AN: EDIT: Big edits and changing Ginny's rule 63 name to Gideon.
Each ship is canon, you know, by the book. The AU is that every person in Harry's generation is the opposite gender. Like Harry is Halley, Hermione is Hector, Ron is Rory (the meaning is perfect), and Ginny is Gid, etc...
I couldn't resist this idea. Mainly because I am sick of seeing the main reason for Girl!Harry as a romantic tool to get with the author's supposed boy of choice.
Some scenes are made up, paraphrased heavily, or taken word-for-word from the books. Another one I did is called Dawn is Bright, which can be seen as a quick continuation.
And think of this as an early Valentine's gifts. So please leave a review before adding to your favourites.
Disclaimer: Last time I checked I am an American brunette. Nice try, but I know that I'm not JK Rowling
Title: One Step Closer
Word Count: 8K
Summary: It doesn't matter what the universe has in store, love can conquer. They just need to take that one step closer. A collection of scenes that can prove so.
Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid
To fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt
Suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer
I have died everyday
waiting for you
—Christina Perri - A Thousand Years
"Gid, wake up." A voice urged fearfully, it swirled and spun though the darkness in Gid's mind. It felt like he ran through every wall in the castle, his head pounding and body aching.
Someone shook him. "Please, don't be dead," she said again. Gid groaned, wondering why he was in such pain. Then it snapped back like a muggle rubber band.
Tom.
The diary.
Everything came back, and none too kindly for that matter. The memories came rushing, the emotions clinging to them like a second skin. Gasping, the youngest Weasley woke up in a cold sweat. The first thing he saw was Halley Potter's green eyes, her small face pale with fear. Then he saw the slumping form of a giant snake, and the diary in Halley's bloodstained hand.
Gid drew a shuddering gasp, trying not to cry. "Halley—I tried—but Tom wouldn't, and Priscilla came—it was me, Halley—I—I didn't mean to—Riddle's too strong—I fought but he forced me—and how did you kill that—that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I remember is h-him coming out of the diary—"
"It's all right," Halley cracked a weary grin; her glasses were hanging lopsided from her face. She held up the diary, showing Gid the large, acidic hole. "See? Him and the Basilisk are gone now. C'mon, let's go—"
She helped him up to his feet. Gid wiped his nose with his tattered sleeve; he could feel tears trying to escape. "I'm going to be expelled! I've been looking forward to coming ever since B-Beatrice came, and n-now I won't be able to—what will Mum and Dad say?"
"That it's not your fault," Halley said with certainty. She picked up a sword from the ground; the gleaming silver was oddly clean from the fight. She then took him by the hand and led him to the mouth of the chamber. A swan-like bird with bright red plumage waited for them. It was the brightest thing in the cave that was filled with dreary greys and somber greens. They followed the bird as it led them through tunnels. Suddenly, they stopped at a giant pile of rock.
"Hey, Rory!" Halley shouted at the rubble. "Gid's okay. I got him!"
Maybe everything was going to be better now.
"What brings you here?"
Gid jumped at the sound of the sudden speaker behind him. He was a year behind the age requirement, but a friend had brought him. Though the last he'd saw Nellie Longbottom was when she was talking to Hans Abbott somewhere.
He turned around not to see a teacher, but Halley. She was looking very pretty in her bottled green robes, and her messy hair tamed in a fancy plait. Only her eyes showed how tired she was.
Tongue-tied, he tied to think of something to say without embarrassing himself. "Uh. A-a friend came with me, and she's dancing with…how are you?"
Halley pressed her lips into a thin line. "Brilliant," she said sarcastically. "Your sister and I are having a grand time."
Gid looked to see Rory arguing with Hector Granger. A number of Hogwartians stopped their activities to watch them. The Dumstrang candidate, Vasillia Krum, scowled in the corner as she glared at Rory.
"Maybe it's safe to say that it was their fault?" Gid said. "I mean…you know? They could have gone together. But why didn't they?"
Now the two were shouting loudly. Furious, Hector stormed off, his blue robes flapping behind him. Vasillia followed him, not without the beaky-nosed girl sending a look of triumph in Rory's direction.
"That was the most entertaining thing I've seen all evening," Halley said lightly.
"It's going to be a long few years until those two get together."
"Merlin. We're doomed."
The Weird Sisters changed songs; this one was fast-paced and had a catchy beat. Following some courageous inspiration, Gid asked over the loud noise, "Do you want to dance?"
Halley's eyes widened. He had a good feeling what she thinking. Probably about Chao Chang, and wishing that he was asking her instead. Her gaze found him and Cassidy Diggory dancing. "Yeah. I don't know how to dance."
