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Author: buzzzz Story: The Gryffin Councilor Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Reviews: 8 Words: 56,992
Ginny Weasley thought of herself as a strong person. She had seen a lot in her short life and it had strengthened her. She knew there were scars that she still carried, but they had become a part of her. In fact, she sometimes felt that it was her scars that now defined her. Ginny had always been a strong-willed person and had no trouble handling her brood of elder brothers. Her years through the war had taken that strength and hardened it. For years now there had been a rashness about her that unnerved those close to her. She knew they were worried that she had become too cold-hearted to have a happy life. They forgave most of her rash decisions, however. They had since her fateful first year at Hogwarts. Her parents still watched her like a hawk and it was their worry that had pushed her into taking up a position at Hogwarts. It had had the results they wanted, and her father had complimented her for how carefree she had been recently. But she knew most of them believed that she would never recover, that the coldness of her heart would never let her be the easy and carefree girl they wanted. Ginny knew all of this, had always known, but it had never bothered her. For she knew that deep inside she really was the same person she always had been. Despite the scars, despite Riddle, despite Harry, and despite everything else that life had thrown at her, she remained the girl who was rash enough to sneak out with her brothers' brooms so that she could learn to fly and who was sensitive enough to cry while reading of the hero who had lost his love. There were moments when she believed that her true self would never really get another chance in this life. There were moments when she doubted her capacity to be a normal witch who could love and cry, moments when she doubted if she even wanted that normalcy. But this wasn’t one of those moments. At this moment Ginny’s heart ached with longing for something she had never had but had once seen the promise of. As she sat, hidden in the shadows, and watched a blur move over the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, Ginny tried to remember when she had lost the will to be happy. Her thoughts went back to Riddle and her time in the Chamber, but she knew that even though those events had hit her hard, she had recovered from them and pushed them behind her. She thought ahead to the next few years at Hogwarts when she had hit back at life with a vengeance and had had a great time. She smiled as she thought of those wonderful years when she had left the war behind her once again, and had just moved on. As she watched the blur in front of her make another sharp dive she recollected her first Quidditch match as Gryffindor Seeker and how, as she looked for the Snitch, her greatest worry had been her inevitable comparison to Harry. Harry. Ginny took a deep breath and shook her head. She had been looking out of her window when she had noticed him come out to the grounds and take to the air. It hadn’t been till he had done a manoeuvre she recognized so well, one that she had seen only once before in her life that she had decided to come out and join him. Something had made her hold back, however, and she had taken to sitting quietly and watching him. But he had done nothing out of the ordinary since then and she had begun to think that she may have imagined the resemblance to Harry in Evans’ flying. Just as she decided to join him and picked up her broom, she saw Evans rise vertically and froze. Evans had pointed his broomstick, an old Firebolt, straight upwards and was now flying straight up to the sky. In itself that wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary except that Evans was no longer sitting on his broom. He was, instead, standing on it. It looked extremely abnormal, a vertical broom flying straight up with the rider standing on its tip, his hands joined far above his head in what could have been a dancers pose. Normally, Ginny would have thought she was dreaming, but back in another life, she had seen another wizard do something similar. She waited as Evans went high into the sky, higher than she had ever seen anyone go and watched as the height became too much for the broom. Then Evans bent down and in one fluid motion took a graceful dive back to the ground leaving the broomstick behind him. She watched as he fell back to the ground while his body moved in a beautiful dance that would have had her mesmerized except that right now it reminded her of a summer almost a decade ago. As Evans fell back to the ground from several hundred feet, in a fall that would almost certainly kill him, Ginny sat down with a thud and knew what was about to come. As he was about fifty feet from the ground she saw him glance briefly back at the broomstick. The broom had now reached its maximum height and begun to fall, still several hundred feet above. It must have been a