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The Refiner's Fire | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP, Buried Gems Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Fluff, General Warnings: Death, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 618 Summary: In the summer before his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter learns to come to terms with the death of Sirius. As he heals and grows emotionally, he learns how to enjoy life again. But there's a war on, and Voldemort's primary objective is to kill Harry Potter, by any means necessary. As a result, Harry and his friends have a very adventurous sixth year at Hogwarts. Canon-based with some OC. HG, RHr, RT. Hitcount: Story Total: 381435; Chapter Total: 15636 |
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DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Author notes: Many thanks to Kelpie, my brilliant Brit-picker and to Blakevich, Starfox and Pilar for beta-reading! You can join the Yahoo! Group for this fic at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPRef inersFire Harry, Ron and Hermione had finished with classes for the day and were in the seventh floor corridor on their way to the Common Room to drop off their books before going to dinner. Harry had been bouncing around in excitement most of the day, but he wouldn’t say why. He caught a glimpse of Remus going down a flight of stairs several floors down and shouted down through the stairwell, “Remus! Wait a minute!” He turned back to his friends. “I’ll catch you up in the Great Hall — save me a place!” ”OK,” they said, laughing at his eagerness to race down multiple flights of stairs. “What’s he so excited about?” Hermione asked. ”I think he’s going to tell Remus his latest secret,” Ron said, a smirk on his face. “What I’d give to see Remus’s face when he hears!” “His latest secret?” Hermione asked curiously. “What is it?” ”I’ll let Harry tell you. It’s his secret, after all. Remus will love it, though,” Ron said with a chuckle. “Remus! Wait! I need to talk to you!” Harry called, his voice echoing through the many moving staircases. He bounded down the stairs three or four at a time, sometimes jumping half a flight at a time, sometimes sliding on a banister, which usually tried to buck him off, trying to catch up with his godfather. Remus stood where he’d been when he first heard Harry’s voice echoing around him, the rebounding sound making it difficult to work out where his godson actually was. “Oh, there you are, Harry! I heard you, but couldn’t tell where. . .what are you so excited about?” he said as his godson landed gasping for breath next to him at the bottom of the staircase. “I. . .have. . .to. . .” Harry stopped talking, holding his hand up as he panted, completely out of breath. “Wait,” he said, still gasping after racing down five floors of stairs, some of which moved and made him do even more flights to catch up with his godfather. He bent over, his hands on his knees, finally getting his breathing close to normal again. “There, that’s better,” he said after a moment. His eyes were sparkling, his face alight with excitement and split wide in a grin of delight. “I’ve got something to show you,” he said, looking around to see who was watching. A few younger students were passing by, their eyes wide, as usual, at the sight of the famous Harry Potter. “Come in here,” Harry said, leading Remus to the empty Charms classroom. ”What is it?” Remus asked, amused at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Watch!” Harry said, holding his finger up in front of his face for a moment in the classic “wait a second” gesture, then grinning madly as dark grey fur covered his body. His head elongated into a snout, and his ears became upright and triangular. As he dropped to all fours, a long bushy tail wagged behind him. The huge grey wolf cavorted around Remus, rolling over, bounding from the back to the front of the classroom in three huge leaps, jumping up and down off the desks, chasing its tail. Remus clapped his hands in delight, laughing as Harry-the-wolf played around the room, then slid to a stop in front of him, sitting with its tongue lolling out in a happy doggy laugh, its tail thumping the floor. Harry changed back into himself and said, “Well?” ”That’s wonderful!” Remus said, still amused by the wolf’s antics. “How many animals is this now, seven? Eight?” ”I don’t know —something like that, I guess,” Harry said with a huge grin. “I’ve stopped counting.” ”Why a wolf? He’s quite a handsome one, by the way. Well done! And the eyes aren’t green this time — I could barely see the mark from your scar. You’re getting better at hiding your identity.” ”I’ve been working on that with all of them but the cat, since that’s the one I registered,” Harry said. He paused, almost holding his breath, then with his eyes dancing in excitement, blurted, “I did the wolf for you.” “For me? Why?” ”For when you don’t get your potion in time. Now I can keep you company the way my dad and Sirius did.” He was grinning, and still bouncing on his toes, thrilled with what he’d accomplished and elated that he had found a way to help his godfather. Remus felt tears burning his eyes. “Oh, Harry, you didn’t need to do that for me,” he began. “I wanted to. I can keep you company in your office even when you do have your potion.” He put his hand on his godfather’s shoulder and his face grew serious. “You don’t have to be alone anymore when you change. I want to be there for you, like my dad, like Sirius, so you won’t be alone.” Remus couldn’t speak for a moment. He pulled Harry into a warm embrace. “What a generous thing for you to do.” ”I’ve been wanting to keep you company when you change for quite a while, but I couldn’t work out an animal form I thought could stand up to your werewolf until I was able to do this wolf. My black dog is a bit of a wimp,” he said with a laugh. “The thestral is too big to stay in your office with you. The cat would be dinner for your werewolf, I imagine. I didn’t think a bird would be as much fun as company for you as a dog would, then I thought of doing a wolf. The wolf is tough. He can take whatever you dish out!” “This is so kind of you, Harry. I mean that. Thank you.” ”I hoped you’d like the idea. And if your potion doesn’t put you to sleep, we can run around the grounds at night if you want. I can change Ron into a collie and he can come along too, if that’s all right with you,” Harry said eagerly. “Would he be safe if I turned him into a collie? He can do a partial transformation now, but he still can’t turn into the collie completely by himself. He really enjoys being the collie, though.” ”Yes, he’d be safe as a collie. You two want to go and bay at the moon, eh?” Remus said, amused. “Yeah, something like that,” Harry said. He was still bouncing from excitement. “The wolf is so cool! I don’t know why it took me so long to work out how to do it, but I’m glad I did.” ”I am too. This full moon will be a lot more enjoyable for me, thanks to you — and Ron too, if he wants to join us. Baying at the moon can be fun if you do it with friends,” Remus said with a smile. The two of them headed toward the Great Hall for dinner. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, Harry...” ”Yes?” ”How are Ron and Hermione doing since you and Dumbledore took that enchantment off her?” ”They’re becoming close again. It took Ron some time to work through a lot of stuff. He was angry with me for a few days too, but since he actually saw what happened when we released her from the spell, and the injuries on my back, it was easier for him to accept that she acted the way she did because she was under a spell and that I was just plain stupid,” Harry replied. “It just took him a while. I can’t blame him.” ”You weren’t stupid. You were trying to help a friend.” ”Yeah, so I thought. Stupid, eh?” ”It’s never stupid to help a friend. It’s just a good idea to find out first what the friend wants you to do,” Remus teased, winking at Harry. ”I won’t make that mistake again!” Harry said with a grimace. “By the way, I never asked you how you happened to know about that spell. Were you looking for something in particular when you ran across it, or did you just find it while browsing through the books, or what?” Remus stopped walking and turned to look at Harry quite seriously. “I was looking for spells that might be used against you. Since you’ve been attacked by girls under some kind of spell a couple of times already this year, I thought it might happen again. We have never caught the person who set those girls on you, so they’re still out there doing whatever they can to harm you. So I’ve been researching spells that use a woman as a way to harm a man — or a girl to harm a boy, in this case, I suppose. The Black Widow Curse was just one of several I found, but when you mentioned the hairs, and with some of the information Hermione shared, it reminded me of that spell.” ”Then I’m glad you were doing that research so we could recognize the spell and work out how to undo it,” Harry said sincerely. