Harry Potter and the Book of Magical Maladies

Harry Potter and the Book of Magical Maladies

CHAPTER 4 - A Conspiracy Born

---

Harry had given up on Potions of Power long ago. He was alternately pacing around his room and lying on his bed. He knew when he sent the letters that it might take a while before he would get a response. And while he was eager to hear from both the Order and Ginny, part of him dreaded Hedwig's return, in case it might be carrying not two friendly responses, but only one condemning his attempt to keep information from the Order. Perhaps he had been foolish to share that information with anyone.

It was getting later than he had wanted. Just as he was beginning to wish that Hedwig just come back tomorrow, he heard a loud tapping on his window. He struggled to open it, but it finally gave and Hedwig swooped into the room and landed on his desk.

Harry walked to Hedwig, who hooted cheerily at him. However, Harry felt only cold remorse as he looked at the single roll of paper Hedwig had. He unrolled it and sighed in relief as two pieces of paper dropped to his desk, one a set of directions to a party, the other an advertisement for a horror movie marathon. Harry was beginning to wonder if the Obscuring Orbs had personalities of their own.

He looked at the two pieces of paper, knowing the sender of each. He wasn't sure which one to read first. Eventually he decided that whatever news Lupin would give him was less important to him than finding out if Ginny had and would continue to keep his secret. He took out his Obscuring Orb and grabbed the directions to the party.

Harry,

First, I made sure no one else read your letter and I haven't told anyone else what you wrote in it. Unfortunately, Hedwig delivered both letters just as we were preparing a late supper and everyone knows that you sent me a letter.

I lied to all of them. I told them that it was Quidditch business and that you wanted me to be your backup as Seeker. They were suspicious when I burned the letter and may ask you about it. I lied for you, so if you want to keep this a secret, you'll have to lie for me as well.

To answer your question: No. I couldn't fight him. I almost wrote my own epitaph on that wall when Tom was controlling me. I struggled and fought as much as I could, but so did the roosters before I killed them, and I felt like I had as much of a chance as they did.

No, Harry, I wasn't able to fight him. But I don't think you are being possessed by Tom.

There is something more important though. I'm trying not to think about what the Order would do if they found out about what I'm about to do, so we will have to trust each other.

The rest of the Order tells us more news now. They aren't nearly as secretive as they were, except where you're concerned. They aren't telling you everything, Harry. They debate about what you should do without asking you, and discuss everything you share with them without telling you what they're finding out.

Moody will hex me if he finds out I did this, but it isn't fair. Voldemort is planning something. He has been since that day at the Department of Mysteries. There have been no attacks, and none of the Death Eaters have been seen around. They seem to think that your dream explains some of this, but I needed to write this instead of listening to find out why. They're afraid he might come after you. I have had this odd feeling ever since that day. Something is happening. I can almost feel it.

They don't want you to know about it because they think you'll run off again. Even Dumbledore has said that you're safer where you are. I want you safe as much as anyone else, but they should at least tell you. They also intend you to stay with the Muggles until the day the Express takes us back to Hogwarts.

I've got to go. I don't want anyone to find out what I'm doing. I'll do what I can to see that you know everything you should.

Ginny

Harry looked at the letter in amazement. He was angry that the people who he saw as his family would deliberately keep this from him, but was bewildered and overwhelmed by what Ginny had done. He had only wanted someone to answer his question, but instead he got--

What did he get? A Spy? Ginny had said that she was going to try to tell him what the Order didn't want to. Why did he need to spy on his friends? Harry didn't like that idea. No, she was more like an ally. Harry needed to keep her secrets as much as she kept his.

Harry quickly read through Lupin's letter. After reading what Ginny had to say, he found the response unsurprising. Lupin didn't really say much of anything. Just more of the same: be careful, stay safe, we're still looking for information. Harry frowned at the letter. Lupin was lying to him, or at least not telling him everything.

He looked over Ginny's letter again. He wanted to know what Lupin knew. He sat down and started writing a quick letter back to her to tell her to find out what the images he described could mean. He was trying to think of how she could do so without causing suspicion when he realized what he was asking her to do.

He couldn't order her to help him. He didn't like the idea of her taking any risks at all. The thought of her being punished because of something he had asked her to do made him want to write back and ask her tell the Order everything. He didn't want another person to be punished for something he did.

