An Alliance of Necessity

Harry sat in his room, leafing through one of his old schoolbooks and laughing. It was one of his Defence Against the Dark Arts books from his second year, and reading about Lockhart's "adventures" was always good for a laugh. He snickered as he read about Lockhart's defeat of "the most terrifying vampire in the history of the universe". He'd apparently caught the creature while flying across the countryside, and managed to defeat it armed with only his compass and his comb; inventing four new Quidditch moves and breaking the several broom flying world records in the meantime.

The sounds of voice outside distracted Harry, so he slammed the book shut and tossed it carelessly onto the floor. He climbed out of the chair and moved towards his window to listen. The voices sounded familiar...the Weasleys were here! Harry grinned, grabbed his trunk and Lockhart's book off the floor. He shoved the book into his trunk carelessly, snatched Hedwig's cage and bounded down the stairs.

"Bye!" he yelled, not expecting any reply- especially as he hadn't even told the Dursleys that he was leaving. He figured that it'd be a nice surprise for them. Laughing quietly to himself, Harry opened the door before Ron could knock.

"Hey Harry!" Ron greeted him, grabbing Hedwig's cage before Harry could drop it on the pavement. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Harry replied, shifting the trunk so he could carry it easier. "I didn't tell them I was leaving though, so we might want to hurry..." he added. Ron nodded and practically ran to the waiting car. Harry frowned at it, confused.

"I thought...isn't the car still in the forest?" he asked, looking baffled. Ron laughed.

"We borrowed this one. Come on!" explained Ron, opening the boot. Harry heaved his trunk in, slammed it closed and climbed into the backseat. Mr. Weasley, Fred and George were already waiting inside. Fred and George grinned evilly at Harry, making him flinch. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what they'd been up to.

"Let's go," said Mr Weasley as the car took off.

*

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other, each pretending not to notice the uncomfortable silence that had fell. Hermione coughed discreetly and gave Ginny a small smile. Ginny started giggling and Hermione smiled broadly in relief.

"Look at us, all serious," Ginny laughed, forcing her face into a deathly serious mask. Hermione cracked up, then mimicked Ginny's own face from a few minutes earlier. Ginny snorted, then sobered up suddenly.

"Okay, I really do need to tell you something...it's kinda hard though..." she said, not meeting Hermione's eyes. Hermione frowned. She and Ginny had been growing pretty close, but she had no idea what could be bothering Ginny so much. Well...she had one idea...

"Is it about Harry?" Hermione asked. Ginny looked up, confused, then blushed.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked, though her voice didn't sound like that was what she'd wanted to talk about. Hermione missed it, and just smiled knowingly.

"Well...it is to me, but you know what guys are like...Harry probably wouldn't notice even if you smacked him over the head with a brick," she said giggling. Ginny snickered.

"I just...don't want to seem like a simpering idiot," she admitted quietly. Hermione reached over and touched her shoulder gently.

"You'll never be an idiot...simpering maybe, but never an idiot," she cracked. Ginny slapped her jokingly, pretending to be outraged. Hermione just looked at her innocently, and they started laughing again. Hermione's eyes fell on Ginny's trunk, and she looked up at Ginny curiously.

"What new subjects are you doing?" she asked. Ginny looked baffled for a minute, then caught on.

"Oh...it was so hard to chose, you know? I really wanted to do Divination, but then Ron told me all about Professor Trelawney, and I wasn't too sure...and Care of Magical Creatures sounded interesting, but not the creatures that Hagrid uses..." Ginny babbled. Hermione laughed.

"So what did you chose?" she asked. Ginny laughed.

"Arithmancy- I figured it was like Divination, but less...wishy-washy, and Care of Magical Creatures. It was really hard telling Dad that I wasn't doing Muggle Studies, the only one of us who did was Percy and look at him," Ginny said.

"Arithmancy's my favourite subject!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny looked excited.

"What's it like?" she asked, curiously. Hermione smiled.

"Umm...you're right, it is kind of like Divination- you predict things and stuff...but you do it using numbers, none of this interpretation rubbish," she explained. Ginny looked intrigued, so Hermione added "I can lend you my book if you want."

