Furious Angels

Chapter Five: I've Got Seconds To Live

Ron Weasley was slow to awaken. He always had been.

He sat up in bed, trying to rub the grogginess out of his head by pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. He stretched impressively, yawning all the while. After he was done with the morning exertions, he stared blankly around the room, as if waiting for his personal motor to kick in.

Minutes passed before he realized he was staring at the camp bed that had been set up for Harry. He studied the blanket-covered lump in the bed, not really knowing why the lump confused him so. It was an odd-shaped lump, he decided, not the proper shape for a soon-to-be twelve year old boy. A few more minutes of slow reflection led Ron to the realization that there were, in fact, two people in the camp bed, facing each other under the covers.

The other person in the camp bed was his sister, Ginny.

No way. No way in bloody hell... His generally blank demeanor sank quickly into a simmering anger. Those gits! Harry! Messing around with my little sister! And Ginny! Playing 'Healer and Patient' with my best friend!

He stood, fully intending to tip the bed over. Getting dumped to the floor would be just what they were asking for, snuggling up like that... but then he stopped. Harry and Ginny were still soundly asleep. A memory, three or four years old now, floated up out of his subconscious. It was a memory of a terrible storm that had raged about the Burrow all night. Ginny, terrified of the noise and the lightning, had crawled into bed with her big brother, who if the truth were told was more than a little frightened himself. The two of them had slept just like Harry and Ginny now slept.

Ron stewed it over in his mind. Shrugging, he thought, Not my lookout. When Mum finds them together in bed and blows her top, it's their own fault. The thought caused a smug little smile to alight on his face. With that, he decided it was definitely time for breakfast. Ron carefully shut the door behind him and took the staircase down. At the landing that separated Ginny's room from the twins, he waved at his mother. "Good morning, Mum! Beautiful day!" He didn't see her return the greeting with an odd look.

Once in the kitchen, he sat down at the table and nibbled on a piece of toast. It was the only thing that had been laid out so far, but that was okay. Ron cocked an ear toward the staircase and waited for the show to begin.

Act one began with his mother's shriek. He heard "Ginny! Has anyone seen Ginny! She's not in her bed!" followed by a hurried, intense pounding on the door to the twins' room. "Boys! Is your sister in there? Get up and go check the paddock! Check outside, boys!" Ron listened as his mother fairly sprinted up the staircase. She pounded on Percy's door next. "Percy! Is your sister... no? Get dressed! Your sister is missing! We need to find her!" Footsteps as Molly stamped over to the bedroom she shared with Arthur. "Arthu... oh good, you're dressed! Go check in the village! Check at the Lovegoods' house! Maybe she... What? No! Ginny's missing! I need you to... WHAT! What are you playing at, asking that question? Arthur William Weasley! I demand..."

One by one Ron's older brothers came down into the kitchen. All three of them were still in their nightshirts, but they were slowly, clumsily trying to dress themselves. It wasn't a very successful effort. "What is Mum going on about, now?" Percy asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ginny," Ron said, relishing the moment, "is not in her bed. From my guess, she hasn't been for pretty much the entire night."

"No? Where's she gone then?" George asked. He was trying to put the wrong shoe on his left foot. "Is she outside? What's Mum on about?"

"She found other accommodations last night," Ron said. His voice was dripping with as much sarcasm as he was capable of injecting into his voice.

There was silence, like the eye of a hurricane. Then, "WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING! GET OUT OF THAT BED AT ONCE! IT'S NOT DECENT! GO GET... ARTHUR WHAT ARE YOU... NO I WON'T SETTLE... ARTHUR! WHY?" There was a long silence, after which Ron could hear the sound of his mother's footsteps on the stairs.

Percy looked to Ron. "You mean to say?" Ron just nodded, enthusiastically, causing Percy to look a little ill. Fred caught on almost immediately, but said nothing. "Well... what do you think Mum and Dad are going to do?'

"How do you..." Ron broke off as their mother arrived. She still looked rather angry. Saying nothing, she entered the kitchen proper and began making breakfast. Arthur, Harry, and Ginny appeared immediately thereafter. They joined the boys at the table, where Arthur made sure to separate Harry and Ginny by as large a space as possible. Harry ended up between Arthur and Percy, while Ginny was placed on Ron's far side, where she'd sit next to her mother.

The silence grew thicker and thicker until finally Percy spoke. "You shouldn't have done that to Mum, Ginevra." He wasn't looking at her, but was rather staring at the table. "You know how she feels about all this."

"Percy..." Arthur cautioned.

Percy looked to his father for a moment, and then continued. "It just isn't... proper... a girl of your age, sleeping in a bed with some boy. It's not right. You're far too young to be... doing that."

"Doing what, Percy? We just slept together." Ginny turned to Fred and George. "What is so funny? Why are you sniggering like that?"

