Harry Potter and the Book of Shadows

Halloween in Hogsmeade

The next day dawned cool and clear, with only a faint breeze and a few high fluffy clouds. Perfect Quidditch weather, Ginny thought as she stared out the window of the common room. She hadn't gone down to breakfast yet, mostly because the way her stomach was doing flip flops, she didn't think eating would be a good idea.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she started. Turning, she saw Hermione looking at her expectantly.

"Are you coming to breakfast?" she asked, obviously not for the first time.

Ginny saw Harry and Ron were waiting by the portrait hole. "Yeah, I'm coming." She joined them, willing her insides to stop trying to rearrange themselves.

Watching as they all chatted over their bacon and eggs, Ginny wondered how Ron and Harry could be so at ease when her feeling of dread that had begun the day before was only intensifying as the match drew nearer.

"Have some toast, at least," Hermione prodded.

Ginny took a tiny bite. Harry and Ron stopped talking strategy long enough to see her put the barely touched slice back on her plate.

"You'd think this was your first game or something. Why're you so nervous?" Ron asked.

"You're a great Beater, Ginny, as good as Fred and George ever were. Slytherin'll be no problem," Harry added encouragingly. "And it's not like you've never played them before."

Ginny frowned. True she had played Slytherin before, but not with Harry as part of the team and not as a Beater. Something told her this time would different, in a bad way.

Hermione seemed to understand at least a little. "Last year she was in Harry's place."

Ron shrugged. "Still, can't see why you'd be more nervous now. You're way better at Beater than Seeker."

Ignoring Ron's backhanded compliment, Ginny thought a warning might be in order. "I heard about tutoring and Neville last night. Don't you think Malfoy might try to get back at you?" Her worry was centered on Harry, thinking Malfoy might try something during the game, and that she might not be good enough to keep it from happening.

Hermione seemed to understand. "You should all be extra careful out there. Ginny might be right."

"You worry too much, we'll be fine, it's not like we've never played them before, either," Ron dismissed their concern.

He and Harry went back to discussing tactics while Hermione did her best to look interested. Ginny nibbled a bit more toast, hoping she would be on her game enough to keep Harry from getting hurt.

Before she knew it, she was standing with the rest of the team facing the Slytherins on the field, the crowd cheering wildly above them. She gripped her bat tightly when Malfoy shot a malicious smile at Harry. Trying to focus, she kicked off hard, searching for signs of fast-moving black before she'd even gotten up ten feet.

Harry shot upwards, easily outdistancing Malfoy. Circling high above the stands, he could just make out Lee's commentary.

"Gryffindor faces off against Slytherin in their second match of the season. Will this game be as exiting as the last? Only time will tell. Gryffindor is off to a promising start as captain Katie Bell gets the quaffle from the start."

Harry looked below him as Welles caught Katie's pass and tried to maneuver around one of the Slytherin Beaters, a large seventh year named Hull. Unfortunately for Welles, a speeding Bludger came up fast from the left and Hull managed to hit it with his bat, sending it Welles' way. Shifting quickly to avoid being crushed, Welles lost his grip of the quaffle. It was immediately recovered by a Slytherin Chaser named Long, who Harry thought resembled and overgrown hedge, tall and weedy-looking.

Ginny sped to follow the diverted bludger's path so she could aim it Slytherin's way, but didn't make it before they had scored. The green section of the stands cheered, though it was hard to hear over the chorus of boos from the other three-quarters of the crowd. The dreaded 'Weasley is Our King' started up and Ginny hoped Ron would be able to ignore it. Trying to do so herself, Ginny kept one eye out for high-velocity black blurs and one on Harry, thinking she'd rather deal with a headache from trying to look in two directions at once, than see both things in the same field of vision.

Malfoy slowly circled below Harry, obviously keeping him in his sights while searching for the Snitch. Welles managed to score while Harry was distracted by a flash of gold near the professor's stands. Turning fully, he saw it was only the late morning sun reflecting off professor Sinistra's necklace. Looking more closely at the people in the stands, he noticed Persephone didn't seem to be there. Had she lost interest in watching the game? Speculation made him pause long enough for the other Slytherin Beater to aim a bludger at him. Barely ducking in time, he looked up to see Ginny streak by.

"Careful, Harry!" she yelled as she passed.

Harry nodded as she managed a tight one-eighty and whacked the bludger cleanly between two of the Slytherin Chasers, startling them both enough Hull botched the pass. Zoie Fox dove underneath them and snatched it. Taylor and Katie flanked her and they passed the quaffle between them as the Slytherin Beaters tried to catch up with the bludgers headed in the opposite direction.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!" Lee shouted happily. Slytherin's boos, much like their cheers, were lost in the overwhelming opposite reaction everywhere else in the stands.

Over the next ten fast-paced minutes Gryffindor managed to score three more times and Slytherin only once. Hermione, watching from the stands, couldn't help a smug smile as the Slytherin's taunting song became less and less accurate.

A flash of gold caught Harry's eye and he shot toward the Hufflepuff stands. This time, the Snitch was real. Malfoy seeing where Harry was headed, checked to see if it was a fake. Spotting the glittery little ball as it flitted to and fro, as though unsure of where to go next, he smiled triumphantly. Aware Malfoy was much closer to the Snitch, Harry urged his broom faster and managed to zoom past him, forcing Malfoy to either alter his course or smash full-on into him.

With a frustrated yell, Malfoy dove right, but managed to throw an elbow at Harry as he did it, catching him just below the rib cage and knocking the wind out of him.

FWEEEEEEP! Madame Hooch's whistle sounded. "Cobbing! Excessive use of elbows. Gryffindor penalty!"

