A/N Part of Harry and Ginny's latter conversation is based on the idea that grief and trauma never goes away, you just learn how to make room for it in your life. For me that understanding has made a huge difference to my life, and I could see the parallels to Harry and Ginny, especially with Ginny imparting it as advice from someone further down her timeline of trauma than Harry.

Seven months had passed since Harry's broomstick was confiscated, and though he knew it was a skill he'd never lose getting back on his Firebolt had felt surprisingly nerve wracking. Perhaps he had only imagined how wonderful it felt to fly, because even with all the time that had passed it still didn't feel as joyous as it once had, but there was no denying the freeing feeling of taking off and soaring up into the air.

The world felt different atop a broomstick. From the great heights above the castle the world below seemed to recede into nothing, the problems of the day fading into the background. Replacing them was a cool breeze contrasted against the warm shining sun, the sensation of it against his skin making him tilt his face towards it.

Having collected their broomsticks from Gryffindor Tower he and Ginny set off together for the grounds, unencumbered. Their original destination had naturally been the Quidditch pitch. Ginny had brought her Quaffle and they were there on the pretence of practicing for her try out next year, but after a few laps around the pitch to reacquaint himself Harry found that he was creeping higher and higher, drifting out of the confines of the Pitch boundaries, and she took no convincing at all to join him.

Falling into flight alongside one another he let her take the lead, following as they leisurely drifted around the perimeter of the castle, not concerned by anyone who might see them, teacher or student. In that time Harry had few cares in the world, all thought and worry fading away as he slowly got a taste for what had once made flying so good.

For some time they flew above the Forbidden Forest, each of them daringly swooping low and ducking below the tree line a couple of times, and from there their broomsticks took them over the Black Lake where Harry trailed his hands in the water. His heart leapt into his throat when the Giant Squid threw up a tentacle and lashed him with water.

'Dammit,' he complained loudly. He was completely soaked, hair sticking to his forehead.

Muttering in frustration he slowed to a stop and looked down at himself, half his uniform drenched. High above Ginny was doubled over with laughter, her mirth only growing as she watched him trying to dry off his glasses.

'You need those, erm...' she laughed, making a strange waving motion with her hands. 'What do you call them? Muggles have them.'

He looked at her blankly, her hand gestures becoming bigger as she searched for the word. 'Windscreen wipers?'

'Yes!'

'A raincoat would be more useful.'

'You'll dry off,' she insisted, hurrying him when he started using his wand to dry his clothes. 'Come on, I'll race you.'

Now Harry was laughing, and he looked up at her in amusement. 'You'll race me?' he questioned, gesturing to his Firebolt.

'Sure.'

He guffawed, wringing the lake water out of his hair and turning his wand to the sleeve of his robes. 'Alright then, but don't go complaining it wa-'

She was gone before he could finish speaking, and he whirled around after her with his mouth gaping, for she had disappeared in a flash. It took longer than it ought have for him to respond, and pocketing his wand he hastened to take off after her. Though he caught up quickly he again let her take the lead, gladly following as they ventured further and further away from the castle without leaving the confines of its safety.

They settled on a nearby hill, landing long enough to drop their bags before taking off again. With some effort he got Ginny's mind back on track and tossed her the Quaffle, making an attempt to actually train with her for the Chaser tryouts, the whole reason they had come out here.

As much as they were out there enjoying themselves the spectre of what sent them fleeing the castle still hung close. Two hours passed quickly, and in that time together they veered from mindless but easy conversation, never worrying they might run out of things to say, to periods of comfortable quiet.

Harry was starting to feel out of breath, long forgotten muscles aching in reminiscence of both Quidditch training and the manual labour he'd done at Grimmauld Place. But Ginny showed no signs of slowing, and she was putting him through his paces. Despite Gryffindor's Quidditch Cup win it seemed she had put just as much practice into playing Chaser as she had playing Seeker - Harry's shortness of breath was making that quite apparent.

The Quaffle almost slipped through his fingers, and not for the first time that day. He slowed to a stop and tossed it back and forth in his hands as he thought, wracking his brains. They'd been talking about the places his grandparents had visited, an easy talking point.