"Good." Gid tried to keep the disappointment down. "Me, too. So what's the harm of both of us dancing horribly together?" He held out a hand. "Please?"
She hesitantly looked at his hand and then to the happy couple. "Okay, Gid. I hope you don't mind having sore feet in the morning."
"Please," Gid asked quietly in the library. Halley was slouched over a long piece of parchment, finished her Herbology homework. "You have to do this."
Hector had came to him yesterday asking for his opinion about starting a defence club. Gid had wasted no time saying yes. There were some things in the world that only needed no hesitation to be answered. A rebellion against a sickeningly evil teacher that hurt his friends would always be yes.
Halley lifted her head, sighing. "I don't know what to do about it. And why me?"
Gid raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You are the single most impressive person in this school."
Halley opened her mouth to object, but he kept speaking.
"You saved the Philosopher's Stone from falling into You-Know-Who's hands. You saved my life. You faced Dementors. You fought in the Tournament, and you duelled You Know Who again. Face it, Potter, you're the only person capable enough to teach us how to fight."
The dark-haired witch smiled in a disgruntled fashion. "You've been talking to Rory and Hector, haven't you?"
Gid gave her a smile. "And if I have? Listen, Halley, you could do a lot of good if you go through this. Just think about it. That's all I have to ask."
Hell came in many flavours when Dolores Umbridge came to Hogwarts. First was her teaching, then it was the decrees, banning Halley and the Twins from Quidditch, and the list went on and on.
Gid tucked the package his mother sent under his arm, and was searching for a quiet place to sit in the library. He wanted to avoid as many people as he could because of the disastrous Quidditch practices. The problem was that he just wasn't the right build anymore for a Seeker. Gid wasn't small like Halley, or had her build, because the Weasley genetics were finally kicking in, making him too tall to do some of the tricks properly. He would much rather try out for the Chaser position. At least there as the added bonus of hitting someone with a quaffle.
He spotted Halley sitting near the fire, her eyes staring into it as if Sirius would appear in the flames with a message. Gid quietly took the seat next to her, hoping not to interrupt her train of thought.
"How was it?" she asked, "Quidditch practice, I mean?" There was a hollow sound when she spoke. As if she was attempting not to add any emotions.
Gid winced, wishing that she asked something else. "Bad. Very bad. Rory's confidence has been going down the drain all because of that stupid song. Sloper struck herself with her own bat—but we're not entirely sure how. The Slytherins won't leave us alone. Andrew's been shouting himself hoarse to get them to leave, but," he shrugged, "it's not been working so well."
Halley sighed and knotted her fingers together under her chin. "Damn. That's just…"
"We need you back," he added as an afterthought. He slumped in his chair to imagine how better the team would be with her back on. They would crush those snakes and make them wish—
"You know I can't," countered Halley. Damn, she had to interrupt that wonderful dream. "With Umbridge around I can't do anything."
Gid bit back a curse. Of course, it all went back to that toad for every misery in the school. Snape must be disappointment at that new development. He put the box on his lap, opened it, and was surprised to see several chocolate eggs of various sizes. He took one out and handed it to Halley. "Umbridge won't be around for long. That's the joy of cursed positions. Here, now it's your turn to complain."
Halley took the chocolate with a smile and went on about how her nonexistent love life with Chang and how they were having trouble with simple conversations, missing Sirius dearly, the pain of not playing Quidditch, and the usual fears of the upcoming OWLs. As she relayed it to him, Gid noticed how relieved she looked to be getting it off her shoulders. There was a different easiness about her now.
Also that her date Chang ended horribly. But he hid his happiness from her about hearing that.
"Love life besides, I have an idea." The plan was reckless, foolhardy, but Gid wanted to impress her. He wanted to make her happy; he was just so sick of seeing the doom and gloom in the castle. "With having Felicity and Georgia as older sisters. You learn that you can do anything if you have enough nerve."
"I think with their fanciful exit, everyone knows that."
"No, you git." Gid took a bite out of his egg before speaking. "I know how you can talk to Snuffles without anyone knowing."
Her green eyes looked unnaturally bright in the firelight. She leaned in closer, asking in a whisper. "Really?"
Gid nodded yes, and then he made a gesture to the fireplace. "Umbridge's office doesn't have the security in it. If you—"
"Is that chocolate I see?"
Halley was doing a remarkable job of avoiding everyone. After the cheerful encounter at St Mungo's with the Extendable Ears, she had been making efforts to brood in the dark corners, while Sirius was acting frighteningly cheerful for the holidays. Hector had arrived shortly after claiming that skiing wasn't the sport for him. Rory then took great pleasure in teasing him, and a quick hour's worth of I-told-you-so's.
