This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.

I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.


It wasn't long before Dumbledore made it down to them, though it felt like an age as they waited in the biting wind, and as Harry had expected Dumbledore's expression hardened the moment his gaze fell upon the necklace.

They were in Dumbledore's office now, thankfully sheltered from the wind and able to warm up after the horrors of what they had experienced. Katie's friend, who was apparently a seventh year Hufflepuff by the name of Leanne, was no longer with them, having been met by Professor Sprout in the Entrance Hall into whose arms she had broken down, crying.

Meanwhile Harry, Ron and Hermione had continued onwards with the Headmaster to where they stood just now, having just finished telling Dumbledore their story.

"I see," said Dumbledore. His eyes fell upon the necklace lying on his desk, the item, most definitely cursed, having been transported there by the psychic powers of Dumbledore's Alakazam. "And none of you have seen this necklace before, or indeed seen a suspicious package before it found its way into the hands of Ms Bell?" Harry, Ron and Hermione shook their heads.

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said cautiously. "Do you know what happened to Katie? How she might have ended up with the package?" Dumbledore shook his head.

"I can merely guess," he told them. "Though from what you've told me I can make a few deductions. For example, this expressionless look you described on Ms Bell. What you've told me sounds an awful lot like the sort of mind control certain ghost type Pokémon are capable of."

"So you think it was a ghost Pokémon?" Ron said eagerly. "Maybe a rogue Azkaban Dusknoir?"

"But where would a Dusknoir get a necklace like that?" Hermione interjected. "For that there must have been some sort of human involvement." Dumbledore was nodding in agreement.

"Quite right," he told them. "You won't have known this but I was aware of this necklace's existence. It was on sale at a shady establishment just off Diagon Alley by the name of Borgin and Burkes. I had thought it was still there but it appears as though my information may be outdated."

"Who do you think bought it?" Harry asked.

"Who exactly, I don't know, but I can only assume that they did so in the name of Lord Voldemort." Ron flinched noticeably. Hermione shuddered.

"I believe the sequence of events would have gone something like this," Dumbledore hypothesised. "One of Voldemort's followers, perhaps on his orders or in an effort to curry favour, would lie in wait in a safe place, the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks, for example, and would look for the opportune moment to catch a student off guard, ensnaring that student in their ghost Pokémon's spell, and instructing said student to deliver this package up to the castle, and, I presume, to me."

Dumbledore looked up, fixing them all with a firm gaze.

"It is my belief that Ms Bell will recover, though it will take time," Dumbledore told them. "But what you should take away from what happened here today is that you must keep your guard up. I may have to issue a cancellation for future Hogsmeade visits but for now you would do well to live by Professor Moody's old adage. Constant Vigilance."


The fate of Katie Bell had the whole of Hogwarts shook. No one knew the full story, Harry had been asked many questions on the subject, but the general consensus was that this was all part of a scheme by Lord Voldemort. For the first month or so the war had seemed to leave Hogwarts be but now the students were given a harsh reminder of just what was going on outside the castle walls.

For Harry things were especially difficult. Even with being one of the few in the know as far as the attack on Katie was concerned there was still no news on exactly who had passed Katie the parcel, or how they had managed to do so without being seen.

On top of all that Harry was left with the additional challenge of dealing with the approaching Quidditch season. Their first game was just two weeks after the attack and it was against Hufflepuff, which was fortunate as the house of yellow and black were rarely found anywhere other than last place in the standings, with the sole exception of when Cedric Diggory had captained the side. Harry was quietly confident going into the game, especially as the new members of his team proved themselves committed, talented, and hungry for success.

However, the loss of Katie, currently lying in a hospital bed in St Mungo's, had thrown a wrench into Harry's plans. Not only was she to be missed, the only experienced Chaser left on the team, but without her everyone else's confidence had taken a real hit.

For Ron and Ginny it wasn't a big deal. After dealing with everything that happened around him on a yearly basis both of them were made of much tougher stuff and wouldn't be shaken by something as simple as a teammate almost dying. The same could be said with Dean and Seamus, although to a lesser extent, with Seamus in particular stepping up to the plate, Infernape proving to be a worthy successor to Angelina's Lopunny. Jimmy Peakes was improving every day and it appeared that Demelza Robins was a good fit for the team.