'That temple in the side of a mountain. I think it's in Bhutan.'

'Where's that?'

'No idea,' he admitted. 'But I'm going there.'

'You should talk to Bill and Charlie. They went Muggle backpacking all through Asia when they finished school.'

'Muggle backpacking?' Harry asked, having not heard the term before. He hurled the Quaffle over his shoulder as hard as he could.

'Yeah,' she answered, making a smooth catch. 'You carry all of your stuff on your back, and there are no extension charms, no weightlessness charms. You have to get around without any magic. They've got loads of stories, not that they'll tell me anything.'

Harry grinned, getting the feeling he knew what kind of stories she was referring to. 'Sounds like fun.'

'I can't wait to finish school,' she sighed. 'I want to go everywhere. I can't believe there's this whole world out there I haven't been to yet.'

'You've been heaps of places.'

'Have not.'

'You've been to more places than me. I've been to Surrey, London, and Hogsmeade.'

Ginny came closer so they could talk without shouting, and then they rapidly tossed the Quaffle back and forth as hard as they could. The training exercise passed down from Wood was still a staple of Quidditch practices even now.

'You've been to Dartmoor,' she supplied helpfully. 'Quidditch World Cup ring any bells?'

He grinned. 'Alright, I've been to Dartmoor. In England.'

'Godric's Hollow.'

'I was born there, but okay. Godric's Hollow, in England.'

'The Burrow.'

'Also in England!' he exclaimed. He held the Quaffle for a moment, noticing her amusement. 'You're taking the mickey outta me.'

She laughed, her eyes crinkling in the corners. 'Yeah, I am. Sorry,' she added, not that it sounded genuine.

Technically speaking he'd also been to Little Hangleton...and Wiltshire. That kind of intrusive thought still came up, even in moments of peaceful happiness like this. But he quickly brushed it out of his head and carried on - nothing was going to spoil the good time he was having right now.

'You've been to Romania and Egypt,' he complained.

'We also went to Budapest, that Christmas we visited Charlie. It was beautiful.'

For some time he listened avidly to her recount of Christmas in Budapest, mentally adding it to his list of destinations. A lingering thought kept cropping up as quickly as he could push it away, the reminder that this was all just a fantasy - he was never going to places like Bhutan or Budapest. Neither can live while the other survives.

He was trying not to think about that for now.

Thoroughly exhausted he tossed the Quaffle back and then called for a time out, his arms aching and lungs searing - he was definitely out of shape for Quidditch. Taking a few moments to himself he closed his eyes and relished the warmth of the sun on his face. This winter had felt particularly long and dreary, but even when the weather changed and the sun came back out he hadn't taken advantage until today. When he opened his eyes again he watched Ginny as she continued soaring around lazily, admiring the slight halo the sun gave her when she passed in front of it.

'Hold on,' he called out, wracking his brains. 'I've been somewhere with the Dursleys. We drove for hours to get there, and then we had to take a boat after. I think it might have been Wales!'

Ginny returned to him but was laughing, shaking her head. 'Good for you. You've maybe been to Wales.'

Merciless she pelted the Quaffle at him again, and he darted over to catch it, but though he stretched as far as he could he missed. She whooped as the Quaffle began to fall, proudly counting another point to herself - she was flogging him.

Impressed by how good she was, for she was sure to make the team as Chaser, Harry watched the falling Quaffle and then reached out for it. He didn't intend to be showing off, but the more he practiced the more wandless summoning charms were becoming intuitive. When he said Accio quite firmly under his breath the falling Quaffle slowed to a stop, hovering in mid-air while he focused his concentration and began drawing it back up.

'That's so cool,' she grinned.

Her comment distracted him, and the Quaffle began to fall again. He laughed at himself - served him right for showing off. 'It's only cool when it works,' he admitted before turning his Firebolt into a dive. There was enough altitude to make the intercept and when he caught it up and pulled out of the dive he experienced a familiar rush of adrenaline, remembering the intoxicating feeling of making even an easy catch.

