PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: MyGinevra

Story: The Hog's Head

Part: 19: Opening Night At The Inn

Rating: Teens

Setting: Post-DH

Status: WIP

Warning: Sexual Situations

Reviews: 9

Words: 8,001

Updated: May 22, 2008, 11:12am

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19: Opening Night At The Inn

They got out of bed late in the evening and found dinner waiting on a small table set up in the parlor. Ginny put on the dressing gown she had brought with her, and Harry wore a bathrobe. He brought the candlesticks in and put them on the table, where the candles continued to cast their magical, golden glow. He lit a fire, and they dined on steamed mussels in a spicy white sauce, whole lobsters — an adventure, since neither of them had eaten one before — linguine in clam sauce, and a crispy green salad. Warm slices of garlic bread kept appearing in a wicker basket as they ate them. There was a small bottle of wine that they both drank with caution, remembering the last time they had drunk wine at Shell Cottage. By the time they were finished, they could barely move; they lay down on the rug in front of the fireplace and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Just before midnight, Ginny awoke and nibbled on Harry’s lips until he opened his eyes. “Hi,” she smiled. “I feel like a midnight stroll. Let’s go down to The Three Broomsticks. I heard that there’s always a late crowd on the weekends.”

Harry rolled over and sat up. He looked around and saw that the table was gone. “Efficiency is her middle name,” he said as he stood. He pulled Ginny up and put his hands inside her dressing gown. “I’d love a midnight stroll. But can it wait?”

“No!” she laughed and pulled his hands out. “We have all weekend for that. I want to go have a good time with some people, then come back here and...” Her own hands wandered over his robe. “And then sleep late tomorrow.” She hopped backward before Harry could grab her again, and ran into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her, and giggled while she made Harry promise not to touch her while they were getting dressed. He kept his fingers crossed while he solemnly vowed to keep his hands in his pockets.

“How can you get dressed with your hands in your pockets? And your fingers are crossed, right?” Ginny asked through the closed door.

“Okay, okay, now they’re not crossed. And I’ll just look, I won’t touch, I promise.”

She let him in, then made him sit on the bed while she took off her dressing gown and then slowly put her clothes on.

“You’re evil,” Harry leaned back on his elbows and watched. “Here I am, the poor, former Chosen One, and this is the thanks I get for saving the world. Do your brothers know that you treat me like this?”

“Merlin, I hope not!” Ginny laughed as she put on her dragon–hide jacket, Charlie’s birthday present. “But they’d probably take your side. They’re all males, after all.”

“And so am I, but I think you know that,” Harry grinned as he dressed. He heaved a loud, dramatic sigh. “I’ll force myself to wait, since you’ve been so nice up until now.”

“So have you.” They kissed, and Harry took her arm and they went downstairs and out the back door. The sky was clear and a full moon was high overhead, lighting up the world almost like daytime. Arm in arm they walked down the High Street to The Three Broomsticks.

The lights from inside were blazing, and they could hear laughter and loud voices as they approached. When they entered, Rosmerta came and hugged them both. They saw Stan and Tony, and most of Tony’s crew; everyone called to them and they smiled and waved. Harry glanced quickly around and was glad not to see Turquoise Southeby. But to his delight, back in a corner sat Hagrid, several empty tankards in front of him and a broad smile on his face.

“‘Arry! Ginny!” he boomed, “come on over! ‘Arriet, two butterbeers!” Harry and Ginny came and sat. Hagrid beamed at them. “‘Ow’s it goin’?”

“Not bad,” Harry answered, then he looked at Ginny and smiled. ”Actually, great.” He took her hand. ‘It’s hard to see how things could be any better.” Ginny leaned over and kissed him softly.

“Aww, thas sweet!” Hagrid chuckled. “Thas a beautiful jacket, Ginny. Did Charlie get it fer yeh?”

“Yes, it was a birthday present. Here, feel it.” She held her arm out and Hagrid rubbed the leather between his fingers.

“I’d say a Ridgeback.” He frowned, then laughed. “Yeh don’t think it’s Norberta, do yeh? Charlie wouldn’t do that.” He laughed again and took a drink from his tankard. “‘Arry, why don’tcha come to one a’ me classes next week? Remember, yeh promised yeh’d do that? Did you hear, I’m teachin’ first and second years fer the first time? They’d be tickled if yeh showed up. They’re always talkin’ about yeh, ‘specially them two little twins, what’s their names?” He frowned and swayed slightly in his seat.

“Emma and Claire Athair,” Ginny said. “They’re adorable.”

“Yeah, thas them. They’re really takin’ to it. They love them little Pygmy Puffs.”

“Is that what you’re teaching?” Ginny bounced in her chair. “I love them.” She turned to Harry. “Tell me when you go, if I don’t have a class I’ll join you.”

Harry nodded. “When’s that class?” he asked Hagrid.

“Tuesday at eleven, right afore lunch. That’ll be great, ‘Arry.” He drained his mead and started to stand, but Harry put his hand on Hagrid’s massive paw.