The three of them were in Rory's room, sitting on her bed, and telling Hector how they should cheer Halley up.
"No," he said firmly. "A Cheering Charm of that capacity would be disastrous."
"So she'll be giggly and perky for a few days. Frankly, we all need one done to us," Rory argued. "All of this studying will be the death of us."
"How do you suppose to pass, then? Consult a crystal ball?"
Gid winced, remembering that was the reason why he chose to take Divination. He really wished he had thought that through besides listening to Felicity and Georgia for advice.
"The Cheering Charm is out, the never-ending bag of chocolate is out, same for extra-large treacle tart. What d'you think we should do?" he asked them before they could go into another round of arguing.
Hector opened his mouth but was cut off by someone opening the bedroom door. They all swerved their heads to see Halley standing there. "Talking about me, I see," she said in a quiet voice. She walked over and sat on the bed next to Rory. Her glasses were hanging on the perch of her nose, ready to fall off. "You can continue and act like I'm not even here."
Rory inched away.
"How're you feeling?" Hector asked, warily looking over at her.
"Fine," she said stiffly.
"Oh, don't lie, Halley," Hector said impatiently. He arched an eyebrow. "Rory and Gid say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St Mungo's."
"They do, do they?" Halley said, glaring at them. Rory pointedly looked away, but Gid felt shards of his temper rising. It was almost ridiculous to see her act like such an arse. They were all there for her, and she would rather prefer acting like such a snippy...
"Well, you have!" he said, "and you won't look at any of us!"
"It's you lot who won't look at me!" said Halley angrily.
"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," suggested Hector, the corners of his mouth twitching. Of all the times Hector would rarely make a joke, it had to be now.
"Very funny," snapped Halley, turning away.
"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," said Hector sharply. "Look, the others told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears—"
"Yeah?" growled Halley. She leaned back on the headrest of the bed, her green eyes watching them. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it…"
Rory rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath about specky gits and their dramatic qualities.
"We wanted to talk to you, Halley," Gid said, injecting pieces of his anger in the words. "But as you've been hiding ever since we got back—"
"I don't want anyone to talk to me." Halley got off the bed and went to the door. Rory and Hector shared a quick look, worried.
"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," Gid called out. Halley stopped at the door, hand hovering over the doorknob. "Seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who. I can still tell you how it feels."
Halley reminded quite still at the impact of the words. Then she turned around on the spot to face him. Guilt flashed over her face. "I forgot."
"Lucky you," he said cooly. In the dark recess of memory he could still feel the suffocating fear of the Chamber, the rough stones with water strewn over them, and green eyes asking if he was okay.
"I'm sorry," Halley said, meaning it. "So…so do you think I'm being possessed, then?"
For the past few years Gid had wanted to curse Daria Malfoy.
Sadly, guys couldn't curse girls for some noble, idiotic, chivalrous reason. Though, he thought, the reason might be excluded in mortal peril.
The beautiful image of bogey-made bats attacking the Malfoy heiress might of have enough power to make a corporeal Patronus. That was spoiled by the fact that Halley and Hector were in the Forbidden Forest alone with Umbridge, and that danger was once again near. It was starting to feel like a normal year at Hogwarts.
The trio made it look easy to be all heroic. No one ever mentioned how paralysing the fear was.
Gid, his sister Rory, Nellie Longbottom, and Luce Lovegood stopped midway at the bridge to see Halley and Hector emerged unharmed. Thank Merlin for that.
"What's the plan?" Rory asked when she handed them their wands. They were brought up to speed to what happened to the Inquisitorial Squad. Seeing Halley's flabbergasted expression was well worth the black eye that Gid had gotten.
"Here's one," she said with the tone of authority. "You, Hector, and I head—"
"Wait? Aren't we all going together?" Nellie asked.
Halley scowled. "There is no 'we.' And I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how the three of us are going to get there to help him."
They all fell silent, looking rather scared; the problem facing them seemed insurmountable.
"We can't use Portkeys," Hector reasoned. "The Ministry would be able to track us. None of us can apparate. The Floo is being watched. We're on our own for this one."
"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luce, in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice.
"No," said Halley again. Her wand was out as if she expected a fight at any second. Mad-Eye would be proud. "There is no 'we'. Got it? The three of us will use brooms…" but whatever Halley was going to say collapsed into silence.
"I got a broom," Gid offered.
"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Rory angrily.
