money from it, so please Mrs. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
Please, if you read, take two minutes to review.
Harry walked into the potions classroom and took a seat with Ron and Hermione.
“Hi,” he said. Glad to see that with the general murmur of students conversing about the assignment for the day that they would be able to talk without too much fear of Snape harassing them.
“So what did you think of the DA meeting last night?” Hermione asked. Harry started to smile.
“I think Ron did a really good job throwing of Ginny’s Imperious curse,” he replied. Ever since Ron and Hermione had gotten together three weeks ago, he was getting really good at it. He was the only one who could shake himself free from Ginny in less than a minute. Harry and Hermione could beat her too, but it still took them longer than Ron.
“What do you think makes her so good at it?” Ron asked. “No one else in the DA can beat her but us three.”
“Well, we have been practicing much longer than the rest of them,” Hermione responded. Harry thought for a while.
“Last year in the Ministry, when I chased after Bellatrix Lestrange, I hit her with the Cruciatus curse.” Ron and Hermione gaped at him. “I couldn’t maintain it though. She started teasing me after that, saying in order to properly use an Unforgivable Curse you had to mean it, to truly want to cause pain. I think Ginny is able to do that where we can’t.” Ron and Hermione just stared at him.
“You think Ginny wants to hurt us?” Ron asked incredulously. He was starting to get angry.
“No, she doesn’t want to hurt us. But she is willing to do it if it helps us train better,” Harry replied. “Ginny is definitely on our side, but she has a lot of Slytherin in her. She is trying to prepare us, me to be precise and she is willing to do what she has to in order to accomplish her goal.” Ron didn’t say anything, but Harry could tell he was mad at what he had said.
“Look, we’ve all crossed a line just by performing the curse on each other. All I’m saying is Ginny is stepping further over it than we are,” Harry said, trying to mollify him.
“Harry, how much harder is it going to be to beat the curse when it is Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters?” Hermione asked timidly. It had dawned on her that the more pain someone was willing to cause, the harder it would be to break free from the curse.
“I don’t know. That’s why next week, Ron has to start going against both Ginny and me. And when he can beat both of us then we’re going to make him fight all three of us; you, me, and Ginny. Just like Ginny demands more from me every day, I’m going to demand more from the rest of you.”
Hermione looked at him. Harry thought he could almost see the thoughts flying back and forth in her head through her eyes. Ron broke the silence.
“We’ll I guess we’re just going to have to work harder then,” he remarked, glaring back at Harry. “By the way, Hermione and I are going to collect on the trip to my brothers’ shop today,” he added curtly.
“Come on Ron, all I did was tell you the truth about why Ginny can perform the curse so well,” Harry pleaded with him.
“I know Harry. I’m sorry; I just really didn’t like what you had to say. I don’t want to hear that my little sister is anything like that git, Percy.”
“Ronald, she is not like that at all. What Percy did was for himself. What Ginny is doing is for us, for Harry,” Hermione broke in, reaching to touch his hand.
“How are you going to prove it’s dead?” Harry asked, trying to move the subject further away from Ginny.
“Watch and see….I’ll let you know when, Hermione….ok?” Ron said. Harry saw him discreetly point his wand at Snape. Hermione had her wand out too and had also taken over watching Ron’s cauldron for him.
“Ok, Hermione that should do it.”
Harry watched as she pointed her wand at the flame under Malfoy’s cauldron. The steam coming from it started to increase by a fraction. Malfoy didn’t notice. He leaned over it, looking to see if the potion was the right color yet. All of the sudden a giant gas bubble exploded, throwing the contents of the cauldron into the air. Most of it landed on Malfoy’s face.
He screamed in pain as large boils began to form on his face. They began to pop and puss began to ooze out of them a moment later. Snape looked up in fury at the noise. Harry saw horror spread on Snape’s face as he saw what was happening, he grabbed his wand and tried to send a cleansing spell at Malfoy. It didn’t work. Malfoy’s cauldron had cracked, spilling the rest of its contents to the floor. Ron grabbed Harry.
“Quick, drink this.” He shoved a vial of clear liquid into Harry’s hand. Harry looked at him, confused.
“Drink it, I’ll explain later.” Harry gulped down the contents of the vial. Ron grabbed the vial back, dropped it to the floor and stepped on it.
The class was out of control as students climbed up on chairs and desks trying not to let the potion touch them. It seemed to spread over a much greater area than should have been possible. Snape was staring at his wand in bewilderment. Harry had seen him use the same spell countless times to clean up spilled potions before.
