Disclaimer: I do not assume to own Harry Potter. I only assume rights to the order of the words and to any new ideas I add and create.
Important A/N: The first two chapters have been updated! While you should probably review them because of the huge lapse in time between postings, you will not miss out on too much if you skip to this chapter.
That being said, enjoy:
Basking in the warmth of the sun, she closed her eyes, enjoying the warm breeze as she floated in the sky. 'Help! Help! I need to fight this thing so I can save Ginny!' The phoenix's eyes flashed open as a surge of magic rushed through her, calling to her.She knew what this meant; this had already happened to her once before.
Closing her eyes once more, she focused and saw through the eyes of the person whose thoughts had entered her mind. Even though their thoughts had initiated the bond, she still had the ability to judge the person's actions before looking them in the eyes and completing their bond.
Opening her eyes once more, she saw a dark, wet chamber of some sorts, with the head of a man carved into a wall that the person, a boy, was running towards. Hitting a glancing blow off an attacking snake's head, she heard his thoughts, 'This isn't working! I need to find a spot where this will get through…' His eyes darted towards a girl lying on the floor and felt the surge of strength and determination to kill the monster the girl had given him.
Pulling back, the phoenix thought of what she had just seen as she landed on the peak of the stone triangle. She was not sure if she should bond with this boy. While he was indeed pure of thought, it was only for that one girl that he must have liked. This was the same as the other person who had initiated a bond with her which she had rejected. As with him, sure enough, shortly after the incident he had fought with the girl and when she left for another, he had become cold and embittered towards all. Because of this, she decided not to complete the bond with the boy, because while it was a pure thought, it was not a selfless act.
'I failed her… And Ron…' She heard the voice fading as the connection began to wane from her not reestablishing contact. The voices would diminish over time, and within a few minutes, she would cease to her him altogether. 'If nothing more, I can try to stop him…'
The phoenix closed her eyes and saw the fuzzy image remnants from the boy's eyes, feeling his pain as something burned its way through his body. There was screaming followed by a bright flash or light, then silence. Moments later, she heard the voice of a girl in the distance, "Harry! It was me… I-I opened the chamber, but I didn't mean to. Riddle made me…" The voice was so distant now; the phoenix knew the bond would soon break…
"So you are learning this Patronus Charm to drive off those things on the train?" Ginny asked as Harry stood and gathered his bag. Seeing his nod, she continued, "Can I join? I want to be able to stop them as well."
"I'll have to ask Professor Lupin. I'll let you know tomorrow?" Harry asked, hoping she'd agree and that their odd avoidance was over.
"Sure." She said, turning back to her meal.
"Later Ron," Harry said, giving a small wave while inwardly frowning at Ginny's cool attitude towards him.
"Later mate," Ron said before he turned back to his half-finished pudding.
Harry Potter and the Flight of the Phoenix
Book Three, Chapter Two – The Second Patronus
Ginny sat alone at the Gryffindor table long after he brother left, having finally finished eating. She felt confused, and not for the first time, about her relationship with Harry. She knew she was probably overreacting when Draco had accosted and attacked her in the empty compartment she found, but she couldn't help it. She was used to her brothers always trying to take care of their 'baby sister' and just assume that since she was a girl, she couldn't defend herself as effectively. She hated it, and having that exact situation play out with Harry… 'He probably thinks the same as my brothers now, that I'm weak.'
Ginny frowned at that thought, even though she knew he didn't, it still felt like it sometimes. 'That's not the only thing though,' she continued silently. In a way, Harry had scared her a bit. 'That time in the train… I didn't think of it before, but on the first day of classes, Professor McGonagall said non-verbal magic wasn't covered until sixth year, and Harry didn't speak or use a wand to deflect Draco's spell and free me from the full body bind…' she thought,'But why am I scared? He did it to help me.' Even so, Ginny shivered slightly. Her brothers had told her about Dumbledore before, and how he could perform some wandless magic; she heard it required great power and skill to cast a spell, more than most adults had. 'Did he even realize he cast it without speaking?'
