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Author: KEDme Story: Home Alone: Shadow Rising Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 14 Words: 85,731
Harry looked at her in bewilderment. "Hermione, I'm afraid you've lost me," he said patiently. "What's going on? What are you talking about and why are you and Ginny even here?" "Hermione's here?" Harry heard Ron gasp from behind him. "How… why?" He shoved past Harry and gaped at them wide-eyed. "Harry," Ginny said, "Could we take this inside? It's bloody hot out here, you know!" Slightly embarrassed that he had forgotten his manners, Harry opened the door wider and stepped aside for them to enter. "Of course, come in." "Why are you two here, and what in Merlin's name did you do to yourselves?" Ron hissed. It was only then that Harry noticed how different the two looked. Both were wearing Muggle summer clothes that showed off more skin than he had ever seen on either girl before. Ginny's hair was different, and was that makeup Hermione was wearing? His face flushed with unbidden thoughts that seemed wrong, given he was looking at Hermione and Ginny. He shouldn't be looking at all, but somehow he couldn't help himself. They looked good. Hermione's eyes were focused on Ron. They flashed with that dangerous glint she got when she was very perturbed about something. "Ronald Weasley!" she bellowed, sounding uncannily like Mrs. Weasley. Ron winced and Harry felt very sorry for him at that moment. "Just what were you thinking sending Pig with a cryptic message about Harry being in trouble," she hissed. "What did you think we'd do? Sit on our hands and wait to hear back from you?!" Ron had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "No doubt that's probably exactly what you thought," she accused as she continued to rave. "Let the boys take care of the situation and tell us later what heroes you were!" Here she paused to jab him in the chest with her pointed finger, "Honestly Ron, you have to be one of the thickest people I know! Did it not occur to you how Ginny and I might feel to get a letter saying that Harry was in trouble and you, Fred, and George were going to help?" "Why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Harry said, also whirling on Ron. "Since when is it stupid to let you friends know what's going on with you?" Ginny rounded on him, her voice chilly. Brown eyes locked with green. Harry felt the heat rise to his face. "I can take care of myself," he said stubbornly. "That's right, I forgot," Ginny retorted in cold sarcasm. "You don't need anybody, do you?" He stiffened as if she had struck him. "I didn't ask you to come." "No, you didn't. You never do." Harry did not miss the cynicism of the remark. "How'd this get to be my fault?" Harry asked, nettled that she would act this way. He had done nothing wrong. "You're absolutely right," Ginny said coolly. "It's not your fault… This is all Ron's fault," she said, turning to her brother. "Look, Ginny," Ron began in his best big brother voice. "Harry's right, you shouldn't have come." It had been the wrong thing to say. "How dare you say that to me!" Ginny practically shrieked. "Harry is my friend, too, you know! I care about him as much as you two!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "You, dear brother, can't accept the fact that I'm not a little girl anymore. Times have changed, the world has changed, and I'm in this as deep as anybody! What happens or does not happen to Harry definitely concerns me," she said defiantly. "I was just as much a part of what happened at the Department of Mysteries as you lot, and I have to say that I fared better than either of you," she declared, pointing her finger at Hermione and Ron, who were both slightly shocked that Ginny was so angry. "Like it or not, V-Voldemort is back, and if I have to fight him single-handedly for Harry's or anyone else's sake, I will!" More quietly she said, "It's not like I haven't done it before…." Harry didn't know what he was more shocked about - the fact that Ginny had just said Voldemort's name or the fact that she was so very pretty when she was angry. Noticing for what seemed like the first time her long, red curls and the tight-fitting shirt that clung to her because of the sticky July heat, he was suddenly stuck dumb by the fact that Ginny Weasley had grown up right under his nose. 'Bloody hell!' he thought in surprise. 'When did that happen?' "What the hell is going on out here, Potter?" Dudley yelled, appearing at the end of the hallway, bright red with anger. "What's all the shouting about and who are they?" he asked, pointing to Hermione and Ginny. "These are my friends, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley," Harry explained. "As for why they're here… we were just sorting that out," he said evenly, keeping his temper in check. "I told you," Hermione said, glaring at Ron. "Ron sent me a letter saying that you were in trouble and that he, Fred, and George were coming over to help. Naturally, we assumed—" "Well, you assumed wrong," Harry cut her off. When would people learn that he could take care of himself? "Nothing is going on here that I can't handle. