Darkness Falls

Darkness Falls

Act 9

World Cup Blues

INT. MINISTRY OF MAGIC - TRAINING CHAMBER

Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the Auror training chamber early the next morning. They are tired and weary from the long night before.

Tonks and Kingsley are waiting for them.

KINGSLEY

Congratulations on the completion

of your first year of training!

(pause)

You have surpassed our

expectations so far, but I have to

warn you, this next year will be

twice as hard. While your first

year was spent mostly in the

classroom, this next year, you

will see your first field work,

longer exercises, and even more

classroom studies.

Harry looks on impassively, while Hermione smiles in anticipation. Ron on the other hand, frowns slightly, but tries to hide it.

KINGSLEY (CONT'D)

Tonks has been asked to join us as

a permanent instructor for the

remainder of your training, and

has accepted the position.

Harry grins as Tonks winks at him.

KINGSLEY (CONT'D)

Also, the ministry has accepted a

new trainee into the Auror program,

and she will be training alongside

you.

Harry glances at Ron and Hermione, who shrug. Tonks nods behind them.

TONKS

Ginny Weasley.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione glance at each other in surprise, and turn to see Ginny standing behind them.

GINNY

Hi guys.

INT. MINISTRY OF MAGIC - CAFETERIA

Harry is eating by himself in the Ministry of Magic cafeteria, as Ginny Weasley walks up and sits down next to him.

GINNY

This is so exciting! Working

alongside you, and Ron, and

Hermione!

Harry continues to eat, unexcited at the thought of yet another thing to worry about.

HARRY

Yeah.

GINNY

(hurt)

You don't seem too excited about it.

HARRY

It's not that, it's just...why did

you choose to be an Auror?

Ginny takes a bite of food.

GINNY

That's a silly question! To fight

Voldemort of course!

HARRY

Oh. I guess.

GINNY

You think I'd do this just for

kicks?

HARRY

Well, don't take this the wrong way

Ginny, but you didn't come here

just to be near me, did you?

A look crosses Ginny's face that Harry instantly recognizes. It's the same look that Harry has seen on Molly Weasley's face dozens of times, whenever one of her children has crossed her.

Harry panics and begins to stammer.

HARRY

I mean...um...you never...er...

said anything about being an Auror

back at Hogwarts.

Ginny smiles and shakes her head, as Harry blushes in embarrassment.

GINNY

A little bit conceited, aren't you?

(pause)

Actually it was Professor McGonagall

who suggested it. She said I had

all of the right attributes to make

a great Auror.

HARRY

(nods)

You do, now that I think of it. I

mean, no one would ever suspect you

were an Auror. And you were always

the best at Defense Against the Dark

Arts.

GINNY

Better than everyone except you

maybe.

HARRY

I don't know about that.

GINNY

I do Harry. Stop being so modest

all the time. You're the strongest

wizard I've ever met, except for

Dumbledore of course.

HARRY

(grins)

So I'm conceited and modest am I?

GINNY

(grins)

And the most confounding boy I've

ever met.

They look up as Ron plops his books down on the table.

RON

There you two are! We've been

looking everywhere for you!

HARRY

What's up?

RON

Hermione's just had this really

brilliant idea!

Hermione flushes in embarrassment at Ron's compliment.

GINNY

What is it?

HERMIONE

Well, I was thinking, that since we

are going to be working together,

that it would probably be easier on

you if you lived closer to Ministry

Headquarters.

GINNY

That sounds okay I guess, but it

only takes a few seconds to

apparate, so it's not really that

big an inconvenience.

RON

You're not listening Ginny! We're

asking you to move in with us!

HERMIONE

Well, technically it's Harry's

house, so it would be up to him of

course.

All eyes turn toward Harry.

Hermione watches him shrewdly, while Ron is grinning from ear to ear, as if he knows the outcome already.

Ginny watches him, blushing bright red, and smiling slightly, as hope builds in her eyes.

HARRY

I guess we do have the room.

