Author's Note: I want to say that i am very sorry to all of my loyal readers that i have not updated in so long. I am entering my final year of college and it is taking its toll on me and my time. Also, some personal issues have worked their way into my life and that has hindered my writing. I really want to finish this story for all of you out there and i hope that i have not lost any loyal readers. More will come. I promise.
Quidditch practice began for the Gryffindor team. Harry reformed his main team and had brought a reserve team to the practice. He decided that, instead of a normal practice, that a mock game would be more beneficial to establish strategy. The reserves flew remarkably well, especially for not having much actual playing time. It was clear that the team would be in good hands after this year.
Harry was also looking for a replacement captain to suggest to Professor McGonagall for next year’s team. Whoever was made captain next year was going to have a time picking players to replace him, Ron, Seamus and Dean after each of them left the school. Ginny would be the most likely candidate. Harry had made it a silent effort to include her in practice planning strategies and to give her pointers in becoming a good captain. She would have his full support, though the final decision would be up to Professor McGonagall.
The practice went well for everyone involved. Harry had made mental notes on some things to be worked on. The Chasers needed some new offensive flying techniques if they were going to get around the other teams and score points. This would be just another opportunity for him to train her up a bit more to be captain. It also allowed him a few moments alone with her.
The couple had stolen every free moment to be with one another. Harry had wanted to be with her, not just to be with her, but to make sure she was staying healthy. There had been a few days when she didn’t seem to be eating well, and she looked restless. There were days when she skipped meals to catch a bit extra sleep. Ginny insisted that she was fine, but Harry had his doubts.
When they were together, it seemed as if she was being overly affectionate towards him. Harry did not mind in the slightest the times when she ran her hand through his hair, or held a kiss a bit longer then he could but he wondered where these new feeling had come from. Every time he asked her, she just said that she loved him and wanted to show it.
Practice ended after a few hours. As the team was changing out of their robes, Harry noticed Ginny fumbling with a piece of parchment. She was engulfed in what was written on it, that she didn’t notice Harry walk up right behind her. “Something interesting?” he said.
Ginny nearly leapt out of her shoes. She stuffed the parchment into her pocket. “What are you doing? Don’t read my private notes.”
Harry backed away from her and held up his hands in defense. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Ginny’s eyes softened. She shook her head. “No, it’s all right. I’m sorry.” She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I just got scared for a minute. I thought you might be Ron trying to pry into my life again.” Ron, who was in earshot, narrowed his eyes at his sister.
Harry returned the embrace. He rubbed her back, gently in between her shoulder blades. “Gin, are you okay?”
She lifted her head to look at him. “I’m fine. I just have had a lot on my mind the past week. Herbology and my…” She shut her mouth quickly before she mentioned Robert. He was one of the things on her mind, and she didn’t want Harry to know about him.
For the past three nights, Harry had wanted them to spend some time together in some of the more secluded parts of the castle, but each time she had had to brush him off to meet Robert in the library. She didn’t want to tell him what she was doing because he might ask some uncomfortable questions that she didn’t want to answer. Whether he knew about the past between Robert and Ginny, either by Ron or some other source, she would have rather not call attention to it.
She pulled away from him. “Listen, sorry to have to do this but I need to go to the library for a bit.”
“Can I come with you?”
“No,” she said, a bit too quickly and sharply. Harry looked hurt. “No, that’s not what I meant,” Ginny tried to explain. “It’s just…I won’t be able to get any work done if you’re with me.” She slipped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into a kiss. Though he leaned into her, Ginny could feel tension between them. It hurt her not to be able to tell Harry what was going on with her, but something in her heart told her that she had to keep this to herself.
She pulled back, smiled at Harry and left through the portrait hole. Moving quickly through the corridors, Ginny soon found herself at the entrance to the library. She hesitated a moment before entering. The note from Robert had said to come as soon as possible, but did not specify why. She found the Hufflepuff boy sitting at a table near a window. It was a secluded area, much the same as all of the meeting places that he had chosen. He had a number of books spread out in front of him, which told Ginny that he was focused on work tonight.
Ginny sat down beside him. His eyes gently roamed over her body from head to waist, before he turned back to the books in front of him.
********************************************************
An announcement proclaiming the first Defense Against the Dark Arts practice session was pinned to the Gryffindor message board the next morning. For Harry, though, such sessions would be a bit more difficult.
“You want me to help you teach?”
Kevin waved his wand a pile of stones and levitated them to the far end of the courtyard. “You have experience in this sort of thing, and you are the only student to have extensive practice in the Patronus Charm. You probably have the best chance of anyone here to block the more powerful curses. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to impress some of the visiting Aurors.”
At the mention of Aurors, Harry stood open mouthed on the spot. “Aurors are going to be here?”
