A/N: Here's another chapter for you - only a week after when would have been ideal to have it out as well! So far, I seem to just about be sticking to my self-imposed schedule, although this chapter is a little shorter than the last few. It felt like I'd reached a good place to end, even if that did mean leaving parts for the next one. In other news, I still need more ideas for pranks. As you can probably tell from this chapter and the last, there are some coming, but I don't have anywhere near enough ideas lined up to do the Mischief Makers justice! If you have any ideas, please let me know! And a review wouldn't go amiss either, not that I'm begging, mind you... (Disclaimer in Chapter 1).
Chapter 20 - Halloween at Hogwarts
The next day was Halloween. This year was the first year Harry had really considered what that meant for him – the anniversary of that fateful night, and his parents' deaths. The previous two years he had been too busy to really consider it; first with the troll in the castle, and then more recently with Sir Nicholas' Deathday Party, and the voice he could hear in the walls that later turned out to be a Basilisk. And before then, he hadn't even known when they had died, except for when he was young – no thanks to the Dursleys.
Harry awoke that morning brooding. When he looked over to see Ginny curled up against him, her red hair splayed out on the pillow around her, a smile appeared on his face as he thought about her. However, Ginny had already felt his emotions and started waking up herself.
"Harry." She said simply, sitting up and drawing him into a hug. Harry resisted the emotion briefly, initially intending to brood alone as he would have done previously, but before long he gave in to her comfort, and hugged her back, tightly.
"Harry, you've got to stop brooding about everything. I know you've gotten a lot better this year, but every now and again you fall into a pit of despair. I can't stand feeling you like that – I can't help but want to make everything better for you." Ginny said, softly.
"I'm sorry Ginny. I didn't mean to wake you up. It's just, this is the first time I've had a chance to really consider what Halloween means to me. For most the Wizarding World it's cause for celebration – the defeat of Voldemort, but to me it signifies the deaths of my parents. That just hit me and I couldn't help but fall into my emotions." Harry said, sadly.
"Don't apologise Harry." Ginny admonished gently. "I want to be here for you. We'll just stay here today, and we can do whatever. It doesn't matter. Maybe if you fell up to it, we can head to the feast this evening. Otherwise we can just head down to the kitchens to get some food instead." Ginny suggested.
Harry thought about this for a minute. "Let's stay here for now. I think we should attend the feast later – it would look odd if we didn't turn up to one of the few major feasts of the year. Maybe afterwards we can see if Neville and Demelza want to do something in the common room for the rest of the evening. But I don't think I want to see anyone else until the feast." He said.
Harry and Ginny had been visiting the Gryffindor common room most evenings. Most often they used the time to do some of their homework, but they spent a good amount of time with Neville and Demelza, either just talking or playing Exploding Snap or Gobstones. They still hadn't found an opportunity to talk to either of them privately as promised at the beginning of the year, but had vowed to do so soon.
"That sounds good to me." Ginny said. "I'll be back in a minute – I just need to use the bathroom quickly." She disentangled herself from their close embrace, and quickly slipped into the bathroom, Harry watching her leave.
While she was gone, Harry moved over to his trunk and rooted around in it. Soon, he found the photo album that Hagrid had given him back in his first year. He was just settling back on the bed when Ginny re-entered the room. She came over and sat herself beside him, swinging her legs across his lap and wrapping her arm around his waist, as she leant her head against his shoulder. Harry subconsciously reached out and pulled her into him with both arms, holding her tightly, in need of the comfort. He sighed in contentment.
"What have you got there Harry?" Ginny asked, curious, after they had just snuggled together for a few minutes.
"It's a photo album. Hagrid gave it to me at the end of my first year. It's got loads of pictures of my parents in it. I wanted to look through them all with you." Harry said, hoping she'd agree.
"Of course." Ginny replied instantly, pecking his cheek. "Do you want me to hold it?" She asked after a moment of hesitation, when it became evident that Harry didn't want to move his arms from around her waist just yet.
"Yes please." He replied, slightly embarrassed, dropping his face into her silky hair.
"It's fine. But if you want to talk to me about them, it might be a good idea if you could see them." Ginny teased gently, as she picked the book up and opened it to the first page.