"Yeah, I'll get it off you later. Can I borrow your charms book too? That's my favourite class and I want to read ahead," Ginny asked. Hermione nodded, and silence once again fell in the room. The sounds of a car arriving drifted through the window.

"That's...not really what I wanted to talk to you about though...there's something else..." Ginny started, but was interrupted by the sounds of the door opening. Harry and Ron's voices drifted up the stairs, and Hermione jumped off the bed.

"Harry!" she yelled, running out of the room. Ginny sighed and followed her, though much slower. It looked like she was just going to have to wait to talk to Hermione.

As usual.

*

Dinner that night was a strange affair- Fred and George had given Harry an acid pop, and after much panicking (mostly on Hermione and Ginny's part, Harry thought it was actually pretty funny) they'd finally restored Harry's tongue to the way it had been. Ron started to laugh at Harry until a scathing reminder of how he'd reacted in the same situation from George shut him up fairly quickly.

After dinner Hermione had begun to tell Ginny almost everything that she'd learn in her upcoming third year, much to everyone's dismay. Ginny sat through it with good grace, a fake smile plastered on her face. Eventually Hermione stopped talking for breath, and Ron took the opportunity to stuff a piece of cake into her mouth. Hermione spluttered loudly, and Percy ducked his head around the corner.

"I'm trying to work!" he yelled in irritation before pulling his head back around the corner. Fred and George snickered at each other.

"He's just upset because his girlfriend has written back to him yet," Ron explained in a whisper to Harry and Hermione. Ginny frowned at him, having overheard him. It wasn't hard, Ron was hardly quiet.

"I don't see what you have against Penny, Ron. She's perfectly nice," she said. Ron shrugged, pulling a face in the direction of Percy's bedroom.

"I don't have anything against Penelope. I just have a problem with Percy," he explained nonchalantly. Harry snorted, and Hermione slapped Ron's leg. Ginny snickered. There was quiet for a minute, and Percy could be heard muttering to himself through the walls.

"At least they make an alliterative couple," Hermione mused after a minute. This time both Harry and Ginny sniggered.

As much as everyone wanted to stay up, Percy would not let them (his terse demands started to grow on even the twins' nerves), so they finally went upstairs to bed.

*

'Hermione and Harry arrived today. Hermione came first, this morning by Floo Powder. I don't know where she got it from though...anyway, I tried to tell her about the dreams, but first she wanted to talk to me about my...little crush on Harry. Which was all right by me, I'm glad there's someone I can talk to about it. So we talked about that for a while, then she asked me about what new classes I was taking. We talked about that for a while, but right when I was about to tell her about the dreams, Ron and Harry arrived. So Hermione ran off to talk to them.

I guess I'll just have to try and figure them out for myself. Oh...I wonder why Hermione suggested we "jump on the bed"...doesn't sound like a normal thing to do...I'll ask her about it later. Goodnight...

I had the dream again. I realise that I only wrote a few hours ago, but I want to write it down before I forget. I was in a different person this time, a man. I was in this room- it was really dark, and there were a lot of people standing around wearing these awful, black cloaks. Then I said something about one of the people failing to capture something. I don't know what. Anyway, I was punishing him- I think it was the Cruciatus curse, I remember Dad saying something about it, but I'm not entirely sure. The person was screaming, it was terrible.

I think I woke up then. I need to tell someone. I need to know what this means.'

(Extract from the diary of Ginny Weasley)

*

Hermione woke early a few days later, and silently climbed out of bed. She tiptoed over to Ginny and shook her awake, whispering softly in her ear. Ginny blinked at her for a minute, then realisation dawned on her face. She shared a secretive smile with Hermione, and the pair of them slunk out of the room. They crept down the stairs and into the lounge, where the twins and Ron were already waiting.

"Is he awake?" Hermione asked Ron in a whisper. Ron shook his head, but glanced up the stairs worriedly.

"Not yet, but any minute now..." he replied nervously. Just then Mrs. Weasley joined them from the kitchen.

"Hurry up," she hissed quietly, then walked back into the kitchen. The twins grinned at each other and ducked behind a couch. Ron, Hermione and Ginny walked softly over to a cupboard and hid themselves inside, trying to keep the giggling to a minimum. Mrs. Weasley laid out the breakfast on the table, and ducked around the corner, out of sight.

