Harry Potter and the Book of Magical Maladies

Harry Potter and the Book of Magical Maladies

CHAPTER 10 - Confessions

---

Ginny had slept in. She had no idea what anyone else would say or think of what she'd done the night before. She didn't even know what she thought of it. She knew they would ask why, but even she didn't know why she'd done it.

She did feel that she should repay Harry for saving her in her first year at Hogwarts. She truly was angry about the way Moody and some of the others treated her and the rest of the Hogwarts students in the Order. They had fought as much or more than most of the adults. She was disgusted by how they were treating Harry. They were still trying to protect and control him.

She kept telling herself it had nothing to do with the crush she had for him only a year or so ago. In her own mind, it was true, though she didn't know if others would believe that. Perhaps she simply felt that Harry shouldn't have to feel that he was alone in his fight. And in a way, she felt protective of Harry. She pushed that thought away. Harry didn't need anyone protecting him. He needed someone to help him.

Any of those reasons should be good enough. It didn't really matter which she picked. She just hoped no one would ask her which one was the most important to her.

She spent the rest of the day avoiding everyone. She ate a late, and quiet lunch with Mundungus Fletcher. They said as little as possible to each other while they quickly cleaned off a platter of leftover food in a corner of the kitchen. When they finished Mundungus gave her a conspiratorial nod and smile as she left. "Good luck, Miss," he whispered. Ginny wondered who he was hiding from.

The rest of the day passed without much excitement, for Ginny at least. Grimmauld Place was fairly quiet. Many of the Order members were trying to find more information about the recent attack, it seemed. Some of them were probably checking into her blunder as well.

At one point, Hermione knocked on her door to ask if she could borrow a book which Ginny knew Hermione already owned. Even Ron put in an attempt when he came up to ask if Ginny wanted to borrow any of his Quidditch books. Ginny had been mostly polite, but had not said anything more to either of them.

Finally, that evening, Fred and George came looking for her. She let them in and went about reorganizing her books.

"Ron said you kicked him out when he tried to talk to you about Quidditch. That wasn't terribly diplomatic," George said.

"Yes, well he didn't really want to talk about Quidditch, did he?"

"Of course he did!" Fred said. "You know Ron. He lives for that stuff. He'd go bonkers here without those Quidditch books."

"Really?" Ginny said, as she dusted off a book and put it back. "He just wanted to talk Quidditch?" She gave them a remorseful face.

"Honestly," Fred said.

Ginny was lazily paging through another book as she replied, "Then why were you two listening on the Extendable Ears?" She slammed the book shut and placed it on her bed. "I dare you to try that again."

"Alright, then," Fred said, sounding satisfied with the conversation. "In other news, our mother has requested your attendance at dinner tonight."

"She really did miss you this noon," George added, trying to sound very formal.

"I'm certain she did," Ginny said as she finished tidying up the books. "I ate with Mundungus."

"Ahh," George chuckled, "I believe she was looking for him as well."

"Yes, well I'll go down if he's there," she answered mockingly.

"Honestly, Ginny, how bad could it be?" Fred asked.

"Fred's right," George added, "Mum's almost forgiven us for starting the joke shop."

"You started it months ago!"

"--And it's much better now than it was for the first month!"

"That wasn't the most convincing example," Fred mumbled. George just shrugged and mumbled back, loud enough for Ginny to hear: "What else is there? The woman's a terror."

"Could you please just come down with us?" Fred pleaded.

"Why? So I can be yelled at?"

"Precisely," Fred said with a nod. "You might as well get it over with while Dumbledore is around."

"--And Mum promised to forgive us for the joke shop if we could bring you down," George added.

"Dumbledore's said he wasn't going to let anyone force you to do anything," Fred explained. "So if you help us out, we'll promise to repay the favor."

Ginny decided that she couldn't put off whatever consequences she'd get any longer. If she came down with the twins, she might at least be able to contact Harry one last time with their help. She reluctantly stood and followed them into to the kitchen. She was hoping to walk in behind them and sit against the wall away from the others. The twins had other ideas.

"May we present, the very reclusive--"

"--and rebellious--" Fred interjected.

"--Ginny Weasley!"

At that they parted leaving everyone to stare at her. She immediately scowled at them both, considering an appropriate hex, when she spotted Dumbledore sitting next to Tonks. He smiled and nodded at the chair Ginny normally sat in. The twins had been telling the truth. Dumbledore was back. She really hadn't had any choice.

She warily sat down and spent the entire meal avoiding everyone else's eyes and staying out of as many conversations as she could. She ate as quickly as she could, hoping to eat enough to allow her to skip breakfast the next morning. When she was finished eating, she tried to get up but Dumbledore whispered to her, "If I may, I would suggest that you stay." So she did.

Taking this as a signal, Lupin stopped eating and cleared his throat. "I know some of us are still eating, everyone has had a long day, and some of us--" his eyes darted toward Ginny, then away, "--still have things we should do tonight. So, I'm going to try and be brief. Harry has met with his... guards, I suppose. They seem to be decent enough chaps. I don't think we'll have problems with them." Lupin leaned forward and reached for his cup. "He also said that he'll try to not to forget any more details from his dreams." There was an annoyed snort from Moody.

Arthur spoke up. "We looked over the room again today. Willard Hornby was very proud of his daughter, but there weren't any family photos in the room. Friends of the family have confirmed that there should have been a number of them there, and there is indeed fresh ash on the floor. We had assumed that it was from Floo travel, like Harry's vision suggested, but--" he looked down, "--but his fireplace was not connected to the network. Hasn't been for some time, not since before the last war."

