PART 1: GINNY
The last summer had
been miserable for Harry, especially since he kept having nightmares about
Cedric's death. Over and over he would see Cedric's body lying motionless
beside the Triwizard Cup; Cedric's cold gray eyes staring into unfathomable
space; Cedric's mouth hanging open in a silent scream. More than once Harry had
dreamt of Cedric's ghost waking him up in the middle of the night and saying,
"It's all your fault Harry. It's your entire fault why I'm dead. Why did you
make me take the Triwizard Cup with you? It's all your fault…it's all your
fault…" For many a night, he had woken up in a cold sweat because of Cedric's
pointing an accusing finger at him, and Cedric's voice had echoed eerily in his
head for hours.
It didn't help that he had stayed
most of the summer with the Dursleys, who couldn't give a hoot about Harry, let
alone listen to his concerns about the Wizarding world. Harry knew that if the
Dursleys had known about Cedric they would've blamed him too – and they would
have insulted Cedric for having the nerve to be with Harry in the first place.
He could just imagine Uncle Vernon's voice saying, "Serves them right – the lot
of them. Magic should be made illegal and them people taken away to
concentration camps."
But the last two weeks had been a Godsend since he was allowed to stay
with his favorite family in the world, the Weasleys. At least he didn't have
too many nightmares there. Perhaps because Ron and Hermione were with him, or
because Mrs. Weasley constantly showered him with affection, but his fears had
definitely lessened, and his nightmares had become scarce. Nobody knew about
his fears and frustrations except Ron and Hermione, but even so, he couldn't
tell them exactly what was in his dreams or they'd get too worried. He
couldn't confide in Mrs. Weasley even if she kept telling him to come to her if
he needed anything. Fred and Gorge were out of the question – confiding in them
is self-destructive. As a result, He, along with Ron and Hermione, would often
go off by themselves to talk. Harry could tell that some of the Weasleys found
him odd, but their generosity in letting him stay at the Burrow was something
he was so grateful for that he didn't want to burden them with his problems.
Harry had a feeling that Ginny was getting a bit too worried about him, though.
For the two weeks he'd been there, he'd noticed that Ginny had been
keeping a close eye on him, and every time he caught her eye, she would blush.
He guessed that she was worried about him, just like the rest of her family,
but he kept telling her that he was fine.
Today when Ron, Hermione and him were talking about his nightmares, he
became vaguely aware of someone watching him. Sure enough, when Mrs. Weasley
called out for Ginny to help with lunch, he saw her jump from her hiding place
near the stairs' landing, and blushing profusely, rushed out of sight and into
the kitchen.
When Harry saw Ginny, he suddenly remembered the day they had said
goodbye at Kings Cross Station.
***
(Flashback: end of
Goblet of fire)
"See you, Harry," Ron
said, clapping him on the back.
"Bye, Harry!" Hermione
said, stepping forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Harry – thanks,"
George muttered in his ear. He gave Fred and George a wink, and turned to
follow Uncle Vernon to the car.
"Harry, wait." It was
Ginny. She grabbed Harry by the elbow, and Harry, surprised, turned around to
face her.
"I just wanna wish
you a great summer," she said, blushing furiously. "And I made you this." She
handed Harry a card. On the front of it was a painting of a beautiful beach. As
a child, Harry had always wanted to visit the ocean, but Uncle Vernon and Aunt
Petunia always left him with Mrs. Figg every time they went there. Harry opened the card. Inside was a simple
message, which read, "I hope you have a great holiday. Love, Ginny." Harry
looked at Ginny, lost for words. He knew that he would never have a great
summer as long as he's with the Dursleys, but he appreciated the gesture all
the same.
"Thanks, Ginny," he
said quietly.
Ginny, thoroughly
embarrassed, mumbled, "I know the chances of you having a nice holiday with
them are zero, but I just thought…" she trailed off. But Harry didn't need any
more explanations. He knew that she meant well. Ginny was glowing bright red.
At that moment, Uncle Vernon yelled for Harry to get in the car, and he hastily
said goodbye to Ginny.
Throughout the
summer, whenever Harry wasn't thinking of Cedric, he thought of Ginny. He
couldn't explain why. He had dreamt of her one night, and since then, it was
like something heavy smacked him over the head, for he could never get her out
of his mind since.
***
(Back at the Wesleay's…)
Harry noticed that
there was something different about Ginny, but he didn't exactly know what this
difference was. One day he had come up to Ron and had said,
"Did Ginny get a
haircut or something?"