He crumpled up the parchment and tossed it in the bin. As he took out another piece, his door flew open.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vernon said through clenched teeth.

Harry looked at him calmly. "Well, see, we take these things called quills and we drag them across parchment to form lines." he said.

Vernon closed the door and stared at him.

Harry stared back. "We call it writing."

"Don't mock me, boy," he said in the loudest whisper Harry had ever heard. "I don't care what you and your freaky friends write about," he snarled as he walked to the window and closed it with a loud bang, "but I won't have that bloody owl flying in and out of your window at all hours of the day. I don't want to see it flying in or out of this house for a week."

"Would you prefer that my friends just show up here to talk to me then?" Harry asked, though he already knew the answer.

"NO!" Vernon bellowed, then continued in a quieter voice. "No." He seemed to be trying to make some terribly important decision. "Fine. Use the bloody bird --but not until Monday. I received a call from someone down the street who wanted to let me know that an owl had flown through one of our windows." He stepped closer to Harry. "Wanted to know if I needed help getting rid of it."

"Fine," Harry said, "I'll keep Hedwig in tomorrow. But she'll need to go out on Monday."

"Very well," Vernon huffed, "but do try and show some sense in the future!"

And with that, he yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him. Hedwig gave a plaintive hoot. Harry put his quill down and opened Hedwig's cage.

"Well, at least you'll get some rest," he said.

He took both of the letters and held them over his candle and they quickly burned to ashes.

Sunday passed without incident, at least in Harry's world. He spent most of the day wondering what was happening at Grimmauld Place. He regretted his promise to Vernon not to send Hedwig out. He kept imagining what Ginny might be doing to try and obey the wishes of Harry Potter.

It sounded too much like the servile behavior of the Death Eaters and it made him sick to think of what he might have done. The more the day wore on, the more he wanted to ignore his promise and tell Ginny to stop whatever she was doing.

As he went to bed, he dreaded the waiting he would have to do the next day. He slept restlessly, and had dreams of Ginny in the Chamber of Secrets, lying unconscious as bait to catch the Great Harry Potter.

In his dream he saw Riddle standing over her laughing. Then, the Tom Riddle he remembered turned to the Voldemort he was much more familiar with. Ginny was still on the floor, but she was dirtier, and her hair was so muddy that she was barely recognizable. There were Death Eaters around her and one of them was pointing a wand at her. As she clumsily pushed herself up onto her knees, a Death Eater stabbed the wand at her and shouted "Iaculo!!". She gasped and fell to the ground, coughing weakly as a pool of blood grew from around her mouth.

Voldemort stood over her body and laughed as a pool of blood grew around her body. Suddenly Voldemort was gone and Riddle was back. He was still laughing.

"You must have known she wouldn't escape me." he said with a sneer. "You can't protect them all Potter."

Harry jumped out of his bed and had already grabbed his wand off the floor. He had been dreaming, and he knew it, but it had felt so real. He searched for a clock. It was only a little after midnight, and he doubted that he would be able to get back to sleep with images of Voldemort and Ginny fresh in his mind.

Hedwig gave him a consoling hoot.

He looked back at the clock. It was Monday. Not by much, but it was. He found a piece of parchment and his quill and started writing. He needed to convince Ginny that she didn't want to help him. The image of Ginny on the ground was still fresh in his mind, and though he couldn't quite figure out why, he knew that he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he never saw it again.

Ginny,

Sorry for not answering earlier. My uncle was getting upset at Hedwig flying in and out of my room so much. Sorry about the hour, as well.

I appreciate what you are trying to do, but you're not involved in this, and I don't want you getting involved. It's dangerous and people have already been hurt.

It pained him to write that. He knew that Ginny would understand that he was talking about one person in particular.

I want you to be careful and stay out of this. I know it may seem easy and safe now, but it's getting worse. I don't want someone to tell me everything the Order says. I trust Ron and Hermione. They won't let the Order put me in danger.

Thanks, anyway.

Harry

It was quite late when the letter finally reached Ginny. She had been asleep for a while, but was awoken by the sound of Hedwig tapping at her window. Hedwig was quiet but insistent.

"Lumos!"

Ginny stood up and wrapped herself in her dressing gown. Hedwig had left to circle around, and as soon as she opened the window, Hedwig gracefully soared through the window and in a few beats of her wings was perched on Ginny's desk.