He looked up but avoided looking in Ginny's direction. She didn't think he was angry with her. It was something else. He was... afraid?

"It does indeed seem that all the photos were incinerated that night."

"Well, she was right," Moody growled at Lupin. "Harry says that he simply forgot?" Lupin nodded. "I suppose I should have expected as much from James' son," he said rubbing his forehead. "Well, Miss Weasley? Do you have anything else to share? Has Harry told you anything more?"

Ginny simply looked down at the table. She didn't know what to do. She was afraid that if she kept quiet, they would never trust her again, and she would be left out just like Harry.

"Alastor--" Dumbledore started, but Ginny's voice rose over it.

"He told me he had to listen to Willard Hornby's family being tortured."

Everyone turned and looked at her. Dumbledore seemed more surprised than the rest, looking almost betrayed. Ginny ignored them and glared at Mad-Eye Moody.

"Voldemort made Mr. Hornby watch as he burned all the pictures, and then he tortured his family," she said. Her voice was deepened with anger, but it was anger over breaking her promise, not over what happened. She had to be convincing, so she continued. "Harry doesn't have a family, and he had to watch as someone else lose theirs. He was hurt and embarrassed." She was nearly yelling now, and Moody was looking as shocked as the rest of the Order.

"I see." Moody said. "There wasn't anything--"

"He just wanted someone to talk to who wouldn't discuss his feelings at a nightly meeting!" she yelled. Molly glared at her, and she looked down again.

"No. There was nothing else. I think he assumed you would have known about all of it. We didn't think we were keeping any secrets, but the letter is gone."

"Well, make sure you give us any more letters you get from Potter," Moody said.

Ginny looked offended. "I will not," she replied testily. The twins were whispering to each other, and looking at her oddly.

Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up. "Couldn't we just intercept all incoming owls?"

"Now that sounds like a splendid idea," Dumbledore said. "I hear that Delores Umbridge is looking for a job, and she has plenty of experience in that area."

"Albus--" Moody began.

"Albus, we need to know--" Kingsley tried to argue.

"I will not have us fighting amongst ourselves like this," Dumbledore said forcefully. "Ginny has done nothing wrong. She has only done what a friend asked, and I will not punish her for that. No one was put in any danger. However, I do not think any letters about Harry's dreams should be destroyed. Perhaps we can all agree to give them to Harry's new godfather, and let him handle them as needed."

"Harry's--" Lupin started to ask. "Who would that be?"

"You, of course," answered Dumbledore. He smiled, then turned to Ginny. "You will agree to that? Anything about Harry's dreams. Any letters about his dreams."

Ginny nodded. There was something odd about how Dumbledore had said that. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. It seemed there was something she was missing. She needed to talk to Harry, but more importantly, she had to get away from all the questions. She didn't want to lie, but she would if she was forced to. She certainly wouldn't be handing over Harry's letters.

She sat in sullen silence for the rest of the meal, which had quickly turned into a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix where the members simply happened to be eating. It seemed to drag on forever. Ginny wished she could just slink off up the stairs, but Moody seemed to be watching her as if he expected just that.

Finally, after waiting much longer than she had wanted to, Ginny was back in the safety of her own room. She rummaged around looking for the mirror Lupin had given her. Was that what Lupin was referring to when he said that some people still had things to do tonight? As soon as she found it, she heard a light rapping on her door. She tossed the mirror under her pillow and opened the door.

She recoiled in surprise when she saw who her visitor was. "Headmaster? Is there something more?" She was suddenly afraid. She didn't know if she could lie to Dumbledore. She didn't know if anyone could.

"I'm afraid there is," he said. "Remus has told me that you did not seem to appreciate my gift as much as I expected."

She looked at him with uncertainty. "I wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean."

"Oh, I don't think it was supposed to mean something," he replied with a laugh. "It was supposed to do something. Or rather, let you do something. I'm sure you were hoping for some word from Harry today?"

"Yes," she said, still suspicious.

"It seems that Hedwig has taken a small holiday."

"How do you know that?"

Ginny tried to remember. She had sent Hedwig off late last night, and no owl had come to Grimmauld Place since she woke up. She looked at Dumbledore and the answer slowly came to her: He'd heard from Harry. She had been keeping an eye out for owls all day, but she must have missed one. "You've heard from Harry," she said slowly, getting a surprised look from her Headmaster. "Or... someone else has." The look on Dumbledore's face seemed to confirm this. Ginny felt an odd heaviness in her stomach.

Harry had written back, just not to her.

"Who did he write to?" Ginny felt suddenly afraid that Harry wasn't going to write to her anymore. "Is he upset with me? Does he not trust me anymore?" she asked, then looked Dumbledore in the eyes. "Has something happened so he can't talk with me?"

Dumbledore's earlier expression broke and he smiled at her as he looked into her eyes. Ginny suddenly felt confused. She didn't know why she was afraid, but she was.

"No, Miss Weasley. Something has not happened so he can talk with you," he laughed. "However, it does bring to mind another question I had: Why have you done this?"

"Done what?" Ginny asked. "Telling everyone what Harry told me? I just wanted to do the right thing."

"And that instinct will come in quite useful when you are a prefect this year," Dumbledore said, "but you know what I what I was asking." He looked into Ginny's eyes. "You didn't tell Alastor everything. You are still protecting Harry. You're still keeping his secrets, and telling him yours. Why?"

