MetaFic

Harry Potter looked at the rocky shore. The small rowboat had brought him safely across the choppy waters. More importantly, it had brought the groceries safely across the choppy waters. He pulled up to the rocky little island and unloaded the slightly damp bags of food. He took a look around, both over the water and up into the air, searching for any sign that they had been discovered. With a small flick of his wand, the bags obediently followed him into the small building.

"I'm back," he said quietly.

Ginny Weasley looked up from the pile of books and parchments she had scattered around the small table and smiled at him. She had insisted that they take their schoolbooks, and continue to study on their own. She had also made Harry help her continue revising for her OWLs. She had told him that she hoped to eventually return to school. Someday. Harry had simply smiled and agreed to help her. She stood and stretched. It was a slow, languid stretch and yawn that always made the blood in Harry's ears roar, though he would never tell her this.

"Let's get this put away then. I've managed to get most of the cleaning done, and the laundry's upstairs drying."

Harry chuckled at her, "Not dripping on the bed I hope."

Laughing, she swatted him on the arm.

The two teenagers put away their supplies. Ginny packed the perishables in a foam chest Harry had bought during their first week and cast a preserving charm. One of the advantages to being the daughter of Molly Weasley; Ginny knew all the best household spells. The dry goods they stacked on the various surfaces, up off the hard packed dirt floor, which sometimes got damp. Once the groceries were put away, Harry made them both sandwiches, and settled down next to her on the sagging couch.

They had been in hiding since leaving Hogwarts, with no signs of either the Order of the Phoenix or Voldemort's Death Eaters. At first they had taken refuge in the Shrieking Shack, but Harry knew it was only a matter of time before Ron, Hermione, or even Lupin thought to look for them there. They had then hidden among the refugees at Hogsmeade, with Harry buying a tent. Finally, worried that they were staying too close to Hogwarts, Harry had remembered the little shack on the island that his Uncle had taken them to before his first year.

The most nerve-wracking thing had been getting money from his Gringotts vault. He was sure that Bill Weasley would be keeping a careful eye on the Wizarding bank, knowing that they would need funds sooner or later. Harry and Ginny had made their way to Diagon Alley undercover of darkness then waited until the bank opened at dawn. They had slipped in and slipped out, losing themselves in Muggle London as quickly as possible. Harry bought a map of the British Isles and worked out how to reach the small island by means of trains, buses, and finally a rowboat.

And now it was three days before Halloween and Harry was a nervous wreck. Things always went wrong on Halloween. Always.

"Knut." Ginny said.

"I'm just worried."

"Halloween?"

"Yeah, Halloween. We're awfully isolated out here if something goes wrong."

Ginny nodded. "Do you want to go back?"

"I was thinking about going back to Hogsmeade until after the day passes," Harry said.

"Camp or Shrieking Shack?"

"Camp," Harry said without hesitation. "If we started a fire at the Shrieking Shack it would be too obvious. I was thinking about Sirius' old cave."

"Camp it is, then. We'll shrink everything down and leave tomorrow night." She started packing up her books. "Good thing I did laundry."

Harry turned to face her. "Ginny, are you sure you don't want to go back? It's going to be awful, trying to survive this winter."

"We'll come back here after Halloween. We’ve made this place pretty snug." She looked down at the floor. "I won't let my mother wipe my memories for her own peace of mind. She wanted to do that after my first year, but Dumbledore and dad talked her out of it." She gave Harry a wan smile. "You can go back if you want, you don't have to stay you know. If you'll just help me lay in a few more supplies, I'll be all right here on my own."

It was the same thing she had said everyday since they left. "You don't have to stay with me Harry, I'll be okay," she would tell him, not really wanting him to leave, but wanting to give Harry a chance to return to the world and friends he loved so much. And Harry responded the same way he did every time she said it.

"I'm not leaving you, Ginny Weasley, so give it a rest."