“Hagrid, wait, can I ask you something about... about one of the other teachers?”

Hagrid’s brow creased, but he sat back down. “If it ain’t too confidential, sure. But there’s some stuff I can’t talk about.” His voice dropped, and he whispered dramatically, ‘There’s things I can’t discuss with yeh, ‘Arry. You know, personnel stuff.”

Harry also dropped his voice. “I was just wondering if you knew why they hired Professor Pester to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“Ah, well...” Hagrid looked at him, “‘Arry, thas one a’ them things... But, seein’ as it affects you direc’ly, you ‘ave a right to know.” He leaned toward Harry, and Harry and Ginny leaned in so that their heads almost touched; Hagrid’s breath was pungent with the smell of mead. “They wasn’t gonna have anyone t’ teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at first. McGonagall, Flitwick, an’ Slughorn were gonna split up the job. Seems they couldn’t fin’ anyone to take it, even with Riddle dead an’ that curse gone, you know the one. Everyone who taught it’s been dead or gone after one year.”

Harry and Ginny both nodded. Hagrid grabbed another mug from a tray that Harriet was carrying past, and took a large gulp. He leaned his head in again. “But then that Dark Mark showed up on yer’ inn, ‘Arry, an’ McGonagall got worried. She didn’t want t’ seal up the grounds again, like it was last year, so she asked the Ministry to send someone t’ take the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, kinda undercover, y’ might say, an’ help keep an eye on things.”

He sat back and took another drink, and frowned. “But don’t tell anyone I tol’ yeh this, ‘Arry. Or you, Ginny. Someone around ‘ere’s up t’ no good, an’ if they don’ know about Pester, it’ll make it easier t’ nab ‘em.”

“That’s pretty interesting,” Harry said, and looked at Ginny.

She nodded. “And it explains that notebook he’s been studying. He even looks at it in class. He didn’t have a chance to prepare, so he’s teaching it on the fly. And doing a poor job of it so far. That’s crummy,” she looked at Harry. “I’ve had lousy teachers in that class almost every year I’ve been here.” She leaned toward him and put a hand on his shoulder, and grinned. “What I said this morning about you being the best teacher I’ve had is true. I’ll ask McGonagall to fire Pester and hire you.”

“Please,” Harry shook his head. “Don’t even joke about it. But I wonder what happened to his job in the Auror training program.”

“Ask Ron tomorrow,” Ginny said. She glanced at the clock on the wall over the bar and smiled. “Today, I mean.”

Hagrid stood up. “Well, I’m glad t’ see yeh, and don’ ferget to come on Tuesday.” He shook his head and smiled as he walked toward the door. “Them kids’ll be tickled pink.”

Harry and Ginny watched him leave, then they joined Stan and Tony. They drank butterbeers for another hour, until Harry pressed his leg against Ginny’s under the table, and she broke off the conversation she was having with Tony about Potio Vitae. She turned to Harry. “Love, there’s something I need to do at the inn, so can we go back now?”

Harry grinned, and some of the members of Tony’s crew, who had joined them, chuckled to each other. “If you insist, love,” he said. They made their goodnights and, again arm in arm, walked quickly back to the inn. Upstairs, they left another trail of clothes between the door and the bedroom. They made love leisurely, and then they talked, and then they made love again, and then they talked until the sky in the east began to lighten. They spoke in low voices about school, the inn, themselves, the future.

Harry told Ginny that he was worried about being alone during the week, and he wondered if he had made a mistake when he bought the inn. Ginny wondered what she would do after graduation. Harry worried that the Slytherins might seek revenge, but Ginny scoffed at that. She talked about the Quidditch team and told him how Dennis Creevey had pushed his way onto the tryout roster. She talked enthusiastically about her classes, except Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they speculated about Morequest Pester and the Dark Marks. Harry told her how his anger grew whenever anything came between him and what he wanted most: to have a place for themselves. Ginny told him that no matter what happened, she would be there with him. The candles finally flickered out and they slept.

They awoke a few hours later and dressed and ate quickly — breakfast was waiting on the kitchen table — and then Disapparated to the back storeroom of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. George greeted them and they went upstairs to the flat. Hermione was at her desk in a small room next to the sitting room, and she went to wake up Ron. He came into the sitting room, yawning and rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“What are you doing here so early,” he grouched. “I just went to bed.”

“That was ten hours ago, Ron,” Hermione said. “It’s ten o’clock. In the morning.”

“Seems like it was ten minutes.” He yawned again. “So what’s happening?”

“Ginny’s got another Apparition lesson in an hour,” Harry answered, “and if she and Twycross think she’s ready, she’ll take her test. Percy’s agreed to be there and fill out all the paperwork.”

“Cool,” Ron yawned once more and stretched; he scratched his stomach. “So,” he said to Ginny, “I heard that Morequest Pester’s teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. That must be a real treat.”

“Absolutely,” she grinned. ”And the best part is that he hasn’t a clue how to deal with Luna. I think she’s driving him nutters.”