Ginny froze. She didn't know what to say. She was shocked to hear she would be a prefect, but it was drowned by the surprise that Dumbledore knew so much of what she had done.

"I--" she started, "It's complicated--"

"Do you know why you're helping Harry?"

She looked him in the eyes. "No."

For a moment, Dumbledore looked troubled. After looking at Ginny for some time, he relaxed and held out his wand. The mirror leapt out from under the pillow to his hand, and he offered it to her. "Perhaps you and Harry can talk about it. All you had to do is say his name."

Ginny suddenly started to understand. "Is it-- It's a way of talking to Harry without an owl."

She felt embarrassed and happy at the same time. It suddenly made sense. Dumbledore was helping her.

"Of course," she whispered as she shook her head. "'Something has not happened'. And-- Lupin was trying to tell me. I wouldn't listen." She looked the Headmaster in the eye again.

"Why? Why are you helping me? Does Moody know about this?"

"Oh, I agree with Remus. Alastor would very much disapprove of this gift," he said with a smile. "Even more so now that you have just agreed to hand over all letters mentioning Harry's dreams to the original owner of this gift."

"So Lupin knows everything, too? Will he tell anyone?"

"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "No, Remus keeps many secrets. I'm certain there are many things which he has not even told me, and now he feels he must take the place of both Sirius and James. I expect you will have quite an ally in Remus, though your goals may be different."

"And what about you?" Ginny asked, surprising herself. "What are your goals for Harry?"

"I have many responsibilities. I would do anything to protect Harry from his fate. Instead, I must help guide him on the hard path ahead of him. However, the help I can provide is not what Harry needs most. You know that. You are the solution to a problem that exists only because so many people want to protect Harry. So, it seems to me that the best way to help Harry is to help you. He already has Ron, Hermione, Remus, and many others, but none of them have the potential to understand this part of him like you have. You're the one he's missing."

Ginny felt the heat rising in her face. She knew he hadn't meant to make it sound like it did, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't have a crush on Harry anymore. That was over. He was just Harry: brave, generous, humble, handsome-- but just a good friend --her brother's best friend. Why should she still find it so embarrassing?

"You don't know why you're helping Harry?" Dumbledore asked, a curious smile stretching across his face.

"He needs someone," she started to explain, "and Ron and Hermione... Well you're right, they don't--" Ginny paused as she tried to collect her thoughts. "I wanted to do something. I just wanted to help him. I didn't do this for myself, I swear--"

"I believe you," he said after a thoughtful pause. "It's getting late, and you'll want to get some sleep eventually. Perhaps I can suggest some charms for your door."

---

Harry waited in his room all afternoon and evening. He'd eaten his lukewarm dinner in his room, waiting for his new mirror to show some sign that Ginny was trying to talk to him. The sun went down, but there was not even the hint of a glimmer from his mirror.

He stood up and walked to his window. Outside, his guards were sitting against a tree. They'd given up hiding from Harry, and their Disillusionment Charms were more than enough to keep the local Muggles from noticing them. Harry didn't think they'd noticed him.

He kept the light on in his room, but put on a set of light robes and pulled his Invisibility Cloak on over them. He was bored. He needed to talk with somebody, and at the very least, he could try to have some fun. He grabbed his wand and slipped it into one of his outer pockets, then pulled the Cloak over his head and slowly pulled the door open. As he stepped out of his room, he saw the light from his lamp glint of his Mirror. "It can't hurt," he whispered to himself as he went back and slipped the mirror into one of the inside pockets of his robes.

Slipping past the Dursley's was easy. They were all in the living room staring mindlessly at some loud American show on the television as he gingerly walked down the stairs. He wouldn't have even needed his Invisibility Cloak. A moment later he was out the kitchen door and quietly closing it.

The night was refreshingly cool, but that meant there was a dull haze hanging in the air, making it feel as if the night were pressing around him, stealing any feeling of freedom he might have from being out of his cramped room.

It would, however, make the evening's pastime a little easier for him. The streetlights shown through the haze casting mottled shadows everywhere and turning every shrub or post into some hidden threat. After hours of this haze, the Aurors would have given up trying to chase the shadows.

Harry stepped out around Number Four Privet Drive, to stand in what should have been plain view of the Aurors. Of course, he still had the Invisibility Cloak on, but that hadn't stopped Dumbledore or Mad-Eye Moody. After a good minute, he decided that they must not be able to see him, from that distance at least.

He considered circling around behind them as he had before, but as he stepped onto the road, he decided that it was much too dull to do again. So he turned toward the Aurors, and started walking toward them very slowly. They both seemed to be hunching over some large object in turns. One of them would look out toward the Dursley's home, or down Privet drive while the other looked at the object, then they would switch jobs. What were they looking at? They seemed to be touching it at times, almost as if they were trying to follow directions on some map.

A map.

Harry froze and dropped into a crouch immediately, causing some small pebbles to grind against the street beneath him. Both of the Aurors' jerked up and looked about before turning back to look back at the map. Was it like his map? Could they seem him? Harry's heart was beating quite fast, and he had to remind himself that even if they could, it wasn't like he was in any danger. The worst he'd have to face would be a pair of Aurors laughing at him.

If they had already seen him, he had nothing to lose, so Harry continued slowly creeping across the street, and finally onto the curb right in front of them. If they knew where he was, they were hiding it well. Harry paid particular attention to their faces as they scanned the area. They seemed to be looking through him, and they seemed to be doing it in an automatic, mechanical manner.

