Harry Potter and the Watcher's Council

Chapter 20: Chosen

It took twice as long going back through the tunnel as it had for Harry the first time. Snape hung between Harry and Ginny, looking pale and barely breathing. But he was still alive, and the Chronos Concoction seemed to be working because he didn't look any worse than he had back in the dungeons.

They didn't talk as they made their way through the tunnel, and by the time they had climbed out of the entrance they were breathing heavily and sweating. Ginny had to lift Snape's prone form out of the hole while Harry pushed his legs up from the other end. Once they were all out, Harry collapsed on the grass next to the entrance, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Now what?" he said, watching as the entrance closed up behind them. "I've got my broom, but it won't hold all of us. And someone's bound to be coming after us soon." He frowned, thinking about Malfoy staying behind in the cell. He wondered what would happen to him, what his father would do when he discovered them missing. Shrugging, Harry dismissed the thought. Draco had had the chance to come with them--Ginny had practically begged him to. He'd made his choice, but for Ginny's sake, he almost wished Draco had left when he had the chance.

"You'll take Snape on the broom," Ginny said, bending over to catch her breath.

"Not bloody likely!" Harry said. "I'm not just going to leave you here."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "And you won't, because I'm not going to be staying here. I'll run. I'm fast. But Snape needs to get to the hospital wing as soon as possible, before that potion wears off. So don't argue with me, Harry. You're not going to win. Just go."

Harry gave her a hard look, but she just stared back, arms crossed over her chest and eyebrows raised in a challenge. He wanted to argue but he knew it wouldn't do him any good--she'd just keep insisting and they'd waste time that Snape didn't have.

"Fine," Harry said shortly, standing to fetch his broom from the brush opposite. "But I'm not happy about this and if something happens to you--"

"Nothing will happen, Harry," Ginny said impatiently, grabbing Snape by the wrists and dragging him close to the broom.

"Do you even know the sorts of things that live in this forest? Ocromantuals, a-and Hagrid had a giant in here last year, and the centaurs aren't too friendly either."

"I know, Harry. But without magic, which one of us is better off running through the forest alone? The regular boy, or the girl with super powers?"

Harry didn't reply to this, just swung his leg over the broom. Ginny hefted Snape onto the broom behind him, using the Invisibility Cloak to tie the professor's arms around Harry's waist.

"There," she said, "now get going. He hasn't got much time left."

Harry nodded and gave her a small smile. "Be careful. I'll see you back at the castle. And Ginny?"

"What, Harry? You've got to go!"

"I know. I just... I'm sort of glad Malfoy left us those notes. You should've told me before, but I... I understand."

"Thanks," Ginny said, flushing and staring at the ground. "Now go!"

Harry took off, weaving his way through the trees and up over the forest. He could see the castle off to his right and swung the broom around, urging the Firebolt to go as fast as it could. Snape's condition was worrying him and he couldn't tell how long it had been since he'd given Snape the Chronos Concoction. Snape had nearly sacrificed everything, including his life, to help Harry and Ginny, and if he died, Harry didn't know if he would be able to forgive himself.

Never before had he been more conscious of not being able to use magic. He worried about Ginny being able to protect herself, but more than anything he missed his wand, and the fact that it was in Lucius Malfoy's possession made it even worse.

It only took him a few minutes to fly to the castle. He landed carefully, conscious of Snape behind him, slumped and barely breathing. It was very early in the morning, just after dawn, and Harry was exhausted. He'd been awake all night trying to think of an escape plan with Ginny and Malfoy and it wasn't until now, when he was finally back at Hogwarts, that he realized just how tired he actually was. He felt light-headed and his legs shook as he dismounted and reached to drag Snape off the broom. He had no idea how he was going to get Snape all the way to the hospital wing without magic. The very idea made him feel panicked. Just as he was ready to open his mouth and start yelling down the castle until someone came to help him, Dumbledore and McGonagall burst out the front doors and rushed down the steps.

"Dear Merlin, what's happened to him?" McGonagall asked, her hand at her throat while Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and levitated Snape onto it.

"Harry," Dumbledore said calmly as he directed the stretcher into the castle, "why don't you head up to my office and I'll be there in a few minutes, after I've assured that Professor Snape will be all right."

"Will he, sir? Be all right, I mean? Lucius Malfoy hit him with some sort of curse--"

Dumbledore silenced him by raising a hand. "We'll get to that later, Harry. For now, head up to my office. I assume Miss Weasley is on her way?"

"She said she was going to run," Harry said weakly, rubbing at his forehead. He had developed a sudden headache and he felt confused and groggy.

"Professor McGonagall, I think it would be best for you to stay here and wait for Miss Weasley. You'll send her up to join Harry?"

"Of course, Headmaster," McGonagall said, looking as confused as Harry felt.

Once in the entrance hall Harry followed Dumbledore up the wide staircase to the second floor where they diverged, Harry heading farther upwards toward the head's office while Dumbledore floated Snape down the second floor corridor toward the hospital wing. By the time Harry reached Dumbledore's office he was dizzy with exhaustion and ready to collapse into one of the squishy chairs, only to realize he didn't know the password. It took him another five minutes of guessing various candies before he got the password right.

Harry had never been happier to see Dumbledore's office. He smiled half-heartedly at Fawkes, who perched placidly by the desk looking slightly peaky and shedding feathers with every turn of his head. Harry sat down heavily in one of the chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk and rested his head on the smooth wooden surface. He was asleep in seconds.

---

Harry awoke to someone gently shaking his shoulder. He tried to bat the hand away but it was insistent along with the calm, soothing voice in his ear telling him to wake up. Opening his eyes blearily, Harry found himself blinking at Dumbledore and feeling like he could go back to sleep immediately on this desk and not wake up for days.

"I know you're tired, my boy, but we need to have a talk. Then you may sleep as long as you like."

Rubbing at his eyes beneath his glasses, Harry sat up and slumped back in his chair, only noticing then that they were not alone in the room. Ginny sat in the chair next to him, looking almost as exhausted as Harry felt, not to mention filthy and a bit angry. She had a long scratch down her left cheek that hadn't been there when they'd parted in the forest, and her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.

"I'm sorry for this," Dumbledore said as he took his seat behind the desk. "I know you both must be very tired and wanting your beds. But unfortunately there is much at stake here, and you understand that I must know what happened. Harry, why did you leave the castle last night?"

For a moment, Harry thought he saw a flash of anger in Dumbledore's faded blue eyes, but it was gone in the space of an instant, replaced by a look of confused concern so quickly that Harry was sure he must've imagined it. He cleared his throat nervously, sending a sidelong glance at Ginny. Now was his chance to implicate Malfoy--to get back at him for the past six years of misery he'd rained down on Harry and his friends. Malfoy had sent them those notes, he'd as much as admitted it, but Harry was sure Ginny wouldn't want Dumbledore to know that. Swallowing, Harry cleared his throat and let his eyes settle on a spot to the left of Dumbledore's ear as he began to speak.