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about Hermione coming after me again. She knows more hexes and jinxes than anyone in D.A. I’d hate to get on the wrong side of her.” He walked quietly a few more moments. “I couldn’t believe it when she attacked me. I think that’s why it took me so long to get serious about defending myself — I just couldn’t accept that it was happening.” “That’s understandable,” Remus agreed. “Did they catch that woman from The Ladies Shop? Was she Bellatrix Lestrange?” Harry asked. ”No, she escaped. We don’t know if she’s Bellatrix or not. When we went to apprehend her, the shop was closed and nobody had seen her for a few days. We’re following up leads now.” Harry nodded, his face growing serious. “I wish they’d caught her. It would be nice to know if she was behind these things. If she was behind them, then her being captured would mean my life would be a bit easier, you know?” Remus nodded, rubbing his godson’s back comfortingly. “I know. I’m sorry we didn’t catch her. We have people out there working on the case. She can’t get away forever.” “If she was Bellatrix,” Harry asked suddenly, “why did she send all these girls to try to kill me? I’ve been in her shop with Ginny. Why wouldn’t she just attack me when we were in the same room?” “Probably because she wanted to live to fight another day, Harry,” Remus said quietly. “She knows what a powerful wizard you were the last time you two saw each other — you survived a fight with a much greater force, despite not knowing nearly as much magic as they did, and you’ve had more time to develop your skills since then. She might think she stands a better chance of success if she’s sneaky about the attack. Women often use different ways of attacking enemies than men do. They tend to be stealthier, using poisons, blackmail and entrapment to defeat their enemies rather than fighting face to face as men do. She’s a good fighter, no doubt, but if this was Bellatrix, she was playing to her strengths by trying to poison you. Sirius told me once she was quite good at Potions — but then he added that she was never quite as good as she thought she was.” Remus smiled a bit as he studied the boy’s expression, and wished he had better answers for him. “At least, that seems logical to me. It’s entirely possible that this woman wasn’t Bellatrix, but some other witch who’s gone to the Dark side.” Harry glanced at his godfather a moment, then went back to his dark thoughts. Remus was sorry Harry’s mood had gone from elation to deadly serious so quickly. He cast about for something fun to talk about, to brighten Harry’s eyes again. “How are you and Ginny doing since all this happened?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye. He’d seen them together and, from all appearances, their relationship had survived the situation with no real harm done. ”We’re doing fine,” Harry said, smiling at the thought of her. “She’s. . .I think she’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me, other than finding out I’m a wizard.” “I’m happy for you, Harry,” Remus said, patting his godson on the shoulder. Just then, they reached the doors of the Great Hall. Halfway down the Gryffindor table, they could see Ginny’s long mane of fiery red hair cascading down her back. Ron sat across from her, so tall he was head and shoulders above the students around him. They could just see the top of the mop of curls that marked where Hermione sat next to Ron. “Have a nice dinner, Harry,” Remus said, grinning as he watched the boy jogging down the aisle between tables, plopping into place beside Ginny, a grin already on his face as he greeted his friends. Harry snuck up behind Ginny in the hall, put his long hands over her eyes and said “Guess who?” in a high, silly voice. “Let’s see now. . .Fred? Nah. George! Nope. Silly me, they don’t go to Hogwart’s anymore anyway! Let’s see. . .Ron? No. I wonder who it could be?” “Somebody you know pretty well and seem to like a lot,” Harry hinted, a broad grin on his face. “OH! Gilderoy Lockhart!” she said, feigning a delighted swoon. Harry burst out laughing and turned her around by her shoulders. “I don’t think so. Is there something you need to tell me about the two of you?” “Oh, it’s only you,” she said, acting disappointed. “Gee, I thought it might be someone special, or famous, or a hero or something.’ Harry snorted, then lifted her off her feet and swung her around. She squealed as he did so. “What are you so happy about?” she asked when she could catch her breath. “There’s a Hogsmeade weekend this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. I thought I might try to find some pretty girl to go with me,” he said, still holding her off the ground, his arms around her waist, with Ginny lifted high enough to be eye to eye with him, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. “Oh, some pretty girl, eh? Did you have anyone in mind?” “Nah, I thought I’d just grab some girl in the corridor.” He pretended to be surprised. “Oh, hang on! I just grabbed you, didn’t I?” he said with a laugh. “Want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend, young lady?” “I don’t know. I was waiting for this handsome guy with black hair and green eyes I’ve seen hanging around school to ask me. If he doesn’t, I’ll think about it,” she said demurely. “Well, if he hasn’t asked you yet, he’s a git,” Harry said, grinning. “Whaddya say? Want to go with me instead?” Ginny couldn’t hold her laughter in any longer. “You are so silly sometimes!” she giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and hugging him. As she held him close, she whispered, “I’d love to go to Hogsmeade with you, Harry.” On Saturday, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all walked to Hogsmeade, heavily bundled up against the cold weather. The trees were hung with icicles, the result of an overnight ice storm. Everyone was walking carefully in paths created in the ice by warming charms. The groups of students walked close together for warmth as well as companionship, their breath frosting the air. As they settled into their seats in the Three Broomsticks, warm butterbeers in hand, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione smiled at each other, cherishing the fact that their friendship was fully restored. They’d passed the closed and shuttered Ladies’ Shop on their way to the pub. “What do you want to do today?” Ron asked, wiping butterbeer foam from his mouth with the back of his hand. “I have some shopping to do,” Harry said. “It won’t take long.” He turned sparkling eyes on Ginny as he said this. “And you can’t go.” “Well, for your information, dear sir, I, too, have shopping to do. And you can’t go either!” Ginny replied tartly. “Remind me why we came to Hogsmeade together then?” Harry said, chuckling. Ginny turned to him, grabbed his face in both her hands, and planted a lovely warm kiss on his lips. “That’s why.” Harry grinned. “Oh yeah, now I remember,” he said, laughing. “So, Ron? D’you want to go with me, and the girls can shop together? Then we can meet back here in an hour or so? Will that work for everybody?” There was general agreement, and they left the pub after finishing their drinks. Harry made sure he and Ron were out of sight of the girls and went straight to the jeweller’s. “Hi, Mr. Joyero,” he said as he entered the shop. “Remember those earrings. . .?” “Mr. Potter, how nice to see you again! Yes, of course, I remember them well. Are you ready to purchase them?” the owner said as he unlocked the case. “Yes. That necklace is wonderful. I’d like to get charms put on the earrings as well, if you can,” Harry said. “What kind of charms would you like? Love charms?” the man said with a smile. “No, that’s OK,” Harry said, blushing. “I’d like protective charms on them. What can you do?” “I can do charms that protect against certain hexes and jinxes,” he offered. “Which ones?” “Most of the minor, annoying ones children like to use on each other, as well as some of the more serious ones. I have a list here somewhere,” Joyero said, digging through a cabinet. “Ah, here we go,” he said as he handed the list over. “Can you do all of these protections on the earrings?” Harry said in amazement. Ron’s mouth was hanging open as he studied the list. “Whoa. Nobody at school will be able to hex her if she’s wearing these!” “They won’t protect her from everything, mind you,” the jeweller cautioned, “but they will save her having to deal with the more bothersome ones. Also, if she