4. The Beast Within

After appeasing Ron's need to buy tons of sweets and Hermione's need to buy a ton of books, the group decided to walk to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry hid a smirk as Ron ranted on and on about the new Nimbus Lightning Strike 5000. The adults were keeping the group tightly packed and Lupin and Tonks were constantly scanning the shopping area for signs of Death Eaters. As they finished looking at brooms, they headed over to the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Harry thought he saw two suspicious looking people in an alleyway. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he told the group he was just going to look at something, and snuck closer to the dark figures. They were muttering in hushed tones and finally one placed his wand on his forearm.

Shit! Harry mentally screamed while sending a powerful Stunner towards the man. Unfortunately the damage was already done, because while touching his Dark Mark, all other Death Eaters were alerted to his presence. When the stunned man flopped over to the ground, Harry saw that it was Lucius Malfoy. The woman was the one person who Harry hated more than anyone alive, save Voldemort.

"Little Hawwys still getting into trouble… no godfather to die for you this time… Crucio!," he heard Bellatrix Lestrange croon in a sickly sweet voice.

Harry leapt to the side with surprising agility and quickly sent off a Stunning Spell at Bellatrix. Harry knew that she would block the Stunner, so he followed it with a powerful Slicing Curse aimed at her wand arm.

"You'll have to do better than that!" she snarled as her shield blocked the Stunner while she danced out of the way of the Slicing Curse. Bellatrix shot a purple colored spell at Harry, which Harry dodged.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, while mentally he screamed, 'Reducto!.'

She dodged the Stunner, but Harry heard the Blasting Hex connect with her left arm.

Knowing he had the temporary upper hand, Harry began to cast a flurry of Stunning Spells, which Bellatrix managed to avoid with a combination of Shield Spells and dodges. Harry couldn't help but acknowledge that she was a good duelist. Bellatrix slashed her wand sideways, causing an arc of fire to shoot towards Harry. Not trusting an Aguamenti or Shield Charm to hold of the flames, Harry ran to the side desperately, just barely avoiding the searing flames.

Harry realized that she was using spells that were potentially fatal and if he wanted to survive, he would have to do the same. Harry risked a glance back to his companions, wondering why no one had come to his aid against Bellatrix.

Harry heard a flurry of pops as a dozen Death Eaters popped into the street. Harry's friends formed a semicircle around him, but they were outnumbered two to one.

Harry was hit with Cutting Curse on his leg, while he made the mistake of taking his attention off of Bellatrix. Luckily it was nothing serious, but he knew that his friends were in trouble. He had to finish this duel now. "Osteos Pulva- huh?!"

Harry felt his wand flying out of his hand. He cursed as he saw that Wormtail had slipped behind his group of friends and disarmed him. He had never hated Wormtail more than at that moment.

"Incarcerous! Bellatrix snarled in glee. "My Lord will enjoy killing you, Potter."

Harry could feel the ropes tightening around him. Bellatrix summoned Harry towards her, while whipping a Portkey out of her pocket. Harry struggled vainly, knowing what would happen if Bellatrix got her way. He tried to wandlessly counter Bellatrix's Summoning Spell, but his wandless magic only managed to slow his movement, not stop it. As adrenaline was shooting through Harry's veins, every cell in his brain thinking of some solution to the problem, he felt his hands change. In their place were two golden paws, with razor sharp claws. Realizing what he had to do, Harry slashed downward on the ropes, freeing himself from his bindings.

A look of surprise flashed across Bellatrix's face. Harry was flying towards her from her Summoning Spell. "Stupe-" Bellatrix was silenced as Harry's claw slammed into her throat. When he removed it, a jet of blood shot forth, staining Harry's shirt. Bellatrix's hands clasped her throat, trying in vain to stop her lifeblood from pouring out. Eventually she sagged against Harry, her blood still spouting from the hole in her neck. Her mouth was moving, but no words came out.

Harry could feel conflicting emotions surging through him. He pushed Bellatrix to the ground, and looked in horror at what he had done. Turning off to the side he vomited all over the ground. On the other hand, he could feel the lion in him telling him that he had conquered. Sirius was avenged and Harry had slayed the enemy. No! You shouldn't have killed her! his mind screamed. Seeing his friends still in battle, he decided to put off his moral debate.

After transforming his blood soaked paws into hands, he quickly whipped out his old wand and stunned Wormtail. He summoned his other wand, just figuring it would be best to continue to use the wand licensed to John Andrews. Harry re-stunned Lucius Malfoy for good measure, then quickly measured the foes who his friends were facing. Tonks was holding her own against her aunt, Narcissa Malfoy. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were working together on Dolohov, Rookwood, and Crabbe Sr. Mrs. Weasley was facing Macnair, while Mr. Weasley was working on Goyle Sr. as well as Nott. Remus was defending desperately against Rodolphus Lestrange, Rosier, and one Death Eater who Harry didn't recognize.

