid had traveled to visit Olympe Maxime in France, spending over a month with her. They showed him their rings, and he showed them the ring she’d given him in return. They happily congratulated him on his engagement.

When they left his hut to return to the castle, Ginny said, “My sister-”

“-You have a sister? There’s another Weasley?”

She snagged Hermione’s hand as they walked. “My Gryffindor sister, sister-in-arms, and future sister-in-law. Weasley-to-be.”

Hermione giggled, and her cheeks turned pink.

“My sister, I was going to ask, what kind of wedding did you dream about having when you were little?”

“The grand dreams when I was seven? Getting married in a huge white dress, in the ballroom of a beautiful castle.”

Ginny stopped walking and looked up at the castle. “Like the Great Hall?”

Hermione stopped walking too, and followed her gaze. “Oh, but it might not be ready. We should ask in February or March.”

She looked at Ginny. “And let me say, I love being your sister.”

Ginny linked arms with Hermione as she got them walking again. “I love being your sister.”

Friday morning, the Headmaster came up the table before starting breakfast to stand next to Ginny. “Miss Weasley, I don’t normally pay attention to the gossip section of the Daily Prophet, but one piece caught my eye this morning. Are you reading the paper these days?”

“My parents do, but I haven’t been.”

“They’re probably going to see this, then.” She lay down the paper in front of Ginny. There was a brief article with two photographs. The article read:

OFF THE MARKET?

Auror-in-training Harry Potter was recently spotted snogging with Hogwarts student Ginny Weasley. Get a load of that ring!

The first photograph showed Harry and Ginny walking together, next to the Hogwarts Express. The second photograph was apparently taken through the window of the train, when Ginny and Harry were kissing. Even with their faces pressed together, Harry was easily recognizable by his glasses, which were fogged up, and the scar on his forehead, which was partly visible through his hair. She had her left hand against the side of his neck, and her engagement ring was clearly visible. Ginny passed the paper to Hermione.

“I’m glad I took the opportunity to announce it to the school first, then. My parents are well aware that Harry and I kiss, so the only thing startling to them is the whole wizarding world gets to see it. Thank you for making me aware, Headmaster.” Hermione passed the paper back, and Ginny handed it to the Headmaster. 

Professor McGonagall held the paper, and it combusted in her hands. The look she gave Ginny was filled with sympathy. She clapped her hands, “Let the breakfast begin!”

Hermione asked her, “Are you ready for that to happen every time you go out?”

“Probably not. I don’t know if there’s a school course in managing being famous. I suppose my wedding invitations will be the hot ticket next summer.” Ginny sighed.

Defence class seemed like a low point of the week, after the stories already told. They heard from four students whose stories were brief, but touched by moments of heroism. One was being evacuated, but managed to hit a Death Eater with a sleep spell as they ran laughing by the line of students. One went to the kitchens and helped defend the Elves, as Death Eaters pounded the shielded doors. One took a broom and tried to hit the giants with spells, while staying out of their reach. One fought in the Courtyard, mostly using Aguamente to spray water in the Death Eaters’ faces. They discussed the spell, it tends to penetrate low-grade shield spells, and the counter-spell is unreliable. However, if you can push it to the power of a small fire hose, it can be disarming, at least. Even Hermione was impressed with the idea. The three friends stood and applauded at the end of each story.

They got the impression that the instructors had already been notified of Hermione’s pending visit to the front of the class. As they left, several of them were in the back of the class, in deep discussions.

Ginny was glad she seemed to have her energy back. She went as quickly as she could up to their room, then came back down with her broom. Then she had to get to the Quidditch pitch. She kicked off from the ground when she was just a meter outside the doors.

Professor Hooch stood near the arched entrance, holding her broom. There were some construction materials stacked underneath the scoring rings, and now two rings were restored.

“No need to land, just hover close enough to hear me,” the Professor said as the four Captains arrived. “We’re searching for our scoring rings, those are the highest priority. They’re charmed, and sized to specifications, replacing them will be annoying. We’re going to need to be recertified as it is, which will take most of a day.

“You can search individually, for twenty minutes. After that, I’ll blow my whistle, I’ll want you to return at once. Don’t try to carry anything large alone, wait and we’ll get it together, with as many of us as it takes. Do not leave the school grounds alone! If you see something outside the grounds, I’ll go, or several of us will go. Do you hear me?”

They shouted, more or less together, “Yes, Professor!”

“Twenty minutes starts now!” She blew her whistle.

Carleton Burke and the Hufflepuff Captain went nearly straight up, taking the high view. Ginny thought that would be useful if you were looking off the grounds, but if you were looking closer to the castle, Professor Hooch would have already done that. Ginny stayed low, flying from any site of debris to the next. Anything they were looking for could have been buried under something else, and you might only see it if you were close.

Near the edge of the forbidden forest there were several trees that had been knocked over. She spotted the painted lines of a scoring ring underneath. Checking her watch, she headed back to the pitch. She heard the whistle as she approached.

They had found the missing four rings. Ginny described where she found hers. Carleton spotted one in the treetops of the forest, about two hundred meters in. The Hufflepuff Captain spotted his on a rooftop in Hogsmeade. The fourth ring was in the lake, several meters in. Depending on the sun’s position, you had to be looking at the right angle for the water to appear clear.

The Professor decided they would fetch the ring from Hogsmeade first, since it should be simple and safe. She was adamant that they stay together, and this would be a good time to practice formations. She told the Hufflepuff Captain to take point and she would fly directly behind. They found and retrieved the ring without incident.

The next one they would get during class was the one in the lake. The Ravenclaw Captain showed the Professor how he had spotted it, so she knew it’s position. Then she flew over it and tried to lift it using her wand. After a moment it rose above the surface. She called for assistance, and two of the boys helped her carry it to the pitch.

She called on all of them to land. “I’ll ask Professor Flitwick or Professor Weasley for help drying this ring over the weekend. I’ll also assemble a team of Professors to fetch the ring in the forest.”

“Captain Weasley, I’m sure most of the school has heard by now of your achievement driving joists into the ground. I’m not mocking you when I ask if you’d like to try lifting a fallen tree? It would at least be a test of your strength when you aren’t in a heart-stopping panic. 

“And I will warn you boys that if you, or anyone on your teams, teases her about what she did, I’ll take two hundred points off your House. My understanding is the energy expenditure almost killed her, however she accomplished it, so keep civil tongues in your heads.”

To Ginny, “We have a few minutes, would you like to have a go?”

“Why not?” Ginny answered. They remounted their brooms and flew to the  edge of the forest. They landed when they reached the site.

She dismounted her broom and drew her wand. She focused on the top tree, and cast the levitation spell. The tree rattled in place, but would not lift. She changed focus to the top end, and was able to lift it by a few meters. She pushed it away from the group, and the tree partially rolled off the pile. Ginny had started sweating.

“A good effort, Captain Weasley. Captain Burke, would you care to have a go? Once again, this isn’t your Transfiguration class, if you don’t want to try, just say so.”

Carleton was able to push the top log that Ginny had moved so it rolled clear of the pile, then he cancelled the spell and sank to his knees. Ginny applauded. The other two boys passed on an attempt.

“Alright, good work today, all of you. We should have all the rings by Monday, we can work on restoring them next week. Enjoy your weekend. Dismissed.”

Ginny walked over to Carleton and extended her hand to help him stand up. He took two breaths and clasped her glove with his, and he stood. “That was exhausting! I don’t know how you managed what you did!”

“It helps to be in a panic over the life of your brother.”

He held his wand to his forehead, like he was preparing to duel. He bowed, and said, “Still, my respect, Captain Weasley.” He put away his wand and mounted his broom, flying toward the castle with the other two boys.

She asked the Professor, “Is it just me, or is he an odd kind of Slytherin?”

She replied, “He’s old-school Slytherin, that’s for sure. Not one of the better-than-everyone families. He’s got honor. I’ve seen at least a little of his darker side, though. As a player, he can be tenacious and sneaky, but he usually stays just this side of underhanded. Like I said, honor.

“You don’t need to tell anyone I said that. I’m sure you could use some lunch, Captain Weasley. I’ll see you Monday.” She flew off.

Ginny remembered then that she wanted to discuss team exercise locations. She’d save it for Monday.

Friday night, Natalie invited Hermione and Ginny to accompany her to check out the Prefect’s bathroom. She hadn’t seen it yet. Hermione told her that she had seen it three years ago, when she was a Prefect. It was luxurious, Hermione thought of it as a spa, but boys and girls have equal access. Natalie’s face turned bright red at the news. They each decided they would contact their families, so they could receive the swimsuits they left at home. Ginny had her swimsuit in her wardrobe, but she decided not to go until Hermione could go as well.

Saturday morning at breakfast she received an owl from Harry. She didn’t recognize the owl, but Harry had lost his beloved Hedgwig a bit over a year ago, so apparently he had acquired a new bird. She started to read the letter in the Great Hall, then realized it was best saved for her room. He did say the owl’s name was Arndt.

Hermione spent part of her weekend on her duties as Head Girl, and many hours writing notes on what she was going to say starting on Monday. She told Ginny she would be in the library.

Ginny was hoping to have lunch or dinner with Percy on Saturday. They needed to talk about everything that had happened during the week. Saturday morning he was helping Professor Hooch, not finishing until after lunch time. She knocked at the door to his rooms an hour before dinner, and he said he was going to take a shower and go to bed. They arranged to have lunch on Sunday.

She went to the library to make sure Hermione took the time to eat. Hermione was interested in Harry’s letter, but there wasn’t much news to tell. Most of it was just the sappy things he said about her and his feelings, that she loved so much. She told Hermione that Harry mentioned he got in a little trouble for walking out on his class. He and Kingsley had a meeting, and they came to an understanding. 

After dinner Hermione returned to the library. Ginny went up to their room to write a letter back to Harry, then she went to bed.

Sunday morning she woke early, feeling rejuvenated. She finally got up before her roommates, so she prepared her clothes for the day and jumped in the shower. While she was waiting for Hermione and Natalie, she re-read Harry’s letter for the fourth time, then re-read the letter she had written, to make sure it carried the message she wanted it to. She told him about the Quidditch pitch, and that they had found all the scoring rings, and she had gotten third place in the draw for tryouts, so that would be the second Saturday from today. She mentioned signing up for therapy, but not all the side issues. That should be discussed in person. Then she got it ready to go out by owl. She would take it to the owlery after breakfast.

Being alone was a bit of a problem. Hermione returned to the library after breakfast. She saw Natalie in the common room, studying with a group of her friends, including Dennis.

Ginny didn’t want to stay in their room. She thought of going flying, but the rain was coming down pretty hard outside. She tried sitting in the common room, just drinking tea and reading the Quidditch manual, and her fellow Gryffindors kept coming up to talk to her. She almost felt like she was a Minister holding court proceedings. Some people wanted to talk about the incident with the training facility roof, and she had nothing to tell them. Some wanted to talk about Harry, and their relationship, and she had nothing she would tell them. The majority, of course, wanted to convince her why they should be on the team this year.

She decided to use the rain. If anyone tried to make the case that they should be on the team, she asked if they’d like to put their coats on right now and do some flight practice, because the team practices in all weather.

Not surprisingly, most of them made their excuses and backed away at that. Even stranger were the few who didn’t. She told them it was just a test, and she noted down their names.

She finally had the chance to check out the health flyers that Madam Pomfrey had put up. They were clear and informative, and even a bit amusing. She decided that she needed to set an example, and would do her stretches before going up the stairs as often as she could, whether she thought she needed it or not.

She wanted to get ready for lunch with Percy, so she did her stretches next to the girls stairwell. Natalie saw her and came over.

“Can I stretch with you? I’m not going up right now, I just want to do it right.”

“Absolutely, any time.” She took the extra time to make sure Natalie understood what the motions were about, what they were trying to accomplish, beyond what the flyers said. They were joined by another girl before they were done, Ginny thought she might be Fourth Year. The Fourth Year followed her up the stairs, stopping at her floor about halfway up.

If she kept this up, she may eradicate stitches among all the Gryffindors. If she could eliminate that brief pain, it was worth a little of her time.

It made her a little late getting to Percy’s apartment, but he was still glad to see her. His apartment didn’t have a kitchen, but it had a breakfast nook that would fit two or three people. He said Professor Flitwick had shown him some peculiar charms that the Professors could use to get a meal tray in their rooms. The variety of food was not as great as it was in the Great Hall, but it was decent and very tasty. He ordered trays for both of them.

While they were eating, she asked him how he was liking teaching. He said it was frustrating, exciting, terrifying, and exasperating, all at the same time. The First and Second Year classes were not involved in repair work, so their classes were normal. He didn’t even know how to teach ‘normal’, so he was fumbling through. The senior Professors were starting to guide him, as the Headmaster had done on Thursday.

She told him, “You’ve changed, Perce. You used to be driven to be the best of the best. ’Perfect Percy’ as the twins called you. You’re not driven like that anymore, are you?”

He looked sad and thoughtful, “Hmm, ’Perfect Percy’. You know what I was doing, don’t you? I was fulfilling our parents’ dreams. I planned to exceed them, become Minister! Then they would see me as just as good as Bill and Charlie. Maybe better. I pinned my hopes on a career in the Ministry to get me there. The royal bum-kisser. What a prat.

“When I fell off the ’prat-wagon’, as I started calling it, I fell hard. When I found out the Ministry I loved had flagged the entire family as blood traitors, and it made me realize that Dad and Mum and the rest of you could be killed on sight, I pulled back. Working myself up the ladder wasn’t important to me, anymore. Then I realized they were watching me, too.

“Especially after the Battle, I realized I really didn’t know anything. My life hadn’t gone anything like it should have done. Bill is married to a beautiful woman who is devoted to him, and I can’t keep a steady girlfriend. Fred and George had started a successful business. Charlie has a career that doesn’t make him much money, but he apparently enjoys it tremendously. My job at the Ministry is alright, but it isn’t satisfying, at least, not anymore. Ron has Hermione, you have Harry. For several years, due to my own stupid arrogance, I didn’t even have any of you.

“So I decided to open myself to new challenges, see if there was something I would enjoy, even if it didn’t advance my career in the Ministry. Then this came along. I want to be a good teacher, while I’m here, but I’m starting from nothing. Every day is a learning day.”

Ginny tried to encourage him. “I think you have a chance to be good at this. For the junior classes, remind yourself of your O.W.L.S.. You know the material. Try thinking of how you would explain it to Ron when he was eleven. At least during the repairs, the senior classes need leadership more than training. You’re doing a pretty good job at leadership. For the students, learning will come through doing, putting the magic skills into practice. Yes, you’ve made mistakes,” she gripped his hand, “but mistakes are how we learn.”

“You’ve been talking to Professor McGonagall, haven’t you? Once she got done chewing me out for my negligence, that’s roughly the same speech she gave.”

“I haven’t spoken to her about your teaching. Maybe we’re both just wise women?”

“I’m willing to accept that.” He grinned at her. “Have you heard from the family, or Harry?”

She told him a little about Harry’s letter. She reminded herself to write a letter to Mum.

“You know I’ll be in therapy sessions, did you apply? You sound like you’re ready for it.”

“I did, and I think I am ready for it. My sessions will be on Wednesdays.”

“That’s excellent! I’m glad for you.”

“How’s the Quidditch going?”

“Here’s something I learned this week. The Team Captains are responsible for the fitness of everyone in their House. It doesn’t add too much in duties, usually, it’s just more coordination, something else to monitor. To start with, I’m trying to set a good example.”

“That seems a pretty heavy responsibility for a student, even a Seventh Year.”

“It shouldn’t be too bad. As Madam Pomfrey pointed out, this castle is a fitness gym, just from the way it’s built. At least, when it’s all in tune. 

“Friday we found all the scoring rings. Did you gather the last two?”

“Yes, we got the two that your group hadn’t gathered. We stored them in the clock tower, so they’re out of this rain.”

“What about the one that was in the lake?”

“Professor Flitwick took care of that. His skills are amazing! It should be ready by tomorrow.”

When she was getting ready to leave, he said, “Something important that I wanted to say: During our meeting on Thursday, you scared the beetle dung out of me, talking about your life force being drained away, and the infection on your soul. As you go through your therapy, you keep me updated on any breakthroughs, alright? I want to know you’re getting better. If you don’t, I’ll sic Mum on you.”

“Percy, you promised not to tell them!”

“I don’t have to tell Mum your secrets to get her chasing after you with fruit juice and biscuits! All I have to say is you’re not doing well but you won’t see a Healer.”

“Oh, Percy, that’s playing dirty! I will keep you informed. And thank you for going all big brother on me.”

“I love you, Ginny.”

“I love you, Perce.” She kissed his cheek. She smelled some faint perfume on him.

When she got back to the common room, she did her stretches, then in their room she used more of Hermione’s parchment to write a letter to her mother. Amid all the news, she asked her Mum to start a scrapbook for her, with clippings that mention her or Harry, or both. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with it yet, but she wanted to be armed. 

She also asked her Mum to start two lists, who she would want invited to Ginny’s wedding, and to Ron’s. If it was the same people, don’t bother making two. Family members, or members of the Order, Ginny was in the early stages of a list and taking requests. When she finished the letter, she flipped to the back of her notebook and started her own list. Her parents and brothers were a given. Hermione and Luna were next, then the Headmaster. Then other current and former classmates. Hagrid, certainly.

Hermione came in while she was working on her list. She would have mentioned that she was working on the list, but Hermione was mumbling to herself. She used the loo, changed to her nightshirt, and went straight to bed.

At dinner time, she went to the Great Hall and fixed herself a big salad, then came back and went to bed.

Lessons Learned

Monday morning, Hermione was once again up before Ginny. She had a stack of notes she was reviewing, which she rolled up and stuffed into her book bag. After checking with the Prefects, she said there wasn’t much to report this morning, just some student encounters after curfew. Not unusual for a weekend.

They tried to get to the classroom early, to be sure they got their front row seats. They found little parchment signs with their names on them, so Olivia had reserved their seats. Ginny swapped with Hermione, so Hermione was at the end. The Headmaster and Director Nobel came in shortly after Miss Rowling and Healer Mantooth, sitting in chairs across from them. Ginny noticed the lockbox followed the Headmaster in.

Olivia stood in front of her desk, next to the padded chair. “Good morning, students and guests. Miss Granger has agreed to begin her story, and we have guests who are here to witness it with us. This results in a full house, so if you have an empty seat next to you, please raise your hand so the people standing in the back may have a seat.

“Our Headmaster has joined us, along with the Director of the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, Euclid Nobel.” The Director stood, to mild applause.

Olivia pointed to Hermione. “I think we’re ready. Please stand and state your name, House, and Year.”

Hermione stood, “Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Seventh Year.” She stepped to the padded seat. Before she sat, she turned to their guest. “Director, as I was reviewing my notes, it occurred to me that there were several times we broke Ministry laws. No one was actually hurt in our activities, so I’m hoping we may be forgiven.”

He replied, loud enough for the audience to hear, “Miss Granger, I don’t plan to see anyone arrested this week. Once I’ve witnessed your story, I will speak to the Minister about his willingness to pardon all three of you.”

“Thank you.” She sat down.

She said to the classroom, “My story begins with Tom Riddle, who was a student here in the forties. During his senior years here, he became a secret student of the Dark Arts. He had heard that there was a thing called a horcrux, and he found out how to make them.”

As she spoke, a table appeared beside her. The Headmaster opened the lockbox she had brought, and the horcruxes flew to land on the table.

She used her wand to lift the horcruxes into the air over her head, so students could see them. “A horcrux can be anything, even a living creature or person. We have here a diary, a ring, a locket, a few others. Things you wouldn’t even notice. I don’t know the details, thank goodness, but it’s required in the creation of a horcrux that someone must be murdered. That act fractures the killer’s soul, and that piece of soul is stored in the object.

“The purpose is to make a person unkillable. If their soul is linked to a horcrux, they can never truly die. What they fail to consider is that, at the same time, they can never truly live.

“Tom Riddle turned all of these objects into horcruxes, committing a murder for each, on his way to becoming Lord Voldemort.” A murmur of shock ran around the room.

“He created two others. He had a pet snake, Nagini, although ’pet’ may not be the right word.

“He also made Harry Potter into a horcrux, in the act of giving him the scar that he still bears. We all know the story of the Boy Who Lived. It was a shield that his mother Lily created for him that saved his life. She shielded him in her love, and it protects him still. So in trying to kill Harry, Voldemort destroyed himself, but a piece of his soul stayed with Harry, sheared away by the murder of Harry’s mother.”

Luna took Ginny’s hand, and she realized that tears were running down her cheeks. A kerchief appeared on the desk before her.

“Voldemort wasn’t completely destroyed. His body died but his soul still lived, made undying by the horcruxes he created. At first, he had no physical form. Then, on the night of the third event in the TriWizard Tournament, Harry was kidnapped, which was the entire reason his name was put into the Goblet. The Death Eaters needed to get Harry away from Hogwarts, away from Professor Dumbledore, so they could perform a procedure to bring Voldemort back into a living body. Part of the procedure was a potion, which included some of Harry’s blood, taken by force.

“Cedric Diggory was kidnapped along with Harry, but that was not according to their plan, so he was murdered.”

They could hear sniffles and sobs coming from the audience.

“It was after this event that Professor Dumbledore explained to Harry about the horcruxes, and what Voldemort had done. Harry told Ron Weasley and I. In order for Voldemort to be destroyed for good and all, all the horcruxes had to be destroyed first. Yes, even Harry, although we didn’t realize he was a horcrux at first. You’ve heard part of that story already. I’ll come back to that.

“So the three of us devised a plan to go horcrux hunting, so we could destroy them. It was after Professor Dumbledore was murdered that we resolved to put our plan into action, so we dropped out of school, which is why I’m here, this year. From here, I finally become part of this story.”

She asked Olivia, “How’s our time?”

She replied, “Twenty minutes left. Do you want to try a Q&A?”

Hermione nodded.

Olivia looked at the four guests in the side seats. “Do any of you have questions up to this point for Miss Granger?”

Miss Rowling asked, “Do we know the names of the people Voldemort murdered to make these horcruxes?”

The Headmaster replied, “Professor Dumbledore listed their names in his notes. I’ll share them with you.”

The Director asked, “Do we know why it was Harry Potter that Voldemort was after?”

Hermione replied, “There was a prophecy made, before Harry was born. If you’re familiar with prophecies, you know they can be so vague they could describe anything or anyone. This one was mildly specific, it narrowed the choices down to less than a handful of people. Voldemort knew part of the prophecy. He locked in on James and Lily Potter, after Lily became pregnant.

“By the way, Director, that prophecy was stored in the Hall of Prophecy. We broke in that night to keep it from the Death Eaters, and save the life of a man we believed was in serious danger.”

“Thank you, Miss Granger, I’ll take that into my considerations.”

“I’d like to add, as much of a friend as I am of Harry’s, and as much loss, pain, and tragedy that I know he’s had to endure because of Voldemort’s choice, I thank Merlin it was him. If it hadn’t been, I don’t know if anyone else could or would have done all the things he’s done to achieve Voldemort’s destruction.”

Olivia stepped to the front. “Amen to that. We’ll continue on Wednesday. Class dismissed.”

Many in the classroom stood and applauded, then they broke up, with much murmuring. The buzz of the rumor mill continued.

Ginny hugged Luna, then Hermione, then she left for the Quidditch pitch.

She reached the pitch before Professor Hooch. The Hufflepuff Captain was already there. 

He said, “Hey, Ginny, congratulations on your engagement. You and Hermione are amazing!”

“Thank you.”

Looking back to the castle, she saw the other two Captains walking down the path, and the Professor crossing on the grass. The two boys reached them first, then they all waited for her.

The Professor reached the pitch and greeted them, then she turned back to the castle, to the area she had just come from. She made a couple of gestures with her wand, and a moment later they saw the four scoring rings flying towards them. She turned and laid them flat on the grass.

“Let’s check them for damage. I’m not concerned about the stands, those will be fixed when they are put in place. Look at the rings themselves. Are there cracks in the wood? Are they split? Any of that could mean the charms have failed, and the ring will need replacing.”

Carleton pointed to a crack in one of the rings.

“Thank you, Captain Burke. This one was under the trees. It would take that kind of punishment to damage the rings, part of the purpose of the charms are to allow them to stand up to punishment. So this one will need replacing.”

“Would you please pair off and stand two of the rings on their side, so they are vertical?” Ginny helped the Hufflepuff Captain stand a ring on its edge. Carleton and the Ravenclaw Captain stood up another one.

The Professor walked over to the entrance area, which was mostly untouched from the damage. Using her wand, she unlocked a compartment in the wall of the entry and took out the box of Quidditch balls. She set it on the ground and removed the Quaffle. 

“We don’t normally keep the box out here, I moved it over the weekend. If the charms work, the painted part of the ring should light up when the Quaffle passes through.” The Captains moved so they weren’t blocking the ring.

“Here we go.” She threw the ball through the ring that Carleton was holding up. Nothing happened. “Right, I was afraid of that. This is the ring that was in the lake. The saturation of the water dissipated the charms. Lay that one down and pick up the other one, please, while I test this one.”

She summoned the Quaffle back to her and caught it in one hand. Then she threw it into the ring that Ginny was helping to hold up. The paint flashed, and from the stands they heard a truly pathetic ’ding!’

“Excellent! That one is good, you may set it down. Are you ready with the third?” The boys had just managed to stand the third ring up. The Professor repeated her test, and the paint flashed and they heard the pathetic chime. 

“Alright, you may lay it down. I didn’t think that chime would even work, we’ll replace it later. I’ve tested the two rings that are in place, and they both work. That means if we get these two installed, we’ll have one complete set of scoring rings to do tryouts with, plus a start to the other goal, and at least a few weeks to get the other two rings replaced. Any questions?”

The Ravenclaw Captain asked, “How do you get them replaced?”

“The Ministry Sports and Gaming Department supplies them. There’s a form I’ll fill out this afternoon and turn in to the Headmaster. It takes about a month to get replacements, but I think our Headmaster can light some fires to get them quicker. Cross your fingers.”

“Other questions? No? Alright. Let’s get on with it. This is where we burn some calories. As you can see, neither of our working rings have more than two meters of stand on them, and our incomplete stand over here is almost sheared to the ground. We need to supplement the material to build up the stand, that’s where our supply of boards comes in.”

She waved her wand towards the stack of boards, and four of them came up together. She stood them in a square around the broken base of the stand. She made a compressing motion with her two hands, and the four pieces of wood melted together around the broken base, forming a squared off stand that was about four meters tall. Ginny could see beads of sweat break out on her forehead.

“Right, it takes a lot of effort to drive that much magic, this will be similar to lifting a tree top, I imagine. Let me fix the top.” With a quick wave, some of the top portion of the new stand popped off, leaving a square knob at the top.

“Alright, I’m pooped. Anyone care to try the next level? You’ll do the same as I did, don’t worry about making it pretty, I’ll get that later.”

Ginny put up her wand, but so did the Ravenclaw Captain. The Professor chose him.

He raised four boards, setting their ends around the knob at the top. He fused the boards together. The Professor was standing next to him. She said, “Be sure the corners melt together, so they become one piece of wood. That way it will hold and flex in the wind. Yes, very good.”

The Captain finished the melding, and almost collapsed. The Professor caught him. “Ginny, help me lower him so he can sit.” She was close, so she grabbed his other shoulder and helped him sit on the grass.

“Are you alright?” He nodded, breathing heavily. “Good job.

“We’re almost done with our time, would two of you move these two broken rings up against the entrance please? And someone put the Quaffle back in the box.”

Ginny remembered her question, as she picked up the Quaffle. “Professor, we’re going to need space to exercise with our teams. Madam Pomfrey thought the Dueling Hall would have enough space. Would that work for everyone?”

The Professor replied, “A very good question. Let me discuss that with Professor Green, and I’ll have an answer by Friday. Each of you check out the room and form an opinion and we’ll discuss it then. Dismissed.”

At lunch she told Hermione that they had enough of the scoring rings, for now, and by Friday they should be ready to start tryouts.

Hermione replied, “That’s excellent. Gryffindor tryouts are a week from Saturday?”

Ginny said, “Yes, Hufflepuff this Saturday, Slytherin Sunday, then us next weekend, then Ravenclaw. Then we start group work to rebuild the pitch.”

“All four teams together?”

“Right, my weekends are going to be busy, starting next week. We’ll all turn out until the stands are done, then we go back to separate team practices. But we’ll be doing individual team workout times. We’re still trying to figure out where that will happen.”

“All that in seven or eight weeks? Will the team be ready?”

“Who knows? The only thing that makes it fair is the other teams won’t be in better shape than us. Gameplay may be sloppy in the first couple of matches. Sloppier than normal, I mean.”

“You do have your work cut out for you, don’t you?”

Her Sports Medicine class was back in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was working behind a privacy screen. She looked out when Ginny and Carleton entered. 

She heard Madam Pomfrey ask, “Do you mind if I use this for training some students?” Then she came out behind the screen.

“Good morning. I’m working on a patient who slipped going up some stairs. I’m applying bandages, but the damage isn’t serious. The patient has given permission for me to show you what I’m doing. Come around to the other side of the screen.” They followed her around the bed. 

A girl who appeared to be about Third Year, in Gryffindor robes, was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her robes were pulled up to her lower thighs, exposing her knees. Her left knee was already in a bandage. Her right knee was skinned up, and a little swollen, but otherwise appeared normal.

“So the other bandage is here, and I’ve got a cotton pad and some healing salve. Apply a thin layer of salve to the pad, gently apply the pad to the knee. The salve will hold the pad there short term while you apply the bandage.” She showed them how the knee was wrapped so the person could still walk. She pulled the girl’s robe down over her knees.

“We’re good.” Using her wand, she moved the privacy screen back out of their way. Then she pointed to a tall cabinet in the back corner, saying, “Rover, come here.”

A wheelchair came out of the cabinet, shook itself out from being folded up, and rolled over to them. “This is Rover, he’ll get you back to your room. You should be able to take the bandages off in the morning. When you’re done with Rover, just order him to return to the infirmary. You can throw away the pads, and put the bandages in your laundry bag, the Elves will return them here.”

Carleton asked, “Does Rover handle stairs?”

“Oh, yes, he climbs quite well.”

Madam Pomfrey helped the girl get in the chair. Ginny introduced herself, and said, “If you tell me your name, I’ll check on you later and in the morning, alright?” 

The girl whispered her name in her ear, “Tisha Shacklebolt.”

Ginny said, “Pleased to meet you. I’ll check on you before dinner tonight.” They watched Rover roll out of the infirmary. 

They spent the rest of the class discussing disabilities, both short-term and long-term, and what the school can do, and what wizarding society does. Ginny found the discussion to be both heartbreaking and uplifting.

In the Charms class she had next, Professor Flitwick demonstrated repairs, using charms to repair or restore damaged items from around the castle. He showed them how to repair several frames to the paintings around the castle, and remove dents from pieces of armor.

She stopped in the common room to do her stretches. She stood facing the room, and she noticed several boys watching her. She knew she wasn’t showing any skin to make it interesting for them.

She called to the closest boy, “You seem very interested in stretches. Do you want me to show you proper technique?” He looked away.

She checked the directory to find Tisha’s room, and started climbing. Knocking on the girl’s door, she entered when she heard “Come in.”

There were three girls in the room, with five beds. Tisha was laying on the middle bed on top of the covers. Another girl was laying on a bed reading a textbook. The third girl was sitting in Rover. She jumped out when Ginny came in.

“Hi, girls, I’m Ginny. I just stopped by to check on Tisha.” The other two girls got very wide eyes as they figured out who she was. They had heard the rumors, and may have seen the Daily Prophet. Ginny knew she’d just have to get adjusted to it. She walked over to Tisha’s bed and leaned on the frame.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m alright.”

“Do your knees hurt?”

“A little.”

“The healing salve reduces a lot of pain, but sometimes it can’t suppress it all.” She drew her wand and summoned two pillows. ”I’m going to lift your feet and put these pillows under them, okay?” Tisha nodded and Ginny elevated her feet. “You don’t have to sleep like this if you like to sleep on your side, but it will reduce the pain and swelling when you’re on your back. Better?”

Tisha nodded and smiled. 

“Are you going to be okay getting to dinner?”

“Yeah, my Dad’s coming to make sure I’m okay.”

“Hey, is your dad who I think he is?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded.

Ginny said, “I’ve met your Dad a couple of times. He’s a very kind and impressive guy.”

Tisha said, “I guess.”

“Do you know who my fiancé is?”

Her eyes widened a little bit and she nodded.

“I got a letter from him on Saturday. He said he had a meeting with your Dad last week. They get along pretty well.”

“That’s cool.”

“I think so. I’ll let you get some rest before your Dad comes.”

She turned to the girl who had been sitting in Rover. She sat on a bed, watching Ginny. She said, “I’m a firm believer in having fun, but this chair is Tisha’s only way of getting around until her knees are better in the morning. If something happens to it, and Tisha can’t get downstairs to see her Dad, he’s going to be upset. That’s not a threat, that’s a warning. I’m just saying, you should have some respect. Okay?”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Ah, respect. Do you play?” She was kind of a hefty girl, with some muscle.

“Whenever I can.”

“What position?”

“Beater.”

“That’s good. Are you coming to tryouts next Saturday?”

The girl smiled broadly. “Wouldn’t miss it!”

“Excellent! What’s your name?”

“Clementine Sweetleaf.”

Ginny pulled out her notebook and added her to the tryout list she was making. “I look forward to seeing you there, Clementine. And stay out of the chair. That’s Captain’s orders.”

She went upstairs and got ready for dinner. She went down a little early, sitting near the end of the table, where she and Hermione usually ate breakfast. She made sure space was left for grownups to sit at the end.

When Hermione and Natalie came in, she told them there may be some guests coming, so she was reserving the space.

Hermione asked, “Is it our boys?”

“I wish it were, but I guarantee the buzz will be noisy tonight.” She couldn’t help smiling.

A few minutes before the hour, Rover rolled in carrying Tisha. Her mother and father followed her in. Both of them were very tall. The woman was willowy thin, the man was wide without being heavyset.

He pointed at the empty space, and they moved over. When he recognized Ginny and Hermione, he grinned widely.

His deep voice rumbled, “May we sit here?”

Hermione’s eyes were a little wide, and she sat up straight. Natalie looked like her eyes were about to fall out of her head.

Ginny said, “I was hoping you would, Minister.”

Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, took a seat next to Hermione, the woman sat next to Ginny. Tisha rolled up to the end of the table.

He said, “Ladies, let me introduce my family. This is my wife Renee, and our daughter Tisha. Tisha, I understand you’ve met Ginny. Renee, the lady next to you is Ginny Weasley, daughter of Arthur and Molly. This young woman next to me is Hermione Granger.”

Renee said, “It’s an honor to meet you both. Ginny, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your parents a few times.”

The Headmaster came up behind Hermione, “Is everything alright, Minister?”

He smiled at her, “Headmaster, the Minister of Magic isn’t here tonight. Just a man having dinner with his wife and daughter, and a few friends.”

“Well, enjoy your dinner, Kingsley. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you, Headmaster.”

Ginny said, “Kingsley, I think I should introduce you to our roommate, before she faints dead away. Next to Hermione is Natalie McDonald, Gryffindor Prefect.”

Renee said, “Very pleased to meet you, Natalie.”

Natalie gulped, “It’s an honor, Renee.”

The Headmaster regained her seat at the teachers table. “Let the dinner begin!” The plates, cups, cutlery, and food all appeared. The Elves even took into account Tisha’s seat at the end of the table.

The next several minutes were spent passing serving plates and pitchers, loading up their plates. Ginny passed a juice pitcher to Renee, and she noticed what was on Ginny’s hand. “My God, that’s beautiful! Is that your engagement ring? May I see it?”

Renee poured a glass of juice for her daughter and herself, then set the pitcher on the table. She held Ginny’s left hand. “That’s fantastic! And it’s all laid out flat.”

“Harry said it took him a little while to find, because he was looking for a ring I could wear under my Quidditch gloves.”

“Now there is a thoughtful man!”

Kingsley said, “Ginny, I had a conversation with your fiancé last week.”

“He mentioned that in a letter I got on Saturday. He said you reached an understanding.”

“Yes, you could say that. He stated his priorities very clearly. There’s you, and then there’s everything else.”

Hearing that made Ginny feel warm. “Does that change the type of work you want him to do?”

“Not yet. Of course, it’s an advantage politically to have him on my team, but to me that’s a small consideration compared to having him become a fine Auror. I’m sure he’s capable, he’s proven that already.”

Renee said, “To the world!”

“Well, yes.”

Renee asked her, “What do you want to do while Harry is an Auror?”

Ginny smiled. “Play Quidditch! I want to join a professional team.”

“What about you, Hermione?” Renee asked.

“I want to become a lawyer, fighting for the rights of sentient beings that aren’t being recognized by the Ministry.”

Kingsley said, “You do like to take on the big issues, don’t you? I don’t know why I should be surprised by that. When you get certified as a lawyer by the Ministry, if I’m still Minister, you come talk to me. I would love to see what feathers you can ruffle!”

He took a drink of his juice. “Hermione, Euclid Nobel tells me you’ve scared him spitless this week. That’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s usually what he does to other people. Including me.”

“We’re talking about some scary things, Kingsley.”

“He also asked about a pardon, although he said he would wait to hear your full story before submitting his recommendation. I want to read his recommendation, just to see what he has to say, so you don’t have to mention this bit of information to him.

“Minister?”

“Before he would accept my job offer, your fiancé insisted that you three be given unconditional pardons for any activities between the time the Ministry fell, and end of day May Second. Didn’t you get your copy?”

“No. Are you sure this was Ron, not Harry?”

“Tall, skinny, red hair, lots of freckles, cracks a lot of jokes?”

“That’s Ron!”

“On this one point, he was absolutely serious.” The minister said.

Ginny said, “Well, now you know what he’s giving you for a wedding present!”

Hermione sighed. “Since before we got on the Hogwarts Express I’ve been worried about being arrested. I may throttle him!”

Getting ready for bed, Ginny still had a smile from their dinner that wouldn’t go away. She said, “My sister, as a theoretical question, would you put the Shacklebolts on your list of wedding invitations?”

Hermione stopped before going behind the privacy screen, turned and gave Ginny a look. Ginny said, “I’m sorry, I forgot who I was talking to! You not only have already started your list, but they’re already on it, aren’t they?”

“Of course,” Hermione said, going behind the screen. “They’ve been friends with your parents, and therefore Ron’s parents, since before you were born. For my wedding, they may have security concerns. For yours, probably not as much.”

“You mean, since mine is the wedding of Harry Potter, famous throughout the wizarding world, the Minister of Magic being in attendance is not as big a deal?”

“Exactly.”

“You know, my sister, there is a way to resolve this imbalance. Our invitation lists are going to be nearly identical anyway.”

Hermione came out from behind the screen wearing her nightshirt. “I thought of it, my sister, but I wasn’t going to be the first to suggest it.”

Ginny sighed. “Hermione, I love you. You are as dear to me as any of my brothers. Would you have a double wedding with me? I would be overjoyed to share my day with you.”

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed, facing Ginny. “Ginny, my sister, it would be my privilege to share my day with you.” They leaned together and hugged.

They heard a sniff. Looking to the third bed, Natalie had tears streaming down her face. She was busily dabbing at her eyes with a kerchief. Ginny and Hermione laughed, then Natalie broke up.

Ginny asked, “So, do you think the boys will go for it?”

Hermione snorted. “My sister, this is a wedding! What the groom wants is inconsequential, since his interest is only in what happens after. We tell them this is the way we want it, and that’s the way it is.”

“Oh, this is going to be fun!”

The next morning, they stopped at Tisha’s room to check on her. She had removed the bandages, so she could show Ginny her knees. They appeared to be fine to her inexperienced eye. Tisha gave Rover the command to return to the infirmary, and they followed it down the stairs. 

When they reached the Great Hall, the buzz was as loud as they had heard it that year. 

Ginny asked, “Do you want to place bets on whether it is louder with Harry here?”

Hermione replied, “It wasn’t this loud when we were in Sixth Year. But then, we’ve had a battle and your engagement since then. We’ll just have to see, won’t we?”

During breakfast, Hermione received a rolled up scroll in an envelope tube, delivered by owl. On the scroll was her official pardon from the Ministry. Later she stuck it to the wall by her bed.

Healer Mantooth walked by, and handed Ginny a small envelope. Inside was a card announcing an enhancement to her school schedule. She now had therapy sessions on Thursday afternoons, after lunch. It listed a classroom number, and the Healer was listed as the instructor.

She showed the card to Hermione. “It’s official, now.”

Their project in Transfiguration was tiring. It was interesting for Ginny, as it overlapped two of her classes. The class was split into two groups, with one group going off with Astronomy Professor Sinistra. Hermione and Luna were in that group. Ginny stayed with Percy, and they all walked out to the Quidditch pitch, where Professor Hooch met them. She demonstrated the merging of boards that they had worked on Monday, then the students took one merging each.

They added two sets of boards in height to the two working scoring rings, then bonded one of them to the half-complete stand they had worked on. Professor Hooch said she would clean it up and adjust the height before the end of the week.

Then students added two sets of boards to a stand at the other end of the stadium, and they bonded the last scoring ring to that. Finally they added three sets of boards to the last two stands. Professor Hooch explained that the new scoring rings would come with long stems.

Aside from some cleanup, and replacing the broken chime, they were ready for tryouts to start on Saturday. Carleton and the Hufflepuff Captain had gone off with the other group, but the Ravenclaw Captain was there. Looking up at the completed goals, he said to Ginny, “This gives me hope for the rest of the school.”

Her next class was History of Magic. She had passed out last week, and managed to miss it. She found it mildly interesting, however, as they were covering the Grindelwald conflicts. Ginny had read through her grandmother’s scrapbook many times, and the most interesting articles to her were the ones dealing with that period. The ghost of Professor Binn made even those exciting times fairly boring.

After lunch with Hermione, she had free time, so she went up to the Dueling Hall. It was a semicircular lecture room, with a rising gallery of seats for spectators, and six aisles of stairs. The dueling floor was a padded material that wasn’t scuffed by shoes, but was soft to fall onto, even better than falling on grass. There should be room for them to do calisthenics, standing three players per row. With seven players and three alternates, they should fit.

The dueling floor had charms mounted that would cast shields to protect the gallery from spellcasting. They should also stop Bludger balls, so the Beaters could do ball-hitting practice. There were targets that could be mounted on the back wall, so they could have the Keeper defend them while the Chasers tried to score. No one had yet worked out a practice drill for Seekers, you either used a Golden Snitch or you didn’t. The room wasn’t big enough for brooms.

She worked out a rough plan for a workout, starting with stretching, then calisthenics to warm up. Jog two or three times around a circuit of the staircases, then do ball-passing drills, using a variation of the Spinning Hoops game, or Bludger practice. Then cool down and more stretching.

She figured the room would do.

She still had time before dinner, she went back up to the dorm room. There were only a few people in the common room, and no one stared at her while she stretched. She got her overcoat and her Nimbus, and went flying for half an hour. She found her window at the top of Gryffindor Tower, and took in the rest of the view that she couldn’t see from inside. It looked like the sunset would be spectacular.

On the way back to the room to drop off her coat and broom, there were more people in the common room when she stopped to stretch. She caught a few boys watching her, and she tried glaring them down. Another boy came in through the portal, looking to be at least Fifth Year. He saw what she was doing and dropped his book bag and stretched before going up the stairs.

Hermione came in just as she was about to start her climb. Ginny asked her, “Do you want to stretch before going up? It’s kind of relaxing.”

She replied, “Can you show me?”

“My pleasure.”

She showed her the leg and ankle stretches, then showed her the side to side stretches. “You only need about a minute or two of the leg stretches to get you started, and you could begin with just ten or twenty side stretches. I’m up to fifty, but I’m trying to get in shape for workouts.”

“I do feel less tense. That was very good, thank you. Let’s go up.”

When they reached their room, Ginny hung up her coat and replaced her broom under her bed. After Hermione caught her breath, she asked, “How do you deal with the boys looking at you?”

“I’m trying different things. I’ve challenged one boy to stretch with me, and he turned away. I’ve glared at them, and that works for a little while. The other thing is mental. I’m imagining them to be press photographers, and just getting used to it. I don’t like that one, but I think I’m going to just have to adjust to it.”

“Have you had any students try to take your picture yet?”

“Not that I’ve noticed, but then I do have a small reputation as a master of the Bat-Bogey Hex. If I hit a few amateur photojournalists with that I think it will discourage them.”

Hermione chuckled, “I’d love to see that.” She left her book bag by her writing desk, and fed Crookshanks. They started down for dinner.

Ginny asked her, “How are your classes going for the double-NEWTS?”

“The Pre-Law class is fascinating, there are six students in that. I also have two days of Latin to go with spell-development. That ties into the Law class as well.”

“Haven’t you read a couple of books on Latin already?”

“Yes, but now I have to be able to pronounce it.”

Wednesday morning marked their return to the Defence classroom. 

Hermione took the cushioned chair and resumed her story. “On the night that the Ministry fell, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and I began our search for Voldemort’s horcruxes. We had a huge handicap. We didn’t know what we were looking for, or where to look. Professor Dumbledore believed that there were six, and two of them had been found. One of the remaining four had been found by Regulus Black, and replaced with a decoy, so the original wasn’t even where the Professor thought it was.

“We lived for months on the run, because Harry had been declared Undesirable Number One. Ron’s family was disguising his disappearance. The only wanted poster that I saw with my face just said ’Wanted’, I don’t know if I was Undesirable Number Two or Two Thousand.”

Director Nobel said gently, “Miss Granger?”

She looked at him. “Director?”

He held up his hand with his fingers spread.

“I was Number Five?” He nodded. She smiled demurely. “Oddly, I feel so much better now, thank you, Director.

“We found one horcrux almost by accident, and we found we had another handicap. We lacked the tools to destroy it. Hammers, chisels, big rocks, nothing would even chip it. As Harry discovered with the diary of Tom Riddle, they could be destroyed by a basilisk fang. We hadn’t thought to bring one with us.

“That horcrux was found inside the Ministry of Magic. That was the second time we broke in. I don’t believe she knew what it was, but it was being carried by Dolores Umbridge.” A murmur spread through the room. “Taking it from her was kind of fun, but we did disrupt a large part of the Ministry that day.”

“Carrying that horcrux around with us, we experienced such corruption, such evil, that we couldn’t carry it by ourselves for very long. Carrying it made us grumpy, angry, paranoid, and depressed. We split the duty between the three of us.

“Over months, we worked out that we needed to retrace the steps of Tom Riddle, to go where he had meaningful life events. That took us many more months, because we didn’t know his backstory that well, we had to research it.

“We found one item besides a basilisk tooth that could break a horcrux: the Sword of Gryffindor. We used it to break the other horcruxes, but then we lost it. Apparently, it came home.

“We had destroyed just the one horcrux when one afternoon we were captured by a Snatcher squad. They took us to the Malfoy residence. I managed to disguise Harry magically so his famous face wasn’t quite so recognizable, which gave us a little time.

“This is an important point, and I’ll explain why later. Draco Malfoy had disarmed Professor Dumbledore of his wand, before Severus Snape killed Dumbledore. During our escape from the Malfoy mansion, Harry defeated Draco, taking Draco’s wand. That made Draco’s wand loyal to Harry.

“I’ll mention this, because he deserves to be remembered. The Malfoys used to have a House Elf named Dobby. Dobby tried to help Harry, even though his masters wouldn’t want him to. Harry tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby, who became a free Elf. When we were trapped in the mansion, Dobby came to rescue us. As he was Apparating us from the House, a knife thrown by Bellatrix Lestrange hit him in the chest.” Ginny noticed that Luna was silently crying. Ginny took her hand. “Dobby was very brave, and completely loyal to Harry. He died rescuing us, and Harry buried him at our destination.”

Kerchiefs appeared in front of Luna, and on Hermione’s lap. Hermione took a minute to compose herself.

“We figured out that the fourth horcrux, the cup, was in the vault at Gringotts belonging to Bellatrix. I won’t go into details, but we successfully broke in to the bank, far enough to get into her vault. We almost didn’t make it out of the vault. Once we did, we were trapped inside the bank. So Harry had an insane idea. Totally bonkers, I can’t believe it worked. The goblins were using a dragon, chained in the deepest basement, to protect the biggest vaults in the bank. We freed the dragon and rode it as it escaped from the bank. It flew North, and we dropped off as it landed at a lake.”

Several people in the room applauded and whistled.

“We didn’t know what it was or where to find it, but we figured out the last place where Tom Riddle would’ve hidden a horcrux would be in this school. That’s why we came here that night. I know you were all desperate for us to come and save you all, but that’s not why we came back. I’m so sorry.”

Headmaster McGonagall stood up. “Don’t be sorry, Miss Granger. You did save us. You three, just by your arrival, gave us hope. That hope helped us rise in one last wave of action, which carried us to victory. Your arrival also caused others to come. The Order of the Phoenix. The Centaurs. The people of Hogsmeade. The parents of children at this school. They all came to fight with us, because you, Mister Potter, and Mister Weasley came that night. We are so thankful you came when you did.”

Ginny stood up and started applauding. She simply couldn’t help herself. The Headmaster also applauded, and the teachers in the back. Shortly everyone in the room was applauding for Hermione. She turned red and her tears started flowing. The Headmaster stepped to her chair and touched her shoulder. Hermione stood and cried on her shoulder.

Olivia stepped to the front, still clapping. “Look at that, we’re past time. We’ll continue on Friday. Class dismissed.” It didn’t stop the applause, which lasted for several more minutes.

When Ginny stopped clapping, she stepped over to Hermione, just to say, “Thank you.”

Hermione turned from the Headmaster to Ginny, still crying, and wrapped Ginny in a hug. Ginny started crying, so they were crying on each other’s shoulders.

Luna also came over and said, “Thank you.” Hermione reached out and drew her into the hug, so the three girls stood together and had a good cry.

The Headmaster leaned in and said in Ginny’s ear, “When you three can walk, please come directly to my office.” She knew it was the Headmaster, not because she could see anyone distinctly, but because of the brogue.

It took several more minutes, but finally they did break apart. They found a stack of a dozen kerchiefs on Luna’s desk. They used them all.

Ginny asked, “Can we walk? The Headmaster wants us to come to her office.”

Hermione took a tentative step. “I suppose. I’m feeling so much lighter than I did this morning.

Luna said, “A good cry can do that for you. It releases the dark and heavy emotions you carry around.”

Ginny took a breath. “We are Hogwarts women! Are we composed?” She reached out and took hold of Hermione’s hand and Luna’s. Luna took Hermione’s other hand so they formed a circle. “Deep breath. In. Hold. Out.”

She opened her eyes and smiled at her friends. They looked at her and grinned. They released their hands.

“Let’s go.”

Hermione said, “My shoulders are soaking wet.” She pulled out her wand and used the self-laundry charm, then applied it to her friends. Ginny felt better with dry shoulders.

The door to the Headmaster’s office opened at Ginny’s first knock, and the three of them rose up the staircase. The Headmaster stood next to her conference table, and Olivia and Director Nobel were also standing. All three held glasses, of wine or some small drink.

The Headmaster said, “Welcome, ladies. I’ve found that after a good cry, as you had, one needs either a pint of ice cream or a stiff drink. We’re out of ice cream. Could I offer you a Scotch?”

There were three small glasses on the table, each half-filled with dark brown liquid. When they picked up their glasses, the Headmaster said, “I offer a toast, to the dear friends we lost, and the dear friends we kept.”

They drank. Ginny felt the cool fire go down her throat. Her brother Charlie had sent her a bottle of plum brandy for her last birthday, and she shared it with everyone at the party, so no one got drunk. It burned like this, in a good way, but this was better alcohol.

“Thank you, Headmaster, that seems to do the trick.” Ginny said.

The Headmaster said, “Miss Granger, we’ve been negotiating with the Director regarding storage of the horcruxes. I agree that they should not be stored at the school long-term, they have no place here, most of the time. However, we would like to add a module to the Defence class where they are discussed. For that time, they will be transferred back to the school, then returned to the Hall of Mysteries. Is that acceptable to you?”

Hermione replied, “Yes, Headmaster. I didn’t want them to go into the Ministry and have them just disappear, as so many other things do.”

Olivia said, “I’d like to sit with you sometime and go over each of them, so the Hall has a solid base for their research.”

“Alright. I’ve started a scroll, I can give it to you and we can go over it once I’ve finished.”

“Very good, I look forward to it.”

Building Trust

They went back to their rooms to wash up before going to lunch. Ginny didn’t feel steady enough to speed up the stairs, so she skipped her stretches. She brought her broom down with her, so she didn’t have to go back up before her Advanced Flight class. Lunch had already started, but Natalie had saved their seats for them.

Professor Hooch had them practicing flip turns, reversing course while they were heading forward, so their broom now faced back the way they came. She had seen Harry do it during matches, with no training on it, but she hadn’t tried it herself.

Just being in the air, feeling a mild cross breeze, helped Ginny settle emotionally from the turmoil of the morning.

When she went through the common room on her way up, she did her stretches. It wasn’t very full, but she noticed that the rear sofa, which had faced the portal, now was turned to face the space where she was stretching. She wasn’t sure what authority she had to do anything about that. She resolved to ask Hermione about it.

She had time before dinner, so she started a letter to Harry. If she finished it by Saturday morning, it could go back with Harry’s new owl, Arndt. She found she had a lot to tell him, including the visit from Kingsley. It had only been a week since she’d seen him, but she missed him terribly, and she tried to put it into words. She couldn’t believe she had to wait until November to look into his green eyes again. She promised not to fake a trip to the infirmary just so he’d visit sooner. She let him know that their tryouts would be a week from Saturday.

Hermione and Natalie returned to the room to get ready for dinner.

Hermione said to Ginny, “I did some stretching before I came up. It does seem to help.”

“Did you notice that the sofa near the stairs was reversed?” She asked.

“There was a girl sitting there, but I wasn’t paying much attention. It just didn’t strike me as different.”

Natalie asked, “Would you like for me to change it back? I can do that if it makes you uncomfortable. Prefects are responsible for positioning the furniture in the common room for ’the comfort, convenience, and safety of the students.’ That’s in the guidebook. So if it makes you uncomfortable, I can fix it.”

“It does make me uncomfortable, Natalie, thank you.”

“Are you ladies ready to go? I’ll switch it when we get downstairs.”

When they reached the common room, Nigel was sitting on the sofa, reading his History text. Natalie went up to him. “I’m going to reverse the sofa back the way it was. Do you want to get up, or have a little ride?”

He said, “I’m comfortable, you don’t need to change it.”

“It makes Ginny uncomfortable, I’m changing it.”

“Go ahead, I’ll just change it back when you leave.”

“If it’s been changed back when we come back from dinner, you won’t need to wait for Astronomy Class to see stars!”

Hermione sounded shocked, “Natalie!”

“I’m tired of this prat, Hermione!”

“You punch me, you’ll lose your Prefect badge!”

Hermione stepped in. “Nigel, Natalie, step back and calm down. Nigel, I agree with Natalie, I’m tired of your attitude too. You forget who has authority to select Prefects. If your attitude doesn’t improve by Sunday, I’ll go searching for a new boy! Do you understand me?”

His shoulders slumped. He spoke towards the back of the sofa. “I understand.”

“You’re on probation for the job for three days. I need to see you walk the talk, not just mumble the words.”

She faced their roommate, “Natalie, ten points from Gryffindor for threatening violence against another student.” Natalie’s mouth hung open. “Ten points for Gryffindor for standing up for your authority. You need to figure out a better way of dealing with it.”

Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I threatened you, Nigel.”

“I’m sorry I got mouthy with you, Natalie. I’ll do better, Hermione.”

“You need to show me that, Nigel. Mean what you say.”

Natalie said, “I’m ready for supper. Nigel, are you ready to go for a spin?”

He got up and stood next to the couch. Natalie used her wand to spin the sofa so it faced the portal.

“Thank you, Nigel.” Natalie sounded relieved.

Ginny said quietly, “Nigel, you sound like something’s going on. Do you want to come to dinner and talk, or have you submitted a request for therapy?”

“There’s some family stuff. I’ll submit the form tomorrow.”

“Good for you. We’ll see you later.”

Thursday morning, the Transfiguration task was a continuation of what part of the class did Tuesday. The class had successfully removed the mounted telescopes from the outside of the Astronomy Tower, so the repair crew could work on the tower. While they are down, Professor Sinistra and a handful of NEWT Astronomy students would work on cleaning and tuning the telescopes. However, they still had classes to run. 

The class’s task today was to adapt as many Omnioculars as they could for seeing at telescopic distances. As made, the devices could see the Moon and Mars quite well. Professor Sinistra needed something more, so she had sent an owl to the manufacturer, and just received a reply with a spell that would adapt the device’s powers. Percy just had to teach them all how to cast it. 

He looked desperately at Hermione, then Ginny saw his old stubbornness come into his face. His first attempt caused the device to just show a red X, so it was assumed to be broken. The second one worked quite well, and they brought up a view of Neptune, even in daylight. He made another attempt, just to prove the second hadn’t been a fluke. It also worked well. The students cheered, then the Omnioculars were distributed, and Percy showed them how to cast the spell properly. By the end of class time, they had more than enough altered devices for the Astronomy classes, and they had reviewed all the planets and distant stars that they could remember from their old classes.

Ginny’s next class was Sports Medicine. She followed Carleton to the infirmary. Hannah Abbott came out of the infirmary office to tell them Madam Pomfrey was delayed, but should be there soon. Ginny asked Hannah about her summer, she told her she and Neville Longbottom had visited several times. Carleton fixed them cups of tea, and when Madam Pomfrey arrived they discussed calisthenics that help with a full-body workout.

Ginny asked Hermione about the Transfiguration class when they met for lunch.

“Of course I noticed him looking for my help,” she said. “We have some brilliant teachers at this school. Some aren’t so brilliant. I don’t want to become their crutch, I’ll only be here through the year. So I gave him a chance to work it out himself.”

“I told Percy on Sunday to remember his O.W.L.S., he got some of the best scores in the family. He’s not a dummy at spells. I was so happy to see him work through it! He’s had confidence issues lately, and he needed this.”

“Percy has confidence issues? That’s a new one. I remember he was a Prefect  then Head Boy for my first three years, and quite full of himself.”