"There was a party last night, in the room of requirement," he said, flushing a little. He was quite sure such things were against school rules. "Everyone was there, and Ron, Hermione and I decided... well, we decided that the others deserved to know about the upcoming attack. We didn't want them having to be in the dark, completely unprepared for the Death Eaters when they come. So I... I told them. And then I just couldn't stay. Didn't feel much like celebrating any longer."

"I expected as such, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "I know how difficult that decision must've been for you. What did you do next?"

"I went back to the common room, but it was empty. Someone had let off a load of dung bombs. I ran up to the dorm only to find that my trunk had been ransacked. A-and there was something missing. My map, of the school? The one Crouch took from me fourth year."

"Ah, yes. I remember. And it was missing, you say?"

"Yes. And there was a note. On my bed. It said--"

"No need, my boy," Dumbledore interrupted. "Ron Weasley found the note. We are lucky Miss Granger has such immeasurable amounts of sense. She convinced Ron to bring the note to me, and that is how Professor Snape found you."

Harry nodded dumbly, barely registering Dumbledore's words. "I went after Ginny. Took my father's cloak and my broom. But when I got there, when I found her, I mean. I-it wasn't her. It was--"

"They were using Draco Malfoy as bait, sir," Ginny interrupted, sending Harry a glance that clearly said to keep his mouth shut. "They had Glamoured him to look like me. It was meant to be a trap. I had gotten a note of my own, you see, that Harry had been taken. I got there much faster than they had supposed I could, always underestimating Slayer speed, you know, and Draco was delusional. I think his father must've gotten to him somehow, because he seemed to believe that he was proving his loyalty to his family by acting as bait. But before I could convince him otherwise--you know we've had such long talks with Draco, and I really thought he was coming round to our way of seeing things--Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew had shut us in a cell."

Dumbledore stared at her thoughtfully for a few moments, rubbing his hands together as his eyes bored into hers as if searching for something more. Harry wondered briefly if Dumbledore was using Legilimency on her, but at the moment he couldn't be arsed to care. He just wanted to go to bed, and protecting Draco Malfoy was dead last on his list of things he ever wanted to do while still marginally sane.

"The pull of family loyalty, of blood, especially for a young man such as Draco who has been raised to believe in the sanctity of such, can be very strong indeed. Sometimes overpowering. You mustn't blame yourself, Miss Weasley."

"I don't, sir," Ginny said, but she looked away from Dumbledore and even Harry could see she was lying.

"Hmmm," Dumbledore said. "And what happened then?"

"Malfoy--Lucius, I mean--took our wands. We spent hours trying to come up with a way to escape, and then Professor Snape came. But just as he was about to let us out, Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the shadows."

Dumbledore sat up straighter, looking slightly alarmed. His eyes flickered to Harry. "Lucius Malfoy, you say? And he saw Professor Snape about to free you?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "He... he knew Snape is a spy. He said now he'd finally have proof. There was a duel, and Malfoy... he hit Snape with something bad. I dunno what, I couldn't follow the spells. But Snape was unconscious and Malfoy ran off to fetch Voldemort, we think. I levitated the key out of his pocket and we unlocked the door. And then, er. I had a potion, in my pocket. The Chronos Concoction? Hermione and I made it months ago." Harry flushed and swallowed. Half the things in the potion had had to be ordered from Knockturn Alley on the sly.

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, but more than anything he looked relieved. "You very probably saved Professor Snape's life with that potion, Harry," he said gently.

"Is he all right, sir?" Ginny asked, and Harry was surprised to see that she looked truly concerned.

"He's going to be fine," Dumbledore assured her, "thanks to the two of you. But whatever happened to Draco? He didn't choose to escape with you?"

"He..." Ginny swallowed hard and looked away, staring intently at the floor. She looked like she might cry, and Harry felt a surge of anger go through him. He wished she wouldn't waste her emotions on someone like Malfoy, who could only ever disappoint her.

"He stayed behind," Harry said, not looking at Ginny. "Ginny tried to convince him to come with us, but he said... his father. He couldn't leave his father."

Dumbledore sighed. "While I am not surprised by his decision, I find myself terribly disappointed by it. I had hoped... but then I am a foolish old man sometimes. We can only pray that Draco is safe, wherever he is, and that he comes back to us soon."

Harry didn't wish anything of the sort, but he kept silent. "Please sir, do you think we could go back to Gryffindor now? We were up all night..."

"Of course, my boy, of course," Dumbledore murmured, looking extremely distracted and disturbed by what they had told them. "Go on, then. Get some sleep."

Ginny helped Harry back to the common room. Maybe it was due to her Slayer powers, but she seemed much less dead on her feet than Harry did. They didn't talk as they made their way to Gryffindor, Harry too exhausted and Ginny lost in thought (probably about Malfoy, Harry couldn't help but think a little bitterly). The common room was empty. It was early yet, just an hour or so past dawn, and the scent of the previous night's dung bombs lingered in the air. Ginny turned toward the stairs leading up to the girl's dormitory, but Harry stopped her with a touch on the arm.

"Ginny, wait. I... I have to know. What's going on between you and Malfoy? He's... he's not just been helping you with the Order of Tarakan, has he?" Harry wasn't even sure he wanted an answer, but the apologetic look in her eyes said it all.

"We'll talk later, Harry. I promise. And I'll tell you everything. Anything you want to know, all right?" She ran her fingers through her hair with a grimace of disgust at the filthy, matted texture. "I'm tired of not telling you. Do you know what I mean? I'm just... too tired for secrets."

"Me too."

---

Harry slept for the rest of the day and through dinner, only waking after the sun had gone down. He had fallen asleep on top of his blankets in his filthy robes, having only just managed to remove his shoes before collapsing on his bed. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were all sitting on Ron's bed, speaking in low voices as they waited for Harry to awake.

"What time is it?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before fumbling for his glasses.

"It's a bit after eight o'clock," Hermione said. "Ginny was just explaining what happened last night. We found that note, Harry, and thank god you left it or we'd never have been able to convince Professor Snape to go after you."

"Left it on purpose," Harry said, still groggy with sleep. His eyes flitted over to Ginny, who smiled at him sheepishly. "I need a shower. And some food. Anyone fancy a trip to the kitchens after?"

"I'll go," Ginny said quickly before Ron could offer instead, sending Hermione a significant glance.

"Excellent idea," Hermione said, grabbing Ron by the arm and standing. "We've got Prefect rounds anyway, but we'll talk to you later Harry. I'm so glad you're safe."

