(A/N: Good news. like this chapter is being posted earlier than I had originally thought it would be, the later chapters should come out faster as well. My beta, Josh, has had some extra time recently. A big round of applause to Josh for all of his hard work!
FWIW, my natural writing style includes what could be labeled "Room POV", meaning the POV of a scene does not stay with only 1 person like most writing books teach you, but switches as necessary within a location/scene. This allows me to show thoughts of multiple people, and even follow-up comments after the main character leaves the room. A few people have said this is somewhat confusing -- my apologies. My beta is doing his best to break me of this, but it still shows up from time to time and there are places I specifically want this anyway. I thought you should know that I am aware of this, I am trying to minimize this aspect of my writing in this story, but it will still happen occasionally.
The "pieces" are moving into their final position in this chapter ... enjoy! -- kb)
Chapter 4: Into Cold Water
(Thu 23 Feb)
Practice for the tournament went well that evening. Harry thought he had a good handle on the spells to deal with Grindylows and a number of other underwater creatures he was likely to encounter. In addition, Ginny had talked to Moaning Myrtle and convinced the ghost to tell her the location of the Merpeople village. Myrtle had gone through the pipes and visited them before in the middle of the lake.
Feeling good about his chances, as long as something not too unexpected happened, Harry led the foursome from their practice classroom back to the Gryffindor Tower. They were quite surprised to see Professor McGonagall there.
"There you all are, I've been waiting for you," their professor said.
"I wasn't aware there was something I needed to do this evening," Harry said. He was as polite as always to her, but he was also very cautious, as he felt sure he knew why she was here and looking for them. Very slowly, he moved his hand into his robes.
McGonagall looked at him and gave a very slight smile. "I'm not here for you, Mr. Potter. I need to talk to Miss Weasley." She turned to look at the third year. "Miss Weasley, if you would come with me please?"
Harry stepped in front of his girlfriend standing straight with his wand now at his side. "No, I'm sorry, I won't let you take Ginny. You'll have to use someone else for bait." He did his best not to be rude, but he was determined to protect his girlfriend.
Minerva McGonagall was shocked. She had never heard Harry tell any professor no, and certainly not with the confidence and determination he had now. It was like he was a different young man. Still, she was his head-of-house. "Mr. Potter, you will not speak with me that way or you will be in detention."
"My pardon, professor, I mean no disrespect. I only mean that you may not take Ginny to use as bait in the second task. I know what's going to happen, as I've worked out the clue, but she may not go as it is not safe for her."
A glance to Harry's other friends showed their concern too. They did not have their wands out as he did, but she could tell they did not want Ginny to go either. This was most unusual. She also noted that everyone in the Common Room was watching this growing spectacle. As much as she wanted to move this confrontation to a more private setting, she doubted that was possible without making the situation worse. "Mr. Potter, you know the Headmaster would never willingly put anyone in danger. Miss Weasley will be quite safe."
Harry did not back down. "I believe that, Professor, but the keyword you used was 'willingly'. I don't trust Mr. Bagman, Mr. Crouch who seems to have gone missing, or Professor Dumbledore to keep Ginny safe. They couldn't even keep my name out of the Goblet. It's only in the last week or two that I've truly realized just how unsafe the Tournament is."
Minerva sighed. She could not fault his logic, and if Harry knew there were two former Death Eaters at the school now, he would probably be even more stubborn about this. There was another chance to salvage the situation, however. "Miss Weasley?" She peered at the petite girl who was looking over Harry's left shoulder. "Despite Mr. Potter's concern, would you be willing to come anyway?"
With more defiance than Minerva would have thought possible, Ginny said, "Can you guarantee my safety? And before you answer, don't forget what happened in Harry's first year, my first year, all the Dementors that attacked us last year, and as Harry pointed out, the fact that he should not even be in this Tournament now." When she did not answer immediately, she heard Ginny also say, "This school is not as safe a place as everyone makes it out to be. Harry has every right to be concerned for his friends."
McGonagall could not argue against that either, but she had to have 'what he would sorely miss'.
"I'll go," Neville volunteered as the silence stretched out.
McGonagall was pleased at the fact that someone was willing to offer a solution, but it was obvious Harry was not pleased. "What?!" She watched as Harry turned to his friend.
"I know it can't be Ginny, and it can't be Hermione either. You'll need them both to help you get ready tomorrow. I don't think anyone wants to hurt me and I trust you to come get me, Harry. Just make it as fast as you can. All right?" Neville's logic was in good form, and McGonagall was tempted to award points to him for his courage and intellect.
"You sure, mate?" Harry asked Neville very sincerely.
"Yeah, because Professor McGonagall has to take someone back or you'll be dealing with the whole committee, and that would be hard, even for you," Neville said with a grin. McGonagall had to fight a smile at the boy's words, for he had no idea just how true the prediction was.
"Thanks, Neville, I owe you a lot for this," Harry said as he gripped his friend's shoulder.
"Naw, I'm just paying you back for what you already did. Just beat everyone else tomorrow." She waited as Neville walked over to Hermione and gave her a quick hug, which she returned along with a quick peck on the cheek. McGonagall chose to turn a blind eye to the proceedings, although she did see Neville blushing as he turned to face her squarely. "All right, I'm ready."