Ginny decided to ask Hermione about it later on as she stood up and collected her things. 'I'll turn in early tonight,' she thought as she made her way to the entrance hall and up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She was halfway there when she again thought of Harry with a sigh. 'I really am hopeless… Being like this around him is probably just going to drive him off, but I can't help that I like him,' she thought, ascending the stairs. In the back of her mind, she again heard the voice saying that Harry would never want her, that she'd never be good enough for him.
Reaching the fat lady's portrait and giving the password, she quickly stepped inside and headed straight up to the girls second year dorms. Heading to the bathroom, she stopped in front of a mirror and looked at herself. 'Dull coarse red hair, baby fat, freckles…' she listed off to herself as she gazed at her face first. 'All the girls in Harry's grade have sleek, soft looking hair; they don't have pudgy faces or freckles that stand out like beacons.' Looking lower in the mirror, she saw one of her three third-hand "black" robes, now so used and worn that they looked almost gray. They had small holes in them, some tears that were visibly mended, and they were too large for her, having come from Ron, who had them from Percy. 'And it's not just the robes.'
She felt her eyes prickle as she continued, and though she hated it, she couldn't stop herself. She thought of the clothes in her trunk, the clothes patched together by her mother, some shirts that were made entirely from different shreds and left over scraps of fabric, pants now more patchwork than original materials… Her mother tried, and they were presentable, but she never liked going out in her casual clothes. She could barely stand the taunts from wearing her normal school robes.
A tear fell when she remembered leaving her trunk open on her bed the first day when she went to the bathroom. She had come out to the other girls going through her trunk and laughing at her stuff. She wouldn't have been as mortified if one hadn't seen her secondhand knickers and waved them around for the other girls to see. The worst part about it was that those had always been a sore spot for her. No matter that her mother cleaned them especially, it felt wrong to wear secondhand undergarments, even if it only happened when her family was very hard-pressed for money, like last year.
Finally, she turned her body sideways in the mirror, seeing herself look the same as she had her first year. When she started, the other girls had been the same as her, and since she didn't change much, she expected the other girls to be about the same as well. But upon seeing her roommates again this year, she realized she was the only one who hadn't noticeably changed since first year. Tears fell freely as she turned back to the mirror, knowing that she would never be noticed for her looks. As much as she loved her family, she sometimes wished things were different.
Harry felt warm and light as he knocked on the door to Professor Lupin's office. Ginny had finally talked to him again, and while she did not seem completely back to normal, he was still incredibly happy that she was no longer avoiding him. Hearing the Professor's 'Come in,' he opened the door.
"Ah, Harry, right on time." the professor said with a smile, motioning him in, "Close the door, will you?"
Harry stepped in and after turning back, saw the professor levitate a chest down in front of his desk. "Now, the charm you are going to learn is one not even covered in NEWT defence classes, so do not feel bad if you cannot produce anything. Even after all of these years, I haven't been able to produce a full patronus. The key to this spell is being able to think of a happy memory, and not just any happy memory, the happiest one you can think of." The professor said as he sat down on the trunk. "I'll give you some time to find that memory."
'When was the happiest I've felt?' Harry wondered as times seemed to flit through his mind, the very first time he rode a broom, the feeling he had the last day of term when Ginny walked down the stairs, smiling at him, learning he was free from the Dursleys for the whole school year… all of these memories passed though his mind as he judged them against each other, until he settled on one. "Alright, I have one."
"Good, now, there are three tiers to this spell. The first is a simple shield, the next is an incorporeal ball, and the final stage is a corporeal patronus in the form of an animal. The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum' and you do not need to flourish your wand to cast, though you need to to move it," Professor Lupin explained, giving a quick frown at his wording. "Here, I'll demonstrate… Expecto Patronum!" Harry said nothing as felt a sense of déjà vu settled uncomfortably in his stomach. He knew he had never seen this charm before today, but still…
Professor Lupin gave a general flick of his wand and a wisp of white was shot from the end before a white shield seemed to appear before the man, only it bent outward and away from him, the opposite of the Protego charm. "This is the shield patronus. It is significantly easier to master and is also useful in its own right, but I want you to try to aim for this," Lupin said, canceling the spell and seeming to concentrate harder, "Expecto Patronum!"
