A.N.: It seems the last chapter has caused quite a controversy. I understand that some of you are prepared to hate Ginny as it is, but I hope you will give me a chance to develop her character as I've imagined it first. I had asked you not to judge her from last chapter; in my last author's note I had mentioned that Ginny's thoughts would be described in the next chapter -this one.
Having said that, I want to say that I'm not planning to have Harry and Ginny get together in the close future. For one, Ginny hasn't even turned twelve and I have already shared my opinion on relationships forming at that age. Two, one of the things I didn't enjoy in the books is Harry's relationships and how they were formed. Harry practically married his first girlfriend and right out of school and though I generally have nothing against that, it just didn't seem right to me. And don't tell me Cho Chang was his girlfriend before Ginny, because that, whatever it was, wasn't a relationship. Harry in my story is quite different than canon and I'm planning on his romantic life to be just as different, that's all I'm saying.
Three, how on earth did some of you think that Harry was planning to prank Percy over the holidays? That quite surprised me since all I had said was that Neville and Harry had agreed the twins wouldn't stop teasing Percy till he cracked and told them all about his girlfriend. If you had thought that, please, tell me what caused you to think so, so that I can change my wording and avoid further confusion.
Anyway, this chapter will address a subject one year in the making; it will also set the basis for something regarding Harry's even later adventures so pay attention ;p And I'll start developing Ginny's character here too. She won't take over the story, don't worry about that; I'm planning to focus more on Harry's relationship with Severus, Neville and some members of his family come next year, so you won't see a lot of her for a while.
That's it I guess. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter and don't forget to review!
Disclaimer; The things I would make Severus do if I owned Harry Potter… Rawr…
COMING INTO MY OWN
Another year at Hogwarts was over and summer was just beginning; and Merlin do I have plans for the summer, Harry thought, smirking behind his book, his mind focusing for a moment in the, in theory at least, completed designs in his trunk.
Harry was pacing up and down in front of James's private office doors in the Potter Manor for the past half an hour. Normally, the thirteen year old wizard showed a patience that was the envy of most Griffindors but under those specific circumstances, he was just about ready to pace the walls. He was almost used to it by now, Adrian getting the better part of their parents' attention. But for once, Harry thought, he hoped they would pay enough attention to him, listen to what he had to say before they opposed.
He knew he really shouldn't be that nervous; it wasn't as if he was going to ask for something that his parents would, in theory, be against and he had never truly asked something of them before. But, Merlin, he really wanted this! And all that separated him from his goal was his father's agreement. He sighed and stared at the door waiting eagerly for the meeting with Dumbledore to be over; they had been talking about Adrian's training for more than an hour now; how much longer could it possibly take them? He thought back on the past month and how he was led to this point in time.
Returning from school soon saw him leaving the Potter Manor for Silbreith, his parents intend on starting Adrian's training earlier that summer. James was excited with the development in Adrian's magic while Lily was concerned and that seemed to have added some tension to their relationship; all and all, Harry had been happy to leave for the castle he called home. Minnie, to whom Severus must have vented all his anxiety after Harry's latest stunt, had never treated him with so many chocolate cakes before and the green eyed boy had actually been forced by the potions master to take some time off his studies and just relax; after a couple days of complaining that he was staying behind and trying to sneak into the library the green eyed boy eventually gave in and tried to just lay back for a few weeks. So, unable to just sit back and do nothing, he had focused on his broomstick design. It was well into the summer, a few days before his birthday, by the time the broom was ready.
Harry had just taken a step back and looked at the finished broom; it had taken him a year of designing and he had proceeded through trial and error, but he had made it. In front of him, hovering just at the perfect height for mounting, was the fruit of his labors. Honestly, he was more shocked that he had created a racing broom than he had been with the Philosopher's Stone. The Stone was a product of years of studies with an alchemist who actually knew how to make the Stone and had slowly pushed him towards the right direction. But this broomstick? Harry looked at the finished prototype in front of him in wonder as a sense of pride overwhelmed him; he had done this all by himself.
