Ginny... Tuesday
While a strong shield spell is one of the most useful and principle defensive spells, it is not the first thing you should do in a fight. The very first thing you should do will either be planned out before you attack or, if caught by surprise, will need to be thought of as quickly as possible. The thing you must know? Who is your opponent? If you're facing a dark wizard whose primary goal is to kill and not subdue, you will need to know that dodging the spells they throw is more important than using a shield charm. If they are trying to merely subdue you, shield charms and an aggressive offense will work best.
Ginny leans back in her chair and glances around the prominently empty library. Earlier that day, she had gotten permission from Dumbledore to visit the restricted section of the library. She'd browsed through the defense section looking for anything that could help her dueling strategy. Something you wouldn't be able to learn from a basic dueling manual that the unrestricted section could offer.
So, she found a book called Things You Must Know Before, During, and After You Duel. The book is open to its first page, and while it's fascinating, Ginny hates not having her eyes on the library entrance. It makes her anxious that she could become so enamored with her book that she'd miss someone coming in, and she'd be dead, or worse, kidnapped again.
Maybe she should go back to the common room? What are the pros and cons of going to the common room? Pros, she won't have to keep glancing at the entrance, she'll have easy access to Hermione who is the perfect person to talk theory with, and she won't have Slytherins staring at her while her head is down. Cons are, the common room is noisy so it'll be hard to focus, she'll have to walk all the way up there, Harry might be there, and it's further from the Great Hall, and dinner is soon.
There are more cons, but the pros list actually solves her problem...
Ginny leans back over her book and tries to focus again, Sometimes, you won't know who your opponent actually is, so the smartest thing to do is to be cautious and dodge every spell you don't know. If you know the spell is easily blocked by your shield charm, then don't waste your energy by dodging.
Ginny glances at the door when she hears loud footsteps and waits a few moments. A flash of robes, by the library entrance, makes Ginny tense her legs. The person runs past the library, and Ginny keeps her eyes on the door, waiting for them to come back. Her wand spins between her fingers, waiting to be used. Ginny strains her ears and tries to focus on any sounds coming from the corridor.
Pounding footsteps are getting closer, and Ginny moves to the edge of her seat so she can halfway stand up. The footsteps get louder and then suddenly someone's bursting into the library. Ginny's wand is pointed at them, and then...
"Woah, calm down, Gin it's just me," Harry says with his hands in the air.
"Bloody hell," Ginny mutters. She should have gone to the common room. Maybe she could have avoided this happening.
Ginny lowers her wand and quickly assesses the new setting. The Slytherins who'd been watching her in the corner were all laughing silently, and Ginny wishes she could bat bogey them. Her eyes sweep the rest of the library, and she finds it blessedly empty.
"What do you want?" Ginny asks lowly. She sits back in her seat and pulls her book closer to her. Maybe he'll leave when he sees that she's busy.
"I just got back from my last class; for some reason, I didn't see you, in-between classes, so I couldn't say anything earlier," Harry walks forward until he's leaning on the table right in front of her, "but we need to talk."
They need to talk? Wow, you tell a guy you can be friends with each other, and suddenly he's in a serious relationship with her. A memory of her meeting with Albus comes to her mind, and Ginny's mood brightens slightly at the thought of training.
"Have you heard from Dumbl-," Ginny's cut off by Harry's hand. Ginny glares at him. Instead of leaning against the table as he had been just a second ago, he's now right next to her, looking at her with soul-searching, green eyes.
"How about a walk," Harry says with an edge to his tone. His eyes wander over to the corner, and Ginny suddenly understands. They aren't the only people in the room.
Ginny nods her head and waits for him to take his hand away from her mouth. She tries to wait patiently, but he's not moving! His eyes are wandering over her face, and Ginny shifts uncomfortably under his gaze. Why is he looking at her like that? Like she's the most interesting thing in the room. People are watching!
His hand slowly leaves Ginny's mouth, but his hand stays frozen in front of her face, and Ginny freezes as well. What is he getting at? His gaze is intense with concentration, and Ginny's legs aren't working.
Bloody hell, why aren't my legs working?
His hand slowly caresses her cheek, and his thumb lightly brushes over her lips. Ginny holds her breath, scared to even breathe. Her heart thumps loudly in her chest, and the air surrounding them is charged. What is he doing?
His hand continues to caress her cheek, and when Ginny finds his gaze too much, she looks down. Why is he doing this? She studies his body language and finds his whole body tense. Is he nervous? The only one who should be nervous is her. His broad shoulders are tense, his flat stomach is tense, and his powerful legs are tense. Is he even breathing? She's definitely not breathing.