A chorus of yells followed her pronouncement, a mixture of Slytherins yelling 'unfair' and everyone else cheering.

"And Fox puts it away no problem," Lee announced.

Fuming Malfoy had taken a cheap shot at Harry, Ginny took advantage of a perfect opportunity for payback. As one of the Bludgers headed straight for her, she ducked right as it passed and swung her bat with everything she had, willing it to go exactly where she had planned.

Malfoy spotted the Snitch just a few feet above and to the left of where he was. He reached up to grab it and...

"Another finessed shot by Weasley! The accuracy of this girl is just frightening," Lee said in awe. The Gryffindor stands went wild.

Harry watched as the Bludger clipped the front of Malfoy's broom, at just the right angle to send him spinning off into the stands but do hardly any damage to the broom itself. Amazed, Harry also noted the path to the Snitch, still zipping here and there, was now clear. Leaning forward, he urged his broom to go faster than it ever had. Malfoy was still careening out of control as Harry neared his target.

Lee's commentary reached him as he tried to gain ground on the fast-moving golden ball that had finally decided on a direction, whizzing off at top speed.

"Another excellent move by Weasley, she's in top form today, barely giving the Slytherin Chasers time to breathe before firing another bludger their way! And after her takedown of the Slytherin Seeker, Harry has plenty of room to maneuver," Lee said excitedly.

As the Snitch suddenly changed directions again and shot downwards and back toward the professors' stands, Harry caught sight of Malfoy finally back in control of his broom and headed his way. Harry leaned forward even further, willing his broom to go faster Malfoy grabbed the bat from a surprised Slytherin Beater as he flew by. The Snitch paused for a fraction of a second, deciding which direction to zoom off to next. It was all Harry needed.

"Harry has caught the Snitch! GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Lee shouted, instantly drowned out by the cheering crowd.

Harry grinned madly as he pressed the small button that deactivated the Snitch. Turning to join the others, he heard a sickening crunch directly below him. Looking down, he first saw the shocked expressions of almost everyone in the professors' seats, then caught sight of Ginny barely hanging on to her broom and headed for the ground.

"Ginny!" he called and turned his broom to follow. Ginny got to within a foot of the ground and, just as Harry got within ten feet of her, she coughed and the ground in front of her splattered bright red. She fell off her broom and rolled to her side.

Harry flew to where she lay, thinking she must still be conscious because he heard her, but the panic in her voice made his blood run cold. I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe...

Harry jumped off his broom and dropped the Snitch. "Ginny! Ginny! Are you all right? What happened?" He kneeled next to her and tried to turn her over.

Her eyes large and frightened in her too pale face, she didn't answer. Harry's stomach dropped when he saw blood coming from her mouth and nose. She tried to take a breath, and the gurgling sound was quickly followed by a cough that splattered the front of his robes with blood.

Can't breathe...Harry...help me...can't breathe...can't breathe...can't breathe...

Harry fought panic as other team members arrived, along with some of the professors. It must have been a bludger, he thought as he watched her struggle for air.

"It'll be okay Ginny." He tried to sound sure as he held onto her, but the burbling of her attempted breathing terrified him. Where was Madame Pomfrey?

"GINNY!" Ron yelled. Professor Dunn grabbed him and held him back. Ron caught sight of Malfoy, who looked as surprised as everyone else. "What did you do to my sister? GINNY!"

"MOVE IT!" a female voice bellowed as people were shoved aside. Persephone pulled her wand out of her hair as she kneeled next to Ginny. "All right, just stay calm. Ginny, can you hear me?" Ginny's eyes tried to focus on her. Persephone seemed to take this as a good sign.

"Let her go, Harry." Persephone looked up at him. He stared blankly back for a second, not understanding her meaning. There was no way he was going to give up on Ginny that easy. "I can't help her if you don't put her down."

Comprehension dawning, he reluctantly placed her back on the ground but held onto her hand. Ginny stared up at them, her eyes still wide and terrified, struggling for air.

"Just relax, Ginny, I'm going to help you. Remember I told you about that girl Free kicked? This is just like that and trust me, she's fine," Persephone said in a calm, soothing tone as she gently felt Ginny's ribs. Brow furrowed in concentration, she tapped Ginny's chest lightly and mumbled a spell. Harry watched hopefully as Persephone watched her breathing. "Ginny? I need you to try to take a nice deep breath for me. On three. One, two, three, breathe in..."

Harry was hugely relieved to hear nothing but a slight rush of air. Some of the fear in Ginny's eyes faded. She exhaled and winced, tears springing to her eyes.

"You still have some broken ribs. Madame Pomfrey is probably much better than I am at fixing those so I'll leave it to her. She'll fix you up in no time, don't you worry. One more deep breath. I know it hurts, but just try, one, two, three, breathe in..." As Ginny tried for another deep breath, Persephone tapped her gently with her wand again and Ginny fell unconscious.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed looking up at Persephone accusingly. "What did you do?"

McGonagall arrived with Madame Pomfrey and a stretcher. Persephone and Madame Pomfrey moved Ginny onto it in one smooth motion. "Do you have any idea how painful that would have been had she been conscious? She'll be just fine, don't worry," Persephone said as Madame Pomfrey levitated the stretcher and they passed through the crowd.

McGonagall faced the students that had gathered. "Everyone back to the castle. Everything is fine. Move along." Ignoring the shouted questions and craned necks, she herded them back towards the entrance.

Professor Dunn finally let Ron go and he ran to Harry and Persephone. Hermione was fighting her way against the tide of students as well.

"What happened? Where's Ginny? Is she okay?" Ron demanded to know as Hermione finally made her way over. He blanched at the sight of Harry's blood-spattered robes.