Again, the wisp shot out at first, but then a brilliant white ball shot out of the tip of the wand and floated in front of the professor. Gesturing with his wand, the professor caused the ethereal ball to fly around the room wherever he wanted it to go. "This is an incorporeal patronus. It is the intermediate level between the shield and corporeal patronus. This can be used to drive off dementors, but it is not as powerful nor as large as a full patronus. Once you have mastered the patronus, you should be able to drive off more than just one or two dementors at a time. Also, the more powerful you are, the larger the patronus becomes and the stronger it will be. For now however, I want you to try to master the incorporeal patronus. We'll let you try alone at first, though it is a lot different and harder with a dementor present.
"Now close your eyes, and let the memory fill you, then speak, Expecto Patronum." Harry nodded and concentrated on his memory, feeling the warmth it gave him.
Raising his wand, Harry concentrated and spoke, "Expecto Patronum!" Before him he saw a wisp of white shoot out before it disappeared.
"Harry, perhaps you should try a different memory, a stronger one." Professor Lupin suggested.
Harry nodded as he closed his eyes, thinking of his happy memory while focusing on the warmth and the something a little more than contentedness that it gave him. He concentrated on that feeling, feeling it envelop him in warmth, along with the desire to defend himself from the dementor.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry called, seconds before having the strangely familiar feeling of the warmth being drawn into his wand and expelled. From behind his eyelids, a bright light suddenly flared and, opening his eyes, he saw almost the same shield that had issued from Lupin's wand.
"Excellent, excellent!" Remus praised, looking at Harry in astonishment as he cast the spell for the first time and correctly. When Harry pulled back the warmth, the spell faded and as he lowered his wand, Lupin spoke again. "Now, remember, this will be more difficult with an actual dementor," he warned. "Since they are too dangerous to try to even bring in the school, we are going to try out the boggart we had in class today." Harry nodded and readied himself.
"That's enough for tonight, Harry," Professor Lupin said an hour later. "We can practice again next week if you want."
Harry was frustrated and exhausted, as good as he was with the magic he was learning in classes, he could only produce the shield, despite the memory he used. What's more, each time it seemed to drain him of energy considerably. He nodded, however, as he replaced his wand and suddenly remembered, "Professor Lupin, I was wondering… could Ginny practice with us next week?" At the professor's questioning look, he continued, "She wanted to learn how to as well, since they also affect her."
Professor Lupin seemed to think it over before he turned back to Harry, "Alright. Bring her next time. You'll have to practice one by one with the dementor, but that's after she manages a shield."
Harry nodded and they began walking to the door, taking the offered chocolate bar. "It's alright Harry; it is a rather difficult charm, and you did well to even reach that level." Professor Lupin tried to reassure him. "Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight Professor," Harry said as the door closed behind him and he made his way down the corridor to the stairs. As if sensing his frustration and exhaustion, Aura flamed into existence in front of him, trilling softly. "Hey girl."
Aura trilled again, lifting his spirit despite himself as she landed on a nearby suit of armor and stared at him again. This time, Harry calmly stared back into the phoenix's eyes. He saw the power and wisdom the magical bird held, even more so than before. Blinking, Aura took off and glided over to Harry. As soon as she landed, Harry felt a warmth travel over him and a second later, he was in the boy's dormitories in Gryffindor Tower.
"Thanks," Harry smiled as he opened his curtains while Aura perched on the head of his bed. Not bothering to change, he lay down and fell promptly to sleep, despite the early hour.
Aura began to glow gold, and with a flap of her wings, took off and began flying in circles around the boy, singing a soft, magical melody. Closing her eyes, Aura entered Harry's mind.