Ron laughed. “Good for her. She’s the perfect person to chap his ass. I’ll tell you, no one in the training program misses him.”

“So he’s not doing both jobs?” Harry asked.

“How could he? We have three hours of classes and two hours of practice every day.”

Hermione called them into the kitchen and they sat around a small table while she served tea. Harry looked at her and smiled. “You two are keeping a nice place.”

“Only because I clean up after him. If didn’t, the whole flat would look like his attic room, and we’d need a Muggle bulldozer to walk anywhere.” She smiled fondly at Ron. “I shouldn’t tease. The program is quite rigorous, and he works so hard. It’s wonderful to see you do so well, sweetie.”

Ron grinned sheepishly at Harry. “It is tough. I still say you should sign up. People talk about you, mate. And it isn’t just because of what you did to Riddle. Seamus and Susan are also in it, and they’re always telling everyone how much you taught us.”

Harry glanced at Ginny, and she raised her eyebrows as if to say, “I told you so.”

“Well,” Harry said, “I’m pretty busy with the inn right now, and Ginny’s just starting the term —“

“Harry,” Hermione interrupted, “that’s all very well, but...” she glanced at Ron, “but there are things happening and, well, people think they still need you.”

Harry scowled. “I need things, too, Hermione. After those people spend seventeen years under a death sentence, then they can tell me they need me. I want to be where I am. Can’t Kingsley take care of business?”

“Good question,” said Ron, and he took a biscuit from a tin sitting on the counter behind him; he offered them to Ginny and Harry. “You would not believe how much resistance he gets from all those stupid little bureaucrats. Now I know why Dad’s lost so much hair.”

“But that was actually a blessing when the Death Eaters took over,” Hermione picked up when Ron reached for another biscuit. “Things would have been a lot worse if they had really been able to control the Ministry. There was resistance to them on principle, but a lot of it was the same idiotic inertia that Kingsley’s facing.”

“Yeah,” said Ron, “but that’s not all.” He cast a look at Hermione, and she nodded. “Remember I told you a while ago that there were a dozen or so Death Eaters that they couldn’t account for? Well, there are now a few more. There was a breakout from Azkaban about three weeks ago.”

“What!” Ginny and Harry exclaimed at the same time. “How could that be?” Harry was astounded, and Ginny put her hand on his. “So those Dark Marks could actually be from Death Eaters?”

“Could be,” Ron said.

Ginny looked at him in disbelief. “How did they escape? Why wasn’t there any news about it? That’s criminal! They have to let people know about things like that.” She turned to Harry. “Maybe that’s another reason why McGonagall hired Pester.”

‘Huh?” Ron looked surprised. “What do you mean? He told us he had been hired right after the battle.”

“That sounds like his cover story,” Harry said, and he told Ron and Hermione about their conversation with Hagrid. “But I still don’t understand why Kingsley would keep the breakout a secret.”

“He didn’t,” explained Ron. “The Office of Magical Law Enforcement did. Somebody got careless and there aren’t any dementors around to do the dirty work. They hushed it up, but someone finally leaked it yesterday.”

“That’s where Percy’s working,” Ginny said quietly.

Ron nodded grimly. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of days. I don’t know what happened to him.”

They were all silent for a moment. Finally Harry said, “So how many got out and who were they?”

“I don’t know,” Ron shook his head. “I couldn’t find out. I think they’re still trying to figure it out. But Gawain Robards was fired, and Kingsley’s taken over that job himself.”

“That poor man,” Hermione said. “Why can’t people see what he’s trying to do and just help him?”

They all looked at Harry, who pushed away from the table. “Come on, Gin, you’ll be late for your lesson.”

They left the flat and were at the Ministry in a few minutes. Many people were in the Atrium, standing in small groups in animated conversations. Harry and Ginny heard snatches of talk; it was all about the breakout and the firing of the Head of the Office of Magical Law Enforcement.

They stopped briefly at the fountain and smiled at the statues of Emma and Claire Athair. A lift then took them to level six, and Ginny led him to Wilkie Twycross’s office. The ethereal wizard greeted them warmly, and gave Harry his personal thanks for his deeds during the war. While Harry waited in the office, he took Ginny into a room across the hallway, and when they came out an hour later, Ginny was beaming and Twycross was smiling proudly.

“She’s the best student I ever had,” he said. “A normal course of group lessons is twelve weeks, and of course individual lessons usually go faster. But Miss Weasley is very gifted.” He looked at his watch. “The Test Center is open until two this afternoon, so you have time to see your brother and get a start on the application. I think,” he said knowingly, “they’ll let you take the test even if not all the paperwork is quite ready. Percy has a reputation for reliability.”

Ginny thanked him profusely, and left him with a kiss on his cheek that pleased him very much. He shook Harry’s hand and with a wink wished him luck. When they were outside in the hall, Ginny skipped in a circle around Harry, then took his hands and did a dance with him. “Come on,” she pulled him down the corridor, “Let’s go find Percy. Then we’ll go back to Diagon Alley and celebrate with everyone at the Leaky Cauldron.”

