A/N: Alrighty, here is the next chapter! I'm really skeptical about
whether I should continue this story, I've only got 13 reviews, and a lot
of them are from charmedsisters...so I'm not really sure...Please review,
readers, I much appreciate it and it will make me keep the story up.
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Chapter 9
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Pepper bled more than once that September as she watched Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship. Hermione had begun being cordial to Pepper once again, though she wasn't near as friendly as she had been, and Harry was talking to her by the last week of the month, but Ron wouldn't say a word to her.
The Ravenclaw table had become a favorite spot of Pepper's, she didn't sit at the Gryffindor table anymore at mealtimes, and Luna was having conversations with her. Pepper once wondered briefly if it was against the rules to do this, but if it was, then no one said anything to her.
Her teachers informed her that she needed to start studying for her O.W.L.S., for she was to take them next month. They gave her all the materials she needed, and a few times she was glad she didn't have any friends because she spent all her free time studying.
She wrote to her aunts about most of the things that were happening and they replied. She had a great desire to talk to her mother or father, and when she realized she couldn't do that, she cried for hours at a time and sometimes tried to relive that pain, too. The scrapbook of her mother's and the picture of her mother and father she had in her bedside table drawer helped her from not running away or finishing her life, but it didn't keep her from the compass.
One afternoon at the start of a free period, Pepper was in the common room when Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor House, walked in and came over to her. "Excuse me, Miss Halliwell," the old witch said, addressing Pepper.
Pepper looked up from her book. "Yes, Professor McGonagall?"
"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you and Mr. Potter in his office," the Professor informed her.
While Pepper put her books away Professor McGonagall went and pulled Harry away from his talk with his two best friends. She then left the common room, telling the two to go straight there, and that Pepper knew the password. So, Harry and Pepper started the long, and uncomfortable, walk to Dumbledore's office. Harry thought about saying something a few times, but never opened his mouth. Pepper, however, didn't want to say anything; she was just worried about what the Headmaster wanted.
"I'm not mad," Harry said finally. "I think I was at first, but then it wore off... but I'm loyal to Hermione, she's been one of my best friends for a while..."
"You're not mad," Pepper repeated. "You haven't been mad for a while. You- you..." She wanted to say "You made me hurt myself for no reason, then," but she didn't.
"No, I haven't been mad for a while. I think I may have gotten used to you being smart, a part of me says it's good to have someone outdo Hermione, though don't tell her I said that," he said.
"You – " Pepper couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She wanted Harry to know he'd caused her pain. So much pain she had to inflict more on herself. She wanted to cry and scream and hit him.
"I'm not so sure Hermione's too jealous or miffed anymore either," Harry continued. "I think she just wants to be. She's just so used to being the best."
Pepper's fists clenched. Hermione wasn't mad either and hadn't been. For how long hadn't she been mad? Since before the last time Pepper used her own compass to carve her arm? Or had it been since before that, when Pepper took the metal point to her torso? Pepper suddenly wanted to cause them as much pain as they caused her. She waved her hand sideways at Harry and watched as he stopped walking in mid-step. Satisfied that he would be frozen for a while, she headed towards the raven statue by herself. She said the password and waited patiently for the spiral staircase to appear before climbing to the top of it and entering the Headmaster's office. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore," she said as she walked in.
He looked up from his desk and smiled at her. "Aah, Miss Halliwell. Where is Mr. Potter?" he asked.
Pepper hadn't even thought about what the Headmaster would do when he found out she froze Harry. Though, she supposed he should be unfrozen by now. "I...um..." Pepper began. "I got mad at him and...I froze him with my natural power."
Dumbledore looked slightly amused before saying, "Miss Halliwell could I ask you not to freeze any of the students, or the teachers for that matter. You see, you have an advantage over them, as you have natural powers."
"Yes, Headmaster," Pepper said dejectedly. "It's just – "
Dumbledore waited for her to continue, but her words disappeared in her mouth. "Yes, Miss Halliwell?" he prompted. "Was there something you'd like to say?"
Pepper shook her head. "Never mind, I'll just go find Harry then, and we'll come back together," she said, and turned to leave the office. She didn't have to walk far, as Harry was just at the end of the corridor. "Where'd you go?" he asked, puzzled. Pepper didn't answer him, she was afraid of what would come out of her mouth when she opened it, so she just fell in step with Harry until they reached the statue again. The password was said and they climbed the stair, arriving in the office once again.
The old wizard motioned for them to sit, and so they did, facing his desk and waiting for what he had to say. "I'm as Harry already told you, Miss Halliwell, he's been up against Lord Voldemort, who is determined to take over the wizarding world for the second time. Harry might have also told you about the Prophecy in which either he or Voldemort must perish."
Harry wondered why he was here, if Dumbledore was just telling Pepper things Harry already knew, and that he'd told Pepper.
"Harry, you may believe you shall face Voldemort again this year, in which case I think you will be correct in believing, and that your friends will once again be by your side. Miss Halliwell will be included in your group, as you also may suspect. One thing I'm sure neither of you are aware of is that Miss Halliwell possesses great power."
Both Pepper and Harry were shocked by this news. Pepper questioned how she could have so much power when she didn't even know about it. Her aunts had never told her anything...She didn't think either of her parents had been all that powerful...
"Now Miss Halliwell, I'm sure you are wondering why you acquire so much power, so I will tell you to the best of my ability. I believe that it is because your mother was a very strong witch, being a "Charmed" one, and though your father did not wield too much power, he was in a powerful Pureblood family and with you having blood from two different magical "worlds," shall we say, your strength was doubled. As a result, when you face Voldemort, you shall face him together, and hopefully you will be victorious." Dumbledore paused for a minute, giving the two students time to process this information. "To make sure you are both fully prepared, you shall be getting extra Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. You may talk to Professor Ardel to work out a schedule for these lessons. I believe you both have Herbology next, I will not keep Professor Sprout waiting. Good day," Dumbledore ended with a smile, dismissing Harry and Pepper.
