The Twin Lockets

The Twin Lockets

Chapter Four: Ginny's Return

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Tonks, and Lupin used the Floo Network to get back to the Burrow. Harry wasn't quite old enough to get his Apparating license yet, but he would be in just a few days.

Harry pulled the bottles from Godric's Hollow out of his pack. The reflection potion... The sensing potion... and the...

Suddenly, Harry stopped. Where was the memory? He turned the pack over, spilling its contents out. But, the memory was not there.

"Where is it?" Harry asked to himself, quite loudly.

"Where's what?" Ron asked.

"The memory," Harry replied.

"I'm sure it's here somewhere," Lupin said, glancing about the room. "You didn't leave it, did you?"

Harry shook his head. "It was right here... I had it in my pack... I could've sworn..."

Everyone searched high and low for the missing memory. Everyone, that is, except Hermione. She looked around the room, but she wasn't searching. She knew exactly where the memory was...

An hour passed before Harry sat down, miserably. "I can't believe its gone. How could it be? What happened to it?"

Hermione looked at the floor. She'd had suspicions about things before, and she was usually right. And this memory definitely did make her suspicious. Something about it just made her wonder. She could be wrong, but maybe there was something in there Harry wasn't supposed to see. Something Lily Evens-Potter would've wanted him to see, but that somebody else wouldn't. She didn't know. But, she was going to find out.

Harry was gloomy about the missing memory, even during his Apparating test. He did just fine on the test and got his license, but a gloom still hung over his head. But, perhaps it had nothing to do with the memory at all. Maybe it was the fact that it had been a week and no one had heard anything about Ginny.

"I can't believe it!" Fleur said, frazzled. "We're... we're going to have to cancel our wedding now, aren't we?"

Bill nodded. "At least, until we find out something about Ginny."

"Ooh!" Fleur said, mad at her wedding that had been scheduled for next week being postponed. But, her heart wasn't really in it. She had never cared for the Weasley girl, but she felt Bill's heart ache over his little sister's kidnaping.

Hermione glanced up at Fleur. She had a new found respect for her, after she realized a few months ago that Fleur wasn't as shallow as she had once thought. She was how Fleur looked at the scars on Bill's face with pride and saw the bit mark left on his arm as a sense of honor. Even though after Bill's werewolf attack he did show somewhat wolfish qualities on the full moon, it didn't affect him as much as it would've if it had been a full moon when he'd been bitten.

Ron flipped through a book, something he did rarely. He'd always seen reading as a form of escape form reality. But, he'd never really had a reason to escape it. But, he did now, more than ever.

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door which made the whole house shudder. Bill pulled out his wand and stepped towards the door. He gave a quick peek out the window and gasped. In one swoop, he'd opened up the door and bent down to the fallen figure on the door step.

Ron craned his neck to see Bill picking up a person with distinctly long, red hair. "Ginny!"

As if waiting for that cue, Arthur and Molly Weasley, followed by Fred, George, and Charlie, burst into the room. "Ginny!"

Bill laid the unconscious girl down on the couch and practically shook her awake. "Ginnyginnyginny!!!"

Ginny opened her eyes half way. "Bill?"

Molly rushed to the girl and squeezed her into a hug. "Ginny, my baby!"

Ginny looked confused. She glanced around the room, as if expecting someone else to be there.

Harry felt a sudden rush of relief and happiness sweep over him. Ginny was okay!

"Ginny, what happened? Are you alright? Where were you? Who took you? Where did they take you?" Ron, Fred, and George sputtered out, unable to believe that their little sister was really okay.

Ginny gasped for air. Being hugged under the weight of so many people was difficult. She was surprised to see that even Fleur was hugging her and crying. Then again, it might have been because she no longer had to cancel her wedding.

"Quiet!" Molly shushed. She turned back to Ginny. "Ginny, what happened?"

"I... I... I don't remember," Ginny said.

"Anything?" Arthur asked.

"No. Nothing," Ginny said. "I... I remember being in bead and then being taken away somewhere. That's it. I don't know how I got here."

Hermione tilted her head, skeptical. She knew Ginny very well. Well enough to know that she was hiding something.

Dinner at the Burrow was happy and excited that night. Everyone laughed and joked and tried to make Ginny feel back at home. Harry occasionally glanced at Ginny. Why was she ignoring him? She hadn't even said hello.

Harry waited the whole night before he had a chance to speak with Ginny alone. Ginny had announced that she was tired and wanted to get to bed. The other Weasleys had looked disappointed that they hadn't been able to get any sort of information out of her, but they let her go, continuing with their late night dinner.

Harry followed Ginny upstairs. "Gin..."

Ginny spun around. "Harry?"

"Er... are you really alright?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I am," Ginny replied, surprisingly coldly.

"It.. I... um... I missed you," Harry said.

"Yeah," Ginny replied. She looked confused and maybe a little frightened.

Harry stepped closer to Ginny. "It... this... well, all of this made me realize how much I... miss you. And, I, um, you know."

Ginny stared at Harry. "No. I don't."

Harry sighed. "I realized how easily I could lose you and that you wouldn't be any less safe if we did, you know, go out."

"Mmm-hmm," Ginny said.

Harry scowled. Why was Ginny being so difficult? "Ginny, I... I think I love you."

Something in Ginny's face gave. "Harry..." She took a step forward and hugged Harry tightly. "I missed you, too."

Harry looked into Ginny's eyes and pulled her into a kiss.

Harry felt his heart glow and his whole self brighten. He'd never realized how much he'd loved Ginny before..."

"No."

Ginny pulled away. She looked startled. Maybe even scared.

"Ginny?" Harry questioned, looking hurt.

Ginny sputtered out, "Harry, I... I'm sorry. I just don't... I can't... I'm not... in love with you.

Harry felt like he was going to throw up. "Ginny, I..."

"I'm really sorry, Harry." With that, Ginny fled to her room, shutting the door behind her.

Harry stood there, completely shocked and incredibly hurt. Ginny didn't love him? Why? What did he do?

"Something about her's changed."

Harry spun around to see Bill on the top step on the stairs. "I've always known her better than the rest of my brothers do. I can tell something's bothering her. But, I don't know what."

Harry bowed his head. "Neither do I."

That night, Harry did not sleep very well.