Harry decided Lupin needed the most help, and Harry hit Rosier with a Stunning Spell. Just as the other Death Eater made a move to revive Rosier, Harry summoned both of their wands and snapped them. That freed up Lupin to duel Rodolphus fairly, but also gave away Harry's location. Narcissa shot a Rupturing Curse at Harry, which Harry managed to dodge. Harry moved to the side, hoping to draw some fire away from his friends. They were doing quite well, but they were getting worn down by the Death Eater's numbers. Nott turned his attention to Harry first, sending a jet of green light towards Harry. Harry had been planning not to use any 'Prince Curses' after what happened with Bellatrix, but if Nott wanted to escalate the conflict, Harry would have no choice but to oblige. Harry leaped to the side, yelling "Osteus Pulvorosis, the Bone Breaking Hex. Nott cast a shield, but the spell managed to break through the shield. What the shield didn't absorb hit his arm with a soft crack. He screamed it pain, and Harry promptly stunned him, at least ending his suffering. Tonks was gaining the advantage on her cousin, but Macnair had overpowered Mrs. Weasley, sending a Cutting Curse that caused blood to spray all over her shoulder. Mr. Weasley furiously sent a Blasting Hex at Macnair, which broke through the large Death Eater's shield and caused him to blast backwards and fall to the ground unconscious.

"Mr. Weasley, look out! Contego!" Harry yelled, realizing that Mr. Weasley had forgotten about Goyle in his defense of his wife. Goyle's angry Bludgeoning Curse was blocked by Harry's shield, pulling Mr. Weasley's mind back into the battle.

Harry decided Hermione, Ron, and Ginny needed help next. The trio was holding their own, but it was clear that the older Death Eaters were gaining the advantage. Harry sent a powerful Blasting Hex at Dolohov's knee, shattering it. He howled in pain, and shot a Killing Curse at Harry, which he avoided in the nick of time. Dolohov was hit with Bat-Bogeys when he took his attention off of Ginny. He writhed in pain, shooting jets of green light randomly in the general direction of Harry's companions.

"Duck!" Harry commanded as he dropped to the floor while nonverbally stunning Dolohov, who didn't see the red light coming at him thanks to Ginny's Bat Bogeys.

Rookwood shot a nasty looking spell in Hermione's direction. Harry didn't know what it was, but it had a sickly crimson color. Harry threw up a shield a few yards in front of Hermione, praying that it would stop the spell. She was busy fighting Crabbe Sr. and didn't see the impending spell. The shield lessened the impact of the spell, but the spell passed through the shield, looking weaker, but still headed on course.

Ron also saw it coming and wasted no time in leaping in front of the brunette, absorbing the curse. Harry felt a sinking sensation as he noted that Ron was writhing on the ground.

"Diffindo!" Harry snarled angrily. Everbero! he cast mentally, noting that Rookwood dodged the Cutting Curse, but put himself right in line to receive the Bludgeoning Hex.

"Protego!" Rookwood shouted desperately at the last second.

"Reducto!" Harry yelled as the Bludgeoning Hex destroyed the shield and flung Rookwood backwards. The Blasting Hex enclosed on Rookwood's chest, but the Death Eater's hand enclosed around an object in his belt and he vanished. The Death Eaters who were conscious looked at Rookwood and decided to follow his example.

Harry decided that Ron's health was more important than tying up the remaining Death Eaters, so he ran over to his friend's side. Harry could see Ron on the ground struggling to breathe. Harry cursed; this must be the Strangulation Curse he had read about… Harry thought furiously, trying desperately to remember what the countercurse was. "A Bezoar!" he exclaimed suddenly, remembering one of the cures for the curse.

Harry sent a shattering hex at the Quality Quidditch Supplies window and summoned their Lightning Strike that was on display. He was fairly far away, but his spell worked and the broom zoomed into his grasp. He raced at top speed to the apothecary. Ron only had a few minutes left…

Harry shattered the window, summoned a bezoar and raced back to Ron, not bothering to offer an apology to the gobsmacked shop owner. Hermione was crying over Ron's thrashing body that was gasping for a breath that would not come. Ginny was looking between Ron and Harry frantically. Harry held Ron's mouth open and shoved the bezoar down his throat, praying that it would work. After five very long seconds, Ron took a deep breath and promptly fell unconscious.

"Is he ok? What did you do?" Hermione shrieked frantically.

"He will be fine." Harry touched a finger to his best mate's throat. "He's breathing"

Harry looked up and saw Dumbledore and the rest of the Order arriving. Harry seriously considered fleeing the scene, but Harry decided it would be best for them to at least know what transpired here in Diagon Alley and it may be helpful for them to know what happened to Ron. Plus, Harry owed the Quality Quidditch Supplies manager an apology for making off with their best broom.

Dumbledore raced over to Harry, showing surprising speed for an old man. Moody was rounding up the fallen Death Eaters, snapping their wands and preparing them to go to Azkaban. Harry saw that among the Death Eaters captured were Lucius Malfoy, Wormtail, Nott, Rosier, Goyle Sr, and the one he didn't recognize. And of course, there was Bellatrix Lestrange…

"Harry! Are you OK?" Dumbledore shouted, staring at Harry in a look of horror.

Harry then realized why the old man was staring; his shirt was completely covered in blood. He had forgotten about that… Hold it in, Potter…he told his stomach. "I'm fine, none of it is mine," Harry mumbled.

