Chapter 18: Homeward Bound

On Saturday morning, while Ron and Hermione were away in Brighton, Harry and Ginny apparated to Godric's Hollow. The sound of a gentle pop announced their arrival in the small park. Hand in hand, they stepped from the gazebo wearing jeans, shirts, baseball caps, hiking shoes and rucksacks. They cautiously glanced around at the sound of voices and caught brief glimpses of people running and kicking a ball in the field beyond the trees. Seeing no one nearby, they stepped out onto the lane and began walking toward the village. A light breeze ruffled the tall grass in the fields and the midmorning sun peeked in and out from behind puffy white clouds that dotted the sky. A while later, the sign identifying the Godric's Hollow real estate office came into view. The small bell on the door sounded as Harry opened the door for Ginny and they stepped inside.

"Good morning Harry," said Jill as she stepped from behind her desk extending her hand. "How are you today?"

"I'm good," said Harry shaking her hand. "This is Ginny."

"A pleasure to meet you Ginny," said Jill as she extended her hand.

Ginny shook Jill's hand. "A pleasure to meet you too."

Jill asked Ginny, "Have you been to Godric's Hollow before?"

"Yes, one other time. It seems like a very nice place to live."

"Well, that's why we're here today," said Jill with a smile. She motioned to the two chairs in front of her desk. "Please be seated."

As they removed their rucksacks and sat down, Jill seated herself behind the desk. She reached into a drawer and withdrew a dark orange colored envelope. A string wrapped around two buttons held the envelope closed.

Looking at Harry she said, "I took the selections you made to the village counsel. The council approves and you may select any one of them in exchange for your current property. Are you sure about these selections? I've never been to any of them but according to my map, they are all in very remote locations."

"Yeah, that's why I brought Ginny along to help me decide." He looked at Ginny. "She's got an eye for out of the way places."

Ginny smiled.

"Well, it's good you brought rucksacks, there will be a lot of hiking." Jill handed Harry the envelope. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"No. I'll let you know once a decision is made."

"Very well, have a nice day."

They picked up their rucksacks, stepped outside and began walking back toward the park. Ginny eagerly withdrew the contents of the envelope and shuffled through the papers looking at the photos.

"It's hard to compare them just by looking at these muggle pictures. How were you able to narrow it down to these three?"

"Landis let me look at a magical map in his office and I was able to see them a little better. They're all just land and a dwelling will have to be built."

"Well, they are all very large; this one is almost nine acres."

Presently, they reached the park and entered. Carefully checking for others, they made their way to the gazebo and stepped inside. They heard the sounds of a fierce game from the direction of the field.

"Where do we go first?" said Harry.

"This one." She handed him the photo and took hold of his arm.

They apparated into a clearing at the base of a hill. The clearing sloped gently down toward a large field covered in brush and tall grass. Further south, they could just make out the church steeple in Godric's Hollow. Oak trees lined the base of the hill to the north and they heard birds singing in the branches. The hill curved gently outward like a horseshoe on each side partially obscuring the horizon to the east and west. Bushes of wormwood and widely scattered oak and pine trees dotted the hillside. They slowly walked along a narrow animal track that led toward the trees at the base of the hill.

Ginny said, "The hill will provide natural sheltering."

"A bit too much for my liking. It makes me feel closed in."

"Yes, me too. What if you built the dwelling further down the slope by that stream in the field?"

"Yeah, that would be better."

They stepped under a large oak tree admiring its massive branches. Noticing a rocky outcropping with an opening that looked like a cave entrance, they carefully moved toward it. As they reached the opening, they saw a pile of dirty clothes just inside and heard a low growling sound.

Ginny whispered, "It would seem that someone already lives here."

With wands in hand, they each moved to a side of the cave opening.

Harry whispered, "Lumos!" and they both peered into the cave. Two eyes further back in the darkness reflected the wand light and there was another growl.

"Look," whispered Ginny, "there's trash and paper everywhere in there."

"Maybe someone is in hiding," whispered Harry. "Stay low to defend us. Ready?"

"Yes."

He called out, "I'm Harry Potter. The war is over."

It was quiet for a moment. Then the two eyes moved cautiously forward and stopped just inside the cave entrance. The wand light dimly illuminated the head of a lynx.

"We won't hurt you," said Ginny in a gentle tone of voice. "Please come out, you don't have to hide anymore."