Persephone twisted her hair back up and stuck her wand through it. "She was hit in the side by a bludger. My guess is it broke a bunch of ribs, and one hit a lung. I've seen worse, so I'm sure she'll be just fine by tonight. Everything is all right," she said calmly.

"I'm going to kill Malfoy," Ron hissed.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked. "What does he have to do with it?"

Ron searched the crowd but Draco was nowhere in sight. "He aimed the bludger at her. He did this on purpose!"

"Actually, I don't think he did," Persephone interjected. They all stared at her in disbelief. She was defending Malfoy? "Oh, he meant to hit someone, but I don't think it was Ginny." She looked pointedly at Harry.

"Intentional or not, he's going to pay," Ron ground out.

Persephone patted his shoulder. "Oh, he will. But I would recommend you stay out of it."

Hermione put a hand on Ron's arm and pulled him gently toward the castle. "Let's go see how Ginny's doing."

Harry hesitated a moment before joining them. "Persephone, thank you."

"Anyone would have done the same, Harry. I should thank you for keeping her calm," she replied, looking a bit surprised.

"I didn't do anything," Harry said. He had never felt as useless as he had right then.

Persephone just smiled. "I'm sure she'll want to thank you anyway." Harry couldn't help but smile with relief and turned to catch up to Ron and Hermione.

They joined the rest of the team milling anxiously around the entrance to the hospital wing. Ron repeatedly demanded to know what was going on and tried to get to where Madame Pomfrey was working on Ginny, behind a screen on the furthest bed. When Welles grabbed his arm to restrain Ron from barging down the length of the hospital room, Ron whipped around, ready to throw a punch.

"I WANT TO SEE MY SISTER!" Ron yelled.

Surprised, Welles let go. Hermione took his other arm more gently, but held on firmly. "Ron, she'll be all right. Let Madame Pomfrey do what she needs to do. She'll tell us when we can see her. It's okay."

Harry put his hand on Ron's other shoulder and felt him slump slightly. "She'll be all right," he agreed, sounding more confident than he felt. Persephone seemed to have helped, but what if she was as clueless as Lockhart?

The rest of the team murmured similar positive thoughts, but this was the worst Quidditch injury any of them had witnessed at Hogwarts. They stood, subdued, watching the silhouette of Madame Pomfrey move around behind the screen. After a few minutes, she came out and walked toward the group.

She smiled reassuringly at Ron. "I gave her a Sleeping Draught, but you can see her now. Not to worry, she'll be just fine by dinnertime."

Ron sagged with relief and practically ran the length of the room. Hermione and Harry followed closely behind. The rest of the team hung back, wanting to give Ron a bit of time with his sister.

Ginny smiled drowsily at them. "We won."

"Yeah, Ginny. You were fantastic, I don't think even Fred and George could have done as well," Ron said, sitting in the chair next to the bed.

Ginny was having trouble keeping her eyes open. "You'll have to tell them that. I'm sure they'd love to hear it." She grinned.

Harry sat on the bed, there were no other chairs. Ginny tried to focus on him. She reached for his hand. He squeezed it lightly. "I wanted...thank...Harry..." Her eyes drifted shut before she could finish.

"Let's let her rest," Hermione said softly. Ron looked like he would rather sit there until she woke up, but reluctantly rose. Harry stood as well, but not before giving Ginny's hand another gentle squeeze.

They parted in the hallway as Ron headed to the prefect bathroom to clean up and Hermione and Harry headed back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I couldn't see very well from the stands. What happened?" Hermione asked as they entered the common room.

Truth be told, she had been watching Ron at the other end of the field. While most everyone else was watching Harry and the Snitch, she was pretty sure she was one of the few who had seen Ron's spectacular save just before Harry ended the game. Or the Slytherin Chaser, whose goal he'd stopped, land a hard kick to the side of his head. Not that they would have gotten a penalty had Madame Hooch seen it since the game was over anyway, but Hermione felt Ron deserved at least support from the crowd.

"I didn't see, either. I was too busy trying to catch the Snitch. Then I heard..." Harry swallowed when he remembered the sound of what he now knew was the horrifying snap of Ginny's ribs being crushed. "By the time I looked down, she was almost on the ground."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "She was so focused the whole game, I wonder what caught her attention enough to distract her like that."

Harry paused at the bottom of the stairs to the boys' dormitories. "What do you mean?"

"She was sure Malfoy was going to try something on you and spent the entire game making sure Slytherin had other things to worry about," Hermione replied. Harry heard her unspoken meaning. He couldn't imagine what had diverted her attention and thought about it as he headed off to the shower.

Hermione sat, curled up on the couch closest to the fire when Ron came back, hair still slightly damp, dressed in regular clothes. He plopped down next to her.

"'Lo," he said.

She marked her page. "How are you?"

Ron didn't answer, staring up at the common room ceiling as he rested his head on the back of the couch.

"She'll be fine. She should be awake in a few hours," Hermione said reassuringly.

"I know." He didn't move. "My head hurts."

Hermione looked at him worriedly. "Do you want to see Madame Pomfrey?"

"No."

She moved closer, knowing part of what was bothering him was that he had, yet again, been shifted aside. "Ron?" His eyes turned to her though his head didn't move. "It was a brilliant save."

"Thanks, Mione." He attempted a smile.

She shifted so she was staring at the ceiling, too. Tipping her head towards Ron, she followed his gaze. "How long has that painting been there?"

Ron smiled to himself, he doubted Hermione had ever looked anywhere in the common room except at whatever book was in front of her. "Fred and George stuck it up there with a Permanent Sticking Charm the first day of their first year."

"So that was the beginning of their illustrious career at Hogwarts," Hermione mused.