Returning higher up he lobbed the Quaffle towards Ginny, feinting to try and get it past her, then he gave a mixed yell of annoyance and praise when she caught it with the tips of her fingers.

'You started that at Malfoy Manor, right?'

She phrased her question quite tentatively, likely understanding how that kind of mention might unsettle him. Perhaps he hesitated a moment too long for it seemed like she was about to apologise, but he spoke first. He didn't mind her asking.

'I needed light,' he explained. He lingered on that thought for a moment, and seeking something to do he checked the pocket of his robes to make sure his tie hadn't fallen out. 'Down in the cellar, I couldn't see anything. It just kind of happened.'

'What else can you do?'

'Half a summoning charm,' he laughed self depreciatingly. 'Errr, only small things, really. Light, closing a door, summoning. Anything else it's easier to just use my wand.'

'Better than nothing. Especially if you don't have your wand.'

She had no idea how true that was, especially after what happened in Snape's office the other week. At first efforts to master even basic spells with wandless magic had stemmed from innocent curiosity, but the other week had brought into stark reality how important that particular skill might become.

Nevertheless, it hadn't done much against Snape. In hindsight he felt foolish, because when it came to the moment in which their dual was initiated he had physically lunged for his wand instead of summoning it. He was too slow, inept in the face of a skilled dueller like Snape. Foolishly he had relied on the instinct to lunge for his wand instead of the discipline to summon it.

'I...I should tell you something.'

Ginny nodded and looked at him expectantly, and at the directness of her gaze he had to physically resist the impulse to look away from her. He wasn't sure why he was bringing this up now, but a part of him was relieved - he had been aching to get this off his chest. And she waited patiently, letting him speak in his own time.

'That boy in the photo with my mum…it's Snape. They were friends growing up. I think he was in love with her.'

A weight seemed to lift as he spoke these words, because ten days had passed since that night and still Harry had not told a soul what he learned. He knew Ron and Hermione were waiting for any information he could give them, particularly about what had happened with Snape, but he just didn't know how to start, or worse how to stop. But finally he had said something. It was only a small part of the truth, but it helped. It mattered.

Ginny gave a great sigh, looking at him apologetically. 'Ron and I were wondering that, actually,' she admitted. 'Hermione too.'

This was not a great surprise. 'You couldn't say anything?'

'We hoped we were wrong.'

He was not angry with his friends. After all they were not the ones who lied to him. If his friends had managed to figure it out then surely those like Hagrid and the Weasleys had to know the truth, and they had each denied knowing who the boy in the photograph was. And Sirius too had lied to him.

'My turn?'

Glad it wasn't just him confessing things he nodded his head, prompting her.

At first she seemed hesitant, just as he had been. Readjusting the way she sat atop her broomstick she took a deep breath before bravely admitting, 'Sometimes I miss writing to Tom.'

It would have been preferable that she warned him to brace himself, for he didn't imagine the surprised look on his face was particularly sensitive. He wasn't sure what he had expected her to say, but it wasn't that.

'I know it sounds strange,' she hastily added. 'That I miss writing to Voldemort. But he wasn't Voldemort to me. He was my best friend.'

Harry nodded and murmured in agreement, seeing the clarification she was making. The notion that she missed the being that had once been her best friend felt familiar, though he himself had not lost a friend. He couldn't quite place what it was that make him feel like he understood.

'I've never told anyone that. Not even mum.'

'Why not?'

She laughed nervously. 'It's not something you just say.'

Agreeing with that he looked away, casting his eyes out to the castle. There was something similar on the tip of his tongue, something you didn't just say, to anyone. It felt like far too much to ever articulate, and it was still quite something to comprehend how easy it felt to talk to her, to share things he wouldn't dream of sharing with others. And after what she just shared with him...

'I miss who I used to be,' he admitted, taking care to not say any more than he wanted to. 'Before what happened.'

