Disclaimer: I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, but I do in fact, own the ones that I made up!

Author Note: Last chapter= not good enough. So this chapter, I will have some stuff about what happened in the summer. =) Oh My Goodness! I totally messed something up and I just realized now, while reading on The Harry Potter Lexicon site. Slughorn does indeed fight, he ends up fighting Voldemort with McGonagall and Kingsely… So sorry, to all those Slughorn Fans!

Chapter 4

Harry lay awake in his bed thinking. He didn't really know how to feel, coming back to Hogwarts, on the one side, he was ecstatically happy because he was with Ginny, but on the other hand, any time that he walked through the halls, especially the Great Hall, all he saw were battle images. Ginny… his mind wandered back to the memories of the past summer.

There was Ginny and him, picnicking by the pond, Ginny's idea of course. Then there was Hermione and Ron who were either bickering, or completely head over heels in love. There had been many fights like the first one, but one of them would always follow the other and apologize, then everything would be okay. By the end of the summer Harry was positive he knew everything about Ginny. Her favorite color (Gold), her favorite animal (Pygmy Puffs) and her dreams (She wants to play chaser for the Holyhead Harpies). But still there was something nagging Harry. He didn't know what it was, maybe it was the fact that he was scared that Ginny would eventually leave him for someone else, maybe even Dean Thomas. Harry knew in his mind that that was ridiculous, that Ginny loved him, but in his heart, he felt that it was all completely plausible.

A sweet voice eventually awoke Harry from his sleep.

"Wake up Harry, it's the first day of classes!" Ginny whispered in his hear.

"I'm up, I'm up." Harry said.

Ginny left to give Harry some privacy to get dressed. As he finished buttoning his robes, he felt a twinge of excitement. Today really was the first day of classes. Professor McGonagall had told him that he would only be having one subject a day, but it would be a double period, in the morning. In the afternoon he was expected to do some of his own learning, or even tutoring for the younger students. Hermione of course, would have a subject in the afternoon too, though it would just be a single period, except for Friday when she only had a double period of Herbology, with Harry and Ron, in the morning. Ron would have the exact same schedule as Harry.

Harry went down the dormitory stairs, and met Ginny in the common room, where they went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. But the minute that Harry walked into the Great Hall, all he could see were the faces of Fred, Tonks and Lupin, staring up at him from the floor. He must've had a weird look on his face because Ginny then said,

"Harry are you alright?"

"I- I'm fine. Just hungry I guess." Harry knew that he should have told Ginny what was wrong but he didn't want her to think his was loony.

They joined Ron and Hermione who were in a subtle argument about Hermione's courses.

"Why are you still continuing History of Magic? When are you going to need it?" asked Ron.

"Why does it matter? You're taking the courses that you want to take, and I am taking the courses that I want." Hermione answered.

"Sorry, 'Mione. You're right, of course," Ron reached over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, who is the new Quidditch Team Captain?" Harry asked.

"Well, actually…" Ginny started, blushing.

"Ginny! They made you captain? Congratulations! Why didn't you tell me?" Harry said, beaming.

"You've seemed distant lately, so I thought it could wait," Ginny said shrugging, "You're going to be my seeker this year, right? And Ron, you're going to stay in goal?"

Harry had never thought of that. Of course he wanted to keep playing Quidditch, but he'd been playing seeker for Gryffindor since he was 11, shouldn't he give someone else a chance to shine?

"I think you should have full try-outs. There may be better players then Ron and I," Harry said.

There was silence for a few minutes until Ron spoke up, "So you don't think I'm good enough anymore mate? Sorry we can't all be child prodigies like you." Ron stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"Oh, I should go talk to him," Hermione said, and after a brief but dark look at Harry, ran out of the Great Hall to go find Ron.

"You know I didn't mean it like that right? I just meant that Ron and I have been playing Quidditch for a long time, well me even longer then him, and I think we should give other people a chance. If there are better players then us, then there are, but if we're still the best, then there. It couldn't hurt, could it?" Harry said to Ginny.

"I know what you're saying. But where did this come from? I thought you loved Quidditch?" Ginny said.

"I do, definitely. But I feel like I'm taking away other people's chances,"

"Harry, the only people's chances you are taking away are the other seventh years. And trust me, none of them are good enough to beat you – or Ron for that matter," stated Ginny.

Harry knew that Ginny was right. She amazed him, everything about her. It was like every girl was only a diamond, but Ginny was the biggest, shiniest ruby. And Harry really, really, likes rubies.

"What class do we have today?" asked Harry. He had forgotten that Ginny would have some of the same classes as him, because she was also in seventh year, though she also had gotten a few more OWLS then Harry did.

"Uh, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts this morning, and then I have Astronomy tonight."

They finished eating their breakfast and then headed up to the first floor for their lesson. The class was only Gryffindors, and was bigger then usual, because essentially there were two years in this lesson.

