Getting It

Part the First

Hands, 16 year old Harry Potter decided, were a tool used by infamous Dark Wizards to distract the young from their defense research. And Harry had plenty of that to do because aside from normal DAD, which was now mercifully over (yeah, the teacher had been good, but the class had gotten officially difficult, even for Harry), Harry now simply had the DA. AKA defense league, or Dumbledore's Army, depending on how rebellious they were feeling that day. The DA still met in the Room of Requirement and was not overseen not just by Harry, but Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore, whenever one could be spared from the Order. The only difference from last year was that the meetings were now regulated and on occasion its participants now had research to do. Ron claimed this was a fancy word for homework and Hermione said so what, at least you're being informed. And then they argued. Again.

But that, of course, was not what our young hero was thinking about at the moment. No, he was thinking about hands. Let the world go stir-fry itself, Harry Potter was taking a break and looking at hands. Not his, a girls. And if he did say so, not out loud (never out loud) Ginny Weasley had amazing hands. They were still now, after he had seen them scribble endlessly all year over OWL papers, resting behind her head on the green grass. She had completed her OWL's not a full hour ago and unlike Hermione, the only other girl Harry ever knew well enough to compare Ginny to, she seemed wholly unconcerned about the whole thing. When he questioned her on this, having finally given up on his defense texts (which he had plenty of time to do, he rationalized, the rest of sixth year was over), she said, "Its too nice out to be bothered."

Harry raised his eyebrows, that didn't sound very Weasley like, being bothered was a specialty of theirs. She smiled at his doubt, "I'm done Harry, I can't change a thing now. I'll fret later, probably, but I'm sure I scrapped a few OWL's to please mum with and, frankly, I'm just glad it over."

"Me too." Harry automatically answered. He was in total agreement with Ginny, what was done was done, rest and then move on.

Ginny opened on eye and looked at him, confused, "Harry, you finished your OWL's last year."

"Yeah, well, wait until sixth year, they're non too gentle there either. Besides, I'm just glad the years over. Period." Ginny made a noise somewhere between her nose and the back of her throat and waved a bug away with her hand. Harry was once again distracted by her fingers, but managed to get himself together again and register that Ginny was talking to him, just not what she said. "Huh?" he asked stupidly. He knew she had been trying to talk to him about what happened this year, and probably thought he was ignoring her, but her hands were so much more interesting, they waved around while she talked.

Ginny tried a new approach. "If you're done studying, come down here with me, off your perch."

Harry looked around, Ron, Neville, Hermione and Luna had been with he and Ginny but they, like she, had given up on DA work and went off in search of other pursuits. Harry was left alone on the bench with little Ginny on the ground at his left, looking very comfortable, and, at the moment, not so little anymore. Harry looked around in search of reinforcements. Luna and Neville were attempting to skip rocks and Luna was telling Neville something in great details as he listened in rapt attention. Ron and Hermione were bickering as usual, but now there was blatant flirting as well. A new development Harry wasn't exactly sure how he felt about yet.

Ginny's hands were moving again. One propped her up as she raised the other to swoosh in front of his face. "Harry? Are you in there?"

Harry blushed, "Sorry, I was just thinking." He set his books and papers on top of his bag and gingerly sat down next to her. Ginny was sprawled out in a very unlady like fashion on the grass, this was one of those times you could tell she had six brothers. It was cute, Harry decided. He also decided quickly after that this was definitely a dangerous train of thought, he looked focussed on something less life threatening, and then Ginny spoke to him. "This year was so… hard."

"Yeah, OWL's can be killer." Harry said, relaxing and grateful for a safe topic, he learned his back again the bench, eyes unfocused.

"No. Well, yeah, they are, but I meant stuff with the war. I feel so useless."

Harry paused, this wasn't a safe topic at all, but it was Ginny, and he could talk to Ginny. She was a Weasley, a Weasley who wasn't intimidated by him; he had figured that out this year.

