Harry Potter and the Dark Mark

Chapter Twelve

The meeting hadn't been as bad as he had anticipated, but Harry had to be interviewed by Ministry Officials as a possible witness. Returning with them to the Three Broomsticks had been harrowing; especially when he had walked past the remains of the snowman he and Colin had built together. It had been trampled and squashed, and looked frightening. Harry tried to ignore it as he answered the questions being put to him. He found the whole experience frustrating, because, like last year, there was no proof to back up Harry's knowledge of Macnair's involvement with Voldemort.

Harry had asked Dumbledore, and had received only a cryptic smile, and a request not to spread rumours, for an answer. He had to comfort himself with the thought that Dumbledore evidently did not think Snape was a Death Eater. Ron was not so easily convinced, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Hogwarts had sunk back into its old schedule of classes and practices; in fact, the new Quidditch Captains had held the first practices with their new team members in place, not that there was much enthusiasm. Colin and other students whose relatives had died in the attack had gone home early. Everyone else, however, remained at school. Nevertheless, Harry seriously doubted the return of all the pupils after Christmas.

It had been arranged very quickly that Harry would spend Christmas with the Weasleys. Harry was glad to sink into the familiar warmth of Ron's house, seasonally decorated with mistletoe, holly, and boughs of evergreen. Christmas Day was soon upon them.

"Well," Mrs Weasley beamed as they all settled down in the living room after dinner. She had, as always, surpassed herself. Harry felt that he weighed as much as Dudley. The twins slunk off to their room straight away, unsurprisingly. Harry smiled, and then contentedly admired the Christmas tree. It was crooked, and had decorations of all colours all over it. Harry's favourite decorations were the small fairies that fluttered and glowed around the branches, sprinkling gold and silver dust periodically. There was, however, something missing.

"There's no star on top," he observed. Everyone swivelled round, but Mrs Weasley smiled and turned to Ginny.

"Ginny, darling, I saved the star. It's on the sideboard, dear. I know how you love to put it on the top. You always have, ever since you were still in nappies," Mrs Weasley cooed. Ginny turned scarlet. Harry could tell from the expression on her face that this was not the case any more.

"I'm not..." Ginny stopped, and swallowed, before putting a smile on her face. The smile did not reach her eyes, though, and her tone was tight. "Oh Mum, I'm getting too old for that kind of thing now! I told you last year - you'll have me doing it when I'm married!" She got up and inelegantly deposited the star at the top of the tree. Harry let out his breath, which he had been holding. He had been expecting a small explosion from Ginny, but it appeared that she was more skilled at controlling her temper than Ron. Mrs Weasley smiled at her indulgently, and the moment passed as Ginny took her seat once more.

The Burrow was not as full as Harry expected. Percy was spending the day with Penelope Clearwater and her parents, and Charlie was in Romania. Bill was in Egypt, also with his girlfriend, much to Mrs Weasley's chagrin. Mr Weasley told them later that the new girlfriend's name was Cat, and she was an Archaeologist, working on some of the Pyramids out there. Mrs Weasley disapproved strongly of her because Bill hadn't brought her to be introduced to the family. Privately, Harry regarded her named reasons as a lot more interesting; people who crawled around in muddy holes all day long looking at dead bodies which had been pickled 'Were Not Normal', and besides, whoever heard of a person called 'Cat'?

"Pull a cracker with me Harry!" George yelled. Harry shook his head.

"Not likely!" he yelled back. George descended on Ginny, who backed away, laughing.

This was definitely the best Christmas Harry had ever had. The meal surpassed Hogwarts'; the presents seemed better than ever, and Harry felt like he belonged to a family. Harry received a pack of Sugarquills and a book titled, 'Mastering Self Defence: Security against the Dark Arts,' by one Hephaestus Mulciber from Hermione. Ron had, curiously enough, bought Harry the same trick book from Zonko's that Harry had bought him. He had also bought Hermione the water squirt prefect badge that Harry had decided against. The twins had given Ron some new Dress Robes; much to his delight, and to Harry they presented, with compliments, an assortment of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Sweets, including the excellent Toffee Shocks.

Harry saved Ginny's present until the evening. He had written his letter of apology as he had planned, because she had never really acted comfortably around him since the evening of the Gobstones Tournament. He did not want her to open it in front of her family. Well could he imagine the teasing they might both receive if any of her brothers read the note. He was staying in Ron's room as usual, and so it was about an hour after they had all retired to bed that he slipped quietly down the stairs. The Ghoul in the attic was banging away at the pipes merrily, so Harry didn't worry about the creaking floorboards. He was startled by the ghostly white figure that emerged from the door on the third landing, and for a split second ran through all the spells he had glanced at in Hermione's present. Then he realised that the figure was Ginny, and she was clutching something wrapped in red and green paper. It was tied with what appeared to be one of her school hair ribbons, a deep Gryffindor red.

"Ginny," he whispered. She jumped, causing her door to clap shut. They stood stock still, waiting for someone to call out from their room. The house remained silent. The ghoul, who had stopped clanging the pipes, resumed. Harry and Ginny released sighs of relief.

"You startled me!" she whispered in the hostile manner she reserved just for him.

"I noticed. I'm sorry," Harry replied dryly. This reminded him strongly of a conversation he had held with Cho.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, sinking onto a step and tucking her toes under the hem of her nightie.

