Happy birthday to Dahlia Avers, I realize this chapter is a little late, I really wanted to post it on your birthday and when I read your review on my phone but then I had major computer issues.
Harry is not working as an official auror in any capacity, he hasn't since Ginny's first year of school. He's simply the assistant Defense Professor, Dumbledore gave him the job to make it easier on he and Ginny. So hopefully that clears up the questions on his job.
Always feel free to ask any questions or voice any concerns.
Harry threw himself besides his sister in an empty seat in the Great Hall, they were the only two staff members present, so he didn't feel the need to sit straightly.
He slouched down in his chair, Heather shot him an amused glance, "Good thing McGonagalls not here."
Harry chuckled and imitated the scottish woman's voice, "Sit up! If you don't respect yourself enough to have some posture how will anyone respect you?"
Heather joined him in laughing as he reached forward to grab a piece of toast, yanking a bite out of it.
It was a nice morning, and for that he was glad since today were Ginny's Quidditch tryouts. He was watching a cloud move slowly outside the window when he turned it his head to find Ginny.
She was always so easy to spot at the Slytherin table with her unique, tomato red head of hair. She was sitting besides Gwen and...
"He's over there again!" Harry said, looking out into the hall to see Will Mason once again trying to squeeze himself in between Ginny and Gwen. He abruptly sat up, crossing his arms over his chest.
Heather shrugged glancing at him from behind her travel book, "He had the letters GW traced all over his transfiguration essay."
Harry looked very annoyed by that. "That's just—that's obsessive. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets violent when she refuses him."
Heather laughed at him, "He's a Ravenclaw Harry. They don't do violent."
Harry shook his head, "I just don't think it's healthy is all."
Heather who was now staring at the boy to see what Harry had been talking about. Will was just swinging his arm to put it around a clearly uncomfortable Ginny when he suddenly sprouted many nasty looking boils on his face.
The Slytherins quickly noticed and pointed it out to their class mates until the entire table was grinning at him.
This caused him, after being told by Gwen exactly what it was everyone was laughing at, to flee the hall.
Heather turned to see her brother pocketing his wand with a smirk plastered on his face. He seemed oblivious to the fact she was now looking at him.
"I saw that." She said, raising an eyebrow.
Harry turned, startled, thinking she had still been distracted.
"Saw what?" He asked innocently, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice has he slouched back to his previous posture in the chair.
She raised her eyebrow even higher, mimicking him by taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.
There was a moment of silence as they stared one another down.
"What—it's Quidditch tryouts today! She doesn't need to be bothered!" Harry said defensively, breaking the quiet.
"Yes of course...no one could fault your logic...and McGonagall thinks I'm bad!"
The first month of school passed quickly and uneventfully for Ginny.
Soon, it was Quidditch time is she wanted to play for Slytherin.
Ginny sat at breakfast, eating her usually large meal. She figured that eating less wouldn't really help her nerves so she might has well not be hungry.
Eating quickly and not wanting to talk very much, Ginny was thankful that her friends understood and didn't badger her.
She didn't stay for a long breakfast.
She drummed her fingers on her Nimbus 2003, the broom Harry had gotten her for Christmas two years ago.
She was happy she had decided to come to the field early, to give her some time by herself to fly a bit. The weather was clear and nice, with the first real cool breezes of fall that gave the air such a crisp taste.
She tossed her old quaffle from hand to hand, swinging it around her back and throwing it to fly and catch it herself.
However, time always went fast when she was in the air and soon the boys began to enter the pitch for try outs.
"Weasley, we're having Quidditch tryouts today—you'll have to go fly somewhere else." Perkins, a fifth year boy told her dismissively. He had always been rude but Ginny had never had very many dealings with him. He came from a middle class family, but was pureblooded making him one of the stragglers that was neither exclusively in the in-group of pure-bloods nor completely out of it.
"I know." Ginny responded. Landing lightly on her feet and standing with her broom in hand, waiting for the captain.
Perkins gave her a strange look but didn't say anything further.
Soon there were a lot more boys than just Perkins, most of them muttering about her. Some clearly saying loud comments that were not polite.
"All right—shut up you lot!" The Captain, Clifford Collins yelled as he walked onto the pitch, lugging the crate of balls with him. He himself was a pureblood, from an old family on his mother's side but a lesser one from his father's. However he was still recognized enough to have been afforded Captain, something one would have to be in the right crowd to achieve for the green and silver.