Harry squinted to try and see the map they were using, but it was hidden in even murkier shadows than the rest of the street. It was flat, and seemed to have a number of small knobs on it. Harry took a single, quiet step forward, bringing him to about twenty feet from the Aurors. As one scanned the night sky, the other reached down to the map, and pushed one of the knobs forward with a smirk on his face. Harry's jaw dropped as he watched the knob pick up another, smaller knob and toss it from the map.

They were playing chess.

Stafford turned to look down at the board and his ejected piece, and frowned slightly. He stared at the board as Montnor looked around, his eyes passing over Harry without stopping for an instant. Harry inched forward over the next few minutes, getting closer and closer. When he was just less twenty feet from them he had to stop. If he got any closer, they'd be sure to see his footsteps in the grass. From where he stood on a patch of packed earth, he could see the chessboard clearly.

He came up with an idea. He slowly picked up a small rock nearby. It wasn't original, but it was effective. He tossed it high into the air and down the street. The effect was perfect. It produced a clear clack, followed by the same sound repeated and moving away from the Aurors. They immediately jumped to their feet and stepped out toward the street.

For a moment, Harry was certain he'd failed, as Stafford had passed within inches of him, and was now standing less than eight feet from Harry. He'd hear if Harry used a charm. For a moment he struggled with his own conscience. He could do it without a charm, but it would feel wrong. His plan hadn't involved them being so close. Slowly, he realized that he really wanted to know if he really could do it.

Slowly, he raised his hand toward the chess board. He tried to remember the dreams he'd had, the time Vernon had yelled at him, and all the times when things had simply jumped to his hand. He focused on Montnor's king, and just as the Aurors were turning to ignore the noise, the chess piece leapt off the board and landed softly in the grass between the board and Harry.

The Aurors returned and slowly took their seats on either side of the board. Harry concentrated again and again, and after a couple tries, the chess piece was within reach. He grabbed it and slowly started stepping away from them. They would eventually notice and come looking for him. Harry felt the pavement under his feet, and slowly put the piece down. His mischief achieved, he quietly circled around and started making his way back to the Aurors. It didn't take him long, and he looked for any sign that the Auror's noticed the missing piece. When he was within only a few feet the tree behind Montnor, he heard Stafford's voice.

"Hey! What's this? Did you--"

"Quiet!" hissed Montnor. "We're not alone." His partner froze and looked suddenly tense.

"Is it--"

"No, I don't think so," the older Auror whispered. "That sound we heard was a rock bouncing on the street. Potter did the same thing last night. Must have thought we'd fall for that again."

"Where is he, do you think?"

"In this haze? He could be anywhere, but he must have been pretty far away for us to not see the Summoning Charm."

"You want to teach him a lesson about playing with Aurors?"

"I like him," Montnor said with a chuckle, "but he's no Auror. I know a few tricks he doesn't." The Auror jumped to his feet, and pointed his wand into the sky.

"Luminus Oublio!"

Harry flinched as the chess piece he'd left on the pavement suddenly blazed forth with a warm orange glow. The Aurors leapt toward it and were staring into the murky night trying to find any trace of him. Harry felt a twinge of adrenaline and quickly lunged toward the chess board, scooping up all of the pieces.

"Bloody hell!" Stafford hissed. "How did he summon it here?"

"He didn't," the other Auror said with some frustration. "He put it here. There are his footsteps." Stafford stepped back away from the pavement, as if the bushes around him were about to jump him. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"How would I know?" hissed Montnor. "If you'd stop trampling the ground, maybe we could find out." Together they searched around the ground, but couldn't tell Harry's footprints from their own. It wasn't helped by the fact that Harry was walking around trying to avoid them while dropping chess pieces wherever they had just been.

"It's impossible," the older one finally said. "We've fouled it all up. There are footprints everywhere."

"Magnus, look!" the younger Auror gasped. "The pieces. They're all gone." Harry choked on a laugh as he heard both of the Aurors cursing him. He couldn't keep himself hidden much longer. He slunk to the far side of the tree, and quickly pulled off his Cloak, rolled it up and stuffed it into one of his pockets.

"Lumino Oublius!"

Harry let out a sharp laugh as thirty chess pieces scattered around the tree bathed the area in a warm glow.

"Bloody hell. We're sacked for sure," Harry heard Clarence Stafford whisper. "Shacklebolt will have our heads. We couldn't even catch a half-trained wizard."

"Harry Potter isn't an ordinary wizard," Montnor replied. He picked up a chess piece and placed it back on the board. "Harry?" he called out. "Where are you?"

Harry walked out from behind the tree, holding Stafford's glowing king. He placed it on the chessboard, and then tipped it over.

"Yes, Harry. Checkmate," the Auror laughed as he looped his wand through the air, causing the rest of the chess pieces to stop glowing and leap back to the board. Then, before Harry could react, the wand was pointed at him, and he felt like he'd been doused with icy cold water.

He started to turn and dive away, but stopped short when he realized he wasn't at all wet. He looked back at the Auror who was laughing again.

"Distraction Charm, Potter. We can't have you standing about in wizard robes, can we?"

Harry sat against the tree while the Aurors packed up their chessboard. Harry had promised (willingly, of course) that he wouldn't run off and tell Kingsley Shacklebolt about what had happened. He'd also refused to tell them how he'd done it.

After the joke he played, the Aurors seemed a bit reluctant to talk about much else. Harry tried to get them to share any more information they had with him, but they claimed there wasn't anything else to share. They questioned him lightly about his visions. Stafford kept quiet mostly, letting Magnus Montnor ask most of the questions.

