Ginny made her way to 93 Diagon Alley with Ron on her tail. She was trying to clear her mind, so she�d be able to �read� the toads, but Ron was making it difficult. He kept trying to talk to her about something, only to stop and mutter.
�Ron!� she exclaimed, as she whirled around to face him as they reached the twin�s shop.
Ron looked up at her, startled. �What?�
�Would you please, just spit it out?�
Ron turned red and his hand strayed to his pocket. �I think I should wait until you�re done with your reading.�
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. �Then, please, for the love of Honeydukes, stop buzzing in my ear about whatever it is you need to say, it�s ten times more annoying than trying to hold a conversation with a Jarvey.�
�Now that�s a bit unfair-�
�Ginny! Ron! This way.�
The two looked at the door of the shop, surprised to see their father standing there. Both of them gulped, feeling guilty, and followed him into the shop.
Toads were everywhere.
Ron made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and moved out of the way of a particularly large group of them that seemed to be making a beeline for him.
�Oh Ron, they�re just toads.�
Inwardly, however, Ginny felt a bit of revulsion herself. There were somany of them. The enchanted frog spawn must have doubled their numbers by half.
�Ginny, Ron,� her father was saying as he introduced them to two members from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. �This is Peters and Jones. They�ve come to witness and to take Perkins�s statement. If you�re able to find him.�
Her father seemed worried and Ginny reckoned he had a right to be. George and Fred had really done it this time. How was she supposed to find Perkins in all of this?
Close your eyes and concentrate.
Ginny nodded at her father and then at the two wizards. Silencing Ron�s tutting with a cross look, she closed her eyes and did as the voice inside her head instructed. She had long ago learned to trust it.
As the shop quieted down, all she could hear were the small croaks and noises of the toads moving over the shop. In her minds eye, she saw the special aura each of them possessed, mostly brown in color, with bits of green.
But Perkins, as a human trapped in animal form wouldn�t look like that, would he?
She tried to picture the little man that had worked with her father when he was in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office. She saw his long white beard and the stooped way he had of walking and muttering to himself. Ginny opened her eyes.
She didn�t see her brother, her father or the two Patrol Wizards. She saw a room filled with brown and bits of green flotsam floating over everything. Now where would you go if you were a timid little wizard trapped in the body of a toad?
Ginny moved forward, making her way through the toads. Some place dry, yes... and some place quiet and away from the others. She frowned as she walked past a cluster of Collapsible Insulting Cauldrons. Not many toads were around this area. Bending down, she picked up the first cauldron as it called out �Oy! Let me go, you Dunderhead�! Setting that aside, she moved a few more out of the way that proceeded to tell her she was �A Git�! �A miserable cook!� and a �Hedgehog�.
Ginny could see something white and blue at the bottom of the crate. Smiling, she reached down and grabbed the little toad, who let out a squeak of fright at her touch.
It was definitely Perkins. It had little tufts of white hair sticking out of its ears.
Smiling, she turned around and handed it to her father.
�It�s him, Dad. I�m sure of it.�
The two Patrol Wizards looked at each other and then cleared their throats. Her father handed the toad to Jones (or was it Peters? Ginny didn�t know, they both looked like the other) who nodded at him.
�If you don�t mind, Minister sir, we�ll contact a member of the Reversal Squad, see if they can change Perkins right way round.�
�Oh, I can do it, if you want.�
Everyone turned to look at her, even Ron, who had been edging his way back out of the shop, getting away from the toads.
�I know what spell Mundungus used. I felt it when I picked him up. It�s actually a clever bit of magic.�
Taking the toad back from Jones (or Peters), Ginny smiled and cleared off a chair behind the register.
�If you would be so kind as to hold him steady... er.. Jones, is it?�
�Peters.�
�Oh, yes, well... just keep your hand on him. Make sure we don�t lose him again.�
�Wait, Ginny. Did you say it was Mundungus that did this to Perkins?�
Ginny turned to her father and nodded. �I�m not sure if he knows he did it though. It has an uncertainty about it. But that could be coming from Perkins. He�s quite upset at having been a toad for most of the morning.�
�Yes, well... let�s get him back and we can solve this little mystery for once and for all.�
Ginny pointed her wand at the toad and closed her eyes. Sometimes, if she were lucky, she could hear an echo of the exact spell that had been cast, and she was lucky today. But how to undo it?
�Revertis Rubetaonis!�
The toad that was Perkins croaked and then made a popping noise. Ginny opened her eyes and was disappointed to see just a slightly bigger toad.
Closing her eyes again, she aimed her wand a second time and tried it again.
�Revertis Newtora Rubetaonis!�
This time Ginny had success and opened her eyes to see a very anxious Perkins staring back at her. She had to hand it to Dung, he knew how to mix up spells.
Ron, who had come up behind her, whistled. �Why did it sound as though you were telling him to turn back into a newt and a toad?�
Ginny smiled. �Because Dung reversed the spell. Don�t tell Perkins this, but he must have a bit of toad blood in him for it to have worked. Or at least some newt in him. He crossed the spells so that it hid him from the usual locator devices we have. I think it was the newt that did it. It confused him with both.�
Ron laughed and quickly stopped after a disapproving look from their father. Ginny and he made their way out of the shop, with promises to check in with the Law Enforcement Office with their statements.
�Glad we�re out of there,� Ron said absentmindedly. �And I�m glad we don�t have to help with the clean up. Yech. You were brilliant, by the way.�
Ginny hid a smile and they made their way back towards the Ministry. When they reached the Leaky Cauldron, Ron pulled on her arm.
