It was really quite daft of her. No, she took that back, it was extremely
daft of her. She had heard it her whole life. Her mother had painfully
left it etched into her brain.
"Whenever your making around a cauldron you must never, ever lean over. Potions can be very dangerous!" she could cry, directing her children's attention to a bubbling vat of a stain removal potion (Percy had had a rather embarrassing bed wetting problem as a child).
It was probably impressive information the first dozen times she had warned her, but by the time she was sixteen the warning had lost its chilling effect. It had become one of those mundane things. Brush your teeth after every meal, never tickle a sleeping dragon, say please and thank you, and never lean over a cauldron. Something you never forgot.
That's why it was so especially daft of her.
*
It was at the end of double Potions, and the last class of the day. The sun was shinning, the lake shimmering, and the grounds were simply crying out to her.
"Ginny!" she could hear faintly over the bubbling and popping of potions. "Ginny! Come out to us!"
And she was going to. As soon as Potions ended.
"What's next Ginny? Ginny? Are you there?"
She nodded dreamily, not yet out of her daze.
"Chameleon spittle, Colin."
"Are you sure?" His voiced was surprised.
She heaved a sigh. Why was he so inept that he couldn't make a potion without her?
"Yes I'm sure, I have the directions right here!" she cried, waving the said directions in the air
"Ok, whatever you say."
She sighed again and retreated back into her daydream. The sun was shining; the wind was blowing her hair. She could feel the smooth grass cool under her toes. And off in the distance someone was approaching. As she squinted she could see who it was. Harry.
She sat up straight, rudely thrust back into reality. She told herself she was over him. Completely. Wasn't interested in him remotely. Which made his sudden, and all too frequent, guest appearances in her daydreams harder to explain.
Still trying to shake herself she turned back to the cauldron. Just in time to see Colin pour a bottle marked chamomile lotion into the cauldron.
"Colin, NO!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and reaching toward him. Then the potion exploded. And she was leaning over it.
*
Blind. Totally blind.
"I'm sorry dear. But fortunately, it won't last forever. Six weeks at the longest." Madame Pomfrey's voice was comforting, and she was sure a sympathetic smile was gracing her lips. But she wouldn't know. Because she was blind! Totally and temporarily blind.
She sat on the infirmary bed, disgruntled and tired as the nurse's footsteps retreated. It was amazing how she never noticed how uncomfortable these beds were. She could quite literally feel every single lump in the mattress. She shifted slightly. More lumps! How on earth did anyone sleep on these things?
Come to think of it, she had slept on one herself after the Tom Riddle ordeal. She had been completely exhausted at the time, and a lumpy mattress had been the least of her worries. So she had slept quite soundly. But now, the only thing on her mind was the sudden lack of vision. And didn't everyone say that all of your other senses were heightened when you lost your sight? So she was going to spend all night, with heightened senses, on the mattress from-
"Ginny?"
Harry. What was he doing here? And wasn't he the cause of all this! If he hadn't shown up in her outdoors wonderland fantasy, she would have never noticed Colin's mistake, and the potion would have blown up in his face!
"Hi, Harry!" She wasn't very good at portraying venom in her voice. Malfoy had pointed this out to her once. She told him to shut up. He had just shook his head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"How are you doing?" He sounded a little uncomfortable. Like is it proper to ask someone who was just temporarily blinded by their potions partner how they're doing. The answer to that, she brooded, was no.
"Not too bad actually. Madame Pomfrey says it should clear up within a few weeks."
Clear up. Like it was acne or something. Malfoy had also told her she wasn't any good at voicing her opinion. She wanted to tell him to can it before she showed him her real opinion, but, unfortunately, he was right.
"Oh, well, that's really good." He sounded relieved. What was he even doing here? If he didn't leave soon his daydream appearances were going to go from a cameo to starring role. And the last thing she needed was a Harry Potter fantasy on a night she couldn't sleep due to the bed with lumps of about the size of the Alps.
