Something for You

In September the Trio and Remus Lupin returned to number twelve, Grimmauld Place to look for the missing Horcrux locket; Hermione had guessed that 'RAB' referred to Sirius' brother, Regulus Black. The large gloomy house evoked bad memories for each of them, especially Remus and Harry. However, they all agreed that they should adopt a positive attitude - Sirius would have wanted them to make the best of the situation.

After their evening meal, Harry, Ron and Hermione were trying to relax in the kitchen. The door opened and Remus half-entered the room. "Harry, I would like to show you something in the basement," he said, leaning around the open door.

"Great! We can all go," exclaimed Ron.

"Of course, we might have to clear our way through all the spider webs first. I rather think Kreacher was breeding them down there," responded Remus coolly.

Ron blanched. Hermione piped up, "Ron, perhaps you would rather help me look through another set of books in the library?" She stood up and turned towards the door.

"Er, right. Good idea, Hermione!" He took her proffered hand, levered himself wearily out of his chair and followed her out of the room.

"You know, Ron has been doing a lot of studying recently," said Harry with a wry grin as he joined Remus in the hallway.

Remus smiled and opened the door to the basement staircase. "Yes, they make an excellent pair," he replied. "Speaking of which, I believe that you have settled matters with Ginny?"

"Yes, I think so, although we're trying to keep it quiet. As far as, erm, the public are concerned, we've split up. We agreed she should return to Hogwarts to complete her studies. She, Neville and Luna are going to restart the DA - you know, Dumbledore's Army. With everything that's happening, it's going to be more important than ever for people to learn to defend themselves."

"Harry, you are beginning to sound a bit like Hermione, but it is a good plan. We need all the help we can get, and those three have already proven themselves against Death Eaters. And what do you think Ginny will do next year?"

"Do her NEWTS, I suppose."

Remus stopped and turned to face Harry. "Like Fred and George and Ron and Hermione? Like you are doing? Think about it, Harry: Ginny will be of age next August; she is brave, she is stronger than she looks, and she loves you. Do you really believe that she will not want to come after you?"

"Oh!"

Harry looked stunned. He now knew he loved Ginny too much to want her involved directly in his quest against Voldemort. It was just as well they had reached the bottom of the staircase, otherwise he might have fallen down the last few steps.

"Lumos!"

Remus swept out a semicircle with his wand, illuminating what looked like a large unpainted storeroom.

Harry could see two more doors at the far end of the room, but his attention focused on the left-hand side of the room, which was almost entirely obscured by dozens of dust-covered boxes of all shapes and sizes. He shuddered; this motley collection of objects reminded him strongly of what he had seen recently in the Room of Requirement.

Remus strolled over to a smaller pile of boxes on the right-hand side of the room and announced, "These are some of the things we sorted through last year." He picked up a reddish-brown package about the size of a shoebox. "I have something for you," he said, holding out the box to Harry. "With love from Sirius ..."

Hesitantly, Harry took the package in both hands; it was heavier than he had expected. He removed the lid and peeked inside. He looked surprised and slightly disappointed.

"Well, it's nice and I never had one of these as a kid. But don't you think I'm a bit old to start playing with toys now?" He took a small scarlet motorcycle out of the box and turned it around in his hands.

Remus smiled, took the object from Harry and placed it on the floor. "Watch."

"Oh, is it radio-controlled?"

"Sometimes you still think in Muggle terms, Harry. Engorgio!"

The motorcycle wobbled slightly as it expanded before their eyes to the size and shape of a normal vehicle. Harry knew little about motorcycles other than the fact that Vernon Dursley despised them, which was usually a positive recommendation.

"Now that you are of age in the Wizarding world and you are old enough for a Muggle driving licence, I thought that you might like this. I don't know much about it, but Sirius loved it. He said that it is quite a good one, a Vile-bone Seventy-eight or some such name. Originally it was black, but we thought you would prefer Gryffindor red."

"Wow, that's fantastic! But I can't ride a motorcycle. At the Dursleys I was lucky if I sneaked a quick go on one of Dudley's broken bikes."

"This from a young man who flies a Firebolt? Surely, after riding a Hippogriff and a Thestral, you can manage a motorcycle! In any case, I strongly suggest you find a quiet place to practice - I have taken the liberty of arranging a Muggle driving test for you on Thursday next week. No doubt Mundungus could produce a driving licence for you, but most of us believe it is best to stay within the law."

"Do lots of wizards use Muggle vehicles then? Isn't it easier to Apparate?"

"Well, many wizards don't like Apparition. Besides, Sirius seemed to find it more exciting to travel by motorcycle. He even enhanced it to make it fly."

"Fly?! I had a dream once about a flying motorcycle..."

"Hmm. You will need these as well," continued Remus, passing two smaller boxes to Harry. "And by the way, I think you will find that Arthur has installed an Invisibility Booster for you."

"Oh great," groaned Harry. "I've heard that one before somewhere..."