Not wasting any time, he had taken the now complete with notes blueprints of his broom and headed to Severus, leaving the actual broomstick in his room. The potions master had no idea he had actually made one already as he was following a lead on his Wolfsbane project. For all he knew, Harry was still experimenting. Almost running the whole way to the potions lab, the green eyed boy knocked the door in glee.
"Hello, Harry." Severus greeted the boy with a smile. "I was just about to head upstairs for some iced tea. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure!" Harry nodded enthusiastically. "And I have something to show you too!" Severus observed the boy, how he was almost bouncing with excitement and the rolled up parchments he was holding.
"Let's go then." Severus agreed, his curiosity baited. "So, what do you want to show me?" He had asked after finally sitting in the living room, waiting for their tea.
"Remember how I was trying to design a broomstick?" The boy asked smiling widely.
"Yes." Severus stated nodding as Minnie placed two glasses of tea on a coffee table. "Thank you, Minnie." The house elf bowed and left the room.
"Well I finished it." He said and unrolled the blueprints handing them to a startled potions master. Severus shot a confused look at Harry before turning his attention to the design. His eyes widened and he looked at the boy again; Harry had a smug expression on his face.
"This is… I mean the calculations… And the design…" He re-read the notes on the parchment. "If you manage to make a broomstick work like that, you might have the best racing broom yet in your hands." The potions master stated shocked; some of the ideas on Harry's design required advanced magic and most of the features added were a novelty, signs of the boy's brilliance. He regarded the boy proudly.
"If I make a broomstick like that?" Harry asked smirking. "Accio!" He bellowed, thinking of the still unnamed prototype in his room; the broomstick came flying in the room, stopping right in front of Harry. Severus's jaw dropped.
"You've made one?" The potions master muttered in disbelief.
"This is the prototype based on the design you saw." Harry stated. "The handle is ash and the twigs in the tail are birch. The bipod is made of steel forged in my alchemy lab and it's undetachable. It has been treated with a diamond-hard polish. It's capable of going from naught to one hundred and fifty miles per hour in ten seconds, the Braking Charm I've installed is unbreakable and I just dare you to try its balance." Severus looked from the broomstick to Harry in awe before grabbing the prototype and heading for the balcony doors. Without saying anything else, he climbed on the broom and took off.
The experience was amazing; whatever Harry had done, it definitely worked. It was as if the broom was obeying his thoughts instead of his movements and the top speed was dizzying. He maneuvered, dived straight towards the ground in pure excitement braking the last minute, the broom executing every move in utter perfection. Harry just watched him from the ground, the potions master's smile contagious enough to have him grinning too.
"Having fun up there?" The green eyed wizard asked happily; Severus turned to him and zoomed towards the ground, braking a fracture of a second before he hit the ground. He jumped off the broom and right in front of Harry; his hair was disheveled and he was smiling like a five year old boy on sugar high.
"You're a genius!" He exclaimed, holding the broom in his hands reverently as his breath calmed down. "So, have you chosen a company yet?" The potions master asked after stopping his enthusiastic praise of the new broomstick.
"Company?" Harry asked confused. Severus just regarded him blankly, blinking twice.
"You are marketing it right?" Severus asked, incredulity colouring his voice at Harry's shocked expression.
"Do you think someone would like to buy it?" Harry had asked softly.
"I would!" Severus exclaimed. "And any broomstick company in the world." Instead of being excited about his comment, Harry's eyes lost their sparkle as the boy lowered his head.
"But I can't." Harry stated. "We're laying low, remember?" Severus, realizing the root of the problem just let out a laugh. So that's why Harry hadn't even thought what he was going to do with the broomstick after it was finished? "What's so funny?"
"Harry, you don't have to have your name published as the creator of the broom; it will be marketed under the name of the company you choose."
"But I'm only twelve." Harry reminded him. "Do you think anybody will want to finance a project coming from me?"
"You'll be thirteen in four days." Severus reminded him. "According to magical law, if you have permission from the head of your family, James in this instance, you will be able to work anywhere you want. And you don't have to inform them of your age when you first send them the basic blueprints and the description your broomstick; I will be there with you when you meet with them if you want and we can stress the subject that, if they want the broomstick your name is to stay secret until you say so. Magical contracts are amazing this way."