Ron had looked at him,
perplexed.
"No, why?"
"I dunno…she just
looks different."
"Ginny is Ginny," Ron
had said, looking at Harry as if he was off his rocker.
That was the last
time Harry had mentioned the subject to Ron. Hermione had told him that it was
because he'd changed that he was seeing everyone in a different way.
"The things that
you've experienced in the last few months have changed you, Harry" Hermione had
said, "That's why you see everyone around you differently."
But that couldn't be
right, Harry thought, because it had only been Ginny who had changed, no
one else. It was true that Ron and Hermione had become more subdued, probably
because they were worried he'd grow horns and start salivating at the mouth,
but they haven't changed in the way Ginny had. When he was alone, and his mind
would wander idly, he often found it wandering on Ginny.
Throughout lunch Harry kept staring at
Ginny. She must have sensed him staring, because she was permanently red
throughout the meal. When she spotted him staring at her at some point, the
brief eye contact with her made him go scarlet, and it made Fred giggle
into his plate. This must've annoyed Ginny, for she left the table not long
after. Everyone looked at her with a concerned look in their eyes, and Hermione
had followed her not long after. Fred stared pointedly at Harry, coughing
meaningfully and making kissing noises as he licked and slurped on his sausage.
*
"Wanna play
Quidditch, Harry?"
Lunchtime was over,
and Ron and Harry were making their way up to Ron's room. Before they even
reached the stairs, a white blur whooshed past Ron and landed on Harry's
shoulder.
"Hedwig! About time!"
Harry exclaimed.
She had a letter
attached to her leg, and Harry removed it at once. Harry fished an old
chocolate frog from his pocket and offered it to Hedwig, who looked insulted at
Harry's offering, but took it in her beak anyway, and flew off.
"Is it from
Snuffles?" Ron asked in a whisper, in case his mother or brothers were lurking
around. Throughout the summer, Harry had been keeping in touch with his
Godfather. Being trapped with the Dursleys for weeks on end had been
frustrating, because he knew that Voldemort was out in the world scheming, and
he felt powerless to stop it. He had made Sirius promise to keep him informed
of the Order's activities, and so far Sirius had only written to him twice.
Harry unrolled the parchment.
"Yep," he replied in
answer to Ron's question.
Harry and Ron moved
behind the staircase, where there was more privacy, and the two read the letter
silently.
Dear
Harry,
I'm sorry I wasn't able to reply to your letter sooner, but I had been
on a mission for Dumbledore – I can't tell you what it was in a letter, as it
might compromise your safety as well as ours, if thist was intercepted. Let's
just say that things are getting complicated now. Voldemort has mobilized his
forces, as a source from The Order had informed us of an attack by a giant on a
small wizarding village in Belgium. There were no mentions of it in the Daily
Prophet, of course. Death Eater activity has been growing steadily, too.
I don't want you to worry about any of these, Harry. Just keep your head
down and leave it to us. I had my doubts when you asked me for more
information, and I know that you're old enough to look after yourself, but all
the same, I don't want you doing anything rash – leave all the worrying to me,
that's my job!
On a brighter note, I'm glad you're staying with the Weasleys, and I
hope you're enjoying the last days of your holidays. I just regret that we
never got to spend any time together, but I promise you, as soon as this is all
over, we can begin to rebuild our lives and live it in the way it was meant to
be. For now, stay safe, and send word if you ever need anything – I'll always
be here. Say hello to Ron and Hermione for me.
Sirius
P.S.
Remus sends his regards.
As soon as they
finished reading the letter, Ron let out a low whistle.
"Things are gonna go
downhill from now, aren't they?"
Harry remained silent.
He didn't want to think about the types of activities the Death Eaters have
been engaged in, and it worried him that Sirius might be doing dangerous things
for Dumbledore.
"We need to tell
Hermione about this," he said grimly to Ron.
Ron hollered for
Hermione to join them downstairs.
*
The last day of the
holidays came too soon, and Harry found himself packing his belongings to
prepare for the journey to Hogwarts. Ron was jumpy again, as usual, since he
usually forgets to pack the important things. Ron's hair stood out on end from
the hundreds of time he had raked his fingers through it in frustration. He had
been looking for his Chudley Cannons hat, which had gone missing. Harry
couldn't suppress a laugh as he watched Ron turn his room upside-down looking
for the elusive hat.
"Yes, laugh all you
like. Funny isn't it?" Ron said in an irate voice. Harry fell silent at once.
