The War for Souls

Chapter 9--The Reading of the Will

The portkey deposited them, for the second time in three days, on the front steps of Morag Castle. This time, in the mid-morning, the massive front towers framed the sun as it rose over the loch. "Come on," said Remus. "We don't want to keep Madam Bones waiting.

In contrast to the jobsite he had seen two days before, the Great Hall of Morag Castle was now unmistakably the nerve center of a war. This was where the Order did its business, where the secret and not-so-secret plans for the second undoing of Lord Voldemort were made. But unlike last summer--when the kitchen of Grimmauld Place served this purpose--there was no hurried attempt to hide the assorted blueprints, plans, and other parchments from the six teenagers striding through among the Order. Madam Bones sat at the center of a long table running across the hall. Dumbledore, the elder Weasleys, and Tonks were seated around her, and it was to this group that Remus motioned them.

"Ah, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Good, we can begin now, if Severus would join us." Dumbledore beckoned to a figure standing in the shadows at the edge of the room, and Snape glided from the corner to stand in front of Harry.

"Sir." He nodded briefly to Harry, and took a seat as far away from him as he possibly could. Harry cast a puzzled look at the Potions Master for a moment, before his attention returned to the reason for the visit to the ancient fortress.

Madam Bones cleared her throat and began to speak in a booming voice. "Reading of the last will and testament of the late Sirius Iain Black, resident of Scotland, and wizard. Reading conducted by Amelia Susan Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic."

She paused for a second, as though trying to collect what to say. "Before I continue, I should state that the late Mr. Black was, this past week, cleared of all charges connected to the murders of James and Lily Potter and Peter Pettigrew, thus freeing this will for probate by the Ministry." She held up a midnight blue envelope. "Dictus." The envelope opened, and an image of Sirius Black emerged.

Tears began to well up in Harry's eyes. He wanted to jump up and run out of Morag Castle, never to return. He felt a gentle squeeze on his right hand, and looked to see Ginny holding it, a reassuring look in her eyes. He looked back at Sirius.

Now, I determined a while ago that I wasn't handing out a Knut from the afterlife without knowing exactly how I died. So, are any of you able to tell me how I died?

Slowly, painfully, Harry raised his left hand--Ginny was still stroking his right. He noticed that Remus and Neville had done the same.

Harry, Moony...figured as much...oh, bugger! I know you. He was staring at Neville. Yes, you're in Gryffindor...you look damned familiar...Longbottom! You're Neville Longbottom! Thanks for those portrait passwords a few years back, Neville. Really appreciate it. Oh, right, we're reading a will here. Hermione, do the charm.

Hermione pointed her wand at Remus. "Translocutio Sirius." A soft blue light floated to Remus' head, then a sharp red jet flew at Sirius from the werewolf.

Red, Remus? Who are you angry at? Oh, you're a werewolf, never mind. Are we near the moon? Remus nodded. Ah, right. Keep it up, Hermione. She shot the same spell at Neville, then at Harry. Neville's thoughts came out gold, which apparently signified courage, and Harry's were black. Harry James Potter, what are you guilty about? Oh...well, we're going to discuss that, you and I. Then, to Harry's surprise, Sirius fixed Dumbledore with a murderous stare, then Snape with an equally hateful glance.

Dedalus says if I don't read off this part, the will won't be operative. So, here goes. His voice changed to a monotone and he sped up as he read. I am Sirius Iain Black, a resident of Scotland and a citizen of the magical community of Britain and Ireland. This is my last will and testament, witnessed by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Minerva May McGonagall, and Alastor John Moody, none of whom are named as beneficiaries of the will. His voice switched back to normal. Yeah, I recorded that part. Thought you'd like it.

First things first, there's this massive family trust I administer--well, two of them really--but one just needs a new trustee. Is Andie around? Tonks shook her head. She's still alive, right? Tonks nodded. Okay, Andromeda Black Tonks is named trustee of the Black Family Trust. And that's all there is with that.