"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Gid. "You've only known him slightly longer than I have," he added hotly. "And it's not like I said that I care as much as Halley does for him!"
"You're too—" Halley began, but Gid said fiercely, rounding on her:
"If you say young, you're being a hypocrite. I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosopher's Stone, and it's because of me that Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogies attacking her —"
"Yeah, but—" They were standing closer together, eyes locked. Gid never saw her look this frustrated in months. Halley took a deep breath, "I don't want to risk losing anyone."
"We were all in the D.A, together," said Nellie quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real—or was that all just a game or something?"
Emotions warred on Halley's face. "No—of course it wasn't—" she said impatiently.
"Then we should come too," said Nellie simply. "We want to help."
"That's right," said Luce, smiling happily.
The trio exchanged looks, Hector and Rory nodded yes. "Halley," Hector said quietly. "There is safety in large numbers. We could be facing anything."
There was a deep silence. "Fine." Halley said in defeat. "Now who knows how we should get there?"
"Remind me," Halley asked. "Who was the one who had the bright idea of teaching Hector to fly again?" They were laying on their backs in the grass, watching the clouds skirt and dance in the sky.
It was great to be back home for the summer holidays. It felt like a breath of fresh air from being free from the suffocation of Grimauld's Place and the paranoia at Hogwarts. Halley appeared before her birthday, looking older and more scarred. No one knew what to expect from her state of mind when she returned. Hector speculated that it could be a repeat of last year. Rory was more optimistic and slipped her mother a recipe for treacle tart as a stand-by.
Yet when Halley did came, the only word to describe her was weary. Dark shadows still circled her eyes, skin pale from staying indoors, but she smiled every now and then. That alone was very reassuring for him.
"It wasn't me," Gid said, he nudged his shoulder against hers. "I blame Rory entirely."
"She needs to find a better way of impressing him," said Halley truthfully. "If I have to go through another year of those two…" She shrugged. "You get the point."
He did. Maybe the rest of Hogwarts agreed, as well.
"What do you think this year is going to be like?" he asked her.
"Hmm…" her eyes went out of focused as she thought about it. "Weird. Dangerous. A grand old adventure. Probably just the usual."
"That's your usual, not for everyone else. I mean, how about Quidditch?" Gid countered.
"Well, seeing that I am Quidditch Captain," and the smile on her face grew. "My first order for the new school year will be to make sure that my favourite Chaser and Keeper will help us win the cup."
Gid sat up, not believing what she just said. "Are you joking?"
"Why would I?" Halley said, sounding completely serious, she then copied his movements to face him. "I've seen you play, and you're good. Of course I want you and Rory on the tea—"
The hug was something that she possibly wasn't expecting.
"See you on the pitch, Potter!"
"It's Captain Potter to you, Weasley. I'm your bloody captain."
"And I'm your bloody Chaser. Glad that we're even."
The year was going as normal as it could be: Slughorn was the new Potion's Professor. Snape took the Defence position. Malfoy was as horrible as always. Rory was being an arse and dating Logan Brown. And Gid wondered if Luce was right about Wrackspurts being real. It seemed like every time he was with Halley he couldn't concentrate properly.
He would get distracted easily and walk into something, he would find himself saying excuses to be with her, all the signs that proved something that he didn't wanted to admit yet. When he asked Luce about it, he claimed that it was the Wrackspurts and Nargles conspiring. Hector just gave him an exasperated look and said to think it through before doing anything too drastic.
Gid did. And he somehow ended up at Slughorn's party alone.
Life got even funnier as he saw Halley came in with Luce. Gid blinked several times for two reasons: One was that Luce wore silver dress robes that it made it literally hurt to look at him. The second was that Halley looked…she looked very nice.
That sounded very lame in his mind, but it was true. The muggle dress she wore reminded him that she was very much a witch. Gid looked at the wall next to him, wondering if bashing his head in it repeatedly would hurt as much as he would thought.
"Hello, Gid," his best friend greeted. "You look conflicted. Is it because of Halley Potter?"
Gid felt his mouth drop. Was he being that obvious?
Luce nodded, his pale eyes wide and truthful. "It seems that your sister and Hector Granger are having the same problem. Perhaps it's the Argarmors? They tend to make people who are in love with each other to act foolishly. I believe I saw a nest near the Gryffindor Common Room."
"Is that all?" Gid said. "Or is there a cure I should know of?"
"Why would someone want to cure love?" Luce sounded genuinely concerned. "I think she wants to dance with you. It could help you both."
"Wait…" But Luce already vanished in a crowd of people, probably warning a few about the mistletoe being infested with Nargles.