Bracing himself he turned back to her, relieved to find that although she had listened and seemed to acknowledge what he said, she hadn't commented. Before he had spoken he knew she would get it, this being perhaps the only reason he actually said it to her. Were it Ron and Hermione they would have hastened to reassure him, to insist that though things had changed he had not. But he Ginny would understand what he actually meant. That though he was still himself what happened had irrevocably changed him. There was no amount of reassurance that would make him feel differently.

'How long until I feel like myself again?'

Addressed with a direct question Ginny spoke up, though it wasn't without hesitancy. 'I don't think you just wake up one day and everything is better,' she said apologetically, giving him a grimace. Hovering in mid-air she folded her arms across her chest with a great sigh. 'Honestly...I think you just learn how to live with what happened. That's what happened with me, at least.'

'Learn to live with it,' he bitterly muttered, hating this notion. It felt like what so many people had implicitly told him all year.

'No,' she hastened to clarify, giving a great sigh as she looked back at him. 'That didn't sound right. Just...I guess you figure out how to let it be part of your life. But only a small part.'

Harry didn't say anything else. The notion of shutting up and learning to live with it didn't sit right with him, for it felt like that's what he'd been trying to do all year. But as for figuring out how to let it be part of him...it was difficult to wrap his head around. In his head he repeated these words to himself, grateful for the sentiment even though he couldn't fully appreciate it yet.

On a whim he looked at his watch, realising the time. Afternoon break had just started, after which would be his final class of the day. It was one thing for them to both skip a class after hearing such bad news, but it was something else entirely skip Defence Against the Dark Arts. Lupin disappointed with him, not to mention worried. He wished he hadn't checked the time.

'What have you got next?'

Ginny too seemed disappointed. 'Sinistra. You?'

'Lupin.'

'I wouldn't cross either of them. Sinistra hates me.'

In a split second the mood lifted. 'Because she knows you do impressions of her.'

'In my defence, no one liked her until my impressions.'

Hovering in mid-air they looked at one another, both disappointed this had come to an end. Then without warning Ginny pelted the Quaffle at him with such force that his hands stung upon catching. He winced and then flexed his fingers, looking at her in admiration. 'Ouch! What was that for?'

'For checking the time.'

'We could pretend we lost track.'

'No one would believe that.'

He has to stop himself from saying I'm a really good liar. It wasn't completely true, nor was it something to be proud of. 'I'm sorry,' he apologised, meaning it. He truly was sorry he had checked the time.

'It's okay,' she murmured. There was a long pause as she looked at him, and then - 'You've got seaweed on your shoulder.'

Tossing the Quaffle to her he whirled about and slapped his hand over his shoulder, hurriedly looking and finding it over his right arm. 'How long has that been there?' he exclaimed in dismay, seizing the bright green piece of seaweed from where it clung to his robes.

She grinned at him, laughing. 'Since the Giant Squid got you. I was going to let you wear it to class, but I'm not that mean.'

Disagreeing he flung the seaweed at her, laughing when she batted it away. She drew her wand and summoned her bag from where she had left it on the hill, and then without a word of warning she took off at towards the castle. Recognising the call to race he gave her a head start, taking a moment to clarify his thoughts. The reality of what the day brought to them was still on his mind, as were numerous other things, but right now everything felt okay.

Taking off in pursuit he soon caught up, laughing in delight when her first move was to body check him mid-air, another brief glimpse into her future playing Chaser. In hindsight he questioned why he had resisted doing this when his ban was revoked and his broomstick returned, and he was glad she had made the suggestion to go flying together.

It would have been more prudent to fly straight into the Seventh Floor. Open passages would have allowed them to land and go straight to Gryffindor Tower to return their broomsticks. The thought crossed his mind, but he was following Ginny's lead and felt perfectly pleased when they landed in the grounds.

Like any other time they went somewhere together they were in no hurry, preferring instead to extend the journey by dawdling. The closer they got to the castle the slower they walked. Waiting for them was reality, the news of Malfoy's guilty plea sure to be announced later today, and their brief efforts to avoid it would soon be for nothing.