“If Percy’s still here,” Harry said.

They went back to the lifts and rode up to level two, which was crowded with witches and wizards — many with scowls on their faces — bustling up and down the corridors. Some recognized Harry and nodded to him. Ginny took his hand and they went down several long hallways that became more and more congested and noisy with a sense of crisis and urgency. They finally came to the Head’s office; the large sign over the door read Office of Magical Law Enforcement, but the plaque on the wall was blank.

They could hear loud voices from inside, and dominating them was the deep, booming bass of Kingsley Shacklebolt. They could also hear Saliyah Ushujaa speaking angrily, and then they heard Percy, and Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand; he looked at her and saw relief on her face. “He sounds okay,” she whispered.

A witch pushed past them and went inside; they recognized the Auror who had been with Saliyah when she came to the Burrow the day Fenrir Greyback was killed. They followed her in and saw Kingsley pacing behind a large desk. Saliyah was seated in front of the desk, and the witch who had just come in was handing her a parchment. Percy was standing next to the desk, and he was the first to notice them.

“Ginny! Harry! Good to see you! Did you pass your test?”

Kingsley looked up, and Saliyah and the Auror turned. Shacklebolt stared at Harry for a moment, then a smile crept onto his dark face. “Did you come here for the job, Harry?”

Harry looked at him in confusion for a moment, then, as Kingsley burst out laughing, he blushed. “Uh, no, sir, thanks. We... uh...” He looked at Ginny for help.

“We’re here to see my brother,” she said quickly. “I’m supposed to take an Apparition test this afternoon. But we can come back later if it’s not a good time.”

Percy looked at his watch, then at Shacklebolt, who nodded. “Why don’t we have lunch now,” the Minister said. “It seems like a good time to take a break. I’ve been up since four, and I never had breakfast.”

“I tried to feed you,” said Saliyah with a shake of her head. “And you’ve been grumpy ever since.”

“I’m grumpy because nine Death Eaters are on the loose somewhere,” he scowled. “But let’s not rehash that.” He waved his wand and a large table appeared at the side of the room. Two house–elves came out a door behind the table, and in a minute lunch was ready.

Harry and Ginny, feeling a little diffident, joined the Minister of Magic and the others, but Saliyah smiled at them warmly. “How are things in Hogsmeade and at Hogwarts?” she asked them. “I heard you’re Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain, Ginny. I won’t wish you luck, I still always root for Ravenclaw.”

They all made small talk for a few minutes, but Ginny couldn’t contain her curiosity, and in a lull she turned to Percy, who was seated next to her. “What happened?” she said as quietly as she could without seeming surreptitious. “Were you the one who leaked the story?”

Percy glanced at Shacklebolt, who was watching them. “It wasn’t exactly a leak, but yes,” he said firmly. “I didn’t find out about it until Thursday. I went to see Gawain, and at first he denied that anything had happened. But I had completely reliable information from one of the guards. He finally admitted it, and I insisted that we go to the Minister immediately.” He was trying not to sound smug, but Ginny had to smile to herself: he was, after all, Percy.

There was silence at the table, and Kingsley looked down at his plate and pushed his food around with his fork. “There were nine of them,” the Minister said to Ginny and Harry. “We’re positive that they left the country, we got a report from a contact we have in France who saw them. But they could be anywhere in the world by now. We sent messages to every wizarding government, and I’ve spoken to the Muggle Prime Minister.” He looked at Harry. “One of them is an old friend of yours, Dolores Umbridge. Technically, she isn’t a Death Eater, but she did some terrible and brutal things — I think you witnessed some of them. We were holding her with the same level of security that we were holding the Death Eaters.” He shook his head. “At least I thought we were.”

“H–how did they escape?” Harry said hesitantly; he didn’t know how much he could expect Kingsley to tell him.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I can’t say.” Shacklebolt grinned. “Unless you take the job.”

This time Harry laughed. “I think I’d need a little experience first.”

Saliyah leaned forward from across the table. “Then join the training program, Harry. Ron Weasley is doing very well, and a few of your other friends who are also in the program have told us what you did at Hogwarts when Umbridge was there. Harry, we need you.”

Harry felt everyone looking at him, but he felt Ginny’s eyes the most. He looked at her and she smiled, but there was never any doubt in his mind what his answer would be.

“Maybe someday,” he said to Saliyah, “but not right now. I’m sorry, but I wonder if you know what it’s like to have someone as ferocious and powerful as Tom Riddle be after you with nothing on his mind but your own death. I lived with that for seventeen years and I need a break.”

Saliyah sat back, disappointed and a little annoyed, but Kingsley nodded. “That’s fine, Harry. You have a right to that, and undoubtedly a need. I only ask that you don’t forget that there will always be a job here if you want it.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, and I won’t forget.”

