Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
~Harry Potter and the White Fire~
Author: Cloud Shooter
Chapter 2: the Youngest Redhead
Ginevra Molly Weasley youngest and only daughter of seven was lying in her room on her bed deep in thought. Harry was due in an hour and she was worried he might not have liked the watch she bought him.
It had reminded her of Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, and she knew Harry obviously liked the phoenix so thought he might like the watch with a phoenix on it. She thought it was nice and hopes he likes it, and even more wears it.
However, she doubted he would notice her still; he seemed to have very little in the way of in brains or confidence when it came to her. Sure, she might not have made it easy on him with her crush and everything, but that has dimmed recently, what with the way he never even looks her way.
Her brother, Ron and Harry's best friend always teases her about her crush, and accounts it to Harry being the famous Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. However, that was always wrong, sure she has been brought up on stupid stories about the Boy-Who-Lived, but her crush on Harry started when she first saw the nervous first year when he asked her mother how to get on the platform for the Hogwarts Express.
Harry looked just too adorable to her when she first saw him. He was nervous scared and excited all at the same time, but he had no one, and when she found out whom he was it had shocked her. The famous Harry Potter, the boy who many girls, her self-included had fantasised about marrying had nobody. He was alone, and if she was not such a crushing looser she would have wanted nothing more than to give him a big hug, and to be his friend.
His emerald green eyes had a shine to them that she could get lost in for hours, well if he would stare at her for that long. She had never seen such beautiful eyes before; eyes that held such a storm of different emotions it seemed unreal one person could hold all of them and still keep their sanity.
Ginny sighed as she rolled over on top of her bed facing the door. Her deep red hair loose and long falling over her face, she brushed it out of her chocolate brown eyes as she watched her bedroom door. Her dark blue everyday robes a bit rumpled from lying down.
She hoped she would be able to speak with Harry more this year – more than just simple greetings with her blushing largely and stuttering. Why did such a thing as fancying a boy have to be so hard? Or why couldn't he fancy her too. At least if he did she would not feel as stupid if he blushed deep red too.
She sighed again.
'He'll never think of me as more than his best friend's baby sister,' she thought sadly to her self. 'But maybe he'll let me be a friend; Merlin only knows with his luck at school he could use more friends. First with that whole Philosophers Stone business Ron bragged about, and then the Chamber of Secrets, and just last year the dementors and Sirius Black. Can't Harry get a brake?'
She guessed not, and wondered what kind of trouble will bother Harry this year at school. She had little doubt something bad will probably happen to him since he seems to draw trouble to him like a moth to a flame.
Ginny let out a small giggle at the mere thought. Anyone else in Harry's situation might have had a nervous breakdown already with the amount of trouble to follow him. She just hoped Harry would not go nuts from the pressure.
She had watched him a lot the previous year, and thought he should perhaps worry less and just take his awkward life in his stride, because its not worth worrying about all of the trouble. Its better to just let it happen and just prepare for it instead.
Taking control is better than letting everybody else do so.
And with someone like Hermione nagging him constantly she could understand why he doesn't do anything. Sure, she likes Hermione but the girl has to nag too much. Ginny thought it reminded her of her mother.
'Hmm, Ron keeps Harry lazy, and Hermione nags him to do the work, and the combination of them both splits him in half, I'm surprised he knows whether he's coming or going.'
She laughed at the thought wondering slightly whether doing so made her nuts. If Harry just thought for him self, instead of relying on Hermione's bookworm nature to give him all the answers she could see him becoming a great wizard, maybe ever greater than Professor Dumbledore.
She almost jumped when a knock sounded on her door. Shaking her head clear she called. "Yeah, who is it?"
The door was swung open and a girl with bushy brown hair stood with a large trunk smiling at her. "Hello, Ginny," she greeted as she dragged her trunk in and Ginny sat up on her bed. "Your mum told me to bring my stuff up here," she added seemingly looking for a place to leave her trunk.
Ginny shrugged with a smile. "Just leave it over there," she said pointing next to her desk under the window. Hermione did as suggested before turning back to the younger girl. "How are you Hermione, looking forward to the World Cup?" she asked excitedly her self.
Hermione gave a bright smile.
"I am actually," she agreed nodding enthusiastically. "I can't wait we'll get to see plenty of witches and wizards from all over the world, and I just can't wait to see what mascots the Ireland and Bulgarian teams will bring."
'Trust Hermione to be excited about quidditch just to see mascots, and other witches and wizards.'
Ginny chuckled lightly.
"I know, that will be cool I guess, but I can't wait to see the match."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I bet Ron and Harry can't wait either, I swear none of you have any refined taste."
