Harry Potter: The Boy Who Lived

Chapter Six - End of the Order Era (TBWL)

Chapter Six - End of the Order Era

Harry and Ginny reached the house moments before Ron and Hermione. Upon entering the house, Hermione found Ginny and pulled her into a crushing hug. Harry could hear her whispering into Ginny’s ear, but he could not make out what they were saying. Ginny’s eyes were completely bloodshot. Although there had not been one tear shed, she looked to be on the verge of hysteria. She nodded bravely at Hermione and smiled weakly at Harry

“I’m sorry,” she apologized simply.

“So am I. I shouldn’t have left you alone. I hate to see you upset,” he replied quietly.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked him, her tears threatening to cascade down her cheeks.

“Yes, I meant every word,” Harry spoke clearly, his words ringing with passion.

“Good. I love you too.”

“I hope so,” Harry responded jokingly, sensing that it was the time to lighten the situation. “It would be pretty awful to be bonded to you if you thought I was as annoying as Peeves, or as ugly as Filch for that matter.”

Ginny smiled and the tension ebbed from the room. Harry knew that it was time to start packing the few supplies they would need for their impending trip. He and Ron trudged up the stairs to gather a few essential items. Since they were only going to be gone for a few days, they chose to pack everything into two small duffel bags. It was Ron’s idea, as he thought it would be too cumbersome to carry around a trunk. Harry included his invisibility cloak in the bag that he and Ron were sharing. Harry watched as Ron packed his Chudley Cannon blanket and hat. He put his foot down, however, when Ron tried to pack his Chudley Cannon Fact Encyclopedia. “It’s bad enough that the bag is bright orange, but we don’t need a Chudley Cannon Fact Book,” Harry grumbled. Ron was still sulking as he descended the stairs, carrying the bag, to Ginny’s room where the girls were packing their shared bag.

By the time they reached the room, Ginny and Hermione were resting on the bed with the small, purple duffel bag sitting between them. Harry grabbed their bag and tossed it unceremoniously into the hallway where it landed next to the orange one. They lay there, clashing horribly, until Hermione pulled out her wand and transfigured them. She turned them both into small silver amulets. After conjuring two thick black cords, she threaded the loop at the top of each amulet onto the separate cords. She placed one of the amulets on the pale blue comforter on Ginny’s bed. She beckoned to Harry and placed the smooth cord bearing the Phoenix amulet around his neck, securing it with a complex spell. Harry, Ginny and Ron looked at each other in surprise. None of them knew the spell that Hermione had used.

“Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, Chapter twenty-seven,” she bragged with a smug look.

She picked up the second amulet, an Eagle, and placed it around Ron’s neck. “So I will be close to your heart the entire trip,” she whispered as she performed her modified version of the sticking charm. She felt his hand brush the exposed skin on her stomach as she reached up to link the ends of the cord.

Ginny smirked, “Ahem, Ahem,” she said in her best Umbridge impersonation. Hermione and Ron broke apart, interrupting the tender moment that was building between them. “Harry, where is our exact destination?”

Harry hesitated before answering. At least a million different responses were running through his head. He was careful to shield the thought of going ‘home,’ away from the other’s reach. Instead, he told them the exact location of their destination. “We are going to number twelve Grimmauld Place,” he told them. He was trying to keep the situation light, and there was no way he was going to be able to do that if he couldn’t control his emotions. He berated himself silently as Hermione, Ginny, and Ron looked at him with great curiosity.