"I learned after last year that it's better just to wait rather than to… I don't know, present yourself."

Ginny nodded, though Harry wasn't sure she understood. So he tried again, "It's like you wait and wait and wrestle with stuff and face your fears and then you get anxious and set off, and then figure out you didn't wait long enough, you aren't ready, you haven't faced your fears at all…."

"And to top it all off, you find it's really bigger than all that anyway." Ginny finished for him. Harry nodded, he wasn't sure if she still had her eyes open or not, but it seemed like she saw the nod anyway.

"I don't really know when it happened, at the end of last year I guess, but I really want to destroy Tom, in any way possible." She said quietly.

Harry's gaze snapped from Ginny's fidgeting hands to her face, "What?" Ginny had never said this before, at least to him.

"He owned so much of me when I was eleven, my whole life, and ever since then he's tried to take so much more from everyone else. Sometimes he succeeds, and I know, from experience, that whatever he's taken from all those people, they'll never get back. I just want to stop him, even if its just to undermine the authority he's putting us all under."

"You mean the fear everyone's got?"

"Yeah! People live in terror, you shouldn't have to."

Harry had noticed throughout the year that whenever there was a particularly brazen attack by Voldemort, Ginny seemed to be the only one their age who's fear level didn't simply shoot through the roof. "Well, Gin, the only thing is… you can't."

"I can't?" And there was the Weasley temper; she has getting the faintest beginnings of an angry blush.

"Well, that is, um… you can't go and fight him. Not yet anyway. I guess we both already have…" and here, Harry was happy to see, Ginny glowed with pride, "but we shouldn't ever try again until we know more. If it can be helped, no one should face Voldemort until they're ready." He picked up his defense text and started flipping through the contents, eyes barely focussing, until they settled on something very pleasing, Ginny's hand on his own.

"Harry," she said softly, "I'm not going to go out and find Tom. I know I'm not ready for that at all…. But I'm still going to defy him. I'm doing it right now."

Harry looked at Ginny, disbelieving, did she have a screw loose?

"I'm living, and I'm happy."

And then Harry remembered the words spoken about his future, before he even had one, " neither shall live while the other survives." I don't think I can do that, Gin."

Ginny made a noise of protest and squeezed his hand about to tell him exactly how he could live, had Hermione not jumped up and screamed at the same moment. "Just leave me alone Ron. No, go away, I'm just so tired of your infantile attitude. Just, just… er!" and stormed up to the castle. Onlookers murmured as Ron stared after her, gulped and ran his hands through his hair.

Ginny, distracted, got up to chase after Hermione. "He just doesn't get it!" She mumbled furiously, grabbing hers and Hermione's things from the bench. Harry, still observing Ron (but sneaking glances and Ginny's flying hands) smiled shakily and said, "Nope, he doesn't." He started towards Ron but stopped and looked back when he heard Ginny's long suffering sigh. She glanced at him with a face that clearly said, "You're not so sharp either" and then began towards the castle.

"Ginny?" Harry called.

She turned around, sorely tempted to come back, "I'm going to go find out what my stupid brother did to Hermione." And then walked briskly to the castle.

"See you at dinner!" Harry called, for some reason needing to make sure she'd actually be there. He saw her copper head nod and then disappear through the great doors. So that was all right, Harry thought, a Weasley never missed dinner… but a second ago something had been bothering Ginny. He shrugged and went over to help his completely bewildered friend. Poor Ron, he just didn't get it. Then again, did he get it any better than Ron? Probably not.

"Honestly Harry, I don't understand." Ron said when Harry reached him, "I thought I was getting somewhere, and then she jumps up and screams at me. She's crazy!

"Yeah mate, but so are you."

Ron looked at Harry, his glance clearing implying that Harry had no right to call anyone crazy.

"What I mean is, er, well, what did you say anyway?"

"I invited her to the burrow."
"That's it?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Yeah! I was real nice about it, told her she could do what she wanted, even go visit Krum, but me and the burrow would always be waiting."