Feeling slightly better, Ron laughed quietly. Undoubtedly, Hermione recognized the painting, though the wizard who had copied it had used the magical paint that allowed the figures in the painting to move. It was probably the first time she had ever seen 'Dogs Playing Poker' in action.

With Ginny returned whole and healthy later that afternoon, the foursome walked together to the Great hall for dinner. Harry was still shaking his head over Ron's over-exuberant greeting when his sister had walked into the common room, only an hour ago. They had been about to go see how she was doing when she appeared in the doorway.

"Ginny!" Ron ran and grabbed her in an enthusiastic hug.

Harry and Hermione laughed at the shocked expression they could just make out over Ron's shoulder. "Ron...need air..." she gasped. Ron let go, looking a bit sheepish when he realized everyone in the common room was chuckling. Ginny rubbed her side. "It's a good thing I didn't just have three broken ribs mended, otherwise that might have hurt."

His eyes widened. "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" He stopped when he saw her teasing smile. "Well, I'm just glad you're all right. I don't want to know what Mum would have done to me if you weren't."

Everyone laughed and Ginny punched Ron in the arm. The other team members that happened to be in the common room came over and chatted with Ginny before she joined the others by the fireplace.

As she sat, she turned almost shyly to Harry. "I wanted to thank you."

"Me? I didn't do anything. You should be thanking Persephone, she's the one who helped you," Harry replied, a bit embarrassed.

"No one would have noticed if you hadn't seen me, they'd have been too busy celebrating," Ginny said. Harry wanted to point out all the professors had seen, but decided against it.

"What had you so distracted anyway?" Hermione asked the question they were all wondering.

Ginny blushed. "I knew Harry was about to catch the Snitch so I turned to watch." They all looked at her expectantly.

"And?" Harry prompted.

Ginny's face turned redder. "That's it. I turned to watch. I wasn't paying attention to the bludgers anymore." She shook her head. "Pretty stupid, huh? I'm just glad it didn't hit Harry. I would never have forgiven myself."

Harry remembered what Persephone had said just after they'd taken Ginny away and frowned. They hadn't been sitting long when Persephone into the Great Hall and, spotting them, walked over..

"How are you feeling, Ginny?" she asked.

"Fine. Thanks to you." Ginny turned to face her. "Really, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there. Thank you." Ron quickly added his thanks.

Persephone smiled. "Anyone would have done the same. I'm just glad you're all right."

"Good thing you walked by right then." Hermione commented. She turned and smiled at Ginny. "Well, now you can look forward to Katrina Wylde."

Ginny's face lit up. "I almost forgot! It'll be so great. Do you like Katrina's music?" she asked Persephone conversationally.

Harry noticed her smile flicker for a second as she took a step toward the Head Table. "I'm sure it'll be a great concert. She's very talented."

"Right after the first Hogsmeade visit, too. I can't wait a whole week." Ginny's excitement was palpable. Everyone smiled, glad she was there to share it.

The rest of the meal passed in easy conversation, Hermione making sure everyone knew about Ron's stunning performance at the end of the Quidditch game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The week passed quickly, though for anyone who spent more than ten minutes with Ginny, not quickly enough. All she could talk about was the concert, though she was far from the only one. Chatter in the hallways between classes and the deluge of hushed whispers and passed notes during class had more than one professor vowing they would never allow Dumbledore to book such a huge attraction again.

Gratefully exiting Snape's office on Friday, Harry hurried to meet Ron for potions tutoring. A whole week of twittering students had left Snape in an especially foul temper. Harry had spent most of the lesson defending himself, although in retrospect, he thought he had come through rather well and it was definitely good practice. The fact that he hadn't been able to break Harry's defenses almost assuredly had contributed to Snape's nasty mood. Harry was just glad to be out of there.

Ron saw Harry's expression, but before he could say anything, Harry shook his head. "Don't even ask."

"Right." Ron followed him into the classroom, but they were halted by Persephone's hand holding a sheet of parchment directly in front of them.

"Take this." Persephone made sure the two Ravenclaws who were right behind them also got copies.

They looked curiously at the papers as they sat. What Harry had initially thought was the session's potion topic was actually a list of potions divided into three groups, with a brief description of the potion after each listing.

"Wonder what this is all about," Harry mused aloud.

Ron shrugged, flipping the paper over to see if there were any notes on the back. Harry smiled to himself. Last week's lesson was obviously not forgotten. Catching Neville's wary perusal of the room, Harry noted Persephone's hidden instruction wasn't the only lesson well remembered. Upon his own glance, he noted neither Draco nor Crabbe and Goyle were at any of the tables. Harry was a bit surprised they had actually heeded her threat.

Ron had noticed him looking around and shrugged. "Maybe they found something else to do."

Persephone took her usual spot, sitting on the edge of the desk in the front of the room. "So before we started today I wanted to give you a chance to think about what you'd like to get out of this. I thought last week went reasonably well," She glanced at Neville, whose welts had finally disappeared Thursday night, "and I've come up with some potions I think you might find interesting. You now have a list of about thirty potions that we could cover here, and what I'd like is for you to pick two from each section and whatever gets the most votes I'll make sure we get to. That way-"

She was interrupted by Malfoy sauntering in the doorway, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy gave the seated students a haughty look before turning to Persephone as though silently daring her to question him.

"I thought I made it clear if I asked you to leave, you were not welcome back," she said disdainfully to Malfoy. "Should I have used smaller words?"

The class snickered. Malfoy's arrogant expression quickly darkened. He thrust a paper at her. "I have a note."

