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Author: St Margarets Story: Red Is The Heart Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 12 Words: 91,556
Harry waited with the other students queuing for the first trip of the year to Hogsmeade. It was finally here, a whole day with Ginny. Finally a day to wile away. Finally a chance to kiss her again. It worried him a little – that overwhelming urge to touch her when they talked, or to lean over the table and kiss her. Only the thought of becoming the Roger Davies of Gryffindor held him in check; that, and the thought that maybe Ginny wouldn't want that much attention either. "Hi." Ginny was at his elbow, smiling, bright-eyed and looking very pretty. She had curled the ends of her hair and had swept two locks of it in clasps on each side of her head. "Hi," he said, taking her hand. While most students didn't hold hands in the corridors of Hogwarts, he was glad they all did going to Hogsmeade. He had to let go when she signed her name on the list. Something about her signature looked odd to him. "I didn't know that was your name." "What did you think it was?" "I dunno – I never thought about it. What's your middle name?" "Molly." "Oh." He took her hand again. They were outside now, walking down the path toward the lake which reflected the deep blue of the sky. "Don't you like it?" "What? "My name." He squeezed her hand. "You've always been Ginny to me." He had said that the first time he kissed her. He wondered if she remembered. She squeezed his hand back, not saying anything. It was one of those warm autumn days, which harkened back to summer – except for the light. Everything was more intensely colored: the blue of the sky, the vivid green of the grass. The shadows were darker and more precisely cut. They walked down High Street, pausing to look at the window displays. Ginny didn't want to shop, however. "It's too nice a day. Everything inside seems dark and gloomy after being outside." "I don't need to shop," he replied. "Oh, good. Let's go to the park." "Park?" "Yes, there's a play park, just down this street." "Are we going to borrow a couple of children so we can go there?" "It's not gated. Come on," she said tugging on his hand. Harry had never been to this part of Hogsmeade. Cozy stone houses, most of them one-story, were set in tidy gardens. The trees arching across the road were starting to turn color. Within a week this walk would be a blaze of red, gold and orange. Change was in the air. "Which house do you like the best?" "Oh, I dunno." Harry looked around. "They all look good. Maybe that one." It was small with a peaked roof. There was a curved door set in the center, with two mullioned windows flanking it. "Oh, I've always liked small houses." "You have? What kind of gold-digger are you? Phineas would be most disappointed in you. And where are you going to keep your jumper collection?" Ginny laughed. "In the carriage house in the back garden, silly." "You need to dream bigger." "Bigger isn't always better – think how long it would take to wallpaper a manor house." "You don't do it – your minions bow to your wishes." "I think one man servant is all I need," she said with a glint in her eye. * The park was deserted. Ginny went to a swing. "Push me." "Push you? Isn't this a magical play park? Shouldn't the swings push themselves or wipe noses or something?" "Underage magic, remember? Come on, give me a push." He pulled the swing back and let it go. "Higher!" Harry was enjoying the sight of Ginny soaring through the air. The contrast between her red hair and the blue sky was dazzling. He was very aware of his hands touching the tantalizing curve from waist to hip as he continued to push her. She looked over her shoulder at him and laughed. He could feel her delight somewhere in the pit of his stomach. When she came back to him, he grabbed the swing by the chains and didn't let go. "Hey!" she protested. He twisted the chain so she was facing him. "Why should you get all the fun?" "I want to swing some more!" The swing dumped her on to the ground. "No whining!" said a voice. He laughed and helped Ginny to her feet. "I now see how this play park is different from the Muggles'." Ginny giggled. "Let's go to the roundy-round." "The what?" "You know, the merry-go-round thing." "Oh, we always called it a roundabout. You have to push me this time." "I'll make you dizzy," she warned. "Fred could never stay on more than two minutes." "If you stay at the center, you don't as get dizzy." "Really? Let's test that theory." Harry sat with his back to the center pole. "Do your worst." Ginny grabbed the bars and pushed as she walked the perimeter. Once the roundabout started gaining momentum, she ran until it was going too fast to