Harry Potter and the Dark Mark

Chapter Fourteen

Sirius decided the matter. He leapt up out of the wicker basket in his dog form, knocked Harry to the floor, and proceeded to give Harry's ears and face a vigorous licking. Professor Figg lowered herself into her chair and laughed merrily. Snowy didn't seem too impressed by Sirius. She gave a half-hearted hiss and settled down for a nap on Professor Figg's lap.

"Ew!" yelled Harry. "Gerroff!" After a moment, Sirius did, and then he transformed back into his human form.

"Told you I'd get you back, didn't I?" he said smugly. Harry sat up and wiped dog drool off his glasses in a mixture of annoyance, amusement and sheer joy.

"You can thank Fred and George for the sweet!" he said when he felt dry once more.

"It gave me the collywobbles! I thought an Auror was on to me for sure!" Sirius grinned.

"What are collywobbles? And where's Buckbeak? Why are you here? And..." Harry poured out his questions as if there were no tomorrow. Sirius interrupted.

"I'm here on business, not just to see you. I'm a working dog, you know! This is serious stuff, to do with You Know Who. You won't get to see me too much, because I'll be out on patrol as Padfoot. So don't get too excited. Buckbeak is in a Magical Menagerie in Glamorgan, quite safe and well cared for, and Arabella here is my 'owner,' so be nice to her. That cat scratches something evil," he finished off, glaring distractedly at Snowy. Professor Figg, or Arabella, as Sirius referred to her, merely smiled serenely and closed her eyes, as if napping.

Harry was awash with emotion. He couldn't believe that Sirius was going to live so near him. He felt a peculiar warmth in his stomach, similar to what he had felt the night he kissed Ginny. A thought struck him. "How long are you staying for, Sirius? All year?" Sirius didn't seem to want to meet Harry's eyes.

"I'm staying as long as there's the merest threat that He is somewhere near, and then I'll probably be given a new assignment by Dumbledore."

"Oh." Harry felt slightly flat, now. It looked as if Voldemort were moving northwards and had no interest in Hogwarts at all. Sirius might not be living at Hogwarts very long.

"Mundungus Fletcher thinks perhaps He would cross into Norway by a port called Stavanger. From there it would be easy for Him to move into Eastern Europe through Denmark, passing through a port called Skagen. That's what I'm here doing. I'm working with a team headed by Dumbledore, relaying information about You Know Who's activities and sending reports to the Ministries both here and in other countries. He has to be stopped." Sirius had taken on the passionate, almost wild air that he always assumed when Voldemort was concerned. Harry shivered. Sirius saw this, and then grappled him into a bear hug that knocked Harry's glasses askew and left him wanting air.

"It's good to see you again," he whispered to Sirius.

"It's good to see you too, Harry," Sirius whispered back. Harry nodded, knowing that their brief meeting was drawing to a close, and then collected his bag, before walking to the door, and stepping out into the corridor. He didn't look back. He had learnt long ago that looking back was something brave people didn't do.

Dinner swam by in a lucid way, but seemed disconnected, and Ron kept talking about Quidditch, and Hermione about Professor Figg's lesson. Eventually, Harry's silence got to Hermione.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Professor Figg has a dog, called Snuffles," he murmured so that only his two best friends could hear.

"Really? That is so cool Harry! How long is he staying here?" Ron exclaimed.

"Has he been acquitted? No... we'd have read about that in the Prophet," Hermione mused.

"He's working around here with others, under Dumbledore's instruction. They think Voldemort is going to try Norway next, and then Denmark, as a path into Eastern Europe. What he didn't mention was the fact that there are Giants in Eastern Europe, and that Hagrid must be out there somewhere," Harry informed them.

"Oh," the others chorused. That was a sobering thought if there ever was one.

"Indeed," Harry finished for them.

"I wonder what Hagrid's doing, exactly," Ron queried.

Harry shrugged. He'd not had a feather, let alone an owl from Hagrid all year. He had never voiced his fears openly. It seemed such a little thing, when all of this had been happening at school. Hermione tapped her spoon nervously against her plate, and then slammed it down suddenly, before leaning over to talk to Ginny about Professor Figg. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, and then started to talk Quidditch once more. Harry was forced to suppress a smile as Hermione turned and rolled her eyes at Harry behind Ron's back. She began to giggle, as did Ginny, but when Harry turned to smile at Ginny too, she merely gave him a scornful look, and turned away.

The look was not lost on Hermione, who frowned, and then shrugged. Sulkily, Harry talked Quidditch with Ron again until they returned to the common room. Hermione and Ginny sat down together and whispered for a few minutes. Then Hermione, unsurprisingly, went to fetch her books and do a spot of homework. Ron followed her, and Harry watched Ginny. After parting from Hermione, Ginny had walked furtively to the portrait hole and slipped out of it. No one else seemed to have noticed. Harry made up his mind. He followed her.