“Well, they are still patrolling the castle,” Kevin said. “And they have to make sure things are on the up and up when handling spells and curses this powerful. Ministry still has their suspicions about me.” He set a pile of rocks along a low stone wall. “Even after everything I’ve done, some of them still don’t trust me.”
Harry still was in awe. It was true that his ambition in life was to become an Auror, but it had never occurred to him that he would show his skill to actual Aurors so early in his life; probably in the next year or two, but not as early as next week. Still, the prospect intrigued him. “All right, I’ll do it,” he said.
“Good,” Kevin replied with a nod. “You’ll be working with Professor Snape and the younger students.” He saw Harry’s face turn from an expression of excitement to one of horror. “You didn’t think you would be teaching those in your year, did you?”
Harry wasn’t sure what to say. “Well, I have taught some in my year…and older.”
Kevin nodded. “Yes, Dumbledore told me about the DA club you formed in your fifth year, which is why I want your help. However, I’d feel better if you taught the younger students and helped them learn these spells faster. Now, you do have to work along side Professor Snape, but he knows better then to make trouble for you while I’m around.” He flicked his wand one more time and the courtyard was cleared of all stones. “If you want to help, come by my office tomorrow evening and I’ll give you all the information you need.”
As the professor walked out of the courtyard, Harry could only feel his heart lower in his chest. It was another evening away from Ginny. He hadn’t had anything special planned, just the two of them together in the common room. Still, he wanted to impress the Aurors, and what better way then to prove to them that he could do some of the more complex spells.
It was a difficult choice that Harry was faced with. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling like such a prat for every day that he wasn’t with Ginny. He knew that they both had responsibilities and that they would have all the time in the world together after they left school.
But something was troubling him. Ever since she had started acting oddly, Harry had wanted to keep a watch on her. Actually, he wanted her to tell him what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say anything. Harry felt a small pang of guilt now that he knew what being kept in the dark was like. He had done it for so long to so many people that it only felt right he now knew what they were feeling.
**********************************************************
Her airway became constricted. All breath was leaving her, and she couldn’t take in any more. She could feel a pair of hands on her throat, squeezing it crushing her windpipe.
Ginny’s eyes started to focus again and she tried to look at the person attacking her. She couldn’t see anything definite, except a mane of dark hair. It was Harry, with his arms outstretched. His hands were placed on something…in front of her. He was trying to stop whoever was hurting her, but it wasn’t enough. The attacker was too strong. Her focus started to waver again until…
Ginny bolted out of her sleep to find that she was still in the library. Her textbooks were strewn across the table along with a few pieces of parchment and a quill or two. She looked around and found that she wasn’t alone. Robert was still seated at the same table. Though his head was bent over and open book, Ginny could have sworn that he noticed his head turned towards her before she looked at him. “How long have I been asleep?” she asked.
Robert raised his head, looking as if he had just noticed she was there. “Oh, about an hour.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. “Why did you let me sleep that long?”
He shrugged. “Thought you could use it. You did seem a bit tired when you showed up. I guessed that Quidditch practice drained your energy and you could use some rest.”
Ginny brushed some hair out of her face. “Well, maybe I could, but I should go back to Gryffindor tower to get it.” She got to her feet and started walking out of the library.
“Wait,” Robert said. “When can I see you…when can we get together again to work on this?”
Ginny halted her steps, but didn’t turn around. “I don’t know. Maybe in a couple of days.” She quickly left before he could say another word. She had to mentally remind herself every few seconds not to run back to Gryffindor tower. It would look suspicious and she was in no mood to answer any questions. As she got to the portrait hole, she stopped. The thought that Harry could be waiting inside for her suddenly leapt into her mind.
Though she wanted to see him, now was not the best of times. Of course, if she stayed in the corridor much longer, another Gryffindor would come by and ask why she was still waiting outside. Taking a chance, she gave the password to the Fat Lady and entered the common room. It did have some people sitting near the fire or by the window, but Harry was nowhere to be seen.
Ginny quickly ran up the girl’s staircase to her dormitory. Once inside, and making sure that there was no one else around, she flung herself to her bed and released the tears that she had been holding back. It was a feeling of guilt and fear that poured from her eyes. Guilt that she allowed herself to regress to that little girl of twelve that had been so taken with a dashing blonde boy, while harboring a secret love for a dark-haired mystery of a person. Now that she had her dream boy, she had thought that all others would fall short…
…except that this one never had.
She was afraid what would happen if anyone ever found out. She had been so secretive to not let anyone know about these feelings, but they were there nonetheless. She had felt nothing but guilt in her heart as she thought she was betraying the one she had given her heart to…
…and fear at what would happen if he ever found out.