Ginny leaned into Harry, giving him a deep kiss. It was another thing that had changed in their relationship. Living together for the past month had given them time to explore their relationship, both emotionally and physically. At least, up to a point. There were some things, they both agreed, that they knew they weren't ready for, no matter what their hormones said. Still, there were fewer mysteries between them, and it was a tantalizing taste of things to look forward to in the future.

"Come on, let's go to bed early tonight," Ginny stood. "We can pack in the morning."

"It's still pretty early, Gin," Harry said.

Ginny started up the rickety stairs to the bedroom, then turned and smiled at Harry over her shoulder, "Come to bed, Harry."

Harry Potter swallowed. He was glad they were waiting, but that didn't mean the waiting was easy. Or that there were things they couldn't do while they waited. Harry extinguished the fireplace and followed the flash of red hair up the stairs.

***

"Are you sure about this Albus? They seem so exposed. And it isn't, well, proper at all." Minerva McGonagall sat in the Headmaster's office with Remus Lupin, Arthur Weasley, and Emmeline Vance.

"They have to be allowed to return on their own terms, in their own time. If the Order swooped in and tried to pick them up, I fear it would be the final straw. First, I'm sure that Harry and Ginny would both fight fiercely, which would do no one any good. Then I fear Molly would, despite her current state of grief, move ahead with her plans to modify Ginny's memory, which would cause an irreparable split amongst the Weasleys." Dumbledore looked pointedly at Arthur Weasley.

"I'm still working on her, but she's gotten it into her head it's the only way to protect Ginny. She's been going from hysterical over Ginny's disappearance to threatening to hex us all. I have to admit, if I didn't know where Ginny and Harry were, I'd be in a right state myself," Arthur Weasley said.

Dumbledore nodded. "I appreciate your patience in this matter, Arthur." Dumbledore took a sip of tea and continued. "Also, it would most likely push Harry further away from us, perhaps to the point of true hostility. Finally, we would have to keep Harry under a constant watch least he slip away again, and I have no doubt the resourceful Mr. Potter would eventually escape us."

"But, Albus, even if we have them under guard, something could happen so easily," McGonagall reiterated.

Dumbledore shook his head, "No, Minerva, the stakes have become very high indeed, and Harry and Ginny must be allowed to find their own way. We will simply stand watch in case of attack."

"We're just fortunate Hagrid remembered that little island, or we might never have found them," Professor Vance said.

"Indeed, a most fortuitous piece of intelligence," Dumbledore agreed. "Now, there is a matter I wish to discuss. It concerns the last Will of Sirius Black. I had hoped that Harry would be here for the reading, but there is information contained that must be revealed."

"What information?" Lupin asked. He was looking thinner and more threadbare than usual. Between the worry for Harry and Ginny, and having just come off a full moon change, he was feeling very old and tired indeed.

"Most importantly, the guardianship of Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said.

"Let's see it then," Remus Lupin said.

Albus Dumbledore pulled out a small Pensieve, one locked with a special charm. He tapped the rim, and the figure of Sirius Black swirled to the surface.

"I, Sirius Black, do hereby commit to record my last Will and Testament. This Will is being recorded both in this Pensieve, and on parchment. I believe the barristers will find everything in order.

If, by some chance, other, less savory members of the Black family have taken Grimmauld Place, I give Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin the authority to toss their rotten arses out on the street. Well, go file the papers for goodness’ sake." The vision of Sirius Black collapsed back into the Pensieve.

"Remus, you are now Harry's legal guardian. Do you want us to bring him in?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, I think you're right, Harry and Ginny have to find their own way back. That doesn't mean I won't contact them though."

Dumbledore nodded. "As you see fit, Remus."

***

Harry idly ran a finger down the green and blue markings on Ginny's bare arm. They were softer and lighter in color than the old black and grey ones. They blended into her skin so well that from a distance you wouldn't even notice them. Harry continued to trace the pattern of them with his fingers, a small smile on his face.