The only problem was Anna. During tryouts it had been difficult to tell if her Aipom or Demelza's Mienfoo was the better player. As it turned out the competition wasn't as close as Harry had originally thought. Still, Anna wasn't necessarily bad, and though her Aipom was more naturally a Striker it was doing a decent job of adjusting to Hitmontop's Facilitator role. The only problem was her trainer's nerves.

Anna was a shy girl. She'd shown it at tryouts and that hadn't necessarily changed, though she did seem to steadily be warming to the team. However, as the day of the first match drew nearer, she grew progressively more quiet and by the time of their last practice session, the night before the match, she looked positively ill.

Harry endeavoured to talk to her.

"Anna," he said, jogging up towards her as the Chasers begin to cool down with a simple passing drill. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" The girl looked petrified, Harry could only imagine what was going through her head, but she nodded and allowed Harry to lead her away from the playing field.

Nearing the stands Harry stopped, far enough away to be out of earshot of the rest of the team, and turned to look at her. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Anna mumbled, not meeting his eye.

"Are you sure?" Harry pressed. "You've just been really quiet recently. I thought something might be the matter." Anna stayed silent.

"It's alright if you're nervous," Harry told her. Immediately Anna turned to look at him. "Everyone is, especially that first time. I certainly was." Slowly Anna nodded her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Harry asked. Unsurprisingly Anna shook her head, averting her eyes once more. Anna never did want to talk.

"You'll be fine," Harry assured her. "You're a good player and we've got your back. And believe me, once the game's started you won't even notice the crowd anymore." Anna was nodding her head but it was just a little too obvious that she did not believe a word he said.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," Harry changed tack. Anna's eyes shot up. "If you don't feel ready just tell me. I won't force you to go out there if that's not what you want to do."

Anna's eyes glittered with tears and she could not have looked more relieved, and grateful. But there was a dark shadow in her eyes.

"Sorry," she whispered, her voice weak, overcome with emotion. A tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I couldn't…" but Harry called her short.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he assured her. "If you're not ready you're not ready, there's nothing wrong with that."

"But the team -"

"I'll deal with it," Harry assured her. "It's not a problem." Anna sniffed tearfully.

"Why don't you head on up to the castle," Harry suggested. "Get up to your dorm room, maybe grab a shower, and get a good night's sleep, okay."

Anna nodded. "Okay." Harry gave her a warm smile.

"Good girl," he said, patting her shoulder. "Now on you go. I'll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast."

Anna nodded, giving him a watery smile, before she glanced back to the pitch. Her Aipom, having been watching from a distance, hurried towards her and, looking relieved, Anna headed back up to the castle, Aipom hitched up upon her shoulder.

Harry turned to the rest of the team.

"Alright, let's wrap this up," he called out and the Pokémon and people on the pitch stopped what they were doing and turned to him. From up high Talonflame swooped down to land gracefully on his shoulder.

"That was a good practice," he told the assembled team members encouragingly. "I know things haven't been easy, I know you all wish things were better, but this team is really coming along. We've got a lot more work to do if we want to win the cup but we're good enough now to give Hufflepuff a good game. Now all of you head back, get a decent night's rest, and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."

There were a few mutterings in return, his team saying their goodnights and beginning to wander off, but Harry pulled one team member aside.

"Dean," he said, grabbing the boy's attention as he made to walk out with Seamus. "Can I have a quick word?"

Dean looked at him before turning to Seamus and waving him on ahead. "What's up?" He asked.

"I'm going to have Jimmy play this match," Harry told him. Dean looked disappointed but not surprised. "I might need Glalie to help against Malfoy or Cho but Braviary is better against Chasers and Beaters and we really need all the help we can get on that front."

"Makes sense," Dean muttered dispiritedly. "I kind of expected you to say this. Why else would you pull me aside?"

"I've actually got something else to talk to you about," Harry interjected quickly. "Something I need your help on." Dean frowned.