The Potter Family Trust gets all given to Harry, like James said. End of story. Got it, Albus?

Harry found himself puzzled for the first time. Sort-Of-Sirius (Harry had finally settled on calling him that--at least in his own mind) seemed to have some sort of bone to pick with Dumbledore and Snape. Well, Snape was understandable, at least.

Okay, let's get the mundane out of the way and get on to the part that I'll enjoy. All of my heirs--with two exceptions--get the same amount of money, with conditions. Quickly to list them, they are: Andromeda Black Tonks, Nymphadora Alice Tonks, Arthur Prentiss Weasley, Molly Prewett Weasley, William Arthur Weasley, Charles Barton Weasley, Percy Ignatius Wesley, Frederick Albert Weasley, George Brian Weasley, Ronald Bilius Weasley, Ginevra Molly Weasley, Hermione Jane Granger, Severus Septimius Snape, Remus John Lupin, and Harry James Potter. Ginny, see if Dedalus is anywhere in the room, and give him one hell of a Bat-Bogey Hex for making me find everyone's middle name.

Harry heard a squeak and a scurry of feet from near the door, and assumed that the excitable Dedalus Diggle had heard Sort-Of-Sirius and fled his impending doom. Ginny had a hand on her wand, looking for an excuse to show off her specialty, but still hadn't let go of Harry--for which he was surprisingly thankful.

Everyone except Remus and Harry gets 20,000 Galleons. Yes, I'm that filthy rich. Here are the conditions, though. Andie and Tonks, nothing. Not a thing. Arthur and Molly, all you have to do is keep caring for Harry--you already know there's not a thing that means as much to me as he does.

That broke the dam. Harry's tears, which he had bottled up the whole time, came out. Silently, Ginny pulled him into her arms, and let him cry, holding up a hand to Sort-Of-Sirius to stop for a moment.

This is what I've been missing, he thought, I need Ginny. Then and there, he promised himself that, whatever came of it, he would confront his feelings for her after the will was read.

When Harry composed himself, he looked back at the image of his godfather, and nodded for him to continue.

Bill, nothing really, just keep doing what you're doing, and try to be there for Harry. I know he likes you. Charlie, get your bloody arse off that dragon reservation more than once every three years and go visit your mother. Otherwise, no money.

Percy, I assume you apologized, since you're here. So, if your mother agrees that you've apologized sufficiently--and Harry agrees--you can have your 20,000 Galleons.

Fred and George, you have to supply Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny with all your latest inventions, solely for the purpose of creating mayhem at Hogwarts--you deserve it in this case, Albus, and you know it--and you get your money.

Ron, you're one of the bravest people I've met. You've taken on giant chessboards, acromantulas, and Peter Pettigrew. You've been tied up at the bottom of a lake, and from what I can tell, fought some Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic itself? Ron nodded. And that's not to mention the singular act of bravery that is living with your brothers. Fred and George now grinned mischievously. So why does your bravery fail you around her? Now Ron looked like a tomato, all of his siblings were grinning mischievously, and Luna looked like she was about to explode with laughter. For now, Moony has your money. If and when you get off your arse and tell the girl exactly how you feel about her, it's all waiting for you.

Ginny, if I were twenty years younger, I'd be falling all over myself trying to get a date with you--so I can't see what on earth is taking him so long. But, I'm afraid that until you tell him exactly how you really feel, you can't have your money either. Sorry, love, but if I can play matchmaker from beyond the grave with your brother, I'm going to do it to you too.

Severus, the look on your face is amazing. No, you never thought that you'd see any money from the will of Sirius Black, did you. And here I am, giving you money, after how many times you tried to have me Kissed. I'm going soft now that I'm dead. But, there's a condition--two actually--attached to your money. First, you have to supply Remus with Wolfsbane Potion every month for the rest of his or your natural life. Second, you have to devote a sizeable amount of your research to finding a cure for lycanthropy, so you can stop giving Remus his Wolfsbane Potion.