Everyone fell silent. Clifford looked around approvingly, his eyes lingering slightly on Ginny but he didn't comment. For that she was thankful.
"I expect the utmost effort and concentration while you on this pitch, if anyone here is incapable of that, leave now. I book no complaints, if anyone here has any, leave now. And my word is the final law, if any of you cannot abide by that, leave now." He said seriously. Ginny wondered how many times he must have rehearsed that.
It was all a little too dramatic for her taste.
"Chasers—you'll be up first, everyone trying out for that...well line up over here." He gestured towards the goals posts before he went to speak with the beaters about their role in the chaser tryouts. He himself was the seeker.
Ginny immediately walked over to where he had designated, ignoring the eye rolls and jeering.
"Ah—come on Collins, tell her to leave...she'll just get in the way! How can we try out with her here interfering." Albert Jones whined.
Ginny glared at him.
Collins thought a moment, looking at Ginny appraisingly, finally he said, "Play like she's a bloke, she gets hurt; then it was her own choice. Besides Jones—no whining, remember?" He shrugged referring to his opening speech.
There were some discontented muttering but Collins ignored it.
"Right, Dagworth, Wilkerson and Stephens...in the air!" He called out from his clipboard and trials began.
Ginny personally, in her not so modest opinion, thought she was better than the six boys who had tried out so far. Then again Hermione always did tell her she had a tendency to overestimate her abilities at times.
However when her turn came, Ginny could not deny the her nervousness. If she failed, the boys would only doubly sneer at her for trying.
"Weasley, Perkins and...Jones," Collins motioned them from where he was, high in the air on his broom.
Mounting her own broom, Ginny kicked off the ground a little too hard with all of her adrenaline, almost unseating herself.
Perkins and Jones smirked at each other upon seeing this, infuriating Ginny when she caught their expressions. She hovered in the air glaring at them as they in turn gave her indecipherable but certainly arrogant looks.
"Right...get on with it then!" Collins yelled impatiently.
Grabbing the quaffle from Philip Dagworth, Perkins began to fly to the goals with it where Heath Weatherford was playing keeper.
Ginny flew, waiting for the throw. She was open, Scott Kyle and Jacob Hunt were both guarding Perkins and Jones, while Dagworth seemed to just fly in-between them.
None of them were paying attention to her.
She went along with it for two plays, but after screaming for a pass and watching Perkins and Jones miss three shots, she had had enough.
Flying right over to Jones she knocked the ball out of his grip with a punch, catching it on the tips of her fingers as he dropped it. He had an incorrect hold on it anyways.
She then turned sharply, ducking a bludger and rolling as she began to streak towards the goals.
Dagworth however, was waiting for her having hung back from the last play.
He flew right beside her, his shoulder touching hers. "Come Weasley—just give me the quaffle. I'll go easy on you...you can even thank me later..."
Switching the quaffle to her other arm, Ginny took her elbow and swung it in a round motion, catching Dagworth right in the nose and causing him to stop his pursuit of her.
With an open shot she kept flying towards the goals, switching the ball back to her right dominant hand.
She motioned left, and then watching the keeper think that she faking, went ahead and threw straight through the left goal.
Collins blew his whistle.
"She broke my bloody nose!" Dagworth cried, his voice distorted from his quickly swelling and bleeding nose.
Collins turned to Ginny with a blank face, "You do realize thats a foul right?"
She thought for a moment before deciding that apologetic was not the choice she wanted. If they were going to treat her that way then she saw no reason to play nicely.
"You do realize this is the Slytherin Quidditch team, and not the Hufflepuff one, right?" She asked cheekily.
She waited anxiously a second before Collins responded.
Collins grinned at her briefly, "Okay—back to work you lot. Oh...for Merlins sake Dagworth...Pull yourself together!"
Ginny flew brilliantly the reminder of try outs, making the team easily. She was the first girl in twenty years to do so, and only the second one in the history of Slytherin.
She was sure to put more than standard locking charms on the dusty, hardly ever used, girl's section of the locker room that had only been added in the eighties anyhow. The last things she needed was one of the idiots in the other room breaking in while she was changing.
She changed quickly, into simple muggle clothes a green sweatshirt and a pair of jeans as if was a free Friday that day of school.
Tomorrow was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year, something no one would stop discussing it seemed.
Walking outside with only a brief nod to Collins, Ginny was only two feet away when an invisible hand grabbed her arm, pulling her under the stands.
She managed not to scream but was still startled none the less as she turned under the cloak to glare at Harry.