"And telling Prongs I want to market a racing broomstick I designed won't blow our cover?" Harry asked confused.
"You'll ask his permission to find a summer job; you don't have to specify which one." Severus said, proving once again he had reason to be the Head of Slytherin House, making the boy smirk.
"Do you think it will work?" Harry asked hopefully; Severus just smirked.
"I've been managing my family's assets for years without anyone being the wiser." Severus pointed out. Harry just smiled. "Now tell me more about that Braking Spell you've created."
"Well, it's a variation of the Horton-Keitch Braking Charm…" Harry explained.
It had happened just as the potions master had predicted; they had sent the basic blueprint and a description of what the broom could to Nimbus Racing Broom Co. and the very next day Harry had been asked for an appointment he gladly arranged for next week. Severus had even gone the extra mile and arranged for a goblin representative to be appointed for Harry's financial moves. They were to meet him at Diagon Alley and Severus insisted nobody was better to strike fear in the hearts of businessmen trying to take advantage of you than your goblin consultant.
So, here he was, on the day of his thirteenth birthday, waiting for his parents to spare him a few minutes of their time; he needed James's permission just this once. Movement was heard from the other side of the door, chairs being pushed and footsteps as someone was about to leave the office. And truly, the doors opened and the Headmaster, smiling softly walked towards Harry.
"Happy birthday, my boy." He wished him passing by.
"Good morning, professor and thank you."
"Happy to have your family back for your birthday?" Dumbledore asked as the rest of Harry's family joined them in the hall.
"Very much so, sir." Harry confirmed. James looked at his younger son smiling.
"You wanted to ask me something, right?" He asked approaching him.
"Yes, if you have some time." Harry answered diplomatically.
"Sure, Harry." James said warmly. "Just let me escort Albus to the fireplace and I'll be right with you." Harry nodded with a soft smile, wishing the Headmaster a good day once again. Adrian turned at Harry, a tired expression on his face.
"You know, sometimes I don't even see the point of my training; my magic seems to only do its thing just right before I'm about to die." Harry smirked.
"Well, since I don't have a Dark Lord available right now, we can just tell Mom you broke her good china." The green eyed boy stated.
"But I didn't." Adrian pointed out confused.
"She doesn't know that." Harry explained. "And if something's going to put you in a life or death situation, that's it." Adrian burst out laughing as James and Lily, accompanied by Remus and Sirius who were bickering over Merlin knows what, returned to the office.
"What did we miss?" Lily asked at the sight of her smiling sons.
"Oh, you had to be there." Harry stated, thinking that mentioning breaking her favorite china, even if it was a joke, wasn't going to work for him right now.
"So, Harry, what did you want to ask?" James wondered as they all moved back to his office.
"Well I've been thinking…" Harry started looking outside the open window; James's office had a view of the Quidditch court in the fields and Harry gathered his courage. "All of you are away for the summer while I just sit around doing nothing." He stated. Lily intervened.
"Harry, if it was safe to take you with us we would, but if, Merlin forbid, you were ever caught then…" Harry chuckled once and motioned her to stop.
"No, Mom, that's not what I meant." He turned to face his family smiling reassuringly; the last thing he wanted was to follow them to wherever they were training Adrian. "I get why I can't come with you, don't worry." Or, he thought as Lily smiled, I get why you think I can't come with you.
"Then what, kiddo?" Sirius asked, munching on a cookie he had snatched from a plate on James's desk.
"Well, I just want to do something constructive during my summers too and since I turned thirteen today… well, I was hoping you could give me your permission to get a job over the holidays." Whatever his family was expecting, it sure wasn't that.
"A job?" James asked confused, looking at Sirius who shared the same dumbfounded look. Adrian was looking at him like he had gone crazy while Lilly and Remus smiled.
"But why?" Sirius asked.
"Well, it will give me some experience, which will be good down the line for when I finish school and I will have something to do while the rest of you are away." Harry explained.
"And where do you think of working?" Lilly asked, smiling proudly at her youngest son.
"I was considering one of the shops in Diagon Alley; did you know they even ask for help in Nimbus Racing Broom Co.?" That got Sirius, James and Adrian nod in understanding.