"She's got a point, Perce..." Fred said. "They were only sleeping together." Next to him, George only laughed louder.

Behind them, Molly's movements were getting more and more mechanical.

"Boys, this is no time for joking. We need to discuss some important ground rules that Molly and I will expect followed as long as you live under this roof. Do you understand?" He looked to Harry, who nodded sullenly.

Ginny glared at him. "There is nothing wrong with the two of us sleeping in the same bed," she said, defiantly.

A frying pan clanged in the sink, making everyone jump. Molly spun on her heel. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, I don't know where you get the idea --"

"Potter," Ginny interrupted.

Molly's train of thought immediately derailed. "What?"

Ginny stared at her mother for a moment. Quietly, she said, "Potter. Ginevra Molly Potter, remember? We're as married as you and Dad are."

George finally broke his silence. "Hey, if they're married like Dumbledore says, it's going to happen sooner or later, right? Is it really our business?"

"Keep out of this, George," Arthur warned. When Fred opened his mouth, his father merely shook his head. Harry was trying to burn a hole in the table with his eyes. He hadn't lifted his head once during the entire conversation.

Molly was still talking to Ginny. "You're only ten. Even if you're married according to some ancient magical... thing... you're still only ten and you have no business sleeping in the same bed with a boy."

"Why?" Harry finally asked. He looked at Arthur, with honest confusion in his eyes. "I don't understand why it's improper. I mean... we just... slept. We talked for a little bit, but we didn't stay up too late, or make too much noise... we didn't get out of bed to play games while everyone else was asleep... we just... fell asleep. What is wrong with that?"

Arthur's mouth fell open. "Er..." He looked to his sons and stopped talking. After a moment he said, "Boys, the garden needs de-gnoming. Get to it. Percy, Fred, George, Ron... go!"

XxxxxxX

Harry was more than a little confused and he suspected that he was not fully awake yet. He searched his muddled head and could find no explanation for several things. Why was Molly so angry? Why were the twins laughing? Why did Percy seem annoyed with them sleeping together too? Even Ron had appeared to know something Harry did not...

Harry was struck with a sudden thought. "Is this about playing Doctor? Because I--"

"Playing Doctor?" Molly was confused.

"He means playing Healer, mum," Ginny muttered.

"WHAT?" Molly shouted. "PLAYING - NO! I WON'T ALLOW--"

"He doesn't even know what it is." Ginny said. "He just knows that Dad said that we weren't to do it."

Molly sputtered into silence, grimacing. Harry chanced a glance at Arthur; he was beet red and had his head in his hands. "Those people who raised you... they never told you anything about...?"

"They didn't like it when I asked questions..." Harry said hesitantly. They had told him some stuff, but, thinking back, Harry wasn't sure if they hadn't lied to him about everything. He wondered what this had to do with sleeping with girls. He knew his Aunt and Uncle had never said a word about sleeping with girls.

Molly dropped several sausages onto his plate, and Harry bit into it with relief. It felt good to do something normal, while everything else (except Ginny) seemed very, very strange. He began to suspect that there was something else about girls and boys sleeping together in the same bed. Maybe Fred and George did that with the Muggle girls too... or maybe people played Healer in a bed?

Arthur sighed. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered under his breath. Harry fervently agreed.

"Just tell him, Dad!" Fred shouted, laughing. His head was peeking in through the open window; George's was there too, and both of them were grinning slyly.

"Get OUT!" Molly shouted. She raised her wand and the window banged closed, missing her sons' heads by a hair. She then cast a Silencing Charm.

"Harry," she said, resolutely not looking at Harry. "When boys and girls sleep together, sometimes they have babies."

Harry stood up from the table so fast that he knocked his chair over. "Babies?!" he said loudly. "You mean - she - Ginny and I - we could be parents?"

"No!" Molly said. "No, thank Merlin. No, no, no."

Harry righted his chair, and fell into it with a sigh of relief. "We aren't ready for babies. You really don't think that we'll have a baby after last night, do you?" Harry asked anxiously.

"No," Arthur said firmly. "You don't just... sleep in the same bed to have babies."

"It's a very special hug," Molly said. "When a man and a woman are married - and older than seventeen - they lay in bed and hug."

"We did hug," Ginny whispered, horrified. "We did, didn't we, Harry? Oh, no! Mum, why didn't you tell me before?"

"There are hugs, and then there are special hugs," Molly said. Harry frowned. All of Ginny's hugs were special. He was not ready to be a parent... he was only eleven years old! He would not even be ready to be married if he and Ginny had not something special happened. His heart starting thumping in his chest, and he exchanged wide-eyed looks with Ginny. "No," Molly said a bit testily. "You still haven't - YOU AREN'T HAVING A BABY! STOP PANICKING, BOTH OF YOU!"