“I won’t go too deep into what he told me, but I think Fred’s death affected him more than he’ll say. I think he sees teaching here as a chance at a new start.”

“He’s doing alright for us so far, aside from almost getting you killed. And we’ve only done four classes, but I think he’ll be pretty good.”

The classroom they were using for therapy sessions had two curtained areas at the front of the room, where normally the Professors would lecture. One of them was open, and Healer Mantooth was inside. Ginny entered. The curtained room had two comfortable chairs, a writing desk, and a small table with a tall stack of kerchiefs. When she sat, the Healer used his wand to close the curtain, then he cast the sound-blocking spell that her Mum used.

“Welcome, Miss Weasley. I understand if you’re eager to talk about your horcrux issue. First I want to develop a level of trust between us, so we’ll discuss other issues you’re having. If I need to cast spells to get into your mind, it helps greatly if we trust one another.”

“I understand.”

“Good. As a beginning of that trust, let me show you this.” He pulled a binder from his case that was several centimeters thick. “This is your confidential file that’s held by the Ministry. It was started when your brother William applied for a secure job at Gringotts. It has security entries when your father Arthur and brother Percy changed jobs, including before Percy started teaching this year, and when Ronald joined the Auror training. That entry mentions your relationship with Harry Potter, so there’s a whole section on your relationship. There’s an entry added this week by Director Nobel, labeled Utmost Secret, that discusses the diary of Tom Riddle and it’s lingering effect on you.”

Ginny was dumbfounded. “Did he give you that?”

“He did. He hasn’t done it for any other student or teacher so far this year, so obviously he considers you a special case. If you set your wand on the table, I’ll let you peruse it, only in this space, for the first half of our time. I need to return it to him tomorrow.”

“Will your reports on me be going into this binder as well?”

“We do security summaries, which discuss whether or not someone is a danger to the Ministry and the populace or not. I’ll be writing one up on you when we’ve finished our discussions, if we ever finish our discussions.” He smiled. “I need to turn in a preliminary draft by the end of the year at the latest. I promise to let you read it before I submit it. I don’t file my complete notes with the Ministry. I may or may not let you read those notes before we’re done, we’ll see how things go.”

Ginny read through it. Most of it she just skimmed, as they were routine reports on her relation to her father and brothers. She skipped through until she got near the end of the binder. There were reports from Dolores Umbridge from her Fourth Year, and the Carrow twins last year, that she was a suspected member of the “terrorist group”, Dumbledore’s Army, and an entry that she had notable skills for her age at dueling. She remembered the duel that probably triggered that report.

“Healer, do you know the details on this entry on my dueling skills?”

“I don’t. Do you feel I should?”

“Probably. A couple of years ago I acquired a pet Pygmy Puff I named Arnold. Last year, at the beginning of the Winter Term, Alecto Carrow noticed Arnold, rejected him as an unqualified pet, and killed him on the spot. Amycus blocked the curse I cast at his sister. He cast Stupefy at me three times, and I blocked it successfully. I cast it at him, and he blocked it, then I cast the Bat Bogey Hex, and it hit. Alecto hit me with the Cruciatus Curse for a while, I don’t know how long, but his bats were gone by the time she released me.” Her hand trembled for a few minutes. 

“I think, when I went looking for a fight during the Battle, that I was really looking for them. I wanted to kill those two so badly, and they were tied up in Ravenclaw Tower.”

“Do you still want to kill them, even though they’re in Azkaban?”

“Given the opportunity, certainly. They’re two of the six Death Eaters that I thought absolutely deserved to die, and the other four are already dead, by other hands than mine.”

The notes on her relationship with Harry were several pages long, and included the photos from the recent Daily Prophet article. She noted a one-page report that explained there were no photos of her at her parents home, because it was suspected the property had the Demsabscondo Terranoia spell, which was an accurate guess.

She closed the notebook and handed it back. “I don’t know what to say about that. Thank you for sharing it.”

“Why don’t you think on it, and we’ll discuss it next week. We’ll call that your homework assignment. He didn’t show it to me, but he did joke that the binder on Harry Potter is as wide as his hand.”

“I don’t suppose that’s surprising.”

“For the Chosen One? No, I don’t suppose it is. For the time we have left today, why don’t we discuss your brother Fredrick?” She talked about Fred, and she went through half the stack of kerchiefs. It was her second big cry in two days.

Afterward, she went back up to her room. She stretched before climbing the stairs. The few boys in the common room barely paid attention to her. Hermione and Natalie were in classes, so she added to her letter to Harry. She didn’t describe her security binder, she didn’t want to put that in a letter. She did tell him how she’d had two good cries in two days, and she felt better for it. What she really needed to help her recover was some of his kisses.

Hermione came up an hour before dinner. She told Ginny that she joined the Latin Club after her Latin class, so she could practice conversing in it.

Ginny asked her to join her in a walk outside. She saw that the lake had some distinct waves, so it was probably a little windy. They grabbed their overcoats and went out the door leading to the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione said, “Alright, let’s keep this brief, that wind is cold. How did your therapy session go?”

While they were close to the castle, she talked about the cry she had from talking about Fred. Once they were out of normal hearing range from any windows, she described her security binder to Hermione.

Her sister said, “You don’t find it surprising, do you? I’ve been friends with Harry longer than you, so my binder is probably at least as thick as yours. Plus it would have any reports on our activities last year. I can only imagine the report the Director will write up when I’m done with my story.”

“No, I don’t really find it surprising, it’s just alarming to be confronted with it. The Healer must be using it, along with my story, as the basis for my therapy. Plus, he knew about Fred, and I didn’t mention that, and I didn’t see it in the binder.”

“No, but his name is on the list of The Fifty. I’ll give him credit, he’s doing his research on you.”

“Let’s hope his therapy is as good or better than his research skills.” She shivered from the wind. “Okay, we can go in now.” She hooked her arm into Hermione’s, and they walked together back to the castle.

Nigel joined them for dinner. “I wanted to let you know, Ginny, I submitted my application for therapy today.”

She said, “Good for you, Nigel, truly. I had my first session today, and I had a really good cry over my brother Fred’s death. I can even say his name now without tearing up.”

Dennis said, “I think I cried the entire time, talking about Colin. And you’re right, it settles you somewhat. The grief, that pain, is still there, but I can talk about him now.”

Ginny said, “My Mum has plenty of close family members to grieve over. She told me to not be afraid of that pain, because it never goes away. She says the size of the grief reflects the closeness of your relationship, and that’s something to be glad about. I don’t even want to think about the size of her grief now.”

Nigel looked confused, “Wait, you can be glad that someone you loved is dead?”

“You’re not glad they’re dead. You’re glad that you were so close to them, that you had that time with them, that you can hurt over their death so greatly. You’re celebrating the relationship you had. I understand what she was trying to say, but I’m still getting there, myself.”

Dennis and Natalie were both crying. Hermione looked thoughtful.

Natalie said, “That’s beautiful.”

“Okay, time to change the subject. Who had a great time in a class today? Any funny stories?”

Friday morning, Hermione resumed her place in the padded chair at the front of the Defence classroom.

“When I ended Wednesday, we finally got to the action point, arriving at the castle on the night of May First.”

Olivia raised her arms. “Hurrah!” Most of the class laughed.

“As I explained then, we were looking for a horcrux. Talking in the Room of Requirement, we worked out that we wanted the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. Luna led Harry to go look for it. Ron realized that we needed something to destroy it once Harry found it, and we knew where to go for that.” 

While she was talking, the table reappeared and the horcruxes floated to it for display. Hermione used her wand to show two in front of the class, the cup and the broken pieces of the diadem .

“Ron and I went down to the Chamber of Secrets, where the body of the basilisk was decomposing. I almost lost my dinner, and my stomach wants to turn over now just remembering it. Let me get off that thought.”

She rummaged in her pocketbook, pulling out a long dirty tooth. She used her wand to suspend that next to the two horcruxes.

She giggled, “We played dentist, pulling out about half the teeth on that beast. As you can see, I have some left. Ron had me use a tooth on this mug. It released a big blast of energy when it died.” She set the mug back on the table.

“We made our way back up into the castle, and found Harry. He had found the diadem. It was destroyed by Fiendfyre, which had been recklessly cast to try to kill us.” She set the broken diadem and the tooth on the table.

“That made five. Harry could feel that Nagini the snake was also a horcrux. Voldemort figured out what we were doing, so he kept the snake close. Ron and I had to set a trap to draw it out. It wasn’t easy, but with the Sword of Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom killed it.

So we were done, right? Professor Dumbledore said there were probably six, and we had destroyed six. I knew there was one more, and it broke my heart. In order to truly kill Voldemort, Harry Potter had to die.”

Stacks of kerchiefs started appearing around the room, including in front of Ginny, and Hermione’s little table. Ginny used one right away. Hermione picked one up, but she didn’t use it yet.

“The prophecy about Harry and Lord Voldemort said that one of them had to die, so the other may live. As Ginny said, when Harry went to the forest, he expected it to be him. When Voldemort cast the killing curse on him, and Harry hung on that knife’s edge, that must have destroyed the horcrux in him. So when he chose love, he chose life, and he was free of the horcrux he’d carried for about sixteen years.”

Ginny’s tears flowed so heavily she couldn’t see, but she heard gaps in Hermione’s speech that told her she must be wiping her eyes.

Hermione took a deep breath. “So now we get to the duel in the Great Hall. Here’s a little backstory: Professor Dumbledore had taken the wand of Grindelwald when he defeated him, back in the Forties. That wand was the legendary Elder Wand. Dumbledore was already one of the most powerful wizards on the planet, if not the most powerful. Then you add the power of the Elder Wand, and you understand why Voldemort tried to avoid him.

“If the Wand had been loyal to the Headmaster when he died, the loyalty of the Wand would have been neutral. It would have worked for anyone. When Draco Malfoy disarmed the Headmaster, the loyalty of that wand transferred to him, even though he didn’t possess it. When Harry defeated Draco, Harry became master of Draco’s wand. He also became master of the Elder Wand. Don’t ask me to explain why it works that way, wand lore is beyond me.”

They heard much chuckling from the gallery.

“Voldemort stole the Elder Wand from the Headmaster’s grave. He needed something powerful to defeat Harry, and it was that wand he used for the killing curse. If the Wand had been truly loyal to Voldemort, I don’t think Harry would be alive today. But the Wand could not kill its own master, so it left Harry that narrow connection to life.”

“Now we’re all caught up, and in the Great Hall. Harry has Draco’s wand, Voldemort has the Elder Wand. Once more he tries to kill Harry with it. Harry no longer has the horcrux, the link to Voldemort, so he fights back freely. If you were there, you could see how much magical energy they were firing at each other. It was spectacular and devastating.

“As much power as they were casting, Voldemort still didn’t have command of the Elder Wand, he couldn’t use its full strength against Harry. Finally it turned against the man using it, and Harry drew it to him. Then the Elder Wand destroyed Voldemort.”

Everyone in the room rose up, cheering and applauding, including Hermione. After she sat down again, the room started to quiet down.

“I have one more thing to say. If you think that Harry kept the Elder Wand, you don’t know Harry Potter. He lost it. He went out of his way, perhaps far, far out of his way, and he left it.”

She looked at Ginny. “He doesn’t believe that normal people deserve that much power. Even himself. So he got rid of it. We’re fairly sure that even he doesn’t know where it is.”

When she stood up, the gallery rose up and applauded. Hermione pulled a roll of scroll out of her pocketbook and handed it to Olivia. Then she came and sat in her seat. 

Olivia stepped to the front, holding the scroll. “Thanks to our guests for coming in for three days of an adventurous tale. For the visiting teachers, you are welcome to keep coming and hearing other stories, if you have the time free. You might even tell your own, if you are up for it. Enjoy your weekend. I’ll see most of you Monday. Class dismissed.”

The Headmaster came over to their desks. “The Director would like to have lunch with you three ladies, if you would come to my office at noon, please.” Ginny hugged Luna and Hermione, then headed for the pitch.

Professor Hooch was sitting in the center of the pitch, cross-legged on a tarp. After a stormy night, the sun was occasionally coming out from behind the clouds, and the wind at this elevation was warm and mild. As the Captains arrived, she directed them to have a seat on the tarp.

“Welcome, and good morning. As you all should have, I’ve just heard one of the greatest stories of my lifetime, and I’m still thrilling off of it. So pardon me if I’m a little distracted.” She looked at Ginny.

She took a breath. “On to business. First, the scoring rings are up and ready, as you can see.” The completed goal, with three scoring rings, had been cleaned up and adjusted for height. They looked just the way they used to. The incomplete goal had one cleaned scoring ring, and two tall stands. They applauded.

“Second, the order for the new rings is in, our Headmaster has indeed lit a fire under the order. They are scheduled to arrive the Monday two weeks after tryouts are done.” They applauded again.

“Third, I have the replacement chime. We can set that up and test it before we’re done here.

“Fourth, I’ve discussed our use of the Dueling Hall with Professor Green. She agrees, but not on Fridays, as she is resuming the Dueling Club. I’m thinking one team per day, Monday to Thursday. We can use the same order as tryouts, or choose again. If you choose morning workouts for two hours you’ll be starting at five in the morning. If you choose evening workouts after dinner, two hours would run from seven to nine. Either one is fine with her, but you only get one slot, and you need to let her know when your team will be there. She will be inspecting daily, and will hold the Captains responsible for damage or trash. That’s you lot.

“So first, what do you think of the Dueling Hall for workouts?”

Ginny said, “As a substitute, I like it fine.” The other Captains agreed.

For team order, they agreed to follow the tryout order for now. That meant Ginny’s team would workout on Wednesdays. They agreed to review the question at the beginning of each term.

“Fifth, tryouts start tomorrow with Hufflepuff, and Slytherin on Sunday. You all need to announce your rosters by the Wednesday after next. So, Captain, you’ll have a week and a half to make your decisions. Ravenclaw, you’ll have three days.

“To be fair, I’m ruling that workouts won’t start until the Monday after that deadline. So even if either of you announce your roster on Monday, you don’t get to start workouts in the Dueling Hall until two weeks later.”

“Sixth, the playing season usually starts in November, about six weeks from now. With two weeks for tryouts, that will give us the month of October to build in our grandstands. Nobody gets to team practice until this pitch is ready for matches. Am I understood?”

They yelled, “Yes, Professor!”

“We’re not working on it today, but the next two weeks in this class we’re going to take out the garbage, clean out the old stands, get the site ready. I’ve already arranged to borrow members of the repair team to show us how to build stands, putting in stairs and seats, all of that. They’ll help us build two stands once the rosters are ready, then we get the rest.

“I’m going to force a deadline, that we’ll have two weeks of team practices, two teams per weekend day, before the season begins. So with those rules, if it takes us longer than two weeks to build stands, then we’ll delay the opening day. No one wants to see that. For at least two weekends you’re going to have very long work days.

“Are there any questions?”

The Hufflepuff Captain asked, “What about where the grass is torn up?”

The Professor answered, “The grass is a select type, but what is under it is not normal. I’ve requested specialists, they should be here next week to restore it. Next?”

The Ravenclaw Captain asked, “Have you ordered a new scoreboard?”

“The very first day! The Headmaster has authorized two. We’ll have one on one side, just below the seats, and the other on the opposite side, at the top of the stands. They’re being installed three weeks from Monday, same as the scoring rings, so right after we hope to have the stands done. 

“The day after that, a team from the Ministry will be here to recertify our scoring setup. That usually takes most of a day. They work slowly and thoroughly, to be sure it works reliably and fairly. Next?”

Ginny asked, “What about water closets?”

The Professor opened her mouth and closed it. “I was just going to say, the loos are in the training facility building, as they’ve always been. Except they aren’t, now. We’ll need portable closets until the building is rebuilt. I’ll see if I can get at least a few installed before we get to our long weekends. Excellent reminder, thank you! Next? 

“No? Let’s get that chime installed. I’m the only one with a broom, so I’ll run a test once it’s ready. Should be done in a jiffy.”

Ginny got to the Headmaster’s office a few minutes early. Hermione was already there. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, do you have any elephants or giraffes in your pocketbook? You’ve got some big things in there.”

“No, they kept eating the acres of green clover. It’s got an Undetectable Extension Charm.”

“Wait, I’ve heard of Extension Charms. Where did you find an Undetectable Extension Charm?”

“I fixed it. Hello, Luna.”

The door to the office opened. When they reached the top of the stairs, the Headmaster greeted them. Director Nobel had been sitting, but he stood when the ladies entered. Olivia waved hello.

Once they were all seated, Director Nobel said, “I invited you all to lunch, and the Headmaster was kind enough to offer the use of her office, because I would like to hear the story behind the battle in the Hall of Prophecy. The reports I received are vague at best about what actually happened, and they have only vague conjecture about the reason. I want to be candid, this is strictly voluntary, if you don’t wish to tell me, then we can have a very pleasant discussion about how great Harry Potter is.”

Hermione chuckled. “I think we’ve revealed all the secrets behind the reason, Director, so we can cover that.”

Ginny smiled, “I for one am perfectly fine having a discussion about how wonderful Harry is.”

Luna added, “I can contribute to either conversation.”

The Headmaster said, “Let’s get our refreshments before we begin. Aside from the usual, milk, tea, juice, or water, you may also have white or red wine.” Hermione and Ginny ordered white wine, Luna ordered juice, Olivia and the Headmaster ordered tea. The Director ordered red wine.

Once their beverages appeared, the meal began right after. As they began eating, Olivia said, “I should report something remarkable, Headmaster, and I have increased respect for the organized and brilliant mind of Hermione Granger. You probably noticed, as she returned to her usual seat today, that she handed me a scroll. I’ve spent the last hour going over it. It’s actually one long scroll, plus six addendums. The primary scroll lists every spell or charm that Hermione used on their travels last year, up to and including the spells she used fighting Bellatrix Lestrange.”

Hermione’s face turned bright pink. “It came out of my secondary notes to my primary notes, which were the step by step process we went through to identify and gather the horcruxes. I kept including the spells in my notes, and I didn’t need them there. So I put them in a separate scroll.”

The Headmaster turned from Olivia to Hermione. “And the six addendums are?”

Hermione’s voice got very small, like she was suddenly very shy. “The notes on the spells I wrote.”

“Pardon me, Miss Granger, what was that again?”

Olivia cut in, “Headmaster, she wrote, from scratch, six new spells. Then gave us complete documentation on how they are cast, the effects, estimated energy costs to the body, and possible hazards. While running for her life and finding horcruxes.”

Ginny had been having a hard time holding it in, but at this she lost it and burst out laughing.

She put her hand on Hermione’s shoulder, as her blush increased from pink to red. “Olivia, may I introduce you to the genius of my dear friend Hermione Granger!”

Olivia said, “Headmaster, just from skimming her list, I can certainly agree that she deserves the NEWTS score you gave her in Transfiguration. There are several spells that I’ve never heard of, that I’ll need to research. Before I’m done analyzing this scroll, we may add Charms, Arithmancy, and Herbology.”

Hermione objected, “Oh, but I didn’t do anything with plants.”

The Headmaster responded, “Naturally, Olivia, the woman has only so much time in her day!”

The four of them burst out laughing. The Director chortled, and Luna’s smile got bigger.

When they finished eating, they got refills on their drinks. Hermione began the story. “One of the infamous things about Harry was his headaches. He would get pains from his scar, at what seemed like random intervals. Professor Dumbledore told him it was probably when Voldemort had high emotions, like a rage, or hate, as when he killed someone, or when he was simply thinking about Harry, so there was focus on their connection. Sometimes Harry could go months without pain, sometimes it happened more than once in an hour. Obviously, Harry had a connection to Voldemort. We now know it was the horcrux. It was one of the clues I followed.

“Sometimes, the pain was connected to visions, like he was seeing through someone else’s eyes.”

Ginny interjected, “That’s how he saved my father. In his sleep he saw through Nagini’s eyes, as the snake attacked my father.”

Hermione continued, “The Headmaster was concerned that the connection worked both ways, so he had Severus Snape try to give him lessons to block Voldemort from getting into Harry’s head. It didn’t work very well. That may have been because it was a horcrux, and not just a spell. I would think that two parts of a soul would always be able to connect with one another.”

Ginny put in, “Well, that’s probably not the only reason.”

Hermione almost rolled her eyes. “Yes, he could have put more effort into his studies. Shortly after Harry learned of the prophecy, he started having visions, of the Hall of Prophecy. He saw that Nagini was wandering through the room, searching for the right prophecy. Finally they saw it, on a shelf, and Harry saw the location address.

“Then he started having visions that Voldemort was torturing Harry’s godfather, Sirius Black, right in front of the shelf, to bring down the prophecy and hand it to him. Harry was certain that Sirius would be killed, and he couldn’t stand that.”

Ginny said, “So we went. We took several of the members from Dumbledore’s Army, and we flew to London.”

Director Nobel said, “You flew brooms all the way to London?”

Luna replied, “No, our brooms had been locked away. We rode thestrals. A few of us could see them, and we helped the others to mount them.”

Hermione said, “It was brilliant and barking mad, but it got us there.“

The Headmaster said, “Director, the school has been raising a small herd of thestrals for longer than I’ve been here. They are reasonably tamed. Not that I would have permitted their use, had I known.”

Hermione continued, “Harry had been in the building before, so he got us inside. We went to the basement and made our way to the Hall of Prophecy. We found the shelf, and the Death Eaters found us. Voldemort had indeed faked Harry out. We started fighting, and trying to get out, but we were losing. Then several members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived, and helped us escape.”

Ginny said, “That’s when Bellatrix killed Sirius Black. Harry made it out to the main hall before the rest of us, although Hermione and I were both injured, we didn’t make it to the main hall. We could hear it, though. Voldemort was there, then Professor Dumbledore. Harry told us their duel was epic, and right at the end, more Aurors and Minister Fudge arrived, in time to see Voldemort escape. That’s the night Fudge lost his mind.”

Director Nobel said, “I remember. He blamed me for setting up all that insanity. It turns out, Lord Voldemort orchestrated it all.”

“I have a question for you, Director, if you don’t mind?” Hermione asked.

“I dare say you’ve earned the right to ask me anything, Miss Granger,” he replied.

“After Minister Scrimgeour was killed and Minister Thicknesse was in charge, were you still Director?”

“I tried to hold on to the job, Miss Granger. There were a handful of compatriots and I,“ he nodded to Professor Green, “who took some of the more dangerous items from the Archives and hid them, in the confusion during the transition. After that, I tried to be submissive, so I could obfuscate as well as I could. The new Directors didn’t care for my delaying tactics, so I was replaced before the day was over. My authority was gone, but they needed me around, because I was one of the few who knew what everything was and how they were used. Some of the artifacts we had allowed me to resist their torture tactics without them knowing. The whole time it was like tiptoeing through quicksand.”

The Headmaster said quietly, “I know the feeling, Director.”

“So the answer to your question, Headmaster, is the Department of Mysteries was out of my hands at the time of the Battle of Hogwarts. A fact I regret every day, some of the items we had hidden could have been of great use to you.”

“Thank you for your efforts, Director,” the Headmaster said.

“I was so thankful when Auror Shacklebolt strode into the main hall of the Ministry and announced to one and all that Harry Potter had killed Lord Voldemort. He not only gave me the job back, he gave me the privilege of binding my replacement for trial. A most satisfying day.”

Hermione said, “Thank you, Director, for answering honestly.”

“Thank you, ladies, that clears things up for me. Miss Weasley, I think you’re marrying a most remarkable man, and Miss Granger, I find you to be remarkable yourself. I wish both you ladies long and happy lives with your husbands. Miss Lovegood, I also wish you a long and happy life.”

Hermione said, “It’s been a pleasure talking to you, Director.”

After the Director left, Hermione said, “Oh, I want more wine, but then I’d just be finishing the bottle.”

Ginny said, “Yes, we should go do our stair climb. Thank you, Headmaster, for a delightful lunch. It’s always fun talking about breaking and entering, destruction of property, fighting for our lives-”

Hermione was giving Ginny a horrified look. “What?”

She said, “We just told a Director of the Ministry about those crimes we committed! Breaking and entering, trespass, destruction of property. Those aren’t covered by my pardon! He could send us to jail!”

Ginny considered it, without Hermione’s panic. “Aye, yes he could. But he’d have to turn the report in to Kingsley, who was there that night, and you know what he’s going to do with it!”

The Headmaster said, “Not a bloody thing!”

They hugged Luna as they split up to go to their respective towers. On their way to the Gryffindor Tower, Ginny had a thought. She asked Hermione, “Has your Mum sent your swimsuit yet?”

“Yes, it arrived yesterday morning.”

“Excellent. Would you like to use it?”

“Absolutely. I hope Natalie’s back. She’d be heartbroken if we went without her.”

“I agree, and I’d be very apoo-, apopologenetic if we went without her. But I’m drunk enough that it wouldn’t stop me.”

“What if you didn’t have your suit?”

“I’m not that drunk!”

“Just checking you.”

They didn’t stop to stretch, knowing that they were going to take their time. Natalie was on her bed reading a text, with a pad and quill next to her for notes. While Hermione caught her breath, Ginny asked, “Natalie, has your suit arrived?”

Her eyes widened, “This morning! Do you want to go?”

“We had some wine with our top Scot, and we’re mildly drunk. We feel the need to soak in seamy stoapy waters.” She closed their door. “Hermione, catch your breath while you find your suit. Natalie, we’ll put our suits on up here, then put robes on over. First one of us to get their hands on their suit gets to choose the bathroom or the screen.”

With its recent arrival, Natalie found her suit first, and chose the bathroom. Ginny found her suit in the wardrobe and extracted it. It was a bikini passed down by her Mum, so it had a very vintage style. Ginny just needed to be sure it fit well enough that it wouldn’t fall off or expose anything it was supposed to cover. She took it behind the screen.

The bottoms fit fine, but the top was a little loose. It didn’t have strings for ties, it had straps more like a waterproof bra. She used her wand to tighten it up, just not so tight it squeezed her. It took her a few tries to get it right.

She stepped out into the room and checked her look in the floor-length mirror by the door.

“My sister, you’re developing abs!”

Hermione was right, she could see the beginnings of definition in her stomach, at least what was exposed by the bikini. Probably mostly from burning fat. She also saw that her calf and thigh muscles were developing, from all the stair climbing.

Natalie came out of the bathroom, and Hermione took her suit in. Ginny stepped aside so Natalie could use the mirror. Natalie’s one-piece suit needed some adjustments since the last time she’d worn it, Ginny helped with those. Then they put on their robes.

Hermione had a one-piece suit that had string ties in the upper back, so it could adjust as a girl got older. Aside from the lattice of strings, the middle of her back was bare from her waist to her neck. The front needed to stretch up a little further, Ginny made the adjustment for her. Hermione redid the ties for the new fit. She put on her robes and they headed downstairs.

It was mid-afternoon on Friday, so there were a few students in the spa, but it wasn’t crowded by any means. Ginny didn’t feel as drunk as she had been, she just wanted to soak.

Hermione showed them the robe racks, where they could hang their robes. She said, “Oh, the wands, I almost forgot. Hang on.”

She tapped her inner left forearm, a few centimeters from her elbow, and cast a spell. A wide gold strap circled her arm, with a pair of tight clasps to hold her wand. She gave one to Ginny and Natalie. Ginny pressed her wand against the clasps and they surrounded her wand, holding it secure. She pulled between the clasps, and it came loose easily. She pushed it back in. On the outside of her arm, it showed the lion symbol for Gryffindor.

“That’s brilliant, my sister. Thank you.”

The soaking tubs were a wide semicircular pool around the large copper kettle of hot water, topped by a mermaid fountain. The pool was already filled and gently steaming, with several types of bubbles. Ginny found a staircase into the tub and stepped down until she could test the temperature. She said to her friends, “Oh, that’s yummy.” She continued down the steps and found a place to stretch out.

Hermione lay down next to her, with Natalie on her other side. She leaned to whisper to Ginny, “The boys are noticing.”

Ginny closed her eyes and said quietly, “Let them. Down here, I can expect to be ogled. So long as Harry isn’t here to get jealous, and they don’t try anything, it doesn’t matter.”

Still, she tried to lay so her left forearm was out of the water, so her wand wouldn’t get wet and slippery.

They had been soaking for about twenty minutes, and Ginny was thinking of getting out to find some drinking water, when she heard something go click, and someone nearby gave an excited laugh. She opened her eyes and reached for her wand.

A boy in beach trunks and a light shirt was trying to run away from her, through thigh-deep water, a camera held in his left hand. She cast the Bat-Bogey Hex at the same time Hermione cast Expeliarmus. The boy tripped, landing face-first in the water, and his camera went flying across the room. When he stood up he screamed, the boogers in his nose had transformed into small bats, which were attacking his face. He tried to find a towel to wipe them off. He was still screaming when he ran out the portal.

She looked to see where the camera had gone. Just as she spotted it, she saw a boy pick it up. He could have been Seventh Year, he was tall and very fit. He turned and fired a hook shot worthy of a skilled Chaser, and the camera landed at the top of a fountain. Then she recognized the boy. It was Carleton.

Natalie and Hermione were also looking at him. Natalie said, “Did someone say ’Yummy’? Ow!”

Ginny said, “Ladies, that’s Carleton Burke, Captain of the Slytherin Team.”

Hermione sounded disappointed, “Slytherin?”

“Yes, but not like any Slytherin I’ve ever met. He has honor, and some class.”

Hermione teased, “Is that attraction I hear?”

She gave Hermione a look, just short of rolling her eyes. “Not attraction. Respect. I never thought I’d use that word in relation to someone in Slytherin, but he’s earning it. Like that move with the camera. He didn’t try to take it for himself. But then, I haven’t played against him yet.”

Natalie asked, “Do you think he’d be attracted to a Fifth Year?”

Hermione replied, “I thought you and Dennis were going out?”

“I like him, but he hasn’t asked me on any dates yet.”

“Oh, well then. We’ll have to see if Big Sister Hermione can resolve that issue.”

“Hermione, you wouldn’t!”

“Here’s the key question: would you want him to ask you out?”

Slow response, “Well, yes. If he’s ready.”

“That’s a reasonable answer. I’ll give him until the middle of October to ask, or show that he’s not ready. Deal?”

“Deal, Big Sister.”

Ginny said, “I’m getting out for some drinking water.”

The Water Bar in the spa served hot and iced tea, and water that was nearly freezing. She got cold water in a tall mug. Her roommates joined her. 

Professor Flitwick came in through the portal. He recognized Hermione and approached her. “Miss Granger, Madam Pomfrey is treating a boy who was hit by the Bat-Bogey Hex. He claims someone in here did it. Did you see anything?”

“Professor, the only unusual thing I’ve seen in here in the last half hour was a boy who tried to take Ginny’s picture. The camera is in that fountain.”

“So,” he said, “no Bat-Bogey Hex in here.” He used his wand to summon the camera, then before it could get water on him, he expertly altered its trajectory so it crashed inside a trash bin.

As he headed for the door, he called out, “Let’s not leave any messes in here, ladies and gentlemen!”

Hermione said, “I like that man!”

Natalie asked Ginny, “Isn’t it unusual for you to cast that Hex?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s unusual. I’m very good at it. I’ve practiced on my brothers several times, and I’ve used it a couple of times here at school. It’s rare, but it isn’t unusual.”

Hermione added, “A boy who thought he could sneak a photo of Ginny and get away with it? Very unusual!”

“You ladies are going to be a bad influence on me. At least, I hope so.”

Ginny said, “We’ll do our best, Natalie.”

Building Teams

Saturday morning Ginny wished Hermione a happy birthday. She didn’t have a present now, but she’d get her something at the first Hogsmeade weekend. Then she finished her letter to Harry. She didn’t tell him about the boy in the spa. While she would love to see him that afternoon, she didn’t want to watch him tear the castle apart to find the boy. She did add a line, just to test the waters:

Wore Mum’s bikini to the Prefect’s bath Friday night. Wish you could see it.

 

She brought the letter when they went down for breakfast. Arndt arrived, as expected. She removed Harry’s letter and replaced it with hers. She gave the handsome boy half a piece of sausage and he took off, blowing her hair around in the wind he generated.

She skimmed the letter for news she could share with Hermione, who was scanning the letter she received from Ron. She could tell it was from Ron, because she was playing with her hair while she was reading.

“Harry says they’re excited that the rings are found. He’s really looking forward to watching us play in November.”

“That’s what Ron says, too. He specifically mentions November. That tells me they’re setting us up. You told Harry your tryouts are next Saturday?”

“Yes, you think they’re coming?”

“If they can get away, I think they’ll be here. How do we want to prepare for them?”

“A lot depends on the weather. If it’s clear, you could bundle up and sit by the pitch and wait for them. If it’s windy or rainy-”

“-I have a tent.”

“Of course, you have a tent! In your pocketbook, no doubt. Do you mind if we use it for the waiting players? Then if the boys come we’ll clear it out so you can snog my brother, at least until tryouts are done.”

“That works for me.”

“Good, then. Remember to bring a lipstick. I’m not letting Harry leave unmarked, so let’s be fair.”

Hermione blushed a light shade of pink.

“After the season starts, say in February, do you want to try for the Competitive Hickey Championship?”

Natalie was listening to every word. She said, “Oh, I’ve got to hear about this!”

Ginny felt her ears get warm. “We apply hickeys the same day, then the boys keep track, and let us know who’s hickey lasts longest.”

Natalie asked, “What’s the prize?”

“Who cares? We both win, because we know that every day they’re thinking of us, and remembering when we gave it to them.”

Hermione said, “I like that game!”

Dennis was listening as well. “Wait, how do you apply a hickey?”

Natalie didn’t hesitate more than a second. She reached around to the left side of his neck, pulled him in, and applied her lips to the right side of his neck. She held him there for about fifteen seconds. Nigel, sitting across from them, let out a whoop, which gave them lots of attention.

When Natalie let him go, she wiped her mouth on a napkin. “I think that’s how it’s done. Did I have that right, Ginny?”

“Your position was good. You have to suck for a few minutes for it to last.”

Dennis appeared dazed, but he flushed bright red. His neck was red, but Ginny didn’t think the mark would last very long.

Ginny said, “Dennis, breathe. Deep breaths. You don’t want to go into shock.” His eyes still didn’t focus, but he was breathing deeply.

Ginny heard Hermione quietly say to Natalie, “Looks like you don’t need my intervention.”

When his eyes finally found a focus, Dennis turned to Natalie and asked, “Can’t we just start like this?” He put his right hand on Natalie’s chin to turn her head to him. He planted a kiss briefly on her lips, then released her chin.

Ginny could see that Natalie’s eyes were closed. When she opened them, she said to him, “I think that would be a great start.”

Just when they were finishing eating, another owl arrived. Ginny recognized her parents’ bird Flyn, so it was for either her or Hermione or Percy. She snagged the last piece of sausage from the serving dish. Flyn landed, then walked across the table, cooing to her. She gave him head rubs for a minute, then removed her mother’s letter from his leg. Cutting the sausage in half, she chose the piece that looked biggest and fed it to him.

Her Mum’s letter was two pages, then included three pages of names. She added those pages to Harry’s letter, then read the letter from her Mum, while she rubbed Flyn’s head. She told Hermione, “I asked her for names to add to my list, and it didn’t take her long. I wonder how long she’s been building that in her head?”

“Probably from before you were born. When I told my Mum I was getting married, she said they’d do a reception with their friends and a few relatives. My Mum told me she’s been working that list from the day she got the news she was having a girl.”

“There’s not much family news, mostly just reaction to what I told her. I asked her to start a scrapbook for me. She says she has a family book, but she will start a separate one for me, starting with the recent photos. No comments about it, just the typical orders to be careful, and take care of myself. Remind Percy to write home, and Ron if I see him. Heh. She sends her love to both of us.”

She gave Flyn the other half of the sausage. “No letter back this time, so you get a free ride.” He flexed his wings while he ate the sausage, then took off.

The Great Hall was emptying out. The Hufflepuff table was almost vacant, they had cleared out early. 

She asked Hermione, “Do you have Head Girl things this morning? I’d like to work on some plans with you, soon.”

“This afternoon is clear until just before dinner. I’ll try to see you at lunch.”

They split up for different destinations. Dennis and Natalie walked off hand in hand, probably to find a quiet place to explore each other’s lips. Hermione headed for a classroom for her meeting. Nigel followed Ginny out, then caught up to her.

He said, “If you’re going back to the Tower, I’ll walk with you, if you don’t mind.”

“Alright. You can stretch with me, if you like, or just wait.”

They reached the first set of stairs in the Great Hall. She stepped around the side, stuffed her letters in her robe pockets, and started her leg stretches. Nigel hesitated, then he started stretching too.

“I’ve had two stitches just since school started, if it takes a few changes in habits to stop getting those, it’s worth it, right?

“That’s part of why I do it. Your room should be at the same level as ours, right? The other half of the top floor semicircle?”

“I believe so.”

“That’s a lot of stairs. If you were planning that out as a workout, you’d want to stretch to warm up before starting the workout. That’s how I look at it.”

“That’s an excellent point. I’ll try to remember that.”

He made it through twenty-five of her fifty side stretches, then waited for her to finish. She wondered why he didn’t start climbing up. She thought perhaps he wanted to talk about something, so she kept quiet. He wasn’t watching her, so it wasn’t that. It could be that he was just being polite, which to her would give him a point in favor towards keeping his Prefect badge. It was a nice change from the sharp edges he’d been giving Hermione since school started.

They resumed their climb, still not speaking. At the common room, he stopped to look around. She went to a window to check the weather, which appeared to be rainy with moderate winds. A fun day for tryouts. Then she resumed her stair climb.

She dug the papers from her pockets and arranged them on her bed. She read through Harry’s letter again, then her Mum’s. Then she had to read Harry’s once again. Finally she put them aside and pulled her notebook and quill from her robe. Flipping to the back, she found the wedding list she started. She marked each one on her list with a mark she devised for herself. Then she went through her mother’s list. She checked to see if she already had the name, and if she did it got an additional mark. Otherwise it was added, with the mark she devised for her Mum.

When Ginny reached the common room on her way to lunch, she found Hermione there, sitting in a chair. There were three handmade signs announcing a construction status update meeting for five-thirty that night.

As they headed for the Great Hall, Ginny asked her how the staff meeting went.

“It was embarrassing. To me, and to them. I can’t even walk in the door and they’re giving me a standing ovation. Do you remember when Olivia mentioned that she had saved her memory of your story? Apparently she did it for all three days of mine. The Pensive in the Headmaster’s office has been busy since Monday night. Practically the whole staff has experienced the stories now, mine and yours.”

“Merlin’s beard, Percy’s probably experienced it too, hasn’t he?”

“Quite likely. To be fair, we should probably arrange for Ron and Harry to experience them, just so they can see what everyone’s talking about. It might even push them to give their stories to Miss Rowling.”

“Mum should probably experience mine.”

When they got to the Great Hall, she checked the teachers table. Percy was there, sitting next to Olivia. She told Hermione she’d be right back, then walked down to talk to her brother.

She stood in front of him and called, “Oh, Professor Weasley brother dear?”

His ears were already red, but then his cheeks turned red, with Stage Four embarrassment. He called back, “Yes, future Missus Potter?”

Oh ho, he wanted to play today! Her ears felt warm. “Just checking, dear brother, if you would care to continue our Sunday lunches tomorrow?”

“I’m absolutely looking forward to it, dear sister! See you at noon.”

She nodded and returned to sit by Hermione. “He’s seen them.”

“You should certainly have something to discuss, then.”

“Speaking of something to discuss, my sister, I wonder if you would care to begin our potentially lengthy discussion on our wedding invitations? I have time this afternoon.”

“That would be a pleasant distraction, my sister.”

Just before lunch was due to start, Natalie and Dennis walked in and sat down. They both had mussed hair, and their robes were out of adjustment. Dennis’ tie needed to be retied.

Hermione said to Natalie, “First time snogging?”

Natalie nodded happily. The grin on her face was stupid but happy.

“It’s one of the greatest things ever, isn’t it?”

Natalie nodded enthusiastically. Her grin could light the room.

“Two pieces of advice: leave yourselves time to straighten up afterwards, and do not not NOT let yourself get carried away.”

The grin on her face shrank to a frown, and she shook her head.

“That’s good, little sister.” Natalie got her smile back. She helped Dennis straighten his clothes.

Ginny asked Hermione, “Didn’t you and Ron look just like that, when Dad called you back into the infirmary, before they left?”

“Shhh! He surprised us.”

“Madam Pomfrey gave Harry and I just ten minutes, but I was exhausted after five. I so want a rematch!”

The Hufflepuff table was filled with wet, shivering students. Many practiced the dry-cleaning charm and the warm-up charm. It cleared out early, as they headed back out for their tryouts. Hermione stretched with Ginny when they reached the stairs. When she reached her limit, Hermione drew her wand, tapping her chin with it, as she watched the boys in the hall. Ginny thought it was an amusing bit of intimidation.

When they got up to their room, Hermione took some time to recover by feeding Crookshanks.

She said, “Before we start looking at lists, I think we need to define categories. The easy one is Family. Your parents, my parents, your brothers and your sister-in-law. I would include Hagrid in that group, and I feel certain Harry would, too. How do you feel about that category?”

“I agree with all of that.”

“I’m going to add a category at the beginning for the Unexpected. In case someone gets themselves leveraged into the wedding just because he’s Harry Potter, most famous et cetera, et cetera. It may wind up an empty category, but if the last several years have taught us anything, it’s that you need to plan for the Unexpected.”

“Good thinking.” Ginny added to her notes.

“Next is Friends, which I’m happy to say is not a small group. Then VIPs, like the Shacklebolts. Then Friends of Family. Finally, there’s a catch-all category, which we could call ’People We Know.’ Like the members of your Quidditch team who don’t qualify as friends.”

“If we win the Cup this year, I may invite them.”

“Did I miss anything?”

“You missed the obvious one: Us.”

“A vitally significant group, but we can save on their invites.” Hermione smiled.

“Do you want bridesmaids, maids of honor, best men, and all of that?”

“I can pass on all of those as formal groups. The boys can act as each other’s ring bearers. Depending on the dresses, we may need someone to carry a train.”

Ginny put her face down into her pillow.

Hermione said, “What is it?”

Ginny turned on her side to face Hermione, “Part of me just wants the two of us to stand in front of a theologian in our school robes and be married.”

“And what does seven-year-old Ginevra want, my sister?”

“Ginevra wants the fairy tale: the grand cathedral, the huge dress, all of that. The same as seven-year-old Hermione.”

“And how does Ginny Weasley pay for all that?”

“Ginny Weasley can’t pay the theologian when we’re in our school robes.”

“So, defining our categories is useful, but until we find out our budget, we shouldn’t go beyond that.”

“Thank you, my sister. I think I’ll take a kip now.”

“I’m going to-”

“-the library, I know.”

When she went to see Percy on Sunday, she found him standing in the hall outside his apartment. She gave him a hug, and he ushered her in.

“So why were you in the hall?”

“It occurred to me that we’d announced to at least a quarter of the school exactly where you would be today. Let’s say I’m feeling paranoid and protective of my little sister, and Harry Potter’s fiancée.”

“I hadn’t even thought of that. I don’t think I’m as cautious as I probably should be.”

“Has any student tried to take your photo yet?”

“One, on Friday. Before you start freaking out, Hermione and I dealt with him. They’ll never find the body. I’m kidding!”

“With you two, I wasn’t sure for a second.”

“No, it’s fine! The body should turn up in a couple of days. Kidding again!” She gave him the details on the incident in the spa. Percy ordered a pot of tea and two lunch trays.

“So you were prepared in case something like that happened. I feel better now. Promise me you won’t go to the spa without at least two friends to back you up.”

“I’ve no interest in going to the spa without either Hermione or Harry, and they’re some of the best protection I’m likely to find.”

“Would they let Harry into the spa? Wait, forget I asked. At this point, the Headmaster will give Harry an open pass to anywhere on the grounds.”

“Except the girl’s side of the Tower, I think.”

“So have you had a therapy session yet?”

“Thursday. We talked about Fred, and grieving. I find now I can talk about him without breaking into tears.”

“My session on Wednesday was the same. Fred and George drove me bonkers when we were growing up, and I still miss him.”

Ginny squeezed his hand.

She said, “I wanted to ask you about Thursday’s Transfiguration class. I was very proud of you for trying to figure out the spell, and you succeeded!”

“Yes, my self-confidence has been so shot, I didn’t think I could cast a new spell. It turns out, it was a little complicated, but not bad at all.”

“What about when the first one failed?”

“I knew what I’d done wrong, so it didn’t deter me. It was a relief when it worked the second time, then I proved I had it with the third.”

“Excellent work, Professor!” He grinned.

She took a breath. “Now the big topic. Hermione tells me the Headmaster’s Pensive has been very busy for the past week. Have you used it?”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “I’ve seen your story and the first part of Hermione’s.”

“Any questions, comments, or concerns?”

“Two concerns. First, you might discuss in one of your therapy sessions this thing you have of wanting to confront homicidal maniacs, when you’re backed up by a pair of students.”

“Okay, that’s a valid point. I was feeling overconfident in the midst of battle.”

“Second, I had been concerned about Harry’s level of commitment to you. Bill told me Harry broke up with you, although he figured that Harry did love you, but the break up was strategic.”

“Bill tried to explain to me his theory on why Harry ended our relationship. I was too much an open wound at that point for it to sink in, but I realized later he was right. And after seeing Hermione tell her story, the parts you haven’t seen yet, I see that I might have helped, but not as much as I would have distracted him.”

“I saw the things he was willing to do, all for you, and I have no doubt he loves you tremendously.”

She looked at her ring, rolling it around her finger. “I’m frequently awestruck by how much he loves me. I just hope I can match his expectations of me.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’m frequently awestruck by you, and I grew up with you!”

Before she left he checked the hall. She kissed his cheek, then said, “Mum asked me to remind you to send a letter now and again. See you Tuesday, Professor!”

Nigel had survived the weekend, keeping his Prefect job, at least for now. He stopped sniping at Hermione, and he stayed with them the entire breakfast, in case any news came up.

Natalie and Dennis kissed briefly when he sat down next to her, so they weren’t afraid to be seen in front of other students.

Monday morning’s Defence class had several students telling their stories. It seemed that Ginny’s and Hermione’s stories had created a good backdrop for the stories of other students, and they provided their observations and activities around what the two girls had done.

In the Coaching class, they talked about how the tryouts had gone, without discussing individual players, just how well the Captains had run the day. They spent over half the hour tearing down the grandstands that were still partly standing.

The new couple came into the Great Hall for lunch hand in hand. If they had been snogging it was hard to tell, except for the great silly smiles they both had. When Ginny saw them gaze into each other’s eyes, it made her wish once again that Harry would show up on Saturday.

In Sports Medicine, Carleton commented that she and Hermione were a dangerous combination. Ginny complimented his hook shot. They spent the class time discussing injuries that can happen during tryouts, and treatments that can be done on the field. Fortunately, Carleton’s players hadn’t had any major injuries.

Monday night after dinner, she made a list of things that she needed to discuss with Harry if he did show up Saturday. Then she started a new letter to him, in case he didn’t.

In Thursday’s therapy class, they discussed Bellatrix, and all the people she had killed that Ginny witnessed. That conversation would take multiple sessions.

Late Friday afternoon, Hermione had her first therapy session. Ginny asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Hermione replied, “Isn’t that what the therapy is for? Maybe someday, not now. But thank you.”

Saturday morning finally arrived. The weather was cloudy and cool, but it wasn’t due to rain until evening. Ginny and Hermione brought their overcoats, and Ginny brought her broom down to breakfast. No owls arrived from Harry or Ron, so they sped through their meal.

Walking down the path to the pitch, there was a crowd standing on the field. Ginny couldn’t believe that many Gryffindor students wanted to tryout for the team. As they got closer, they saw a tall boy with red hair standing next to Professor Hooch. Hermione started running before Ginny did. As they reached the grass, the crowd opened a path for them to the Professor, mostly because otherwise Hermione would bowl through them. Harry stood next to Ron and the Professor, he turned to look at her. Hermione kept running, crashing full on into Ron, knocking him to the grass. It was weird, because they fell together in slow motion. Ginny realized that Hermione had cast the slow-falling spell on him. Hermione immediately locked lips with him.

Ginny ran to Harry, and stopped when she was just outside arms reach. She had a job to do that day. 

“Professor, how long until nine o’clock?”

The Professor smiled at her, but Ginny was barely noticing. “Twelve minutes.”

“Please blow your whistle then, if you would.” She reluctantly turned to the crowd. “If you’re here for tryouts, line up on this side. If you’re here to watch, stay on this opposite side. Pardon me, I have something that needs taking care of.”

She turned back to Harry and approached him. “Mister Potter, take a breath.” She breathed in, and watched him take a deep breath. He seemed to be breathing better. She dropped her broom, then she reached out, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him into a lip lock. While they could hear the crowd cheering and whistling, she reached her arms over his shoulders, holding the back of his head.

Much too soon, the Professor blew her whistle. 

She drew away from Harry, “Thank you so much for coming, you’ve no idea how much I missed you.”

He replied, “Yes, I do. I missed you just as much. We’re here til Sunday just before lunch. Do your tryouts.”

Hermione got up from the grass. Ron lay flat on his back, eyes glazed, staring at the cloudy sky. He had a familiar stupid expression on his face, the same expression she’d seen all week on Natalie and Dennis.

Ginny said to Hermione, “My sister, did you write your own version of the Stupefy spell?”

Hermione answered, “I didn’t write this one, it’s as old as time. Help me stand him up.”

They each grabbed an arm, and pulled him back to his feet.

He said, “Hello, Ginny! We came to watch the tryouts. We’ll be over here.” Hermione walked him to the sidelines. Harry followed them, carrying two brooms. 

Professor Hooch followed after, shaking her head. Ginny heard her mumble, “Teenagers!”

Ginny was up. It seemed that most of the crowd she had seen from the path were spectators. She didn’t worry about just whom they were there to see.“Alright, everyone, welcome to the Gryffindor Team Quidditch tryouts! You all know our special guests today. I will warn you, anyone harassing them will be ejected from the area, and you really don’t want to find out how big an area I’m talking about!

“I want all the candidates trying out for Keeper to line up behind the rings. All the candidates for Chaser to form three lines out here by me.” Professor Hooch had left the box of game balls on the grass.

There were over forty candidates. Ginny went around and got all their names and their desired positions. Dennis was in the Seeker group. She ran through different tests, and whittled them down to twenty-four, then they broke for lunch.

The buzz in the Great Hall was at least as loud as it had been for Kingsley, when Harry and Ginny walked in. Dennis knew Ron and Harry from previous years. Natalie was tongue tied when Ginny introduced her.

When they came back to the pitch, she whittled the contestants down to eighteen. She called for a break, and went to consult with Ron and Harry. After lunch, Percy had come down and sat next to Ron. 

She gave Harry a quick kiss, and asked, “Alright, gents, suggestions on how to reduce the candidates?”

Hermione said with a straight face, “Reducio is a useful spell.” Professor Hooch chortled.

Percy said, “You definitely seem to have too many.”

Ron added, “You should pick the better ones and get rid of the worse ones.”

Ginny was exasperated. “You’re all as bad as the twins! Harry, do you have a useful idea?”

Her love said, “Pick a defensive squad and an offensive squad, and see how they score. Throw all the Seeker candidates in together.”

She kissed him again. “Thank you, Harry, for being grownup.”

Ron said, “Hey, if I knew it was worth a kiss, I might have said something grownup.” Hermione kissed him.

She chose two teams, giving just one a Keeper. She had three candidates for Seeker, she had them all join in. She ran through three series of trials, trying different combinations of players, with a different Keeper in each trial. The Golden Snitch was caught twice while she was running those trials, both times by Dennis. It looked like she had herself a Seeker.

After the third trial, she thanked all the candidates and ended the tryout. “Before you go: I need to announce the team by Wednesday, so we’ll meet in the common room Tuesday after dinner. Also: Madam Hooch insists that the stands be ready before we can practice. That means our next two weekends will be busy from sunrise to sunset, as the four teams assemble the stands. If we aren’t finished after two weeks, we keep going, and it means the season opens late. If you aren’t ready for that, think on it, and let me know before the meeting on Tuesday. Thank you all for coming out.”

Clementine Sweetleaf was one of the Beaters she liked, she had played very well. Her roommate Tisha Shacklebolt was on the audience side, cheering her on. Ginny went to talk to Clementine as she walked towards Tisha. “You’re in Third Year, and you’d be one of the youngest players on the team if I choose you. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Captain! I would love the opportunity to play for you!”

“That’s good to hear. Thanks for coming out.”

Ginny made sure the balls were packed away, then left the box. The Professor passed her as she walked back to her family, who were still getting up from the grass. Minding the broom that she carried over her shoulder, she gave Harry a long kiss. Her brothers tried to harass her, but she ignored them.

As they walked up the path, Hermione said, “We need to talk. Shall we find a classroom?”

Percy said, “I’m sure you don’t need me along. I’ll see you all tomorrow!” When they entered the castle, he turned to go to his apartment.

They entered one of the main floor classrooms. Hermione lit the lamps, then waited by the door while they entered and found seats. Ginny saw her close the door, then she tapped the lamp sconce with her wand. 

Hermione took a seat next to Ron and took his hand. “Alright, we’re shielded. The first thing you boys should know is that Ginny and I told our stories about the Battle, in Defence class. We both mentioned you, Ron, but there’s a lot of things about Harry in there. The Professor, Olivia Green, saved her memories of those sessions, and practically the entire staff has experienced them now. To be fair, we think you should, too.”

Ron asked, “How long would that take?”

Ginny said, “My story took almost two hours, Hermione’s took three sessions. So, up to eight hours total.”

Harry said, “We can try to come back in a few weeks and do that. Ron, do you want to experience Ginny’s story tonight? I’m thinking we could do it after dinner.”

“Alright, tonight sounds good. But I want to reserve our time after breakfast for snogging.” He squeezed Hermione’s hand.

Harry squeezed Ginny’s hand. “That sounds fair. Better than getting worked up before we go to bed. I’ll go chat with Professor McGonagall when we’re done here and reserve the time.”

Hermione said, “You’ll probably have questions afterwards, so we can meet back here. Next topic is the wedding. Yes, I said wedding, not weddings. Ginny and I have decided to have a joint wedding. What we don’t know is how much budget we have. We’re prepared to just get a theologian and get it done, but what we want is the grand fairy tale, with the dresses and a cathedral, the whole ritual.”

Ron said, “I’d be good with just the theologian.”

Harry replied, “Ron, this isn’t for us, it’s for them.” He looked into Ginny’s eyes, and she was lost once again. “They deserve all the pomp and circumstance we can give them. You ladies plan for what you want, don’t worry about the expenses. Apparently my father left me a lot of money, but just what Sirius left me is tens of thousands of Galleons. Spend it all, if you want.”

Ginny looked away, so she could think. “Harry, I love you, you’re amazing. We’ve started preliminary plans. Do you mind if we hire a wedding planner?”

“Whatever you want, darling. Ron, do you agree?”

“So long as we end up married at the end, I’m good. And I’d be happy to stand next to you when you and Ginny say your vows, mate.”

“Likewise, Ron. It’d be my honor.”

Harry wanted to go alone to speak to the Headmaster, so they agreed to wait for him at Hagrid’s. Ginny led the way, so she didn’t have to watch Hermione and her brother finger wrestle, as they always did when they walked hand in hand. Hagrid was delighted to see Ron, and they told him Harry would be there soon.

Ron told them about Auror training, and Ginny talked about the progress on the Quidditch pitch. Hermione had the news on the repairs to the castle. 

Harry finally arrived, and Hermione pushed Hagrid to share his news. He pulled out his betrothal ring, and told the boys that he was engaged to Olympe Maxime. They were joyous in congratulating him.

Harry said, “Hagrid, I don’t know if the girls told you, but we’re having a joint wedding next summer. Hermione’s parents should be there. Ron and Ginny’s parents will be there. I won’t have anyone. I was wondering if you would do me the honor of sitting in my place of honor, in the front row where my parents would sit?”

Ginny started crying, and she could see Hermione was close to sobbing.

They could see tears come to Hagrid’s eyes. “Blimey, ’arry, you’ve gone and broke me. It’d be the honor of me life to be there for you! You just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there!” He pulled Harry into a hug. “Oh, my li’l boy is grown up!”

Hermione took a breath and said, “Hagrid, we haven’t decided where or when yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do.”

“Thank you, ’ermione.” He let Harry go, and wiped his eyes on the backs of his hands. “I’m really lookin’ for’ard to it!”

They talked with Hagrid until it was time for dinner. Once again, the buzz level in the Great Hall rose to noisy levels when Harry walked in. They took seats at the end of the Gryffindor table.

Harry said, “It didn’t use to be this noisy in here.”

Ginny said, “You’ve become a kind of legend here at the school, Harry. And I apologize, part of it is my fault.

“And mine,” Hermione said.

Ron added, “Well, you did open that door yourself, when you killed Voldemort.”

He gripped Ginny’s hand, “Now I really want to know what you’ve been saying about me, Ginny!”

“Let’s have a nice dinner, then you and Ron can experience it.”

“You know, except for the Christmas feast, I’ve gotten to like your Mum’s cooking better than here. It’s more spontaneous, more home-grown.”

Ron said, “I can agree with that. But this is five times better than what they serve at the Ministry training office.”

Harry replied, “Oh, no doubt!”

Ginny asked, “So how are your cooking skills, Mister Potter?”

“Well,” Harry said slowly, “I make a mean bowl of ramen, I can do scrambled eggs and sausage breakfast, and my skill with spaghetti is improving.”

“Harry, I’m not sure I’d go that far. It’s usually passable.”

Hermione asked, “And you, Ron?”

“I can grill a steak.”

Harry nodded, “Yes, you can!”

“What about you, Hermione?” Ron asked.

“I… can make a cup of tea.” She laughed.

Ginny laughed. “Having grown up under my mother’s wing, I can make about a dozen of her soups, a whole roasted turkey, goose, chicken, or ham dinner, a full range of breakfast items, and a good Reuben sandwich. I can bake pies, tarts, biscuits, cakes, and four different varieties of rolls and scones from scratch. The fact that you can’t do any of that, Ronald, is shameful!”

Harry took both her hands in his, mindful of her fork. He looked her in the eye and asked, “Will you marry me? I love a woman who can cook.”

“I don’t know, Harry.” She teased. “I want a man who’s an equal partner, including in the kitchen.”