The head of the lynx peered up at him. As Harry was so accustomed to seeing, the eyes searched his forehead for the scar. The lynx stared at them for a long moment and then burrowed into a nearby pile of clothes. A moment later, the clothes rose up and a human form took shape within them. A very thin witch with sunken eyes sat before them. She wavered and Ginny quickly knelt down in front of her and took hold of her hand. The witch began to sob.

"It's okay," said Ginny softly. "We'll help you."

"How long have you been hiding here?" said Harry in a gentle tone.

"About t-two weeks," said the witch with a thick Irish accent. "They were h-holdin' us captive ... but we escaped."

"How many are here with you?" said Ginny.

"Two others, my children."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other with grave expressions.

"Where are your children now?" said Harry.

She looked at him with concern on her face.

"It's okay. I just want to be sure they're safe."

"I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley. I lost my brother Fred in the war. We won't hurt any of you, I promise."

She looked at the sincere pleading expression on Ginny's face for a moment. Then she said, "Babbity, Rabbity, come here to me."

They heard rustling from further inside the cave. Ginny moved back. A moment later, two lynx kittens emerged and moved beside the witch. Harry and Ginny smiled broadly as the two kittens looked at them.

"What's your name?" said Ginny to the witch.

"Meara ... Meara O'Hea. We were bein' smuggled out of the country when they captured us. My husband Kevan was a squib. He ... he was killed tryin' to protect us."

"I'm so sorry for you," said Ginny.

The two kittens mewed and pawed Meara on the leg.

"Okay," she said. "Get into your clothes."

The kittens burrowed into separate piles of clothes on each side of where she sat on the ground.

Meara placed her hands on top of the clothes on her left and said, "Ladifors!" Then she turned to the right and placed her hands on the clothes saying, "Lassifors!"

The two clothing piles rose up and a boy and girl took shape within them. The children looked to be five or six years old. They quickly moved to stand close to Meara and touch her. They stared at Harry and Ginny.

"This is Aric and this is Deirdre," said Meara giving them each a hug in turn.

"I'm very pleased to meet you," said Ginny with a smile. "You must be so hungry."

Aric and Deirdre slowly nodded.

She took off her rucksack and squatted down in front of them. She unzipped a compartment and pointed her wand inside. "Gemino Cibus!" Then reaching in, she withdrew sandwiches, biscuits, trail mix, and water bottles.

"You've all been very brave," said Harry. He looked at Meara. "Do you know where you were held captive?"

"Aye, top o' the hill, in a shack. We passed through repellin' charms when we escaped."

"Were any others being held there with you?"

"I don't know. There were two men. One of 'em took my wand and locked us in a room. Said they'd track us down and kill us if we tried to escape. We only heard 'em speak when they argued."

"I'll call for help. If they are still there, they can be apprehended."

Harry stepped a short distance away and held his wand vertically in front of his face.

Sanders and Buckley joined them a short while later. The Aurors were accompanied by healer McBride. While the healer and Ginny tended to the family, Harry and the Aurors apparated undercover to the shack. It appeared derelict and choked by scraggly vegetation all around. Revealing charms showed the shack to be deserted. After disarming a booby trap, they entered and made a thorough search. They found a wand in the woodpile by the fireplace. The facts told to Harry by Meara checked out. They found little magical evidence that linked to known fugitives. The captors had apparently fled when their prisoners escaped. After the Aurors set detection charms on the shack, they returned to the others at the bottom of the hill.

"Meara," said Harry, "can you give me a description of your wand?"

"Whitebeam and leprechaun beard, twelve inches long. The handle has a small curve with a nub on the end. Shamrocks are carved into the handle."

Harry looked at Auror Sanders who nodded back to him. Auror Sanders took Meara's wand from inside his cloak and handed it to her.

"Oh thank you," said Meara with a relieved expression on her face. "Thought sure I'd never see it again. It's special, blessed by the Stone's dew on the first morning of spring. It's been handed down through six generations of Kevan's family."

Harry and Ginny were warmed by the pride in her voice and glow that now emanated from her eyes.

"Healer McBride," said Auror Sanders, "are your patients well enough for apparition travel to St Mungo's?"

"Yes, they are all in need of some extra care for a few days."

"Then let us be on our way." Auror Sanders looked at Harry. "Well done. I need your full report on my desk by Monday morning."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you Ginny, and Harry," said Meara. "Don't know what we'd have done without your help."