Once back into the corridor, on their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Pepper swore.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, but Pepper just swore some more. "What?" Harry repeated, only to be answered by more cursing. "What!"
"Don't you even talk to me," Pepper responded, narrowing her eyes angrily and walking ahead of Harry. "I've got too much work to begin with, and now to learn I'm powerful and have extra lessons and more work! And you and your friends haven't been helping much, might I add. You know how shitty I feel right now? I don't know if I should have even come here to begin with." Pepper was surprised that those words had actually come out of her mouth. She realized that she'd been thinking them for some time now, but it was just something nagging at the back of her mind, she didn't think she really meant them. Perhaps she was just trying to make Harry feel guilty...
"I'm sorry, Pepper...it's just you made Hermione mad and of course I had to be on her side...even if I didn't agree with her – "
"But you did," Pepper said, cutting him off. "I know you did. That's alright," she lied, "I'd just wish you'd told me when you weren't mad anymore then I might not have..." She caught herself at the last minute.
"Might not have what?" Harry asked, perplexity apparent in his tone.
"I might not have..." Pepper tried to think quickly. "I might not have felt so lonely all this time." Harry didn't look too convinced, but didn't press the matter any more.
By the beginning of October, Pepper and Harry became friends again, and Hermione was making conversations with Pepper. Even Ron began to talk to her, though it wasn't as much or as relaxed as before. Pepper bit her tongue every time she wanted to yell at one of them for making her hurt herself, and she didn't let any of it slip. They fell back into their old habits of friendship and Hermione once again helped Pepper with her large amount of work and studying for her O.W.L.S. Pepper started to perk up and she didn't even think about her compass for days, she was too focused on keeping her found again friends and studying.
Harry set up a schedule for their extra Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, (which they hadn't told anyone about), and they were to meet with Professor Ardel from one to two thirty in the afternoon every Sunday.
Piper, Paige, Phoebe and Leo were writing Pepper excessively, wanting to know every excruciating detail of Hogwarts and Pepper's friends. Pepper told them almost everything, though she left out the part about the horrible fight, the overwhelming amounts of work and her self-mutilation. They made sure to remind her in every letter that she was coming home for Christmas, whether she liked it or not.
"Pepper," Harry said that Friday night. "I've got my next Quidditch practice tomorrow, if you'd like to come."
"Alright," Pepper said, looking up from her book. "What time? I'll have to set my alarm."
"Seven A.M.," Harry said, sitting next to Pepper on the common room couch. "It's early for a Saturday, not that you haven't been getting up early anyways on the weekends with all that work..."
"Not seven o' clock early, though. I'll still come, I want to see people flying on broomsticks, sounds...stereotypical."
"Stereotypical?" Harry asked, eyebrow cocked.
"Yea, you know how witches fly on broomsticks in books and television shows and things? Well, they don't exactly play Quidditch on them...but they fly on them. I just think it's cool that you can actually do that. I never thought you could fly on a broom. Could you take me on yours tomorrow?" Pepper asked after her ranting.
"Yea, sure. That way you'll know if you should've bought that broom in Diagon Alley," Harry smiled. "So hopefully you'll hate it. Oh, you know the first Hogsmede trip is next weekend."
"I'm not sure if I'll be able to go, I've still got a lot of work to do."
"Oh come on, it'll be fun. You need to give yourself a break Pepper you deserve one. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone work as hard as you've been for three weeks straight," Harry prompted. "Please?" he added with a slight pout.
"We'll see," Pepper laughed. "Just don't pout ever again," she said and got up to go to her dormitory. "Meet you here at six thirty!"
"Six thirty," Harry confirmed. Pepper saluted him then went made her way up the stairs to her dorm. She stopped at the door when she heard two voices inside. It was Lavender and Parvati.
"I'm planning to ask him to go to Hogsmede with me tomorrow," a voice (Pepper guessed it was Lavender's, she'd learned to tell their voices apart in the past four weeks), came from inside the room.
"You think he'll say yes?" came Parvati's voice.
"I hope so," Lavender said.
"But he's been ogling Pepper lately, don't you think? In classes he just stares at her and they've been flirting. What if he's asked her to Hogsmede already?" said Parvati.
Me and Harry flirting? Pepper asked herself. No, she thought, we haven't been flirting. Does he really stare at me in class? And did he just ask me to Hogsmede? No, he couldn't have, Pepper reassured herself. He, Ron and Hermione go together, he was just inviting me along, right? Right.
"You're not serious, are you Parvati?" Lavender asked from inside the dormitory, bring Pepper back to reality. "Why would he be interested in her? She's just a smart aleck bookworm."
"I don't know," Parvati answered, "That's just what I've seen."
Pepper decided this would be a good time to walk in, she didn't really want to hear anymore of this ludicrous conversation; it was confusing her. As the door squeaked open Lavender and Parvati shut up and pretended to be asleep.
Pepper changed, set her alarm and then got into bed herself. She couldn't wait to get on a broomstick tomorrow. She'd never been higher off the ground then about three feet – when she was in her bed. And from what Hermione had told her about Harry and Quidditch, Pepper gathered that he was one of the best players in the school. Best Seeker on any of the four teams, by far, is what she gathered. He'd even beaten Malfoy – he was the Slytherin Seeker, Hermione said. Hermione told her he'd started playing on the Gryffindor team when he was in First Year and that was against the rules, but he'd been such a good flyer Professor McGonagall put him on the team. Ron was on the team, also, Pepper had heard. He was the Keeper and had won them the Quidditch Cup last year. Though Hermione said Ron wasn't nearly as good at flying as Harry was.
With thoughts of flying, Pepper finally fell asleep.
Her alarm woke her at six fifteen and begrudgingly she got out of bed and into the shower. Still half asleep, she got dressed and went down to the common room, where Harry and Ron were in their practice robes, standing with their brooms. "Hurry up," Ron urged as Pepper came down the stairs.
