Author's RANT: Nothing like an escape to warmer weather to brighten up your mind. It helps you appreciate the finer qualities of life: a cool breeze on the beach, the regal colors of tropical flowers, the blue crystal waters of the Gulf Stream and a robust argument. Now some may say an argument isn't in the same category of say a banana daiquiri at pool side but I beg to differ. A respectful conversation of opinions on any topic under the sun can make for a good learning experience.

Not sure what I'm talking about?

Let's have a small one to find out.

In Harry Potter Fanfiction there is but three cardinal rules that must be observed at all times. There can be no talks of politics, no talk of religion, and absolutely positively no negative comments about the esteem JK Rowling.

I will now for the very first time ever – break all three cardinal rules.


Cardinal rule #1: Politics. February 2nd is known as Groundhog Day, while the month of March in DC should be officially known as Pan Handler Blood Suckers Month. The official term is Fiscal Appropriations, but that's just a polite way to say a mass horde of lobbyist and government bureaucrats reaching deep into Uncle Sam's wallet. Now if it was up to me, and or a Bankruptcy court then the creditors of the United States Federal Debt would have a say in the Appropriations of all matters except Defense. Afterall, the People's Republic of China are owed 1.2 Trillion dollars. They should be allowed to tell the US Architect of the Capitol, who gave a whopper of a statement today, to try again to explain why the offices in the US House of Representatives will cost twice the amount foot for foot to upgrade than it takes to upgrade a hospital room in New York City. Now I'm no construction expert, but I know that there are not: highly flammable oxygen lines, a book of HIPAA rules over everything from air circulation to grounded electrical outlets, a gazillion different hospital rules to prevent the spread of germs and antibiotic resistant bugs, and a consortium of highway robbing NYC Construction Unions to deal with when upgrading some Congressman's office with a fresh coat of paint and new lighting. Maybe China and all the other foreign government that own our debt should be the ones asking questions and making decisions. Afterall, we can do it now or we can wait until the Bankruptcy judge tells us to do it.

Cardinal rule #2: Religion. Now I don't want to call out a certain religion by name, but there is one major religion renowned for Days of Atonement, Days of Remembrance, etc etc. They are also known as the religion of swinging a live chicken over one's head three times and then slaughtering it to transfer one's own sins into the soon to be fried chicken. Now it amazes me how this major religion can find numerous ways to forgive oneself without actually taking the necessary step of taking responsibility and properly apologizing for one's actions. Which rather explains why the Middle East peace talks have gotten nowhere in the last 70 years. You would think instead of … I don't know - slinging a chicken around that one would pick up the phone and call a certain group of people to officially apologize for illegally taking their lands to build a bunch of settlements. Nope. Of course, there is the practical benefit of the "sinned" fried chicken, that I'm guessing… taste just like chicken.

Cardinal rule #3: JK Rowling. I get that Ms. Rowling likes to make a fuss about this or that to stay in the news, but you have to wonder why. If I had more money their her own sovereign Queen and could at any time call up Parliament to make a sizable purchase of the Crown jewels, then I wouldn't be so quick to bump up publicity by saying something idiotic about your own writing. I mean let us be honest, if you could buy the Great Star of Africa, a 530.2 carat diamond, to be used as your own personal paperweight than what do you care what other people think?

And another thing… out of all the spells and charms that she created in Harry Potter why couldn't she have created the potion for a quick weight loss? She made every other potion imaginable. It's a valid question! I'm tired of my mind-numbing time at the gym, and counting carbs. I want to dream that I can taste a Weasley Weight Loss Potion that takes 20 pounds off you by next morning. Instead, I have to dream of smelly Aspercreme to get the pain out of my legs and arms.

So what do you think?

:::


Chapter 29 - The Deal

:::


Ginny's POV:

Ginny looked around from the podium to see that the Great Hall was full of students, ghosts, Professors, and even the sniping Draco Malfoy and his goons. Not to mention Dobby the free House elf was currently running over to the Gryffindor table with a tray of Pumpkin juice. Dobby was surprised and humbled that a smiling Harry had ordered him to sit with them. Ginny also had a feeling that all of the other House elves were gathered below the Great Hall in the kitchen listening in to ever word she was saying.

If Ron only knew, thought Ginny.

Dear Ginny,

I'm writing this letter early in the hope of saving a life. Last week, I rescued a young blue Phoenix. (See Picture #1)

Hermione on cue magically enlarged Ron's picture for everyone in the Great Hall to see.

She's been sick since I rescued her and for the last week Jane, Charlie, and myself have been doing everything to save her. Some of the same healing spells we use for the Dragons have been working, but only temporarily. We've gone looking for any book or material about Phoenixes, but there's hardly anything that's useful and nothing that's newer than fifty years old. To be honest the bloody books are useless. I'm so mad that I'm tempted to write one myself!

Ginny noticed Hermione cringed at Ron's declaration especially when it concerned her love for books.

