Delays, Disappointment, and Dating - Part 6

"You said you didn't feel anything, Harry. What do you mean by that?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed. "I can't explain it exactly. With the diary and again when I was at the cave with Dumbledore… I could sense something. I hadn't really given it much thought until Moody told me how to sense magic with these," Harry said, holding up the Spell Detectors. "I'm hoping that when we do manage to locate a Horcrux, it'll happen again, and I'll be able to explain it better."

Hermione frowned, obviously not satisfied with his answer, but she let it drop for the moment.

Standing in front of row after row of broken-down old wardrobes, Ron looked overwhelmed. "Are we supposed to go through every one of these? It'll take ages. They're all empty, anyway."

"Well, he's not going to leave anything right where you can see it," Hermione said scathingly.

"Here, use these," Harry said, handing the Spell Detectors to Ron. "I don't know if they'll still be able to pick up any magic after sixty years, but look for a glowing color on any of them. If it's red, it means Dark Magic."

"What are you going to do?" Ron asked

"I'm going to walk through the dormitories under the Cloak and see if I see any of the older-style wardrobes are still in use up there," he replied.

"I'll go with you," Ginny said. "It'll be quicker with two sets of eyes in each place.

Harry nodded and raised his arm so she could slip under the Cloak with him. All of his senses suddenly went on high alert once she was pressed so close to him. It was all he could do to focus on simply walking toward the stairs.

"Just looking for wardrobes," Ron said, disgruntled. "No snogging while you're up there."

"Leave them alone, Ron," Hermione said. "Come on, let's get started."

Harry and Ginny climbed the stairs and walked quietly towards the wing where the orphans slept. With a massive effort, Harry forced his body to calm down and his mind away from the thought of how nicely his hand fit in the curve of Ginny's hip as they searched the rooms.

Several times they saw staff workers patrolling the corridors, but the Cloak kept them hidden, and they simply froze until the person had passed. It was during these 'frozen' spells that Harry's mind would once again become overly aware of Ginny's closeness. He'd have to drag his thoughts back to the present each time they began moving again.

It took a long time to search all the rooms, and they found no trace of any of the old wardrobes still in use. Several of the orphans were still awake and only pretending to sleep when the workers entered the rooms. Harry smiled, remembering doing the same thing to Aunt Petunia when he was younger. He'd frequently sneak out of his cupboard and prowl the house once the Dursleys went to bed, occasionally sneaking food from the kitchen.

"I don't think there's anything up here, Harry," Ginny said when they reached the end of the wing.

"No. It was unlikely anyway, but worth checking," Harry replied, feeling slightly discouraged.

Ginny stopped walking, turned around and pressed him against the wall. There was a determined glint in her eyes that he'd never seen before, and a slow smile spread across her features. Harry became instantly aware of every part of her body that was pressed against his, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her in place.