"You are sure?" Dumbledore asked, peering into Harry's eyes. After Harry nodded, Dumbledore asked, "Would you care to give me a report of what transpired today?"

Harry scanned the scene before him. Mrs. Weasley had a large cut on her shoulder, but the blood seemed to have stopped flowing from her wound. Lupin and Tonks were assisting Moody, while Fred and George, who had not gone on the shopping expedition, were racing to their parents' side. Everything looked under control…

"Uhh… we got attacked by Death Eaters," Harry stated slowly.

"Perhaps you can begin by explaining why I was unable to enter Grimmauld Place this morning?" Dumbledore asked, his expression unreadable. Harry couldn't tell if he was angry or calm, but judging from the fact that his eyes held no merry twinkle, Harry guessed that Dumbledore was hiding his anger.

"It was my birthday, sir, and I wanted to spend it with my… family," Harry annunciated the last word, hoping Dumbledore would understand that Privet Drive no longer contained any family of Harry's. "Then we went to Diagon Alley and I saw Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. I tried to stun Lucius before he could call in back up, but the damage was done." Harry hoped Dumbledore wouldn't ask for details about Bellatrix's demise. However, if he did, Harry planned to tell him that Bellatrix had been hit with a Cutting Curse in the neck.

"Harry, would you be kind enough to allow me to view your memory of the incident in the Pensieve? I believe that could help you from reliving some of the more… painful aspects," Dumbledore asked kindly. Harry wasn't fooled, Dumbledore didn't want him to be spared of any pain, he wanted information that he knew Harry wouldn't tell him.

"I don't think I can do that, sir," Harry said with utmost politeness.

"Harry-I really think it would be best-"

"What you think is 'for the best' isn't always actually, now is it, Professor?" Harry snapped, his politeness gone.

"I cannot tell you how saddened I am to hear that. Perhaps later we can discuss it and come to an understanding? I find most disagreements can be easily resolved if you listen to my reasoning, and then I listen to yours," Dumbledore said wisely, peering into Harry's eyes.

Harry wanted to believe the headmaster; wanted to believe that Harry could come to an agreement with Dumbledore if he just told him everything. However, a nasty voice in Harry's head was reminding him of all of the things Dumbledore had done to him. No, Dumbledore would have to realize that Harry was the only one allowed to make decisions about his life. As soon as he saw signs that the headmaster was respecting that, Harry decided he would tell him everything. "I'm sorry Professor, but I don't really want to hear your reasoning. I will give you an account of what happened, and then I shall be on my way."

"While I would have preferred for us to handle this in a mature manner, I will accept your account of today's events. But first, I must ask, where have you been this summer?" Dumbledore asked in a forced calm voice, which made Harry's temper flare. So the 'mature' thing to do would be to allow Dumbledore to hold all the cards?

Harry managed to quell his temper and answered coolly, "To a place safer than Privet Drive, in more than one sense of the word. Now for what happened today…" Harry quickly proceeded to explain the day's events to Dumbledore, hoping to end the discussion on Harry's living arrangements. "As I told you earlier, the Weasleys and Lupin and Tonks decided to take a trip to Diagon Alley. I was reluctant to go, but I decided I had no right to keep them prisoner in Grimmauld Place. I saw Malfoy and Bellatrix talking, and decided to take them out before they could gather reinforcements-"

"Why did you choose to fight instead of run? The Three Broomsticks's fireplace could have taken you to safety," Dumbledore asked sensibly. Harry knew that Dumbledore would be analyzing every aspect of his answer, so Harry carefully wording his response, not wanting Dumbledore to jump to the conclusion that his temper got the best of him and made him make the wrong choice.

"Lucius was already calling in backup. I figured I could stop him and Bellatrix by two quick Stunning Spells. I had Lucius out cold and would have had no problem with Bellatrix if Wormtail hadn't interfered," Harry said, keeping his voice level and controlled. Occlumency practice had helped him keep his emotions under control. Harry figured that a "poker face" as Dudley's telly called it, would be a useful skill for dealing with situations like this.

Dumbledore's brow furrowed, concerned with Harry's indifference. Harry had just killed someone, as well as helped his friends defeat twice their number of Death Eaters. He sounded so dispassionate about it… just like another handsome boy Dumbledore taught a long time ago. Was Harry really this indifferent? Or was he just hiding his emotions because of his discomfort with me? Dumbledore wondered. "Harry, next time I must urge you to take a safer route of action. The time will come for war, but for now, you need to stay safe."

Now Harry began to show a bit of passion. "What you mean is I should have let the two worst Death Eaters roam free? And allow them to carry out their plots to harm the people I care for? You need to understand that the Order cannot win the war against Voldemort. You know what I'm talking about, I am a part of the war, and will be until Voldemort is gone. You can't keep me away from the war. If I was in Privet Drive today, it is likely the lot of them would be dead. Instead we have six Death Eaters in Azkaban," Harry said vehemently, his cool expression lost.

Dumbledore grimaced, looking like he truly was 150 years old. "Harry, because you are so important to the war, you cannot go risking your life. Had you been in Privet Drive, this attack may not have happened."