fraction of a second, but it was as if Ginny was seeing it in slow motion. As Evans fell head first Ginny’s insides squirmed. This was getting far too close. Just a few feet above the ground she heard the unmistakable crack of someone Disapparating and saw Evans disappear. She looked up and saw him appear fifty feet above the falling broomstick. Evans was still falling with an incredible speed and he manoeuvred himself towards the broom, catching it a hundred feet above the ground. It wasn’t the end though, as his momentum carried both him and the broomstick crashing towards the earth. She saw him push upwards with all his strength and, as he drew close, she could see the sweat on his forehead and the strain on his eyes. In what should have been an impossible feat, he managed to pull up at a sharp angle and as he approached the ground he was now flying almost horizontally. Finally, she saw him relax as he skidded against the ground before rising again into the sky. Ginny felt her muscles relax as she sat there, too stunned to speak. It was a similar stunt that had gotten her out to the grounds fifteen minutes ago, but what she had just seen was unmatched. Ginny sat there and caught her breath, deciding to remain in the shadows for now. She knew Evans had been out for hardly fifteen minutes and was just warming up. She wanted to see him fly, wanted to see why what he did reminded her of what she had seen Harry do several years ago. As Ginny sat there and watched Evans fly, she let her mind drift again to the one boy she had fallen in love with several times. She had had a crush on him since her childhood, had developed a deep respect for him after coming to Hogwarts, and had pushed him to the background soon after. It was in her fourth year that she had noticed him again. She had noticed how deeply he had been affected by Voldemort’s resurrection and Cedric’s death and had realized that no one else really saw it the way she did. The complete distrust that Ministry and the Daily Prophet evoked from his fellow students only made it worse. Despite all of that she had seen him fight it. He was brooding and his temper was high, but he was still coping and Ginny admired him for that. She had felt for him but they were not close enough to be friends yet. It was after her fourth year, in the summer, that things had really changed between them. She had been deeply affected by Sirius’ death and she knew Harry must have been worse off. Not that she gave it much thought; Harry wasn’t really her problem. Then Voldemort’s daring attacks had happened all over England. She had seen death and destruction like never before and once again Harry had rescued her. It was in the weeks that they had spent running from the Death Eaters that Ginny had become friends with Harry Potter for the first time in her life. They had spent countless hours together -- running, hiding -- and had had only each other to lean on for support. It was then that Ginny truly fell in love with Harry Potter. Not the kind of love that can be dismissed as an infatuation of a teenage mind or the hormones of a teenage girl but the kind of love that would stay with her for the rest of her life. It was not that Harry hadn’t been an annoying git. He had been more than that. His fierce protective nature and short temper had led to several fights but Ginny hadn’t loved him despite his faults, she had loved him along with his faults. It wasn’t how caring and sensitive he really could be that made her love him. It wasn’t even the usually trumpeted heroic traits of his. No, his bravery, courage, and never-give-up attitude had nothing to do with why Ginny fell in love with Harry Potter. It was just how good she felt with him. There really was no way to express it except that it felt good to be with him. It was the little things really, how they could never stop laughing with each other, or how a little touch would send tingles down her spine. It was how when they fought they could make each other go completely crazy. It was how he would look at her when she was doing something or how he had once helped her straighten her hair and she had healed his bruises. It was the game they played with each other, teasing the other, challenging the other, and laughing together. She had known, of course, that he didn’t realize any of it just then although she had also known that he would miss her the next time they were not together. Ginny knew that they had formed a bond in those two weeks. They were compatible and the nearness had brought out every feeling between them. He loved it when she cared for him and did little things for him and she loved it that he wanted her to care for him. Ginny laughed as she realized her thoughts had stopped making sense and remembered the good times they had had. It had been years since she had allowed herself to remember and even longer since she had recollected the good times before the bad ones. Even now, her hatred and bitterness were threatening to overwhelm her thoughts. But for once she let herself remember the Harry that was. She