The Temple of Le Fay

The four of them spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling over Dedalus Diggle and his dramatic entrance and exit from their lives. Harry finally remembered where he had met the short wizard, in the Leaky Cauldron when he was shopping with Hagrid before his first year. Passing the back wall of the pub in Diagon Alley, Harry stared for a long time, wondering if Dedalus was perhaps inside, his wounds treated and his story being retold. Was that where his Apparation had nearly taken him to?

Ron had another theory.

"Listen, he was an Auror, right? Maybe he was doing some work for the Ministry again. They must be a bit shorthanded if they're sending people to Hogwarts this year."

"Maybe," Hermione said. "Dedalus might have been attacked by Voldemort's forces. Even if they've stopped attacking big targets, they've still been attacking homes. Do you remember what Lavender said? Eloise Midgen's home was attacked a couple of days before Harry's birthday. Eloise said that there were wizards waiting for the ones who attacked. Do you think the Ministry would put people on the look out for things like that? They're trying very hard to pretend nothing unusual is happening. They didn't make any response to the second Hogsmeade attack, and there weren't any Aurors there the second time. The attack at Christmas was supposed to have been foiled by some Aurors who were shopping in Hogsmeade, but ever since then, the Ministry has been trying to sweep it all under the carpet."

Harry, Ron and Ginny all blinked several times as Hermione paused to draw breath. As usual, when Hermione had something on her mind, she spoke quickly and without pause. Slowly, Ron worked his way through what she had said.

"Okay, I have no idea what you just said," he declared eventually.

Hermione looked a touch exasperated, but nodded.

"Okay, the Ministry won't sanction any action regarding Voldemort. Anything involving his forces isn't really to do with him, and if the Ministry intervenes they don't own up to it. So for several wizards who are powerful enough to fight Death Eaters, or even just to fight wizards who have gone bad, well, for them to have been at Eloise Midgen's house on the night it was attacked points to two things. Either the Ministry is really fighting Voldemort in secret-"

"Or someone else is," Ginny finished for her. Hermione nodded.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"I think so," Hermione said. "Percy and Mr Weasley must be telling someone the information they're getting out of the Ministry."

Harry looked around, feeling very glad for the Privacy Charm that Hermione had cast around their table in the restaurant.

"And we know that Dumbledore was great mates with Mad Eye Moody," Ron said, slowly.

"And Eloise reckons he was one of the ones who saved her family," Hermione said.

"And it's all being done in secret?" Harry said.

"It must be," Ginny replied. "We haven't heard a word about this, and we've been around Percy and dad all summer. We knew they were getting information, but we never knew what they were doing with it."

"Never really thought about it," Ron said, blushing slightly. "Sometimes mum has this way of saying we shouldn't nose into stuff, so we don't."

"Maybe she's put you under the Imperius curse," Harry said with a grin. Hermione looked scandalised.

"Harry! You shouldn't say things like that, not even as a joke."

"It's okay," Ron said quietly. "No, it's not that kind of thing, it's just you can tell when mum gets really worried about stuff."

"And she's really worried about Percy and dad. Bill and Charlie too," Ginny said, staring unhappily out of the window.

"She hasn't shown it," Harry said, wishing he could help Mrs Weasley.

"You need to have been around her your whole life," Ron said. "I mean, don't get me wrong mate, you're family and all. . . But this is a Weasley thing. You shouldn't worry about it. You've got enough on your plate."

"Of course we're worried," Hermione said, speaking for herself and Harry. "Maybe we don't know your mum as well as you do, but she's still really special to us. If there's anything we can do to help, we will, you know that? Not just her, or you two, but any of your family."

Harry nodded his assent. Ron sagged in his chair, and when he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse.

"You two are the best mates anyone could have, you know that?" he said.

*

Harry and Ginny took their leave shortly afterwards. Harry had promised that they would be back at the Burrow by nine o'clock, and he wanted the two couples to have as much of the time as possible to themselves. He and Ginny walked silently through the thinning throng of wizards and witches who were winding up their day of shopping. The sign hanging on the door of Quality Quidditch Supplies turned itself from Open to Closed as they passed.

"Where are we going?" Ginny asked, as Harry guided her down a small alleyway.

"You'll see," he replied, smiling in the darkness. "Fred reckons you never got to come here when you were kids. He reckons you always wanted to see different films."

"We're going to the cinema?" Ginny asked, her voice rising a notch.

"Yep. We're going to see one of my favourite films. I saw it at the Dursleys a couple of years ago when they went off for Dudley's birthday."

"What's it called?"

"The Princess Bride."

"I like it."

