MetaFic

Ginny watched Harry has he stared out the window at the Forbidden Forest.

She was well aware of what he was thinking. Tomorrow was Halloween. Every year since Harry had started at Hogwarts, something happened on Halloween. Add the fact that Tom Riddle, the dark wizard who fancied himself Lord Voldemort, had killed Harry's parents and tried to kill Harry on this night and it was no wonder Harry was edgy.

"Harry love, staring at the forest isn't going to make tomorrow stay away."

Harry looked from the window to his soon–to-be wife. "I was just wondering what it will be this year. Dementors, Death Eaters, some unnamed dark creature…"

"Poison cherry tarts." Ginny blurted out with a straight face.

"You think so?" Harry's face held the faint beginning of a smile.

"Or maybe invisible banana peels on the stairs."

"How despicable." Harry was beginning to chuckle.

Ginny smirked. "Actually my galleons are on rampaging rabid rabbits."

"The horror!" Harry howled. "Merlin save us all from being nibbled to death!"

The two laughed for a good five minutes, then Harry sat at her feet and placed his head on what was left of her lap. She ran her fingers through the unruly tangle of black hair.

"Thanks, Gin."

"You're welcome. The point, Harry, is that there's no use fretting about tomorrow. We'll deal with it when it gets here. Now, help your almost wife get out of this chair so we can go to bed."

Harry helped to her feet then stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Ginny closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. She felt his warm breath in her ear.

"I love you, Miss Weasley."

She gave a faint laugh. "Even though I look like a beached whale?"

Harry ran his hand over her stomach. "I think you're the most beautiful woman alive, Miss Weasley. Now come to bed."

She laughed aloud as he led her to the bedroom. "Why Mr. Potter, you sweet-talking rogue."

*****
The next day passed quickly enough. Ginny and Harry went to classes and then retired to their room to get ready for the evening feast. They had been taking more of their meals in private lately, but Ginny felt they had to make an appearance tonight, if for no other reason than to remind themselves they were still part of the school.

As they were just finishing getting ready, they heard a knock on the door. Harry opened it to find his 'cousin' Jeren standing in the hallway. He had a large notebook under one arm and a very large package at his feet.

"Hello, Harry, Miss Ginny," he greeted them.

Harry ushered Jeren inside and closed the door before turning to him. "What are you doing here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you or anything, just wasn't expecting company."

Jeren smiled. "Well, I can only stay for a minute or two. I brought you both something I thought you might enjoy." He handed the notebook to Harry and pushed the package to Ginny.

Harry opened the notebook, read a little, and then looked up sharply. "Is this--?"

"Everything I could remember about both the Evans and Potter families. Hopefully you can decipher my writing okay."

Harry smiled and pulled the older man into a hug. "This is just great. Thank you!"

The two men turned to Ginny. "Well, come on, then." Harry said. "Open it."

Ginny opened the package to reveal a small baby crib. She squealed with delight and then sat the crib on the floor. When she muttering a word the men couldn't hear, the crib expanded to full size and Ginny's eyes lit up.

"Oh, Harry, it's the Weasley Crib," she cried. "It's been passed down in father's family for over four hundred years."

"Your father and mother sent it with me. They said since you'd gone first in the baby derby you'd won the crib." Jeren hugged them both. "Well, you two should get to the feast. I'll be around tonight; maybe we can visit more later. "

After Jeren left, Ginny and Harry made their way to the Great Hall. As had become tradition over the course of the year, four Gryffindors took up a position around the couple as they made their way through the corridors. When Harry asked Seamus how they'd known he and Ginny would be coming to the feast, Lavender told them Ron had mentioned it in the common room.

Their escorts walked then through the door and past the Slytherin table, were Draco Malfoy gave them a nasty sneer. After they were seated and a few more late arrivals drifted in, Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast.

The food was wonderful and the company grand. Several of the Gryffindors made it a point to speak to Ginny and Harry, asking them all kinds of questions. Lavender and Parvati quizzed Ginny on her wedding plans, while Neville and Seamus asked Harry about what it was like being a "settled man." Ron and Hermione, who got to spend time with the young couple when they wanted, stayed in the background and allowed Ginny and Harry to catch up with their other friends. Harry got a bit of a shock when Susan Bones came over from the Hufflepuff table, whispered something into Neville's ear that made him blush, and then kissed him rather soundly before returning to her own table. Ginny thought it endearingly sweet.

