Chapter 326 - Far Away

"Happy Birthday, Harry," said Luna Lovegood brightly, as she squeezed herself into the kitchen. 

"Thanks, Luna," Harry smiled as Luna presented him a small box.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," said Colin Creevy looking excited as usual.

"Hey, thanks, Colin."

The Burrow was too crowded. The Weasleys, Fleur's family, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Aurelia, Hermione all were gathered in the kitchen as Harry opened his birthday presents.

Luna Lovegood and Colin Creevy, Ginny Weasley's best friends just arrived to greet them. Luna's dirty blonde hair, pale eyebrows, reddish earrings, butterbeer cork necklace and the dreamy look in her eyes always made her stand out in the crowd. No matter what the others thought about her, her friends simply loved her the way she was. 

On the other hand, because of his photography and Quidditch performance, Colin was quite popular. Colin wasn't very tall, the same height as Ginny, he had mousy hair and an all-time smile fixed on his face. 

"Colin, I didn't think you will make it," Hermione said surprised as she gave a hug to Colin after hugging Luna.

"Yeah, I did not either," Colin said nervously looking sideways at Mrs Weasley.

"I thought your parents were ~" Harry began but Ginny cut him off.

"Colin, Luna, let's go to my room. It's getting crowded here," said Ginny and without waiting for an answer she dragged both of them to her room.

As soon as they reach Ginny's room on the first floor, Ginny closed the door and sighed.

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Colin asked. His smile was gone.

"No, I did not," snapped Ginny. "You think they will be happy to hear it? I don't think so. In fact, they will give me a speech about how they are older and smarter and stuff. How they have an actual goal, unlike us."

"You know they will be kind of right if they say that," said Luna scratching Heavenleigh, Ginny's cute white cat, who curled up on Luna's lap as she sat on the bed.

"So you think our goal is not important?" Ginny grumbled.

"Ginny, calm down, will you?" Colin said. "Luna didn't mean it like that. She meant there is a difference between us and Harry, Ron and Hermione. They will be looking for Horcruxes but we - we will be going for our friend who is out there doing . . . stuff."

"Right, and we have to do it because she decided to abandon us without telling us where she was going or why?" Ginny said crossing her arms.

"She didn't abandon us, Ginny," said Luna surprised. "And I believe she had a good reason for not telling us. I just hope she is safe."

"She will be Luna, we know her," Colin said putting an arm around Luna.

"So am I the only one who wants to go and find her?" Ginny said narrowing her eyes.

Colin sighed.

"No, Ginny, we are coming. We have already discussed this many times. We also care about Chris and we will not run away and save ourselves while she is working against them outside. . . alone. That's why I am here, remember? I have removed my parents and Dennis' memory and had convinced Cedric to send them away in a safe place for this, you know that. So even if I die in this, they wouldn't remember that they had another son in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Ginny mumbled looking down.

Colin rubbed his face looking sad. Luna squeezed his shoulder comfortingly.

"I have also asked my father to go into hiding if I disappear. We all are worried, Ginny, but we shouldn't be harsh to each other for that. We are friends," she said.

"Yeah," Ginny dropped on Hermione makeshift bed. "Sorry. I am just -"

"It's fine," Colin gave a sad smile. "Now, can we talk about our plan?"

Ginny and Luna nodded.

After Chris left, the Order had done everything to find Chris but failed. Maybe the reason was they didn't know what they were looking for, but Ginny did. Ginny, Colin and Luna had talked through their talisman and found a lot of things.

At their first visit to Grimmauld Place, Chris had taken a book from the black family library about magical traces. Luna had once read in that book that there was a ritual to track someone by their blood signature. So after Chris left, using that book and her talisman, which had her blood signature in it, Luna decided to try the ritual. At first, Colin was sceptical because every blood-related ritual could go horribly wrong, so they took the time to prepare everything perfectly. Then, at last, a week ago Luna did it. The results were a little vague, she only found out that Chris was in a forest in Romania. After that Ginny had to wriggle out all the information she could find about Romania from Charlie. Turned out there were lots of forests five in Romania but only five related to the people of the wizarding world. Though that didn't make their search work any easy.

"We will figure out something," Colin said reassuringly. "We can use Portkeys as I have mastered the spell and Ginny had learned to Apparate . . . illegally though."

"Says the illegal Animagus to another illegal Animagus," Ginny said rolling her eyes. 

Ginny and Colin smiled a little bit and Luna laughed.

"Not to forget the talisman is still active from the ritual," Luna reminded after she stopped laughing. "It will help us to track Chris after we reach Romania."

"So it's final then we are leaving after Bill and Fleur's wedding," Colin said looking at Ginny and Luna. Both nodded looking determined.

Though Ginny was the one most eager to leave, as the time drew closer she became more and more worried about her parents. Luna had at least gave her father a clue but Ginny had given nothing to get her mother getting suspicious about her. From a point, it was a blessing that Mrs Weasley didn't know anything but at the same time it was also dangerous for them.

"Ginny!" Fleur knocked on the door and Colin and Luna quickly hid their stuff as Ginny went to open the door.

"Yeah?" Ginny asked opening the door a little.

"The Meneester ees 'ere," said Fleur in her thick French voice. "'Ee wants to meet you and your friends."

"All three of us?" Ginny said surprised opening the door completely.

"Yes, they are waiting in the leeving room," Fleur replied and without waiting walked back downstairs.

Looking confused Ginny, Colin and Luna followed her.

****

The Burrow was on fire. Death Eaters and Malgino's Minions were running all around. Every one of the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Cedric, Sirius, Remus, Aurelia, Tonks and all the Order members were fighting the Minions and Death Eaters. In the middle of this, Luna screamed somewhere and then Stormy blasted the entire place. . .

"NOOOO -- OUCH!" 

Chris groaned as she fell from the tree and hit the ground. She looked up at the bright sunlight and blinked a few times before her surroundings settled in.

"Another nightmare, Zil. Nothing to worry about," she muttered as the Thestral beside her, peered down at her curiously. 

"You are right. I shouldn't have changed back to my human form on the tree. It would have been more practical to sleep on the branch as snake."

Chris got up from the ground, rubbing her heaps and started dusting her clothes. She had changed so much that barely anyone could recognize her anymore. Well, that was the goal. Her hair was now shoulder length and light turquoise in colour rather than her natural dark brown; her eyes were not blue but black, and unlike the wizarding cloaks, she was wearing jeans and a long hooded sweatshirt, both were filthy by now.

For a month, she was all over the places of not only the wizarding world but Muggle world too. She had stayed in Muggle hotels, and wizarding inns; she had gone to the Muggle bank and the Grinngots, the wizarding bank; she had travelled all the way from London to Romania and had stayed at different forests as well. And now finally, she was near her destination: the Titian forest. 

But yesterday she decided to spend the night at the edge of a forest near a Muggle village before heading to the Titian forest.

"You must be hungry, Zil," Chris said to her Thestral as she undid the protection charms around. "I saw a market in the village. I will get some food for us before we leave. Okay?"

Chris tied a scarf around her neck (in case she needed to quickly hide her face) and then walked casually towards the village leaving Zil, the thestral alone.

______________________________

To be continued. . .