"It has to be naked," Arthur said.

"Oh," Ginny said. "Well, we weren't naked last night. Just" --she caught her father's eye, and he shook his head-- "just - er - in the shower. And Harry wasn't there."

"Do you see why we don't want you sleeping in the same bed?" Molly asked.

Harry did, but Ginny was shaking her head. "But we'll just not hug each other naked. We don't want babies yet, Mum. I promise we won't hug each other naked."

Molly pursed her lips. Her cheeks were bright red, and Arthur had his head in his hands again. Harry did not see why this was so. Ginny made a perfectly logical point. If they did not hug each other naked in bed (he had a brief moment of panic when he remembered hugging Ginny in the pond the day before, but he relaxed when he remembered that they had not been in bed), then there should be no problem.

"Sometimes," Molly whispered, "there are... urges. And sometimes, a man and a woman want to give each other naked hugs very, very much."

"But we're just kids," Ginny pointed out.

"Exactly," said Arthur.

Harry was still puzzled. Something about all this didn't make sense. They were, as Ginny had pointed out, just kids. So why...? He shook his head. "I don't think I understand it all, but I promise we won't have any naked hugs in bed, okay?"

Arthur's face was blank. "Well... I suppose that's all we can ask right now... Why don't you and Ginny go help your brothers de-gnome the garden. They'll show you how."

Harry nodded. He got up from his chair and took Ginny's hand, but then stopped suddenly. "Mister Weasley, did you just tell me to go help my brothers?"

Arthur gave Harry a sad smile. "I did... if you're my little girl's... husband... then that makes you the brother to my sons. I suppose that makes me a bit like your dad." Molly put a hand to her mouth, hiding her expression. But she was staring at Harry.

Harry seemed to swell in place. "That's great! I think you'll be a great dad." The boy frowned for a moment. "Can I call you dad?"

Arthur just nodded. "Now... off with you."

When they were gone, Arthur turned to his wife. "Well, that was... far more difficult than it was with any of the other boys." He gave his wife a long, hard look; the kind he reserved for when he was about to put his foot down and would brook no argument from anyone. They came very rarely, and because they did so even Molly tended to acquiesce. "Molly... I'm as concerned as you are that they not do anything... untoward... but we need to accept that they are together, as a couple. They're too young to get into trouble now, which is a good thing. We'll just have to... deal... with other issues as they come up. But remember... if we push too hard they might just leave."

"Arthur, they wouldn't..." She stopped when he held up a hand.

"Molly, Dumbledore said that they could, and did so in front of them. If we make life too unpleasant for them here, they might just remember he said that. And we don't want that, do we?"

"No, we don't I suppose," she admitted after a long moment.

"So... as long as they aren't exchanging 'special naked hugs in bed'," he couldn't help but chuckle at the euphemism, "or coming close to doing so... I don't see the harm in them sleeping in the same bed."

"Arthur!"

"Now, I'm not saying let them do whatever they want. I'd just... rather be aware of them being together than have them sneak around behind us." Arthur ran a hand through his thinning hair. "Let them stay in Ginny's room together. We'll... I don't know... take her door off of its hinges. They can't act improperly behind closed doors if there's no door to close."

"Can we sew him into a bundle-bag?" Molly asked indignantly.

"Molly! You might as well suggest that I put Alarm Charms on their pajamas!" He rolled his eyes at his wife. "What a silly notion... bundle-bags indeed!"

Molly tried to keep herself from laughing, but it was difficult. "You're right... it's almost as silly as putting alarms on their pajamas." She placed several sausage links on the plate in front of her husband. "I just... I want them to be children... they deserve to be children. Not to get thrust into something so... adult."

"I understand." Arthur stood and watched the children tossing gnomes over the hedge. They looked to be having fun; at the very least Fred, George, Harry, and Ginny were laughing. Ron looked like he was sulking for some reason and Percy... Percy seemed to be holding himself aloof from the others.

"Mail's coming in, I think," Molly said. She pointed at the rapidly approaching black dot in the sky. She brought eggs and more toast to the table for her husband.

"Good... I could use a good sit with the Prophet before I head in to work." Arthur pushed his breakfast around the plate. "I've always imagined that Bill would have made us grand-parents before Ginny even thought about getting married. Strange the way the world works."

"Yes, well... let's not worry ourselves about it. We'll... figure it out, I suppose." Molly sat with her husband and poured some tea. "You know, Arthur... Harry's birthday is only a couple of weeks before Ginny's... maybe we could put together a combined party for them... one big cake and presents for everyone."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Arthur said around his mouthful of egg. "Let's ask them to make sure they're fine with it. I expect they will be what with their... relationship, sharing a birthday might seem natural."