"And you only get these visions when you're asleep?"

"All of them except one. Except the one that told me what was going to happen to that family."

Montnor looked thoughtful. He gave Harry a piercing glare. "Does it hurt when you get them?"

"You mean 'Does it hurt more?'" Harry replied. When he only got confused looks from the Aurors, he tried to explain. "I don't notice it much anymore, but my scar hurts pretty much constantly. It's not much more than a dull pressure right now," he said as he gently rubbed it, "but it's been getting worse, and the times when it gets really bad are happening more often."

The Aurors seemed to give each other significant looks, but didn't ask much more. They continued to talk lightly. Stafford turned out to be quite the Quidditch fan. Harry decided he'd not tell Ron that Stafford was yet another Tornadoes fan.

As he sat and listened to Stafford give him a rather detailed account of the current standings, he felt a slight warmth in his stomach. He froze. Was Voldemort up to something?

"What's the matter, Harry?" Montnor asked as he watched Harry closely. "You're looking a bit pale."

"Er... Nothing... My friend, he... er... He's a Cannons fans," Harry said, hoping it would make sense.

"Well, I'd feel ill if I were a Chudley fan, too," Stafford laughed. "They'll be lucky if they can end the season with any respect, much less the Cup."

The feeling seemed to fade, and Harry tried to forget it. The Aurors seemed to relax, and Stafford returned to his description of the league standings and who had to lose to who by how many points. Just when Harry had almost written off the feeling, he felt it again. Unless it was just the paranoia, he would have sworn it was stronger this time.

Instinctively he put a hand on his stomach and felt that it was actually warm. And flat. It was the Mirror. It felt just like the coins Hermione had made for the D.A. The rest would grow warm whenever he set the date on his. The Mirror must work the same way. Harry quickly stood up, surprising the two Aurors and causing them stand up in response.

"What is it, Harry?" Montnor asked urgently. "Is something happening?"

"No, it's..." Harry started as he tried to think up an explanation. "My stomach. It's not feeling all that well. The Muggles gave me cold food."

Clarence Stafford started rummaging through the large bag behind him. "A little bit of Saul's Stomach Serum will fix that right up." A moment later he was holding out a small vial of opaque green liquid. Harry stared at it dubiously. The thought of drinking it was enough to make him feel sick enough to need it.

"I probably just need rest," Harry said trying to back away.

"And this doesn't have anything to do with ... Voldemort?" Montnor forced him self to say.

"No," Harry said honestly. "No, just bad food." He reached for the vial and pocketed it next to the mirror which was already cool again. "I'm sure this will help."

The Aurors watched him carefully as he walked back across the street to Number Four Privet Drive. His mind was completely focused on the Mirror and whoever was on the other end. Was Lupin trying to talk to him? He'd certainly just Apparate there if it was that urgent.

What if it was Ginny?

Harry felt his heart beating just a bit harder. Was it even possible? He didn't know what to expect. What if someone else found Ginny's mirror? His mind raced through the possibilities.

By the time he reached the door, he'd made up his mind. If Ginny didn't have the mirror, then he wouldn't be able to contact her. If the Order found out about it and was making her use it, then there was nothing Harry could do to help. But if she was trying to contact him...

He walked through the door and closed it. As he started up the stairs, he heard Petunia's voice from the living room.

"Vernon? Did you hear something?"

Harry panicked. The Dursleys didn't know he'd left. He'd be doing chores all day the next day if they found him sneaking back in. Harry tried to quietly walk up the stairs before anyone saw him. It probably wouldn't matter. They'd already blamed him for a power outage and a ripped package they'd gotten in the post.

To his horror, Harry heard heavy footsteps approaching-- from the top of the stairs. Harry looked down and realized he was still wearing his robes. If the Dursleys saw him wearing them he'd be lucky if they didn't burn them on the spot. Harry looked up and froze as he saw Vernon stomping down the stairs looking only slightly annoyed. He showed no sign of stopping as he approached Harry, and Harry was forced to flatten himself against the wall at the last second as Vernon walked right past him.

"What was that, Petunia dear?" he called out.

Petunia appeared at the entrance to the living room, and looked directly at Vernon, who was only feet away from Harry. "I thought I heard something. You don't think Harry's out of his room?"

"No, I just checked it. The boy's door hasn't opened since I brought him yesterday's leftovers. He's lucky he even got that, the ungrateful whelp. It was probably just wind or the stairs creaking."

Petunia shrugged and seemed to look about for a bit, as if she'd thought she'd seen something, but finally turned and walked back into the living room. Vernon finished walking down the stairs and followed her, leaving Harry plastered against the wall above the fifth and sixth step. He stayed still for a moment, trying to understand what just happened. The answer came soon enough: the Distraction Charm. It must still be active.

---

Ginny sat in her room trying to decide exactly what she should do. She told herself that she could trust Dumbledore, but some part of her was still questioning his desire to help her purposefully break a rule that she'd promised to follow.

He'd spent some time teaching her how to silence her room in a way that wouldn't be obvious to the others in Grimmauld Place. Then he cast some charm that he claimed would prevent Mad-Eye Moody from watching her in her room. He'd said that he'd already done it to most of the bedrooms in the house, on the premise that pretty much everyone wanted some privacy from the retired Auror.