"Go on." Harry sighed.

"Anna's not ready," Harry told him. "She's terrified of the big occasion, being out there in front of the whole school."

"She has been extra quiet recently," Dean acknowledged.

"Well, she's not going to be playing," Harry told him. "I talked to her and said she didn't have to if she wasn't ready and she took me up on the offer. But now that means we're a Chaser short."

"You want me to fill in?" Dean asked, aghast. "Harry, I don't know anything about being a Chaser."

"You know more than anyone else I can ask," Harry told him. "Listen, it's not very complicated. The role we need is the facilitator, we've got the allrounder and striker in Infernape and Mienfoo, and against Hufflepuff that won't be too difficult, their Chasers aren't very good. All we need is a Pokémon that is willing to sit back as Infernape and Mienfoo attack and be ready to disrupt any counterattacks. We need someone reliable, and you're the most reliable guy I know." Dean sucked in a breath.

"Alright, I'll do it," he said, to Harry's immense relief. "I'll use Hariyama. He's not the most mobile but…"

"He doesn't have to be," Harry assured him. "With Ron in goal they won't be scoring much anyway and with Ginny causing havoc with their Chasers I don't see Hufflepuff posing much of a threat. Anything Hariyama can contribute, even if it's just the smallest thing, will be an added bonus."

"Alright," Dean said. "Alright, I think I can manage that." He let out a breath. "Well, I suppose I've got a big day tomorrow. See you later, Harry." And he walked off towards the castle.

"So Dean's playing Chaser?" Ron was the last person left on the pitch, his arms heavy with a large pile of training cones he must have picked up while waiting for Harry to finish speaking.

"Yeah," Harry said tiredly. "With Hariyama."

"And you let Anna off the hook."

"Well, she was terrified," Harry said defensively. "She probably would have passed out if I'd forced her to play."

"She'll need to learn to deal with the nerves sometime, you know," Ron pointed out as they headed towards the locker room. "Dean's a short term fix and even if Katie makes it back in time for the next match she'll be gone by the end of the year."

"I know, I know," Harry said tiredly. "But just… give her time. She's shy and things like this are going to be much more difficult for her than they are for us." Harry glanced up at the castle. "Give me that, I'll put it away. We'll need you at your best tomorrow."

"You too," Ron pointed out, though he still divested himself of the cones. "We can all pretend all we want but if we're going to win the cup this year it's going to come down to you… you and him." Ron nodded to Talonflame still perched on Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at him too.

"Why don't you head on up, get a head start on your rest," Harry told the fire and flying type. Talonflame made a small noise of agreement before he took off, spreading his wings wide as he soared majestically off towards the castle.

Ron made his leave too. "See you, Harry."

"See you, Ron," Harry replied and, as Ron headed out of the stadium, Harry walked into the changing rooms.

It was empty, not a Gryffindor in sight, though as Harry entered he could hear the showers running, suggesting that at least one member of his team had not yet made the trip back up to the castle.

Ignoring this for the time being Harry moved over to the supply closet. Slipping a key from his pocket he unlocked it, opening it up. Absently he noted that the sound of the shower had stopped.

"Oh."

Harry turned around. "Oh."

Ginny stood before him and, for the first time since she had kissed him at the end of last year, they were alone. For so long Harry had hoped to catch her in a moment like this, hoped to finally have the chance to talk to her about what had happened, but at this precise moment in time there was a far more pressing matter that required his attention.

Ginny was almost completely naked.

Harry flushed deeply and Ginny seemed just as embarrassed. She must not have heard him come in or expected anyone to be there. Her long hair, dark from the water after having just walked out of the shower, hung over her shoulder as droplets of water ran down her exposed neck and chest, coming to a stop as they met the only fabric she had to cover herself, the towel she had wrapped around her which she was now holding on to dangerously tight.

"Ah," Harry said dumbly. "Er, sorry, I, uh…" He had no idea what to say.

Ginny seemed equally as stuck. "Sorry," she muttered, her voice very low and her face red. "I didn't think anyone was here."

