The Dementors' Kiss

The Great Hall on Sunday morning was a largely subdued sight. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses had celebrated long into the night, and Slytherin were sparsely represented, though no one really cared enough to find out why.

Ron and Hermione were, as ever, sitting happily together, reading the Daily Prophet. Fred and George had bags under their eyes and wide smiles on their faces. The three Weasleys tried to distract Hermione long enough for one of them to get hold of the Prophet and read the match report, but so far she'd managed to twist to just the right positions to avoid losing control of the paper. She hummed quietly to herself as she placed an elbow, apparently accidentally, on Fred's hand. She glanced over the top of the paper, and froze, allowing George to snatch the paper from her hands.

"Aha!" he said. "Here we are. "'Tie In Hogwarts Quidditch Cu-' What is it Fred?" he asked, as his twin jabbed him in the ribs.

Then he too looked up. And saw. Harry and Ginny had come down to breakfast together, grinning madly and holding hands as they walked into the Great Hall.

"No-" Fred said.

"-way," George finished.

"Not Ginny. No way Ginny. She's only fifteen!" Fred stammered.

"You'd rather she went out with someone in Slytherin?" Ron asked, quietly. "Or what about Justin from Hufflepuff?"

"No way," George said, looking from his sister to his youngest brother. "But are you saying you think it's a good idea?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't think we've got much of a choice," he said. "Do you want to tell Ginny who she can and can't date? I mean, go ahead, by all means, but just let me find somewhere to shelter, yeah?"

Fred and George looked at each other, and grimaced. "Yeah, okay, fair point. Besides, Mum'll be made up when we tell her," Fred began. Hermione shook her head.

"Don't," she said. "That's one thing Ginny'll have to tell your parents herself."

George looked at Fred and pouted. "Ginny's got a boyfriend, we can't say anything, we can't tell Mum, we can't beat him up. . ."

Fred nodded. "I don't know what the world is coming to. We can still tease her, right?"

George brightened. "Yeah, we can do that. Him too.

Grinning, the twins stood up and walked over to where Harry and Ginny were sitting, holding hands. Harry was absently pouring sugar over his bacon and eggs.

"That wasn't very nice, Ron," Hermione said, half disapprovingly.

"Harry'd have to face them sometime," Ron said, with a small grin. "Besides, would you have let me do anything to him?"

"Of course not."

"Well, I had to do something. She's my sister!"

Picking up the paper, he turned to the Quidditch article, smiling slightly.

*

Harry and Ginny escaped the twins and fled the Great Hall. A long, lazy Sunday lay ahead of them, blessedly free of the homework that the teachers knew wouldn't have been done on a Quidditch weekend.

Hand in hand, they made their way to the main doors, intending to visit Hagrid. Suddenly, Ginny froze.

"What is it?" Harry said, his senses tingling as he sought whatever it was that had made her stop. He looked around frantically, not feeling the icy coldness that signalled a Dementor, but not knowing what else could make Ginny react like this.

"It's Percy," she whispered, looking for all the world like the worst thing she could imagine had happened.

"Percy? But. . . Oh, he said he was doing an open day

"Of course not," she said, smiling in spite of herself. "But this really wasn't how I wanted Mum and Dad to find out. I mean, can you imagine how Percy will make it sound? 'Gallivanting around with Harry instead of doing her work. . . Up until all hours. . .'" She shuddered. Harry grinned, evilly.

"You need to give your parents more credit," he said. "Besides, didn't you find Percy with Penelope one day?"

Ginny's expression slowly turned from one of anxiety to one of mischievous glee. She glanced out of the main doors, to where Percy was strolling with Professor Flitwick. "I'd forgotten that. Well, so would you if you'd seen it. Harry, you're just amazing, you know that?"

He brushed his fingers through her hair, tracing the line of her cheek and making her giggle. It was a sound he found endlessly appealing. "You're not too bad yourself," he replied.

*

"Perce," Ginny cried, running forward and launching herself at her older brother. No longer the slight figure she'd been on arriving at Hogwarts, Ginny was now a growing teenager, and the assault sent Percy sprawling backwards on the grass with a very undignified "Ough!"

"It's so great to see you!" she continued, squeezing her brother tightly, while Professor Flitwick laughed. Harry arrived while Percy was struggling to extricate himself from his sister's grip, and in no fit state to do much of anything. Professor Flitwick departed with a wave, laughing all the way back up to the school.

"Harry, I'm sorry to go running off like that, but. . ."

"That's all right Gin," he said, reaching for her hand. Pulling her up, he held on to her, and offered his free hand to Percy. The elder Weasley stood slowly, his glasses knocked askew.

"Uhhh. . ." he managed, then smiled. "It's good to see you as well, of course, Ginny. And you, Harry. I do hope you'll be coming along to the Open Day tomorrow?" he said, the capital letters dropping neatly into place.

"Wouldn't miss it," Ginny said, squeezing Harry's hand. Percy frowned slightly.

"Ginny. . ." he said, looking at her quizzically. "Did you do something to your hair?"

Harry stifled a laugh, managing to turn it into a cough, while Ginny replied "Just a new way of brushing it."

"Oh, well, it suits you. Makes you look more mature," Percy replied, looking at Harry a little worriedly. "That's a nasty cough, Harry, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm all right, Percy, thank you," Harry said, gesturing accidentally with the hand holding Ginny's. Percy finally seemed to catch on, at least his eyes widened a little, before sliding from Harry to Ginny, but then he shook his head.

"I understand the match yesterday was quite entertaining," he said.

Soon the three were walking happily through the Hogwarts grounds, chatting about Quidditch, the Weasley family, and old times at the school. Percy was greeted loudly by his brothers upon arriving at the table for lunch, and the grin he sported for much of the meal was very undignified and made him look much more like a typical Weasley. After the meal, Harry commented on the change to George, who looked at him as though sizing him up. Leading him a little way away from the others, he leaned in close. Harry was struck by how strange it was to talk to just one twin rather than both of them, and he could feel the shift in mood it brought.

"The thing is, Harry," George began, checking all the while to see they couldn't be overheard, "Percy, Dad, Bill and Charlie have all been working against Voldemort from their jobs. Charlie and Bill are really just supplying any information they hear out in Egypt and Romania, but Perce and Dad. . . Well, they've been working from inside the Ministry all the last year. It's a big risk if they're caught, but they both think it's worth it."

"So the Ministry really isn't doing much?" Harry asked, his chest feeling tight.

"Not as much as they should. But Dad won't say much. He's told us to stay out of trouble this year, try and make sure there's no reason for anyone to look too closely at the family for any reason, in case they notice anything different."

"That's why you stopped Ron from attacking Malfoy back in Diagon Alley during the summer," Harry said suddenly. "And he's not been letting Snape and Malfoy wind him up like he usually does."

George nodded silently, and Harry wondered about how hard it must have been for Ron. Every scathing comment from Snape, every snide remark from Malfoy. . . Still, Hermione seemed to like his newfound 'maturity' so maybe his friend wasn't suffering as much as he might have been. He realised that, for Percy, today was something of a holiday, free from the stresses of his job and the almost double life he was leading as a member of both the Ministry and Dumbledore's private network. It was a pleasure to be around the Weasleys when they were at their most boisterous. Harry looked over at Ginny and grinned. Perhaps now he'd be around them a bit more often.