Chapter 44

We were in the room of requirement. After lots of debating on whether we should let Voldemort hit him with the killing curse or do it ourselves, we finally agreed it would be best to do it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I got saddled with the job of almost killing Harry.

"Are you sure you want me to do this Harry?" I asked again. "What if I stuff up? What if I hit someone else? What if-"

"Joanne it's fine. You can do this. We've taken precautions so you won't hit anyone else." Harry said with a comforting smile. "If anyone should be nervous it's me but your one of my best friends and I trust you."

"Thanks Harry." I said. The nerves hadn't left but I felt slightly better. I pointed my wand at him. "On three. One. Two. Three. Avada Kedavra!"

The green light hit him and he flew backwards. He didn't get up. Oh god, I killed the savior of the wizarding world! Then he opened his eyes and got to his feet. At that moment everyone burst into the room. We had agreed that so no one got hit, they couldn't be in the room. So, I told them they could enter five minutes after we came in.

"Did it work?" Ginny asked Harry. He nodded slowly before grinning.

"Yeah it worked." He confirmed. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"So just the snake now, right?" Hermione asked me.

"Just the snake." I agreed.

...

We checked the map and found that Barty Crouch Jr was still impersonating Mad Eye Moody in this time line. That means Harry is most likely going to be entered in the tournament. This time we will have no idea where the cup will take him because Voldemort is already resurrected.

"We need to make a tracking device so we can find Harry anywhere." Hermione said.

"We could make a portkey necklace that he could always wear. That way he can always get back." Luna suggested.

"That's brilliant!" Agreed Neville.

"I think Joanne should enter the tournament." Hermione blurted.

"What? No! It's too dangerous." Fred protested immediately.

"Why?" I asked Hermione, ignoring Fred.

"Harry shouldn't have to go through that alone and you're technically eighteen so you would be able to cross the age line." Hermione reasoned.

"It would be easier with two people who know what is going on in the tournament and we don't want Diggory to die in this timeline." George said.

"No!" Fred said. "We just got Annie back."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be fine." I said. "Besides, I'm only entering. I probably won't be picked."

"So it's agreed?" Hermione asked.

"Agreed." I said and everyone else reluctantly nodded.

...

It was Friday and we had our first potions class of the year. I had previously warned everyone about Umbridge. Fred and George already had their first class with her and they told us she was awful.

Everyone filed into the dungeon class room. People started unpacking their caldrons and potion supplies but I knew that would be a waist of time. And like I predicted, as soon as Umbridge entered she told us to put away all our things. She handed out some useless looking books on the history of potion making and we all had to start reading. I could see Harry and Hermione twitching to protest but I had begged them to stay quiet for now.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was much like it was in the original timeline. The impostor demonstrated the three unforgivables to us. It was disturbing to watch him happily torture a spider. Then after he killed the spider he said, "The killing curse. Only one person has ever survived the killing curse and-"

"Two." Harry cut him off and I struggled not to laugh at the bewildered look on the impostors face.

"What?" He asked.

"Two people have survived the killing curse. Joanne did it last year in the grave yard." Harry clarified. The students who were there made noises of agreement.

"Well there is no proof of that so-" The impostor began but this time I cut him off.

"There is no proof that Harry got hit with the killing curse as a baby. No one was actually there that night so who knows what Voldemort actually fired at Harry." I said. Of course I knew that it was a killing curse that made Harry's scar but I just wanted to annoy the death eater in disguise.

"Moving on," He growled in defeat before continuing his lecture.

...

It was just after class when we saw Goyle exclaiming loudly over an article in the profit. "They didn't even get the pathetic Weasel's name right. He then started reading the article aloud,

"Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder.

"Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene."

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Goyle, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house, if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Ron looked as if he was going to explode with anger. Harry held back Ron as he struggled to get at Goyle. "See how you look after seven kids coming out your-!" Ginny exclaimed but found Hermione's had over her mouth before she could finish the statement.

"Get stuffed Goyle." Harry added with a snarl.

"I suppose at least he has a mum. Isn't that right Potter?" Goyle smirked.

"That was a low blow even for you Goyle." Draco said. Harry looked extremely tempted to just stop holding Ron back at this point but I knew he wouldn't let go.

"Hmhmm." I heard behind me. "Is everything alright over here?" Umbridge asked in her sickly sweet voice.

"Just kids being kids I expect." Mad-Eye said gruffly, appearing round the corner. Umbridge scowled slightly but left. Moody kept walking after that.

"That reminded me!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Harry asked.

"We need to buy a big share in the profit." I said.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that!" Hermione said. "It's perfect."

"I don't understand. Why would we want to invest in something so stupid?" Ron wondered aloud.

"I am ashamed to call you my brother." Ginny mumbled as she face-palmed.

...

Harry had easily brought a huge share of the daily profit. He is making them run everything they are going to print by him and, on my request, fire Rita Skeeter. Now the daily profit wont be calling us crazy the whole time.

...

Harry's POV

I woke up screaming from another nightmare. My hair was wet with sweat. I had long since started putting silencing charms around my bed before going to sleep. My nightmares had gotten much more regular lately. I haven't told anyone about it. I don't want them to worry. I think Joanne knows as she keeps giving me dreamless sleep potions. She can't give them to me too often though as the side effects could be bad if taken obsessively.

I hopped out of bed and grabbed my broom on the way out. I needed to think and flying always helps with that. It's nice to just sore around the sky and forget my problems. As I was walking down the halls, I thought about how I should have grabbed my invisibility cloak or the map. However, even without it, Hogwarts castle itself seemed to be directing me away from any teachers. The suits of armor would point me in the right direction or jump in front of me as a teacher came round the corner. I guess, now that I had announced I was the heir of Gryffindor the castle wanted to help me. Peeves didn't even bother me anymore.

As I finally reached the Quidditch field I saw that someone was already flying. I couldn't quite see who they were as the moon was currently behind some clouds. Whoever it was they were a great flyer. The person was looping and flying at great speeds round the six hoops.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds and I saw a flash of the unmistakable Weasley red hair. Ginny? Yes it was Ginny. I didn't know she could fly. I don't think her brothers knew either because they never mentioned it. Her flying at night was also a big clue that it was a secret.

I couldn't help but admire how she gracefully tore through the night sky. Her hair streamed behind her in a tight ponytail and her robes flapped in the wind as she suddenly pulled out of a dive. Without even realizing it, I ended up watching Ginny for a full ten minutes. I then decided to join her. I mounted my broom and kicked off hard from the ground. She stopped flying suddenly as she saw me approaching.

"H-Harry. What are you d-doing here?" She stuttered.

"I just came out to fly. Same as you." I replied easily.

We ended up flying for hours together. For a while we just floated above the clouds talking. I've never really talked to Ginny much before. We also raced for a bit and did tricks together for fun.

Eventually we realized we would have to come down so we flew to the ground. I walked Ginny back to the common room. "I had a great time, Harry." She said as we were about to part ways.

"I did too, Ginny." I agreed before nervously saying, "We should do it again some time."

"Friday night?" She asked.

"I'll meet you in the common room at midnight." I grinned and we both went up the stairs to out separate dorm rooms.

How did I not know what an awesome person Ginny was before? She's so smart and witty and beautiful... I climbed back into bed and slept peacefully, for the first time in days, the rest of the night.

...