"I'm coming," Pepper groaned, trying to stay awake.
Harry and Ron led her down onto the Quidditch pitch, where the rest of the Gryffindor team was already waiting. "Pepper wanted to watch," Harry told the rest of the team. "Is that alright?"
A girl with braids in her hair said it was okay if Pepper was to watch, as long as she didn't distract anyone. Harry whispered to Pepper that she was Angelina, the captain of the team.
Pepper went and sat on the side of the pitch to watch the Quidditch practice. She didn't want to be in the way and didn't intend to be, just in case she wanted to come to future practices. The team mounted their brooms and the captain opened a crate that contained four balls. Everyone but Angelina pushed their feet off the ground, causing the brooms to rise. "Higher, Harry!" she girl called into the air as she pulled a tiny ball from the wooden crate. Harry rose higher into the air until Angelina opened her hand to let the ball go. Pepper caught sight of a tiny gold ball before it went zooming off. Angelina let the other balls go. Two flew straight into the air and two of the players went after the balls while she got on her broom with the fourth ball. Once she was in the air she began throwing the ball to other players. "Go Harry!" she yelled and Harry began flying very fast, Pepper assumed he was looking for the little gold ball.
Angelina had Ron go to one end of the pitch where there were three circular hoops on poles. Then she and the other two people that weren't hitting the two black balls around began tossing the fourth ball back and forth and trying to get it through one of the hoops Ron was guarding. Pepper watched with great interest, thinking about how it would feel to be playing that. She couldn't wait to get on Harry's broom.
She was brought back to her senses when Harry stopped his broom a few feet in front of her, though he was still in the air. "Seen the Snitch?" he asked.
"You mean the little gold ball?" Pepper asked. He nodded. "Nope, sorry." Harry flew away again.
So that's what he has to do, Pepper thought, catch that tiny ball. She was glad she wasn't a Seeker.
An hour and a half later, Quidditch practice was over and the Gryffindor team landed on the ground, panting and out of breath. Pepper was ready with cups of water for them from the cooler by the shower room and she handed them each a glass when they approached the showers. Each of them panted their thanks and then went into the shower room or sat on the bench where the cooler was located. Pepper stood there, wanting to ask Harry if he could take her on his broom yet, but she thought he'd say something when he was ready to do that.
"Let me take a shower then I'll take you flying," Harry said, finishing his water and heading off to shower.
Over the next fifteen minutes the team dispersed and Harry finally came out of the showers. He picked up his broom and grabbed Pepper's hand, leading her out onto the middle of the field. "Put your leg over the broom..." he instructed her and she did so, getting on behind him. "Now hold on to me." She hesitantly put her arms around Harry's middle - that was her only choice since the broom handle wasn't very big. "Ready? We're going up," he said and gently kicked his feet off the ground.
They rose a few feet in the air and gradually went higher. Pepper clutched on to Harry tighter as they rose higher and higher and finally Harry stopped the broom from moving. They were dangling thirty feet in the air, the wind pushing them a little. "Ready to fly?" Harry asked Pepper. She nodded and then said, "Yes," when she realized Harry couldn't see her nod.
Harry leaned forward on the broom and they went forward in the air. He started out slowly so Pepper could get used to moving and then went faster. Pepper clutched Harry's middle but then relaxed her grip when she found she liked flying. She liked it a lot. "Can this thing go faster?" she asked Harry over the sound of rushing wind in her ears.
"Of course," Harry said and made the broom accelerate.
Pepper let out a squeak of glee. "This is great!" she exclaimed.
"I know!" Harry yelled back.
They flew around the Quidditch pitch for a good twenty minutes before Harry slowed down and finally landed. Pepper tumbled off the broom and tried to catch her balance, she still felt like she was moving. "That was so cool," she said. "Can I try riding it by myself?"
Harry looked hesitant. "How about you ride in front but I'm still on the broom, just in case you're about to crash or something," he said.
"Okay," Pepper said brightly. Harry handed her the broom and she mounted it, Harry getting on behind her. He held onto her waist lightly and she pushed her feet off of the ground. They shot up into the air. Pepper let out a squeal and Harry had to let go of her waist to pull the broom up a little, making it slow down and stop. "Sorry," Pepper squeaked out.
"'S'all right," Harry said, though he was a bit frazzled himself. "Keep going, it's all right."
Pepper tentatively leaned forward, causing the Firebolt to move. Harry helped her steer it and helped move it faster by putting his arms by her middle, his hands on top of hers. To do this, he had to move closer to her, and their faces were almost side-by-side.
"I suck!" Pepper yelled.
"I know!" Harry yelled back.
"Meanie!" Pepper said.
"Thanks!" Harry yelled, pushing the broom handle down so that the broom would travel back to the ground. They dismounted and Pepper caught her balance again.
"I like flying," she concluded, "but I need practice at it."
"You sure do," Harry answered, causing Pepper to chuckle a little bit. There was a stretch of silence, where neither could think of something to say and yet they didn't move. They just stood there, facing each other until Harry began to lean forward. Pepper started to lean in too, but thought better of it and turned her head away.
"I-I think we should go back inside, I bet we can still catch breakfast," Pepper said nervously. The two walked back to the castle in silence, though they both opened their mouths more than once to say something, words failed them.
They entered the Great Hall to find Ron and Neville at the Gryffindor table, eating and playing Wizard's chess. Pepper and Harry each sat on a different side of Ron.
"How was flying?" Ron asked Pepper as Neville took out one of his pawns.
"Um...fun, but I'm not too good at it," Pepper answered.
"We almost flew out of the atmosphere," said Harry with a slightly hollow laugh.
"Well, I'm going to go back to the common room, I've still got loads of work to do," Pepper announced, getting up and making her way back to the common room.