Ginny, you need to get Hagrid or Professor Dumbledore to send me something - anything that will help save her. She's a Himalayan Phoenix, believed to be extinct for over three hundred years, and they will be, if I don't get help in the next three days or so.

"HAGRID!" Professor Dumbledore roared as he stood up from his Headmaster's chair behind Ginny at the podium.

Ginny stood silently in a trance watching as Dumbledore's eyes was focused on the moving picture of the sick blue Phoenix that Hermione enchanted only moments ago for everyone to see. Ginny could only remember Dumbledore using this type of roar in his voice only one other time, during Harry's first year at Halloween. Ron had told her that he had roared, "SILENCE!" so loud it stopped everyone scared out of their wits dead in their tracks, and made them all look up at him for what to do next. Or that's what Ron told her when he got back home during that summer. It looked like to her that this was a repeat performance, as everyone was deadly quiet and looking directly at Dumbledore on what to do next. That was until Professor McGonagall slapped the wide-eyed and silent Hagrid in the arm to get his attention.

Hagrid immediately jumped up sending his Professor's chair flying backwards and busting a huge hole in the stained glass window behind him.

CRASH!

"Yes sir! Professor Dumbledore, sir!" Hagrid answered with the noise of broken glass raining onto the floor of the Great Hall behind him.

Professor Dumbledore started to talk in his usual calm level voice, while still watching the moving picture of the small blue Phoenix trying to lay her head on a nest of a warm Weasley jumper.

"Get whatever you need and meet me in my office in fifteen minutes. Professor McGonagall, you will take command of the school until I return. Students will, after this reading… immediately go to their Common rooms and no mail, or messages, are to be allowed to leave Hogwarts tonight. No exceptions and the penalty for such – will be severe."

Professor Dumbledore looked straight at a suspicious Draco to enforce his last order. Then he nodded briefly at Professor McGonagall before he quietly left the Great Hall via the staff entrance with Hagrid in tow.

After a few silent seconds, Professor McGonagall spoke up.

"Please continue, Miss Weasley."

Before Ginny could say anything, she stopped to notice Hermione's eyes light up, and then her immediately jumping up out of her chair from the Gryffindor table. She quickly run out of the Great Hall leaving everyone confused about her actions. Another few seconds of silence passed as Ginny watched Harry shrug his shoulders as to where Hermione was going.

After you do that, let me tell you about our old Professors. Mad-Eye Moody continues to give me Auror training. This has been really useful on our 'Anti-Dragon Business' trips more so last week than anything else. As for our old Defense of the Dark Arts Professor Lupin, he's been teaching Jane during the day, and she even knows about him being a werewolf. Not that it matters, as he's still one of the best Professors we ever had, and Jane already loves him. You can tell he misses teaching, and maybe after the war he will go back to Hogwarts to properly do it again.

"Here, here!" Neville bravely agreed earning a deep scowl from Professor Snape and the Slytherin table.

I hope he can, as he's a natural at teaching – calm, knowledgeable, and compassionate toward his students. I wish a certain Potions Professor cared half as much as Lupin does about his students.

Speaking of the Bat Git.

Professor Snape angrily stood up in a sneer, tightened his Professor robes around him and then started to leave. Ginny continued to read on.

Jane found a medical healing potions book with him in it. Seems all the times he was in his private office, where we thought he was cooking up some new way to torture Harry, Neville, Hermione, and myself. He was actually working on a new potion for relieving severe and prolonged use of the Cruciatus curse. I hate to admit it, but I had to use some…okay a lot of it and so I hate to say this, but I owe him one. I've enclosed a small jar of rare powder of golden dragon horn for him as payment.

Professor Snape instantly froze at the Staff Entrance door. Harry and Neville set in shock as they were both shocked to learn what Professor Snape had been secretly brewing. Especially Neville, whose mother and father are at St. Mungo's because of the Cruciatus curse. Harry timidly moved over to where Hermione was sitting to pull out not one but three jars of golden powder from the post envelope that magically expanded as he pulled them out.

No doubt, he knows that it's extremely rare and expensive to use in Potions. I managed to get my hands on three jars of the stuff.

Professor Snape was still frozen at the Staff Entrance door, but Ginny could tell that he was listening in to every word she was saying.

Moreover, I got him one expensive but very useful component for his potions, a huge Dragon Liver.

Professor Snape's back flinched quite visibly, then without saying a word to anyone he returned to his seat at the Head Table.

Therefore, in a spirit that I'm going to extremely regret later, give one jar to Professor Snape and the other two to Harry. Now, a thought has occurred to me to give a late Christmas gift to the entire Gryffindor house. On second thought, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff too… as we all have suffered under the Bat Git's tyranny over the years.

Soft chuckling and whispering of agreement broke out from the three houses mentioned, all the while Professor Snape continued to scowl at Ginny, and then a smirking Harry.

Harry, offer the Bat Git a deal for the two jars of powder Golden Dragon horns and the Dragon Liver. I figure two weeks of no detention or points taken away from any other house than his own would be a great belated Christmas gift to everyone.