"Me too," Harry mumbled, collecting his bath things and a change of clothes.

When he returned from the bath, Ginny was waiting for him in the common room looking so shy and nervous that Harry was reminded of the girl she'd been years ago, when she'd blushed every time he glanced her way.

"I'm starved," Harry said. "And I was thinking, maybe while we're down there we could have that talk you promised?"

"Sure," Ginny said, not sounding sure at all. They walked to the kitchens in silence, both of them lost in thought. Now that his mind wasn't fogged with fear and anger, Harry was remembering more and more things that made so much more sense to him now. All those strange dreams he'd had about Ginny and Malfoy, her words to him at Christmas, and that night in the hospital wing, when Snape had sedated her.

The house elves were happy to see Harry, particularly Dobby, who made a huge fuss over him. "Harry Potter has missed dinner?" he exclaimed after Harry had greeted them. Winky, Harry was pleased to see, seemed to be doing slightly better. She still looked incredibly sad and morose, but her clothes were neat and clean and there wasn't a butterbeer in sight.

"I slept through," Harry said with a smile. "Have you got anything leftover? I'm starved."

"Of course, Harry Potter!" Dobby squeaked. "The house elves is always preparing more food than the school is eating. Dobby will fetch some right away! Would Harry Potter's friend like something too? Tea or chocolate or cake?"

"Thanks, Dobby," Ginny said with a smile. "Tea would be lovely."

Harry and Ginny sat at one of the long tables in the cheery kitchen and within minutes Dobby and a small army of house elves had set a tea service and more food than Harry could possibly hope to eat in front of them. Harry ate in silence for a few minutes while Ginny poured her tea and added so much sugar Harry was sure her cup would overflow. She cleared her throat nervously and took a sip from her cup.

"This isn't going to be pleasant, Harry," she warned him. "Are you sure you want to know everything?"

Harry flushed. "Maybe not everything," he muttered. "What about--I was having these dreams starting after Halloween. Sirius was in them, and it was like he was trying to tell me something about you. Something important. And then just before winter hols, I had a sort of... vision thing. It was Sirius, talking through me. I wasn't really conscious, though, and Snape never told me what really happened. And then I started having these other dreams, like I was watching scenes from other people's lives..."

He trailed off self-consciously. Ginny was staring at him with her mouth open, shock and understanding in her eyes. "That explains a lot, actually," she said. "The dreams--I had them too. Sirius wasn't in mine, of course, but the same sorts of things. A club, right? And vampires. Draco. And then later, during Christmas, the other dreams started. Slayer dreams, Buffy calls them."

"Slayer dreams?" Harry asked.

"All Slayers have them. We dream of past Slayers and sometimes... sometimes prophetic dreams too. But I don't understand how you could've had them too."

"I..." Harry looked away, wondering how much he could reveal to Ginny. He thought he was beginning to understand, and the dreams were only a small fraction of it. The two of them were connected in more ways than they'd ever suspected, and it wasn't necessarily a good thing if Harry was right. Meeting Ginny's eyes, Harry took a deep breath and nodded. She was right--they'd kept enough secrets from each other. It was time to be completely honest, not just with her, but with himself as well.

"I think it's down to Voldemort," Harry said, gripping his goblet of pumpkin juice hard in both hands to keep them from shaking. "He and I are connected through my scar and sometimes I have dreams of him, of things that he's doing. Or if he's having a particularly strong emotion, sometimes I can feel it too, through my scar. And you..."

"I'm connected to him too," Ginny said faintly, wrapping her arms around herself. "You destroyed the diary that night in the Chamber, but Tom Riddle had been possessing me for months, and I think... part of him is still inside me. You can't share souls with a thing like him and still come away pure."

Ginny looked completely horrified at the thought and her eyes filled with tears, but her lips were pressed into a thin line of determination. Harry scooted closer to her on the bench and gave her an awkward, one-armed hug.

"It's not like that, Gin," he said. "We were children. It's not something either of us asked for. You're the same Ginny I remember from before the Chamber. Just, you know, taller. And with super powers."

Ginny gave him a weak smile. "This does explain a lot. Do you... are there other things you want to know about?" she asked, leaning forward so that her hair fell in front of her face, blocking her from view.

Harry bit his lip. He wanted to know about Malfoy and he was very tempted to ask about her relationship with him, but at the same time he had a strong feeling that he wouldn't be happy with her answers. When he spoke again his voice was full of hesitation but his words were rushed--he just wanted to get them out as quickly as possible.

"Did you mean all those things you said when we fought?"

"Which time?" Ginny asked, turning to face him with a grin.

Harry flushed. "There has been quite a bit of fighting, hasn't there?"

"You noticed that too?" Ginny teased. "Look Harry, I wish I could say no. That I didn't mean any of it. But I... I did. And I mean 'did' as in past tense. I spent most of Fall term trying to be friends with you three. Real friends--you know what I mean. But I just kept getting closed out. The three of you are like this unbreakable... thing that can't be broken and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't push my way in. It had always bothered me before, but this time it was different. There was the Department of Mysteries and I thought it would change things. But it didn't, and then when Willow and Buffy approached be about slaying, I thought that it would change things too. That maybe... maybe if I was more, somehow, you would recognize what you were missing out on."

"But we didn't," Harry said. "We didn't even notice you'd changed."

Ginny nodded. "It was such a crap time for me, Harry. I had the Order of Tarakan to deal with, Lucius Malfoy sending me secret messages, my slaying duties and my school work... I couldn't keep up. So that night we had that fight, when you saw me with Draco? I had finally decided to give up on you lot ever accepting me and take what I could get."

"God Ginny. I didn't realize--"

"Don't, Harry. Please. It's better that it happened. I couldn't tell the three of you about being the Slayer anyway, because of the Order. But Draco was already protected and anyway, he already knew. And it just... we became close." She looked away, her cheeks stained a bright red. "It's hard to explain, but we were together so often, fighting off the Tarakan, training day and night with Buffy, and neither of us really had anyone else. Draco... he's not what you think Harry, honestly. He hasn't got any friends--"

"What about Crabbe and Goyle and that cow, Pansy?"

"He hasn't got any real friends," Ginny corrected, "not like you have. And Slytherin... Harry you can't imagine how horrid it is. Constant political battles being played out by children. Everyone's got their alliances and no one really knows where anyone else stands. You can't trust anyone."

"You're not going to make me feel sorry for him, Ginny. He's a prat. He chose his father over coming back with us, for Merlin's sake. And he hates me."

"He does at that," Ginny said. "But Harry... if you're father were alive, wouldn't you do everything in your power to be with him? You'd believe him when he told you that what he's doing is for the good of the wizarding world. But Draco knows it's wrong, Harry. He does. He just can't bring himself to admit it yet."