"Harry couldn't sleep?" Ginny asked the owl.

Hedwig simply hooted at her.

"Right. Well, let's see what he has to say."

Ginny grinned at the flier. She was already guessing the contents before she had even started reading it. As she began reading it, her smile disappeared and her expression became quite stern. It was worse than she'd expected.

Hedwig began slowly edging back to the window, but Ginny quickly walked over and shut the window.

"Oh, no. He's not getting out of this that easily," she told Hedwig. "I'll get plenty of treats for you if you can find something to hit him with when you deliver this."

Ginny immediately sat down and started scratching out a response. She was groggy and tired, but wrote quickly. As she rolled up the letter, which now had 'Receipt for Return of Goods' in block letters across the top of it, she handed Hedwig an owl treat.

"I'll have more the next time you come back."

Back at Number Four Privet Drive, Harry was busy trying to avoid sleep. He was forcing himself to read some of Potions of Power, but was having trouble concentrating. It didn't help that he had reached the chapter on various sleep inducing potions. If he understood Dumbledore at all, the book meant that he'd be taking the class somehow, so he was trying to remember as much as he could. Not that it would matter. Snape would find some reason to take points from Gryffindor, or humiliate him, or destroy his work.

As he read through the ingredients in the Draught of Darkness, he wondered what Snape would be like. He would probably be worse. And he wouldn't be happy that Harry was in his class. He pictured Snape standing next to him, berating him for yet another failed attempt at creating a simple Doxy venom antidote.

In his mind, he saw his class standing around him in a circle, silently staring at him, with Snape circling him constantly. His partner was with him, probably Neville, but he couldn't see anyone's face. They were standing near a cauldron with a bubbling cloudy liquid in it.

"Well?" Snape said in a commanding voice, "Show me."

Neville pointed his wand at the cauldron and said something. The tip of his wand blazed orange and suddenly the liquid in the cauldron started rising up the sides of the cauldron, boiling faster and reddening until it reached a deep red color and began to spill over the sides and across the floor.

"Crucio!"

Neville dropped to the ground screaming. Then the wand was pointed at Harry. He reached for his wand, but as he did he tripped and fell to the ground. He jumped up as fast as he could and leveled his wand.

"Expelli--"

He was pointing his wand at his window where Hedwig was trying to get back in. He ran over and let her in. As she flew to her perch Harry looked around his room trying to figure out what had happened.

His chair was turned over on the floor, and his potions text was open on his desk. He'd fallen asleep. I guess that's the end of reading Potions of Power when I'm tired, he told himself. He walked over and closed the book and took out one of his books on Quidditch instead, thinking that if he was going to have dreams, Quidditch was a much safer subject.

Hedwig gave an plaintive hoot.

"What?" Harry asked with more annoyance than he intended.

Hedwig flew out of her cage and perched on his lap, dropping the letter in his lap. He picked it up and found his Obscuring Orb.

"I should have known she'd respond immediately. I was hoping she'd-- OW!"

Hedwig's talons were digging into his shoulder, and as soon as he reacted, she flew back to her cage.

"What was that for?" he asked her. As he started reading the letter, he turned back to her and scowled. "Traitor."

Harry,

I hope Hedwig has found some appropriate way to express my reaction. I assure you it's no worse than what you would have gotten had you been so daft as to say that to my face.

What were you thinking? Have you ever tried to stop Ron and Hermione from helping you? Have you ever told them it was too dangerous? I've been in as much danger as Ron or Hermione and I was better with a wand than anyone in the D.A. after you and Hermione.

Ron and Hermione want to help, but Hermione would never do what I'm going to do, and Ron wouldn't be able to do it without her knowing. So tell me, Harry Potter, who else is going to help you, because the way I see it, I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S TRYING.

I won't let them lie to you. Something is happening, and I promise that you won't have to face it alone --not when you don't have to. I'll be sending another owl soon with whatever news I can find."

Ginny Weasley

Harry sat back and ran his fingers though his hair. He felt very confused. Her complete disregard for his wishes was upsetting, but it also made him feel better than he had felt for some time. He was surprised at the relief of knowing that someone else still supported him, and he felt something like pride in Ginny's actions.