If Dumbledore couldn't get some privacy from Moody, then no one could. She concluded that she didn't have much of a choice. If she planned on using the Mirror, there wasn't anything more that she could do to keep it a secret. She'd simply have to trust Dumbledore. However, she didn't have to abandon all precautions.

Ginny walked to her trunk and pulled out her Charms text. It wasn't her largest book, but no one would believe she was willingly reading up on goblin rebellions and the history of magical plant gathering. She sat down on her bed, opened her book and then pulled the Mirror out of her pocket and placed it in the book.

She looked directly at the Mirror, and softly addressed it:

"Harry Potter, please."

She felt slightly silly, and half expected the Mirror to do nothing and find the whole Order in her room and laughing at her a moment later. However, she flinched as she saw her reflection swirl away to darkness. The Mirror remained dark for a moment, and then slowly her reflection appeared again.

She looked around the room suspiciously, then quickly slammed her book on the Mirror and dropped it into her trunk quickly. She sat down on her desk and started pretending to be writing a letter to a friend. A minute later when no one jumped out of her closet or knocked on her door, she began wondering just what had happened.

The Mirror had done something. It didn't seem like a joke. The Mirror had actually heard her and tried to do something. She put down her quill, and fetched the Charms book again. She opened it to the Mirror and stared at it for a bit. Why wouldn't it work? Did she do something wrong?

She stared at it again, and called out in a clear, loud voice:

"Harry Potter!"

The Mirror went dark again, and for a moment she thought she saw the darkness shift a bit before her reflection returned. It wasn't working. Was there something wrong? Why wasn't it showing her Harry?

She wasn't worrying about being overheard anymore. She'd begun to worry if something was wrong with Harry. What if the Mirror was working, but he wasn't able to answer? What if he was in danger? Should she tell the Order?

Ginny paced around her room trying to decide what to do. If she told Lupin, he'd have to tell the Order about the Mirror, and she'd never be able to talk to Harry again. But if Harry really was in trouble, she'd never forgive herself for not telling someone. She toppled onto her bed, and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

She felt ill. Why did it matter if she didn't talk to Harry for the next five weeks? She tried not to think of an answer to that question. There shouldn't be an answer. She'd spent every other summer not talking to Harry. Harry was just Ron's best friend. The only reason this summer was different was because she'd been willing to help him when no one else would. Perhaps help was just what he needed now, and she might be the only one who knew. That was the whole point, wasn't it? She knew what she had to do, but couldn't understand why it was so painful to admit.

She looked over at the desk where the Mirror still lay in the book. She had to do something. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and scowled at her door. She was angry at herself for being selfish, and even angrier at the world for putting her in this position. She hated Moody for how he treated Harry, Dumbledore for isolating him, and Voldemort for not dying when he was meant to.

Dragging her feet as if they were made of stone, she walked to the book, took the mirror from it, and then threw it at her wall with a frustrated shout. She paused to catch her breath and wipe a tear that was disobediently sliding down her cheek. With her jaw set, she walked out of her room to the railing overlooking the stairs. After a couple failed attempts, she finally got control over her voice:

"Lupin?"

A moment later, Remus Lupin's head poked above the floor as he climbed the stairs. Ginny's heart raced as he looked at her. She wanted to turn and run, or take Ron's broom and fly to Little Whinging herself, but her feet remained where they were. She had to tell him. If Harry was in trouble, Lupin needed to know. She tried to speak, but her throat wasn't cooperating.

"He-- Something..." she said hoarsely. "Something's wrong. He's not there." She reluctantly pulled the Mirror from her pocket and showed it to him. Lupin looked concerned for a moment, and quickly climbed the remaining stairs and walked over to her.

Then, just as she held it out to show him, she saw light glint off the Mirror in the dim hallway. A faint voice seemed to come from it. A voice that Ginny and Remus Lupin immediately recognized:

"Ginny? Are you there?"

Lupin's eyes opened wide, but he could not have been as surprised as Ginny. She turned the Mirror toward her and saw Harry Potter staring back at her, looking quite confused. Lupin pulled out his wand and pointed Ginny back to her room. As Ginny ran back into her room, she heard a rough voice calling up from the stairs.

"Remus? Everything alright up there?"

Lupin closed Ginny's door after giving her a quick smile and a encouraging nod. From the other side of the door, Ginny heard him calling back.

"Nothing to worry about, Moody. Ginny's just found one of those escaped doxies. I took care of it."

Ginny slumped against the door, trying to relax. She looked down into the Mirror and saw Harry's face. He looked even more concerned than he had a few seconds ago. Ginny looked at the Mirror, unsure of exactly how she should talk to it. Finally, she just spoke as if Harry were in the room with her.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

Harry looked back at her oddly. "Spiffing. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just a bit rattled," Ginny replied.

"Are you alone?" Harry asked, his voice sounding more serious.

"Yes. Dumbledore helped me with the charms. Are you?"

Harry felt a surge of relief at being able to speak to Ginny. Yet, at the same time he felt distinctly uncomfortable. As he looked into Ginny's face he felt odd. It was like being happy, nervous and guilty all at once. She looked different. She didn't look quite so much like Ron's little sister anymore. She looked older. Maybe it was because he couldn't see how tall she was. Or maybe it was the loose ponytail she had her hair in. Perhaps he simply had more respect for her now. He felt a bit unsure about how to treat her, but even more, he felt the desire to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Harry?"

Harry jumped a little and looked around, as if he were afraid someone were watching. He had nothing to worry about, of course. Even if Vernon walked in, he would have completely ignored Harry.