gets hit with a serious spell, there is some protection from spell damage. Not a lot, of course, since these are so small, but still, every bit of protection we can get these days is helpful, wouldn’t you agree?” “Yes, I do agree,” Harry said. “I’ll take them. How much are they? And how much for the protective charms?” The deal was completed and Harry paced the little shop, waiting for the charms to be put on. Ron sighed. “I wish I could buy something like that for Hermione,” he said. “If she’d had something like that, maybe she wouldn’t have been . . .” “Ask him if he can do that to silver jewellery, Ron,” Harry suggested. “You’ll never know unless you ask.” Ron got out his money bag and weighed it in his hand. He knew to the knut how much money he had, and it wasn’t much. When Joyero came back with Ginny’s earrings nicely wrapped in a beautiful gift box, Ron blurted out, “D’you have anything. . .” he ran out of steam. “Ah, Mr. Weasley, yes, I remember the lovely charm bracelet you bought for your girlfriend. Did she like it?” “Yes, she loves it. She wears it all the time,” he said. “D’you have, um. . .” “Would you, perhaps, be interested in a lovely silver pendant to go with the bracelet?” the jeweller asked. “Yes. With protective charms on it,” Ron said. “But I can’t afford a lot,” he said humbly. “I have several pieces that may do nicely,” the man said, pulling out a tray of silver pendants. Soon, Ron stood gazing at the piece he truly wanted to buy her — a beautiful shape that looked like an abstract phoenix, all flowing lines and movement captured in silver. “How much?” Ron said cautiously. The man studied Ron’s earnest face, seeing the love shining in his eyes, and the shabbiness of his clothes. He quoted a price much lower than the pendant’s real price. Who was he to stand in the way of true love? Ron had barely enough money to cover the pendant, much less the chain or the protective charms, but soon he was carrying his own beautifully wrapped gift for his girlfriend, complete with every protective charm the jeweller could put on it. Ron’s face shone with pride. “D’you think she’ll like it?” he asked Harry, a worried frown on his face. “She will love it, Ron. It’s beautiful,” Harry assured him. “And I’m sure she’ll appreciate the protections he put on it, as well.” “Yeah. It’s good there’s something that can protect them when we’re not around,” Ron said earnestly. Harry smiled to himself. Hermione was the match of nearly any wizard or witch he’d ever met, but he understood what Ron meant. Ginny was a fighter too, but he wanted her as protected as possible. He clutched the gift box in his hand, hoping his gift would help keep her from harm. They met the girls in the Three Broomsticks, their gifts carefully stowed in their pockets. The two couples went their separate ways for a while. Harry and Ginny walked down the path toward school, turning aside to a little clearing in the woods Harry had found while flying as a raven. Ginny conjured a fire and Harry conjured a big squashy armchair for them to sit in. A warming charm around them made them truly cosy. They snogged for a while, then simply held each other, contented just to be together. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” Harry murmured, kissing her gently on the temple. “Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too,” she said, turning her face to kiss him. “I got you something,” she said with a smile. ”I got you something too.” He smiled at her, kissing her cold-pinked cheeks and nose before kissing her lips again. “Do you want your present?” “Yes! Do you want yours?” “Even swap? Or do I have to wrestle you for it?” he teased, trying to tickle her through all her layers of clothing. “Swap! Swap!” she giggled, wriggling around to evade his tickling fingers. “Did you say ‘swap’ or ‘stop’?” he laughed, burrowing under her hair to her neck and blowing a raspberry there, making her giggle even more. “Either! Both! Whatever!” she chuckled. “You are so bad.” “Who me? You must have me confused with someone else,” he said, grinning and looking for more ways to gently torment her. “What did you get me? You’re keeping me waiting, Potter!” she demanded, then burst into giggles again. “OK, if you insist,” he said, feigning resignation. “Here.” Ginny glowed when she saw the beautifully wrapped package. “Oh, Harry, what have you done this time?” “Dunno. Hopefully, you’ll like it.” Ginny opened the package as slowly as possible, careful not to tear the paper or muss the ribbons. “Why are you taking so long?” Harry asked, amused. ”It’s too pretty to mess up,” she said seriously. She looked up at him with glowing eyes. “It’s beautiful.” ”That’s just the wrapping,” Harry said, teasing her. “There actually is a present inside.” “Hold your hippogriffs, I’m getting there!” Finally, she reached the box inside the pretty wrappings and opened it ever so slowly. She gasped at the sight of the gold and ruby Gryffindor lion earrings inside. “Oh, Harry. They’re beautiful!” She carefully closed the box and grasped it tightly in her hand before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him closely. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! They’re ever so lovely!” She sat up and opened the box again, admiring them a few moments longer. Her eyes sparkled as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small package. “Here’s yours. I hope you like it.” Harry started to open his gift as slowly as she had opened hers, then got a wicked gleam in his eye and ripped the paper off quickly, making her laugh. Inside the small box was a single earring, a small golden Gryffindor lion with a tiny ruby set in it. “Wow, that’s cool,” Harry said with a smile. “You want me to wear an earring like Bill, eh?” “I thought you liked Bill’s earring,” she began hesitantly. “I do,” he said quickly. “It really is cool. Thanks!” “It’s only gold-plated, not real gold like the ones you gave me,” she apologized. ”Ginny, I think it’s amazing. Thanks. Now I have to get an ear pierced.” ”Me too,” she said. “Let’s go to town and get it done together.” ”OK — we can suffer together,” he teased. “Does this have any powers or protections on it?” he asked as he held the earring up, watching how the tiny faceted ruby caught the light. “No. I couldn’t afford the place you used where they put powers on the jewellery.” She looked at her own earrings. “These have some powers, don’t they?” “Yes. They have protections against a whole list of hexes, jinxes and spells. He gave me a copy of the list,” Harry said, pulling a small piece of parchment out of his pocket and handing it to her. ”I wish I could’ve got some protections on yours. If any of us need them, it’s you,” she said sadly. “Hey, you,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I love my earring. We can go to the place where I got yours and have some protections added if you want.” “I can’t afford them, Harry.” “You bought the earring. I’ll buy the protections. Then I’ll be safer and you’ll be happy, right?” He tapped her gently on the nose. “Yes, that will work. I hope it’s not too expensive. I hate that you have to pay for part of your present.” “Maybe he will throw it in with piercing our ears. I think he does that there.” They headed back to the village and visited the jeweller, who was happy to put protections on Harry’s earring as well as pierce their ears. “Wow, that didn’t hurt at all!” Ginny said, amazed, when hers were done. “I thought it would hurt a little.” “Are you kidding?” Harry said, acting wounded as Mr. Joyero finished piercing his ear. “I’m dying here! This is agony!” “Oh you,” she said, poking him gently in his ribs, which were well-padded by all his winter clothes. “You’re such a crybaby.” When they met Ron and Hermione in the Three Broomsticks, the girls exchanged oooo’s and ahhh’s over their new jewellery. Hermione had bought Ron a compass for his broom so he could “always find his way back to me,” she said with a smile. She loved her silver pendant and swore she’d never take it off. Ron and Hermione were amazed to see Harry and Ginny wearing earrings that nearly matched. “Gee, someone might think you two were going out together or something,” Ron teased about their matching earrings. Harry and Ginny just grinned at each other, while treading softly on each other’s toes under the table. “Harry!” Dumbledore called in greeting several weeks later, seeing Harry in the corridor as the students hurried to their classes. “Could I have a word?” Harry turned around and joined his headmaster, who led him into the spiral staircase up to his office. “How are you feeling these days?” Dumbledore asked kindly as he offered Harry a lemon drop and indicated a chair for Harry to sit in. “I’m fine,” Harry said with a smile. “You are blessed with a strong