Harry and Ginny spent most of the morning looking through the photo album. They were working through it very slowly, quietly discussing each picture while Ginny comforted Harry. Because of this, they only got about half way through the album.
When it got to lunch time, Harry still didn't look in the mood to venture out of the rooms, so Ginny turned to Godric's portrait, which she could see through the door that had been left slightly ajar. He seemed to understand what she wanted before she could even ask it.
"If you call for Polky, she will appear. She is the elf you first met in the kitchens – her ancestor was originally tasked with looking after the occupants of these rooms, and now the job has fallen to her. For many generations, it hasn't been much of a job, but she will be happy to help you in any way you wish. While the staff believe the elves are under the orders of the Headmaster, they actually work for the school itself. If a student asks for something, they can provide it, regardless of what the Headmaster says, unless it is at risk to their own lives. However, they will still follow the orders of the Headmaster if they are not changed by someone else – they will always follow orders. You must be careful with what you say to the elves here." Godric cautioned.
"Thank you Godric." Ginny said, sending him a smile, before calling "Polky!" a little awkwardly. She knew it would take some time to get used to calling out for an elf that wasn't there.
Seconds later, a house-elf appeared with a crack. Harry lifted his head, and both he and Ginny recognised her from the first trip to the kitchens. "Miss called Polky?" She asked.
"Hello Polky." Ginny said kindly, from her position on the bed, still held in Harry's lap. "Would it be possible to get some lunch in here today?"
"Of course, Miss. Polky will brings it in a few minutes." She said, disappearing again with another crack.
"Harry, if we're going to eat here we either need to go to the table in the other room, or at least you need to let me off your lap – you'll struggle to eat otherwise." Ginny said, knowing Harry really didn't want to move.
Harry sighed, before responding, "I know. I guess we should get dressed and head out into the main room. After all, we'll need to be dressed later anyway."
They both clambered out of bed, and quickly changed into some actual clothes. Ginny cast a freshening charm on both of them, as they had forgone showers that morning, before they headed out to curl on the loveseat. They didn't quite get back to the position they had originally been in, but they were still sitting close together.
Before long their lunch had arrived, and they set into it with gusto – neither of them having had any breakfast that morning. After lunch they snuggled up together again, and spent a few hours gently kissing each other, as Ginny tried to make Harry feel better and not brood as much. It seemed to work, as by that evening he was looking a lot happier, with a goofy grin on his face.
"Wipe that grin off Harry." Ginny instructed, jokingly. "As much as I like seeing it there, I think Ron would have something to say about it if you turned up to the Halloween Feast like that." She added.
Obediently, Harry attempted to restrain his grin, but every now and again Ginny could see it poking through on their way down to the Great Hall. "Good enough, I suppose." She muttered to herself, secretly pleased that she could have that effect on him. And besides, if she was truthful with herself, he made her feel the same way.
As was standard at Hogwarts, the castle was filled with decorations, especially the Great Hall, as was evident when Harry and Ginny entered for the wonderful Halloween Feast. This year, entertainment during the feast was provided by a crowd of bats above the house tables throughout the meal, interspaced with flaming orange streamers. Harry was taken by how well some of the streamers matched Ginny's fiery hair.
Most of the usual candles floating above the tables were not lit that evening, with lighting coming from hundreds of candle-filled carved pumpkins surrounding the sides of the hall. This cast a decidedly orange glow around the room, flickering the entire meal.
After everyone had finished eating, a performance was provided by the Hogwarts ghosts – gliding through the walls to perform some formation flying, before Nearly Headless Nick re-enacted his own death – the botched beheading – to great amusement of the watching students.
As originally planned, Harry and Ginny made their way back up to Gryffindor Tower afterwards, intending to spend some time with Neville and Demelza, and possibly Hermione. However, this plan was soon thwarted. They were on the last staircase, which led directly to the Fat Lady's Portrait, when they hit the back of a crowd of people. From behind, they could hear Percy's voice – "Excuse me, coming through. I'm Head Boy, yes, let me through please. What's the hold up here, you can't all have forgotten the password?" He said, forcing his way past and to the front of the crowd. Suddenly he stopped. "Someone get Professor Dumbledore, now." He said urgently.