�Hey, sis, what do you say? Care for a bite of something to eat with your big brother?�
�Well, I should be getting back to Dex, let him know to stop reading those parchments I left. And we have a missing kneazle to find for some witch down in Bath and-�
�Well, I do have something to talk to you about. Something serious,� Ron patted his robe pocket again and curiosity got the better of her.
�Okay, but just a quick lunch.�
After they requested one of the back rooms, so as not to be disturbed, they ordered their lunch and waited for it to arrive, making small talk. Ginny had a feeling Ron didn�t want to start until they wouldn�t be interrupted.
�So,� Ron began, as the bartender handed them their food and closed the door after him, �How�s Neville? Enjoying the summer vacation?�
Ginny frowned. �Why do you want to talk about Neville?�
�Is there a reason I shouldn�t talk about Neville? You two have been dating for close to three years. He�s practically a member of the family.�
�He�s fine. He�s... helping some kids put together a greenhouse out in Canterbury.�
�And he hasn�t asked you to marry him again, has he?�
�I don�t think that�s any of your business, Ron. Have you asked Hermione to marry you, yet?�
Ron turned a bit pink and decided to ignore her. Taking a bite of his turkey sandwich, he covered up the silence by loud chewing. Ginny raised her eyebrow at him.
�What�s a matter, dear brother? Mum after you again?�
Ron swallowed and glared at his sister. �Yes. So don�t you start. You�re the last female company I can keep without having to worry about marriage. My marriage. Not your own.�
Now it was Ginny�s turn scowl. �Why does anyone have to get married! Why do you want me to marry Neville? I�ve always thought you disliked the idea of he and I even going out.�
�Nah, I mean, I like Neville. He�s a good sort, good man. He adores you, of course. Which you are more than worthy of, if I can say that as a brother, but I dunno, Ginny... sometimes I get the feeling your heart isn�t in it.�
Ginny looked down at her own food and didn�t meet her brother�s eyes.
�Why do you think that?� she whispered.
Ron thought about it for a moment. �Well, you�re together, but you�re not together. He�s gone almost the whole year, teaching at Hogwarts and you never visit him. I know you like him and everything, don� t get me wrong and I know he helped you... get over some things,� Ron paused and frowned at the guarded expression on her face, �But I don�t know, Ginny. To me it�s always seemed as though you�ve just settled for Neville.�
Ginny looked away and stared at the ceiling. After a moment she sighed, and met her brother�s eyes. �Any girl would be lucky to have someone like Neville care for them. He has the most amazing heart and courage. And he�s kind and gentle and I�d be a fool not to be with someone like that, wouldn�t I? Wouldn�t I be some sort of... monster if it weren�t enough for me?�
Ron put his sandwich down and offered her a little a smile. �You�re not a monster, Gin. And yeah, all those things you mentioned are great reasons to be with someone. But doesn�t Neville deserve someone who truly loves him and not just his kindness?�
Ginny sat back and looked at Ron, crossly. �I do love Neville. No matter what you may think.�
Ron nodded. �Yeah, I know you do care for him. Otherwise you wouldn�t be with him. But are you in love with him? Like Hermione and I are in love? Does he drive you crazy to the point of no return, only to suddenly do something that makes you appreciate who he is? Do you find yourself waking up and glad to be with him? Or do you go out with him because he worships you and adores you and makes you feel safe?�
�That�s unfair Ron. Not everyone can be like you and Hermione. You two were meant for each other. Some of us aren�t quite so lucky. Not to mention I think there is something to be said about feeling safe about someone. Not always worrying about their feelings is quite a relief.�
Ron folded his arms behind his head.
�What about...�
Oh I swear if he mentions Harry, I�ll scream, Ginny thought to herself.
�Dex?�
Ginny frowned. �What about Dex? He�s my work partner. I thought that was obvious by his name being on the door.�
Ron frowned. �Funny, Ginny. Don�t tell me you don�t fancy the man. He would go out with you in a heartbeat if Neville weren�t around.�
Ginny rolled her eyes. Where did her brother get this stuff?
�Please, Ron. Dex is... well, Dex is Dex. While I admit, he does have... certain charms, I�m not about to start an office romance with someone I see every day. First off, the proximity would drive me batty. Second of all... Dex is too much like...� Ginny�s voice trailed off. Dex is too much like Harry, was what she was going to say.
Ron looked knowingly at her then and she wanted to hit him the smug look off his face.
�On that note, I have something for you. The thing I wanted to talk to you about to begin with.�
Ron reached into his robe and pulled out a small square object. It looked like it was made out of wood.
�What�s that?�
�A note. From Harry. To give to you.�
Ginny blinked at it and then looked up into her brother�s face. She asked the first thing that popped into her head.
�Why is it so small? And why is it wood?�
Ron rolled his eyes. �It�s the way his letters come, from America. They travel by sea gull. Anyway, it�s yours. He wanted me to give it to you immediately.�
Ginny was still having problems getting over the size of it. �That came from America? Why isn�t it wet?�
�Oh, for Merlin�s sake, Ginny. Do you live in a magical world or not? Why isn�t it wet. Honestly. As though that were the most important thing.�
Ron took out his wand and tapped the small square. With a pop! Ginny watched as it stretched and unfolded itself to look like a square envelope. She recognized Harry�s slanted scrawl and felt her heart stop.
�Why is Harry sending me letters after five years of silence?�
�Well, he did come home that one Christmas you were traveling off in Italy with Miracroix. But does it matter why? I suspect he has a few things to tell you before he arrives.�
Ginny felt herself go dizzy and she sat back, moving her hand away from the envelope. �I�m sorry, but did you say-?�
Ron nodded, a grim smile on his face. �Your love life just got more complicated, Ginny. Harry�s coming back. And something tells me, he�s coming back for you.