MetaFic

Ginny Weasley sat up in her bed, clutching her stomach. Something was wrong, terribly wrong.

She half stood, half crawled from her bed and made her way to the bathroom, sure-footed in her familiar family home despite the darkness. She entered the room and settled down in front of the porcelain, trying to settle the contents of her stomach. She failed.

"Ginny?" her mother's concerned voice came from the doorway. "Dear, are you okay?"

Ginny gasped and shook her head. If anything the pain was getting worse. Something was wrong, and she knew with whom. But she couldn't very well tell her mother. They had never believed her before; there was no reason to think they would start now. "I'm fine," she whispered.

"No you most certainly are not," Molly Weasley said. Ginny felt her mother move into the room and kneel beside her. "Let's get you cleaned up and back to bed."

Ginny nodded weakly and allowed her mother to assist her up. A few minutes with a warm wash cloth and a fresh nightdress slipped over her head, and Ginny found herself back in her bed. She curled up on her side away from the door, as her mother, who had sat on the bed for a moment, stood and whispered that she would bring Ginny up a cup of tea to help settle her stomach.

Ginny nodded again "Fine," she said.

Ginny opened one eye and saw the letter sitting on her nightstand. She recognized the handwriting. The feeling of doom settled more heavily on her as she reached out a hand toward the letter. Her mother's scream and the smashing of china made her sit up. Ginny's head spun for several seconds, and she tried to get her bearings.

A soft hoot made her look toward the window.

"Hedwig?" Ginny said, staring dumbly at Harry's owl. "Something bad has happened, hasn't it?"

Hedwig regarded her with large eyes.

"Arthur!" she heard her mother yell as she ran up the stairs. There was more commotion, and then she heard two sets of footsteps rushing down the stairs. Ginny swallowed down the nausea, which seemed to be passing. Whatever trouble Harry was in, it had passed, and for the moment he was safe again.

Ginny slipped out of bed and started downstairs. She reached the bottom landing and turned toward the kitchen.

"We have to inform Dumbledore immediately," her father said, a note of panic in his voice. "If Harry's out there wandering around alone, there's no telling what kind of danger he could be in."

"Who was supposed to be watching him?" her mother said.

"Fletcher was on tonight. I'm going over to Harry's to make sure he's really gone. You should floo call whoever's on duty at headquarters."

Ginny heard the back door open and close. She sat down on the bottom step as her mother came rushing into the living room.

"Ginny! What are you doing out of bed?" Molly said.

"What's wrong with Harry?" Ginny asked in small voice.

"Nothing's the matter, dear. You just go back up to bed–"

"Please don't lie to me," Ginny told her mother. Ginny's eyes started to fill up with tears.

"Ginny–" Molly Weasley never finished her reply, as the Weasley fireplace roared to life and a frightened and frazzled looking Hermione Granger, wrapped in her dressing gown, stepped out of the flames.

"Is Harry here?" Hermione almost yelled, her eyes wide with panic and her untamed hair looking as if it might overrun a small country. She was clutching a piece of parchment in one hand, and her wand was tucked behind her ear.

Molly Weasley looked from one girl to the other and came to a quick decision. "No, he's not here. Arthur has gone to check at his aunt's home. Why don't you two go wake up Ron? I need to floo call headquarters.”

Hermione, still mildly panicked, grabbed Ginny’s hand and dashed up the stairs toward Ron's room. Ginny yanked hard on Hermione's arm and made her stop. Hermione turned and looked at the younger girl.

"Did Harry leave you a letter?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," the older girl answered.

"I need to stop off at my room. There was a letter from Harry on my table, but I didn't get a chance to read it before Mum started running up the stairs and screaming for Dad."

Hermione nodded, and the two girls entered Ginny's room. Hedwig hooted from her perch on Ginny's headboard.

Hermione looked from the owl to Ginny. "At least Hedwig's here. Maybe we can reach Harry by owl post. "

Ginny retrieved her letter, and the two made for Ron's room. When they opened the door, they found Ron sitting on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands and a letter on the floor at his feet.

The three teens quickly exchanged their letters, reading everything Harry had written to them. By the time they were done, all three were in tears.

"We have to tell the Order," Hermione said.

"Why?" Ron asked, a tight edge to his voice.

"Because Harry's out there alone and unprotected! We can't just leave him," Hermione screeched.

"No, we can't," Ron said. "But that doesn't mean we have to run straight to Dumbledore."

"Ron," Hermione began, a dangerous edge to her voice.

"Look, everything Harry said in his letters was true." Ron's expression softened. "Harry asked you not to tell them. Are you going to break his trust, too?"