His hand has callouses on them, Ginny notices. She also sees small scars on his arms and one long one on the inside of his right forearm. Ginny wonders where he got them all. Heaven knows she has millions of scars just like him. His scars give him a powerful and mysterious air, and Ginny's slightly jealous. Her scars make her look damaged.
His thumb finds her lip again, and she looks back up at him, all thoughts ceasing. His thumb slides along her bottom lip until he reaches the middle, and slowly, he drags her lip down. His eyes burn with concentration, and Ginny's lungs constrict. She breathes out through her mouth and quickly inhales again, unable to hold her breath any longer. Ginny flushes, and her breath slowly evens out as she stares up at Harry. His gaze is unrelenting, and Ginny suddenly feels very turned on.
Aw, hell no.
The new oxygen soon clears her head, and Ginny grabs Harry's hand and takes it off of her face slowly. Harry's body relaxes, but his breathing is shallow. She can see his chest rise and fall unevenly. How long had he not been breathing?
Ginny clears her throat and scoots her chair back, breaking the charged feeling in the air, and feeling a coolness come over her flushed body. She stands up and reaches past him to her book, ignoring his penetrating gaze. She needs to put some space between them. She needs to get herself under control. Harry's eyes follow her as she scoots the chair back under the table and collects her bag from the floor. Ginny waits for him to stand up, but he looks frozen in place, half sitting on the table, half standing up. The air around them starts to buzz again, and Ginny flees. She cannot go through that again. Not without there being some type of consequence.
Ginny quickly leaves the library, and she's halfway down the corridor when she hears quick footsteps behind her.
"Ginny, wait!" Harry calls. Ginny has half the mind to start running instead of speed walking, but the other half of her head reminds her that he had information from Albus.
Ginny stops, and Harry quickly stands by her side.
"I'm sorry about," Harry waves his hand behind him, "all of that."
"What was that?" Ginny asks bitingly. She was distracted for who knows how long! Something could have happened, and she once again would have been caught unaware. Harry looks startled at her fierce voice. His eyebrows come together, and he bites his lush pink lips. Why does a guy get to have such great lips? Ginny growls. Now she's getting distracted again.
"I don't know! One second I'm worried those Slytherins might overhear us, and the next, it's like your magic was calling to me. I couldn't take my hand away," Harry's voice is soft, and he sounds like he's in awe. Is that why the air felt so charged?
"You can feel my magic?" Ginny asks, uncertain if she wants to hear the answer. She'd never heard of anyone being able to feel magic.
"I've never been able to feel someone's magic like that before. I can feel magic in general, but I've never been able to study someone's magic so individually before," Harry's voice is breathless, and Ginny quickly checks their surroundings. She won't be distracted to the point of being completely unaware, not this time.
"How do you do it? Can it help you in a duel? What does it feel like?" Ginny asks quickly.
Harry chuckles, and his hand reaches out to touch her face again. Ginny side-steps his hand and glares at him.
"Sorry, I'm just fascinated. In America, magic is more, something you feel first and not just something you do. You don't get a wand until your second year of school usually," Harry's head tilts, and he looks like he's studying her.
Ginny checks their surroundings again. She doesn't like standing still in the middle of the corridor like this. She tries to listen for any signs that someone else is around and only hears the low murmurings of the portraits on the walls.
"You can feel how people's magic affects the air and objects around them, and you learn to feel the magic inside of yourself. Most half-bloods and purebloods can already feel their magic by the time they get to school, but the muggle-borns never knew to even try and feel their magic because they didn't know they had any. It helps to enforce equality. Europe seems to be in need of a bit more equality, it seems," Harry says with a shrug. Ginny silently agrees with him.
"So, how do you learn?" Ginny asks again. Maybe he could teach her after he teaches her to be an animagus.
"Close your eyes," Harry says, stepping closer to her. Ginny backs away, but he grabs her arm gently and holds her in her place. Trying to ignore the trapped feeling, Ginny gives Harry a look. She really doesn't like not knowing her surroundings.
"Trust me, Ginny," he whispers. Ginny tries to forget everything she thinks about him and looks into his eyes. He seems honest, and he isn't grabbing her arm forcefully; it's more of a caress than anything else.
"Fine," Ginny says, breaking their eye contact.
"Perfect, close your eyes and take a deep breath," Ginny does as he tells her and closes her eyes. She inhales deeply and exhales just as deeply.