Abruptly, Ron turned
to him with a strange look on his face and said, "Honestly, I don't know what
she sees in him!"
"Oh, is it a she
now? I thought you were after a hat?" Harry asked innocently. He knew where the
conversation was leading.
"I just don't get it,
Harry. I mean, I know Krum's an international Quidditch player and famous and
all, but…"
"But fame isn't
everything, I know," Harry finished for him. He knew exactly what fame was
like.
Ron paced up and down
his room, while Harry continued to pack. He looked severely agitated, and Harry
knew that the hat was not the cause of the agitation. Ron stopped pacing.
"Harry," he said,
turning to Harry once more. "Do you think I'm attractive?"
"Whoa, Ron!" Harry
said, feigning shock. "I never knew you...er, felt that way." Ron made a
grimace. "And I think you're ugly," Harry added with a laugh.
Ron threw a shoe at
him, missing him by inches.
"I'm not asking from
your point of view, you git," he said, while Harry continued to laugh. "I'm
talking about from the point of view of a girl."
Harry stopped
laughing. When he got his composure back, he replied, "I'm sure Hermione likes
you too, Ron. Why don't you just make your move already?"
The mention of
Hermione's name made Ron blush a deep scarlet.
"I…I don't know what
you're talking about," he stammered. Harry raised his eyebrows, amused, and
said, "Whatever, Ron!"
"Er…where is
my Cannons hat? Must be in Ginny's room…" Ron turned around and walked straight
out the door. Harry, not wanting Ron to get away so quickly, followed him and
said from the door, "Haven't you searched Ginny's room twice already?" Ron's
ears and the back of his neck reddened.
*
An hour later, Harry
sat in the back of the Ministry car that Mr. Weasley had borrowed, together
with Ron, Hermione, Fred and George. Like their old Ford Anglia, the Ministry car
was magically enlarged inside to allow more seating room. It made Harry feel
uneasy, because he knew why Mr. Weasley had borrowed the car. The last time
Harry was driven to Kings Cross Station in a Ministry car was back in his third
year, when Sirius was on the loose and Harry still thought him to be a
murderer. This time, Harry knew it was no different. Instead of protecting him
from Sirius like the last time, Harry knew Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were trying to
protect him from the Death Eaters. However, Harry suspected that if the Death
Eaters wanted to get him, there was nothing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley could do about
it. It scared him to think that the people closest to him would be the first to
suffer if Voldemort came for him again.
His eyes wandered over to Ginny, who
was sitting at the front of the car with her parents. He suddenly found himself
wondering: what if Ginny gets hurt because of all this? Hadn't Voldemort used
her once, when he tried to get to Harry? Harry remembered his second year when
Voldemort had possessed Ginny to do unspeakable things, and how he had tried to
take her life. He felt sick thinking about it, and so he distracted himself
instead with talks of Quidditch with Ron.
*
Once they had gotten
through the barrier, and onto Platform 93/4, Harry once again found himself
stealing glances at Ginny. But everytime he looked at her, she was either in a
deep conversation with Hermione or she'd be busy trying to keep busy,
which seemed odd to Harry. When he realized what he was doing, he quickly
regained himself, and followed Ron and Hermione into the train.
It was strange to be going back to
Hogwarts, after all that has happened last year. Nothing would be the same of
course, especially since the whole school now knew of Voldemort's re-birth.
Would parents still send their kids there? What kind of a school would be
waiting for them, once they alight the train? Harry remembered that Fudge had
wanted a review of how the school was run, and it made Harry nervous wondering
what Fudge had in store for Hogwarts, or Dumbledore, even. But what worried
Harry more was the fact that Death Eaters had children attending Hogwarts.
Something of Harry's thoughts must've showed on his face, for Ron asked,
"S'matter, Harry?"
"Nothing," Harry
lied.
"You're not still
worried about Snuffles, are you?"
Ron realized what he
had said and lapsed into silence. Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at Ginny, who
was sitting with them. Pretending that nothing was amiss, Hermione took out a
deck of cards and said, "Exploding Snap, anyone?" Ginny, however, was not
fooled. She sensed something was going on, shrugged, then left the compartment.
"Oh, good one, Ron!"
Hermione said sarcastically.
*
During the
start-of-term feast, Harry couldn't help but watch Draco Malfoy across the Hall
with narrow eyes. Malfoy was talking and laughing with his friends, and Harry
had a mad desire to hex him then and there. He couldn't believe how anyone could
be laughing over Dumbledore's welcoming speech; especially since Dumbledore's
speech was a reminder to them all of what was happening outside Hogwarts.