constitution. You heal so quickly,” Dumbledore commented. “That’s wonderful. What are your plans for the Easter holiday?” “I don’t know. Either go to The Burrow with Ron and Ginny, or to Grimmauld Place with Remus. I haven’t really thought about it yet.” “I was wondering if you would be interested in a project I have in mind?” Dumbledore said with a tilt of his head and a twinkle in his eye. Harry grinned. Dumbledore’s expression guaranteed this project, whatever it was, would be fun. “I promised Ginny never to agree to anything without knowing what it was. So tell me what you have in mind, and I’ll let you know if I’m interested,” he said dutifully. “Wisely said!” Dumbledore said, laughing. “I am concerned about Buckbeak. He doesn’t get any exercise anymore, and it’s simply not fair to him for him to stay cooped up in that house. I’ve been in touch with Charlie Weasley. He says there’s a hippogriff sanctuary in Rumania that he’s working with now, as well as doing his dragon research. Hippogriffs are an endangered species there, and the few they have are becoming terribly inbred. They could do with a new bloodline to strengthen the herd they have. So he’d be willing to take Buckbeak if we could get him there.” Harry had an idea what was coming, but made Dumbledore spell it out anyway. “How do you propose getting him there? And how do I fit in your plans?” “Buckbeak likes you tremendously, much more so than anyone else who’s come in contact with him since Hagrid. I’d like you to fly him to Rumania for me.” “And how will I get back here?” “You can return on a broom, or fly as a thestral, which would actually be faster. I know you’re becoming proficient at Apparating now, but you can’t Apparate across national borders, so the fastest and most secret way for you to travel is to fly. Are you interested?” “Can Ron come with me?” Harry asked, his eyes bright with excitement. This sounded like a great way to spend the Easter holidays! “Certainly, if he’d like. Buckbeak can carry both of you easily, and Mr. Weasley can carry your broomsticks in his pocket, with a Shrinking Charm on them, so you can use the brooms in case you get tired flying back as a thestral. It’s a day and a half long trip each way. Charlie told me about a place where you will be able to rest for the night each way.” “That sounds great, Professor. Yes, I’ll do it,” Harry said with a grin. “And I think Ron will be excited about it as well. He hasn’t seen Charlie in a while.” He thought a moment. “Professor?” “Yes, Harry?” “Does Hagrid know what happened to Buckbeak?” “No, he’s never been told.” “May we stop off and let him say goodbye to Buckbeak, then? And tell him what really happened?” “I think that’s a grand idea, Harry! Certainly. I’ll make the arrangements for your trip. I’d like you to go into the forest with me this evening, as a thestral. I want you to confer with the thestral I once rode to Charlie’s camp, so you’ll know the way. I’m not certain, but I believe that, once you know the way as a thestral, you should remember the directions as a human.” “That sounds logical.” “Have you tried such a thing before? Going somewhere as a thestral, then trying to remember how to get there when you’re in human form?” Dumbledore asked curiously. “I don’t know any other wizards who’ve become thestrals, so I’d be interested to find out if their directional sense crosses over into your human intelligence.” “I can give it a trial run before we go, if you like,” Harry suggested. “I don’t know how it will work either.” “Wonderful! Thank you for your time. I’m sorry I’ve made you late for class. I’ll give you a note,” he said, scribbling something on a scrap of parchment. Harry took the note and stood up. “Thank you, Professor. I’ll talk to Ron about it today. When do you want us to leave?” “As soon as the holidays start, I believe. That will allow you plenty of travel time, as well as a day or two to rest there before coming back.” Harry’s eyes sparkled. “That sounds great. Thanks! Bye!” “Goodbye, Harry. I’ll talk to you again soon.” That evening, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Professor Dumbledore walked into the forest together to visit the thestral herd. Harry’s friends were excited at the idea that Harry might be able to communicate with the thestrals and wanted to be there even if they couldn’t see what was happening. When they were deep in the forest, Harry changed to a thestral, and Dumbledore made an odd chirruping sound, somewhere between a hoot and a whistle. Soon they were surrounded by a herd of thestrals, all looking at Dumbledore, Ron and the girls curiously, and keeping well away from Harry. “What’s happening?” Hermione whispered. “The herd is here. Harry is strange to them, so they’re keeping their distance. He’s walking slowly toward them now. One of the thestrals is moving away from the herd, coming toward Harry.” Dumbledore grew quiet and tense. “What’s going on now? Why’d you stop talking? Is Harry all right?” Ginny asked, worried. “The thestral that approached him is smelling him. That’s how they get to know each other. They’re rather like horses that way.” They heard two high-pitched squeals and a grunt. “Oh dear,” Dumbledore said. “What?” Ginny asked, sorry now she’d asked to come. “The thestral is trying to show dominance over Harry. They are giving a display of aggression, I suppose you could say, seeing which one is tougher. That thump was Harry being kicked. He’s backed away a little and is trying to communicate again.” Dumbledore went silent again, his silence watchful as he observed the animals interacting. Harry had no idea at first that this thestral was a stallion that was worried about Harry wanting his mares. The stallion’s thoughts were a whirl of colour and images that Harry was having trouble making out, so he was unable to communicate with him at this point, other than by posture and gestures. Harry tried mirroring the actions of the stallion, and when the stallion whirled to kick again, Harry was quicker and kicked him hard in the belly, then immediately backed away, bowing his head, offering respect in every way he could think of. The stallion stared at Harry for a while, pawing the ground as he did so, snorting aggressively for a while. Another group of thestrals joined the first one, and one thestral moved quickly to stand by Harry’s side. This one smelled Harry and nickered to him in a friendly way. Harry nickered back and the two began to make friendly gestures to each other. The first stallion observed all this and finally relaxed. “Ah,” Dumbledore said finally. “Harry has been accepted. I’m not certrain what happened, but a second group of thestrals showed up, and one of them befriended him. That action seems to have calmed down the stallion that was aggressive to Harry before.” He sounded relieved. “Oh,” Ron said, relieved as well. “That’s good then. Right?” Dumbledore turned to Ron and smiled. “Yes. Very good indeed.” Dumbledore put his hand on the stallion’s shoulder and made some sounds that seemed to make sense to the thestral. The stallion turned to look at Harry and made some nickering sounds, which Harry returned. They snorted and arched their necks at each other, shaking their manes and half-rearing from time to time. After a while, the thestral that was Harry turned and looked at Dumbledore, who said, “Have you got the information you need?” The thestral that was Harry nodded. “I’ll give them the meat we brought for them, and you can transform while they’re eating and ignoring you. Then we can go.” On their way back to the castle, Harry was rubbing his side. “Are you hurt?” Hermione asked. “The professor said he kicked you.” “Yeah, he hit me pretty hard. Good thing I dodged, or he would’ve hit me harder!” Harry said, grinning wickedly. He’d enjoyed his adventure even if he did get a bit bruised. “It didn’t occur to me that I’d be seen as a stallion coming to steal his mares.” Harry laughed at the thought. “It’s hard to think how to act humbly when you’re a thestral. They’re proud, sort of like hippogriffs in a way. You don’t want to cross them. I did kick him back at one point, and after that he was more willing to listen to what I had to say.” “So did you get directions somewhere?” Ron asked. “Yeah. I got directions to Hogwarts from Grimmauld Place, and from Hogwarts to Charlie’s place in Rumania. I’ll make a test flight to Grimmauld Place to be sure I understand the directions. We’ll have to get in touch with Charlie before we get there so the dragons don’t think we’re bringing them dinner, though.” “I’ve taken care of that,” Dumbledore interjected. “Charlie will meet you a few miles from his camp. He’ll owl directions to the meeting place to us soon.” “Great!” Harry replied. “So we’re leaving here and going to Grimmauld Place, getting Buckbeak and