She found Hermione there, sitting at a table and doing her Arithmancy report. Hermione and the dozen or so others in the room looked up when they heard the portrait open but only Hermione waved to Pepper before turning back to her work. Pepper walked over and sat down next to Hermione. She debated telling the other girl about the incident with Harry in the Quidditch pitch, and then decided she needed to tell someone.
"What's up?" Hermione asked, not looking up from her writing.
"Can I ask you something important?" Pepper wondered. Hermione put down her quill and looked at Pepper.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Sort of," Pepper said. "You know how I went to watch Quidditch practice this morning – " Hermione nodded. "– well, after everyone left Harry took me up on his broom and flew me around and I loved it. So then I asked if he would let me fly it, and he did, but I was horrible, so Harry helped me out a bit by...well, by getting closer to me, putting his hands on mine and putting his head right next to me...then we landed and we almost...he leaned in to...kiss me."
Hermione's eyes went wide, and her mouth flopped open. "You didn't kiss him, did you?" she hissed.
"No, I didn't. I turned my head away almost at the last minute. It was just so weird! Do you think he likes me?" Pepper asked confusedly.
"He must fancy you, mustn't he? He tried to kiss you, Pepper, Ron hasn't even tried to do that to me. I wonder if I should try kissing him though, maybe then our relationship would actually get somewhere..." Hermione wondered. "Well, do you fancy Harry, then?"
"I don't know," Pepper said. "I mean, I really like him, he's been a great friend the past month, he's helped me out a lot...showed me around and things, but I don't know if I have those kind of feelings for him. I think I should talk to him...see... I don't know, see something. Maybe I should kiss him and distinguish my feelings, if I like him as a friend or like him like..."
"Fancy him," Hermione corrected. "That might be a good idea, though if you kiss him and he doesn't feel anything it might give him the wrong impression. Unless you explain to him, 'I'm going to kiss you just to see if I feel anything for you,' which I'm not sure will go over too well. I do think you should talk to him. Perhaps I'll talk to Ron, too. I really want something to happen with him. I know he fancies me and I fancy him so what's the problem? I don't think there is one, and if he's too scared to talk to me, then I'll talk to him," Hermione said, finishing the conversation with herself.
"I wonder if Harry's told Ron," Pepper thought aloud.
"Well we're about to find out," said Hermione, gesturing towards the common room entrance. "Here they come." Pepper and Hermione bent their heads back down, not wanting the boys to know they were discussing them.
"What should I do?" Pepper whispered to Hermione. "There are too many people here to talk in private." She glanced around the room. "I could take him over to the couch, I suppose, it's not too crowded over there."
"Go for it," Hermione whispered back. "I'm going to talk to Ron. Hey, I could take Ron over to the couch and, knowing Harry, he'll come over here to you, I'm sure he'll want to talk." Pepper nodded and Hermione got up, walking over to the two boys. Pepper saw the other girl lead Ron to the middle of the common room and Pepper beckoned Harry over shyly.
Harry sat down in the chair next to Pepper and neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, Pepper said, "I suppose you told Ron, then."
"Yes, and I guess you told Hermione," said Harry.
Pepper smiled a bit and nodded. "Harry...I was wondering...what was that, out on the Quidditch pitch?"
Harry didn't answer for a while. "I like you, Pepper," he said at last.
"Harry, you're a great friend," Pepper began, "but I'm not sure if I feel that way about you..." She wanted to tell him she wanted to kiss him, just to see how she felt, but decided against it.
"Oh," Harry muttered, looking at the table.
"I'm not really sure how I can figure it out, either..." Pepper said. Except to kiss you, she though of saying again, but didn't.
"I can think of a way," Harry said, and leaned in closer to Pepper's face. The last thing Pepper thought before Harry's lips met hers was, I'm glad I didn't have to say it.
The kiss wasn't very deep, but Pepper enjoyed it and it was enough to make her realize she did, in fact, have feelings for Harry. Pepper was smiling when they both pulled away and she bit the side of her lip.
"Is that a yes, then?" Harry asked.
"I'd say so," Pepper said. "You know," she added, "I think you're my first crush. And that was my first kiss."
"Really?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling a sideways sort of smile. "That...well that wasn't mine," he finished lamely.
"Kiss or crush?" Pepper asked.
"Well...both," Harry said. "Would you like to go on a walk? Around the lake or something?"
"I don't know," Pepper said, looking down at the table and picking at the finish with her fingernail. "I have got a lot of work to do..."
"Oh come on," Harry prompted and for the first time Pepper realized that their conversation had gradually gotten quieter. They were now speaking in almost a whisper, as if they talked louder the moment would disappear.
Suddenly, Lavender Brown stomped over, standing in front of Harry. "Excuse me," she said politely. "I was wondering if I could speak to you, Harry."
"Yes, Lavender?" Harry said, moving his hand away from where it was – close to Pepper's.
"I wanted to know if you'd like to go to Hogsmede with me," Lavender said.
Harry looked slightly amused. "Uh...sorry Lavender, I'm uh..." he stole a glance at Pepper, who was looking at Harry in a roundabout way so Lavender wouldn't see. "...I'm sort of going with Hermione, Ron and...um...Pepper."
Lavender narrowed her eyes. "Oh," she said curtly. "If you're sure then." She turned on her heel and was about to walk away when she coughed and Pepper could swear it sounded like Slut.
"You are going, right? To Hogsmede," Harry said to Pepper.
"Sure," said Pepper. "You know, we've got our first extra DADA lesson tomorrow. To tell you the truth, I'm sort of nervous."
"Don't be," Harry reassured her. "I actually taught a DADA club last year, it was fun. Plus, I took extra lessons with Snape last year, that's the worst it can get. You'll be fine. Besides, I'll be right there with you, so you won't be in it alone."
"Well thanks Harry. I guess I'll be hitting the books again, I've still got a lot of work to do. Thankfully I'm done with almost all of my makeup work but I'm taking the O.W.L.S. in three weeks, I've got to do a lot of studying. Hey...maybe Professor Ardel will give me a break..." she trailed off, wandering up the stone steps to the girls' dormitories.