“I can wash dishes.”

“Sold! I will marry you!”

Ginny and Hermione spent a nervous time waiting for their fiancés to return from the Headmaster’s office. Ginny took her broom and their overcoats back up to their room, and when she came back Hermione went up to feed Crookshanks. Ginny did calisthenics to relax her nerves until Hermione asked her to stop. Then she worked on her team roster, which quickly gave her a headache.

Finally they returned.

Ron said quietly, “Oh, Ginny!” He had tears in his eyes.

Harry didn’t say anything, he just sat in a chair facing her, wrapped his arms around her, and started crying into her neck. His sobbing lasted about ten minutes, then it grew calmer. Finally, he stopped.

He sat back in the chair and said, “I’ll be alright, I think. I just relived the worst night of my life, and I had to release from that.

“First, my darling Ginny, I love you dearly, and I had no idea you’ve loved me that long. I’m overjoyed you have an idea of the depths of my love for you, and at last I think I see the full depths of your love for me. That’s simply fantastic! Joy barely begins to describe it.

“It does bother me, how much you revealed of the information I gave you about that night. But I see the context of it, too, so I think I understand the need you had to say it.”

“I love you, Harry.”

“I love you, Ginny. And I think you’re wrong about me being a legend. I think it’s our love that has become legendary.”

Ron put in, “Naw, Harry. You’re The Boy Who Lived, and you always will be.”

“My husband-to-be, how is your health? Your scratches seem to be healing. How is your chest?”

“It’s fine. I haven’t had trouble with it in a week.”

Ron broke from Hermione’s lips long enough to say, “Lie!”

“Okay, three days ago I had a stitch.”

“C’mon, mate, three days ago your chest seized up and you collapsed on the track.”

“Ron, is he still on medical disability?”

“Big time, Ginny.”

She put her hand flat on his chest and pressed very lightly, until he winced. She moved her hand to his neck, and he leaned into her palm. “Harry, you know now the depths of my love for you. I tell you now, nothing will end our relationship faster than if you are not open and honest with me, especially about your health. How can I wear you out, sexually, if you can’t breathe?”

His cheeks turned pink. “They started a new treatment two weeks ago, it’s supposed to bypass the problem of the Dark Magic. I’m noticing minor improvements, and they say it should really start getting better in a few weeks.”

“See? Was that so difficult?”

“You’re under enough stress, I don’t want you to worry about me, too.”

“My husband-to-be, I want to be your wife! I will always be worrying about you, that’s in the job description! And you’re going to be an Auror! If you don’t want me to worry about you, then you should go into banking, or insurance!”

“There are some days, that would sound really tempting. I will try to remember, my wife-to-be.”

In the morning they met the boys at the gates as they walked in from their inn at Hogsmeade, then walked them in for breakfast. Ginny had a difficult time eating breakfast, knowing what was to come afterwards. She kept putting her hand on Harry’s arm or back. She noticed that Hermione was doing the same with Ron.

They went back to their classroom from yesterday, and the girls snogged with their fiancés for about two hours. Ginny and Harry would take a break sometimes when they got too worked up, just sitting and holding each other, forehead to forehead, breathing in each other’s warm breath.

Once or twice, while their lips were locked together, she had a vision of him in a white room. He stood several meters away from her, and he was looking at her. It was just a blink, and it was gone.

After the boys left, Ginny went up to their room. She lay down on her bed, closed the bed curtains, and cried. She missed Harry already, and didn’t know if she’d see him before November. She fell asleep crying and napped for a few hours.

When she woke up, she opened the bed curtains. Hermione was sitting on her bed, reading her Law text, using one hand to pet Crookshanks. Ginny could see that the big cat was purring, but she didn’t hear a sound.

“Did you create a charm that suppresses the sound of his purring?”

“Well, you know what a loud purr he has, and sometimes it’s better if people don’t hear him.”

“I appreciate you letting me sleep.”

“I figured you needed it. I heard you as I came up the stairs.”

“I started missing him the second they left, and sometimes I just can’t stand it.” Her tears started falling as she admitted it.

“You could talk to your therapist about it, but I don’t think there’s a cure for that.”

“I could try never leaving his side, ever again.” She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands.

“He has to go to work. You’re going to play Quidditch. Then there’s public washrooms, that’d be awkward.”

Ginny snorted a laugh. “So I should get used to brief separations. I should get used to strangers trying to take pictures of me, in private or embarrassing situations. I should get used to standing in front of reporters and being photographed and asked asinine questions. I should-”

Hermione shouted, “-Ginny, stop it!”

Ginny froze, and looked up. Her hands were trying to pull down the rail for the bed curtains. She let go and brought her arms down. “Okay, I seem to have some frustration and anger issues. I can talk to my therapist about that!”

“It’s not like you haven’t got any stress issues going on! Here’s a mental diversion: Harry’s giving us carte blanche for planning our wedding. What’s the next step?”

“I want to get a wedding planner. If we’re inviting Kingsley, we need one that knows high-level security.”

“Plus, you know, Harry Potter, the most famous et cetera et cetera.”

“Well, yes. Do you know who I’d want to ask for a recommendation? Kingsley’s wife, Renee. We can send her an owl.”

“That sounds like a good place to start. Next: Who do you want on your Quidditch team?”

Ginny snarled in frustration.

She worked on her roster until dinner. She was planning on playing as Chaser, so she needed two more primary Chasers and an alternate. She had seven candidates, so she needed to eliminate four candidates. Ginny could also play Seeker, so if Dennis had an issue she could fill in for him and use the alternate Chaser. That left her two alternate slots, to use for Keeper and Beater. She had three decent Keeper candidates, she just had to eliminate one. She had five Beater candidates and needed two plus an alternate, eliminating two.

Working out the plan was easy, choosing who to keep and who to eliminate was hard. She started by keeping candidates she had played with in the past and knew she coordinated with. Then she went the other way, removing candidates who irritated her when they played in the past. 

There weren’t any players on her list that she didn’t necessarily like, but played really well, and there weren’t any candidates who were mediocre players but she enjoyed playing with them, so that helped in her process. 

Clementine had played well in her trials, it came down to her or a Fourth Year boy as alternate Beater, so she chose Clementine. Alternate was a good position for a young player, it helped her develop skills and get experience.

She wanted to skip all her classes until she had the roster figured out, but Hermione convinced her that it would take her mind off the roster. It didn’t help that all the candidates started eating their meals at their end of the table, so she saw their anxious faces at least three times per day. Seeing Dennis’ anxious expression almost made her tell him, but she vowed she wouldn’t let anyone know until she announced all the names.

None of the candidates asked to drop out at the idea of spending two solid weekends, or more, constructing grandstands. Bloody Gryffindors!

Tuesday afternoon, she put a lock on the roster. Where she had trouble deciding, she tried to remember if she had seen either of the candidates doing stretches by the stairs. A couple of the decisions she made by biscuit-toss, flipping a biscuit in the air and seeing which side it landed on.

She enjoyed dinner Tuesday night. Her stomach was still in knots, but the stress of making decisions was gone.

All of the candidates followed Ginny, Hermione, and Natalie out of the Great Hall. Ginny made a point of stopping at the first staircase to do her stretches. Hermione and Natalie joined her, as much as they usually did. The candidates that Ginny had seen stretching joined her, plus a few more. The rest started climbing the stairs.

Hermione whispered to her, “You’re actually enjoying this now, aren’t you?”

Ginny whispered back, “Life’s simple pleasures.”

The common room was crowded. Ginny made her way to one of the big tables and climbed on top of it. While the crowd cheered, she got her notebook out of her pocket and held it to her chest. It didn’t calm her nerves, but she admitted to herself that the cheering felt nice. She put up her hand and they quieted down.

“First, thank you all for coming out in support of your team.” Big cheer! “We had really good candidates this year, and the choices were very difficult. I tried my best to relax and enjoy the process. No, sorry, that’s my note for when Harry and I were snogging.” That got a big laugh! “Thank you one and all, who came to the tryouts. Here is the team roster for this year.”

She read through the names and positions. Every name got a big cheer. When candidates realized they’d been eliminated, she could see their faces fall, and her anxiety went up.

She got the team up on the table with her, regardless of how dangerous that might have been, and a couple of photos were taken.

Later, when she went upstairs, she lay on her bed and cried. She cried from the release from tension, from the sadness of having to disappoint candidates, from the anxiety of the work and the season to come. Then she got up and  washed her face, brushed her hair, put on her pyjamas, and slept the night through.

Grandstands

In her therapy session on Thursday, Healer Mantooth was prepared to continue discussing Bellatrix Lestrange, but Ginny needed a change.

“I’m sorry, Healer. I’ve noticed some issues this week. Can we talk about stress?”

“Certainly, Miss Weasley. What topics seem to be causing you stress?”

“There’s all the usual school things, classes and such. Plus, I’m Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, and I’ve just announced the roster. That was eating me up. Now we have to build the stands at the pitch before we can start practicing with the team. Then we have team workouts and practices that I have to plan and coordinate. Oh, and apparently the job makes me responsible for the fitness of all the Gryffindor students. I’m trying to provide a good example by stretching before climbing the stairs, and I’m getting ogled by boys.”

The Healer was writing rapidly in his notepad.

“Plus, you know, I’m engaged to the most famous wizard in the world. I have to plan the wedding, working out the guest list. I need to find a wedding planner who can handle VIP security, I’m sure there’s a lot of those around. Part of that ‘famous’ thing is I have to be careful of people wanting to photograph me without asking first. Add to that, I’m missing him terribly.

“Oh, and my soul was corrupted by a horcrux, leaving behind a powerful screaming hate monster. Not too stressful, I’d say.”

The Healer joked, “No, just the usual, common issues for a seventeen year old girl.”

Ginny grinned at him.

“So, how are you reacting to it all?”

“I’ve curled up on my bed and cried twice this week. I tried to rip the curtain rod off my bed the other night, without realizing I was doing it. I’m trying to relax by exercising, and it’s annoying Hermione.”

“Don’t annoy Miss Granger, I understand she can be rather dangerous with her wand.”

Ginny arched her eyebrow. “So can I, Healer.”

“I’m certain you can. Can you exercise away from her, either in location or time?”

“We’ll start team workouts next week. Aside from the fact that I have to lead them, the exercise itself should help. If the weather was decent, I could jog on the route around the castle, but there’s that ‘famous’ thing. I don’t want to run outside alone. There’s too much construction inside to do a good exercise run.”

“So hopefully that will improve next week. Can you find a jogging partner from your team mates?”

“I’ll keep an eye open for that possibility. There’s not one that jumps out to me.”

“Have you tried yoga? I understand the school has a yoga club.”

“I hadn’t considered it, but they say it helps with stress.”

“It certainly does, I do it myself. And once you have good routines, you can do it in your room. It’s quieter than calisthenics.”

“I’m not sure our room has the floor space, but I could look at that.”

“Alright, you check on the yoga and next week we’ll talk about how the exercise is working for you.” He checked his notes. “I don’t know if I’ve earned enough of your trust, yet, if you want to discuss Mister Potter with me. Let’s take the side issue, if you’re willing. Tell me about how you’re feeling about missing him.”

“I love him so much, I just want to…” she stopped. “No, Healer, I’m not ready to talk to you about my feelings for Harry yet. I know I announced to the class, and apparently the school, how much I love him, but this breaks it down too much. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, we’ll try again some other time. Was there some other aspect of stress you wished to discuss?”

“I’m finding an odd dichotomy in my feelings at being looked at. When I’m stretching, I get annoyed when boys look at me. I don’t want random people photographing me.

“But my roommates and I went to the Prefect’s spa the other night, and I didn’t mind at all, except for the boy who took my photo. I thought about finding a photographer to take my picture, if I could find one I trusted. I want to give one to Harry. Then I remembered all the sexy photos the magazines have of the professional Quidditch players, female and male. I wouldn’t do anything risqué, anything that would embarrass my parents or Harry, but I wouldn’t mind being the cover girl for Seeker Weekly some day.”

“It sounds to me like a control issue. If someone is looking at you in a situation you control, you’re fine with it, even appreciate it, within limits. Even the spa was a planned, expected situation. But in a random situation, you’re annoyed by it. If you found a photographer, and you had them take photographs of you, then they betrayed you by selling them, it’s taken a controlled event and made it uncontrolled. Is that a fair assessment?”

“I think so. But should I just accept the uncontrolled circumstances as just the price of fame? Or are there steps I should take?”

“That, Miss Weasley, depends on the circumstances. The ogling by the boys when you’re stretching is probably something you should tolerate, so long as they don’t go too far, and you don’t encourage it, by deliberately attracting their attention. If you start doing that, you should reanalyze your feelings about it.”

“Only with Harry, Healer, only with Harry. Even then, I need to reign it in until summer.”

“Which I’m sure adds it’s own stress. Our time is up for this week. We can revisit this next week. Please relax when you can, Miss Weasley.”

She did her stretches before climbing the stairs to their room, and thought about the session. She was in the Entry Hall, and students were walking by all the time. Some noticed her and many didn’t.

When she got to the top of the Tower, she wrote a letter to Renee Shacklebolt. She started by saying what a pleasure it was to spend time with them at dinner at Hogwarts the week before. Then she explained that she was planning her wedding to Harry, and was looking for a wedding planner who could manage a wedding for high-level celebrities. On top of that, they’d be honored if the Shacklebolts attended their wedding. No pressure to answer now, Ginny would just like to send them an invitation. So if Renee could provide any recommendations for a planner, it would be appreciated. She showed the letter to Hermione, then took it up to the owlery after dinner.

When they were getting ready for bed, she asked her roommates if they wanted to revisit the Prefect spa Friday evening? They had an enthusiastic response.

When they went to the spa, they were more comfortable with the situation than they had been previously, since they knew what to expect. It was after dinner, so it was busier than last time. Two different boys brought cameras, but neither Ginny nor Hermione had to do anything. The Prefects defended their own, tripping one boy into the soaking pool, so his camera was ruined. They laughed him out of the room. The other boy entered the room holding his camera in his hand, and he was hit in the chest by a Flipendo cast by a Prefect watching the entry. It blew him back out the portal.

When Natalie removed her robes, both Ginny and Hermione raised their eyebrows. There was a trace of a pair of lips low on the side of Natalie’s neck.

Hermione asked, “So, Dennis has been practicing, little sister?”

Ginny said, “It’s faded enough, it was probably placed at least a week ago.”

Natalie blushed bright red, “Last Saturday, we decided to try our own private contest, since we hadn’t done it before. I think I’m winning.”

They only stayed for a little over an hour, since Ginny had to get up early. Natalie checked outside the portal on their way out, to see if someone was lingering.

Saturday morning at sunrise, Ginny left the castle on her way to the pitch. It was still an hour before breakfast was served, but she carried a cup of tea from the common room. She brought her broom, but she didn’t expect to need it. Professor Hooch told them on Friday that she would use this hour to get them assembled and broken into teams, then the construction specialists would arrive after breakfast to show them the assembly process.

The air was crisp and moist, with fog shrouding the lake. When all forty players were there, huddling together by House, the Professor stood in front of them, her back to the working goal.

“Your attention, please! After breakfast we will have construction specialists show us how to assemble grandstands. There will be ten grandstands total, five per side. What they will work on first are the two double-width grandstands that will be in the center of each side. Those will receive our new scoreboards, so we want to be sure the stands are ready for when they arrive.

“Two assembly teams, twenty per stand. They tell me the construction gets broken into foundation, framing, seating, and staircases. That’s five students per squad, in eight squads. Do we have at least eight students who have experience with wood construction?”

They had twelve with experience, but they weren’t evenly distributed by House. Hufflepuff had the most, then Ravenclaw.

“This is about what I expected. While you’re at breakfast, I would appreciate it if you would work it out yourselves which eight of you have the most experience. Our eight squads are going to spread players around, not restrict ourselves to House divisions.”

Someone from Gryffindor said, “You want us to work with Slytherins, after what happened?” She thought it was Euan Abercrombie.

There was much grumbling from the teams, and the Slytherin players shouted back, but they were drowned out.

She stepped forward and shouted to be heard. “Professor, may I speak to the group?”

“If you like.”

She stepped to stand next to the Professor, who yelled at the players to pipe down.

“For those who may not know me, my name’s Ginny Weasley. I’m Captain of the Gryffindor team.

Someone in the Slytherin team started saying, “Driven any joi-”

She saw Carlton turn and point at the one speaking. The expression on Carlton’s face was fierce. The player stopped talking.

Carlton turned to her, “Pardon the interruption, Captain Weasley. We are all attention.”

She nodded to him, “To the players making comments about the Slytherin team, I get it. How dare they be here, after what happened in May? After all the deaths and this devastation?

“To that I say, we cannot let hate divide us. Competition and rivalry is one thing, but hate was Voldemort’s bread and butter. If you hate anyone, he’s won in the end.

“And believe me, hate is easy. There are fleeting moments when I hate all of you. How dare you be living and breathing, enjoying life, when my brother Fred is dead? How dare you?!?” The screaming hate monster escaped for a moment, giving them just a taste of it. It’s volume and deep tone shocked many of them, and she saw many pairs of eyes widen in fear of her.

She took a shaky breath, thinking of Harry’s kisses and his beautiful green eyes, reigning it back in, “And then I remember why Fred was here that night. He was here for Harry Potter. He was here for me, because of my love for Harry. He was here to defend the school. And he was here to protect all of us, from Voldemort and his hate.”

She wiped her eyes and took a breath. “My brother, and his twin George, are, or were, men of joy. They carried it with them, and only wanted other people to feel the joy in life as they did. So I cannot hate you. Any of you. For Fred.

“He loved Quidditch. I think all of us here do too. We can’t resume playing until the pitch is rebuilt. It’s going to take all of us to get it done for the season to start in time. We need to set aside our hate, all our differences, working together for the game we love. Can we do that, for Quidditch?”

Carleton started it, quietly chanting “Quidditch!”

Then it spread, “Quidditch!”

“Quidditch!”

“Quidditch!”

“Quidditch!”

It built until all of them were shouting it. Professor Hooch put her arm around Ginny’s shoulders.

She saw Dennis Creevey, in the front row of the Gryffindor team, with tears flowing down his face. Several other players were crying as well. Professor Hooch let her go when the chanting broke up. She went to Dennis to give him a hug, and he backed away from her.

When they went up for breakfast, Professor Hooch walked next to her up the path. She asked quietly, “Is that how you drove those joists into the ground?”

Ginny answered nervously, “Yes, Professor.”

“I don’t want to know what it is, do I?”

“No, ma’am, you really don’t.”

“Are you getting help to keep it under control?”

“Yes, we’re working on it.”

“If you need help in that regard, please let me know. I’d prefer not to see it again.”

“Thank you, Professor. Me, too.”

When they sat down for breakfast, Dennis wouldn’t meet her eyes. When Hermione and Natalie joined them, he kissed Natalie and hugged her, then they sat forehead to forehead for several minutes. She noticed him looking at her a few times, out of the corner of his eye.

Nigel sat down next to her just as Hermione came back from her morning status check. She said the Prefects were reporting the usual Friday night curfew incidents. Then she looked at Ginny with a raised eyebrow, “Anything you’d like to report from the Quidditch pitch?”

Ginny put on an innocent smile, “No, why? Did you hear something?”

Dennis leaned past Natalie, “Hermione, Ginny got scary!”

Hermione raised both eyebrows at her. “Just a few comments like that.”

“It was an inconsequential incident. No one needed to go to the infirmary, and no joists were driven into the ground.”

Hermione stood up, grabbed Ginny’s hand, and pulled her out through the Entry Hall, out the front doors.

“It’s cold out here, so talk fast. What did you do?”

“Some players made comments about working with the Slytherin Team, and I started making an anti-hate speech in front of everybody, when my corruption made a comment. It was only for a second and I had it back under control. No injuries. Scared the bat dung out of several people, including, I think, Madam Hooch.”

“I’m getting worried about you, my sister.”

“I’m sorry, my sister. It was a new trigger for me, there was no fear involved, just anger and hate. I’ll tell Healer Mantooth about it Thursday.”

“Let me know what he says, please. Let’s go eat.”

When they went back out to the pitch, Ginny noticed that no one walked very close to her.

They broke up into the eight squads, and Ginny made sure that her squad of five introduced themselves, with no mention of House. Their task was the seating section. It wasn’t long before she wished her father was there, he had put their home together, and was much more experienced at wood construction than she was.

They built their section laying on its back side, so when the frame and stairways were finished, they would all be joined together, then raised to stand upright on the new foundation. It was just hard to picture how the seats were supposed to go when it was all on its side.

Their construction guide seemed pleased with the result, and it was ready shortly before lunch. When they came back from lunch, the other three pieces of their puzzle were ready. The construction team showed them how the stairs were added to the frames, then the frames attached to the seating section. Final alignment of the stairs to the holes in the seating section was checked. 

The construction team leader led a group casting along with most of the students, and the stand was lifted and made vertical, then lowered onto the foundation. Ginny was excluded from the group casting, and she noticed that Professor Hooch stood next to her during that process. The framework and foundation teams were shown how the frame was locked into the foundation, and they were done. The team opposite was just raising their stand, so they had only beaten them by a few minutes.

Their guides performed a final check, climbing one set of stairs, jumping on the landings, pounding on the seats, then racing down the other stairs, all while their fellows stood by ready to cast a levitation in case something broke. Both stands passed the test.

Now, the two groups had to do it for themselves. The plan was to have each group assemble one of the narrower stands before dinner. Sunset happened during the dinner hour, and they wouldn’t be coming out after that. The students would do the work, and the construction workers would only advise and guide, so the last stands could be built without them.

Ginny’s team got their seating section done in a little over three hours. She double-checked the work, looking at it by tipping her head. It seemed correct to her. Their guide approved.

The pieces were locked together and alignment checked, then it was mounted on the foundation. The Hufflepuff Captain led that lift. Once more, Professor Hooch was at her elbow.

Ginny spoke quietly to her, “I know you’re worried about me doing something, and I appreciate your concern. I can’t say I absolutely won’t do something, if the right triggers happen. It’s not something I can control all the time, yet.”

She didn’t say anything, just squeezed Ginny’s arm.

Professor Hooch walked over to be the levitating safety control, while the Hufflepuff Captain did the test. Everything seemed to fit tightly, so it passed.

Two down, three to go. If they can finish two more pairs on Sunday, then one next Saturday, they could start team practices next Sunday.

Ginny gave Hermione a status update at dinner. Dennis was more relaxed around her than at breakfast, since she hadn’t done any more scary things.

She has happy to do her stretches before climbing the stairs. Even in the cool outside air, she had managed to work up a sweat, and stretching helped work out her tight muscles. She took a shower, dressed in her pyjamas, and went to bed.

Sunday morning she walked out to the pitch at dawn, carrying her cup of tea. As soon as the rest of her squad of five got there, they could get started on the next stand. They made good progress before they broke for breakfast.

She checked to see if Percy was at the teacher table. She wanted to let him know she would miss their lunch again. Olivia was there, but Percy was not. She hoped he was well.

Hermione dashed through her food, then excused herself. She said she had to get to a meeting, which seemed odd for Sunday morning.

They had just started to get back to the work when they heard a noise. Past the main gate, around the edge of the forest came a group of one hundred or so people. It sounded like they were trying to sing the school anthem. A tall man with spiky red hair was at the gate, and he pulled it open for them. Then she noticed another group walking towards them from the castle, led by Hermione, Headmaster McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick. Ginny dropped to her knees. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Professor Hooch had also dropped to her knees. She was crying, which made Ginny start crying.

When she could clear her eyes to see, the group from the gate was much closer. Hermione had moved to this group, walking hip to hip against Ron. To the left of them was Percy. To their right was the love of her life.

She didn’t remember standing up, as she was looking at Harry she became aware that she was running full speed in his direction. She wasn’t planning on running full tilt into a collision with him, as Hermione did with Ron last time. She wasn’t planning much of anything. She did as she had done last time, stopping just outside arms reach.

Harry said, “Miss Weasley, take a deep breath.” He breathed in, so she did too. She was a little out of breath from running. She noticed he was breathing better. “Take another.” She took another deep breath. She wasn’t sure she had the patience to do it again.

When she released her breath, Harry reached out with both arms, and with his longer reach snagged the front of her robes, pulling her in to a lip lock. She started crying, as she raised her arms over his shoulders to grab the back of his head.

There was too much going on for them to hold the kiss for long. She promised herself to get him later. She took Harry’s hand and walked towards the Headmaster, who was approaching Professor Hooch, who was still on her knees.

She said, “Rolanda, all these volunteers are here to make sure that Quidditch, your beloved Quidditch, isn’t delayed by a single day.” The Professor resumed crying.

Suddenly Ginny was getting hugs. First from her father, then her mother, then her oldest brother Bill, and George. She even got a hug from Angelina Johnson, and from Ron. Bill’s wife Fleur was there, but she wasn’t a big hugger, so she just gave Ginny a wave. Somehow she appeared to be more beautiful than she had been the last time Ginny saw her.

After a few minutes, she heard the Professor’s whistle blow for a timeout. “All right, everyone, listen up! We were in the middle of constructing these two stands on the Northeast end. Would anyone with wood construction experience please go to assist the students, so you can see what they are doing, and how they are doing it. Meanwhile, I’ll bring in the materials for the other four stands, on this Southwest end.

“Once the two stands are done, we’ll break for lunch, then we’ll split all of you into four teams to build the last four stands. With any luck, it will all be done by dinner.

“The rest of you, for now, kindly and respectfully, get off my pitch!”

Ginny heard her Mum’s penetrating voice yell, “Food setup, outside the stands on the North side!”

She kissed Harry, and told him she had to get back to work. She saw the back of her father’s head, with his orange hair frosted by tips of white. He was headed for the wrong stand, so she dodged through the crowd to steer him to her stand. She started to show him the seating section she was working on, but he said he mostly worked with framing, so he went off to help there. He came back after about ten minutes. They told him his style of framing wasn’t what they were going for. So she got her dream, working with her father to assemble the seats. As they finished up the section, he added collapsible arm rests at both ends of each row.

He said, “If your mother’s brother Fabian was here, he’d be doing the stairs. He did our whole main stairwell. He was a good craftsman, and an artist.”

When the two stands were approved, a big cheer went up, and they announced the beginning of lunch. Ginny cast her Patronus, a silvery horse, gave it the message “I’m coming for you!” and sent it to find Harry. She followed it through the crowd.

She found him helping her Mum at the service tables. She grabbed Harry by the arm, said “Sorry, Mum, I need to borrow this helper!” and dragged him away. When she had him outside the bustle of the tables, she put her arms over his shoulders and pulled him in close. She had something else she needed him for, so she broke off the kiss after a few minutes.

Taking his hand, they walked down the slope to the collapsed roof of the training building. From the ground, it looked even more like a sandwich, with nine teeth biting into it.

She told him, “The thing inside of me that did this, I’ve taken to calling it the Screaming Hate Monster. It’s the trace of Tom Riddle that was left in me by the horcrux. I know you have one, too.”

“The soul infection, from Voldemort.”

“Exactly. Sometimes it gets out, and it can do things like this. Yesterday it got out for just a second, triggered by feelings of hate. It didn’t cast a spell, it just said a phrase, and it scared nearly all the Quidditch players. It doesn’t sound like me.”

“I don’t know how you deal with it, but I wrap it in thoughts of love, and it can’t get through that.”

“The same. Thinking of you usually makes it go away.”

He smiled, “I’m glad, since I think of you to drive mine away.”

“What I’m trying to say is, even more than many loving couples, we’re going to need to keep feeding our love to one another. Not just through sex, although that may do wonders, we’ll find out in the summer, but through touch, and kisses, and little things to keep feeding each other. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?

“Because if we lost that protection, if I lost it, it could destroy me, make me into a truly horrible person. So I need that from you. Do you think you can do that?”

He thought for a moment before he replied, “I can’t judge the strength of your hate monster, but you’re right, so long as you love me I can keep mine under control. I like to think I could maintain control if you left me, but I could just be optimistic.”

He smiled, and her day got better than it already was. “But what you’re asking of me is to show you, every waking hour of every day, that I care for you, more than mere words can say. Gee, Gin, give me a tough one!”

He pulled Ginny to him and kissed her, simultaneously rubbing his thumbs against the base of her neck. She realized she was more tense than she thought, but she relaxed under his touch.

When he pulled his mouth from hers, she said, “That’s doing wonders, Mister Potter.”

He replied, “It’s supposed to, Missus Potter-to-be.”

She started rubbing the base of his neck with her thumbs, and he was also tense. She pulled him in for another kiss, and the tension in his neck eased.

Harry said, “Oh, we’re going to have to remember that trick!”

“I love you, Harry.”

“I love you, Gin.”

“Keep the letters coming. Once a week is fine, but keep the mush going, I eat it up!”

“We need to sit down with Ron and Hermione and pick a date. I need to arrange time off with Kingsley.”

“Let me get a wedding planner, and I’ll see if they have input. I sent an owl to Kingsley’s wife, Renee, asking for a recommendation.”

“Alright, we’ll give it more time.”

“Let’s head back. I need some of Mum’s soup.”

“Just a minute. These joists that you drove in, they need to be pulled out, don’t they?”

“Yes, why? Did you want to try?”

“I think I can do it.”

He kneeled on the grass and closed his eyes, holding his wand parallel to his face. Then he snapped the wand towards the first joist, and it extracted itself from the ground and laid across the top of the roof. Harry went down the line, extracting them one by one.

“Okay, now I’m really hungry.”

As they headed back to the food stations, she asked, “How did you reach that level of power?”

“Part of it is things I learned, part of it is that hate monster. When I expose that, I can reach any level of power that I want. I chose one that should get the job done, without draining all my energy. I wasn’t trying to do all nine at the same time.”

“I need you to show me that trick!”

“We’ll try at the holiday break. I don’t want to try it here.”

One of the four new stands needed repairs, as the stairs failed on the first test. With some rework it came out fine. Everyone cheered when the last stand was approved.

As the sun started setting, they got some photos taken. First, of the rebuilt pitch, which they all applauded. Then, of the gathering of off-duty Aurors and trainees that were there. Then, of the remaining present members of the Order Of The Phoenix. Finally, they got a picture of the Weasley family. Charlie was still in Romania, and they would forever be missing Fred, but now they included Fleur, Hermione, and Harry.

Most of the rest of the volunteers went home, but Ron and Harry stayed for dinner in the Great Hall. Ginny asked Hermione, “So who organized the volunteers? Was it you?”

“I did start it, and mentioned it to the Headmaster. She roped in the Order, and I talked to Justin and the Prefects, who found students with skills willing to help.”

She asked Natalie, “So you knew?”

Natalie blushed and nodded her head.

Harry said, “The Headmaster told me of Hermione’s plan, and I had the same thought, but with the off-duty Aurors and trainees. I told Ron when we went back, and we talked to our boss and presented it at a status meeting.”

Ginny was a little shocked, “You could all plot a great surprise party. Wait, you just did!”

Natalie said, “Hermione threatened triple duty if any of us revealed the plan to you or any of the Captains, or Madam Hooch, even by accident.”

Ginny snagged Hermione’s hand across the table, “You, my sister, who hates surprise parties, may have pulled off the biggest one of the year!”

She swallowed a bite of food, “Guilty!”

They found an empty classroom after dinner. The boys had to leave to get back home, since they had to return to work in the morning. They only got to snog for an hour.

She had another flash of vision while they were in a lip lock. Again, she saw a white room, with Harry facing her. Behind him was a dark cage, with a force of tangible evil inside. As they kissed, the cage was boarded over, sealed inside a pink box.

When she went to bed, she was sure the vision was just her imagination playing games. Her stress levels were way down from the previous week. When Harry would be back again was unknown, but she knew now that he’d be back whenever he could find time. She slept with a big smile on her face.

Monday brought the rain that had threatened all day Sunday, but thankfully held off. While they were eating breakfast, the morning owls came in with the mail. Hermione received her copy of the Daily Prophet, but it caught Ginny’s attention that the Headmaster also received a letter. It would have to be her personal mail, not school mail, which she thought would be going through Miss Rowling’s office.

Moments later, the Headmaster stood up and rapidly walked out the door behind Olivia.

Professor Flitwick used his wand to summon the card that she had dropped. He stood on his chair, touched his wand to his throat, and his voice boomed out, “YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE! At a ceremony in November, Minerva McGonagall is to be awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class.”

The entire row of Professors stood up and began applauding. Most of the students did as well.

The Professor had dropped his wand on the table so he could applaud. He picked it up again to say, “Make sure she can hear you!”

Everyone got louder, with more applause, cheers, and yells. Hermione was crying, but at the increase in volume, Ginny started crying as well.

It was almost ten minutes before the Headmaster came back in. They gave her another ovation.

When she went out for the Coaching class, Professor Hooch had slung her tarp over a frame near the doors, so she was covered and had an unobstructed view of the pitch. There were four empty chairs under the tarp.

When all four Captains had arrived, the Professor said, “I am nearly giddy today. I’m so happy for our Headmaster. Did you notice that some of our volunteers yesterday were masons? The stone arch at the entry is redone, as well as the grandstands. Mister Potter extracted the joists. We heard this morning that the two replacement scoring rings will arrive on Thursday. The scoreboards will still arrive next Monday. This means we can do full-field practices over the weekend, not just half.

“We will start practicing this weekend, so Hufflepuff is up for Saturday morning. Speaking of, Captain: Did your team do their workout in the Dueling Hall this morning?”

He cleared his throat, “Yes, Professor. The site is fine, on the whole. I recommend wearing running shoes on the stairs, something with toe protection and grip. We had a couple of players try running a circuit in socks or barefoot, and they stubbed toes and slipped on the stairs.”

“Good recommendation, thank you.”

They all made reminder notes in their notebooks.

“Now, who do I get to thank for the surprise party? I’m certain the Headmaster was in on it. Did any of you lot know?”

Ginny said, “Professor, I got the story at dinner last night. Hermione Granger had the original idea. She suggested it to the Headmaster, then organized the Prefects to help her find students willing and able to help. She threatened the Prefects with extra duty if you or any of us found out. Harry Potter had the equivalent idea with the Aurors. The Headmaster brought in the Order of the Phoenix.”

“I guess it just proves one of my favorite quotes, that Quidditch unites us all. Please don’t warn Miss Granger, Captain Weasley, but if I can think of a way to repay her, I will. I can never repay the Headmaster for what she’s done, and still doing. Harry Potter is out of my reach, although I noticed he’s not out of yours.”

The boys laughed. Ginny blushed, at least Stage 3. Her cheeks felt warm.

“My apologies, I don’t like to make personal comments about students. 

“I was going to have you all run the circuit, up one staircase, cross the stand, down the other side, and go to the next, all the way around. It’s just too wet today. There’s some risk, at this early stage, so don’t have your teams do it until at least next week, please. You should wear your helmets and pads. If you can find the time and good weather by Friday, please do it, and let me know Friday of any odd spots you find. We’ll have them adjusted while we still have the attention of the construction team.

“Any questions? Good work over the weekend, everyone. Class dismissed.”

At lunch she told Hermione that the replacement rings would be installed by Friday, and they would start team practices this weekend. Gryffindor practice would be Sunday morning. She made a note to make an announcement sign. She also reminded her roommates that she would be up early Wednesday for the team workout. Natalie had to get up even earlier when she had the weekend Prefect duty, but she may still unintentionally wake them up.

Tuesday morning, Hermione flipped her copy of the Prophet over for Ginny to read. There was a headline, “Order of Merlin Awards for Battle of Hogwarts.” The article listed recipients of the First Class award as Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall, and Remus Lupin. Neville Longbottom would receive the Second Class award. The ceremony would be held in Lancaster on November Second. Ginny was flabbergasted, and delighted for her friends.

That afternoon she looked for the flyer for Yoga Club. It was led by Justin Finch-Fletchley. She found him when they went to dinner that night. He told her they met every morning an hour before breakfast, in one of the classrooms. He recommended she wear loose comfortable clothes, and he would be happy to help her as a beginner. She told him she thought she’d have time Thursday morning.

After dinner she prepared her exercise clothes, then went to bed.

She detested getting up before five in the morning, but she put on her exercise clothes and headed for the Dueling Hall, stopping to pick up a cup of tea on her way out.

They were still missing a few, including Dennis, but seven members of the team were there. Some were already stretching, but she ordered the rest to get up and stretch also. Ginny took the position at the top of the lecture circle. When they were all there, she had them all stretch for three more minutes, then she led them in calisthenics. She started with easy ones, but she planned to use the exercises for the whole body workout eventually. A few of her players appeared to be fitter than her, but a few were still mushy.

Anyone with exercise shoes to wear was ordered to run the staircase circuit. If they didn’t have the shoes, they continued with calisthenics. She led the run, and she was getting sore and winded after two circuits, so she ended it there. Some team members were right behind her, even passing her on the stairs, while others took minutes to finish.

There was equipment in the back of the dueling floor that the Professor had left for them. A pair of large thin hoops for Quaffle passing, a set of four Beater paddles, and a box of worn-out balls. Naturally, the Golden Snitch was missing.

She used her wand to levitate the hoops over the seats in the middle of the gallery, then started them spinning on their axis, slowly. She tossed the Quaffle to one of her Chasers, and had everyone but the three Beaters start walking the stairs around these seats. As the Chaser reached the far side, coming back down, she passes the ball through the lower hoop to the player coming up the other side. When that player reaches the upper ring, they pass it through to the downward side. If there was a gap, so the player who was supposed to throw was also the one who was supposed to catch, then they passed to the player behind them, and that continued until the first player was in position.

While that started, she showed Clementine and the other Beaters how to activate and deactivate the charms that shielded the gallery from the dueling floor. She demonstrated by throwing a Bludger towards an empty space in the gallery, and it bounced off of empty air. She told them their workout was just to hit the Bludger to all three of them, don’t let it hit them, and don’t miss so it hits the wall or shield. She deactivated the charm and stepped off the floor, then Clementine reactivated it, and they started.

Ginny joined the group walking around the stands.

She stopped them at quarter to seven, for cooldown and review. None of them had done anything excellently, and she was at least as hard on herself as she was on anyone else. Generally speaking, the fitter players did better than the less fit, but they were also more likely to have experience from previous years, so they were regaining skills, which is easier than learning new ones.

She made the point that these are teammates, the experienced players shouldn’t pick on the less experienced, they should guide them. She did order everyone to do a stretching routine before climbing the castle’s staircases, at least twice per day.

When she got back to their room, Hermione was already up and dressed, but Ginny beat Natalie to the shower. They were all probably happier for that.

She was falling asleep by the end of Defence class, so she went up to the room and took a kip before lunch. She brought her broom and overcoat down for lunch so she wouldn’t have to go back up before Advanced Flight.

The rain had continued from Monday, although it had lightened considerably. Thursday was supposed to be clear. Professor Hooch gave them several spells to improve visibility, plus a spell to enhance the air that they breathed, and keep them warmer, so they could fly just above the clouds without freezing or asphyxiating. That one was exciting, and the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, it burned body energy, so it made flying much more tiring, so they couldn’t keep it up very long. The rule of thumb was, if your teeth start chattering, then the spell is failing, it’s time to come down, and hope you’ve passed the storm cloud first.

Thursday morning she got up earlier than normal and put on comfortable clothes. The closest thing she could find in her wardrobe was one of the outfits she wore at home to lounge around her room. She had leggings, and one of Bill’s old jumpers that Mum had knitted. It was a little too small for him, so it fit her like a loose sack. She put her wand in her arm holster, under the jumper.

She went down and found the classroom. Justin was there, with six students. They had set out floor pads, but it didn’t seem like they had started yet. 

Justin said, “Good morning! Welcome, Ginny.” He introduced her to the other students. She recognized Orla Quirke, one of the Ravenclaw Prefects. 

He pulled her aside and spoke quietly. “I don’t mean to pry, and I’m not trying to be naughty, but do you have something on under that jumper? Something you don’t mind the rest of us seeing? For several of the poses we’re practically standing on our heads.”

Ginny could feel her face warm up. “Yes, I’m wearing something under it, no, it’s not something I want everyone to see.”

“What about changing this into something that would be tighter?”

“My Mum knitted this jumper, I’m not replacing it.”

“Okay, we’ve had this situation before. Until you get something less open, I’ll restrict you to safe poses. You can watch us for the rest. When I touch your arm, it’s a safe pose. Alright?”

When they started, Justin guided Ginny through the safe poses, which were mostly standing or sitting, and stretching her arms and legs. For the rest, she was trying to figure out something to wear that wouldn’t move about. She saw Orla standing upright, but bent over so far her face was pressed into her shins. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to bend like that! Still, by the end she thought she’d been through a course in advanced stretching. She had sore muscles that she couldn’t recall being sore before.

Getting back to their room so she could change before breakfast was slow torture. Her muscles were already sore, and she had to climb all those stairs. Still, she had worked through pain before. One problem she hadn’t foreseen and should have, is she hadn’t worn school robes over her comfortable clothes, so everyone she passed saw her in her leggings. Nothing was exposed, but it was fairly snug. The halls and common room were busier at seven-thirty than at six-thirty. It felt like her ears were constantly warm.

Plans And Relationships

In her therapy period, the first thing the Healer asked about was the yoga class.

Ginny replied, “Yes, I did it this morning. I’m still sore from it, but at the same time I want my muscles to burn that way again. I love moving my body. I just need to find something to wear that’s comfortable but also discreet.”

He said, “Yes, my first experience I wore basketball shorts. Leggings work better. What about your team workout?”

“For the first day, I wouldn’t call it relaxing, but the exercise was decent.”

“I understand there was a kind of celebration at the Quidditch pitch on Sunday.”

“We had surprise visitors, school alumni who came in to help the teams finish the grandstands. It was glorious to see, and the whole day reduced my stress by something like half what it was. A good, happy part of that was seeing my fiancé.”

“Mister Potter was there?”

“Yes. It turns out part of my anxiety was fear that I wouldn’t see him until Gryffindor’s first match, at the beginning of November. What I had failed to consider is that he misses me at least as much as I miss him, and he’ll find an excuse to see me at least a few times per month.”

“That’s wonderful, that you made that realization! Any other changes in your stress level?”

“There was an event that happened before my stress reduction. I had a wee event with my corruption, the screaming hate monster, on Saturday morning. No injuries, no one went to the infirmary.” She recounted the event, and included the part of the speech where the odd voice had come out of her. This time, nothing special happened.

“What do you think triggered it?”

“It must have been anger, or talking about hate. I wasn’t really talking about fear at all, or feeling it.”

“So the triggers are related to negative emotions? That’s very interesting. That’s where I’d expect the soul piece in a horcrux to reside. It may burn into your emotional core there, and work it’s way out to more pleasant emotions. The one emotional state we’re fairly sure it can’t affect is love, because it can’t understand it, it can’t deal with it.”

“That fits what we know about them.”

“Alright, I have a scenario for you. Last week you mentioned going to the Prefect spa. Imagine going to the spa with Mister Potter, and two of your female classmates are there, girls close to your age. One of the girls is in a more revealing swimsuit than you, and she’s fitter than you are, and better endowed. She comes over to the pair of you, and starts flirting with Mister Potter. How would you deal with that?”

Ginny almost laughed, “Well, obviously, the girl has to die!!” The voice was deep and thick. She was aghast. “Merlin’s beard, I meant that as a joke!” She thought about Harry’s green eyes.

The Healer was shaken. “I see what you mean, ’hate monster’ is an appropriate name. As I suspected, it’s triggered by jealousy, also. Quickly, tell me about what happened to you just now, what you were feeling?”

“I was listening to your scenario just now. There are girls I’ve noticed in the spa that are fitter and better endowed than I am, so I imagined one in a tiny swimsuit, talking to Harry. I thought of the joke, and as I was saying it my voice changed and what I meant to say came out entirely wrong, not the way I meant to say it at all!”

“Were you actually feeling jealousy?”

“Maybe some.”

“And you were aware the whole time, you didn’t black out?”

“That’s right.”

“No urges to cast a spell, like the killing curse?”

“No!”

“Interesting. Fear is a core emotion, like love is.  Other emotions stem from it, like anger, hate and jealousy. Apparently, and this is based on very little evidence, the core emotion has more hold on you than the secondary emotions. It’s possible that hate could trigger a spell-related reaction, but so far it seems to lack the hold on you to do that.”

“So it can scare people, but not actually hurt them?”

“That’s the way it looks. However, your fear reaction had a physical thing to react to. The two occasions when your voice changed didn’t have that. If you were to actually fulfill that jealousy scenario, it may have a stronger reaction.”

“I’d better keep Harry out of the spa, then. So, how do we fix it?”

“Miss Weasley, I’m afraid we don’t know each other well enough, yet, to answer that question. But at least now I have a working theory to describe what it did to you, that’s a start.”

On their way to dinner on Thursday, Ginny told Hermione that they had figured out something in her therapy session. She only wanted to explain it once, so she asked if Hermione would join her for lunch with Percy on Saturday. 

She replied, “If he agrees to the lunch, certainly.”

Ginny walked down to the teacher’s table when they reached the Great Hall. Percy and Olivia were already sitting. She wondered if her visits to the table were embarrassing to him, his ears were turning red. 

Standing in front of Percy’s spot, she called, “My excellent Professor darling brother!”

He responded, “My talented sister Gryffindor Captain, what can I do for you?”

“I was inquiring if it would be acceptable to reschedule our luncheon for a day earlier, starting this week?”

There was a pause before he responded. “Entirely acceptable, darling sister!”

“Also, if I might bring a guest, in order to avoid repetitious repeating of an explanation.”

“Also acceptable, sister, looking forward to it.”

When she sat across from Hermione, she said, “Alright, lunch on Saturday is good with him.”

Hermione replied with a grin, “Entirely acceptable, darling sister!”

During Coaching class on Friday, Professor Hooch had them test all six of the scoring rings, including the ones freshly installed. Carleton volunteered to play Keeper, to make it challenging, and the other three Captains played as Chasers. Carleton was hamming it up, not trying very hard. Ginny scored once on all six rings, and the other Captains did about as well. Then the Professor had a question and answer period for training questions.

At breakfast on Saturday, the Headmaster announced that in two weeks they would have a Hogsmeade weekend.

Percy was once again waiting in the hall outside his apartment on Saturday, as Ginny and Hermione walked over. He opened the door, saying, “Hello, Ginny. Miss Granger, welcome to my temporary abode.”

He already had a tea service on his table with three cups. He poured as the girls sat. He showed Hermione his limited menu of lunch plates, then cast to get trays for the three of them.

Ginny started, “I might as well get my news out of the way. Healer Mantooth has a working theory on what the horcrux did to me.”

Percy exclaimed, “That’s excellent!”

Hermione said, “Well, it’s a good start, isn’t it? It doesn’t say how to fix you?”

“Can you tell us what he said?”

“He believes the spirit of the horcrux takes up residence in the fear center of the emotional part of the brain. As it takes control, it infects the fear center, then spreads, first to the fear-related emotions, like anger and jealousy, then to the more pleasant emotions. It’s blocked from touching the love core.”

Hermione said, “And after the horcrux is gone?”

“The corruption of those emotional centers leaves behind triggers. The core of fear has the most strength, so it can cast spells through me.”

Hermione added, “Apparently with no power restrictions.”

“Right. The regions for hate and jealousy have triggers, but apparently less strength. They don’t have the power to cast spells through me, but just take over my voice.”

Percy asked, “Great! How does he fix you?”

“My very question. He says we still have to get to know each other better for him to work that out.”

They heard a female voice come from Percy’s bedroom, “Brilliant!”

Hermione called, “You can come out now, Olivia!”

Ginny was shocked. Percy blushed straight to Stage Four, his ears and cheeks bright red.

Olivia walked out of Percy’s bedroom, carrying a teacup. She was wearing a casual dress, similar in style to what she had worn on the train.

As she refilled her cup, she asked, “I can believe, Hermione, that you figured it out before today. Please tell me, what was the tip-off?”

“I’ve known since the second weekend of school. Percy’s ears gave it away. Almost all the Weasley siblings have the same blush pattern as their father, Arthur. Ginny has even labeled them all. Only Ron and Charlie blush like their Mum. Sitting at the end of the teacher’s table, Percy would frequently have the Stage Two blush, where his ears are bright red. Right now he’s at Stage Four, where his ears and cheeks are red.”

Ginny said, “Percy, breathe! You don’t want to go to Stage Five, you’ll lose the ability to speak.”

“My guess was that you were talking very quietly to him, probably saying things his Mum wouldn’t approve of at the dinner table.”

Ginny felt her ears go to Stage Two, on her way to Stage Three. She saw that Percy had gone right up to Stage Five, with his whole face and neck turning red. He wouldn’t be able to talk until he calmed down.

Hermione pointed at Ginny. “Just like that.”

“Then when I came in here today, I smelled your perfume. The tea services for the school always have cups in the power of two, but there were only three cups on the table. Someone had the fourth cup.”

Ginny asked, “You never said anything about it to me?”

Hermione looked at her, “My dear sister, it’s not our concern what these two single adults do together in their own time. And now that you know, aren’t you going to see them differently in the classroom?”

Ginny opened her mouth, then closed it. “Okay, that’s fair. I’m sorry, but I’m just not going to be able to see you two the same as I have this past week, when I had no clue.”

Olivia said, “Just don’t let on, please. It’s not the school’s business what we do in our private time, so long as our work doesn’t suffer.

Hermione asked, “Not that it’s my business, but I’m guessing you don’t expect this to be long-term?”

“I haven’t tried doing long-term since I was younger than Percy, it burned me on the whole idea. I told Percy on day one that we could continue, so long as there was no scandal, and only while we’re here. If either of us goes back to the Ministry, we’re done.”

“Well, then, I hope you two continue to have fun together!”

“Thank you, Hermione. Can we get back to the original discussion? Isn’t it just like a therapist to be able to identify what’s wrong with a person, but have no clue how to fix it?”

“To be fair,” Hermione said, “The number of cases of souls being corrupted by horcruxes, and that person surviving the removal of the horcrux, can be counted on the thumbs of both hands.”

Olivia stopped and said, “Of course, Harry has it too, doesn’t he?”

Ginny’s blush settled to Stage One, while Percy’s had dropped to Stage Two.

Ginny said, “Harry and I finally had this discussion openly on Sunday. He acknowledged that he has the same thing that I do, but his is also very different from mine. For one thing, he had his for sixteen years, and I had mine for less than a year. If he had followed the same path that I was on, he should have triggers going off any time he experienced any emotion other than pure love. The reason he doesn’t is the second thing-”

“-His mother’s shield.” Hermione filled in.

“Exactly. From what I’ve found, Harry seems to have a tremendous capacity to love, and he’s directed some major portion of it to me, which is humbling, to say the least. I think he gets it from his mother. The power of Lily’s shield protected him from the killing curse, for Merlin’s sake! That’s huge, it hasn’t happened before in the known history of magic! And it helped protect him from the second curse. I believe it continues to this day.

“We can only guess how it protected him from the horcrux. It protected him well enough that even though he grew up in an abusive household, with the horcrux in his mind, he’s grown up to be a kind, generous, caring man. I can’t even begin to understand it, but I adore it.”

A thought occurred to Ginny. “Olivia, I want to be clear about something. I agree that your relationship with Percy is your own business. You seem to make him happy, which makes me happy. And what you do with your memories is your concern, so long as they are kept private. But if you put our private discussions about Harry out on the Pensive, I will destroy you! That, I will not tolerate.”

Hermione said, “I’d help!”

Percy said, “So would I.” He turned to look at her. “Olivia, you know I enjoy our time together. If we’re both still teaching in ten years, and still seeing each other in ten years, that would make me very happy. But if you do anything to hurt Harry, then you’re hurting Ginny, and no one gets away with that while I’m around!”

“Damn, you lot are a tight family, aren’t you?” Olivia held up her hand. “I swear to you all, I won’t put on the Pensive our private discussions that involve anyone’s therapy. This discussion we talked about Ginny’s therapy, so it is off-limits. Are we good?”

Percy said, “Thank you, Olivia. Would you young ladies kindly go away now? You disturbed our plans for this afternoon. Ginny, can we go back to having lunches on Sunday?”

She replied, “My Sunday mornings will be busy, at least until November. Can we make it tea, Sunday afternoons? If I’m bringing a guest, I’ll try to warn you beforehand.”

“That’ll be fine, starting next week at three, then.”

Hermione checked the hallway before Ginny left the apartment, making sure there were no lurkers. She waited until they were out of earshot before commenting, “That was an ironic thing of Percy to say, wasn’t it? About hurting Harry.”

Ginny replied, “He’s expressed regret to me, and he does seem to be trying to make amends. I haven’t forgiven him yet, but if he keeps it up I may.”

Her team’s first practice was a predictable disaster. She expected all the teams were at the same level this weekend. All the players were at least adequately skilled at riding a broom, Ginny just had to get them all flying in the same direction.

She put her two Keepers at the goals, thankful the goals both fully worked. Then she created four-on-four teams, with her and her alternate Chaser facing the other two Chasers, and her two Beaters facing Clementine and Dennis. Her Seeker wouldn’t be handling a Bludger paddle in a normal match, but she wanted him to get used to flying in the crowd and dodging Bludgers.

They narrowly avoided midair collisions several times, and it was minutes of fumbling the Quaffle before anyone approached scoring a goal.

By the time they broke for lunch, they were a little more coordinated, able to make passes and score goals a few times.

She received an owl Monday morning at breakfast, from someone named Audrey Prewett. The letter said she had been contacted by Renee Shacklebolt, to see if Ginny wanted to hire her as a wedding planner. There was a flyer included that showed photos from several different weddings, and everything looked beautiful. On the back it had a photo of her, and included a brief biography that said she was a former Auror.

She showed the flyer to Hermione. “We got a referral. She has background as an Auror.”

Hermione said, “Hmm. Could be a cousin, through your mother? She looks vaguely like your Mum, red hair and all.”

“Maybe. To me, it would be interesting to talk to her just to explore that.”

“Why don’t you work out a time when both of us could meet her, to start with? Finding times on schooldays when we both have time free is rare, so probably Thursday or Friday late afternoons. After the first meeting, if we decide to hire her, you can meet with her and we can discuss anything we both need to decide on. Does that work for you?”

“We’re spending Harry’s money, so better for that to fall on me, I guess.” She shook her head.

Hermione reached across the table and took her hand. “I know it’s more things to make decisions about, which can add stress. But look at it this way. With every meeting you’d be moving forward to our wedding, rather than sitting in idle, which is where we are now. Being idle about it is making me anxious.”

“Me, too. Keep your Thursday afternoon open, we’ll see how soon she can meet. Now I just need to write a response without giving too much away.”

“Remember, you’ve been in the Prophet, just from your name she’ll know who you’re marrying. If she doesn’t, we don’t want to hire her.”

“Excellent point. I should see if she mentions Harry first.”

In Defence class, the first time she looked at Olivia she felt her ears get warm, so she spent the rest of the class trying to avoid looking at her.

In her Coaching class, all the Captains seemed to think their teams were hopeless. Professor Hooch was more forgiving, saying it was the same every year after the first practice. The players will get better. How much better depends on them, and the Captains.

After her Charms class, she went to their room and wrote a brief reply to Audrey Prewett, saying she’d like to meet with her on a Thursday at three, at the school. Let her know how soon that can happen. She took it to the owlery before dinner.

Then she started a letter to her Mum, asking if she or Dad had heard the name Audrey Prewett. She’d add other news later, after dinner.

Tuesday morning she wore her exercise gear to the yoga meeting. She didn’t have to worry about exposing anything, but it surprised her by not allowing enough flexibility. She’ll need to keep trying different clothes.

Wednesday, before the crack of dawn, her team met in the Dueling Hall. This time, after the course running the stairs, she swapped the groups that worked out on the floor. She had the three Beaters, with Dennis, walking around the center seats, tossing a Bludger back and forth. She and her three Chasers tried to hit targets on the back wall, throwing a Quaffle, with her two Keepers protecting them.

She figured she would alternate the two workouts every week until they outgrew them.

In Advanced Flight they started practicing different ways to dismount a broom while it was in motion. They used the training brooms that the First Years used, and the Quidditch pitch, for its custom flooring to cushion their landings. Professor Hooch demonstrated several times while wearing Quidditch pads. The primary thing was to get as low and slow as you could manage, then roll once you hit the ground.

Ginny practiced landing and rolling on her side. Then she tried diving forward and doing a tuck and roll, winding up on her feet. It took her a dozen tries, but she got it to work.

Thursday she received an owl in reply from Audrey Prewett. She was available that Thursday, and would Apparate to Hogsmeade in time to walk to the gates by three. She realized it was short notice, so if no one let her in by quarter after three, she would go back and try again next week. Ginny showed the letter to Hermione while she wolfed down her breakfast, then took the letter to the administrator’s office, so someone could be arranged to let her in, and escort them to an empty classroom. She was only a few minutes late for her Transfiguration class. Fortunately, she was related to the teacher.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Even her therapy session seemed to go by quickly, talking about ways to avoid setting off her known triggers.

At ten minutes to three, she was standing in the back of the hall that faces out into the Courtyard, trying not to remember. She tried to think of her classes, her therapy, and her Quidditch team. When her eyes were open all she could see was Remus and Tonks collapsing to the ground.

Natalie came down the stairs, noticed her there and waved. Then she went out the doors and walked to the main gates. Apparently, she had the guest-escort duty for the afternoon.

As she reached the gate, a hooded figure walked down the road from Hogsmeade, around the corner from the forest. The figure talked to Natalie for a few minutes, then Natalie let them in the gate and walked with them to the castle. As they entered the door from the Courtyard, Hermione came down the stairs.

Ginny said, “Nice timing!”

Hermione grinned.

The figure flipped back the hood from their long cloak, revealing a woman who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, with freckles and tightly curled red hair. Ginny thought she could be related to her Mum, with similar nose and eyes.

Natalie introduced them, then led them to an empty classroom. Audrey Prewett removed her cloak and laid it over the back of an unused chair, then sat at the table on the lecture stage. Ginny and Hermione sat across from her.

Before Natalie left, Hermione called to her, “Natalie, do you have other obligations for the next hour?”

She replied, “No, Hermione.”

“If you would like to observe this process, please set the shield and have a seat.”

Ginny could see Natalie’s grin from across the room. She closed the door, tapped the lamp sconce with her wand, then took a seat near their table.

Miss Prewett asked, “Meaning no offense to the Prefect, but is she discreet?”