~ o ~ o ~

The last weekend in November saw only the second Hogsmeade trip that term for the remaining Hogwarts students. To say that Ginny was excited was an understatement, as she had not seen Harry, Ron or Hermione for nearly three months. There were few students in the village today and it almost seemed as if they were outnumbered by members of Hogwarts staff, notably Hagrid.

Of course, Hagrid was the equivalent of several ordinary teachers. Since Dumbledore's death and Harry's non-reappearance at school, Hagrid's temper had undoubtedly changed for the worse. He had rediscovered a determination and aptitude for learning spells, especially hostile ones, and had gained an even more fearsome reputation at Hogwarts. Only the previous week he had caught Mrs Norris sneaking into the kitchens after mice. Intending to reduce her to rodent size, Hagrid had mistakenly (so he claimed) cast Reducto instead of Reducio. Despite the best efforts of the house-elves, cat hairs were still being found in school meals.

Harry had owled Ginny to suggest they meet at eleven o'clock near the stile on the far side of Hogsmeade, where he had met Sirius in his fourth year. Not without difficulty, Ginny, Neville and Luna evaded Hagrid and the other professors and reached the stile with two minutes to spare. Neville acted as lookout whilst Luna tried to reassure Ginny that Harry and the others would really be coming as promised. Suddenly there was a short series of popping noises and Harry, Hermione and Ron appeared in front of them.

"Harry!!" Ginny flung herself into his arms and kissed him deeply. The others avoided looking at each other and pretended to take a great interest in the stile and the surrounding trees for a few minutes. Well, except for Luna - she cocked her head to one side and regarded the kissing couple in detail, as if observing a scientific experiment.

After Ginny had detached herself from Harry, the teenagers all exchanged hugs, kisses and handshakes. Harry made a point of expressing his thanks to Neville and Luna for looking after and supporting Ginny.

"No problem, Harry," responded Neville positively. "We're all in this together. Gran agrees that I should do everything possible to fight against You-Know-Who. And, by the way, Dean sends his regards. It's only him and me in our dormitory this year, so it's a bit lonely. Seamus wanted to return too, but his mum wouldn't let him after what happened."

"Oh, thanks. Er, do you think Dean is OK now about me and Ginny?"

"Yes, Harry, he is, although of course he thinks we broke up," intervened Ginny. "In the summer holidays he met a nice Muggle girl who also likes West Ham, so he's quite happy. And besides, I think he always knew who I really wanted to be with. I've made it quite clear at school that I'm not interested in going out with anyone else this year. As far as everyone can tell, schoolwork and the DA are my main priorities."

"Yeah, the DA is coming along really well," stated Neville with unusual confidence. "Ginny has developed into an amazing duellist, everyone's scared of her! We have meetings twice a week and loads of people have signed up. Even a few Slytherins have come along, now that Snape has gone and Malfoy and his bullies are not around to intimidate them."

"Are you still using Hermione's fake Galleons?" asked Ron.

"Oh yes," replied Neville. "Luna worked out how to make some more, and she's a very patient teacher too. I -"

Harry interrupted him, "Sorry Neville, I hate to break up the party, but we don't have a lot of time. We have to be, well, somewhere, later today and you three ought to return to Hogsmeade before you're missed. But first I have something I want to show Ginny, and I suspect Ron and Hermione would like a little time together without me. Can we all meet back here in one hour?"

"That sounds nice, Harry. Would you like Neville and I to wait here for you?" asked Luna. "I don't think Ginny should go back alone, and the Bowtruckles and the fairies don't really count as company."

"Thanks, Luna, you're a treasure," said Ginny, giving her another hug.

Ron and Hermione waved goodbye and hurried off in the direction of Hogsmeade, with Ron muttering something about Butterbeer and Honeydukes. Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. They walked in silence through the forest for five minutes, occasionally squeezing each other's hand and grinning inanely. Then they came to a clearing in the fir trees and Harry stopped. Out of his pocket he pulled a small red box and offered it on the palm of his hand to Ginny.

"I have something for you," he said with a curious smile. "With love ..."

Ginny's eyes widened and she trembled slightly. "Oh Harry! I, er, wow, oh, ... Hey, I thought we'd agreed to keep this secret for now. Wouldn't it be a bit obvious if I wear -"

To Ginny's amazement, Harry slapped himself loudly on the forehead. "Ah, er, sorry Gin, it's probably not what you expect. Oh no, I'm really sorry, I hadn't thought..." His voice tailed off. Then he recovered himself and said, "But I promise I'll make it up to you one day, hopefully very soon. At the moment I don't want you to be any more of a target than you already are, that's all."

Ginny threw him a puzzled look and opened the box slowly. Inside was a small bright red ball; she thought it looked like a miniature Quaffle, but shinier and with a couple of pieces cut out of it.

"OK Harry, very funny. What the hell is this?"