"What?" Harry said as he came back to the present.

"You, er... You were just kinda staring off..."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "I guess I'm not sure just what to do with these things."

Ginny agreed and complained lightly about the complete lack of information she'd gotten from Lupin and Dumbledore. "I mean, how am I supposed to know when you want to talk to me?" Harry explained to her about how the Mirror had felt warm earlier that night, and she happily confirmed that she had tried to talk to him twice.

So that was it, it seemed. Sirius and James must have used a charm similar to the one Hermione had found for the D.A. coins. It made Harry feel a little better about his father to know that he and Sirius at least showed a good amount of talent and cleverness. Even the Ravenclaws had been impressed with Hermione's work on the coins.

"So...er... am I just supposed to carry it with me wherever I go?" Harry asked hesitantly. "I mean, they aren't indestructible, and I can't really carry mine with me wherever I go."

"No," agreed Ginny, "and it's not like I'll be able to talk to whenever I want." She sat silent in thought for a moment. "Alright. Here's how we'll do this. I'll check in with you every night, at... er... about this time. I've been going to sleep about now, but I'll stay up and pass on anything I've heard that day. Is that too late?"

"I don't sleep much," Harry said before thinking. Ginny gave him a piteous look, but said nothing. "I'll be fine. What am I supposed to do if I... learn something during the day?"

"You won't be able to wait until that night?"

Harry cringed and gave her a meaningful look. "It might be a bit more urgent than that."

Ginny seemed to understand, and nodded. "Right. Well... Moody probably won't notice me carrying a mirror in my pocket. Lupin might help, as well. If you need to talk to me, give it a try. If I can talk, I will. If not, I'll find a way to get somewhere I can and then I'll try back," she explained, seeming impressed with her own plan. "So don't you go running off before talking with me," she added sternly.

Harry smiled back at her. The two of them simply sat looking at each other. Harry felt almost immediately awkward. What was he supposed to do now? Ginny seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"So... er...." Harry started.

"Right... What-- Is there anything new?" Ginny eventually said.

Harry's face twisted in confusion. "Why are you asking me? I'm the one no one talks to, remember?"

"Right," Ginny winced. Harry thought he detected a slight blush in her cheeks. "So where should I start?"

Harry's discomfort intensified a little as he tried to think of someplace to begin. The reality of what he was doing hit him, and he began to feel guilty for sneaking around behind the backs of Moody and Lupin (not to mention Ron and Hermione). However, his own need for information, and the knowledge that it had been Dumbledore's idea encouraged him enough to ask the question he'd been wondering for a whole year.

"What is Snape up to?"

"Skulking, mostly," Ginny answered with a smile. She told Harry about how furious Snape had been since they'd heard about Lucius being left behind in Azkaban.

"That was how he was spying on the Death Eaters," Harry thought out loud. Ginny said that no one really said that for certain, but that it was what everyone believed.

"He still spies on them on occasion, we think," she added. "Hermione thinks he has to use Polyjuice Potion now. He spends most of his time in the cellars."

After that, Ginny tried to think of all the things she'd heard over the past few meetings the Order had been holding in the parlor. She told him about Kingsley Shacklebolt getting appointed as the head of a team of Aurors whose sole job was to protect wizards from the Death Eaters. Exactly what that meant was a bit uncertain at the moment, though it seemed there was some agreement made between Shacklebolt and Dumbledore.

She tried to remember the names and dates of all the Death Eater appearances. However, the news Harry found more disturbing was all the Death Eater disappearances. One by one, they seemed to be disappearing, usually leaving their families behind. It seemed that they were gathering, and if what Harry had seen was correct, their numbers were growing.

Ginny continued by rattling off a number of odd things she'd overheard. None of them sounded terribly interesting or terribly important. She was trying her best to remember everything she could, but after a while Harry lost interest.

"Is something wrong?" Ginny asked when she noticed the dazed look on Harry's face. "Oh! It's late. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up, I just--"

"No!" he interrupted her. "No, it's not that. I... I don't need much sleep really. Used to it by now. I just... " Harry tried to think of how to explain it. It sounded so embarrassing and pathetic in his mind.

"What is it Harry?"

"No, it's fine. Maybe I should get some sleep."

Ginny's eyes narrowed, managing to look worried and surprised at the same time. "No, that's not it. You were going to ask me to do something... What was it?"

"It's really nothing..." Harry said.

"No, it's not," Ginny said, seemingly surprised at her own boldness. "What is it, Harry?"

Harry stared at her and forced himself to swallow. In a low voice he tried to find the best way to explain it.

"No one talks to me."

"I know, Harry," Ginny said in a sympathetic voice. "I've been trying to tell you everything I know. The Mirrors will help. You'll see. I promise, I'll tell you whatever--"

"--No--" Harry stopped her. He winced with the embarrassment of having to explain it so plainly. "No one talks to me. The Dursleys only talk to me to tell me what chores to do. Lupin and Arthur only talk to me to check up on me. Ron and Hermione rarely write. I just spent a half hour talking to two Aurors because they are the only ones who have been willing to discuss anything other than Voldemort." Ginny looked crestfallen, and it only made Harry feel worse.

"Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I-- I bet I can get Ron to write to you more. Hermione might as well. It might take a while but--"

"But--" Harry interrupted her again, "--what about... Couldn't I just talk with you?"

Ginny's eyes popped open and she seemed to mumble a bit before she finally forced herself to reply. "Er... Yeah, I guess... I just didn't figure that you'd... well, you know."