Gid shook his head and turned to get a refreshment. Maybe he would leave soon. There wasn't anything for him here besides more confusion. And the food wasn't that great to begin with; he shuddered at the thought of eating dragon's balls.
"Sorry," he looked to apologise to the person he bumped into. Halley starred owlishly back.
"Uh, wotcher," she said, looking stunned at seeing him. "You cleaned up nicely. Bit odd from seeing you out of your Quidditch kit, I must say."
Gid forced himself to speak. The little voice in the back of his head acknowledged the fact that she looked amazing in the back dress. He told it shut up. The last thing he wanted to do was to spout some god-awful poetry about her green eyes being the same colour as a fresh-pickled toad, or how her hair was as a blackboard curled slightly…
"I was just about to leave," he admitted sheepishly. He tugged at the collar of his dress robes and was feeling rather warm. "I guess I can stay now." He then thought back to the conversation with Luce. Why not? "Do you want to dance?"
Halley didn't answer at first. A thin blush moved its way on her face, making her eyes looking very green without her glasses. Gid found that he was having a hard time looking away.
"Th-that would be great," she said quietly. "But I still can't dance well."
"Here." He extended a hand. The rough calluses of her own hand grasped tightly. "I got better. I hope."
They were close together, moving to the soft music. Gid had a hand around her waist and the other on the middle of her back. Halley's arms were around his neck, her face close. Neither of them had much improvement, content with the slight movements. And neither spoke; maybe it was nerves or the fear of spoiling such a moment.
"You smell nice," Halley said abruptly and then winced. "I can't believe I said that."
That would be thanks to Fabris, Beatrice's fiancé. He had bought Gid a box for his birthday that was filled with cologne, aftershave, and several other hygiene products that were very expensive. At first Gid had avoided it, wanting nothing from the blond wizard, and then he'd caved a week later and started trying them. It was a pleasant woody scent that was surprisingly good, and now it had an added appeal.
"Thanks?" Gid didn't know how to properly answer that without making it sound like a question. "I forgot to tell you, but you also cleaned up nicely."
Halley smiled, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He felt aware of their close contact, if he could just move a step closer…
"Gid, I've been meaning to say this for a while," she said sincerely. "Thanks for the help you've constantly been." her voice dropped a few notches. "You and the rest mean a lot to me, especially with last year."
It was no flowery proclamation of love, but it was really nice to hear those words coming from her mouth. Gid could feel his family's signature blush taking over his skin. "You mean a lot to me, too."
He could feel the soft flutter of her eyelashes on his cheek, and his hands moved to the small of her back. He felt very aware of the smaller space between them—
And then Hector appeared looking like he just escaped from one of Hagrid's pets. "Cornelia McLaggen is trying to find me! Help!"
Would it be that rude for Gid to tell his friend to shove off? If felt like someone dumped a bucket of cold water on him, the lovely dream-like feeling vanished leaving him feel exposed.
"What happened?" Halley asked, looking concerned for her friend.
"Mistletoe!" Hector exclaimed; his eyes darted around the room. "I told her no, but she kept– her breath is awful– insulting Rory and Gid—" the splutters died and his eyes grew twice their size. "Sweet mother of Merlin! It's her! Neither of you saw me!" Never had Gid seen Hector move so quickly away from someone.
Gid looked at Halley, not having a clue for what to do next. They withdrew their hands and took several steps, backing away from each other.
"I should get going," Halley said apologetically. She turned to leave, "Thanks for the dance."
Christmas came and Gid found himself to be back home for the holiday.
Somehow, he didn't bother to ask, there was a gold-painted gnome on the top of the tree that was wearing a sparkly and pink costume. It stared forlornly at anyone who dared to laugh at him. Fabris was still as annoying as he was during the summer holiday, although Gid thought that his relationship with Beatrice had gotten more sickeningly sweet. And Mum had gone into tears when Priscilla returned her Christmas jumper for the second year in a row.
The youngest Weasley sat in a chair near the fire; his head pounding from the OWL lecture Hector gave him. The fear tasted like bile, so was it really coming up so soon?
"Hello, Gideon," Lupin greeted. He took the adjacent chair, his hair looking more grey and face more lined. "How are you?"
Gid half-heartily waved. "Lo, just trying not to run in fear from OWLs."
"Ah." He looked sympathetic. "I am glad that I no longer have to do that."
"Rub it in, why don't you?"
Lupin smiled, looking very relaxed. "I heard old Slughorn had his annual party. Did you enjoyed it?"
