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An avian face the size of a doll peered from inside Ginny’s school bag, all tousled red-gold feathers and liquid black eyes. He chirped as she crouched behind a brick wall. Her long hair whipped around her pink face while she struggled to catch her breath.
“I know,” Ginny said, raising a hand to one of her ruby earrings. “Fawkes, flame on!”
-
What’s it like being a superhero? Ginny imagined the conversation as she raced across the London rooftops. She pictured her best friend, Luna, from the school paper sitting her down, asking her what it was like to have a double life, one that involved magic and monsters.
She whipped her yo-yo out, feeling it snag on the side of a building. Without hesitating, she launched off the roof and threw herself into the air; the yellow ribbons in her twin plaits streamed behind her like banners. The whole city moved in a blur around her, the halted traffic, the shocked pedestrians. Neither of them was used to her. But London remained her personal obstacle course, encouraging her to tumble off dangerous heights, jumping off the sides of old buildings with reckless abandonment. It was incredible, it was exhilarating–and her mum would so kill her if she found out.
Oh, you know. I wake up.
Ginny landed in a low crouch; knees slightly bent.
I go to school.
Screams filled the air in the open market. People were deserting the courtyard. Stalls had been knocked over, fruit and other produce spilled all over the ground. A string of loose fairy lights winked as it dangled between an alleyway.
I save the world.
“Where have you been?” Night Owl said. The silver-white metal feathers that acted as armor on his black costume glimmered in the evening light. His cowl and mask concealed his features, his eyes flashed behind his amber-colored goggles, but Ginny knew him enough by now that his slouched shoulders meant he was more annoyed than worried.
She could never resist teasing him.
Ginny eyed his staff, grinning. “Started without me, mate?”
A voice bellowed.
She followed Night Owl’s gaze to where a giant toddler stomped in an angry circle. He wore overalls that looked like they came straight from a picture book, the hems rolled unevenly, a patchwork job done on one knee, a strap undone from a large black button. He moved clumsily, red fists knocking displays over and feet crushing whatever was unfortunate enough to be in his way. The holographic image of a snake circled his head like a halo, causing his eyes to glow a bright green.
Great. Another one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
Night Owl sighed. “I think it’s the groundkeeper’s brother. Uh, maybe from that school.”
“From Hogwarts,” Ginny said instinctively. Hogwarts Academy was only a few streets away. She bit her lower lip. Be oblivious, she told herself. She needed her secret identity for a reason. As far as she knew, everyone still believed little Ginny Weasley was a clumsy schoolgirl, the youngest of seven in her family, not the loud-mouthed hero Phoenix Fire. She twisted her yo-yo string in her hands.
“I Grawp!” the giant confirmed. He picked up a fallen bench, and threw it at them.
Ginny wrapped an arm around Night Owl’s waist and lifted him in the air with her. Her yo-yo pulled them up and out of harm’s way. He clung to her side as she swore when Grawp threw another bench at them. She twisted in the air, using their combined weight to help her kick off a wall, getting enough momentum to swing themselves to a nearby rooftop.
An object whizzed past Ginny’s ear before she could even stand, splattering against the tiles. A tomato?
“Keep moving!” Night Owl said. He placed a strong hand on her back, encouraging her to duck as they ran. A table shattered into pieces, then a chair, wood and metal flew everywhere.
Ginny grabbed him by the front of his costume, feeling the warmth of his body, and boldly threw him with her over the side of the building.
It was a short fall.
They landed on the adjacent rooftop in a heap. Night Owl blinked. His breath tickled her ear. She caught a quick look of dark hair beneath his brooding cowl. Jesus. Ginny swallowed a shout, needing a moment for her mind to catch up with the fact that her partner-in-crime felt bloody fit against her hands.
“Grawp mad!”
A shadow descended over them.
Night Owl rolled off her. He jumped to his feet; his bo staff held like a sword. He smashed a rubbish bin to the side, treating it like a game of cricket instead of crushing the brave heroes. Something about his stance teased Ginny’s mind, maybe another boy with a brooding expression and strong hands…
She shook her head. This wasn’t the time.
“Grawp wants miraculous!” Grawp bellowed. “Grawp wants toys!”
The snake flickered above his head.
Night Owl touched the side of his black bracelet. Like Ginny’s earrings, his bracelet was the source of his powers. “Why can’t they want something else?”
“It won’t be as fun.”
Night Owl rolled his eyes.
Ginny rose to her feet, unhooking her yo-yo. She watched the way Grawp moved, eyes narrowing on the large button. That had to be where the Horcrux was. She remembered the groundkeeper’s brother wearing a similar one on his coat. “Come on; we need to tire him out.”
