PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: MyGinevra

Story: The Hog's Head

Part: 20: Repel And Warn

Rating: Teens

Setting: Post-DH

Status: WIP

Warning: Violence, extreme language, sexual situations

Reviews: 7

Words: 7,719

Updated: May 24, 2008, 10:16pm

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20: Repel And Warn

Harry and Ginny were the first to Apparate into the field behind the inn, but there was a quick succession of pops as Ron, Hermione, George, and Lee followed. Harry and Ginny ran hand–in–hand toward the inn, and they saw in dismay that a large Dark Mark was painted or drawn on the back wall. But then Ginny gasped and almost stumbled; Harry pulled her up and followed her look and her finger that was pointing at the roof line. "No!" he screamed. "God damn them!"

The middle chimney was gone. A few bricks lay on the ground next to the back door, but Harry knew that there must be a larger pile of rubble on the other side. "God, I hope no one was hurt," Ginny's voice sounded almost like a moan. They all stopped and stood a few feet from the building looking up at the wall and the roof.

The back door burst open and Stan came out, his face white, his wand in his hand. "'Arry, thank Merlin you're back! They 'it the inn back 'ere, then they went around front, but someone saw them and they Disapparated. It was just a couple of minutes ago."

Harry raced through the inn, pulling Ginny after him. The front door was open, and a dozen people were standing just outside. They moved aside when they saw Harry, and he stepped past them.

He swore again. A large pile of bricks, stones, and chimney pipes lay in a heap. He walked over to it, and he felt a lump form in his throat. He looked at Ginny and saw his own anger and fear mirrored in her face. As Hermione and Ron came out from the dining room, Harry looked up at the sloped roof and saw the remnants of the chimney on top. Somehow the crashing debris had missed the sign; the smiling pig gazed down on them unscathed.

"George and Lee are in back," Ron said. "I told them to wait there, just in case." Before Harry could respond, he heard a familiar voice.

"Harry," Luna was walking toward them with Keesha; both of them had their wands out. "I think I winged one of them, but they got away. There were three. It was such an elegant chimney, too. Maybe you can repair it."

"Luna! What are you doing here?" Harry asked. Everything was becoming confusing, he couldn't think straight; he felt as though someone had hit him on the head.

"Oh, we finished all our homework and decided to pay you a visit. And here we are," she smiled. "Hi, Ginny, it's too bad to see you like this, but all things considered, it was lucky we got here when we did. I think they were going to do more damage."

"Who?" Harry was finding it difficult to keep from screaming at Luna's maddening calmness. "Who were they? Did you see their faces? Luna!" His nose was inches from Luna's smile, and he felt a tug on his arm as Ginny pulled him back.

"Keesha," Ron said calmly, "what exactly did you see?"

Keesha took a breath. "We had just turned off the High Street and we heard an explosion, and then the chimney came down. I thought at first it had just collapsed, but then we saw three wizards run around the side of the building. One of them pointed his wand at the roof, but Luna shot a Stunning Spell, and they Disapparated."

"Excuse me," said another familiar voice, and everyone turned to see Turquoise Southeby standing a few yards away in the open field next to the inn; somehow, no one had noticed her. Harry's jaw clamped shut, and he could feel Ginny's grip on his arm tighten. He glanced at her; she was glaring at Southeby and her wand was pointing half–way between the ground and the blond witch.

"What?" said Harry shortly, feeling another surge of anger rising in his craw; he partly raised his own wand, hoping it would give her an idea of his state of mind.

"Oh, please!" she laughed and gestured at their wands. "I just wanted to say that I saw those people too, and there were only two of them."

"No!" exclaimed Keesha. "There were three! I saw them!"

Harry stared at Southeby, unable to fathom what she wanted or what she was talking about. He turned to the people standing nearby who had been in the inn; a few of the wizards were eyeing Turquoise, whose bodice was tight and low–cut. "Did anyone see who did this? Or how many there were?"

They all shook their heads. Luna turned and fixed a steady gaze at Turquoise, who did not meet her eyes, but lost her smile and looked away. "You are mistaken," Luna said. "How could there be only two when I saw three?"

"Well, I'm not... I mean, I did see them. I was right up there in the post office."

"On Sunday?" Luna's eyebrows lifted.

The silence was suddenly broken by a loud crack, and Morequest Pester Apparated directly in front of Luna. She jumped back, startled, but then she gave him her most serene smile. "Hello, Professor, we need some defenses against the Dark Arts."