Hermione, I'm very, very disappointed in you. First, you tried to stop Harry from doing what was he knew in his heart was right. Don't ever do that again. I don't care if every one of us died in the process; I don't ever want you to give him a guilt trip on that account again. Do you understand? Hermione nodded. Second, the way you treat a particular young man is reprehensible. If you want your money, and the other inheritance I have for you, you have to treat him the way you feel about him. Otherwise, you'll be as poor as Pettigrew soon. Now it was Hermione's turn to blush as everyone giggled at her.

Neville and Luna--ah, you must be Luna--I've never met you, but I'm Sirius Black. I'm Harry's godfather, and I never killed anyone, but I wish I had. Sorry, story for another time. I'll be honest; I didn't plan to leave you anything--either of you. But I saw what happened at the Ministry, and I'm shocked, stunned, impressed, and pleased. Just for that, no conditions, 10,000 Galleons for each of you. And Luna, another 5,000 for your father, for believing in Harry and having the nerve to say it in print.

So, now, that leaves us with my two best friends in the world--Remus and Harry. Remus, you're a grown man--sort of--so you're easy. Half of the remaining money in my vault, the house in Wales is yours, and so is that thing my mother called a summer cottage. Morag is technically yours too, but it looks as though the Order is following the request in that letter I gave you, and left Grimmauld Place to my posthumous plotting. So leave the Order at Morag, it's a good spot for them. And look after Harry. I know you can't be his guardian legally, that's for Albus, Minerva, and the Weasleys to fight over, but take care of him, please.

Harry, this could be a while. Are you comfortable? He nodded. Good. I have a long list of things to say to you, but to be mercenary about it, you get the other half of my money, and Grimmauld Place--except that the library there goes to Hermione. Harry thought his friend was going to burst at that news. After she clears it out, and you take care of one other thing, I want you to consult with Fred and George and find the most creative and unusual way to blow up the damned place. Understand?

Second, I gather from your memories that that scum-sucking lowlife house-elf had something to do with my untimely demise. If so, you have one recourse. Explain to your friend Dobby exactly what Kreacher did to me, and then leave him alone. And don't ever ask what happened to Kreacher. Hermione, this should meet your approval, too. House-elves do police themselves, and Dobby, being a good house-elf, will have a very low opinion of one who betrays their master to Voldemort.

Third, you have a very, very special young lady in your life. I know you don't think you have time for a relationship, and you think that a relationship is only putting someone else at risk from Voldemort, but that's codswallop. Give it a shot. You never know how much it will help you.

Fourth, don't push your friends away. I know the prophecy--James told it to me before he died--and I think I can safely tell you what the "power the Dark Lord knows not" is. It's the same thing that saved you when you were a year old. It's the same thing that made Ron sacrifice himself to a chess set for you. It's the same thing that made you confront a basilisk and some twisted echo of a teenaged Voldemort for Ginny. It's the same thing that made you attack Snape to save me. It's the same thing that made you get on bloody thestrals and ride to the damned Ministry to save me again. Got it yet? Good. Your friends have that in abundance. Draw off it. Their love for you is your strength, Harry.

Fifth, don't let me ever see you blame yourself for my death again. No, not Cedric's either, and certainly not your parents. For the last time, here is the laundry list of blame for all of them. Wormtail betrayed your parents, Voldemort killed them, and I put the key in Pettigrew's hand. No, you're not on there. Wormtail killed Cedric, Voldemort told him to, and Crouch set it up. I don't see your name there either. Bella killed me, Voldemort and her husband made her who she is today, and Kreacher tricked you into going to the Ministry. You saved lives that day, Harry. Hermione's, Ron's, and, I guess to some extent, Neville's. Bellatrix Lestrange is a sick, twisted woman, and she probably derives sexual pleasure from killing people. Don't blame yourself.

Sixth, speaking of Lestrange, kill her. In cold blood. Or let Neville do it, he's got reason to as well. Pettigrew, kill him. Actually, let Moony do that, it's only fair. Voldemort, kill him, stomp on his corpse, feed him to that bloody snake of his, piss on his grave, burn his remains, and curse him from now until eternity. And then he gets to spend that here, wherever I am, with me. Powerless. Ah, the anticipation would kill me...but I'm already dead.