"Give me a heart attack why don't you?" She asked, mostly feigning her exasperation as she was so happy to see him.
She opened her mouth to tell him about tryouts but he beat her to it, "I know they're supposed to be closed, but I snuck in anyway. You flew brilliantly," He said grinning and giving her a tight hug in congratulations.
She smiled back, "I had a good teacher."
"Thanks." He grinned again.
"Well aren't you self important—I was talking about Ron!"
Harry rolled his eyes, and they both laughed.
"You were a very good teacher..." She finally admitted as they walked back to the castle.
"The best." Harry nodded.
After talking a little while more Harry went to help Sirius grade papers while Ginny began to make her way to the library to finish her assignments for that week.
Unfortunately she noticed Will studying at a table almost as soon as she walked in.
She turned to walk away but the damage was already done. "Ginny!"
She cringed, turning back around, "Oh—hello Will...didn't see you there."
"Yeah, O.W.L year y'know," he said gesturing the many books he had laid out on his table.
"Want to come study over here?" He asked enthusiastically.
"Oh...um..I don't..." But he was already clearing space for her with such a big grin on his face that she decided to just let it be.
Perhaps, if the opportunity presented itself, it would be a good time to clear the air now anyways.
They studied in awkward silence for around an hour. Ginny pretended she didn't notice the glances he kept shooting her.
Finally he broke the silence when she was almost done with her potions essay.
"So...Hogsmeade tomorrow eh?" He asked.
She looked at him not really sure what he was asking, so she just shrugged vaguely.
"Right..." He sounded like he was gathering his nerve.
Oh please don't do this Will!
Ginny thought to herself. Hoping the memory would dissuade him, Ginny brought up the strange boils from that morning.
"I see you got your um—face cleared up there?" She phrased it like a question.
"Oh...yeah I went to Promfrey and she fixed it right up...wish I knew who did it though." He said bitterly with a slight blush, clearly still embarrassed from it.
"Me too," Ginny muttered, although she was more thinking along the lines of wanting to thank her mysterious savior who had driven Will away at breakfast.
However, that comment appeared to give Will some confidence as he took it as her anger on his behalf.
Straightening his shoulders and sitting up a little taller he began, "I—I have been wanting to ask you—"
He's really going to do this isn't he? Ginny thought in horror.
"—willyougotoHogsmeadewithme?" He blurted out, losing all composure.
It if wouldn't have been such a cruel thing to do, Ginny would have laughed. He had said it so quickly that had she not been expecting she wouldn't have known what he was asking.
Taking a deep breath and deciding to take Helen's advice, Ginny looked him in the eye.
"Will...I just don't think that would be the best idea—"
"Why?" He interrupted, loudly causing Madame Prince to glare at them.
"Well you see—Susan really likes you..." Which wasn't a lie, Susan was always blushing when he was around.
"But I don't like her!" He whispered back intently, their conversation having dropped in volume to avoid the librarian's notice.
"Why not? She's prettier than me anyway—"
"She isn't. Have you seen yourself Ginny?" He asked, interrupting her as he looked intently into her eyes as if hoping it would convince her.
Ignoring the compliment Ginny trudged on, deciding that the whole truth was the only solution.
"And Will...I'm sorry but...I just don't feel the same." She said softly.
His face fell dramatically and Ginny felt guilty for ever wishing she had any boy's attention when this was all that ever resulted. They sat there for another moment before he belatedly replied.
"Oh—I see then." He muttered.
He packed up his things and began making his way out of the library, ignoring her pleas for forgiveness and hasty explanations.
"Will, wait, I'm sorry, I—"
Taking a deep sigh as she watched him march out of the doors Ginny slammed her potions text book shut, earning a glare from Madame Prince again. Ginny sent a rude hand gesture at her back when she turned around.
Ginny laid her head on her text book feeling like a horrible person and thinking her day couldn't get much worse.
She was wrong.
As she was walking back from the library to the Slytherin common room, she was stopped by Greg.
"Ginny!"
She turned around, relieved to see it was Greg. She smiled, glad it was him and not Reynolds, or worse Will.
The one boy in this school who she knew wouldn't make her uncomfortable with any proposals.
"I was wondering about—you know, um...with Hogsmeade tomorrow and all—"
This cannot be happening...Ginny though incredulously to herself.
"Would you go with me? To Hogsmeade I mean?" He added on hastily.
Putting her face in her palm Ginny replied, "Greg, I just don't think that would be the best idea..." She said, sticking to her original phrasing even though the previous result had been rather terrible.