Pester's appearance snapped Harry out of the fog that had enveloped his brain. He yanked his arm from Ginny's hand and pointed his finger at the Professor. " Well look who's here. How nice of you to show up," he snarled. "A little late again, though, aren't you? Did the owl get lost this time, or was your head stuck in your lesson plan? Got to keep one jump ahead of the class, I suppose. Or maybe your head was stuck up someplace else."

A few of the patrons sniggered, Turquoise giggled, and Hermione gasped. Pester's face turned dark, and he started to speak, but then he closed his mouth. He looked at the pile of rubble, then at the roof. "You're upset, Potter," he said quietly. "But you should watch what you say, it could get you into trouble."

"I'm already in trouble," Harry said angrily, pointing at the roof. "A man's supposed to be able to live his life in peace, especially after he —" He stopped and looked at Ginny; she took his hand, which was in the middle of a gesture at Pester, and laced her fingers through his. She said nothing, but just looked at Harry.

Harry turned to Pester. "Just do your job," he said. He walked a few yards away, shaking with anger. Ginny came with him and they both stood silently.

Everyone looked up the lane; Tony Trostle and his foreman Carlos were running toward them. "Harry!" Tony shouted, "I heard the explosion, but I didn't think — Merlin, what did they do?" He looked at the pile of bricks and then up at the roof and swore. "Was anyone hurt? Did anyone see them?"

"No one was hurt," Harry answered, "and Luna and Keesha saw them. There were three wizards."

"Oh, no, Harry, there were only two," Turquoise said; she had moved closer. She smiled at Harry and took a deep breath; her bosom rose and fell.

Ginny had had enough. Ignoring everyone and everything else, she stepped in front of Harry and poked her finger hard against the witch's collarbone. Turquoise stepped back; she was several inches taller than Ginny, but she seemed to shrink as Ginny spoke. "Listen, Southeby, I don't care what you saw and I don't care what you wear or what you don't wear. You mind your own effing business, understand?" She brought her wand up between them and fixed Turquoise with a look that was beyond blazing.

Turquoise stepped back, but then her mouth smiled. She turned wordlessly and walked away, swaying her hips; Ginny pointed her wand at her back, but at that instant Hermione pushed the wand down. "No," she whispered, "she's only trouble."

Ginny glared at Hermione, but put her wand away, and Harry put his hand on her shoulder. Turquoise stopped when she was standing next to Pester.

"Well, Weasley," said the professor, smiling slightly at Ron, "do you remember anything from your training?"

An hour later, Harry and Ginny sat at a table in the dining room, not speaking. Harry played with a fork and kept his eyes down; Ginny watched him with her lips pressed into a thin line. Ron and Hermione sat at the same table, morosely looking at each other and the other two. Stan was behind the bar, silently wiping the counter over and over, putting glasses and mugs away, then rearranging them. Kreacher sat on the floor next to the kitchen door with his back against the wall; his ancient, wrinkled face was blank as he stared into space.

There were no customers in the dining room. George and Lee had returned to Diagon Alley after Harry told them there was no point in their standing watch behind the building any longer. The only sounds were the voices of Tony and his crew foreman, discussing in Spanish how to repair the damage.

Morequest Pester had questioned Luna, Keesha, Turquoise, and a few of the customers who had been in the inn. No one inside had seen or heard anything until the explosion and the crash of the chimney on the roof; everyone had ducked under tables when the avalanche of debris had started to fall. Some of them said they heard a scream just as the culprits were Disapparating, but not everyone had. Turquoise insisted that there were only two attackers; she said she saw them run in front of the building, and saw the spell that Luna had shot at them; it had missed, she said.

Luna didn't say much after Pester had arrived, except to answer his questions; she just stared serenely at him, until he seemed to become annoyed and asked what her problem was. She smiled and told him that there were no more problems, since she had finished her homework.

Keesha was positive that she had seen three wizards. She became angry at Turquoise who told her — disparagingly — that she didn't know what she was talking about. Pester had to step between them and asked Southeby to wait back at the post office; he would talk to her there again, later.

Keesha and Luna left, and Pester walked around the inn and stared at the Dark Mark; he gestured at it with his wand, but it didn't change and he didn't say anything. He also went inside, looked into all the storerooms and cupboards, and said that he wanted to see the flat. Harry refused, and Pester stared at him for a few seconds, then turned and, without a word, walked across the field to the post office.

Now Ginny, Hermione, and Ron sat unhappily in the dining room, waiting for Harry to say something. But it was Tony who broke the silence. He came inside, his face grim.

"I can't repair it magically," he said. "Whatever they hit it with put some kind of jinx on it and we can't get rid of it. We'll have to rebuild."