"You've seen it?"

"No, but if the Princess gets married, it has to be good."

Harry grinned again. "We'll see."

*

The film over, they hurried out of the cinema, chattering merrily about giants, finest swordsmen, six fingered men and True Love. Ginny glanced at her watch, and then looked again, gasping.

"We've got fifteen minutes to get back home, or mum will have a fit." She grabbed Harry's hand, and started running.

"Thank goodness George and Fred took our stuff with them," she panted, as they dodged around two elderly witches.

They dashed back towards the Leaky Cauldron, twisting and turning through the complicated network of streets and alleyways that honeycombed the densely packed wizarding area of London.

They slammed into the Leaky Cauldron with a minute to spare, and pulled up in dismay at the sight of several people all queuing to use the fireplace.

"Harry, over here."

Harry turned, and smiled as he recognised Cho Chang standing by a much smaller fireplace. She was with a dark skinned boy Harry vaguely recognised as another member of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"Hi Cho," he said, walking over to her with a smile.

"You wanted to use the fire?" she asked, nodding at the queue. "We've got a fireplace here. The barman said we could use it, as we don't have any bags with us."

Harry glanced at the queue. Sure enough, each member was heavily laden with shopping, whereas Cho and her friend were empty handed.

Almost, Harry thought. She's holding hands with him.

"Ginny," the boy said, nodding at Ginny.

"Michael," Ginny replied, neutrally. Harry glanced at her, but her face showed no emotion.

"Listen, do you have to get back?" Cho asked. "We don't mind if you go ahead of us, do we?" she asked Michael. He shook his head, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it.

"No," that's fine," he said. "I wanted to say goodnight. . ."

Harry felt a shiver run down his spine. What Michael had said reminded him of Cedric Diggory. Cedric had said almost the exact same thing the night of the Yule Ball, two years before.

"That's really good of you," Harry said. "Ginny's mum will have a fit if we get home late."

"My mum's the same," Cho said, with a sympathetic grin at Ginny. "Well, you'd best be off. See you in a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, see you," Harry said. Ginny nodded to the two Ravenclaws as she and Harry took their pinches of Floo Powder. She stepped into the magical flames, threw her powder, and vanished with a bark of "The Burrow!"

"Well, bye," Harry said, glancing at Cho and Michael, who didn't seem to be listening. They certainly looked busy enough.

"The Burrow!" he yelled, throwing down his powder, and taking a deep breath. He endured the familiar spinning sensation, throwing out his arms when he saw a cluster of red heads sat around a familiar looking table.

He staggered out of the flames, grabbing Hermione's hand to stop himself going over. He shared a Muggle-raised smile with his friend as she pulled him upright, the Weasley family barely even noticing his arrival. Mr Weasley didn't even look up from his paper, but said, "Five minutes late, Harry."

"Er, yes sir," Harry stammered. "We bumped into some friends and-"

"Just as well I put the clock back by seven minutes, isn't it?" Mr Weasley said with a wink. Harry grinned, and walked into the kitchen to hang up his cloak.

"Harry dear, and right on time, too," Mrs Weasley said. "Here are, dear, give me your cloak. There's tea in the pot. Ginny's getting herself a cup now."

Harry handed over his cloak, and watched Molly bustle off into the front room, leaving him and Ginny alone.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as she sipped her tea.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed a bit. . . I don't know, off centre at the Leaky Cauldron? Do you know that Michael bloke?"

She stared into her cup for a long moment.

"His name is Michael Corner," she said. "We used to go out."

Harry sat down. "I didn't know that," he said, pouring himself some tea. The spout of the teapot rattled slightly against the lip of the cup. He stared carefully at the cup, careful not to look up in case he did something he might regret.

"Well, we didn't really go out. Not like you and I do," she said. "We met at the Yule Ball, when I went with Neville. He's in Ravenclaw, so I didn't know him, and when he asked me to dance, well, I thought it might be nice to have one dance with someone who wouldn't tread on my toes- It's not funny!"

"Sorry," Harry said, hiding a grin behind the rim of his cup.

"Anyway, he was nice, and we talked a lot that night. The next day he sent me a rose from the gardens and asked if I wanted to go to Hogsmeade with him. I asked Hermione, and she suggested that we went as a group of friends, so we did. Michael and I, Cho and Cedric, and a lot of others went together.

"We met occasionally after that, and he didn't push, but after Easter he asked me out again. We went out a few times, but I just didn't like him as a boyfriend, so I broke up with him. He didn't take it very well."

Harry looked concerned, but Ginny waved at him to let her finish.