"Quidditch, now I get it." James said. Harry had figured Prongs would be more willing to give his permission if Quidditch was mentioned and besides, he couldn't just say he was working on a shop in Diagon Alley and then never appear there. A few simple questions from his father to the shop owner and his cover would be blown to smithereens.
"Are you sure you want to do work over the holidays?" Remus asked carefully. "You're already working hard for school."
"And I don't want you to start neglecting your schoolwork…" Lily pointed out.
"I have already finished my homework for the summer and I really want something else to do than just sit around all day." Harry insisted. "Plus, I might not even get the job; I just want to try." His mother's smile returned. "So?" He asked, turning to his father.
"Well, I guess I can't say no when my son is actually begging me to work." James stated, a small smile gracing his face, his hazel eyes twinkling.
"Thank you, Prongs!" Harry exclaimed, hugging his father -it was almost awkward, he hadn't initiated a hug with him since he was six.
"I still don't get why you wouldn't want to just relax during the summer though." Adrian nodded to that.
"You and I both, Dad." He said, hazel meeting hazel in understanding.
"What can I say?" Harry asked shrugging. "I'm a workaholic." Sirius nodded emphatically.
"So, I'll have to contact Girngotts for the document needed and…" Harry interrupted James, leaving the office and returning a few seconds latter with a couple of parchments.
"I took the liberty and brought the contracts myself; all we need is your signature, mine and two witnesses and I'm ready to go." Harry clarified as Remus and Sirius snickered at James's shocked expression.
"You really want this, don't you?" James asked pushing his glasses up as his eyes went through the contract; it was the standard contract Gringotts offered in such cases, stating that the Head of a family allowed an underage member of their house to seek employment and have control over the amount of money procured from their endeavors, as long they were deposited in a vault under their name and not the family vault. "You'll need a new vault before you look for a job…"
"Already taken care of; I had Professor Snape to take me to Gringotts a few days ago for these contacts and for a new vault." Lilly laughed once as James looked at his son incredulously.
"Okay then." He stated and turned to his two best friends. "Moony, Padfoot, if you will come to sign this…" Harry smiled, his heart beating like crazy; he couldn't believe it was really happening. "Harry, you need to sign too." The green eyed boy moved and signed his name on the contract happily.
"Thank you so much." He said as he turned to face his parents.
"Don't mention it, Harry." Lilly said hugging him. "Now, who's up for some cake?" Harry volunteered happily and left the office with shaking legs, contact in hand and thinking that getting some sugar in him was sounding more than good. Tomorrow he would go to Diagon Alley with Severus and sort everything out. But today he was fully prepared to enjoy his birthday; Neville would be coming over in the afternoon too. It was the first time ever he had called a friend over and Neville's grandmother had agreed to let him spend the night. Things were looking up, Harry thought, as he stroke a conversation over what his chances were to get hired at Nimbus over the summer with his brother.
In the meantime, the very moment this conversation was being held, a girl with crimson hair looked outside her hotel room window to the desert sands in the distance. Taking a trip to Egypt was the best thing that could happen to her at that very moment in time, Ginny thought. It had been two months since she had woken up to find herself on the floor of the Chamber of Secrets, Riddle now truly just a bad memory. Still, at this point in time, it didn't feel like he was only a memory.
The first few weeks after she had woken up in the Chamber of Secrets had been mostly consisted of days filled with numbness. Taking a Dreamless Sleep potion every night and within the general jovial atmosphere in the castle, with the petrified students coming to life and the exams being canceled, it had been easy to slip into a steady routine and pretend nothing had happened. When, on the last day of term, professor McGonagall had summoned her in her office and asked her whether she had thought on what had happened to her the past year, she had simply answered no. At that point in time, she hadn't; the Head of Gryffindor had only smiled sadly and offered her a cup of tea, reminding her that her office's door was always open for her should she need to speak with somebody. Ginny had nodded, not believing she would need it; now she understood how naïve she was being.