Harry stood and strode to the door, pulling out his wand as he walked outside; everyone followed. He pointed his wand at the rubble scattered about. "Reparo," he said in a low voice. Some of the bricks moved slightly, and Tony's eyebrows went up.

Harry glared at the debris, then flicked his wand. "Reparo!" he shouted, and everyone jumped back as bricks, stones, shingles, and pipes suddenly soared up to the roof in a cloud of dust. In five seconds the intact chimney was back in place.

"How in the hell did you do that?" Tony muttered, almost to himself. He looked at Harry's wand. "How did you do that?"

Harry's smile was tight–lipped. "My wand broke last year, but I repaired it and for some reason it got stronger." He put it back inside his belt and avoided looking at anyone.

"What about the Dark Mark?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, yeah, that," Harry gave her the same mirthless smile he had just given Tony. "Might as well get rid of it. Or maybe not. Maybe if I leave it there they'll leave me alone." His voice was bitter.

"Harry, no!" Ginny reached for his hand; he let her take it and looked at her in misery and frustration. Ginny felt a stab in her heart; it had been a long time since she had seen him look that way. "Come," she put her hand on his chest; she knew how much he liked that. She nodded to Ron, and he led the way around back. Ginny held Harry's hand tightly, and gradually he returned the pressure.

The awful mark covered about twenty feet of the wall and extended almost to the second storey. The skull seemed to leer at them, and the serpent it was vomiting was almost too realistic with its mouth gaping and its fangs extended. Ron took a breath, and pointed his wand. He tried a simple Scourgify, then an erasing spell, then a few variations that he had learned in the Auror training program. Nothing worked. Hermione, Ginny, and Tony all tried, unsuccessfully. Finally they all looked at Harry. He was glaring at the Mark.

"Your Reparo worked brilliantly," Ginny said. "Ron, what was that last one you tried? I thought the Mark faded a little when you used it."

"Yeah, I thought so, too. Depero. It's a little like Evanesco, but it's supposed to be stronger. You have to give your wand kind of a stuttering movement." He showed the motion to Harry, who looked at him dubiously.

'I never even heard of it," Harry said. "Show it again." Ron repeated the motion, then stood back as Harry faced the wall.

"Depero!" he said loudly; the Mark faded perceptibly, and everyone cheered, but then it came back as clear as before. Harry looked at Ron, his brow furrowed.

"You just stuttered the wand twice. You have to do it at least three times." Ron held Harry's hand and showed him.

Harry pointed his wand again, "Depero!" The Mark disappeared, and everyone cheered again. Harry clapped Ron on his back. "Nice spell, mate, you'll have to teach me some more of those."

Ron looked proud. "Maybe I should break my wand and get it fixed by — ouch!" He grabbed his shin where Hermione had kicked it and started hopping in place.

"Come on," Harry said before Tony could ask questions, "I'm getting hungry."

Winky served them sandwiches, and Stan put out bottles of butterbeer and Potio Vitae. Tony told Harry that he was going to organize a village watch to help keep an eye on things. "After everything you've done for us, Harry, it's the least we can do for you. No!" he put his hand up to stop Harry's protest. "It's true, and it's also good for business. If this keeps up, people will start to be frightened again. When the Death Eaters took over the village last spring, no one went anywhere or spent any money. It was a disaster. I'm not gonna let that happen again."

"Well, thanks, Tony," Harry mumbled. "I really appreciate it."

"So now what?" asked Ron after Tony and his foreman had left; he finished off a butterbeer and set the bottle down. "Do you want us to stay? I don't have to be at the Ministry until tomorrow morning." He looked at Hermione, and she frowned.

"I was supposed to go back to the Institute for a few hours, but I can owl Madame Geneva. This is more important."

Harry looked gratefully at his friends. "I really think it'll be okay. I'll put a warding spell on the building tonight. I don't know what I can do in the long run, though, except find out who's doing it."

"I was thinking about that," Hermione said. "I thought it was very interesting that Turquoise Southeby was in the post office, just when they attacked. She never answered Luna's question about why she was there on a Sunday."

Ginny scowled fiercely. "If that bitch had anything to do with it, I'll give her bat boogies in places she never even knew existed."

They all laughed, and Harry leaned over and kissed her. "That would be a treat. I agree with Luna and you," he said to Hermione. "I don't' trust her."

"Well, there's something else," Hermione said. "When you sent the owl to Pester last week, was she at the post office?"

"Of course she was! That explains why he never got the owl."

"I didn't know you could sabotage owls," Ron said skeptically. "I never heard of it. You can intercept them, even kill them, but if you give an owl directions, it will follow them no matter what someone else tells it. I'm sure of that."