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Chapter 9
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Pepper bled more than once that September as she watched Harry, Ron and Hermione's friendship. Hermione had begun being cordial to Pepper once again, though she wasn't near as friendly as she had been, and Harry was talking to her by the last week of the month, but Ron wouldn't say a word to her.
The Ravenclaw table had become a favorite spot of Pepper's, she didn't sit at the Gryffindor table anymore at mealtimes, and Luna was having conversations with her. Pepper once wondered briefly if it was against the rules to do this, but if it was, then no one said anything to her.
Her teachers informed her that she needed to start studying for her O.W.L.S., for she was to take them next month. They gave her all the materials she needed, and a few times she was glad she didn't have any friends because she spent all her free time studying.
She wrote to her aunts about most of the things that were happening and they replied. She had a great desire to talk to her mother or father, and when she realized she couldn't do that, she cried for hours at a time and sometimes tried to relive that pain, too. The scrapbook of her mother's and the picture of her mother and father she had in her bedside table drawer helped her from not running away or finishing her life, but it didn't keep her from the compass.
One afternoon at the start of a free period, Pepper was in the common room when Professor McGonagall, the Head of Gryffindor House, walked in and came over to her. "Excuse me, Miss Halliwell," the old witch said, addressing Pepper.
Pepper looked up from her book. "Yes, Professor McGonagall?"
"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you and Mr. Potter in his office," the Professor informed her.
While Pepper put her books away Professor McGonagall went and pulled Harry away from his talk with his two best friends. She then left the common room, telling the two to go straight there, and that Pepper knew the password. So, Harry and Pepper started the long, and uncomfortable, walk to Dumbledore's office. Harry thought about saying something a few times, but never opened his mouth. Pepper, however, didn't want to say anything; she was just worried about what the Headmaster wanted.
"I'm not mad," Harry said finally. "I think I was at first, but then it wore off... but I'm loyal to Hermione, she's been one of my best friends for a while..."
"You're not mad," Pepper repeated. "You haven't been mad for a while. You- you..." She wanted to say "You made me hurt myself for no reason, then," but she didn't.
"No, I haven't been mad for a while. I think I may have gotten used to you being smart, a part of me says it's good to have someone outdo Hermione, though don't tell her I said that," he said.
"You – " Pepper couldn't get the words out of her mouth. She wanted Harry to know he'd caused her pain. So much pain she had to inflict more on herself. She wanted to cry and scream and hit him.
"I'm not so sure Hermione's too jealous or miffed anymore either," Harry continued. "I think she just wants to be. She's just so used to being the best."
Pepper's fists clenched. Hermione wasn't mad either and hadn't been. For how long hadn't she been mad? Since before the last time Pepper used her own compass to carve her arm? Or had it been since before that, when Pepper took the metal point to her torso? Pepper suddenly wanted to cause them as much pain as they caused her. She waved her hand sideways at Harry and watched as he stopped walking in mid-step. Satisfied that he would be frozen for a while, she headed towards the raven statue by herself. She said the password and waited patiently for the spiral staircase to appear before climbing to the top of it and entering the Headmaster's office. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore," she said as she walked in.
He looked up from his desk and smiled at her. "Aah, Miss Halliwell. Where is Mr. Potter?" he asked.
Pepper hadn't even thought about what the Headmaster would do when he found out she froze Harry. Though, she supposed he should be unfrozen by now. "I...um..." Pepper began. "I got mad at him and...I froze him with my natural power."
Dumbledore looked slightly amused before saying, "Miss Halliwell could I ask you not to freeze any of the students, or the teachers for that matter. You see, you have an advantage over them, as you have natural powers."
"Yes, Headmaster," Pepper said dejectedly. "It's just – "
Dumbledore waited for her to continue, but her words disappeared in her mouth. "Yes, Miss Halliwell?" he prompted. "Was there something you'd like to say?"
Pepper shook her head. "Never mind, I'll just go find Harry then, and we'll come back together," she said, and turned to leave the office. She didn't have to walk far, as Harry was just at the end of the corridor. "Where'd you go?" he asked, puzzled. Pepper didn't answer him, she was afraid of what would come out of her mouth when she opened it, so she just fell in step with Harry until they reached the statue again. The password was said and they climbed the stair, arriving in the office once again.
The old wizard motioned for them to sit, and so they did, facing his desk and waiting for what he had to say. "I'm as Harry already told you, Miss Halliwell, he's been up against Lord Voldemort, who is determined to take over the wizarding world for the second time. Harry might have also told you about the Prophecy in which either he or Voldemort must perish."
Harry wondered why he was here, if Dumbledore was just telling Pepper things Harry already knew, and that he'd told Pepper.
"Harry, you may believe you shall face Voldemort again this year, in which case I think you will be correct in believing, and that your friends will once again be by your side. Miss Halliwell will be included in your group, as you also may suspect. One thing I'm sure neither of you are aware of is that Miss Halliwell possesses great power."
Both Pepper and Harry were shocked by this news. Pepper questioned how she could have so much power when she didn't even know about it. Her aunts had never told her anything...She didn't think either of her parents had been all that powerful...
"Now Miss Halliwell, I'm sure you are wondering why you acquire so much power, so I will tell you to the best of my ability. I believe that it is because your mother was a very strong witch, being a "Charmed" one, and though your father did not wield too much power, he was in a powerful Pureblood family and with you having blood from two different magical "worlds," shall we say, your strength was doubled. As a result, when you face Voldemort, you shall face him together, and hopefully you will be victorious." Dumbledore paused for a minute, giving the two students time to process this information. "To make sure you are both fully prepared, you shall be getting extra Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. You may talk to Professor Ardel to work out a schedule for these lessons. I believe you both have Herbology next, I will not keep Professor Sprout waiting. Good day," Dumbledore ended with a smile, dismissing Harry and Pepper.