He frowned, "Why not?"
He looked so dejected, worse than Will had. It felt like someone dropped a lead shoe in her own stomach as she watched the smile on his face die.
"I just...don't really feel that way about you." She said, trying to keep her tone has kind as possible.
He looked at her for a moment before almost whispering a reply.
"Oh...I um—I really fancy you..." He said earnestly.
This only made her feel that much worse, especially when she heard a gasp and turned to see a teary eyed Helen not far away watching the seen.
As soon as Greg and Ginny's eyes both found her, Helen turned and ran down the corridor. Dropping one of her text books behind her in her haste.
"Helen—WAIT!" Ginny called after her.
Ginny sprinted as fast as she could. But it was no use, she had turned the corner and disappeared.
Leaning back against the wall to catch her breath, Ginny clenched her fists.
Greg who had started running only a moment after Ginny then came into sight.
"Where'd—why'd she run off like that?" He asked bewilderedly.
Looking at him like he was a hopeless moron, Ginny asked acerbically, "Why do you think?"
Ignoring his confused looks, she straightened up and stormed into the common room and from there into the room she shared with Harry.
She looked in the mirror, her face was red from anger and her hair a mess from running. She messed it up even more, maybe that would discourage all the admirers she seemed to be gaining.
She picked up a vase, a gift from Auntie Muriel, and threw it against the wall; shattering it.
"Moronic—idiot! How could he be so blind!" She muttered to herself angrily.
"You're not talking about me are you?"
She turned to see that Harry had walked through the door, he was eyeing the broken vase with a questioning glance.
"No." She said shortly.
"Who then?" He raised an eyebrow has he pulled out his wand and repaired the old Christmas gift, setting it back on the table.
Sitting on the bed she told him still very testily, "Greg Field."
Harry looked surprised, "The Ravenclaw? I thought he was a friend of yours?"
"He was—is—I don't know!" She said frustratedly.
"Not as good of a friend as Helen..." She added, looking confusedly at the wall.
"What's Helen have to do with it?" Harry asked, now very lost as to what was happening.
"She fancies Greg...a lot..always has—Merlin she bloody loves him." Ginny explained.
Comprehension dawned on Harry's face, "So...he...I guess he—does he fancy you?" He finally asked bluntly.
"Apparently." Ginny said looking over at Harry for his reaction.
His face was blank, she couldn't gather anything from looking at him.
"Hmm." Was all he said.
Momentarily forgetting her anger with Greg, she decided to test Harry.
"I got asked a lot to Hogsmeade..." She said, the suffering in her voice largely feigned now.
"A lot?" Harry asked.
She nodded, "Six boys..." It had only been three, but exaggeration wasn't really a lie, was it?
"A couple of seventeen year olds..." So what if the oldest had been fifteen?
Harry wasn't saying anything, he stretched back, leaning against the pillows of the bed beside where she sat.
He was looking away from her, at the night table when he asked, "Did you want to go with any of them?" There was a certain note of steel in his voice she hadn't heard from him often, perhaps never in that exact tone. A moment passed where she didn't answer, not because she wasn't sure of the truth but because she had become too distracted by her thoughts about him.
"Did you?" He asked again, this time sadder, seemingly resigned.
Shaking out of her stupor Ginny turned to him, "Hmm?" She asked.
Harry sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair, "Did you want to go with them?"
"Who?" Ginny asked, thinking about how his eyes really matched her jumper today. They were always so green. He also had such long eye lashes for a boy really, but she didn't find him feminine for it, after all he had such a strong jaw line that he could never really be considered girlish.
"The—the boys you were asked by?" Harry said, giving her a bewildered look.
"Oh—yeah...them. Um—no I didn't want to go with any of them." Ginny said flippantly, still admiring him too much to form a particularly eloquent response.
"Oh," She did notice the relief in his face, a blind man could've of. It sparked a confidence in her she had never before felt, which was saying something with her arrogance as of late.
Ginny began to slowly move forward while Harry was fiddling with his bag, pulling a book out of it. While he was distracted she inched even closer, until she was only a short distance from her goal
As he looked away, pulling his wand out of his robes to place on the night table, he turned his face back up to be shocked to find a pair of lips on his own.
In a brief second, it was electric, it was warming, it was everything a first kissed can be described to be. She had wound her hands into his hair, and while his were limp at his sides he was still almost subconsciously leaning towards her, deepening it just for a moment.