"And how exactly will sitting in Privet Drive win the war? Unless Voldemort plans to die of old age…" Harry remarked sarcastically. "Don't get me wrong, I will be staying as safe as I can. I will also be doing everything I can to keep those around me safe. If to do that there has to be more days like this, then so be it. The Weasleys would have been attacked regardless of my presence," Harry said, deciding that it would be best to end the conversation soon, as Dumbledore just wasn't getting the point.

"Harry, would you please consent to stay in Grimmauld Place, with the Weasleys? I know you enjoy their company. We can discuss the situation later after you have cooled down from the heat of battle." Dumbledore too realized that Harry wouldn't be swayed today. The headmaster decided to continue his case later, when Harry had a chance to calm himself. Surely he would refuse the chance to stay with his best friends, especially with Mr. Weasley injured… Then Dumbledore could at least stop him from running of into danger.

"I suppose I could visit from time to time..." Harry said smirking. "But for now, I really must be on my way."

Dumbledore's brain worked furiously, trying to figure out where exactly Harry could go and how he planned to get there. He was so used to being the one who held the secrets that the enigma that was Harry Potter riled him to no end.

"I'm afraid I cannot… by Merlin!" Dumbledore sat dumbfounded as Harry vanished right before his eyes. It had to be a portkey… he couldn't have Apparated… After nearly five minutes of going over the events of today in his mind, Dumbledore finally formed a theory. He put together the facts that Harry had kept him out of Grimmauld Place, that Sirius loved him like a son, and the fact that he vanished right in front of the headmaster's face. Yes, Harry being the master of Grimmauld Place would explain everything… like how he arrived there for his birthday without using the Floo Network.

Dumbledore sighed, realizing this still didn't explain the place Harry spent most of his summer at. Dumbledore reminded himself that he had made some progress concerning Harry's mysteries. Perhaps Harry would let something slip the next time they talked. At the very least, once Harry was at Hogwarts he wouldn't be able to be as secretive.

Sitting alone at Potter Manor, Harry went over the fight over and over in his mind; the adrenaline and fury that was coursing through his body as he fought Bellatrix. The exhilaration as his hands morphed into lion's paws, with razor sharp claws. He could feel the beast within him roaring in triumph as he conquered his enemy, and that made him ashamed. He had been defeated by Bellatrix, but then he suddenly became the victor. The victor? No, that's not right. I became the predator; the destroyer. He was a killer, a murderer… Bellatrix didn't just die; she was destroyed by him… Harry had sunk to her level…

While one part of his mind was brooding over the fact that he was a murderer, the other part of his mind was saying, What are you moping for, Potter? This is war, and you wanted to be a part of it. Stop acting like a weak child… She was your enemy, she tortured Neville's parents, she killed Sirius, Azkaban is too good for her!

Sirius wouldn't have wanted you to be a killer! Look at you, you got a rush out of killing her, admit it! Sirius would be ashamed, so would your parents! The war in his mind was getting so fierce that he didn't notice Ginny Weasley arriving in Potter Manor. She saw him hunched over, his head in his hands. She had been afraid of this… She knew that Harry had a tendency to brood.

"Harry?" she asked gently.

"Ginny? What are you doing here?" he asked surprised at seeing the red haired girl who he had become very good friends with.

"I came to see if…" she paused, not knowing what to say. She knew Harry was liable to explode in these types of situations. "…you wanted to talk."

"Ginny, why would you want to talk to me?" Harry asked.

'Hmm, let's see, maybe because I care about you?" Ginny said fiercely. When Harry began to say something beginning with "Why would-", Ginny interrupted him by grabbing his hand and saying, "Because we are your family, and you're my best friend. That won't change, no matter what you do. Now listen! You saved all of us! The Death Eaters would have overwhelmed us if you weren't there. You were brilliant and then you saved Ron's life."

"You don't understand, you weren't watching when I murd-" Harry said angrily, trying to make Ginny understand that he wasn't worthy of her friendship. She should find friends who weren't murderers. She should steer clear of people who were likely to not only get themselves killed, but everyone around them killed.

"It wasn't murder! I may not have seen it, but I know she planned to kill or torture you. That makes it self-defense," she said heatedly.

"Ginny… when I killed her… it felt good. I may have just reacted on instinct, but when she died… I should have felt horrible… I'm a monster," he concluded, a tear streaming down his face. He hated that Ginny now knew the truth of how he felt as he had killed Sirius's killer, but he couldn't conceal the truth from Ginny; she had to know what a monster he was.

"Harry you are NOT a monster! I may not know what it was like to kill someone, but I do know that she would have killed you or brought you to Voldemort. She would have felt no remorse, no pity, and no guilt." Ginny moved closer to Harry wrapping her arms around him. "You're nothing like her," she whispered in his ear.

Harry was getting lost in Ginny's embrace, feeling his guilt and self-hate melt away into tears. He felt at home in her arms, and there was too much on his find to be embarrassed, so he hugged her back. He began to cry, tears spilling down his face and landing on Ginny.

Ginny let go after Harry finished letting out his grief. She didn't know exactly what he was crying about, but she it was from combination of all the horrible things that had happened to him.