Within minutes, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived. As they swept past towards the portrait, Harry and Ginny both caught a glimpse of what the problem was. The Fat Lady's Portrait had been ripped in several places, with strips of canvas on the floor in front of it. The Fat Lady herself was nowhere to be seen.
Dumbledore turned, his expression sombre, to see Professors Lupin and Snape joining them at the portrait. "We need to find her. Professor McGonagall, please inform Filch that we must search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady, she must still be here somewhere."
"Of course, Professor." Professor McGonagall said sharply. As she left back down the stairs, Peeves the Poltergeist zoomed up.
"You'll be lucky!" He cackled, spinning in circles in front of the Professors.
"What do you mean Peeves?" Dumbledore asked calmly. The poltergeist's initial glee at the sight of wreckage and worry was wiped off his face. He did not dare to taunt Dumbledore. The oily voice he adopted was no better than his original cackle.
"She's ashamed, Your Headship. Saw her running through a landscape down on the fourth floor, sir, doesn't want to be seen. Crying something dreadful." He paused. "Poor thing." He added, convincing no-one.
"Did she say who did it?" Professor Dumbledore asked quietly. Peeves however, did not have the same idea, and continued in a loud voice that all the Gryffindors could hear, as he span upside down, and peered between his legs.
"Oh yes, Professorhead. He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."
The response was immediate. Chatter broke out among the students, whilst the Professors stared at each other in shock. How had Sirius Black managed to enter the castle undetected?
"QUIET!" Professor Dumbledore shouted, attempting to restore order. "Students, you will follow Professor Lupin back to the Great Hall." Once the crowd had moved away, he addressed Professor Snape. "Severus, please gather your Slytherins and meet them there. If you see either Filius or Pomona on the way, please ask them to do the same with their houses. I will meet you there in ten minutes."
Quarter of an hour later, in the Great Hall, all the students had been rounded up, and a head count carried out. Everyone was present. Three of the houses had no idea what was going on, but the Gryffindors were eagerly filling them in. The Hogwarts Rumour Mill was fast at work.
"Students." Professor Dumbledore addressed them, and chatter died down. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the professors and I must search the castle. You will all be required to remain here tonight, for your safety. The prefects, should guard the entrances, and the Head Boy and Girl are in charge." At this, Percy puffed his chest out importantly. "We must leave now, but first." He swung his wand around, and the decorations from the feast that had so recently ended all disappeared, along with the house tables. In their places, a few hundred sleeping bags appeared. Above their heads, all the candles were re-lit, due to the loss of the pumpkins around the room. "That should do it, sleep tight." Dumbledore said, before closing the door behind himself and the other professors.
The noise level suddenly increased, as everyone started chatting, but Percy shouted, "Lights out in 10 minutes everyone!"
Harry and Ginny grabbed a sleeping bag each. They took them over to the corner, where they were soon joined by Fred and George.
"Looks like we'll have to put our plans off for a few days." George whispered.
"There's no way we'll get down to see the elves tonight." Fred agreed.
"Let's do it for Wednesday. It's a shame – I was looking forward to seeing the effects in double potions tomorrow. But Defence on Wednesday will give the same effect." Harry said.
Fred and George nodded their agreement, before arranging their sleeping bags beside Harry and Ginny. As the younger pair were now between the wall and the twins, they decided to risk zipping their bags together, into one larger sleeping bag. In the darkness that the hall would be plunged into shortly, it would be hard for anyone to notice anyway, and it would allow for them to at least remain touching all night, even if they weren't cuddling as close together as usual.
"Harry." Ginny whispered.
"Yes Ginny?" Harry replied, quiet but concerned.
"Be careful, please. We still don't know what Sirius Black wants. Who knows what Azkaban has done to him – he might not be in his right mind anymore."
"I promise, Ginny. I've got the best reason ever to be careful – you." He said tenderly, pulling her into a hug. "Try not to worry too much. Besides, I have no plans to go anywhere without you anytime soon anyway. If I'm not being careful, then neither are you." He joked, lightly.
Ginny let out a small smile. "Thanks Harry. And no, I'm not letting you out of my sight for more than a few minutes, ever."
