Why, oh why did I kiss her? If I’d have just said ‘no’ Ginny wouldn’t hate me now! I just pushed too hard; leapt in too early. Like with Cho. Oh Merlin, why did this happen…?
He jerked his head up as a red haired figure walked into the room from the girls dormitories.
“Ginny?”
Ginny, who hadn’t realised Harry was in the Common Room, looked over to him and began blushing furiously.
“Ginny.” Now Harry had her attention, he really wasn’t sure what to say. All his carefully prepared speeches went out the window as he stared at the youngest Weasley; he felt the heat crawl mercilessly up his face.
“Ginny I’m…”
“Sorry Harry…”
Both Harry and Ginny started talking together and they both stopped, each waiting for the other to start talking again. Harry tried again.
“Ginny. I just wanted to say, well, I’m really sorry about that kiss over Christmas. I didn’t mean to…I mean I did mean to… but… sort of… well…”
Ginny watched him, a tear falling down her cheek.
Oh God, Harry thought in panic. This isn’t meant to happen…
Throwing caution to the winds, Harry spoke in a rush.
“Ginny, I think I love you.”
To his utter amazement, Ginny ran over to him and gave him a huge hug.
“Harry!” she sobbed. “Oh Harry. I thought you hated me, you know, after what happened at Christmas. I thought you only kissed me because Charlie challenged you to. I’ve fancied you for years “ that’s why I never worked things out with Michael and Dean. And, well, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Oh Harry, I thought you hated me!”
Harry was totally bemused. “Me? Hate you?” he answered slowly. “Ginny! I’ve been beating myself up that you hated me!”
Ginny’s dark brown eyes looked into Harry’s green ones. “If you love me,” she said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she reached up to kiss Harry, “why don’t you show me?”
With a smile gracing his face, Harry realised for the first time just quite how pretty Ginevra Weasley really was. As he reached down, he felt Ginny’s soft hair fall onto his shoulder and he felt again the same leaping feeling he had felt at Christmas. It was only this time, however, that he knew it would be the start of a new beginning.
After a week of being back at Hogwarts, Harry once again found himself making his way over to Dumbledore’s office for yet another Occlumency lesson. Maybe it was due to his happiness of being with Ginny, or spending time away from Hogwarts or maybe just the simple fact that there had been few attacks on Muggles by Voldemort, but Harry found he was at last able to begin to block Dumbledore for short periods of time. True, his Occlumency shield wasn’t as resistant as it could be but it was definitely an improvement.
Secretly, Harry began to hope that he could soon give up Occlumency for good.
“Mr Potter, if you would kindly pay attention.”
Harry jumped and looked up into Professor McGonagall’s stern face. For the last ten minutes, Harry had been lazily staring out the window with his attention wandering towards the upcoming Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff game and consequently he hadn’t been paying attention to McGonagall’s long speech on Human Transfiguration.
“Sorry, Professor.”
“For the benefit of Mr Potter,” Professor McGonagall continued in a slightly clipped tone, “I expect you all to divide up into pairs and attempt to transfigure your hand into wood. I will award twenty five points to the first person to complete the charm successfully.”
Harry joined up with Parvati, who had been sitting next to him, while Ron and Hermione worked together as usual.
“Abiegnus!” Harry made a slightly awkward jabbing motion at Parvati’s hand and succeeded only in turning it a sickly green colour. Professor McGonagall flicked her wand and returned it back to normal.
“I suggest you have some more practice, Potter,” Professor McGonagall said sternly, although Harry thought he detected a slight trace of amusement in her voice.
Looking round, he saw Parvati examining her hand with a frown creasing her brow.
“Maybe I should have a go.”
Shrinking back from Parvati’s reproachful glare, Harry quickly allowed her to do the charm and kept his wand in his pocket for the rest of the lesson.
After around forty minutes of fruitless practicing, no one in the class had been able to perform the charm correctly. Even Hermione was having trouble so Professor McGonagall assigned the whole class a six page essay on the ‘correct application of the Abiegnus Charm’.
Grumbling, the Gryffindors headed back to the Great Hall for lunch and prepared themselves for Charms. Unusually, Professor Flitwick had been setting very difficult lesson, mainly on giving the caster extra powers. Harry and Ron weren’t alone in the disgruntled mutterings complaining that Charms had recently had become almost as demanding as Transfiguration.
“I dunno, Harry,” Ron said thickly through a mouthful of sausage and mash. “I still think McGonagall’s lesson is harder. She seems to take it personally when we’re all rubbish…”
Hermione made a small noise of irritation in Ron’s direction.
“Come on Hermione, even you were rubbish today.”
Hermione put her fork down and glared at Ron. “At least I was better than you; I didn’t burn a hole through your hand, or make it grow purple spots, did I?”
Ron looked up thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s true. But then again, I didn’t glue your hand to the table, like you did to mine…”
Harry snorted into his peas. Both Ron and Hermione threw Harry furious glares so Harry quickly distracted himself with the pumpkin juice.
“Harry?” a slightly misty voice said from behind him. Harry turned around and came face to face with Luna Lovegood.
“I just wanted to say, Cho Chang has been talking about you recently. I just thought you’d like to know.”
Ron and Hermione dropped their frowns instantly and replaced them with looks of frank curiosity.
“Yes?” Harry continued, slightly annoyed Luna didn’t elaborate. “What does she want now? Or has Marietta tried to get the DA banned again?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Luna answered dreamily. “She was just saying that she wondered if you wanted to get back together again.”
“What?” Harry answered, surprised by the question. He certainly hadn’t been expecting that question. Looking over Luna’s shoulder, Harry noticed Ginny walk into the Great Hall. “Got bored with Michael Corner already? But as for me, tell her she’s wasting her time; I’m taken already.”