“Scourgify!” Hermione said, waving her wand at the mess. It was gone in an instant.
“Finite!” She sent another spell at Malfoy and the boils ceased to form. However his face was covered in angry red splotches. Malfoy continued to whimper in pain at the burning. A second later Harry saw him calm considerably as Hermione sent the pain relieving spell at him that she had learned from Mrs. Weasley. Snape seemed to have recovered.
“Take him to the hospital wing,” he barked at Crabbe and Goyle. “The rest of you, class is over for the day.” Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly grabbed their things and moved to the door, hoping to get out of the dungeon before Snape changed his mind. Harry looked back at the last second to see Professor Snape, a very confused expression on his face, shaking his wand. He turned and ran up the stairs with Ron and Hermione. They didn’t stop until they reached the Great Hall and sat down for lunch.
“So do we get the five galleons?” Ron asked when they sat down. He was out of breath, but smiling broadly at Harry.
“Yeah I think you do,” Harry replied. “What was that stuff you made me drink?”
“That was the antidote to veritaserum. We will be taking it once a month along with the rest of the DA before going to potions for a while now,” Hermione answered with a smile that looked harmless. But if you knew her well enough, you could see in her eyes that it was more than a little mischievous.
She has been spending too much time with Ginny, the voices said inside Harry’s head.
Yeah, I’m kind of glad she is Ron’s problem right now, Harry replied. I don’t think I can handle two of Ginny.
“So when are we going to Diagon Alley?” Ron asked.
“Why don’t you just send Fred and George an owl with what you want. They know my account number,” Harry answered. “By the way you two, that was great.”
Harry was under the invisibility cloak trying to follow Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. Because they could just pretend to be performing their duties as prefects, the three of them didn’t need to sneak out at night. Harry on the other hand, he could get in a lot of trouble. Hence the presence of the Marauder’s Map
“I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into sneaking into the boy Prefects’ bathroom,” Hermione hissed at Harry.
“Shut it will you? I’m not supposed to be here. That’s the whole point of the cloak you know.” They finally reached the bathroom and after Ron made sure it was empty, he motioned them all in. He then locked it behind them setting every spell he could think of on it, including the Recognition charm.
“She’s right you know, Harry. McGonagall will skin us alive if we get caught in here with them,” Ron commented as he moved to the pool sized tub.
“Look, it’s the only place I could think of to go besides Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Plus it’s nicer in here,” Harry replied, as he finished filling the pool.
Let’s just hope she doesn’t decide to pay a visit, the voices commented in Harry’s head.
“Besides, all we’re doing is swimming,” Harry added. He was already in the water.
“Yes, but we’re in the boys’ bathroom,” Hermione replied in exasperation.
Harry having had enough of her complaints, raised his wand and directed a stream of water at her face. The next thing he knew, Ginny, Ron and Hermione had him cornered and were taking turns spinning him in whirlpools. Then Ron turned on Hermione and Ginny created a tidal wave to throw them to the other end of the pool. The battle raged for quite some time, but eventually ended with Harry and Ron hanging upside down in the air while Ginny and Hermione dunked them in and out of the pool.
“Ok, Ok! You win. We surrender,” Ron sputtered. Ginny looked at Hermione and with a wicked smile, she floated Ron up to the ceiling.
“You wouldn’t, Hermione?” Harry gasped, his eyes caught between horror and pleading. She twitched her wand and he was up next to Ron in a blink.
“This is bad, Harry,” Ron said to him.
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m going to like this a whole lot,” Harry agreed. Ron smiled at him and shot a look at Hermione.
“To think, I’m in love with that wicked brown haired girl.” Hermione gasped, her mouth pursed in the manner of Professor McGonagall.
“Ready Ginny?” she asked, in a sickeningly sweet voice.
“Oh yes, I’m tired, don’t think I can hold them up there any longer.” Ginny replied, feigning weakness. “Now?” she asked.
“Now,” Hermione agreed.
“Or that I willingly call Ginny my sister.”
“Arghhh!” Harry and Ron hit the water with a tremendous splash. They came up sputtering, and laughing. The girls had their wands up to defend against any attack that might come.
“I think we’re done,” Harry said, looking at Ron and putting his hands up.
“Yeah, next time let’s bring Seamus and Dean. At least they fight fair.”
“You two are a real pain you know,” Hermione said, with a sigh and smile. “Really Ron, how am I supposed to teach Harry restraint, when all you do is encourage him? I still can’t believe I’m in here. With all the noise we’ve been making half the school must know we’re here.” Ginny swam over to look at the Marauders Map.