"I bet that's not
even him!" Ron whispered in his ear, nodding in Malfoy's direction.
"What are you on
about?" Harry asked, frowning.
"I bet that's Lucious
Malfoy disguised as Draco!" Ron said disgustedly.
"I wouldn't be
surprised," Harry said dully. If a Death Eater could enter Hogwarts disguised
as a teacher, another one can enter disguised as a student.
"I wouldn't be
surprised if all the Death Eaters got disguised as their ugly children, went to
Hogwarts, and killed the lot of us!" Harry added.
"Don't talk like
that, Harry!" Hermione whispered from his other side. She shot Ron a
there-he-is-again look, and added, "Dumbledore's not going to be fooled a
second time."
"Hope not," Harry
muttered.
George noticed Harry,
Ron and Hermione eyeing Malfoy with disgust. He leaned over Ron and whisphered,
"If he gives you trouble, Harry, let us know, and we'll fix him!" George gave
him a mischievous wink. Fred leaned over George and whispered, "Yeah, we're,
uh…working on a few tricks, and it'd be nice to have someone to practice on!"
Harry snorted. "I
don't think you two need an excuse to practice on Malfoy!"
"No, not at all. But
it's very un-Gryffindor for us to attack without cause."
"Well, don't worry then.
You'll have plenty of opportunity," said Harry grimly.
"Yeah, we're Malfoy's
favourite sport," added Ron.
Sure enough, as soon
as Harry and the others filed out of the Hall, Malfoy sneaked up next to him
and muttered, "Have a nice summer with the Muggles, Potter?"
"Sod off, Malfoy,"
Harry said automatically. Another year with this git, he thought.
"Because it might be
your last summer with them, if you know what I mean."
Harry sighed. He couldn't
really give a goat's balls what Malfoy threatened him with, he'd heard them all
before.
"What…you're gonna
turn the Dursleys into bugs? You'd just be doing me a favor. Not something
you'd wanna do, is it?" He retorted.
"My father knows
about the hexes you put on us last year, Potter, so I'd watch it if I were
you."
Ron made a sudden
move towards Malfoy, but Hermione held him back. Harry heard him mutter, "Yeah?
Well you and your father can kiss my – "
"Thank God you're not
me - you and your father can go to
hell."
Crabbe and Goyle
cracked their knuckles threateningly, and Malfoy moved so close to Harry that
they were almost nose-to-nose.
"Those hexes are
nothing compared to what my father can do to you. So is anybody's going to
hell, it certainly won't be me."
All of a sudden, a
red blur passed out of the corner of Harry's eye, pushing Malfoy away from him.
"You're nothing but a
stinking coward, Malfoy. You're only confident when you have your fat and ugly
friends leering behind you and your evil father to protect you!" It was Ginny.
The shock on Harry's face was mirrored in Malfoy's, and Malfoy spat, "You watch
your mouth, you little brat! Or I'll show you how very much like my
father I can be!" Malfoy stalked off before Harry had time to react. Next to
him, Ron was trying hard to struggle out of Hermione's grip as she tried to
pull him away to Gryffindor Tower. Harry looked over at Ginny, as if seeing her
in a new light. He had never seen Ginny get aggressive like that before, and
the fierce look in her eyes shocked him. But as soon as it had come, his shock
quickly turned into fear. Harry knew Malfoy well enough, and he knew that
Malfoy's next step would be revenge.
"Don't let him get to
you, Harry," Ginny said, touching his arm. Harry wondered whether he should
warn Ginny to watch her back. He opened his mouth to say something, but found
his throat too tight. The odd look Ginny was giving him rendered him
speechless.
"He's not worth it,"
Ginny added.
"Yeah," Harry said,
finding his voice at last. He figured that if Malfoy tried anything, he'd have
the Weasleys and himself to contend with. He smiled at Ginny and said, "You
tell him, Ginny!" and made his way to Gryffindor Tower, leaving a stunned Ginny
behind him.
*
"Can you believe his
nerve?" Ron said agitatedly, once they were in the boys' dorms. "Threatening
you with his father and all! You know, Harry, I reckon we should tell
Dumbledore or something. I reckon the Death Eaters have another plot on you!"
Harry didn't care
what the Death Eaters were planning against him. There were other things he was
worried about.