Hermione replied, “Natalie is our roommate, she’s going to be hearing all this anyway. She’s already proven her discretion. As a young woman, I thought it would be good for her to see the process, since she may be planning her own wedding someday.”

“Very well.” Miss Prewett smiled. “Miss Granger, can you tell me how you are linked to the wedding of Miss Weasley and Harry Potter?”

Hermione smiled back, “Congratulations, you just passed your first test! At least we know you can do basic research. Ginny and I are having a joint wedding. I’m marrying her brother Ronald.”

“Congratulations! I had you both down as just expected guests, I’ll move you up to being co-bride and groom. That changes this from the ’Potter-Weasley’ wedding to the ’Potter-Weasley / Weasley-Granger’ wedding. How fun!

“Before we get started on the interesting part, I like to get the financials out of the way. Who’s going to be paying my bills?”

Ginny said, “Harry will be paying for everything.”

“Well, we certainly know he can afford it! I have a form for him to sign, if you hire me, saying he pledges to pay my bills. You should keep a copy, but I’ll need it signed before I proceed with anything.

“On to the fun part! Have you settled on a venue?”

Hermione said, “If repairs are done in time, we’d prefer to use the Great Hall, here at the school.”

“If the repairs aren’t done, do you have alternatives?”

Ginny answered, “Probably my parents’ home or Harry’s. If we hire you I can give you those locations.”

“That would be the Burrow, and Number 12 Grimmauld Place in London?”

Hermione said, “Oh, you are good!”

She smiled again, “I like to cover everything. Have you settled on a date? Renee just told me it was to be in the summer.”

Hermione said, “I’m not willing to wait all summer for it. So, within a month of graduation, I’d say.”

Ginny said, “That limits it down to July. The exact date partly depends on the availability of the Shacklebolts, and how much time you need to set up.”

“Renee said she would clear their calendar for whatever date you choose, but the later in July you can go, the better it will be for them.

Ginny looked at Hermione, “Hot ticket.”

Miss Prewett arched her eyebrow, “Oh, ladies, you have no idea! Major international summits may be rearranged based on the date you choose!

“As for my setup time, if it is at one of your homes I would prefer to have two weeks. I’ve looked at this school for other clients, and with the capabilities of the Great Hall I shouldn’t need more than a week. Although, if repairs aren’t complete, some of those capabilities may not be functional. Oh, dear.”

Ginny said, “Alright, we’ll need to discuss the date with our fiancés.”

Hermione said, “Talk to us about security.”

Miss Prewett said, “I can arrange for guests to use portkeys to reach whichever venue you choose. For this school, the castle has some of the best security you’ll find in the country. It literally takes an army to break in, as was proven in May. We’d have tents set up outside the gates, for the guests to arrive in, then cover the paths to prevent photographers from above.

“For the Burrow, we’d have security personnel and shield spells around the property. Miss Weasley, can you confirm that your parents’ home has the Demsabscondo Terranoia spell?”

Ginny simply grinned at her.

Miss Prewett smiled back, “You can neither confirm nor deny. Very good, Miss Weasley, my privacy pledge isn’t active until you hire me. I only ask because I’ve only encountered it in a handful of properties in Britain, and it helps tremendously with the media!

“As for Grimmauld Place, I can barely confirm that the property even exists, so the building security must be pretty strong.”

Hermione asked, “What if a journalist gets on the property?”

Audrey replied, “The security company will have strict instructions not to harm anyone who doesn’t present as a direct threat. However, if someone gets on the property without a verifiable invitation, I’ll give them my Party Crasher Rules: They will first confiscate their wands, which will be returned at our earliest convenience. Then they confiscate any recording equipment, including quills. Then every stitch of clothing, and all that is destroyed on the spot.”

Ginny was shocked, “So they’re -”

Audrey grinned, “Birthday suit, right. Then the journalist is free to leave, or join the party. Nearly all of them leave.”

Hermione lifted her eyebrow, “Nearly?”

Audrey kept grinning, “Sometimes we have interesting parties. It hasn’t happened for over a year, though. I’m getting a reputation with the journalists.”

Ginny said, “I’ll bet!”

Hermione said, “Talk to us about the media.”

“I can arrange for as much or as little as you please. I can keep the press and photographers at least a kilometer away, or I can arrange for Rita Skeeter to spend the day at your elbows.”

Hermione had a grin on her face, but Ginny wouldn’t call it a smile. “Miss Prewett, if you speak to Rita Skeeter, please tell her from me that if I find her within ten kilometers of my wedding, I will swat her behind.”

“You were friends with Harry Potter all through school, so you’ve encountered her before, haven’t you?”

“I can guarantee you that she remembers me.”

Ginny said, “We prefer to keep the press away on the day of the wedding, but I suppose we could set aside a day, probably a week before, for photos and answering asinine questions. So, a press conference the week before?”

She said to Hermione. “I’m sure you and Ron could skip that and none of them would notice.”

Hermione responded, “We’d be there if you need the support, but you’re right, thankfully, the press doesn’t care about us.”

Miss Prewett said, “You don’t have to do a press conference, but it would reduce the number of circling vultures on the day. If you decide to, I recommend you have an attractive outfit, aside from your wedding dress. Not necessarily sexy, but certainly upgrade from jeans and jumpers.”

Ginny said, “I have several dresses that might work.”

“If you ever want a style consultant, let me know. I have a friend who is very good.”

“Thank you. Miss Prewett, there is something we could discuss that may seal the deal. Can you tell me if we’re related?”

“Through your mother? I saw her maiden name and asked my family. We were able to track your family back to your great grandparents, and mine to my great-great grandparents, but there’s no specific connection we could find. So at best we’re fourth cousins.”

“I’ve noticed that you have some facial features in common with my mother, aside from the hair and freckles, and she told me she looks more like her father than her mother.”

“That’s interesting. I’ve seen staff photos from the archives of the Daily Prophet of your grandmother, Polly Parkinson, and you bear a moderate resemblance.”

Ginny said, “Oh, you are good! I like your thoroughness, and your depth of knowledge.”

Hermione said, “I like your attention to the little details, even before you get  the job.”

Ginny looked at Hermione, “Are we happy?”

Hermione grinned, “I’m happy.”

She looked at Miss Prewett, “You’re hired.”

“Excellent!” She opened a binder and removed several forms. “Here is the financial agreement form for Mister Potter, and the privacy agreement, which I’ve already signed. This form designates me as your wedding planner, and authorizes me to spend money on items or services for the wedding. Mister Potter will receive a detailed report on my expenditures every month. I only generated one, let me copy it for you, Miss Granger.” Using her wand, she copied the document, and Ginny’s name was replaced by Hermione’s.

Hermione opened her pocketbook and removed two quills. She also removed a rolled up scroll and handed it to Miss Prewett. “This is all my notes on the things Ginny and I have discussed.”

“Oh, my! You’re thorough too!”

Ginny said, “Miss Prewett, one of the amusing things about this wedding, to me, will be to see which of you trumps the other for thoroughness. Right now my money is on Hermione, but you may surprise us both.” She heard Natalie giggle.

Hermione asked, “Is there anything we should focus on now?”

Miss Prewett said, “The sooner you can decide on the exact date, the sooner we can get some things done, like reserving a site for a reception. Also, do you know what style of dress you want, or know a designer?”

Ginny said, “I don’t know their name, but I know who I would want to design my dress.” She looked at Hermione.

Hermione looked at Ginny, and blushed a faint pink. “I don’t know their name either, just that they’re friends of my mother. I’ll need to ask her.”

Ginny replied, “Why don’t we ask her?”

“I really should visit them during the holiday break. Would you care to join me?”

“I’d be delighted!”

When they were through filling out forms, they rolled them together and handed them to Miss Prewett.

She took the papers, then asked, “Miss Weasley, may I take a look at your ring? It seems phenomenal.”

Ginny lay her left hand flat on the table. Miss Prewett looked closely at it. “It’s not uniform, is it? There’s, what, four separate bands of colorful materials. I recognize the turquoise, I don’t know the others. They all cooperate to hold in the stones, getting wider or narrower. The flat diamond, then the rubies and pearls. That really is a quality piece of work!”

“Thank you. Harry told me it took a little while to find.”

They bid Miss Prewett goodbye, and Natalie escorted her back to the gate. Ginny gave Hermione the paperwork to take back to their room, while she went up to the owlery. She composed a note to Harry, saying they have wedding paperwork for him to sign, and he should bring his second-favorite redhead. They were ready to decide a wedding day. She finished the note, and watched her heart fly off to the south.

When she got back to their room, she finished her letter to her mother, and prepared it to go out in the morning. Hermione was writing at her desk.

Without looking up, Hermione said, “I’m telling my mother that we both want to use her friend who makes dresses for our wedding dresses, and we’d like to visit with them, and see her friend, during the holiday break. If my Mum can arrange that and let me know what days are good, we’ll be there.”

“Does it seem to you that we’d need to be there more than one day?“

“Are you up for an overnight visit? I’m thinking it would be rude to just go there only for the dressmaker.”

“The last time I saw your parents, I was eleven. They probably don’t remember me from the rest of the family crowd. So it would be nice to visit them, and see life in a Muggle house. We could stay two or three days, I’m thinking, if they have a bed for me.”

“Thank you, I don’t want to be rude to my own parents. They have a - call it a den - that had a twin-size bed in it. I’ll ask if that’s still there.” She wrote for a few more minutes, then prepared the letter for an owl.

Natalie asked, “Can they receive an owl at a Muggle house?”

“In my First Year, my Dad installed a rail outside our kitchen window, in the back of the house. They can’t summon an owl, so I try to write them at least once per month so they can send letters back. My Dad complains that the owls keep nipping him, but I don’t think he’s ever gotten the hang of the leg clips.”

Ginny said, “Let me have that, and I’ll take both letters up before breakfast.”

Arndt arrived Saturday morning. He had two letters from Harry. One was just an addendum to the letter that said they were already planning on seeing them for Hogsmeade Day, so they would take care of the wedding issues then. The letter said they would be waiting on the road outside the castle.

Sunday morning, for the team practice she played as a competing Seeker against Dennis, and she had the three Beaters play against the three Chasers. She had experience and a faster broom, so she caught the Snitch two out of three times, but she also showed him ways to cut off the competing Seeker that had nothing to do with speed, and had him practice diving to catch a dummy snitch.

She wasn’t able to watch the other players very often, which is why she preferred to play Chaser during the matches. However, she noticed that her sets of players were coordinating better than they had two weeks ago. They were setting up plays and getting tricky in their maneuvers.

Her tea with Percy was once again just the two of them. She told him a little about her wedding planner, and how she might be a distant cousin, they weren’t sure yet. The challenge of thoroughness intrigued him. 

On Monday, Professor Hooch was once again under a tarp frame near the castle doors. The rain was light, and they could see that workers were in the process of raising a scoreboard over the back of the wide grandstand that faced the castle.

While they sat and watched, they discussed the practices over the weekend, as far as their own work managing them.

At her Thursday therapy, they were once more discussing ways she could avoid setting off her triggers. It occurred to Ginny to ask the reverse idea, what if she was in a proper situation, but not enough to set off a trigger? Could she set it off on her own, and try to control it? The Healer warned her of the dangers of that, but that he would try to think of scenarios where a trigger could be set off, in a nonviolent way, and Ginny could try to use the energy.

For Friday’s Coaching class, Professor Hooch sent a note at breakfast to bring their brooms. She was in the center of the pitch, and they could see both the scoreboards. The Professor told them that they were once again certified for accurate scoring. She had them play some two-on-two, and she would act as Keeper. They would play fifteen minutes per goal. The scoreboards worked perfectly. They spent the rest of the class time in a Q&A on practice sessions.

When they got up Saturday morning, they tried to rush through breakfast, as everyone else above Second Year seemed to be doing, but the usual ceremonies slowed the process down. They ate lightly, knowing of the sweets and treats to come. They received a message from Flyn, but Ginny stuffed it into the pocket of her robe. She fed the handsome owl a sausage before they headed for the door.

Being Seventh Years, and legal adults, they skipped Professor Flitwick’s parental approval form line. Going through the Courtyard, Ginny kept her vision locked on the gates, and didn’t look around. She knew she definitely needed to talk to the Healer about it, someday.

They didn’t see the boys until they rounded the corner outside the gates, next to the forest. They were sitting on a log on the far side of the road.

As soon as the girls saw them they started running. When she got to Harry, she tried to put her hand on his shoulder, to lean in and give him a kiss. Her hand went right through his shoulder.

She exclaimed, “What?!”

The illusion of the boys faded away, and they could see them appear at the next log over, laughing.

They didn’t run this time, in case they were being fooled again. Ginny could hear Hermione repeating under her breath, “I won’t punch my fiancé! I won’t punch my fiancé!” She did, however, give him a sharp poke in the shoulder when they reached the boys. Her finger didn’t pass through an illusion.

“Ow!” Ron shouted. “You didn’t have to poke me so hard. I am real this time!”

“Be thankful I don’t do worse, Ronald Weasley!” She wrapped her left hand around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Ginny took that as excellent advice, and did the same with Harry.

After a few minutes of joy, they broke for air.

She said, “Ooh, thank you for coming.”

Harry smiled, “My pleasure.”

Ron said, “We were just here a few weeks ago, you couldn’t have missed us that much.”

Ginny teased him, “Ronald, does it really matter to you whether it’s been five minutes or five months between getting kisses from Hermione?”

“I’d much prefer the five minutes!”

“I rest my case.” 

Hermione giggled.

As they started walking towards town, Hermione asked, “So what spell was that, then?”

Ron answered, “They’re training us in surveillance, it’s used to make people think you’re moving around when you aren’t. It’s also useful against snipers.”

Harry said, “Ron thought, if we could fool you two, we must be getting pretty good at it, so we tested it. I guess we are pretty good.”

Ron saw Hermione’s expression, and he told her, “No, I didn’t bring the text with me. I’m specifically forbidden from letting you access my texts, at least until we’re married.”

She sighed, “Another reason to look forward to the wedding.”

Since they were walking hand in hand, they were being passed by other students. Ginny noticed that many were looking over at Harry.

She called out, “Tisha, Clementine?”

The two girls stopped and stepped out of the way of the traffic behind them. 

Ginny said, “Girls, I’d like to introduce you to our fiancés. Clementine Sweetleaf, Third Year, I’d like you to meet Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Clementine is my alternate Beater.”

Ron said, “I remember you from the tryouts. For Third Year, you’re really good.”

She blushed so hard she could barely respond.

“This is her roommate, Tisha Shacklebolt.” Ginny saw both boys light up with recognition.

Harry said, “I’m very glad to meet you, Tisha. I have great respect for your father.”

Tisha’s voice was quiet, “Thank you. I’m honored to meet you!”

Hermione asked, “Have either of you girls been to Hogsmeade before?”

They shook their heads.

They told the girls about the Shrieking Shack. They didn’t tell them the truth, about Remus Lupin’s werewolf transformations, they told them the Marauders’ myths, which were much more fun for scaring young girls. Then they told them their favorite shops for treats, and the best treats to get.

Hogsmeade In October 

When Ginny saw the sign for Gladrags Wizardwear, she told Harry she wanted to go in. He told Ron they would meet up in the Three Broomsticks for lunch.

She told him, “I hate to do this when we aren’t married yet, my darling, but I need a new outfit for yoga. Would you buy me something, if I pick it out?”

“I’ll buy the store for you, if that’s what you want.”

“Not today, but I’ll keep that in mind.” She grinned at him.

They casually shopped the store, occasionally showing each other something, which the other one would disapprove. Ginny found a sleeveless knit top she liked, which should cover her from her collar bone down to her navel and not ride up very much. It had a cotton insert inside, so nothing showed through. She held onto it for taking to the fitting room, as soon as they found the bottom to go with it.

She was expecting to find some kind of legging, but Harry held up a marvelous split-leg dress, where each leg had a separate flowing layered dress. It had built in shorts, so even if she stood on her head, she’d be reasonably covered, and it appeared to allow complete freedom of flexibility. They had several colors, Ginny chose one that was pale green on the outer layer and light brown on the inner.

Coming out of the fitting room, she was very happy with the look. Harry had a startled expression, then said, “That’s beautiful, I love it!” She modeled it for him for a few minutes, testing several yoga poses she hadn’t done yet, then went back into the fitting room. 

When she came out again, she was wearing her Mum’s bikini. She’d finally figured out a place to show him, that was reasonably private without being the girls’ side of Gryffindor Tower. Harry’s eyes bugged out. 

“Ginny, wow!”

She did a slow turn, showing him all sides, and giving her bum a little shake. Then she walked up to him and put one hand behind his neck and the other around him to the middle of his back. He responded by wrapping both his arms around her, his hands pressed into her bare back at her waist. When they kissed, she wanted it to last for hours, but she broke it quickly, before they got thrown out of the shop.

“Just a teaser before July, Harry.”

“Why is there never a theologian around when you want one?”

“Would you like a photo?”

“Oh, yes, please!”

“Then I need to find a photographer we can trust.”

“Find one soon, very soon!”

She went back into the fitting room and came back out a short time later wearing her school robes. Her bikini went back into her pocket, and the yoga clothes were folded. She went back to the shelf where Harry had found the lovely pant-skirt and found one that was white over cream.

“I promised Hermione that I’d get her a present for her birthday last month. Would you buy this, too, and we’ll say it’s from both of us?”

“Sure. Is she into yoga now, too?”

“No, but this is so pretty, it works just for shopping in. The fabric is light enough it would look great while dancing, too, if we danced. I won’t change it, yet, but I’ll give her the option of changing it to Gryffindor gold over red.”

“I’ll buy it, if you figure out a time before graduation where you’re both wearing these, for Ron and I. Maybe we can take you to dinner somewhere. Side by side, you’re so beautiful, that you’d knock us dead.”

“Deal.”

Harry paid, the lady in the store said the pant-skirts were in a style known as culottes, split-legged dresses. 

Walking to the Three Broomsticks, Harry seemed to get agitated. He was looking around at the people on the street, getting nervous. Ginny didn’t see anything wrong.

He said quietly, “Cast your shield, now. Something’s off here.”

She saw him cast the shield spell, so she did as well.

Dennis and Natalie caught up to them, walking next to Ginny. Then Ginny saw Clementine and Tisha come out of Honeydukes Sweetshop, with chocolate on their lips.

A pair of men came around the corner of the Sweetshop. One of the men pushed Clementine to the ground, the other put a sack over Tisha’s head and tried to pick her up.

Ginny yelled, “Tisha!” She cast the Bat-Bogey Hex at the man who pushed Clementine, expecting Harry to get a better shot at the one who grabbed Tisha. Tisha turned into a wildcat, thrashing and kicking at the legs of the man holding her.

Harry was already primed, he cast Stupefy at the man with Tisha. There were other men in the area pulling their wands, Harry cast shots at them as well. Dennis and Natalie pulled their wands and started casting.

Harry’s spell seemed to connect, and Tisha landed on the ground on her feet. Ginny dropped her shield, flicked her wand, and Tisha flew to her. “I’ve got you, girl. You’re safe with me.”

Ginny deliberately tried to tap into her fear, thinking she desperately needed to protect this girl, as she cast a new shield spell around both of them. She felt a tingle on her skin, and a rush of energy through her body. She didn’t pass out, but she lost awareness of anything outside the shield. They were surrounded by a pink bubble. Tisha pulled the mask off, she appeared to be okay. Ginny wanted to ask if she was alright, but she was afraid of scaring the girl if her voice came out wrong.

Ginny could barely tell if time was passing, her mind became filled with the song of her own magnificence and beauty. She was starting to feel tired when Tisha said, “Ginny, can’t you hear them? My Dad says it’s safe now.”

She deactivated the shield, and the outside world returned. Harry was in front of her, with Kingsley and Renee next to him. She fell into Harry’s arms, suddenly starving and exhausted. The Shacklebolts Apparated away. She saw Harry pass the shopping bag to Ron, then he picked her up in his strong arms. 

She asked him, “Have you been working out?” Her voice sounded a little slurred, even to her.

“Yeah, it’s part of the training.”

“I like it. I’m so hungry.”

“I’ll get you some food.”

He carried her into the Three Broomsticks. Hermione opened the door for him. He yelled, “I need a big table and a drink with sugar in it, right now!”

He set her in a chair, and a glass of butter beer was put in front of her. She chugged it down. “Another.”

After chugging the second drink, she burped loudly. “Okay, I’m not going to pass out, now. But I could eat a heap of food.”

Harry threw a pile of Galleons on the bar. “All the food you can provide in the next fifteen minutes.” He was wheezing a bit, which told her that he’d over exerted himself.

Ginny looked around. Harry was standing at the bar, looking worried. He had a hand on his chest, just breathing. Hermione and Ron sat next to her, Hermione had her hand on Ginny’s arm. Natalie sat across from her.

“How’s Clementine?”

Natalie said, “She was casting spells from the ground, and she got kicked a few times, including once in the head. They took her to the infirmary.”

“And Dennis?”

Tears appeared in Natalie’s eyes. “He took some hits, and it looks like he got burned. They took him to Saint Mungo’s.”

“Then what in Merlin’s name are you doing here? Ron, get one of your Auror friends to take her to her boyfriend. Someone needs to watch over my Seeker!”

Ron and Natalie went out, then he returned a few minutes later. The waitress started piling sandwiches and butter beers on the table, then they brought half the dessert rack.

In between bites of her sandwich, she said, “You’re probably curious about what I was doing, so I’ll start, then you tell me what you saw, okay?

“Harry got Tisha free from the guy who grabbed her. I levitated her to me, then I used a mental trick and cast a shield around us. I was surrounded by a pastel cream and pink fog outside the shield. I couldn’t see or hear anything outside. Time seemed to get dreamy, and I felt wonderful! I don’t know what Tisha could see, but she said her Dad said it was safe, so I deactivated the shield.”

Hermione said quietly in her ear, “To anyone who doesn’t already know about your monster, tell them you were testing a new spell I’d written. That’s easier to explain.”

Ginny nodded. She saw Hermione go stand next to Harry and whisper in his ear.

Harry nodded to Hermione, then sat down next to Ginny and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Tisha and Clementine got attacked, and it looks like a kidnapping attempt. We all started casting, then several more men joined in, until there were more than a dozen. Your shield was taking hits repeatedly. You didn’t notice?”

Ginny shook her head around a bite of cake. She tried to share with Harry, but he wasn’t having any.

“We were outnumbered about three to one, so I yelled, ’Gryffindor!’ Suddenly the streets were crowded, students and adults pouring out of the shops, and the guys attacking us Disapparated. When it quieted down, I thanked everyone and asked them to clear the area.”

Ron said, “We were in here, snogging and drinking butter beers, waiting for you, when we heard Harry yell. We led about a quarter of the pub out into the street. When everyone else left, there were five men lying on the ground. I took their wands, and Harry and Hermione bound them. Then I sent a Patronus to our boss, Harry sent his to Kingsley-”

Hermione finished, “-I sent mine to Renee. A couple dozen Aurors show up, then a few minutes later the Minister and his wife appeared, probably against the advice of their security team. We explain that you and Tisha are inside the shield bubble, but nothing was getting through it. They were talking about trying a brief Cruciatus curse, then Kingsley tried telling Tisha it was safe to come out, and a few seconds later the shield shut down.”

Ginny finished chewing her cake. A plate with a steak on it had stopped sizzling, and she thought it had her name all over it.

“Hermione, all I can say is you created a really tough shield spell, but the side effects make it inadvisable for general use.” They laughed.

Ron was looking out the front windows. He said, “Harry, the boss is here.”

The bell at the door of the pub chimed, and a man in an Auror combat uniform sat down across from Ginny. He was an older man, with a thick black mustache with white at the tips. He said, “Ladies, good afternoon. Mister Potter, Mister Weasley.”

Harry and Ron sat up straight. Harry said, ”Commander Walter Keffel, allow me to introduce our fiancées. This is Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Commander Keffel is our training supervisor.”

Ginny had a mouthful of steak. She nodded demurely to him.

“Mister Potter, I think I understand now. If either of these lovely ladies was my fiancée, and I heard that she was in danger, I’d stop at nothing to get to them as well.

“The Minister has ordered me to treat you four with the kindest and gentlest of kid gloves, and I fully understand, considering you probably just saved the life of his youngest daughter. At the same time, there are certain things that need to happen over the next few days. I apologize for interrupting your plans for the afternoon, ladies, but I am hijacking you. 

“Go ahead and eat your fill, but please, no alcohol for now. I have men surrounding the pub, and I’m going to be right outside that door. When you’re finished, come outside and we’ll take you to the school. I have a couple of men arranging for use of a classroom. The Minister wants to read a preliminary report tonight of what happened, so I need you to tell me the whole story.

“Then, I expect, you’re all free to go. Gentlemen, Monday I’m going to need full tactical reports, by noon. Any questions?”

Ginny asked, “We invited our fiancés to visit for a few hours so we could make plans for our wedding. You will let us have that time before you make them go back, won’t you?” If you have influence with the boss, might as well use a little of it.

He replied, “I’ll try, Miss Weasley, but part of that time depends on how long you’re going to spend eating, and how long it takes to tell the tale.”

“In that case, Commander, why don’t we get all this food to go?”

The Headmaster joined them in the classroom, to listen to their story. They had plenty of sandwiches, so before they started, Harry and Ron took most of them to the Aurors waiting in the Courtyard. When they came back, they told the story they had gone through in the pub, only Ginny changed a few details about her shield spell, and some of the language Ron and Harry used sounded more technical.

Harry mentioned the shopping that he’d done with Ginny, then the Commander asked to see the bag that Harry was carrying. He removed all the items, and Ginny leaned to Hermione, “The white and cream one? Happy birthday.”

Hermione blushed.

In all, it took about an hour and a half, then the Commander and his team left.

The Headmaster produced five glasses and an opened bottle of Scotch whiskey. She poured short drinks for each of them. Raising her glass, she proposed a toast, “To the proud and courageous tradition of the House of Gryffindor!”

Hermione asked if they could do a second toast. After the Headmaster caused the glasses to refill, Hermione said, “To the recipients of the Order of Merlin!”

Ginny said, “Minerva, and Harry, and Neville, and …” She couldn’t even say his name, in her mind she only saw him falling to the ground.

Harry finished for her, “And dear Remus.”

They all drank.

They checked in with Madam Pomfrey, who gave them quick checkups, and gave them each a biscuit. She told them Dennis had been in surgery in the burn ward, but he’d been moved to recovery. Ginny checked in on Clementine, who should be released by Monday.

They went back to the classroom and activated the sound shield. Hermione pulled the form from her pocketbook that Harry needed to sign. 

When he handed the signed form back to Hermione, he said, “Ginny, darling, the invitation to the ceremony said I could bring one guest. Would you please come with me?”

Hermione said, “The Order of Merlin ceremony is held in Lancaster. The ceremony is November Second, six months after the Battle, and nine days from today. Harry, you couldn’t send an owl or something, to give her time to prepare?”

“I’m sorry, we’ve been busy. Really!”

Ginny answered thoughtfully, “So you’re inviting me to a ceremony, with an after-party, I’m sure, on a school night, outside the school. With only nine days to prepare, and five days before we play the first Quidditch match of the year. For the greatest recognition in Britain’s wizarding world? To hell with school, it would be my honor, Mister Potter! I’m so proud of you!” She kissed him, holding it through three breaths.

Hermione produced a calendar for July on a parchment. They had about a two week window for their wedding, so she used her quill to black out the days up to the fifteenth.

Ron said, “Do you want it on a Sunday? That’d be the eighteenth or twenty-fifth.”

“We could make it a three-day weekend and choose the nineteenth or twenty-sixth,” Harry suggested.

Hermione said, “Or the other side, and go with the sixteenth, the twenty-third or thirtieth.”

Ginny replied, “If we chose the thirtieth, Harry and I would always have a two-day celebration every year.”

Harry looked at her and smiled, “I like that!”

Ron said, “Harry, that could pull presents away from your birthday. Do you mind?”

“I only ever got presents from you lot, your folks, or Hagrid or Sirius. The Dursleys hardly gave me anything. I’m good with anniversary gifts.”

“Yeah, okay, then.”

Hermione pointed out, “That’s exactly five weeks after graduation, nine months and six days from today. I’ll accept that.”

Ginny smiled, “July Thirtieth it is, then.”

Hermione said, “Let the countdown clock begin!”

For the rest of the time until dinner, Ginny was torn between snogging with Harry and visiting Dennis at the hospital. They had less than an hour until dinner, so they chose snogging. She promised herself that they would visit after the boys left after lunch on Sunday.

Taking a break from snogging when they came up for air, she asked for an update. “Harry, how’s your chest?”

“The new treatments are working. The sensitivity in my chest is greatly reduced, and I’m breathing better. My physical therapy sessions have developed up to a fast walk.”

“And today?”

“I did a lot of casting, more than I have in a while, then carrying you was a strain. I don’t regret any of it. I think I recovered pretty quickly, considering.”

“And your sleep?”

“Better. Fewer nightmares, and they aren’t as bad as they used to be.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

At dinner, Hermione told Nigel that Natalie would be unavailable at least through the weekend, and he would be covering her duties. She would make it up to him later. 

Ginny still felt somewhat peckish, so she filled her plate. She noticed that Harry did as well. She was pleased, if he’d done a lot of casting in the fight.

After they said good night to the boys, they went up to their room. Natalie was still at the hospital. They took turns modeling the culottes for each other. Hermione loved hers. Ginny proposed the change to Gryffindor colors. Hermione considered it and declined.

After she modeled hers for Hermione, she told her of the agreement she made with Harry. They stood together and looked in the floor-length mirror.

Hermione asked, “Ron hasn’t seen this yet, correct?”

“Just flat on the table, same as you.”

“Oh, yes, I want to see his eyes bug out when he sees us together wearing these!”

Ginny asked her, “That spell that you fictionalized as a cover for me. You’re actually going to try to write that now, aren’t you?”

“I’ve already started working on the Latin for it, yes.”

When she went out for practice after breakfast Sunday morning, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went with her. They went up to sit in the stands while she faced the seven players.

“In case you haven’t seen this morning’s Daily Prophet, at Hogsmeade yesterday there was an attempted kidnapping, of the Minister’s daughter. Unlike what the Prophet seems to be saying, Harry Potter did not save her single-handed. Tisha Shacklebolt is fine, but Clementine was injured, she should be released from the infirmary tomorrow. Our Seeker, Dennis, had more serious injuries, he’s still at Saint Mungo’s. I’m planning to visit this afternoon, if any of you wish to come with me.

“In the meantime, our first match is just two weeks away! We’re going to do our usual four-on-four practice, but with just the two Beaters. I want you to try to stop whichever pair of Chasers has the Quaffle.

“We won’t have a Seeker to end the game, but the scoreboards are installed and certified! We’ll take a break when the first team reaches fifty points, reverse our goals, then call it a win if we make it to one hundred points, or we stop fifteen minutes before lunch, whichever comes first.

“Everyone up!” They rose on their brooms. “At your convenience, Professor!”

Professor Hooch kicked open the box of balls, and the practice was on. The Beaters rose to the challenge, able to try and hit all the Chasers, including Ginny. On her Nimbus, Ginny was able to dodge the Bludgers, but there were several close calls.

Ginny and her alternate Chaser reached one hundred points with almost half an hour to spare. While she was discussing the practice with her team, she saw her family starting to walk across the pitch. Professor Hooch cut them off, and after she said something they just stood and waited.

Once they had reviewed their play, Ginny ended the practice. She threw her broom over her shoulder and walked to her family. 

“You couldn’t come over and offer advice? We need some guidance!”

Ron said, “No, actually, Madam Hooch said she has a policy that alumni players can’t give advice to the teams, before, during, or after practice. To the Team Captain, sure, especially family.”

“Alright, can you stick around and we can talk later today?”

Harry said, “We’ll go with you to visit Dennis, but we need to leave from there. We have those tactical reports to write, and they get fussy about the details. It’s going to take us most of the afternoon and evening.”

“What about next weekend?”

Ron shook his head, “No, sorry, we have outdoor combat training all weekend. Although, we kinda just got a start on that.”

“Ron, don’t forget, Mum’s birthday is Friday. Don’t forget a card or letter. What about the day of the game?”

Harry replied, “Do you really want us filling your head with advice and tactics the morning of the game? We’ll be here for moral support, absolutely, but by then you’ll have your own grasp of how good the team is. Trust me, and trust yourself.”

They went up for lunch. The buzz in the Great Hall was even louder than previously when Harry was there, because of the attack on Tisha.

Ginny said, “I need to run up to our room to drop off my broom. We should bring Natalie a change of clothing as well.”

“I have some clothes for her,” Hermione said. “Why don’t you store your broom in my pocketbook for now?”

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

When they went out into the Entry Hall, Hermione put her pocketbook on a bench, open and upright. Ginny lifted her broom over the bag, feeding it nose first. Once it passed the footrests, the bag started sucking the broom in. Hermione said she should let it go. The broom disappeared.

Harry said, “Hermione, if we had done that last year, think of all the walking we would have been spared!”

“I told you, I wasn’t able to get everything!”

They went out the doors to the Courtyard. Again, Ginny focused on the gate, stopping when she left the stones of the Courtyard. She heard Hermione pointing out the cavity in the wall to the boys. Ginny started crying. Harry came over and held her in his arms. By the time she wiped away her tears, there were four members of her team waiting for them.

Walking out the gate, Harry asked the team members if any of them had never been to St. Mungo’s, or if they couldn’t Apparate. Three of the four raised their hands. They paired off, so Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were transporting a member of the team. Ron and her Keeper went solo.

Once they were inside, Harry barely needed to flash his Auror badge. A senior matron came to them, and said she would escort them wherever they needed. It felt like they walked across half the building, but finally they were outside a recovery room. Ginny asked them to wait, and she went in.

Natalie was in a chair next to Dennis’ bed, holding his hand. It looked like he was asleep. Ginny put her hand on Natalie’s shoulder, and the girl was startled awake. Ginny hugged her, then she followed Ginny into the hallway.

Hermione gave her a big hug. The rest of the team greeted her.

Natalie said, “The Healers won’t tell me everything, because I’m not his family. He got burned by a spell, it hurt all along one side of his rib cage, and the inside of that arm. They restored the skin that was damaged, but it has to regrow into place, and that takes time. It also drains his energy, and he sleeps a lot. They say he should be released by Friday, but it may be another week to get his strength back.”

Ron joked, “But they couldn’t tell you everything, like what he had for breakfast?”

Ginny stuck her tongue out at her brother. She said, “Hermione, you’re Head Girl, they might tell you how soon he could be transferred to the Medical Wing at Hogwarts? Natalie, will you allow me to take a shift? You should get back to the school, take a shower, eat dinner, and get a full night’s sleep. Hermione can bring you back in the morning.”

The Keeper offered to take the overnight shift. Hermione talked to the matron who was their escort, who checked with the burn unit staff. They could transfer him after the changing of his first round of bandages, which would happen in the morning. They would coordinate with Madam Pomfrey.

Natalie agreed. Ginny said her goodbyes to Harry, then they all went back down the corridor. She introduced herself to the burn unit matrons, then took a seat in Natalie’s chair. 

She wondered about the power of fame. She wasn’t going to ask, but would the staff let any random stranger wait with a patient on a Sunday evening, or was claiming to be Dennis’ Team Captain enough? Or was it because she was Harry Potter’s girlfriend?

It was a long evening. One thing seemed clear to Ginny: she was going to need to play Seeker in their match against Slytherin.

She distracted herself by asking for some blank notecards. She wrote a note to her Mum, “Save the date! July 30th!” and copies to Audrey and Hagrid, then signed them and saved them in her notepad. She took a page from her notepad and wrote a short letter to her Mum. She said she would pop in and visit Saturday morning, because she needed a formal dress for an event. She prepared that to go out.

Putting the notes in her pocket, she found the message from her Mum that had arrived while they were scarfing breakfast Saturday morning. She said her Dad had heard of Audrey as an Auror, but not actually met her. She had a good reputation, frequently working on Renee Shacklebolt’s security detail. Her Mum hadn’t had much contact with the Prewett family since the funeral of her Uncle Ignatius.

Dennis woke up shortly before nine, and they talked while the matrons came in and worked on him. It seemed they were mostly pushing vitamin and protein concentrates into him, almost pouring fruit juice down his throat. She told him what she knew of how the skirmish ended, and Tisha was fine.

The idea she kept pushing was that Natalie was only away temporarily, he would see her in the morning.

The Keeper arrived a little while later. Ginny made sure the staff knew he was Dennis’ teammate, then she stumbled to an exit and Apparated to the Hogsmeade sign. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get in the gate, but Orla Quirke was waiting for her, and escorted her into the castle. She really needed to talk to the Healer about the Courtyard, someday soon.

She dreaded climbing the stairs, she felt so tired. She realized she had skipped dinner, which would limit her energy. When she reached the common room she checked the tea table, finding one crumbly old biscuit. It was marginally better than nothing. When she reached their room, she tried to enter quietly. She crawled onto her bed, flicked the bed curtains closed, snuggled with her Nimbus, and fell asleep in moments.

Empty-tummy rumbles woke her up early. She wasn’t sure what could be done about it, but she was up before Hermione, so she used the shower and got dressed. She decided it was worth the time and energy to go down and check the tea table again.

The House Elves had done their usual splendid job. She nibbled on a biscuit as she set up a tray with three cups of tea, a small cream pitcher, and a few different biscuits and pastries. She made sure to say a thank you out loud to the Elves, but she’d never know if they ever heard her. Carrying the tray to the room was a bit of a challenge, but it was made easier by eating another biscuit.

She put the tray on the end of her bed. Her curtains were open, and Crookshanks jumped up to investigate. She tried to push him back, off her bed, and he swatted at her arm, but it was a deliberate miss. She whispered, “Don’t mess with me this morning, you feline fierceness! I’ll bite back!”

She heard Hermione’s voice from behind her curtains, “He’s got you beat by four sets of claws.”

“There is that.”

“Do I smell tea?”

“If your nose is working, you should.”

Natalie’s voice came from her other side, “Bless you, Ginny! Bless you and your future grandchildren!”

“Good morning, ladies.”

They opened their curtains at almost the same moment. Taking a cup and a pastry, they sat on the edges of their beds.

“Natalie, Dennis woke up for a little while around nine last night. The matrons fed him supplements and protein and fruit juice. He seemed tired but coherent. I told him Tisha was fine, and you would see him this morning.”

Hermione added, “Before returning to the hospital, we should check if he’ll be moved here this morning.”

Ginny sighed, “I can do that while you’re getting ready. I’ll be back soon.”

She drained her cup of tea, not bothering to look at the dregs. She got off her bed carefully to avoid jiggling the tray, then made her way to the sixth floor, and crossed over to the Medical Wing. She pulled the bell once, and waited. 

Madam Pomfrey answered after a few minutes. “I wanted to ask you about Dennis Creevey?”

The Matron said, “Come in. Your timing is perfect.”

Ginny saw a Matron and two technicians lowering Dennis onto one of the beds.

“Excellent! His girlfriend is Natalie McDonald, I dare say she should be here within half an hour. Thank you, ma’am.”

She climbed the stairs with more energy than she had descended them.

Natalie had put her robes on. From the sound, Hermione was in the shower.

“Natalie, are you ready to go?”

“Go where?”

“Answer the question: Are you ready to go?”

“YES, I’m ready to go! Where am I going?”

“Then get thee to the Sixth Floor -” Natalie was already out the door, totally destroying Ginny’s Shakespearean corruption.

Ginny lay down across her bed. The serving tray was gone. There was less than thirty minutes until breakfast starts, or fifteen minutes before Hermione will want to leave for breakfast. Ginny was split between being really hungry and being really sleepy.

She took a long blink, and opened her eyes when she smelled coffee. On her bed, where the tray had been, was a demitasse cup on a saucer, the cup was full of espresso. “You folk are the best! Thank you!”

When they reached the Great Hall, the buzz level was so loud Ginny wondered if Harry was back.

As they approached the Gryffindor table, she saw Renee Shacklebolt sitting in her spot, and that large wall of a man facing Renee must be Kingsley. Tisha was in a normal chair sitting on the end. There was space for them to sit next to them, as they had before.

When Ginny went around Tisha to sit next to Renee, the wife of the Minister stood up and gave Ginny a hug. “Thank you for protecting my daughter!”

She didn’t know what to say. “Just doing what I can, Renee.” She felt her ears get warm.

The girls sat. Kingsley said, “Hermione, I’ve read the preliminary report. The shield spell you created sounds very impressive, if you can work the bugs out. The Ministry could compensate you for exclusive use.”

Ginny was proud of Hermione for keeping her eyes locked on the Minister, and only blushing a little. “I don’t know if the bugs are surmountable, Kingsley. It just draws so much power from the caster, it can’t be maintained for very long without affecting their health.”

“Very well. If you can at least clear up the bugs so the caster is aware of what’s happening outside the shield, it would still be useful in some security situations.”

“That may be one of the insurmountable bugs. We’ve noticed before that spells with a huge draw will cause sensory overload, even causing the caster to faint from the jolt of energy being used.”

“If anyone could solve that, my money would be on you.”

Clementine came in, saw Tisha and gave her a hug, then sat next to Hermione in Natalie’s usual spot.

Just then, the Headmaster clapped her hands, and breakfast appeared. Ginny loaded her plate.

Before she started eating, she asked, “Clementine, how are you feeling?”

“I’m sore, but recovering. I had a concussion, but it’s cleared up now. I’ll be ready for the workout on Wednesday.”

“If you want light duty on Wednesday, just let me know. There’s no shame in that while you’re recovering.”

“Aye aye, Captain Ginny!”

Ginny and Hermione broke up at that. Clementine smiled.

Hermione asked her, “That one’s going to stick, isn’t it?”

“I’m going to keep using it, and I think the other players will like it.”

Hermione said, “It has my approval!”

Ginny stuck her tongue out at Hermione.

Renee asked, “What do you ladies think of Audrey?”

Ginny said, “She impressed us so much, we hired her. I told them it will be amusing to me to see which one is more thorough, Hermione or Audrey.”

Hermione said, “I’ll take that challenge.” She had been writing quickly on a notecard. She folded it and passed it to Renee. Renee read it, refolded it, and passed it to her husband.

Kingsley read it and said, “We can work with that. We’ll have to check my schedule, but the season for summits usually ends before then.” Kingsley caused the slip of parchment to combust in his hand.

Renee said, “Not that we’d miss your event, it just means he doesn’t need to miss any days of a summit. Any lesser event can be rescheduled. We’re so happy for you both!”

Kingsley said, “Ginny, I remember when your father was showing your baby photo around the Ministry. He was so happy to have a daughter, he showed your photo to everybody. Even at the meeting of the Order. It’s still one of the photos in his office.”

Ginny wasn’t aware she could blush and cry at the same time. She’d gone right to Stage Four, and her eyes welled up. Renee handed her a kerchief.

“Now see what you did!”

“One of the privileges of a proud father is to make your girl cry from happiness. I’ll take it, no apologies.”

Hermione smiled as she asked him, “Does she still look the same?”

“Same orange hair, just more of it. Same eyes. Same nose. Just as beautiful.”

Ginny went right up to Stage Five. She couldn’t talk now, even if she could remember how to form words. She dabbed at her eyes.

“No apologies.” She heard Kingsley say.

She heard Percy’s voice, “Minister, what are you doing to my sister?”

“Mister Weasley, pardon me, Professor Weasley, it’s all good. She’s crying from happiness, aren’t you Ginny?”

Ginny nodded.

“Very well, Minister.”

She heard Renee say, “You’re a good brother, Percy.”

After a moment she felt someone kiss the top of her head. She smelled Percy.

Renee continued, “When Tisha’s brother Leonard learned of the attack, he wanted to come to Hogsmeade and tear the town down brick by brick to find the men who escaped.”

Kingsley said, “I don’t blame him, so did I. Fortunately, I have some very well-trained people for that. Speaking of whom, Clementine, you should know you’re going to be getting a replacement roommate in the next few days. It’ll be an older girl, but I’m not sure which one yet.”

Clementine asked, “Do we have a say in which roommate gets replaced?”

Renee said, “If you have an issue with one of your roommates, that’s where we’d start.”

“Tisha knows who I’m thinking of.”

Tisha nodded.

Hermione said, “If you have an issue with one of your roommates, you should tell Natalie. We don’t want any fights in the school.”

“No fights, she’s just a prat sometimes. And she snores.”

“Do I need to meet with this ‘girl’?” Hermione asked the Minister.

Kingsley replied, “She’ll be attending staff meetings, just so she knows what’s coming up. You’ll meet her. If she wants to talk to you, I hope you’ll be cooperative.”

“Anything she needs.”

Ginny had dropped down to Stage One. “If she wants to join the team workouts, to stay in shape, I can arrange that.”

Hermione added, “If you want us to escort Tisha between classes, until the agent arrives, we can arrange that, too.”

Taking Tisha’s hand, Renee said, “Thank you, ladies. That shouldn’t be necessary, while she’s inside the school. We’re just establishing a presence, a known face. Someone who can escort Tisha to Quidditch matches, for instance, without getting second looks from other students.”

Kingsley asked, “Clementine, we heard you fought pretty well on Saturday, until you got knocked out. Would you like to join the Dueling Club?”

“I can’t, I’m only Third Year.”

“We’re going to discuss that with the Headmaster, in just a few minutes. If she’ll grant dispensation for Tisha, she should certainly grant it to you.”

“That would be awesome, Minister!”

Ginny said, “My Mum gave me several pieces of advice when I joined Dueling Club, the years we were allowed to. The best advice was to get a jug, and fill it with fruit juice before every meeting. You never know when you’re going to need it.”

Hermione said, “Ooh, that is good advice!” She gave Ginny a look.

Ginny asked, “You’re going to get a jug now, aren’t you?” 

Hermione nodded. “I never know when you’re going to need it.”

She barely made it halfway through Defence class before she started falling asleep. Hermione quietly passed her a bottle of Wideye Potion, which helped her stay awake the rest of the day. It started wearing off during Charms class, so she went up to the room and took a kip before dinner.

After dinner, she finally made it up to the owlery, and sent off the notes to her Mum and Audrey.

When she got back, she told Hermione of her plan to visit the Burrow Saturday morning, to pick a dress from her other wardrobes. 

She asked, “Would you like to come along, my sister?”

“The boys have their outdoor combat practice that weekend, so they aren’t likely to be there.”

“We could arrive in time for breakfast.”

“One of your Mum’s breakfasts? Okay, you’ve twisted my arm, my sister!”

Tuesday morning she went down to yoga class in her new outfit. She’d stored a light jacket in her wardrobe, which would be enough to cover her top half when going to and from the classroom. She got several positive comments on it, and had no problems with restricted movement. However, being able to fully participate made her even more sore than before.

Justin asked, “Where did you find the skirt?”

“Gladrags, in Hogsmeade. Do you like it?”

“Damn skippy! It’s beautiful!” He said.

“Damn what? Where did you get that phrase?”

“It’s cute, I got it from a Yank at school last year.”

In her therapy session Thursday afternoon, they discussed the shield she had cast, and how she cast it. She described the emotions she pulled up as well as she could, and how she felt while the shield was active. Healer Mantooth was intrigued by the feeling of near-euphoria she had felt.

Saturday morning, they left the castle through the doors that lead to the Quidditch pitch, then went around the building to the gates. Anything to avoid the Courtyard. When they reached the sign for Hogsmeade, they Apparated to the Burrow.

Bill opened the door for them. He was there with Fleur, and George was sitting at the table next to Angelina. Fleur stood up to shake their hands, and Ginny noticed Hermione’s eyebrows go up. She looked at Fleur again, and noticed a little paunch.

“WHAT?!” Ginny shouted, “Are you pregnant?”

Fleur’s head bobbed up and down.

George said, “Mum noticed as soon as they walked in, half an hour ago, same as you.”

Her Mum said, “Best birthday present I ever got! I’m going to be a Gramma!” Her eyes filled up.

Her Dad got up from his chair and went around to hug his wife.

George said, “Every ten minutes, right on schedule.”

Ginny went around and hugged Fleur, then hugged Bill, and Hermione followed her. They took seats next to Angelina.

Ginny’s eyes opened wide. “I’m going to be an aunt!”

Angelina said, “It just hit you now, did it?” She turned in her chair and hugged Ginny.

George levitated plates, cups, and cutlery for the girls, and her Mum loaded food on their plates.

Bill asked, “What brings you two ladies home for breakfast? We haven’t seen you for two months.”

Ginny replied, “No, we’re not going to talk about us, I wouldn’t think of stealing one iota from your news.”

Bill asked, “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the bash they’re holding in Lancaster on Monday, does it? It’s already been in the paper that Harry will be there.”

Ginny said, “Fleur, I didn’t bring this up, your husband did, and he’s insisting on talking about it.”

Fleur smiled at her, “Iz ookay, Geeny. We celebrate each other!”

She looked at Bill, and she’d just made his ears turn red. “It does so happen I’m here to see if Aunt Lucretia left me a dress that would be suitable. Harry asked me to go with him last week.”

Her Dad said, “To the Order of Merlin Gala by the Wizengamot. My little girl is going to the Order of Merlin Gala.” She saw his eyes well up. She had to get up and give him a hug.

Her Mum asked, “Can you come by next week and tell us about it?”

“Well, I can’t Saturday, I’ve got a Quidditch match to win. Sunday morning breakfast? It’s the one Sunday for a while when I won’t have team practice. I’ll ask Percy if he can make it.”

She had a thought. “Bill, have you got announcement cards made up? I’d like to deliver Percy’s personally.”

He started searching his pockets. “Oh, yes, this is just the first batch, for family.” He gave one to his father, then passed one to George, and slid two across the table to Ginny. Inside the little grey envelope was a card that read:

William and Fleur Weasley

Announce their upcoming withdrawal 

A Baby

Upon maturity of term

late April - early May

In true wizard fashion, the card changed colors from pink to blue, and back again.

She showed the card to her Mum, and she started crying again. Ginny noticed even Hermione welled up.

George asked, “Has it been ten minutes already?”

Angelina snorted, but she gave him a light slap on the arm.

Ginny put the card back in the envelope, then put them both in her robes.

After breakfast, the women all elected to join Hermione on the advisory panel. The men would all stay in the sitting room. They went up to her bedroom, and the four women found seats. Her Mum and Fleur sat on her bed, holding hands.

Her Mum had pre-selected three dresses. Ginny moved them into the small bedroom next to hers, that had been Bill’s, once upon a time. She organized the dresses by how much skin they showed. She noticed none of them showed very much. She removed her robes, leaving on her underclothes, and put on the first dress. She hadn’t worn this dress before, it was fairly formal. She used her wand to raise the bottom hem and tighten the bodice.

She returned to her bedroom, and did a twirl. It got a mediocre response.

The second dress had brighter colors than the first, and a wider skirt. It got a fairly good response.

The third dress was a crème color, with just a little bit of tan trim. It had bare shoulders, and a puffy sleeve on her upper arms to hold it up. The skirt was long, but the material was light and it swirled nicely. Because of the bare shoulders she had to remove her sports bra before putting it on. The dress got a very good response. They liked it so much they started arguing over it.

First, they changed the color to green, then they couldn’t agree on the right shade of green. Ginny declared that Hermione was chief judge, and would make the final decision. The other ladies worked through different shades until Hermione chose one.

Then, Fleur lowered the cleavage. Her Mum wanted it to come up to her collar bones, Hermione and Angelina wanted something in between. Looking down at Fleur’s choice, Ginny could definitely see too much. Angelina’s choice was a little higher, and should be safe. Ginny overruled Hermione’s choice.

Next they worked on the back. Her Mum created an illusion, so Ginny could see her back the way they were seeing it. The top line, ‘back cleavage’ started at the midpoint of her shoulder blades. Her Mum liked it where it was. Fleur moved it down to the point where her bum started to round out, showing some actual cleavage. That was definitely too far. Hermione raised it to the small of her back, like her swimsuit. Angelina raised it to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Ginny decided to go with Hermione’s choice.

They worked on the trim, tightening it up in places, and added one set of ties in the back, in the middle of her shoulder blades, to give it strength. She gave it some tests. She could walk in it, she could sit in it, when she bent forward she wasn’t exposing herself. She could raise her arms over her head, or squat, if she hitched it up a bit, without ripping anything.

Fleur offered to loan her a white wrap, of artificial fur. When she summoned that and Ginny put it on, it completed the outfit perfectly. 

The wrap inspired Angelina, who added some thick, soft cloth in her bodice.  “It probably will be cold in Lancaster.”

“Oh, excellent thinking!”

Looking at herself in her wall mirror, she liked it. She had one final test.

“Mum, if I wore this dress just like this, would I embarrass you or Dad?”

Her Mum’s eyes welled up once again, and she shook her head. “You’re beautiful! How could that embarrass us?”

Her mother led the ladies down the stairs. Ginny took a breath and followed them down. When she exited the stairwell in front of her father and two brothers, they gasped. Her father got up from the sofa and held her shoulders. “My beautiful, darling daughter!” He kissed her cheeks, she could see the tears fill his eyes again. Bill and George kissed her forehead, the same way Percy did.

It sunk in to Ginny that this was a trial run for her wedding dress. It wouldn’t necessarily look anything like this one, but her standards would be the same. The reaction to that dress should outshine this one.

Celebrations And Contests

They got back to Hogwarts twenty minutes before lunch. Ginny did a few stretches, then climbed up the stairs to leave her dress in their room. She made it back to the Great Hall with a few minutes to spare. She walked to the teacher’s table and stood in front of Percy. His ears were merely pink. She held up the little grey envelope and wiggled it at him. He pulled his wand and floated it to his hand.

Opening the envelope and reading the card, he shouted, “I’M GOING TO BE AN UNCLE!” It reverberated through the Great Hall, killing all conversations.

That was not the reaction she had expected. Going right to Stage Four, fighting not to go to Stage Five, she turned to the student body and shouted, “It’s not me! It’s our brother Bill!”

The students had a tremendous laugh at that, which turned into general applause. She surrendered to Stage Five as she went back to her seat across from Hermione, her face and neck burning hot. Even Hermione was laughing. Finally Ginny gave in and laughed, and her flush dropped to Stage Three.

The Halloween Feast that night was very festive. Professor Flitwick had short glasses of pumpkin juice appear at everyone’s plate, then he offered a toast, to Headmaster Minerva McGonagall. Ginny wasn’t sure, but she thought the Headmaster was on the verge of crying.

Sunday morning, Dennis and Natalie came down for breakfast. Dennis rode in the Rover chair, with Natalie walking beside him. He looked thin and pale, she looked exhausted and unkempt. Dennis pulled Rover up to the end of the table. Hermione scooted over so Natalie could sit next to him.

Ginny and Hermione didn’t ask any questions, they just greeted them both warmly, and made sure they filled their plates.

Ginny received an owl from Audrey Prewett. It contained an order form for invitations. Her attached letter explained that there were three decisions to be made: What does it say, how does it say it, and how does it present it?

She showed the form to Hermione. “Is it time for the style consultant?”

“I think we can decide the first question, but for the rest I’m totally lost.”

“I’m not going to think about this now, we can worry about it later. I need to get to practice.”

Dennis said, “Ginny, I’m sorry.”

Ginny asked, “What do you have to be sorry about?”

“I’m not going to be able to play Seeker in the match.”

“I’m also sorry you won’t be able to play. But I don’t want you to fret about the game. You were wounded in combat, you have nothing to apologize for. Concentrate on getting better. Worrying about the match is my job, not yours, alright?”

She told the team she would not be playing in this practice, because she was going to be Seeker in their match. Instead, she would watch them as they played three-on-three, Chasers versus Beaters.

The Beaters did well, blocking many goals. She discussed evasion and diversion tactics with the Chasers, while the Beaters were listening, so they could try to incorporate the change in strategy into their defense. She had them play until there was twenty minutes left, then she stopped them, and had a final discussion on tactics.

There was a note on her pillow when she returned to their room. Headmaster McGonagall had a portkey, and they would gather in her office at three PM Monday to go together. Do not be late!

She was dressed by two, Monday afternoon. Hermione applied her makeup, not that she needed very much. When she descended to the common room, Harry was standing there in formal robes, with the little pin that said he was an Auror in training.

Harry’s mouth fell open when he saw her. “My wife-to-be, you are very beautiful!”

“My husband-to-be, you are very handsome, not to mention attractive.”

He extended his elbow, and she took his arm. As they left the common room, the students stood and applauded. That continued during the walk to the Headmaster’s office, all the students they passed applauded and whistled.

Headmaster McGonagall was in formal dress robes, with the school’s emblem on her shoulders. She was having a small glass of wine with Andromeda Tonks and Professor Sprout, who looked very nice in her formal robes. When Neville Longbottom arrived with Hannah Abbott on his arm, they were ready. Ginny gave Neville a hug. Harry had told her that her Mum was sitting with Teddy.

They had a few minutes, so Harry asked, “Pardon me, could someone explain how this works, exactly?”

The Headmaster said, “It’s very simple, Mister Potter. Someone gives a testimonial speech, then the recipient is called up on stage and their ribbon is pinned on. Then they give a speech, and sit down. Meanwhile, the audience gets drunk.”

“So who’s giving my testimonial?”

She replied, “I have that honor, Mister Potter.”

“And Professor Sprout, you’re giving Neville’s testimonial?”

She said, “Yes, Harry.”

“Headmaster, if I may, who’s giving your testimonial?”

“The Minister said he would give it, but I heard he’s rigging some chicanery, so I’m not sure. He’ll meet us there.”

“That leaves Remus. Who’s giving his?”

Professor Sprout said, “Time to go everyone, gather around.”

They circled the Headmaster’s meeting table, which had a woman’s red high-heeled shoe in the center. The Professor counted down, and they all touched the shoe together. After the usual stomach-inverted feeling, they arrived in a wide room that looked like it might be used for concert practice. 

A man stood next to a pair of double doors, holding a clipboard. “Hogwarts Party of seven, arrived successfully.” He had a mild London accent. He checked a box with his quill. “Welcome, Headmaster, Mister Potter, ladies and gentleman. If you’ll step through these doors, we have a guide to show you to your seats.” He held the door for them.

They went out into a wide corridor, and a blonde older wizard smiled and led them down the hall. Harry took Ginny’s hand, as he tried to catch up to the Headmaster.

“Professor McGonagall, who is giving the testimonial for Remus?”

