Ginny Weasley sat in her room, fiddling with the scroll in her hands. The owl that had delivered it to her had long since disappeared into the night, and Ginny was still trying to figure out what to do about it. This enigmatic hint was more personal than the others she had received. Like the others, though, there was only one sentence written on the parchment.
The Death Eaters are going after the Grangers in two nights.
It was written in a narrow scribble that Ginny didn’t recognize, nor did she recognize the owl that brought it to her.
Finally she made up her mind. She grabbed yesterday’s edition of the Daily Prophet out of the rubbish bin and started tapping letters on it with her wand.
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By the time Ginny made it down to the kitchen for breakfast, the entire Order of the Phoenix had arrived. The trio - Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ginny’s own brother, Ron - were arguing with Remus Lupin over something in Harry’s hands. Ginny yawned and pulled a stack of toast toward her.
The movement caught Hermione’s attention. “Ginny,” she turned toward the young redhead and asked, “what do you think about this?” Hermione snatched the paper from Harry’s hands and showed it to her.
“What to you mean?”
“Do you think it’s real? Is it a threat or a hint?”
“I don’t know, Hermione, but it couldn’t hurt to get your parents into hiding, could it?”
Hermione sighed. “I suppose the time has come to tell them.”
Lupin spoke up, “I think this is a trick to lure you three out into the open. I think you should stay put.”
“We can’t stay put even if we wanted to, Remus,” said Harry. “We’ve only got one more Horcrux to destroy before we go after Voldemort. And I intend to go after Nagini tonight.”
Lupin sighed in defeat. “I’ll send Tonks and Moody to get your parents, Hermione.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
As the werewolf left the room, Harry glanced at Ginny and sat down beside her. He pushed back his messy black hair…
“I don’t want to hear it,” interrupted Ginny before Harry could open his mouth to speak.
“Ginny-“
“Nope. I’m coming with you. Accept it.”
“Please-“
“When do you plan on leaving?” Ginny asked as if Harry hadn’t spoken.
“We’re going to Apparate, Gin, so you can’t come,” Ron crossed his arms.
“Like hell I can’t. Hermione and I are going to side-along, aren’t we?”
Hermione looked nervous and tugged on the hem of her shirt. Harry and Ron glared at her as she answered. “We just talked about it, it wasn’t definite!”
“Would you rather I splinch myself trying to follow you guys?” Ginny bit off a piece of toast and smiled innocently.
“You would, wouldn’t you?” Harry stared at her.
Ron dropped into a seat opposite Harry and said, “She would. Bloody hell. Fine. You win.”
“You guys are so easy,” Ginny grinned and stood up. She ruffled Harry’s hair on her way out the door.
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When Ginny returned to her room after her shower, she discovered the same black owl that had brought her the mysterious note the night before. It had another scroll tied to its leg and was looking at her expectantly. She only hesitated a moment before reaching out and removing the scroll, although instead of instantly flying off, the owl remained. Ginny glanced down at the same scribble she saw before.
Death Eaters are guarding the final Horcrux.
Confused, Ginny glanced at the owl who seemed to be waiting for a response. “Fine,” mumbled Ginny as she reached for a quill and started scribbling on the back of the parchment.
Nagini is always with You-Know-Who, why would she need any more protection than that? And who are you? Why are you sending me these things?
She tied the scroll to the leg the owl dutifully stuck out before flying off.
“Who was that?”
Ginny twirled around at the voice. She had forgotten to lock her door and hoped Harry wouldn’t ask too many questions as she tightened the towel around her. “A secret admirer.”
Harry’s eyes widened at the sight of his ex-girlfriend in a towel. He hadn’t realized she wasn’t dressed until just then. “Oh, sorry, Gin.” He quickly backed out of the room. Smirking, Ginny grabbed Harry’s retreating form and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind him.
“Stop it, Ginny. Ron would kill me if he knew I was in here with you like that!”
“Hush. He wants us to get back together so bad, I don’t think he’d care. Besides, you’ve seen most of it before.”
“But not all of it!” Harry squeaked and turned his back on her when she went to remove the towel.
“The great Harry Potter can fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but can’t stand to see a girl naked? Where’s your courage, O’ Chosen One?”
“I am trying to do the right thing here.”
“Oh, so you’re being noble again?” She grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her, but his eyes were tightly shut. “Open your eyes, you big baby, I’m dressed.”