"Why are you so sure?" Hermione demanded. "And maybe she told someone else about it, and they intercepted it somehow."

"I guess," Ron said reluctantly. "But that would be tampering with the post. Very un–British, if you ask me." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You have to admit, though, she's a prime suspect," Harry said to Ron.

"Well, she does act bloody weird sometimes, but maybe she's just nutters."

The afternoon passed, but no customers came. A few people wandered down the lane and looked up at the roof, then went around back and stared at the wall, but they all left. Harry became more and more glum; he sat at the table and glanced toward the door whenever anyone appeared out front, but when they went away he slumped lower in his chair and the look on his face became darker. Ron and Hermione talked quietly to each other, but Ginny watched Harry and became more anxious as he became more depressed.

Winky brought in a large tureen of thick vegetable soup and a large loaf of sourdough bread. Kreacher dished out bowls to each of them, then both elves returned to the kitchen. Harry ate only a few spoonfuls and a small piece of bread; he sat back again and stared at the table with his arms folded.

Ron finished his bowl of soup and tore off half the loaf and started on it. "So, what about those warding spells, Harry? If you want to use them, I'll give you a hand, but we'll have to leave if we're going back to Diagon Alley tonight."

Harry glanced at Ginny. "Everyone will have to leave, Stan and... you have to get back to school, Gin. You have homework, don't you?"

Ginny shook her head. "I'm staying here. I can do it tomorrow morning."

"Ginny..." A look of utter relief spread over Harry's face. "Are you sure? Won't you get in trouble."

"I don't care. Besides, the worst they can do is give me detention." She smiled. "I decided a while ago. I should have told you before, I'm sorry."

Harry's eyes brimmed, and he blinked rapidly. "Thanks," his voice faltered, then he looked at Ron. "Let's do it now."

Stan closed up the bar, closed the shutters, and said goodnight. The others said goodbye to each other, then Ron and Hermione stepped outside. Ron and Harry put the warding spells on the building, then Ron and Hermione Disapparated back to their flat.

"Well, that's that," Harry said as they stood by themselves in the dim light of a few candles. The inn was quiet and peaceful. Harry put the candles out, then felt his way to Ginny and embraced her; he held her close, but not tightly. She raised her head and he kissed her gently, then she dropped her head to his chest and rested it there. Harry stroked her hair, saying nothing, and after a moment Ginny felt his tears on her forehead. She looked up.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered and wiped the wetness from his face. "We're safe. No one can touch the inn now."

"Ginny, I feel like you're the only thing I have in the world," Harry's voice shook. "I know Ron and Hermione will always be there for me, but they have their own lives now. They always came when I needed them, but I can't ask them to be that way anymore. If I didn't have you, I don't know what I would do."

"And I will always be here. I told you that last night."

Harry was silent, then he said, "I know you mean that, but tomorrow night I'm going to be alone, and I hate that. It's not your fault, I chose to buy the inn and to be here." He wiped his face with his sleeve and sniffled. "This is stupid. I really don't need you to be here all the time." Ginny could just make out the tiny twitch of his smile in the gloom. "Well, actually I do," he admitted, "but I know you can't."

She put her hands on his chest. "That's how I feel. I want to be here but I can't."

There was a long pause. Ginny put her arms around him again and this time they held each other tightly. The room was completely dark.

Then Ginny sensed a change in Harry's mood, and he began to speak hesitantly, haltingly. "Maybe we can, you know... sometime... maybe after school's out... get... you know..."

"Married?" Harry could see Ginny's grin, even in the dark.

"Well, yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"That won't make a difference now, Harry. I'll still have to live in the dorm."

"I know, but..." He suddenly let her go and groped for a chair. He lit his wand and sat down; Ginny came to the table and sat across from him. Harry tapped the base of his wand on the tabletop and the tip flared. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, Ginny. I love you, but that wasn't the right thing to say, at least not now."

"I love you, too. I did like the question," she grinned, "so save it for later, okay?"

He finally smiled. "Sure."

"Let's go upstairs," Ginny came and pulled him out of his chair. They went through the kitchen and heard both Kreacher and Winky snoring from cupboards on opposite sides of the room. Up in the flat, Harry lit a fire and they sat in the love seat, staring at the flames, holding hands, hearing nothing but the occasional flutter of McPherson stretching his wings. Ginny moved closer to Harry, then climbed into his lap. After a few minutes of heavy snogging, Harry picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

The next morning after breakfast Harry removed the warding spells from the inn. He decided to go back to Hogwarts with Ginny and talk to Professor Flitwick again about protective spells. They walked back through Hogsmeade and up the drive to the castle. They kissed goodbye at the portrait hole and Harry went around to the Professor's office, but Flitwick wasn't there. He borrowed a quill and a piece of parchment from a passing student and wrote out a message and shoved it under the door. He thought for a moment, then, with a smile and a glance in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, he headed downstairs to the library to see what he could learn on his own about protective magic.