They finished eating, then Percy excused himself for an hour or two, and he took Ginny and Harry back to the Department of Magical Transportation. Ginny passed her Apparition test with flying colors, and a half hour later she walked out of the office clutching a framed Apparition license in her hands. Percy took them back to the Atrium where Ginny bestowed a grateful hug and kiss on him.

Percy shook Harry’s hand as they were departing. “Don’t forget Kingsley’s offer, Harry,” he said solemnly. “It’s an honor to be noticed by the Minister and the Head Auror like that.”

Harry smiled. “I know. And Percy, thanks for doing what you did, I mean telling the truth. It was a great thing to do.”

“I’ll second that,” Ginny gave him another kiss. “You did proud by the whole family.”

Percy waved his hand dismissively, but looked pleased. “You two take care, and say hello to everyone at the shop. And don’t worry about the paperwork, Ginny. If you have to sign anything, I’ll owl it to you.” He walked away and Harry and Ginny returned to Diagon Alley.

They met Ron and Hermione in the shop and told them that Percy was fine. Harry was about to add that they had more news about the breakout, but George and Lee came over, so he said nothing. Everyone walked down to the Leaky Cauldron together. They celebrated Ginny’s success with a few rounds of butterbeer, and when they were finished Ginny Disapparated back to the shop by herself. She met them at the front door, and Harry gave her a well–deserved snog, to the avid interest of George’s customers inside and a small crowd of onlookers outside.

It was now the middle of the afternoon, and Harry and Ginny had to return to the inn to start preparing for the opening–night party at six o’clock. They held hands with their fingers entwined, and for the first time, they Disapparated together. They appeared in back of the inn, and Ginny went upstairs while Harry made a brief stop in the kitchen and dining room to see how the preparations were coming along. When he got back upstairs he found a trail of clothes leading to the bedroom. He followed — and added to it — and it was only an hour before the opening that they came back downstairs.

Stan, Winky, and Kreacher — who had arrived earlier in the afternoon from Grimmauld Place — were all busy with last–minute things to do, but they were all relieved to see Harry. Stan had been worried because of Winky’s reproachful attitude, and Harry felt guilty. He gave Ginny a penitent glance and set to work helping Stan and Kreacher in the dining room and behind the bar; he was afraid to go into the kitchen and face Winky’s displeasure.

At five forty–five he noticed that Ginny had disappeared; Kreacher told him that she had gone back upstairs, and Harry was somewhat annoyed that she had not stayed with him. He was becoming increasingly nervous, and kept up an agitated pacing between the front door and the bar. But at five minutes to six, the kitchen door opened and Ginny came through wearing the dress she had worn on her birthday, the one that had won the admiration of Aunt Muriel for it’s daring neck– and hemlines. But what made Harry’s — and Stan’s — breath catch was the Veela necklace with the solitaire diamond lying on her neck above her plunging neckline. She looked so beautiful and desirable that Harry was afraid for a moment that he would lose all control.

He put his hand on the bar to steady himself. “Ginny,” he said in an unsteady voice, “you are... I mean, you are... you are —“ She put her hand on the diamond, and walked toward him with the blazing look in her eyes. She seemed to glow, just as the candles in the Veela candlesticks had, with a magical radiance.

At that moment the clock behind the bar struck six, and they heard a steady string of loud pops from just outside the door. At the same time, there were shouts of greeting and voices calling from the lane near the High Street. Harry took a final look at Ginny, together with a deep breath, and opened the front door.

There stood Ron and Hermione, Bill and Fleur, George and Lee — each with a witch on his arm — Percy, Neville and Keesha, Luna and Dean, Dennis Creevey — Harry wondered how he had sneaked out of school — and a dozen other members of Dumbledore’s Army. More people were streaming down the lane: Rosmerta, Tony Trostle with a witch Harry assumed was his wife, a few other shopkeepers and residents of Hogsmeade, Hagrid but thankfully not Grawp, Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn, and Madame Hooch.

The dining room was soon full, and Stan became busy serving drinks and taking orders from Kreacher; the elf was constantly running between the kitchen, the bar, and the tables. Harry and Ginny stood together by the bar, but Ginny was the center of everyone’s attention. She cast a glow of beauty over the entire room; Harry couldn’t take his eyes from her, and was barely aware of Ron sitting on a stool on his other side, chatting with Stan and throwing down firewhiskies. Fleur got up from the table where she was sitting with the rest of the Weasleys, and spoke to Harry as she also admired Ginny.

“You know, ‘Arry, I said to Ginny at ‘er party zat when she put on ze necklace she became a Veela, and I ‘ave never seen somet’ing like zat before. I do not understand it, I ‘ave to admit.”

Harry took a breath and smiled. “I guess I know how Bill feels now. Thank you for giving it to her. It’s... it’s...” He struggled for a word. “It’s indescribable.”

Ginny was talking to Professor Slughorn, but she turned to Harry and Fleur. “I love it, and,” she grinned at Harry, “I love the way you look at me.”

Fleur nodded knowingly. “‘Zat is ‘ow it’s supposed to work. It is all about love.” She kissed Harry’s cheek, hugged Ginny, and smiled at Slughorn, who turned a light shade of pink and followed her with his eyes as she returned to her table.