They hold their breath as Harry considers. Finally, he nods.

HARRY (CONT'D)

I think it's a great idea.

Ron and Hermione cheer.

RON

Yes!

Harry shakes Ginny's hand.

HARRY

Welcome to the flat!

Ron and Hermione begin eating, joking and laughing between mouthfuls.

Harry leans over to whisper to Ginny.

HARRY (CONT'D)

You know, you still didn't answer

my question.

GINNY

(grins)

Didn't I?

INT. GRYFFINDOR'S FLAT - LIVING ROOM

Harry, Ron, and Hermione are relaxing in the living room of their flat, after a hard day's work.

Neville and Luna, who are staying for the summer, are relaxing on one of the room's sofas, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Hermione is sitting on the other sofa reading Aurors through the ages, while Ron lies asleep next to her, with his head resting in her lap.

Harry is lying on the living room floor watching the Muggle evening news on the television. The news finishes and Harry stands to walk into the kitchen. He turns off the TV as he walks by.

HARRY

Still nothing in the Muggle news.

HERMIONE

I didn't really expect there to be.

Not until Voldemort is ready to

declare open war.

HARRY

Which Dumbledore thinks will be

soon.

NEVILLE

Yeah. That raid on Hogwarts was

just the first step.

Ron nestles up to Hermione, and opens one eye.

RON

Any idea why they were after Ginny?

HARRY

She still can't remember anything.

(pause)

And I don't want to push her. She's

been through enough.

RON

Fair enough mate. But what do you

think happened?

HARRY

(shrugs)

I think they were after some new

weapon.

HERMIONE

I guess that sounds reasonable.

They are interrupted by a loud BANG in the kitchen.

Ginny Weasley walks out, dragging her trunk behind her with one hand, and carrying a comet 260 broomstick in the other.

HARRY

So, any trouble with your parents?

A guilty looks crosses Ginny's face.

GINNY

Well, Mum cried like crazy, but

they both seemed to think it was a

good idea.

Ron sits up on the couch.

RON

Yeah. Mum cried for a month when I

moved out last year.

Hermione stands and walks over to Ginny, looking reprovingly at Ron and Harry.

HERMIONE

Since neither Ron nor Harry seem

to have any manners...

(pause)

Let me show you to your room.

She picks up the other end of the trunk and they head towards Ginny's bedroom.

Ron looks over at Harry and frowns worriedly.

RON

Are you sure this was a good idea?

Having three women in the house at

the same time?

HARRY

(grins)

It wasn't my idea Ron.

RON

(frowns)

I thought you'd say that.

He lies back down on the couch.

EXT. GRYFFINDOR'S FLAT - BACK YARD - SUNRISE

Ginny looks around tiredly as she mounts her broomstick early the next morning. Ron and Hermione sit next to her on their broomsticks.

GINNY

Do you always fly to work?

HERMIONE

(quietly)

We do it for Harry. Since he gave

up Quidditch to train as an Auror.

RON

We could let him fly by himself...

HERMIONE

We're a team Ron. If one of us

flies, we all fly.

RON

That's what I was about to say!

Like I'd let him fly alone! What

kind of git do you think I am?

Harry joins the others in the back yard.

Ginny leans in close to Harry as he climbs onto his broomstick.

GINNY

Don't they ever stop arguing?

HARRY

(shakes his head)

Not since I've known them.

GINNY

Oh. I thought it was just me.

Harry positions himself on his broomstick.

HARRY

Ready?

The others nod, and Harry kicks off the ground. He zooms up into the sky followed by his friends.

INT. MINISTRY OF MAGIC - AUROR TRAINING CHAMBER

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sit at a table, pouring through stacks of books, and writing occasionally on scrolls of parchment.

Ginny is in another corner of the room, working with Tonks and Kingsley.

FADE TO:

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sit at the lunch table, joking as they eat.

Ron and Hermione hold hands occasionally, in a sort of unconscious show of affection, of the sort that couples who have been together a long time often show.