Gid looked over his shoulder to where Halley and Rory were discussing something. He hadn't talked to her since the party. Was the werewolf trying to say something along those lines?
"Yeah. It was…fine," he finished lamely. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You talked to Halley?"
Remus' face remained impassive. "I am only curious, did you had a good time with her?"
Gid looked down at his hands, blushing. "How much did she tell you?"
"Not much." The older man shrugged. "She looks very much like her father whenever he tried to say as little as possible."
"Bloody hell," Gid muttered quietly so his mother wouldn't hear him curse. He leaned his head back as the headache grew. "Hey, what if someone that you used to have a crush on starts to return those feelings?"
Remus looked into the fire pensively. "It must be the Curse," he said light-heartily.
Gid's head shot up. "You mean she's—"
"No, Gideon," the man raised his hand. The lines near his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "It's more of a joke. All Potters have messy hair, bad eyesight, and the tendency to like redheads."
Oh. Gid tugged a piece of his hair. It was a Weasley shade that consisted of both reds and oranges. It was painfully obnoxious and easy to spot in a crowd. So this was all thanks to the colour of hair? The developing romance?
A hand lightly touched his shoulder. "Sorry for interrupting, but can I talk to Remus?" Halley asked.
It took Gid a few seconds to remember how to speak. A tendency to like redheads? Redheads like him? "Oh, sure." He got up from his seat; positive that his earlier blush hadn't left his skin. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"Er." She adjusted her glasses. "This may sound weird, but are you wearing that cologne again?"
Okay. Maybe he was.
Remus made a slight sound, something that could be mistaken as a disguised cough.
It was all a blur: Halley's detention, the flying, catching the snitch, and the inexplicable and sudden feeling of her body pressed tightly to Gid's; and her mouth moving enthusiastically with his. Barely a second ago he was thinking of doing just the same, and Halley was clearly thinking among the same lines.
And it was bloody fantastic.
They broke the kiss after what felt like eons. Halley's hair was a mess and her lips were enticingly red and swollen. Her hands were curled in the front of his uniform, and her eyes were the most incredible shade of green. He was half-aware of the crowd around them, only making out the distinct sounds of Hector and Rory.
Without needing to speak, her hand slipped between his and they walked out of the common room together.
He sat stiffly in his chair, holding Halley's hand. Hector and Rory were next to them. Hector kept looking in the sun's direction because he that no one would see the tears on his face if he did that.
The white marble tomb looked unreal in the late spring day. Brightly polished, it glowed in the sunlight. A wizened man with a bright puff of white hair went up there to talk; perhaps something glorified that the press would eat up?
Gid looked around the crowd to see how many people he would recognise. There was the Minister who kept looking in their direction, the revolting Skeeter with a green quill in hand, almost every resident from Hogsmead, and (with a certain feeling of doom) Dolores Umbridge.
He won't get any peace and rest, Gid thought, even after death he'll be hounded.
It wasn't his first funeral that he'd been to. There was a hazy recollection of his grandfather's small one; and Great-Aunt Muriel's third husband's. But no one liked talking about the last one, something to do with fireworks.
Then several people screamed. Bright, white flames had erupted around Dumbledore's body and the table upon which it lay: higher and higher they rose, obscuring the body. White smoke spiralled into the air and made strange shapes. In its place was a white marble tomb, encasing Dumbledore's body and the table on which he had rested. There were a few more cries of shock as a shower of arrows soared through the air, but they fell far short of the crowd.
Gid looked around to see where is came from, feeling glad that he wasn't sporting a wooden shaft anywhere on his body. Then it was over. There was a note of uncertainty in the air; a terse pause was breaking.
"Gid, listen…" Halley started to say very quietly, as the buzz of conversation grew louder around them and people began to get to their feet. "I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."
Maybe that was to be expected. A dark, hollow feeling grew like a flower. He said, with an oddly twisted smile, "It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"
"It's been like… like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you," said Halley. "But I can't… we can't… I've got things to do alone now." Gid withdrew his hand from hers and tried to keep his emotions under wrap. He simply looked at Halley. "Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used you as bait once, and that was just because you're my best friend's brother. Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you."
"What if I don't care?" said Gid fiercely.
"I care," said Halley. "That's my problem because I care too much." Her eyes met his. "Gideon, if this…if this was your funeral then how would I feel?"
Oh.
He looked away from her, over the lake. One of the Giant Squid's tentacles moved in and out of the murky water.
"I never really gave up on you," Gid admitted, albeit it was more to himself. "Not really. I always hoped… Hector told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And he thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more — myself."