When Ginny came through the portrait hole into the common room, Ritchie Cootes, one of the Gryffindor prefects, was waiting for her with a note from Argus Filch, countersigned by Professor McGonagall, informing her that any more late weekend returns would cost her a detention. As soon as Ritchie turned his back she threw it into the fire. She hurried upstairs to her room to dump her dirty clothes and pick up a few books and rolls of parchment. Sarah and Christina both stared at her, but they didn't dare ask any questions, and Ginny went back downstairs and headed for the library.

She spotted Harry as soon as she got there, and plunked her book bag on the table in front of him. He looked up, startled, then returned her grin. "I thought you'd be coming down here," he said. "Have a seat."

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a low voice. "I thought you were seeing Flitwick."

"He wasn't there. I decided I'd do some research on my own. See?" He held up a thick, well–worn copy of Perlman's Passive and Protective Charms.

Ginny smiled, then gave him a quick kiss and sat down next to him. They held hands as they studied, even after Madame Pince passed in back of them and cleared her throat loudly. They glanced around at her; she stood for a moment glaring at them, but when they both smiled back she hmmphed and strode away.

Ginny left Harry in the library at ten o'clock for her first class, Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall looked at her for a moment when she came in, but said nothing. Ginny took a seat next to Keesha.

"Are you okay?" Keesha asked. "Did you come back last night?"

Ginny shook her head. "Harry was in pretty bad shape, I couldn't leave him. He's better now, but I don't know what he's going to do about the inn."

"If you ask me he should hex that Turquoise bitch," Keesha declared. "I guarantee you she's at the bottom of it."

"I'm not sure about that," Luna said from behind them; she had just come in the classroom, and she sat next to Ginny. "But there's something wrong with her. I never saw anyone behave so dreadfully."

"Whatever's wrong with her can be cured by large quantities of strategically applied Bulbadox powder," Keesha said. Luna was about to respond when Professor McGonagall called for their attention; for the rest of the hour they were busy trying to Transfigure a photograph of a cat into a real one using non–verbal incantations, and they had no time to speak of Turquoise Southeby again.

Ginny went back to the library after the class, but Harry was gone. She worked on a Muggle Studies parchment, and at noon went to lunch. She smiled when she entered the Great Hall and saw Emma and Claire waving at her; she sat down across from them. "Hi, girls, how was your weekend?"

"Good!" said Emma. "We were down by the lake and saw the Giant Squid!"

"Always a treat," Ginny grinned. "I think I've only seen it three or four times."

"How is Harry?" asked Claire, and for a moment Ginny wasn't sure what to say. "Well," she replied slowly, "he's okay now, but yesterday someone drew a Dark Mark on his inn again and they also knocked over the chimney. But he fixed that, and got rid of the Dark Mark. He was pretty upset, though."

"It couldn't have been those Slytherin prats," Emma declared. "They had detention all weekend. Everyone heard how you petrified them, Ginny."

"I didn't petrify them," Ginny answered with a small frown, remembering the trail of Basilisk victims. "I don't even know how to do that. I used Petrificus Totalus. That's a body binding spell. It just sounds like petrifying."

The twins nodded at the same time. Ginny began eating, but just then Jimmy Peakes sat down next to her. "Hey, Jimmy," she greeted him, "did anyone else sign up for the team? I didn't get a chance to check the list this morning."

He looked at her a little askance. "You didn't come back last night, did you?" When Ginny ignored the question he went on. "So when will you reschedule the tryouts?"

"What do you mean?" Ginny put down her fork; it was still holding several chunks of baked macaroni. "Why do I have to reschedule the tryouts? I already reserved the pitch for Saturday morning."

"McGonagall announced a memorial service for Saturday morning. Attendance is required. The pitch is still free in the afternoon, though."

Ginny swore and slammed her fist on the table; the twins exchanged glances, and Jimmy moved away a few inches. "Well, I may have to postpone the tryouts," she scowled at him. "My weekends are... busy."

Jimmy looked unhappy, then nettled. "Maybe you shouldn't be captain, if Quidditch isn't that important to you. It's important to a lot of other people."

Ginny glowered at her plate, then at Jimmy. "We'll have the tryouts Saturday afternoon," she said. "All right?" He nodded and turned to his food, and ignored Ginny for the rest of the meal.