keep pace. Harry watched the play park whirl around him. First Ginny, then the slide, then the street, then the swings, then Ginny again. "Hop on!" he called. Ginny watched the roundabout, judging when to jump between the bars and land safely. With a laugh she leapt, with great accuracy, right on top of Harry. After the initial shock, which knocked the breath out of him, he put his arms around her, pleasantly aware of her soft weight and the unfamiliar curves of her body. He could see the faint dusting of freckles across her nose and how the tips of her lashes were a little lighter that then the rest. Her hair fell around them like a bright curtain when she moved to kiss him. Whether it was the kiss, or her nearness, or the residual motion of the roundabout, Harry's mind reeled. "It is better at the center," she said shakily. "But I'm still a little dizzy." "We'd better hang on to each other then." He ran his hands down her back, feeling her softness. The roundabout slowed to a gentle stop. Sometime later, a shrill voice pierced the quiet. "Mummy! There's big kids here kissing!" Startled, they broke apart. A sturdy, brown-eyed tyke with a funny cowlick was staring at them disapprovingly. "Hello," Ginny said. He turned and ran to his mother. "We should go," Ginny said. "We don't want to corrupt the youth of Hogsmeade. Although," she added thoughtfully, "he didn't look too impressed." "I'm impressed," Harry assured her, "very impressed." As they walked back under the canopy of trees to High Street, Harry asked, "How do you like your trip to Hogsmeade so far?" "I like it, especially the kissing part that makes your head spin." "I liked when you landed on top of me." "Is there an eating part? I'm starving." "Don't let the swing set hear you whine like that." He smiled down at her. "Yes, there's an eating part. I'm hungry too." * They went to the Three Broomsticks, which was crowed as usual. Harry spied Ron with his back to the door, sitting with Hermione by the fireplace. "Should we join them?" "There's only one seat," Ginny pointed out. "You can sit with me." They squeezed together across the table from Ron and Hermione who were absorbed in a book catalogue. "What are you looking for?" Ginny asked. "I want to get my Dad an introductory book about Quidditch. He hears me talk about it all the time, and wants to know more." "What about Quidditch Through the Ages?" Harry suggested. Ron shook his head. "I told Hermione he needs something with more pictures. Since he's never seen a match, it might be difficult for him to visualize. I know." He started flipping pages in the catalogue. "This book – I loved it when I was a kid." "Ron – that's a children's book." "It's very detailed – see." Ron tapped the picture with his wand and made the small book open up and reveal its pages. "Oh, I didn't know you could do that," Hermione exclaimed. She leaned closer to the catalogue to look at the tiny pages. In her enthusiasm she didn't notice that she was practically sitting in Ron's lap, and that the top of her hair was brushing Ron's chin. Ron noticed, however. He turned a little red, but didn't move away. "Oh, look – there's that wonky faint thingy." Hermione pointed at an illustration. Ron smiled and said in an indulgent tone, "Wronski Feint. I think I should get this book for you, Hermione, never mind your dad." Hermione looked up at that point and seemed to realize how close she was to Ron. She quickly sat back in her chair. "Well, I'll think about it. I have time. It's a whole month until his birthday." She looked at Harry and Ginny. "So what have you two been doing?" Harry felt the heat rise in his face at Hermione's curious stare. But Ginny answered cooly enough, "We went to the play park. It was too nice a day to shop." Ron smiled knowingly. "Drove the children away did you?" "They drove us away, actually," Harry answered. "So what's to eat? I'm starving." While they were waiting for their food, Harry looked around the room. He saw several DA members. The Hufflepuffs were at the large table in the center of the room. Justin, Susan, Ernie, Hannah, and Zacharias were halfway through their meal. Cho and Michael were sitting by the front window, engrossed in each other. He wondered what Ginny thought of that relationship; he had never asked her. "Hey," he said in her ear, "by the window – is that a Days of Destiny scenario or what?" Ginny looked over at Michael and Cho and smiled. "You laugh, but there was a storyline like that, where the exes paired off – although I never thought things like that happened in real life." Dean, Katie, and Seamus were lined up at the bar, their backs to the door. Neville was sitting at a small table with Rose. "I didn't know Neville was going out with Rose." Hermione