It had started one day after she had returned to the Burrow. George and Fred were teasing Percy for his girlfriend over breakfast finally bringing her usually reserved older brother to a boiling point;
"She could have died, you know!" Percy had bellowed. "And all you care about was whether I was snogging her during Prefect rounds!" Then he had stormed off to his room, leaving behind Fred and George to be chastised by their mother. The twins had tentatively admitted that they had only been trying to make him loosen up and tell them how he and Penelope had gotten together and had profusely apologized. Molly had commented on how her little Percy had grown, Ron had snickered over his cereal at her comment and Ginny had just stood there thunderstruck, feeling as if a tone of bricks had landed on her heart and crushed it.
"She could have died you know!" That's what Percy had said. Once breakfast was over, she claimed she had a headache and retreated to her room; her mother cast her a concerned look but, having to get everything organized for the trip in Egypt and having been reassured by her daughter's smile that it was only a headache and nothing more, had appeased her.
Ginny had then climbed the stairs to her room, gently closed the door behind her, locked it and sat at the corner of her bed. "She could have died you know!" still echoed in her head. Yes, Penelope could have died. Hermione with her. And all the other students that had been petrified during the past year. It had been a miracle nobody had died. And who would have been responsible for that? Looking back, she could see that, even during those two weeks of numbness she had been placing the blame on others, trying to keep herself from thinking on what had really happened.
Tom for being who he was and enchanting her, possessing her to bend to his will. Lucius Malfoy for giving her the diary in the first place. Dobby the elf, after Ron had told her of how he had been freed and how he had tried to warn Adrian, for not telling them who the Heir was right away. Even her own brother, Percy, for unwittingly preventing her from telling she was being possessed in the very end.
But deep down she had known, she had always known, that it had been her fault. She had grown up listening to her father's stories of enchanted objects with a mind of their own and how they couldn't be trusted. And what was the first thing she did once she found one? She poured her soul into it. Had seen been that lonely? Had she been that desperate for someone to just listen? She should have known better. There was no one but herself to blame, she had decided there and then. She had spent her whole morning crying.
When she had emerged from her room she was smiling once more; her family had been put through enough because of her, Ginny thought, there was no need for them to share her guilt too. Maybe, come next school year, she would take professor McGonagall's advice and talk to her after all. Everyday from then on had been a struggle; she was putting a brave front for her family, but her nights were filled with nightmares. She had lost count of how many times she woke up, muffling her cries to her pillow. There was death in her dreams; her hands were covered with blood and she was in the Chamber once more. Tom was always smiling, the corners of his lips turned up cruelly.
It was one of those dreams that woke her up this time too. She had been trying to take an afternoon nap since there was some type of local spectacle Bill was bent on the whole family to see later that night. It had only ended up with her dreaming of the Chamber once more; why had she ever expected anything different. Tom had actually spoken to her in her dream this time.
"You killed them all!" And he pointed at the dead bodies of her family and friends and of the petrified victims from last year. "It's all your fault, you silly girl." And he had laughed, the sound of his cold voice and the hissing of the basilisk accompanying her as she woke up panting and covered in sweat on her bed.
He's gone, damn it! She cursed as she looked at the desert in the distance. He's gone and the diary is ashes and back to wherever it came from and that bloody snake is dead! She sighed and slammed backwards to the wall. There was that too. How in the world had the basilisk died? Once she had come around in the chamber, the dead serpent was the first think that had caught her attention. How could it not, when it was laying there, in the middle of the rambles and the blood that was seeping from its wound. Then, after a few seconds spent in marveling at being alive, she turned her eyes away from the basilisk and around the Chamber. It had been halfway to demolished, she had found out in shock.
And there, next to the dead snake and a fainted Adrian Potter, stood another boy. He was tall with jet black hair and held a glittering sword in his hands; his right hand and white Hogwart's shirt was soaked in dark blood. He was looking at a crimson coloured bird she later found out to be Fawkes, Headmaster Dumbledore's phoenix, and had asked him to get them out. Then he had sighed and turned towards her; Ginny had acted impulsively and had shut her eyes. She then heard the clanking of metal on stone and the swooshing sound of a spell being cast. She had tentatively opened her eyes, just to catch a glimpse of the boy again disappearing into thin air. The clanging sound must have been the bejeweled he had held hitting the floor, for now it was in Adrian's hands. Adrian seemed to have woken up, and was staring at the dead basilisk in wonder. What had happened? And why did that strange boy sound just like Harry?