Molly nodded but didn't say anything. "Ah... here's the Prophet, then." A tawny owl landed on the kitchen windowsill. It extended a leg once Molly had put a handful of bronze coins into the bag tied to its other leg. She passed the paper to Arthur. "Here you go, dear..." She turned back to the kitchen, beginning her routine cleaning.

Behind her, Arthur unrolled the newspaper. When he saw the large headline at the top of the page, he blanched.

POTTER MARRIED!

BOY WHO LIVES REVIVES ANCIENT PUREBLOOD CUSTOM!

Are Bride-Purchases The Coming Thing Once More?

By Rita Skeeter, Special To The Prophet

Sources inside the Ministry of Magic's Depart of Magical Records have told this reporter that yesterday, Harry Potter, 12, known widely as the Boy-Who-Lived after his spectacular defeat of You-Know-Who eleven years ago, recorded a marriage to one Ginevra Molly Weasley, 10, of Ottery-Saint-Catchpole, East Devon, Devon.

While arranged marriages are uncommon in the Wizarding world, they aren't unheard of. However, according to Margot Minderbinder, a clerk in the Department of Magical Records, this isn't the standard Betrothal Pledge. "Oh no... it's not one of those at all. Those are recorded in another part of the office. This was an outright marriage. (See "Too Young To Wed?" Page 5)"

But how is it possible that a twelve-year-old boy could possibly marry a girl of only ten? This reporter spoke to Senior Undersecretary for Legal Affairs, Dolores Umbridge, who had this to say: "There is, in fact, an ancient law allowing children this young to be legally wed; it was written to allow the Ancient Houses to enter into tight family alliances when necessary. Of course, in the last six hundred years, the idea of using one's children in such a blatant political move, when the children are that young, has fallen out of disfavor. However, the law is still on the books (See "What Is the Wizengamot Thinking?" Page 8). It (the law) has never been repealed because no one ever considered that someone would be so ambitious as to sell off their young daughter just to gain a political advantage!"

When asked to elaborate on the law, Senior Undersecretary Umbridge said, "Basically, when a ranking member of the Twelve Ancient Houses needed to insure an eventual heir, and for whatever reason couldn't find an appropriate potential wife from one of the other Houses, the family in question would look outside the 'acceptable' houses and literally purchase a girl (or boy, as necessary) from one of the lesser houses for the purpose of matrimony. It's quite clear that this is precisely what happened in this case." She went on to say that the nearly-extinct Potter line, currently made up of solely Harry Potter himself (and now his child bride), would almost certainly need to be 'reinvigorated' by the inclusion of outside blood.

The acquisition of Miss Weasley, then, would be a perfect political move for a boy who wishes to keep his family in the upper tiers of society. But was his choice a wise one? Lucius Malfoy, noted philanthropist, political lobbyist, and head of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy, had this to say: "I applaud Mister Potter's choice to revive one of the ancient customs. It shows a respect for tradition one rarely finds in children his age, and as well makes a clear statement that he intends to rule his house in the old fashion. His choice of bride could have been better, though; surely there was a potential bride available closer to his own social class." (See "Pureblood Families Getting Smaller Every Year", Page 12.)

This sentiment was echoed by several members of the Ancient Families I spoke to. "It shows a remarkable amount of ambition on the part of Arthur Weasley. In one swift move, Weasley has boot-strapped his family up the social ladder by attaching it to one of the Twelve. And I'd hazard to say that had Harry's parents or grand-parents been alive, the marriage would never have occurred." This comment, by Hermes Parkinson of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Parkinson, caused this reporter to ask if the Boy-Who-Lived had somehow been manipulated into the marriage (See "Just Who Is Caring For Potter's Interests, Anyhow?" Page 7 Editorials).

"Oh there's no doubt. Why else would the last son of the Fifth House marry someone so lowly?"

Arthur had read enough. He dropped the paper as if it burned him. Of all the ridiculous... Well... he was used to being treated as a disgrace by the other purebloods. If their bigoted, closed-minded ways were what it meant to be a pureblooded wizard, he'd just as soon be a Muggleborn.

"Dad?" Fred and George ran in from outside. "There's a bunch of people outside. A lot of them have cameras and they've cornered Harry and Ginny in the garden!"

Arthur leapt to his feet. Rushing out of the house, he spotted the small crowd of adults clearly terrifying his youngest children. Harry had Ginny in a tight embrace, trying to shield her from the crowd, while Ron was trying to keep himself between the adults and Harry. Percy was standing in front of the crowd, trying to be reasonable, but it was clear that he was being ignored.

"Hey! You lot! Clear off! You're not welcome here, so go!" Arthur yelled as he ran down the steps. "I'll call the Aurors and have you cleared off! This is private property, and those are only children! Now get!" He began waving his wand around dangerously. Eventually, the gathered reporters retreated to past his front gate. Unfortunately, he couldn't prevent them from accumulating on a public road.