stopping back here to see Hagrid for a little while before flying off to France for our first night stop, right? Then Rumania the next day?” “Yes, that’s the plan,” Dumbledore agreed. “Cool! I can’t wait!” Harry said, nudging Ron and grinning madly. “Wicked. We’re going to have a blast!” Ron added. “I wish we could go,” Hermione said sadly, and Ginny nodded her agreement. “We’ll tell you all about it when we get back,” Ron promised her. Harry’s scar seared in pain and without any further warning, he was facing Voldemort, in the midst of a raging battle near the top of a cliff. Harry had no idea how he got there, but he pulled his wand out and prepared to fight his nemesis. Ginny ran up behind Harry. “I’ve got your back!” she said, standing back to back with him. Harry didn’t want her there, he didn’t want her anywhere near Voldemort! With a flick of his wand, Voldemort had captured Ginny and pulled her into his arms. “Did you miss me?” he said in a sneering voice. “No!” Ginny screamed, kicking, squirming, fighting madly to get away from him. Harry stood there with his wand ready, but there was no clear shot. Voldemort had Ginny in front of him, using her as a shield against Harry. “Get him, Harry!” Ginny called, still struggling to get away from him. “Don’t worry about me! Get him!!” “Crucio!” Voldemort said, aiming his wand at Ginny, his laughter ringing through the hills around them. She screamed and writhed, a moving ball of misery hanging from his arm. Harry took his chance and shot a spell at Voldemort. Voldemort dodged it, still holding on to Ginny. “Give up, Potter, or she dies,” he said in his high, cold voice. “Never!” Harry cried in a rage. “Let her go. This is between you and me.” “Let her go? All right, if you insist,” Voldemort said, then threw Ginny over the cliff and down into the dark lake fifty feet below. As she fell, he threw an Incarcerous charm at her, wrapping her tightly in ropes. She screamed as she fell, her long red hair a flaming sail behind her. She hit the cold lake feet first, her small body not making much of a splash. Her hair looked like a smear of blood on the water’s surface that disappeared quickly as she sank into the depths of the lake. “GINNY!” Harry screamed as she fell. He threw another spell at Voldemort, then jumped off the cliff, following Ginny to whatever doom she was about to meet. He could barely think, and he was still throwing spells up at Voldemort as he fell. Finally, in a flaming rage, he blew up the rock the evil wizard was standing on. The explosion shook the entire area, and Voldemort disappeared from sight. Harry hit the water just then, rocks and dirt falling around him as he sank into the dark water. He managed to throw a Protego spell around himself so the falling stones wouldn’t injure him. As he sank into the dark lake, he calmed himself enough to work a partial transfiguration, and soon gills appeared on the sides of his neck, and his feet and hands grew wide and webbed. Swimming as fast as he could, Harry headed down into the murky depths of the lake, looking everywhere for a glimpse of bright hair. After what seemed an eternity, he spotted her. He swam to her, pulled her into his arms and started for the surface. She was only unconscious. She couldn’t be dead. He wouldn’t allow her to be dead. Not while there was breath left in his body. He took a deep breath, then removed his gills, placed his mouth over hers and breathed into her. Then he held her mouth and nose closed while he created gills on himself again, got a good breath, removed the gills and blew into her mouth again. He continued this until their heads broke the surface. He pulled her to the edge of the lake and carried her out, then pounded on her back to try to get her breathing again. She was so pale. Her face looked like parchment against the dark burnished red of her hair. “Wake up! Ginny, wake up! You are NOT going to leave me like this. Wake up!” He pulled out the pocket knife she’d given him for Christmas and cut the bonds around her, rubbing her cold arms and legs to warm her, doing mouth to mouth on her to get her breathing again. Several eternities later, she coughed and water came out of her in a torrent. She lay there gasping for breath. “Ginny? Are you all right? Ginny?” Harry begged. “Please be all right, my sweet girl. I need you. Please.” By this time, he was sobbing. “Please, please, Ginny, wake up!” With a start, Harry moved, his flailing hands making the mountain of books beside him collapse, some of them hitting him in the head before he got out of the way. He stared around him in a panic. “Ginny? Ginny? Where are you?” He stood up and raced across the Common Room, calling up the girls’ dormitory staircase. “Ginny? Ginny?” No answer. He looked frantically around the Common Room, his eyes landing on Ron. “Where’s Ginny?” “I dunno, probably in the library studying,” Ron said with a shrug. “Why?” “She’s in danger. I have to find her,” Harry said, still frantic. “What do you mean, she’s in danger?” Ron asked, startled. “What kind of danger? “Voldemort had her, and there was a cliff, and then . . . .” Harry was still looking around wildly, as if Ginny might be hiding behind a chair near the fireplace or something. “I have to find her. Will you help me look?” “Sure, mate, calm down. You were asleep. It was probably a dream,” Ron said, trying to reassure his friend. “Dream or not, I have to find her,” Harry insisted, his eyes fierce. “OK, OK, I’ll go look around. You look in the library. I’ll ask Hermione to check the dormitories. She can’t be far,” Ron said, hoping he was right. Harry was scaring him now. “Thanks!” Harry called as he raced through the portrait hole to the library. Once there, he stormed into the room, looking anxiously from section to section, causing Madam Pince to reprimand him several times for running in the library. Finally he saw her sitting quietly in the back, at a table with other Fifth Years doing revision for their O.W.L.s. “Ginny!” he cried, sliding to a stop by her chair. “Harry, what’s wrong? You’re white as a sheet! You’re shaking! What’s happened?” Ginny asked, greatly concerned about him. Harry was gasping for breath. “Come with me,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her along behind him. He led her to the very last section of bookshelves, the darkest corner of the library. He pulled her to him and covered her face with kisses, moaning her name over and over. “What’s wrong? Tell me! You’re scaring me!” Ginny insisted. Finally, he calmed enough to kiss her properly and answer her questions. He buried his face in the thick hair lying across her shoulder. He breathed deeply, drinking in the smell of her, relishing the warmth of her body in his arms. “I thought I’d lost you,” he said shakily. “I was just here studying,” she protested, thoroughly confused. “I. . .I had a dream,” he began hesitantly, then he told her all about the dream. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were huge by the time he was done. “Was it one of your visions, or honestly just a dream?” she wanted to know. “I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this. I am going to teach you, Ron and Hermione how to do the Bubblehead Charm and how to levitate yourselves without wands if it’s the last thing I do. If I can teach it to you three, I’ll teach it to the rest of the D.A. I don’t want to be worrying about people drowning anymore. That Second Task was bad enough — I don’t need to be reliving it in my dreams with the people I care about as the victims.” Ron found them then, out of breath from running all over the castle looking for his sister. “Ah,” he panted. “I see you found her. Everything OK then?” “Yeah. Thanks for helping me look, mate,” Harry said sincerely, holding on to Ginny tightly. “No problem,” Ron gasped, turning away to start the long walk back to his studying in the Common Room. “Next time you lose her, how about remembering the Adfero Charm,” he muttered as he walked away. Harry’s face fell. “The Adfero Charm?” he repeated. “How could I be so stupid?” He pounded his forehead with the heel of his hand. “I prefer being found this way, though,” Ginny said, snuggling into his arms. “Uh, yeah,” he agreed, bending down and burrowing his face into the hollow of her neck, breathing in her scent again. “It has its points.” The Weasleys had gone to Grimmauld Place to meet Ron and Harry for the first day of Easter break, and to pick up Ginny. Hermione had stayed at Hogwarts to have the library all to herself and start revision for her N.E.W.T.’s, which they wouldn’t have to take until the seventh year. The boys had tried to convince her to spend the holiday with Ginny, but she was adamant. She thought she needed the time to revise, and revise she would. After a fine dinner and a good night’s