Minerva shook her head slowly at the situation she never expected to find and said, "This way then, Mr. Longbottom." She led Neville towards the room off the Great Hall where the Tournament Champions had first met. Along the way she reflected on the changes that had come over Mr. Longbottom. His closer friendships with Harry, Hermione, and to at least some degree Ginny, had worked wonders on the boy's self-confidence. He was still quite shy in many areas, but she could not have imagined him helping his friend out like this at the beginning of this year. "Mr. Longbottom," she said as they finally approached their destination, "take twenty points for your bravery, loyalty, and intelligence." While her charge gaped at her, she gave him one of her cultivated rare smiles. "You did a noble thing, and you deserve to be rewarded for it."
Neville was amazed. Not only had he just earned points for doing what he felt was right, but his head-of-house had openly praised him. He knew his jaw was hanging as they entered the waiting room, where Neville saw Cho Chang, a little blonde haired girl that must have been Fleur's little sister they looked so much alike, and a shorter version of Viktor Krum -- his little brother Neville assumed. The rest of the Tournament committee members were there too.
Albus Dumbledore frowned as he observed Neville walking in. "Minerva, I'm afraid you made a mistake."
"There's been a change in plans, Albus. Miss Weasley is unable to come due to unforeseen circumstances. Mr. Longbottom is Mr. Potter's current best friend, so I believe he will do admirably."
"Perhaps I should go get Miss Weasley..."
"Don't trouble yourself, Albus. Mr. Longbottom has volunteered to be 'bait' as Mr. Potter put it. I highly doubt you will find Miss Weasley this evening if you go look, and I know I shan't bother. But I do highly suggest you make sure these young people are kept completely safe, unlike what has not happened in the past. Good-night."
As Neville watched Professor McGonagall leave, he was emboldened even more by her standing up to the Headmaster; he also found new level of respect for his head-of-house. With a shy smile, he looked at Professor Dumbledore and waited for whatever would happen. While Harry had not said anything to him, he suddenly had no doubt that Professor McGonagall was correct. Harry would make sure Ginny could not be found tonight.
Dean looked over at Harry who was putting his heavy cloak on and pulling his Firebolt out of his trunk. "What are you up to, Harry?"
"I'm nervous about tomorrow. I need to fly a little to calm my nerves."
"But Harry, it's nighttime, and there's not much of a moon out. You could run into ... things," Seamus pointed out.
With his back to his dorm mates, Harry pulled his Map and Invisibility Cloak out and put them under his cloak. "I'll be back before morning, don't wait up for me."
"What if someone comes up here looking for you?" Dean asked.
"Tell them the truth, I went flying to calm my nerves."
"You know how much trouble you'd get in for that?!" Dean asked incredulously.
"Nope. But if I'm lucky, they'll kick me out of the Tournament I was never supposed to be in. See you in the morning." Harry went over to the window and opened it. It was cold outside, but he did not plan to be in it for long. A quick glance at the already activated map showed Ginny to be in position; he had to agree with Ginny that, while extreme, this idea was probably for the best.
Mounting his broom, Harry flew out the window, then he turned around and pushed the window closed. Moving out of sight, he pulled his Invisibility Cloak out and put it on while he hovered. Flying around the Tower to another window down one level, he hovered and very lightly tapped on the glass. It opened immediately. He pulled his father's cloak back so the front of his broomstick was visible. A slender person in a heavy cloak crawled out the window and he helped her on his broom before putting his Invisibility Cloak around her too. Her window was also pushed closed.
Slowly they flew across the grounds to the Whomping Willow. There, Harry found a rock that he Banished at a specific knot on the tree. It had been hard to hit in the low light from a crescent moon, but they both saw the tree go limp. Quickly, they went down the hole at the tree's base and into the passageway to the Shrieking Shack. Harry lit his wand and led them in before the tree woke up from its temporary slumber. After a turn in the tunnel, Harry stopped and looked at his companion. "I think this will do."
"I can't believe we're doing this, Harry, even if it was my idea."
He smiled as he cast a couple of cushioning charms and a warming charm on the area. The Invisibility Cloak was set to the side, but they both kept their long cloaks on. "In some ways I can't either, but I thought you had a good point. Dumbledore might come to look for you and I won't be able to fully concentrate if I thought you were down in the lake. I respect him greatly, but I'm starting to wonder about his mindset." Harry sat down and found a comfortable position.
"You think he's going senile?" Ginny sat down in front of Harry and leaned against his chest. She smiled as he put his arms around her.
"I don't know how else to explain it. Some of his decisions seem to be pretty big lapses in judgment, although I believe his heart's in the right place."
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the wind making odd sounds from the mouth of the passage. Ginny was unsure what to think of Harry's concerns, but she had to agree that from the outside, it seemed like there was something strange going on with the Headmaster. Eventually, she snuggled in closer to Harry, and turned her face up to him slightly. "Let's sleep, Harry. You need to be rested for tomorrow." She carefully twisted further and let him find her lips. After a wonderful good-night kiss, she settled back against him again and had beautiful dreams, including one with children with messy black hair.
(Fri 24 Feb)
Harry's watch alarm went off as the sun was coming up. He was a bit stiff, but otherwise felt very rested. The area around them was cool again, the warming charm gone, but that did not matter; they were about to leave. "Ginny? Time to wake up," he told her and then kissed her cheek back near her ear.
"Umm, nice way to wake up," she said groggily as she stretched.
He chuckled and helped her up, all the while mentally agreeing with her. Lighting his wand again, he grabbed his other cloak before they made their way back towards the willow. Pressing the knot, they left the still tree behind. Flying back up to the Tower, Ginny let herself back into her room with his special cloak and the instructions that she was not to come down before thirty minutes without raising mayhem loud enough to wake the dead, should she be forced to go somewhere. Harry doubted that would happen, but Ginny was becoming precious to him. That was something he would not have thought possible at the beginning of the year.