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon went away for the weekend and Dudley and I are here alone for a few days. Tonks shouldn't have got anyone else involved," he said curtly. "Well!" Hermione huffed. "I don't know what I expected, but a 'thank you for caring' would have been nice! We went to a lot of trouble to get here, Harry Potter. I even lied to my parents to come! In the future I won't bother! Come on Ginny, let's go," she said, grabbing Ginny's arm and turning to leave. "Wait! Hermione…" Harry said, apologetically, reaching out to stop her from leaving. "I'm-I'm sorry," he sighed. "I was being a prat and you have every right to be mad. I am grateful that you care. Really." Hermione stopped moving, but still did not turn around. Harry could hear her sniffing, as if trying not to cry. "Come on, Hermione… Ginny—" He turned to the younger girl who still looked ready to explode. "Don't go." The tension in the hallway was suffocating. Hermione was still sniffling and Ginny was still standing stiffly, but they had stopped moving towards the door. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were listening now. "They're not, you know…" Dudley lowered his voice, "witches, are they?" Annoyed, Harry turned to answer. "Yes, Dudley, they are. And damned fine ones at that. I wouldn't mess with them, if I were you. This one," he said, pointing to Ginny, "has a propensity for using a nasty hex that will have your bogeys flapping about your face." He almost laughed as Dudley's face lost all colour. "And this one," he pointed to Hermione, "is the smartest witch in the history of Hogwarts. She knows more hexes and curses than all of us combined." Dudley squeaked and stared at the girls in terror. He looked too frightened to move. Hermione and Ginny, on the other hand, practically beamed. "Good!" Ron exclaimed, seeing the girls' change in attitude. "Now that that's settled..." he turned to go escape down the hallway. "Not so fast, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione said sternly. "Harry may be off the hook for now, but you're not!" Ginny said, equally as stern. "Look—" he said, turning around slowly and wincing. "I'm sorry, okay?" Attempting to explain, he began to ramble. "See… I was writing you a letter, Hermione, and then Tonks came, and… well, I just put something down and didn't think how it might sound to you." Because neither girl looked convinced, he tried again, "I'm really sorry you got so upset. I didn't mean for you to get all worried and rush over here. I'll never do anything like that again. I promise!" he said desperately. "Ginny…?" he said, looking at his sister. "Hermione…." Even to Harry he sounded very pitiful. The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched, but she tried to keep a straight face. "What do you think, Ginny? Should we believe him or hex him?" "Definitely hex him," Ginny said in a mock-serious tone. Ron looked petrified. "Only joking, big brother." But in a dead serious tone she added, "This time…." "That goes double for me, and you know I'm capable of it!" Hermione added emphatically. "I know," Ron said, glancing warily at Hermione like he thought she might actually hex him right then and there. Ron's predicament suddenly seemed very funny to Harry. He caught Ginny's eye and had to fight the laughter down. Her bubbling giggle caused Harry to lose his battle and soon they had all broke into fits of mirth that had Dudley scowling. "Would you please keep it down?" Dudley said harshly. "We have guests in the other room, you know…" "Yes, we know," the two girls both said disapprovingly, looking startled that they had said it together, and then laughing all the more. Once they calmed down, Hermione explained. "We weren't sure what was going on so we hid in the bushes for awhile. We saw that group of girls go in, then Fred and George come out laughing and go separate ways. That's how we knew it was safe to ring the doorbell and find out for ourselves what this was all about." "Oh!" Harry exclaimed, remembering the party going on a few feet away. "Fred and George will be back soon. They went to get… err, some things. Why don't you come into the living room and I'll introduce you?" he asked, trying not to look at Ginny as he said it. Ginny smiled widely and took hold of his elbow, dragging him down the hall. "We'd love to," she said. He felt his stomach do a small flip at the contact. Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and followed them, leaving a dumbfounded Dudley sputtering in protest behind them. The four witches and wizards entered the living room cautiously. Without Fred and George, Harry felt somewhat insecure about being around so many Muggles. Having Ron, Hermione, and Ginny there helped to calm his nerves, however. Looking around, Harry realised that the food his aunt had left had been placed on the coffee table along with a variety of alcoholic beverages that he barely recognised but knew to be very potent. One thing he did not relish was a pissed Dudley, not to mention the rest of the gang. Piers was still giving him the evil eye and Claire was busy shooting daggers at Ginny and Hermione. Noticing the less than friendly looks they were getting, Ginny tried to make small talk, probably in an attempt to ease the tension. "My, what a lovely room this is, Harry," she said, surveying the sitting room with its stiff chairs, delicate knick-knacks, and many pictures of Dudley. "Too bad there're no pictures of you in here. I'd love to see what you looked like when you were little." "Why would Mum and Dad want pictures of him?" Dudley said coldly from behind. "He's nothing but an ungrateful freeloader who just happened to get dropped on our doorstep in the middle of the night." Ginny wheeled around to face Dudley, looking him square in the face. "How dare you talk about Harry like that! You-you don't even know what you're saying…." Her lips puckered with annoyance and she seemed to be trying to justify why he had said that. Ron and Hermione, he noticed, looked just as annoyed but they already knew from Harry that this was to be expected from Dudley. Harry himself was not bothered in the least, as this was a typical scenario for him. He was somewhat embarrassed to have it played out in front of others, however. "I know exactly what I'm saying," Dudley retorted with a sneer, having somehow found his confidence in the midst of his friends. "The worst thing that ever happened to this family was when his good-for-nothing parents got themselves blown up and we got stuck with him!" he said, pointing a stubby finger at Harry. Harry was used to taking insults himself, but he'd be damned if he would listen to Dudley speaking about his parents in such a way. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked too shocked to say anything, and the Muggles were looking at them all with open curiosity. "I'd take that back, if I were you Dudley," Harry said dangerously, his green eyes flashing with hidden power. "You remember the last time someone insulted my parents in front of me? I'm sure Aunt Marge won't forget it anytime soon…." He could feel the magic pulsing around him and it was taking every ounce of self-control he had in him to not do something he would regret later. His stomach clenched tightly and he fought for his fragile control. His eyes glowed with a savage inner fire. Dudley must have recognized the warning signs of Harry's anger getting out of control because he backed off quickly with such a look of utter fear, that he resembled a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. The Muggles sitting around the room had probably never seen Dudley back down from a fight so fast, or be so obviously scared of anyone, ever. Claire, he noted, was watching him in open-mouthed surprise and Ginny's eyes were stony with anger. "Harry," Hermione said calmly, laying a hand on his taut arm. "You need to calm down. You know the consequences if you let your temper get the best of you." "I know, Hermione," Harry said through clenched teeth. "I just don't care much right now." "What… what about our deal?" Dudley squeaked. "You promised…." "I know exactly what I promised," Harry said with deadly calm. "But insulting my dead parents was not part of the bargain. You should never talk about things you know nothing about, Dudley. It could be very bad for your health." Nevertheless, he felt himself regain a measure of control as the crackle in the air from the residual magic surrounding him dissipated. Everyone noticed a difference in the atmosphere of the room as Harry's anger was brought into check. Next thing anyone knew, Fred and George were striding back into the living room with Lee Jordan, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet in tow. Looking around at the silent group including Dudley's pale face and Harry's dark expression, their jovial attitude seemed to falter slightly. "Get the impression we missed something, Forge?" one twin said to the other. "Too right we have, Gred…." The other twin agreed, soberly. "Ah, well…" the first twin sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "We're back now… and we've brought company. Let the party begin!" [A/N: Thanks for those of you who have left reviews. I really appreciate the feedback and the compliments. If anyone is interested in a message group featuring the H/G ship, there is now one on yahoo. It is striving to archive quality H/G fics and intelligent discussion about our favourites. Come check it out! The link is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgfic/ We're brand new and need active members!]
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