"You said it like that?" Harry asked, he would have imagined Hermione would be pleased with that.

"Well, I think. I mean, I tried to say it like that. But it's a lot easier saying it to you than her,"

"Maybe that's 'cause you're not hoping to snog me. At least you shouldn't be."

Ron gaped, open mouthed, at Harry, then he tried to speak, but nothing came out. He looked like a goldfish with sunburn. "Look Ron, you're this close to Hermione and you being… whatever it is you want to be, just go apologize.

"I don't know Harry, I think whatever it was I said was pretty rotten."

"But Ron," Neville said from behind them, "Whatever you said, she wouldn't have reacted so bad if she didn't like you." Neville shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at his trainers, embarrassed at having offered Ron advice, even if he did need it.

Harry, because it seemed like the right thing to do, clapped Neville on the back and said, "Neville's right Ron, go on, before she decides to hex you too badly?"

Ron nodded, now a decided shade of green, and walked up to the castle as if going to his death.

"Neville! That was amazing!" Harry said, after Ron had left and he and Neville were gathering up their things. "Where'd you learn to understand girls?"

"My Gran I guess, and Ginny, she rants about you and Ron all the time." Neville turned a funny color, realizing what he'd just said.

"She does?" Harry asked, wide eyed.

"Yeah, but nothing, you know, severe, just that Ron needs to hurry up and ask Hermione out…" Neville and Harry started off toward the castle.

"And me?" Harry asked, feeling he was being very brave to venture such a question. Neville seemed to feel just as brave, because he actually answered the question. Well, sort of. "Well, I don't want to betray her or anything. But you know Ginny, just stuff about her being treated like a little girl when she's gone through, you know, a lot of stuff."

"But what does that have to do with me?"

"Well, I guess maybe you've done that or something, but actually, she worries about you more than anything. All the girls do. Trouble finds you, ya know?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded. It was strange talking to Neville like this, at fourteen Harry would never have dreamt he'd be able to converse with Neville or Ginny about the war or Ron and Hermione. But here he was, and after all the things they'd been through in the last two years, he should have seen it coming. This was just one of the nicer things that happened.

"Hey Harry, I have to go meet Luna in the library before Dinner." Harry raised his eyebrows at Neville, who blushed, "Its… its just for the DA, professor Lupin paired us up, remember?" Harry nodded and told Neville he'd see them at Dinner before setting off towards the Gryffindor tower to see what remained of Ron. Surprisingly enough, he found Ron grinning like an idiot up in their dormitory.

"She's coming! I think she's still ticked off at me, but I can sort all that out later!"

"That's great Ron." Harry said, stuck a little about what to say next. This was Hermione after all, jokes aside, Harry wasn't sure what to say to Ron when he talked about her. He began to pack his things, another summer at the Dursley's. Joy.

Ron looked up when Harry stayed quiet for a while after that, finally noticing his discomfort. "Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you earlier, 'cause of Hermione, you only have to spend two weeks with the Dursley's and then you and Professor Lupin are coming to spend the summer with us too! You can come right?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "No, I have a formal engagement with the Queen. Of course I can come you idiot." Ron prattled on in the background about how brilliant the summer would be, Harry just nodded and murmured in agreement. As always, he was excited, overjoyed really, to visit the burrow and his second, or rather, real, family the Weasley's. Even if Ron and Hermione spent half their time bickering and making up, it was better than putting up with Dudley. Besides, he had discovered last year that Ginny was a lot of fun to hang out with, maybe they could even play a little Quidditch, Ginny was on the house team now too. He could probably even find out what was going on with her. She and Neville did have a point; she had gone through a lot, not as much as Harry, but enough….

So Ron had made up to Hermione for the time being, but he still didn't actually get it. So Harry had gotten closer to Ginny, he didn't get it either. Harry sighed. He was starting to get a headache.

Fin part the first

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