“I am, Mister Potter. The number of his friends who are still living are precious few.”

Ginny could see that this news troubled her fiancé. “Harry, what are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I should do it. Aside from Andromeda and Teddy, I’m the closest thing to family that’s left.”

“But you hate speaking in front of people, and you haven’t written a speech!”

“I’ll improvise.”

They had fallen behind the Headmaster, but Harry caught up again. “Headmaster, I’d like to give the testimonial, please.”

“For Remus? Are you sure, Mister Potter?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do it.”

“If you’re sure, I’ll arrange it.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He took a deep breath. 

Ginny squeezed his hand. “Speak your passion, you’ll do great!”

The hallway got progressively narrower as they went on. They reached a room that had a wall mural with the logo of the event. The room was well lit, and it was filled with photographers, except for the roped off section they walked through. A person in black dress robes stopped them, letting them pass in small groups, giving time for the photographers to take pictures. Ginny had half expected this, and dreaded it. She could see, from Harry’s expression, that he liked it less than she did.

Before she stepped into the light, the Headmaster turned and looked at them all, poking her cheeks with her fingers, pressing her face into a happy smile. She walked to the center of the mural and stopped, the smile still on her face, as dozens of cameras went off.

Then the media person said, “Mister and Missus Potter, you’re next.”

Ginny thought of correcting them, since they weren’t married yet, but she enjoyed the sound of it so much she let it go.

They walked to the center of the mural, and the cameras clicked and clicked. Since they were already well lit, few flashes went off. The photographers were yelling instructions, to look this way or turn that way. Harry ignored them. She didn’t turn, but she did try to look around the room. Still, Harry kept a mild smile on his face.

Eventually, their guide led them through a black push door, which was followed briefly by another black push door. From there, they came out into the theater, just to the right of the stage.

The ceiling to the theater was high above them, and adorned with twinkling objects and many lamps. Eight beautiful chandeliers hung down, but they were still very high up, so they didn’t block the views from the balcony. The theatre was still only about half full, and they had half an hour before the event started.

Their guide let them gawk for a few seconds, then said, with a thick accent that had some flavor of a Scottish accent, but wasn’t, “This way, please.”

He led them to the front row of the center section of the theatre, past several men who appeared to be security. Kingsley and Renee were seated at the near end of the row, they stood up when they saw their party approaching.

Ginny had heard of a receiving line, but never experienced one before. She thought this must be what it was like, a line of people passing by a celebrity to greet them in turn. They were still behind the Headmaster, so they were second and third. 

Harry shook Renee’s hand. She told him, “Keep smiling, Harry, this night will end eventually.”

He said quietly, “I’d almost rather face Lord Voldemort again.” She chuckled.

Renee’s mouth dropped open when Ginny faced her. “You’re stunning, girl! Would you give me a twirl? I want to see this dress!”

Ginny did a slow spin. “You’re so beautiful! Have your parents seen you in this dress?”

“We prepared it at the Burrow.”

“They must be so proud of you!”

“They are.”

Kingsley kissed the back of her hand, clicking his heels together. Ginny giggled.

As they found their designated seats, they passed the Headmaster, who was speaking to a man who appeared to be an official. She recognized the words ’Potter’ and ’Lupin’ through the Headmaster’s brogue.

Their assigned seats were in the center of the row, which shouldn’t have surprised Ginny. She tried to distract Harry by pointing out the decorations in the theatre. She slid her arm behind his back, working her hand to the back of his neck, and tried to give him a little neck rub to relax him. It wasn’t easy, the collar of his formal robes was high and stiff. She found his neck was very tense.

“I think I know what will relax you,” she whispered in his ear. “Think of your parents, James and Lily. Picture their faces. They would be bursting with love and pride for you tonight, just as I am. Think of you being held in your mother’s arms.”

His eyes were closed, and she saw tears at the corners. But his face relaxed, and she felt the tension leave his neck. He almost radiated peace and love.

He leaned over and kissed her freckled nose. “Thank you, darling.”

She tried the same thing, remembering her mother’s hugs, and the kisses on her cheeks her father gave her when he saw this dress. She hadn’t realized how nervous she was until the nervousness drained out of her. She pulled in her arm and took hold of his hand.

A waiter came by and asked if they wanted anything. They each got a glass of water. She thought of ordering a glass of wine, or a brandy, but tonight wasn’t a good night for them to get drunk, or even tipsy.

She realized the program was about to start when their guide came back and collected Professor Sprout, leading her backstage.

The curtains opened a few minutes later, revealing the Professor standing center stage, a voice amplifier in front of her. A man’s voice said, “Professor Pomona Sprout.” The audience applauded, then quieted down.

“Neville Longbottom is one of the finest students I’ve ever had in my Herbology classes. In his early years at Hogwarts, he was clumsy and shy. One thing that made him stand out to me was, he never gave up. He tripped, he dropped things, he got hurt many times. He always came back, willing to try again, as many times as it took to get it right.

“As the years of schooling passed, his interest in Herbology deepened. These last few years, he’s surpassed me in the depth and breadth of his knowledge. He’s clever and studious.

“When our school was besieged by forces that were aligned with the wishes of Lord Voldemort, whether they were aware or not, he resisted. I found out later that he was an original member of Dumbledore’s Army, and when I found out I was so proud of him, for doing something we in the faculty could not openly do, resisting tyranny, even just in their training.

“On the night that the Battle of Hogwarts began, Neville was one of the co-leaders of Dumbledore’s Army. Anything that our command leaders needed done, if a student could do it, he was standing up front, willing to give it a go. When a walkway bridge was going to be destroyed, trapping many Death Eaters in it as it collapsed, Neville volunteered to act as bait, to tease them into the trap. He came close to falling to his death with the rest, but he prevailed.

“When Lord Voldemort came onto the school grounds, and it looked like he had finally defeated Harry Potter, Neville spoke to try to sustain our hope, when it looked like our last hope had died. He resisted torture, drawing the Sword of Gryffindor to him, and slew the Dark Lord’s snake. That act almost made me want to switch Houses.”

Ginny noticed that Harry was crying. The kerchiefs she had brought were already soaked. The Professor’s speech was triggering memories that had her spinning between feeling great pride and crying from the fear and pain of the past school year.

She continued, “Therefore, it gives me the greatest honor of my teaching career, to present the Order of Merlin, Second Class, to Neville Longbottom.”

Ginny and Harry both bounced to their feet, cheering like they were at a Quidditch match. As the audience applauded, Neville stood, kissed Hannah, and walked up the stairs to the stage. The man that the Headmaster had been speaking to walked to the Professor from the wings. He opened a small case and pinned a ribbon on Neville’s chest, next to his Auror-in-training badge. He shook Neville’s hand, handed him the case, and walked offstage.

As Neville stepped to the amplifier, their guide returned and collected Harry, taking him backstage. He stopped to kiss Ginny.

Neville shouted, “Gramma, you were wrong, I will amount to something!” He got a large applause for that.

“My parents were great Aurors, each separately, but together they were a pair that were hard to beat. I only hope I can be half as skilled as they were, I’d have a great career. When I was still a child, they were kidnapped by Death Eaters. The reports I was shown presumed that they were tortured with the Cruciatus Curse, to reveal something they did not know, the hiding place of the infant Harry Potter. Since they could not give an answer, their torture continued, until they both lost their minds.

“They could have given in, providing a name or location. There are no reports of other people being kidnapped or killed during the time they were held. We can only assume that my parents gave them nothing. I’ve always tried to live up to their standard, standing up instead of giving in.

“In the early days of Dumbledore’s Army, I was very happy to follow Harry Potter. I still am, and I still do. What I came to realize, when the school was invaded by our enemies, was that it wasn’t about Harry. Harry is a symbol, and a man I’m proud to follow. But the struggle was against tyranny. That struggle doesn’t end with one man, it’s ongoing. It never ends.

“Thank you so much, this is such an honor.”

As Neville and Professor Sprout were led offstage, Harry trotted onto the stage, going right over to Neville and giving him a hug. Then he hugged the little Professor.

The audience was already on its feet when the announcer said “Mister Harry Potter.”

Ginny hadn’t sat down yet, she kept her feet and cheered her fiancé. The audience kept clapping, getting louder and louder. 

Harry was blushing when he said, “Please, this one isn’t about me, that comes later.”

The audience laughed, but they quieted and sat down.

Harry said, “Remus Lupin was a teacher of mine. He was the best teacher of the Defence Against the Dark Arts that I ever had. When I was just thirteen, he taught me to cast the Patronus Charm.” Several people whooped in the audience. “He also became a good friend, and a mentor. He had been one of my father’s best friends.

“He was also a werewolf, bitten when he was just five years old.

“When they were in school together, my father and his friends did everything they could to support Remus through his changeling periods. They were so successful, during his school years, that there are no reports that he ever hurt anyone during that time of the month. That record continued after he left school, there are no records he ever hurt anyone when he was a wolf.

“After he left teaching at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore asked him to take on a mission. At first, it was just to survey the mood of the werewolf community, whether they supported Lord Voldemort, or would resist him, or stay neutral. When it seemed the werewolf leadership, such as it was, supported the Dark Lord, Remus’s mission took on a more dangerous level. He was to see if there existed any kind of resistance within the werewolves, and if there was, to fan those flames. Any misstep could mean his death. He said he was unsuccessful at flame-fanning, but still he managed to walk away mostly unharmed.

“When he came back, he was attracted to a younger woman, Nymphadora Tonks. He couldn’t believe that she was also attracted to him, even though he was one of the nicest, kindest men I’ve had the privilege to know. She knew what he was, and she was not put off. He couldn’t believe that any woman would be attracted to a man with his curse. He was terrified of changing, and killing her or infecting her. He wasn’t sure which would be worse, even though he was a living example of someone who could live with it and not let it define his life.

“Tonks wanted to marry Remus. She pressed her case for months. He was resistant, for all the reasons I just stated. He was also afraid that if they had a child, that child could have some or all aspects of his curse.

“Finally, the funeral of Albus Dumbledore convinced Remus that life is too short to deny yourself a chance at love and happiness when you have one before you. Remus married Tonks the next day. Less than a year later, they had a child. He seems a normal, healthy boy.

“A month after their baby was born came the Battle of Hogwarts. They both joined the fight, because they both believed strongly in the cause. Remus was killed by the killing curse, trying to protect his wife. Antonin Dolohov cast the curse. Tonks blasted him into a stone wall so strongly his body was crushed. The crater that he made in solid stone is impressive. Then Tonks was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange.”

Someone kept spelling kerchiefs onto Ginny’s lap, and she had soaked every single one. She finally looked over at Andromeda, and she was in even worse shape. Professor Sprout and Hannah were trying to console her, and not having much luck. Ginny got up, stooping over to prevent blocking someone’s view, and walked over to Andromeda. She hiked up her dress so she could kneel, and knelt by Andromeda, holding her head and her neck.

Hannah leaned in and said, “Hold her for a second, I have something.“ She dug into her purse and removed a small purple vial. She removed the stopper. “Andromeda, drink a little of this. It’s Calming Draught.”

Ginny helped her drink a couple of swallows, then handed it back. Andromeda’s tears stopped, and her face became serene.

Harry noticed, but he was on a roll, and started wrapping up. “Remus Lupin was an extraordinary example of a man who could overcome the tremendous obstacles that life throws at us, if you decide you are going to do your best, and you have the support of loving friends and family.

“For this reason, I am honored to present the Order of Merlin, First Class, to Remus Lupin, posthumously. Accepting is his mother-in-law, Andromeda Tonks. She seems indisposed at the moment, so let’s move on, shall we?”

Harry accepted the case from the official, then walked down the stairs off the stage. The applause from the audience had a fair amount of enthusiasm, but it was a little awkward. Harry kissed the top of Andromeda’s head, pressed the case into her hand, and squeezed Ginny’s shoulder. She squeezed Hannah’s hand.

She returned to her seat, taking Harry’s hand again, as the announcer said, “The Minister of Magic for Great Britain and Ireland, Kingsley Shacklebolt.”

They stood and applauded. Kingsley came out on stage and walked to the amplifier. His deep, powerful voice seemed like he could have done as well without amplification. “Our next honoree is Minerva McGonagall, currently serving as Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The ideal candidate to give her testimonial is, tragically, unavailable. That would be her friend, mentor, and predecessor in her job, Albus Dumbledore. So I’m going to cheat. I have direct quotes by Albus from her performance reviews and other reports he wrote about her.” He pulled a set of note cards from his robes.

The Headmaster was sitting next to Renee. From the lights on the stage, she could tell that the Headmaster was flabbergasted.

“From her performance review as a student teacher, about 1954: ’Minerva has done a fine job assisting me as a Junior Professor in the Transfiguration class. She excels at teaching students the proper spellcasting techniques. I believe she is ready for the upgrade to full Professor status. However, she can’t teach Transfiguration, since that’s presently my job. Perhaps she could prove her worth in a class where wands are not used, such as Muggle Studies.’

“From her performance review in 1960: ’Minerva has struck a perfect balance of mother, jailor, instructor, and comedian. Her sarcastic wit has struck down many over-enthusiastic students. The overall tone she hits with students is masterful.’

“From the recommendation to the Board of Governors that she be made Deputy Headmaster, 1967: ’Minerva is the perfect candidate to assist me in running the school. Her skill in teaching is only exceeded by her intelligence, which is only exceeded by her bravery in walking with me into the lion’s den in every school year.’

“From the letter to the Board of Governors that he wrote, shortly before his murder, that was delivered by the executor of his estate, who was my predecessor, Rufus Scrimgeour: ’When searching for my replacement as Headmaster, there is only one person with the skill and heart for the job, and that is Minerva McGonagall.’”

Ginny could see that the Headmaster had generated a tall stack of kerchiefs on her little drink table, and she was going through them rapidly.

The Minister stopped reading from his notes. “When Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts on the night of May First, along with Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, Minerva McGonagall stood up to the established regime running the school, who had been selected by Lord Voldemort. She was the primary staff member who drove them from the school.

“From there, she coordinated the defense of the school against the army led by Voldemort. She was as skilled a general as any defending army could ask for.

“For her bravery, her strength, her skills in leading the defense of the school, and her heart in caring for her staff and students, it is my privilege to present the Order of Merlin, First Class, to Minerva McGonagall.”

They leaped to their feet again, applauding wildly. The rest of the front row was doing the same, except for the woman herself. She stood, breathing deeply, using one final kerchief. She took another deep breath, then she hiked up her robes and climbed the steps to the stage. Walking over to Kingsley, they hugged. The official walked out with the case holding her ribbon. Using her wand, she applied it to her robes, then accepted the case.

As they all took their seats, she said, “I’m sure nearly everyone who has accepted this award has said they don’t feel particularly like a hero, they simply did what needed to be done. That is exactly how I feel. I simply did what needed to be done. I acknowledge that it took all my skills, all the bravery I could muster, and I risked my heart for all the students and adults in my care. 

“The list of names of the people we lost that night is known as The Fifty. I thank Merlin only that it wasn’t fifty-one. I would be giddy if the list was known as The Forty-Nine, or as just The Nine.

“I’m serving double duty tonight, so I’ll end just by thanking the Wizengamot for this award.”

She stepped back from the amplifier as they applauded her once again. Ginny thought to generate her own stack of kerchiefs. She knew she’d need them for what was coming. She put away her wand and took hold of Harry’s hand again.

She leaned over and said in his ear, “I love you.” He smiled at her.

The Headmaster stepped back up to the amplifier. “I have known Harry Potter since he was fifteen months old. I met him the night his parents were killed, the night he somehow destroyed a powerful wizard, without even using a wand.”

Several whoops came from the audience.

“The power of Harry Potter comes from love, his own and his mother’s. She created the shield that protects him, and empowered it with her own life.

“When he came to Hogwarts he was awkward. He’d been raised in a Muggle household, knowing nothing of the Wizarding world. Perhaps that gave him an outsider’s perspective, seeing things without a wizardly bias. He poked and prodded at everything that was unfair, looking for the better way. For six years he resisted the conventional answer, when the conventional was unfair to others.

“During those six years, he faced trials that would challenge grown men, much less a teenage boy. His friends helped him, saved him, as he saved them. Our Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, somehow foresaw the final challenge that Harry would have to face, and he steered Harry to be ready for it, even when that meant risking Harry’s life, or his own.

“For his Seventh Year, Harry and his friends, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, took on the task of destroying the horcruxes that had preserved Lord Voldemort after the first time Harry destroyed his body. I’ve heard the story, and no part of their year was easy.”

Ginny was using her stack of kerchiefs at a slow rate. Harry was using them much faster.

“When finally they returned to Hogwarts on May First, they brought with them questions that demanded answers. Unintentionally, they also brought hope. While they searched for the final horcruxes, the rest of us began the final battle against evil and tyranny.

“Ultimately, it came down to the showdown that everyone knew must come. The horcruxes were destroyed, and it was Lord Voldemort versus Harry Potter. A grown man-thing versus a seventeen year old man. He wasn’t a boy any longer, he’d been through too much.

“Thankfully, due to innate talent, the skills his teachers could bestow upon him, his tremendous heart and strength, and some dumb luck, Harry prevailed.”

The entire audience, probably over one thousand people, rose up in a standing ovation. 

The Headmaster raised her hand. “Save it, he’s not standing here yet.” The audience laughed and sat down.

She took a familiar stance, with her legs narrowly spread, her back straight and her hands behind her, as she’d stood so often in her classroom.

“Mister Potter, in addition to the accolades you have so strongly earned, I want to add my thanks. Not only have you made the past seven years interesting and occasionally entertaining, but I have learned the lessons that Albus Dumbledore tried to teach us, but you cemented in my brain and my heart. There is always hope, no matter how dark things may seem. And never underestimate the power of love.

“For your bravery, and your breathtaking level of heart, I am proud to present you with the Order of Merlin, First Class.”

Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand. He kissed her, then picked up a few more kerchiefs before standing up.

As he walked across the stage to her, the Headmaster said into the amplifier, “Aye, now let him hear you!”

During the ribbon ceremony, when his ribbon was pinned next to his Auror-in-training button, the volume in the theatre approached painful levels. Ginny wanted to stand up and cheer for him, but she couldn’t even stand. The level of love the audience was sending to him overwhelmed her.

With the ceremony complete, he just stood by the amplifier, waiting for it to end. She knew he was impatient to move on, but he was also so compassionate that he would wait and let them get it out of their system. The applause rolled over him for ten or fifteen minutes. She noticed the Headmaster standing to the side, adding to the applause, tears in her eyes, and with the biggest smile she’d ever seen on the woman.

When it finally quieted to the point he could be heard using the amplifier, he got their attention.

He said, “Thank you.” He made a little turn like he was done, then he turned back with a smile. “Seriously, thank you. The love you’ve shown tonight, to me and the other recipients, has been generous and healing. Thanks to the Wizengamot for the award.

“I want to thank my parents, who literally gave everything they had for me. I want to thank all my teachers, especially you, Headmaster, for helping to guide me through it all. I want to thank all my friends, for their kindness and friendship in return, even when I probably didn’t deserve it. I want to thank the Weasley family, for making me feel welcome, with unquestioning love.

“And I want to thank my fiancée, Ginny Weasley, for showing me the full depth of her heart, and my own. Good night.”

Ginny had intended to get up and check on Andromeda, but Harry’s last words broke her, she had to use the last of her kerchiefs before she could get up. She found that Andromeda had recovered. She was apologizing to everyone for collapsing the way she did, but they were all sympathetic to her grief.

The Headmaster gathered them together, telling them they were invited to the Governor’s Ball, where there would be a large buffet, and an open bar. They needed to use the portkey to return to the school, so they should be ready to leave the Ball at nine.

Before they left, Ginny turned back to their row. The piles of kerchiefs were considerable. She used her wand to gather them all together, in a trash bag she labeled ‘kerchiefs’.

They were taken to a limousine to take them to the site of the Ball. During the ride, the Headmaster worked out a defence strategy for Harry. They would plant Harry at a table. If he needs to use the washroom, Neville watches the door. Otherwise, Harry stays at the table, Minerva, Pomona, and Neville share guard duties. Andromeda offered to help. Ginny’s task is to get anything Harry needs, his food and drinks. Hannah said she would cover Ginny’s back, to make sure she wasn’t harassed.

The Headmaster’s planning was useful. If nothing else, it meant they wouldn’t wander off and get lost, missing the portkey. There were plenty of people at the Ball who wanted to get close to Harry, and the ‘security detail’ filtered them to a handful with a genuine need to talk.

They were passed a dozen cards for wedding planners, which Ginny planned to throw away as soon as she could. 

One man tried to hit on Ginny at the buffet. Hannah poked him in the side of his nose with her wand, asking, “Seriously, dude?” He backed off.

Ginny saw three older wizards chat separately with the Headmaster. She couldn’t hear what they said, but from her reaction she thought they might have been flirting. All three passed the woman their cards before they walked away.

After they had all eaten, the number of society-page photographers became irritating. They decided to return to the school.

They were getting very tired by the time the portkey returned them to the school, but Professor Sprout had a surprise. She used her wand, and a sheet cake appeared on the Headmaster’s table, along with saucers and cutlery. On the top of the cake, the icing spelled out ’Congratulations!” To the side was a champagne stand with three bottles chilled, and a necklace of glasses hanging from it. The cake was an EveryCake, made of three-centimeter cubes of over a dozen different kinds of cake. Ginny got chocolate, cherry-filled vanilla, carrot, and zucchini.

Harry walked her to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and they snogged for several minutes. Ginny wanted to push, so they got very worked up, but Harry asked her to slow down, they both had to get up for lessons in the morning. Reluctantly, he kissed her one more time, on the top of her head, before turning to go down the stairs. She watched him go, knowing she’d see him at the match.

When she reached their room, Natalie’s bed curtains were closed. Hermione’s were open, she was sitting on her bed in her nightshirt, leaning on her headboard, petting Crookshanks while she read her Latin text. 

Ginny closed her bed curtain on Natalie’s side to increase the sound buffer. They talked quietly for a bit while Ginny got out her pyjamas. Hermione and Natalie had listened to the wireless in the common room, along with most of the Gryffindors. They loved the speeches, and went through a bunch of kerchiefs.

Ginny said, “Tell me about it. I think Harry and I went through over one hundred, and the rest of our group was just as bad.”

She went behind the privacy screen to change clothes. When she had done the dry clean spell on her dress and returned it to her wardrobe, she pleaded exhaustion to Hermione and crawled into bed.

Hermione gave her a bit of time, but Ginny heard her voice through the closed curtains, “You don’t have to tell me, but do you think you were triggered at all, last year?”

Ginny owed Hermione an answer to any question she asked about her affliction. “Once. I stormed out of Dark Arts just before the class was dismissed.  They were trying to teach Neville to cast Cruciatus by casting it on Third Years who had got detention for something innocuous. It’s Neville, so he refused, of course, so they used it on him. My blood was boiling, so I stormed out of there and found one of the empty hallways. I thought I’d stay there until I calmed down.

“First thing that happened when I got there, I cast Reducto. It wasn’t my plan, I just did it. Remember I mentioned Voldemort-level blow-down-the-walls devastation? There you go. Professor Flitwick told me it shook the castle. I was lucky twice, because the room on the other side was empty. Second, because he was the one who found me. He cleaned up the mess and repaired the damage, and got me out of there.”

Hermione whispered, “So he knows about your infection?”

“In a roundabout way. He’s very smart. I didn’t even associate it with the diary until he asked me how I’d done so much devastation.”

“But you didn’t tell him?”

“No, I didn’t tell him.”

Hermione had restarted her old subscription to the Daily Prophet after Ginny and Harry’s photos appeared at the end of the first week of school. She liked the political news, but she also used it to monitor the reports on them. When the owl delivered the morning edition during breakfast, she flipped directly to the society page. They had photos from the Governor’s Ball, with one of the Headmaster, one of Neville and Hannah together, two of Kingsley and Renee, and seven of Ginny, with and without Harry. One photographer apparently really liked her bottom, they showed two photos of her at the buffet, just from her waist down to her knees.

“Tell me I don’t have anything exposed,” she asked Hermione. She’d gone to Stage Three when she saw them.

“Not that I can see. The dress hangs low enough, you can’t even see your legs. Apparently, the photographer and the photo editor just like your bum in that dress.”

Dennis said, “What’s not to like?” Natalie swatted his arm. “Hey,” he complained, “I like your bottom, too!”

Hermione said, “Well, we know Harry’s going to have his scissors out.”

Ginny went to Stage Four blush.

She remembered to catch Percy at the end of the Transfiguration class. She told him that she and Hermione were going to The Burrow for breakfast on Sunday, and she planned to talk about the event. Percy said he looked forward to it.

Hermione arranged a time with her, late in the afternoon, when they would sit in the common room and Ginny would tell her about the experience. They chose the common room, knowing that the other students would be listening. Hermione had wanted to put up signs, alerting students to the discussion, but Ginny quashed that. Still, they started with about a dozen students in the room, and ended with it nearly packed.

Ginny figured it was good practice for Sunday.

The Quidditch match on Saturday was frustrating and also satisfying for Ginny. The Slytherin team was playing very well, out scoring her Gryffindor team 30 to 10. Then the Golden Snitch flew past her ear, flying in front of her like a teasing temptation. She quickly accelerated her Nimbus. The Snitch zigged and zagged, but her Nimbus allowed her to catch up, staying just ahead of the Slytherin Seeker. She ended the match with a score of 160 over 30.

Of course, the sooner her match ended, the more time they got to snog with the boys. 

Ginny quietly asked Harry, “Did you see the photos of me in the Prophet?”

He smirked, “You mean those high quality photos of your high quality bum? Oh, yes, I’ve got those in my locker at work! If I ever meet that photographer, I’ll have to shake his hand, right before I punch him in the nose. When are you going to hire a photographer?”

“I have a meeting Tuesday with our planner, I’ll ask then.”

The boys left after dinner. When they were getting ready for bed, Hermione told them that she had met Tisha’s new roommate at the staff meeting, and she wanted to meet both Ginny and Natalie. She was interested in watching the team workout, to see if it would be worth it for her.

When Ginny and Hermione went down the stairs Sunday morning, they found Percy, Harry, and Ron in the common room, talking about teaching. They kissed their boys. Ginny gave Percy a peck on his cheek, and he kissed her forehead. She noticed he still had a bit of Olivia’s scent on him, and suggested that he wash behind his ears, before Mum noticed. She raised an eyebrow, and he got the hint.

They strained the capacity of the Burrow’s kitchen table that morning. With her, Harry, Ron, and Hermione down one side of the dining table, and Bill, Fleur, Angelina, and George down the other, Percy sat on a stool behind Bill. Percy seemed to get on fine with Bill and Fleur, but he was uncomfortable around George. It looked like he was trying to disappear into the walls around Dad and Mum. 

Ginny tried to go with the narrative she had worked out in the common room, but Harry kept interrupting with his comments. Between the two of them, they covered pretty much everything, and only used two kerchiefs.

The one thing everyone wanted to know was, what was going on when everyone was applauding Harry?

Ginny said, “I couldn’t even stand. I wanted to be cheering like a fan at a match, but I simply couldn’t. The noise, and the level of love that everyone sent you, Harry, was overwhelming to me.” She looked at Harry, “I don’t know how you could just let it wash over you.”

“I distribute it. That whole time, I was listing all the names of the Fifty in my head, like ’Fred Weasley, this is for you.’ It helps me to remember them, and remember it wasn’t just about me.” All the Weasleys started crying at that.

Ginny wiped her eyes. “Do you really remember all fifty?”

He tapped his chest. “They’re all in here.”

“That is so like you, Harry. I shouldn’t doubt it. You probably didn’t see it, but Headmaster McGonagall had the biggest smile on her face. I’ve never seen her smile like that before. I think I know why, too. You were finally getting acknowledgment at the level that she thinks you deserve.”

Harry flushed red, and he got tears at the corner of his eyes. Ginny squeezed his hand and let him recover.

Her Mum said, “I’ll visit Andromeda soon, make sure she’s alright.”

Harry said, “It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen Teddy. Do you mind if I go with you?”

“Were you thinking of this afternoon, or next weekend? We could send an owl, or just use the Floo.”

“She likes it if I take Teddy when she’s trying to paint, so it’s best to arrange it. Why don’t you send Flyn and arrange it for Saturday afternoon, or sometime on the weekend when it’s best for her?”

Dressing Up

Audrey Prewett came to the school Tuesday afternoon after lunch. Hermione had classes, so Ginny met her alone at the gate. She had started talking to the Healer about Bellatrix again, because Ginny wanted to discuss that event. She was handling the Courtyard better, until Audrey asked about the cavity in the wall.

“I saw this when I was here before. Is this the crater that Mister Potter mentioned?”

She nodded and teared up, almost going to Stage Five. “I saw it happen. I’m sorry, it’s still too distressing for me to talk about.”

“Alright. Change of subject, then. I saw the photos of the Gala. Did you see all the papers?”

“Just the Prophet. Do you know who gets paid for the bum photos?”

“Yes, I think of him as the photography equivalent of Rita Skeeter. Sand-eating scum, but they sell papers. Dealing with them is the least attractive part of my job.”

“Harry wants to shake his hand, then punch his lights out! I think my father and brothers would skip the handshake.”

“Mister Potter wouldn’t be the first. I have the other papers, I’ll show you. Most are better than that.”

Ginny escorted her to an empty classroom, then closed the door. She tapped the light sconce with her wand, the way she had seen Hermione and Natalie do. She asked Audrey to throw a wad of paper at the door. Audrey wadded up one of her flyers and tossed it. It bounced before touching the door.

They sat at the table, and Audrey laid out the newspapers. At least partly because Harry was involved, the Gala was an international event in the Wizarding World. The Quibbler had only photographs from the press room, and only one of her and Harry. The dress looked very nice on her. The foreign press mostly used photos from the Ball, and only the French paper used a photo of her without Harry. In that photo it looked like she was waiting at the bar, and it showed all her back, not just her bum.

Ginny said, “The dress looks alright.”

Audrey snorted. “Miss Weasley, you sell yourself short, and you shouldn’t. Every outlet that rates the look of the women at the Ball has you somewhere in the top five on their list. You don’t make number one very often, but you faced some classic competition. You were knock-out beautiful in that dress!”

She could feel her blush reach Stage Three. “You should call me Ginny, please.”

“Thank you, call me Audrey.”

“Audrey, this leads me to something I wanted to ask about. It relates to the wedding, and it doesn’t.”

“The wedding photographer?”

“Yes. I want some private photos taken, not for publication, and I need someone absolutely trustworthy. Nothing risqué, just private.”

“I have five trustworthy photographers I use, depending on where and when. The one I trust the most is my sister Zoe. Her schedule usually gets busy the closer we get to the holidays, but I can see if she has free time this month. What kind of photos did you have in mind?”

“Now, I want photos with that dress. I have another outfit that Harry bought for me recently, I want photos for him. Plus, I have a bikini. Harry wants photos of me in that, pronto!”

“I’ll wager he does, Ginny! Here’s what we can do: I want photos of you and Miss Granger, in a style they call glamour shots, just from the neck up. I’ll bring in a makeup artist for that as well. Once we have those, and both of you are made up, we can send the artist home. Then we can find a private place for you to put on what you please. The nice part is, I get to bill all the time to the wedding, so you aren’t paying a thing.”

“Directly. Harry’s money becomes my money too, when we’re married.” Ginny sighed at the thought, of both the wealth, and the responsibility.

“Of course.”

“Hermione has more class time than I do during the week. We could work out a time, like today, when I’m free but she’s in class, and I get made up first. Then she gets made up while we start with my photos. There are a few outfits that would look good in combination, with us together, I’ll talk to her about that. I’m certain my brother Ron would like a photo of Hermione in her swimsuit as well. I don’t believe he’s seen her in it, yet. We don’t swim in the pond at home, it’s too mucky.”

“Has Harry seen you in your bikini yet?”

“Just a teaser. That’s how I know he wants photos soon!”

“Good, I’ll let you know when Zoe is available. She’ll be thrilled when I tell her who the client is. Next: Have you looked at the invitation papers I sent you?”

“Looked at them, yes. Understood them, not really. Hermione and I can work out the text, but the style of it is beyond us. Could a style consultant help us with that?”

“Most can. I have three consultants I like, but one is the best.”

Ginny teased, “Another sister?”

Audrey grinned, “No, but she was a roommate here at school. I’ll find out her availability as well.”

“I was wondering, do we have to decide on the venue before we send the invitations?”

“We need to know the capacity, so we know how many we can invite. Since everyone will arrive by portkey, we don’t have to tell them the location at all, we’ll just mention that portkeys will be sent later. When we send them, we’ll tell people if it’s an indoor or outdoor location.”

“That’s convenient. It will make it harder for the media to find us.”

“More difficult, yes, but don’t underestimate them, they are very good at rooting out secrets.”

“Just so you know, we let the Shacklebolts know the date already. They’re clearing their schedule, as you said they would.”

“Excellent!”

Wednesday morning, they had a guest in the Dueling Hall. She was seated in one corner of the gallery, near the front. Her face looked youthful, she could have been Sixth Year, but her neck and hands led Ginny to think she was older than that. She went to introduce herself, and Clementine joined her.

Clementine said, “Ginny Weasley, this is my new roommate, Rana Singh. Rana said she’d just like to observe today.”

“Welcome, Rana. Let me know if you have any questions.”

The girl smiled, “Thank you, Captain Ginny.”

Ginny looked at Clementine. “You just had to, didn’t you?”

Clementine grinned.

Dennis came to the workout. He told Ginny that he would start slow, but he wanted to get healthy again. He wanted to get fit to play in their next match in February.

When they went to breakfast, he was covered in sweat and trembling with exhaustion. She took his arm and helped him get to the Great Hall. Clementine took his other arm. When they got him back to his regular seat, Natalie cast a few cleanup spells on him, then she kissed him thoroughly enough to fire his blood.

When she pulled away, she said, “Dennis, I’m proud of you.”

He took a deep breath, “I love you, Natalie.”

Her smile lit the room. “I love you, darling!” He kissed her.

Ginny and Hermione cheered!

A short time after breakfast started, the morning mail owls flew in. Hermione received her daily paper. A long, oddly shaped package arrived for Dennis. He caught it before it hit the plates.

Hermione say, “Merlin’s mucky beard, I’ve been here before. It’s a broom! What does the card say?”

Dennis tore off the card and opened it. “’From a fan of your courage, and your tenacity in healing. Hope to see you in Auror training one day. P.S. Watch the curve on your Expelliarmus casting!’ It’s from Harry, isn’t it?” He started tearing off the paper on the package, they all jumped in to help.

Ginny gave the safe answer, “If it’s from Harry, he didn’t mention it to me.” She knew it’s exactly the kind of thing he would do.

The broom was a Nimbus 2002, just like Ginny’s. When she saw that, she knew it was sent by Harry, but she’d leave it to him to confirm it.

“Dennis, this is Captain’s orders: Just a short time ago, you were exhausted enough to be tripping over your own feet. Breakfast should help you get through classes, but I don’t want you flying that broom until after you’ve had a kip. If the weather isn’t too bad, I can go flying with you this afternoon, or tomorrow afternoon after two. I want to be there in case you have trouble. Alright?”

“Yes, Captain.” His smile seemed like he was feeling disappointed and impatient, but understanding and appreciative. It was a lot to read in an expression, but she knew she’d feel the same way.

“We’ll do it as soon as we can do it safely, I understand the impatience.”

“Thank you, Ginny.”

Late that afternoon, Nigel came up to their room. The door was open, he knocked on the doorframe. Ginny was writing to Harry, she looked up as he approached.

“Hi, Nigel.”

“You were right, this is the mirror of our room. Dennis says he’s ready to fly.”

“Thank you, I’ll be right down.”

“I’ll tell him. That privacy screen is cool.”

She looked out the window, it was breezy and cloudy, but not raining presently. She grabbed her overcoat and her broom and went downstairs.

Dennis was looking out the window, cradling his new broom.

He looked at her, “The weather seems borderline, I wasn’t sure you wanted to go.”

“We’ll give it a go, but it isn’t ideal for testing out a new broom. It’s possible we may not be out long, just enough to settle your impatience. Did you sleep?”

“Yes, Captain, over an hour. I’m feeling better.”

“Let’s go, then.”

They went out the doors to the Quidditch pitch. Ginny mounted and lifted off, then turned back. “Alright, take it gently to start with. This has more power than your old broom.”

He mounted his broom, then lifted off. The wind was a little gusty, and it bounced him around, but he stabilized.

“Now, accelerate to a slow pace.”

Dennis leaned forward, and the broom zoomed ahead. He leaned back and slowed to the rate of a walk. “Wow, that’s crazy!”

Ginny zipped around to catch him. “Good recovery! Now let’s try a little faster. Accelerate to a joggers pace and we’ll fly to the entrance to the pitch.”

He accelerated again, about half the rate he’d done before. She followed him down the hill.

“The wind is picking up, and it’s getting colder. We may get snow. We’ll circle the outside of the pitch three times. The first time, we’ll go at that jogger’s pace, maybe a bit faster, so you get used to cornering. Then double it, then as fast as you dare. Watch out for the crosswinds!”

Dennis accelerated, and rose to the level of the grandstands. She was able to keep up with no problems, but they were both bounced around. They circled the pitch, and Dennis accelerated. She had a little difficulty catching him, just because they were bounced around more than before.

When they reached the entrance again, Dennis gunned it, the broom took off like a shot. She had trouble catching him, and the buffetting was knocking her towards the grass. She almost overshot him when he slowed down.

She heard him yell, “Too much!”

They made it around to the entrance again, and he stopped.

“Follow me, and we’ll go in.”

She accelerated gradually, giving him time to catch up, and so she could judge the turbulence. She headed for the walls of the grounds, and turned to follow them. She rose above the level of the walls, so they wouldn’t hit them, but it exposed them to the full force of the wind. They followed the walls past the gate, then turned and flew over Hagrid’s hut, then turned around the castle, to land back at the doors. Ginny had flown the route faster, but not in this kind of weather.

Dennis dismounted and hugged his broom. “That was fantastic, thank you, Captain!”

“Well done, Seeker!”

Friday morning, Ginny got an owl from Audrey. She said she had contacted her sister Zoe, and attached her availability for the next two weeks. Let her know the day and time, and she would coordinate a makeup artist to arrive a half hour early.

She had to wait until mid-afternoon, but she talked with Hermione in their room. They compared schedules. As Ginny suspected, their first opportunity was going to be Tuesday afternoon at three. So if the makeup artist set up in a classroom, they should arrive by two. Then Ginny could get her makeup and glamour shot done by three, the photographer could set up on the speaking stage. They’d need privacy screens and all the clothes they plan to wear.

“Do I need both our Prefects?”

“You need two Prefects, but the second could be just the guest-greeter on duty.”

“Could Natalie participate, as well as do her duty?”

“What are you thinking of?”

“Just that we each have boyfriends who might appreciate photos of us in our swimsuits, and we could get one of us as the Three Muses, but in swimsuits, of course.”

“So if Natalie wore her swimsuit under her robes, she wouldn’t need a privacy screen. That should be sufficient, if she agrees.”

The photo shoot went very well. Both Hermione and Ginny thought they were overdone for their glamour shots, so as soon as Zoe had what she wanted, they asked that the makeup be reduced by half. They looked good, but felt much closer to natural that way.

They finished up the session in their robes, and it was just before dinner. They decided to carry their bundles of clothes, and go directly to the Great Hall.

Natalie had put back on her school robes, but the makeup artist had given her a light amount of makeup and done something to put more life in her hair. When she sat down next to Dennis, his mouth fell open, then he kissed her for at least a minute.

Zoe came back on Friday afternoon to meet with the three of them. She had chosen the top three shots for each set of photographs and developed them. For the dress, Ginny chose one that started with her facing mostly away, but her head turned over her shoulder towards the camera, then she did a complete twirl. She chose the sexiest bikini shot, just for Harry, and Hermione chose her swimsuit photo for Ron. She wanted three copies of the three of them together, in robes and the ‘Three Muses’ shot in their swimsuits. They got ten copies each of them individually in their school robes, for family and friends. They chose the best of the photographs of the culotte combos, then ordered four copies.

Natalie put together an envelope for Dennis, and she handed it to him when they met at dinner. He admired the photo of her in her school robes. Then he looked at the second photo, of her in her swimsuit, and flushed bright pink. He quickly covered it so other students couldn’t see. Ginny grinned when Natalie kissed him.

After the team workout that Sunday, she took her broom with her when she went to lunch. She went back outside and worked out a new route, using the castle as a central focus, where they could circle it while covering different corners of the property, and not flying near the pitch. She took notes, then at the Wednesday workout she asked everyone when they might have an hour or two during the week, just to go flying. The following week she showed them the route she had worked out. 

They started meeting for flight workouts regularly. They worked on speed in bumpy weather. They worked on formations. They worked on catching and passing an imaginary Quaffle, without throwing it. Most important, to Ginny, they had fun together. They bonded as a team. In the years she had been on the Gryffindor Team, this was the most fun she had had with the group.

At the end of November, in Sports Medicine, they began talking about diet. Salt, carbohydrates, and fats. They covered a lot in the four weeks remaining of the term.

Her therapy sessions got directly into the Battle, specifically, what Ginny saw in the Courtyard. She talked about how she felt about Remus and Tonks, and how the killing curse took their lives away. She talked about how she felt watching Tonks kill a man by crushing him against a stone wall.

She used a lot of kerchiefs in those meetings.

Approaching the middle of December, she noticed the construction team was putting up framing on the wall, it looked like they were finally going to fix the cavity. She stood there in the Courtyard, looking at the cavity, remembering Remus and Tonks, and she didn’t cry. She missed them, like she missed Fred, still and always.

As a thank-you for covering for Natalie for a week, Hermione gave Nigel a certificate for a complete spa treatment in the Prefect’s bathroom. Normally, students had to pay for this, except the Prefects and Captains were traditionally given one during the spring term. Hermione and Justin were adding it as rewards during the autumn and winter terms. The full treatment included a haircut, manicure and pedicure, and a full body massage. 

The Saturday a week before the end of term Feast, Ginny watched Hufflepuff play Ravenclaw. It was a close, high-scoring match for over two hours, until the Hufflepuff Seeker caught the Snitch. The score was Hufflepuff 410 to Ravenclaw 230.

Harry and Ron came to the school for the day. Starting after breakfast, they were going to experience all three of Olivia’s memories of Hermione’s story. Ron stayed to tell them, Harry had stormed out after the first one. The three of them went to see what was going on.

They Apparated to the house and Ron let them in the patio door.

Ginny said, “He’s probably gone up to the bedroom.”

His voice came from the parlor, “No, I’m here.” The lamps weren’t lit and the curtains were closed.

Ron lit the lamps. Harry was sitting on the sofa with a pint of beer next to him.

Harry looked at Hermione. “You thank Merlin it was me? There were at least a couple of people who it might have been, but you’re glad it was me? My parents murdered, Sirius murdered, growing up with those dreadful people, I’ve been attacked and terrorized for years, mistreated by classmates, and you’re glad it was me? Sometimes, Hermione, I can’t believe you’re not in Slytherin.”

Ron said, “Hey!”

Hermione was crying. She wiped her eyes on her fingers and kneeled on the rug. “Harry, I need you to listen to me. Will you listen, please?”

He rubbed his jaw and nodded, “I’ll listen.”

“I would never say I was glad. I said I thank Merlin it was you. Would anyone but you have put their hands on a teacher to burn him? Would Neville, when he was twelve, have taken a tooth from a basilisk and saved Ginny’s life? Would anyone have trusted Sirius, ten minutes after meeting him? Would anyone have risked their own life to bring Cedric’s body back to his parents? Would any other student have agreed to teach us offensive and defensive spells, and done such a fine job? Would anyone else have faced death, having the choice to go to the hereafter, or stay and fight Voldemort, and chosen the fight?” She sobbed.

“I thank Merlin it was you, because you did all that. Not someone else, who probably wouldn’t have made it through what you did. And I am your friend because of the pain and suffering you’ve gone through, because you have that, as well, and friends help their friends get through their tough times.”

Harry started crying. Ginny went to him, sitting next to him on the sofa, and pulled his head against her shoulder. She wrapped him in her arms until he stopped crying. He pulled his head back and kissed her.

He turned to Hermione and said, “I’m sorry. I misread what you were saying, and I made a mess of it. You two have been with me through nearly all of it, and I can never thank you enough. I mean, I’m paying for your wedding, giving you free room and board, but that barely compensates for what you’ve gone through, on this ride with me. It’s my honor to give you these things. Thank you, so much.”

It took a few minutes for their emotions to cool down, then they returned to the school, and Harry and Ron experienced the second memory. They cried periodically through dinner, then they experienced the third.

They returned to the classroom on the main floor to review what they’d seen. Harry said, “Hermione, I want to apologize again for what I said earlier. You really are bloody brilliant, and a good friend. I am alive now because of dumb luck and happy coincidences, and, apparently, sheer stubborn obstinance.”

Hermione said, “Apology accepted. I’m sorry, Harry, but you weren’t paying enough attention, perhaps you should watch the last one again. Or perhaps I didn’t say it clearly enough.

“Yes, there was a considerable amount of luck involved, but most of the coincidences weren’t that random. They were the result of choices you made, sometimes weeks and years before, that finally came to a resolution. I’ll say it again, and keep saying it until you believe it: Voldemort was defeated because it was you, not someone else. Lots of people guided you, especially Dumbledore and McGonagall, Hagrid, Sirius, and Molly Weasley-”

“-Us,” Ron added.

“But you made the decisions, you took the actions.”

“Thank you, Hermione,” Harry said. “I’ll try to let that sink in.”

“But you are obstinate.”

Ginny added, “And thank blessed Merlin for that! Even if you drive us nuts sometimes.”

Ron added, “No doubt!”

The last three days of Defence class before the end of term, Olivia asked Hermione to review her scroll of spells, what they were used for and how useful they were. They skipped the common offense and defense spells, and it still took them three days to review them.

In Transfiguration, they reviewed her six spells. The ones that weren’t incredibly complicated she demonstrated to the class, and explained what they could be used for.

Professor Flitwick told her that two of them were being added to their Sixth and Seventh Year texts, and she would receive a compensation for that every year.

With two days left in the term, in her therapy session Healer Mantooth showed Ginny his preliminary security assessment on her. He said she was “potentially very powerful, not only for her mental triggers, but also for her innate strengths.” She “shows no signs of malevolence, except perhaps towards those who commit evil. Could be a good Auror, if she was interested.”

She said, “Thank you, Healer, you’ve given me much to think about. Enjoy your holiday, sir.”

“You as well, Miss Weasley.”

The Holiday Break 

The Saturday before Christmas, Natalie and Dennis rode with them on the Express to London. They didn’t see Percy or Olivia, but Natalie reported that further down the train there was one compartment where the windows were blacked out and the slider was locked. All Hermione had to say was that it was curious indeed. Ginny suppressed a smirk.

They hung around to be sure Natalie and Dennis were picked up by their families, then they Apparated to the Burrow. Ginny’s parents were happy to see them. It seemed strange to Ginny to have her parents to herself, and not sharing them with her brothers. That hadn’t happened very often since she was ten.

They shared the latest wedding plans. Hermione reminded Ginny to pick up several jars of healing salve. They still had one, so she got three more. Ginny made sure Hermione learned the dish-cleaning spells.

Percy came by on Tuesday afternoon. He talked with the ladies about teaching. For the First and Second Years, the other Professors were showing him the fine art of lecturing. They said he was a natural, he just had to be sure he kept to topic. He told them he was actually starting to enjoy himself. His arrangement with the school had been extended through the winter term, so they must think he wasn’t completely inept, anymore.

He told them he had gone to a coffee shop near his apartment in London the previous morning, and he’d met a beautiful young redheaded woman. They flirted a bit, and he gave his five-minute lecture on espresso. She was still interested, so he got her name. It was Audrey.

Hermione put her face in her hands, to keep Percy from seeing her laugh. Ginny kept a straight face, “By any chance, was she in her mid to late twenties, red hair the color of Mum’s, and she kind of looks like Mum, but you can’t quite put your finger on it?”

He sighed, “She’s related to us, isn’t she?”

“Not closely, you’re safe there. It’s stranger than that. She’s our wedding planner!”

Hermione was laughing hard. She caught her breath. “She’s going to put it together, probably in less than five minutes, that you’re Ron and Ginny’s brother. How many redheads named Percy your age are there going to be? If you see her next week, she’ll have seen your non-restricted Ministry record by then. She might tell you all this, and try to say she can’t go out with you because of some conflict of interest. Don’t accept it. If she wants to go out with you, we don’t see a problem. We know she isn’t going to tell you anything about the wedding unless we give permission, we trust her.”

Ginny said, “So if you want to see her, ask her out!”

His face lit up. “What can you tell me about her? What’s she like?”

She cut him off. “Nope. That’s the fun of dating, the joy of discovery. I will tell you her name is Audrey Prewett, she appears to be single, she has at least one sibling, and she used to work at the Ministry. That’s the same starting point she has with you.”

Hermione added, “If you can still do your own research, you can find out for yourself, I think you might impress her that way. Good luck, Percy, truly. We like her a lot.”

Her Dad’s holiday time started Wednesday. Harry and Ron arrived shortly after breakfast. Percy arrived in the afternoon. He told Ginny and Hermione that he’d waited in the coffee shop all morning, but didn’t see her.

When Harry and Ron finished their tea and toast, Harry announced that he was collecting on a debt, and the four of them were going to dinner that night. When the girls came downstairs that evening, dressed to go out, they were wearing their culottes with their nicest blouses. They would use a charm to stay warm. Ron’s mouth fell open, and Harry had a smile that almost split his face. Percy’s eyes bugged out.

The restaurant had a few stairs up to the doors. Ginny had the boys stop at the foot of the stairs, and they went up to the doors and posed. A man with a camera tried to push his way between Ron and Harry, and Ron nudged him back, then they went inside. The next morning, the picture in the Prophet was the two of them posing, but it was blurry and at an angle, apparently taken right as Ron nudged the photographer.

Bill and Fleur arrived Thursday morning. She had a definite bump growing. Bill reported that the baby-making was progressing well, no health alerts so far. George closed the shop at noon, he and Angelina arrived midway through lunch.

Christmas morning, they had a vision of a miracle: Charlie Apparated in from Romania. For the first time since the day after the Battle, when they buried Fred, all of Molly and Arthur’s children were gathered at the Burrow. 

After breakfast, they opened presents. Her brothers and parents got photographs of her in her school robes, her parents also got a photo of her in the culottes. Ron and Harry got separate presents, opened privately. They each got photos of their girl in her swimsuit, and the culottes. Harry also got the photo of her in the dress she wore to the Gala.

The two of them received presents from Audrey. They were identical clocks that showed the current date across the top, then ‘217’ in large digits. Hermione said, “They’re literally countdown clocks!”

After dinner, they all put their coats on and went out to Fred’s grave and sang Auld Lang Syne, and a few carols, holding their wands upright with the tips lit, like candles. George couldn’t talk for a while, but everyone gave him a hug. Mum was a blubbery mess during the singing, but she dried her eyes when they decided to go inside, and sounded fine after that.

Sunday morning, Ginny sat with Harry, Hermione sat with Ron, and they snogged for about an hour. Then the girls put on their coats, picked up their travel bags, and walked out to the property line. They Apparated to a garage behind a church that was a few blocks from the home of the Grangers. The neighborhood was mildly busy with cars.

As they approached her family’s home, Hermione nervously reminded Ginny for the fifth time not to cast spells except in an emergency.

“Yes, my sister. The wand is in the arm holster, where it will stay.”

Hermione’s Mum, Emma, opened the door before they could ring the bell. She hugged her daughter, then took Ginny by the hand and gently led her into the house.

Their home was certainly different from the Burrow. The lights didn’t flicker and move. Most everything was neat and organized, at least in the dining area and the sitting room. The kitchen had a few cook books on a shelf, just like her Mum. There were devices on the counter in the kitchen that had cords that plugged into circular sockets on the wall.

After they had a cup of tea and a chat, where they went over their wedding plans again, they exchanged gifts. Ginny gave them the afghan that her Mum had made, and wrapped for them. Hermione gave them a large package that had her photograph in her school robes. “I’m sorry, there are some restrictions. Please don’t display it out here where a guest might see it. You can have it in your bedroom, and maybe the den.”

Then she gave them another package that was a bit smaller. This one had a framed photograph of her in her culottes. The photo had been frozen, so it didn’t move. The Hogwarts or Gryffindor logos weren’t visible, so they could display it anywhere.

Hermione gave her a tour. The first floor had Hermione’s bedroom, the loo, and a room that Hermione called a Den. It had a pair of desks with computers on them. Ginny remembered seeing computers like that in her Muggle Studies courses. It also had a pull-out bed with a little nightstand. Daniel, Hermione’s Dad, had put her bag on the bed. Ginny wasn’t sure, but it looked like the computers were off, no lights were on.

Hermione showed her the bathroom, which was located between the Den and Hermione’s bedroom. She went over how to turn the lights on and off, and the vent fan as well. She demonstrated the control knobs for the water in the sink, which were similar in principle but different from the knobs for the shower.

She was starting to demonstrate the differences in the operation of the toilet, when she saw something new. She went to get her Mum.

The three of them squeezed into the room. Hermione said, “You had a bidet seat installed. Could you explain it to us? We know what it does, but how is it operated?”

Emma was very pleased with it, she showed them the controls. It wasn’t as intelligent as their toilets, but the principal was the same.

Ginny watched Emma fix lunch. The only part that seemed really strange was the soup. Emma used a device to open a few cans, then emptied the cans into a medium bowl. She added water to the bowl, then put it into a box on the counter, and started the box to whirring. There was a light inside the box, so they could see the bowl turn on a plate.

Ginny asked, “How does that box make the soup?”

Emma replied, “The box is a micro-wave. It’s heating the water molecules to make the contents of the container boil, so it all heats up. The soup is pre-cooked, we just bring it up to a boil.”

“Oh, alright. My Mum usually cooks one or two soups per week. When there’s leftovers she puts them in a container, and the container keeps them cold, then it can bring them back to eating temperature.”

“That’s similar, then. I hardly ever fix my own soup from scratch, I usually get pre-made, either in cans or sometimes in containers, where the soup is made at the market. Canned soups tend to have more salt than is really healthy for us, so I prefer the store-made, when they have a type we like.”

Ginny could definitely taste the salt. She found that peeling bits of bread from the edges of her sandwich and soaking it in the soup made it taste less salty. Hermione watched her, then tried it herself.

She explained to her parents, “After living with less salt, you definitely notice it when it’s used. We’re just taking the edge off.” She held up her sandwich. “Literally, in this case.”

Daniel asked, “You don’t eat very much that’s made with salt?”

Ginny started listing the food her family ate in her head. “Bacon is probably the saltiest, and it’s a treat, not a steady part of our diet.”

Hermione added, “Unfortunately.”

Ginny smiled, “We have sausages, but the farmer next door makes them, and salt is only one of many spices he uses. We put salt on potatoes, and a little bit on eggs, along with other spices. I don’t know how they do it, but the food at school always tastes good, and I hardly notice the taste of salt.”

After lunch, Emma brought out a magazine that was just about bridal gowns. “I don’t know if you already know what you want, or were still looking for ideas.” 

Daniel read the newspaper. He said, “Ginny, would you please thank your fiancé from me, that he’s paying for everything? I’ve always been afraid that paying for Hermione’s wedding could make paupers of us. Not that I wouldn’t happily pay to give you the wedding you want, my sweet daughter, but giving you what you want could drain our account.”

Ginny replied, “I’ll pass on your message. I haven’t seen the numbers on Harry’s account, yet, but he says we have nothing to worry about, we can spend as much as we want.”

Hermione went and kissed her Dad’s cheek. “If it wasn’t for Harry Potter, we’d be getting married in front of a justice of the peace, in plain clothes. This way, we get to fulfill our dreams.”

“Thank God for his blessings, then.”

Ginny focused on the magazine, “I certainly don’t think our dresses have to match, we’re individuals. Just so long as we don’t clash. The boys will both be in suits, or tuxedos, so that’s pretty predictable.”

After being dazzled by the options shown in the magazine, Ginny and Hermione had at least narrowed down their interest. Hermione wanted a strapless dress with long white gloves, and the back going down to the small of her back. Ginny wanted her shoulders covered, with poet sleeves, which tend to be filmy, with the back open to the bottom of her shoulder blades, and short white gloves. Neither of them wanted a long train, the dress should just brush the floor, without dragging at all.

The magazine didn’t have an ideal selection for either of them, so they did a mix-and-match, taking ideas from different dresses. Ginny was shocked the first time Emma ripped a page from the magazine and handed it to her, then it got kind of fun.

When they had enough to consider, Emma put the remainder of the magazine on a shelf. “I’ll keep this until you leave, in case you think of something. So, what’s the news on the venue?”

Hermione said, “Our first choice is the old cathedral for the school, it’s a huge great hall. That was damaged about six months ago, and it may not be fully repaired by July.”

Ginny continued, “Second choice is a clearing on my parents’ property in the middle of an orchard.”

Emma said, “At the end of July, that could be very beautiful!”

Hermione added, “We hope so. Third choice is Harry’s home.”

Ginny added, “The number of people we can invite depends on the venue, so our wedding planner has set a deadline of the end of April for us to make the decision. The hall at school should be able to hold three hundred, at least. The clearing can probably hold as many. Harry’s home could hold a dozen, perhaps two.”

“That’s a significant drop!” Emma said, “Ginny, are you excited to be moving into a new home?”

“The excitement is growing, but we’ll all be moving in, all four of us. Harry’s home is a four-story row house, with a big basement. He, or I should say we, invited Ron and Hermione to move in after the wedding, Ron’s already living there. Harry’s giving them an entire floor to set up the way they want. We were renovating the house all summer, we’ll see what it looks like in July.”

Daniel had come to the dining table from the sitting room. “Hermione, what do you think of that?”

She took Ginny’s hand. “Harry and I have been best friends since our First Year. Ginny is Ron’s sister, and we already act like sisters, have for most of this year. I couldn’t ask for a better situation to live in, as Ron and I start our lives together. As our lives progress, if we start filling the house with babies, Ron and I have talked of getting our own place. That could be years down the road.”

Ginny said, “I had six older brothers, growing up. I’m the only girl. I’m overjoyed that the relationship that Hermione and I have developed feels like being sisters. You’ve met my Mum, she’s already ready to crown Hermione as favorite daughter-in-law, despite the one she already has. 