"You are most welcome," said Ginny. "Be sure to contact the IWROC for anything you need. Bye Aric, bye Deirdre. Take care."

The children waved happily. "Bye Ginny."

A moment later, there was a loud pop and Harry and Ginny found themselves alone under the oak tree.

"It makes me so happy to know we've helped them," said Ginny as Harry helped her put on her rucksack.

"Me too. Well, let's have a look at the next property. Which one is it?"

Ginny showed him a picture. "This one." She took hold of his arm and they disapparated.

The second property was nestled along some rolling hills to the northwest of Godric's Hollow. Past a neighboring fence line on the eastern side, they saw a farm with a large red barn in the distance. Cattle idly grazed in a field. In another field, planted crops were growing. There were a few trees along the western edge of the property and the late morning sun was warm and unhindered. They walked across the land and enjoyed the rabbits, squirrels, and pheasants that quickly moved away through the underbrush as they approached. Then stepping between some tall mugwort bushes, they disapparated to the third location.

They stood at the base of a small rise. A barely visible animal track wound its way past a large oak tree and then up toward the top of the rise. Low grasses covered the ground with widely scattered tufts of Chicory and Wild Clary. Beyond the rise on the north side, there stood a group of pine trees.

They began following the track up the rise. The ground sloped down toward the east and the church steeple in Godric's Hollow was visible in the distance. To the west, the ground sloped a short distance down to widely spaced Alder and Elm trees. Reaching the top of the rise, they followed a ridge that passed through the pine trees. On the far side of the pines, they stopped and looked across a short clearing toward a wooded area beyond.

"This place is wonderful Harry. How far does the property go into those woods?"

Harry pointed. "Up to that second rise. C'mon let's go have a look." He took her hand and they leisurely walked side by side toward the woods.

They moved into the woods and weaved their way through the underbrush. The ground was undisturbed as they made their way forward, the dried leaves crunching with each step. They came upon a creek lined on each side by Meadowsweet. They followed it a short distance further up to a rocky outcropping. There, they found water flowing from a spring into a shallow pool.

"Let's have lunch here," suggested Harry.

"I was just thinking the same," smiled Ginny.

They sat on the ground and ate lunch gazing out between the tree trunks at the field below. The leaves of the trees rustled in the light breeze and birds sang from the branches.

Ginny took in a deep breath. "The air smells so fresh and you can feel the life that's here. I think this property is the best."

"Yeah, I like it too. It's quiet and gives me a warm peaceful feeling."

"Where would you build the house?"

"I think down there on that rise, by the pine trees."

"Yes, that would be perfect; with a porch on each side where you can sit and enjoy the view."

He laid back and put his hands behind his head gazing up through the tree branches at the sky. "And a deck on the roof so you can watch the stars at night."

She pointed toward the oak tree they passed while walking up the rise. "And maybe a swing in that oak tree."

He looked at her with a smile and nodded.

Harry watched as she picked up a dried tree leaf from the ground and held it out in front of her. Cupping her other hand below it, she crushed the leaf with her fingers. She gazed intently at the leaf fragments dropping into her hand. "Red of rose,"

She repeatedly picked up and crushed a leaf; each time reciting a verse.

"Violet and blue," ...
"Fire of the sunrise," ...
"Promise renew." ...
"Sprout of new hope," ...
"Delight of my eye," ...
"Blessing be yours," ...
"From Spirit on high."

She cupped her hand over the other and closed her eyes for a moment. Then taking a deep breath, she forcefully blew the leaf pieces from her hand. Harry watched with delight as the fragments flew into the air and began to scintillate like stars. Then, the star-like points changed to rainbow colors and Ginny caught her breath in surprise. The sparkling colored points swirled around them for a moment. Then a gentle breeze carried the scintillating points down toward the rise where they slowly faded from sight.

"That was wonderful Ginny. What was it?"

"It's a wish and a blessing. Mum taught it to me when I was a little girl. I wished for happiness and peace in your future home."

"You looked surprised when the color changed."

"It's the first time I've seen that happen. It means this place has been touched by the end of a rainbow."

Harry smiled. "Will we find leprechaun gold here?"

She smiled. "Probably not. But a place touched by the rainbow's end is special."

Ginny reclined on her back, head resting on Harry, and looked up at the trees. They talked quietly in the warmth of the day and dozed peacefully.