Ginny also ate in silence, not looking up from her plate. She could tell that the twins were watching her, and after a few mouthfuls of macaroni and cheese she smiled at them. "Harry told Hagrid that he'd come to your Care of Magical Creatures class tomorrow. We heard you were studying Pygmy Puffs. Do you like them?"

The girls nodded enthusiastically. "We sent an owl to our parents asking if we could get some as pets," said Emma. "We know exactly how to feed them and take care of them now. Our mum and dad don't know much about magical creatures, though. We wanted to buy an owl when we were in Diagon Alley, but they said the cat would eat it, or maybe it would eat the cat."

Ginny's humor was partially restored; she spent the rest of the meal discussing Pygmy Puffs with Emma and Claire, and told them that her brother sold them in his shop, and she would ask him about them. The girls left for their next class, and Ginny left for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

By the time she got to the classroom she was in a foul mood again. She did not want to see Pester; she was afraid that Keesha and Luna would start talking about Turquoise Southeby again; and she now had to face the prospect of telling Harry that her entire Saturday was tied up. He probably would want to go with her to the memorial service, but he would also want her to be at the inn for the rest of the day. She did, too, but didn't know now how it was going to work out.

Jimmy Peakes's retort had stung her. She had been appointed captain; it was her team. She was certain that Jimmy coveted the job; he was a good but not great Quidditch player, and there was no guarantee that he would make the team, unless he was captain.

She was one of the first to arrive in the classroom, and sat at an empty desk near the back. Keesha and Luna soon joined her, but no one talked about Turquoise. Luna smiled at her, and Keesha only asked Ginny if she had finished her homework. When Pester came in he walked quickly to the front of the room and told them to practice non–verbal incantations again. Ginny and Ruth Madison both did well, and the Professor didn't speak to them.

The Slytherin boys were also in class, sitting right behind Ginny, but Jace Kleinhead studiously avoided looking at her. Pester ended the practice session, then launched into another lecture about Unforgivable Curses. But this time he used examples from his own experience as an Auror, and Ginny actually found it interesting. He talked about a case from his first year as a professional Auror in which two witches had taken turns Imperiusing the same wizard because he had proposed marriage to both of them. But the case had ended tragically when he finally married one and the jilted witch, in a fit of hysteria, killed him and his bride with Avada Kedavras. "She only omitted the Cruciatus from her list of crimes," he concluded, "and she languishes in Azkaban to this day. These types of domestic disputes, if that's what this was, rarely end up with and Unforgivable Curse being used, but it does happen."

The three girls went down to their Potions class together. "Pester's a strange duck," said Keesha. "He certainly knows his subject, but he's so full of himself that he gets in his own way."

"I hope he talked to Miss Southeby," Luna said. "She's at least as full of herself as he is."

Ginny kept her mouth tightly shut. This was a topic she did not want to discuss, and she was also wondering what their Potions class would be like, with herself, Jace, and Professor Slughorn together in the same room. And she was still worrying how Harry would react when she told him about Saturday.

Potions was uneventful as far as any problem with Jace Kleinhead was concerned — Professor Slughorn spent a good part of the hour in back, directly behind the table where Jace was sitting. But Ginny's concerns about Harry and Quidditch distracted her; her Oblivious Unction came out of her cauldron a sickening shade of puce instead of milky blue, and she had to throw it all out at the end of the class. Jace Kleinhead smirked and she glared back until he looked away. Slughorn followed Jace out of the dungeon, but Ginny went directly upstairs with Luna and didn't see where those two went. She went to Madame Hooch's office and reserved the Quidditch pitch for Saturday afternoon, then went on up to the Gryffindor tower.

Back in her room she composed a love note for Harry but didn't say anything about the memorial service or the change in Quidditch plans; she wanted to tell him in person when they met at Hagrid's class tomorrow. Bailey flew off with the note, then Ginny went back down to the common room to see what the tryout sheet looked like.

There were only two more sign–ups, but neither was for Keeper. Now she was starting to worry about that, too; Dennis's enthusiastic aggressiveness would only take him and the team so far. Ron's attitude was similar to Dennis's — at least when he wasn't throwing up from nervousness — but Ron had a height advantage. He was at least eight inches taller, and his arms were very long. She sighed; maybe the team's experience at the Beater position could make up for Dennis's deficiencies.

The twins came down and Ginny went to dinner with them. They had just had another Transfiguration class, and were full of bubbly exuberance about matchsticks and pins. Jimmy didn't bother her at dinner, and after a few hours studying in the library with Luna and Keesha, she went back to her room.