The boy was in the Defence classroom, trying again and failing to produce the incorporeal patronus. Aura saw the memory he was using and felt how the spell drained him. Cast improperly with a weaker memory, the spell drew a lot upon the user's own magical energy to form. That he could produce the shield was a compliment to his power, but she knew the boy did not have a happy enough memory to produce more than that simple shield. She knew he barely had any happy memories at all when she first looked him in the eyes in the chamber.
Knowing there was nothing she could do about that, Aura continued to watch the boy's dream silently as she imbued him with what power she could and some unconscious knowledge of the spell. Also, seeing another memory, Aura planned one more stop later for that night. By the time the boys came up the stairs an hour later, Aura was gone.
Ginny woke up feeling refreshed and oddly enough, happy. She thought she heard phoenix song when she was on the verge of waking, but shook it off, thinking she simply dreamt it. She remembered her thoughts from last night, but oddly enough, she felt confident instead of worried or depressed. 'If he likes me, he likes me, if not, we can still be friends,' she thought as she got ready. She was later than usual getting down to breakfast, and the Gryffindor table was mostly full by the time she entered the Great Hall.
Looking down the table, she spotted Harry and the others and headed over before sitting down in the space next to Harry. "Good morning," she said in a happy voice and Harry looked up at her in surprise. She gave him a small smile before turning to the food and getting some toast and eggs.
"Morning Ginny," she heard a few say and after taking a bite of toast, turned to Harry.
"So what did Professor Lupin have to say?" She asked, taking another bite.
"Oh, he said okay. You can come with me next week and practice, but we'll have to go one at a time when we face the dementor." Harry said, finding Ginny's attitude slightly odd, but was enjoying it over when she avoided him.
"Good."
The four spent the rest of breakfast talking randomly before they packed up and Harry, Ron and Hermione headed off to Potions while Ginny went to Charms.
The temperature dropped as they descended the dungeon steps and into potions class. Snape of course was his usual unpleasant self. From the beginning of class he deducted ten points for not cleaning his cauldron properly before class. As they began working on their delirium draughts, Harry began to feel comfortable as he cut his ingredients. He didn't know what was happening since he was always on edge, but even when Snape banished his cauldron contents in the first quarter of class, he felt confident he could still finish on time.
He didn't know what was happening, but he quickly and efficiently cut, added stirred and simmered the potion. Next to him, Ron, who had the full time without having to restart, was only halfway done and panicking. Hermione was faring better, but still was working on finishing the potion when Harry bottled some of his. He stared at the vial in his hand as he thought about what just happened. He hadn't followed the book word for word as he brewed the potion. In some places, he turned the heat higher or stirred differently than was called for, and he finished his potion faster than the others. At the same time, it looked the same deep navy blue that the book said.
'What's happening? I just finished the potion in less time it should normally take and actually made it perfectly…' Before he could actually think about it, Snape walked up behind him.
"Potter, five points for loafing around during class time. Why aren't you working on your potion?"
"I-I'm done, sir," Harry said, holding out the vial to the professor. Snape snatched t and examined the color before opening it and smelling it. His face contorted after each examination, but at the same time he looked impressed. 'I must be losing my mind; Snape impressed?' Harry thought as the Professor looked around the room oddly for a moment.
"Very well, Potter. Pack your things and go."
Harry didn't question his luck. He quickly packed up, receiving a betrayed look from Ron and a questioning glance from Hermione. Leaving the dungeons, he walked aimlessly for ten minutes until he finally stopped outside the charms classroom. Just then charms let out and a bunch of second years started coming out. Harry recognized a certain red-headed person in the crowd and walked towards her.
"Hey Ginny," Harry smiled as Ginny stopped and looked at him funnily.
"Did someone have an accident and let potions out early?" She looked around. "Where's Hermione and Ron?"
"Err… actually, I finished my potion early and left." Harry said, earning an even weirder look.