About midafternoon, Harry and Ginny returned to Godric's Hollow and entered the real estate office.

Astonished, Jill looked up from the papers on her desk. "My word, I didn't expect to see you back so soon. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine," said Harry thinking quickly. "We ah ... had some help with the travel."

She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk. "Please have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. Have you made a decision?"

"Yes." He reached into his shirt pocket, withdrew the picture of the third property, and handed it to Jill.

Jill looked at the back of the picture. "Property GH-1131. Would you like to complete the paperwork now? Since it's a land swap, it will only take about thirty minutes."

"Yeah that would be great."

"Single or joint ownership?"

"Oh ..." he glanced sideways at Ginny for an instant. "Umm ... Can I change it in the future?"

Jill smiled warmly. "You can change the property title whenever you wish."

"Great, make it single ownership."

Jill reached into her desk drawer and withdrew a long piece of paper that was thick with many sheets. Then, selecting a pen from the coffee cup stuffed with pens and pencils on her desk, she began asking him questions and writing on the paper.

A while later, Harry and Ginny stood to leave. Harry said, "Thanks Jill for all your help."

She stood and shook his hand. "Your papers will be filed with the town clerk on Monday. It's been a pleasure."

Jill reached out and shook Ginny's hand. "Hope to see you again in the not too distant future." Ginny smiled broadly.

They stepped out of the office and began walking toward the park.

"It's been quite a day," said Ginny.

"Yeah, thanks for helping."

"What will you do about the enchantment on the cottage and all its belongings?"

"I need to send word to Landis when we get back to the Burrow. We'll need to move the cottage so the lot will really be empty."

The sun was low on the horizon when Ron and Hermione apparated to the Burrow on Sunday evening. After the usual greeting by Molly in the kitchen, they joined Harry and Ginny in the parlor. After warm hugs and greetings, they all sat down by the fire.

"Got your message mate, what's up?"

"I completed the land swap for my parent's cottage at Godric's Hollow. Landis and someone from the Department of Magical Monuments are meeting me there tonight to remove the muggle concealing enchantments. I'd like you and Hermione to come along and help make sure there are no plants or small animals inside the cottage."

Hermione said, "Does that mean you're planning to use a shrinking charm?"

"Yeah."

"I think we'll need some more help. It's a fair sized cottage from what I remember."

"The other Weasley family members will meet us there later to help with that. Once it's small, I'll just pick it up and bring it here."

"Where are you going to keep it?" said Ron.

"Your mum and dad said I could store it in the garden. A repelling charm will keep out the gnomes."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Hermione.

"Thanks. Well, we'd best be on our way."

A glow of twilight was on the horizon when they reached the Potter cottage in Godric's Hollow. They paused for a moment in front to look at it. Ron was amazed, like Ginny had been, at the destruction evident on the top floor. Hermione shook her head in sorrow saying it looked much worse than she remembered. Both couples used a disillusionment charm for cover and they made their way to the back door of the cottage. Harry felt the buzz of his father's watch as he approached the location of the door. Once inside, they removed the disillusionment charms and lit their wands. A number of mice scurried into hiding at the unexpected light.

"Accio mouse!" said Hermione.

The mice that had scurried away were drawn to her wand. They hung by their tails like a large squirming water drop under the tip of her wand.

"How did they get in here with repelling and concealment charms in place?" said Ron.

"The charms were probably cast only for people," said Hermione.

"I'll be the critter keeper," said Ginny. She opened one of the burlap bags she was carrying and Hermione carefully lowered the squirming mice inside.

They slowly moved through the cottage peering into cupboards, drawers, and under furniture. Hermione swept each room with insect and rodent detection charms. In addition to mice, they found spiders, beetles, and rats. At the bookcase, Hermione guided the tip of her glowing wand slowly along the bookshelves. Her wand paused at a large dark green book with silver letters on its spine. Holding her wand under her arm, she removed the book and glanced at some of the pages.

Hermione looked up. "Harry, may I borrow this book?"

"Which one is it?"

"Elfen History. It looks to have some really useful information for my research."

"Keep it as long as you want," smiled Harry.

Check of the bottom floor complete, they all went upstairs. Ron and Hermione were awestruck at the sight of Harry's former bedroom. They spent a long silent moment looking at the destruction, each trying to visualize the confrontation that had occurred between Lily and Voldemort. Then, after removing the critters that had taken up residence in the room, they moved to the other bedroom.