Harry and Ginny keep their hands to themselves however, unsure of how they should act.

INT. GRYFFINDOR'S FLAT - KITCHEN

Luna, Ginny, and Hermione sit around the table in the kitchen of their flat, planning Neville and Luna's wedding.

Harry, Ron, and Neville enter the room, dressed for a guy's night out on the town.

Neville kisses Luna on the cheek as he passes, while Ron whispers something in Hermione's ear, causing her to blush.

Ginny waits expectantly for Harry, but he follows Ron and Neville out the door, without a word. She turns back to the books on the table, disappointed.

Harry sticks his head back into the kitchen to wave to Ginny, but stops when none of the girls look up. He shrugs and leaves, disappointed.

EXT. ENGLAND - QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP STADIUM - NIGHT

Harry and friends sit with the Weasley family in the Minister of Magic's box at the Quidditch World Cup Stadium, as the World Cup finals take place.

England is locked in a fierce battle with the heavily underdog American team.

The crowd cheers excitedly as one of England's Chasers scores, giving his team a twenty-point lead.

The crowd jumps to its feet, and roars in excitement, as the two team's Seekers suddenly rocket towards the other side of the stadium.

The Seekers twist and turn through the air and weave their way through the stadium as they chase after the Golden Snitch.

The crowd erupts as England's seeker catches the snitch, narrowly edging out the American seeker.

Everyone in the Minister's box jumps for joy and embrace excitedly, except for Harry, who stands by silently, with a look of longing on his face.

Ginny watches him, full of concern.

EXT. ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE - WIZARD ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

Harry wanders through the vast area of wizard tents, lost in thought. Music echoes through the night as England celebrates its World cup victory. He does not see Ginny approach from behind.

GINNY

Hey.

He looks over at her and smiles.

HARRY

Hey.

GINNY

That was a great match wasn't it?

HARRY

(nods)

Yeah. It was a lot closer than I

thought it would be.

Harry nods toward a former classmate as he and Ginny continue to walk.

GINNY

That English seeker...what's her

name?

HARRY

Hawking.

GINNY

Yeah, Hawking. She's really good.

HARRY

Yeah. The American...Singleton...

she was pretty good too. There

were a couple of times I thought

she was going to catch the snitch.

GINNY

Yeah.

They continue walking. Ginny breaks the silence after several seconds.

GINNY (CONT'D)

Harry? Is anything the matter?

HARRY

No. Everything's fine.

Several LOUD BANGS sound nearby. Harry jumps in alarm, and pulls his wand out immediately.

Ginny looks at him quizzically.

GINNY

It was only fireworks!

HARRY

(nervous)

I know.

Ginny's eyes narrow in suspicion.

GINNY

But you were expecting something

else.

(pause)

Weren't you?

Harry looks at her for several seconds before he finally nods.

HARRY

Yeah.

GINNY

Why did you really give up playing

Quidditch?

Harry looks away.

GINNY (CONT'D)

You can't fool me Harry. I can tell

when you're hiding something.

HARRY

Voldemort...he threatened to show

up at my matches and destroy the

stadium during the game...unless I

quit playing.

GINNY

Are you sure it was him? And not

just some crazed fan?

HARRY

It was him. He knew things...things

I've never told anyone. Things only

he would know.

GINNY

But why would he try to stop you

from playing Quidditch?

HARRY

(shrugs)

To make me suffer.

(pause)

To take away something I love.

GINNY

I'm sorry Harry. I didn't know.

She steps in front of him and takes both his hands in hers.

GINNY (CONT'D)

But you don't have to be alone all

of the time. You have Ron...and

Hermione.

(pause)

And you have me.

Harry nods reluctantly, completely missing the point.

HARRY

I guess.

A look of sadness crosses Ginny's face for the briefest of seconds, before she quickly hides it. She lets go of Harry's hands and smiles reassuringly.

GINNY

C'mon. Let's get back to the

others before they send out a

search party.

They begin walking back toward the Weasley's tents.