"Mister Weasley! Rita Skeeter with the Daily Prophet. Would you care to make a statement regarding your railroading of Harry Potter into a political marriage?" A short, vicious-look blonde woman leaned over his fence. She had a sneer on her face as she spoke quickly to a floating Quick-Quotes Quill.

"Ignore them, kids... get inside." Arthur rushed the children back into the house. He wondered, truly, when this would end.

"What the hell was that all about?" Percy asked. Molly glared at him, but didn't say anything. He had the good grace to look sheepish, however. "Sorry, Mum.

"Your sister's... situation... with Harry is newsworthy, I suppose. I'm surprised they'd invade our private property to get a story, however. Let's just try to avoid them until it all blows over." Arthur patted his son on the back. And it was good to see you and Ron trying to protect Ginny... that was good of you."

Ron shrugged. "She's still our little sister..."

"Exactly," Arthur said. "Exactly right."

He turned to speak to Harry, but stopped when he saw the boy pick up the newspaper he'd left on the table. As Arthur watched, Harry grew redder and redder. Finally, Harry crumpled the paper up and threw it to the floor. "Why can't they just leave us alone?"

Arthur moved to the boy and hugged him. "I don't know son. I just don't know."

XxxxxxX

Life at the Burrow settled into a gentle routine over the next several weeks. Everything about the house was busy and full of excitement, a drastic change from the staid, plastic existence of his Aunt and Uncle's house at Privet Drive. Harry found living there amazingly familiar, as if he had done it all before. The thought bothered him for a while, until one day he decided to simply shrug off the feelings of déjà vu and just go with what life was giving him.

The reporters had lingered for several days, until finally Arthur had enough and called the Aurors. Every once in a while a reporter could still be found skulking around, but they never approached the house, and that, at least, was a small blessing the children appreciated. It let them go swimming in the pond or play Quidditch in the paddock without being interfered with.

As promised, Arthur Weasley removed the door from Ginny's room. This bothered both Harry and Ginny, but they accepted it as the price of being able to stay together. Molly continually pointed out that the pair would have to split up once Harry returned to and Ginny started at Hogwarts, but rather than encourage them to sleep separately, such warnings only made them want to spend more time together. Ron also continued to resist the new relationship that had sprung up between his sister and his friend. But both Mrs. Weasley and Ron had come to, if not approval, at least a resigned acceptance of the circumstances.

Arthur Weasley had, of course, taken advantage of Harry's presence to bombard the young man with questions about Muggle life. Of course, Harry had no real idea regarding most of the questions; he had a rough idea of how electrical plugs worked, but couldn't begin to explain to Arthur how it was that airplanes stayed in the air. Still, the few answers Harry could provide simply delighted the man to no end.

The joint birthday party thrown for both Harry and Ginny was a great success, with a single large cake and lots of presents from friends and family. And while each of them received individual presents, they were surprised to receive a joint gift from Professor McGonagall. It was a large crystal goblet carefully etched with their names and the date of their bonding. When they had opened it, Harry had merely looked at it curiously, but Ginny wept. Her reaction puzzled Harry to no end.

Almost a week after the joint party, on the day that otherwise would have been Ginny's eleventh birthday, a large, majestic looking owl had flown in through the window at the start of breakfast and deposited a stack of letters. "Looks like your Hogwarts letters," said Mrs. Weasley. She handed out letters to Harry, Ron, Fred, and George, but stopped at the next to the last one. That one she merely stared at. Her mouth thinned to a line; it was obvious she was trying hard to keep her temper in check.

The children were busily reading their new school lists. Fred peered over at Harry's letter and said, "You've been told to get all of Lockhart's books too? The new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher must be a fan - bet it's a witch."

"This lot won't come cheap..." said George. "Lockhart's books are... Mum? Are you all right?" You're all red in the face..."

Harry and Fred both turned toward Molly, who was, in fact, turning slowly pinker and pinker. "I'm fine," she said at last. "Harry, would you be so kind... could you tell Ginny to come down here? Right now, please? And call Percy down as well, please?" Mrs. Weasley found a seat at the table, placing the letters in front of her. Harry nodded and ran up the stairs.

Ginny came down almost immediately. She was still in her dressing gown and her hair was wet. "Sorry, Mum... I just got out of the shower. Harry... um... he said it was urgent." She'd just finished speaking when Percy arrived.

"Yes, mother? Oh, our Hogwarts letters!" Percy took a seat at the table and waited.

Molly handed Ginny her letter, then Percy his. "Congratulations, Ginny, on officially making it to Hogwarts," she said in an odd, brittle voice.

"Thanks Mum! I know it's foolish, but I've really been longing to get one of these." Ginny blushed. "I mean, I've always known that I was going... but this sort of makes it real."

"I understand perfectly, dear," Molly said. Her voice still held that slightly brittle quality.