"Yet," Harry said flatly. "So you honestly think he will?"

"I do. I'm not saying he's not a prat or a... a racist. He is and I doubt that will ever change. But he knows what Voldemort wants to do is wrong."

"So are you... are you his girlfriend, then?"

Ginny laughed. "His girlfriend? Harry, are you honestly asking me that?"

Harry felt his cheeks heating up even more and began tracing the curves of the wood grain with his index finger, refusing to meet Ginny's eyes. "I've seen you," he admitted, "kissing. And things. So yeah, I guess I am. Asking."

Ginny coughed. "It's not like that. We're... friends. Of a sort. I care about him. But we're not dating, Harry. Can you imagine Lucius Malfoy's horror if we were? He'd probably die of shock. On second thought, that's something to consider."

"But you're always together," Harry protested. "Holding hands and things. It certainly seems like you're dating."

Ginny sighed in frustration. "Harry, what do you want me to say? Draco and I are friends, and I care about him. I'm not actually sure that he cares about me--"

"He does," Harry mumbled.

"--but for months we were all the other had. We were fighting the Tarakan constantly, and we had to be there for each other, supportive and the like, the way you and Ron and Hermione are."

"I'm not going round snogging Ron and Hermione though."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Dear lord I hope not. Anyway, yes... there's a sort of attraction there. And... and I'm allowed to have some fun if I like!"

Harry could feel himself becoming even more flushed. "It's just for fun then? It's not... you're not dating?"

"No!" Ginny all but yelled, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Can we talk about something else now, please?"

"Yeah, all right," Harry said with a grin. He felt inexplicably pleased that Ginny was so adamant about not dating Malfoy that he could ignore the rest. "So, tell me more about your Slayer powers. You do realize you've been cheating horribly at Quidditch all year, don't you?"

---

Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron stayed up late into the night, discussing everything that had happened over the past few days and the realizations Ginny and Harry had come to. Harry slept late the following morning, waking up just in time to make it down to the great hall before breakfast ended. Hermione and Ron had already gone, but Ginny was waiting for him in the common room and they walked together.

But just as they emerged from the portrait entrance to Gryffindor, Ginny stopped them with a hand on Harry's arm, her head cocked to the side as if she were listening to something Harry couldn't hear.

"Draco," Ginny said in a low voice. "I know you're there. Come out."

Harry's eyes widened. Draco Malfoy stepped out from behind a large bust of Cornwall the Courageous, his eyes darting right and left furtively. Harry longed for his wand. He had the overwhelming urge to hex Malfoy.

"I shouldn't be seen," he said quickly, taking a few steps closer.

"What are you doing here, Draco?" Ginny whispered furiously. "You stayed behind." For all her words about Malfoy the night before, Ginny looked as angry as Harry had ever seen her. She looked like she wouldn't mind slapping Draco right there.

Malfoy rolled his eyes and reached into his robes. "I brought you these," he said smugly, holding up two wands. "But if you don't want them..."

Ginny just stared, but Harry snatched his wand from Malfoy's fingers, a surge of relief going through him at the feel of the familiar wood grip in his hand again.

"How...?" Ginny asked, taking her own wand back and staring at Malfoy with something like admiration in her eyes. Harry looked away quickly.

"Father sent me back," he admitted. "When he found out you'd gone and taken Snape with you... he was furious. Pettigrew was keeping your wands and mine with him so I... I waited until he'd fallen asleep and stole them. And then I pretended not to know what had happened to them. Pettigrew got blamed--he's always messing things up so no one bothered to question it. And then... father sent me back."

Harry narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "We're supposed to believe that load of tripe?"

"Shut it, Harry," Ginny said softly, eyes still trained on Malfoy. "Does Dumbledore know you're here?" she asked him.

"I have a meeting with him and Professor Snape in a few minutes," he said. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing that would implicate you," Ginny said quickly, gesturing that they should start walking toward the main stair. "Just keep quiet, let them talk. And for Merlin's sake, Draco, try listening for a change. I know you love your father, but he's a bloody fanatic nutter and you know it."

They left Draco at the stair that would take him to Dumbledore's office and continued downward to the great hall, just reaching it in time to get some breakfast. Harry couldn't help but think of the look on Malfoy's face as they'd left him--confused and almost... scared.

---

They were sitting outside on the lawn, enjoying the bright sunshine and the warm, mild breeze off the lake when the screaming began.

At first Harry didn't think anything of it. Finals had ended a few days ago and everyone was running a little bit wild. Someone might've fallen in the lake, there was a group of fourth years playing Quidditch over at the pitch, so screaming wasn't anything to be concerned about.

But then it happened again, and it didn't stop.

"Oh my god," Hermione whispered, scrambling to her feet and looking out toward the forest. Harry, Ginny and Ron got to their feet, turning to look. What they saw left all of them speechless and for a moment Harry felt completely frozen, as if the world had stopped turning for that one moment.

Harry was thrown back in time, to that vision he'd had through Cassandra's Door--the Found Door. The giants looming over the forest, the Death Eaters coming through the trees in their horrible white masks like death... but this. This was real.

"Run!" Harry yelled, grabbing Ginny by the arm and starting off for the castle. Ginny pulled away from him, stopping dead in her tracks.

"We can't just run!" she yelled. "We have to stay, to fight!"

But just then the loudest sirens Harry had ever heard went off--the signal that Willow's wards had been broken. The teachers came rushing out of the castle, signaling to the students to get inside. Harry ran full out toward the castle steps, quickly followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny. They only stopped when they reached Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore. Behind them, Buffy and Willow were directing students inside the castle and Bill was shouting orders.

"Harry, Ron, Ginny!" he yelled when he saw them. "Summon your brooms and get the Astronomy Tower!"

Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall had taken Hermione off to the side. "I need you to take all the younger students to the kitchens. The house elves will help you, but you must keep them safe." Hermione was already turning to face the grounds, casting a Sonorous charm on herself to be heard above the din. As he, Ron, and Ginny headed up the Astronomy tower, summoning their brooms as they went, Hermione's voice rang throughout the castle, ordering all students third year and below to the great hall, from where she'd lead them to the kitchens. The Astronomy Tower was crowded with upper year students from Bill's flying tactics class. Ginny, Ron, and Harry were some of the last to arrive, breathing hard as the climbed the last few steps.

Professor Flitwick was already talking when they arrived, holding up a Charm Bomb and explaining what they were doing. "Professor Weasley will be joining us momentarily, but before he does, if everyone will please take a pack," he pointed to a pile of rucksacks, "and fill them with Charm Bombs."