Emma had tears in her eyes. She placed her hand over their joined hands. “I’m so happy that you two are so close!”

“My sister-in-law is pregnant, by the way. I’m going to be an aunt before summer starts.”

Emma smiled, “Congratulations!”

“I’ll be an aunt-in-law, won’t I, by August? I’ll be Auntie Hermione.” Ginny watched the smile grow on Hermione’s face, becoming truly joyful.

“It just hit you now, did it?” Ginny gave her a hug. The tears filled her eyes. “Someday, you may be an aunt to my children, and I will be aunt to yours. Won’t that be wondrous?”

Hermione started crying, and hugged her back.

She heard Daniel moan, “Oh, please don’t talk about children! I’m too young to be a grandfather!”

After dinner, Ginny watched Hermione help Daniel load their dishes into a machine that was built into the cabinets. Ultimately, this way was more work than their way, but it might get the dishes a bit more sanitary.

Ginny wanted to take a shower and go to bed, but Emma advised her to wait an hour, as the machine plays havoc with the flow of hot water from the boiler. She called it a hot water tank, but Ginny understood her.

Their dental practice was greatly reduced for the holiday week, except for emergencies. Emma had time the next morning to drive them to the shop of her dress-making friend.

The shop had clothing for women and girls, mostly skirts and blouses, but also full dresses and jeans. It had two changing rooms and a small waiting area, with a television. Hermione said she remembered coming to the shop for school clothes, before she went away to school. 

Emma introduced them to her friend Nola. Nola suggested that Emma sit and watch some television, while she took the girls in the workshop.

Once the door closed on the workshop, Nola said, “It is such an honor to have you two in my shop. And you want me, ME, to make the dress for your wedding to Harry Potter! I can’t believe it, somebody pinch me.”

Ginny tried to plead innocence, “Harry who? We’re just marrying two boys from the city.”

Nola held up a copy of the Prophet, with the photo showing her walking next to Harry in front of the Hogwarts Express. “I know we’re not supposed to reveal ourselves to Muggles, but let’s not play games.” She pulled out a wand and cast a spell on the door.

Hermione said, “You’re a witch, and my Mum has no idea.”

“Nary a clue, your mother. I’ve known her for twenty years, that’s the game we play. She’s a good lady, but it’s nice when I can talk to real Hogwarts gals, you know?

“To business, the TV won’t hold her forever. Ginny, I saw the photos of the dress you wore to the Gala. Did you want something like that, just all in white silk?”

Hermione started digging in her pocketbook, Ginny pulled her clippings from her shoulder bag.

“Ah, clippings! Now we’re talking. Let’s do this one at a time. Hermione, for the dress I made for you for the Yule Ball, I worked from photos that your Mum gave me. Everything fit all right?”

“It was marvelous. Wait, how did you know it was the Yule Ball? Mum didn’t know.”

“Timing, dear.”

Ginny said, “It was a little tight in her back, I had to widen it a touch before she split a seam. Aside from that, it was the best advertisement to bring us here today. She was gorgeous!”

“Yeah, I hate to work from photos unless I can’t avoid it. Here’s the best way. Hermione, take this sack dress into the fitting room. Put this on over just your underclothes. It will seem really short, but it stretches. Pull the bottom hem down to where you want the dress length to be, or just down to your knees, then come back out here and I’ll record your measurements.”

While they waited, Nola asked Ginny questions about the Order of Merlin Gala.

Hermione stepped from the fitting room, “I want the hem lower than this.”

“Come on out. If you’re going below your knees, let us fix it. Here you go. Stand right here.”

Hermione stood on a square plate with a big black X. The plate suddenly rose, as a step-stool half a meter high. Hermione leaned way over, but managed to straighten up.

“Were you looking for the tops of your toes, the peak of your foot, or your ankles?”

“Top of the toes, I imagine.”

Nola pulled on the hem of the dress. “Alright, that’s got it.” The step-stool collapsed, shaking Hermione’s balance again. Nola set her pad and quill down on a workbench. “This may pinch a little, it takes about a minute.” She tapped the dress with her wand, and the fabric shrank so it fit Hermione very snugly. The quill rose up and began writing on the pad.

There was a dressmaker’s dummy in the back of the room. It caught Ginny’s eye because it started moving, both flexing and turning, and rolling across the floor towards them. By the time the quill dropped, the dummy had reached them. It appeared to be exactly Hermione’s shape, down to her thighs, and the bottom representing the hem had dropped to about four centimeters from the floor. Nola took a piece of black chalk and wrote ’H.G.’ across it’s stomach. Tapping the dress again, it resumed its sack shape. Hermione took a deep breath.

“Alright, Hermione, you may redress yourself.” Nola picked up Hermione’s clippings and waved her wand around the dummy while she got dressed.

Ginny said, “Nola, it’s practically guaranteed that our wedding site will have stairs for us to descend. We don’t want to be tripping on our dresses.”

“Understood, Ginny, thank you.”

“And we’ll need pockets for our wands.”

When Hermione finished in the fitting room, Nola handed Ginny a fresh sack dress. “Your turn, young lady!”

With the process complete, Ginny examined her dummy version, while Hermione discussed her dress with Nola. Her parents had always told her she was beautiful, but they were her parents, they were supposed to say that. Her brothers hardly ever told her she was pretty, she was always being the Tom Boy, playing in their games, sometimes beating them at it. Just another brother. Some of the boys she had dated had told her she was pretty, but she couldn’t be sure if they were sincere, or if they wanted something from her. Harry told her she was beautiful, and she knew he wanted something, but she also trusted that he was sincere.

Looking at her dummy, it was different than even seeing her reflection when she wore the bikini, because then she was looking at skin and muscle. This was just her nude silhouette. She had to admit she really was a shapely girl, and she had a pretty nice bottom.

She didn’t notice that their discussion had stopped, until Hermione came over and put her hand on her shoulder. “What are you thinking?”

“I was just recognizing that I really am a girl, and I’m not shaped like a boy any longer. And I’m kind of hot!”

Hermione replied, “That took you way too long, my sister!”

Nola said, “Ginny, you need to take the ’kind of’ from that thought. You’re hot, no two ways about it!”

“I’ve faked it with Harry, doing the flirty things that girls are supposed to do. He makes me warm, whatever I do. Now I think I understand what he’s looking for.”

Nola started working with Ginny’s dummy. She had written ’P.G.’ on its stomach. She was about to ask what that stood for, when Hermione said quietly, “Potter’s Girl.”

They looked at Hermione’s dummy. The illusion of the dress was still active.   Hermione said, “This is all going to be silk, or faux silk.”

Ginny said, “You’re going to be stunning, absolutely gorgeous! Wow!”

The dress was form-hugging, from her thighs to her rib cage. Her bosom was covered by a wide band of fold-over material, which extended across to her arms. She didn’t need gloves to enhance the look. Her shoulders were completely bare, and there was a thin ’V’ notch for her cleavage. Starting at her thigh there was a slit down the right side. 

Ginny joked, “Jogging is definitely out. If you ride a broom, it had better be side-saddle, otherwise you’ll have to remove it.”

“I’m thinking that would be bad, because as snug as this will be, there won’t be much on under it!” Ginny’s ears got warm.

When Nola finished with Ginny’s dummy, they went over to look. Ginny’s cheeks got warm. 

Her dress was mostly white lace, with translucent poet sleeves starting at her shoulder straps, down to her wrists. The cleavage went down to below her diaphragm, almost to her navel. Very faintly they could see a transparent piece that would hold the cleavage together, and hopefully prevent her from exposing herself. No calisthenics in this! The back was open down to the small of her back, and the lace below that appeared slightly translucent, so if she was back-lit people could see the outline of her legs and torso.

Hermione said, “You need to let your hair grow out, or we get it grown out for this. I’m imagining this with a cascade of red curls down one side of your neck, past your collarbone. Young men will be fainting at the sight of you!”

“The test is, would Harry or my parents be embarrassed to have the world see me in this?”

She replied, “Harry, definitely not. Your parents, if nothing is exposed, I don’t think so. You certainly wouldn’t look like a tramp.”

“Not exactly a high bar you’re setting, my sister!”

“You won’t be embarrassing your parents by rating poorly on the list of most beautiful women of the year. You might make the top ten.”

“You could, too, Hermione!”

They thanked Nola, and said they would be back in early April for fittings. A woman named Audrey Prewett would be by with a cheque for the deposit, probably at the beginning of January.

According to Ginny’s watch, they’d been in for about two and a half hours. Emma barely noticed that time passed. Ginny wondered what kind of spells were on the waiting area.

With their overcoats on, and the pavement clear of snow, they spent some time window shopping in Hampstead. Ginny spent the time enjoying the flavor of the town, and the joyful nature of the holiday season, but she was also looking for the subtle clues of wizardly proprietors. Emma knew many of the people they saw, usually as patients. Ginny got a few nods of recognition or wide-eyed stares, and she knew Hermione and Nola hadn’t been the only witches in town.

They went back to the car and drove home when it was close to sundown. Daniel had fallen asleep on the sofa, with the television on. Ginny watched a news program, and even here they devoted several minutes to celebrity gossip. She didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if the Daily Prophet had a television program.

The next morning, they exchanged hugs with Daniel and Emma, took their walk to the garage behind the church, and Apparated back to the Burrow. Ron and Harry arrived in time for lunch. After lunch, Harry got Ron involved with his father in a discussion of Quidditch, then quietly mentioned he was going to help Ginny pack up her room. Ron barely paid attention.

Ginny and Hermione were waiting in Ginny’s room. Hermione had brought a tray with cups of pumpkin juice.

Harry said to Ginny, “Ideally, we’d be doing this far from anyone, this is mildly dangerous. I want you to remember that day in Hogsmeade, when you cast the shield spell. Hermione is the girl you need to protect. Before you cast the spell, think of a thermometer, on the side of what you’re seeing. When you cast it before, the temperature was one hundred. This time, the temperature will be sixty. You need to set the temperature yourself, push it if you have to. Then cast your spell.”

Ginny tried to remember the fear she felt that morning, the desperate need she had to protect Tisha. Then she set the temperature on the thermometer, and cast the shield. She wound up casting her standard shield.

She tried again, using their fight with Bellatrix. Triggering fear was easy, adding Hermione as someone to protect wasn’t much of a stretch. She set the temperature and cast the spell. She was surrounded by pink fog, with a song in her ears singing of how wonderful and beautiful she was. Hermione was waving at someone outside the shield, but they weren’t important.

Hermione said, “Harry can’t see me or hear me.”

Ginny said, “It doesn’t matter.” She was horrified that her voice came out that way.

Hermione’s eyes got very wide, and Ginny canceled the spell. She chugged a glass of pumpkin juice.

She told them it had come out just the same as at Hogsmeade. Hermione said she could see and hear Harry, but it was obvious that Harry only saw a pink wall.

She added, “Screaming Hate Monster, no crap! Knowing it’s just a vestige of something long gone doesn’t make that voice less scary.”

Ginny wanted to try again, pushing harder to moderate the ’temperature’. Harry had her rest for several minutes, then had her make a more direct connection with the temperature analogy. What the thermometer controlled was not her level of energy, but her level of fear. She started at one hundred, just as before, then dialed it back to sixty. She wasn’t nearly so afraid, and felt more in control. It brought with it its own feeling of confidence.

When she cast the shield, the song she heard was muted. The walls of the shield were similar to pink chiffon, mostly translucent.  When Harry tried talking to them, it sounded like she was underwater, listening to someone above the surface. He tried casting the Tickle Hex at the shield, and it was absorbed.

She canceled the spell, once again chugging a glass of pumpkin juice.

Hermione asked her, “Did you really need the energy of the whole glass, or did you just chug it all because you wanted it?”

Ginny gave her a guilty grin.

Harry said he could see their silhouettes inside the shield. He wanted to stop there, before they drained too much of Ginny’s energy.

Her Mum found her later that afternoon. She took Ginny’s face in her hands and looked in her daughter’s eyes. She patted Ginny’s cheek, saying, “My good girl!”

She was curious what that was about, and it occurred to her that her Mum may have seen Harry enter or leave her room.

Wednesday morning, they were finishing breakfast when they heard a clatter coming down the stairs.

Her Mum put her hand to her forehead, “Merlin’s mighty beard, I’ve created a monster.”

As the clatter approached, a large ball of brown yarn came rolling out of the stairwell, followed momentarily by a large cat. Crookshanks was moving with pretty good speed, and he caught the ball of yarn in his fore claws, then skidded to a stop. He chomped on the yarn until he had a good grip, then picked it up in his teeth and headed back to the stairs. He made commentary they could hear as he went back up the stairs.

“I’m sorry, Hermione, I was just trying to keep him away from my knitting. I just took one of the balls of yarn and rolled it across the floor for him. He had a great time with that, and every once in a while he’d bring it back and complain to me until I rolled it for him again. 

“Monday I needed to start dinner for Arthur, and I didn’t have a moment to  roll it for him. He picked it up and took it upstairs. I thought he was headed for your room. Whether it was on purpose or not, he dropped it, and the ball rolled down the stairs, and he chased it. Now he does it several times a day.”

Ginny said to Hermione, “Well, you were worried about him getting exercise.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, “Yes, but what’s he going to do in the Tower?”

They heard the ball bounce down the stairs once again.

Percy came by for lunch. “Audrey finally came back to the coffee shop. Pardon me if I sound a little hyper, but we had a good chat, and I’ve had a lot of tea.”

Ginny asked, “So what did you say?”

“I’d gone into my office Monday afternoon and got her profile. You knew she’d been an Auror, didn’t you?”

“We knew, it was part of her recommendation.” Hermione said.

“When I saw her, I walked up and said, ’Good morning, Audrey the Auror’. She said, ’Good morning, Professor Percy!’ From there, we talked for over an hour.”

Ginny asked, “Did you make a date?”

“I’m taking her out tomorrow night, New Year’s Eve!”

“Oh, Percy, that’s terrific! I’m so happy for you!”

Hermione asked, “Did she try to make an excuse why she couldn’t go out with you, because she works for us?”

“Not at all, I mentioned that I got her last name from you, but the rest of her profile I got by research. That just made her smile.”

“Told you. She likes a man who digs for background information. It shows he’s interested in her.”

Ginny added, “Just don’t take it too far. You don’t want to get all creepy on her.”

Thursday night, Ginny and Harry, Ron and Hermione, her Dad and Mum, and Bill and Fleur, met up with George and Angelina at George’s shop in Diagon Alley. They went up to the roof to watch the traditional dragon’s egg drop. It was a little weird to Ginny, all of them snogging next to each other, and alongside her parents, no less. 

Her Dad dipped Mum back, and they were looking in each other’s eyes. She saw her Mum give her Dad a look of pure wonderment. Ginny thought it must be the same expression she gives to Harry, when she gets lost in his eyes. It made her tear up with joy for her parents, that they still loved each other that way.

Harry dipped her back the same way, and she immediately understood the appeal, giving in to completely trust his strength. Where’s a theologian when you want one?

Sunday morning, Ginny was waiting in the sitting room for Hermione, so they could Apparate to King’s Cross Station. Ron was more impatient than Ginny, since she was sitting in Harry’s lap in one of the stuffed chairs, with her lips locked to his. Ron was waiting for Hermione to come downstairs, so he could lock his lips too. Finally she clattered down the stairs, carrying her day bag and Crookshanks in his carrier.

She put the carrier down, wrapped her hand around Ron’s neck, and pulled his head down for a long kiss. Ginny took her lips away from Harry’s long enough to look at the big cat. The big brown ball of yarn was prominent in the front of the carrier.

Winter Term

Ginny and Hermione had some changes to their curriculum in the Winter term. They were no longer scheduled for Defence class. Ginny was scheduled for physical therapy training, and it said the classroom was the Prefect’s bath.

They both had signed up for a business management course, just for the fun of it. Healer Mantooth told her he would keep coming back for her sessions the entire year, if she needed it.

They don’t think he saw it that way, but Crookshanks started an exercise program. Nearly every day when their door was open, he would carry or roll his ball of yarn to the top stair. He slapped it back and forth for a bit, until it fell off the stair. Once begun, gravity took over, and he would chase after it. Usually, he couldn’t catch it until it reached the common room.

Natalie reported that she had seen him holding his ball of yarn in his paws while he caught his breath, then he would pick it up in his teeth and take it back upstairs, where he might do it all again. Like Hermione, at first he needed to catch his breath when he got back to their room, but as he practiced, that time was reduced more and more. 

Ginny found him one day, early in January, where he was laying on a step with the ball. He was breathing heavily, and complaining mightily. Ginny levitated him, with the ball, and continued climbing the stair. She told Hermione that he might have a stitch. She lay him on her bed, Hermione coaxed him further on his side. As she stroked him, he stopped complaining.

Hermione reported that his belly flab was melting away, and he seemed to be getting stronger.

She did have to put up a sign, that the ball of yarn belonged to Crookshanks, and woe betide the student who touched it, or him. Ginny shared jars of healing salve with Hermione and Natalie, and showed Natalie to use it in small doses. All three of them had to attend to bleeders caused by their fierce frolicking roommate. It was mostly on the girls side, but Crookshanks tagged a few of the boys in the common room as well.

After a few students complained, Headmaster McGonagall paid them a visit, and had a conversation with Crookshanks in her cat animagus form. After she changed back, she reported that he was one of the most stubborn cats she had ever met, but she got him to agree to be nicer to other students who were just trying to help him. She tried to get him to agree to be nicer to the cats of other students, but he told her that if they touched his yarn, they get what they deserve.

Ginny asked the Headmaster why she seemed to be blushing, but the only answer she got was “Never mind, Miss Weasley!”

The classes in Sports Medicine in the spa were very physical, for physical therapy. They spent three weeks covering general anatomy, mostly focused on the behavior of muscle, tendons, nerves, and blood flow. Then the rest of the term they learned how to relax muscles, reduce tension in the body, and improve blood flow.

They worked with student volunteers, and too often they hurt them, as much as she and Carlton hurt themselves. Ginny had discovered a whole new muscle group to hurt in her body, muscles that Quidditch and workouts and yoga hadn’t touched. The muscles in her hands and forearms became extremely sore by her third massage. Working out that pain became one of their lessons.

If they were lacking in volunteers for a class, one day the Professor asked if they wanted to massage each other. Both of them refused. It surprised Ginny that Carleton gave essentially the same reason she did: he respected her commitment to Harry Potter too much to give him any possible reason to be jealous or suspect her of infidelity.

He added, “Plus, he scares the bat dung out of me!”

They also went up to the Sixth Floor Medical Wing, and checked on students who were doing physical therapy. They learned how the different exercises were impacting the injuries to the body, and offered brief massage therapy if the student had time and interest.

Rana Singh started coming to their team workouts on Wednesdays. Her physique rivaled that of her fittest player. By the second week, Ginny asked her to take over leading them in calisthenics. She refused to do that, but she did advise Ginny to increase the level of calisthenics faster than Ginny had planned. She also gave Dennis and Ginny some alternative exercises while he was recovering. Some things he could even do in his dorm room. By the end of January, Dennis was at least as fit as he was before the day at Hogsmeade.

Harry and Ron came to the school to watch a team practice in early January. On their way to lunch, Harry mentioned that her team was flying better, and coordinating better, than they had in November.

When they went to find an empty classroom, they gave the boys an update on the wedding, but they didn’t have much that was new.

Harry surprised them by telling them he had news. “I decided to give you, my best friends, a trip for your honeymoon.” He pulled a thick envelope from his robes and handed it to Ron. “I chose a wizarding travel agent, and gave them a voucher to cover a cruise around Europe, for two, with a cat. It should take about three weeks, although there’s some shore time because you’ll be taking three ships. Any excursions you want to go on will be covered.”

Ron said, “Merlin’s beard, Harry, this is fantastic!” Hermione stood up from the table and hugged him.

Ginny said, “You got it just for two so they could have time alone.”

“Exactly,” he replied. “I had another idea for us, which I’ll explain shortly.”

Ron and Hermione were going through the contents of the envelope. Hermione said, “Some of these excursions are fantastic! A day exploring the Egyptian pyramids!”

Ron commented, “Done that one, actually.”

She slapped him lightly with the flyer, “You forgot to bring me, though, didn’t you!”

“I think our budget was limited. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing it again!”

“We could do a day in Rome, two stops on the Riviera, and a day in Greece.”

Ron said, “Hermione, I’ll let you pick out whichever excursions you want. I’m going to ask for one thing, that we only have two excursion days in a row. Every third day is a rest day, either in the cabin or the inn.”

She raised her eyebrow at him, “How restful do you think those days will be?”

“I certainly think we might lose a lot of tension!” He blushed red, and so did Hermione.

Harry turned to her, “Darling, what I was thinking for us is a tour of Britain, by broom.”

She considered it, “We both certainly love to fly.”

“We don’t have to plan too far ahead, we can go where we decide to go from day to day. As a side benefit, by not announcing ourselves too much in advance, we can dodge the media that way. Another benefit I thought of, we can see as many professional exhibition Quidditch matches as we’d like to indulge in.”

“So I can visit the teams on my job search! Very clever, my husband-to-be!”

“And if we can drag ourselves from our rooms, we might see some touristy sites, now and again.”

Ginny blushed to Stage Three. “That sounds like a fun trip, darling. I love it!”

Harry let her know he was going to start visiting the school every weekend, probably for most of the term.  He was going to be visiting Ms. Rowling after lunch, and telling his story. He made her promise that his sessions would not go on the Pensive.

Usually Ron would come along, and he and Hermione would sit and snog while they waited for Harry. She couldn’t leave them alone, they needed a chaperone. Not that they wanted a chaperone. More than once, Ginny caught one or the other of them begin to remove Hermione’s robes.  She would have left them alone, but she knew Hermione would regret it later. Well, part of her might regret it.

She didn’t like that it was called for, but she did enjoy hitting them with a spray from the Aguamenti charm. It cooled them off quickly.

The next Sunday, at her tea visit with Percy, he let her know that he had broken things off with Olivia. It wasn’t fair to her to keep their relationship going when he was seeing someone else.

The Quidditch match in mid-January was a tough contest. Slytherin beat Ravenclaw by a score of 390 to 230. Captain Burke had worked out some complicated passes by the Chasers to confuse the Ravenclaw Beaters and Keeper.

In late January, Healer Mantooth took her on the first spelled exploration of her mind. He told her he wasn’t going to make any changes this time, he just wanted to see how her triggers showed up in the symbology of the spell he used.

He had her sit back in her padded chair, and after he cast the spell he would ask her to mentally put herself in the places she had been in when her triggers were activated.

He sat on a stool next to her, and rested his left hand with his palm on her forehead and fingers in her hair, gripping her head. He cast the spell, then rested his right hand on the back of her head, just above her neck.

She didn’t feel anything. After a few minutes he said, “Jealousy.” She imagined again the scenario of the girl in the spa flirting with Harry.

“Hate,” she remembered the speech she gave in front of all the Quidditch teams.

“Hogsmeade,” she remembered the emotional state she had used to cast the shield around Tisha. Then she remembered the state she felt while she held the shield.

“Fear,” she remembered as well as she could the heart-freezing panic she felt when she thought Percy was in danger.

“Rage,” she imagined something that could well and truly anger her, tripping a blind attack. They had talked about this quite a bit, trying to find a scenario that would trigger her. She understood that this one was iffy in its effectiveness, so he had saved it for last.

He removed his hands and canceled the spell.

“Well, Miss Weasley, that was certainly interesting. I’ve never seen anything in the mind like that before.”

“Thank goodness, Healer!”

“Yes, indeed. The way the symbolism of the spell works, most minds appear as a large tapestry, usually in an octagon shape, with colors representing emotional states. It’s very multicolored, with reds and blues blending into shades of purple and maroon, that kind of thing, as emotional states blend features.

“From a high level, everything looks smooth. When you get to the low level, each of those blocks of emotional state is a mountain range, usually looking as spiky as the alps. The spikes are based on previous reactions and memories. Even from the high level, I could see the triggers in your Fear region. I understand there’s a mountain on Mars that makes Everest seem like a small hill. Your triggers in the Fear region are like that.

“For the other triggers, they were more like the photos I’ve seen of some of the mountains in North America. Impressively large, but not insurmountable. The Rage scenario we devised worked well enough that I could see the trigger area. It is larger than the Hate and Jealousy triggers. Thank Merlin, you aren’t susceptible to rages.”

She managed not to laugh at that. “Indeed.”

“Your memory of casting the shield spell at Hogsmeade looked just like one of the fear triggers, so you recreated the trigger condition quite well.

“I’m pleased to inform you that, overall, your emotional tapestry has a reasonable blend, with the exception of these triggers. Your core Love state is one of the largest I’ve seen, and your Apathy state at the center of the tapestry is smaller than normal. I believe Mister Potter is fortunate to have you.”

She blushed to Stage Two, her ears were burning. “Thank you, Healer.”

“Let me update my notes, and next time we’ll begin discussing what we should do with this information. Good day to you, Miss Weasley.”

The following Monday morning they went out to the pitch for their Coaching class. There was moderate rain and a mild wind, but Professor Hooch still had her steel frame and tarp up. For days like this, she had cast a weather shield, so the space under the frame was cool and dry, like one of the classrooms in the castle.

They couldn’t help but notice that the construction workers were tearing apart the remains of the training facility.

The professor told them, “Deconstruction should be done by the end of the week. Construction begins next week, and is expected to be finished right after the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match that ends the season. Perfect timing.” They grinned at her sarcasm.

“At least the water closets should be ready by April. They’ve assured me that the men’s loo will be larger, while the ladies side will be fully twice as large as it was.”

Ginny shouted, “YES!”

“Indeed, I believe our Headmaster is responsible for that. Aside from that, we’re getting all-new exercise devices. The general workout space is getting a floor identical to the floor in the Dueling Hall, which should reduce injuries. There will now be a partial second floor, with my new office and a small infirmary for minor injuries. The dressing rooms are getting a fireplace with Floo access, which will not only keep them warmer in the winter, but have a quick connection to the Infirmary.

“If you come up with any other ideas, we’re putting up an announcement board in the Entry Hall of the castle, and there will be a parchment to submit requests.”

Ginny had a meeting with Audrey near the end of January. Audrey had a page full of updates. Their reservation at the Snowy Owl restaurant for their reception was negotiated and confirmed, so it could be included in the invitations. Ginny told Audrey that Harry had arranged two separate honeymoons. Audrey held up her hand. She didn’t want to know any details that she might unintentionally slip to a reporter.

Audrey gave her a list that she had received from the Protocol Department at the Ministry. Essentially, people who wanted to be invited to the wedding, as Hermione had expected. Even if they were having the wedding at her parents’ clearing, the list was long enough it would push out their own list.

She and Hermione went through the list. Some names they didn’t recognize, so they asked her Dad or Percy who they were. Most of the list were from the Ministry, but a handful were from the Wizengamot. She listened to her Dad’s opinions, but Percy’s she took with a grain of salt.

They came up with a rating system, in case they had the room. They started with “No,” then “Hell No,“ then “Bloody Hell No.” Only Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy got that last rating. They did accept one name that they hadn’t thought of, their fiancés’ training supervisor, Commander Keffel. The man might be stiff, but he’d been respectful. The way he’d made Harry and Ron sit up and be respectful to him told them they may fear him, but they respected him too. Their fiancés didn’t pay that kind of respect to very many people, so she noticed when they did. She did check with Harry before adding him to their list, and he agreed it was a good idea. A reward, in a way, for his patience in dealing with them. She could totally believe that.

When they gave the list back to Audrey, she gave a copy back to the Protocol Department. They told Audrey they want to avoid trouble with the Ministry, and want to be clear up front that Hermione’s no-mag parents would be attending the wedding, and they didn’t want to get in trouble for violating the Statute of Secrecy.

Three days later, Ginny and Hermione each received letters from the Ministry’s Department of Protocol. The letters were virtually identical, announcing that a representative of the Department would be visiting the school to meet with them to discuss the wedding. 

Ginny copied hers, and sent the copy off to Audrey that afternoon. The timing was during their business class, and they let the professor know they had to miss class that day. Ginny also arranged for use of an empty classroom for their meeting.

Audrey arrived ten minutes early for the meeting.

They got set up in the classroom, and Audrey said, “Don’t worry about a thing, let me do all the talking.”

The Prefect with the guest-escort duty showed the official in. Audrey introduced herself and her clients.

The official was a tall and thin woman, with large glasses with thick lenses. Her hair was tied up in a large bun on the back of her head. She was an older woman, and the majority of her hair was white, with streaks of brown. “My name is Felicity Bagshot. I am Junior Under-Secretary in Charge of Protocol on Civil and Private Events.”

Audrey said, “Good morning, Junior Under-Secretary. What is it we can help you with?”

“The Ministry is concerned that you plan to have Muggles at your event. We wish to be certain that these Muggles will not in any way be exposed to spells or extraneous magic.”

“Just to be absolutely clear, Junior Under-Secretary, which event is causing you concern?”

“That would be the wedding, planned for July Thirtieth, between Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, and H-H-H-Harry Potter.”

“Again, to be absolutely clear, Junior Under-Secretary, we want to be sure your department understands that these four people you mention are not having a polygamous marriage, there will, in fact, be one event with two ceremonies, involving Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, then Ginevra Weasley and … oh, what was the other name again?”

“H-H-Harry P-P-Potter. Of course.” For some reason, Harry’s name made Miss Bagshot nervous. She was practically trembling. Ginny suppressed a smile at Audrey’s maneuvers. Hermione was completely straight faced.

“So the Protocol Department is saying that, at the wedding of Harry Potter, there can’t be any magic use?”

“Per the Statute of Secrecy, no magic may be used in front of Muggles. If the Muggles attend the wedding, there may not be any magic used.”

“Well, that’s certainly going to cramp my plans. No fireworks spells? No transfigurations of balloons into doves, carrying white roses? It makes such an impressive display!”

“None of that. However, if you could see your way to allowing some of the officials who have requested attendance at the wedding onto your guest list, we could reach an arrangement for some allowances.”

“An arrangement? So if we wanted to use Apparate, portkeys, sound amplification charms, and insect-screening charms, those could be found acceptable?”

Hermione added, “Don’t forget the security team.”

“Oh, yes! And brooms. And, of course, shield spells, and the Demsabscondo Terranoia spell that’s on the property. How many people would we have to accept onto the wedding list for all that?”

“Oh, dear, that’s quite a lot. I would say, all the names on your ’No’ list.”

“And how many people is that?”

“Ninety-seven, in all.”

“That many! My goodness.”

“Yes, I could arrange for the allowance of those spells you mentioned, if you add those ninety-seven names to the invitation list.” The Junior Under-Secretary had a tight, thin smile.

“Could you? That’s terribly helpful of you, Junior Under-Secretary. Would you do me one additional favor?”

“Certainly, Miss Prewett.”

“Being a Junior Under-Secretary in Charge of Protocol on Civil and Private Events, you receive a copy of the Minister’s schedule, do you not?”

“I certainly do!” 

“Could you verify something for me? Could you tell me if the Minister has anything on his schedule for the morning of July Thirtieth?”

“The morning of the wedding?” The Junior Under-Secretary lost her smile. She pulled a scroll out of her briefcase. The scroll spun for several seconds. Finally, it unspooled enough that the Junior Under-Secretary could read it. She twiddled with the scroll for a moment.

“The Minister is scheduled to attend a private event that morning. All day, in fact.” The Junior Under-Secretary became fairly pale.

“And of course, the Junior Under-Secretary in Charge of Protocol on Civil and Private Events would know of all the events happening that day, at the level that might interest the Minister, aside from the wedding of Harry Potter?”

“Are you insane, no one would schedule a major event against that!” The Junior Under-Secretary gasped and got even more pale. Ginny started to be concerned Miss Bagshot may faint.

“Yes, Junior Under-Secretary. Now, those ninety-seven names, we don’t really need to invite those people, do we? After all, we might have to tell the Minister that we no longer have room for him and his entire family.”

The Junior Under-Secretary was gasping for air. “No, no, not a problem!”

“And if we need to use those spells I listed, in front of the parents of one of the brides, that isn’t a problem either, is it?”

“Not a problem. I’ll make sure you’re cleared. Just, please, don’t mention to the Minister that I was here, would you please?”

“No, not a problem at all, Miss Felicity Bagshot. Good day.”

When the door closed on the Junior Under-Secretary, Hermione said, “Oh, you really are good!”

Audrey said, “And that’s how you tell the Department of Protocol to go Stupefy themselves!”

She discussed with Healer Mantooth how to proceed with her therapy for several weeks. The situation was unprecedented, so he was feeling his way through it. He wanted to improve things for her, without hurting her in other ways.

They decided he should try to reduce the power driving the reactions to the triggers. In the symbology of his spell, they showed as tall two-toned towers. He chose the one in her hate region, as the smallest he had seen, and least likely to cause issues. He tried forcing the tower to be shorter, even literally pushing it downwards. He tried imagining himself as a lumberjack, cutting the top of the tower off with an axe. He told her he even imagined himself as a space warrior with a laser sword, and cutting off the top of the tower. He tried stroking the tower, coaxing it to shrink. Nothing had any effect.

In early February, when Harry came back from his session with Administrator Rowling, he said the Headmaster had stopped by and handed him a note. It said, “You should check out the Hall of Heroes before you leave.”

Hermione said, “That’s around the corner from the Trophy Room.”

Harry said, “I know where it is. I usually try to avoid it. It triggers too many emotions.”

Ginny said, “I’ll bring a bunch of kerchiefs.”

Reaching the Trophy Room, they went around the corner. The old plaque was there, with the names of the people who died in the first rise of Voldemort, before Harry killed his body. Ginny knew why he didn’t like to come this way, as her eyes quickly found the names of James and Lily Potter. As her father had pointed out to her on one visit, she also found her Mum’s brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, and her Dad’s brother, Octavian Weasley, and his family. She used several of her kerchiefs.

Next to that was the new plaque listing The Fifty. She found Fred’s name, and Remus and Tonks, and Colin. She was sobbing, now, using many kerchiefs. Someone had installed a never-ending supply box of kerchiefs. The bin next to it caused kerchiefs to vanish.

Next to the plaque was a painting, which was new. It showed Remus and Tonks, like they were posing together, for a portrait. They seemed very happy. The quality of the painting was excellent, it almost seemed like a photograph. 

The four of them stood looking at the painting, crying and trying to keep up with kerchiefs. 

Harry got close, and said, “She finished it. Of course, she did.” 

Remus in the painting said, “Eat something, you’ll feel better.” Harry started sobbing, and as Ginny tried to console him, his knees gave out. She caught him, then she and Ron helped him sit on the floor.

She took a moment to look closely at the painting. The signature was a stylized “Andromeda”.

Ginny agreed, “Of course she did.” She went back to try to console Harry.

Hermione told her that she was walking between classes when she noticed the end of a conversation between Olivia and Carleton Burke. They had stood with their heads close together, then Carleton walked away, with red cheeks. When Olivia saw Hermione pass by, her cheeks turned pink as well. It was just a suspicion, hardly even a rumor, but it looked like Olivia had found a new boyfriend.

Ginny raised her eyebrow, but she said, “Consenting adults.”

The February match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff always promised challenging weather. The morning started off with rain, and from what Ginny could see of the trees and the lake, it was windy as well. Being February, she knew it wouldn’t be warm, but she didn’t see snow, yet. She thought they might postpone the match for a blizzard, but nothing less.

She dressed in her thermal leggings and her Christmas jumper from her Mum under her robes. At breakfast, Nigel got no sympathy when he said he’d miss the match because he had the Prefect duty. It just meant he got to stay in the castle. 

She met with the team after breakfast, made sure they had all remembered to dress warm, and cleaned their goggles. The rally in the common room promised to be the warmest she would get all day, the number of bodies in the room brought her to a mild sweat. She tried to snog for a few minutes with Harry, it just gave her a different reason to sweat.

When they stepped outside with their brooms, the cold wind still took her breath away. They mounted their brooms and flew to the pitch. Flying in the wind just made them feel the cold worse.

She didn’t envy the Keepers their jobs. The low visibility meant that they had very little warning before the Quaffle was upon them. If you aimed for the ring furthest from them, and you could actually hit it in the treacherous winds, you had a pretty good chance to score. So she and her fellow Chasers were doing well.

She felt sympathy for Dennis, trying to spot the Snitch in this weather. It just promised that they could rack up good numbers during this match. On the other hand, the longer it took the Seekers to catch it, the longer they were playing in this weather.

They entered their third hour of playing, and Ginny had just scored her thirtieth goal of the match, bringing the score to Gryffindor 630 to Hufflepuff 480, when a Seeker finally caught the cursed Snitch. When the scoreboard changed and they had 780 points, everyone cheered for Dennis, even some from the Hufflepuff side.

Professor Hootch had been about to hand her the prize for the match, when they heard a scream, coming from outside the pitch. She dropped the little plaque to the ground and mounted her broom without hesitation. Ginny told her team to stay put, then she remounted and followed the professor over the stands.

One of the portable water closets had fallen over, and someone was under it. Ginny recognized the Ministry agent, Rana Singh. The Professor confirmed that she was dead. Where was Tisha? There was a wand on the ground, and Rana had been gripping hers. She’d liked Rana, but she’d have to grieve for her later.

The Professor sent out multiple Patronus while Ginny remounted her broom and flew back into the pitch. She landed next to her team.

She looked at Clementine as she yelled over the wind, “Tisha’s security agent is down, and we don’t know where Tisha is. If you know what she looks like, join Clementine and help her search. Do not leave the pitch, but check all the crannies that we know where several people might hide. Stay together, and be careful! Go!” Clementine, Dennis, and three other players took off.

The professor landed next to her and put her wand to her throat so her voice blasted out. ”WE ARE ON SECURITY LOCKDOWN. Someone has been injured in an altercation. Keep to your seats, use the warming charm, we’ll release you as soon as we can.”

By the time her ears stopped ringing, Harry and Ron had joined them, followed by Neville Longbottom. They leaned in close so she didn’t have to shout, and she filled them in. While they cast their Patronus, Ginny looked at the castle. Could someone have made it there already, if the castle was the goal? Between the stands, she could really only see the tops of the tallest towers.

The lamps in the top room of the Astronomy Tower were on.

As she mounted her broom, she realized she might need help. At the top of her lungs, she shouted, ”GRYFFINDOR!”

She took off, as fast as her zippy Nimbus could go, and she was immediately buffeted by the wind. She figured Harry and her brother would be quick behind her, but they probably wouldn’t catch her.

As she approached the Tower, she tapped into her anger, and her fear for Tisha. She set her ‘thermometer’ to thirty, and cast her shield. Her world view turned pink, but she could still hear the song of confidence, telling her how beautiful and powerful she was, played like music at the market, in the background.

There were several windows in the top room of the tower, especially around the door to the parapet. She chose the one furthest from the door, as least expected. She cast Reducto, and the glass shattered into powder. The amount of power she had, even at thirty, made her laugh. With her voice distorted, even to herself, she sounded like a maniacal demon. In this situation, it made her laugh more.

She did a flip turn to decelerate, and she went backwards through the narrow window. She did a drop-and-roll, straight out of their training, to dismount, finishing on her feet.

There were three Death Eaters in the room, one was standing next to Tisha. They had their hoods up, and the symbols on their robes made them seem like school staff. The snake-eyed masks they wore countered that idea.

Ginny was hit by multiple spells, and she barely noticed. She needed to act before they chose an Unforgivable hex. One Death Eater was covering the balcony. She used Flipendo with enough force that he’d miss the charms that catch the suicide attempts. He tried to block it, but mistimed it. She figured Ron or Harry would catch him.

She cast the Bat-Bogey Hex at the other one, by the door to the stairs. The bats grew to be larger than his head. In the mood she was in, his screams amused her.

The one holding Tisha was a problem. This person was smaller, and from the look of their hands, Ginny guessed she was female. She was holding her wand pointed at Tisha. The Death Eater’s wand moved, pointing at Ginny. 

That was the last thought she had for a while.

The Death Eater told her to cancel her shield, so she did.

The Death Eater told her to cancel the Bat-Bogey Hex, so she did.

The Death Eater told her to hand over her wand, so she did.

The Death Eater told her to lie face down on the floor, palms out flat, so she did.

The Death Eater told her not to move, then she stepped over to Ginny and stood on Ginny’s right hand. Ginny screamed as she rocked her foot back and forth. Tisha moved to stand next to the Death Eater. The snake mask turned to Tisha and said, “Get away from me, child!”

Tisha ran for the parapet, climbed quickly over the railing, and dropped over the edge.

The man that she’d Hexed ran past them. He ran to the parapet, reaching to catch Tisha, but was too late. He turned to look at his companion, “You idi-”

He vanished into the storm.

With a tremendous sound of rock grinding against rock, the stone wall where all the windows were located separated from the Tower, lifted over the parapet, and fell. The wind and rain assaulted the room. Harry appeared out of the gloomy weather, floating on his broom.

The female Death Eater ran for the door. The next thing Ginny saw, she flew rapidly past Ginny, tumbling like a pinwheel, and vanished out the large hole in the wall. She screamed almost as loud as Ginny, her voice fading in the wind, until she stopped.

Ginny could think again. All she felt was the pain in her hand. She called Harry’s name, and she cried.

Her Quidditch team and Madam Hooch arrived, the Professor summoned Madam Pomfrey using her Patronus. She arrived on her broom within minutes. The room was getting crowded, so Madam Hooch took the Gryffindor team to the Great Hall.

Madam Pomfrey fixed the broken bones in her hand. It remained mildly sore for a few days. She used Accio Wand to get her wand back. She caught it with her left hand.

Ron said he dove to catch the Death Eater she expelled, until he saw their mask, then he decided his priorities lay elsewhere. That Death Eater did miss the charms that catch the suicide attempts. Tisha fell so she would be caught by the anti-suicide charms, but Ron caught her first, she was fine.

Harry escalated his threat assessment when he heard her scream. Anyone in a snake mask was doomed at that point. He ripped the wall off the Tower, but her team caught it and lowered it safely to the ground. Harry was embarrassed to say that was not a consideration of his.

Harry reported that her broom was damaged, bent but not broken, when it crashed into the wall, but he would get it fixed as good as new. Dennis offered use of his broom when she was in her Advanced Flight class.

The bodies of the two Death Eaters he yanked from the Tower were found near the pitch. Hermione noted that it takes over two minutes to walk from the Castle to the pitch, and the Astronomy Tower is in the center of the Castle.

In her Thursday therapy session, she discussed how it felt being Imperiused. She didn’t know if they made any progress, but her nightmares from it stopped. The nightmares from having her hand stood upon lingered for a while.

When she described how she had used her shield, he was very pleased with her results, it gave him a goal for them to reach together.

Renee gave her another hug when she saw her. She asked Ginny about becoming an Auror. She told Renee that Quidditch was her second love, but she understood better the interest that Harry had in becoming an Auror.

Harry and Ron were given commendations, within their Auror group. Renee told her that Kingsley was trying to find an award to give her, but the Ministry didn’t really have an existing commendation type of award to give civilians. They were looking to create one. Ron had apparently suggested making her an honorary Auror. They hadn’t given up their idea of nominating her for the Order of Merlin, Third Class.

Ginny blushed to Fourth Stage, and said they shouldn’t bother. She had been caught. Ron and Harry rescued Tisha.

They held a commemoration for Rana Singh, just a celebration of her time with them, and remembering her sacrifice for Tisha. Harry told her the Aurors were doing a full ceremony for her at her funeral, which the Shacklebolts were attending. A week later, two young Aurors arrived to taker her place. It seemed the head of the Aurors didn’t think the threat to Tisha was done.

In the middle of March, they made an appointment to talk to Professor Flitwick about the repairs to the Great Hall. Of course, the first thing he asked is why the two of them wanted to know. Having the Head Girl be curious, he could understand. Having Ginny be involved as well brought up many possibilities.

So they explained to him about the double wedding, and they were curious about using the Great Hall for their venue.

He expressed regrets, but the Hall wouldn’t be available in July. They needed at least a month to finish the stonework in the ceiling, and that couldn’t be done while anyone was using it, the risks were too great. Then the descendants of the original spellcaster had made upgrades and refinements to the spell that controlled the magical design elements of the Hall, and that could take days, if not months, to install and test. So it should be ready by the end of August, but July was out of the question.

On the positive side, the new windows should be installed in May or June.

At the end of her Advanced Flight class in the middle of March, Professor Hooch said, “Miss Weasley, may I speak to you for a moment?”

“Certainly, Professor.”

“We’re having a bit of a celebration for Miss Granger on Saturday afternoon. Could you be sure to bring as many of her friends as you can, at 2 o’clock?”

Ginny smiled, “This is because of the surprise party, isn’t it? We’ll be there.”

“Thank you. School library. And please, don’t let her know beforehand.”

“Of course.” Ginny smiled.

On Saturday, Ginny met up with Luna, Natalie, and several of Hermione’s old roommates in a classroom, just before two, then walked together to the library. In the corridor outside they found Madam Hooch, Professor Flitwick, Percy, Olivia, Hagrid, and a few others.

Ginny led them to Hermione’s favorite table, where they found her surrounded by books. Madam Pince joined them. Ginny knocked on a corner of the table and said, “Hi!”

Hermione turned and almost jumped out of her seat at the crowd behind Ginny.

Madam Hooch stepped up. “Miss Granger, some of us have gotten together to create a remembrance in your honor, something that will be lasting at the school, hopefully for years to come.”

Madam Pince brought out a flat box and presented it to Hermione. “Professor Flitwick and I worked on this for weeks. Please do the honors.”

Inside the box was a leather and fabric ribbon, as long as Ginny’s forearm and as wide as her hand. At the top it read:

Book Finder

A Tribute to 

Hermione J. Granger

Then it had a recognizable outline of Hermione’s face. Below that,

“Please help me find a book…”

Hermione was crying pretty hard. Ginny conjured a short stack of kerchiefs. The top book on the nearest stack on the table said the title was “Wizarding Law Firms of Great Britain“. 

Ginny said “Please help me find a book on Wizarding law firms.” The ribbon lifted from the box and flipped and twisted in the air until it settled on the book in front of Ginny.

Hermione said, “That’s brilliant! It’s wonderful.” Her tears resumed. She got plenty of hugs before the group broke up. All the students in the group had to try the Book Finder before they left.

Power Levels

April 24th

Hermione faced the Headmaster across her meeting table. Harry sat next to Ginny, with Healer Mantooth and Professor Flitwick sitting across from them.

Her sister started, “Thank you all for coming, on a Saturday, no less. I needed Harry to be here for this. Professor Flitwick, this discussion will be about power levels in spell-casting, and I respect your expertise in this matter. Please correct me if I get confused.”

He said, “Of course, Miss Granger. However unlikely it is that you could be mistaken.”

She grinned at him. “I had a revelation during the spring break, and it explains a great deal, and it may provide an opening in Ginny’s therapy.

“Practically from day one at school, we’re taught that determination and confidence are the keys to power in spell-casting. Casting Wingardium Leviosa is as much about pushing for what you want, having confidence that it will work, as it is about pronouncing the words correctly. When we command our brooms to rise into our hands, in the first week of flight class, the biggest requirement is that we command with determination.”

Professor Flitwick commented, “Those are the fundamental basics, yes.”

Harry said, “That’s a lesson that Bellatrix taught me, that offensive spells have more power when you cast them with determination and confidence.”

Ginny said, “Charlie said the same thing about defensive spells.”

Hermione nodded. “Precisely. Bellatrix had such powerful spells because she was psychotic, having absolute confidence in her spells. She didn’t always use her full power, because she knew how draining it is. The more magical energy you cause to flow through your body, plus the more determination and confidence you put out, the more tiring it is. And that becomes the third factor, in a duel. How long can you cast powerful spells before you tire yourself out? I believe this is also taught here at school, helping us manage our energy and increase our reserves.”

Professor Flitwick said, “We don’t get obvious about it, except in Dueling Club, but we do try to work it in, yes. Most students will go their entire lives and never wear themselves out by casting spells. Dueling Club is for students who want to learn how to cast spells with power, and we try to teach them how to manage their energy. The more they practice, or the more fit their bodies are, the greater the reserves.”

Ginny asked, “More fit? I would think body fat would be useful for supplying body energy?”

The Professor said, “The conversion of body fat to energy is too slow to help in a fast-burning situation, like a duel, but doing a lot of dueling can help burn fat over time. The more fit someone is, the more efficient they are at providing the energy, so they don’t need to draw as much from fat. There’s a threshold of body fat that the body doesn’t want to burn.

“Not to get too personal, Miss Weasley, but did you notice, after your incident at the beginning of the school year, that you had burned some of your body fat? That was your body’s reaction to burning too much energy in spellcasting. It probably took days to burn the fat to help you recover.”

Hermione cleared her throat, “I took this idea, of determination and confidence and energy reserves, and applied it to both Professor Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. How were they able to cast such powerful spells? What kind of special genetic booster did they have? My revelation was that they didn’t have anything all that special about them.”

The Headmaster looked confused, but Professor Flitwick laughed uproariously. He said, “They figured it out, didn’t they? Minerva, Albus was always a very confident man. He had that reputation, even as a student here. He must have disciplined himself in his determination, until his casting power was nearly off the charts. Tom Riddle had the same confidence, but his psychosis drove his power levels to approximately the same as Albus.”

Ginny asked, “But how did they manage their energy?”

The Headmaster said, “Candy. Albus Dumbledore always had candy in his pockets. He kept them in case he had a sudden drain of energy, didn’t he?”

Hermione said, “Correct. And Voldemort became an energy vampire. It was rumored he would sometimes suck the life energy from a victim, to replenish his own.”

Harry said, “I think I saw that, in one of my visions about him. So, I know I get my strongest power from the residue from my horcrux. When I don’t use it, I still seem to have more power than most. Ron can testify to that from the dueling we do in training.”

Ginny said, “I would guess there are several factors for you, my love. For one, you can be the most determined person I’ve ever seen.”

The Headmaster said, “That’s for certain. Then there’s your mother’s shield.”

Hermione said, “Yes, I suspect that does give you a booster level, raising your confidence in ways you don’t even notice.”

The Healer spoke up, “Then finally there is the corruption from your horcrux, if it caused similar influence to what Miss Weasley has. Coming from Lord Voldemort, the triggers left behind would also carry his levels of spell-casting.” He looked at Hermione, “That is where you were going with this, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Healer. The hate monster that Ginny has is also in Harry, although his works differently. Harry has learned to modulate it, so he can control the level of power he puts out. Ginny is learning to tap into that, but she also needs to have her triggers edited, if they aren’t actually removed.”

Harry asked her, “Which way would you want it?”

Ginny thought for a moment. “I certainly want to stop being triggered with power levels that almost kill me. If I can stop being triggered at all, even better. At the same time, having some of that level of power is nice, as when I cast the shield spell for Tisha.”

Healer Mantooth said, “I believe that I may be able to modify the triggers I’ve found, using a deep-mind session. I could try reducing their confidence levels by a third, and see if that helps. I think I’ve been trying to reduce the determination and confidence elements together, and they resist. I may be able to adjust them separately. If that doesn’t leave after effects, perhaps later we could cut them by another half.”

Hermione said, “Which should reduce them to something close to normal casting levels.”

Harry said, “Great, now I want to actually read one of Gilderoy’s books. He didn’t seem to lack in confidence at all.”

Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry’s, “I believe in you, darling.”

Hermione added, “This is just a thought, you may deal with it as you wish, but perhaps the school can look into ways to increase students confidence in themselves. It always seemed there were more ways to destroy confidence rather than building it.”

Professor Flitwick said, “I’ll review that concept and prepare a report for the Headmaster. We always prefer that students increase confidence by achieving something, from their own work, but we can also look at the ways we knock them down. Perhaps we’ll find changes to make for next year.”

April 26th

A few days later, Ginny found time before dinner to visit Professor Slughorn in his office.

“Professor, we were talking with Professor Flitwick the other day, about burning the body’s energy to cast spells.”

He humphed, “Well, I reckon you were talking to the right man! No one better on the energy of spellcasting than Filius, except dear old Albus, of course.”

“Yes, Professor. He mentioned that the conversion of fat to energy is too slow a process to be useful in a duel. I was wondering if there were potions to accelerate that process?”

“Plenty, Miss Weasley. Most of them are quackery, of course. You should look in the back of your Fourth Year text, for Enerburn Potion. It’s recommended to take in small doses, just sips, really, or it can drain too much fat from someone. Make them deathly sick that way. I used to make it in my youth, until I developed a tolerance for it.”

“I wonder why I never heard of it.”

“Did you think you ever needed it?”

“I suppose not.”

“Well, there you are! It’s a bonus potion, taught only to students who can make use of it. Even then, it’s monitored by the Medical Wing. As I said, it can be dangerous if abused.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“Anytime, Miss Weasley.”

Spring Term

After lunch, May 2nd:

Ron and Harry stopped by to watch her team practice. It was almost four weeks until her match against Ravenclaw, and she welcomed their advice, although, this late in the season, she was already doing much of what they suggested. After lunch, they found an empty classroom. 

Ron joked, “Really, at this point, we may as well just put our names on the door.”

The discussion happened very slowly, as both men paused frequently for lengthy kisses with their fiancée.

They were interrupted by a weasel. A glowing, silver-white weasel ran into the room, stood up on its hind legs, and said in her father’s voice, “She’s started, here at the Burrow. Your mother has matters well in hand.” Then it ran out of the room.

Ginny pulled away from Harry and stood up. “Bloody hell, she always knows how to ruin a good time!”

She put on her overcoat over her Quidditch gear. “Hermione, do you mind if I store my broom in your pocketbook again?”

She got three blank stares. Naturally, Hermione figured it out next. “Fleur’s gone into labor.”

Ron next, “We have to go!”

“Hermione, the broom?”

“Oh, yes, surely.” She put her open pocketbook on a desk, Ginny fed her broom into it in just moments. By that time, the others were ready to go. They ran for the gate, they saw Percy get there first, then they Apparated directly to the Burrow. George let them in. The sitting room and kitchen were already filling up. Fleur’s little sister, Gabrielle, sat at the table. Ginny assumed her mother was upstairs. 

She asked George, “They’re in Dad and Mum’s room?” He nodded. There weren’t seats at the table, so she settled for squeezing Gabrielle’s shoulder, instead of holding her hand. Angelina and Hermione had beaten her to it.

George let in Charlie, and Ginny counted heads. There was a full complement of Aunts and Uncles in the house, all waiting on the news. She thought that someone should be fixing tea, but she wasn’t going to be doing it in her Quidditch kit. Charlie went to the liquor rack and pulled out all of their parents’ bottles of champagne. Ginny used her wand to get out all the glasses they had, and Percy found the bottle opener.

It was about fifteen minutes after Charlie arrived that her Dad came out of the stairwell. The smile on his face could light up London. He was followed by Bill. First, they saw his back, then he stepped into the room and turned around. In his arms, in a light pink blanket, he carried the most beautiful newborn baby girl in the entire world. She had a shock of orange-red curls on top of her head.

He said softly, “My family, this is Victoire.”

There was a huge, but muffled, collective “Awwww” from his daughter’s Aunts and Uncles.

Ginny conjured a tall stack of kerchiefs, she figured it would be one of those times. She started passing them around.

After Bill took his daughter back upstairs for her first meal, Ginny took Harry by the hand out to the tiny front porch. It was drizzling outside, probably taking a break from a May monsoon later. Those happened quite a bit, further north.

“I need more room than this.”

She removed Harry’s glasses and poked them into one of his inside pockets. Taking Harry once more by the hand, she pulled him into the yard.

“Ginny, I can’t see where I’m going without my glasses. And did you notice it’s raining?”

“Is it? To me the sky is blue, the sun is warm and shining!”

She drew Harry into a kiss, putting her arms over his shoulders so she could hold the back of his head. She didn’t want it to end, ever.

He pulled away for a moment. “Well, it is starting to feel rather warm out here.”

A short time later he pulled away again. “I swear, the sun is coming out, isn’t it?”

Later, he pulled away again, “I think I need to remove my overcoat.”

Ginny reluctantly removed her arms from his shoulders. “We’d best stop, then. If I start removing clothing, I’ll just end up dancing naked in the rain, and I’m sure your vivid male imagination can create many scenarios from that concept.”

He moaned, “Oh, darling!”

“Ninety days, my husband-to-be. Patience!”

Ron and Hermione came out, carrying their glasses of champagne out to them.

Her brother said, “You two are a little mental, snogging out here, aren’t you?”

Harry said, “Oh, like the two of you have never kissed while you were soaking wet!”

Ginny added, “And which one of you thought champagne in the rain was a good idea?”

Hermione and Ron both blushed scarlet.

Ginny said, “I know what I’m needing. It’s the anniversary of the Battle.” She took Harry’s hand. “Trust me, Harry. I won’t let you run into anything.” She led him over by Fred’s grave, Ron and Hermione followed. “Do you know where we are?”

“I’m not completely blind, Gin. We’re at Fred’s grave.” 

“Very good. I propose a toast. Two, actually. First, to the Fifty!” She drank her watered-down champagne. She saw tears in the eyes of her family.

“Second, to Victoire!” They finished off their glasses.

Ron asked, “Can we go inside now?”

Harry teased, “Afraid of a little rain, Ron?”

“You know what it does to Hermione’s hair. She’ll have knots for two days!”

May 7th

Almost a week after her niece was born, she woke to the sound of Crookshanks. The big cat was complaining mightily, challenging everyone within earshot to a fight. She tried to raise her head and see what he was complaining about, and found she couldn’t move. The curtains on her bed were open, but she remembered closing them. Fortunately she was facing Hermione’s bed, so she could see that both Hermione and Crookshanks were bound by ropes. If Hermione’s glare could kill a person, her target would be dead already. Ginny tried to look, and briefly she thought she saw Nigel, standing in their room.

She worked her mouth, and found she could talk. “Nigel, is that you, what’s going on?” Ginny thought Nigel liked her, he might give her an answer.

An older woman’s voice came from directly behind her, “Shut up, witch! Be glad we haven’t shut your mouth permanently. I still say we should kill her. She’s too dangerous.”

She heard Nigel’s voice. “No. You won’t hurt her.”

The woman said, “Oooh, listen to the puppet voice his own opinion!” She heard the sound of a slap. “You’ll speak only when I ask you a question, puppet. Do you understand?