The professor cleared his throat. “Well, Harry, my boy, you have done a superb job here, and with Miss Weasley at your side you make a remarkable impression, the two of you. Don’t be a stranger at the castle, and do stop by and see me whenever you’re there.” He gave Ginny another appreciative glance and joined the other Hogwarts professors at their table.

Ron had been listening, and he leaned toward them. “Two Veelas in the family? Mum’s gonna have kittens.”

Harry laughed. “Where are your folks, anyway? I was hoping to see them.”

“They’ll be along. Mum’s really anxious to see the place, especially the kitchen.”

“She’d better stay out of Winky’s way,” Ginny said. “That elf won’t stand for anyone to butt in.”

“That’ll be interesting to see,” Ron set down his shot glass and looked around; Hermione was watching from the Weasley table, and she gave him a little wave of her hand. “That’s all for me, it’s butterbeer for the rest of the night. The place is brilliant, mate.”

Harry and Ginny spent the next hour visiting tables, chatting with their friends and family, enjoying the congratulations that everyone gave them. Kreacher and Stan bustled back and forth, serving drinks and food. Molly and Arthur Weasley arrived — they were late because Molly had spent so much time on a cake she had baked for the inn. Dumbledore’s Army was sitting together at three tables they had pushed together in a corner, and when Harry and Ginny got to them, they all stopped talking, and then Harry noticed that the rest of the room had also fallen silent. Hermione, Ron, George, and Lee came over; Lee cleared his throat as the others took seats at the DA table. Harry had been leaning over, talking to Neville about Keesha and Ginny’s encounter with the Slytherin boys, and Ginny tapped his shoulder. He straightened and saw Lee holding two polished wooden tablets, each with a brass plate attached.

Lee nodded to Harry, then turned and faced the silent dining room. He waited a few dramatic seconds, then spoke.

“Almost three years ago a small group of Hogwarts students met in this very room and formed an organization. At that time the inn was a dump, no offense to those of us who wasted many Hogsmeade weekends in it, savoring its unsavoriness. But we didn’t care. Something bad had happened at Hogwarts, and one of those students, Hermione Granger, had one of her many brilliant ideas. She asked Harry Potter to lead a rebellion against the people who wanted to disarm us and leave us defenseless against the evil that was about to come.

“At first Harry didn’t want to take up the mantle; he had never asked for it. But he decided to do it, and because of what he and the rest of us did as a result of that meeting, a lot of people are now not living in terror, not in jail, not dead. During that meeting, a certain fourth–year, red–haired witch suggested that we call our new group, Dumbledore’s Army.” He smiled at Ginny, then he continued.

“Tonight we’re celebrating a new venture for Harry —“

“And for Ginny,” Harry called.

Lee grinned. “And for Ginny, because we know who is Harry’s inspiration.” Harry put his arm around her waist as Lee went on. “Well, here we all are now, having a great time at Harry’s expense.” Everyone laughed, and several people called out, “Thanks, Harry!”

Lee held up his hand. “As I was saying, here we are now, and it’s not just because of Harry’s deciding to turn The Hog's Head into a wonderful place. It’s also because he and a bunch of teenage rebels decided to stand and fight. So, Harry, on behalf of Dumbledore’s Army and everyone else in this room, and especially for two of us who lost their lives —“ his voice caught, and for a moment he couldn’t speak; Molly Weasley and a few others wiped their eyes “— who lost their lives fighting for life and for freedom, I present to you, and to all of us, these two plaques. They’ll help everyone who comes in here remember what happened.”

He handed them to Harry, who read them silently; Ginny peered over his shoulder, and then whispered, “Read them out loud.”

He held the first one up. “It says, ‘In this room on October 5, 1995, the movement known as Dumbledore’s Army was founded by a group of Hogwarts students as an act of rebellion against tyranny. The inspiration for the DA came from Hermione Granger. The leadership was provided by Harry Potter. The name was given by Ginny Weasley. The fighting was done by everyone.’ And then it has a list of everyone’s names.”

He handed the plaque to Neville; he pointed out his name to Keesha, then he passed it on to Dean, and to the rest.

Harry cleared his throat. “The other plaque is a memorial. ‘In honor of the two members of Dumbledore’s Army who gave their lives in the fight for life and freedom.’ And then it says,” he paused and blinked, and Ginny put her hand on his back. “It says,” he continued after several moments, “‘Fred Weasley, 1978 – 1998' and ‘Colin Creevey, 1981 – 1998'.”

In the silence that was broken only by the quiet sobs of Dennis Creevey, he handed the plaques back to Lee. Lee pointed to a spot on the wall behind the tables where the present members of Dumbledore’s Army were sitting, and Harry nodded. Lee took his wand from inside his robes, and in a moment the plaques were affixed to the wall.