answered him this time. "Oh, I don't know if they're going out. Neville is good about just staying friends with girls. He is so sweet that way." Ginny nudged his ankle. Neville again, he thought sourly. Ron had the same sentiment on his face. He looked as if he was going to open his mouth to say something scathing about Neville, or perhaps how pointless it was to be just friends with a girl, when he abruptly shut it again. Ginny nudged his ankle again. Harry tried to hide his smile. Ron certainly was learning to keep the peace. The peace lasted until their waitress brought them lunch. "At last, no soup," Ron said, looking with anticipation at his heaping platter of fish and chips. "Ron! You know why we have soup everyday! You shouldn't complain," Hermione said. "I know why, Hermione," Ron said, sprinkling vinegar on his chips. "I was there when you talked Happy into it. That doesn't mean I can't be glad to eat something else for a change." He looked pointedly at Hermione's plate of curry. "I see you didn't order soup." "Who's Happy?" Ginny asked quickly. "He's the head cook," Hermione said. "Yeah," Harry added, "and like all cooks, he's about as irritable as they come." Ron laughed through a mouthful of chips. "A right proper name for 'im – Happy." "Oh, Ron, he can't help it if he is stressed – trying to make three meals a day for a thousand students." "He loves it, don't kid yourself. He loves to lord it over the other Elves." Hermione speared a piece of chicken out of her curry. "He does, doesn't he? I never dreamed the House Elves would have such a pecking order. I thought they had more of an egalitarian culture." "See, you are learning something new about the Elves, Hermione." Ron said. "No eagles." "That's not what egali – " She stopped and then smiled at him. "Right – no eagles." Ron smiled back at her. Ginny pressed Harry's foot again. He wanted to laugh. Ron and Hermione were certainly doing their best imitation of flirting, and he wasn't the only one to notice. Knowing Ron wouldn't appreciate any mention of this, Harry distracted himself by looking abound the room again. He idly noticed that there were several teenagers he didn't recognize scattered at different tables. They stood out because they were wearing black wizard robes while most of the Hogwarts students wore Muggle clothes as a break from their uniforms. He shifted on the bench and realized that he was practically pushing Ginny off. He put his arm around her waist to steady her, and realized that he was touching that wonderful curve he had notice while she was swinging. This sent such a shock through him, that he wondered why the entire pub wasn't looking at him in amusement. Ginny wriggled closer to him in response. He glanced at her. She looked a bit more pink, but she continued to talk to Hermione as if nothing had happened. Dean and Seamus pushed away from the bar, getting ready to leave. Then Theodore Nott walked through the door with Luna close behind him. Harry couldn't decide if they were together or Luna just happened to turn up at the same time as Nott. Several of the strangers in black robes stood. There were at least ten of them scattered at positions throughout the pub. Odd, Harry thought, a split second before they attacked. * Jets of red shot out to their wands as they yelled "Stupefy!" One hit Dean right in the chest. People were overturning chairs in their panic. Never taking his eyes off of the attackers, Harry pushed Ginny off of the bench onto the floor, took out his wand and started toward them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron standing in front of Hermione, blocking the incoming hexes. The air crackled with fear and fury. The room was so brightly lit by the light of the spells, Harry had to squint to see properly. Susan and Ernie got the stranger closest to them with the full-body bind. Cho or Michael, Harry wasn't sure who, got Dean's attacker in the back. The mirror over the bar shattered. One of the strangers was blasted through the window, sending shards of glass everywhere. Hermione, crawling on her hands and knees, lead a group of hysterical third years to the relative safety behind the bar. He could hear her vanishing the glass from the mirror in a shaking voice. Ron had somehow gotten over to the other side of the room behind a tall stranger who was hexing a terrified table of girls one by one. He caught Harry's eye, and they combined their spells to stun him in mid-curse. The attacker froze with the cruel smile still on his face and then fell across the table with a loud crash. Theodore Nott, still at the front door, was blocking the only way out. As the remaining attackers saw that they were losing the fight, they attempted to blast their way past him. His Shield Charm