Harry peeked with one eye to find that Ginny was indeed dressed. He sat on the bed. “I still don’t want you to go tonight.”
“Well, we don’t always get what we want.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“I want to be able to come back when this is all over and have a normal life with you. And I can’t do that if you’re dead!”
“If I still want you.”
Harry looked taken aback, and he stared at her.
Ginny continued, “I don’t want to be treated like some fragile porcelain doll, Harry. I’m going to want some of the adventure, and if you can’t understand that-“
“I do, Gin. I do, it’s just….”
”You want to protect me. And that’s sweet, but I’ve had six brothers doing that for almost 16 years now, and none of them could do anything when I was trapped in the Chamber could they?”
“I saved you then. Or have you forgotten?” Harry hissed, his temper starting to flare.
“That was years ago, Harry. I have grown since then, or have you not noticed? I took care of myself just fine when Death Eaters attacked the school and you were gone!”
Harry’s face had gone white. “WITH DUMBLEDORE OFF TRYING TO SAVE THE WHOLE BLOODY WIZARDING WORLD!! THEN I COME BACK TO HAVE THE ONE PERSON WHO I THOUGHT WOULD ALWAYS BE THERE MURDERED BEFORE MY OWN EYES BY SNAPE OF ALL PEOPLE-“
But Harry’s outburst was cut short as the black owl appeared again in Ginny’s window. Ginny turned her back on Harry as she reached for the owl, blinking back tears of anger.
“Who bloody hell is that from, anyway?” Harry growled at her.
“I told you before, it’s a secret admirer. You’ve got competition, O’ Boy Who Lived.” Ginny began to unroll the scroll, but suddenly pointed towards her door. “Get out.”
Harry remained frozen for several seconds before turning on his heel and stomping out, slamming the door behind him.
Nagini? Potter actually thinks Nagini is a Horcrux?
It’s something of Gryffindor’s. I don’t know exactly what. It’s at Hogwarts.
Ginny plopped down on her bed, her thoughts in a whirl.
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“What?!” Molly Weasley shrieked.
“She is determined to come with us. I don’t know what to do,” Harry explained.
“Ginny must stay here. I’ll try to get her to understand.” The eldest Weasley son, Bill, stood up from the kitchen table just as Ginny walked in.
“Get me to understand what?”
“You are not going with them tonight, Ginevra Weasley. It is much too dangerous! You are staying here.” Mrs. Weasley had her hands on her hips and was staring sternly at her daughter.
“You’re wrong! Look what I found by the front door.” And Ginny held out a ragged piece of parchment covered with letters cut out of the Daily Prophet.
Harry snatched it from her hand and looked it over. “No, Dumbledore told me that Nagini was the last Horcrux. And the only thing left of Gryffindor’s is the sword that I used to kill the basilisk.”
”Dumbledore may be mistaken, Harry. Nagini was only a shrewd theory.” Hermione glanced at the note.
“Still, how would have Voldemort have gotten to the sword?” Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his head.
“Wait, the sorting hat was Gryffindor’s too, wasn’t it?” Ron pointed out.
“You’re right.” Hermione looked at Ron in shock, “How did you remember that?”
“Hey, I pay attention…sometimes.”
“I highly doubt the sorting hat is a Horcrux. If the thought entered Dumbledore’s mind at all, he would have told me.”
“I’m just saying, mate, the sword isn’t the only thing left. Besides the hat, there could be something else we don’t know about.”
“And it’s at Hogwarts,” said Ginny. “So I’m going with you.”
“This will push back the start of term…” Hermione chewed on her lip.
“I was surprised McGonagall and the governors didn’t close the school, honestly,” Ginny said as she sat down across from Harry.
“Well, I think we should head to Hogwarts now, we’ve got a lot of searching to do. Maybe McGonagall will let us use the library,” said Hermione.
“I’ll let her know you’re coming,” Mrs. Weasley said as she headed for the fireplace.
The trio and Ginny stepped outside and waited for the muggles to disperse.
“Wait, what if there are Death Eaters there?” Hermione asked nervously.
“There have never been before, why start now?” Harry said just before Disapparating.
“Oh, God!” Ginny gasped. Suddenly she felt herself being compressed as she and Hermione Apparated near the Hogwarts gates.