Seventh, start at the very beginning, and tell every person at this table exactly what you told me last Christmas about the Dursleys. Then, don't let anyone stand in Molly's way. Not that they would, they'll want to join her.

Eighth, there's a very special book that Moony is holding onto for you. It was supposed to be for you, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, but I guess we can include Neville and Luna, now. I won't say what it is, but along with the map and cloak, it comprises the legacy of Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs to our beloved successors.

Finally, have you turned sixteen yet? Harry nodded, knowing where this was going. Tell Hermione to look up clause six of the Code of Prisoners, walk up to Amelia Bones, and do what Hermione tells you. Form a Council; assert your station--James would. Be who you were born to be.

Albus, I will forgive you for last year only if you do this. Perform Coronatus Immortalis for Harry immediately. Preferably before school starts again. That's all I have to say, so have a great time fighting the most evil wizard in history, and remember me fondly. I guess since I went through the veil, there's no body, so don't worry about burying me. That's everything. Farewell!

Harry sat for a second, smiling at the space where Sort-Of-Sirius had been. A weight had lifted, hearing Sirius go over the events with him He hadn't felt guilty over it, not for quite some time, but there was a closure now that had been sorely lacking before.

"Well, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley. "I don't know that I can do anything about it under the circumstances, but tell us what happened at the Dursleys'." Even after Aunt Petunia's murder, Harry had never told anyone what he suffered at Privet Drive. He suspected that Snape had an idea, after the Occlumency lessons last year, and he figured Ron and the twins knew enough after their rescue mission before his second year. Aside from those few people--and the little he had revealed at Padfoot's--his life away from Hogwarts was a total mystery to the Order and his other friends. He clenched Ginny's hand tighter, and began to tell of his life with his relatives. He told of the cupboard, the bars on his window, his near-starvation, the constant abuse from Dudley, and finally the dementors' attack.

When he finished, he looked around at the various reactions. Mrs. Weasley's face was white as a sheet, her teeth clenched, and her hand gripping her wand. Ginny was sobbing beside him, holding his hand. Ron, Hermione, and Neville were staring at him, looks of total shock on their faces. Luna had the same look, but then again, she always did, so Harry wasn't sure if she even heard him.

Dumbledore looked sad, guilty, and a little angry. McGonagall had a look of utter contempt on her face, but for some reason it was directed at Dumbledore. The headmaster glanced at Lupin, who nodded grimly. Tonks was shaking her head, and muttering to herself.

"I will not stand for this," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm. "Petunia may be dead, but Vernon must still answer for these crimes." He walked a few steps away from the table and Disapparated.

"I'm going to Surrey, too," said Mrs. Weasley. She stood up and followed Snape.

"Whatd'ya know?" said Ron. "Snape standing up to the Muggles for you. Now I've seen it all."

"Madam Bones," said Hermione. "I have a favor to ask of you. But first, Harry, I need you to name the Council." She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Dumbledore," he said. "Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Remus, and Moody. And Mr. Weasley."

"Madam Bones," said Hermione again. "As a member of the Council of State of the Ambrosius of Wales, I request transfer of certain prisoners to his custody for trial."

"Harry? You're really the Ambrosius?" asked Tonks.

"Yeah, yeah I am. Hermione, what are you up to?"

"What Sirius told you to do. Madam Bones?"

"I need proof. I'm inclined to believe just about any far-fetched tale of Mr. Potter's, but I can't just hand them over without knowing for certain."

"Amelia, will you take my word?" asked Dumbledore. Madam Bones smiled softly and nodded. "Good. Which prisoners, Miss Granger?"

"The Lestranges. Walden MacNair, Avery, and Dolohov. Oh, and Karkaroff and Pettigrew, if you have them."

"We don't," she said to Hermione. "Everyone who was at the Ministry that night, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Madam Bones," said Harry. "I'm afraid I don't quite trust the Ministry right now, so I'd like to try them myself."