For -the more she thought about it later- it must have been Harry, even if he had looked so different back then. Ginny couldn't be certain, she was still too dizzy, too much disorientated when she woke up to know for sure, but Harry had seemed different that night; different but somewhat utterly recognizable. For one, he had been taller. Definitely taller than she remembered him to be, or how he had looked the next day when she had seen him again.
Two, it was just something about him; the way he had stood straight and sure of himself, the way he had talked to Fawkes as if the phoenix wasn't perched on a dead basilisk. Even the way he disappeared had been a clue; Ron had often spoken of Adrian's invisibility cloak and how they had used it to sneak out at night. Since Adrian wasn't wearing it, why couldn't Harry have had it? It wasn't as if an invisibility cloak was a common thing to find! It was highly doubtful more than one student could have acquired one. But if Harry had been there, then that meant that he had been the one to face Tom.
And that was yet another part of that night that almost drove her mad in ways the diary had never managed to do; Harry had been the one to slay the basilisk. She had seen him holding the sword and heard him throwing it next to his unconscious brother before he disappeared. And then he was gone and Adrian was waking up and she was left wondering what in Merlin's name had happened.
How could Adrian, the Boy Who Lived, lay on the floor unconscious, while his younger brother was doing all the work for him? And without taking credit for it either, Ginny realized. She was too dazzled to say anything that night in the Headmaster's office, and when she had tried to ask Dumbledore how could he be so sure that it was Adrian that had killed Slytherin's monster since the boy couldn't remember doing anything of the sort, a cursory glance from Fawkes had stopped her. Then it had hit her, even amidst her daze; Fawkes, Dumbledore's familiar, knew about Harry and his involvement yet he had chosen to keep the boy's secret. The phoenix was backing Harry up, she had realized, and who was she to do anything different?
Still, she was confused and she would be damned if she pretended she wasn't extremely curious too. Harry was hiding something and it was of an enormous magnitude. She shook her head dazzled and sighed as she looked at the people walking around in the bazaar beneath her. She had known the green eyed wizard for almost all of her life and she had never noticed anything that could indicate he went around slaying monsters in his free time. But then again, Ginny thought, how much can you know about a boy who is barely even there?
That, she noticed, was Harry's most prominent trait; he wasn't there. He was always with his family on holidays and birthdays of course, but, in all truth, Ron spent more time in Potter manor than Harry did. And where was Harry at that time? Ron had once let it slip that he was staying with Professor Snape. Snape of all people! Her head was spinning on the implications; Harry had a whole life away from his family and none was the wiser. And if the boy himself didn't want it to be common knowledge, she knew she had no reason to act against his will. Not that anyone would believe her anyway…
But one thing was certain; Harry was the most interesting person she had ever met. And she owed him her life too. She could definitely try and spend some time knowing him better. And come next year she would, she promised herself. Even if only to find a way to thank him somehow for saving her life. Not that he would ever admit to it of course. She mentally cringed at her childish attempt to bait him into admitting it on the train; "I can keep a secret, Harry", she had said, or something of the sort. She was immensely glad the boy seemed to be thinking something else at the time and hadn't paid any heed to her words. The last thing she had wanted was to come out sounding like a stalker. She shook her head and sighed; what was done was done. She breathed deeply and tried to calm herself; she had to sleep if she wanted to stay awake during whatever this show was Bill was taking them to. Knowing her brother it was going to be spectacular and she didn't want to miss it.
She returned to her bed, praying to be spared of her nightmares just for a while, although she doubted she deserved it. She had done everything wrong year; she had been so foolish. But she would try, she promised herself, to become better. She knew she would make mistakes in the future but she refused to allow others to suffer for them. And she would start keeping her word to Harry, as crudely as her promise had been made; his secrets were his own and he had saved her life. She had no business telling a soul.
And somewhere far away, in a land untouched by time, a Seer smiled as yet another thread of a prophecy she had made long ago started stepping into her path. Soon, she realized as she went to inform her husband of the latest development, all pieces would fall into place. Soon.