Bailey was there with a hot reply from Harry. She sent one back, asking when he would be looking at her on the Marauder's Map. She became drowsy while awaiting his reply, so she sat in a chair by the window, and it was both Bailey and McPherson who woke her up. Bailey tapped on the glass while McPherson perched on the gargoyle. Ginny took the note without opening it — she wanted to read it in bed with her hangings closed — and the birds reversed their positions. McPherson gave her another small package from Honeydukes with more Chocoballs. Ginny ate one and put the others on her dresser, then got into bed; she closed the hangings and read Harry's message.

My Beautiful Ginny,

Enjoy the Chocoballs; I had one myself just to remind me of how sweet
your kisses are, and how I can't get enough of them. I heard that there will be
a memorial service at the castle on Saturday morning, and I thought that
afterward we could go back to London with Ron and Hermione and do some
sightseeing like Muggles. They say that London is a great place for tourists.
Or, if you want, we could go someplace else, like the village we used to visit
near Shell Cottage.

It doesn't matter to me where we go. I love you so much that the only thing
that matters is being with you.

I will be looking at the map as soon as I send the owls off. I'll probably fall
asleep with it on the pillow next to me, where you should be but aren't.

I will see you tomorrow at Hagrid's class. I really like Emma and Claire.

Love, Harry

"Damn," Ginny swore to herself; she did not want this to happen, she did not want to have to choose between Harry and Quidditch. Maybe there was some way to combine them; maybe she could convince him to come to the tryouts. But when she considered that option, she knew it wouldn't work. She would be too conscious of his presence, and he would be a distraction to the others. The only thing she could do was postpone the tryouts for another week.

But the more she thought about that, the less she liked it. She shouldn't have to make that choice, Harry should understand. And maybe he would; maybe she was making too big a deal about it. And she could make it up to him in the evening.

That thought made her wiggle her toes, and she closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She remembered that Harry was looking at the map, and she moved her legs and feet about under the covers. A warm feeling engulfed her; she knew that Harry had seen her and was thinking about her — and she was pretty sure what the details of those thoughts were. She smiled again and turned on her side; she was asleep in a few minutes.

* * * *

Harry was waiting for Ginny in the entrance hall at eleven o'clock the next morning. They went out into an overcast, slightly muggy late summer morning. Harry was in a buoyant mood, and he took Ginny's hand and swung it back and forth as they walked.

"I got a new spell from Perlman's Charms, and Professor Flitwick helped me refine it. It's called Anapido. It sends whatever you throw at it back at you." He laughed. "I tossed a rock at the wall after I put up the spell, and it came back and almost cracked my head. Winky and Kreacher were watching and I thought she would die laughing. Then I tried a blasting spell on the rain gutter and I almost got hit when that flew back. Ginny, we may have found the answer! Now I've got Proeido to warn me and Anapido to keep spells off. Flitwick said that if someone's really persistent, they could penetrate it, but it would take time, and it would set the Proeido off. Isn't that brilliant?" He took her other hand and whirled her around as she shrieked with laughter.

"It's great news!" Ginny was delighted, but when her head stopped spinning she felt a pang. She hoped that what she was going to tell him about Saturday afternoon wouldn't burst his bubble. She decided to wait until after Hagrid's class to break the news.

The Gryffindor and Slytherin first years were gathered around two tables in front of Hagrid's cabin. Ginny noticed that the two Slytherins who had been Sorted first — Abigail Abernathy and Sean Allen, plus a lanky boy with dark hair — were at the table with the Gryffindors, making it more crowded. There were about two dozen Pygmy Puffs sitting on the tables, raising quite a racket with their loud chirps; they were a variety of shades of purple and pink. Hagrid was walking around the tables, talking to the students who were feeding and watering the little creatures.

"Now don' force 'em to drink too fast," he was saying. "It'll just come out t'other end, and they won't be too particular about where they do it or who they do it on." There was a burst of giggling, then Emma Athair looked up and waved to Ginny and Harry. Hagrid turned and beamed. "Hey, everyone!" he called. "Didn' I tell yeh that Harry Potter would be comin' to see us? An' Ginny Weasley, too?"

Everyone looked at Harry. The Gryffindors cheered and swarmed around him and Ginny, but most of the Slytherins held back, looking uncertain. Emma and Claire pushed to the front of the crowd, gleeful smiles on their faces; apparently they had been talking to their classmates about Harry and Ginny, and were telling some of them, "I told you so."

"Okay, okay, quiet yerselves down!" Hagrid boomed. "Now, 'arry, would yeh mind tellin' the kids about some a' the magical creatures yeh learned about here." He winked at him. "Maybe some a' the friendlier ones."

