The Ritual

Disclaimer: I don't own the Potterverse!

Author's Note: This is fairly obviously A.U. so I'm letting you know I've altered the age kids leave for Hogwarts to thirteen. This makes Harry seventeen, almost eighteen at the start of the fic and Ginny is sixteen, almost seventeen. This means that wizards are legal adults in magical Britain by the time they get their OWLs and getting NEWTs is optional but required for the more advanced positions.

Chapter One

On the first morning after Fifth Year ended Harry Potter was at Privet Drive. The morning brought Harry a surprise. He was washing breakfast dishes when his uncle stomped into the kitchen, "Boy! You'll be seeing us leaving this morning and we won't be back until September. We've made sure to leave no food in the fridge to go bad or get eaten by a freak. I've stopped the paper delivery and the water gets turned off this afternoon. We'll be gone soon and I hope I never have to see you again. But if you do somehow live through this summer then make sure to keep your freakish self from being seen by the neighbors."

Harry blinked at his uncle in shock and soon all the Dursleys were gone from the house. "This is great news! I'll have to outwit whichever guard is outside today and I may end up living in the Leaky Cauldron again but hell this is still great news. I've got to tell Hermione," he said. He went back to his room and dug out her phone number from when she'd given it to him in second year and went back downstairs to call.

"Hello Harry," Hermione said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine Hermione," Harry said. "I'm calling because I have news I wanted to share."

Hermione said. "I had the weirdest conversation with the Headmaster yesterday after I got home from Kings Crossing."

Harry replied, "I just had an odd one with my uncle as well. They've left for a cruise and won't be back until September."

There was a smile evident in her voice, "I'm glad to hear it but you need to plan for the summer, and I've just heard something that might make your planning easier. Do you want to come over and talk in person? My folks are at work."

"Sure! Um, where do you live again?" Harry said. Once he had her address he grabbed his wand and went outside. He checked on Mundungus Fletcher, his current watcher for the Order and found him sleeping it off under a tree in the backyard. Harry smiled and went a few blocks over before summoning the Knight Bus and heading over to Hermione's house in Cornwall.

"Hi!" Hermione said when she opened the door. "Come on in. Want something to drink? We only have sugar free soda, juice, and water sorry."

"No problem," he said. "It's not pumpkin juice is it?"

"No, they only have that stuff at Hogwarts. It's orange juice from Florida."

"Okay, I'll have the juice."

She poured two glasses, "Come out by the pool and sit," Hermione said. "It's a lovely day." When they got out back Hermione took off her terry cloth robe to reveal a two piece bikini in Gryffindor colors.

Harry goggled a bit at his friend, then blushed and looked away, gulping his juice. Searching about for a topic of conversation he found one, "So you talked to the old codger yesterday?"

She giggled then tried to look stern, "He is our headmaster Harry. You should be more respectful. Especially since he might suddenly appear again today like he did yesterday. Would you believe that he showed up in the back garden wearing those lurid pink robes? You know, the ones that even Lockhart thought were over the top."

"He's a politician," Harry said. "And I've yet to see a competent politician in the wizarding world."

"What about Amelia Bones?" Hermione asked.

"She's a policewoman not a politician," Harry replied. "She may be their head but there's still a difference. She, at least, wanted to know the truth at my trial last summer before convicting me."

She smiled, "Well I won't argue with you Harry. And to answer you, yes I did. He was being subtle again."

Harry snorted, "You mean he was covering his ancient arse so he could later say he knew nothing and keep his hands at least theoretically clean. Just like with Sirius."

Hermione smirked, "Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to."

"So what was his oh so subtle hint this time?" Harry asked.

"He started off rambling on about rituals," she said. "How most are illegal now and even the ones that aren't are illegal for minors to use. He also mentioned that it's a shame you can't use any rituals before the next school year as you'll probably need one before then. He referenced the time turner incident then just in case I'd missed the hint."

"And you call that subtle?" Harry asked.

Hermione smirked again, "For him it was. Anyway he then stated that 'hypothetically' you would need a second person to do this ritual with and a private location."

"You think he knew the walrus family would be gone?" Harry asked.

"I think not Harry," she said. "But you'll have to let me finish to find out how I know!"

"Sorry," he said grinning. "I'll be quiet."

"Good," she replied firmly. "He then mentioned that there are three people in the U.K. who speak Parseltongue now and you've met both the other two." She frowned thinking, "Then he gave that little fake laugh of his and said he was sure you'd pick the right one to accompany you." She brought out a large leather bound tome and a small, ornate box. "When he finally left he 'accidentally' left these two things behind. "I have read the book. It has an incantation in Parseltongue but the rest is in Hindi. Also there is a portkey in a box."