Hermione burst into a fresh set of tears. Ron gathered her up into a hug, holding her tightly and rubbing her back. He looked over her shoulder at his sister. "Are you all right, Ginny?" he asked.

"No," she said.

Ron grimaced. "Okay. We need to settle down and plan. First thing, Hermione, you need some real clothes."

Hermione sniffed. "I should go home and change. I need to explain to my parents why I dashed out of the house like a wild woman."

Ron nodded. "You and Ginny go to her room while I get dressed, and I'll go back with you."

Hermione looked at him. "Ron?"

He smiled at her. "It might help if someone from the magical world is there to explain certain things. Besides, I need to meet your parents properly anyway." Ron glanced up at Ginny. "Are you going to be okay here without us for awhile?"

Ginny nodded. "Now that we're doing something, even if I'm not sure what, I 'm feeling better."

"Good," Ron said. "I want you to get dressed and then find some extendable ears. I know the Order will try to shut us out, but this is Harry we're talking about. We've left his safety up to them before, but it's obvious something went wrong. We'll need all the information we can get."

Ginny nodded and turned back toward her room.

Ron gave Hermione a little squeeze. "We'll find him, and when we do, we'll bring him home, and we won't let him go again. I don't care what Dumbledore and the rest want. We're Harry's family. We're going to take care of him."

Hermione wiped her eyes. "Ron . . . Ron, I don't know–"

"It will be okay. Now go help Ginny while I get dressed."

Hermione nodded and slipped out of the room.

Ron picked up all three letters from his bed. "Bloody hell, Harry. It's never easy for you, is it?"

Ron dressed quickly and then slipped into the loo. He did a few quick things and then went in search of the girls. He found them sitting on Ginny's bed.

"All right then," Ron said, looking at Hermione, "let's get you home and talk to your parents. I want you to be able to come back here until we figure out what to do. Ginny, keep your ears open."

The three teens went back downstairs to find Molly Weasley bustling around in the kitchen frantically while Arthur Weasley sat sipping tea and looking forlorn.

"Is he at home?" Ron asked into the room.

Arthur Weasley looked up at the teens. "No. Harry's gone. His trunk, his broom, Hedwig, nothing's there. I take it that he wrote you all letters?"

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, but they disintegrated after a few minutes. Harry must have put a charm on them. He probably didn't want us to get in trouble or something. You know how he is."

Arthur Weasley locked his eyes with his youngest son. "Ron, if you know something–"

Ginny smoothly stepped into the conversation. "He just said that he was leaving and that he was sorry for getting us all hurt at the Department of Mysteries. Oh, and he left Hedwig with me," she added, knowing she would not be able to hide the owl from them for long.

"That's bad," Molly muttered. "I know Harry really loves his owl."

There came a voice from the living room, and the adults went to see who it was. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny followed close behind.

Fleur Delacour stepped out of the floo. "Everyone has gathered at–" she stopped when she saw the teens.

"That's okay," Ron said. "We understand what's going on." He turned to his parents. "I thought I'd go back with Hermione and help her explain what's happening."

"Yes," Hermione added, "I left in a haste. I'm afraid my parents might be in a right state."

Molly Weasley looked at them. "Very well, but I want you to come straight back here once you've finished talking to Hermione's parents, do you understand me, Ronald?"

"Of course," Ron said.

Molly turned on her youngest. "And I expect you to go back to bed. You gave me a fright this morning being sick, and now we've all got enough on our plate." Molly looked at her husband. "We can't leave Ginny here alone, so I suppose you should go and I'll–"

"I will stay with her," Fleur offered.

Molly shook her head. "Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that."

"It is not a problem," Fleur replied. "I know that 'Arry is like your own child. William will tell me all I need to know."

Mrs. Weasley hesitated for a moment more and then sighed. "Very well, but I meant what I said, straight to bed, young lady!"

Ginny nodded and then stepped up and hugged her mother.

"Don't worry, darling. We'll find Harry. I promise you," Molly said to her youngest child.

Arthur and Molly Weasley took the floo to Headquarters. Ron and Hermione, after waiting for a minute, left for Hermione's house. Ginny watched them go, wishing she was going with them but realizing they needed this time together. Still, sometimes it hurt being the one on the outside.

"Well," Fleur said. "Let us perhaps make some tea. Then, since I know you will not be sleeping anytime soon, we will go sit in your room so that you will be in bed, and you may tell me all about how you became bonded to 'Arry."

Ginny turned large, frightened brown eyes on the half-veela, who was grinning so widely that her beautiful face threatened to split.