Persephone jumped off the desk and took it with raised eyebrows. "Oh, a note. Well, then." Even Crabbe and Goyle seemed to pick up on the mocking tone in her voice. She read over the page quickly. When she finished, Draco gave her a superior smile.

"Fascinating." She lit the page on fire with the tip of her wand and burning, let it fall to the stone floor. "Get out."

Malfoy was furious. "It said-"

Persephone glared up at him. "I could care less what it said. I told you if you were asked to leave, don't come back. Get out before I decide to take points for wasting everyone's time."

Fuming, Malfoy stormed out the door, followed by a confused Crabbe and Goyle. Around the room, Harry could hear people muffling their laughter.

"Where was I? Oh yes, pick two from each section and get your choices to me by tomorrow morning and we'll start with the list next week." Persephone shook off the unpleasant scene and moved ahead with the lesson she had planned. By the end of the class, everyone had managed to make a fairly decent spill-resistant ink in a rainbow of colors. As they gathered their final products and other belongings, Harry and Ron overheard a pair of Hufflepuff girls talking about the list.

"We get to choose? How fun!" the brown-pigtailed girl exclaimed as she read over the parchment in her hand.

The chubbier girl next to her scanned the options. "Whatever gets the most votes? She's so American."

"Yeah, and that accent, ugh." Pigtails shrugged. "At least she's better than Snape." Her friend seemed to agree.

Finding Hermione peacefully sharing the common room with Ginny and a number of other Griffyndors, Harry and Ron joined them and showed them the list.

"She's got some challenging things on here. Oooh...Smoothing Solution. I'd vote for that one," Hermione said.

Ron looked over her shoulder at the brief description, a major ingredient in anti-aging creams and hair treatments such as Sleek-Eazy's Hair Potion... Two things sprang to mind, he went with the second. "I think your hair's fine like it is, Mione."

Harry and Ginny snickered silently as Hermione gave Ron an odd look.

They were filling the girls in about Draco's appearance when Hermione exclaimed, "He actually showed up again after she warned you?"

Ron resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. "Hermione, not everyone shares your enthusiasm for the rules."

Hermione seriously considered breaking the one about illegal hexes before replying, "That's not what I meant. Why on earth would he think she'd let him get away with anything, especially after what happened at the Quidditch match?"

Harry and Ron stopped. That hadn't occurred to them. The rumor was Draco had gotten some kind of serious punishment directly from Dumbledore for his bludger work, but to hear him tell it, he'd gotten off scot-free with the excuse he was only trying to keep Harry from the Snitch, not hurt anyone on purpose. In either case, whatever had happened was kept strictly between Draco, Dumbledore, and Snape.

"That's a good question," Ginny replied slowly.

One that definitely needs an answer, Harry thought. He didn't like the way Ron's expression was darkening and quickly turned the conversation back to the potions list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny woke the next morning full of energy. It was going to be a great day, she was sure. There was the Hogsmeade visit, the Halloween Feast, and then Katrina Wylde. She dressed quickly but took extra care with her hair. Noting she was almost out of Sabrina Spark's Shine Serum, she added it to the mental list of things she needed to get in Hogsmeade. She'd been saving all summer so she would be able to get gifts for Christmas and maybe a treat for herself during the two visits before the winter holidays.

Looking in the mirror, she frowned for a second, wishing she was less plain. Her wide eyes weren't the deep blue of her brother's or quite the warm brown of Hermione's but a lighter shade she always thought a disappointing duller version, though they did have streaks of gold that occasionally caught the light just right. She dusted a bit of powder over her nose, hating the sprinkling of freckles there. Tipping her head at various angles, Ginny wished she had Katrina's perfect complexion, or Persephone's striking eyes. Sighing, she decided there was no point in wishing and, feeling bolstered by the prospects of the day, admitted she had at least made the most of her one good feature. She put her hairbrush down and went to meet the others in the Great Hall.

Ginny and Hermione were halfway through breakfast when Harry and Ron finally showed up, both looking like they'd just fallen out of bed.

"Nice of you to join us. I'd begun to think you'd forgotten." Hermione glanced at Ron's wrinkled robes and uncombed hair disapprovingly.

He ran his hand through his hair, taming it slightly. "How could we? We've only been reminded every ten seconds for the last week."

Ginny tried to glare at him but failed. Eying his rumpled appearance, she opted for a retort instead. "Didn't get your clean laundry back yet?"

Both he and Harry looked down at their robes, and Ginny suddenly wished she hadn't said it. Ron shrugged. They were clean. The laundry had been delivered the night before. He just hadn't put it away very neatly. Neither had Harry.

"Maybe if you spent less time playing games in the common room, you'd have more time to get organized," Hermione sniffed. She was pretty sure they'd been up half the night with Lee and Neville playing card games.

"Where's the fun in that?" Ron asked.

"Any thoughts on where to go today?" Ginny broke in.

Before Hermione could come up with a second-by-second itinerary, Harry spoke up, "I definitely need to get more parchments and some potion ingredients."

"I needed to go to the apothecary, too," Hermione agreed. "And I wanted to see if Flourish and Blotts had a book I was looking for," she added, ignoring everyone's sarcastic looks of surprise. Finishing their bacon and toast, the group headed out.

Filch stood sentinel by the door, his list of approved students ready to be consulted in his hand. He took a moment to scowl at them as he checked off their names. They stepped out into the bright morning sun, eager for a day away from routine.

Passing by Hagrid's hut and the paddock, Ginny paused to wave to Persephone, who stood, brushing Free in the morning sun. Persephone waved back.

"I thought she said she was going to Hogsmede today, too," Ginny pondered out loud.

"Maybe she meant later," Harry suggested, noticing Ginny seemed disappointed.