“Yes, Mumsie.” He replied. She looked at Hermione. Imperius Curse!

“So, the kid is on the second of the Third Year floors?”

“Yes.”

“Does she have a security detail in the room?”

“Yes.”

“How many?

“Two.”

“Any outside the room?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Seven Prefects, over a dozen teachers, one angry cat-”

“Stop. How many Ministry agents are in the castle but outside the room?”

“None.”

”You will stay in this room and watch over these prisoners. Do not allow them to escape. Do not help them in any way. Do not speak to them. Rake will be back soon to collect your girlfriend, in case we need a shield from Potter.”

Ginny heard steps. Someone’s warm and rank breath hit her ear. “And if you try any of your pink-magic tricks, I’ll take it out on your roommates. Get it? I control their ropes. This is not the time for bravery.”

She heard steps going down the stairs, from multiple people.

Ginny thought, No, this isn’t a time for bravery. This is a time for love. She tried to find her wand. Of course they would take that, first thing, wouldn’t they? So how does she send her Patronus to Harry without a wand? Without even moving?

She found she could wriggle, bending within the confines of the ropes. She twisted around so she was on her side, and could see Nigel. He sat on Hermione’s chair, moved so it was in front of the privacy screen, doing absolutely nothing. He had a smile that was even more mindless than Natalie got after snogging with Dennis. To be honest, Ginny had seen the same smile in the mirror when she returned from a snogging session with Harry. It appeared that no thoughts ran through Dennis’s mind at all, leaving him open to orders, from the right person. Unfortunately, that wasn’t her.

She tried to call up the white room from her imagination, and send a message with that. Of course, nothing happened. She needed a conduit.

This is a symbol of my devotion to you.

The most precious piece of metal and stone I will ever own.

She tried to make sure she still had on her engagement ring. She rested her thumb on it. It wasn’t a wand, but it was the best she could do, as a focus. The ancient wizards hadn’t had wands, so it’s possible, so her professors had told her.

She tried to picture Harry in her mind. His glorious green eyes. His smile, with those seductive lips. His glasses and his lightning scar. His uncontrollable black hair. She whispered Expecto Patronum! She felt her ring get a trifle warm, but that was it, and it might only be because her thumb was on it.

She needed to put some force behind it. Right, sure, while I’m bound on my bed, and need to use the loo.

She put the image of Harry back together in her mind, tying all her love to that image. The memory came to her, “This was the boy I had fallen for!”

She used her memories of the song of confidence, singing of her intelligence, beauty, bravery, and charm. She had heard it several times now, she built it up as much as she could.

Then she applied her need to get this done. Building determination wasn’t easy.

Focusing it together, she said, “Expecto Patronum!” Her ring definitely got warm that time, but nothing else happened. So this can work, she just needs to bring it up another level or two. Time to dig deep.

She started with her memories of the song of confidence, singing of her intelligence, beauty, bravery, and charm. She let it fill her mind.

Then catching the Snitch at the Slytherin match, and her thirtieth score at the Hufflepuff match. She can do this!

She remembered Nola saying, “You’re hot, no two ways about it!”

Renee Shacklebolt said, “You’re so beautiful!”

Audrey said, “You were knock-out beautiful in that dress!”

The woman with rank breath, “She’s too dangerous!” Damn skippy, lady!

And when Harry made her love him even more, “I want to thank my fiancée, Ginny Weasley, for showing me the full depth of her heart, and my own.” Her determination to do this shot up. Anything, to see him again.

And when she remembered it, she said it again, aloud, “We are Hogwarts women!”

She knew, absolutely, the spell would work! The power of her confidence blasted out of her, so she shouted it, “Expecto Patronum!” Her silver-white mare appeared, blazing brightly from her ring. The glow of it dazzled Nigel’s eyes. His focus cleared, and he stared in amazement at the horse in front of him. Then it ran through the wall, to find Harry.

“Ginny, are you alright? I’m so sorry! I tried to hold back on your ropes.”

“Nigel, are you back? I believe you were Imperiused. Do you have our wands?”

He looked around. “No wands.”

“Okay. Be brave. I want you to release Crookshanks.”

He tried to argue. “Shouldn’t I start with you or Hermione? I could-”

“-Nigel, trust me, he’ll buy you time, and they probably heard me shout. Do it now.” She already heard the steps of someone running up the stairs. Good luck with that!

He drew his wand, casting the counter-curse to the binding spell on Crookshanks. As the ropes fell off the big cat, his hissing and spitting got louder. He arched his back at Nigel, but did not attack.

“Now, Hermione, then Natalie, then me. Right after that, I think we should duck.”

The person coming up the stairs made themselves known before they came around the corner, wheezing and gasping. But they had their wand out. The ropes binding Ginny tightened, squeezing her, pulling her shoulders back and her feet back towards her bum. She started yelling, close to screaming, along with Hermione and Natalie.

Crookshanks jumped off Hermione’s bed and charged. When he reached the top step he launched himself into the air, landing on the woman’s face with all claws out. She screamed and toppled over. The woman and the big cat disappeared down the stairs.

Nigel cast the counter-curse three more times. Ginny was so relieved when the ropes fell off.

Hermione caught her breath and said, “My sister, that was brilliant!”

“Now,” she said, “I think we should all hide under our beds. I have an idea of what kind of mood Harry will be in when he arrives, and we don’t want to be hit by any fallout.”

Hermione said, “He wouldn’t take the Tower down. Would he?”

“Won’t he? I sent him one word, ’Help’. The last time I was in trouble he ripped a wall off the Astronomy Tower! We may be lucky if the castle is still standing in the morning! I’ll be ready to pop out so he can see me, once he’s in view, however he comes in.”

They started to hear Crookshanks, still hissing and spitting, in the stairwell. It sounded like he was coming up.

Nigel had gotten under her bed. He crawled back out.

Things started to happen rapidly, and at first Ginny didn’t have a great vantage point.

The room got very drafty, as their entire ceiling and roof was lifted off. Ginny hadn’t remembered if it was supposed to rain overnight or not. She was glad it wasn’t raining.

She saw the feet of two people reach their door. They were facing down the stairs, ahead of Crookshanks.

Nigel cast the Tickle Hex, three times in succession. Ginny heard a woman’s voice scream with laughter.

Ginny called out, “Harry, I’m okay! Hiding under the bed!”

He called back to her, “Okay, Ron and I will land.”

She rolled out from under her bed, and gained her feet as Harry and Ron landed. Harry looked focused, with his wand pointed at the floating roof above them. Ron levitated the woman, and made sure her robes were hooked on one of the support columns within the stone walls. As the roof descended, it latched back on the way it had been. The woman was suspended from the wall, with the weight of the roof holding her robes. The construction team would not be happy about this, they would need to check that the roof was connected properly, at least.

Tisha collided with her. Ginny hugged her. “Are you alright?”

“I’m good, I’m good.”

Harry and Ron looked very sharp in their Auror robes, and they were all business. Ron took the wands from the woman suspended from the wall. Harry bound her. Ron wound up with four wands, he showed them to the roommates to see if they belonged to them. They were wet, and it didn’t smell like water. Reluctantly, they reclaimed their wands. They used kerchiefs to wipe them off. Natalie cast a spell to clean up a puddle on the top step.

Nigel said, “Harry, there were five of them. This woman is my step-mother, the bitch. She has two witch friends and two wizards. The wizards may be in the common area, and they may be covering their exit. The witches were going to Tisha’s room.”

Tisha said, “They’ve been disabled. Clementine and I were helping the agents defend our roommates. When the cat came into our room, he was a cyclone. This woman grabbed me and started up the stairs before Crookshanks was done. I’ve never seen a cat attack like that!”

Crookshanks stood by Hermione’s feet, his back still arched. She said, “If there were still invaders in the Tower, Crookshanks would be after them. They may be in the castle, perhaps outside the portal, or outside the gate.”

“Alright, Ron and I will go look. Do you suppose we’ll get the ride to the common room?”

Hermione said, “Almost certainly. Be careful.”

She got to share a look with Harry, that’s all they had time for. He started down the stairs, hanging on to his broom. At the fifth step, the stairs went flat, he landed on his bum, and slid away down the stairs. Ron followed, with a quiet “Wheee!”

Hermione said, “Nigel, I know you were Imperiused, so it wasn’t your fault. I’ll testify wherever I need to for that. I don’t think you deserve to go to jail, certainly not Azkaban, and I hope you aren’t expelled. At the same time, I can’t keep you as a Prefect. You’re fired. I’m certain I can get Percy and the Headmaster to sign off on that.”

“So I get to ride the stairwell tonight? Hermione, this may be the most fun I’ll ever have being fired from a job. It’s been an honor and a privilege working with you. I’m sorry I gave you such trouble, they forced me to do it. You too, Natalie, I’m sorry.”

He looked at Ginny, like he wanted to say something, then looked away. He stepped down the stairs until it turned into a ramp, then slid out of sight.

Hermione said, “I think Tisha should stay up here. Natalie, why don’t you go down and see what’s going on in Tisha’s room? Ginny, will you back her up, please?”

They put on their robes and descended the stairs with their wands out. They met one of the Ministry agents on her way up. 

They shared status updates, but the agent insisted on seeing Tisha for herself, so they followed her up the stairs. She took custody of the woman prisoner, casting cleanup spells on her, then said she would stay with Tisha. Natalie and Ginny went back down. They found the other Ministry agent in Tisha’s room, literally sitting on one of the prisoners. Clementine was sitting on the other one.

Ginny said, “Is everyone okay down here? Agent, the other agent said the word for today is copacetic.” She gave Ginny a smile and a thumbs up.

While they were checking out the room, Headmaster McGonagall arrived, followed by a dozen female Aurors.

Both the prisoners in this room had bloody scratches on their faces and arms. Some of the scratches looked deep enough that healing salve may not be enough.

Before anyone thought of sharing stories, Ginny really hoped she got a chance to use the loo.

She descended to the common room after visiting the loo in their room. Harry and Ron were there, with the Headmaster. Ron was holding on to Hermione. Renee Shacklebolt was standing next to the Headmaster, holding on to Tisha.

Nigel’s stepmother was still hanging from the wall in their room, and no one seemed to be in a hurry to get her down. There were four people sitting on the couches, surrounded by Aurors, two men and two women. The women looked like they’d had a really bad time with a shaving razor, with cuts and bandages all over their faces. Nigel was sitting in a chair near them, but she could see he wasn’t bound as they were. 

She didn’t care what the discussion was, or who saw. She walked directly to Harry, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him warmly.

It was the middle of the next day before anyone asked about her Patronus. Ginny was giving her statement to Commander Keffel and Professor Flitwick. 

“So the woman with rank breath told me not to use any of my ’pink-magic’, since she controlled our bindings, and she could hurt Hermione and Natalie. She said ’Now is not the time for bravery.’

“I totally agreed, what was needed was love. So after they left, I focused, and cast my Patronus through my engagement band-”

Professor Flitwick was startled, “-Stop, wait, you did what now? You cast a difficult spell like the Patronus Charm through a metal ring?”

“I didn’t say it was easy. It took three tries.”

“May I see the ring, please?”

She put her left hand down on the table.

The Professor was impatient but kindly, “Please, Miss Weasley, would you remove it for me? I want to judge how much wood it has in it. I can see some wood elements are in the band.”

“Professor, I haven’t removed this since Harry put it on me.”

“I swear, Miss Weasley, it won’t leave the table. It won’t even leave your sight.”

She had to twist, but she managed to get the ring off. She put it in the little Professor’s hand. While he examined it, she rubbed her finger.

He used his wand to cast a spell on it. “Prior Incantato! Checking for the last spell cast with it. Usually this only works on wands.“ A miniature image of her mare Patronus appeared above the ring. “Confirmed, this was used to cast the Patronus Charm. Well, I’ll be.

“I see an inlay of what appears to be petrified maple mixed in with the other inlays of agate, moonstone, and turquoise, as they wrap around inside the steel frame to hold the stones in. On the inside of the ring there are two places on opposite sides where each of those inlays comes through. So the maple is making contact with your skin twice. This is masterful work.

“I would say this should work for casting spells, but it’s going to be much more difficult to use than your usual wand, since it doesn’t have any magical elements in it. I may be wrong about that, it would take a thorough analysis of these stones to be sure. Perhaps the pearls have something in them. It may get somewhat easier once the ring integrates with your spirit. You may have just forced that, but normally it might take years.”

He put the ring onto her palm. She pushed it back on her finger.

“I would be willing to wager large portions of my salary that the jeweler was a wizard or witch. Be that as it may, you used it to cast your Patronus. Congratulations, you just got an Outstanding on your Charms grade. Then what?”

“Before it left, it countered the Imperius Curse on Nigel. I convinced him to free Crookshanks first.”

The Commander confirmed, “And Crookshanks is Miss Granger’s cat?”

“Yes, and it would be hard to imagine a better defender for Hermione.”

He shrugged, “It worked, he wounded all three of the women, helping to bring them down. Can’t argue with those results.”

Ginny didn’t want to presume, but she felt she was missing a piece of information. “Commander? I don’t know if you can tell me, from a security standpoint or just lack of information, but do you know how they were getting in?”

The Commander smiled at her. She wondered if the expression might damage his face. “Miss Weasley, if there’s anyone I would provide that information to, it is you. Some of the spells you’ve cast this year would be a challenge for the Minister himself, and he’s one of the most powerful and capable wizards to come out of Hogwarts, at least that I’ve met. I feel it would be taking my life in my hands to deny you an answer.

“However, we don’t know much, yet. We have confirmed that Missus Wolpert has been coming in to the campus at least once per week, disguised as part of the construction team. That’s a failing of the Aurors-”

“-And mine, I should have double-checked.” The little professor said dourly.

“And we will correct it by morning. We found the construction supervisor last night, in an Imperius haze. So she was apparently controlling him, and he gave her free rein inside the building. According to young Mister Wolpert, she would find him and update his instructions first thing when she arrived, then he would provide her access to where she needed to go. Missus Wolpert is apparently highly skilled with the Imperius curse. Mister Wolpert was found this morning at their home, living happily in an Imperius mirage.”

Ginny asked the harder question, “Do you know why they were after Tisha?”

The Commander scowled, “Control. There were attempts in the middle of last summer to put the Minister under the Imperius Curse. Fortunately, Minister Shacklebolt was in the first classes of Aurors who were taught to resist that Curse. As with the rest of his training, he’s well skilled.

“The Aurors heightened security around Missus Shacklebolt and their children, except here at the school. The Shacklebolts believed that the school’s security safeguards would protect their daughter.”

The professor cut in, “They would have, normally. Unfortunately, this year the great lady hasn’t been herself. We should have had a pair of Aurors on hand from the beginning of the school year.”

“Their primary goal was to have the Minister free the Death Eaters who are locked away in Azkaban. Beyond that, we aren’t sure, but they may have tried to restore the laws that were in place under Thicknesse.

“Anything else, Miss Weasley?”

“Thank you for answering my questions, Commander.”

Three days after the attack, Ginny and Hermione were waiting with Nigel. The Headmaster had empaneled a group of six teachers to decide his fate at the school. Both Hermione and Ginny testified that they had seen him under the influence of the Imperius Curse. Hermione provided minutiae evidence that he’d been under it’s influence off and on all year, and had been tangential to the other two attempts on Tisha. The kind of details that glare at you, once you know the reason.

Ginny pointed out that when his step-mother was coming up the stairs, holding Tisha hostage to keep away from Crookshanks, Nigel had been the one to take his step-mother down, in a way where Tisha was unlikely to be hurt.

Nigel was standing at the railing, looking down into the Entry Hall, wringing his hands. Ginny stood next to him. “So, ’girlfriend’?”

“I wouldn’t let them hurt you. Even when I was thoughtless and under orders, I wouldn’t hurt you. Since I may be expelled, I may as well just say it.”

He looked her in the face, “I’ve had a crush on you for two years or more. I could tell you were in love with Harry, I knew I didn’t stand a chance. And I never hoped for anything bad to happen to him. I was so happy for you both when I heard you were engaged. Even though it tore my heart in two.

“Perhaps it would be best if I went somewhere else, and tried to put you behind me.”

She didn’t know what to do with her hands. Normally when expressing sympathy and support for her friends, she squeezed their hands, or their arms, even gave them a hug. She couldn’t touch Nigel. She didn’t want to give him any reason to think she might care for him as more than a friend.

The best thing she could think to say was, “The good news is, I’ll be out of school in two months.”

“Yes, and you’ll be married to him before summer’s over.” Tears streamed down his face. “Meanwhile, your memories are everywhere at this school, and I have two years to go.

“I’ll finish the school year here, if they let me. Then I think I’ll apply to Beauxbatons for next year. My French is passable, and I’ll have all summer to study.”

She let his words sit for a moment. “I wish you a good and happy life, Nigel. And I would continue your therapy. It may help you get over me. Because you deserve to find a woman who will love you.”

When he came out from the decisive meeting, he was smiling. “I get to stay. Thank you both for your testimony. You’re good people.”

Nigel stopped eating breakfast with them. She noticed that he sat at the far end of the table from them, with just a couple of his mates. Apparently, some of them abandoned him. She wasn’t certain she could blame them, but she was glad he still had a few friends supporting him.

Hermione appealed to a Seventh Year boy who had been a Prefect two years ago, but turned it down this year. He agreed to finish out the year.

Graduation 

May 29th

The weather for the last Quidditch match of the year was clear but windy. There was a lot of turbulence. Fortunately, her team had practiced for turbulence. By this time, Ginny was pleased that her team was flying as an integrated unit. They even rigged some arm signals to secretly give Dennis clues if they saw the Snitch.

It would be unfair to say that the Ravenclaw team was bad, they had several good, competitive players. Their Alternate Keeper, however, could have been better. Their main Keeper was out with a broken arm, just an accident because of the wind, which happened at the team workout just days before the match. Ravenclaw did end up with the lowest total score for the year, but one team was bound to.

Still, the final score of Gryffindor 860 to Ravenclaw 180 was pretty embarrassing.

The tests at the end of May for their NEWTS were painful. In Ginny’s case, some were physically painful. She had to demonstrate blocking maneuvers in flight, along with several other moves. The physical part of the exam in Sports Medicine included a rough chair massage, and her hands were sore by the end.

She thought she did well enough in the written exams, and she was relieved that Professor Flitwick let her skip the Charms exam. 

Hermione, as usual, was hyper-anxious that she would get anything less than Outstanding in any class. She already knew she’d have Outstandings in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts, but she sweated bullets over her Latin and Pre-Law tests. Her grade for Spell-Crafting included the six spells she’d written last year, so Ginny was certain she’d get an Outstanding for that as well. 

She felt sure that Hermione had already memorized the complete law book for the Ministry. Her roommate had written up a scroll on all the inconsistencies in the law book, but her Professor refused to discuss them.

The Monday after the last match, Ginny and the other Captains instituted the Hogwarts Jogging Club. Unfortunately, the time ran directly against Yoga Club. They jogged a few laps around the outside of the castle, and on rainy days, construction had cleared for the inside route. She also helped open the rebuilt training facility, and picked a time during the week for team workouts. Not many of her teammates showed up for that after the first week, but she had no intention of getting flabby before trying out for professional teams.

June 3rd

A week after her last test, Healer Mantooth had worked out how he wanted to proceed with her therapy. Taking the idea of reducing just her confidence in her Hate triggers as a test, to see if it affected her personality, and if it actually succeeded in reducing the reactions when she is triggered.

He took her outside the castle, to the yard just outside the door to the Quidditch pitch. He had a pair of chairs set up, and a wooden box with a square brick on top.

“Alright, Miss Weasley. Stand behind the box and cast Flipendo at the brick. Make it fly as far as you can, but don’t engage any of your emotional triggers.”

Ginny stood behind the box, making sure there was no one in her sight line who might be hit by the brick. Looking ahead, the ground dipped down into the little valley between the castle and the pitch, then opened out to lead down to the lake.

“Flipendo!”

The brick flew, tumbling in the air, and landed in the valley.

The Healer pointed his wand. “Accio brick.” The brick flew rapidly back to the box.

“Well done. Now bring up your hate memory, and cast the spell again.”

Ginny recalled how she felt when her voice changed in front of the Quidditch teams. A kind of burning came into her mind. “Flipendo!”

The brick flew, tumbling in the air, and landed quite a distance out into the lake.

The Healer once more summoned the brick back to the box, where it sat dripping.

“Very impressive, Miss Weasley! Now, please have a seat, and enjoy the cool breeze we have today.”

She sat in the chair, and he sat on the stool next to her. He put his left palm on her forehead, with his fingers in her hair. He cast his spell, and rested his right hand on the back of her head.

Aside from the pressure and warmth of his hands, she didn’t feel anything special. She tried to focus on the feel of the breeze blowing on them.

After a few minutes, he removed his hands. “At last, I was able to change one part of the tower that powers the trigger! According to my reading, it should be the confidence portion. Please cast the spell again, just like last time, using the hate trigger.”

She repeated her preparation, trying to make it the same as before. “Flipendo!”

The brick flew, and landed on the sandy beach, well short of the water.

The Healer had been holding his breath. “Excellent, Miss Weasley! Let’s stop there, and you tell me if you think you may have issues because of the change. If you have no issues, we’ll change your triggers over the next several weeks, reducing the power to about two-thirds.”

June 6th

Harry had a small party at the Hall of Heroes a few weeks before graduation. Her entire family was there, and Andromeda was there, holding Teddy. The Headmaster, and several professors were there, including Flitwick and Hooch.

Her parents were always destroyed when they saw the plaques, and it took them many minutes to recover this time. It was the first time they saw the painting of Remus and Tonks, and they cried anew. Harry waited for them to recover, standing next to a painting on a stand. The painting was covered by a cloth.

He cleared his throat to get their attention. “I saw this painting of Remus and Tonks in February, and it inspired me to become a patron of the arts. I think the skill and artistry in this painting is fantastic!” He applauded Andromeda, and several others joined in. “I’ve asked Andromeda to do portraits of many of my future family members, if they will agree to cooperate. I’d like to get a portrait of Ginny and I before the end of the year, if possible, but we won’t be able to sit for that until after our honeymoon.”

“But first, I commissioned this painting, with George’s permission and cooperation. This will be the first time he’s seen it. George, would you like to do the honors?”

Her brother was standing between Mum and Angelina. “No, Harry, would you do it, please?” He was holding a wad of kerchiefs.

“Alright.”

He removed the cloth, and Ginny saw George’s face. Then she realized that his ear was whole. This was Fred! The image in the painting winked at them all, in Fred’s exaggerated style, and they were broken. George took Angelina’s hand and walked around the corner. Mum sobbed, her Dad was crying, and she started sobbing as well. She and her other brothers did a group hug on Mum, and cried together. Andromeda kept apologizing, until Harry and the Headmaster told her it would be alright.

By the time the group hug broke up, the Headmaster had a platter on a stand, with little shots of Scotch covering it. First, her Mum went to Andromeda and hugged her, “Thank you, for preserving the memory of my son so well.” Then she hugged Harry.

June 11th

Hermione presented Ginny and Natalie with the traditional reward for service during the year, a certificate for a full spa treatment in the Prefect’s bathroom. The three of them found a time in the evening when they could all go together. 

The manicure and pedicure were very relaxing. The technicians were full of school gossip. Ginny asked them for the most ridiculous rumours they had heard about her and Harry during the year. They listed eight rumours, and when they were done laughing at them all, she confirmed that two of the rumours were true, she wouldn’t tell them which ones those were. She did tell them that the rumours of them making love on the roof of the Astronomy Tower were absolutely false.

The table massages were magnificent, better than she’d learned to give in her Sports Medicine class. Her professor gave Natalie her massage, and when she was done it was several minutes before Natalie felt like moving.

In her last class in Transfiguration, Professor McGonnagal told them to turn to page 327 in their text. The title of the chapter was Motionless Casting. It became clear that it was about casting spells without moving the wand. Charmed devices cast spells with no wand at all, hence nothing to move. The requirement was, similar to casting without speaking the spell’s name aloud, the caster had to visualize the movement as they cast the spell.

The Professor explained that it didn’t work well on offensive and defensive spells, except general shield spells that surround the body or protect a space. Part of the point with those spells was to have the wand point to the target, and that was more difficult if the motionless wand wasn’t already aimed correctly. For spells on oneself, the process usually worked fine.

The advantage, the professor explained, was that a caster could have the components of a transfiguration memorized, and only need to touch their wand to cast it.

The easy test was to put their wand on their desk, touch it with two fingers, and cast Lumos. Nearly everyone managed to get their wand to light its tip, since the spell doesn’t have much of a required movement.

The second test was to change their hair to a different color. They had learned transfiguration of humans in their Sixth Year, and the pageant of changes that students had made to themselves had been impressive and memorable. To cast it this way, even speaking the command aloud, the student had to visualize the change to be made, and the motion the wand should take.

Hermione, naturally, did it first, her hair became platinum blonde. Ginny found it a nice color, but disturbing to see on her sister. Before class was over, Ginny managed to change her hair color to match Hermione’s natural brown. They both used their wands to cancel the change, so there were no mistakes made.

June 25th

The night before graduation, neither Ginny nor Hermione slept well, they were too excited. Before lunch, they had separate meetings with Percy, going over their classes.  With Ginny, he was just as excited to talk about his new status as Junior Professor, or his plans for his date with Audrey on Saturday night.

She told him they had a meeting planned with her for Monday. He needn’t worry, she compartmented her life and work very well, she won’t mention their date at all.

She also told him that Healer Mantooth had finished altering her triggers, so they were all less powerful than the full-on power they had started with. If she was triggered now, a spell she cast would be less dangerous, and less draining to her. Percy toasted her with his glass of juice.

When they went to the administrators office for their graduation photos, administrator Rowling came out of her office to chat. She told them she had gotten so much material that she could write the text book that had been ordered, plus she could fictionalize the whole story into a series of books. She didn’t know if anyone outside the wizarding world would be interested in reading them, however.

The end-of-year feast was grand, as usual. It melted her heart to see the light of the sunset coming in through the windows in the Great Hall. The ceiling wasn’t restored, yet, but the Headmaster expected that it would be ready by fall. Almost, but not quite where they wanted it to be.

Professor Flitwick had gotten his way, and the Hogwarts orchestra played during dinner. The musicians came from all four houses, so it was a fine example of school unity.

The Headmaster came to the podium and gave her speech, then read the list of graduates. As usual, her name came up last.

Then she did something completely unexpected. She introduced Percy, as “Junior Professor Percy Weasley, faculty advisor for Gryffindor House.”

Her brother looked quite handsome in his dress robes, she hoped Audrey got to see him.

He said, “Thank you, Headmaster. The students of Gryffindor House this year came up with the idea of awarding a medal, for the student who most exemplifies the spirit of the House of Gryffindor. The school is not trying to exclude the other Houses, the Headmaster loves the idea so much she wants all the Houses to do it next year. This year, our list of recipients is rather special.

“As House adviser, it falls on me to present these awards, and I am honored to my bones. The medal has been named the Godric Gryffindor Medal for Exemplary Performance. We have three medals that we’re awarding retroactively. I swear I had no role in choosing the recipients, its just happy happenstance that they are related to me, or will be by August. Two I will be honored to deliver later.”

Ginny reached across the table and gripped Hermione’s hand. She quickly manifested a stack of kerchiefs.

“Those two medals go to my brother, Ronald Weasley, and to Harry Potter.” The Hall erupted in applause and cheers.

“The third goes to a most deserving young woman, Hermione Granger.”

Her sister burst into tears, as the students applauded. She snatched up a few kerchiefs and wiped her eyes. Natalie stood up and took her by the elbow to walk her to the podium. Percy handed her an open case, displaying the medal. Then Natalie walked her back to her seat as the applause quieted down. Natalie’s smile was huge.

Percy continued, “This year’s recipient, chosen by a vote amongst the members of Gryffindor House, is very special to me.”

Ginny’s mind went cold. No, Percy, no! I’m not the one who gets awards!

“My little sister, Ginny Weasley!”

Ginny was flabbergasted. Hermione and Natalie were standing across the table, applauding her. Applauding her!

Dennis came around the table and took her by the elbow. She didn’t want to get up. Maybe if she stayed seated they’d choose someone else. So much for Gryffindor courage. Hermione took her wand out of her robe and levitated Ginny away from the table, leaving her standing next to Dennis. He took her by the elbow again and pulled her to the podium. Students and teachers were standing and applauding her. Applauding her!

Percy gave her the open medal case and kissed her forehead. Thank Merlin she wasn’t asked to make an acceptance speech. Dennis led her back to her seat. It was a good thing she had a guide, her legs felt numb.

When she sat down, she put the case in front of her and picked up several more kerchiefs. Looking at the medal made it real, and her tears began to flow. Hermione came around the table to hug her. She tried to explain that this was wrong. She doesn’t get the awards. Harry gets the awards, or Hermione does. That’s the way things were. Hermione didn’t pay any attention to her.

Percy was replaced by Madam Hooch. Next to her on a stand was the grand Hogwarts Cup, for the champion Quidditch team. Gryffindor had the most points, having won every match, sometimes substantially. So it wasn’t a surprise to Ginny that the House that she announced was Gryffindor. This award was for the team.

Ginny got up, and once again Dennis ran around the table to escort her. The other eight players walked to the front. They all waited for her. Madam Hooch pointed out the little plaque on the large Cup, which read:

1999 Gryffindor

Captain Ginny Weasley, Seeker Dennis Creevey

Then it listed the other eight players in small print.

Madam Hooch gave her a miniature Cup, which just read ’1999 Gryffindor’ and shook her hand. When they all had their cups, the ten of them did a group hug. Natalie ran down to help Dennis escort Ginny to her seat, both Ginny and Dennis were crying so much they were stumbling.

When they returned to their seats, the Hogwarts Choir sang. When they finished, the Choir and the Orchestra students all took their seats, and got their dinners. Professor Flitwick faced the students, and said, “The Choir and Orchestra students come from all four Houses, producing beautiful music in harmony together. Can I get a thank you for their efforts?” The rest of the students applauded, with many students standing. The whole Gryffindor section around Ginny and Hermione stood, yelling like they were at a match.

The Headmaster resumed her place at the podium. She awarded a few more House points, then updated the totals. Gryffindor won by two hundred twenty points! Percy accepted the House Championship award.

That evening, their last ever to sleep in the castle, Natalie had fallen asleep listening to them reminisce. Ginny closed the curtains around their roommate’s bed, then closed the curtain on her bed that faced Natalie’s.

“At last,” Hermione said quietly. Reaching into her pocketbook, she removed a travel box with two short drinking glasses. Hermione removed both glasses and handed them to Ginny. She saw they had the school logo embedded on the side. Next she removed a full fifth bottle of Scotch whiskey. Uncorking it, she poured two slugs into each glass. She recorked it, then returned it to her bag.

“A graduation present from our top Scot. She gave Justin one as well. This is just a nightcap, to help us sleep.” She took the glass Ginny handed her. “To the future!”

They each took long sips, then gasped at the warm burn as it went down.

Ginny said, “Truth be told, my sister. When Percy called your name today it couldn’t have been a surprise. Why did it make you cry?”

“Truth? We’ve gotten accolades, the three of us, for destroying the horcruxes, and I get it, it was one of the most important, most difficult things I will ever do. We were lucky to survive. This one was voted on by my peers. I’ve been cursed by my peers, insulted and mocked, physically attacked. Today they recognized me as being an exemplary example of Gryffindor ideals. It touched me in a place where I hadn’t thought I needed.” She took another sip.

“What about you? How could you have possibly thought you were undeserving, after protecting the Minister’s daughter, not once, but twice, and you played a key part the third time? How could you have those doubts?”

She took a sip and shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t get accolades. It’s never happened to me before. To me! Most of my brothers have gotten recognition. Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Ron were Prefects. Bill and Percy were Head Boy. Ron and Harry got recognition for saving the school, after I nearly got people killed, including you, my dear sister. Fred and George, well, they bravely chose different paths. Charlie and Ron both became Quidditch heroes, and Charlie was Team Captain. The years that I did really well in Quidditch, I barely turned anyone’s head, until this year.

“And then there’s Harry. I’m deeply in love with him before I even know him, because those green eyes of his will drown me for the rest of my life, and I dive in joyously every single time!” She took a breath, “Then I find he’s known everywhere he goes, he’s roasted and toasted by everyone, and I get it. Because of what he is and what his mother gave him, he ended a wizard war, while he was still in nappies! Then he became what Dumbledore focused him to be, the valiant warrior who defeats his nemesis, for good and always. More awards and accolades, the bloody Order of Merlin! And he deserves it, all of it, and more.

“Sometimes I think I’m another one of his rewards. He should be my reward for something, I love him so much, but I can’t imagine anything I’ve done to deserve him.”

Another sip, she emptied her glass. “And then you and Ron. You deserve it, I’m not taking anything away from you, what you did was magnificent!

“What did I do? What did I do? I fought against tyranny, perhaps not as brazenly as Neville. When it came down to me standing alone against Bellatrix, I ran in fear. I roped you and Luna into trying to stop her, even kill her, and it almost got all three of us killed. When Harry walked alone into the forest, facing his death, I was tagging bodies.

“And this year! Wow! I make a mess in the yard because I panicked over my brother’s life, and it turns out he was about to solve the problem anyway. Yes, I protected Tisha, but that was also using my fear. Harry and Dennis and Clementine fought more than I did.

“Okay, the second attempt to kidnap Tisha, that was me making a good try, but I was keyed up from the match, I was feeling pretty invincible anyway. It didn’t matter, I was caught, I didn’t rescue anyone.

“The third attempt, all I did was call Harry for help. Nigel and Crookshanks did a lot more than me.”

Hermione finished her Scotch and shook her head. “You and Harry, you really are well suited for each other, you know? Why were you in a position to protect Tisha with your super-shield? Because you chose the hard path of analyzing what was going on in your head. You understood it well enough to turn a dangerous power into a fantastic protection device. By the second time, you had learned to fine tune it so you could fight three enemies who were prepared to fight you. And you may have been caught, but you were there before Harry was. You led him to them. The third time, you cast a really difficult spell through a ring! Do you hear about that happening much? No, because it’s really bloody difficult, and you did it perfectly with one of the hardest spells we know! That wasn’t nothing, my sister! In doing that, achieving that, you freed Nigel and Crookshanks to fight back. None of that would have happened if it wasn’t for you!”

Ginny let that sit for a moment to absorb it. “So who proposed the idea for the medal? Was it you?”

“I wasn’t aware of it until Percy announced it today. I think it was her idea.” She nodded towards Natalie.

“It sounds like something she would support.” Ginny said.

“I’m guessing, but I think she meant for you to get it. I didn’t get a vote, but I am totally in agreement with the House’s choice of recipient. You deserve this. You. If you’ve never gotten accolades before, then it’s high time you did! Perhaps you can use this to finally recognize the strong, brave, beautiful woman that your friends have always seen in you.”

“I’ll try, my sister.” Ginny broke down into tears. Hermione hugged her, then helped her lay on her bed. She fell asleep crying.

The next day, as they rode in the little rowboats across the lake towards the train depot, following tradition for Seventh Years, Ginny looked back at the castle. Most of the wounds had been healed, she could hardly see any remaining damage. By next September it should be at least as healthy as when she started there.

They took the Hogwarts Express to London, rather than Apparate directly to the Burrow, just for the final experience. Hermione was looking thoughtfully at her. Ginny could barely look at Hermione. She was still trying to integrate Hermione’s words into her head. 

Hermione said, “I’ve been remembering the Headmaster’s words when accepting the Order of Merlin. I wish I’d been there to see it. She talked about how no one thinks they’re doing something heroic while they’re doing it, they just do what needs to be done.

“It reminds me of you. You are strong, and brave, and beautiful, but you don’t think of yourself that way, you just live it.”

Ginny answered, ”It’s the opposite of the way I’ve grown up thinking of myself. I was just the girl trying to be more stubborn than her stubborn family. You’ve started me trying to upgrade my confidence in myself, my sister. Thank you.”

Natalie spoke up from the opposite bench, “You two are going to spoil my image of you. I think of you both as smart, brave women! I admire you both, my big sisters! I’m going to miss you so much next year!”

Ginny asked, “You both got your invites, yes? We’ll see you at the end of July?”

Dennis said, “Absolutely!”

“Are you planning to keep in touch with each other?”

He replied, “My parents are divorcing, over Colin’s death. They seem to blame each other. I’m trying to stay out of it, so I asked Natalie if she’d ask her parents if I could stay in their guest bedroom for the summer.”

Hermione asked, “Little sister, does your family even have a guest bedroom?”

Natalie’s cheeks blushed scarlet. “We can arrange something.”

Ginny said, “Be careful with that. The temptations for hanky-panky are huge! We had Harry and Hermione living with us at my parents home, and only chaperones, or the risk of being caught, kept us out of trouble. Don’t go too far until you’re certain you’re both ready to live with the aftermath.”

Dennis said, “Wait. Hermione, didn’t I hear that you were on the run, camping in a tent, with Harry and Ron? Did nothing happen?”

Hermione was a trifle snippy. Ginny knew she didn’t like to talk about it. “No, nothing happened, not that way. For one thing, Harry was chaperoning Ron and I, even though he didn’t want the job, and sometimes we didn’t want him to. Plus, Ron was a gentleman, he stopped us at least as often as I did. And that cursed Horcrux killed the mood faster than anything.

“Ginny is right, having a good chaperone is essential.”

Ginny added, “We’re going to miss you guys, too!”

Ginny’s doubts fought back, but she thought she had the ammunition to drive them out this time. She remembered the song of confidence, and occasionally she let it fill her mind. Hearing the song play in her mind, in her mind’s eye she saw Harry’s green eyes.

Covering Assets

June 27th

The next morning, after one of Molly Weasley’s wonderful Sunday breakfasts, the four of them got ready to see Harry’s home. Ginny and Hermione dressed in their matching culottes. One by one, they took the Floo to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Ginny was expecting everything to have changed, but the parlor looked the same, just clean. No rips or stains in the fabric of the sofa or chairs. They moved into the entry and the main hallway, where the wood flooring was much lighter in color, and clean and bright. The wallpaper was a pastel yellow, like walking through a sunrise. The ballroom across from the parlor also looked like the flooring was new. There were padded benches around the room, with a small oval rug in front of each, all in light grey.

The mural for the Weasley family tree was even more filled in than before, with two more generations of grandparents added, so the text was much smaller at Ginny’s level. She had no idea she had cousins! She noted they all had masculine names, except one. Her birthday came after Ginny’s.

The mural for the Potters was working now. It really looked like a tree, since it had one lone stalk, with Harry’s name near the floor. James was at the middle of the windows, with the leaf for Lily Evans. Above them, at the top of the windows, were James’s parents, Fleamont and Euphemia. Fleamont had two siblings. One died young, with no spouse or children. The other was married, but it looked like they had all died as well. The generations above them had several children, and their descendants trailed down the outside of the windows. So Harry had cousins as well, but none closer than third cousin.

She was so happy for Harry, now that he knew who his family was, and he wasn’t alone.

The bathroom on the main floor sparkled, with shining chrome and porcelain. Kreacher had just gone to town in this room, it looked spendid.

They went up to the second floor, with the master bedroom suite. When Harry opened the door, she was once again dazzled by the brightness. The wood floors were several shades lighter. The rugs and window curtains had been replaced with brighter patterns, with flowering vines. The bedroom area had what appeared to be a new bed, although Kreacher could have rebuilt the old one. It also had three wardrobes, that Ginny at first mistook for her wardrobes, which she had just left at the Burrow. No, Harry had gotten his own wardrobes, they looked a little different than Ginny’s.

The middle section was separated by curtains, and it was a full bath. The tub was large, and in an old style with dragon-claw feet. Once again, the porcelain and chrome shone. The shower was almost as long as the tub, with a shower head at each end, and overhead in the middle. Ginny looked forward to using that, after the wedding.

On the other side of the bath, there was a door into a sitting room. There was a cabinet for Quidditch gear, which made Ginny tear up. Next to that was a chair with an attached table, and on the side was a broomstick maintenance kit. Harry got a solid kiss for that one. The room also had a reading corner, with four bookcases, a chaise lounge, and a well-padded chair.

They went down to the first floor, and the boys told them the story of how Ron anguished over how these rooms had been rebuilt, mostly by Kreacher. They started in the room below the second floor’s sitting room. The layout was almost the same, with the reading corner. Where the second floor had Quidditch and broomstick equipment, this room had more bookshelves. Hermione ran her fingers over the empty shelves, and her smile was wistful and joyful.

The door leading to the next room was the same as the floor above. This door also opened into a full bath. The shower was the same, except instead of chrome this room had brass. The tub was smaller, but still roomy. Above it, mounted to the wall, was a bookcase that went up to the ceiling.

Hermione was humming. She gave Ron a kiss.

The curtain to the sleeping area was closed, and the room beyond was dark. Ron asked Hermione to stand in the middle of the curtain and close her eyes. Harry held onto Ginny, and touched her lips with his finger. Obviously, he didn’t want Ginny to give Hermione any hint of what she sees.

Ron opened the curtains using his wand, then lit all the lamps. He put away his wand, and took Hermione’s hands in his, pulling her into the middle of the room, a few feet away from the foot of the big bed. Ginny had to cover her mouth with both hands, lest she give out a squeak of the yell she wanted to make.

At last, Ron told her she could open her eyes. Hermione saw their large bed, with a bookshelf over the headboard, and lamps on each side, over small nightstands. Turning to her right, the entire wall was covered, floor to ceiling, with empty bookshelves. In the corner near the bath was a padded chair with a reading lamp, and a table that could swing in front for writing. Continuing her turn, getting past the bath, where Harry and Ginny watched her, she saw the opposite wall had the door that opened into the landing. It also had bookshelves, floor to ceiling bookshelves.

Ginny could see tears fill Hermione’s eyes, then her head tipped back and her legs gave way.

Harry yelled, “Catch her, Ron!”

Her brother caught his fiancée, lifting her in his arms, and he carried her around to the bed. Hermione opened her eyes just before Harry and Ginny reached the foot of the bed. Her gaze locked onto Ron’s face, where he sat by her feet. He removed her slippers and set them on the floor.

He gently asked, “How are you feeling?”

“I am beyond joy. I overflow with love for you, Ronald Weasley.”

“I love you, Hermione.”

“I had wondered if you really understood me, understood my inner nature. I see now that you really do. I am looking forward to being married to a man who understands me so well.”

Ron lifted Hermione’s leg and kissed her ankle. The fabric on that leg slid down to her knee, exposing her calf.

Harry took Ginny’s hand, and headed for the landing. He said quietly, “Don’t forget the spells.” As they left the room, he pulled the door closed. 

Ginny looked at him, “Do you think they’re going to-”

“-Uh huh!” He lifted Ginny up into his arms and started walking up the stairs. She hooked her arm around his neck. “And you know, I have a bed just as big as his.”

Warmth spread through Ginny, causing her toes to curl. She kicked off her sandals. “You know, we’re getting married in just a few weeks.”

He said, “I look at it as conducting an experiment. How strongly can we strike down our mutual hate monsters, if we hit them with the ultimate expression of our love? Might we even heal our corrupted souls? I’ve been wondering that since last year, and I think it’s time we found out. Wouldn’t you like to find out?”

Ginny decided she was ready for the aftermath. “I don’t want to wait any longer, my husband-to-be.”

Harry set her bare feet down on the rug in the suite, and closed the door.

She started getting hungry in the middle of the day. While Harry napped, she slid out of bed and put her clothes back on, once she found them. She put her wand sleeve back on and attached her wand. Exiting the room quietly, she descended three flights to the kitchen. The lights were on, and Hermione stood at the counter eating a PB&J.

They looked at each other and broke up laughing.

“Wow, just wow. I’m still tingling.” Hermione said.

“I’m going to be a very happy wife, I tell you!” She looked at the few containers on the shelves.

Hermione said, “You’re going to be disappointed with what’s in there. They have the materials for tea, including cream, and the three ingredients to make peanut butter sandwiches. There’s a box of breakfast cereal, but not a brand I recommend, and there’s no milk. They have plenty of Ron’s favorite brand of stout.”

“Hmm. There’s still a lot of bread left, and a lot of strawberry preserves. This bread is nice and thick. I think I can do something with this, but it would be better if I don’t have to.”

She walked over to the open door to the boiler room. “Kreacher, could I speak to you?”

The House Elf poked his head out from beneath the boiler, smiled at her, and stepped into the kitchen. “Yes, Miss Ginny would speak to Kreacher?”

“I’m wondering if I can get you to bring us some groceries? We’re out of nearly everything.”

“Miss Ginny is not yet mistress of this house, Kreacher does not have to follow Miss Ginny’s orders.”

Ginny took a breath. “I remember. How do you fix meals for the master of the house?”

“When the master tells Kreacher what he wants to eat, Kreacher goes to get it, from the wizards storehouse. Kreacher is known there, and Master’s account is charged. If Kreacher needs to cook, Kreacher gets the items Kreacher needs.”

“What if I make suggestions, not orders?”

Kreacher gave her a sideways smile, “What would Miss Ginny suggest?”

“We have almost enough items to make French toast, we’re missing chicken eggs and a few spices, I know you know which ones I’m talking about.”

Kreacher nodded, still giving her the sideways smile.

“When you go to fetch those items we need, if you got twice the amount you need for today, then I could prepare it another time. So if the master orders you to make French toast, you could get twice the number of eggs, for instance.”

“If the master orders Kreacher to make French toast, Kreacher could do that. It helps feed the master, and makes the master happy.”

“Very true.”

“Miss Ginny is sly. Kreacher likes Miss Ginny.”

“Thank you, Kreacher. I like to cook, sometimes, but when I am mistress of the house, there will often be meals when I’m unavailable or otherwise busy. Then we will call on you.”

“When the master or mistress needs Kreacher, Kreacher is happy to serve, doing whatever my masters need.”

“Thank you, Kreacher. Over time, I’m sure we’ll work things out so we aren’t cooking the same foods, inviting comparisons by the master of the house. Before you go, I want to say I think you’ve done a terrific job on the house. I love it!”

“Thank you, Miss Ginny.” He went back under his boiler. Ginny thought he might be purring.

She got two tablespoons out of the cutlery drawer and stuck them in the container of peanut butter.

Hermione said, “Very well done. You worked within his rules to get what you want, and it means you don’t need to cook today.”

She pulled large gobs of peanut butter up on the spoons and sealed the container. “Yes, so long as Harry is in the mood for French toast. And I’m learning that Harry is in the mood for what I tell him he’s in the mood for. Don’t let Ron use up the bread as he usually does, if you can.”

Ginny licked one of the spoons and headed for the stairs. Harry was awake and sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard. She handed him the other spoon.

“Your cupboard is nearly bare, but Kreacher can make French toast for the four of us without getting much more than you have, for now. He won’t take orders from me, yet, but next time I’ll make up a shopping list you can give him.”

He waited until he swallowed the peanut butter. “Would you like some tea?”

“Love some. Don’t forget our guests.”

“Of course. Kreacher, take tea for two to the guest suite, then bring us the same.”

Within a few minutes, Kreacher appeared. He materialized a sideboard table and set a tea tray on it.

Harry said, “Kreacher, in an hour, I’ll want French toast for four people served in the kitchen.”

“Very good, master.” He winked out with a loud pop.

“So he doesn’t even have to be in the room to hear orders?”

“For orders, no. For questions, he doesn’t hear them unless we’re face to face.”

She sent her Patronus to Hermione, giving her the time table for the French toast. She dropped her clothes, poured their tea, and slid back into bed.

He sipped his tea. “Once we’ve finished our tea, I thought we might have a shower.”

“I’m looking forward to that!”

In the late afternoon, they pulled themselves together and went back to the Burrow. She tried to muffle her joy so her Mum didn’t notice, but she never was able to hide very much from her Mum. Before they went upstairs her Mum pulled her into a hug, giving her a tight squeeze. She didn’t say anything, but she looked in Ginny’s eyes and smiled, and that said everything.

Her Mum asked Hermione to please make sure that Crookshanks’ ball of yarn was under control at night. He had gone up and down the stairs half a dozen times while they were gone.

June 28th

Arthur and the boys had to go to work Monday morning. She had already warned her Mum that their wedding planner was coming in the morning, and she had tea and fresh pastries ready.

It was a sunny Summer day, so they enjoyed the warmth while they waited for Audrey’s taxi.

When Audrey got out, toting her briefcase, Ginny and Hermione watched her take in the quiet rural landscape, with the chickens in the yard, and the orchard behind the house. They were standing about three meters away, but she couldn’t see them.

Audrey said, “You could rent this as a bed and breakfast. It’s so peaceful here.” Then she stepped forward onto the property, and she saw her two clients. Her smile broadened, “Did I mention how much I love that spell?”

Ginny said, “Welcome to the Burrow, Audrey! Do you want to go inside first and meet my Mum, or would you like to see the clearing first?”

“Oh, please, I want to meet the legend! Then I can ditch this jacket and briefcase. Perhaps your Mum will consent to lead the tour, I’d love to get her input.”

Hermione led the way inside. “Molly Prewett Weasley, we’d like you to meet our wedding planner, Audrey Prewett.”

Audrey shook her hand, “Missus Weasley, I want to say it’s an honor to meet you. I still have a lot of friends who are Aurors, and they are in awe of you, the speed and deftness you showed killing Bellatrix Lestrange!”

Her Mum blushed, “I only did what I had to do to protect my daughter. Please, have a seat! Ginny tells me we could be related, so please, call me Molly.”

“And you can call me Audrey.”

“Have you found out anything more about our family connection? You do faintly resemble my Uncle Ignatius.”

“No, but you remind me of my Aunt Josefina. This kitchen is just like hers.”

“I’ve been working with Harry on his family tree. We found some experts, if you’d like us to find that connection.”

“I’m quite content, thinking of Ginny as a fourth cousin. I don’t want to break that illusion, even if it means we could confirm it.”

Audrey took a bite of a warm pastry, and scrunched her eyes. “Oh, that’s bliss, that is. Down to business. The portkeys are ready to be charmed, as soon as we give them a specific destination. Molly, with your approval I’ll have a team out this week to do that. We’ll pick a location for an arrival tent today, and that will be where they line the portkeys up so they don’t overlap. That’ll take a few hours.

“I have a security team hired, their chief has workedwith the Ministry security before, so he’ll coordinate with them for what they might need. He wants to review the property and the spells you have already installed, so he doesn’t overlap. We can do that at the same time as the portkeys, so we don’t take up too much of your time.”

“My husband Arthur knows the spells, so he should be here for that. Unless we can do that in the evening, he’d need to take time off from the Ministry.”

“He’s Director of an office now, taking time off from that would probably be inconvenient. I can have those two activities split, so the chief can discuss the spells when Arthur’s here.

Hermione asked, “Can I be in that meeting? I may have some input.”

Ginny said, “Audrey, let me advise you, when it comes to spell craft, we want Hermione in that meeting!”

“I’ll let you know when he’ll be here. As for media, I’ve told all the outlets not to waste their time trying to overview the site, if they can find it. I’ve planted some red herrings, but I know some already have it. It should stop about half of them. They’ll be able to see the tents, and the chairs and the site for the ceremony itself, unless we put a Marquee over all that. We can discuss that when we look at the clearing.

“I’ve got a press conference scheduled for ten in the morning on the twenty-fourth, so the Prophet can have a big feature in their Sunday edition. Hermione, I did speak to Rita Skeeter, and I gave her your message. She got very pale when I said you’d ‘swat her bottom.’ I’d love to hear that story sometime.”

Hermione said, “I’m sorry, that story I cannot tell. Will she be at the press conference?”

“She said she would stay ten kilometers away from you, specifically, so if you are there then I assume she won’t be.”

“That’s enough reason for Ron and I to attend.”

“Very good. I won’t miss her. I’ll give you the location information later.”

Ginny saw that her Mum was smiling broadly, with tears welling in her eyes. She reached over and took her Mum’s hand, and she clasped Ginny’s hand in both of hers. Hermione was sitting on her other side, and she put her hand on her Mum’s arm, who readjusted so she took the hands of both girls.

Audrey didn’t comment, “Ginny, the dress you wore to the Order of Merlin ceremony was fabulous, the press loved it. For the press conference, perhaps something closer to an office outfit, but stylish.”

Her Mum said, “Ginny has several dresses like that in her wardrobes, I’ll help her pick one out.”

Hermione asked, “I don’t have anything like that, could I borrow one?”

Ginny grinned, “Unless you want to knock them dead?”

Hermione’s face lit up, “Oh, that’d be brilliant!”

Ginny said to her Mum, “Harry helped me find an outfit for yoga that’s just beautiful, and we bought one like it for Hermione. That’s the outfits we wore just before Christmas, when Harry took us out for dinner.”

“I remember those skirts! You were beautiful together! And that photo, I saved the clipping. That should be wonderful!”

Audrey said, “I’m sure the Prophet would like improved photos to print.”

Ginny asked, “Are we ready to take a walk?”

The four of them went out the front door and went around the stone wall by the pond. Her Mum told the tale of how her Dad had built the pond in their first few years living there, around the time Bill was born. Ginny had heard the story several times, and every telling she learned something new.

Audrey asked about bugs. Her Mum said they usually weren’t a concern, between the frogs in the pond and the birds in the trees. The frogs only got really noisy during mating season, which had already passed. Bees might be an issue, the clearing is their favorite wildflower zone, and the hive was near the house. Audrey said she would be prepared with humane bug-screening charms, just in case.

They took a worn path through the orchard into the clearing. They didn’t understand why, but the fruit trees of the orchard avoided growing in a roughly rectangular area right in the middle. Looking up the slope, they could see the fruit trees turn into taller trees, with a wooden paddock inside. The paddock was a separated area from the rest of the clearing. The trees were tall enough to hide them when they played mock-Quidditch. Next to the wooden fence, at the border between the fruit trees and the larger trees, was a small old barn, where the twins used to conduct some of their experiments.

Audrey described a plan. The mild slope of the hill created a natural amphitheater. Have the ceremony site at the bottom of the hill, nearest the Burrow, a few meters from the trees. Have lots of chairs, they would calculate how many later on. Then a tent, with three rooms. The wide front room would have the portkey reception area. The two rooms upslope from that would be the bridal preparation rooms. Portkeys connect the house to the rooms.

For the rest of the week, Ginny made preparations. When the boys inevitably brought their fiancées back to Harry’s place on Saturday, she wanted a change of clothes available. She took the wardrobe she had used at school and transferred all her school robes out of it, including underclothes that she’d outgrown. Then she transferred in a few day-to-day dresses that she’d already adapted from her great-Aunt’s shape to hers, and her threadbare robe.

She started two shopping lists. She wrote up a list of the toiletries she wanted in Harry’s master bath. She took her list to Hermione, who had her own list, but didn’t want to impose. They compared notes to be sure they didn’t miss a category.

“My sister, do you remember in history class, they talked about how the landowning elites, nobles and such, would play host to other elites, for weeks and years? That’s how I see you two living with us. You are family and you are our dearest friends, you are welcome as long as you like. We want you to be comfortable, I’m sure that’s why Harry told Ron to redecorate the first floor rooms the way he wanted. Anything you need, just let us know. You need groceries, put it on a list and give it to me, we’ll take care of it.”

Hermione said, in her shy voice, “I don’t want us to be a burden on you.”

“Ron has his own income, you can buy your own clothes and such. But we’d be buying food and toiletries anyway, if you were there or not. Don’t worry about the groceries. I’ve seen Harry’s bank vault, you two couldn’t make a dent in that, just on food. If Ron wants to grill steaks, the only questions are which cut, and how thick?”

“Have you made any plans for the pile of money?”

“I know it’s of considerable size, but I don’t know how big, yet. Harry’s invited me to a meeting with some lawyers on Monday to discuss it.”

She showed her Mum the general grocery list, and explained she was basically building from nothing. Her Mum added a dozen staples for cooking and baking. She knew which of her recipes Harry seemed to like the most, and she noted those on the back.

Friday morning she looked around her bedroom. In four weeks she would be married, living in a new home. This room had been hers since she had left the crib, it had memories that would never leave. The talks she had with her Mum. The late-night discussions with Hermione starting when she was thirteen. They were part of her, but they would always be linked to this room.

She started packing her childhood souvenirs. Most of the books she gave back to her Mum, unless they’d been bought just for her. The Quidditch magazines and posters got put in separate boxes, those were going with her. She had a jewelry box full of costume jewelry, that would go in storage at Harry’s place. Their home. Perhaps someday she’d have a daughter to give it to.

She got so involved with packing, she missed the call to lunch. Hermione was taking basic cooking lessons from her Mum, she helped with the soup and sandwiches. She came up and let her know that Audrey had arrived for her weekly report. 

The portkeys were keyed to their destinations, and would be shipped off by the middle of next week. The security team commander had looked at the property, and was working on his deployment plan. He’d be by after lunch tomorrow to speak with Arthur and Hermione about the spells on the property. They had chairs on order, and a reinforced sofa for Hagrid. The decorator that Audrey hired would start building up the platform for the ceremony next week. 

Her Mum told them that her Dad had talked with his friend at the Ministry who was licensed to perform a civil ceremony. They were honored to do it.

It occurred to Ginny to wonder if Harry knew what all the spells were on Grimmauld Place. Her father may know, she’d ask him. The only other person who might know, anymore, was Kingsley. She’d get Harry to ask him at his next opportunity. They might need to hire an expert to analyze the building. Perhaps Kreacher could tell them, you never know til you ask.

July 3rd

The boys did show for breakfast Saturday morning. Ginny told them they wouldn’t be leaving until after a meeting just after lunch.

Harry looked disappointed. “We could go, and Ron and Hermione could come over later.”

“Patience, Mister Potter, I want to hear the results of this meeting, and you should too. It’s about the security spells on this property. However, if you two had your brooms, we could go flying over the paddock while they talk.”

Ron said, “So we could go out to the picnic table and snog for a few hours, then after lunch go flying? That’s almost perfect, I’d say.”

They flew for about an hour, then returned to the house. As they landed in the yard, her Dad, Hermione, and an older man were standing by the front door. They had been invisible until they touched down, which made Ginny giggle.

Her Dad introduced them to the security team captain, then the man stepped to the edge of the property and Disapparated.