"Uh, yes," Harry stammered. "Eh, I was just… the training supplies…" He gestured lamely to the cones beside him.

An awkward silence fell.

"Listen," Harry said eventually, his brain finally starting to click into gear. "I know this is… but… we need to talk." He glanced away bashfully. "Do you want to perhaps… get dressed. Then we can, you know, talk. I think we need that."

Ginny nodded slightly. Whether she realised that constantly avoiding him wasn't a solution or simply caved to the fact that she had no way of getting out of the predicament she currently found herself in Harry didn't know. Either way she gathered up her clothes from her locker and disappeared back into the showers.

Letting out a long breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding Harry turned back to the cupboard. He finally put the cones away, and closed and locked the cupboard door. He closed his eyes and sighed.

She's Ron's sister, he told himself as he focused hard on his breathing. She's Ron's sister. Funnily enough thinking of Ron was a great deal of help in keeping any impure thoughts on Ginny safely out of reach.

The soft ruffle of fabric broke through Harry's thoughts and he turned quickly. Ginny had returned, fully dressed now and standing in the doorway to the showers, the only evidence of her previous state being the towel she held in her grasp.

Like Harry it seemed she had used the time to gather herself.

Harry hesitated. Now that the moment was here he wasn't sure how to start.

"Sit down," he told her, gesturing to the benches. She did so without comment, oddly silent, and Harry gingerly lowered himself into the seat across from her.

He took a breath.

"Listen, we need to talk about what happened at the end of last year," Harry told her.

"I disagree," Ginny replied, steadfastly ignoring his gaze. "I don't think we need to talk about it at all."

"Well, you're wrong," Harry said bluntly. The force of his words caused Ginny to glance up at him. He sighed. With tired limbs he reached up and rubbed at his eyes.

"Listen, I know this isn't easy," he told her directly. "I know this is difficult to talk about. But clearly this is something we just have to deal with."

"Just ignore it," Ginny told him. "Just forget and ignore it."

"I would," Harry said honestly. "I would ignore it if I thought this was just some sort of accident that didn't mean anything. But ever since you kissed me you've been going out of your way to avoid me and that does not fit with the idea that this doesn't matter. You may like me, you may not, but something about this is bothering you and quite frankly I can't stand it. We're friends, Ginny, and since what happened we've barely said two words to each other. I can't take it, I can't stand by and let this go on. I miss you."

Silence fell as Harry's words reverberated around the room. Harry was glad to finally get this off his chest. Not being able to talk to anyone without giving away what had happened, his one talk with Remus being his only outlet, Harry had been forced to bury the issue deep inside him for the sake of privacy and he was gratefully to finally be able to speak his mind. And as he'd talked it became clear just how much this had been bothering him, far more than he'd realised, or allowed himself to believe.

Ginny remained quiet. She leaned over on the bench, head turned away, and her eyes seemed to be staring into space. It was clear that this was difficult for her, Harry could only think of her past crush and how embarrassing it must be to be reliving that all over again. But Harry knew that they had to talk, and moreover he knew that the more they understood each other the better things would be.

Harry leaned forward hesitantly.

"Ginny," he said, his voice soft. "I know this might be difficult but I need you to be honest with me." He imperceptibly noticed Ginny swallow. "Ginny, do you still like me?"

Ginny turned slowly. She looked up to face him, her chocolate brown eyes rising to meet his emerald green in an unblinking stare. Yet still she remained quiet.

"I don't care whether you say yes or no," Harry told her softly. "I only care that you tell me the truth."

Ginny continued to stare at him, unblinking, before she slowly began to shake her head.

"No," she whispered. Her voice was quiet, barely more than a breath, but her words were sure. "I don't still like you." Silence fell between them before Ginny dropped her head.

"I used to have a crush," she told him. "On the boy who lived. But I got over that, eventually. Then I got to know you, got to know your strengths and weaknesses, your goals and your morals. And then your godfather was killed and the killer was holding a knife to my throat and you had every right to lose control. But you didn't. You negotiated. You saved me, again. And after that I really had no choice."

Harry stayed silent. He watched as Ginny took in a ragged breath, her suffering obvious as she forced the words to come out, and he did not interrupt, even as the silence stretched on.