Ron and Hermione probably wouldn't have agree with him, and despite the pain he felt at doing it, he resolved not to tell them any more than he would tell the rest of the Order. He took Ginny's letter and layed down on his bed. He read through it again, smiling at thought of being scolded by the small girl who used to barely be able to talk to him. Putting it aside, he eventually fell asleep.

The next day he slept in despite Dudley's attempts to wake him up by stamping around the house like an elephant. He knew he would have to get up eventually, and when he did Petunia would probably find some work to make him do. For the moment however, he enjoyed the relaxation of sleep that he hadn't known for far too long.

When he finally woke up he found a scrap of parchment and a quill. He tapped on Hedwig's cage to wake her up.

"I have another delivery for you," he announced as he carefully wrote out a message. "Don't worry. She'll like this one more than the last one." He finished it up quickly, made sure no one could read it, then handed it to Hedwig.

---

Ginny had been quiet most of the morning, spending most of her time in the kitchen doing everything from reading to helping her mother clean up after breakfast. She and Hermione were watching Ron and Tonks playing a game of exploding snap while they waited for lunch.

She'd been slowly relaxing, but sat up suddenly when she heard the light flutter of wings gliding through the open window. When she saw it was Hedwig, she felt the room go icy cold around her. To her horror, Tonks immediately put down her cards, stood up and shouted:

"Remus! Molly! Alastor! Hedwig's brought a message!"

As she feared, Hedwig glided over to Ginny and landed gracefully. She proudly held out her leg, showing Ginny where a note was attached. Ginny just sat fixed in her seat, terrified to simply touch the note. She knew that Tonks and Moody would want to see it. Perhaps she could find a way to just burn it.

"Well?" Ron prodded her. "It looks like it's for you."

Ginny looked at Hedwig and then threw her eyes over to the fire, hoping that perhaps Hedwig would understand her desire.

Hedwig just hooted cheerfully.

"Fine," Ron said, "I'll do--"

"NO!" Ginny shouted. "I mean-- I'll do it. Like you said, it's probably for me."

She quickly removed the note and tried to make it seem as if it were natural for her to read all notes while walking toward the fireplace.

"It's from Potter, is it?" growled a voice behind her. It had to be Mad-Eye Moody.

"Er-- Yeah," she mumbled, still edging toward the fire. "It's from Harry. I'm sure it's nothing important," she said. She needed to read the note without letting anyone else see it. She glanced down at it quickly and saw:

Ginny,

You're right, I wasn't thinking...

She tried to hide her fear, but her eyes gave her away. To make matters worse, Lupin and her mother walked in, both covered in dust and cobwebs.

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Molly asked as she dusted off her robes. "You look terrified. What does it say?"

"Erm... N-Nothing," she stammered. "Er-- well-- It's not that--"

"Nothing, eh?" Moody said, "Well, let's just see."

"Accio Note!"

Before Ginny realized what was happening, the note was already leaping from her hand and flying toward Moody. With a strangled cry she leaped after it, but she had no chance of ever reaching the rapidly flying note. Moody caught it in his hand. He seemed amused by Ginny's reaction.

Ginny, however, shared none of his amusement. She was terrified of what the note might reveal, but even more angry at the wizened Auror for stealing it from her. With a speed that surprised everyone, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Moody.

"Incendio!"

"Protego!" came the reply from Moody as the ball of fire sped toward him.

The ball of flame bounced off the air around Moody and flew back toward Ginny. She nimbly dodged it as she raised her wand again.

"Accio Note!"

The note wrenched free of the surprised Auror's grasp and flew back toward Ginny. Her anger was now mixed with a spark of excitement and elation at having her spontaneous plan work. Now all she had to do was toss the note into the fire.

"Fluvius!"

Just as the note reached her hand, a flood of cold water struck her body. The shock and force of the water knocked her off her feet, and the note fell free as she slammed into the stone floor.

As she struggled to sit up, she saw the note. It was laying near the hearth, inches from the fire, but it was damp with water. It wasn't going to catch fire. She reached for it to toss it into the heart of the fire, but a foot descended on the note, and suddenly the battle-scarred face of Mad-Eye Moody was looking at her.

"Very good!" he said with a burst of laughter, "I would expect a similar show from any Auror trainee." He picked up the note.

"Alastor!" Molly called out, "What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"'Nothing', indeed," he barked, brandishing the note at her, "She was willing to duel an Auror over whatever's in this. Anything that important is something we all should hear."