remembered the last night together before the Aurors rescued her, when they had let it all go. She had felt wonderful in his arms and had told him her deepest secrets and he had told her of the Prophecy. As Ginny recollected the moment when he had told her of what he was fated to do, she couldn’t believe how easily she had taken it. Something inside her had told her that he was going to win. She had known that he would and vowed to help him through it. He would need love and friends to make it through and she had decided to stand with him come what may. It was a vow that Ginny had never fulfilled. As the thought formed, Ginny realized for the first time in her life as to what had truly changed her. It wasn’t Voldemort and it was not the death of her brothers. It was the fact that she had been unable to stand by Harry’s side that had truly broken her. She wanted to hate herself for allowing that to be the most important thing. How could she want to stand by the side of a man who had killed her brothers? But she couldn’t. Somewhere inside her she knew that Harry had not killed them, or if he had it had been for something good. She knew it had just been an excuse she had used to convince herself that abandoning him had been right. "Not that he hadn’t given me enough reason," she thought. He had practically made it impossible to stand by him. He had abandoned her first. That had, however, never given her any peace because she knew that there were others who had stood by him despite worse things. Dumbledore was one and now she was beginning to suspect that Ron may have been another. Ginny leaned back and looked at the time. It had seemed like a long time but she had been out for only about half an hour. Enjoying her solitude, Ginny stayed in the shadows. She leaned back on the wall behind her, rested her head, and closed her eyes. She thought of the easy friendship that she had developed with Evans. She felt a connection with him that she couldn’t place. Was that what she had felt with Harry? It had been so long ago that she was just not sure. Could she be falling for a man whose real identity was a mystery? That question had been bothering her for some time. The question of his identity brought up the possibility of him being Harry. It was that last thought which scared her the most. Frankly, she had yet to see any solid reason to believe Evans was Harry, but Hermione’s belief was hard to deny. After all, Hermione was one of the few who knew Harry extremely well. Could she handle the pain if Evans turned out to be Harry? Ginny refused to consider that possibility. She was enjoying herself and she would deal with it when the time comes. Besides, the Harry that Evans reminded her of was a Harry of long ago. If Harry was alive today, Ginny was sure he wouldn’t be the same. Couldn’t be the same. Ginny took a deep breath. Despite all her reasoning and internal debate, Ginny couldn’t shake the feeling that she was eventually going to find out the worst. Despite all her soul searching and self analysis, Ginny wasn’t sure what she would do if that came to pass. As Ginny’s thoughts jumbled up and she began to fall asleep, a voice inside her continued to shout, "Maybe you want him to be Harry!" Maybe her unconscious mind listened, for she allowed the voice to guide her into a dream she had long since forgotten. A dream that had haunted her in a not so distant past, the dream of that last fight in the Muggle town where Harry and Ginny had been found after being on the run for several days. .................................... The battle between the Aurors and Death Eaters had reached a feverish pitch and the Aurors were clearly outnumbered and playing for time. Fifteen minutes before, Ginny and Harry had been eating calmly in this strange Muggle village after several days of running in the wilderness. Now Ginny was lying hidden behind a bench as wizards shot deadly curses at each other. She noticed that the Aurors were slowly pushing Harry away from the fight and closing their ranks around him. Fear gripped her as she realized that soon she would be left behind in the middle of a large number of Death Eaters. Her heart pounding, she was trying to find a way out when suddenly she was yanked from her position and flew into the air. The next few moments happened too fast for Ginny to comprehend anything. One moment she was in the air, the next she was in the middle of the Aurors and Harry was lying several feet from her. As comprehension dawned on who her rescuer was, Ginny saw Harry toss a locket at her and even before she could scream at him to let her stay with him, she felt the tug of a Portkey activating. Ginny stumbled and fell as she landed outside the Burrow and a feeling of being safe filled her. If she looked hard she could spot the repairs that were new and could see Bill still repairing the shed to a side. She could hear voices coming from inside and somehow that reminded her of Harry and how he needed help. She shouted for help but no sound came out. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stumbled to the door and pushed herself inside. She felt the silence of the room and heard a screech before she was overwhelmed by a huge commotion and she was being hugged by several people at once. She tried to tell them that Harry was still out there and that the Aurors were losing but she was too tired and too overwhelmed. Anger began to fill her. She didn’t want them to hug her, she wanted them to go and save Harry. Still crying, she gathered her strength and pushed her mother away finally managing to shout his name. It was as if the entire house had suddenly been frozen. Everyone gaped at her as she fell on her knees crying out his name again and again. She felt arms lifting her up and looked up at Bill. She knew he would find Harry; Bill had always done anything she asked of him. As she looked into his eyes silently pleading, she was surprised to find them filled with anger instead of concern. She looked around at everyone and was surprised at the expressions. Bill was holding her, anger clouding his eyes. Her mother was crying silently beside him. Several wizards stood to the side, a determined look on their faces. Her father stood among them and he had never looked older. As he leaned into Charlie he looked like a broken man. Charlie himself was angry but his expression was guarded. It was as if everyone was waiting, afraid of something. Then she looked at Ron who stood with Hermione and the twins. She saw a look of determination and pride on his face, an expression unlike any other in the room. Hermione looked confused and nodded at Ginny in silent support. The twins had moved closer to Ron and it surprised her to see that they were showing their support for whatever it was he represented against the others. Tonks, she saw, was sitting across the room on the couch looking at her intently. Ron was the first to speak. "Ginny, where is Harry? Is he all right? What happened to him?" Tears of relief filled her eyes, but before she could speak Bill sprang at Ron, cuffing his shirt and pushing him into the table behind. "You... you traitor! What happened to Harry? Can’t you see what he has done to our sister? He will be dead the next time I see him..." Bill shouted. "Gerroff me! Harry wouldn’t hurt Ginny any more than you would!" Ron shouted back. "Oh Yeah!" Bill continued sarcastically, waving his arms, "Harry the protector, Harry the sage! Harry who the whole Order must save!" Then he turned back towards Ron, "Harry who gave himself up to Voldemort! Harry who kidnapped our sister!" He continued, jabbing a finger into Ron’s chest. "Harry, whose betrayal has almost cost your family to lose their lives!” "SHUT UP!" Ginny had walked up to Bill and now looked far too threatening for her size. She turned to Ron, a pleading look in her eyes. "Ron, he needs help," she pleaded. "They are going to take him." "It’s all right Ginny, I’ll find him. Tell me where he is?" asked Ron, lightly putting a hand on her shoulder. She saw the twins separate Ron from Bill and stand guard over them. A feeling of panic filled her as she saw the scene spin around her. The realization hit her that she was in a dream but she didn’t know why the scene was swirling. She heard the bang of a door opening and remembered that Remus had appeared at that moment. But in her dream, as she turned around to face the door, Remus’ voice was a distant echo. She found herself pushed into a stream of images... Remus shouting that Harry wasn’t where Ginny had taken the Portkey from… Bill drawing out his wand and the twins jumping at him… The scuffle that followed… Her mum shouting… People crying. Next, she saw herself wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and looking out of the window; hoping for Harry to appear. She saw a tired Remus sitting with Ron, urging him to be patient and watched Hermione remind Ron that Harry had come out of worse. She felt her fear that he may be dead and her hope that he would have found a way to run. She felt her desire to be with him and help him wherever he was and felt her concern at how he would be so lonely. The dreams passed by faster as she saw Bill and Percy fight with Ron over Harry’s allegiance and heard Bill tell everyone that Harry could have changed Ginny’s memories. She remembered Hermione sitting by her and giving her comfort and Ron giving her a look of silent understanding. They were the two that had known Harry the best. They knew that she was telling the truth and that Harry would never turn to the Dark Side. She saw Kingsley Shacklebolt’s funeral and being at Dumbledore’s bedside as he recovered. She saw herself walking out of her room the day before Harry’s birthday and saw her dad tell everyone that Dumbledore had woken up and had gone to find Harry himself. She saw Hedwig appearing that afternoon and she, Ron, and Hermione letting her take their gifts, hoping that somehow they would reach Harry. Images rushed by of endless discussions around the Burrow’s table over Harry’s loyalties and of Ron shouting himself hoarse in defence of his friend. The dream slowed and she found herself in another scene. Dumbledore was sitting at the table looking older than she had ever seen him. She stood on a corner along with Hermione as everyone surrounded Dumbledore. She heard Dumbledore’s words, “Harry’s safe. You all need not worry about him. He has been thrust into yet another test and, although he is too young for his burdens, I am certain he is safe and is being looked after." The memory of the scene played again and again in her mind. "Harry’s safe," said Dumbledore as a look of relief passed on Ron’s face. "... yet another test..." said Dumbledore as Ron moved behind Remus.”