Harry returned to his dorm, quickly took a shower, grabbed a few things he needed for today's task, and went to the Common Room. There he could guard the girl's stairs while he reviewed spells he might have to use.
A little before most of the students would come down for breakfast, he saw Hermione descending, so he got up to go over to her. "All here?" Harry quietly asked. He heard a giggle from the space next to Hermione, then a slightly freckled face suddenly appeared. He quickly kissed it before it disappeared again. "Go get breakfast in the kitchens then make sure Ginny is safely hidden. I'm counting on you, Hermione."
"I'll take care of her, Harry. It's a good thing you took my advice. Professor Dumbledore did come into the Tower last night to speak with you just after you both left. He was not pleased when he couldn't find either of you."
"So I get detention with Filch or something. I still find it worth it. See you later after the task." The two girls left Harry. He returned to his seat by the fireplace until breakfast was to start.
As Harry was about to head to breakfast, he found three Weasley brothers in front of him. Ron looked the angriest, Fred and George looked merely unhappy.
"Harry?" One of the twins addressed him. "They say Dumbledore could not find you in the dorm last night, and that Ginny was missing too. What do you have to say about that?"
"I would say that Professor Dumbledore was about to keep her as safe as he did her first year here. So I helped her hide, so she actually would be safe," Harry said calmly, though his hand was on his wand under his robes. All three Weasleys blanched at his statement, as memories of their hurt sister the summer after her experiences in the Chamber of Secrets probably came to mind, as he had intended.
"And where is she now?" the other twin asked.
"Still hidden with a friend. You'll see her once the task has started. And if she's not there at the end of the task, you have my word Dumbledore will answer to me for her safety."
"Good enough," the first twin said before he started to go.
"But..." Ron started to complain.
The other twin stared down Ron. "If you don't believe him, you can ask Ginny when you see her. If she disagrees, I'll help you pound him."
"But if Harry is right, you might find yourself taking a swim with the giant squid," the first twin said. "Choose wisely, brother."
While Ron looked at his two brothers, clearly trying to figure them out, Harry left for the Great Hall. He was still disappointed in Ron. He had thought Ron was starting to make progress, but apparently not.
Harry had breakfast with Dean and Seamus; they confirmed that Dumbledore had come up looking for him and that the Headmaster was not happy Harry had left. Harry had understood that might happen and had taken action anyway, prepared to pay any consequences from those actions. Perhaps it was the wrong thing to do, but what was done was done. Munching on toast, as that was about all his nerves would allow at the moment, he felt someone walk up behind him. Expecting to see Malfoy preparing to taunt him yet again, he was surprised to find the Headmaster.
There was no twinkle in the old man's eye. "Mr. Potter, would you come with me please? I'd like a moment of your time before you have to go to your task."
Grabbing his juice glass for a last swallow, he got up and followed the Headmaster into the trophy room off to the side of the Great Hall. He knew this was going to be hard, but no matter how much he saw the old wizard as a grandfather-like figure and trusted him, Harry was determined to stick to his beliefs in this matter.
"Mr. Potter," the Headmaster said formally after they were alone, "I found that you were not in your dorm room last night after curfew. As that is against school rules, I'd like an explanation."
Harry avoided looking the Headmaster in the eye. There was something about doing that that seemed like the old man could see through to his soul. "I was nervous about the task today sir, so I decided to take my broom and go flying. It always calms me down." That was his prepared cover story, even though Harry knew it was unlikely to work. Hermione had mentioned that the Headmaster had looked for Ginny as well.
"I see. Mr. Potter, I'm also told that Miss Weasley was not in her dorm room either. This is not the sort of thing we condone at this school. Perhaps I need to tell her mother." The threat was slight, but present.
Harry ignored the threat as the Headmaster had left himself wide open with that. "If you think it necessary, sir, please do so. However, did you ask Mrs. Weasley if it was acceptable to her that her only daughter would be used as 'bait' in the second task? That she would be left unconscious under a lake? Or for that matter, did you ask Ginny if she would help out with the second task before you or Professor McGonagall came to take her away?"
"That does not matter, Mr. Potter."
A quick glance showed the Headmaster's eyes were distant, and Harry knew he was walking a thin line.
"If you mention Ginny not being in her dorm room last night, then I hope you mention your plans for her at the same time. I would hate to have to tell her that myself. I'm curious to know which Mrs. Weasley would feel was the least safe for her daughter."
Albus Dumbledore said nothing, but Harry could feel his eyes on him. The silence was a long, awkward moment as far as Harry was concerned. "You've changed a great deal this year, Mr. Potter. I am unsure if it is for the better."
Harry shrugged. "I've had to start growing up this year, the Tournament forced that. I'm not sure I like it either, but what is done is done. I can't change this, just like you can't change some of the things you've done. Of course, I do realize that I've still a way to go before being an adult by any means."
"And what have I done that's so bad, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore's tone was all curiosity, which made Harry think the man was confused as to what had triggered all this.
Harry was still was not looking him in the eye, so it was hard to get a read on the Headmaster's true emotions, but he hoped the man could tell he had been mostly honest.