*

Harry blinked blearily in the morning light and groped around on the table next to him for his glasses. He almost knocked them onto the floor before he found them, and then slid them onto his nose. A horrible clash of orange greeted him.

"Obviously still in Ron's room," he whispered wryly to himself, shading his eyes as he swung his feet out of bed. He glanced over at Ron's empty bed and sighed. Looked like Ron had forgotten to wake him...again. Suddenly he froze. The house was silent, something completely abnormal in the Weasley household. He frowned, confused, and slid his feet into his slippers.

Harry walked slowly down the stairs, pondering over what could be causing the strange quiet that had fallen on the Burrow. He reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around the room. Breakfast was ready but otherwise it was empty. Or...

"SURPRISE!!" yelled Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George and Mrs Weasley as they leapt from their hiding spots. Harry jumped a mile, nearly cracking his head on the ceiling, and turned bright red. Fred and George snickered.

"Oh, the look on your face!! Happy birthday Harry!" Ron laughed. Harry smiled weakly at him.

"Thanks...though I nearly didn't live to see it...you almost gave me a heart attack!" he said, trying to glare at Ron. It didn't work, Ron just laughed harder. Harry gave up on glaring and shrugged instead, then sat down at the table. Soon everyone was eating.

Harry was just about to begin his bacon when he heard a strange noise outside. He looked up at the window to see a feathery blob heading straight for him. He ducked, and it hit Ron full in the face. Harry snickered at Ron trying to spit the feathers out of his mouth.

"Ron's...Harry's...Hermione's.... Ginny's...Fred's...and George's," said Mrs Weasley as she pried Hedwig, Pigwidgeon and the school owl apart. Harry glanced quickly at the parcel from Hedwig and grimaced.

"Hagrid's present..." he said, remembering the biting book from the year before.

"What's that?" asked Ginny, pointing to another package that Hedwig had brought. Harry read the card quickly, then stuffed it into his pocket.

"Umm..." he said, trying to think of a way to explain why he had a present from Sirius Black. Hermione, catching on, whispered something in Ginny's ear. Realisation dawned on her face, and she grinned at Harry. Harry frowned, wondering what Hermione had told her. He vowed to get it out of her later. Realising that he was still holding Hagrid's present, Harry laid it carefully to one side, gave Hedwig a bit of his bacon and tore open his letter from Hogwarts. He read it carefully, then laid it to one side and glanced over his booklist. Hermione was reading it avidly, her mouth slightly open and Harry tried not to laugh. Ron frowned at his.

"A guide to OWL excellence? We don't take them until next year!" he complained loudly. Hermione glared at him.

"It's never too early to start practicing," she said pompously. Fred and George began to laugh, then shut up at Mrs Weasley's glare.

"You two could have done better," she admonished. Fred and George looked properly chastised until she turned away. Harry and Ginny snorted at the faces they pulled. Mrs Weasley turned to Harry.

"Harry, dear, why don't you open your presents after breakfast, and then we can go down to Diagon Alley to get everyone's things," she suggested. Harry, who had turned beet red at the mention of presents, nodded. Ron grabbed his arm.

"All right Harry, you've finished, c'mon!!" he said, dragging Harry away from the table. Harry snatched a piece of toast on the way past and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed it overly obviously, and Ron glared at him. Harry shot him a toast-y smile.

"That's disgusting Harry," stated Hermione, who had followed them. Ginny came in with her. Harry shrugged and swallowed. "That's better," she said, reaching under the sofa for a parcel. She tossed it at Harry, who snatched it out of the air with a startled look on his face. He was eternally grateful for his Quidditch reflexes. He lifted the box to his ear and began to shake it. Hermione nearly choked.

"Harry! What if it was fragile?" she asked, shocked. Harry grinned.

"Then it'd be broken, wouldn't it," he answered, making Ginny giggle. Hermione snorted huffily, so Harry stopped shaking the present. He tore off the wrappings, and a box tumbled out.

"OWL Survival Kit," he read, grimacing. Ron stared at the box, then at Hermione disbelievingly. Hermione and Ginny giggled secretively.