"Sure," Harry laughed. He turned to the students. "The best magical creature I ever met is right over there," he pointed to the large enclosure down toward the Forbidden Forest where Buckbeak stayed whenever he was at Hogwarts. "He's a hippogriff named Buckbeak. He saved my life a couple of times, and he fought during the battle last spring. You have to be very respectful of him, though. He's very proud."

"'At's right," Hagrid said. "Yeh'll be learnin' about 'im in yer third year. Ginny, what about you, what was yer favorite magical creature?"

"Unicorns, no doubt," she answered promptly. "They're so pure and beautiful. I love Pygmy Puffs, too, especially to cuddle." She took a Puff that Claire handed her and stroked it. "I used to own one named Arnold." She grinned and some of the students laughed.

"Is everyone enjoying the class?" Harry asked. "How about you?" he said to the dark–haired Slytherin boy, who was watching him closely. "What's your name?"

"Zoroaster Black," the boy said into the sudden silence.

Harry stared at him. "Are... were you related to Sirius Black?"

"Yeah, he was my second cousin, him and Regulus. I never knew them, though, my parents wouldn't let me visit them."

"Sirius was my godfather," said Harry. "Did you know that?"

The boy nodded. "I'm sorry he was killed,"

"Well." Hagrid cleared his throat. "'At's nice, Zoro. Okay, everyone back to what yeh were doin'!"

Ginny and Harry wandered around the tables for a while, and even the Slytherins warmed up and chatted with them. Harry kept looking at Zoroaster Black, and finally Ginny put her hand on Harry's shoulder. "He does look a little like Sirius, doesn't he?"

"He does. It sounds like Sirius wasn't the only member of the family who didn't believe all that pureblood crap."

When the class ended, Emma and Claire walked back to the castle with Harry and Ginny. They talked about the Pygmy Puffs, and asked about unicorns and hippogriffs, but when they got to the front steps Ginny stopped. "Why don't you two go on up?" she said to the twins. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall."

"I'll be there, too," Harry called as they disappeared into the entrance hall. He turned to Ginny. "What's up? Did you like the Chocoballs? I told the people at Honeydukes to keep a good supply on hand 'cause I'll be buying a lot of them." He took Ginny's hands and grinned at her.

Ginny nodded but didn't smile. She had decided just to say it. "Something's come up on Saturday afternoon. I have to hold the Quidditch tryouts then. I won't be able to spend the afternoon with you. I'm sorry, I didn't want to do it, but everyone wants the tryouts this weekend. There's a lot of interest in the team, and..."

"That's fine," Harry smiled. "I'll come down to the pitch and watch. That'll be fun."

Ginny took a breath. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. It'll be kind of, you know, distracting. Listen," she added hastily when Harry's smile faded and was replaced with a frown, "it's only for this weekend. I had it scheduled for the morning, but then this memorial service came up, so... so I had to reschedule the tryouts. I'll go right to the inn from the pitch. We can go into London for the evening, how does that sound?"

Harry shrugged. "Okay, I guess. But I don't see why it would be distracting for me to be there. Maybe I could even help out."

Ginny looked down, then off into the distance toward the lake; she felt like she was walking on eggshells, and she didn't like the feeling. "Harry, love," she turned back to him, "I'll feel funny if you're there. Don't you see? If I do something that someone doesn't like, they'll look at you and think, maybe even say, that Ginny's an idiot and Harry Potter wouldn't have done it that way. I dearly want you to come to the matches, and I might even ask your advice about something, but I just won't feel right about it if you're at the tryouts."

"Oh." Harry nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. Okay."

"Okay? Are you sure?" Ginny peered at him carefully; he didn't look sure, in fact he looked a little angry. "I can understand if you're upset, but it's important to me."

He swallowed. "Yeah, it's okay. I know how important it is. And I know how hard it is to be a captain, too. I'm just disappointed that I won't see you until the evening. I guess we'll have to make up the time somehow." He drew close to her; their hands, which they were still holding, pressed into their thighs, and Ginny closed her eyes and sighed.

"Dammit, Harry, how can I eat lunch now? You're getting me hot and bothered. Oops." She opened her eyes and looked at a group of students returning from the greenhouses; they had passed within a yard or two of her and Harry as she was speaking, and some of them laughed and whispered to each other. Harry glared at them, but Ginny turned pink and giggled nervously. "I need to remember where I am when you do things like that. Come on, let's eat lunch."

They followed the students inside. Ginny was relieved that the conversation had gone the way it had, but when she glanced at Harry she saw a small crease on his forehead. She didn't sense any darkness in his mood, but some of the upbeat feeling that had been there an hour ago was gone.

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