As the crowd of students moved forward to do as Professor Flitwick said, Harry saw Blaise Zabini in the crowd, but Malfoy wasn't there. Harry exchanged a look with Ginny, but neither of them mentioned his absence, taking their rucksacks and filling them while Professor Flitwick went over the instructions for setting the timers on the bombs.

Bill arrived moments later, flying over the tower on his broom before landing next to Professor Flitwick and leaping off his broom. He raised his hands to get their attention, but he needn't have bothered. All eyes were trained on him and everyone was silent, waiting to hear what Bill had to say.

"Hogwarts is under attack," he said, his voice low and calm. "We've been going over these drills for months now and you know what to do, but I want you to know that anyone who has the least bit of doubt about defending the school, stand back now. Go to the kitchens with the younger students and stay out of the way--no one will think any less of you. We're not demanding that any fight," he continued, "but we are asking. This is your school at risk--your world, your future, your way of life. You have a choice. But I can tell you right here, right now. They aren't going to give you one."

With that Bill turned his back on them and mounted his broom. "Wands out if you're coming. Let's go."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny mounted their brooms and fell effortlessly into formation. Harry barely had time to think before they were flying out over the lawns and down toward the battle below. They stayed high in the air, twenty or more feet above the head of the tallest giant, splitting into two groups as they had trained. They spread out over the lawns above the battle and Harry guided his broom carefully with his knees while he reached into his pack for a Charm Bomb. He tried not to look at what was going on below but it was hard not to notice the bright flashes of light on the ground. He could feel the cold chill of the dementors below and saw the silvery flashes of Patronuses shooting across the lawn.

Harry began setting Charm Bombs as he flew, waiting until he heard Bill's signal before Banishing the first toward a large group of Death Eaters. He didn't bother aiming for the giants--it would take all of them throwing Stunners at the same giant to take one down. He didn't stay to watch what happened, just flew on, forcing all his concentration into keeping in formation, setting his Charm Bombs and listening for Bill's orders.

Harry knew it was going to happen, had seen it in his vision, but when the sun seemed to go out suddenly, flooding the grounds in darkness, he nearly fell off his broom in surprise. Below he could hear Buffy shouting and people screaming, but he couldn't tell who.

"Harry!" Ginny flew up next to him, hovering as she lit her wand with a muttered lumos. Harry did the same, and all across the sky he could see wand lights going on as they continued to listen for Bill's orders.

"Ginny, what's going on?"

"Willow's done a spell, a sort of shield thing to block out the sunlight. Spike's got a whole army of vampires he's been hiding in the forest. He's convinced them to fight for us, somehow. Willow's been preparing this spell for months, ever since your trip through the Found Door."

"Fire!" Harry heard Bill's voice above the din and Banished another Charm Bomb, aiming for the back line of where the Death Eaters had been before the sun had gone out, hoping he wasn't accidentally Stunning students.

"On the ground!" Bill commanded, signaling that they should come together. "We're no good up here without light," Bill shouted. "Let's head down to help out on the ground!"

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances before aiming their brooms downward toward the lawns. But at the last second, Harry changed directions, heading instead for the giants, which he could see were wreaking havoc, knocking people aside in threes and fours with each sweep of their arms.

"Harry!" Ginny shouted. "Where are you going?"

Harry ignored her, heading for the giants, moving just low enough for his spells to be in range. "Oy!" he yelled, tossing a Charm Bomb at the biggest one's head. "Up here, you great ugly oaf!"

The giant turned its face upward to look at him with its teeth bared, and Harry aimed carefully, firing a Conjunctivitus Curse directly in its eye. With a flash of red the curse hit dead on and the giant roared, stomping around in pain and bring its hands to its face. Harry was horrified to see the giant stomping on some of the Stunned Death Eaters below, but before he could think about it he moved onto the next giant, hoping to drive them back into the forest.

Harry was surprised when Ron and Ginny joined him, but he didn't pause. They worked together to cast curses on the giants, with Ron and Ginny distracting them while Harry cast. Soon they had manages to hit all ten of the giants, who were stomping around blindly. Harry was at a loss as to how to direct the giants into the forest when Ron spoke up, yelling above the noise of the battle below.

"Stinging Hexes!" he shouted. "Use them to force them into the forest!"

It was slow work--they had to work together, casting hex after hex at each blinded giant to lead them into the forest. After ten minutes of this Harry was beginning to tire. He had never cast so many spells in such a short period of time and he hadn't realized until now just how tired it could make him. It didn't help that the dementors still floated below, making him feel chilled and faint. Every spell he cast made him feel just a little bit weaker until he could barely concentrate on the hex he was supposed to be casting.

He was concentrating so hard on casting and staying upright on his broom that he didn't realize how low he was flying until--

"Harry!" Ginny screamed. Harry snapped his head back, searching the sky above for her, and that's when it happened. With a blinding flash of light, Harry felt a surge of pain slice across his right arm and when he looked down, his sleeve was soaked in blood. For a moment he hovered in mid-air, frozen with shock, the next moment he was weaving on his broom, his vision spotted with black as blood dripped down his arm and off his fingers in a steady stream.

Harry didn't know how Ginny managed to get him back to the Astronomy Tower but the next thing he knew, she was pulling him off his broom and urging him toward the staircase.

"Need some help?" a familiar voice asked from behind them. Ginny looked over her shoulder with a frown.

"Draco. What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

"Watching," he responded, walking forward to face them. Harry was breathing hard and he could barely see. His vision seemed to be going dark and he leaned against Ginny weakly, barely aware of what was going on.

Ginny bit her lip, considering his offer. "Fine," she said shortly. "Can you take him down to the kitchens? Do you know where they are?"

"I'm a Slytherin," Malfoy replied,” of course I know where the kitchens are. How else would I get my daily dose of house elf torture, hm?"

"Stop being a prat and help me," Ginny commanded.

Harry tried to protest, but his voice didn't seem to be working and his limbs seemed to want to obey Ginny far more than him. Ginny slung his arm around Malfoy's shoulders and cast a quick lightening spell on him.

"Now go," Ginny said.

"You're not coming with us?" Malfoy asked.

"I'm going back to the battle."

Malfoy shrugged and forced Harry forward, down the tight spiral stairs out of the tower. To Harry it felt like ages before they reached the kitchen, with Malfoy keeping up a stream of complaints the entire time. Harry was too weak to care, and when they arrived at the kitchens and Malfoy reached forward to tickle the pear, he was just thankful he'd made it without fainting.

"Oh god, Harry!" he heard Hermione's voice as if it was far off. Someone was moving him around, maneuvering him to lie on one of the long benches and stripped off his robes. "What happened to him?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, actually," Malfoy replied, sounding as if he didn't care, either. "Ginny asked me to bring him here--I was watching from the Astronomy Tower."