"I thought you were bad at potions. You are usually late out of the class if anything." Ginny said.
Harry shrugged as he turned and started walking with Ginny next to him. "I am. I don't really understand it myself. I was cutting up ingredients and just started doing my own thing. I got the potion done fast and Snape even looked impressed, I thought."
Ginny snorted, "Snape impressed with you? Now I know you are lying. What are you doing here anyway?"
"I just started wandering the halls and ended up here. Come on, Potions should be ending soon. I'll prove I wasn't lying." Harry said, turning back the other way and taking Ginny's hand to drag her with him.
They were halfway to the dungeons before he noticed he was still holding Ginny's hand, but since she didn't say anything, neither did he. As odd as it was, he kind of liked holding her hand. As they rounded the corner into the entrance hall, students were just walking up from the dungeon staircase.
"Harry!" they heard Hermione call as she ran over, Ron in toe. Finally letting go of Ginny's hand, he turned fully towards Hermione just as she reached them. "How did you get done early? What did you do?" She immediately questioned.
"See? I told you," Harry told Ginny quickly before turning back. "I don't really know. I was following the instructions, really, but I just did some parts differently."
"You did stuff differently from the book without knowing why or what could happen?" Hermione looked shocked, "You could have blown the class up! I can't believe you!"
"Settle down Hermione," Harry said, looking around as the last of the class filed past the group. "I got the potion done and nothing happened."
"That's not the point!" Hermione sputtered but then just sighed. "Whatever, let's go to class, we have charms next."
Ron just looked at Harry and shrugged as he walked away and followed Hermione. Turning, Harry looked at Ginny, "What class do you have next?"
"Herbology," Ginny signed. It was starting to get colder outside and she wasn't looking forward to freezing outside while she waited with the class.
"Come on then," Harry smiled as he walked her to the doors leading to the greenhouses. "See you tonight?" he asked as she turned to him.
"Yeah," Ginny smiled back before impulsively hugging him.
Harry stood frozen for a moment before returning the hug. 'I guess she is over the train now,' he thought, holding onto her. Harry was about to let go when he realized she hadn't made a move to yet. He was just about to ask her when she pulled back giving him a brilliant smile which Harry returned, a warm glow enveloping him. 'I'm probably over-thinking this, but still… This was the first time anyone's hugged me just to hug me…' Harry's mind wandered as he walked off to class, unable to wipe the large grin off his face.
Things were definitely looking better.
Harry sighed over his supper. Charms class was rather uneventful. That is if you consider Harry getting the spell correct the first time. Professor Flitwick had given him a slightly odd look before asking him to help the other students perform it. The rest of the day was uneventful as he had no classes after lunch. Instead, he walked Ginny to her classes after meeting up with her on the way in from the greenhouses. She didn't seem to mind, and he was still able to get homework done in between classes.
Looking up at the clock he turned to Ginny who was eating next to him. "Ginny, we have to meet Lupin in ten minutes, are you ready?"
She nodded and smiled happily as they stood up, waving goodbye to Ron and Hermione who were discussing the Transfiguration essay due tomorrow.
"Are you ready?" Professor Lupin asked after having explained everything to Ginny and leaving her to practice in the other room. "Good, then on the count of three…"
Harry used the time Professor Lupin was explaining things to Ginny to search his memories again, trying to find a more powerful memory. Smiling, he found one he had almost forgotten of about last year.
"Three!"
After sitting down by the lake and talking while watching the sunset for a while, Harry and Ginny decided to turn in. Standing up and offering her a hand, he helped pull Ginny up and began walking back towards the castle. Feeling a tugging on his arm, he turned back and watched as Ginny bit her lip lightly. He was about to ask her what was wrong when she spoke.
"I know I already thanked you for saving me, but… I just don't feel like that is enough," she frowned. "You risked your life for me when we didn't even really talk before, and…" she trailed off.