"'Ello, Good Morning class! My name is Professor Beatrice Bassett and I am mighty glad to be teaching this class." Despite her middle-age, Professor Bassett had the energy of a 5 year-old.

" Over the past 7 years, your education with this particular subject has been rather sketchy. I hope to teach you the things you need to pass your final NEWTS, so that you can become successful. I think today we are going to start out doing something fun- but yet still fairly powerful- and that is the Patronus Charm. Now I know their has been no 'official' teaching of this spell, but Professor McGonagall has told me that some of you already know how to perform it. Can I have a demonstrator please? Oh, Mr. Potter, Mr. McGonagall says that you have been doing this the longest- so up you get!"

Harry had dreaded this. He knew that there could be a chance that he would become the teachers' favorite, but he hated it. There were several people who could perform a Patronus Charm here. But, no matter how much he hated it, he got up, walked to the front of the classroom and started to scan his mind for the happiest memory he could have. There was that time that he and Ginny were in her bedroom, talking about the future, he had felt so happy, so peaceful in that one single moment.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry bellowed. A silver wisp of smoke came out of his wand and erupted into a stag.

"Bravo! Fantastic! Now the basics of creating a patronus charm is that you must have a single happy memory. Then you use the memory to create the charm by saying the incantation Expecto Patronum. If done correctly, your patronus should take shape. Please start practicing whilst I walk around," said Professor Bassett.

The rest of the class went well. Most of the seventh years were able to produce a fully fledged patronus. It was the first time that Harry had seen Ginny's patronus, he was even surprised that she knew how to create one.

"I didn't know you could produce a patronus," Harry told her whilst walking to the Gryffindor common room.

"Oh, well you taught it to us during Dumbledore's Army. I guess I just didn't have a happy enough memory until now. It surprised me that it came out as a lion though, I guess I was expecting something else." Replied Ginny.

"I'm not surprised. You are brave- and you're a Gryffindor, also, you tend to be very loyal, at least where some people are concerned, and I'm very lucky for that,"

"Oh yes. My loyalty towards you, even after 7 years of hopeful crushes, is amazing. I guess we were made for each other," their discussion was interrupted by Ron who was standing outside the Gryffindor common room, waiting for something.

"Hey mate, I just wanted to apologize for storming out of breakfast." Ron said.

"No, I'm the one that should be apologizing. I shouldn't have said what I said," replied Harry.

"Aw, how sweet, a bromance!" laughed Ginny.

"Come on, let's put our bags away and head down to lunch," Ron said, blushing.

The trio went into the Gryffindor common room and then left, walking down to the Great Hall. But before they could get into the Great Hall they were stopped by a large crowd that had gathered.

"You DARE still call me Mudblood Malfoy?" the trio could hear Hermione shout, "Harry, Ron and I saved your life TWICE during the battle of Hogwarts. Who do you think told your mum that you were still alive? HARRY DID!"

"It isn't my fault that you stole your magic!" Malfoy retorted.

Nobody could stop what happened next. Hermione shot a curse at Malfoy, who didn't know until it was too late. Next thing the trio saw was Professor Atherton, Head of the Slytherin House push through the crowd where Hermione was still fuming, and Draco lay on the floor, victim to Hermione's full body-bind jinx.

"What happened here, Miss Granger?" Professor Atherton asked.

"He called me Mudblood and said I stole magic." Hermione said, now blushing.

"And you retaliated with a jinx?" Professor Atherton replied, "That will be 25 points from Gryffindor for improper use of magic, and 15 points from Slytherin for unfair and unjust name calling. Now, get inside the Great Hall for lunch.

Ron, Harry and Ginny fought there way through the crowd to where Hermione was.

"Merlin's Pants Hermione!" Ron said, "Why didn't you just walk away? Not that I don't mind, but it isn't really like you to retaliate,"

` "Don't you remember that time when she punched Malfoy?" Harry said.

"Goodness. If you two are done, I want to go and eat lunch," Hermione replied and walked of into the Great Hall.

Lunch passed quickly and so did Harry, Ron and Ginny's free time. Ginny and Harry were able to get away from Ron, (who was left to deal with a bunch of rowdy seventh years) which made the afternoon a little bit more enjoyable. It wasn't that they disliked Ron, it was just that he always kept a sharp eye on Harry and Ginny, as if he expected them to start snogging any second.

It was that night that Harry lay under his covers gazing up at the top of his bed. Something had happened today, he didn't know what it was, but he was now sure, that no matter what happened, he would marry Ginny.

Author's Note: Sort of a sucky ending, but I was getting tired of this chapter. Hope it was a little better, it was definitely a little longer. I honestly have no idea what is going to happen in this story. Oh, and I'm sorry if I offended people with how I portrayed Hermione, I just wanted some drama in this chapter and Hermione is pretty awesome so….