"Harry, can you hear me?" Hermione asked. He nodded weakly. "I'm going to try to heal your arm. But I've not studied advanced healing spells, only read about them in books really, so I'm not sure this'll work very well. So, er, I'm going to give you a Sleeping Potion, just in case it's really painful."

Well that's reassuring, Harry thought, swallowing reflexively as Hermione tipped something vile and liquid down his throat. Moments later he was asleep and blissfully unaware.

---

When he awoke he was still in the kitchens and his arm ached, but his vision was clear and aside from feeling slightly groggy, he seemed to be all right. He sat up slowly, blinking as he took in the chaos of the kitchens. Younger students were everywhere, sitting on the floor in scattered groups, their faces white and pinched with worry while house elves rushed around, trying desperately to find something they could do for someone.

"You're awake," Hermione said, pushing a cup of cocoa into his hand. "Here, drink this. It'll help."

Harry rolled his eyes but downed the chocolate quickly, immediately feeling a spread of warmth throughout his body. Handing the empty cup back, Harry examined his injured arm with a frown. A long, red scar ran the width of his upper arm and when Harry touched it, the flesh stung slightly.

"Sorry about that, Harry," Hermione said ruefully. "I did the best I could. Pomfrey might be able to smooth the scar tissue but there was nothing for it. It was that or let you bleed to death."

"It's all right," Harry said. "But what's happened with the attack? Is it over? Have Ron and Ginny come back?"

Hermione shook her head and opened her mouth to reply, but just then the door burst open. Within moments the entire room was on its feet with wands out, but it was Dumbledore and McGonagall who entered the kitchens, looking tired and dirty but otherwise fine.

"For the moment," Dumbledore said, raising one hand to silence the room, "the fighting has ended. The wards are being restored and strengthened as we speak, and I ask all of you to return to your common rooms, where your Heads of House will address you further. I ask only that you remain calm. Hogwarts is safe, and I am determined that it will remain so."

With that Dumbledore turned and swept out of the room while McGonagall stayed behind, shooing students toward their common rooms. Harry and Hermione exchanged worried glances but didn't speak--they were too busy leading the lower year Gryffindors up to the tower. Harry saw Malfoy on the other side of the room directing the Slytherins into an orderly line and shook his head. He didn't understand what Malfoy was about--one minute he hated Harry and was determined to stay behind with his nutter father and the Dark Lord, the next he was helping Harry and well, saving his life.

Harry and Hermione led the Gryffindors up to the tower, Harry still feeling slightly weak with blood loss. He supposed he should probably go to see Pomfrey, but then again the hospital wing was probably filled with people injured from the battle. The lower year students were eerily silent on the walk up to the tower, and once they'd all clamored through the portrait hole, most of them took seats in the back, looking white and shaken.

Harry climbed through the portrait hole last, searching the round room for Ron and Ginny's bright heads. He found them immediately, standing by the fireplace with Hermione, taking it in turns to hug her. Ginny looked fine, better than fine--her eyes were bright with energy and life. Ron was dirty and when he turned to face Harry, Harry could tell something was wrong with his leg by the way he moved.

"Oh Harry, thank Merlin. I was so worried, I should never have sent you off with Draco!" Ginny said as she threw her arms around Harry's neck. Harry patted her back awkwardly, feeling very uncomfortable with Ginny's show of affection in front of all of Gryffindor. Ron grinned at him over Ginny's shoulder and Harry flushed, pulling away from her and fiddling with his glasses nervously.

"It's fine, Gin. He... he got me there fine. Complained the whole bloody way, mind you, but he got me there. What happened? Dumbledore said it's over, but he didn't say much else."

Ginny and Ron exchanged dark looks. “It was horrible," Ron said. "We tried to stay on our brooms as long as possible, but after you got injured, we couldn't use the Charm Bombs anymore. Everyone was too mixed up--we were just Stunning our own people and it wasn't working. There were bodies... Merlin. Bodies everywhere. Death Eaters, drained completely of blood. It was sick..."

"You're not going to vomit again, are you?" Ginny asked dryly, but her eyes had the same haunted look that Ron's did, like they'd both seen something so horrible they wished they could scrub it from their brains.

Ron shook his head. "You can't imagine, Harry. So many dead, and for what?"

"It was necessary, Ron," Hermione said gently, pulling him down onto the couch by the fireplace. She grasped his hand gently in hers and squeezed. "We couldn't have done it without Spike's and the other vampires' help."

"It's twisted," Ginny said bitterly, sitting down on the rug in front of them. Harry sat down next to her and when their shoulders brushed together, he didn't pull away. "I knew," she admitted, staring the pattern on the rug. "I knew Spike was recruiting vampires for this army. He promised them protection from me and Buffy. I hate this," she said softly, wrapping her arms around her knees. "I know that we need them, but they're killers, and eventually feeding them Death Eaters isn't going to satisfy them anymore. And then what?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arm around Ginny's shoulder and squeezing slightly. "Hey, we'll figure something out," he said, glancing up at Hermione and Ron with a look of panic. He had no idea if things would be all right and he was even worse at comforting people. Harry remembered seeing Ginny and Malfoy in the library once when Ginny seemed to be falling apart, and Malfoy had handled it so well. Harry swallowed and sent another pleading look at Hermione, who smiled weakly in return.

"Harry's right, Gin. You can't worry about that right now. There's no use making yourself feel terrible over something that's out of your control."

"I know," Ginny murmured. "But then--what about the Council and the Tarakan?" She rested her head in her hands, her fingers tugging fitfully at her hair.

"Ginny..." Hermione trailed off, biting her lip. "Ginny, have you tried talking to Dumbledore about this? He's the most powerful wizard in all of Britain, probably the entire world. If anyone could force the Council to call the Tarakan off, it's him."

Ginny shook her head. "I... I didn't say anything to him. He was so angry when he found out what Buffy and Willow had down, he nearly had them sacked. I didn't want them risking their jobs because of the Council."

"Well I think it's time," Ron said firmly. "Buffy and Willow aren't coming back next year anyway, so it's not like he can really sack them. Especially after everything they've done to protect Hogwarts. And it's not their fault. I don't like the sound of this Council. Clearly complete nut jobs, if you ask me."

"Excuse me children," Professor McGonagall's voice came from behind them. Harry and Ginny turned to face the front of the room. McGonagall was standing there, looking frail and so much older than Harry could ever remember her looking. She had cleaned up since he'd seen her in the kitchen, and she had a long scroll in her hand.

"I know we've all had a terrible shock today," she said, looking at them over her glasses, "and I thank you for remaining calm. I know you all must be worried about your friends and family members. I have here a list of names, students and teachers in the hospital wing right now. I'll put it on the board so you rest assured your loved ones are safe."