After a few more seconds of silence, George Weasley stood up. “Come on, people,” he said loudly, “Fred would be disgusted with this. It’s a party, not a funeral!” As everyone cheered, he walked over and clapped Dennis on the back. “Dennis, I know you didn’t sneak out of Hogwarts just to sit here and bawl. Colin is out there with Fred someplace, and as long as you’re like this, he’s having a better time than you are.” Susan Bones pushed a bottle of Potio Vitae in front of Dennis, and he looked gratefully at her and then at George.

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll try to remember that.” He took a swig and looked at the label on the bottle and then at Harry. “This is good.”

The party went on. Harry spent most of his time at the DA table, trading stories about Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge. He was glad to notice that Cho and Michael Corner were having a good time together, and once, when he caught Ginny also looking at them, he smiled and she turned to him with the identical smile. Ginny was sitting with her family, and most of the men in the room seemed to find an excuse, at one time or another, to visit that table. Harry was dazzled when he saw Ginny and Fleur together; the Veela necklace gave Ginny the same radiance that Fleur carried naturally, but he didn’t care how she came by it. Her beauty had grown to an almost unbearable level.

The hour grew late, and people started to leave. The Hogwarts teachers left first, except for Hagrid who was sitting with Tony Trostle and some other Hogsmeade people, regaling them with stories about all the nefarious characters he had met in the old Hog's Head. Molly Weasley tried unsuccessfully to find out from Ginny when she would be getting back to her dorm room that night, but Arthur finally pulled her away, and they could be heard arguing outside until they Disapparated. Michael and Cho left together early, as did Bill and Fleur.

Before he left, Bill pulled Harry aside and asked if he had heard from any goblins about the inn. “They’re interested in what you’ve done here,” he said. “They never expected it to end up looking like this.” He looked admiringly around the room.

“Are they sorry they sold it?” Harry asked.

“I don’t think they are yet. It depends on how well you do. But if it does do well, and if you do want to get out, my guess is that you’ll be able to turn a tidy profit.”

“Not after tonight,” Harry laughed. “I’m going to have to order another dozen cases of Potio Vitae. That stuff goes like water.”

Bill made a face. “I can’t stand it, and neither can Fleur. Oh, well, everyone has his own taste.”

Bill and Fleur left after Fleur kissed Harry and Ginny goodbye, and by midnight everyone was gone except Ron and Hermione. The four of them plus Stan sat together at a table; they had all helped Kreacher and Winky clean up, even while Kreacher complained non–stop about wizards who didn’t know where anything was supposed to be put away, and Winky’s similar grumbling whenever anyone had the temerity to step into the kitchen.

“Do you think we can go into Diagon Alley tomorrow morning for a couple of hours?” Ginny asked; she was holding Harry’s hands in hers, more to keep them off herself than anything else. “Hermione wants to show me that new dress shop.”

“Don’t you have homework?”

“I can do it in the afternoon, and I’ll also have some time when I get back to school.”

Harry yawned. “Sure, why not? Is that okay?” he said to Stan. “If we get there around ten, we can get back here by one or two in the afternoon.”

“Sure,” Stan nodded. “We’ll just be serving sandwiches. Take your time, ‘arry, it’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Harry frowned for a moment and looked at Ginny. “What about that, um, what Percy told us. We haven’t talked about it yet.”

Stan stood up. “I’ll just see what Winky needs doing in the kitchen. See you all tomorrow.”

As soon as he was gone Harry told Ron and Hermione about their luncheon in the Ministry that afternoon. “It’s getting late, so maybe we can talk about it at your place tomorrow. If those Death Eaters are all out of the country, though, I don’t see how they can be connected to the Dark Marks here in Hogsmeade.”

“I’m not sure,” Hermione said. “But that’s a lot to think about. Come on, Ron,” she dug her finger into his side, “time for a little snuggly. Did you know your brother was ticklish?” she grinned at Ginny.

“Oh, yeah,” Ginny laughed. “It’s a well known secret in our family. I’m glad to see that you’ve discovered it.”

“It wasn’t hard to do.”

“Okay, okay,” Ron took Hermione’s hand. “Knock it off, Ginny, or I’ll tell Harry about some of your own little secrets.”

“He already knows all of them,” Ginny stuck her tongue out at him.

They walked to the front door, and Harry and Ginny watched as their friends Disapparated. They looked up at the sky; it had clouded over, and it was starting to feel a little cool. They put their arms around each other and Ginny sighed. ”That was a good party. I’m really glad you did this. Everybody had a great time.”

Harry lifted up the Veela necklace. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? You made Fleur look like an old hag.”

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny laughed, “that’s sweet, but it’s not true. No one can make Fleur look less beautiful than she is.”

“So she’s not Phlegm anymore?”

“No,” Ginny said. “I was bitchy then. Well, maybe she was a little stuck up, too. But I really like her, and I think she likes me. She loves you.”

“She loves all of us,” Harry put the necklace slowly back on her skin and ran his finger over it. “I think that when she talks about love, it isn’t just man–woman love. She’s talking about the kind of thing that Dumbledore used to harangue me about.”