They had been letting themselves cool back down from the hormonal rush before things got too out of hand, and Ginny had just now moved back to lie beside Harry, demanding he snuggle her. He had obliged happily, now that his blood was flowing properly again.

Ginny shivered a bit at his touch and smiled at him. He looked too serious for her taste. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"These markings that didn't come off; why do you think that happened?"

"I don’t know, Harry, I haven't really thought about it." She laid her head on his chest and fiddled with the fabric of his tee shirt. "I wish I could ask Hermione. I'm sure she'd know what was going on."

Harry ran his fingers up along her shoulder, finally stopping when he met the fabric of her nightdress.

"Harry, if you want us to get any sleep tonight, you need to stop that," she murmured.

"Gin, when you change into a lion, how do you do it?"

She sat up on the bed and looked at him. "This conversation's going somewhere, isn't it?"

Harry rolled to his side and propped his head up on his arm. "I'm trying to puzzle something out. So, how does it happen?"

Ginny looked at him squarely. "It just does, Harry. I think about being the lion, and I am, simple as that."

"There's no incantation, no focusing of your magic except to think of the lion?"

"No," she said. "Where are you going with this?"

"I think I know what these marks mean." Harry smiled at her. "I want you to try to change like you did before you started being the lioness."

Ginny frowned. "You want met to think about being Ginger, and focus my magic along the markings?"

Harry nodded, giving her an encouraging smile.

Ginny closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and focused.

And a tiny calico cat sat on the bed.

Ginny changed back immediately. She looked at Harry, her eyes a little wild. "I've never heard of anyone having two Animagus forms."

"That's because they forced your change to be a housecat instead of a lion. McGonagall laid those markings on you, then covered them up with binding and concealing runes. The runes all fell away, but the actual formulas to make you be a cat, the ones she said were permanent, stayed in place. It makes perfect sense, actually."

"Damn," Ginny whispered.

"How's it feel?" Harry asked.

"What?"

"To be different. Not only are you an Animagus, which is rare enough, but you can change into two different forms. How does it feel?"

"I need to process everything a bit I think," she said truthfully.

She sat in silence for a couple of minutes, then Ginny lay down next to Harry. She turned her head and whispered softly into his ear, "Harry, there's someone downstairs."

Harry slowly sat up, trying to keep the bed from creaking any more than necessary. He slipped on his shoes and picked his wand up from the nightstand. Ginny rolled over and picked up her wand also. Harry looked at Ginny and mouthed the words "how many?" She put up a single finger. Harry nodded and started for the stairs. Ginny grabbed his arm and held up a hand. He gave her a quizzical look, then smiled. Ginny changed herself to Ginger, and started to slowly creep down the stairs. Harry counted to twenty to himself as the silence grew, and was about to charge down the stairs, when he heard Ginny's voice call out.

"It's okay, Harry, it's only Professor Lupin."

Harry eased down the stairs, wand at the ready in case it was a trap. He saw Ginny standing near the recently re-lit fireplace, while Remus Lupin sat on the couch, smiling up at Harry.

"It's good to see you, Harry," Lupin said. "It's good to see you both."

Harry continued down the stairs, keeping his wand at the ready. "Hello, professor. I assume you've come to drag us back to Hogwarts?"

Lupin smiled and shook his head. "No, Harry, I haven't. I've come to speak to you both, nothing more, nothing less."

"Um, I think I'll go put some real clothes on," Ginny said, twisting the hem of her nightdress and turning slightly red. "If you gentlemen will excuse me." In a flash of red hair and bare legs, Ginny dashed up the stairs.

"You two have built yourselves quite a comfortable nest here, Harry," Lupin said. "You do remember our little chat?"

Harry looked straight into the werewolf's eyes. "Yes, very clearly as a matter of fact. We haven't allowed things to go too far."

"A wise choice, Harry. While I do not doubt your feelings for Ginny, nor hers for you, you are both still young. Which brings us to another matter."