Arriving at the edge of the town, Hermione took charge. "Where to first?"

"Let's go see Fred and George. I haven't seen their new place yet," Ron suggested.

Ginny eagerly agreed. She probably wants to tell them about taking their place as Griffyndor's top Beater, Harry thought. As they passed the apothecary and Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry felt a sense of unease. Though the day was bright and sunny, there seemed to be sort of pall hanging over the usually cheerful little town. He shook the feeling off as they found the small storefront. Above the door hung a sign proclaiming 'Weasley's Wizard Wheezes- Fabulous Fun for All Ages'. The small window display held a collection of their products with cartoonish drawings illustrating their effects. Harry had to admit it looked rather professional.

A bell jangled as they entered the small shop. Looking around, Harry saw they'd divided the displays by product type. One wall held trick wands and other basic joke items. The enchanted sweets they'd perfected occupied half a wall opposite and several small tables. The corner, by a doorway leading to what looked like a small back room, held the various fireworks the twins had unleashed just before leaving Hogwarts. There were also some new additions Harry didn't recognize. As Hermione was examining the familiar Ton-Tongue Toffees and Canary Creams, one of the twins emerged from the back room.

"George, get out here!" he called over his shoulder when he saw who had come in. "Well, if it isn't ickle Ronnykins finally come to see us." Ron scowled at Fred. Ginny gave him a hug. "And our littlest sister."

"Only sister," she replied. "Nice shop."

George came out grinning. "Well, a little family reunion! Of course you'll want to support your hard-working brothers, right?"

"Maybe some of these, I have a test coming up." Ron picked up the Skivving Snackboxes that had caused massive outbreaks of Umbridge-itis the previous year. He held a Nosebleed Nougat up. "What do you think, Harry?"

Harry laughed as Hermione tutted at Ron. Turning to the twins he said, "I thought you had a place in Diagon Alley."

Fred and George exchanged a look. Fred spoke first, "Well, we did."

"Diagon Alley's really expensive," George added.

Fred nodded. "And we didn't want to use all the money on a place. We really wanted to try out some new ideas."

"And mum and dad thought it wasn't safe enough there," George whispered, "what with You-Know-Who on the loose. Hate to admit it, but we do feel better closer to Hogwarts."

Fred smiled. "Besides, I think we get more business from the school this way. I'd hate to think Filch was getting off easy now that we're gone."

Harry grinned at that.

"So, anything new you can show us?" Ron and Ginny turned back to the twins.

"Seeing as you are family, come this way..." George led them behind the curtain to the back room. Hermione and Harry hung back.

Fred turned around, looking at them expectantly. "Well, come on!"

Harry and Hermione exchanged a quick smile then hurried to join the others. In the smallish back room, they could just barely fit all six people. There was a desk and chair in one corner, a leather-bound ledger sitting on top of the desk. A few containers of various odd ingredients sat open and some parchments with scribbled notes and sketches were scattered around, but far more interesting was the table in the center of the room. Or, rather, what was on it.

"Our newest line." Fred gestured with a flourish.

Ginny peered cautiously at the brightly wrapped candies. "What do they do?"

"Try one." George smiled innocently at her.

Ginny looked at them skeptically. "You haven't been gone that long. No way."

"Surveillance Sweets," Fred said proudly. "Enhanced with different charms for different needs."

"Gives your senses a little boost," George added.

"Blue is hearing, green is sight, yellow is touch." Fred held up the brightly wrapped candies as he named them. At their confused looks for the last one, he elaborated, "For finding secret panels in walls or whatever."

George continued, "We have some that act as conductors, too. Like the Extendable Ears, but less noticeable. You just place a bowl in the room where you want to know what's going on and keep the receiver candy with you, and bingo, you can hear everything! Well, almost, it's a bit fuzzy still, but we're working on it."

Harry almost starting telling them about electronic bugs that Muggles used but didn't want to dampen their excitement, or spend hours trying to explain complicated electronics he didn't even understand.

"Haven't gotten around the rooms that have Unbreakable Charms and other spells on them, either," Fred added.

"What happens if someone eats them by mistake?" Ginny asked.

The twins exchanged looks. "Nothing," they replied in unison.

"That could be really dangerous in the wrong hands," Hermione said, frowning.

"We would never let that happen," George assured her.

They went back out front as the bell jangled again, signaling another customer. The twins happily greeted Lee who had come to see how they were doing. Seeing Harry and the others already there, he asked if the twins had heard about the Gryffindor/Slytherin game.

The twins listened with fascination at Lee's retelling of the Quidditch match and looked alternately horrified and proud of Ginny's exploits as Beater. Absently greeting people as small groups of students started bustling in, the twins listened to Lee's account intently.

After they had purchased some of the twins' newer items, Ginny and Hermione chatted as they left the shop. A small line of students had gathered at the registers, but before Harry and Ron made it to the door, each twin had grabbed an arm. Ron and Harry turned in unison. Both Fred and George's expressions had lost their usual mischievousness. Harry didn't think he'd ever seen them look so serious. George spoke first.

"You'd better not let it happen again."

"We don't want to hear she got hurt. Playing Quidditch or otherwise."

Harry looked out the window then back at Ron. "Neither do we."

"We're heading to Flourish and Blotts," Hermione said as they walked up.

Ron tried not to make a face. "We were going to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

Hermione wasn't quite successful at hiding her disinterest. "Why don't we all meet at the Three Broomsticks when we're done?"

Thankful they wouldn't be stuck in the bookstore or have to listen to girlish sighs of boredom, the boys happily dashed off to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Boys," Hermione said as they joined several of their classmates rushing in to see the latest in Quidditch gear.

Ginny watched them go. "I would have gone."