"Open it," Hermione urged, practically jumping up and down on the spot. Harry obliged, pulling the lid off the box. He stared at the contents, then cracked up. Hermione and Ginny exchanged relieved looks.

"What is it?" asked Ron plaintively, unable to see. Harry held up the box. It was filled with owl treats, cage liner, gift vouchers for the Magical Menagerie, and a piece of paper. Harry lifted it up and read it.

Fooled you!! Love Hermione.

It was my idea! From Ginny.

But I bought all the stuff!.- H

Yeah, but I thought of it!! - G

My name's on the tag, not yours. - H

Oh, shut up Hermione. - G

Harry snorted, and passed it to Ron. He read it, sniggering, then handed it back to Harry...along with another parcel. Harry grinned and ripped off the paper without shaking it first. The box dropped onto the floor and Harry picked it up to read.

Practice Bludger- Work on your bludger dodging skills, a must have for any rising Quidditch player!

Underneath Ron had added something.

Just in case Dobby comes back- you might need the practice.

Harry snorted and showed the box to Hermione. Ginny peered over her shoulder, then looked confused.

"Who's Dobby?" she asked, frowning slightly. Ron made shushing gestures with his hand, and Ginny looked annoyed. Hermione, sensing the tension in the air, snatched up Hagrid's present and handed it to Harry. He looked at it, uneasily.

"Please don't be another biting book," he said fervently. Ron laughed and nudged Harry.

"It can't be that bad. Just open it," he encouraged. Harry glanced at him, then peeled the paper away carefully. Whatever it was, it hadn't tried to bite his arm off- always a good sign. He pulled the last bit of the paper away and stared. There was a box, which Harry ignored for the moment, and a book called "The Parselmouth's guide to Parseltongue- Benefits of your Unusual Talent". Harry stared at it, then opened the cover slowly.

"This'll come in handy in me classes. Don' wanna tell yeh much more though. Hagrid."

Harry frowned, then showed Hermione and Ron the book. Hermione read the note, lips moving slightly, then looked up at Harry.

"Maybe we going to work with some kind of snake or something," she suggested. Harry nodded slowly. "Though it would be interesting to learn more about Parseltongue," she added reflectively. "I mean, we don't really know much about it."

"It can wait. What's in the box Harry?" asked Ron, changing the topic. Harry shrugged and lifted the lid. One of Hagrid's birthday cakes awaited him.

"Oh, no, he's sent me a cake," Harry moaned. Hermione, Ron and Ginny all grimaced.

"Maybe Crookshanks will like it?" suggested Ron hopefully. Hermione slapped his arm.

"Maybe...the garden gnomes?" Ginny asked. Ron and Harry looked at each other, then shrugged.

"Can't hurt to try," Ron said, then grabbed the cake and took it outside. He came back in a few seconds later, filthy. "They didn't like it much," he explained. Harry laughed.

Just then Mrs Weasley came in, Fred and George close on her heels. She smiled briefly at Harry, then frowned at Ron.

"Ronald Weasley!!" she yelled, taking in his filthy, dishevelled state. Ron looked down, then smiled ruefully. "Go upstairs and wash that off! And get changed, we're leaving soon!" At this Harry, Hermione and Ginny started, and then looked down at their own nightclothes. Mrs Weasley smiled at them.

"You had better get dressed too," she added. They nodded and ran upstairs after Ron. Ginny and Hermione ducked into Ginny's room, and Harry continued up to Ron's.

A few minutes later they came back down again, dressed in Muggle clothes as usual, something for which Harry was very grateful. The only wizard robes he owned were his school ones, and he wasn't about to go wandering around the equivalent of a shopping centre in his school uniform. Mrs Weasley was standing by the fireplace, holding a familiar pot. Harry cringed. Floo Powder. Not his favourite mode of travel at any rate. He just hoped he didn't stuff it up this time.

*

'I haven't told anyone about the dreams yet- I was going to tell Harry and Hermione when they arrived, but the right time just hasn't come yet. Maybe I'll tell them after we get our school things...or on the train...I don't know.'

(Extract from the diary of Ron Weasley)