Ron knelt down on the floor and looked under the bed. "Hey Harry, did you know there's a broom under the bed?"

"No, I didn't. Bring it out and let's have a look."

Ron stood with the broom and handed it to Harry.

"This must be my dad's broom." He slowly turned the broom in his hands examining it.

Ginny looked carefully at a very faded name on the familiar shaped handle. "It's hard to see in wand light, but I think it says Nimbus one thousand and one."

"That would be about right for an early seventies Nimbus broom," said Ron.

Harry handed the broom to Ron. "Bring it along so we can have a better look at it later."

They finished critter checking the upstairs. After one final sweep by Hermione, they made their way back down to the first floor.

Hermione said, "Thank you Harry for letting us see inside the cottage. I have a much deeper appreciation now for the tragedy that occurred to you and your parents."

"Yeah, thanks mate," said Ron. "It really helps us better understand all that's happened."

"You've both done so much for me," said Harry. "I wanted you to see firsthand where it all started."

After one last look around, they cast disillusionment charms and stepped back outside. It was full dark now and a thick fog made it difficult to see more than a short distance. Once through the backyard gate, they moved a short distance into the field and emptied the critters from the bags. After removing their concealing charms, they made their way to the front of the cottage. Two men wearing cloaks casually stood in the dark misty surroundings.

"Good evening Harry," said Landis. "I'd like you to meet Mason Memolonger from the Department of Magical Monuments."

Mason extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you Mister Potter."

"Nice to meet you Mason," said Harry shaking hands. "These are my friends Ginny, Hermione, and Ron. They've come along to help."

"I daresay we'll need more than just the four of you."

"More should be arriving any minute now."

"Here they come," said Ginny looking past Harry. From the direction of the park, six figures appeared out of the foggy darkness walking slowly up the lane.

"So this is where it all happened," said George somberly looking up at the cottage. Arthur, Molly, Percy, Bill, and Fleur also gazed at the cottage. Molly's hand moved to hide her open mouth astonished expression. Fleur held tight to Bill's arm speaking quietly to him in French.

"Good evening Landis, good evening Mason," said Arthur stepping forward and shaking their hands.

After greeting Arthur, Mason turned to Harry. "We should not delay. Is the cottage clear of all living things so it can be shrunk?"

"Yes, we just completed a sweep."

"Very good." He put the tip of his wand to his throat and whispered. "May I have your attention?" His voice gently sounded in everyone's ears. "When I remove the magical concealment hiding the cottage from muggle view, you will be able to shrink it on my count of three. Please position yourselves evenly around the cottage and stand ready. Landis, please alert us if you detect muggles moving in this direction."

They all nodded and moved to encircle the cottage. Each withdrew their wand and pointed it at the cottage.

Mason pointed his wand at the cottage. "Casam revelatum!" The sight of the cottage wavered slightly and a breeze from the cottage blew outward past each of them in the circle.

Touching his wand to his throat Mason whispered, "On the count of three. ... One ... two ... three."

"Reducio!" they all said in unison. There was a low rumble and the cottage began to shrink before their steady gaze and determined expressions. The rumbling tone slowly increased in frequency as the cottage became smaller. Their wands moved slowly downward as the cottage, now the size of a garden shed, continued to shrink.

"Enough," whispered Mason.

The spell broke and everyone breathed deeply as if each had just finished a foot race. Mason and Landis quickly walked the perimeter of the lot casting disillusionment and repelling charms.

With wand tip at his throat Mason whispered, "You may light your wands now if you wish."

One by one, they each lit their wand and moved slowly toward the dollhouse size cottage catching their breath. They could now easily peer in through the shattered roof at Harry's former bedroom and see the many broken things that still littered the floor.

Returning to the group Mason said, "We must all look 'round the lot. If you find anything magical, like the enchanted sign, please bring it here. I must note it in my report and ensure it is removed."

"I want to keep the sign that has the well wishes," said Harry.

"We'll get it for you," said Hermione. She and Ron moved toward the front of the lot.

The rest of the group fanned out to search the lot. They searched for a short while but found no other magical objects.

Landis turned to Mason, "Is there anything more to be done?"

"No, everything has been completed quite satisfactorily."

"Then let's take the cottage to the Burrow," said Harry.

"Harry," said Hermione, "let me put a sticking charm on the cottage so the contents don't jostle about when it's transported."