Ginny read the letter's envelope then tore into it with gusto. She was still reading her school list when Molly asked, "Did you notice anything strange about your letter, Ginny?"

"Hmm? What, Mum?" Ginny looked confused. She reread the letter, then the envelope. "No, not really... what's the matter?"

Molly sighed and picked up the envelope. She reread the address.

Mrs. Ginevra M. Potter

Number 1 Old Stone Row

Ottery St. Catchpole, East Devon

Devon

"I suppose it's nothing," Molly said.

"Fred's right..." George began, still staring at the letter. "Whoever the new Defense teacher is, they're barmy for Lockhart... I think they included his entire bibliography here. We need seven of his books, just for that one class." He whistled at the thought of how much this was going to cost. "Five sets of his books are going to be expensive all right."

"What else do you expect from a con man?" Harry muttered. "That's probably why he assigned them; this book list is just a quick and easy way to boost his sales and line his pockets."

"What was that, Harry?" Percy wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

Surprised, Harry jerked his attention away from the letter. He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "N-nothing... I was just thinking... I didn't mean to say that aloud."

"Well, I suppose we'll manage." Molly looked wistful. "We always do, after all. I suppose we can get most of what Ginny needs secondhand..."

"Why?" Harry asked, more forcefully than he meant. He immediately backed down. "I mean... she has... we have enough money... to pay for everything. In fact, we'd be happy to help out. It's the least we could do. Right, Gin?" Ginny nodded enthusiastically.

"No, I don't think that's necessary, Harry. We'll take care of Ginny... we're her parents, it's our responsibility, after all, and we don't want to trouble you about this." Molly patted Harry's arm. "But thank you for offering."

Harry was dumbfounded for a moment. "Um... Mum... it's not that I'm arguing, but Ginny isn't your responsibility anymore. It's my job to take care of her now... at least when it comes to money... And please, trust me in knowing that this won't trouble us at all... we'd be happy to help, and we've got money coming out our... our... um... our ears."

"Really, Mum... would you object to it if it were just me? What if I won a lot of money in a contest and used it to help pay for school books? This is the same thing." Ginny gave Molly a pleading look.

Molly wasn't happy, but she finally nodded. "Fine. You can help with the books. But everything else you..." Molly stopped for a moment. She sighed and shook her head. "Everything else the boys need, your father and I will pay for."

The family ate their breakfast, occasionally disrupting the meal with talk of Quidditch, or speculations of who the new Defense teacher would be. The Weasley boys were a bit skeptical of Harry's guess that it would be Lockhart himself, despite Ginny instantly agreeing with him. His reasoning (Who else would want every Hogwarts student to buy seven of his books?) was funny to everyone, save Percy, but wasn't seen as convincing.

As they were eating, an old, graying owl flew into the room from outside, skidded across the tabletop, and flopped unceremoniously to the floor on the far side.

"Errol!" Ron called. "I hope he has Hermione's answer! I wrote her back when you moved in. I told her about you and Ginny and asked her what she thought about it all," He carried the old owl to the perch just inside the kitchen door, but it was no use. The bird flopped to the floor again. Ron picked Errol up and left him on the draining board instead. "Pathetic..." he muttered.

He tore open Hermione's letter and sighed. "Well, looks like she's as shocked by what happened as we were, though she says congratulations. Wants to know how it's possible for two children your age to be married, Harry." He paused, rereading one passage of the letter. "Typical... she says she wants to look up Wizarding marriage laws as soon as she's back at Hogwarts." Ron kept reading. "What does she mean schoolwork? We're on Summer Holiday!" He was silent for a long while before turning to his mother. "Mum? Can we go to Diagon Alley next Wednesday? Hermione says that's when her parents are taking her to get her things. We could all meet there and hang around for a while."

Molly nodded. "That would be perfect dear. We can get everyone's things when we go." She got up and began to clear away the table. "So, what do you children have planned for this morning?"

"Quidditch!" Fred chimed in with a smile.

XxxxxxX

Everyone got up early on Wednesday and after filling up with bacon sandwiches for breakfast, the entire Weasley family, including Harry, pulled on their cloaks. Mrs. Weasley took the flower pot containing the Floo powder down from the mantle. "Arthur, were running a little short on Floo Powder," she said. "Remind me to get some more while we're at Diagon Alley. All right, Percy... you first!"

One by one, the children entered the Floo, each calling out "Diagon Alley" before stepping into the green flames and vanishing. They popped out of the Floo into the Leaky Cauldron, and were soon heading toward Gringotts. When they entered the bank, the first thing they saw was Hermione Granger and her parents, who were exchanging Muggle money for Galleons. Mr. Weasley immediately became distracted from the purpose of their visit.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione called when she saw them. She hugged both boys quickly. "So what exactly happened? Ginny!" she cried, hugging the other girl. "How did you two end up married? Oh, my! Is that..." Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and held it up, studying the ring. "Oh, Ginny... it's so beautiful! So... tell me! How did this happen?"