"Quiet, everyone." They heard Percy shout. "Lights out now, settle down. No more talking." Harry and Ginny noticed most the candles go out again, leaving just a few illuminating the entire hall dimly. Ginny rolled towards Harry slightly and rested an arm across his stomach in the sleeping bag. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best they were going to get. Before long, they had both fallen asleep.
Several hours later, Harry awoke to the quiet sounds of feet walking across the hall. It was clear that whoever was there was at least attempting to move quietly, but the large solid flagstones that made up the floor were not conducive to stealth. He cracked his eyes open to see Ginny looking back at him. She put a finger to his lips, then slowly shifted so that her mouth was next to his ear.
"It's Dumbledore." She breathed. "He's walking over to Percy."
It was so quiet that Harry could barely hear it, let alone anyone else in the hall, but it served its purpose – he now knew what was happening. He knew that Ginny was much better than him at keeping quiet and staying in the shadows, allowing her to see much more than he would have been able to.
Soon, the couple could hear quiet voices approaching, as Dumbledore and Percy slowly walked around the room, following a path left between sleeping bags near the wall. Luckily, the bags of their fellow students had been arranged in such a way that this path did not pass directly past Harry and Ginny, allowing them to remain unseen.
"Any sign of him Professor?" Percy asked lowly.
"No. Is all well here?" The venerable Professor asked.
"Everything under control sir." Percy answered importantly.
"Good. There is no sense behind moving them now – it's only a few hours until morning. They can stay here for the night, and you can move them back tomorrow. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole."
"And the Fat Lady, sir?" Percy inquired.
"Hiding, down on the second floor, in a map of Argyllshire. Apparently, her refusal to let Black in without the password caused him to attack. She got away unharmed but is still very distressed. Once she has calmed down, I will have Mr Filch restore her painting, so she can return to her duties."
More footsteps could be heard approaching, swiftly this time.
"Professor." They heard Snape greet curtly.
"Quiet, Severus, there's no need to wake the children." Dumbledore admonished.
"Of course." Came the reply, slightly quieter. Harry didn't think it was possible for Snape to actually whisper.
"The whole of the third floor has been searched, and Filch has done the dungeons. He's not there."
"What about the towers – Astronomy, Divination, the Owlery?" Dumbledore asked.
"All searched…" Snape started.
"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."
"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before – ah – the start of term?" said Snape. This time he really was quiet – as if trying to block Percy out of the conversation. Ginny had cracked her eyes open, and could see her brother was listening raptly, clearly interested in the conversation at hand.
"I do, Severus." Dumbledore replied warningly.
"It seems almost impossible that Black could have…" Snape started again.
"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it." Dumbledore said sharply. His tone clearly indicated that the subject was closed. Snape stayed silent at this point. "I must go down to the Dementors. I promised I would inform them when we completed our search."
"Didn't they want to help, sir?" Percy asked, intrigued.
"Oh yes." Dumbledore replied, his tone cold now. "But no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster, especially given the events at the end of the Quidditch match last weekend."
They heard three sets of footsteps moving away, as Dumbledore headed to the main entrance, and Percy and Snape moved over to check on the students on the other side of the hall.
The excitement of Halloween night soon wore off, as no trace of Sirius Black was found anywhere in the castle. The portrait of Sir Cadogan had temporarily replaced the Fat Lady, and he frustrated the Gryffindors to no end with his insistence at acting out battle scenes before allowing them to enter, even after they gave him the password. To make matters worse, he insisted on changing the password at least once a week, invariably to a complicated string of nonsense words. While secure, the Gryffindors were struggling with remembering them at all.
Before long, it was Wednesday evening. As pre-arranged, Harry and Ginny were chatting to the Twins in the common room whilst everyone else headed off to bed. Eventually, only the four of them remained. Harry withdrew his invisibility cloak from a pocket of his robes, while Ginny unfolded the Marauder's Map. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." She said, tapping it with her wand. They all watched the lines ink themselves across the parchment, forming into the map of Hogwarts. Once it was complete, they checked to make sure that nobody was nearby to the tower, so that they could easily get out undetected.
"Filch is down on the second floor, and Professor McGonagall is on the fourth. Oh, and Snape is prowling the Dungeons." Harry said, looking over the map. "We should be okay to leave now." He threw the cloak over their heads, and they quickly made their way out of the portrait hole. Sir Cadogan was awake, and as the portrait hole closed up behind them, he drew his sword.