Lupin strode over to Moody and took the note from him. "There were, perhaps, more diplomatic --and drier-- ways of accomplishing that."

Moody looked unabashed as Lupin helped Ginny stand. She held out her hand for the letter, but Lupin only shook his head and gave her a apologetic look.

Ginny scowled and glared at Lupin and Moody like a cat who had just been forced to take a bath. She was drenched. Her hair hung off her head in wet tendrils and her clothes clung to her and dripped water on the floor. She was angry and shaking with both rage and cold. She prepared her self to be disciplined by the entire Order. Ron and Hermione just looked on with shocked fascination.

Lupin was reading the letter. At first, he looked surprised, but it quickly gave way to a look of confusion and uncertainty. He stared at Ginny as if he expected some explanation. Ginny responded with an icy stare, but her expression turned back to horror as Lupin began reading the letter.

Ginny,

You're right, I wasn't thinking. I was only thinking of myself, but I'll need all the help I can get.

Keeping you as a reserve is a bad idea. You're talented enough to play, and there isn't really anything I can say to stop you. There are others who may disagree with me, but I'd be happy to have you on my team.

Ginny tried not to change her expression. Was he talking about Quidditch, or her letter?

We are a little short on players right now. Hopefully that will change soon after the next term starts. I certainly can't win matches all by myself, and I'd be happy to have you on my side. I'm sure Ron agrees with me, even if he doesn't say so.

You should start practicing as soon as you like, but be careful and don't work too hard. It won't help any of us if you injure yourself.

Ginny was still shaking, but it was completely from the cold now. She kept her eyes on the floor so no one could see the happiness and relief in her eyes. Harry had expected the letter to be intercepted. He was helping her, and he wanted her help. Despite the chilly water soaking her clothes, she didn't feel as cold as before, though she didn't understand why.

"Quidditch?" growled Moody. "You did all that for a note about Quidditch?"

"It was my note!" Ginny yelled back, some real anger mixing with her attempt to appear upset. "You had no right to take it!"

"If it makes you feel better, Ginny," Ron started, "I think Harry's right. You'd a make a great Chaser. It'd be a waste to keep you as a reserve."

Ginny gave Ron a quizzical look. Did he know what Harry was talking about? The look on his face made Ginny think that he didn't, but she wasn't sure. Instead of risking any more discussion of the issue, she walked over to Lupin and held her damp hand out for the letter.

Lupin shrugged, and handed it over, looking more sorry than he had when he denied her earlier.

---

Over the next couple of weeks, Harry and Ginny used Hedwig to exchange messages fairly regularly. Ginny sent him a message through Lupin's owl telling him when it would be safe to send messages. The next day, Harry had stayed up quite late, and sent Hedwig with instructions to go directly to Ginny's room. Early the next morning, he would open his window, and Hedwig would return with a message from Ginny.

They continued this pattern a few times a week, and each message Ginny sent told Harry the next time she would expect Hedwig. To Harry it seemed like an odd exchange. Ginny's script would stretch across the parchment in an obviously rushed attempt to put down as much information as she could before Hedwig had to leave. Ginny was giving him the information he needed to understand what was happening in his life, and the best she got in return was some friendly letters from him.

After the first two messages, she seemed to get through all the information that she'd heard in the last two weeks. Most of the stuff seemed fairly unimportant to Harry, and he would have assumed much of it even if no one had told him.

It was clear that despite their defeat at the Department of Mysteries the Death Eaters were gathering and planning something. There had been no other sign of Voldemort's return, and no attacks by or even sightings of Death Eaters. Nonetheless, there had been several disappearances of people who had been accused (but not proven) Death Eaters.

On the testimony of a number of members of the Order, and a few uncooperative Death Eaters, the Ministry of Magic silently threw out its accusations of guilt against Sirius Black. He was ruled to have died in the Department of Mysteries, leaving all his personal possessions to Harry. They were to be held in another vault at Gringott's until Harry turned seventeen. This was little consolation to Harry, who would have given his own vault to have Sirius back.

The more delicate matter was that of the property belonging to the Black family which Sirius had never officially inherited or taken possession of. Apparently Lupin had argued for some time before the Wizengamot that, due to the amount of time which passed since the death of Sirius' mother, an ancient salvage law should be in effect and all inheritance should be ignored. That would mean that all property should be the rightful property of whoever could claim it.