“I’ll tell her then. See you later, Harry, Ron, Hermione.” She drifted off back over to the Ravenclaw table.
Harry looked over at Ron, who looked mildly amused, and Hermione, who was looking thoughtful.
“Yes, I forgot to mention it and Luna’s just made me remember. Do you know what happened to Marietta, Harry?”
Harry shook his head. “No, although I haven’t seen her around,” he added as an afterthought.
“That’s because she’s not here any more, is she,” Hermione said in her annoying know-it-all voice. “Her mother wouldn’t let her come back to Hogwarts after she saw what my jinx had done to her face.”
Harry vividly remembered that night the year before when the words ‘SNEAK’ had first appeared on Marietta’s face. He glanced at Ron who grinned in response. They both agreed privately that the spell had definitely been one of Hermione’s finest moments; well, that and punching Malfoy in their third year.
Hermione continued in her annoyingly superior voice. “I think she’s at Beauxbatons now, although I’m not certain. Mind you, I do feel sorry for Fleur and the others who have to put up with her now that she’s- ” Hermione was interrupted as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.
“Come on, or we’ll be late for Flitwick,” Harry said, swiftly giving Ginny a glancing kiss before leading the way to the third floor.
It was the ninth of February when Harry made his next breakthrough with Occlumency. Determinedly, Harry raised his wand and faced the aged Headmaster who smiled slightly over his half moon glasses.
“Are you ready then?”
Harry nodded as he straightened his back and stared directly at Dumbledore, who almost casually raised his own wand.
“Right then, if you’re ready…”
Harry nodded, griping his wand tighter.
“After three then; one… two… three… Legilimens!”
Harry allowed himself to relax completely and focused on shutting down all his emotions. Dumbledore’s continuous and powerful attack didn’t relent although Harry found, at last, that he was able to stop Dumbledore’s Legilimens spell. After around ten minutes, the aged Headmaster raised his wand and the unyielding pressure lifted from Harry. The aged Headmaster smiled at Harry, his blue eyes twinkling brightly.
“Congratulations are in order, Harry,” said Dumbledore. “You have reached the end of the road with regards to my teaching in the art of Occlumency; you can now forcefully stop even my strongest attacks. There is nothing more I can teach you.”
Harry grinned in spite of himself. “Does that mean I never have to take another Occlumency lesson, ever again?”
Dumbledore’s eyes flickered slightly as he surveyed Harry.
Harry broke the silence as Dumbledore hesitated. “Does it? I mean, if you can’t break my Occlumency shield then Voldemort can’t either, can he?”
“I don’t know, Harry,” Dumbledore answered softly. “You see, there are two people who are more skilled in the art of Legilimency and Occlumency than myself; both of whom you will know.”
“Voldemort,” Harry muttered, spitting the name of his tongue like venom. “But the other…?”
“You are correct with Voldemort, Harry,” Dumbledore said slowly, his eyes drifting up to Harry’s face. “The other is…”
“No,” Harry said, stepping backwards as he interrupted Dumbledore. “No, not again. You saw what happened last year.”
“There is no one else, Harry,” Dumbledore answered in a level voice. “Severus Snape is the most accomplished Occlumens I have ever met. I have reason to believe his gift in shutting down his thoughts and emotions means he is adept in the skills required to perform Legilimency far beyond that of any other wizard. This gift, I believe, has now surpassed even the powers of Lord Voldemort. If you can learn to resist him, you should have the power to resist Voldemort himself.”
“But he hates me,” Harry said desperately. “You know what happened last year, when I saw his memories; he threw me out of his office and said that he’d never teach me Occlumency again! He’d rather see me dead than alive!”
Dumbledore tilted his head slightly as he fixed Harry with his piercing gaze.
“Professor Snape has never wanted you dead, Harry. No matter what his faults are, Severus is an honest and trustworthy man.” Dumbledore’s voice rose and, for the first time, he appeared angry with Harry, who had shaken his head disbelievingly at the Headmaster’s words.
“As I have told you before, it is not my place to tell you why I trust him; if Severus ever tells you, however, that is up to him. Until then, I expect you to go down to Professor Snape’s office twice a week to have an Occlumency lesson. That is not negotiable,” he added as Harry opened his mouth to argue.
Furiously, Harry turned around and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him. He was so angry that he didn’t even realise that Dumbledore still didn’t know Snape had used the Cruciatus curse on him just before Christmas.
And he never will, Harry vowed silently. It’s not worth it, for him to know…
Dumbledore closed his eyes in disbelief as Harry slammed the door although he smiled slightly as he recalled the identical reaction he had got off another black haired wizard barely two hours previously. Snape had not taken to the responsibility of teaching Harry Occlumency again any more positively than Harry had taken to being privately tutored by the Potions Master for the second year running.
With a slightly guilty feeling of realisation, Dumbledore acknowledged that he had just forced together two people who would rather avoid each other at all costs.
It is ironic really, Dumbledore thought amusedly, that the two people who consider themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum are, in reality, as similar as peas in a pod.
One thing was certain in Dumbledore’s opinion; the next few weeks were going to be interesting.
A/N: So then, Harry’s back with Snape again!
I am amazed by all the comments everyone has left “ I’m so pleased you all seem to be enjoying the story!
Also, for anyone who’s interested and doesn’t know already, ‘Abiegnus’ means ‘wood of fir’ in Latin.
Not the longest chapter in the world but, as always, your comments are hugely appreciated. Thanks to those who do take the time to review and I’d be very interested if anyone can guess what’s coming next…
I would also like to say a special thank you to Chelsea, who has been moderating the last few chapters of this story! Thanks a lot!