"Perhaps it's just my not understanding, Headmaster, but I thought the school was supposed to be a safe place." He risked another quick glance and saw Dumbledore frown, so he rushed on. "Oh, I know accidents can happen, especially as we're all learning new spells, but I mean beyond that. Here there seems to be a lot of life-threatening things, things that come to find me at school and not even you or your staff can stop them. Something has happened to me every year, including this one, and I can't say much of it has been good."
"I see," the Headmaster said slowly.
After waiting for some reaction, Harry could feel his stomach growing irritated over the lack of sustenance. "If I may, Headmaster, I'd like to get something more to eat before I have to leave."
"Certainly, Mr. Potter. You should have about ten more minutes." As Harry turned to leave, he heard the Headmaster's voice and stopped. "I'm sorry to have to do this, Mr. Potter, but please see Professor McGonagall for a week of detentions for your actions last night."
Now Harry looked right at him and intensely stared. "If Ginny had been in her dorm when you went to Gryffindor Tower last night, would you have taken her with you and returned Neville?" As the Headmaster started to answer, Harry added, "Honestly, sir, would you have?"
Dumbledore held Harry's gaze, and within seconds he felt that soul-reading gaze understood him better than he understood himself. "Yes, I would have, Mr. Potter. She was picked by the committee, and was the only one that fit the criteria."
"Then my detentions will be worth it." Harry turned and left, knowing that the Headmaster would be contemplating how Harry Potter was changing. At fourteen, Harry was slowly adapting to the situation he was forced into, and finally was actively trying to become a force to be reckoned with. While Harry was sure his new behavior was exasperating to some, he hoped that people like the Headmaster would also understand, and give him the chance to grow as he needed to. If they would only give Harry a little direction and then get out of his way, Harry was sure he could start to become what so many people seemed to expect him to be. That was something to think about, but for now, he had a challenge to beat since his good friend Neville Longbottom was counting on him.
Harry stood at the edge of the lake feeling very nervous. His newfound good friend was below the water waiting on him. Looking at his three competitors, he drew some comfort from their equally nervous looks.
They were about to start the second task, so he pulled off his robes and about froze in the cold February wind as Bagman started announcing the task for today. Harry wanted to find whatever idiot had planned for them to go swimming in the winter and have a loud and pointed discussion. He guessed Bagman must have been the one, given how the man was almost gleeful in the brisk climate. Looking down, he saw his wand holster strapped to his right calf, and a knife holster strapped to his left calf. Both holsters held their respective implements. Reaching into the pocket of his swimsuit, he pulled out a bag of what looked like a bunch of rat-tails. When Bagman started counting down, Harry started chewing the disgusting mass.
As Bagman yelled go, Harry started rushing out into the icy water. By the time the water was to his shoulders, he found it difficult to breathe, so he went under and took a deep breath of water. He was so glad he had already done this once before in the large prefect's bathtub at Neville and Hermione's urging. Fred and George had given him the password when he had asked, although how those two knew it, Harry did not know and decided it was best not to ask. Keeping just under the surface of the water, Harry started swimming towards the middle of the lake as fast as he could. By staying near the surface, it was easy for him to stick his head up and get his bearings. Staying near the top of the water also kept him away from the Grindylows, who he had been warned inhabited the murky depths.
When he thought he was near the center of the lake, he started diving straight down. He found the Merpeople's village quite easily using the directions he had been provided. He made a mental note to thank Myrtle for this tip later, once the task was over and he had time to warm up. Once there, it was easy find the four captives, they were held in place with ropes. He quickly freed Neville, but when he tried to free the others, the Merpeople prevented him. Understanding that he would be interfering with the others' work, he grabbed Neville and took him up. Once Neville broke the surface of the water, he gasped and started breathing.
Neville gave him a huge smile as he gulped down air. Harry smiled at him and grabbed Neville's hands, placing them on his shoulders. Neville understood and held on as Harry started swimming just under the surface of the water so Neville could keep his head out of the water. They made it back to the shore of the lake before even half the hour allotted to the task was over. While Harry had to stay underwater until the Gillyweed wore off, he could hear the cheering as well as see Hermione and Ginny jumping up and down for joy at him being done, though everything was distorted.
While Harry was sitting in water only a few feet deep, Fleur came up out of the lake sobbing. Sticking an ear out, Harry realized that she was very upset because she could not complete the task and was afraid for her "zi'ter". Without another moment's thought, Harry turned and began swimming furiously back towards where the hostages were. This time, he knew exactly where to dive.
He could hear the Merpeople singing about time being almost gone and how what the champions sought would be left there to rot. When he arrived, he saw only one person left waiting: Fleur's little sister. Hoping to speed things up, Harry pulled his wand and shot a cutting curse at the rope holding the petite blonde. The Merpeople were not happy with that and started to come towards him. With a smile, he let out another bubble of air as he cast, "Accio girl!" The little blonde headed girl came zipping to him, and grabbing her hand, he swam towards the surface.
As Neville had, the little Delacour also started gasping for air as she crested the surface, which woke her up. Unlike Neville, however, she clung to Harry for dear life, which make things awkward between his need to be underwater and her blatant fear of being in the water. With a smile and much gesturing, he finally convinced her to put her hands on his shoulders and swam back to shore. When they were only about a hundred yards from shore, he felt his gills start to fade, which made him surface abruptly. Taking a moment to reassure the girl that everything was OK, the two of them had to swim normally the rest of the way.
Once he arrived at the shore, Fleur made much about his bravery and even hugged him before Ginny could get to him. As Fleur gave him the French double kiss, one of the kisses missed his cheek and Harry got a kiss from the partial Veela right on the lips. Fleur either did not realize it or did not care as she was back with her sister, hugging her and crying at being reunited.