Narcissa Malfoy had argued very strongly against him, and had demanded that the Wizengamot supply a complete listing of all property held by the Black family and where it was being held, so she could formally demand possession of it.

Neither Lupin nor Narcissa was able to wholly convince the Wizengamot. In the end a compromise (suggested by Dumbledore) was struck. Narcissa could take possession of all Black family property that she could locate in the next thirty days. Narcissa was enraged. She'd immediately seized a number of (mostly empty) vaults at Gringott's and demanded the Ministry locate and deliver the house elf named Kreacher to her. What she'd really wanted was Grimmauld Place, but even with Kreacher telling her exactly where it was, neither she nor any Ministry official would ever find it in thirty days. She had just less than two weeks left.

Assuming that Dumbledore wasn't going to hand 12 Grimmauld Place over to her, the Wizengamot had declared that it would become the property of the first person who could prove both a legitimate claim to the Black family estate and the ability to take ownership of the house. Ginny had suggested that Tonks do it, but she said that Lupin had convinced her not to. It seemed as if the Order preferred no one even knowing that Grimmauld Place still existed.

Finally, the Dementors of Azkaban had revolted (which was not terribly surprising for most members of the Order), and nearly all of the Death Eaters had escaped. It was suspected that Voldemort himself had shown up to command the Dementors. By itself, this news was not terribly surprising. The surprising part was who did not escape. Three prisoners died fighting the small number of Aurors stationed on the island, but one prisoner never even made it out of his cell: Lucius Malfoy. The Aurors searching the island after the Dementors left found him sealed in his cell, the hinges and bolt actually melted into place. It took them two hours to simply open the door.

Harry found this surprising. At the graveyard in Little Hangleton, Lucius seemed to be held in more importance than most of the Death Eaters, yet he was left behind. By the next letter, Ginny had found an explanation. Snape had been called to Grimmauld Place the night they'd found out about Lucius, and he'd left angrily. After that, no one had seen him outside Hogwarts castle.

Harry saw what Ginny was suggesting. Snape was upset because Lucius was in prison. That alone seemed to justify Voldemort's actions, though it suggested quite a bit more. Snape was supposedly spying on the Death Eaters. If he'd been getting information from Lucius Malfoy, then there would be little that Snape could do, and if Voldemort found out that he'd been using Malfoy, then he'd have every reason to punish him. It all seemed to fit.

However, after the first few messages, there wasn't much more to tell. The Death Eaters were keeping quiet. Voldemort had disappeared again. The Order was simply waiting for any sign that might tell them something was about to occur.

The next messages contained less information about the Death Eaters and more about the Order. She told Harry about how much Moody distrusted her, and how Ron and Hermione had been almost inseparable. Her messages seemed more relaxed, and her writing was more friendly, and less like she was doing a job.

She told Harry about Fred and George's store and how they'd been trying for weeks to try and find a way to open a small, temporary shop at Hogsmeade for the weekends when Hogwarts students would visit the village. Molly had been enthusiastic in her opposition to the idea. She'd been forced to admit that the twins were doing quite well, but she didn't like the idea of them encouraging the Hogwarts students.

Ginny also told Harry about stumbling upon Bill and Charlie talking in the parlor. She'd been trying to listen in on as many conversations as she could, and had been caught off guard when she realized they were talking about her. After hearing about the message Harry had sent her, they were trying to gather enough money to buy her a Nimbus 2001, with the new Nimbus 2002 coming out, many shops were dropping the price on the older broom. Ron apparently didn't even mind. He was willing to support anything that might help Gryffindor win the Quidditch Cup.

Harry wondered several times if it was even necessary to spend so many nights awake and waiting for the time when he could send Hedwig to Ginny. He'd even considered suggesting they cut back on the frequency of the messages, but when it came down to actually writing it, he'd decided it wasn't really worth asking. What would happen if Ginny did have information she needed to give him? Would he really want to wait five or six days to get it?

Each time he got a new message from Ginny, he considered it, but he never even convinced himself to ask Ginny about it. Someday there will be something important to say, he convinced himself, and neither of us will want to wait to let the other know. And yet, he hoped there would never be a need for that, and looked forward to the next night when he would stay up past two o'clock in the morning to send Hedwig out with another message.