"Who goes there? Show yourself, you rogue!" He said, waving his sword in the air. The four teens just moved off down the hall, ignoring him. They knew he wouldn't tell Filch anything – he'd get too caught up in having an audience for his performances.
The four hurried along the corridors to the original location of Sir Cadogan's portrait. While the portrait was no longer there, the castle seemed to have adapted, as there was now a lighter coloured stone wall in place, where the entrance to the passageway should have been. Ginny started running her hands over it, and sure enough, she found a notch. This one, when pressed, caused the entire section of wall to swing inwards. They entered the passage, and Fred swung the 'door' closed behind them.
Before long, they had arrived down at the kitchens, using the second secret passageway that started from the fourth floor. They had had a near miss with Mrs Norris, who had been prowling the Study Area as they arrived, but luckily the cat didn't notice the moving tapestry, and she soon stalked out of the room.
Once in the basement corridor, Fred and George took the lead. Heading away from the kitchens, they soon came upon another door. "You two wait here." Fred said.
"It's very noisy in there…" George continued.
"…and the elves trust us."
"Just keep watch on the map and make sure no-one is coming."
"We'll be out in a jiffy."
Harry and Ginny both looked at the map, and saw that Filch was now up on the sixth floor with Mrs Norris, whilst Professor McGonagall was on the first. It was getting quite late now, so she was probably heading back to her office and quarters for the night. Professor Snape was no longer in the Dungeons – he had now made his way up to the ground floor, and was moving towards the kitchen corridor.
Just when Harry and Ginny thought they were going to have to go in and get the Twins, they emerged from the laundry room, satisfied grins on their faces. Harry quickly pulled the cloak off the ground slightly so they could see where they were, and the Twins joined them underneath it again. And not a moment too soon, because just then Snape strode around the corner, robes billowing behind him. The four pressed into the wall, giving Snape plenty of room to pass them. He continued on purposefully, and they let out a breath as he turned the corner at the other end of the corridor. Quickly, they made their way back to the secret passage, climbing the stairs back up to the fourth floor, then the other passageway to the seventh. After dropping the Twins off back at the common room, Harry and Ginny then made their way back down to Godric's Study for the night.
The next day, Harry and Ginny were eagerly awaiting the effects of their prank. They'd seen Malfoy at breakfast, and nothing had been amiss. However, it was now the afternoon, and they were headed to Potions class. The prank should have taken affect by now, and they were eager to see Malfoy's response.
Sure enough, as the lesson wore on, Malfoy started fidgeting more and more. Eventually, it got so bad that he knocked into his cauldron, sending the potion inside across the floor. Luckily, they'd only been working on a simple healing potion that day, so it didn't have any bad side effects. However, Snape was still displeased.
"What is the meaning of this, Mr Malfoy?" He asked with barely concealed anger. "This is something I'd expect of Longbottom, not you."
Malfoy shifted uncomfortably, before asking, "Can I speak to you in private please, Professor?"
"No, Mr Malfoy, you may not. I must remain here to supervise the class. If you can't stay still, sit in the corner away from any delicate equipment. You can say whatever it is in your detention, which you will serve with me after dinner this evening."
Malfoy sulkily moved over to the corner, fidgeting even more. Harry and Ginny barely managed to stifle their laughs at his discomfort. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Snape asked, glaring around the room. "Continue working. If these potions are left for even a minute too long at the simmering stage they are useless." He said, striding back to his desk and proceeding to ignore the class again.
Harry and Ginny sighed. Even though Snape had actually disciplined Malfoy, they knew he wouldn't get anywhere near as bad a detention as they would have had they incurred his wrath, even for much smaller issues. But that was to be expected - Snape was as biased as they came, and it didn't appear that anything would change that.
At dinner that evening, Harry and Ginny told Fred and George what had happened. They all looked over at the Slytherin table, but to their disappointment Malfoy seemed to have recovered. He must have returned to his dormitory before coming to dinner. It didn't matter, he'd be just as affected again later that evening, during his detention.