Ginny walked up to him and offered him a blanket. "Do I have anything to be concerned about Harry?" she asked in a far too casual tone.
Harry was not fooled. "Uh, you mean about Fleur's, err, mistake? No, nothing at all, it was quite distasteful really, simply horrible, unpleasant, I can't believe she..." Harry was interrupted by Ginny flinging herself on him and kissing him firmly right there in front of everyone.
As she let him go, she smiled. "I'm only teasing you, Harry, and I'm not bothered by the fact that a distraught witch can't aim a kiss, but don't you go chasing after another witch either," she told him playfully, enjoying the moment, yet certain he had received her message.
"Never," he told her with a smile.
Madam Pomfrey made her appearance. "Here, drink this, Mr. Potter, it will help warm you up." Harry found that she was not kidding, as smoke came out of his ears almost immediately after drinking the potion.
He and all of his friends gave a yell of triumph when the points were awarded. As Harry had the fastest time to retrieve a hostage, and then he went back and rescued Gabrielle Delacour before the time was up, even Karkaroff had a hard time taking off points. Harry thought that may have had something to do with Krum arriving one minute late. Harry was solidly in first place and, most importantly, everyone was safe.
(Mon 27 Feb)
While the foursome were eating breakfast, Professor McGonagall came by their seats. "Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, I will expect you both in my classroom at seven this evening sharp. Bring your book bags with you, please, along with your pending assignments." She went on to her normal place at the head table.
All four of them sighed. "I was hoping they had forgotten," Ginny said as she grabbed some more bacon.
"You really thought Professor McGonagall was going to forget you broke the rules?" Hermione asked with a note of incredulousness.
"I had hoped she understood our reasons," Harry said, "but I guess since Professor Dumbledore said we were to have detention, she has to do it." He sighed.
Ginny smiled. "At least it's with her and not Snape, and we get to do detention together. Always look for a bright side, Harry." He laughed and bumped her shoulder slightly to play with her, but she only winked back at him.
Hermione flipped through her Daily Prophet one more time. "It's very strange, but I don't see an article in here by Rita Skeeter, and I haven't seen anything by her since shortly after the first task. Surely she wouldn't pass up this chance to write something about the Tournament now that another task has been completed."
"Don't know and don't care," Harry told her. "I'm really happy not to see anything by her. Maybe she hacked someone off and they threatened her enough that she's stopped writing for a while."
"I would buy that person a Butterbeer," Ginny joked.
"You and me both," but Harry was not joking.
At seven o'clock sharp, Harry and Ginny were in Professor McGonagall's classroom, their book bags in hand, which they thought was pretty unusual. They could only guess how many lines they were going to have to write. Professor McGonagall was sitting behind her desk grading papers. "Close the door and sit down," she instructed them. They sat on the front row and looked at her. "Do you both know why you are here?" They both nodded. "Very well then. Please pull out your homework and get started. I know you both have Transfiguration essays due soon. Please start with those."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other with a puzzled look. Harry decided that perhaps they did not know why they were there after all, but he was not about to cause a problem by asking. Instead, he would take advantage of the gift being handed them. Ginny seemed to silently agree with him as they both pulled out their homework and began.
At ten minutes before ten, Professor McGonagall looked up at them. "You should immediately return to Gryffindor Tower, you have ten minutes before curfew. I will see you here again every night this week at seven. Don't forget your book bags."
Harry and Ginny gathered their papers, got up and left quietly.
Arriving back in the Tower, Harry saw Hermione and Neville sitting at a table doing their homework. Looking up, Neville asked, "What did you have to do, lines?"
Ginny smirked after sharing a glance with Harry. "No, we had to do our homework. We even turned in our Transfiguration work early since we completed it. I almost finished my Potions homework too. Strangely, I think all week is going to be like this."
"It's really weird," Harry agreed, happy to have a detention that, for once, did not leave him exhausted, nearly dead, or covered in filth.
Hermione tilted her head and looked at both of them. "I think this is Professor McGonagall's way of punishing you when she thinks you shouldn't be punished."
Harry exchanged surprised looked with Ginny and Neville before Neville smiled broadly. Harry's friend was the first to speak their agreement out loud. "That was really insightful, Hermione."
"Thanks, Neville," she beamed. Harry and Ginny sat down with the other two to finish what little work they had left for the evening.
None of the four noticed a red-haired boy sitting in a chair by the fire reading a Quidditch magazine when he was not watching them. The boy wished that he too was sitting at that table, but he realized that was not possible now. While a small part of him wondered if it could happen in the future, he looked back down at the magazine and continued reading -- it was the easiest thing to do.
(Sat 18 Mar)
The foursome left for their day in Hogsmeade. They walked as a pair of couples. Even though Neville and Hermione were not holding hands like Harry and Ginny were, it was still obvious that Neville and Hermione were together in more than just casual friendship.
"Look at them," Ginny whispered to Harry as they walked a little behind the other couple. "The glances are there, the occasional touches on the arm, the way he blushes and then says something to make her blush."
"Are you saying they're about to get together for real?"
"Duh," she joked with him. "The only question is how long it will take."
"You know, I've noticed that Neville is doing a lot better in class too, and I don't mean just on grades. He answers questions more easily, and when he has to do a spell in class, he gets it right a good bit faster than he used to," Harry commented.