"S-sorry," he mumbled, casting a Drying Charm on her shirt, realizing he had just broken down rather badly in front of Ginny.

"It's not a problem. We're here for you, Harry. Don't forget that," she said gently.

"I don't deserve you, Ginny," Harry mumbled.

"Harry! You're not still on about that are you? I thought we got it into your head… If you can't understand that you're a bloody wonderful person at least get it into your thick head that you have saved nearly half of the members of the Weasley family!" Ginny said, her chocolate brown eyes staring right into Harry's green ones.

Bloody hell, she's beautiful when she's angry! Harry thought to himself, not knowing where the thought came from. "Err… I suppose," he croaked.

"I'm serious-"

"No you're Ginny," he said smugly.

"Ha.Ha. As I was saying... I don't want to hear you saying you don't deserve us, because frankly, you deserve more than us."

"O…okay," Harry mumbled looking at the floor, knowing better than to argue. He looked back into Ginny's freckled face and said, "And I am glad to have you."

Ginny beamed at him, and grabbed his hand. "Let's go to Grimmauld Place, the others want to talk to you." Seeing Harry's face fall, she quickly added, "They also don't blame you for what happened. And you shouldn't blame yourself."

"When did you get so smart?" Harry muttered.

Ginny chuckled. "C'mon. Ron is in bed and wanted to see you. He is weak, but apparently not weak enough to declare his feelings for Hermione," Ginny said cunningly.

"What? You mean he finally came to his senses?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yeah" Ginny replied. Like I wish you would do…

"Did Hermione fall over dead?"

"No, she was thrilled about it. At least, that's how it would seem from when I walked in the room," Ginny said, causing them both to laugh.

"Well, lets get to Grimmauld then," Harry said, grabbing her arm and transporting her to the other house that he possessed.

They were greeted by the rest of the Weasleys, Lupin, and Tonks. Harry was complimented many times on the way he fought at Diagon Alley, causing Harry to wince, remembering what those "new abilities" had been used for. Luckily they hadn't seen Harry kill Bellatrix; they had only seen her body after the battle. They were all being so nice to him… was it true that they actually didn't think of him badly for killing Bellatrix? Harry believed Ginny; he knew she wouldn't lie to spare his feelings. But how could this loving family actually care about him after he had shown the darker half of his soul?

His thoughts were interrupted by Hermione, who came into the room saying that Ron had fallen back to sleep. She thanked him profusely for saving Ron, but she also had another thing on her mind. "When you saw Ron, you seemed like you knew what the curse was and that a bezoar could cure it. How did you know all that?"

Everyone looked at Harry at that moment, even Lupin and Tonks. They had been training him, but they certainly hadn't taught him anything about a curse that could stop someone from breathing.

Harry's brain worked furiously to come up with a believable answer. "Err, after Hermione was hurt by Dolohov last year, I began to search for a countercurse or cure for that spell, because I figured we would be seeing it again. I glanced over the Strangulation Curse because it was on the next page. It turns out the purple spell was a Rupturing Curse." That was pretty smooth if he did say so himself. 'S' would come after 'R' in a spell book organized by the alphabet.

Of course, Hermione's curiosity would require more than that. "Where did you find a book so knowledgeable about the Dark Arts?"

"Grimmauld Place. It was in Regulus's room," Harry lied smoothly.

"So what was Dumbledore talking to you about, Dad?" Ginny said, earning a grateful smile from Harry. Not only had she changed the subject, she brought up a question that Harry would like an answer to.

Mr. Weasley paused to look at his wife, who nodded. "He wants two things. He wants me to make sure you stay here and he wants me to ask you to allow the Order entry into Grimmauld Place," he said wearily, looking at Harry. "Harry, I won't pressure you to do the first thing, but I will ask that you allow Order members access here. If there is an emergency, access to the headquarters could save someone's life."

Harry nodded, saying he would allow Order members to access his house. He noted that Mr. Weasley was in a conflict between Dumbledore, a man that he looked up to, and Harry, someone he thought of as a son. Harry hated that he was putting Mr. Weasley in that position, but what other choice was there? He caught Mr. Weasley's eye and nodded in thanks.

After dinner, Harry went back to Potter Manor. He was excited about getting back into his training routine, especially after he saw how useful it proved to be against Death Eaters. He went for a quick nighttime fly on his new broomstick, letting his thoughts fade to the background as he concentrated on the wind whipping his face.

The next two weeks passed slowly for Harry, who resumed his near-obsessive training. As far as his sessions with Tonks and Lupin went, Harry was doing quite well. He was able to hold his own against either of them in a duel, and his spell casting abilities had been improving slowly. Each day he was slightly, just slightly better than the last. It could get frustrating, but he reminded himself that he would need every skill he could get to defeat Voldemort. Harry felt his two biggest areas of improvement were in his Animagus training and Occlumency. He now had a seven-tiered mind, although the layers of memories were not protected. What he needed was someone to try to break it so he could see which areas needed work, but Harry couldn't think of anyone who he trusted enough who was a Legilimens.