She looked around the room, her face grave and her eyes sad. "There have been losses and we can't pretend otherwise. But we can all be grateful that there were very few considering the nature and timing of the attack. We were lucky. Furthermore, anyone who would like to talk about the events of this afternoon, please feel free to come to my office at anytime. I'm sure your prefects are available for such things as well. Now is the time when we must band together and support each other. I ask that any remaining rivalries between houses be put aside. We've all lost in this war. Try to remember that and treat each other with respect and dignity.

"One last announcement," Professor McGonagall continued as she pinned the scroll of names on the notice board. "Professor Dumbledore has decided to hold the leaving feast a few days early. I will see you all in the Great Hall tomorrow evening for the feast. Until then we ask that you remain in the tower until the castle wards can be fortified and the Forbidden Forest secured." Swallowing, she nodded her head as if assuring herself of something. Her eyes swept the room, settling on Harry and his friends. "I'm proud of you all."

---

Harry could barely sleep that night, and the next day was spent in a corner of the common room with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, trying to distract each other while they waited out the seemingly endless day with game after game of wizard's chess and exploding snap. By the time dinner arrived, they had all fallen silent and the air around them was filled with tension, all of them wondering what Dumbledore would say at the leaving feast.

Filing into the great hall, Harry was surprised to see Snape seated at the head table, still looking incredibly pale with dark circles like bruises beneath his eyes, but just as surly as ever. He met Harry's eyes with a slight sneer and Harry knew nothing had changed between them. Strangely enough, that idea was comforting to him and something like relief went through him at the sight of his potions professor.

Harry took his seat at the Gryffindor table, only slightly annoyed when Ginny crossed the room to talk to Malfoy. The conversation didn't last long; Malfoy looked as annoyed as Harry by Ginny's presence, but when she pulled him into a tight hug, he returned it just the same. Harry looked away, and when Ginny returned to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to him, he didn't say anything. He still didn't understand what sort of relationship she had with Draco Malfoy, and anyway, there were more important things to worry about right now.

The food appeared, a lavish feast the house elves must've spent the entire day working on, but Harry didn't feel much like eating. He pushed his food around on his plate and mumbled replies to his friends' questions and comments. A sort of numbness had fallen over him since the attack. He knew he should be feeling something--anger, sadness, fear--but instead... nothing. It was like someone had come and switched off his emotions entirely.

Finally, after about forty minutes of pretending to eat, Harry heard the distinct sound of someone hitting their fork against their goblet. Up at the head table, Dumbledore was trying to get everyone's attention. The hall fell silent. No one moved or made a sound. Harry had never seen the whole school be so completely still and felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Another year," Dumbledore said, his voice echoing through the eerie silence of the Great Hall, "has come to a close." His faded blue eyes swept over the sea of faces turned up to him, serious and tired behind half-moon spectacles. :I'm afraid that whatever words I have to offer you tonight will be inadequate to express the loss and grief you must all be experiencing now, and will continue to echo through your lives in this time of darkness.

"I knew two years ago that Cedric Diggory's murder would not be the last and yet I had hoped then that we might be able to prevent too many more at Voldemort's hands. Cedric was not the last and while it pains me to tell you this, we have only just begun. We rest on the cusp of war, a war that may very well drag on past your time here at Hogwarts. I can only hope that, for all our sakes, it does not. You are all in a precarious position, hanging in the balance between two sides in a war not of your making, removed from the ideals and values of your lives here. And yet it is you--your generation, your youth and strength--that will be made to fight.

"A very wise student once told us, "You're waging a war, but we'll be the ones to fight in it.' Harry Potter never spoke truer words. It isn't fair or right or just, but oftentimes in life, fairness is pushed by the wayside, sacrificed for the greater good. And although it is not just, every one of you will be forced at one time or another to make a decision. There can be no abstention in a war such as this--one that will change the very foundations of our world for better or worse.

I must remind you at this time that all of you," here he paused, his eyes resting on the Slytherin table in particular, "every single person in this room has a choice. You must make it, but it is yours to make and yours alone."

Harry stretched and shifted to find the object of Dumbledore's gaze and his eyes caught on the pale mask of Malfoy's face. Malfoy was staring up at the head table, grey eyes focused sharply on Dumbledore, but his expression was carefully blank. Ginny, too, was watching Malfoy, a fierce expression on her own face. Harry turned his gaze back to Dumbledore, swallowing hard at the strange burning sensation in his throat.

"Tonight I ask you to honor your classmates, teachers, and friends who have already made their decisions and given the ultimate sacrifice to protect those of us who must, inevitably, carry on. We must not allow their sacrifices to be in vain. If you, as I do, wish to honor them now, I ask you to raise your glasses and remember.

To all of those who've given of themselves so that we may go on, you will be remembered."

---

That night Harry couldn't sleep. Dumbledore's words kept echoing in his head and he couldn't help but wonder how many more people would have to sacrifice themselves before he had the courage and strength to face Voldemort. And if he failed, how many more would die because of that? When he could no longer stand to think about it any longer, he took Sirius's diary out from his trunk and snuck down to the common room.

After several minutes of telling the diary the worst jokes he could think of, Sirius's writing appeared on the pages as it had before and Harry began to read, flipping through the pages and skipping long passages that seemed to poems written to motorbikes, or about motorbikes. There were also several extremely poor drawings of motorbikes, and Harry was just beginning to think his godfather had had an extremely unhealthy obsession when he came to an interesting looking entry.

1 April 1976 Something horrible happened today. We were all in potions, and honestly I don't understand why Peter decided to take the N.E.W.T. class because he's absolute rubbish. He and Moony were partnered up on the antidote we were working on and Wormtail must've added things in the wrong order because when Moony tested the potion, it poisoned him instead.

I just sat there next to James watching him turn paler and paler until his started choking, as if all the oxygen were being sucked out of his lungs. Lucky James was there--he gave Moony some of our antidote and everything was all right again. Got ten points for Gryffindor too, that smug prat.

He was fine, but I couldn't help thinking--what if he had died, and I'd never told him that I love him? He'd just die and not know. So, I'm going to tell him. I have to. It's a prime directive now, no backing away this time. Because I can't stand to waste anymore time or to have that thought again. I won't live by what ifs and be left to wonder about the things I never had the bollocks to do.

"Harry? What're you doing up, it's late."

Harry shut the diary quickly and his head shot up. Ginny was standing at the foot of the stair in her dressing gown, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. Her hair was a sight, all tangled in the back and flat on one side, and she looked as if she'd like nothing more than to go right back up to bed.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, setting the book aside and crossing the room to her. "What are you doing up?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. Had a nightmare, actually, and couldn't bring myself to go back to sleep just yet."