Hermione almost tutted, but saw Ginny's expression and stopped. "I'm sure they'll want to go again before we leave."

Ginny had to smile as Hermione led the way to the bookstore. "True."

Hermione breathed in the definitive smell of books, all fresh ink and clean pages, with just a hint of magic floating around. Heaven. She wandered off to find the book she was looking for, a huge, contented smile on her face. Ginny stifled a giggle and wandered through the aisles, picking up random books and leafing through them. Soon Hermione rejoined her brandishing a smallish, but very thick book.

"The last copy." She held up Light in the Darkness: An Auror's Story triumphantly. Having accomplished her mission, she happily joined Ginny browsing through the stacks, Hermione examining the large coffee-table books on display as Ginny headed for the bargain book table.

Having made their purchases, the girls left the store and headed toward the Three Broomsticks. Ginny glanced over at Madame Malkin's and paused in the middle of the street.

"Think we have time to stop in for a minute?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. Ginny nodded. "Okay, stupid question."

As soon as she walked in, Ginny headed for the displays at the back, which held the upscale beauty supplies. Sabrina Sparks was expensive, but it was worth it. Hermione meandered though the clothing displays, not really looking. Ginny rejoined her and 'hmmed' at a set of dark blue robes. She pulled it off the rack and held it against her front.

"That would look great on you," Hermione commented.

Ginny's eyes widened when she saw the price tag. "Not in this lifetime." She sighed and hung the robes back up.

When they exited the shop, Ginny heard a familiar whicker. Surprised, she looked up to see Free further down the street, grazing on someone's front lawn. "What on earth?"

Hermione followed as Ginny went over to pat him. "What is he doing here?"

Ginny shrugged. "Maybe Persephone brought him."

The comment prompted her to look around to see if she was correct. Not seeing Persephone in the immediate vicinity, Ginny shrugged again and they headed into the Three Broomsticks. They walked in to find Harry, Ron and two butterbeers waiting for them. As they thanked them and sat, Ron immediately launched into the fabulous new items Quality Quidditch Supplies had to offer.

"...and they have the new regulation safety gear. Plus, they have the major team colors in stock, but if you wanted your own colors, you can have it special-ordered," Ron said with longing.

Hermione noticed Ron had the same look as Ginny had when she'd been looking at the clothes in Madame Malkin's. She sighed to herself, thinking it was very unfair nice people like the Weasleys had so little while awful people like the Malfoys had so much.

"Something wrong, Mione?" Ron asked.

She forced a smile. "No, not at all. You were saying about arm guards?"

Ron eagerly launched back into his descriptions, Harry occasionally adding a comment or two. After a few moments, she was glad to hear Ginny interrupt with an exclamation of, "It's Persephone!"

Persephone turned around from where she was getting her spiced cider from Madame Rosmerta and smiled at them. "Hello. Having fun?"

They nodded. "You don't like butterbeer?" Hermione nodded toward Persephone's steaming to-go cup.

"Too sweet," she replied, wrinkling her nose.

"Did you bring Free?" Ginny asked.

"No, I walked. Why do you ask?" Persephone replied.

Ginny's forehead wrinkled. "Oh, because he's just down the street grazing on someone's front lawn."

Persephone almost laughed until she realized Ginny was serious. "You're not kidding. Oh for the love of..." she stopped herself. "I let him out because I thought he wanted to go down to the quidditch field. He must have followed me."

"You didn't notice?" Harry asked incredulously.

Persephone took a sip of her drink. "I was a bit lost in thought on my way here. I wasn't really paying attention to much of anything." She sighed and stood. "All right, I suppose I should go round him up. Let's hope whoever's lawn that is doesn't mind a free trim."

The foursome, finished with their drinks, decided they would head to Honeyduke's next and left with Persephone.

"Which way did you say he was?" Persephone asked Ginny as they stepped outside.

Before she could answer, a wave of cold washed over them. Turning, they were shocked to see five Dementors gliding quickly down the main road. Shoppers stopped where they were, shrinking away in fear. Several people ran into stores, but to hide or warn it wasn't clear. Persephone pushed Ginny behind her and raised her wand in preparation. Ron, ahead of Hermione and Harry, took a protective stance, though everyone had whipped their wands out in defense immediately.

Hermione was the first to cast, her otter Patronus wavering slightly as the Dementors neared. She tried to focus on her happiest memory but a voice in her head cried "Failure!" and she felt tears of defeat threaten. Her otter wavered. Ron, only shooting sparks of silvery mist, kept waving her back with his free hand.

Harry tried frantically to close his mind against what he knew the Dementors would make him see. Desperately, he searched for the feeling he had gotten when he'd first gotten his Hogwarts letter and tried to combine it with the feeling of homecoming he got when he saw the castle for the first time every September. But the realizations that he would never live with his godfather, or even see him again, kept popping into his head. Suddenly, his scar burst with pain and he couldn't think of anything at all.

"AAAAGGGGHHHH!" He dropped his wand and clutched his forehead, sinking to his knees. He couldn't see, couldn't think beyond the blinding, white-hot throbbing in his head.

Ginny tried to keep her Patronus going. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Persephone grip her wand even harder, her eyes squeezed shut, trying to cast the spell but seeming to have great difficulty. Unexpectedly, she screamed. Her wand fell to the ground as she dropped to her knees. Even the Dementors paused at the absolutely inhuman sound. They shifted their attention from where Harry knelt, bent over in pain to Persephone.

"Harry, RUN!" Ginny yelled at him.