It became clear very quickly that Ginny was heading for the Library. Harry almost turned back in disgust, but realised that even if he was seeing a mystery where there was none, it was as good an opportunity as ever to try and fix things with Ginny. He pursued her as she slipped between the heavy wooden doors, and trailed her between the tall bookcases. The Library was nearly deserted, and the only noises were the clicks of Madam Pince's 'Automatic Check In Check Out Stamp' stamping all the returned books over at the Librarian's Desk. Madam Pince herself was deep in the throes of a dusty old novel titled 'Love and Quidditch' by some witch called Amata Phillips. Harry hid his smile as he walked past her, trying to appear as studious as he could.

Harry inhaled the dusty air and peered about into the gloom of the Library. For a few seconds, he thought Ginny had managed to give him the slip, but he saw a dark auburn flash of hair disappear round a corner, and guessed she had slipped down into the Divination aisle. Why she would want to go there, he had no idea. Harry knew for a fact that Ginny didn't take Divination, and even the people who did never took books out from the Library, apart from Lavender and Parvati. A strange feeling pulsed through Harry. It felt warm, and intense, and almost apprehensive. He had never experienced it before.

Something felt wrong. Slowly, he inched forwards to the Divination aisle. There was a low murmuring of voices. Harry listened, straining his ears to catch every syllable. Ginny was speaking. But to whom?

"...it took me so long, Hermione wouldn't leave me alone! It's almost as if she knew!"

"Are you ashamed of me or something?" The boy's voice was familiar, but Harry couldn't place it. He wracked his brains, but he couldn't remember who it was.

"No, it's just... I don't know... are you doing this just to spite Harry and Ron?"

"Does Potter know?" A nasty prickling made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck tremor as he recognised the owner of the voice.

"No, but..." Ginny still didn't sound convinced.

"Well, then how could I be doing it to spite the git if he doesn't know?"

"I suppose you couldn't be."

"Are you trying to spite them?" There was a pause.

"No."

"You're lying." The boy sounded amused. Harry hoped that Ginny was lying.

"I'm not!"

"I'm not going to be used by you! I think I'll go now," the boy drawled. Harry had to make sure he was right. Tentatively, he poked his head around the corner of the shelf and peered down the aisle. Ginny was facing away from him, and the boy was blocked from Harry's view.

"No!" Ginny moved closer to the boy. What Harry saw made him shake with fury. Ginny was kissing the boy, and what was worse, the boy was kissing Ginny back. They pulled apart, and for the first time, Harry could see the boy's face. He started forwards, his anger bubbling and seething out of him like Polyjuice Potion. How could she have kissed him? Of all people!

"That was a surprise," Malfoy said. He still looked amused.

"There? Is that proof enough?" Ginny demanded breathlessly.

"Get your dirty Death Eater hands off her, you... you..." Harry yelled as he pulled Ginny backwards. Malfoy's smirk became wider as he realised what Harry had just witnessed.

"Put my girlfriend down, Potter," he droned sardonically.

"She's not your-"

"Let go, Harry!" Ginny shrieked, trying to extricate herself from his grip. Malfoy shrugged.

"So be it," he said without emotion. Then he swung his fist at Harry and punched him on the right cheek. Harry's glasses cracked, and he let go of Ginny's robes. She flung herself at Malfoy and clung to him as if afraid. The sight made Harry's stomach turn.

"Are you alright?" Malfoy asked Ginny. She nodded, burying her face into his chest.

"What is all this commotion and noise? I won't have it, not in my Library! You might damage the books. Think of the books!" Madam Pince suddenly bellowed, swooping down upon them and dragging Harry to his feet. Malfoy moulded his face into an expression of regret.

"Madam Pince, I apologise profusely," he proclaimed in an unctuous tone. "I am afraid Potter here was upsetting my good friend Miss Weasley. I, er- shall we say- intervened on her behalf." Malfoy shot Harry a venomous look, and then turned back to Madam Pince.

"Well! Ten points from Gryffindor, and five points from Slytherin. All three of you are banned from the Library for a week. I suggest you go to the Hospital Wing, Mr Potter. I really would have expected a higher standard of behaviour from the three of you!" Madam Pince glared at Harry, and he stared back defiantly.

"He's lying!" he started, but she silenced him with a look.

"Virginia dear, here is a tissue. I would speak to your brother, if I were you," Madam Pince advised Ginny in a kindly tone. Ginny sniffed, and nodded. "Now, off with all three of you!" she ordered imperiously. They trooped out in silence. Once outside the doors, Harry turned to Malfoy, who had his arm around Ginny.

"This isn't over, Malfoy. What are you going to do when Ron, Fred and George find out that you've been kissing their baby sister?" he spat viciously. His cheek was beginning to swell already, and the broken glass in his right lens of his glasses obscured his vision.

"I'm not a baby!" Ginny hissed poisonously.

"I expect they'll try the same as you, and I'll hex them into next Tuesday," Malfoy announced calmly and arrogantly. "Come on, Virginia, we don't want to be seen with this dolt now, do we?"

Slowly, Malfoy and Ginny strolled off down the corridor. Harry turned bitterly on his heel and made for the Hospital Wing. Then he intended to go and inform Ron and the twins about this situation. Surely one of them would be able to make Ginny see sense. He fumed all the way there. Things were not going well. Unfortunately, they were just about to get much, much worse.