"Smart man, that Hector," said Harry, trying to smile. "I just wish I'd asked you sooner. We could've had ages… months… years maybe…"
That would had been something very wonderful.
"But you've been too busy saving the wizarding world," said Gid, half-laughing. "Well… I can't say I'm surprised. I knew this would happen in the end. I knew you wouldn't be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort. Maybe that's why I like you so much."
Darkness fell slowly. Gid waited near the window in hopes of seeing anyone coming among a Portkeys alive and mostly unharmed. His sisters were out there, friends, a ponce of a boyfriend to a sister, and Halley. Some were already back, but the ominous feeling of more danger loomed overhead.
Don't think about her. He told himself. It's over.
He then looked at the pile of dishes that Mum wanted him to finish. He briefly wondered what it was like for her during the first war, pregnant, and living in constant fear. Maybe it was much like now? Although, a new brother or sister was out of the question.
Gid sighed and went to go finish cleaning dishes, it did kept his mind away from impending danger; but he found himself to be thinking back to those last few months of the term. Goosebumps erupted over his flesh at the single thought of the lovely memories. He tried to banish them, but they seemed like the only happy thing to think about at the moment.
Then there was a flash of light. Gid dropped his plate and it shattered as it made contact with the floor. "Mum!"
He bolted to the door and was quickly overtaken by his worried mother. He skidded to a stop at the doorstep, seeing a familiar mess of dark hair. For almost three months he'd been trying to keep the sun-filled memories and emotions at bay, but now he saw Halley in person, and it brought them all back.
Arms were wrapped around each other as they held on to their former significant other. She was alive, very much pale, but there seemed to be no major damages. "Are you okay? What happened?" Gid asked her.
"I-it was an ambush," said Halley shakily. He could feel her heart beating much faster than it should. "We—we never knew—so many."
"Rory and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them," he said, pointing at a rusty oil can lying on the ground nearby. "And that one," he pointed at an ancient plimsoll, "should have been Dad and Felicity's, they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and," he untangled himself and checked his watch, "if they made it, Georgia and Lupin ought to be back in about a minute."
"Any injuries?" She briefly looked over her shoulder, Mad-Eye would be proud of the newfound paranoia.
Gid stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Some. Mostly bruises and the various cuts."
"That's," she took a small pause. "That's good."
"Yeah." Awkwardness settled in the silence. That was a dumb idea to just go seek comfort in each other's arms. It sounded like something from a cheesy romance novel.
Great, just great.
The French invaded within a few days.
The Delacour family looked like what he expected: tall, blonde, and annoyingly gorgeous. Though he was surprised that the father didn't look like that.
"Dear lady!" said Monsieur Delacour, still holding Mrs. Weasley's hand between his own two plump ones and beaming. "We are most honoured at the approaching union of our two families! Let me present my wife, Apolline."
Madame Delacour glided forward and stooped to kiss Mrs. Weasley, too.
"Enchantée," she said. "Your 'usband 'as been telling us such amusing stories!"
Mr. Weasley gave a maniacal laugh; Mrs. Weasley threw him a look, upon which he became immediately silent and assumed an expression appropriate to the sickbed of a close friend.
"And, of course, you 'ave met my leetle son, Gaston!" said Monsieur Delacour. Gaston was Fabris in miniature; eleven years old, with hair of pure, silvery blonde, he gave Mrs. Weasley a dazzling smile and hugged her, then threw Halley a glowing look, smiling heavenly. Gid cleared his throat loudly.
And then found out that Blondie the Second was to be his new roommate.
Bugger.
He had enough after dinner when Gaston asked Hid if Halley liked blondes. Gid had bluntly told him no.
And then it was Halley's birthday.
"Halley, will you come in here a moment?"
Rory came to an abrupt halt, but Hector took her by the elbow and tugged her on up the stairs. It felt like snitches were trapped in his stomach as he led Halley up the stairs and to his room.
She had never been inside it before. It was small, but bright. There was a large poster of the Wizarding band the Weird Sisters on one wall, and a picture of Puddlemere United on his wall, the players waving hello next to a more worn picture of the Harpies. A desk stood facing the open window, which looked out over the orchard where they had once played a two-a-side Quidditch with Rory and Hector, and which now housed a large, pearly white marquee. The golden flag on top was level with his window.
Gid looked at Halley's face, took a deep breath, and said, "Happy seventeenth."
"Yeah...thanks."
Gid crossed his fingers and hoped it won't fall to pieces.
"Nice view," she said feebly, pointing toward the window.
He ignored this. "I couldn't think what to get you."
"You didn't have to get me anything."