"Ginny, I told you I–" His voice caught as she moved forward, her red hair framed by the sunset, the red glow shining off her hair and seeming to make it smolder like fire. When she reached him, she slowly wrapped her arms around him and held him, and it was like nothing he had ever felt before.
He had never been hugged growing up, nor given the slightest worry for his wellbeing, other than if something life-threatening happened to the Dursley's cleaning boy. Even when he had been hugged these past two years, it was always just a quick squeeze, usually Hermione, as a greeting, or by somebody older. As Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny, he felt something seem to fill his body where she touched him, not squeezing the life out of him as a friend, but… He didn't know how to describe it, but he didn't want to stop.
Harry let the feeling surround him and he held onto Ginny long after the final rays of the sun were finally hidden behind the forest.
"Expecto Patronum!" Harry called, the new memory filling him. While the shield worked and held up against a dementor, the professor had wanted to see if he could produce the same level of patronus that he could, and so he asked Harry to try a different memory this time. He had noticed that the memories with Ginny seemed to be stronger, which led to his current choice, though the feeling he had from this memory was not just happiness, but, something else as well.
At first, the spell began the same as the boggart closed in, with a small flare of whitish energy issuing form his wand. It seemed to draw upon the strange feeling the memory invoked, but then, instead of the shield he had come to expect, the wisps that shot out coalesced into a bright white sphere. Shocked, Harry lost control of the memory and the ball flickered before failing.
Darkness consumed him as he heard a rushing sound and flashes of green light, followed by a woman's scream.
"Harry!"
Harry groaned as he came back to consciousness, seeing Aura flying overhead and singing, much like when he first met her.
"Harry!" he heard Ginny cry from somewhere just beyond his line of sight.
"Here, eat this." Harry heard Professor Lupin say as his sight was suddenly filled with a bar of chocolate, much the same as when he first passed out.
"Thanks," Harry got out as Aura landed on his shoulder and poked his cheek with her beak as if in admonishment. Harry noticed how cold he was this time, and without the phoenix song anymore, he felt chilled. Biting into the chocolate, he again reveled in the warmth it provided. Standing up he was hugged by Ginny which he returned with one arm while still getting his bearings.
Remus smiled, "Very well done the both of you. I think that will be it for tonight. Unfortunately I will be busy the next few days so we'll have to meet sometime next week. Harry, if you don't mind me asking though, what memory did you use?"
Harry blushed lightly, looking anywhere but at the professor and Ginny, "Just… getting hugged for the first time."
Remus merely nodded. "Alright you two, off you go, and congratulations on getting a shield, Ginny."
"Thanks professor," Harry and Ginny said before turning and leaving.
Harry looked over at Ginny and saw her giving him a small smile, "Congratulations, and what?"
"Nothing," she said, the smile growing a bit before she turned away. 'I'm not going to tell you I used the memory of you saving me from the chamber to get a shield, but thank you.'
The two walked in companiable silence as they made their way up the corridor to the common room. When they reached the staircase to the bedrooms, Ginny turned to Harry.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Harry smiled.
Ginny returned the smile before stepping in and leaning up, giving him a small peck on the cheek, leaving him beet red. "Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight," He returned softly after she was already up the stairs. That night Harry had a large smile on his face that lasted until his head hit the pillow and sleep claimed him.
Harry smiled as he sat down with Ron and Hermione for breakfast. He told them how he had managed to conjure an incorporeal patronus before Ginny sat down next to Harry.
"Ginny, why do you always have to tag along? Go away and sit with your own year," Ron said with a frown. 'Why does she always have to come here and take the spotlight? I liked it when she was quiet last year.' Ron thought. He didn't like that she was taken to the Chamber, but after that she always seemed to be going off with Harry and ignoring him.
"Ronald!" Hermione hissed besides him, slapping his arm.
"She is staying, and she is not tagging along." Harry said angrily as he grabbed her right hand and pulled her back so she was sitting next to him.
Ron frowned, "Why? I don't see what you see in my little sister. She's boring and it's not like she's pretty."