For the first couple days after the incident in Diagon Alley, Harry wasn't able to produce his lion's paws. At first he was worried, but then he assumed that he was only able to produce them so early because he was in an emergency. He eventually was able to form his paws, which inspired him to start on his full arms. Harry found that because of his skill in altering his hair, he was able to easily make the mane. It looked as if it would be possible for him complete the transformation by the time school began, but of course, he wasn't sure. He had talked to his father's portrait about Animagus transformation and he learned that once you completed the arms and legs, you could probably attempt the full transformation.

Overall, Harry believed that things were looking good, even his forays into wandless magic. He was able to now cast weak spells, such as the spells he learned during his fourth year while preparing for the Triwizard Tournament. They were a little bit weaker than when he cast them with a wand, but he figured that he would at least be able to cast spells with his wand, while maintaining a weak Protego with his left hand.

The next big event coming up was Ginny's birthday. She had become a really special friend to him this summer, and Harry wanted to give her something she would like. Harry remembered Hermione explaining how Ginny used to sneak into the broom shed at the Burrow, and an idea came to his mind. When they had flown together at Potter Manor, Harry just lent her his Firebolt. Harry would have given that to her, but the Firebolt was Sirius's present to him, so Harry wanted to keep it. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley may not like how much money Harry spent, but after seeing how wonderfully Ginny flew on his Firebolt, he felt like she deserved it. Harry knew she was afraid of not getting on the Quidditch team solely because she could only afford an old school broom.

Harry arrived at Grimmauld Place in the morning, appearing right next to the dining table where he saw the Weasley's gathered. He placed his present by the stack of wrapped objects.

He began to say something, but the twins shut him up, explaining that they were going to surprise Ginny when she came down. Bill and Charlie were there, but there was no sign of Percy. Mrs. Weasley was cooking something that smelled divine in the kitchen, while Mr. Weasley was doing a quick scan of the Daily Prophet.

Finally Ginny walked down the stairs, greeted by a loud "Happy Birthday!" cheer. A huge beam broke out on her face and she realized why her brothers had gotten up so early.

Harry walked up to her and wished her happy birthday. He couldn't explain why, but this time he wished her with a happy birthday hug. Wow… she really has grown up. he thought, unable to help himself from noticing how shapely she had become. Every once in a while her shirt would ride up on her bellybutton, exposing a sliver of skin. Potter! What the hell is wrong with you? It's a good thing no one here could perform Legilimency… Harry forced his traitorous mind off such subjects by talking to Ginny about which classes she planned to take for her O.W.L. year. Ginny had her birthday special of pancakes, whipped cream, and strawberries, and then excitedly ran towards her presents. She was so lively and animated, her vibrant hair- Potter! Can you think clearly for one bloody second? he mentally scolded himself. Ginny opened her presents with many happy squeals. She was almost as bad as Harry when it came to presents. She saved Harry's for last, slowly unraveling an edge of the wrapping paper. She took a peek inside and shrieked, turning to face Harry. A second later all Harry could see was a mass of fragrant red hair as he realized Ginny Weasley was hugging him.

"Oh my god, Harry… Thank you! Thank you so much," she said, unable to help herself from kissing Harry on the cheek. Suddenly Harry was very aware of the fact that Ginny was pressed up against him and that his cheek was burning where Ginny kissed it. His cheeks turned red and he looked away in an attempt to hide his blush. He forced his mind to get back in gear and replied, "You're welcome Ginny. I hope you enjoy it." He smiled at her when he realized her cheeks were also colored. Harry and Ginny both silently groaned as they realized that the whole Weasley family had been watching them very closely as Ginny basically pounced on him and kissed his cheek.

Mr. Weasley recovered first. "Lets see what has got our fifteen year old so excited, shall we?" He gestured to the broom, implying that Ginny should open it and show it to the family.

Ginny looked nervously at the long wrapped gift, knowing that her family would not be as thrilled as she was. She slowly unraveled it, causing Ron to immediately yell, "Bloody hell, Harry. You…her… Firebolt…"

Even Mrs. Weasley was too stunned to reprimand Ron for his foul language. Everyone's eyes were flickering in between Harry and Ginny.

"Oh dear…" Mrs. Weasley said, her voice a blend of different emotions. She glanced at her husband and winced very slightly.

"Harry… can I talk to you… in private?" Mr. Weasley asked, his expression unreadable. However, Harry could tell that he was in for one long discussion.

Harry followed Mr. Weasley into another room. Harry hoped Mrs. Weasley and Ginny's brothers weren't giving her a hard time.

"Harry, I will be frank here. From the day we met, I knew you had more money then this family would ever have. It was not a problem at all, because your money did not cause you to look down on our family a single bit, a fact that does you great credit. It fills me with happiness to see that my two youngest children have made friends with such a fine young man. As the years progressed, you experienced many birthdays and Christmases at our house. You realized that our gifts never cost much, and you respected this, always giving us meaningful, wonderful gifts, and never making us feel guilty by giving us a gift we could not afford to reciprocate. It became an unspoken tradition for us to not worry about our differences in wealth during Christmas times, and I feel that worked quite well. May I ask why you decided to buy Ginny such an expensive gift?" Mr. Weasley didn't seem mad, just very serious.