... he is being looked after..." said Dumbledore as Ron said something to Remus and Remus shook his head. "I’ll take Remus to visit with Harry sometime this week," said Dumbledore, "I am sorry, but no one else can come as yet." Ron glared at Remus, while Remus shrewdly avoided his eyes. Ginny saw Hermione notice Ron and watched as her brows furrowed. For some reason, Ginny’s dream played around Ron’s reactions. Ginny coming down in the night to find Ron and Remus fighting... Ron’s summer work with Remus. …Another memory... "I am going to work with Remus, Mum!" shouted Ron as he left the burrow. "Be back home by lunch!" her mum called back. … Some days later... "I have got to work in the evening today, Mum!" shouted Ron as he sat at the dinner table. …She was sitting with Ron and Hermione near the lake… "What kind of work do you do, Ron?" asked Hermione. "Oh, just stuff, you know," replied Ron looking very casual about it. "Something you are not telling me, Ron?" asked Hermione suddenly suspicious. "It’s nothing, Hermione, just guy stuff I do at Remus’ place," said Ron. "There is something going on with you, Ron, does it have something to do with Harry?" demanded Hermione. Ron looked back at her and was quiet for a moment as if considering his words carefully. "No, Hermione. It’s not about Harry. It’s just menial house work" he finally said. "Just menial housework!" The statement played again and again in Ginny’s dream and she felt herself get agitated. It was like a puzzle she already had the answer to but could not remember. The scene changed and she was now sitting with Hermione for dinner when suddenly her mother came in. "Have any of you seen Ron?" asked Molly. "He hasn’t come back from Remus’ yet," said Hermione. Her mum stopped what she was doing and muttered, "What is so important that he can’t be home for meals?" She then walked up to the Floo, and threw some powder in. "Remus, are you there?" they heard her shout. "Ron!" she repeated. "Remus, where is Ron?" they could hear Molly asked. "What do you mean you don’t know?" they heard her shout. A moment later Remus was at the Burrow. "What do you mean he didn’t work for you?" Molly was shouting, clearly agitated. Ginny felt the fear that had gripped her younger self at those words. Molly continued. "He’s been visiting you for work everyday, sometime sat odd hours." "Calm down, Molly, I am sure whatever he was up to, it wasn’t serious," said Remus. "No." Hermione interrupted everyone, just as Arthur and Dumbledore appeared into the room. "What do you mean, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore patiently, pointing for everyone to take their seats. "He was definitely visiting Remus," Hermione was turning slightly red. "I know he was!" Ginny saw Arthur calm Molly as Dumbledore said, "You saw him do it?" "Yes, sir." replied Hermione now thoroughly embarrassed. If it wasn’t for the blush Ginny would have assumed that Ron had taken Hermione with him. It was now obvious that Hermione had followed Ron without his knowledge. Ginny felt panic grip her as everyone turned to Remus. "Can you tell me the times that he would leave for work?" asked Remus. As Hermione explained Ron’s schedule, the rest of the Order began to arrive and Molly was crying hysterically. As Hermione finished explaining Remus looked at Dumbledore and said, "Those were the times I was ..." and Remus stopped mid-sentence. He nodded at Dumbledore who nodded back and then Remus Disapparated. Once again, Ginny’s dream swirled as she felt the rush of the images… Hermione crying… her mum crying… everyone sitting quietly at the Burrow’s table with Ron’s and Harry’s chairs empty… the clock hand for Ron pointing to “Travelling”. She saw the time when they were waiting for Remus, whom no one had heard from since he had left the table days ago. She saw Hermione’s face go pale and turned to look at whatever it is that Hermione had seen. Ginny felt the panic as she saw Ron’s hand move to "Mortal Peril". The dream then became a blur too fast for her to comprehend but they were all about Ron. His time then and his later years. There was a common thread there that she couldn’t yet place, and before she could slow them down, she felt a calming emotion overcome her. Suddenly, the swirling images disappeared and she could feel a sense of caring and love upon her. She saw a foggy dream and felt happy as she realized it was the time when Ron came back. He had just walked