sleep, the boys were up bright and early the first full day of their holiday, ready to fly Beaky back to Hogwarts for a short visit with Hagrid. “Harry, you will be careful, won’t you?” Ginny said as she held him tightly in her arms. “I’m worried about you having to fly so far as a thestral.” “Ron has our brooms. If I get tired, we’ll just get on them. Please don’t worry,” Harry said, trying to console her. “I’m supposed to worry about you. That’s my job,” she said, teasing him a bit. “Come here, you,” he murmured, lifting her chin and kissing her thoroughly. “Mmm, I’m going to miss that,” he said softly, moving his mouth to just under her ear, “and this,” nibbling her neck whenever her parents looked the other way, which they were considerate enough to do fairly often. “You be sure you DO miss that, Mr. Potter!” she said tartly. “I will. Absolutely. And it’s only for a few days. This will give you time to do your revision for your O.W.L.’s without Ron and me being around to distract you.” “You mean, being around to help me,” she grumbled. “OK, off with you then,” she said bravely, pushing him out the door. He leaned in for one last kiss. “Take care of yourself, sweet girl,” he said. “Ron, you take care of Harry!” she called to her brother as he passed her. “Fine! Who’s going to take care of me, then?” Ron teased her. “I’ll take care of you, no worries,” Harry said with a laugh. “Just a moment, Harry,” Dumbledore said. “I’ll put a Disillusionment Charm on all three of you.” With that, he tapped each of them on the head. A feeling like cold water running over him washed over Harry, and soon he saw he blended in with whatever he was standing near. “Remember to use that whenever you’ll be exposed. You do remember how to do the charm, Harry?” “Yes, thanks, Professor! C’mon, Beaky, let’s go,” he said, pulling on Buckbeak’s chain. The Weasleys, Remus and Dumbledore watched as the boys mounted Buckbeak and quickly got airborne, the Disillusionment Charm making them look like glistening miniscule slivers of light where the sun caught the edges of their bodies. Ginny waved until Beaky was a tiny glint of light far off in the sky. “They’ll be fine, dear,” her mother assured her, putting her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and pulling her back inside the house. “Let’s go home and start enjoying our holiday.” “Whoo-hoooo!” Ron cheered. He’d never flown on a hippogriff before and he loved every minute of it. Harry laughed to hear the joy in his friend’s voice. “Having fun back there?” Harry called, his voice whipped over his shoulder by the wind. “Yeah!” Ron said, elated. “This is great! Whoo-hooooooo!” Buckbeak seemed to be enjoying the exercise too. They turned north, England flowing below them as a rolling multicoloured carpet, the rivers ribbons of silvery light in the bright sunshine, the cars and trains looking like tiny toys far below them. They were flying as high as Buckbeak could manage in case anyone could see them through the Disillusionment Charm and wonder about flying horses with odd heads in the sky. From such a great distance, surely Beaky would appear to be an airplane or a large eagle if anyone did notice them among the clouds. They finally reached Scotland’s craggy hills, landing quite a while later in a clearing in the woods a good distance from Hagrid’s hut. Harry took the Disillusionment Charm off them all, then handed a bag of dead rats to Ron. “You keep him happy here. I’ll go get Hagrid.” “OK,” Ron agreed. Harry changed into the raven so he could fly quickly through the trees to Hagrid’s hut. When he changed back, he scouted around the place quietly to make certain Hagrid was alone, and then called “Hagrid? Hagrid!” In a few moments, Hagrid’s huge form could be seen striding through the trees toward the hut. “Hi, Hagrid!” Harry said. “Harry! I thought you went off with the Weasleys for the holiday,” Hagrid said with a twitch of his beard that Harry knew meant he was smiling. Hagrid’s beetle-black eyes sparkled. “It’s good ter see yeh!” “Good to see you, too. I did go with the Weasleys, but I’m on an errand for Dumbledore. I wanted to stop by here first. I have a surprise for you.” Harry’s face was alight with anticipation. This was one surprise Hagrid should love. “A surprise? Fer me? What on earth. . .? Harry, you shouldn’t’a,” Hagrid said fondly. “I don’ need nuthin’.” “You’ll like this. Come with me,” Harry invited, turning to lead Hagrid through the forest to where he’d left Ron and Buckbeak. “I can’t imagine what kind o’ surprise you’d give me, bu’ if it’s summat in the woods, it should be a good ‘un!” Hagrid muttered good-naturedly. When they reached the clearing, he stopped, speechless as he stared at the hippogriff. “That’s not. . .that’s never. . .blimey, bu’ it looks like. . . .” “It’s Buckbeak,” Harry said happily. “We brought him to see you. He’s on his way to Rumania to join the breeding stock of the endangered hippogriffs Charlie Weasley is taking care of.” “Beaky’s goin’ ter be a daddy?” Hagrid said, tears in his eyes as he ran his hands over the hippogriff’s magnificent head. “Bless yer lit’l beak. Yer goin’ ter be a daddy. You’ll be free! What a fine life you’ll have!” Hagrid pulled out a spotted handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and blew his nose noisily. “He looks wonderful! How’d you find him, Harry?” Harry told Hagrid all about the Time Turner and his and Hermione’s adventures rescuing both Buckbeak and Sirius. Hagrid was amazed. “And yeh got back just in time, eh? Well, Harry, I just don’ know. You an’ Hermione, an’ Ron, here, too — you three get up ter some amazin’ adventures. I can’t thank yeh enough for savin’ me Beaky. And now getting’ him such a good home! I’m that proud,” he said, beaming. Before long, it was time for the boys to leave so they’d be arriving at their rest stop in France while it was still light enough to land safely. Hagrid gave both boys a huge hug, and patted Buckbeak fondly on the neck. “I’ll never forget you, Beaky,” he said, dabbing at his streaming eyes with his huge, spotted handkerchief. “And Harry, Ron, I can’t thank yeh enough, and Hermione too, for savin’ him and getting’ him to a good new home. You have a safe journey. I’ll see ya when you get back ta school.” Harry performed the Disillusionment Charm on Ron, Beaky and himself and they took off for France. Their flight was uneventful, except for being cold. Both boys were uneasy flying over the channel — so much dark water beneath them with no land in sight for a while in any direction was unnerving, but at least that lonely feeling didn’t last too long. Beaky flew on untiringly, seeming to know he was going somewhere he’d be happy, and to be enjoying the freedom of flight once more. Daylight was gone and full dark nearly upon them when they landed outside a little wizarding village in France. Three people stood waiting for them in the clearing where they’d been told to land. Harry decided to be extra careful, and landed in another clearing not far away. They then approached the designated clearing cautiously, looking for any signs of danger. They were surprised to see a flash of red hair in the moonlight, a red that looked suspiciously like Weasley hair. Charlie wasn’t supposed to come to France and fly back with them. Who was this? Harry and Ron watched the three men for a while as they grew more and more impatient, waiting for a hippogriff and two young wizards who were long overdue. “I’m going to send an Adfero to Dumbledore,” Harry whispered to Ron while backing away from their vantage point. “Keep watch.” He walked deeper into the woods, where hopefully nobody would notice the silver streak of the flying Adferos. Dumbledore answered him immediately. “Charlie is still in Rumania. Avoid contact with those men. It could be a trap.” Harry took a deep breath and blew it out to calm his nerves, then made his way quietly back to where he’d left Ron. He told Ron what Dumbledore had said, and the two boys looked nervously at each other. “Now what?” Ron asked quietly. “You take Beaky further into the woods and wait there. He can catch enough bats to keep him happy, and your mum packed enough sandwiches that we won’t starve,” Harry replied. “I’m going to change into the raven and try to overhear what they’re saying,” he added, handing Ron his bag. “Save me some sandwiches, all right?” “Yeah,” Ron answered uneasily. “You be careful.” “Yeah, I will,” Harry replied, then swiftly became the raven, whose eyes were now golden with barely a hint of green. The mark from his scar just looked like a pale smear of pollen on the bird’s forehead. Harry had mastered the problem of disguising his markings. He flew off toward the clearing where the men stood waiting, and perched in a branch deep inside a tree where he could see them, but not be noticeable. He suddenly wished he understood French — his spying might be worthless if these blokes didn’t speak English. “Where the bloody hell can they be?” a short, pudgy man said. “Dunno,” the tall thin one replied. “We were told they’d be here at dusk. S’pose they ran into trouble?” “Not yet,” the redhead said with a quiet laugh. “We’ll give them all the trouble they can handle.” The raven moved quietly along the branch, tilting his head to see past the tree branches better. He still couldn’t see the faces of the men. He backed away, then took off toward the woods, away from the clearing, circling around and landing in a tree on the other side, where he could see better. It couldn’t be. . .it certainly looked like Charlie Weasley. But he’d been talking in a threatening way. Why? The raven flew back through the woods, looking for Ron and Buckbeak. When he saw the moonlight shimmering on Beaky’s silvery grey feathers and coat, he landed and changed back into Harry before Beaky could consider having him for dinner. “What did you see?” Ron asked as soon as he saw Harry. “It’s Charlie — or it looks like him. But he didn’t talk like Charlie. He said ‘we’ll give them all the trouble they can handle.’ He was talking about us!” Harry’s eyes were wide, still struggling with what he’d seen, and trying to resolve it with the Charlie he knew. “I don’t know the other two. When I got there, I realized they might be speaking French, and then I wouldn’t know what they were saying, but they’re English. I don’t understand what’s going on.” “Me either. Send Dumbledore another message, see what he says,” Ron replied. “Shh,” Harry warned, pulling Ron’s hood up to cover his bright hair, and throwing his own cloak over Beaky’s silvery coat. “Whassup?” Ron whispered, staying covered. “I heard. . .” Harry was turning around, trying to locate the sound he’d heard. Something was coming, something big, or several somethings. Whatever, or whoever it was, they weren’t too worried about being quiet. Harry did a quick Disillusionment Charm on all three of them, and then knelt by Beaky, his hand on the animal’s beak, hoping to keep it quiet. He saw the moonlight glimmer on Ron’s wide eyes as his friend glanced warily around. Ron had his wand out, and was listening intently. He glanced at Harry, and then nodded. Yes, he’d heard the sounds too. They stayed very still. The sounds went past the place where they sat nervously waiting for whatever was going to happen. Then they disappeared in the distance. “D’you. ..” Ron began. Harry held his hand up, warning Ron to keep quiet. He listened as hard as he could, but heard nothing now but normal night sounds. He began to relax, then said, “We’re going to have to go on and find somewhere else to stay for the night. It’s not safe here.” “Beaky’s tired,” Ron said, running a hand down the hippogriff’s feathered neck. “He can take us a bit further,” Harry said with more assurance than he felt. “C’mon. Let’s go.” He got Beaky to his feet and he and Ron mounted. Harry squeezed Buckbeak’s sides with his knees and whispered, “C’mon, Beaky, not much further.” The hippogriff cantered across the little glade, building up speed to take off. His muffled hoofbeats caught the attention of the three men who’d been waiting for them. “There they are! That way!” they shouted. Harry flattened himself against Buckbeak’s neck, Ron holding onto Harry tightly and leaning forward as well. There was no way to make Beaky a small target. The Disillusionment Charm was the only defence they had other than Beaky’s speed. The red light of Stunning spells shot across the glade, narrowly missing the boys and the hippogriff. Buckbeak got airborne, his mighty wings making only the slightest sound — but that sound drew the attention of the men on the ground. One of them shot a Revealing charm at them, and the three were suddenly exposed, Beaky’s beautiful coat and Ron’s bright hair gleaming in the moonlight. Harry tried to steer the hippogriff in some evasive manoeuvres, but it wasn’t like flying a broom — the hippogriff had a mind of its own. Ron held tightly to Harry’s waist with one arm, shooting spells back at the men on the ground with his wand hand. He grunted and shivered once, then twice. He fell against Harry and held tight to him. “Got your back, mate,” he muttered hoarsely, switched his wand to his left hand and kept shooting spells as fast as he could. Harry gave up aerobatics with the hippogriff and let his rage mount, then aimed his open hand at the place he’d seen the spells coming from. He channelled all his rage into his arm, his hand, his fingers, and into a ball of energy that hit the earth with a mighty BOOM! The spells stopped coming from the ground. He chanced another look behind him and saw a small burnt-looking crater where the glade had been, and nothing else, not one trace of the three men. “Ron,” he said in horror, “I killed them!” “Good,” Ron groaned. “They deserved it. But I would’ve liked to know who that bloke was who made himself look like Charlie.” He coughed and leaned heavily against Harry. “Where are you hurt?” Harry asked, wishing they were already on the ground. “That explosion means we’ll have to put some distance between us and this place. Can you hang on for a while? Are you bleeding?” “I’ll be OK. I’m hurt, but not bleeding much,” Ron muttered. “I don’t like how you sound,” Harry said, really worried about his friend. “Where are you hit? What kind of spell hit you?” “I don’t know what it was. Hit me in the side, and in the arm. I think my arm’s broken.” He was quiet for a moment, and then added, “At least I didn’t lose my new wand. It works great. I got two of them down before you blew them up.” “You had two of them down? Good job, Ron. I wish I’d known. I wouldn’t have done such a big spell if I’d known I was only fighting one of them. That clearing was so shadowy, and they were hidden, and . . . . I just couldn’t see everything, not and fly Beaky.” He was quiet a moment. “I killed three men, Ron. I. . .killed. . .them.” The horror of the deed was beginning to set in. He’d be sent to Azkaban for certain now. Harry’s heart constricted at the thought. “It’s OK, Harry. It was the right thing to do,” Ron assured him. “You were defending yourself — and me. That makes it legal.” Does it make it right, though? Harry wondered, but kept his fears to himself. “I think Buckbeak’s hurt. He isn’t flying as well as he was.” “He was already tired, y’know,” Ron muttered, his voice sounding weaker by the minute. Harry knew they had to land, and soon. He shot off an Adfero to Dumbledore to let him know what happened, and looked for an open field or meadow somewhere so Buckbeak would have plenty of room to land. Unlike thestral’s, which could take off from a standstill and land instantly as well, hippogriffs needed a bit of a running start and a place to run to stop, as well. Finally, he saw a place, and guided the hippogriff down. Ron was a sagging weight against Harry’s back now, and hadn’t spoken for several minutes. Harry held tightly to Ron’s arm around his waist. His heart was in his mouth. He’d invited his friend along as a lark, and now Ron was hurt. The meadow Harry found was at the edge of a rocky area that led up into the foothills of a small mountain range. Maybe he could find a cave for them to hide in until Ron was better. And Buckbeak. . .he wasn’t sure the hippogriff was strong enough to take off again, much less make it to Rumania. Beaky must have an injury somewhere. Harry wished he was as good at the healing arts as Ginny. He was just grateful he’d remembered to bring the book on healing magical animal injuries that Hagrid had given him for Christmas. Maybe something in there would help. Buckbeak landed roughly, stumbling as he ran, holding his wings out for balance. Ron fell off, landing on one of Beaky’s outstretched wings. Harry held onto him valiantly until the hippogriff was at a standstill. Then Harry slid down and pulled Ron down with him. Ron was barely conscious. “Good job holding on until we landed, mate,” Harry said encouragingly as he opened Ron’s robes to look for his wounds. Ron yelled when Harry moved his arm. “Yeah, broken arm, all right. Wish Madam Pomfrey was here — she’d have you right in a tick.” He found a huge spell burn on Ron’s side, and another on his leg. Ron was in so much pain from his arm and side, he hadn’t even noticed the burn on his leg. Harry sighed, wishing more than ever that the hospital wing was close at hand. “Hang on, mate, I have to straighten your arm before I set it,” Harry said. “On three — one, two, THREE!” he said as he pulled the arm straight, realigning the bones properly. “Ferula,” he said, conjuring splints and bandages around the injured arm. “You rest here. I’m going to check on Buckbeak and