They heard the kitchen door open in the dining room and Stan came out; he walked to them. “I’m off,” he announced. “You two have a good time in Diagon Alley tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Stan, and have a good night.” Harry waved to him as he walked up the lane and turned onto the High Street. “And we need to be getting to bed, too.” He smiled at Ginny, and she batted her eyelids.

“Sleepy?” she asked.

“Maybe. Let’s go find out.”

Winky was snoring inside her cupboard, and they saw no sign of Kreacher — Harry supposed that he had found his own place to sleep — and they went upstairs. Harry lit the two remaining candles, and when he had put the second candlestick on his night stand and turned around, Ginny was standing on the other side of the bed wearing nothing but the Veela necklace.

“Sleepy?” she repeated.

Harry could not speak. He felt as though he was in the presence of a goddess. After staring at her for several moments with his breathing growing shorter and shorter, she took pity on him and pulled the covers back. They fell into bed, and as they made love, the Veela necklace that lay between their bodies seemed to bind them together with a magical force. They slept entwined, and the sun was well up when they awoke.

Ron and Hermione were already up when Harry and Ginny arrived. They talked over tea about the escaped Death Eaters and the new situation in the Ministry. “They were spotted in France, for God’s sake!” Ron declared. “How could they be in Hogsmeade and in France at the same time? They’re too far apart to Apparate, and the Ministry would have known if they used a Portkey. There’s no way any one of them could have put up those Dark Marks or killed that weasel.”

Hermione frowned. “I don’t know. But if not them, then who? Two Dark Marks, the dead weasel, those Imperiused blokes, Turquoise Southeby’s behavior, those Slytherin prats... It just seems like a lot of things are going on up there.”

“You can’t lump the Slytherins in with the Dark Marks,” said Harry. “They’re just a pack of gits. One of them’s a Lestrange, another one’s a Rookwood. Doesn’t that say it all?”

“I agree with Harry on that,” Ginny said. “Kleinhead is just a bully. He’s too stupid to plan something as complicated as finding two homeless wizards — or one wizard and a Squib — Imperiusing them, and killing a weasel just to spook Ron and me. What they did in the cellars was pathetic. I think that either Luna or myself could have handled them alone.”

Hermione shrugged. “I can’t explain a lot of it, I admit, but it’s all too coincidental. I still think that someone’s out to get Harry.”

Harry grinned. “Well, they wouldn’t be the first. So far it’s just been annoying. Except,” he added quickly as Ginny raised her eyebrows, “for what the Slytherins tried to do. But that’s actually a clue that they didn’t have anything to do with the Dark Marks. You’re right, Gin, they were trying to hurt you.”

“And that proves how stupid they are,” Ginny said.

“Okay, so we know squat about what’s happening in Hogsmeade,” Ron said, “but what about the Ministry? I guess Percy’s in for a nice promotion.”

“And he deserves it,” declared Ginny. “He did the right thing, even though his boss was the one who was screwing up.”

They talked around the Ministry’s problems for a few more minutes, but only Hermione thought that there was a connection to what was happening in Hogsmeade. Finally she stood up. “We just don’t have enough information, so,” she grinned at Ginny, “let’s go shopping.” Harry and Ron decided to stay in the flat, and Ginny and Hermione left.

Diagon Alley was crowded; the weather was cool and it looked like it might rain later in the day, so people were taking advantage of a few clear hours. Ginny and Hermione had to push through the throngs, but they were in no hurry. They window–shopped along the way, looking into a magical jewelry shop and a few shoe stores. The dress shop — called Simply Sally’s — was near Gringotts. They stood outside for a few minutes looking at the displays, then went in.

The owner was a tall, elegant witch with a graceful way of moving. She turned out to be an old friend of Molly’s, and she was also the designer of most of the dresses and robes in her store. She and Ginny got into a discussion about some of the newer styles that witches were now wearing. Hermione was at the front of the store browsing a rack of winter robes, when she heard, “Miss Weasley, are you all right?” She turned to see Ginny leaning on a counter, staring at the door with an alarmed expression.

“Ginny, what is it?” she cried, and rushed over to her.

“Harry,” said Ginny, and pushed past Hermione. “Something’s happened. We have to get back to the flat.”

“But what... how do you know?” Hermione hurried after her; Ginny was already out the door trying to move through the crowd. “Ginny! Wait!” Hermione caught up to her. “What are you doing?”

Ginny stopped and looked at her. “I don’t know how I know, but I know. I don’t think he’s in danger, or that Ron is, but something happened and he wants me.” She began forcing her way past people who were stopped at a vendor’s cart; they sent annoyed looks at her and Hermione, and a few yelled at them. When they were in sight of the Wheezes, they saw Harry and Ron standing in the doorway, looking over the crowd. Ginny jumped and waved, and Harry spotted her and waved back; he watched anxiously until Ginny and Hermione were both there, then he pulled them into the shop.

Ginny could hear a low humming sound, and Harry held up his wand. “Something set off the spell. The inn was attacked again. We have to get back.”

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