The sudden opening of the Great Hall doors broke the moment. As everyone turned to look, Remus Lupin, former Dark Arts Professor and known werewolf, quickly marched toward the Head Table, his somewhat frayed robes swishing around him.

Every student in the hall went silent as their former Professor spoke to the Headmaster in a low voice. After a quick exchange between the teachers, Mr. Lupin, along with Professors Black, Flitwick, McGonagall, and Snape, exited the hall hastily. Professor Dumbledore rapped on the table for attention as he stood.

"I have just been informed that a number of Dementors are about to assail the schools grounds." A general gasp from the students rose in the air. "I would ask everyone to remain calm. Those students who are capable of conjuring a Patronus and wish to volunteer to defend the school will come with me. I insist that at least one Prefect from each house accompany their housemates with Madam Hooch and Professor Vector to a prearranged location in the dungeons, where you will be safe until this incident is dealt with. Now, Prefects lead your houses where Professor Vector directs."

Ginny watched Harry and Ron prepare to leave with the other volunteers as Hermione started organizing the evacuation of the Gryffindors. Harry turned to her and kissed her soundly.

"I thought you promised me rabid rabbits, eh."

She was about to argue that she should come with them when Professor Dumbledore walked up to her.

"Miss Weasley," the Headmaster began. "I would ask you to help guard the students. You can conjure a Patronus more powerful than either Madam Hooch or Professor Vector, and I fear that perhaps a Dementor or two may slip past us."

Ginny gave Dumbledore a tight nod and then kissed Harry once more for luck before he and Ron went with the other volunteers. She drew her wand and took up a position, along with Madam Hooch, in the rear of the column of students moving toward the dungeons.

When they reached the area that had been set aside for emergencies, Professor Vector cast a Charm to activate a powerful defensive shield around the students. The problem, Vector explained, was that the shield had been designed to repeal a Death Eater attack. No one knew how well it would work against Dementors. Ginny and Madam Hooch decided to take up a position outside the shield, where they could hopefully stop any Dementor from even reaching it.

The minutes ticked by soundlessly. Ginny was worried. She had no idea what was happening above, and her imagination came up with all kinds of terrible conclusions.

"So when's the due date?” Madam Hooch asked into the silence.

Ginny looked at her. "Around Christmas."

"Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"We decided not to know. Thought we'd be surprised and all."

A sudden, familiar chill touched Ginny. She pointed her wand down the hallway. Madam Hooch did the same.

"Have you picked out any names yet?"

"We're kicking around a few."

A dark shape floated down the corridor in their direction. There seemed to be more behind it.

"Shall we?" The flying instructor asked.

"Let’s."

Both voices rang out. "Expecto Patronum!"

Ginny's lion sprang from her wand and charged the dark creatures without hesitation. Ginny noted Madam Hooch had conjured a bludger, which proceeded to bash into the Dementors repeatedly.

Ginny quickly realized that the Dementors had found a passage into the lower levels of the castle. In spite of the two women's best effort, the corridor was flooded with hooded figures. In the part of her mind that wasn't occupied with staying alive, Ginny reasoned that someone must have known about the safe area for the students and given the Dementors information to help them find a way into the lower levels.

Ginny noted that Madam Hooch was unable to continue casting the spell and was slowly backing away, her eyes filling with fear as the Dementors’ power reached her.

Ginny's own Patronus grew weaker with each new casting. She hoped that Dumbledore realized they had been flanked and betrayed. Her Patronus finally failed.

She started backing away. She hoped to reach the possible safety of the shield before the Dementors caught her, but her condition, combined with the Dementors’ power, was working against her. She was just starting to sink down to her knees in despair when she saw a flash of light interpose itself between her and the dark creatures.

When Ginny tried to explain to Harry and Professor Dumbledore what happened next, she was never completely clear on the details. All Ginny remembered seeing was a man-like figure cloaked in light, wielding what appeared to be a sword made of lightning. The sword flashed faster than she could follow, and when it touched a Dementor the creature wailed an unearthly cry and dissolved into a hissing puddle. At one point Ginny was almost sure the figure in light had turned and winked at her, but on later recollection she wondered if perhaps she'd imagined it. As soon as the voices of the Professors could be heard coming down the corridor, the figure simply vanished.

The last thing Ginny remembered before she passed out from shock and exhaustion was seeing the frightened face of her fiancé as he hovered over her and Albus Dumbledore looking over his shoulder wearing an expression she had never seen on him before.

Anger.