Harry smiled again, less certainly this time. He took the red object from Ginny, produced a matching one from his other pocket and placed them both on the ground in front of something that Ginny had not noticed before. "Engorgio!" shouted Harry, waving his hand in a circular motion to encompass all three objects.

"Nice bit of wandless magic, Harry! Now I see - that's a motorcycle and those are matching helmets."

"Shall we go for a ride then?"

"Let's!"

~ o ~ o ~

Ginny was keeping herself amused by tossing a small red object from hand to hand behind her back. After a few minutes she missed and it fell to the cold stone floor. Her already impressive magical power had increased considerably over the past months; she furrowed her brow and summoned the object silently and wandlessly. It zoomed back up to her open hand.

The door to the dank little room was flung open with a resounding clang. A dark-robed Death Eater strutted into the room and flung back his hood to reveal short blonde hair.

"Hello Weaslette, how are you enjoying the Dark Lord's hospitality on this fine summer morning? This room must seem comfortable and spacious compared to that hovel you call a house," smirked Draco Malfoy as he looked at her curiously.

Ginny glared at him, not bothering to reply.

"You know, even for a blood-traitor, there is something fascinating about you. Do you think Potter would mind terribly if I amuse myself with you for a while?"

Ginny told Draco to do something challenging with certain parts of his anatomy.

"Interesting idea! Perhaps you could give me a hand with that?"

"I'd love to of course, but you see I have all these chains," she responded scathingly. "Perhaps you could run away and hide as usual - you don't want to be here when Harry comes to rescue me. He's ready now -"

"Potter! Hah, he couldn't -"

Draco's angry reply was interrupted by a cold rush of air. He dropped to his knees as if felled by a Bludger.

"Indeed, I am counting on his intervention," pronounced a chilling voice from the middle of the room. "Within the past hour, Wormtail has accidentally revealed our location. Potter's pathetic friends have arrived already and I expect the so-called Chosen One to appear very shortly."

Lord Voldemort paused, blinked his evil red eyes and stared at the grimy stone wall, as if he was watching a scene unfold on the other side of it.

"Leave us, Draco! You are needed outside - that moron Weasley and his Mudblood floozy are putting up more resistance than anticipated."

Suddenly the building shook from the effect of two large explosions. They heard faint cries of pain and anger, followed by what sounded like the shrieks of a large enraged animal. Draco stood up and walked warily out of the door. Voldemort looked as if he was torn between leaving and staying.

"Hmm, much more resistance - very creative, quite unexpected..." he said somewhat more hesitantly. "Nevertheless... Potter is late. Shall we return his impoliteness and start without him? Crucio!"

Ginny felt as if red-hot knives were piercing her entire body. Her self-control snapped and her screams echoed around the cell. After a few seconds, Voldemort raised his wand. Ginny had collapsed to the floor, panting but still conscious. The ensuing silence was broken by a soft pop as Harry materialised behind Voldemort on the opposite side of the room. Instantly the Dark wizard span around to face him.

"Welcome to the condemned cell, Potter. Before I kill you, it would amuse me greatly to watch you torture your little girlfriend. Imperio!"

Harry felt a wave of calm sweep over him, followed by a strange compulsion to use the Cruciatus curse on Ginny. He struggled against the urge as he dropped to his knees; he lifted his wand slowly and pointed it towards her. Then Ginny looked up and he saw her pale tear-streaked face across the room; he was jolted out of his stupor.

"NO!!"

His head cleared immediately and he sprang to his feet. Unnoticed by Voldemort, a small red object fell out of Harry's left pocket and rolled a few feet along the floor.

"Quite impressive, Potter, but I assure you both that you are still going to die. Which of you should I -"

Ginny coughed in a theatrical manner behind him. "Oh Tom, I have something for you," she uttered. She had managed to stand up again and, from behind her back, she flipped an identical red object out of her left hand. "With love -"

Voldemort interrupted dismissively, "I have no use for childish toys! Now, Potter, allow me to reunite me with your worthless -"

Ginny glanced lovingly at Harry; he nodded twice and beamed confidently back at her, the light in his eyes reflecting her love.

"Accio Voldemort!!" they yelled simultaneously.

"How truly miserable! Do you think that I, Lord Voldemort, the gr-"

But he never finished his sentence. Ginny, Harry and the two shrunken helmets emitted an intense white glow. From four sides, Voldemort was caught by simple but very powerful Summoning charms and his body was neatly quartered, leaving his head to drop with an unpleasant thud to the floor. For a few seconds, silence reigned over the world.

"Eeww, that was really gross!"

"Yes dear, I'll tidy up. Scourgify!"

"I think Fred and George will have to hire more staff now - these Shield helmets are going to be really popular..."

~ o ~ o ~

Author's Notes

From 1st January 1997, all UK motorcycle riders had to complete a Compulsory Basic Training course before riding on public roads. The law was tightened further in February 2001.

Sirius' motorcycle is a classic 1978 Triumph Bonneville. I know approximately zilch about motorcycles; I just needed one for this plot.