"Err… well she likes Quidditch as much as I do, and I could tell that she was really worried about not getting to play because she didn't have a good enough broom, although she never showed it. I thought it was the most useful gift I could give her. And Mr. Weasley, I could think of no better use of my money than to convey to Ginny that she's the best friend someone like me could ask for. I'm sorry for making the situation uncomfortable, but I didn't give her a Firebolt because it was expensive; I gave it to her because I thought it was the one thing she would like," Harry said truthfully, hoping that Mr. Weasley would understand.

"Harry, while I'm glad that you and Ginny have become friends, and perhaps more… Well, you cannot spend such sums of money… Just please don't do it again," Mr. Weasley said looking sad. Seeing the joy that Harry brought onto Ginny's face had hurt him, because it made him terribly aware of the fact that he couldn't do something like that for her. He felt it every time when his children went to Hogwarts in second hand robes… "Harry, while I have never been able to give my children the possessions that they deserve, I feel that as a parent I have passed on good morals and taught them well. The reason I have repeatedly declined you offers to share your money with my family was not simply because I was too proud to accept it. Well, that certainly was a major part of it, but the other reason was because I was afraid that if our children suddenly had such money they would forget about what's important. I was afraid they would look down on other families like us."

Harry took a few seconds to soak it all in. He had no idea that Mr. Weasley was feeling all of that. "Mr. Weasley, they all know what a great father you are and they all know how blessed they are to have such a wonderful family. I don't believe that Ginny will lose sight of that because I bought her a present like this, and I know for sure that she never, ever would blame you for not being able to buy her something like that," Harry said wisely, trying to convince Mr. Weasley that his children weren't going to randomly turn into Malfoys… Well, Harry wouldn't put it past Percy…

Mr. Weasley looked thoughtfully and then nodded at Harry. "I suppose you do have a point. But please, try not to spend so much again. I know your intentions were good, but whenever you make a decision, you have to consider all of the variables."

"Okay," Harry said.

Mr. Weasley patted his shoulder, and then left the room. As he left the room, he decided that he wasn't really in the mood to have a similar conversation with any of Ginny's brothers or Mrs. Weasley. They weren't as rational as the Weasley patriarch, especially when they were angry. Hopefully Mr. Weasley would talk to them and things could go on as before. He strode down the hall literally bumping into Ginny who wasn't looking where she was going. "Oh! Harry, sorry, I didn't see you."

Harry could see that her face was red, not the type of embarrassed red, but the angry type. "What's wrong, Ginny?" he asked tentatively.

"My brothers are being gits," she muttered darkly. Harry groaned, realizing that if he had just gotten her a normal present none of this would have happened.

"Harry, don't you go feeling guilty, I love your present, and I understand why you gave it to me. It means the world to me. My brothers are the ones who are being gits, not you," she said heatedly.

"Err, you want to talk about it?" Harry said carefully. "Why don't we go for a fly first on our brooms, then we can talk. That helps me when I'm in a right state."

"Sure. But one of the things my brothers were on about was that I, um, seemed to be missing from headquarters…" she said awkwardly.

"Oh…darn…why don't you come tell me what happened," Harry said, leading her into his room. Damn, this didn't look good. His discussion with Mr. Weasley now seemed like a walk in the park. He certainly hadn't considered all of the variables before acting…

"They believed I had been dropping hints all summer about how nice it would be to receive a Firebolt. Mum was on my side at first, but then bloody Ron pointed out that we had been going missing once in awhile doing god knows what. That set Mum off, especially because I refused to tell her. They jumped to the wrong conclusions… and wouldn't shut theirs mouths and listen. They said that I had taken advantage of your vulnerable state to fulfill my stupid eleven year old crush and then used you to buy me a Firebolt," Ginny said angrily and sadly. How could her own family turn on her this way?

"That's completely ridiculous, and I think they will see it soon enough. Your father was okay with it, after our talk, and I think he will help them understand. If not, I'll tell them, but I will not have them blaming you!" Harry said heatedly. He looked into Ginny's eyes and said, "We know the truth, and that's all that matters. As you said earlier, they were the ones being gits, not you or me. I know out of every single woman in the world, you would be the least likely to do what your parents accused you of. It was me who took advantage of your kindness and caring to unload all of my emotional problems-"

"Enough. I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last sentence," she said, looking a little calmer than before. Suddenly her face grew sad again and she said, "I just thought that they would be happy that I'm happy. Isn't that what family is for? I guess that's a naïve thought-"

"No it isn't naïve and I do think they will be happy for you sooner or later. Everything that has happened this summer had been hard on them, beginning with having to move out of the Burrow."

"But what does that have to do with-"

"I'm getting to the point, don't worry. So then I stop telling Ron everything and start doing things in secret. Your Mum doesn't like that at all, and I know it hurts Ron that I don't invite him over to my place or anything. Now can you understand why they aren't thinking straight? They're don't like what I get up to, then they see you getting involved. In Ron's case, he may even think that you are trying to replace him as my best friend. Then, there's the whole overprotective business… which I know is annoying, but you have to admit, it could be their strange way of showing their love for you. And on top of all those things I just mentioned, there's the whole money issue."