"I came to see you. To give you this," Harry answered. He held out the present he had bought her. She took it with an expression that Harry couldn't decipher. He watched her open it. Again, he could not interpret her emotions. He could recognise a tinge of guilt, and wistfulness perhaps, but the rest remained a mystery.

"Thanks, Harry!" Ginny tucked her hair back behind her ears. Harry noticed that it was almost wavy. It was usually tied back in a red ribbon for school. Ginny caught him staring. "What?" she demanded, sliding back into her aggressive mode.

"Oh... er, nothing." He flushed, and turned away. He was staring at her like an idiot, whilst wondering what she might know about that potions classroom.

"Ok... um, this is for you." Ginny thrust the package at him. "Merry Christmas Harry." She bolted for her door, and Harry saw her brown eyes peeping at him through the crack before she snapped it shut, just as she had done the first time he had ever visited here. He remembered his apology letter suddenly. She had never read it. As he poked through the remains of wrapping paper on the floor, he found the letter, crumpled and torn. Ginny had never seen it in the gloom of the stairway. Harry gave a sour laugh, and screwed the letter back up, dropping it back onto the floor. He sat down on the stairs and unwrapped the package Ginny had given him, before carefully tucking the ribbon into the pocket of his pyjama top. He grinned when he saw her present.

"Thanks, Ginny. Merry Christmas," he whispered to her bedroom door. He tried on the Graphorn Hide gloves, (the perfect student accessory - a must have for potions, Quidditch and defence against the dark arts!) and smiled again because they were a perfect fit. He ignored the thud from inside Ginny's room, and began gathering the screwed up wrapping paper. He was startled to find Ginny standing next to him once more, still clutching the Sugar Mice. She deposited an owl in his lap, and handed him a thin slip of parchment.

"For you. It flew into my window, poor thing. And, you're welcome." She grinned impudently and sat down next to Harry. He opened the letter, pushing the strange owl out of his way. It flew and settled on the banister in an offended manner, ruffling its feathers and glaring down at the two of them.

"It's from Sirius!" Harry yelped in excitement. He held it out so they could both read.

'Harry - Glad you told me. I want you to tell Dumbledore, if you haven't already. That little rat is always up to something. Check on Streeler Venom - is it poisonous? I am eating well; in fact, Buckbeak has just brought me rabbit to cook for our dinner. I'll be meeting up with an old friend soon, so you may not hear from me for a while, but when you do I promise it will be more frequently than you have done in the past. If Malfoy annoys you too much, practice your DADA on him. Not your fault if you thought he was a boggart, was it? Merry Christmas, and thanks for the sweet. I'll get my own back, just you wait, Potter!

Love, Snuffles.'

"You didn't!" laughed Ginny. She turned her face to Harry, lips pursed in a disbelieving grin. Oddly enough, he remembered the time Hermione had offered to help Ron with his Transfiguration. The alarm bells that had rung in Harry's mind then were pealing madly now.

"Oh, I did!" Then, purely on impulse, he leant forward and kissed her softly. He didn't know what had made him do it. It could have been the scrumptiousness of his best Christmas ever, rolled up with the delight of not finding her angry with him any more, or it could have been the way she had been looking at him and that there was no one else nearby. Eventually, he put it down to the way her hair was loose and her toes were scrunched up, the way she had tilted her head, and the fact that she was Ginny Weasley, most definitely not a little girl.

They drew apart, and their gazes locked. Harry felt spellbound, as if the full body bind had been cast upon him. How long they sat there, he didn't know, but they were forced to part when an explosion and a cloud of pink smoke erupted from Fred and George's room on the landing above. It woke the whole household, much to Mrs Weasley's displeasure. No one noticed Harry had come up the stairs rather than down them. Ginny sent Harry a small wistful smile as he padded up the stairs after Ron, and he watched her over his shoulder as she skipped down the stairs to her room. Ron slammed the door shut behind them. The plaque on it that bore his name rattled against the wood due to the force. Even the ghoul in the attic was silenced momentarily.

"Stupid ruddy idiots. Stupid ruddy pink smoke. I'm tired!" he griped.

"Mmmm," Harry said dreamily.

"They're awful! You know what they did to Hermione last week? They switched her quill for a 'Super Sticky Syrup Quill' and she ended up having to do her homework twice! I don't mind them trying things like that out on me," he paused, "I mean, I usually have to do my homework twice anyway, but it bugs me when they go for someone I really care about. I could have hexed them 'til the cows came home and then some!"

"Um... yeah, I agree completely," Harry said with a yawn. With a jolt he replayed Ron's last words, 'someone I really care about' and 'hexed'. Putting that in a conversation together with 'Ginny' and 'kissed' made a potentially life threatening situation for Harry. Perhaps Ginny would be best left alone for the meantime. This thought stayed with him as he let Ron's angry tirade wash over him. What could he say to Ginny? 'Hello Ginny, I kissed you last night on the staircase. How are you this morning?' It just didn't work. He swallowed slightly as Ron continued speaking, charming out the lights as he went.

"Are you ok? You're a bit quiet."

Finding his voice, Harry spoke in as calm a voice as he could. "Just tired, I s'pose. Night, Ron, and Merry Christmas!"

"Mmm. Night, Harry. Don't let the Chizpurfles bite!"

"The whats?"

"Them things... Bugs... eat magic stuff..." Ron stopped speaking and yawned into the darkness. Harry shrugged and turned over. All in all, this had been a very interesting Christmas.