"He wasn't nasty or anything, but he was a bit rude, and he said he didn't want to be friends with me, so I didn't speak to him again after that."

"Well, I can't really say that I'm sorry that he didn't measure up as a boyfriend," Harry said, taking her hand and squeezing it. "Does Ron know?" he asked. Ginny snorted.

"Ron wasn't exactly ecstatic when I started seeing you, remember? That was a year later."

"That's what I thought," Harry replied. "He told Dean you were too young to start dating last summer."

"He didn't! Dean Thomas? I don't believe him!"

"Okay, so Michael Corner wasn't boyfriend material, but apparently Dean Thomas is?" Harry laughed, but felt a faint twinge of jealousy.

Ginny smiled ruefully.

"Okay, fine, when I was having one of my Get-Over-Harry-Potter spells, I did wonder what Dean would be like to go out with. He's an artist, and he's always so polite-"

"I'm polite!"

"-and he just has the nicest eyes. . ." Ginny trailed off, her own eyes sparkling. Harry smiled.

"Well, if you do dump me for my room mate, then I'm bound by the rules of friendship to tell him all about you."

"Oh yes?" Ginny smiled.

"Yeah, like how you snore when you sleep. . ."

"How would you know? You've never slept in the same room as me. And I don't snore."

Harry grinned. "I'd have to tell him where you're ticklish, too."

"You don't know where I'm ticklish."

"Sure I do. George told me."

With that, he dived at her, fingers wriggling as they made contact with her stomach. She squealed, and toppled off her chair, and he fell on top of her, the resulting laughter, screams and yells fully drowning out the noise that Fred and George were making in the sitting room.

Harry and Ginny grappled for a few more seconds until they ran out of breath. They grinned madly at one another, their gazes locked together. Harry felt his heart skip as he stared into Ginny's bright brown eyes.

Then Mrs Weasley coughed.

"Bit of an accident, dears?" she asked, grabbing the back of Harry's collar and pulling him easily to his feet. He watched Mr Weasley helping Ginny to her feet, her cheeks a furnace red colour. He tried to avoid Mrs Weasley's eye, and caught sight of Charlie, Ron, Fred and George all crying silently with laughter as they struggled to stay on their feet in the narrow hallway. Behind them stood Hermione, the look on her face a typically knowing one as she looked from Harry to Ginny and back again.

*

Ron and Hermione chose a moonlit walk over spending more time around Charlie and the twins. Mrs Weasley had politely suggested that Ginny and Harry tell the family all about their day in Diagon Alley and, as Ron put it, "A polite suggestion from mum is like a signed order from the Minister for Magic."

The couple walked hand in hand by the side of the river. They were silent, merely enjoying each others presence after their hectic day.

"Harry says Cho Chang has a new boyfriend," Hermione said eventually. "Another Ravenclaw called Michael Corner."

Ron Hmmm'd non-comittaly.

"Do you know him at all? I think he's on their Quidditch team."

"Other than that he went out with Ginny a few times? No."

Hermione stopped in mid step, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

"You knew about that?"

Ron nodded coolly. "She told me. We were discussing Harry one day a couple of months ago, and she let slip that he wasn't the first bloke she'd been out with. She made me promise not to talk about it, because she wasn't sure how Harry would react."

"Did Fred and George know?"

Ron shook his head. "No. No point in giving this Corner bloke hassle when nothing happened."

"You don't mind that she was seeing someone and didn't tell you?"

Ron shook his head. "No, she's her own person. I realised that. Eventually. Besides, it was probably a good thing," he said.

"A good thing?"

"Yep. Ginny needed to get over Harry."

"And you think that dating Michael Corner was a good way for her to do that?"

"Yep."

"You didn't feel this way this time last year," Hermione pointed out.

"You mean when I warned off Dean?"

Hermione nodded. Ron sat down, and trailed his hand in the river.

"Well, Dean. . . I just didn't like the idea of my roommate dating my sister. It'd be like, every time I saw him, I'd be wondering whether they'd just been snogging. So I told him that she was too young, and I brought Fred and George into the conversation. Dean scarpered pretty sharpish."

"So it was one part concerned big brother-"

"And one part over-concerned big brother. Yeah." Ron grinned. "Still, I reckon you and my little sister cured me of that last year. Besides, Dean's happy enough now. Did you hear who he's going out with now?"

"No. Who?"

"Hannah Abbott."

"That's nice," Hermione said. "It's good that people have someone to go to when they need to be, well, themselves."

Ron grinned. "So I can be horrible and insensitive and overprotective and rude and you'll still like me?"

"I will, if you like me when I'm bossy and overbearing and argumentative and keep bothering you about homework."