"I…I suppose you're right. How did you know that all of this… stuff… was running through their minds?"

"Well, I didn't consider any of it when I was buying the gift. Not that I regret it or anything, I just didn't anticipate the various possibilities."

"So what do you think we should do about it?" Ginny asked.

"Hmm… well there's two options. We can just go about our business and pretend not to care what they think, or we can confront them about it and explain… well, try to explain the things we just talked about," Harry replied. "It's your choice, but I'll help you with whichever one you choose."

"Hmm… I kinda just want to keep on doing what we have been doing all summer. Maybe when they cool down we can talk about it… for now I just don't want to worry about them. Is your offer to go flying still open?"

"Sure Ginny. Don't worry about your family; they'll come around sooner or later," Harry said kindly, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze before he transported them to Potter Manor. After they materialized at the Quidditch pitch, Ginny gave him a quick hug before they separated and got on their respective brooms.

"Race you around the pitch!" Harry yelled, giving Ginny a head start. She was very fast, but Harry managed to catch up to her halfway around the pitch. He stayed head-to-head with her instead of shooting ahead and winning. Harry summoned a Quaffle and played Keeper so Ginny could practice chasing with her broom. As he began to realize he would have no chance stopping her shots, he started to use, just a slight bit of wandless magic, pushing her shots just a tad to the side so they would hit the rim of the hoop.

"Hey! Potter, I know you're up to something…" she said menacingly.

Harry feigned innocence, saying, "Well, Miss Weasley, I think you're just losing your touch. Perhaps you should concentrate and try again?"

Ginny hurled the Quaffle through one of the hoops before Harry could react. "Ha! Take that, Potter," she said in triumph.

After that, they began a good natured flying competition, where one would fly in a certain pattern and the other would have to match it. After five minutes, Harry was running out of maneuvers to stump Ginny. While Harry could perform them faster and more fluidly, she was surprisingly good at following him. Harry, out of any other ideas, began to fly up very high. He then plummeted down at full speed, wind screaming in his ears.

Ginny was sure he was going to collide with the ground, that she had yelled out his name. Finally he pulled out of his dive, and flew over to a flustered Ginny. She wanted to scold him for almost getting himself killed, and she wanted to run her fingers through his ruffled hair…

"You're turn, Gin," he said smiling at her.

Damn, Ginny thought. She couldn't do that… She was a bit scared of heights and drops. Well, more than a bit. No one knew that, because playing Chaser didn't normally include plummeting downward. Luckily in her one game as Seeker, she had managed to grab the Snitch quickly before she was forced into any drastic Seeker measures, such as a Wronski Feint. But she couldn't tell Harry that! No way…

"Ginny?" he asked softly, breaking her out of her reverie. "It's ok, you don't have to do it. It was unfair for me to do something I've practiced over and over." He sensed her discomfort and cursed himself for being a show off. "Why don't you come for a ride on my broom?" he asked shyly.

Ginny hesitantly agreed, sitting behind him. As the broom began to move, she found herself placing her arms around him. There was something about him that was so comforting and reassuring. She knew he planned to shoot downward, but she wouldn't show her fear. She could handle her fear; she was with Harry.

Harry flew up slowly, enjoying the sensation of flying with Ginny, feeling her arms around him as he moved through the air. After they were high in the air, he looked back at her and asked if she was ready.

She nodded, clinging on to Harry as tight as she could. He whooped in joy and began to shoot downwards.

"AHH! HARRY!!!!" she screamed as they plummeted, squeezing him into her as hard as she could.

Harry could feel Ginny's body pressing into his as they picked up speed. He felt so alive, the wind in his hair, his heart beating rapidly, and Ginny… Harry's mind was torn off of that subject as Ginny screamed even louder. He realized they were nearing the ground quite rapidly, and he yanked up on his broom, pulling out the dive only a few yards over the ground.

That was the most terrifying thing she had ever done, but she knew, if Harry asked, she would do it again. She didn't let go of Harry even after they had finished. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and she could feel Harry's beating at nearly the same tempo. She knew she should let go now before Harry said something to her, but she couldn't make her arms move.

Harry turned towards her as if to say something, but then he stopped and looked into her eyes. Ginny felt herself drowning in those beautiful emerald eyes, and before she could stop herself, she began to run her hand through Harry's hair. Her mind was screaming at her to withdraw from this position before she embarrassed herself, but before she had the chance, Harry put a hand on her cheek and leaned in towards her, his heart beating wildly. A second later their lips connected and explosions went off through their bodies. Harry lost himself in her soft, sweet lips, kissing them passionately. Finally they pulled apart, due to the fact that they were out of breath.

"Harry…" Ginny said softly, but happily. She had kissed Harry Potter! The boy of her dreams! She could hardly believe it had finally happened. "That was amazing!"

"You're amazing, Ginny. I wish I had done this ages ago… Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked, his heart soaring.

"I'd love to Harry." And before Harry could respond, she silenced him with her lips.

The beast in his chest roared triumphantly as he kissed his girlfriend.