Every head in the Great Hall turned to see a boiling mad Professor Snape scowling, with all the loathing he could muster, at a smirking Harry. From what Ginny could tell - Harry couldn't help himself, he calmly stood up with a large smirk written all over his face. Then he slowly straightened out his robes and tie, as if to build a brief dramatic pause, before he casually picked up the three jars off the table. That smirk didn't last long as Professor McGonagall coughed and gave Harry a stern stare to wipe the smirk off his face before he calmly walked up to the Head Table. Harry reluctantly obeyed his Head of House as he changed into a neutral serious look before he finally reached the Head Table and a super irate Professor Snape waiting for him. Harry said nothing as he placed a single jar on the Head Table in front of Professor Snape.

Professor Snape was barely able to take his loathing scowl off Harry to look down long enough and acknowledge the jar as being real.

Ginny briefly read on.

Not that I'm not a trusting person, but Harry make sure you get his word as a Professor and his handshake over it before agreeing with him. It's just… well, okay, I don't trust him. Get him to agree to it in front of the other Professors.

"One week," growled Professor Snape haggling for lesser time after finally inspecting the golden jar and totally ignoring what Ron had said about him.

"I would've made it three weeks, one for each of the jars and the liver." Harry retorted, not going to give in even a little to Snape, as he undoubtedly knew Snape could never afford to get the powder on a professor's salary.

"Where's the liver," queried Professor Snape as he lifted an eyebrow at Harry, then watched him look over at Ginny for the answer?

"Ah… here it is," replied Ginny reading ahead in the letter.

After two weeks, Harry can write me back saying he did what he promised and I will owl him the liver as it's a restricted material and needs to go through a ton of Ministry red tape.

Harry turned his head to see Professor Snape fighting himself on deciding to agree or not. He took a long look at the jar in front of him before exhaling and then with the briefest of nods agreeing with Harry. The students and staff gasped in disbelief as Professor Snape stood up and reached over the table to shake hands with a victorious Harry Potter.

Harry smiled and quickly shook Professor Snape's hand before he must have realized that Professor Snape had pressed a bone-crushing grip on his handshake. Harry's smile was replaced with a snarl and he in turn started to retaliate by tightening his own grip on Professor Snape's hand. After a few painful seconds of red face and blood stopping death grips between them, Professor McGonagall angrily coughed gaining both of their attentions. She silently motioned with her own wand at the both of them to release. Both Professor Snape and Harry turned their heads back on one another and slowly released as instructed, but Ginny couldn't help but notice that they still continued to bitterly scowl at each other.

To draw attention away from them, Professor McGonagall, stood up and made an announcement to the students in the Great Hall.

"If I hear of any rule breaking or offense in Professor Snape's class, I will be the one giving out detention and I can assure you that you will wish that Professor Snape was giving it out!"

Professor Snape respectfully nodded his head at Professor McGonagall, and then collected the three jars before finally leaving the Great Hall. As soon as he left, a spontaneous uproar of celebration broke out among the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff houses. Some of them even went over to Harry, now sitting back down at the Gryffindor table, to pat him on the back and shoulders. Unfortunately a few of them tried to shake Harry's hand, but he had to understandably decline the handshakes. In spite of the obvious pain in his hand, Harry was smiling from ear to ear.

Ginny, once again continued to read on after everyone had finally settled down.

Now, for some Dragon news. Charlie has me studying for a Class C Dragon Handler license, which I am going to need to send the Dragon liver to the Bat Git. As only a licensed Dragon Handler can export restricted Dragon material. I take the test two weeks from now and hopefully I'll pass, or Snape will most likely poison everyone except his own house at dinner for reneging on the deal.

Everyone, except the Slytherin who busted out in laughter at the other houses, gasped in shock as they looked worriedly over at Harry and Ginny.

"He'll pass, don't worry!" Harry reassured everyone if only to calm them down.

Ginny looked around to see even Professor McGonagall a little bit nervous.

The test is tough – fifty essay questions and a practical. With Charlie and Jane's help, I should have no problem passing it.

Ginny listened to a huge nervous exhale of air from many of the students and staff, including Professor McGonagall and even a doubting Harry.

Well, I have to cut this short as we're going out tonight to round up some 'poachers' who left the party early last week. Yes, Ginny, I won't play the stupid hero anymore. I now know that's Harry's job!

Ginny looked up to see Harry groaning aloud, no doubt wishing it was someone else.

Finally, I want to say I miss Harry and especially you. And… if you should see Hermione you can tell her I said hey.

Oh, I almost forgot, I have a few letters from the family wanting me to take lead about what happen between Harry and you during Christmas.

Ginny's eyes grew really, really big as she silently read the letter for herself.

"Love Ron!" Ginny howled out to everyone to end the reading before she pocketed the letter into her robe while trying to keep her face from becoming as red as her hair.

She briefly looked over to see even Harry was slightly red faced too.