Night Owl’s grin was sharp. “After you, my Phoenix Fire.”
“Phoenix Tears!” She tossed her yo-yo in the air. Her weapon burned in a flash of gold-white light, changing shape, and a string of red-and-gold lights landed in her hands.
“We…we what?” Night Owl tilted his head, voice dry. “Give him a cozy space for a nap?”
“This is the fun part,” she told him. She concentrated. And how do you defeat the Horcruxes? Ginny imaged the rest of the interview. “Keep Grawp busy. The alleyway east of the courtyard,” she said. “I have a plan.”
“Does it involve us playing babysitters?”
“That’s the silver lining.” Ginny flashed him a smile. “Trust me.”
“I always do.” There was an echo of something familiar in Night Owl’s deep voice, but before she could say anything, he leaped off the side of the building, his talons out.
Ginny broke into a run. That part is easy enough, she thought. My partner and I always have enough nerve.
“I have your toy right here!” Night Owl shouted. He dodged, weaving between Grawp’s legs, directing him across the market.
“MINE!” Grawp said.
She climbed down the slope of a slate-covered roof, unknotting a string of fairy lights that was tied to a fire escape. She tied it to her own and coiled it over her shoulders like a firehose. She jumped to another roof, heart beating wildly in her chest as she tumbled again in the air. She continued to collect them from around the open market, grabbing banners and lights, twisting, and tying them until she had a glowing net securely anchored at the east entrance.
It was big enough for a tantrum-throwing giant.
Ginny whistled, catching the attention of Grawp and Night Owl. “What about my toys? They’re pretty miraculous.”
-
“Talons in!” Harry stumbled to his feet. His costume transformed back into his school uniform in a show of black light. Hedwig left his bracelet, dropping like a heavy stone in his hands.
“Want toast…” his familiar mumbled.
“I know,” Harry said. “You did good out there.” He carefully slipped Hedwig inside his backpack, ensuring she was safe in the front pocket. He scratched the top of her head, promising her plates of toast for when they get back to Privet Drive. All he had to do was sneak by Dudley in the kitchen and finish any extra chores his aunt had for him…
You did good, too, Harry thought, catching the feathered pattern of Phoenix Fire’s uniform. She disappeared between buildings once the Horcrux had been destroyed. No matter how badly he wanted to follow her, no matter how mesmerized he was by her bright hair flashing in the sunlight, the yellow ribbons trailing behind her, they had to keep their lives separate. But maybe one day, he’d get to know the girl behind the red mask.
He smiled at the image of Grawp tangled in Phoenix Fire’s web, the determined tilt of her chin when she let him break the button with his sharp talons. Their powers were the two sides of the same coin: her creation and his destruction.
Harry crept behind a brick wall, making sure the coast was clear. Out on the street, a normal-sized Grawp cried into Hagrid’s chest. “I wanna–I wanna–” The rest of his tantrum dissolved into tears.
Hagrid awkwardly patted his back. “Er, s’alight. We all get bad moods from time to time.”
Tell me about it. Harry stifled a yawn, exhausted. He crossed the street, vanishing in a growing crowd of onlookers.
“Another Horcrux?”
“Thank god for those heroes…”
“Just how many attacks will Voldemort cause?”
“Bloody snake face…snake man…”
“Sorry!” A figure crashed against his shoulder, startling Harry. It was Ginny, Ron’s sister. Her long hair fell around her shoulder in gentle waves, cheeks pink and dark eyes wide. She clutched her bag to her chest.
They spoke over each other.
“Are you—”
“–what an attack.” Ginny’s warm laughter washed over him. “Glad to see you’re safe.”
She was usually so shy around him, and he welcomed any interaction where she wasn’t stumbling over her words. He knew from Ron and her family that she was funny and had a warm personality, but whenever he was near… A hundred small memories went through his mind: Ginny placing her elbow in the butter dish, Ginny tripping up the stairs.
This Ginny was almost a stranger to him.
“Same.” Harry shifted his backpack to his other shoulder. He couldn’t find the right words he wanted, something to draw on more of this version of her. “See you in school?”
It was an immediate transformation. Ginny ducked her head, blushing harder. She mumbled something about being late and broke into a run.
Harry watched her leave, catching the way her long hair danced behind her like a banner. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. It had to be a trick of the light…
“Toast?” Hedwig asked, a single yellow eye blinking from behind the opened zipper in his backpack.
“And digestives,” Harry added, walking down the street. He thought of red hair and bright laughter, of coincidences that could never be true. “But you’ll have to share.”