Ginny laughed at that. It was true; all she cared about really is the match. Sure seeing the mascots and all of those foreign witches and wizards will be cool but honestly, who goes to a quidditch match just to see them, well other than Hermione?
"I guessed," she shrugged amusedly in reply. "So, uh, how is Harry doing, have you heard from him?"
Hermione looked at the younger girl suspiciously before smirking smugly.
"Still crushing on him?" she asked, but awaited no reply as Ginny blushed pink and turned away. "You'll never get anywhere with him if you can't get over all the blushing and talk to him. Harry's a little dense and is not likely to come to you-"
"Harry isn't stupid," she retorted with narrowed eyes. "I'm sure he's very smart, and I bet if he stopped listening to Ron he could do anything he put his mind to."
Hermione just shrugged.
"Maybe," she agreed noncommittal. "But he does take notice of what Ron wants to do. In fact, I bet he would probably take more notice of you if it weren't for Ron."
Ginny just sighed. She knew Ron could be a prat about such things, and she had a bad feeling that if Harry was to start noticing her Ron would not like it even if it made Harry happy.
Ron could be such a jerk at times. She could understand why he is an ass, being in the shadow of five older brothers, but still if he wanted out of his brothers' shadows, he should perhaps stop whining and do something to be recognised for him self.
"Come on, Ginny," continued the bushy haired girl. "Harry will be arriving soon, Ron, the twins and your dad left just after I got here."
Ginny nodded nervously and got up from her bed following the older girl from the room and slowly down the stairs as she straightened out her rumpled robes.
Ginny got more nervous the closer down the stairs she travelled. Her heart hammered in her chest, bursting for release, begging to get out. She sometimes wondered whether it was more than just a crush, as if she loved him rather than just liked him. But that could not be the case, they barely know each other.
Though she has watched him a lot over the last year, and knew a fair bit about him. He did not know much about her, and she hoped her 'watching' could not be considered stalking.
But No, she refused to admit love, because if she loved him and could not have him it might just break her heart, and she refused to let any boy do that to her, Harry Potter or not.
Ginny took a few deep breaths as she and Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs. Ever since her first year at Hogwarts she's just been a scared little girl when all she wants to do is show Harry the woman she could become.
'Ok Ginny, calm steady breaths… breathe, breathe.'
"Oh my god!" said Hermione suddenly as she stopped in the doorway leading to the living room, her mouth dropping open, and her eyes wide open, almost bulging out of her head.
Ginny frowned at the older girls' reaction before curiously looking into the lounge her self. She spotted Ron and the twins but nothing seemed odd about them and her dad and mum – nope – nothing wrong with them either.
"Oh my god!"
Her jaw then dropped and her eyes almost shot out of her head.
The last member in the lounge caught her attention, but it seemed almost impossible. He had grown several inches over the last month or two, and was no longer scrawny – quite the contra, he had definition to his body, and had muscle. His skin no longer the pale it used to be, was lightly tanned, and his emerald green eyes sparkled in amusement behind his new silver framed glasses.
His unruly black hair now seemingly more tame in a mess of out of control black spikes, in all directions from the back, sides, top, and front hiding the lightning bolt scar as it framed down slightly at the right side of his forehead. It was log and short at the same time, just half way down his neck.
He wore clothes that actually fit him to Ginny's surprise, only ever seeing him in his school robes actually fitting. However, now he wore black combat trousers with pockets running down the sides of his legs with a taught black tee shirt accentuating the muscles in his chest. His body now looked lean and athletic, strong and fit compared with how scrawny he used to seem.
He also wore a snow-white robe like coat left undone and hanging down to the ankle of his snow white leather boots. The robe having red, orange, and yellow flames at its hem seemingly, as if a phoenix was trying to fly up from it, with a hood up top, hanging freely behind him.
Harry Potter looked over at the two girls with an amused grin. His green eyes lighting up with even more amusement, as his emerald orbs scanned them.
She noted even her brothers and parents were having a weird reaction to Harry's new look, as if they could scarcely believe what they saw.
"Hey girls," he greeted. His voice slightly deeper than it used to be, and in Ginny's opinion much manlier.
He moved towards them and suddenly pulled Hermione into a one armed hug to both their shocks with his left arm before letting go and turning to her.
Ginny felt her face light up with heat as he smiled at her before pulling her into a hug with both arms, she could smell his sent, it was strange, kind of minty, with a light scent of 'ash'? She was in both heaven and hell at that moment, her face now on fire, and she felt light headed and on the verge of fainting. However, all too soon he pulled back smiling at them.