However when she pulled back a millimeter, and only for a moment, she was surprised so be pushed back completely as Harry scrambled frantically to get off the bed and in quite a hurry left the room.
Sirius was laying back against the couch in his own room, stark naked, happy he was finally done grading papers when his godson stormed in.
"Oh Merlin—" Harry broke off, quickly turning away to face the door.
Sirius in his usual care free manner just shrugged and lazily rose to put some clothes on.
"Is this what you do on your days off?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
"I would do it everyday but apparently it's not proper by McGonagalls standards." Sirius shrugged.
"I'll be sure to knock next time," Harry rolled his eyes, still red in the face.
"What's got you so agitated anyway?" Sirius asked, leaning back against the chair he had been lounging in.
Harry sat in the chair opposite of him, rubbing the back of his neck, absentmindedly touching his fingers to his lips.
"I—I...Ginny's gone mad."
"Gone mad? Well it was bound to happen mate, she is a girl." Sirius said with a shrug.
He waited for Harry to elaborate and prompted him when he didn't, "Mad at you?"
"Not exactly." Harry answered cryptically, still touching his fingers to his lips.
Sirius looked at him impatiently.
"She kissed me." Harry blurted out.
Sirius wolf whistled, laughing. "I don't think your grasping the severity of the situation!" Harry said angrily, standing from his chair to begin pacing about the room.
"I mean—she's just fourteen! We can't—I'm such a bastard..." Harry finally said. The air seemed to deflate from him as he sat back in the chair defeatedly.
"She kissed you—how are you the bastard?" Sirius asked.
Harry looked over at him shamefully, "...Because I liked it." He said quietly.
"Oh." Sirius said, clearing his throat and taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
Harry looked over at the room while they sat there, it was a simple room. Just a large bed with a red comforter over it and the two black chairs and table that they sat at. Through doors in the back was a large bathroom and closet, simple but nice as all the professor's chambers were. The wood was the usual stone but the floors were a dark cherry wood as was the ceiling, all in all it was a relaxing place to be.
There were a few pictures of Harry and Heather's childhood, Remus and Tonks and old school day photos on the desk that sat in the corner, but they served as the only decorations.
Sirius leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees.
"Harry—I think you're blowing this out of proportion..." Harry looked at him, surprised with his response.
"How am I—" But Sirius held up his hand to shut him up.
"Look mate, it was just a little kiss. It's not like you slept with her." Sirius said bluntly. Harry gave him an alarmed look.
"And you haven't had a snog in what—five years? Of course you liked it! I would be worried if you didn't. Not to mention the fact that you have some kind of weird magic going on between you..." Sirius explained.
Harry tried to interrupt again but apparently Sirius was on a rant, "Look, it really isn't a big deal. She's fourteen, it's natural she would be...it's natural that it would happen, really I think it's a good sign actually for the future even if it's not really something you can pursue now...and don't feel so bad. Honestly she hardly even looks fourteen—stop glaring at me, Molly said the same thing this summer. Ginny was an early bloomer, you'd be blind not to notice. It's not like you took advantage of her or anything—how'd it happen anyway?"
Harry took a second before responding, "She kind of...sneaked up on me..." He said a bit embarrassed.
"She sneaked up on you?" Sirius said with a snigger.
Harry glared at him, "One minute we were talking and everything was normal—well sort of...anyways I reached over to put my wand on the night stand and grab a book and when I turned back...well there she was..." Harry trailed off.
Sirius was still laughing, "I always knew she would make the first move!"
Harry glared yet again, "You know she's still too young."
"Yeah, she is." Sirius said still grinning. "But, that's alright. In just another few years here she won't be. Just tell her the truth and...like I said, it's really not the end of magic Harry. Just a mostly innocent kiss."
Harry nodded, feeling somewhat more re-assured.
"What'd you say?" Sirius asked.
"What'd you mean?" Harry asked.
"After the kiss, what did you say?" Sirius repeated.
"Oh, um—I just sort of left."
Sirius shook his head groaning, "Oh, Heather's right, it's a good thing magic married you off because you wouldn't have been able to do it yourself."
Harry rolled his eyes but then thought for a moment before replying seriously, "I should really go talk to her, huh?"
"Yeah pup, it'd be for the best."
Please Review
There are four chapters left in fourth year, but they will go by pretty quickly as the updates should be quick, but of course that depends on reviews.
I am very sorry about the delay with this chapter but I had some serious computer problems that prevented me from writing.