Ginny disentangled herself from Hermione's grasp before speaking. The older girl's presumptive familiarity bothered her somewhat. Hermione Granger might be a friend to both Ron and Harry, but Ginny had never really met the girl. They "knew" each other only through letters that were addressed to Ron and Harry. Despite the irritation, Ginny felt as if Hermione was meant to be her friend, and would be one of her closest friends... but the assumption of close friendship this early on still grated. "Harry gave me the ring before he left," Ginny said irritably.

"Right before he left? But...?" Hermione asked.

"Don't bother, Hermione," Ron said with a smirk. "That's all these two say when you ask them about the ring." Ron smirked.

"So... this is legal? You're actually married to Ginny now?" Hermione asked. "I mean, despite the fact that you're only..."

"Yes, Hermione," Ginny said. "Professor Dumbledore said that the transfer of a Soul Stone from one person to the other is a form of magical marriage. It just normally doesn't happen between people our age. So yes, it's official."

Hermione looked puzzled. "Soul Stone? What's a --"

Mrs. Weasley's arrival interrupted the discussion. "Well, your father is otherwise occupied. Perhaps we should just carry on without him." She collected the children, minus Hermione, and headed for the Vaults while Arthur tried to brace Mr. Granger with questions regarding the Muggle world. Once they were back outside, the family separated. "We can meet at Flourish and Blotts for your schoolbooks," Molly said to the retreating backs of her children.

"So, Ginny..." Harry asked. "We need to get your shopping done. What first?"

"Oh, definitely we need to get my wand first. I'm not a proper witch without one, am I?" Ginny leaned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. "Then can we get some new robes? Everything I've got now comes from a second-hand shop."

They collected Ron and Hermione and wandered off toward Ollivander's wand shop.

XxxxxxX

An hour later, the four of them were sitting outside of Fortescue's, slurping down strawberry-and-peanut-butter ice cream. "Let's go over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, Harry! They've got the Nimbus 2001s in the window!"

"Nimbus 2001?" Harry asked. His eyes lost their focused look for a moment. When they came back into focus, he smiled. "I think I'd love to, Ron! How about you, Ginny?"

Ginny watched Harry carefully for a moment. "Er... all right..." She looked slightly puzzled, as if something was tugging on her memory but she couldn't quite see it.

"Must we, really? We need to be getting to Flourish and Blotts, soon!" Hermione said, but it was a lost cause.

"Yes, Hermione... this really needs to be done." Harry was still smiling, but it wasn't the jolly smile he was wearing a moment ago. It was harder, somehow. "It really, really needs to be done." Harry stood and held his hand out to Ginny.

"What needs to be done, Harry?" Ron mimicked Harry's actions, holding his hand out for Hermione. She looked at it for a moment before taking it. "Are you planning a prank or something?"

"Yeah, Ron... a prank on Lucius Malfoy." Harry led them towards the Quidditch shop.

"Lucius... you mean Draco Malfoy's father? Why on Earth would you prank him?" Hermione asked. Unconsciously, she and Ron continued to hold each other's hands.

The man behind the counter smiled as they approached. "So, young sirs and misses... how can I help you today? Broom servicing kit, perhaps? Need a spare Quaffle?"

"No sir." Harry began. "I was wondering how many of the Nimbus 2001 you currently have in stock."

"The new Nimbus? That's quite an expensive item for a boy your age. Why are you asking?" The salesman glared at Harry, expecting some prank.

"I need twenty one of them."

"Twenty... Look, you... I don't need this sort of ridiculous claptrap in my shop. Now, away with you..." The man was livid.

"Sir, my name is Harry Potter." Harry watched as the salesman's eyes flicked upward toward his forehead, then back down to his eyes. "And I assure you I can afford to buy everything in this building, if I so chose. Including the building. Now... do you want to sell me the twenty one brooms or not?"

The man considered. "What do you need twenty-one Nimbus 2001's for?"

"I wish to donate them to the Hogwarts House teams, anonymously. Specifically, to the Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor teams. And I mean it when I say I want the donation made anonymously," Harry said. "If you can have them delivered to Professors Sprout, McGonagall, and Flitwick at Hogwarts, with a quick note explaining that they come from an alumnus who wishes to have his gift be a private one, with no one finding out, I'll give you a thirty percent commission on the sale."

"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Hermione.

"Leveling the playing field." Harry's smile had turned a bit predatory.

XxxxxxX

They left the Quidditch shop and headed for Flourish and Blotts. As they approached the shop, the first thing they noticed was the crowd rapidly gathering outside, trying to get in. A huge banner stretched across the front of the shop, proclaiming a special appearance by Gilderoy Lockhart, the famous wizard monster-hunter.