Ron shook his hand dry, and twined his fingers with Hermione's.

"I wouldn't have you any other way."

*

Harry and Ginny eventually escaped the close watch of the Weasleys and were sitting under an old oak tree behind the house. Harry had his arms around Ginny, and was laughing quietly about their earlier embarrassment.

The two settled into silence for a time, until Ginny spoke up.

"Harry," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "Do you mind that I dated someone before you?"

Harry blinked. "Mind? Why would I mind?"

"Well, I don't know."

Harry paused, absently hugging Ginny a little tighter as he thought.

"I was a little surprised," he said at length. "It didn't really occur to me that you might have dated someone before me, but there's no reason why you shouldn't have. It doesn't bother me at all."

Ginny sat quietly, and Harry assumed that the matter was closed. Then she spoke up again.

"Does it bother you that he's dating Cho Chang now?"

"No," Harry said immediately. "Look, I know that pretty much everyone knew that I liked Cho, I mean, I never made it that big a secret, and asking her to the Yule Ball in front of all her mates didn't exactly help, but after. . ." His voice tailed off. Even after more than a year, it was still painful to talk about Cedric Diggory's death.

"After the final task, I couldn't look at her the same way," he said. "I think I just realised that whatever I felt for her was because she was pretty, and she was nice to me. I didn't really know her, and after everything that happened, I couldn't really see a way to get to know her very well. Maybe I'll get the chance this year."

"I think she'd like that," Ginny said. "She's really nice."

"So are you," Harry said. They sat in silence for a while longer. This time it was Harry who broke it.

"Would you really try out for the Quidditch team this year?" he asked.

"I would, but I don't have a broom," she said. "I suppose I could try and get Fred or George to lend me theirs, but they'd probably say they need them to go see Angelina or whoever George starts dating next."

Harry thought for a few minutes in silence, then stood up.

"I'll be back in a minute, okay?"

He went into the house. Ginny watched him through the kitchen window, first dipping into the front room, then leading Fred, George and Charlie up the stairs. A few minutes later they returned, all trooping out of the house. They gathered around Ginny, looking very serious for a second.

"Harry says you might try out for the team this year," Charlie said seriously.

"You realise that there'd be a lot of pressure on you?" Fred asked.

"The Weasley name is a proud name when it comes to Hogwarts Quidditch," George said. "Four players, five Quidditch Cups. You'd have to be good."

Ginny nodded silently, staring upwards at the four stern faces from where she was sitting at the foot of the tree.

"In that case, you'd best take this," Harry said, laying something at her feet.

Ginny looked down, her eyes tracing the graceful lines, the polished handle, the finely tuned bristles of Harry's Firebolt.

"What. . ?"

"We're going to judge you," Fred said. "Ron too, when he gets here. If we think you're good enough, we'll all chip in some money and get you a decent broom, okay?"

Ginny blinked. "Really?"

"Really," Harry grinned. "I'd say 'happy anniversary' but I don't think that this is going to be a very fond memory."

"Too right," Fred said sternly. "You'll have to be very good, Miss Weasley. Now, what position do you play?"

"Chaser," Ginny said automatically.

"Good choice," George nodded, sharing a glance with his brothers. "No legacy to live up to."

"What's going on?" Ron and Hermione had returned from their walk and joined the crowd around Ginny. Charlie filled them in on the terms of the agreement.

"How are we going to test her?" Ron asked, immediately becoming as intense as his brothers were now that Quidditch was being discussed.

"Well, if she wants to be a Chaser, she'll need to be able to avoid Bludgers and tackles, and still be able to shoot goals as well," George said.

"Excuse me," Ginny said, standing up. "I have a name."

"Yeah. Candidate Weasley," Fred said dismissively. "Now be quiet a minute, Ginny. We have to decide how we'll do this."

"Is this how you treat everyone who tries out?" Ginny hissed at Harry. He shrugged.

"No. Is it how they treat you normally?"

Ginny's mouth drew into a thin, tight line, her jaw set firm and determined. She glared at her brothers, and Harry suspected she was taking a private vow to pay them back for belittling her.

*

In the end, Ron suggested an obstacle course set up by Charlie, Fred and George, all of whom were of age and so could use magic. The course was set up in the orchard, and Ginny was sitting nervously on the Firebolt at the start, a Quaffle in her hand. Along the way, Ron, Charlie, Fred and George were lined up on their brooms, while Harry and Hermione sat at the end of the course, hovering on Bill's ancient Cleansweep Three. Harry was holding a hoop the size of a goal ring in his hand, while Hermione sported a whistle and stopwatch. Nodding at Ron, she raised the whistle to her lips, and blew.