Once back into the corridor, on their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Pepper swore.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, but Pepper just swore some more. "What?" Harry repeated, only to be answered by more cursing. "What!"
"Don't you even talk to me," Pepper responded, narrowing her eyes angrily and walking ahead of Harry. "I've got too much work to begin with, and now to learn I'm powerful and have extra lessons and more work! And you and your friends haven't been helping much, might I add. You know how shitty I feel right now? I don't know if I should have even come here to begin with." Pepper was surprised that those words had actually come out of her mouth. She realized that she'd been thinking them for some time now, but it was just something nagging at the back of her mind, she didn't think she really meant them. Perhaps she was just trying to make Harry feel guilty...
"I'm sorry, Pepper...it's just you made Hermione mad and of course I had to be on her side...even if I didn't agree with her – "
"But you did," Pepper said, cutting him off. "I know you did. That's alright," she lied, "I'd just wish you'd told me when you weren't mad anymore then I might not have..." She caught herself at the last minute.
"Might not have what?" Harry asked, perplexity apparent in his tone.
"I might not have..." Pepper tried to think quickly. "I might not have felt so lonely all this time." Harry didn't look too convinced, but didn't press the matter any more.
By the beginning of October, Pepper and Harry became friends again, and Hermione was making conversations with Pepper. Even Ron began to talk to her, though it wasn't as much or as relaxed as before. Pepper bit her tongue every time she wanted to yell at one of them for making her hurt herself, and she didn't let any of it slip. They fell back into their old habits of friendship and Hermione once again helped Pepper with her large amount of work and studying for her O.W.L.S. Pepper started to perk up and she didn't even think about her compass for days, she was too focused on keeping her found again friends and studying.
Harry set up a schedule for their extra Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, (which they hadn't told anyone about), and they were to meet with Professor Ardel from one to two thirty in the afternoon every Sunday.
Piper, Paige, Phoebe and Leo were writing Pepper excessively, wanting to know every excruciating detail of Hogwarts and Pepper's friends. Pepper told them almost everything, though she left out the part about the horrible fight, the overwhelming amounts of work and her self-mutilation. They made sure to remind her in every letter that she was coming home for Christmas, whether she liked it or not.
"Pepper," Harry said that Friday night. "I've got my next Quidditch practice tomorrow, if you'd like to come."
"Alright," Pepper said, looking up from her book. "What time? I'll have to set my alarm."
"Seven A.M.," Harry said, sitting next to Pepper on the common room couch. "It's early for a Saturday, not that you haven't been getting up early anyways on the weekends with all that work..."
"Not seven o' clock early, though. I'll still come, I want to see people flying on broomsticks, sounds...stereotypical."
"Stereotypical?" Harry asked, eyebrow cocked.
"Yea, you know how witches fly on broomsticks in books and television shows and things? Well, they don't exactly play Quidditch on them...but they fly on them. I just think it's cool that you can actually do that. I never thought you could fly on a broom. Could you take me on yours tomorrow?" Pepper asked after her ranting.
"Yea, sure. That way you'll know if you should've bought that broom in Diagon Alley," Harry smiled. "So hopefully you'll hate it. Oh, you know the first Hogsmede trip is next weekend."
"I'm not sure if I'll be able to go, I've still got a lot of work to do."
"Oh come on, it'll be fun. You need to give yourself a break Pepper you deserve one. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone work as hard as you've been for three weeks straight," Harry prompted. "Please?" he added with a slight pout.
"We'll see," Pepper laughed. "Just don't pout ever again," she said and got up to go to her dormitory. "Meet you here at six thirty!"
"Six thirty," Harry confirmed. Pepper saluted him then went made her way up the stairs to her dorm. She stopped at the door when she heard two voices inside. It was Lavender and Parvati.
"I'm planning to ask him to go to Hogsmede with me tomorrow," a voice (Pepper guessed it was Lavender's, she'd learned to tell their voices apart in the past four weeks), came from inside the room.
"You think he'll say yes?" came Parvati's voice.
"I hope so," Lavender said.
"But he's been ogling Pepper lately, don't you think? In classes he just stares at her and they've been flirting. What if he's asked her to Hogsmede already?" said Parvati.
Me and Harry flirting? Pepper asked herself. No, she thought, we haven't been flirting. Does he really stare at me in class? And did he just ask me to Hogsmede? No, he couldn't have, Pepper reassured herself. He, Ron and Hermione go together, he was just inviting me along, right? Right.
"You're not serious, are you Parvati?" Lavender asked from inside the dormitory, bring Pepper back to reality. "Why would he be interested in her? She's just a smart aleck bookworm."
"I don't know," Parvati answered, "That's just what I've seen."
Pepper decided this would be a good time to walk in, she didn't really want to hear anymore of this ludicrous conversation; it was confusing her. As the door squeaked open Lavender and Parvati shut up and pretended to be asleep.
Pepper changed, set her alarm and then got into bed herself. She couldn't wait to get on a broomstick tomorrow. She'd never been higher off the ground then about three feet – when she was in her bed. And from what Hermione had told her about Harry and Quidditch, Pepper gathered that he was one of the best players in the school. Best Seeker on any of the four teams, by far, is what she gathered. He'd even beaten Malfoy – he was the Slytherin Seeker, Hermione said. Hermione told her he'd started playing on the Gryffindor team when he was in First Year and that was against the rules, but he'd been such a good flyer Professor McGonagall put him on the team. Ron was on the team, also, Pepper had heard. He was the Keeper and had won them the Quidditch Cup last year. Though Hermione said Ron wasn't nearly as good at flying as Harry was.
With thoughts of flying, Pepper finally fell asleep.
Her alarm woke her at six fifteen and begrudgingly she got out of bed and into the shower. Still half asleep, she got dressed and went down to the common room, where Harry and Ron were in their practice robes, standing with their brooms. "Hurry up," Ron urged as Pepper came down the stairs.
"I'm coming," Pepper groaned, trying to stay awake.