"What do you smell?" Harry asks quietly. Smell?
"I thought I was trying to feel the magic around me, not smell it," Ginny's voice is sarcastic, and Harry chuckles.
"Just do as I say; it'll make more sense in a second," His thumb rubs back and forth on her arm, and Ginny suddenly remembers how close they are, and her flush from the library returns.
"I smell," Ginny inhales again and almost groans out loud. She'd associate these smells with Harry for the rest of her life, and she kind of hates him for it, "Pine needles and broom polish," she waits for him to laugh, but he stays silent, another deep inhale, and she's trying to catch a whiff of something that isn't Harry, "Leather and parchment," Ginny inhales one more time and curses her bad luck, "Sweat, and that's it. Unless you count air as a smell."
"Focus on that smell of the air, ignore all those other scents and focus on the air," Harry encourages her. Ginny keeps her breathing deep, and soon, all the other smells are forgotten.
"Ok, I've got it," Ginny says.
"Good job. Now tell me when it seems different," Harry feels his hand leave her arm, and suddenly, the smell of Pine and broom polish is back. Ginny scowls. How aware of him is she?
"Focus," Harry says sternly. Ginny blushes lightly and wonders how he knew she'd stopped smelling the air.
"Gin, focus," Ginny nods her head and focuses on the smell of the air again. It doesn't smell like anything, yet if she goes outside, she's sure it will be different. So how will she be able to distinguish how air actually smells?
Suddenly, she smells something that almost smells burnt.
"Is something burning?" Ginny asks. The smell disappears, and she's back to the air smell. It stays like that for a minute before, it changes, and this time, the air smells so fresh she swears they must have somehow gotten outside.
"It smells fresh like we're outside," Ginny says. The smell disappears just like it had before, and once again, it smells normal. Quick to catch on, they do this two more times before they stop. The other two smells were weird. She couldn't come up with a good description for them, so she called them wet and windy.
"Open your eyes," Harry says. Ginny opens her eyes and finds Harry walking toward her once again.
"So, what did all of that mean?" Ginny asks. It was cool in its own way, but it wouldn't matter unless she knows what it all meant.
"I was using elemental magic. You smelt all of the four elements. Regular magic is the same way, but you have to learn how to recognize what each kind of magic feels like. You can't feel elemental magic but smelling it is a good way to practice becoming more aware of your surroundings, using more than just your two base senses. Seeing and hearing," Harry grabs her hand and starts walking down the corridor as he speaks. Ginny pulls her hand away but keeps pace with him.
"Some people are more powerful than others, and that's just a fact. If it weren't, squibs wouldn't be a thing. You, Ginny, are very powerful and in the library," Harry trails off, and Ginny glances at him, trying to see his facial expression.
"It's like nothing else I've ever felt before. All types of magic are different, but you weren't using any magic, and I could still sense it! It was incredible! You're truly a very powerful witch," Harry meets her gaze and smiles at her with child-like wonder. Ginny breaks their gaze and follows him out the Castle's main doors, hoping her blush will be hidden in the darkness.
"You're not going to kidnap me, are you?" Ginny asks, slowing her pace. She won't trust him for a while, yet, she thinks.
"It depends on your definition of kidnap. Am I going to be taking you someplace others won't be able to find us? Yes. Will I be returning you? Yes. Also, Dumbledore knows, and I'd be stupid to try and face Dumbledore when I already have a powerful wizard after me," Harry smiles at her again, and Ginny smiles unwillingly. He's trying to make her feel better, it would seem.
"So, where are you taking me then?" Ginny asks. Ginny looks around and smiles. The sun has almost completely disappeared behind Scotland's green rolling hills. The forest seems to be glowing in the remaining orange light, and the shadows the trees cast on the ground make the scenery look like something straight off a painting.
Ginny takes a deep breath and realizes that, yes, the air is a different smell while she's outside. It reminds her of when Harry was using earth magic. She'll have to pay attention to people when they cast their magic and try and feel any differences.
"A whole new world," Harry says with a weird accent. Ginny stares at him and tilts her head. What on earth is he talking about?
"A new fantastic point of view," that's not an accent... Is he singing?
"No one to tell us no or where to go. Or say we're only dreaming," Harry holds his hand out to her, and she smacks it away.
"Cut it out. Where are we going?" Ginny scowls at him. He's smirking at her and wiggling his eyebrows.
"That, Luv, was a song in Aladdin. It's funny because right before Aladin sings that song, he asks Jasmine if she trusts him. Where have we heard that question before, hmm?" Harry smirks at her, and Ginny glares at him.