"So," he continued. "What are you going to do while you're, well, you know?"
She had to get away from this. She was going to go open the window she needed some air. It was too much. On top of being blind, the guy she was madly, though unconsciously, crushing over was being a tactless idiot. Yes, a little air would be good.
And had it not been for the blindness it would have probably worked.
Her toe caught on the edge of the bed as she tried to dismount. Before she knew it, she was sailing through the air, bracing herself for the painful crash. It never came.
She landed in arms. Soft arms. Strong arms. Soft, strong arms.
"Are you ok?"
Harry's arms.
She knew she had to stand up, before something happened, but he seemed unaware of her plight.
"I know I've been kind of a jerk," he started.
You could say that again, she thought still trying to regain her feet. "You never really let anyone have it do you Weasley?" smirked a voice in her head. She gritted her teeth. Damn you Malfoy!
"It's just that, I'm not really sure what do say. When I heard you were hurt, I was so worried, but then when I saw you, and you seemed so fine, I mean I know you're blind and all but-"
"Harry," she interrupted.
He jerked out of his ramblings. "Yes?"
"Shut up."
A stunned silence followed. There she did it. She finally told someone her opinion. Somehow it didn't feel quite as rewarding as Malfoy had made it seem.
Harry finally realized her uncomfortable predicament and silently helped her to her feet. I should really go open the window, she thought. Then that voice came back, silky and cool.
"Have you ever tried to get what you want?"
It was final. She was never sitting next to Malfoy in another assembly as long as she lived.
But he had a point. Now was her chance. Carpe diem and all that jazz.
She raised her hand to his face. She knew where it was she could feel his breath. His skin was warm, and the touch sent a chill down her spine. He covered her hand with his own.
"Ginny."
His voice was husky. His glasses are probably fogging up she suddenly thought. It took all of her willpower not to giggle.
Instead she kissed him.
As his covered hers and his hand slipped down her back she suppressed a smile. She'd have to remember to thank Malfoy.
"Whenever your making around a cauldron you must never, ever lean over. Potions can be very dangerous!" she could cry, directing her children's attention to a bubbling vat of a stain removal potion (Percy had had a rather embarrassing bed wetting problem as a child).
It was probably impressive information the first dozen times she had warned her, but by the time she was sixteen the warning had lost its chilling effect. It had become one of those mundane things. Brush your teeth after every meal, never tickle a sleeping dragon, say please and thank you, and never lean over a cauldron. Something you never forgot.
That's why it was so especially daft of her.
*
It was at the end of double Potions, and the last class of the day. The sun was shinning, the lake shimmering, and the grounds were simply crying out to her.
"Ginny!" she could hear faintly over the bubbling and popping of potions. "Ginny! Come out to us!"
And she was going to. As soon as Potions ended.
"What's next Ginny? Ginny? Are you there?"
She nodded dreamily, not yet out of her daze.
"Chameleon spittle, Colin."
"Are you sure?" His voiced was surprised.
She heaved a sigh. Why was he so inept that he couldn't make a potion without her?
"Yes I'm sure, I have the directions right here!" she cried, waving the said directions in the air
"Ok, whatever you say."
She sighed again and retreated back into her daydream. The sun was shining; the wind was blowing her hair. She could feel the smooth grass cool under her toes. And off in the distance someone was approaching. As she squinted she could see who it was. Harry.
She sat up straight, rudely thrust back into reality. She told herself she was over him. Completely. Wasn't interested in him remotely. Which made his sudden, and all too frequent, guest appearances in her daydreams harder to explain.
Still trying to shake herself she turned back to the cauldron. Just in time to see Colin pour a bottle marked chamomile lotion into the cauldron.
"Colin, NO!" she screamed, jumping to her feet and reaching toward him. Then the potion exploded. And she was leaning over it.
*
Blind. Totally blind.