held them off. Luna, still behind him, sent scattershot curses over his shoulder and managed to injure two of the strangers. Harry and Ron approached from one direction, Seamus and Neville from the other. The remaining three attackers were surrounded and outnumbered. They dropped their wands and exclaimed something in a language Harry had never heard. All went quiet except for some muffled sobbing and the various groans coming from the injured. Harry was surprised to feel his hands shaking. He wondered where Ginny and Hermione were but he didn't dare take his eyes off of the strangers. At that point Ministry Aurors Apparated in. One of them shouted, "Don't leave the pub! The streets could be crawling with Dementors." They proceeded to bind the attackers and placed them in the corner with three Aurors standing guard. Flames exploded in the fireplaces. Healers from St. Mungo's rushed to the injured. He was relieved to see Ginny picking her way over to him. She had lost a hair clasp so one side hung down wildly, getting into her eyes. She kept trying to shove it out of the way. The first words out of her mouth were panicked. "What about that little boy and his mum at the play park?" Harry had a sudden vision of that little boy surrounded by Dementors with his mother unable to help. He looked around automatically for Ron and Hermione. "Harry?" "Do you think they're still there?" "I hope not," Ginny said, stricken. "Let's ask one of the Aurors to check it out." "No time, lad," one of the guards said impatiently as another was reading out loud from a foreign language phrase book, trying to determine where the attackers were from. "Our first priority is to obtain intelligence." Then he roared in the general direction of the fireplace, "Where the hell is that Veritaserum?" Harry ran his hand through his hair, wondering where Ron and Hermione had gone. "Hermione went behind the bar. On the other side of it is the kitchen," Ginny said as if reading his mind. "Maybe that's where they went." Harry ran past the now quiet third years huddled behind the bar. The kitchen was empty, but a cauldron still simmered over the fire. "There." Ginny pointed to the open storeroom door. Hermione was there looking pale and shaken. Ron was talking quietly to her, bending so only she could hear. Harry quickly explained about the little boy and the Dementors to Ron, but Hermione interrupted before Ron could say anything. "I can't believe you!" She stared at him for a moment. "After the Department of Mysteries? After that attack we just lived through?" Her voice became more shrill. "And you're going to go out and look for more?" Harry had never seen her so agitated. Guilt churned in his stomach. "He didn't say he was going," Ginny said. "He's trying to find a way to help that little boy. Even if it is dangerous – going to help that little boy is the right thing to do." Hermione rounded on her. "Don't push him to be the hero. He needs someone to remind him of the risks – even if it is the right thing to do." "I think Harry can decide what he needs," Ginny said, color rising in her face. "They'll be all right," Ron tried to say reassuringly, but Hermione turned to him angrily. "How can you say that? You don't know that!" Her fists were clenched. Harry noticed for the first time that the sleeve of her robe was torn. "We don't know a lot of things," Ginny cut in, "but sometimes we still have to act." "No, you don't! You don't have to act! You can stay here and be safe, that's all that matters!" "Hermione, if that was all Harry was worried about, his own safety – I would be dead." Ginny's voice broke. "Sometimes you have to do things you can't explain logically." With that Ginny stormed to the back door and yanked it open, only to find two Aurors standing guard. "Tonks?" "Harry? Ginny? Where are you off to?" Tonks asked with one eyebrow raised. "The play park!" Ginny said urgently. Harry cut in. "Tonks, can you pop over and make sure the little boy and his mum are ok? They told us Dementors are all over Hogsmeade." The other Auror, a grizzled man with a mane of white hair, scoffed, "Bah! They just said that to keep you kiddies inside while they figure out who was behind this attack – and if there will be another." "Sure, Harry, I'll Apparate over. Giles here will stand guard." With a pop she was gone. Harry was relieved that the Dementor threat wasn't likely. Even though he knew it was the right thing to do, Hermione's warning still rankled. Would he ever get over this self-doubt? He looked uneasily at Hermione's rigid back and Ginny's set face. He hoped it wouldn't take Tonks too long to check on the boy. He didn't think he could endure this tense silence much longer.
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