Harry tried to form a thought in response but the pain was incredible. He tried to block out the memory of Sirius. I don't want to see it again. Please, I can't bear it. He tried to scramble away, to close his mind, use what he'd practiced in Occlumency to block out the pain, but it only intensified. Darkness filled his mind. His thoughts became disjointed. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. There was no escape. Dark cold dark dark and cold and dark and pain why no stop please help pain didn't never help stop didn't help no help help help pain painpainpainpain

Another high-pitched scream joined the first, though Harry wasn't sure what caused it. It felt like the ground beneath him was shaking and he curled forward in a vague instinct to protect himself. There was an instant where Harry wished for death. Then abruptly, everything stopped. The resounding silence was deafening.

Harry fell over onto his side. Just the memory of the pain was enough to keep him on the ground. He felt hands on his arm but his muscles refused to listen and he could only lie there. Part of him wondered if he was dead. Another part wished he was.

"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" It was Ginny's voice, he was almost sure. He wanted to tell her no, but maybe he would be in a minute or two. His mouth refused to cooperate and he only managed a garbled 'ungh' noise.

"Get help!"

After a moment, Harry struggled into a sitting position, concerned faces swimming into focus. Ron's was the first he identified. "What happened?"

"You tell me." Ron looked at him worriedly.

Hermione rushed into view, Professors Dunn and McGonagall right behind her. They had been across the street when the Dementors had attacked and it was in fact, their Patronus Charms that had driven them off. McGonagall knelt by Harry while Dunn rushed into the Three Broomsticks. He reemerged quickly carrying a steaming cup.

"Drink it." Dunn forced the glass into Harry's hands. Not yet in full command of his wits, Harry did as he was told. He felt soothing warmth spread through his limbs.

"Hot chocolate," Harry mumbled. McGonagall seemed pleased he was aware enough to identify it.

"You're going to the hospital wing." She raised her wand.

Guessing what she was about to do, Harry managed to raise his hand. "I can walk." Draco was sure to be in Hogsmeade somewhere and Harry refused to be carried while he might be watching. The rumors were bound to bad enough already.

"I must insist-"

But Harry was already struggling to his feet. Ron gave him a hand and steadied him when he was upright. Students and shoppers crowded doorways and windows as they passed on the way back to Hogwarts, but Harry ignored them. He knew rumors would be flying before he even left the village, but that was the least of his worries. Right now he was concentrating on putting his feet in the right place.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny walked close as they made their way, Dunn and McGonagall flanking them. Harry was relieved when they finally made it to the castle. McGonagall rushed off as soon as they entered, presumably to inform Dumbledore, but Dunn kept close by as they made their way to the hospital wing.

Madame Pomfrey fussed and fretted over him, growing more agitated as Dunn described had happened to her. Shifting bottles and jars in her vast cabinet of medicines, she finally withdrew carrying a foil wrapped object about the size of an orange. "Eat this."

Harry took it, knowing it would be useless to argue, hoping whatever it was wouldn't be too foul tasting. He watched enviously as Hermione, Ron, and Ginny received bars of chocolate with the same instructions. Resigning himself, Harry unwrapped the foil to reveal what looked like a chocolate orange divided into eighths. He cautiously bit into a slice, steeling himself for a horrible taste.

Ginny had been unconsciously mimicking his expression. "How bad is it?"

Harry ate the rest of the slice in one bite, getting more of the chewy center this time. "It's actually good. Really good." Though through a mouthful of chocolate it sounded more like, "Mfts mactullm goomm. Meally goomm."

Dunn smiled. "That's a 'Cheerful Chew'. Chocolate coated cheering charmed nougat. Very potent."

Harry already felt the worst images fading from his mind. He ate another piece.

Hermione looked at the candy thoughtfully. "Why haven't I heard of it before? Seems like it would be a very useful thing to keep around."

Ron agreed. "Imagine. Anytime you feel down, just have a bite and presto! You feel better."

Dunn's smiled faded a bit. "Quite true. But surely you see where a problem would arise?"

Hermione frowned. "I suppose people would use it to feel better instead of solving the problem that caused them to feel unhappy in the first place."

"Precisely," Dunn said. "This is why it's made with a Potency Protection Charm. The Cheering Charm in these only works on the person once every eighteen days, so it's not likely anyone will learn to depend on it. However, in emergencies like this, it's good to keep handy."

Harry agreed, feeling much better. "So what happened, exactly? Why were those Dementors there?"

The others, not benefiting from the effects of Cheerful Chews, shifted uncomfortably.

"Um..." Ginny started. "The Dementors were after you, I think."

"But then they seemed more interested in Persephone," Hermione added.

Harry remembered now, even the Cheering Chew didn't diminish his recollection of her screaming. His smile faded. "Is she okay? Why isn't she here?"

The others exchanged looks. "Free saw the Dementors going for her and charged them. It shook her out of whatever she was remembering long enough for her to jump on. They, uh, took off." Ginny explained. She left out the part where Free's blind charge of fear had landed one hard hoof on Persephone's left wrist, crushing it and her wand. She doubted Persephone had been coherent enough at the time to notice, but she was probably aware of it by now.

Harry realized the second scream had probably been Free. He didn't know horses made sounds like that.

"She broke her wand, too." Ron held it up. He'd noticed it on the ground by Harry and pocketed it. It looked crushed in one place, a silvery puff of feather sticking out of the broken wood.

Before anyone could ask, Dunn said, "I'm sure Professor Dumbledore has sent someone to look for her. Professor McGonagall will have told him about this by now."

Madame Pomfrey gave them all a last once-over, then declared them all fit to leave. They parted ways from Dunn outside the hospital wing.

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said as the foursome turned to head for Gryffindor Tower.

"Just doing my job," he replied.

They headed to the common room to prepare for the Halloween feast and the inevitable barrage of questions.