"I'll arrange it," she said. "Merlin, he really is, Albus?"

"Indeed, Amelia, he really is."

"Are you going to do the ceremony?"

"Not today, I'm afraid. But yes, I will do it."

"Mr. Potter, where would you like the prisoners transferred to?"

"Here," he said. "As soon as possible. I want this done and over with."

"Of course," she said. "I'll head back to the Ministry and start the work." She turned, and disappeared.

"Harry," said Neville. "Perhaps we could find out what the...um...cat was hiding from us two days ago."

"Remus?"

"Not a bad idea," said Moody, before Remus could answer. "Let's go on down there."

The Auror led six students and a werewolf down the stairs to the dungeon tunnel, and Harry knocked on the third door. It flew open, and the manticore stepped forward. As before, it bowed low on its front legs, and touched its forehead to the ground. "Master," it growled. "You have come to examine your treasures?"

"Yes," said Harry, a slight tremble in his voice. "But before I enter, what am I to call you."

"I am Leander," it said. "You are Lord Black?"

"I am--"

"He is," Remus cut in.

"Ah," growled Leander. "Lycanthrope, you have returned." Without waiting for an answer, it turned and walked proudly into the room. "Follow, my lord."

Harry and Remus walked side-by-side behind the manticore as he marched down a hallway barely wide enough for two abreast, and stopped at a solid wooden door. "Cuóta." The door swung noiselessly open. Torches flared to life along the walls of a narrow, spiraling stair that descended into the heart of the cliff. "Follow, my lord," said Leander again, and he walked somewhat haltingly into the stair.

The narrow staircase opened onto a huge room, easily the most ornate in the castle. "The Crypt of the House of Black," said Leander. He repeated the opening spell, and Harry felt the breeze enter the room as at least four doors swung open. "Here I leave you," growled the manticore. "The Lycanthrope has asked that I serve a friend of his. Do you consent to this, my lord?"

"Um...of course."

"Farewell, Lord Black." Leander took wing, and flew a few inches above the ground through an unseen door.

"I thought you said he was already gone," hissed Harry to Remus.

"He wouldn't leave without your permission," said the werewolf. "You are the heir of the House of Black."

"Well," said Hermione, "let's find out what's in here."

*****

Severus Snape appeared in the middle of Privet Drive, the wards that had prevented Apparition into the vicinity of the Dursley house having been nullified by Petunia's murder. A second later, he heard another pop, and Molly Weasley appeared beside him. "Molly, I believe you have made the acquaintance of Mr. Dursley?"

"No, Arthur did."

"Very well, I will speak with him." Severus walked briskly to the door and knocked sharply on it.

"I'm coming!" came a voice from within. "You blasted reporters! You--" The door swung open and Vernon stopped his rant immediately. His face went from an angry purple to a terrified white immediately. "You people? I thought I was done with you."

"Dursley," said Snape tersely. "I have come to arrest you. My name is Severus Snape, I am a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and you are under arrest for the abuse of Harry James Potter. Incarcerous." Cords from Severus' wand wrapped themselves around Vernon, and held him tightly.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! FREAK!"

"Silencio." Vernon continued to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth. "Mobilicorpus." Snape directed him with his wand, and turned him on his side. "Molly, take one end of him, and Apparate to Morag on my mark." He counted down to three, and they vanished with a resounding crack, only to reappear in the Great Hall of Morag.

"Where are they?" asked Molly as she appeared in the room.

"They went to search a vault which Harry has access to," said Dumbledore. "I will take Mr. Dursley to Hogwarts. I dare say Harry will not want to try him himself."

"Headmaster," said Severus. "I will take him. I must return to--" His voice cut off as he clutched his forearm and dropped to his knees. He closed his eyes, and Apparated from Morag Castle to Malfoy Manor.

*****

"Severus," said the high, cold voice of Voldemort.

"My Lord." Snape bent to his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe.