Harry and Ron led her down onto the Quidditch pitch, where the rest of the Gryffindor team was already waiting. "Pepper wanted to watch," Harry told the rest of the team. "Is that alright?"
A girl with braids in her hair said it was okay if Pepper was to watch, as long as she didn't distract anyone. Harry whispered to Pepper that she was Angelina, the captain of the team.
Pepper went and sat on the side of the pitch to watch the Quidditch practice. She didn't want to be in the way and didn't intend to be, just in case she wanted to come to future practices. The team mounted their brooms and the captain opened a crate that contained four balls. Everyone but Angelina pushed their feet off the ground, causing the brooms to rise. "Higher, Harry!" she girl called into the air as she pulled a tiny ball from the wooden crate. Harry rose higher into the air until Angelina opened her hand to let the ball go. Pepper caught sight of a tiny gold ball before it went zooming off. Angelina let the other balls go. Two flew straight into the air and two of the players went after the balls while she got on her broom with the fourth ball. Once she was in the air she began throwing the ball to other players. "Go Harry!" she yelled and Harry began flying very fast, Pepper assumed he was looking for the little gold ball.
Angelina had Ron go to one end of the pitch where there were three circular hoops on poles. Then she and the other two people that weren't hitting the two black balls around began tossing the fourth ball back and forth and trying to get it through one of the hoops Ron was guarding. Pepper watched with great interest, thinking about how it would feel to be playing that. She couldn't wait to get on Harry's broom.
She was brought back to her senses when Harry stopped his broom a few feet in front of her, though he was still in the air. "Seen the Snitch?" he asked.
"You mean the little gold ball?" Pepper asked. He nodded. "Nope, sorry." Harry flew away again.
So that's what he has to do, Pepper thought, catch that tiny ball. She was glad she wasn't a Seeker.
An hour and a half later, Quidditch practice was over and the Gryffindor team landed on the ground, panting and out of breath. Pepper was ready with cups of water for them from the cooler by the shower room and she handed them each a glass when they approached the showers. Each of them panted their thanks and then went into the shower room or sat on the bench where the cooler was located. Pepper stood there, wanting to ask Harry if he could take her on his broom yet, but she thought he'd say something when he was ready to do that.
"Let me take a shower then I'll take you flying," Harry said, finishing his water and heading off to shower.
Over the next fifteen minutes the team dispersed and Harry finally came out of the showers. He picked up his broom and grabbed Pepper's hand, leading her out onto the middle of the field. "Put your leg over the broom..." he instructed her and she did so, getting on behind him. "Now hold on to me." She hesitantly put her arms around Harry's middle - that was her only choice since the broom handle wasn't very big. "Ready? We're going up," he said and gently kicked his feet off the ground.
They rose a few feet in the air and gradually went higher. Pepper clutched on to Harry tighter as they rose higher and higher and finally Harry stopped the broom from moving. They were dangling thirty feet in the air, the wind pushing them a little. "Ready to fly?" Harry asked Pepper. She nodded and then said, "Yes," when she realized Harry couldn't see her nod.
Harry leaned forward on the broom and they went forward in the air. He started out slowly so Pepper could get used to moving and then went faster. Pepper clutched Harry's middle but then relaxed her grip when she found she liked flying. She liked it a lot. "Can this thing go faster?" she asked Harry over the sound of rushing wind in her ears.
"Of course," Harry said and made the broom accelerate.
Pepper let out a squeak of glee. "This is great!" she exclaimed.
"I know!" Harry yelled back.
They flew around the Quidditch pitch for a good twenty minutes before Harry slowed down and finally landed. Pepper tumbled off the broom and tried to catch her balance, she still felt like she was moving. "That was so cool," she said. "Can I try riding it by myself?"
Harry looked hesitant. "How about you ride in front but I'm still on the broom, just in case you're about to crash or something," he said.
"Okay," Pepper said brightly. Harry handed her the broom and she mounted it, Harry getting on behind her. He held onto her waist lightly and she pushed her feet off of the ground. They shot up into the air. Pepper let out a squeal and Harry had to let go of her waist to pull the broom up a little, making it slow down and stop. "Sorry," Pepper squeaked out.
"'S'all right," Harry said, though he was a bit frazzled himself. "Keep going, it's all right."
Pepper tentatively leaned forward, causing the Firebolt to move. Harry helped her steer it and helped move it faster by putting his arms by her middle, his hands on top of hers. To do this, he had to move closer to her, and their faces were almost side-by-side.
"I suck!" Pepper yelled.
"I know!" Harry yelled back.
"Meanie!" Pepper said.
"Thanks!" Harry yelled, pushing the broom handle down so that the broom would travel back to the ground. They dismounted and Pepper caught her balance again.
"I like flying," she concluded, "but I need practice at it."
"You sure do," Harry answered, causing Pepper to chuckle a little bit. There was a stretch of silence, where neither could think of something to say and yet they didn't move. They just stood there, facing each other until Harry began to lean forward. Pepper started to lean in too, but thought better of it and turned her head away.
"I-I think we should go back inside, I bet we can still catch breakfast," Pepper said nervously. The two walked back to the castle in silence, though they both opened their mouths more than once to say something, words failed them.
They entered the Great Hall to find Ron and Neville at the Gryffindor table, eating and playing Wizard's chess. Pepper and Harry each sat on a different side of Ron.
"How was flying?" Ron asked Pepper as Neville took out one of his pawns.
"Um...fun, but I'm not too good at it," Pepper answered.
"We almost flew out of the atmosphere," said Harry with a slightly hollow laugh.
"Well, I'm going to go back to the common room, I've still got loads of work to do," Pepper announced, getting up and making her way back to the common room.
She found Hermione there, sitting at a table and doing her Arithmancy report. Hermione and the dozen or so others in the room looked up when they heard the portrait open but only Hermione waved to Pepper before turning back to her work. Pepper walked over and sat down next to Hermione. She debated telling the other girl about the incident with Harry in the Quidditch pitch, and then decided she needed to tell someone.