"She's good for him. And you know, I think that maybe he's good for her. When he figures out what he wants, he can go after it, but most of the time he's a pretty easy-going guy. I think that's what she needs."
"Yeah, I can see that. I think you're right." Harry thought about that for a moment before he had another thought. "You know, they get along much better than she and Ron did, though I thought Ron was of similar temperament. Well, similar when it came to being easy-going."
Ginny snuggled up to him a bit, which made Harry smile at her. "Of course I'm right. You know, I used to think Ron fancied Hermione. These days, I'm starting to wonder, since he doesn't seem to anymore." She blew out a long breath and then turned a pained smile to him. "I think Neville is better for her than my brother, though," Ginny admitted.
Harry considered that as they walked on, watching Neville and Hermione rub shoulders or elbows and talk quietly to each other. "Ron never told me, but I think he did fancy her. I don't know about now, though." Harry squeezed Ginny's shoulders as he moved his arm around her. "I think he did something earlier in the year that made her really angry, and when she stopped helping him with his homework, he took that as being personally rejected."
Ginny gave him a playful tap on his chest. "Wow, Harry, that was insightful."
"What? You don't think I'm capable of insight?" He lowered his arm from around her shoulders to her waist and started tickling her.
"Har-ry!" she shrieked and tried to get away, but he held on, tickling her mercilessly.
Their friends turned around from up ahead. "Are we going to have to separate you two?" Hermione called with a teasing tone in her voice.
Harry desisted his tickle attack on his girlfriend. "You want to stick together or separate and meet for lunch later?"
Hermione glanced at Neville and saw him with a shy smile. "How about we split and meet for lunch?"
"OK, sounds good," Harry agreed. "Meet at the Three Broomsticks about noon? That should give us enough time to meet Snuffles later." Sirius had written him, asking for a meeting with his friends. Harry hoped his godfather had some new information for them, but either way it would be good to see him again.
As they walked around the village, eventually Harry realized that Ginny kept steering them into little knick-knack shops. As they were in the third one, he whispered to her, "Looking for anything in particular?"
She gave him an impish grin. "Actually, yes. I'll let you know when I find it."
Harry wanted to ask more, but he had learned what that look meant as well as how stubborn she could be at times. He decided to let it go and simply enjoy their time together. They easily bantered about the items they saw, and Ginny also threw in the occasional story about her family when she saw something that reminded her of some momentous event.
When they were walking towards the door, Ginny looked in the display case under the counter and Harry thought she finally saw what she was looking for. The shop owner had casually watched them, as they were the only ones in the store at the moment, but he seemed to become alert as Ginny stopped dead in her tracks in front of a small display.
"Harry," she whispered, "if I got you one of those necklaces, would you wear it?"
Surprised by the question, he looked into the case where she pointed. "You mean one of those simple bronze ones?" She nodded. He looked again. It was merely a circle of bronze, not too unlike a Knut, on a leather cord. "I guess, but why?"
She looked at the shop keeper. "These bronze necklaces, are they magical?"
The older man came over and pulled them out. "No, Miss, they're just bronze. My son makes them and I sell them for him. They're one Sickle each." Harry assumed that the man's son had made these from leftover scraps, so that was why they were so inexpensive.
"Great, I'll take two." Ginny dug into her pocket and pulled out two Sickles.
"Thank you Miss, come back again. My son is always making something different," the shop keeper told the young couple as they left.
Ginny put both necklaces in her pocket and as they went back out into the street. Ginny began herding Harry toward Zonko's which was nearby, so he kept his questions to himself for the moment and followed her as they looked at what was new.
After a few moments in the shop, though, Harry could not stand it any more. "So are you going to tell me why you bought those, especially since you asked me if I'd wear one?"
She gave him the impish grin again. "They're for us and I'll explain later. Trust me, Harry."
He did trust her, but he was also curious. "Does this have anything to do with the extra time you've been spending in the library?" They both spent a lot of time studying together since Christmas, but she had been spending a little extra time in the library over the last couple of weeks doing some sort of research.
The impish grin returned. "My, aren't you the clever one?" She laughed as he rolled his eyes at her. "Be patient, Harry. I promise I'll explain later."
After lunch, Harry led the four friends to the end of the road heading to the hills behind Hogsmeade and found Snuffles lying by a stile into a field. He crossed over, making sure they were following, and followed Sirius up to the nearest hill. In a secluded place, he transformed back into his human form. Harry noticed he was still in his old dirty prison clothes, which Harry planned to do something about. There were higher priorities at the moment though, so he pulled a sack of food out of his backpack and handed the bulging bag over to his godfather. He had brought a lot from the kitchens with Dobby's help, and his godfather quickly started eating.
"Want to introduce me to your friends, Harry?" Sirius was managing to talk between bites, which gave Harry hope that he was getting at least some food while on the run. "Though I already know the smartest witch here," his godfather said with a charming smile. "It's good to see you again, Hermione."
"It's good to see you too, Snuffles." Harry saw Neville look at Hermione with a bit of surprise. They had told Neville and Ginny the story of last year's escapades shortly before the first task, but Harry thought they both had a hard time believing it entirely. "Sirius, this is my friend, Neville Longbottom," Hermione said, pulling Neville next to her by gripping his hand.
"Longbottom? You would be Frank and Alice's boy then," Sirius said as he finished off one chicken leg, tossed it absently over his shoulder, and pulled out another. "Good people, you should be proud of them, Neville."
"That's what my Gran says," he said quietly.