into the house after nearly three weeks and would never talk about where he had been. Harry came back, looking fit, a few days later with Dumbledore. The final image in her dream before she felt herself awaken was that of the first look Ron and Harry had shared the day Harry had returned. ....................... Ginny sat up with a jerk and felt herself sweating and breathing heavily. She saw Evans sitting next to her in his Quidditch robes, a drop of sweat on his forehead and his broom lying next to him. He was touching her arm tenderly and Ginny felt a tingle as she realized where she was. "What happened?" Ginny gasped with a wide-eyed look. "It’s all right, you are fine now," replied Evans. "I think you were in a Dream Trap. Just take some deep breaths and have some water." Evans handed her a glass of water and a vial with a blue liquid in it. "What’s this?" asked Ginny pointing to the vial. "It’s just a mind closing potion," replied Evans and explained smiling,."I had to use Legilimency on you; you were shaking and crying out. Drink it, it will help." Ginny stared at him disbelievingly for a second and then took the vial and gulped it down. "You must be a great Legilimens to break a Dream Trap," she said. "You get into a woman’s mind often?" She asked him sarcastically after handing the vial back. "I am sorry, Ginny. I never do that but in this case it was necessary and allowed by law." Evans’ expression was dead serious and he held out a hand to help her up. "I’ll help you back to the Castle." Ginny looked at his hand for a moment and then looked up straight at him. "It was a joke. Why are you so serious suddenly?" Then comprehension dawned on her. "You saw my dream didn’t you?" "Just at the end. Mostly images whirling by of people laughing, crying and... and people dead." He glanced at her briefly and then continued, "the only part I really made sense of was at the end where your brother entered from a door and another young man entered. That was Harry Potter, wasn’t it?" Ginny considered him for a moment. "What part of the dream affected you so much?" she asked. "It was seeing Remus dying wasn’t it? The blank and calming emotion I felt just after that image was you calming yourself wasn’t it?" Evans smiled and a little of the sorrow that had come over his eyes disappeared. "You are a very perceptive witch, Ginny. Are you sure you are not a Legilimens yourself?" he asked her. "You haven’t answered my question." she retorted. "Ah, and persistent too," he smiled again. "You are a very interesting woman Miss Weasley." "You still haven’t answered my question," she replied looking at him in a challenging manner. Evans took a deep breath. "Yes, Miss Weasley. Remus had become a very good friend just before his death. It was a shock for me." "Remus died in the summer after my fourth year," Ginny said. "If you knew him then, we should have heard of you. He spent a lot of time at the Burrow." "He also spent a lot of time outside the Burrow," replied Evans. "Maybe he did mention me and you don’t remember. Or may be he did not mention all his friends at the dinner table." The tone Evans used signalled an end to the topic and Ginny decided to let it be. She was feeling far too tired for a fight and just now what she needed was support. "I want to go the Burrow instead," Ginny said as they approached the castle. "Thank you for your help. I will see you tomorrow." She smiled at him and turned back towards the grounds. "Ginny," he called from behind her. "What were you doing in the stands?" She stopped and turned. "Just waiting for you to finish flying so that I could have my promised date," she said with a straight face. Evans chuckled and jogged over to her. "I thought the date included flying together. But I’ll make it up to you by seeing you to the Burrow." Ginny smiled back and said, "I’ll consider the promise paid only if you stay for dinner." Both Evans and Ginny stopped walking at that. It was well known how important inviting someone over for dinner was with the Weasleys. "As you just almost saved my life, you would be a welcome guest." Ginny said and started to walk again, her heart beating a little faster. "You exaggerate my utility, but I’ll use that excuse for a lovely dinner," smiled Harry. "Trust me, a Dream Trap won’t be taken as lightly when we are home." Ginny smiled at him and just before Disapparating said, "I am counting on you for support. Just downplay its seriousness." .......................................... "A Dream Trap!" squealed Molly and jumped at Ginny hugging her tightly. The rest of the Weasleys huddled around her as Evans stood to a side. They had arrived at the Burrow just five minutes ago and had run into the Weasleys at the door itself. The entire family was returning with Ron and Hermione from their apartment. At Molly’s and Hermione’s suspicious looks between her and Harry, Ginny and dived straight into what had happened. As she had predicted, the moment "Dream Trap" had left her lips she had been mobbed by the family. Evans stood at a side and watched them fussing