"What's up?" Hermione asked, not looking up from her writing.
"Can I ask you something important?" Pepper wondered. Hermione put down her quill and looked at Pepper.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Sort of," Pepper said. "You know how I went to watch Quidditch practice this morning – " Hermione nodded. "– well, after everyone left Harry took me up on his broom and flew me around and I loved it. So then I asked if he would let me fly it, and he did, but I was horrible, so Harry helped me out a bit by...well, by getting closer to me, putting his hands on mine and putting his head right next to me...then we landed and we almost...he leaned in to...kiss me."
Hermione's eyes went wide, and her mouth flopped open. "You didn't kiss him, did you?" she hissed.
"No, I didn't. I turned my head away almost at the last minute. It was just so weird! Do you think he likes me?" Pepper asked confusedly.
"He must fancy you, mustn't he? He tried to kiss you, Pepper, Ron hasn't even tried to do that to me. I wonder if I should try kissing him though, maybe then our relationship would actually get somewhere..." Hermione wondered. "Well, do you fancy Harry, then?"
"I don't know," Pepper said. "I mean, I really like him, he's been a great friend the past month, he's helped me out a lot...showed me around and things, but I don't know if I have those kind of feelings for him. I think I should talk to him...see... I don't know, see something. Maybe I should kiss him and distinguish my feelings, if I like him as a friend or like him like..."
"Fancy him," Hermione corrected. "That might be a good idea, though if you kiss him and he doesn't feel anything it might give him the wrong impression. Unless you explain to him, 'I'm going to kiss you just to see if I feel anything for you,' which I'm not sure will go over too well. I do think you should talk to him. Perhaps I'll talk to Ron, too. I really want something to happen with him. I know he fancies me and I fancy him so what's the problem? I don't think there is one, and if he's too scared to talk to me, then I'll talk to him," Hermione said, finishing the conversation with herself.
"I wonder if Harry's told Ron," Pepper thought aloud.
"Well we're about to find out," said Hermione, gesturing towards the common room entrance. "Here they come." Pepper and Hermione bent their heads back down, not wanting the boys to know they were discussing them.
"What should I do?" Pepper whispered to Hermione. "There are too many people here to talk in private." She glanced around the room. "I could take him over to the couch, I suppose, it's not too crowded over there."
"Go for it," Hermione whispered back. "I'm going to talk to Ron. Hey, I could take Ron over to the couch and, knowing Harry, he'll come over here to you, I'm sure he'll want to talk." Pepper nodded and Hermione got up, walking over to the two boys. Pepper saw the other girl lead Ron to the middle of the common room and Pepper beckoned Harry over shyly.
Harry sat down in the chair next to Pepper and neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, Pepper said, "I suppose you told Ron, then."
"Yes, and I guess you told Hermione," said Harry.
Pepper smiled a bit and nodded. "Harry...I was wondering...what was that, out on the Quidditch pitch?"
Harry didn't answer for a while. "I like you, Pepper," he said at last.
"Harry, you're a great friend," Pepper began, "but I'm not sure if I feel that way about you..." She wanted to tell him she wanted to kiss him, just to see how she felt, but decided against it.
"Oh," Harry muttered, looking at the table.
"I'm not really sure how I can figure it out, either..." Pepper said. Except to kiss you, she though of saying again, but didn't.
"I can think of a way," Harry said, and leaned in closer to Pepper's face. The last thing Pepper thought before Harry's lips met hers was, I'm glad I didn't have to say it.
The kiss wasn't very deep, but Pepper enjoyed it and it was enough to make her realize she did, in fact, have feelings for Harry. Pepper was smiling when they both pulled away and she bit the side of her lip.
"Is that a yes, then?" Harry asked.
"I'd say so," Pepper said. "You know," she added, "I think you're my first crush. And that was my first kiss."
"Really?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows and smiling a sideways sort of smile. "That...well that wasn't mine," he finished lamely.
"Kiss or crush?" Pepper asked.
"Well...both," Harry said. "Would you like to go on a walk? Around the lake or something?"
"I don't know," Pepper said, looking down at the table and picking at the finish with her fingernail. "I have got a lot of work to do..."
"Oh come on," Harry prompted and for the first time Pepper realized that their conversation had gradually gotten quieter. They were now speaking in almost a whisper, as if they talked louder the moment would disappear.
Suddenly, Lavender Brown stomped over, standing in front of Harry. "Excuse me," she said politely. "I was wondering if I could speak to you, Harry."
"Yes, Lavender?" Harry said, moving his hand away from where it was – close to Pepper's.
"I wanted to know if you'd like to go to Hogsmede with me," Lavender said.
Harry looked slightly amused. "Uh...sorry Lavender, I'm uh..." he stole a glance at Pepper, who was looking at Harry in a roundabout way so Lavender wouldn't see. "...I'm sort of going with Hermione, Ron and...um...Pepper."
Lavender narrowed her eyes. "Oh," she said curtly. "If you're sure then." She turned on her heel and was about to walk away when she coughed and Pepper could swear it sounded like Slut.
"You are going, right? To Hogsmede," Harry said to Pepper.
"Sure," said Pepper. "You know, we've got our first extra DADA lesson tomorrow. To tell you the truth, I'm sort of nervous."
"Don't be," Harry reassured her. "I actually taught a DADA club last year, it was fun. Plus, I took extra lessons with Snape last year, that's the worst it can get. You'll be fine. Besides, I'll be right there with you, so you won't be in it alone."
"Well thanks Harry. I guess I'll be hitting the books again, I've still got a lot of work to do. Thankfully I'm done with almost all of my makeup work but I'm taking the O.W.L.S. in three weeks, I've got to do a lot of studying. Hey...maybe Professor Ardel will give me a break..." she trailed off, wandering up the stone steps to the girls' dormitories.