“Well, no one is headed this way yet. So we’re still ok,” she said. “The Prefect bathroom for the girls is bigger you know,” she added, looking around. Harry had climbed out of the pool and was toweling off.
“Actually Hermione, I drug you down here so we could all talk about the prophecy,” he said, taking a seat on the pool deck. The others joined him.
“Harry, I just don’t see how I’m supposed to accomplish what the prophecy says,” Hermione replied.
“Yeah mate, we’ve talked between the two of us and I can’t come up with any ideas to help her,” Ron said quietly. He didn’t like seeing Hermione struggle. It was even worse when he couldn’t help. Ginny just sat quietly, leaning against Harry with her eyes closed. Harry was smiling.
“Well I do. In fact, I think she has already fulfilled the prophecy. I think she does every day.” Ron and Hermione looked at him urging him to go on with their eyes.
“Look, we all agree about the brown hair, one from none, second friend and love of one right?” he asked. They both nodded. “Hermione, you have been teaching me restraint, well both me and Ron really, since you met me. It was you who always tried to get me to think before I acted. If I would have listened to you last spring. I might have gone to Snape for help, instead of running off to the Ministry to save Sirius. That is a mistake that I will never repeat,” he said angrily. Hermione reached to touch his hand.
“Harry, you can’t blame yourself for Sirius.”
“I can, and I do,” Harry replied firmly. “But I am done kicking myself for it. Accepting it and learning from it is the only thing I can do to honor Sirius now.
“But even more than losing Sirius, I learned restraint when I fell in love with you. I could have just told you. I could have betrayed Ron. But I knew if I did that I could lose you both. So I did my best to hide it until Ron guessed. We agreed to fight for you without fighting each other. Ultimately I knew the choice was yours to make. And that if you chose Ron, I would have to love you by letting you go. Now matter how much it would hurt, and still does,” he added softly.
Ron was staring at the floor. Harry had done a remarkable job of being happy for him and Hermione. So good in fact, that Ron sometimes forgot what Harry must be feeling when he saw him with Hermione.
“Harry I’m sorry,” Hermione said gently.
“Don’t be, Hermione you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“Harry, you’re my best friend, and my brother. So don’t lie to me and tell me this isn’t killing you,” Ron said to him.
“I’m not Ron, it hurts. But it gets a little better each day.” It wasn’t, but Harry lied anyways.
“Then how on earth can she be giving you strength?” Ron asked in frustration.
“Because I love her Ron, I will not allow anything to happen that will hurt her. Or for that matter any of the people I love ever again. Hermione, do you remember the night you told me you picked Ron?” Harry asked. “You remember what I said?”
She nodded her head. It would have been impossible to forget.
“Even though you picked Ron, that was the night you gave me the strength to fight him. I am coming for Voldemort. I wanted him to know that he should fear me. So I let down the barrier between us and I told him….Hermione, you have already fulfilled your part of the prophecy,” Harry finished his explanation. Hermione and Ron looked at Harry and then at each other.
“You really are a great wizard, Harry,” Hermione said looking back at him.
“If I am, it’s only because I have the help of my brother who is also a great wizard, and my sisters who are even greater witches,” Harry answered.
“I think we should head back to the common room for the night,” Ginny broke into the conversation. “I want to sit by the fire for a while,” she added without lifting her head from Harry’s shoulder.
A short while later they walked back into the empty Gryffindor common room, everyone else already having gone to bed.
“I think I’m done for the night,” Ron said. “See you in the morning Hermione?” She kissed his cheek goodnight before responding.
“I’m going up too.”
Ginny sat down on the couch in front of the fire. Harry joined her. She moved over to lean against him again, her head resting on his shoulder once more.
“You don’t mind do you?”
“No I don’t, Gin.” They sat quietly for a few minutes.
“Ginny….did I live up to your expectations?”
“For tonight Harry, for tonight,” she replied.
“Good,” Harry answered.
Ron walked into the 6th years’ dorm room to find Seamus, Neville, Dean and his two brothers, Fred and George. He was greeted with a barrage of pillows.
Protégo!” he yelped, waving his wand. The pillows never got there.
“Oy, not bad ickle Ronnie,” George commented, laughing at him.
“What are you guys doing here?” Ron asked, surprised to see them.
“Better yet,” Fred started.
“Where have you been?” George finished the question.
“Off snogging with Hermione, I’d say,” Neville tossed in. The others started laughing again. Ron felt his ears turning red.
“Watch it, or I’ll knock points off on you,” he growled at Neville.
“Only if you want to end up locked in your trunk,” Dean replied, smirking at him.