Harry's eyes burned gold for a brief second before he calmed himself, but nobody seemed to notice. He held firm to her hand as Ginny tried to stand up again before grabbing her shoulder and returning last night's peck on her cheek. "I think she's brilliant," Harry said with a smile at her before turning to Ron. "She is not and will never be a tagalong, Ron. She's my friend and your family, why do you treat her like a Malfoy?"
Ginny's face matched her hair even as she gave a small grin to Harry. 'He really means that,' she thought with a pleasant glow.
"What? I-I don't treat her like a Malfoy!" Ron said indignantly, "I just don't want her…" Ron trailed off with a frown, not wanting to give the real reason. "I'll see you at class."
Hermione sighed as he walked off before smiling brightly at Ginny, "You are always welcome to sit with us." She then gave Harry a look and knew she'd be asking about the kiss later.
Harry frowned lightly as she went back to eating and reading the book she had propped up against the milk jug. Finishing his meal, he turned to Ginny to ask her what class she was going to when he noticed her eating with her left hand. Looking down, he saw that he was still gently holding her hand from when she had tried to run off.
Feeling his gaze on her, she turned after having successfully speared a sausage and smiled sheepishly when he looked down at their hands. Shrugging, she turned back to her meal before Harry shrugged himself. "What class do you have first?"
"Today is Transfiguration and Potions, then lunch," Ginny listed off before continuing eating. Harry himself had Herbology first and so calculated the time needed to walk Ginny to her class first.
Looking at the clock he turned to her, "Then we had better get going."
She smiled and finished off her plate before they stood and walked out of the hall, Ginny shyly grabbing for his hand again.
Ron grumbled to himself as he wandered the halls a bit before heading out to the greenhouses. 'Why does Ginny have to keep bothering us?' he asked himself for the umpteenth time. 'I know she's family and all but she is *not* pretty and I'm not being a Malfoy to her, I just want to work with my best mate and Hermione again without her taking Harry's attention,' he reasoned to himself.
He made his way to greenhouse two and sat down near the end of the table wish Hermione sitting down next to him a few minutes later. 'There has to be a way to get her to leave us alone…' Ron frowned before an idea hit him. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it would be worth the try.
Harry walked into class just as it was starting and took his seat next to Neville, who, despite being one of the experts on Herbology, was still too timid to work with others. Harry greeted him warmly and Neville seemed to smile and straighten up a bit at that. They talked a bit before class began and they began the mindless work of repotting some less harmful plants.
Harry's mind wandered as his hands worked. His thoughts, unsurprisingly, turned to a certain fire-haired girl. They hadn't talked much as he dropped her off for Transfiguration, but she still smiled and gave him a hug before she walked into class and he rushed down to make it to his on time. 'What is going on with us?' Harry wondered as he carefully filled the next plant pot with dragon dung compost. 'I like being with her, and she makes me happy, especially the spur of the moment hugs, but…' Harry smiled softly as he imagined Ginny jumping around with excitement and energy, thinking she looked cute. 'I guess I like her a little… I meant what I said to Ron, she's smart, nice and makes me feel happy. I just know I want to be with her more.'
Harry loved Ron and Hermione dearly and was happy when he was with them, but he never felt the same joy he did when he was with the youngest Weasley. He couldn't explain how he felt for her. She was definitely a friend, but, definitely different than Ron and Hermione. 'Great, now I've just gone and confused myself.' Harry thought sarcastically. 'I guess I'll just take the days as they come.'
Ron stood up after sitting in the common room with Harry, Ginny and Hermione for the past hour and reading. Dean and Seamus had gone up a minute ago and the other three didn't look like they were moving anytime soon.
Begging off as tired he hurried up to the third year boy's dormitories and walked in, just catching Dean and Seamus as they were getting ready to go to bed.
"Hey mate," Dean greeted as he walked in.
"Hey," Ron greeted as he thought of how to bring it up. Finally he just gave up and decided to ask them straight out. "Can one of you ask my sister out?"