He disregarded this too. "I didn't know what would be useful. Nothing too big, because you wouldn't be able to take it with you." He took a step closer to her. "So then I thought, I'd like you to have something to remember me by, you know, if you meet some veela when you're off doing whatever you're doing."
Halley almost smiled at hearing that. She twirled a piece of her a hair around a finger, eyes slyly looking up at his above her glasses."I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty thin on the ground, to be honest."
"There's the silver lining I've been looking for," Gid whispered, steadied his wavering courage, and then he was kissing her as he had never kissed her before. Halley was kissing him back. Both were sinking in the wonderful feeling that brought back times of sunshine and secluded places within Hogwarts. Gid's mind was turning to mush, the only thoughts dictating his actions was to keep kissing. Her hand fell from the back of his neck to his shoulder. The one at his back—
The door banged open behind them and they jumped apart.
"Oh," said Rory pointedly. "Sorry."
The wedding was what to be expected. Lots of people. Uncomfortable clothes. Funny-tasting food. And Mum possibly going mental.
Gid had never worn such fancy and unbearable dress robes. They were made out of some expensive black material that felt like it was strangling him around the shoulders and neck. His sisters wore matching dresses of gold, all equally looking miserable.
Halley was under Polyjuice; the hair was from a muggle in the village that could pass off as a family member if they didn't looked hard enough. He could feel the weight of her stare during the reception, and he wanted to look back at her and talk. It made him feel rather miserable that he couldn't truly interact with her now.
Hector and Rory were dancing in their own secluded space, both grinning like the lovesick sods they were. Georgia handed Felicity a small pouch of money when they saw them dancing. Guess that bet was over.
"About time," a redhead witch said as she walked up to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Vasillia Krum stomping off. The pieces were quickly connected.
"What did you say to her?" he asked Halley in a whisper. Her face remained the same expression.
"Why, we only had a mature chat among adults."
Right. Mature. That had to be it. Gid rolled his eyes. "I'll believe you once you get proof. Mature conversation my arse."
He wanted to say something to her, but he was afraid that she might take it the wrong way because of the Polyjuice if he wanted to compliment her. The body she was wearing was taller, curvier, and had light red hair. Sure, she was pretty, but lacked the brilliant green eyes and dark hair that Gid preferred.
"We should let them be before we start teasing them," Halley said, waving a hand in Rory and Hector's direction.
"You had to kill my fun, did you, Pott—"
Her hand swiftly covered his mouth, eyes wide. Gid felt like the world's largest idiot, almost ruining her cover so easily.
"M'rry," he mumbled, into her hand. It was too smooth, no calluses or scars. "M'lly s'ry."
Halley relaxed and took her hand away, "How about we get away from everyone, just in case."
They went inside the Burrow, sat in the kitchen, and were polishing off the extra pieces of cake that Mum left around. It felt so normal to be talking to her, acting like there wasn't a war beyond the wards. They were laughing, smiling, happy. Of course one of them was bound to mess up.
And Halley did. One accidental brush led to another and it was soon a repeat of her birthday. It felt like the only real thing in the world as he heard Halley kept saying his name over again, the too-softness of her skin, the wrong colour eyes looking back. They were diving deeper and unable to let go. The fear of what laid outside and the uncertainty of survival felt like a warning that would never go truly away.
A sudden stillness broke through. He had never heard a silence quite this loud. Halley looked up past his shoulder, and saw something beyond the window. Her face paled and the Polyjuice was starting to leave her system, green eyes were flashing through the hazel disguise fearfully.
"Bloody hell," she breathed. She looked back at Gid, apologetic. He had somehow ended up pressed to the counter during their moment, his back facing towards whatever she saw. "I have to go. I…I'm sorry."
"Wait–" he started to say, but then he heard screams and spells being cast. With his wand out, he went to go fight. And the last time he saw her was when she was apparating with Rory and Hector.
A gold coin burned in his pocket. Gid jumped and then quickly read the message.
Lighting has struck.
Halley, Rory, and Hector were at Hogwarts.
Halley was at Hogwarts.
Almost twenty-four hours later everything changed.
So many were dead, so many were still alive.
Voldemort gone for good.
To many tears and blood.
Halley died—no, alive. She's alive, he reminded himself firmly.
Gid slowly manoeuvred his way up the staircase to the girl's bedrooms. Wards of all kinds collapsed when the Death Eaters penetrated through the school. With the minors and majors were down, the youngest and only male Weasley was hesitant to see if the anything would happen if he continued any further. He finally let out a deep breath as he made his way to the door that read 'Year Seven.'