Disclaimer: One Piece and Harry Potter does not belong to me, each belongs to their respective author.

Challenge by TheBlackSeaReaper.

-.- The Polyjuice Potion

The news and the rumors that followed the double attack, were the main information the next morning, which returned everyone to total panic, and the idea of going home on vacation was the safest option, and the truth, Ace wanted everyone to leave, all as long as people stopped being scared when he passed through the hall.

It was not uncommon for Ace, while he was on the Grand Line, that the simple tattoo on his back was a sufficient signal for people to depart; No one wanted to get in trouble with Whitebeard.

But this was different, almost sad, although he didn't feel close to the students of this school.

Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. They went out of their way to march ahead of Ace down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through. . . ."

Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Ace's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.

Ginny didn't find it amusing either.

"Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Ace loudly who he was planning to attack next.

Ace didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous.

Mecha was not liking his child's situation much now, despite all the good times he was trying to have, a depression was accumulating in the boy, caused by hundreds of things that were slowly consuming him, and the holiday season didn't seem to improve this at all.

Despite everything that bothered Ace the idea of a pirate crew, the boys were a great emotional anchor for the boy, and the holidays brought Neville and Luna back home; which meant no more sword training sessions, and no more strange conversations with the girl. There was only the Weasleys and Hermione left, with good jokes, evenings in the fire, at least until Christmas morning arrived, and Hermione announced that the potion was ready, which only meant one thing for Ace, and that was that he would remain alone while the four enthusiasts entered the Slytherin common room to interrogate Malfoy. Luckily for Mecha, that day while they had Lunch, Ginny had the idea of trying to talk to Ace on her own.

Which was not expected.

"Ace, if you have nothing else to do, I mean if you have time and want, hem ... would you like to come with me to cook a cake?" asked the little girl when all her brothers were distracted "I mean, you don't have to help me, if you don't..."

"Sure, who can refuse food"

And so, they were reaching the end of dessert when Hermione took out the twins and Ron with her, leaving Ace with Ginny and Percy.

The moment Crabe and Goyle left the great dining room, Ace turned to Ginny and said, "How about we run away and we're go to make that cake."

He only managed to see Fred and George go up the stairs before the two headed in the opposite direction towards the kitchen in complete silence, Ginny refused to speak completely, although the silence seemed too much, and from time to time she looked up to see what the boy was doing. He walked calmly with no a care in the world, he was so cool, always so controlled, and dominated, never prey of nervous, unlike her.

"You are quite silent," said the boy looking back, possibly to make sure she was still there. "You have a very light step, I can hardly hear your while walking."

The girl who didn't know how to interpret this, just lowered her head and muttered a simple, "I'm sorry."

"Why do you apologize? There is nothing wrong, on the contrary, it is very good. I have a very heavy pace, it is very noisy."

"Firm," the girl said, and at the boy's questioning look, she could only realize that she had said it out loud. "It's a firm step," he said.

Ace seemed to accept this, as he looked back at the front, with a simple, "You may be right" and he kept moving forward, not so sure that this was the best way to describe his step; doubtful, it would be more like he would classify them.

The kitchen was really interesting, it was really amazing how the elves changed with just Ginny's presence, and interestingly it made sense. House elves went out of their way to serve; and with Ace they had no problem, they just had to feed him, and although he was polite, there was nothing strange about all that; Ginny was a completely different story.

Ginny was going to cook, a job that was of the house elves in Hogwarts, and that for some reason they could not understand, the girl wanted to learn and was learning. Sometimes she went down to observe them, while taking notes on how one thing or another was prepared, what technique she should use, and in really daring moments, she asked to try. They could not let her do those jobs, it was their duty to prepare the food, but how to refuse a student's requests, in the end they left her, and if that was not enough at times she did it wrong, and they could not do anything in reality It would be offending a witch to tell her that she was doing it wrong, until she asked "Am I doing it right?" and they now felt the duty to tell her that she was doing it wrong.

To date, they were only small desserts, simple things: Cookies, brownies, mini pie, pancakes, jellies, things not so complicated; Today was a different day, today the girl had decided to try something a little more elaborate: A cake.

The little elves came and went, bringing and carrying ingredients, and necessary accessories to prepare the cake, while they watched nervously as the girl prepared the cake, without feeling able to say anything.

"Ginny," Ace said, standing up from his chair, and circling the table they were using, and standing next to the girl. "You shouldn't pass it through a strainer first" and faster than one says his name, Ace already had a strainer next to him, offered by an elf, where he placed the flour that Ginny was going to serve.

"I didn't know you knew how to cook," said the girl.

"No, I don't really know how to cook," said the boy quickly. "I only know a couple of things, including this, but I don't really know what it is for"

"It is to make the cake more fluffy," said one of the elves, calling the attention of the two children.

"There you have it, from the mouth of an expert," said the pirate, causing the poor house elf to just grieve, and say again and again that he was not.

"Where did you learn then?" Said the girl having found her voice.

"When I was punished," said the boy, passing the strainer and the girl, who surprised by the answer just turned to see him before reacting that she should continue with his work. "Although I really deserved it," he said, resting an elbow on the table, and his head in his hand "I was really a disaster, I still don't know how Marco didn't got gray hair with me, and he always sent me grounded with Thach, who was the only one who could stand me at the beginning."

Ginny clung to every word of the boy, he heard so lively, more than the last few days, and mentally she congratulated herself, now she must keep it that way.

"Those friends taught you how to cook?"

"Just Thach, and just a little, not very complicated things, some of the spices and how to give different flavor to things, since all I knew was to fry things, everything tasted the same way."

"Well, he taught you well," said the girl. "I guess he is a good cook."

"Of the best, I think there is little competition in the whole world, or better still in the whole universe"

The boy's voice was full of enthusiasm.

"If someone with your appetite says he's the best in the world, I'd love to try his food. You think he could teach me something "

Something in Ace changed at that moment, and an expression of surprise replaced that of joy, anger replaced surprise, and sadness replaced anger. "He died a while ago," the boy murmured "and I couldn't do anything to prevent it, or to avenge it."

Ace's eyes darkened and Ginny didn't know what else she could do, before sinking silently.

And it was all her fault, she had ruined everything.

-.-

Although the cake went well, they could not resume the good mood they had at the beginning, and in silent Ace and Ginny walked back to the common room. They really didn't expect to find Ron going down the stairs quickly.

"Ace" he shouted.

"What happens? why are you running?" asked Ace.

"I was going to get help," he said, catching his breath. "It's Hermione"

"What happened?" Ace asked again.

"It's the potion, something didn't work out."

At the end of that sentence, Ace ran up the stairs, followed by Ginny and Ron who ran as quickly as they could after him. It took very little time to get to the room where they had decided to prepare the potion, Ace soon opened the door and entered the Moby Dick.

He managed to distinguish the small figure of the girl on the other side of the ship, and without losing a moment he crossed the deck, with agility of months of practice, until he reached her.

"Hermione?"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

Ace found himself surprised, probably because this was not expected.

"What's the matter?" Said Ace, crouching down to meet her, just as Ron and Ginny entered.

Fearfully Hermione stood up and turned around emerging, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed. Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair. "It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"Uh-oh," said Ron.

Just then, the twins chose to enter the scene.

"You're not going to believe ..."

"Oww"

"What happened?"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Ace quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions. . . ."

Obviously the girl did not want to leave the room, fortunately Ginny was there, whatever she had said, convinced the girl to leave.

"Ok Neko-chan, let's get you fixed"

Ace did not expected a scratch attack, after all whatever was a necochan, Hermione did not like it, no matter how adorable it sounded.