Fred and George promised that they had more of the powder should it be needed, and Malfoy wouldn't be able to see what was happening. The powder was designed to shrink the items it was applied to, but over several hours. It required contact with the skin to start working, and would slowly contract the clothing until the item was removed from the body, at which point the lack of skin contact would return it to its original size and shape immediately.
That evening, Malfoy arrived at the Potions room in the Dungeons again for his detention.
"Now, Mr Malfoy. What was it you wanted to talk about?" Snape asked.
"It's, err... well, someone's pranked me." Draco admitted, shifting uncomfortably side to side.
"What do you mean? Spit it out - I see no reason for you knocking your potion over in class."
"Well, for the whole day, my underwear feels like its been getting smaller and smaller. It got so tight in potions that I couldn't stop shifting around. I ran back to the dormitories and changed before dinner, but now it's happening again!" Malfoy complained.
"Do not insult my intelligence, Mr Malfoy. How would someone have accessed your underwear, which I believe would be safely stored in your dormitory? Nobody should be able to access the Slytherin dungeons, and you can't be suggesting it's a Slytherin that's done this to you?" Snape asked sceptically. Really, he didn't believe Malfoy in the slightest, but he had to maintain his cover, and Draco reported everything that happened back to his father.
"I don't know, Professor!" Malfoy whined. "Someone's done this. But as soon as I take them off, they look normal again."
"With no proof, there is nothing I can do. I advise you consider when you last bought new clothes. Maybe a shopping trip would be in order for the next Hogsmeade weekend, Mr Malfoy?" Snape asked rhetorically. "For your detention, you will clean the floor of the mess you made earlier." Malfoy had been at the edge of the room anyway, so the potion had not needed to be vanished when it was spilt, especially as it was the last lesson of the day. "The mop is in the corner, get to work - no magic!" Snape continued.
If it was a Gryffindor in detention, they would undoubtably have been using a toothbrush and dirty cloth to clean the floor. However, as sceptical as Snape was about Malfoy's reasons, he was still a Slytherin, therefore was permitted use of the mop. It would allow him to finish the detention in just half an hour, rather than working until curfew, when Snape would have had to just vanish it anyway.
"Yes sir." Malfoy said sadly, moving over to pick up the mop, trying to ignore the tightening of his clothes.
The next day, Harry and Ginny were walking along the edge of the lake, hand in hand. They hadn't had much time to themselves recently, what with prank-planning, being in the Infirmary and spending the evenings with Neville and Demelza, so were enjoying the opportunity for a romantic evening stroll on the grounds.
It wasn't long before they reached a shady copse of trees. Ginny pulled Harry into the copse and started kissing him, Harry responded in kind, and before long they were lost in each other, oblivious to the world. They still hadn't progressed beyond simple closed-mouth kisses, not that either of them cared - they knew how the other felt about them.
After a few minutes, Ginny eventually pulled away, slightly out of breath. "What brought that on?" Harty asked, a goofy grin on his face. He wasn't complaining, but had been caught a little of guard and was slightly confused.
"Nothing - do I need a reason to kiss my husband?" Ginny asked, after a quick glance around to make sure they were alone.
"Of course not." Harry replied. "I was just surprised, that's all." He explained.
"Well, don't be. I plan to kiss you for many years to come. It would get very frustrating if you were surprised every time."
"I'm not taken by surprise every time you kiss me!" Harry protested. "I just wasn't expecting to be dragged under this copse halfway through our walk."
"Oh well, you were." Ginny commented unsympathetically. "And I'm not going to apologise for that."
"Please don't." Harry said, pulling her back in for another kiss as he ran his hands through her long silky hair.
A little later, Harry and Ginny were continuing their walk, when they saw something moving. They had come partway round the lake now, and would soon have to turn around as they were approaching the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"What was that?" Ginny asked, pointing into the undergrowth at the edge of the forest, where the movement had rustled a few leaves.
"I don't know." Harry said, moving forward to check it out. "Some sort of creature - but they're rarely this close to the grounds." He commented.
Harry lifted up the leaves of a bush, where they had seen the movement heading, and Ginny peered underneath. "It's some sort of small creature." She said. Just then, the animal turned around to face her. It looked sort of shocked for a second, before Ginny gasped "Harry, it's Scabbers!"
"What?" Harry asked. "I thought Ron had lost him again."