"Ginny, there's something I need to tell you," Harry blurted, feeling surprised by his own words. He hadn't planned on saying anything to Ginny, but then he thought about Sirius's diary and the attack and the Tarakan. What if Ginny were killed and he never had the chance to tell her... he wasn't sure what, exactly. He swallowed nervously.

"You do?" Ginny asked with a yawn.

"Yes," he said firmly, surprising himself again. "It's...look. I just want you to know. In case you die... god that sound terrible, but you know what I mean. I want you to know that I'm sorry about the way I've acted. A-and that I... you're my friend, no matter what you might think, and I care. About you, I mean. God, I'm not saying this right. You must think me an utter wanker." Harry could feel himself blushing furiously, his cheeks so hot he thought he might start sweating. His palms were damp with nerves and he wiped them on his pajamas, staring intently at the carpet and waiting for Ginny to start laughing at his pathetically ridiculous declaration.

But she didn't laugh. Instead, she slid her fingers around the nape of his neck, leaned forward, and kissed him.

Harry was so surprised he forgot to close his eyes, and all he could think as her lips pressed against his was that her freckles were a lot bigger close up. And then she was pulling away with a smile and wrapping her other arm around him in a tight hug.

"I know," she mumbled against his neck, and Harry had enough sense to wrap his arms around her waist to hug her back. "I was just waiting for you to know it, too."

---

The train ride home was possibly the calmest return trip to King's Cross Harry had ever had. Buffy and Willow were riding back too, and they spent most of the trip in the carriage with Harry and his friends, telling them stories about Sunnydale and their friends there. Only the day before, Dumbledore had convinced the Council to call of the Tarakan, although from the way Ginny told it, it had been more him threatening them with horrible death and dismemberment than anything else.

"I have some good news for you," Buffy told Ginny, examining a Chocolate Frog card in fascination. "Turns out Pince is retiring, and Dumbledore is going to hire Giles to take over as Hogwarts librarian."

Ginny raised one eyebrow. "How is that good news for me?"

"Duh. Because he's going to be your Watcher. You won't have to put up with my entire lack of ability to actually train you or Willow's tendency to scream like a, um, well, girl, and jump up onto desks whenever any beasties attack."

"I don't scream," Willow said. "I enthusiastically point out that evil is afoot."

"Well that's a relief," Ginny said with a grin. "I was beginning to think I'd go deaf."

"What about this summer, though?" Ron asked, looking up from the game of wizard's chess he and Hermione were playing. "You won't have anyone looking after you."

"I'll be fine, Ron," Ginny said, but Buffy was shaking her head.

"You'll have to do patrols. And believe me, evil will come to you. It always done. It's like an energizer bunny. Just keeps going and going. Only it doesn't come with batteries. Unless it's a robot, and you'd be surpised how many times I thought something was a demon and it just turned out to be a really scary machine that wanted to kill me and steal my mom."

"Er... all right," said Ginny.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Willow said. "It'll be different for you. Unless you live on a hell mouth we don't know about?"

"Not that I know of."

About halfway through the trip, Malfoy opened their carriage door and demanded rather imperiously that Ginny come speak to him alone. Harry clenched his hands together and tried very hard not to think about what they might be doing. He hated that Ginny was... whatever she was with Malfoy, but he couldn't very well tell her to stop being it. They had kissed twice more since that night in the common room, but he had no idea how Ginny felt about him. For all he knew, she might not like him at all. She could still be angry at him for the way he'd treated her the past year, but then why would she be kissing him? He needed to talk to Hermione about it, but lately she and Ron had been inseparable. From the look in Hermione's eyes when she watched Ginny and Malfoy disappear into the corridor, though, she and Ginny had discussed the matter at length.

Hermione caught Harry staring and gave him a wide smile. Buffy's eyes flitted from Harry to the door to Hermione and back again.

"She likes you," Buffy said matter of factly. "So you can stop being all moody jealous guy."

"What?" Harry asked weakly, feeling like a complete idiot.

"She. Likes. You," Buffy repeated. "And let's face it, seeing as you have like, a giant bull's eye on you that says, 'Worst enemy of horrible Dark Lord, capture me now and win amazing powers beyond imagination,' she's you're best bet for girlfriends who won't die on you."

"Oy!" said Ron. "That's not very reassuring."

"To be reassuring, I'd have to be assuring first," Buffy said with a smile.

By the time they arrived at the station, Harry had worked up the courage to reach for Ginny's hand. She smiled at him and threaded her fingers through his, simple and easy, as if it were perfectly natural to hold hand's with one's brother's best friend. When they got off the train, Harry looked around for the Dursleys, but he didn't see them anywhere. The Weasley and Remus Lupin were there though, talking with the Grangers and Giles, who had come to pick up Buffy and Willow. Harry followed the rest of the group over to them, beginning to feel slightly nervous that his aunt and uncle weren't yet there to pick him up. They had never been late before.

"They're not coming," Remus told him with a smile, noticing Harry searching the station. "I paid them a visit earlier today and told them it wasn't necessary. Dumbledore has agreed to let you come home with me for the summer, if that's all right with you."

Harry grinned. "All right? It's fantastic! But what about the protection spells? Won't Voldemort be able to find me."

"Not where we're going," Remus assured him.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Weasley was hugging her children and Hermione, while Giles greeted Willow and Buffy in turn.

"I trust you had a good term? I understand the Council has called off the Tarakan. Shameful if you ask me, the very idea of the Council calling upon them in such a disgraceful manner. In my day--"

"Please Giles," Buffy said with a laugh, "In your day the Council turned an insane vampire loose on my mother. They are without scruples. Which sounds like it should be a breakfast cereal to me, now that I think about it. Scruples. I bet they'd be chocolaty delicious."

"Yes well, be that as it may--"

"He always uses so many words that don't really mean anything," Willow interrupted. "Have you ever noticed that? It's like he could just say, 'Yup,' or 'Uh huh' but instead he thinks of ten little words instead."

Saying good-bye was harder than Harry thought it would be. Ron grinned at him and patted him on the back, while Hermione demanded that he write to her weekly, "Not like last summer. This time I will send Howlers, don't you doubt it!"

Buffy and Willow each gave him a hug too, and Giles shook his hand, telling him he'd see Harry in the fall. Ginny was last, and she gave him such a long hug that Harry started to blush when Ron cleared his throat pointedly.

"You'd better write," she told him.

"I will," he promised. "And you too--you're sure to have a much more adventurous summer than I am."

"I think I'm all adventured out," Ginny said with a smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and turned to go, running to catch up with Mrs. Weasley and Ron, who were already wheeling their trunks down the platform.

"Are you ready, then?" Remus asked, grabbing the trolley handles while Harry settled Hedwig's cage on top of his trunk.

"Yeah," Harry said with a grin. "I think I am."

---

The end.