I have just returned from my second weekly lunch with Hermione since my coma. I stopped briefly by the flat and set the preparations for tonight in place. Although it was a pain to find her bathing suit since it was buried in the bottom of the dresser. I’m considering detouring to the Hit Wizard’s and dropping a note reminding Ron that we are meeting at Bewitched for lunch tomorrow when Kingsley calls out for me.



Kingsley looks alarmed. This must be bad. I’ve only seen him in this state a couple of times since I’ve known him. Each time I’ve not liked what he had to tell me. I swallow as my mind begins flashing all those I hold dear before me.

“Harry, come quick! You have a floo call, from Bill Weasley.”

Bill? But- if he is flooing me, it must be- Ginny!

“Damn!” I bolt off to the department floo.

My heart is hammering and images of Ginny suffering in the grips of a crippling curse or being roasted alive by one of the dragons the Goblins keep in the lowest tunnels keep running through my head. I round the corner to the floo to find a worried looking Bill waiting for me.

“Bill, is she okay, where is she?” Merlin let her be okay.

Bill’s eyes won’t meet mine. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know!” I’m teetering on the edge of hysteria at this point. Dammit no! Not this!

“She’s just gone.” I can see worry in his eyes to match my own. “She was taking her lunch break here at the bank. I had to go back early, I had a meeting concerning some personnel changes for Vault Duty. She was supposed to meet me about thirty minutes ago, but she never showed up.” Tears are welling up in his eyes, “No one here has seen her.”

I’m fighting a losing battle to reign in my emotions. Suddenly the furniture in the room starts rattling and the magical lighting starts flickering. Inwardly I’m cursing the fates, Haven’t I lost enough already! I bite out through clenched teeth, “Okay Bill, I’ll get things moving here, you floo your mum, dad, and the twins and see if they’ve seen her. Get everyone looking for her.”

Bill nods his understanding and with a look of relief pulls back through the floo. The magical build-up within me is cascading out of control. I begin scrambling towards the training centre. Down the first corridor way I pass Kingsley. “Harry what’s going-” His eyes widen as the sparks of magical energy begin rolling off of me and steps aside.

I round the corner to the Training Area and run head long into Corner himself. I lower a shoulder and slam him into the wall. That felt good.

As I burst through the doors I hear him shouting, “Watch where the hell you’re going you bloody wanker!”

I scan the room looking for a free spell-throwing corridor. I spy one on the extreme left and begin running towards it. Distantly I hear Kingsley’s rumbling voice call out, “Get clear!”

I snap my wand from it’s holster as I take the last few steps, aim, and pour everything into the spell to bleed off the energy, DEFLAGRATIO!!!!!!

I feel scalding heat as the energy within me channels through my wand. The recoil shocks my hand and a giant ball of flame roars from the end and crackles toward the target that is at least a Quidditch Pitch length away.

I stand dumbly for a moment, vaguely hearing screams of terror, before I realize that I might get caught in the backwash. I whirl my smoking wand through the motions, Moenium Glacies. With a sizzling sound from my heated wand, I conjure a ten metre by ten metre wall of ice that is a metre thick to block the alleyway. I crouch down and pull the hood of my dragon hide coat over my head.

FWA-WHOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

CRACK!!!!!

Suddenly I’m pelted by melting pieces of ice and actually feel the flames licking my coat. Once it stops gingerly I rise to my feet swooning momentarily as the shock of channeling so much magic at once hits me. I manage to hold to my feet and gaze down the corridor.

My ice wall is gone. I glance around me to see rapidly melting chunks of ice scattered about, but not enough to account for the entire wall. My jacket looks like it is smoking, although I’m not sure if it is from being singed in the flames or if it is just steam from the rapidly evaporating water.

At the far end of the corridor the granite target and walls have simply melted. The molten rock is glowing red and pooling up on the floor. I stare dumbly until I feel a hand on my shoulder. “Impressive, Harry,” Kingsley’s rumbling bass tones out, “would you care to explain just why you saw fit to incinerate one of our spell-throwing ranges?”


“Ginny’s missing!”

“What?”

“Bill told me,” I close my eyes and swallow the lump in my throat, “said she never came back from lunch.”

He grips my shoulder and turns me towards the exit to the training area. As we pass I barely notice the stunned and shocked looks I’m getting from the Aurors and Hit Wizards. We pass a group from the Department of Magical Catastrophes as leave the training centre on their way to repair the mess I’ve made.

As we walk through the corridor towards the Auror offices I make my intentions known, “I want to be assigned to search for her.”

Kingsley sighs, “I’m sorry Harry, but it is Department procedure. Because of your relationship with Ginny you can’t be part of the investigation since standard procedure requires that you be the first person we suspect.”

I know that of course, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Clenching my fist tightly I accede, “Fine, but I want you to handle it Kingsley. Don’t let that arse Dawlish or the idiot Hopkins run the investigation.” In the back of my mind I decide to send out messages to get the Order looking for her.

“Fair enough,” he pats me on the shoulder. “I know this is difficult for you Harry,” he sights deeply, “for what it is worth I would want to be out there searching for her too.”

Please let her by okay.

---

After you'e read go here and review or leave comments at pr_aerie.