"I fear for you, Severus," he said, leaving no doubt that whatever "fear" the Dark Lord might have, it had nothing to do with concern for the Potions Master.

"Why, my Lord?"

"Are you certain that you serve only me? That that old fool and that impertinent boy have not turned you against your Master?"

"Lord, I am yours. I am loyal to you."

"Yes, so you say. Yet you alerted the fool when I lured Potter to the Ministry. Your bumbling nearly cost me all of my loyal servants."

"Master, I had no choice. Potter would have suspected had I not done something. I delayed as much as I--"

"Silence. You will prove your loyalty tonight. There will be a revel, Severus, the first in fifteen years. You will be there, and you will participate."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Now leave my sight." Severus bowed again, and backed out of the throne room.

*****

Harry and his friends had found only a few things in the vault that were of interest to them. Ironically, they were genealogical materials that were far more complete than anything at Padfoot's. Laden with books, a tapestry, and a stone tablet, they emerged from the Crypt into the Great Hall.

"Dumbledore took Vernon to Hogwarts," said Mrs. Weasley. "And Severus was...summoned."

"Is he all right?" asked Harry, a slight concern for his professor showing.

"I don't know yet, but--" She was cut off as a bell at the end of the hall started pealing.

All of a sudden, the hall was in an uproar. Order members raced here and there, disapparating and hurling floo powder into the nearest fireplaces. "What's going on?" said Ron.

"Quickly, you six, grab the portkey," said Remus. "Bill, go back with them. I've got to get going. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Without waiting, Bill Weasley shoved the portkey into Harry's hands, and Morag Castle vanished.

When the whirling stopped, and Harry opened his eyes, they were back in the comfortable sitting room at the safe house. "Bill, what was that all about?"

"Wards, Harry. The wards around The Burrow were violated."

*****

The Apparition point for The Burrow was a half-mile from the house, and Remus ran from there to the low rise that overlooked the drive. It took him all of a second to figure out the situation. About ten wizards, dressed in long silver robes with matching masks, were doing a fairly good job of breaking the wards around the property. A moment later, Moody and Arthur crept up behind Remus on the low rise where he was hidden. As soon as they got there, three more pops sounded from the paddock, and Charlie, Fred, and George snuck up. "Blast," said Charlie.

"Exactly," said George. He pulled a box out of his robes and enlarged it.

"Um..." said Remus. "What is that?"

"Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs--Combat Edition," said Fred with pride. He muttered a few words and guided a puffskein-sized ball over the rise.

"Activatio," said George. The ball erupted in a blinding white light, and a flaming dragon appeared.

"Please," said Fred, looking wistfully at his creation, "stun it." The enemy wizards did just that. The dragon erupted into a shower of brilliant orange darts, which shot out into the knot of silver-clad wizards.

As the darts hit, three of the wizards dropped instantly, frozen. "Our best work yet," said George.

"Stasis darts."

They didn't have much time to admire their handiwork, however, as a number of jets of red light whizzed over their heads. "Stunners on three," growled Moody. He lifted his wand. "One...two...three!"

"STUPEFY!" Only one hit its mark, thought, leaving six enemies still in place.

"Up!" yelled Moody. "Get 'em!" With more agility than a one-legged man should have been able to manage, he stood, dodged one curse, and fired a rapid succession of spells, dropping his mark.

Charlie took about the same time to fell his man, firing a jet of flame to pin him to the ground before stunning him. "Old dragon-tamer trick," he said, grinning at the others.

Fred and George, on the other had, were having a difficult time with a tall wizard who seemed to be the leader of the attack, until Remus and Arthur moved in on them.

"Back!" shouted the enemy commander, in a voice Remus knew instantly.

"No!" screamed the werewolf. "Don't let him get away!" Three spells converged on him, but a split-second too late. They hit each other in a shower of sparks just as he Disapparated.

*****

Harry was mystified. The attack on The Burrow had to be the work of Voldemort, yet his scar was as cool and faint as it had been since the Third Task. "Why? And why didn't I feel anything? I always feel it when he attacks. How did I not this time?"