"Clearly he has." Ginny said. "He's unlikely to know his pet rat is wondering around in the Forbidden Forest." As she was saying this, she reached under the bush to pick the rat up. It squirmed in her hands. Harry quickly cast Petrificus Totalus.
"I don't want him to hurt either himself or you." He explained, when Ginny glanced at him. "And this will be easier for carrying him - I don't know how to conjure a cage yet, and it probably wouldn't last long enough for us to get him back up to the castle." He added.
"Fair enough." Ginny replied – she had not relished the thought of being bitten once again by Scabbers – he'd always seemed to have a taste for blood. "Let's just get him back up to the castle. Ron probably won't thank us for it, but oh well. It's the thought that counts, I guess." She said sadly.
They quickly headed back across the grounds the way they came, and into the Entrance Hall. Once there they made their way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. They knew that they were most likely to find Ron either in the common room or his dormitory, waiting for dinner to start. He was the least likely person to be doing homework in their free period – he was probably just lounging around.
"Hey Ron." Ginny called, upon entering the dormitory. She quickly noted that he was the only one in there, lying on his back in the middle of his bed.
"What do you want, Ginny?" Ron asked moodily. "And why are you in my dormitory, anyway?"
"Well, that's no way to greet your sister." Ginny said affronted. "If you must know, I found your pet rat. But if you don't want him, I'm sure Crookshanks will…" Ron sat up on his bed, effectively cutting her off.
"You found Scabbers?" He asked. "He went missing last weekend. I thought he was gone for sure this time." He took the rat out of Ginny's hand. "What have you done to him?" He asked, when the rat failed to move.
"Harry froze him. You know – Petrificus Totalus?" Ron looked over her shoulder to see Harry standing just behind her for the first time. His eyes narrowed. "We didn't know how to conjure a cage, and didn't want to be bitten. Your rat has a taste for blood, you know." Ginny said firmly.
"Oh, well, I've got his cage here. Can you unfreeze him, please?" Ron asked.
"Why don't you do it yourself Ron." Harry suggested. "It is a first-year spell, after all."
With that, both Harry and Ginny left the dorms, to head down to dinner. For once, Ron would not be there as it started as he had the more pressing problem of a frozen rat to deal with. Not for the first time that week, he wished he hadn't had that major argument with Hermione. She wasn't even talking to him anymore, let alone letting him copy her homework.
Albus Dumbledore sat in the Headmaster's chair, in the middle of the staff table, and pressed his fingers together lightly. He peered over his half-moon glasses down the Gryffindor table, watching one Harry Potter very carefully. Many different events had come in his way, but finally he had found an opportunity to use the love potion, and draw Harry away from Ginny's influence. After all, they had no idea about the full repercussions of their bond. Nobody should think anything of it when they split up – after all, very few knew about the bond in the first place, and teen romances were notorious for not lasting.
He stifled a smirk as he watched Harry take another sip from his goblet. The potion was slow acting – it would take an hour or so to have an effect, and would cause Harry's attractions for Ginny to be directed to everyone. This served Dumbledore's purposes well, as he needed to redirect the boy's attention, but not risk him becoming attached to anyone else, either. This should cause Harry to break up with Ginny purely because he realised he felt no different about her to anyone else, and not due to feelings for any one particular person.
Down at the Gryffindor table, Harry leaned over to Ginny, and whispered in her ear. "Ginny, something feels weird." He said, quietly.
Ginny looked over at him in concern. "Are you ill, Harry?" She asked.
"I don't think so. Something about my pumpkin juice has just been, well, off, this evening." He replied. "And now my stomach feels weird, all sort of fluttery."
"Your pumpkin juice. I wonder, has Dumbledore gone through with it?" Ginny murmured to herself.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I was wondering if Dumbledore had actually attempted to use a love potion on you." Ginny said. "Come on, we're going to see Madam Pomfrey, she'll be able to find out for us." She said, swinging her legs over the bench and standing up, before holding a hand out to Harry. He pulled himself up, before holding a hand to his stomach. "Wow, that felt weird. Let's get moving. Something isn't agreeing with me standing up right now." He said. They quickly made their way to the out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital Wing, not noticing the concerned look that had appeared on Dumbledore's face. Something clearly hadn't gone according to plan.