Harry turned to speak to her, to tell her they should stay out for the rest of the day after all - Lupin's disappointment be damned. But as he turned his hand brushed against hers - or maybe it was hers that brushed against his, he didn't know. All he knew was that the innocent touch left him feeling like his hand was burning. He couldn't help but look at her, his eyes roving her numerous freckles before glancing down, suddenly noticing the shape of her lips.

She was looking at him too, and as if stung he turned away. His heart was throbbing inside his chest, a tension spreading throughout his body that made him question everything about what he was presently doing. When had breathing become something he had to remember to do?

Don't...you can't...

Why not?

There was no telling what made him do it, but he turned back to her and slowed to a stop - and so did she. In complete silence they looked at one another, both hesitant in a way they hadn't been with one another for years. Her warm brown eyes were searching his, wondering and waiting. And for once Harry's mind was calm and clear, and he knew exactly what he wanted to happen next.

Quite tentatively he inched closer, and this time he intentionally brushed his hand against hers. Without hesitation she responded. Her fingers caught his, loosely entwining them as she too inched forward.

It should have felt awkward. They were standing there without a word, while a small, cowardly voice told him to stop before something went wrong. But he knew this felt right. Laying himself at risk of rejection was a risk worth taking.

Hid hand properly grasped hers, and there was no stopping him now. Or, almost no stopping him.

'Can I kiss you?'

He couldn't believe he just said that, that he came right out and said it. But he didn't feel afraid, he wasn't embarrassed...he knew what he wanted, but it had to be right.

'Yes.'

The flutter of her breath on his lips drew him in, and as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do he leant down.

It was with a mixture of slight panic and absolute wonder that they kissed. The tiny voice of self-doubt was fading away, his lips skimming hers, still testing the waters. Her lips felt soft and warm against his own, encouraging him to continue, compelling him to kiss her just a touch firmer. Until now his experience was limited and not worth repeating, and he honestly hadn't known what to expect, but the aching sigh of relief welling up inside his chest was not it.

Equally tentative, and almost unbelievably, Ginny kissed him back. Their broomsticks fell to the grass with soft thuds. Teeth knocked clumsily and hands fumbled, not quite knowing what to do or where to go, but Harry didn't mind. In fact his insides felt like they were writhing in happiness. It was blissful oblivion, his arms embracing her and anchoring them both to the earth lest they float away together.

When they parted it felt like he could barely breathe, and their eyes fluttered open. He couldn't look away from her, not even for a second. The blazing look of happiness in her eyes mirrored his own for it was only then that he realised he was smiling, that the reason he couldn't breathe was that his heart was soaring.

'I wanted that for a while,' he smiled breathlessly.

'Me too,' she murmured in agreement, her breath warm against his chin.

He held her eye, smiling as he tentatively moved his hand up from her shoulder to her neck. He didn't know what made him do that, all he knew was that he didn't want this to end. In that moment he could feel that what had just happened between them was about more than a crush. It had been building for some time, the open vulnerability manifesting in small moments amongst their growing friendship. This moment felt enormous and yet completely expected, something that was always going to happen.

Ginny closed the gap between them and kissed him again, dragging her lips over his with a soft murmur that made his head dizzy with glee. No longer was he the ridiculed liar, nor beloved poster boy of the Ministry. There with her he hadn't witnessed Voldemort's return or his tormenting pursuits, he hadn't suffered over and over again.

Now, the fact that he didn't feel like himself was in fact, wonderful.

Every fibre of his being demanded more, his hand entirely of its own volition drawing itself into the long tendrils of her hair as she kissed him even harder. Her head tilted, drawing him closer again, and when he felt the searing brush of her tongue against his lips he nearly moaned. Kissing her was like nothing he'd ever felt before - it was hot and sweet - and over too quickly.

The sound of the school bell ringing permeated both their consciousness, bringing their kiss to a reluctant end. The moment wouldn't last forever. Nevertheless there seemed to be no need to rush, the thought of being late to class feeling completely unimportant.

Lingering close he enjoyed the flutter of her breath against his lips. Taking his time he studied her face, taking in her features and admiring her freckles all over again, admiring the colour and inflexions in her eyes. She had to be doing the same thing to him he thought, studying his face, his eyes...his scars. These days his face sported more than the famous lightning bolt scar. But he found he didn't mind this thought...let her look, he thought to himself. He didn't mind.