Ginny came back down the stairs, now dressed in jeans and one of Harry's Weasley jumpers. "Can I get you anything Professor? I could make tea."

"Thank you, Ginny, that would be delightful." Lupin turned back to Harry as Ginny set the kettle over the fire. "Now, there are a few matters you need to be informed about. First of all, we went ahead and read Sirius' Will."

"And what did it say?" Harry asked.

Lupin waited until Ginny had settled next to Harry. He watched as she slipped one small hand into Harry's. Their fingers interlocked as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He smiled at the young couple.

"The most important bit is that Sirius designated me your new guardian in the magical world."

"That's wonderful, professor," Harry said. "I'm still not coming back without Ginny, even if you order me to."

"I have no plans to order you to do anything at the moment," Remus Lupin said. "You should also know that you now own real property. Grimmauld Place belonged to Sirius personally, not the Black Family Trust. Tomorrow, Dumbledore and I plan to evict Narcissa Malfoy."

Harry grimaced. "I'm not really interested in Grimmauld Place. You can tell Dumbledore he can continue to use it as the Order's Headquarters if he wants."

"Thank you, Harry, that's very generous of you," Lupin said as the kettle stated to whistle.

Ginny stood and went to make tea. She returned with three cups. "Has my mother changed her mind about altering my memory?" she asked.

"According to your father, no, she hasn't, though she is in a terrible state about your running away. You should send her a letter to let he know you're safe."

Ginny chewed her lower lip. "I'll think about it."

"As I'm sure you've both guessed by now, the Order is well aware of your location. Hagrid remembered this wonderful little piece of rock."

Harry took a sip of tea. "So why hasn't the Order simply come in and taken us? I'm guessing Mrs. Weasley's being kept in the dark about all this, since she hasn't come looking for us."

Remus Lupin smiled at the teens. "Harry, what do you think would happen if Dumbledore ordered us to capture you and Ginny?"

Harry looked steadily at his former professor. "I'm afraid there would be a bit of a row."

"That is why. Though I could tell you that it's Molly Weasley's right to make this decision for Ginny, and I could tell you that it's my right to make decisions for you, I will not. I only ask that you keep in contact with me, and tell me if you have any plans to move."

Harry looked at Ginny. She shrugged. "We were planning on staying in Hogsmeade for a few days, just until Halloween is over," Harry said.

"It would be easy for someone to spot you there," Lupin pointed out.

"We know, but it seems every Halloween something bad happens. I'd rather not be way out here by ourselves if something goes horribly wrong," Harry said.

"Where do you plan to stay?" Lupin asked.

"We were thinking about camping out in Sirius' old cave," Harry told him.

Lupin licked his lips. "I would suggest the Shrieking Shack instead."

"We thought about that Professor," Ginny spoke up. "But wouldn't people notice the lights and noises if we started a fire and settled in for a few days?"

Lupin laughed. "It's the most haunted place in all of magical England. Odd noises and strange lights would only add to the mystique." The laughter stopped, "It would also give you easy access to Hogwarts in case of an attack."

Harry straightened in his seat. "Is the Order expecting Voldemort to attack on Halloween?"

Lupin nodded his head. "What better night to attack the refugee camp? It would be perfect for spreading terror."

Ginny raised one elegant eyebrow. "So let me get this straight, you want us to be closer to where the fight might happen? Excuse me Professor Lupin, but that seems like the opposite of what you would want."

"As I said, it would give you easy access to Hogwarts. Also, it would be easier for the Order to keep an eye on both you and the refugee camp at the same time."

"So are you ordering us to stay away from the fight if it starts?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm not going to order you to do anything. I would suggest you use your best judgment is all."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other. A wordless conversation passed between them.

"Fine, Professor, we'll stay at the Shrieking Shack," Harry said.

Remus Lupin gave them a genuine smile and took a drink of his tea. "Thank you. Thank you both"