"I'm worried about
Ginny," he said.
"How can you be
worried about Ginny now?"
"You know Malfoy.
Push the wrong buttons and you're done for."
"Well if he does
anything to Ginny, I swear, I'm not gonna bother with wands – I'll beat the
living daylights outta him!"
"And Malfoy's not
gonna bother with fists. He'll hex the living daylights out of you."
"Bloody good-for
–nothing, spoilt, stinking, rat-faced coward!" Ron said through gritted teeth.
Not at all in the mood for sleeping and having nightmares again, Harry
decided to go down to the common room to sit by the fire. He took a bottle of ink, a quill, and a
piece of parchment, and stuffed them in his robe pockets, thinking of writing
Sirius a letter. When he got to the common room, however, he came across a
distressed-looking Ginny, sitting by herself on a couch, nervously biting her
nails and looking as though she might cry.
"Ginny!" Harry cried
in surprise. "What's wrong?"
"I…er…lost something.
Something really important," Ginny said desperately.
"What is it?" Harry
asked
"Er…it's nothing,"
Ginny replied, avoiding Harry's eyes and blushing purple.
Feeling sorry for
her, Harry sat down next to her and said in a gentle voice, "It's alright, you
don't have to tell me. How can I help though?"
Ginny looked at him
for a second. She looked thoroughly embarrassed at having Harry sit so close
like this. Harry looked at those anguished brown eyes and felt something funny
inside of him. The last time he felt like this was when he first saw Cho Chang,
at that Quidditch match in his third year when Gryffindor played against
Ravenclaw. Harry hadn't thought of Cho in a while, maybe because he felt too
guilty about Cedric's death, that he was responsible for it, but he avoided
thinking about her as much as he could. But here he was, sitting here looking
at his best friend's little sister, feeling the same flip-flops in his chest,
and it really bothered him. He looked away quickly. Next to him, Ginny abruptly
got up and stammered, "Er…I think I can handle this on my own. Thanks anyway.
Sorry I woke you." And she made a mad dash towards the girls' dorms. Harry
stared after her, watching her flame-colored head disappear into the darkness,
and whispered, "No, you didn't wake me."
*
Harry finished the
letter to Sirius an hour later, feeling extremely tired. He made his way back
to the dorms, making a mental note to visit the owlery before breakfast the
next morning. Just as he was about to climb the stairs, something solid blocked
his path, making him stumble backwards a little. Alarmed, he stepped into the
light of the fire, and so did the thing he bumped into. It was Hermione.
"You scared me,
Hermione!" Harry said once he recovered from shock. "What on earth are you
doing sneaking up to the boys' dorms?" He asked. Before Hermione could answer,
Harry suddenly gave her a knowing look and said slyly, "Wait, don't tell
me…you're going for a little, er, rendezvous, right?"
Hermione put her
hands on her hips and made the best bossy-boots facial expression she could
muster, and said impatiently, "Honestly, Harry!" Harry grinned. This was a
typical Hermione answer, after all.
"I need to ask a
favor, Harry," Hermione said more seriously. "Would it be possible for me to,
er, borrow your invisibility cloak and your map?" Harry stared at her, unsure
what Hermione was up to. "Please?" Hermione pleaded.
"Er…what d'you need
it for?" asked Harry.
"Actually, it's not
really for me. I want to try and help Ginny out with something." Hermione
slightly winced, thinking that Harry was going to disapprove of her bringing
Ginny anywhere under the cloak.
"Oh. Is that why
Ginny was upset before?" Harry asked.
"You saw her?"
"Yeah. I tried to ask
her what was wrong, but she wouldn't tell me. Is it that bad?"
"It's pretty nasty,"
Hermione said, nodding her head.
"Well, alright then,"
Harry said, without too much hesitation. Hermione looked surprised, and then
suddenly gave him a hug, making Harry feel a little awkward.
"Thanks, Harry," she
said. "It'll mean a lot to Ginny."
"Anything I can do to
help," Harry said, "just let me know."
Harry then swiftly
got up to his dorm, collected his cloak and his map, and handed them to
Hermione.
"Now, don't do
anything I wouldn't do, Hermione!" he said with a wink.
Hermione gave him a
playful punch and bade him goodnight. Harry called after her, "Will you be able
to bring it back before breakfast? I need to go up to the owlery."
"Sure, Harry,"
Hermione said, and she disappeared into the girls' dorms.
Continued in Chapter
2: Malfoy's Revenge.