"Nice to see you both looking so well," he said. "Looking forward to this quidditch thing Ron was talking about?" he asked hopefully; his grin never leaving his features. His eyes twinkling, as they would expect of Albus Dumbledore's.
The girls just stared blankly at him unable to fully form coherent thought, let alone answer his question.
"Uh, hello!" he continued, waving a hand each in front of their faces, but they did not even blink. He frowned and turned to the others to see them watching in slight amusement, well except for Ron who looked annoyed about something. "Um, what's wrong with Hermione and Ginny?" he asked looking back at the two girls.
"I think, Harry," said one of the twins suddenly popping up on his left side.
"That you," continued the other as he appeared to his right.
"Have just shocked them-"
"With your new appearance-"
"It's not everyday-"
"That someone changes-"
"So drastically-"
"In just a few months-"
"Oh," he shrugged with a smirk. "I guess not, but I had to have a growth spurt eventually or I would have been the tiniest guy in my year," he chuckled lightly.
The twins just laughed.
Ginny was totally gobsmacked. She had thought Harry was cute, and hot before, but never in her wildest imagination had she thought he would grow like this. She could see nothing but confidence, and feel a sense of power radiating from him she had not before.
He held his head high and proud unlike the way he stood before, hunched over and a little broody.
The way his eyes shone bright made her feel week in the knees, and his hair was cooler than it was before, messed in organised chaos, seemingly pointing in every direction.
Suddenly Hermione regained her senses and shook her head clear.
"H-Harry," she squeaked out in a small, quiet voice. "What happened to you," she continued nearing her normal voice.
He shrugged sheepishly.
"Not much," he smiled as he pulled out Hogwarts A History from a pocket in his robes or somewhere, the book seemed too big to actually fit in a pocket. "I love the present, Hermione, but why would you buy me porn?" he asked reasonably.
"Porn?" everybody, Ginny included asked staring at the book in his hand blankly. His question had even brought Ginny from her shock, wondering what he was talking about, it just looked like a book about Hogwarts to her, and everybody else looked just as confused.
"Harry don't be stupid," said Hermione shaking her head as she looked at the book. "It's just a book about Hogwarts, you know that."
He nodded in amused agreement. "But if you read it, it has a hidden password in the book, and turns into porn, which is a lot less boring I might add."
"You serious?" asked Fred looking at the book in wonder.
Harry nodded and opened it, everyone moved a little closer to have a look.
"Windozer," he said and the books pages shifted and changed until there were a few women naked with legs spread wide.
Everyone watching now had buggy eyes as they stared into the book before Mrs. Weasley suddenly snatched it from his hand glaring at him before the book.
"Oh my god and they sell this thing to children," she almost screeched in horror and anger.
"I can't believe it," gasped Hermione. "How did you find out, I never saw any clues to a password?"
He shrugged impishly.
"Well you wouldn't because you weren't looking for any hidden meaning, but seriously that book was um, boring me so I was just making up stupid words out of the large heading letters, and noted in the whole book there was only eight. Then I tried saying the word spelt by them forward, but it didn't sound right, so I said it backwards and got porn," he laughed amusedly.
"Well I shall be informing Albus of this," said Molly Weasley as she stormed off with the book.
The twins laughed.
"Good one Harry, that book doesn't really have porn in it, because that was muggle not witch," said George amusedly.
"And how would you know?" he asked smirking as he grabbed his trunk and seemingly effortlessly carried it up the stairs passed the two girls and out of sight.
"Yes boys, how would you know the difference?" asked Mr. Weasley with narrowed suspicious eyes.
Ginny noted Fred and George paling as they spluttered for an answer, but found none. She was still blushing from seeing the rude pictures but could not help but smile because of the prank Harry played on everybody, and even more at catching the twins.
To Be Continued...
Review Replies:
Brian ~ I guess you could say the first chapter was a bit summarised, and retelling what fans already know. However, JKR also repeated a lot, such as quidditch rules ext, which I will not. The first chapter was just to remind people what's going on, and to bring in the new elements to AU the story. Thanks for your input; I hope I can get better.
oceanlover14 ~ Thank you, it meant that such small problems like girls or schoolwork are meaningless compared with burning and freezing at the same time (the pain he felt) anyone would feel the same way.
Special thanks to: I'll be missing you. ~ bergsdeswolf ~ Veronica Rose Potter & Comet Moon, for your reviews.
Authors Notes: thanks for reading, and I hope to have the next chapter up and ready soon. I know that was a bit of a rude prank and out of character for Harry, but it just jumped from my head to my computer, and Harry will be OOC, and you'll eventually discover what happened to him, but if I do too soon there would be no mystery.