"I don't think I can read that," Harry said after leafing through the book.

"Honestly Harry," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't you speak anything other than English and snake?"

He blushed, "Err, no. What language is this anyway?"

She smiled fondly and patted his arm, "That language is Hindi. That's why we make such a great team. You do the fighting and intuitive leaps that defy logic and I do the planning, organizing, and logistics."

"If we're such a great team," Harry said, "why aren't you doing this ritual with me?"

"Well aside from the hint that it should be another speaker of parseltongue," she said slowly and trying not to blush. "It is also one of the naughtier rituals and I like you a lot Harry but not that way."

Harry blushed and looked away, then his mind made one of those intuitive leaps she had referenced and he suddenly said, "Ginny!"

Smirking again Hermione said, "Is she the other speaker or were you just imagining doing naughty things with her?"

He tried to ignore that last bit and said, "She was left with that ability after I destroyed the diary."

"Why didn't she say something to me?" Hermione asked.

"You know it's not well thought of," Harry replied.

She nodded, "True. So let's go get her and ask if she'd be willing to help."

"Not at the Burrow though," he said. "Her mum would go ballistic."

"She gets hysterical a bit too often if you ask me," Hermione said.

"I'm just glad Ginny does not take after her that way," he said. "She has the Weasley temper but not her mum's love of histrionics and drama."

"You're lucky then," she said. "So how are we asking her?"

"By owl of course," Harry said. " We'll say we're inviting her to have ice cream and after using a few privacy spells I learned from Luna we can have a real private chat."

"Oh?" she said. "You are going to share them right?"

"Of course," he replied. "I'll be happy to demonstrate the privacy spells now and I'll go over them later okay? She said she showed me so that I might want use it to go see Ginny and make sure she was fully recovered from our adventures."

"Ah, she's subtle too I see," Hermione said.

Harry snorted, "Yeah." Then he pulled out his wand, "I'll show you the spell now and we can practice later." He sent his owl to the Burrow.

Molly took a bit of persuading but Ginny stressed that Hermione was there too and eventually Molly was willing to let Ginny go to Hermione's house on the knight bus unsupervised.

After hugs all around and an offer of refreshments Hermione showed Ginny the book and asked if she could read it. Ginny shrugged and said, "I can't read anything but English."

After the privacy spells were set up Hermione explained her visit from the headmaster and the ritual.

"So you both think I'm supposed to be the other person in this ritual?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "Obviously, you don't have to do it. It is illegal and I don't know what it even involves. I wouldn't ask you to do something like this normally, but I think I will need the extra power to win the coming battle with Riddle."

Ginny hugged him fiercely, "Of course I'll help you Harry!"

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Maybe you ask Hermione to translate it and read it through first before agreeing just in case you change your mind?"

Ginny put one hand on the book and pulled her wand, "I swear on my blood and magic that I will do this ritual with Harry James Potter." The book glowed and she grinned, "That should show you how serious I am about it."

Harry gulped, "Well then I guess there is nothing for it." He looked at Hermione and said, "You said it needed to be done someplace private right?"

Hermione shook off her shock and nodded, "Yes." She handed him the box. It was made of wood, smooth and glossy black, with brass hinges on one side.

Inside was a note and an old Roman coin. The note said that the coin was a portkey to an island owned by the Potters for nine hundred years and it can take as many people as are touching it but it can only be activated by a Potter. Harry read the note out loud and looked at Ginny.

She said, "I'm already committed but I hope Hermione has a plan to keep my mom from thinking we've eloped or something."

Hermione nodded, "I'm sure I can come up with a good one. I already have some ideas but I'd like to discuss them over food." She looked at Harry, "In the mood for pizza Harry?"

Harry nodded, "Sure, come on it'll be my treat."

"Good," Hermione said. "There is one in walking distance that's good." She lead them out the door and locked it behind them "Follow me," she said.

For all she said she wanted to discuss things Hermione didn't say much at the pizzeria. She mostly scribbled in a notebook and muttered to herself. She excused herself once to leave the table and they were surprised when she left for a fair bit of a while then came back and resumed scribbling. Eventually she nodded to herself and took a bite of now lukewarm pizza, "I think I have it. If all goes well your mum will be getting a letter tomorrow and she'll want to send you somewhere safe. Take the portkey she gives you. It won't be what she thinks but will instead be my place. I'll call Harry and when he gets here I'll hand you a copy of the ritual and send you on your way. How does that sound?"

Ginny blinked, "It sounds brilliant Hermione, but are you sure you can do it?"

Hermione smiled, "It's done already. Unless something goes wrong soon you'll both be on a tropical island alone."

"Thanks Hermione!" Harry said. "I don't what I'd do without you."