His hand was still twisted into her hair, and as carefully as he could he released it. But he couldn't let go entirely, his hand moving of its own accord down across her shoulder to the top of her arm, not yet ready to let this moment end. For that matter she was doing the same, one hand still holding his, the other grasping the sleeve of his robes. It was emboldening to see and feel her catching her breath too, to realise she was as breathless as he was...she felt the same as him.

Once more was all he needed, he told himself that. Very lightly he brushed his lips over hers again, convinced to do it a second and third time when she returned his kiss. Nevertheless the ring of the bell seemed to break them both out of their revere, reminding them of where they were - kissing in the grounds in broad daylight, and increasingly late for their respective classes.

Another missed class didn't seem like a problem.

Harry made it to Defence Against the Dark Arts almost thirty minutes late. Frankly he was surprised he wasn't even more late what with the necessity of returning their broomsticks to the dormitory before walking with Ginny to the foot of the Astronomy Tower. It was a necessary trip, he had reasoned with himself. It would have been rude to go snogging her like that and then just go off to class.

And Ginny hadn't been complaining about it. The long walk around the castle was like most others in that they didn't exactly hurry, but this time conversation was limited, a comfortable and easy silence taking its place. He wasn't sure about her but after what just happened he felt a little shell shocked, and the quiet gave him the time to take it all in and try to figure out what was coming next.

When they walked to the Astronomy Tower the corridors were almost completely deserted, the majority students already in classes. They took full advantage of their privacy by walking hand in hand, completely unchartered territory for them. They took advantage of their relative privacy in other ways too, though he was proud to say they'd only stopped once along the way to kiss, and that this time it was Ginny who initiated it.

'I won't make you walk up the stairs,' she assured him when they arrived at the Astronomy Tower. 'You've already gotta leg it back to the other side of the castle.'

'Thanks,' he said gratefully. With great reluctance he released her hand, and his heart was racing all over again as they stood there facing one another - a moment passed before he knew what to say. 'I'll see you at the DA meeting, right?'

He needn't have asked - she was yet to miss a single meeting. 'Let's walk back to the tower together.'

The subtle touch of her hand against his was confirmation of what she meant, and he nodded in agreement. Standing there with her he had to fight to keep a stupid beaming grin from crossing his face, doing his best to hold back. The kiss goodbye she gave him was a welcome distraction, and though it was only chaste it was long enough that it would hold him over for a while.

'See you.'

He waited until she was out of sight ascending the stairs before turning on his heel and leaving, and now that she was gone he released the stupid grin and started beaming, still fighting the giddy whoop of excitement inside of him. Bowing his head he hurried when he passed the portraits who had seen them snogging along the way, silently delighting in the raised eyebrows some of them gave him.

As if she might be there he looked over his shoulder down the retreating corridor, a small part of him wondering if he had hallucinated everything that just happened.

The walk to class was long enough for him to pull himself together, and by the time he made it there his expression was perfectly neutral. Lupin's classroom was a cacophony of noise and activity, the desks cleared to the sides while numerous groups of students crowded together working hurriedly.

Some were shouting, Hannah Abbot sprinting towards the centre of the room to deposit a slip of parchment into a wooden box, and when it emitted a shower of green sparks her team mates cheered. Lupin was wandering the classroom, giving her a fresh sheet of parchment while up on the chalkboard was a table of team scores.

Harry's efforts to arrive unnoticed were for naught, for Ron and Hermione both whirled around the moment the door opened, and both gave visible sighs of relief upon seeing him. They hurried over, abandoning Justin and Padma who both gave fries of frustration.

'Come on!' Justin protested, throwing his hands in the air. 'You two are half our team!'

'We're nearly in the lead!' Padma shouted, gesturing to the scoreboard.

'Prof-Professor!' Justin loudly appealed. 'Time out? Come on, time out!'