"And she's right." Sirius paused to consume almost half of the drumstick in his hand. "You remind me of your father. He was a good wizard, very kind too. I bet you'll go far one day." Neville looked up and stood a little straighter at those words. Sirius looked to the last person as he tossed another leg bone over his shoulder. "You're a new one, and a pretty one too." Harry wanted to smack his godfather for the smirk on his face, but instead found himself blushing as Sirius continued. "Harry, you've got the eye of your father. Who's this holding your hand?"
Harry saw that Ginny blushed just as much as he did. He really needed to find a way to get back at Sirius for those comments. "This is Ginny, Ginny Weasley. She's been a great friend to me this year."
Sirius tossed a third chicken bone and pulled out an apple. "Hmm, sounds like a story I'd like to hear," he said with a smile. "Hopefully, we'll have time later. Now, tell me what's been happening."
The five of them spent a good bit of the remaining afternoon talking about recent events, both at Hogwarts and further away. Harry was a little frustrated at the end, because he did not feel that he had learned much in the way of new information. Even the news about Barty Crouch Sr. and Jr., while interesting, did not seem that useful. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the time with his godfather.
At the end, Harry did receive some advice.
"Harry, what are you doing to prepare for the final task?" Sirius asked.
"Uh, well, we're getting together for an hour or so each week to learn spells, practice them, some dueling, that sort of thing. We were doing more before the first task, but we slowed down as the second task didn't require much of that," Harry admitted.
"Right. That's a good start, but it's not going to cut it. I'd be willing to bet this last task will take more effort." Sirius paused to root around and pull out a meat pie. "I want you to do that sort of thing for at least three hours a week. You've got, what, three months to get ready? And you're competing against seventh year students, so you need to really work at it. You've got to able to keep up and be ready to handle whatever else gets thrown at you. If you need help to know what spells to learn, either talk to Moody or Flitwick."
"Flitwick?" Harry asked in surprise.
Sirius had to finish swallowing before he could continue. "Yeah, he was a pretty good dueler in his day. Of course, Moody was an Auror and knows all the spells that are useful on a daily basis when protecting yourself. Since I can't be there to help you, that's about the best I can do. Sorry, Harry, I wish I could train you myself" Sirius told him before he resumed eating his way through the pile of food.
"That's OK, I still appreciate the advice. By the way, what size clothes do you wear? That's something I can help you with." Harry watched his godfather take a breath, and by his expression, he knew what Sirius was about to say. "Tell me, I can help you at least this way."
Sirius deflated visibly. After a moment he told Harry what size clothes he wore and then pulled the boy into a hug. "Thank you, Harry. We'll be together someday and I'll take care of you then like I should. I promise."
As they said their good-byes, Sirius had one last word. "You three start back slowly, I want a quick word with Ginny." Harry gave his godfather a strange look, but Sirius pointed towards Hogsmeade. "Go on, she'll join you in a moment, Harry. She'll be fine."
The others left and Ginny looked at the ex-convict, not sure what this was about.
"Ginny, you're really his girlfriend, right?" She nodded. Sirius scooped up the rest of the food and placed it back into the bag to take with him. "All right, you have a special task in Harry's training. I haven't known him as long as I wished, but I can tell that he can get really down from time to time. So your job, as I see it, is to look after him and make sure he keeps his spirits up. Don't let him dwell on the bad stuff, make sure he keeps his sights set on the goal. Can you do that?"
Ginny smiled, as she knew that what Sirius wanted was the same thing that she wanted. "Yes, I think I can do that."
"Good. I've met your dad once, good wizard, so I suspect you're a pretty good witch. Help Harry, and don't be afraid to use a broom closet to remind him of the good parts of life if he gets really down," he told her with a smirk. Ginny blushed furiously at the blunt statement, but she also knew that Harry was already a fan of that type of therapy. "Run along now. It was nice to meet you Ginny."
"Bye, Sirius. I'm glad we got to meet. I promise I'll take good care of Harry." She gave the man a quick hug despite his wide smirk, and then ran after Harry. He was waiting not too far away, though their friends had continued to walk slowly into town. They were close enough that it would not be hard to catch up with them.
"What did he want?" Harry asked, his face curious and slightly worried.
Ginny took his hand in hers, and guided him to follow Neville and Hermione.
"He just wanted to make sure I'd take care of you," she told him shyly. At his questioning look, she added slyly, "He said I should use a broom closet if I needed to." She started laughing at his expression and the cute blush on his face. "I didn't tell him we already tried that once or twice."
All too soon, in Ginny's opinion, the foursome was back at the castle.
Searching around the tower, Harry found some catalogs with men's clothing. A short while later, with a lot of input on appropriate attire from Ginny, she helped him fill out an order form for three changes of clothing that were in Sirius's size. It cost a little extra, but Harry was happy to have Hedwig take the order in, and then take the shrunken and lightened packages to Snuffles.
(Sat 1 Apr)
The morning had started off with a laugh. Much to Harry's amusement, Ron had come to breakfast with short and spikey black hair, which did not go back to normal until nearly the end of the meal. Fred and George had been nearby with clipboards in hand, glancing at their watches, and making notes. Ron was slowly paying for his earlier transgressions by being a test subject for the twins; he was also hindered by the fact that he was normally a very sound sleeper.