"You're the only one who seemed to even care," Harry replied quietly.

Ginny stared back at him in her Mirror for a moment before a smile broke across her face. A moment later she was talking about all sorts of odd things that had happened since the start of holidays. She told him about the twins' joke shop and all the new things they'd created. She told him about Ron's heartbreak at the performance of the Chudley Cannons, and how Hermione had gotten tired of his moping and stopped talking to him for a day.

Eventually Harry joined in, asking questions and making comments about the things Ginny was telling him. It felt amazing to just have someone else to talk to. Slowly, both of them relaxed into conversation, and it seemed as if they had been talking for years instead of weeks.

"Tonks has been spending a lot of time with Hermione and me. I think she gets tired of having to hang around Kingsley and Moody all day."

"She still didn't know that Dean was your boyfriend," Harry added casually.

"What?" Ginny asked sharply.

"She asked if there was a boy you liked, and I told her about Dean," Harry answered, somewhat less confident about this statement than the one just before it.

Ginny seemed suddenly nervous and irritated. "He's not my boyfriend. We went out a couple times... and, er... well, it was right before the end of term. It really wasn't anything."

"But you told Ron--"

"I know," Ginny said as she covered her face with her free hand. "I was just trying to annoy Ron. He was being a prat about Michael. He said something, and I reacted. It's really nothing. We just talked in the Library a couple of times."

"Oh..." Harry said, not quite understanding what the difference was. Had Cho been his girlfriend? He'd thought so for a little bit, but it wasn't like they actually did much together. "I'm sorry. I guess I just figured--"

"Don't be sorry," Ginny replied. "It was my fault. It's really nothing. Please don't think... I mean-- I don't want you to think that I'm..." Ginny groaned in frustration. "Can we talk about something else?"

Harry smiled and obliged her, and started asking her about Quidditch. She cheered him up by letting him in on some information he hadn't heard yet: Lupin had gotten Harry's lifelong ban from Quidditch officially lifted. Even without the official word from the governors, Harry had figured that Dumbledore would let him play, but it was reassuring to hear that it was official as well.

"If that's the case, I'll probably need some new gloves and guards for the next year. I think I've completely outgrown the ones I have. I don't think I'll ever want another broom."

Ginny seemed to enjoy that topic better and they continued talking about the next year's Quidditch season and how it might go. Without realizing it, Harry discovered that he'd been talking with Ginny for hours and that it was now already early morning. He reluctantly ended the conversation to ask for sleep.

"I had one more favor to ask," Harry said before Ginny left. She looked slightly worried but asked what the favor was. Harry looked toward his trunk of books and other supplies. "I need to find a way to end a Distraction Charm. It's great for now, but if Vernon doesn't see me, I may never get any more food."

---

Just like she'd promised, Ginny contacted him the next night. Harry sat at his desk, slogging his way through Potions of Power, and waiting for some sign from the mirror. At just about the same time they'd started last night, Harry saw a faint flash from the mirror followed by a soft glow. He picked it up, and Ginny's smiling face was in the reflection.

She'd spent the first half hour explaining in more detail what the Order had been up to. Unlike the previous night, Harry asked many questions.

Ginny had also given him a quick update on Percy, in case Ron made any comments. It seemed that Percy had managed to stick around, even after Fudge's hasty departure. It hadn't had a very positive effect on his career, however. He was currently employed permanently as the Court Scribe (a demotion which he refused to admit). He still didn't trust Dumbledore, but he didn't openly oppose him either. However, his reversal of opinion stopped there. He still avoided Arthur, and refused to have any doings with the Order.

Harry had listened politely, but he wasn't really interested in what Percy was getting up to or problems in Auror recruitment or the troubles the Ministry was having with the goblins running Gringott's. He wanted to know what Dumbledore had been up to.

Unfortunately, it seemed that whatever it was Dumbledore had been doing, he'd been keeping it quite secret, and he'd only rarely shown up at Grimmauld Place. Harry found this both encouraging and discouraging. He'd have liked to know what was being done, but he took some comfort in knowing that something was being done.

Soon Ginny ran out of news. After an awkward pause, she started talking about other things. The twins had come by that day and were asking anyone who knew Harry if they had ideas for things for Harry's birthday.

Harry had to toss a few scrolls of parchment from his desk to find a calendar. It was only a week away. "I'd forgotten completely. Too busy to notice, I guess," he said with a hint of disappointment.

"How can you forget your own birthday?" Ginny asked lightly, hoping to keep Harry's spirits up.

"It's not as hard as you'd think. It's almost easy when you're the only one who really cares."

"That's not true, Harry," Ginny said sympathetically. "I'll remember. The twins remembered. So will Ron and Hermione. Lupin will help us get your presents past the Aurors. It wouldn't be any fun to have them open them for you."

It was supposed to cheer Harry up, but that thought reminded him of just how unfair the whole situation was. Ginny realized her mistake, and tried to move on to other subjects that were a little lighter.

Eventually, they both decided to go to sleep. The next night, Harry sat at his desk again, waiting patiently for the faint flash of Ginny contacting him. Night after night, he'd wait for the flash of his Mirror, listen to whatever reports Ginny had, and then they'd spend the rest of the night talking about whatever they could find to discuss.

Ginny didn't mention his birthday again, and Harry was somewhat thankful. He was now painfully aware of how close it was, and he hoped that someone else would notice, even if it were just Ginny. The night before his birthday, he tried mentioning his birthday, but Ginny just got a worried look on her face and changed the subject.