over Ginny, totally oblivious to him. He felt a pang of remorse and what could have been. This had been his family too and in a way, would always be his family. He knew several of them still loved his memory and would probably welcome him as their own just like they had years ago. But it was his destiny to stand and watch from a side, ignored by his own. At least for now. A hand squeezed his shoulder and Harry turned to see Ron standing there giving him a knowing look. "Thanks Harry," said Ron. "For this and every other time you have helped us." Harry smiled at Ron, "It’s my family too, Ron." "That it is, mate. That it is." said Ron while turning to stand beside Harry. Finally, Ron broke the silence, "I have never wanted you to watch from the side," he said but before he could continue another voice interrupted them. "You must be a very strong Legilimens, Mr. Evans to break a Dream Trap," Hermione had walked up to them and was now giving Evans a very calculated look. Evans smiled at her. "It was a minor attack Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied and held his hand out for her. "It is good to see you and your lovely family again today." "The Weasleys are great people, even though some of them can be gits at times," Hermione said smiling at Ron. "What did I do?" gasped Ron and at the look on his face both Hermione and Harry chuckled. "Why do you think Ginny had the attack Professor? She has no history of it." Hermione asked Evans. "It usually happens when someone has an unresolved issue about something very important to them. I think you should help her to resolve whatever it was her dreams were about," explained Harry. "I thought as much," replied Hermione looking thoughtful. "Did you happen to see what the dreams were about?" "Her dreams are private to her Mrs. Weasley; you should ask her that question," said Harry and then smiled. "Besides, I got enough to deal with here without invoking Ginny’s wrath even more." Hermione nodded and stood there looking at the Weasleys entering the house. "Well it is good to see you, Professor" said Hermione after a few moments of silence. "My husband should have introduced us long ago." She slapped Ron playfully and smiled at Evans. "I am going to take my chance and invite you for dinner later this week," Hermione continued. "I have wanted to talk to you regarding some of my work." "Please call me Harry and I would love to have dinner with you and Ron." Harry smiled back. "Thank you, Harry," Hermione stumbled a little at the name. "It will be something I have wanted for a long time," she finished, looking into Harry’s eyes intently. They stood there silently, three friends reunited in body who were never separate in mind and soul. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione come in," Ginny called out from the door. Then she stopped and added thoughtfully. "It has been ages since I have said that." Hermione looked at Ginny in surprise. Ginny never took Harry’s name except in anger, but before she could react Evans spoke up. "I think you meant a different Harry though, Ginny," said Evans walking towards the door and smiling. "The terrific trio was famous even amongst us hidden students at the Castle." Ginny just looked at him for a moment and then shook her head and led them inside. As the four of them entered, everyone in the room was trying to settle down. It was a full family reunion and now that he was here, Harry felt out of place. This wasn’t his place any more. "You didn’t tell me it’s a family dinner," he whispered to Ginny. "I forgot," she whispered back. "Don’t worry, you will be all right." Harry smiled at her and was stepping into the Burrow when heard a low humming noise beginning somewhere. By the time the door had closed behind him, he realized what it was and that it was far too late to do anything about it. The activity in the Burrow had ceased completely. Everyone was looking at the Weasley family clock which now contained several new names. There among the dozen or more others was a tiny hand which had spend the first six of the last nine years pointing to "Lost" and the final three hanging limply hidden behind the others. For the first time in nine years it seemed to be coming back to life. Almost at the very instant that they realized what was happening both Ron and Harry took action in their own ways. Ron took out his wand while Harry closed his eyes. The clock hand, which Molly Weasley had fought to keep now expanded to full size and began to rotate. It went past ”Lost" without stopping and crossed "Travelling". Then, with the entire Weasley family looking on, the hand with Harry Potter’s name on it came to a stop and the only expression visible on the faces of those present was shock. The hand was now pointing to “Mortal Peril”. .................................... AN: Thanks to Arnel and Katie for beta-reading my story... and well I can't stress enough how much difference they have made to my writing. AN2: Next chapter coming soon! So keep reading.
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