"I know this is stupid," Ginny muttered. "I promised myself I wouldn't be like this again. All through summer and since we've been back I've done my best to ignore you. I know if I just keep at it, keep ignoring this feeling, that it will pass. I just need a bit of time."

Harry hesitated as Ginny fell quiet. He knew what he wanted to say but saying it… saying it was tough. Harry took a breath.

"I'll give you all the time in the world," he promised her. "Whatever you need. But I'm worried… I think you might not be going about this the right way."

Ginny looked up. "What do you mean?"

Once again Harry hesitated. "I mean you are acting like this is just a crush, like before," he told her. "And I don't claim to know how you feel better than you do, I know I don't. But I do know you. And I don't think you are capable of a childish crush anymore. You've been through too much. We all have."

Ginny was quiet. She was still looking towards him, had not ducked her head, but her eyes stared off aimlessly into the space between them. Her mouth opened slightly, almost to her surprise, and her gaze sharpened once more. She looked at him.

"Do you like me?"

Harry hesitated. What could he say? Yet as Ginny's gaze burned into him he realised he'd asked her for the truth, and it would be unfair if he didn't show her the same curtesy.

"I don't know," he told her. Something imperceptible flickered in her gaze.

Harry glanced away, rubbing an arm tiredly over his forehead as he let out an exhausted sigh.

"Sorry," he muttered, glancing back at her. "I know it'd be easier if I could give you a definitive answer, one way or another, but the truth is I really don't know. I haven't had the chance… haven't let myself have the chance to think about it. With everything that's going on at the moment with Voldemort and the war and what happened with Sirius…" Harry swallowed, hard. "Personal romance has sort of taken a back seat."

It pained Harry to leave Ginny hanging like this, hating that he, if anything, was adding to her dilemma. Yet Ginny was nodding, her head moving ever so slightly up and down, and there was a look of understanding in her eyes.

"I'll try to work this out," he promised her, for she deserved at least that much. "I'll do my best to get a grip on what I'm feeling. And then we can work out what that means for us. In the meantime I just want things to go back to normal between us. I know they will eventually, we get along too well for it not to happen, but with the war and everything there really isn't time to waste. Your friendship is too valuable to me, Ginny, and I can't let something like this stand in the way."

Harry paused, examining Ginny's expression carefully. "Do you think we can be friends?" He asked.

Ginny's eyes watched him carefully, her face expressionless. Then there was a subtle curl of her lips, a small but genuine smile forming to put Harry's heart at ease.

"Yeah, I think we can manage," Ginny said, her small quirk transforming into a full blown smile which seemed to lighten up her whole face.

Harry let out a relieved sigh, a smile breaking out across his features too, as he felt his body relax.

"Well," he muttered with a nervous little chuckle, rising to his feet. "Eh, should we shake on it?"

Ginny grinned, rising to her feet and taking his offered hand. "Good talk, Captain," she told him, shaking firmly. Harry let out a disbelieving snort.

"When I was told I would be captain this year I can promise you I was not expecting to be having conversations like this," he replied.

"How naive," Ginny countered, smirking. "You've got two Weasleys on the team, after all."

"I guess Fred and George were so crazy I forgot how bad you and Ron could be," Harry commented, dropping her hand. "But on a more serious note I'm going to need you guys big time tomorrow."

"We know," Ginny told him. "We'll be there. You can count on us. And that goes for more than just Quidditch." Harry smiled gratefully.

"We should get up to the castle," Harry noted. "Ron's probably wondering what's taking me so long, and I'd not be setting a good example staying out late the night before a match."

"Probably not," Ginny agreed. "Well then, lead on."

The two of them walked up to the castle together in companionable silence, broken every so often with brief conversation before they reached the Gryffindor Common Room and split up to their respective dormitories.

Later, dressed in his pyjamas and lying in bed, waiting for sleep to claim him, Harry, for the first time in a while, felt at ease.


A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed and to everyone reading, Happy New Year!

As always let me know what you think and if you have any questions please let me know.

Until next time.