Ron's unusual looks drew snickers whenever the twins pranked him, which normally occurred on weekend mornings. Even Hermione found it amusing, although she also normally tried to hide her amusement. The normally straight-laced student had completely lost it the morning Ron sprouted feathers all over his head during breakfast when he drank his juice. Ginny's favorite had been the day he had instantly grown hair all over his face and the back of his hands. Several students had howled at Werewolf-Ron before he ran from the Great Hall.
The Gryffindors had just finished having a small impromptu party in the Tower for the twins seventeenth birthday that evening. Most of the students had had a great time, especially when the twins had pulled out some of their joke products. The Canary Cremes had been the biggest hit.
The quartet left the Tower and headed to the Charms classroom, as Harry led them to their next round of practice. Once they had approached Professor Flitwick about a list of spells that Harry should learn, the short teacher had also volunteered his classroom. With his list of spells and a similar list from Professor Moody, Hermione kept the little group busy learning the new spells and practicing whenever they had free time.
All four of them were doing well, but Harry was doing the best, somewhat to the disappointment of Hermione as she tried to keep up. Harry thought she did well hiding her disappointment, and hoped she tried to keep it all in perspective as she knew he was the one that had to do the best. However, she was openly amazed at his power at times, and Harry had to sheepishly admit to the others that he was surprised as well.
As they finished up for the evening, Ginny looked at the others and asked, "Do you mind going back on your own? Harry and I need to discuss something."
Hermione smiled and nodded, while Neville and Harry looked at each other bewildered. Ignoring the obvious surprise, Hermione grabbed Neville's hand and pulled him out the door, closing it behind them. Harry turned to Ginny for information, but she kept her eyes on the door.
When the door finally closed, Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklaces she had purchased a couple of weeks ago. Looking at one closely, she held the other out to Harry. "Will you wear this? Please, for me?"
He was surprised to see the necklaces again. When Ginny had failed to bring them out or discuss them, he had pushed his questions aside and decided that she would tell him what she was up to when she was ready. "If you want me to. Are you going to tell me about them now?"
She smiled and nodded. Taking the necklace back from him, she stood closely and started tying it around his neck. "I've put a special charm on these, Harry, and we can use them to communicate with each other if we need to. As long as the bronze part is touching your skin, whether it's your neck or you're touching it with your fingers, you can say 'Guinevere', as in King Arthur's wife, and that will turn it on."
"Err, Guinevere?"
Ginny smiled softly. "You didn't know? That's the English form of my name, but mine is the Italian one you won't normally use. 'Good-bye Guinevere' will turn it off."
Ginny stepped back and started tying hers around her neck. "When it's on, anything you say or whatever you hear around you will be sent to my necklace so I can hear it too."
"Why?" he asked.
Tenderly, she told him, "It's so that if something happens, you can tell me what's wrong and where you are so I can either come help or send help. You remember saying you didn't want anything to happen to me, that you wanted me to be safe?" He nodded. "I want you to be safe too, Harry. I don't want to lose you."
"Does yours do that too, or does it only receive?"
"Mine can contact yours too, Harry," she explained. "So if I get into trouble, I can call you." With a grin, she also told him, "If you'll put a silencing charm around your bed, we can talk at night too."
"I like that idea," he told her as he closed the gap between them and pulled her close. They kissed slowly and gently at first, before it started to become more passionate.
As Harry broke the kiss and started nibbling on her neck, Ginny groaned, "Harry, I think we need to go back."
"Do you really want to stop?" he asked her as he nibbled on her ear, giving her the shivers.
"No, but I know it's getting near curfew and I don't want to spend time in detention when we could be doing this some other evening."
He reluctantly pulled back. "I do so like how you think," he told her with a grin. "Let's see if we can find an empty corner in the Common Room. I don't think I've held you in my lap recently." With a shared smile, they left and made it back just in time.
As they found an empty corner of the room, Harry nudged Ginny and gestured toward their other two friends. Neville had a look of surprise on his face, as he held in his two hands one of Hermione's, who was busy using the other to turn pages in a book.
(Fri 26 May)
Professor McGonagall held Harry back at the end of Transfiguration class. "Mr. Potter, you are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock. Mr. Bagman will explain the third task to the champions at that time."
That evening, when he saw the maze growing in the Quidditch pitch, like Cedric, he was indignant. When he was told that Hagrid would be supplying the monsters that would be some of the obstacles, his indignation was replaced with naked fear. Only Cedric seemed to understand that the Hogwarts groundskeeper had a different notion of 'friendly' than anyone else, and it was clear that the older boy joined him in worry.
After Harry had returned to his Common Room and told his friends about the third task, Neville joined him in worry and speculation, while Hermione started revising the list of spells he still had yet to learn. Ginny just looked at him and lightly fingered her necklace. He nodded at their sign to each other to talk once they got to bed. Harry needed to talk to her and hear her comforting words.
From across the room, Ron Weasley was playing chess with a seventh year. He watched the foursome with their heads together quietly discussing something. Ron sighed as he wished once again that he could be a part of that group, while realizing he had blown his opportunity. He still did not think he was totally wrong, but Ron wondered what Harry would do if he fully apologized, including for not believing his friend about how his friend's name got into the Goblet of Fire. His opponent moved his rook threatening Ron's bishop. He'd have to think about that, and talk about Harry at his next session with Madam Pomfrey.
(A/N: A few people have pointed out in reviews that Ginny and Neville seem to magically know about Sirius when they obviously did not at the end of book3. All I can say is "Oops!" :-/ Please assume that Harry and Hermione told them about their adventures from last year somewhere "off camera" during chapter 1 of this story. -- kb)