They went inside, leaving their brooms outside. There were two documents on the table, a short list of almost a dozen spells that were already on the property, including the spell blocking Apparation, and the one that kept people off the property from seeing people on the property, and one that sounded an alarm if someone near the house was invisible, using any of three techniques. The other document listed the spells they were recommended to add, at least for the event. Ginny noted there were two spells at the bottom written in Hermione’s handwriting.

Ron and Harry reviewed the list with interest. Ron said, “We’ve had site-security training, and this seems right out of the book. We could even make a couple of these permanent, afterwards. Hermione, you added these two at the bottom, right? I recognize them, but they aren’t in the normal list of security spells. Be right useful for our wedding, though. Good catch.”

Ginny left them talking about various security spells while she went to her room and collected the wardrobe that she had prepared, and her shoulder bag with her notebook. She debated whether or not to bring her broom, but doubted she would need it this time. She didn’t intend to spend the night there until she was wed.

Harry took the hint pretty quickly that she was ready to go, so the boys stepped out to get their brooms. She kissed her father on the cheek, and the four of them took the Floo to her future home.

The two couples quickly split up between the two bedrooms. She warned Ron and Hermione that Kreacher may be in their bathroom soon. In the master bedroom, she put her wardrobe down on the floor on ‘her’ side of the bed, opposite from where Harry’s wardrobes were. Then she sat on the end of the bed and dug out her shopping lists. She gave them to Harry, explaining where the products should go, so he doesn’t get them confused when he explains it to Kreacher.

As soon as Kreacher disappeared, she made sure the curtain to the bath was closed. Then she reached her hand around the side of Harry’s neck and pulled him in close.

She got up later to use the loo. When she lit the lamps in the bath, she looked around for the supplies she ordered. She found them all in the bathtub. At first she was irked, but then she realized that Kreacher had no idea how she wanted these products arranged or located, so leaving them in the tub was reasonable. She was intrigued to see the kitchen, but she wasn’t so interested that she wanted to leave her nice warm bed, and her nice warm man. When she was ready, she got back in bed.

They got dressed for dinner and went down to the kitchen. Ron had found some of the steaks she had requested, and had them prepared while he warmed the grill on their small patio. She checked the supply shelves, it looked like Kreacher had picked up everything on her list. She made sure to thank him.

She found the bin with the baking potatoes, and selected four for dinner. She asked which vegetable they wanted to go with dinner, and wound up with four opinions. She decided to go with Harry’s choice this time, picking out four ears of corn to be grilled. She promised herself that she’d try to rotate on her choices.

When they were eating at the table, she asked Hermione, ”What are your plans for the night? After we eat, I’m going to take a shower. Alone, Harry! Then I’ll go back to the Burrow. Mum’s figured out what we’re doing, but if I can I don’t want to be blatant in front of Dad.”

Hermione thought while she chewed. “I agree, I’m willing to at least keep up the pretense until we’re married, it’s only a few more weeks. I need to feed Crookshanks, and at least I can be sure I’ll sleep. 

“Ron, the weekend before, I’m going to spend most of the week with my parents. I’ll leave after the press conference on the twenty-fourth, returning to the Burrow on Wednesday the twenty-eighth. I want some away time from the wedding, I need to pack my things, and I need to prepare a resume for the law firms I’ll be applying to.”

Ron said, “Hermione, do you imagine that there’s a wizarding law firm in Britain that won’t see your name on a letter and say ‘hire that girl’?”

“Still, I want to do it proper.”

Ginny said, “Don’t forget, Harry, we have a press conference at ten A.M. on the twenty-fourth. We should meet here or at the Burrow before we go.”

Harry said, “Remind me again, why we’re doing a press conference?”

“Call me naive, but I’d rather be on the good side of the responsible press, than have every single outlet out to get us. Audrey thinks it will reduce the vultures at our wedding.

“You may be naive, but I think it’s worth trying. Just remember which newspaper published shots of your bum.”

“Thank you. I haven’t forgotten. Harry, I agree with Hermione about that weekend. After the press conference, I’m going to be so into the wedding, I won’t be able to come back here. We’ll just build the anticipation for the honeymoon.”

He grinned, “So we should have an all-day event planned for the Saturday before the press conference ? Dawn to dusk?”

“Mmm, that sounds marvelous. Shall we just Floo right here after we wake up, or do you want to pop over for breakfast?”

“Breakfast in bed sounds good to me!” Harry’s smile was wide.

Ginny smiled, and got lost looking into his beautiful green eyes. This was all she needed to see.

July 17th

The next Saturday she brought her old broom, the one she used before Harry bought her the Nimbus. She wasn’t planning to fly anywhere that day, she thought she’d hardly be leaving their bedroom, but the broom was hers, and she never knew if she might need it.

July 24th

The media wrangler that Audrey hired was very good. On the morning of the twenty-third, they delivered a portkey to the Burrow that took the four of them to a hotel room on the twenty-fourth. They were already dressed. The girls were wearing the same outfits they had worn to the restaurant before Christmas. The boys looked smart in some casual suits.

Zoe’s makeup person applied some light makeup, just to make sure they looked good under the lights in the press room. Ginny had been letting her hair grow, but they bound it in a convoluted tie, so it looked like a short, thick, orange pigtail. The boys were vastly amused, watching her hair flip this way and that. Zoe took some photos of them while they waited, to warm them up for the press room. Just before ten A.M., they were ushered into the press room and introduced.

Audrey stood in a corner and watched. Zoe took some photos for their records. The media wrangler sat at the end of the table and selected which reporters got to ask questions. There was a reporter and photographer for the Daily Prophet sitting front and center, but somehow they were always chosen last.

They were asked three different ways how they all met. Ron joked that he’d met Ginny at a crib joint, and ever since he’d met her she’d managed to upstage him by being cuter than him. The other three had met on the Hogwarts Express.

A few of the questions seemed to reflect things that Ginny had said when she told her story in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, so the reporter had either seen the Pensive memory, or talked to someone who had. They tried to answer those directly and honestly, but briefly. That reporter, from a French magazine, asked Harry if he remembered when he realized that he was in love with Ginny. Harry answered that he didn’t remember a precise time, but he remembered realizing that seeing her at breakfast in the morning made his entire day better. After that, it was an effort not to look at her when she was around. The same reporter did not ask Ginny the same question.

If the question was especially rude, the media wrangler just bypassed it. They were asked by four different reporters if they had had sex yet, and their wrangler just skipped to the next question. Sometimes it was only mildly intrusive, and she asked the four of them if they wanted to answer. Usually, they didn’t.

Ginny tried to learn from the experience. The first question about sex triggered a Stage Two blush, which could be taken a few ways, she thought. After that she tried to separate her emotions from the questions, and she stopped blushing, even at questions that seemed designed to make them blush.

After forty-five minutes they changed to a photo session, standing in front of the hotel’s logo-covered wallpaper. The photographers kept asking Harry and Ginny to stand alone, and Harry refused. They usually stood with the girls in the middle and the boys outside, the girls either facing each other or their fiancés. Ginny’s favorite was one where she stood in front of Harry’s left arm, as they faced the photographers, and to her left Hermione stood in front of Ron’s right arm, and she and Hermione linked their arms together. She’d always remember that Harry had his hand on her bum for that pose, and she was pretty sure Ron was doing the same to Hermione.

After the press conference, they returned to the hotel room for a debriefing and cool down. The hotel delivered an early lunch. Hermione left from there to visit her parents, and Ginny returned to the Burrow.

Sunday morning, she met at the Burrow with Audrey and the media wrangler. They went over the stories in the Prophet and other weekend outlets. There were some follow up questions that had been submitted in writing. Ginny answered a few of those, but mostly they were ignored. As expected, the stories focused mostly on Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione were mentioned in passing, if they were mentioned at all. Some of the photos cut them out as well, but the culottes worked so well together most of the papers showed all four of them.

For the next two days, she jogged around the pond after breakfast, before taking her shower. She went up to the clearing after lunch, and worried, as the final touches were put on the stage. She checked the weather forecast several times per day. She tried going up to her tanning place, and found she couldn’t lie still long enough. Also, her Mum came looking for her if she couldn’t find her. She tried flying her broom over the paddock, but decided to take a break after she almost crashed into a limb.  Best wait until she can fly with Harry. Just a few more days.

Audrey came by every afternoon with updates, often finding her in the clearing. She was familiar with nervous brides, and she did her best to reduce her anxiety.

She tried writing her own vows, and couldn’t come up with a better way than the traditional to say she loved him with her whole heart, and always would.

July 28th

Wednesday afternoon, she was sitting at the picnic tables in the garden, wishing for the week to be over. She was drinking her third glass of iced tea for the day, and they were starting to make her jittery. She lay her head down on her arms on the table and rested her eyes as she soaked in the sun. Best not get a sunburn today.

“How are you holding up, Gin?” There were only two men she allowed to call her that, and this one didn’t sound like Harry.

She lifted her head and looked at her oldest brother as he sat across from her. “Bill! What are you doing here?”

His smile split the scars on his face. “Checking on you. Fleur thought one of us should, and she lost the toss. I’ve started my long weekend from work with a half day today, all for you and Ron.”

“How’s the baby?”

“Victoire is wonderful. Somehow, even her nappy loads are beautiful.”

Ginny laughed at his joke, “Give her a kiss from her aunt when you go back.”

“Gladly. So are you loose and relaxed, or a giant bundle of nerves?”

She shivered, “Bundle of nerves. I’m more tightly wound than I was before the Slytherin match, and that’s an achievement!”

“That’s why we wanted to check on you. As someone who now has two whole years of wedded bliss under his belt, I just wanted to tell you that this week, while highly significant in your lives, will just be a gateway to your wonderful future together.”

“You know this is Harry Potter we’re talking about? I keep thinking how none of his changes in his life have gone smoothly. I mean, his last transfer from the Dursley house to here, every single end of his school years, your reception, trouble in every one. We’re trying to smooth over that event, improve the memories of the clearing, but there’s so much that can go wrong. Things we have no control over.”

“You’ll have security teams, though, right?”

“Audrey hired a security team, and they’ll be supplemented by a team of Aurors because of Kingsley. They’re going to clear the site after the dress rehearsal tomorrow, then leave guards overnight.”

“This Audrey sounds like she’s got things well in hand.”

“She’s been great. Awesome, even! I couldn’t imagine how badly this could have gone without her.”

“Good. So, security is handled. We know that you and Harry love each other. You have a house to move into after the wedding. By the way, Charlie will be staying here after the dress rehearsal, so we’ll be ready Friday to get your things.”

“Good, and thank you. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. George and Percy will meet you here, unless you want them to go to Shell Cottage first?”

“I can meet them here. We’ll coordinate a time tomorrow. I can’t believe Percy’s back. I understand he’s been at the school this year. How did that go?”

“It’s been good, overall. We had tea together once a week, most of the year. He’s not a prat the way he used to be. I’m not comparing him to Charlie or George, he’s still a bit of a stick, but he’s a lot more open with people than he used to be. He’s not ’Perfect Percy’ at all, anymore.”

“Fleur heard that he’s got a new girlfriend.”

“Audrey Prewett, our wedding planner. Pure coincidence, he met her at a tea shop in London and they hit it off. I think you’ll like her. Hermione and I both think she’s good sister-in-law material.”

“Wow, have they gone that far?”

“Not nearly, but we really like Audrey, so we’re hopeful.”

A female voice came from the corner of the house, “Audrey is terrific! She might actually be more thorough than I am. Hi, Bill!”

Ginny saw Hermione walking towards the table. She had her weekend bag over one shoulder and a pair of long clothing bags over the other. 

Bill stood. “Hey, Hermione! Can I help you carry some of that?”

“Can you take the clothing bags? They keep dragging on the ground.”

“Certainly.”

“Let’s take these upstairs, then I want one of those iced teas, or even a wine cooler.”

Bill said, “I’ll help with the bags, then I should be going home. You ladies should try to relax today!”

“Yes, wine coolers sounds terrific! I’ll go fix a pitcher.” Ginny said.

Double Wedding 

Ginny said, as they stood near the road, warming in the morning sun, “It would have been faster if we’d Apparated them from the hotel.”

“You remember the agreement with the Ministry, no magic we can avoid. Besides, I’ve already vowed that I’m never Apparating my parents unless it’s an emergency. I don’t want to risk making them sick, or splinching them, just to get around faster.” Hermione replied.

A Muggle cab came down the lane, stopping in front of them. Hermione’s parents, Daniel and Emma, got out from the back. After the cab left, Hermione stepped onto the lane so her parents could see her. She waited while they adjusted to her surprise appearance, then she hugged them both. She led them onto the property.

Ginny smiled as they walked across the property line, hoping to reduce the shock when they saw her appear suddenly. “Welcome to the Burrow, Daniel and Emma!”

Emma said, “Good morning, Ginny! How are you?”

“Aside from the giant butterflies in my stomach, I’m fine.”

“We all get them, dear. You’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

Hermione’s father appeared confused about her sudden appearance. “Daniel, there’s a spell on the property to enhance our privacy. It’s very difficult to cast, so it’s very rare in our community, but it’s been very useful over the years.”

Hermione added, “It should certainly reduce the media attention.”

Emma asked, “You get attention from the media?”

Ginny replied, “Not in your media, although I think you’ll see a standard announcement in the Sunday papers. In our media our wedding is already headline news. We probably haven’t been clear, Harry is the most famous wizard in the world.”

Daniel asked, “So he’s immensely rich, and he’s famous? Surely, that’s not the reason-”

Ginny cut him off, “-No, that’s not the reason I’m marrying him, it’s just annoying. Harry also happens to be the kindest, most wonderful man in the world.”

Hermione added, “Well, except for Ron.” Ginny grinned.

She opened the door. Her Mum and Dad were waiting on the other side.

“Welcome, welcome, come in, please!” Her Mum shook Daniel’s hand, then hugged Emma. Her Dad shook Daniel’s hand.

Her Mum said, “Please, have a seat at the table. I’ve poured iced tea, and there’s biscuits.”

Her Dad said, “We just received a fresh message from the boys. They’re up now, and expect to be here in time for lunch.”

When they had settled, Emma asked, “And what are your boys training for, I didn’t quite understand? What is an ’Auror’?”

Hermione replied, “It’s the wizardly equivalent to MI5. They hunt and arrest criminal wizards and witches. They’re nearly a year into a two year training course.”

“And they can just take a month off in the middle of it? Is that because Harry is -” Daniel asked.

Ginny finished the sentence, “-the most famous wizard in the world? Yes, pretty much.”

Hermione said, “Without getting too deep into what happened, the equivalent to what you know is, what if, a year or so after D-Day, at a peak in the Second World War, a British soldier had shot Hitler between the eyes? He’d be the most celebrated man in the world. What Harry accomplished is equivalent to that, on a different scale.”

Emma said, “So if Harry says he wants a month off, he gets it.”

Ginny said, “If Harry asks for a month off, the Minister of Magic asks ’Are you sure you only need one month?’ He did, too.”

Her Dad asked, “Are they coming tonight?”

Ginny answered, “It’s their oldest daughter’s birthday today, they’re taking her out. It’s the one event they couldn’t reschedule.”

Hermione teased, “I don’t know, coming to Harry Potter’s rehearsal dinner isn’t enough, you have to have your own party?”

Ginny said, “I know, right? Some people are so into themselves.” Ginny and Hermione laughed, their parents chuckled.

Daniel asked, “I was curious why you asked us to be here so early, if the rehearsal doesn’t start until three?”

Hermione replied, “The dresses. Ginny and I want to do a final check of the dresses, in front of our Mums.”

Ginny continued, “So this seems like a good time, before our fiancés arrive, to take our Mums upstairs. Daniel, I’m sure my father has a skadilion questions he can ask you about life without magic. Please be patient with him.”

They stopped at Ginny’s bedroom to pick up the bags holding their dresses, then went up to her parent’s bedroom. They had tossed a biscuit over it earlier, and Hermione went first. She disappeared into their bath.

One wall of their bedroom was covered in photos, Ginny suggested that her Mum tell Emma about them.

Presently, the door to the bath opened, and Hermione stepped out. She had remembered the shoes, for full effect. Emma sat down on the end of the bed, and her tears flowed. Her Mum handed her several kerchiefs.

Ginny said, “We’ll have a woman tomorrow to help us with hair and makeup.”

Emma said, “I don’t think it’s physically possible for my little girl to be more beautiful than this, but you can certainly try. Darling, you are exquisite!”

Hermione could barely bend in the dress, so she settled for taking her Mum’s hand. Then she went back in the bath and changed back.

Then it was Ginny’s turn. She used a pair of the pasties that were an appropriate size, just for the extra protection. The dress fell onto her like a breeze on her skin. The lace at the bottom seemed thicker, just below her hips. She had chosen a pair of black knickers, to cast the proper silhouette. She released her hair down her left shoulder, it almost reached her pasty. Then she stepped into the shoes. When she stepped out of the bath, three women gasped.

Hermione passed her Mum a small stack of kerchiefs, she needed them right away.

Emma said, “I know Molly and I are biased, we can’t help it. I think, between the two of you, we each think our daughter is the most beautiful. I think we’re both right. You are each exquisite works of art. Completely beautiful.”

Her Mum took her hand and squeezed it. “Well said, I completely agree.”

When Ginny came out of the bath in her normal clothes, she said, “Remember, nary a word to any of our men.”

When she took her clothing bag back to her bedroom, she used the moment of privacy to cast a charm that put her hair up in a pair of ponytails.

When they went downstairs, Daniel and her Dad were out in the yard, having wine coolers at the table. From what they were overhearing, her Dad was sharing stories of her brothers with Daniel.

When her Dad saw them walking out, carrying more glasses and pitchers, he asked, “So, how are the dresses?”

Immediately both Molly and Emma teared up.

Daniel said, “That nice, eh?” Both women bobbed their heads.

Hermione whispered, “So much for not saying a word.”

“Arthur was just sharing stories of raising six boys. It sounds like quite an adventure!”

Hermione asked, “Did you want to have boys, then?”

Her father answered, “Darling, never fear that I ever wished that you were born a boy. I was so happy to have a little girl, especially one who turned out so brilliant and beautiful as you. I regret we were unable to have more children. Another girl and a boy or two would have been nice.”

Emma said, “Regrettable only that we couldn’t give you siblings. We would have loved having more children, but it was not to be.”

Arthur raised his glass, “To the blessings of children. May it spread to our own, in the form of grandchildren.”

Hermione blushed, but Ginny drank to that toast. She saw Daniel shake his head, but he drank to the toast.

She said, “Daniel, you aren’t really against having grandchildren, are you?”

“Certainly not,” he said. “It’s just that the idea of a grandparent is supposed to be an old person, and I don’t think of myself as being that old. Whenever Hermione and Ron are blessed with children, I will adore them absolutely. I’m just hoping it isn’t soon.”

Her Dad had a tenderly sweet smile on his face when he said, “I found it to be quite the opposite. Holding my granddaughter, Victoire, makes me feel young, just like when her father was born, and I got to hold him for the first time. It’s a feeling I’ve missed over the past seventeen years.” He looked at Ginny, and his ears blushed to Stage Two. It felt like hers did, too.

Harry and Ron came around the corner of the house. Ginny and Hermione met them with welcoming kisses. When they took the boys’ hands to walk them to the table, Ron said, “Yum, I detect the taste of wine coolers!”

Harry added, “I thought I heard the clink of glasses.” They shook the hands of Daniel and Emma.

Emma asked, “So, with all this discussion of the wedding, where are you going on your honeymoon? Are you all taking the cruise around Europe?”

Hermione replied, “The cruise is just for Ron and I, with every excursion we want to take. I spent a lot of January plotting that out. We leave on Monday for three weeks.”

Daniel said, “That should be fun!”

Ron commented, “The cabin suite looks amazing!”

Ginny said, “Harry and I are leaving on Monday for a tour of Britain. We’re going to play tourist, plus see a lot of sports matches.”

Harry said, “When it’s all said like that, it sounds like Lifestyles of the Richly Famous.”

Daniel asked, “Well, aren’t you now? That’s what the girls have been saying.”

Harry replied, “It’s not all fun. The famous part gets really annoying. We’re going to have to pull some dodges to avoid the media. The rich part has nice perks, I’ll admit, but it also suggests a lot of responsibility. I want to help people, but at the same time I don’t want to waste it, either. We’re looking at ways to use it responsibly.”

“That sounds very smart,” Daniel said.

Ginny said, “So you know, in getting permission for you to attend, we had to make some concessions, mostly that we’d limit the spells that you’re exposed to. There are some spells you will see. Mostly, we have several kinds of instantaneous transportation.”

Hermione said, “Teleportation, basically.”

“One uses the fireplace. Another is Apparition, where someone simply appears. There are spells that prevent someone from coming into the house that way, but they can come to the edge of the property. Sometimes the boys come that way, and sometimes they come by fireplace. We’re having the dinner tonight catered, and the caterers will start Apparating in after lunch, to get set up.

Charlie arrived just before lunch. Ginny met him before he reached their picnic tables, reminding him to say he worked at a wild animal rescue sanctuary, not a dragon sanctuary.

Percy and Audrey arrived together after lunch, but Audrey had work to do. She started by checking on the caterers, then checking the site. 

The rest of her brothers and their ladies arrived after two. When Bill and Fleur arrived, all the women dropped everything to see little Victoire. It seemed like her Dad got to hold her the most. When Hagrid arrived, he frightened Hermione’s parents. Her Dad started him on stories from school, knowing all the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry, and he had the Grangers charmed, and probably a little confused, by the time the rehearsal started. He managed to start crying even before the rehearsal started.

Percy tapped on his glass to get their attention, before they all had to get dressed for the rehearsal. “I’ve been trying to do something when Ron and Harry are here, but they’ve been flitting about. I was hoping family would be here, and this is pretty much perfect.

“At graduation this year, I was honored to give out some special awards that were voted on by almost all the Gryffindor students.”

Hermione commented, “They excluded Ginny and I!”

“There were reasons. The students created a medal, to go to the one student who most exemplified the spirit of Godric Gryffindor. This year’s recipient was Ginny.”

Her family cheered and applauded for her. Hagrid was excited all over again. Ginny blushed to Stage Four. Somehow it was different getting recognition from her family. She felt really good.

“The students voted to award three medals retroactively. I’ve awarded one of those already. I’m presenting the other two now.” Hermione was blushing, as Percy drew the two cases from his pouch. He pushed the two cases to Ron and Harry. “The three awards go to Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Ronald Weasley!”

The family gave the three of them a standing ovation. They were almost as loud as the whole school had been in the Great Hall.

Ginny was so glad that Percy had gotten to do that in front of their family, and especially in front of Daniel and Emma. She was beginning to forgive him.

For the rehearsal, Ginny decided to wear the dress from the Order of Merlin Gala. Hermione wore a dress she had bought in Nola’s shop, and planned to take on their honeymoon. She looked terrific.

The security team arrived for their dry run, and everyone was ready to begin.

She took her Dad’s arm, and Hermione took Daniel’s arm, and the four of them walked to the arrival tent. They looked down at the site, everyone else seemed to be in position. The platform where the ceremony would be performed looked splendid, with an arch of gold and red, Gryffindor colors.

Her Dad said, “I’ve been anticipating this day, and dreading it, for eighteen years. My baby girl is getting married.” Ginny could see his tears. She pulled one of the kerchiefs from his pocket that her Mum had stashed, and wiped his eyes. She could see that Hermione had her own stash.

Ginny replied, “I’m simply thankful, after all that’s gone on, that I still have my fiancé to marry, and my father to give me away.” He hugged her.

Audrey signaled them when the wedding processional started playing. Daniel said, “Alright, my dear, here we go.” The path they followed was covered in white carpet, with an occasional step down to compensate for the slope. She watched Hermione and Daniel practice the slow step they were to take. They seemed well-practiced, Hermione probably had him walking while she was visiting her parents.

When they reached the first step down, it was time for Ginny and her Dad. They hadn’t practiced at all, but she remembered the step she’d used at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, and tried to get her Dad in sync with her. When they reached the front rows, she could see that all the ladies were dabbing at their eyes. Hagrid was crying, and a few of her brothers were as well. George gave her a thumbs up, but she saw the tears in his eyes as well.

Audrey started giving cues. “Ronald, come here to the steps and accept Hermione’s hand on your arm.”

Ron messed with her timing, by shaking Daniel’s hand before taking  Hermione’s.

“You’ll go up front. Daniel, thank you for your duty, you may have a seat. Now, Harry, it’s your turn.”

Harry also shook her Dad’s hand. She could almost see his mind working, thinking of things to say, keeping them until tomorrow. She put her hand on Harry’s crooked arm, just in front of his elbow, and he walked her up the few steps so she was standing behind Hermione. Audrey adjusted their position, having Ginny stand so her right arm was behind Hermione’s left.

Mr. Doge, her Dad’s friend from the Ministry, was standing up front. He appeared to be a little younger than her Dad, with just a touch of grey in his hair.

“Alright, everyone is in place for ceremony one. I’ll remind you all that this stage is designed to carry the sound out to the audience, and tomorrow there will be a spell to enhance that. Your whispers will be audible out to the tent. Mister Doge, if you have a speech, now would be the time.”

“I have a speech, it times out to about ten minutes. Today, looking at these two handsome couples, I am speechless.” A few people laughed.

“Then the exchange of vows. Have either of you written anything special?”

Ron asked Hermione, “Not me. Do you have anything?” She shook her head. Ginny suspected that her friend had written a book full of things to say, then went traditional after all, the same as she did.

“Next is the exchange of rings. Harry, you’ll need to step up here with the rings out. Take them out of the cases before you start, otherwise they’ll make a bulge in your pocket. Another one, I mean.” Several people laughed.

“Hermione, why don’t you go first, then Ron. The man putting the ring on the woman is the more traditional part of the ceremony. Then, Mister Doge, the declaration.”

He joked, “I think I can manage that line.”

“We conclude ceremony one with hugs and handshakes, and APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE!”

The little audience they had all stood up, cheering and applauding.

“During your hugs and handshakes, the two couples will exchange places, in a little dance.” Ginny hugged Hermione, and they did a little waltz-like step, with hands on arms and shoulders, circling each other. The boys were shaking hands, and they just circled each other that way. Audrey made sure they were all standing where she wanted them.

“Mister Doge, do you have a separate speech for ceremony two?”

“Just the one, Miss Prewett. It’s usually all I need.”

“Alright, then we have the exchange of vows. Have either of you written your own?”

“I have one change,” Ginny said. “I’d like to replace the word ’obey’ with ’follow’.”

“I agree, that word has to go. ’To love, honor, and follow,’ then?”

Hermione said, “Ooh, I like that.”

Ginny replied, “Yes. I’m not sure what to do with ’til death us do part’, since he’s already died and come back for me once.”

Harry said, “As many times as it takes, Gin.” She smiled at him.

“Ronald, you’ll have their rings. Remember what I said about the boxes.”

“No boxes, no bulge. Got it.”

Ginny joked quietly, “You haven’t seen her dress yet, brother mine.” Harry snorted, and several people in the audience laughed.

“Ginny, you’ll be first for the exchange of rings, then Harry. Then we have the declaration from Mister Doge, then hugs and handshakes, and APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE!”

Everyone cheered.

“We’ll have the four of you line up for photographs, from Zoe and whoever else wants to take them. Then the happy couples go up the aisle together to the arrival tent, where their portkeys will take them back to the house, so they can change for the reception. The security team will hang around until the reception starts. The decorations team will start breaking this down right away, it should be cleared out by sunset. Meanwhile, I think I’ll be taking Percy into the orchard to exchange some lip gloss.”

Ginny and Hermione started the applause, directed at Audrey. She blushed. Percy got up and kissed her, which added cheers to the applause.

The caterers for the rehearsal were excellent, the food was even better than the feasts at Hogwarts. Bill made a toast at the end of the speech, welcoming Harry into the Weasley brotherhood. Her parents and all her brothers drank to that. Ron slapped Harry on the back. Then Fleur stood, and welcomed Hermione to the sisterhood. They drank to that as well. She gave Hermione a big hug. She hoped they weren’t holding a stag party at Grimmauld Place, but that was as close as she got to having a hen party.

The butterflies in her stomach put on clogs, her nerves were a mess when she went to bed. It didn’t help that the only things left in her bedroom, aside from the furniture, was the dress, and the wardrobes and boxes that her brothers had promised to move for her. Harry had taken her current broom with him when he and Ron returned to Grimmauld Place. She planned to wear her pyjamas until she got dressed. Her Mum could throw them away, Ginny never expected to wear them again.

After an hour of tossing and turning, she got up and asked her Mum to spell her to sleep. Her Mum tucked her into bed, then crooned a lullaby that Ginny had forgotten, but obviously her Mum never would.

“Lullaby and goodnight,

With roses bestride

With lilies bedecked, ’neath baby’s sweet bed

May thou sleep, may thou rest, may thy slumber be blest

May thou sleep, may thou rest, may thy slumber be blest…”

She cried, probably from nerves and nostalgia, then fell asleep.

Ginny woke as the sun touched the sky. The report forecast a wonderful, sunny day. She got up and used the self-cleaning spell, saving her shower until after breakfast.

Her Mum was up, preparing to make breakfast for her, Hermione, and Charlie. Ginny sat at the table with a glass of juice, and chatted with her Mum about nothing, and everything. Hermione came down in her robe over her nightgown. Her Dad came downstairs, giving her and Hermione kisses on top of their heads. 

Charlie came downstairs, wearing jeans and a light shirt. He hugged Mum, then kissed her forehead before sitting down. She thought she caught Hermione checking out her older brother. Charlie had a grade of muscle tone that she only dreamed of, and the shirt he was wearing was stretched a little tight.

Hermione went upstairs when she finished eating, coming back down a short while later, dressed in jeans and a buttoned shirt, carrying Crookshanks in his carrier. She set the carrier on the floor and poured herself another cup.

Ginny asked, “You have his ball of yarn?”

She replied, “Imagine his complaints if I forgot that. It’s in the bag on the side.”

George arrived in the Floo. Charlie said, “Good morning, brother! How are you?”

George clasped his hand as Percy arrived behind him, “Long time no see, dragon master! I see they haven’t burnt all your skin off, yet.” He snagged a piece of toast off the table.

Percy said, “Morning, all!” He came over to Ginny, clasped her hand and kissed her forehead.

“Morning, Percy,” Charlie said.

George said, “Alright, Percy? No hangover this morning?”

Percy gave him a look, “Not for me. How’s your head this morning?”

“Tolerable, just tolerable.

Bill arrived in the fireplace from Shell Cottage, and the whole thing started again. He also kissed Ginny’s forehead, then went around to hug Mum, then stepped to Hermione. He said, “Good morning, my sister.” He kissed her on her forehead as well.

Charlie asked, “Shall we go up?”

George said, “The Weasley Moving Company is ready!”

Charlie led them upstairs to her room. Hermione picked up her cat carrier and used the Floo, which made sure someone was available to release the boys into the house. Her brothers came down a few minutes later, all saying marvelous things about her dress, and each carrying a box or wardrobe. The four of them went out by Floo, after passing the transfer check from 12 Grimmauld Place. Ginny was so thankful for her brothers’ support. 

Daniel and Emma arrived by taxi. Her Dad went out to bring them in.

Hermione arrived back a few minutes later, without Crookshanks. She hugged her parents. Ginny said, “Welcome back, Hermione. Everything go all right, then?”

“It’s all good. Crookshanks is in our bedroom. Our grooms are finishing up getting dressed. Your brothers will get dressed there, they’ll probably need to take turns. They’ll go through the sitting room to get to our bath.”

“Sounds like they have all their timing worked out.” Her Dad said.

“I saw Fleur with Victoire, sitting in the ballroom. They got ready while the boys had breakfast. Fleur pointed out that the Weasley Tree now has a leaf for Victoire. I’m looking forward to being auntie to that adorable little girl!”

Emma and Daniel were already dressed, looking very fine. Hermione went up to bring her dress down from the fourth floor bedroom where she’s been sleeping, to Percy’s room on the second floor. Mum showed Emma where to go, then met Ginny in her bedroom.

By half past ten, she and Hermione were showered, primped and pampered by their Mums, and dressed to perfection. Somehow, her Mum also managed to get dressed and made up. She had seen her Mum’s dress hanging in their bedroom, so she knew it wasn’t just a transfiguration. Plus, her Mum had to make sure her Dad was ready. Once again, Ginny was struck by how incredible her Mum was, and hoped someday she could be as good at family management.

They met up in the sitting room, where her Mum led Emma out to find their seats in the clearing. It was the first time her Dad had seen the dresses, and he cried for a few minutes.

“Hermione, Percy escorted your father to the tent about ten minutes ago, so he should be waiting for you. I wanted to say to you both, that the saying is that a wedding doesn’t lose a child, it gains one.” He put his hands on their shoulders. “Today, I gain a son and a daughter, and I couldn’t be prouder of all of you!”

They hugged him, trying not to get makeup on his suit. Hermione touched her portkey and disappeared, then she and her Dad touched theirs. They arrived in the tent, where Zoe’s makeup artist waited to put on the final touches, and arrange her hair. Her Dad sat on a stool, looking awestruck. She thanked the makeup artist as she went next door to work on Hermione.

Her Dad said, “You are even more beautiful than you were when we came up here.”

Ginny stood before the floor-length mirror, having the view circle around her, so she saw herself from all sides. She tried hard to accept this reality, that the beautiful woman she saw was really her.

Audrey came in, and propped open the tent flap leading to Hermione’s side. She reported that they had a full house, everyone they were expecting had arrived, including the five Shacklebolts. Natalie and Dennis were there, with her parents, and all the other members of her Quidditch team were seated in the nosebleed seats.

The security team had pushed back a couple of likely media people on brooms. No one was attempting to land, or enter on foot.

At three minutes before eleven, Audrey led the four of them to the front of the arrival tent. Zoe took a group picture, and the girls insisted that one picture include Audrey. Zoe scooted out the tent flap so she could get in place for more photos. When the Wedding March began, Audrey held the tent flap for them. 

When she stepped into the open air on her Dad’s arm, the realization of the childhood fantasy struck her hard. The sky was blue overhead, with hardly any clouds and a very mild breeze. They were in nature’s cathedral, surrounded by fruit trees and singing birds. The site couldn’t be more perfect.

From what everyone told her, she looked, and more importantly, felt beautiful. Even better, she was transcendently happy.

Three hundred faces were looking at her and Hermione, and they all seemed awestruck. She got a Stage One flush, the tips of her ears getting warm, but she was too happy for it to go further. She noticed Natalie in the back next to Dennis, she was giving her a double thumbs up. Dennis saw her and his jaw dropped. His head fell to the side, it looked like he really fainted. A few of the boys, and one of the girls, from her Quidditch team fainted. Clementine was beaming at her Captain Ginny.

As they neared the front, she saw Ron, in a powder blue tuxedo, with a shirt that was a darker blue. He looked very handsome. She saw Hagrid and the Shacklebolts. Hagrid and their Mums were crying already. Luna was holding a tissue. Her Dad had made it this far without any more tears.

Then her eyes locked onto Harry’s face, and the most beautiful green eyes she’d ever seen. He was wearing a black tuxedo, looking fantastically handsome, although even now his black hair wasn’t completely tamed. She watched Harry scanning her, trying to take the full image of her, memorizing her and the dress. All she needed to see was the happy smile on his face.

When her Dad passed her off to Harry, Harry shook his hand and said, “Thank you for raising such a beautiful woman.”

She got into position behind Hermione, and the March ended. She wanted to hear the speech that Mr. Doge gave, but Harry was looking just at her, and she kept getting lost in his eyes.

When Hermione and Ron faced each other and exchanged vows, she forced her eyes away from Harry, watching both their faces. Harry stepped up next to them and they took their rings from him. When Hermione put Ron’s ring on his finger, her smile was grand, and she looked incredibly beautiful. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

When Ron put on Hermione’s ring, he looked happier than she’d seen him, even when he was the star Keeper in Quidditch. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Mr. Doge said, “By the authority of the Ministry of Magic and the laws of the United Kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” They kissed, and she and Harry applauded. The cheers and applause from the audience behind them was very loud, carrying much love.

When they broke their kiss, Harry hugged Ron, and she hugged Hermione. They did their little dance, exchanging positions. She heard Ron joke, “So we can go now, right? You don’t need us for the rest.”

Harry said, “You’re not leaving with my rings, mate.”

“Oh, that. I guess we should stick around, then.”

They heard laughter from the audience, and Ron blushed. She was thankful for Ron, he relieved so many of her butterflies, which had been about to take over.

Mr. Doge went right into their vows, “Do you, Ginivre Molly Weasley, take Harry James Potter, to love, honor, and follow, in sickness and in health, for all the rest of your days?”

“I do, gladly.”

Mr. Doge smiled, she threw him off his pace. “Do you, Harry James Potter, take Ginevra Molly Weasley, to love, honor, and follow, in sickness and in health, for all the rest of your days?”

“I do.”

Ron stepped up, holding their rings in his palms. He’d gotten them backwards, the larger ring was on Harry’s side. She reached across and got it. When he stepped back, she took Harry’s left hand, and applied his ring. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

He took her left hand, bringing it up to his lips, kissing her palm. It sent a shock through her body. He pushed her ring on her finger. It felt to her that it locked against her engagement band. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Mr. Doge repeated, “By the authority of the Ministry of Magic and the laws of the United Kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Harry locked his lips to hers, and she could feel the tears running down her face. The applause and cheers were even louder than before.

When they separated, she pulled a kerchief from her wand pocket and dabbed her face. Harry said, “That’s where the salty taste was coming from.”

She hugged Hermione, then Ron.

The four of them stepped in a line to the edge of the platform and posed, for Zoe to take pictures, and anyone else. The applause continued. While the photographers snapped their pictures, she ran introductions in her mind, “’Have you met my husband, Harry?’ ’This is my husband.’ ’Allow me to introduce my husband.’” It gave her a smile that refused to go away, she simply hoped it wasn’t the same goofy grin that Natalie and Dennis got.

It was only a few minutes, then they started walking rapidly up the white path. Ginny let Hermione set the pace, since her dress was so snug. Ginny had nixed the idea of running, the chances were too great of a dress mishap.

When they reached their room in the tent, they paused to catch their breath. She looked at her two rings on her left hand. 

She wanted to hear it. “I love you, Harry Potter!”

“I love you, Ginny Potter, my wife.” She felt he could say that line every day for the rest of her life.

“Thank you for marrying me, my husband.”

“How could I let the perfect woman escape me?” He circled her, still trying to memorize her look. He stroked his fingers up the middle of her bare back, and her body shivered. “You are magnificent.”

They touched the portkey, and appeared in the sitting room in the Burrow. Ron and Hermione were waiting for them. They used the Floo to jump to 12 Grimmauld Place. The two couples hugged once more, then went up to their separate bedrooms.

As soon as they entered their bedroom, she said, “Kreacher, take tea for two with cakes to the guest bedroom, then bring the same to us.” She tried to breathe normally.

A few minutes later, Kreacher appeared with a pop, putting a serving tray on their side table. He bowed to both of them, then disappeared with a pop.

She let out the breath she’d been holding, and said, “Well, that’s confirmed.”

Receptions And Departures 

At one o’clock the four of them took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, then walked down Diagon Alley, each couple hand in hand. Ginny wore one of her Great-Aunt’s dresses, looking pretty but modest. The buzz of Harry’s name raced down the Alley, drawing people out of shops to see them. They walked to the Snowy Owl, and they expected to be recognized, and even photographed. Some people applauded. Today was a day of celebration. Today, it didn’t bother them.

They pointed out to each other the shops that had reopened in the last year. Some had signs in the window proclaiming “Under New Management,” some had completely changed, but there were many more shops opened than closed. Even Ollivander ’s wand shop had reopened. Harry pointed at the sign and said that Ollivander’s daughter was running it now.

They saw a couple of photographers who stood in the middle of the lane, right ahead of them. For each of them, people standing on the side pulled the photographers out of the way. They tried to resist, but the people on the pavement were insistent.

When they reached the restaurant, Percy and Audrey were already there. She was making sure the restaurant had adequate signage for the reception. Percy gave her a hug, and shook Harry and Ron’s hands. 

They had rented out the entire restaurant, except for one of the side rooms. There were tables for wedding gifts near the entrance, labeled separately for Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. The security team captain arrived while they were standing there. He said there would be two men at the door at all times.

Ginny loved Audrey a little more when she told the captain, “Thank you. I want you and your men to get your lunch breaks, at our expense, while we’re here. The food is excellent.”

He smiled, “Yes, ma’am!”

Her parents arrived just as they were looking for a table, and the eight of them sat together. Audrey told them she liked to have meetings with rich clients there, so she could write it off as an expense. Her mother said it was just exactly the same as when they ate there, over twenty years before. She told them that they met the Marauders there, although they didn’t know they were called the Marauders then. James and Lilly had just been married a few months previous.

Harry said, “Wait, you met my parents?”

Her Mum said, “Briefly. They were lovely people. We cried when we heard they’d been killed.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. Ginny knew there was more to the story, she would tell Harry later.

Zoe arrived, and she had samples ready of the photos she thought could be released to the media. Audrey helped them pick the best choices, and Zoe left for a little while.

When the food buffet was ready, the two couples were encouraged to go first, so they loaded up their plates. When they went to the buffet, Percy and Audrey swapped seats with Daniel and Emma, so all the parents were at the table. Hagrid had his own custom table.

After they’d finished eating, Ginny took Harry around the room, so they could chat with their friends and family. They exchanged many hugs. Zoe buzzed around, taking pictures, but these were for their private photo album, or to share copies with their guests, not for publication.

They got an updated family photo of all the Weasleys, including Victoire, who was sleeping. There was a photo of Ginny and Harry with the five Shacklebolts. Ginny noticed that Ron and Hermione got one of those as well. They took a photo with Natalie and her parents, with Dennis standing beside Harry. The Quidditch team got a big group photo with the two of them.

They got a group photo of both couples with the professors they had invited, including McGonagall, Flitwick, Hooch, and Sprout. They got Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott in one of those, too. Ginny had made Neville a gift for his birthday, a display stand for his Order of Merlin ribbon. She got an extra hug for that.

They got a photo of the four of them surrounding Hagrid, who sat in a special chair that the restaurant provided. They took another one with her parents included, since they remembered Hagrid from when they were in school.

By the time they finished with the photos and the chats, they were hungry again, so they loaded up fresh plates and got glasses of wine. They had planned to be done by about half past four, so the restaurant could get ready for their dinner crowd, but the party wasn’t over by then. Audrey told them the manager had told her they would be honored to keep serving as long as they wished, they could close the place out, if they liked.

They decided to keep going until people started leaving. The Shacklebolts left at about half past three, they had brought their own photographer, and they did photographs with whomever asked. When the people leaving started lining up at their table for goodbye hugs, it was almost five, and they moved to create an exit line, near the doors. The four of them hugged and thanked everyone for coming, and Zoe took photos of anyone she had missed.

Just before six, they went into the kitchen to thank the wait staff and kitchen staff for their service and their patience with them. They applauded the staff, then the staff applauded them back.

Then they walked back to the Leaky Cauldron, and took the Floo home.

The parlor had piles of presents, which were Ron and Hermione’s. Ron told them the security team had put their presents in the ballroom. When they lit the lamps, there were piles of presents all about the floor. Ginny noticed a change in the murals. There was now a leafy vine, extending from her leaf on the Weasley mural, connecting to Harry’s leaf on the Potter mural. Her leaf now read ’Ginivre Molly Weasley Potter’. Her eyes welled up at that, and she sobbed.

“My husband, you should see this.”

He came over to her, and she pointed out the changes. “That’s sweet, my wife. I already knew the murals would cross-connect. Didn’t you notice the connection from the Black mural to the Weasley mural?”

Harry pointed out her grandfather Weasley on the Weasley mural. Septimus Weasley had a connection to his wife, Cedrella Black, that lead down to her father, Arthur. Cedrella’s leaf also had a vine that crossed over the door, to a leaf that had been burned out from the Black mural.

Ron and Hermione had already gone upstairs to their bedroom. Ginny took one last look around at the presents, and she spotted the one she was looking for. Her father had told her he had made something for them, and she wanted to be sure what it was. She asked Harry to bring the hefty package to their bedroom.

He set it on their bed, and she opened it. It was exactly what she’d hoped for, a family status clock, like the one her father had made, that had been in their home for her entire life. She didn’t know how he’d done it, but it was already set for them, with just the two hands with their names. The locations, around the dial, read “Mortal Danger”, “Jail”, “Hospital”, “Away”, “Traveling”, “Home”, “The Burrow”, and there were also locations for “Auror Training,” and “Quidditch pitch”.

She told Harry she wanted it mounted on their landing, but it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, she had something harder for him to do.

In the morning, she had a bit of a headache, presumably from the wine she had drunk, but she got rid of it with a charm. Then she wished her brand-new husband a wizard of a birthday.

Presently, they dressed and went down to the kitchen. She wanted to catch her brother and her certified-new sister-in-law before they left for the No-Mag reception her parents were holding. They weren’t in the kitchen. Neither was Harry. She went back up to the main floor, and found Ron and Hermione in the parlor, opening presents. She looked across the hall, Harry was in the ballroom with a huge smile.

“I’ve never received this many birthday presents in my life!”

She smiled back at him, “Happy birthday, my love! Kreacher should have our breakfast ready shortly.”

In the surprise of the way her entry in the mural had changed, last night she had forgotten to look for another change. Connected to Ron’s leaf was a new leaf for Hermione. She noticed the leaf for Victoire as well.

When her brother and his wife came over to thank them for their wedding present, she asked if they had noticed the changes in the murals. When Hermione saw it, she gave Ginny a hug.

“Now I really am your sister.”

Ginny replied, “Welcome to the family, my sister.”

She saw her brother throw his arm over her husband’s shoulder. “Welcome to the family, my brother!”

Harry clapped him on the back, as tears came to his eyes, “My brother!”

The camera that Harry had bought for them was the same model as the one Harry had bought for their own photos, just a different color. She had bought two potions kits to develop the photos.

Ron had found their family status clock. Aside from the two names, it was the same as theirs, except they had a location for “Court” instead of “Quidditch pitch”. She told Ron that they would get Kreacher’s help to hang it on the first floor landing later today.

George and Angelina had given both couples a Muggle electric toaster. Ron and Ginny were perplexed, but Harry and Hermione broke up laughing. Hermione said, “It’s the most common wedding gift, for Muggles. A large wedding might yield six toasters or more.”

Ginny said, “Perhaps Dad can find a use for it.”

They found a package from Ron and Hermione. It was a frame with two black plates on it. The top plate had written on it “Happy birthday, Harry!” If they wrote on the lower plate, Ron told them, it would appear on the upper plate of the matching frame in their room. You can write with a quill or a wand, and the message in the upper plate can be scrolled. 

Hermione also received the scroll she had expected, from Ron, the pardon for the time they went away last year. The two couples received tubes from the Shacklebolts, with pardons for each of them for the break-in of the Hall of Mystery.

Charlie gave each couple a bottle of plum brandy, and a rectangular shield, of about one meter by one and a half meter size, with grips on one side. The packaging said it was rated to stop dragon fire.

Headmaster McGonagall gave Ginny and Harry a pair of liter cooling jugs, for holding things like ice or juices. Hermione laughed when Ginny showed her those. She told Ginny the Headmaster had given them two pairs of boxing gloves.

Before they had all the presents unwrapped, Ron and Hermione needed to get ready to leave. While they were upstairs, the Weasley Moving Company arrived, with Ginny’s four oldest brothers. Ginny let them in through the Floo. They were admiring the piles of presents, and George pointed out the toasters he’d given them. None of her other brothers got the joke, which Ginny found hilarious.

Ginny showed them the updates to the murals, including the update for their grandparents. They all appreciated the update, and thanked Harry for having that work done. 

When Ron and Hermione came down, the six of them went out on the back patio, linked arms, and huddled in a tight group. Hermione Apparated them. The brothers returned a little over half an hour later, laden with trunks and boxes. They said this was the last of Hermione’s things from her parents’ home.

Ginny invited them to stay for lunch, but they all begged off, saying they should leave the newlyweds in private. They left, by Floo or by Apparate, leaving Harry and Ginny alone.

Ginny said, “Before we rip each other’s clothes off, I think we need to get a few chores done. Don’t worry, they shouldn’t take long. I’ll go fix our lunch, while you work with Kreacher. These boxes of Hermione’s should go in their room, then we have these family status clocks to put up, and the pardons, if we can put them up cleanly. We’ll eat in half an hour, then we can go ravish each other.”

She went down to the kitchen, deciding to fix a Caesar salad with chicken. She was still testing herself, to see if she had requested the items they needed for the meals she wanted to fix.

On their way upstairs, Harry pointed out Ron and Hermione’s status clock, which showed them both as ‘Away’. Ginny took that as license to start disrobing.

Sometime later, Harry mounted the message frame on a wall near their bed. Ginny posted a message on it, ’Let us know when you get home.’

When they were just laying in bed, caressing each other softly, she told him what she knew of the relationship between their parents. They had met at the initial invitation meeting for the Order, as her Mum had said, but then met again when her parents joined the Order, after Ginny’s uncles were murdered. It was the month before Ron was born, Lily and Alice Longbottom were both three months pregnant. Harry had tears in his eyes at that.

They bonded over their pregnancies. Ron was her Mum’s fifth pregnancy, and Lily and Alice were on their first, so they had many questions. Even after his parents were sequestered by Dumbledore, he arranged a private and secure Floo channel so they could talk. The last time their parents spoke, his Mum wished her Mum a happy birthday, the day before Voldemort murdered his parents, changing his life forever.

She held Harry while he cried, his tears falling on her neck.

After he recovered from his cry, he apparently felt the need to change the mood. He checked her for ticklish places on her sides, claiming to be conducting research. He found her to be very ticklish, depending on how he touched her.

She conducted her own research, and he was nearly as ticklish as she was. There were a few places that she touched and it caused him spasms, but not pleasurable ones. She tried to make careful note of where those locations were. Some were marked by old scars on his ribs, but others had no visible mark. She’d ask about the story sometime later. This wasn’t a day for pain.

They exchanged messages with their family downstairs for a while, as their messages kept arriving at inconvenient times. Finally, they decided to have dinner at six. 

Harry asked, “Alright, who’s cooking?”

“In the future, if we don’t go out, I will try to prepare your birthday dinner myself. Today I have other plans, so we’ll have Kreacher do it. What would you like to eat, on your birthday?

He gave her a smirk, then said, “I’ll have to think about that.”

“Alright, you have about an hour to decide.”

Over a roast beef dinner, Ron and Hermione told them of meeting a room full of strangers who were all presumably Muggles. Nola was there, and she pointed out a few other witches and wizards that she knew of, in quiet conversations away from Emma. They could only suppose there were others.

Ron expected to be bored, but he was tantalized by the game of ‘secret wizard’. Guessing who was a wizard or witch kept him entertained. Harry pointed out it was a useful benefit of their training, and he could practice it on their cruise as well.

They brought with them another couple of dozen presents. It turned out they received eight toasters.

In the morning, Ron and Hermione started packing. They cleaned out one of the trunks her brothers had brought, and filled it with their clothing. Then they filled travel bags with other items. 

Ginny felt a little guilty, as they were only taking backpacks. Harry expected that they would be coming back to the house periodically during their trip, so they could resupply and swap out clothes. Then she realized that Hermione would probably do that too, while they were on a shore excursion, or changing ships from one part of the journey to another.

Her brother and sister-in-law took the Floo to their inn in Venice just after noon. The complaints from Crookshanks faded out. She almost missed the cat.

She and Harry opened a few more presents, and did cleaning and maintenance on their brooms. Harry tried to wait patiently while Ginny cleaned her broom. She could tell he was anxious for something. 

“My husband, if you want me to finish this later while you take me back to bed, we can do that.”

“No, darling. While I’m looking forward to that, there’s something else I want to show you.”

“You might go check on Arndt and Pig.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll be back soon.”

By the time Harry returned, she had finished with her broom and tested it.

He went to the cabinet where her Quidditch equipment will be stored. He pulled a thick bundle from inside. 

He said, “We’ve been used to wearing Hogwarts robes when we fly. The Aurors have started basing their combat flight suits around what Muggles use when riding two-wheeled street vehicles, known as motorcycles. They’re comfortable and warmer and padded. So I had a pair of suits made up. I consulted with Nola, and this one is yours.”

He gave her the bundle. When she unfolded it, it looked like metallic silver pyjamas, all in one piece, with a long zipper. It had a leafy pattern overlaid on it in green and yellow.

He continued, “Nola said there are ginger plants that have that leaf pattern.”

“Do I need to strip before I put it on?”

“While that would be entertaining for me, light day clothes are usually fine, so outside shorts and a top are good.”

He helped her put it on. When it was zipped up, it fit her perfectly. They didn’t have a floor-length mirror, but from what she could see she looked really nice.

He was already wearing athletic shorts and a light shirt. He took out another bundle and put on his own suit. His had the same reflective silver base as hers, but his had the Potter family crest on the back, in a metallic blue color.

He removed from the cabinet a full-head helmet, kind of similar to a classic knight’s helmet. “Now, these are pretty rare, still. The Aurors have started using a tactical helmet, inspired by the latest Muggle technology. They have two-way wireless communications with a range of about 16 kilometers. They also show information in a band across the top of the visor, and there’s a little display that shows brooms in your near vicinity.

“The fit on this isn’t exact, and there’s a chin strap. Let me help you put it on. “

“Could you put yours on first, Harry? This is new to me, I’d like to see it, if you don’t mind.”

“I understand.” He removed another helmet from the cabinet. He made sure some straps were coming out of it, then he removed his glasses and he flipped the helmet onto his head. He closed the straps under his chin. The glass was dark, but she could see his face. She noticed the glass distorted, based on where he was looking, so he didn’t need his glasses.

She tried putting her helmet on. It felt like it was going to be a problem, but it expanded as soon as it rested on her head. She pulled it down so it covered her head and it fit itself on her. She closed the straps.

She heard his voice. “Can you hear me?”

She replied, “Clearly, my husband. This is fantastic!”

She looked through her visor to see his face inside his helmet. He ran her through the displays and workings of the helmet.

When they were done, he removed his helmet, then helped her remove hers. They were overly warm, wearing the suits indoors, and she had sweated quite a bit. She removed the suit and cast the cleaning spell in it. Then she removed the rest of her clothing. He removed his clothing as well, then led her by the hand into the bath next door.

Mid morning the next day, they put on their flight suits and their backpacks, and went up to the roof with their brooms. Ginny had filled Harry’s liquid cooler with pumpkin juice, and hers with pear juice and a strong shot of plum brandy, and clipped them to their backpacks. They made sure Arndt and Pig had food available. Then they put on their helmets, mounted their brooms, and took to the sky.

The Big Lie

Prologue: Directly at the end of Deathly Hallows, in the Headmaster’s Office:

Ron said, as quietly as Hermione, “You know what we’re going to have to do. You’re going to be pestered for the rest of your life, people wanting to know where the wand is, wanting you to do something for them.”

Harry looked at Ron, “Not just me. If they can’t get to me, they’ll ask you. Both of you.”

Hermione closed her eyes. “We have to lie. We need a consistent story.”

Harry waved his arm, “I don’t know, what if I Apparated around the world, bouncing from place to place. With this wand, it feels simple. When I found a place I liked, I threw it, then boosted it with my regular wand, so I don’t know how far it went. Then I Apparated back here.”

Ron said, “Works for me, mate.”

Hermione got a crooked smile, “A simple, straightforward story. That works for me.”

Harry nodded, “We should tell McGonagall and Flitwick.”

A woman’s voice with a Scottish brogue came from the bottom of the stairs. “Tell us what, Mister Potter?” Professor McGonagall rose up the stairs, followed by Professor Flitwick.

Harry gulped, then he faced her. “We’ve decided to return the Elder Wand to the Headmaster’s crypt. But then we have to lie and say I left it in a random location, somewhere around the world. You two shouldn’t need to lie, I doubt anyone will be asking you to get the wand for them.”

Professor Flitwick said, “But they’ll be asking you, for the rest of your life.”

Harry nodded to him, “A small price, to keep the power of the wand secure.”

Hermione said, “Professor McGonagall, could you help us at the crypt? It kind of feels like an odd way of grave robbing, without someone to oversee it.”

Ron added, “Even though we’re grave-restoring, not robbing.”

The old teacher bowed her head, then looked at each of them. “Can you be at the crypt at sunrise tomorrow?”

Harry nodded, “I think so, although I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

Ron said, “I’ll make sure you’re up.”

Hermione joked with him, “Are you sure you want to risk it? He does have the Elder Wand.”

Ron grinned, then looked at Harry a little fearfully.

Harry said, “I feel I should do something for the castle, before I put the wand away forever.”

Professor Flitwick said, “The crossing bridge, that Seamus and Neville blew up. That section of the castle has become isolated, there may be people trapped.”

“Alright, I’ll do that tonight. First…” he stepped to the meeting table. “Kreacher, bring five ham and cheese sandwiches, with a big pot of tea, and some honey, to my location, as quickly as you can manage.”

He smiled at them and waved them to the table, where they all sat. As they got comfortable, the House Elf materialized with a loud pop. Two trays floated to the table from above his head. “Great master, Kreacher is honored to serve.”

The tea tray had five cups and saucers, Kreacher caused the cups to be filled, then distributed around the table.

“Thank you, Kreacher, that will be all.” The Elf disappeared with a loud pop.

Ron said, “You could have done that anytime, when we were starving in the woods, couldn’t you? He could have brought us a month’s worth of supplies.”

Hermione snorted, as she finished her bite of sandwich, “If we wanted to give away our position. When Elves Apparate, it’s very noisy.”

He looked at her, “You could have thought of a way to suppress it or hide it, couldn’t you?”

“Probably, I just didn’t think of it.”

“You two will be my death, you will!”

Hermione patted his hand. Looking at Harry, she asked, “What are your plans, Harry?”

He licked a bit of mustard from his thumb. “I’m going to finish this sandwich and this cup of tea. I might have a second cup, the honey seems to be helping, then I’m going to restore the crossing bridge. Then I’m going up to the dorm room and sleep until morning. After we restore the wand, I’m going looking for Mr. Weasley.”

Ron cocked his head, “What do you want with Dad?”

Harry gave him a little smirk, “I thought it was traditional to ask the father for permission, before asking the woman you love to marry you?”

Ron shook his head at Harry, “My death. You’re going to be the death of me.” He gave a light punch to Harry’s shoulder, “It’s taken you long enough, brother!”