Ginny accelerated forwards. Harry squinted hard to try and make out her expression, but her face gave nothing away. She twisted the Firebolt easily through the dense thicket of apple trees that made up the first part of her course, not once touching any of them. With a burst of acceleration, she swung up and over Charlie's trap, a fiery lasso that for a second seemed certain to ensnare her. Harry and Hermione gasped at the same instant, and relaxed only slightly as Ginny moved towards Fred.

Fred was struggling to hold onto a Bludger that Charlie had enchanted for the challenge. As Ginny neared, he released it and swung his Beater bat at it, connecting with skill born of years of practise. The Bludger flew directly at Ginny who for an instant slowed, and then threw herself flat backwards on her broom, the Bludger passing harmlessly over her.

In an instant Ginny was upright once more and speeding toward George, who was holding what looked like a length of steel pipe. He swung directly at Ginny, but his sister tucked herself around the Quaffle and grabbed the pipe as George halted his swing. She whirled around the pipe, pivoting on it so that she came out of the spin pointing at George, who had barely a second to react.

But react he did, dropping the pipe and throwing himself sideways on his broom, one leg hooked around the handle so that he ended up hanging upside down, unable to haul himself back upright. Ginny sped onwards towards Harry and Hermione, her expression intent on the hoop.

It was at that moment that Ron dropped smoothly into her path, his expression neutral as he placed himself just in front of Harry's hoop. A scowl flickered across Ginny's features as she swerved to avoid her brother, but she swiftly turned back on the offensive, feinting left before twisting into a spiral that took her high and right.

Ron didn't even blink, just moved slightly right to continue covering the hoop. Ginny hovered just outside his reach for a few seconds, evidently weighing up her chances of scoring in a single hoop protected by a competent keeper. She hung in mid air for almost a full minute, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on her brother. Ron gave nothing away, no indication as to which way he would go, or which way he hoped Ginny would go.

Then, without warning, Ginny pulled the nose of the Firebolt up, turned, and sped away from the hoop. Harry looked after her, mild confusion melting away in the face of the absolute certainty of Ginny's next move.

"Hold on tight," he murmured, his voice barely reaching Hermione and certainly not loud enough for Ron to hear.

"Oh," Hermione replied, apparently having come to the same conclusion that Harry had. She looped the string of the whistle around her hand and grabbed Harry's T-shirt tightly.

Ginny turned at the end of the orchard, the Firebolt halting for a fraction of a second before she leaned forward and accelerated back towards Ron and the goalhoop. She was doubled over as far as she could manage, the Quaffle, as far as Harry could tell, held between her knees like a plane with a bomb attached.

She passed the middle of the orchard, her eyes still fixed on Ron, the Firebolt still accelerating beneath her. Harry glanced at Ron, and could see a flicker of apprehension cross his best friend's features for the first time since Ginny's trial began.

Harry looked back at Ginny, and reflexively shut his eyes. The sound of the impact was followed an instant later by a jolt as the hoop was torn from his hands. He opened his eyes and grabbed at the handle of the Cleansweep Three, fighting to bring it under control as Hermione clung grimly to his shirt. He didn't have the time or the breath to tell her she was choking him, so he pointed the broom at the ground where he could see Ron and Ginny grappling frantically, both tugging at the Quaffle as they knelt on the ground.

Suddenly Ginny went limp, and Ron pulled the Quaffle too sharply. It slammed into his chin, sending him sprawling. Ginny yelled in triumph as Hermione squeaked in fear. Ginny snatched up the Quaffle and shoved it through the goalhoop, which had fallen from Harry's hands and was lying against a tree root.

Harry and Hermione came to ground in time for Ron to struggle upright and scowl briefly at Ginny as she ran up to Harry and wrapped her arms around him excitedly. Hermione rushed over to Ron and inspected his jaw, clucking her tongue worriedly. Ginny slowly released herself from Harry as Fred, George and Charlie swooped in to land by the four teenagers.

"Did she get it?" Charlie asked, glancing cursorily at Ron.

"She did," he replied, wincing as his jaw moved.

"Hold still," Hermione said clinically. "I don't think it's broken. Just bruised."

"Ginny," Ron winced. "Listen, I just wanted to say. . ." he tailed off as Hermione forced his mouth shut as she probed the rapidly growing bruise. When she eventually let go, he turned to his sister.

"You were brilliant up there. If I'd had more than one goal to keep, you'd have had me easily."

"Here, here!" Charlie and the twins chorused. Ginny grinned broadly.