Lupin too had noticed Harry's arrival, and his expression upon seeing him was a mixture of relief, frustration and concern all rolled into one. But Harry had no time to speak to him, Ron and Hermione made sure of it by commandeering him at the door.

'McGonagall told us,' Ron said quickly, looking at him aghast. 'We went looking for you, and she told us everything.'

Hermione patted his arm in concern. 'Are you alright? We figured you just needed some time alone,' she said gently. 'Is Ginny alright?'

For a moment he was bewildered, torn between confusion and momentary panic that somehow these two knew what had just happened - and then his mind caught up. The news about Malfoy, the fact there would be no trial.

Had that really happened? Of course he knew it had, but it felt like so long ago...

'She's upset, but I think she's okay,' he said tentatively, reminding himself that what just happened between the two of them did not override anything else happening in their lives. Lucius Malfoy mattered a whole lot less right now, but that didn't mean everything was redundant.

'And you?' Hermione pressed.

'Where'd you go?' Ron asked urgently. 'Someone said they saw you out flying before.'

'That was us.'

Ron blinked, taken aback. 'Us? You and Ginny.'

Looking him in the eye Harry nodded. 'Yeah. We went together.'

A beat passed, him and Ron looking one another in the eye. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking, if there was even an inkling in his mind that there might be anything unusual about that. Ron seemed stalled, torn between questioning it and the logic that of course they went flying together. They had both just received bad news...there was nothing odd about that.

There was no time for Ron to question any further, for Lupin interrupted them. 'Back to your teammates you two,' he instructed Ron and Hermione. 'Please, before Mr Finch-Fletchley expires in my classroom.'

With lingering glances at Harry they reluctantly obeyed, Hermione giving his arm a squeeze before departing, and as they hurried back he could see them talking quietly, both glancing over their shoulders.

'Sorry I'm late, Professor.'

Lupin nodded kindly, but his expression was appropriately stern. 'As your teacher I am disappointed in your truancy. As someone who is not your teacher, I would have appreciated a note to let me know you were safe, and that you just needed some space.'

It was easy to forget that the last time he had suddenly disappeared for hours McGonagall that people had been frantic, that he had gone off the deep end. Recognising that Lupin was concerned for him as more than just his teacher Harry nodded apologetically.

'Sorry, Remus.'

'Are you alright?'

Unsure of this Harry hesitated a moment, trying to set aside everything that had just happened with Ginny. The news that Malfoy had avoided a trial was an enormous blow, one he hadn't fully comprehended.

'I don't know. I think so.'

Lupin murmured sympathetically under his breath before taking a deep breath. 'Stay after class, won't you? A cup of tea and some chocolate.' When Harry nodded Lupin looked around the classroom and then pointed to a team that seemed to be one person short. 'You're on Ernie's team, they can fill you in.'

Glad to be finished with that conversation Harry did as instructed and hurried over to join his team, the three of whom welcomed him eagerly - or mostly.

'About time, Potter,' Ernie said grumpily. 'You weren't even here and you were still my first pick.'

Dumping his school bag Harry looked at the sheet of parchment they were working through, letting the others finish the question they were working through without interference. While he waited he looked up at the scores on the blackboard, thrilled to see that all the teams were practically neck and neck, which judging by the yells and occasional scream was only increasing their competitiveness. Despite a year of Umbridge the fifth year class was excelling, and he liked to think the DA had played more than a small part in that.

'It's finished!' Suzanne hissed as she finished writing the answer. 'Go, Ernie!'

Following her order Ernie seized the piece of parchment and bolted to the centre of the classroom, depositing it in the wooden box that immediately expelled a shower of green sparks. While he took the next question from Lupin Harry turned to the sheet of instructions, scanning his eyes down the various tasks they would have to complete as they moved into the next round.

Seeing what he was doing Suzanne turned over the parchment and pointed to the very bottom. 'Thank Merlin you're here for that - I still haven't got any further than a grey puff of smoke.'

For five bonus points, think of your happiest memory and cast the Patronus Charm.

Harry grinned, confident that right now he could produce the strongest Patronus of his life.

A/N For the Hinny shippers I hope this was a good pay off!