"I'm sorry dear. But fortunately, it won't last forever. Six weeks at the longest." Madame Pomfrey's voice was comforting, and she was sure a sympathetic smile was gracing her lips. But she wouldn't know. Because she was blind! Totally and temporarily blind.
She sat on the infirmary bed, disgruntled and tired as the nurse's footsteps retreated. It was amazing how she never noticed how uncomfortable these beds were. She could quite literally feel every single lump in the mattress. She shifted slightly. More lumps! How on earth did anyone sleep on these things?
Come to think of it, she had slept on one herself after the Tom Riddle ordeal. She had been completely exhausted at the time, and a lumpy mattress had been the least of her worries. So she had slept quite soundly. But now, the only thing on her mind was the sudden lack of vision. And didn't everyone say that all of your other senses were heightened when you lost your sight? So she was going to spend all night, with heightened senses, on the mattress from-
"Ginny?"
Harry. What was he doing here? And wasn't he the cause of all this! If he hadn't shown up in her outdoors wonderland fantasy, she would have never noticed Colin's mistake, and the potion would have blown up in his face!
"Hi, Harry!" She wasn't very good at portraying venom in her voice. Malfoy had pointed this out to her once. She told him to shut up. He had just shook his head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"How are you doing?" He sounded a little uncomfortable. Like is it proper to ask someone who was just temporarily blinded by their potions partner how they're doing. The answer to that, she brooded, was no.
"Not too bad actually. Madame Pomfrey says it should clear up within a few weeks."
Clear up. Like it was acne or something. Malfoy had also told her she wasn't any good at voicing her opinion. She wanted to tell him to can it before she showed him her real opinion, but, unfortunately, he was right.
"Oh, well, that's really good." He sounded relieved. What was he even doing here? If he didn't leave soon his daydream appearances were going to go from a cameo to starring role. And the last thing she needed was a Harry Potter fantasy on a night she couldn't sleep due to the bed with lumps of about the size of the Alps.
"So," he continued. "What are you going to do while you're, well, you know?"
She had to get away from this. She was going to go open the window she needed some air. It was too much. On top of being blind, the guy she was madly, though unconsciously, crushing over was being a tactless idiot. Yes, a little air would be good.
And had it not been for the blindness it would have probably worked.
Her toe caught on the edge of the bed as she tried to dismount. Before she knew it, she was sailing through the air, bracing herself for the painful crash. It never came.
She landed in arms. Soft arms. Strong arms. Soft, strong arms.
"Are you ok?"
Harry's arms.
She knew she had to stand up, before something happened, but he seemed unaware of her plight.
"I know I've been kind of a jerk," he started.
You could say that again, she thought still trying to regain her feet. "You never really let anyone have it do you Weasley?" smirked a voice in her head. She gritted her teeth. Damn you Malfoy!
"It's just that, I'm not really sure what do say. When I heard you were hurt, I was so worried, but then when I saw you, and you seemed so fine, I mean I know you're blind and all but-"
"Harry," she interrupted.
He jerked out of his ramblings. "Yes?"
"Shut up."
A stunned silence followed. There she did it. She finally told someone her opinion. Somehow it didn't feel quite as rewarding as Malfoy had made it seem.
Harry finally realized her uncomfortable predicament and silently helped her to her feet. I should really go open the window, she thought. Then that voice came back, silky and cool.
"Have you ever tried to get what you want?"
It was final. She was never sitting next to Malfoy in another assembly as long as she lived.
But he had a point. Now was her chance. Carpe diem and all that jazz.
She raised her hand to his face. She knew where it was she could feel his breath. His skin was warm, and the touch sent a chill down her spine. He covered her hand with his own.
"Ginny."
His voice was husky. His glasses are probably fogging up she suddenly thought. It took all of her willpower not to giggle.
Instead she kissed him.
As his covered hers and his hand slipped down her back she suppressed a smile. She'd have to remember to thank Malfoy.