“Seriously though, little bro,” Fred started.
“We’re here so you can tell us what the deal is between our little sister,” George picked up.
“And Harry,” Fred finished. Ron looked at them.
“Yeah, I suppose you should know.” He sat down and began to relate what had happened on the day of the Quidditch tryouts.
“To borrow a phrase from you Ronald,” it was Fred talking.
“Bloody Hell!” George said when Ron had finished the story. “So what do we do about it?” he asked.
“Not much we can do,” Ron replied.
“Or should do for that matter,” Fred added.
“Well I know what I’m going to do,” Dean spoke up. The others looked at him. “Be glad it is Harry she goes after and make sure I don’t make her mad.”
“You got that right mate,” Seamus remarked. The others nodded in agreement.
George punched Fred in the arm as they made their way to the portrait hole.
“What was that for?”
“Look.” George pointed. Harry and Ginny had fallen asleep on the couch.
“Should we?” Fred asked. George considered.
“No, let them be. Harry’s got more than enough to deal with, without our harassment.”
“You disappoint me,” Fred responded.
“Well you go ahead then. But I’m not walking around with a pumpkin for a head for the next month because I twisted Ginny's knickers in a knot,” George commented. Fred paused.
“Yeah, you’re right. Surprise like that she might kill us before she calmed down.” They turned to go.
“Say George, you don’t suppose Ginny and Harry have a Hermione and Ron thing going on do you?” Fred considered the question.
“No, she sleeps like that all the time at home with us. Or whoever is closest when we’re gathered around the fire at night talking. Come on, we still have some new products to get on the shelves for Halloween tomorrow,” Fred said, heading down the hallway.
Harry knocked on the door to Professor Lupin and Professor Tonks’s office.
“Come in.” Harry entered; it appeared that only Professor Lupin was there. “Hello Mr. Potter,” his Professor said as Harry closed the door.
“Hello Remus,” Harry replied. Professor Lupin brightened.
“Good, I was hoping this was not official business. How have you been Harry? I have managed to keep tabs on you pretty well this year. Being your teacher helps in that manner. Quite a performance you and your teammates put on against Slytherin; 210-20. I thought Ron would shut them out there for a while, but he seemed to lose concentration when you and Mr. Malfoy went after the snitch. They got those two in before he recovered, brilliant save on the third one though.” He smiled at Harry.
Harry recalled the match fondly. It was the worst defeat Slytherin had suffered in a long time. What made it even better was Malfoy was their team captain.
“The other match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw was pretty good too,” Harry commented. “It was real competitive except for Cho being a much better Seeker. The match was even otherwise.”
“I think both those teams will give Gryffindor a good run this year,” Remus replied. “Though I think the match of the year will be Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw.” Harry shook his head with a rueful smile.
“I just hope Cho doesn’t knock me off my broom.” They sat watching each other for a moment before Remus spoke again.
“So did you just come to say hi today Harry, or is there something I might help you with?” Harry smirked.
“Saw right through me didn’t you, Remus?”
“Well, I thought there might be something. You suffered the loss of Sirius less than six months ago Harry. You’re only just recovering from it. And now rumor has it that you gave your heart to someone, and she didn’t want it. Am I right?” Harry didn’t answer. Remus sighed heavily.
“I thought as much,” he commented. “It’s a different kind of pain, isn’t it? She’s still here, while Sirius is gone to you….to us forever.”
“There are times I think it’s worse,” Harry said softly.
“I would agree Harry, Sirius being gone makes it easier to adjust.”
“Will it get better Remus, because it’s been six weeks and it hasn’t yet,” Harry asked in a whisper.
“That Harry, I’m glad to say is a question I can answer from experience. It will, eventually, you just have to be patient.” Harry looked at Remus; he was smiling kindly back at him.
“Who was she, Remus?” Remus considered for a moment.
“And that Harry, is a question that I will never answer.” Remus stood up and walked around the desk putting his arm around Harry’s shoulders.
“Harry, I promise you that some day a girl will come along, who will make you forget that you ever loved Hermione in the way you do now.”
“I will….“ Harry started to protest. Remus interrupted.
“I didn’t say you wouldn’t still love her. Only that it will change. Someone else will take her place.” Harry was quiet again.
“How about some lunch Harry, it would be good to eat early today. Let the hunger build for the Halloween feast tonight.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.” They headed out of the room and down the hall. “Know anything about the entertainment for tonight?” Harry asked.
“Oh”I do, but the Headmaster will be most displeased with me if I let his secret out,” Remus replied, as they turned the corner.