bring you some water,” he said, leaning Ron against a rock and putting his own cloak over his friend to keep him warm. As he walked to the tree line, he stopped to look at Buckbeak. The hippogriff had several small wounds Harry could see, but nothing major. He should be able to take care of the hippogriff with the help of his book, as long as he could find the necessary herbs nearby, but what about Ron? Harry knew he could heal the smaller spell burn on Ron’s leg, but he was worried about the large one on his side. It could mean internal injuries. His method of healing bruises was fine, but anything deeper than a bruise, he was afraid to try for fear he might misunderstand the injury and cause even more damage. He had no response from his last Adfero to Dumbledore. What was going on? He sent another message, telling about Ron’s and Buckbeak’s injuries, and that he was going to try to take care of them himself — but he’d appreciate some help if it could be sent. With a sigh, he went off to find some wood to make a small campfire, and hopefully a stream. He was certain Ron and Buckbeak would both be thirsty. “They’ve been attacked!” Dumbledore said, greatly distressed. “Ron and Buckbeak are hurt. Harry asked for help, but he doesn’t know where he is.” He looked around the kitchen in the Grimmauld Place house at Remus, Snape, Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody. “We need to send help to those boys, but first we need to find them. And we need to let the Weasleys know Ron’s hurt,” he said heavily. “The boys thought they were off on an adventure. How did our enemies find out about this trip of theirs?” “Who knew about it?” Mad-Eye said, his magical eye rolling around wildly in his head. “Harry, Ron, the Weasleys and I — and Hagrid. Oh, and Remus, too,” Dumbledore said. “What about that bleedin’ sod of a house elf that still hangs around here?” Moody asked. “Kreacher? I. . .” Dumbledore thought a moment, and then his shoulders sagged. “I’m getting old. I wasn’t careful enough. Of course, Kreacher could have overheard some of our conversations about the trip. He’s probably the leak.” “How are we getting help to Harry?” Remus asked, his face worried. “Ron will need medical care.” “I think we need to include the Weasleys in this discussion,” Dumbledore said. “I’ll call them,” Remus offered, walking to the fireplace kneeling on the hearth rug and throwing some floo powder into the cold firebox. “The Burrow,” he said in a firm voice. “Molly, how nice to see you,” he said pleasantly when his face appeared in the Weasleys’ fireplace. “Remus! How are you? Have you heard from the boys yet?” she said warmly. “Would you like some tea?” “No, thank you very much, though. Yes, we’ve heard from the boys. Is Arthur around?” “Yes, let me call him.” She turned away from the fireplace and called, “Arthur! Arthur, it’s Remus. He wants to talk to you.” “Has he heard from the boys yet?” Arthur said as he walked into the kitchen from the sitting room. Ginny bounded down the stairs. “Did I hear Remus’s voice? Has he heard from them?” The three Weasleys stood looking hopefully at Remus, but their faces sagged when they saw the sadness in his eyes. “Yes, we’ve heard from Harry. He and Ron were attacked at their landing site. Ron and Buckbeak were both injured. Harry has taken them to a different site and is trying to care for them. He said Ron has a broken arm and a spell burn on his side and on his leg. Buckbeak has several wounds but managed to fly them away from there and land safely. Harry’s got his book on caring for injuries in magical creatures, I remember him packing it, but I don’t believe he knows much about attending to human wounds.” He was silent as Ginny and Molly clutched each other, crying. Arthur looked stricken. “We’re here at Grimmauld Place discussing how to help them. We thought you’d like to come to the meeting.” “Yes, we’ll be right there,” Arthur said. “Ginny, Molly, go get dressed. Remus, we’ll be there in just a moment.” “See you then,” Remus said, pulling his head back from the fireplace. “They’ll be here soon,” he told the gathering in the kitchen. A few minutes later, three Weasleys came out of the fireplace, Molly and Ginny with tear streaks running through the soot on their faces. “Is Harry all right?” Ginny asked Remus. “You didn’t say.” “He says he’s fine.” “Oh wonderful. When he says he’s fine, he’s usually in pretty bad shape,” she said, trying hard to blink back her tears. Remus put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him in a warm embrace, patting her gently on the back. “There, there, Ginny. He sounded fine in his message, and he knew what to do for a broken arm.” “He doesn’t have any bone-mending potions with him, does he?” she asked. “No, but Muggles use things they call ‘splints’ where they put strong things around the broken limb, like pieces of wood, perhaps. These splints support the broken limb until it heals. In Ron’s case, it will support his arm until a healer can repair his arm,” Remus assured her. “I conjured one for Ron’s leg when he injured it at the Whomping Willow that time. Harry knows that spell now. Hopefully, he’ll remember it.” While Remus comforted Ginny, the others were trying to work out how to get help to Harry as quickly as possible. They would need medical supplies, a healer, food. . .so many things. Dumbledore shook his head. “I’m getting old. I thought I was sending the boys on a simple errand, a little adventure for them. I cannot tell you how sorry I am.” “We do understand that we’re at war,” Arthur said. “Bad things happen in wartime.” He stopped talking and swallowed hard, dropping his head for a moment before going on. “So someone was impersonating Charlie? You have got in touch with Charlie himself since all this happened, haven’t you?” “Yes, yes, Charlie’s fine. He can’t imagine how someone could have impersonated him,” Dumbledore answered. “Perhaps the red-haired man simply looked like Charlie, rather than looking exactly like Charlie,” Ginny suggested. “You could be right. But Harry changed into a raven and got close to them, close enough that he thought it was Charlie until he heard him making threats against them — or so Harry told me in his message,” Dumbledore replied. He sighed heavily. “Harry described where they are, but the sky is overcast now and he can’t give me a reading from the stars, so we can’t pinpoint his position.” “Send Hedwig — she can find him,” Ginny offered. “That’s a good idea. It’s too bad she’s white. She’s so easily spotted,” Remus replied. “So send Pig,” Ginny replied reasonably. “He’s brown, and so small most people don’t notice him anyway.” “Pig?” Snape asked with a raised eyebrow. “Ron’s owl, Pigwidgeon.” “Ah, I see,” Snape replied, his nose wrinkling as if he’d smelled a basket full of owl droppings. So the plan was made. A group of Order members would use brooms and fly to France, and release Pig somewhere near the initial landing site. He would fly to Ron wherever he was, and they could follow him. In a short time, the group was ready to go. “I’m going too,” Ginny announced, a bag on her back and her broom in her hand. “No, you’re not, young lady,” her mother snapped. “You’re only fifteen. . .” “Nearly sixteen, and they need a healer. I’m not fully trained yet, but I know a lot, and I have a medicine bag all ready. I can help. Please let me go!” Dumbledore smiled at Ginny fondly. “Miss Weasley, I believe we’ve risked two too many Hogwarts students in this endeavour already. Tonks has her Field First Aid Kit and her Auror’s training in the medical arts. She’ll do a fine job for us. We’ll have the boys back here before you know it.” “But. . .” “No buts, Miss Weasley. You stay here. I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Dumbledore said kindly. Ginny stood in the doorway watching the group take off, absolutely furious at being left behind like a small child. Her mother shooed her inside and told her to go to bed in her old room. Dumbledore left to go back to Hogwarts to do what he could from there. Snape left to do whatever it was Snape did when he wasn’t teaching. Ginny clumped up the stairs, more angry than she could ever remember being. She was not going to take this, no, she was not! She was perfectly capable of helping, and that was not only her brother but also her boyfriend out there, hurt, cold, hungry, scared. She could help! She slammed the bedroom door, making Mrs. Black’s portrait shriek downstairs. Under the cover of all that noise, Ginny opened a window and stood on the ledge, her broom between her knees. “Sorry, Mum, but I have to do this,” she murmured as she kicked off and followed the pack of brooms she could see as tiny glints of reflected moonlight in the distance before her. |
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