"I know," said Ron. "I don't understand it, but Neville had an idea."

"It was yours, too," said Neville modestly. "But...Lucius Malfoy."

"He's in prison," said Harry.

"Harry, no he's not," said Hermione. "He claimed he was under Imperius again, and Fudge let him walk. That's why I decided the rest of them needed to be tried by your courts, not the Ministry."

"So you're telling me that in addition to Voldemort going after us, Lucius Malfoy is now attacking us of his own accord."

"I said I didn't understand it."

"I know why," said Luna. "He is trying to avenge what you did to his son on the train. A little extreme, but he is a Death Eater."

"He won't get anywhere, though, will he?"

"I have no idea, Harry. We just have to wait and see."

Wait and see turned into wait and try to take your mind off it. Neville and Luna went out into the garden. Ron and Hermione played a half-hearted game of Exploding Snap, and half-heartedly looked over the charts from Morag. Harry had felt this tension before--when Mr. Weasley was bitten by Nagini last Christmas.

Harry tried to force his thoughts off of the battle probably transpiring at The Burrow at that moment. He looked at the fire, at Ron and Hermione, at Bill's earring, and finally at the window, where Luna's blond hair was just visible. Neville and Luna are outside again, probably snogging away and costing me money. The bet! Hmm. "Gin, feel up for some mischief?"

"I guess," she said warily.

"Well, Ron and Hermione aren't going to get up to anything with Bill around, I thought we'd make sure we aren't paying out tomorrow morning on the other two."

"Good idea."

"I'll get the cloak."

Ten minutes later, they slipped, totally unseen, into the back garden. Neville was tending to his herb patch, as Luna watched him with a look of undisguised admiration. "Hello, Harry, Ginny," she said, turning to stare right at them.

Harry turned tail and ran, Ginny barely keeping up, until they got into the house and shut the door on Luna's shrieks of laughter. "No way!" said Ginny, flopping onto a sofa in the basement.

"How did she know we were there?" asked Harry, pacing back and forth

"A lucky guess, I suppose."

"So, Gin..."

"So, Harry...did you get what Sirius was on about?"

"Ron and Hermione, yes. He's been bugging me to make them snog and shut up since third year."

"No, who's your 'very, very special young lady?' Cho?"

"Hardly." He stopped pacing and sat beside Ginny. "Who's the boy you have to tell how you really feel? Michael Corner? Or Colin?"

"Michael Corner is an overbearing, presumptive git. And Colin Creevey still believes in cooties. No, someone else."

"Who?"

"Well..."

"You tell me yours, I'll tell you mine," he said.

"Oh...okay, then. You know it already though, despite my best efforts. He thinks I gave up on him, and I did, sort of. But what I feel about him is more now than it ever was when I was crushing on him."

Realization hit Harry like a ton of bricks. "I didn't know...I mean..."

"But I like being your friend, and I don't want you to think that I'm going to start--"

"Gin, stop." He reached out and took her hand again. "Something's different between us this year--we both know it. I just don't know what it is quite yet. I care for you a lot. It's not a crush, because it's not like I felt about Cho. And it's not sisterly affection, because it's not like I feel about Hermione. It's more than friendship, but I don't know what yet. Is that good enough? And I could never stop being your friend. Plus, who am I to discount the advice of my Godfather?"

"A year ago, I wouldn't have taken that," she said. "I'd be too afraid you'd pull back into that little shell. But I think you mean--wait, I was the girl Sirius was talking about?"

"Yeah. He'd been bugging me about you since we were at Grimmauld Place over the summer."

"Really? I thought you were hung up on Cho."

"Merlin knows why, but I was. Sirius was just being his Marauder self, teasing me, and I discounted it. Until now, of course. You're not mad because I'm not rushing out to snog?"

"Harry, after five years, I'll wait a little longer. Besides, I've made more progress in the last six weeks than the whole time before that." She stepped up on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the corner of his mouth.

And then the slow applause started from the stairway.