"Oh, no... I'd forgotten..." Ginny's face fell. She spotted the expression Harry's face and her mouth fell open. "You knew he was going to be here, too?"

"Yeah," he grimaced. "I'm trying to come up with some clever way of escaping the photo-opportunity, but I'm failing, miserably."

"Harry, how did we both know about Lockhart being here? Or that he's going to try and get a..." Her face darkened. "Malfoy!"

Harry looked at her in confusion. "Malfoy? What about... oh... Malfoy..."

They made their way through the crowd, looking for Mrs. Weasley and occasionally pulling a book they needed from the shelves. "There's Mum," Ron said. They stepped past the line to where Mrs. Weasley was waiting with the Grangers.

"Oh good, you're here! He's about to arrive." For some reason, Molly kept fidgeting with her hair. "We can get your books signed."

When Lockhart finally appeared, Harry saw the man was the spitting image of the unpleasant memory that had floated up from the depths of nowhere. A short, pushy man with a camera rudely pressed people out of his way and began snapping pictures of Lockhart. "Out of the way, boy!" the man snapped at Ron. "This is for the Daily Prophet."

"Big deal," said Ron. He turned away from the photographer and bumped the man as hard as he could with his shoulder. It was a petty action, but it served to utterly ruin the man's shot.

"Now see here!" the man objected.

Lockhart heard the disturbance and looked up. His eyes traveled over Ron and then locked onto Harry Potter. He stared for a moment. "Is that... it can't be... Harry Potter?" He leapt to his feet and rushed forward. The people in line for autographs moved out of the way, all the while whispering about this one-in-a-lifetime meeting between two legendary celebrities. Lockhart dove forward and locked his hands on Harry's arm...

"Hey!" Harry lunged backward. Lockhart, already off-balance, was pulled over on top of the boy. Harry yelled, "Somebody help! He's attacked me!"

Gilderoy Lockhart was unceremoniously dragged off of Harry and away while Ron helped his friend back to his feet. "I wonder what that was all about," Ron asked. "Why would he attack you like that?"

"No idea... maybe he's a follower of You-Know-Who and wants revenge on me for defeating his former master," Harry replied. Within moments, everyone in the rapidly emptying bookshop was talking about Lockhart the Death Eater trying to kill Harry Potter.

"That was brilliant, Harry. Do you think it's enough to get him booted from Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, sotto voce.

Harry shook his head. "No... he'll explain it away as a misunderstanding, which it was, really. But it got me out of that picture, didn't it?"

"Bet you loved that, didn't you? All the attention... everyone's eyes on you, the famous Harry Potter..." Harry turned and found himself face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin boy sneered in Harry's face. "Oh, and look... it's your whore. What's the matter, Potter, couldn't afford a better-looking girl?" Draco turned his smug gaze onto Ginny.

Before Draco could open his mouth again, he found himself pressed against a bookshelf, Harry's wand jabbing painfully into his neck. "Draco Malfoy, you are warned to consider your next words very, very carefully. You've directly and intentionally insulted my wife, and by extension not only my family but hers, and I will not abide it. You owe me an Honor Debt, and until satisfied a state of vendetta exists between our lines."

"Well, well, Potter..." It was Lucius Malfoy. The man stepped between Harry and Draco, forcing Harry to step back. "A vendetta... how shocking. I once again commend you on your study of the ancient customs, but as there is no third party present to witness your claim of an Honor Debt, I'm afraid that it just..."

"Harry! Don't get yourself into trouble!" Molly Weasley said. She held a hand to her mouth as she scanned the crowd for her husband. "Please don't start a..."

"Witnessed. Witnessed and sealed." An older man stepped from the crowd. "The Line of MacMillan witnesses the Line of Potter claiming an Honor Debt against the Line of Malfoy." Harry recognized the boy with the man who had stepped forward: Ernie MacMillan, from Hufflepuff House.

Harry smiled and turned back to the Malfoys. "This matter is between me and your son, Mister Malfoy. Step aside, as your honor requires, or else apologize on his behalf." His stare cut into Lucius Malfoy like a knife.

It seemed for a moment that Lucius would accept the challenge, but then his face softened. Looking for all the world as if something unpleasant-smelling was stuck under his nose, Lucius Malfoy said, "The Malfoys apologize to the Potters for the errant words of its heir. He will be... instructed... not to be so free with his tongue in the future."

"But father...!" Draco interjected. "You can't..."

"Shut up, Draco!" Malfoy hissed. "Before you dig yourself into an even deeper hole. This is not the time nor is it the place..."

Harry watched all of this unfold and smiled.

"Your apology is accepted, Mister Malfoy. Draco... remember my warning."

Harry lowered his wand and turned to Ginny, who smiled at him. "My hero..."