"Excellent idea Hermione, thanks."

After Hermione cast the spell, Harry bent down and carefully picked up the cottage. Ginny moved beside him and took hold of his arm. There were a number of quiet pops as they disapparated leaving Landis and Mason alone.

"Well done Mason," said Landis. "Do you need anything further from me?"

"A copy of the papers once the Godric's Hollow council signs off on the deal."

"I'll get them to you next week. We'll dispatch a team to perform the memory modifications thereafter." Landis nodded to Mason. "Have a good evening."

"And a good evening to you."

Landis disapparated followed a moment later by Mason. The charms around the lot broke and the thick misty fog dissolved revealing a clear starry sky. The lot, now truly empty, was just as the muggles of Godric's Hollow had always seen it.

Meanwhile, back at the Burrow, Harry carefully carried the cottage into the Weasley garden. George and Ron moved ahead of him launching a few gnomes over the low fence. Hermione scowled.

Harry looked at Arthur. "Where should I put the cottage?"

"Molly and I think it best if you place it by the frog pond." Arthur pointed, "I've cleared a spot just over there."

Harry set the cottage down. Arthur looked warily at Molly. "Does it look okay to you?"

Molly took a few sideways steps in each direction while looking at the cottage with a thoughtful expression. "Perhaps a bit more to the right."

Arthur smiled. Behind Molly, Bill, Ron, and George turned away in silent snickers. Harry shifted the cottage.

"That's better but perhaps a bit of a twist to the left." Harry twisted the cottage and shooed away a gnome sneaking up behind it.

"Not too much dear," said Molly. "Yes, that's it. What do you think Arthur? Too close to the pond?"

"It looks about right to me." Arthur gazed up at the starry sky and bounced on the balls of his feet. Ginny and Hermione looked at each other trying hard to suppress their giggles.

"Move it a bit further back and let's have a look." Harry shifted the cottage back from the pond. He looked sternly at a pair of gnome eyes stealthily peeking out from beneath a nearby rhododendron. The eyes quickly disappeared behind a large leaf.

"No, it was better before," said Molly. "Move it closer again ... yes, and a bit of a twist to the right ... yes, that looks good." Smiling, she turned to the family members. "What do you think?"

"Looks good to me," smiled Hermione.

"Me too," smiled Ginny.

"Eet ees magnifique," smiled Fleur.

Arthur looked at Molly and held his breath.

After a long moment she said, "Very well, let's give it a go like that."

Arthur quickly took out his wand. "Stand back a bit Harry while I apply sticking and gnome repelling charms. I think we should also add a weather shield to keep things dry."

A short while later, Harry and Ginny were saying goodbye to Bill and Fleur in the Weasley backyard.

"Thanks Bill, thanks Fleur," said Harry. "I really appreciate your help tonight."

"Eet was no trouble. We look forward to you and Ginny staying with us at shell cottage."

"Bye Fleur, bye Bill," said Ginny giving each of them a hug. "Have a pleasant journey home."

Bill and Fleur linked arms and disapparated. Then at the sound of croaking frogs, Harry and Ginny looked across the yard toward the garden. By the moonlight, they saw the miniature Potter cottage sitting pretty-as-you-please beside the frog pond. The cottage was surrounded by a loose circle of garden gnomes. One gnome, with an outstretched hand and unsure expression on its face, inched forward, prodded by two other gnomes. With each timid and hesitant step toward the cottage, the gnome glanced back at the others. They would nod enthusiastically and make encouraging gestures to proceed. After another timid step, there was a small pop and spark of light. The advancing gnome flew backwards and landed with a splash in the frog pond. The gnomes in the circle shrieked and all ran for cover into the surrounding plants. The gnome in the pond splashed wildly. It quickly climbed out of the water and scurried into the plants.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other and laughed. Then they walked to the kitchen door and joined the others inside.

This is an original fan fiction story based on the seven book series 'Harry Potter' written by J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter, the characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros., Inc. Harry Potter publishing rights © J.K.R. This is an unofficial, not for profit site and is in no way connected with J.K. Rowling, Scholastic Books, Bloomsbury Publishing or Warner Bros., Inc. This site is not endorsed by any of these aforementioned parties. Rights to characters and their images is neither claimed nor implied. This fan fiction story is owned by the author and subject to copyright law under transformative use.