The dorm was silent for a moment before the other two burst out laughing.
"What?"
"Are you kidding me?"
Ron frowned slightly, and taking in his expression, Dean looked at Seamus before turning back to Ron. "Mate, I don't know why you are even asking but she's young, and no offence, but she's not too pretty either."
"Yeah, besides, doesn't Harry like her?" Seamus asked.
"Nah, they are just hanging out, but forget I asked anything." Ron said as he began changing. The other two shrugged and pulled their curtains closed, while Ron frowned again. 'Guess I'll have to try for plan B.'
Back in the common room, Harry yawned slightly as he sat in front of the fire. Ginny was sitting sideways on the couch, leaning against him slightly as she read for charms while he worked on memorizing Arithmancy tables. Shifting slightly, he leaned a bit against Ginny, feeling more comfortable than before and smiled. 'I can get used to this.'
Feeling he shift in response, Harry frowned when she pulled back and he was just about to sit up straight again when she turned a bit and leaned directly against him, a small smile on her face. Smiling as well, Harry once again leaned against her, dropping his head on top of hers lightly.
Hermione sighed as she snuggles down into the cough while surreptitiously watching the pair besides her. She was kind of jealous since she also liked Harry, but over the past year she grew to see him as more of a brother. Not that it mattered now, since even though he didn't seem to recognize it, he seemed to like Ginny a lot. Smiling at how content Harry looked (something she had rarely seen before) she turned back to her charms book, mentally practicing the wand motions and incantations. Even if she liked Harry, being second in class was beginning to annoy her, just a little. She was enjoying the challenge, however.
Aura flamed in early in the morning. The boy's dorm was dead, and everyone was sound asleep. She trilled quietly as she initiated the bonding again, glowing gold as she transferred power and unconscious knowledge to her bond mate.
She knew that even without the bond he would develop to become a powerful wizard, but seeing his fate in his eyes when they first bonded, she wanted to help him reach his potential sooner and push beyond it.
Using the bond, she entered the dark-haired boy's mind, feeling his contentment as he dreamed about being with the fire-haired girl. She was happy about the small confidence boost she had given to the girl and decided to check on her later. For now, Aura slowly descended and landed on the covers, facing the boy and leaning down, gently touching foreheads as she entered his mind, going past the dreams. She had entered his mind before, but that was to view his memories. Now she entered and saw how he viewed things. She was saddened by how mature his thoughts were, having lost his childhood to the people he lived with.
Changing to view his thoughts on the fire-haired girl, she felt the same contentment, friendship and love, though he had yet to identify it. Turning back to his magic, she reviewed the spells and his power in her mind before taking off and beginning the ritual to transfer knowledge and increase his power. She had already granted him about a quarter of her knowledge, and soon would begin teaching him the more ancient curses and charms. Some were simply more powerful derivations of modern spells, but others were unique spells long forgotten and lost to time.
After finishing the transfer for tonight, she flamed over to the second year girl's dormitory. Flying over to the far bed, she landed and viewed the mind of the girl. She felt proud as the darkness in the girl's mind seemed to be pushed back by her bond-mate's presence and happiness instead filled the girl's mind. Moving from her memories to her conscious mind, Aura viewed the fire-haired girl's innocent dream about her bond mate, and felt the love the girl had for him.
Breaking contact, Aura once again flew up before flaming away to her bond mate's room to rest for the few hours before classes. In reality, she did not need to sleep, but she enjoyed spending time sharing her bond mate's dreams. Entering his dream reassured her of her choice to help him as she flew down on his shoulder while he swung on a tree swing, sitting next to the fire-haired girl, holding her hand and talking.
A/N: So, I've finally updated! And better yet, I'll probably update again later on this weekend. I've finally found my writing muse and time again. As always, let me know what you think about the chapter and any suggestions of things you might want to see. I have the story generally planned out and for the moment it looks like following cannon events until GoF and post GoF going AUish more and more with events.