"We are going to the Shrieking Shack via an underground tunnel, if you must know," Harry says once again, giving Ginny a suggestive look.
"Lead the way then," Ginny says warily. Harry nods his head and starts walking down the castle steps and onto a beaten path. Ginny knows this path leads to the side of the castle with the whomping willow. She'll have to warn him about the tree when they get close to it. Or maybe she won't. The image of Harry being crushed by one of the limbs of the tree makes her smile. Too bad she can't actually let that happen.
Ginny keeps her eyes peeled and ears open so she can detect even the slightest movement. The wind cools Ginny's body temperature significantly as it courses around her. Ginny tries to keep her hair out of her face, but the wind makes it fly into her face no matter how hard she tries.
"Do you need a hair tie?" Harry asks, turning his body around and walking backward.
"Why do you have a hair tie? Actually, don't answer that. We'll be inside the shack soon; I can deal with it until then," Ginny says, waving his arm away.
They continue toward the Whomping Willow, and Ginny is struck with memories that are not her own. This tree was not on Hogwarts grounds when Tom went here. Tom would have loved the place. Dark, not easily accessible, unknown to many. Ginny shivers and stops before she can run into Harry's still form. They stand just beyond the reach of the tree's limbs, and Ginny wonders if he had a plan on how to touch the secret knot in the tree.
Ginny usually Accio's a rock, throws it, and places a sticking charm on it while it flies. It's always made for great quidditch and wand casting practice. Her aim has always been very true.
"You've been here before," Harry says quietly. His observation skills are astute. If he weren't such a pain in her ass, she'd compliment him for it, but sadly he is a pain in her ass.
Ginny hums softly in confirmation. Harry nods his head and continues to stand in silence.
"Is there a reason we're standing here? Do you need me to get us past?" Ginny remarks nonchalantly.
"I'm just taking it all in," Harry whispers. His voice is unsteady, and Ginny is startled by the emotion in his voice. She waits in silence until her curiosity, sadly, gets the best of her.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asks.
"My father had four best friends. One was more of a brother, another, his confidant and advisor, the other, his security net, and lastly, his true love. His brother, in all but blood, made a grave mistake, and my father's security net soon became his enemy. Peter Pettigrew betrayed my family. Betrayed his friends," Harry's voice, while unsteady, doesn't break like Ginny thinks it should. Something worse must be coming.
"Sirius, my father's brother, and Remus, my father's confidant, raised me in Texas. My first American home. We stayed there for about four years until some werewolf hunters broke into our home and murdered Remus. Remus acted like my father while Sirius was more my friend. That night changed everything," Harry's voice finally breaks.
Harry gestures to the tree lightly and clears his throat before saying, "This tree did more than protect the students."
"I'm so sorry," Ginny says softly. She watches the wrinkles on his forehead disappear as he calms down.
"America holds very little prejudice to blood purity, I'll give them that, but they are ruthless to half-breeds. They say you can never trust someone who can't trust themselves even if that trust only disappears once every full moon," Harry's voice is harsh, and suddenly, he snarls. His wrinkles return, but this time in anger and not anguish.
Ginny jumps away from him and points her wand at the animal that appears. It starts darting between the Whomping WIllow's branches. It weaves gracefully between the branches and evades death like it's a game of tag. Ginny watches the animal's grace with envy. She wants to be an animagus so bad.
The animal disappears, and suddenly, there, Harry stands, his finger pressed on the knot in the tree. Ginny casts a silent revelio. Nothing suddenly appears so she deems it safe to move forward. She lowers her wand but does not place it back in its holster. Ginny locks eyes with Harry as she approaches. His eyes scan over her in a way Ginny can't quite describe. It's as if he's studying her.
Harry turns and starts down a small tunnel that hides between the base of the tree and the large upended roots.
"What animal are you?" Ginny asks, following him into the tunnel.
"Black Panther," Harry replies, a smirk on his face. Ginny rolls her eyes and picks up her pace, forcing Harry to do the same.
The rest of their trip is silent, and Ginny is grateful. She never knows what to expect out of Harry, so it's easier if he just stays quiet.
They arrive at a ladder, and Ginny nods at Harry, silently telling him to go ahead of her. Ginny stares at Harry's ass as he climbs up the ladder leading to the trapdoor into the shrieking shack. Why isn't he wearing his school robes?
When he steps into the shack and on its floor, and off the ladder, Ginny shakes her head to get rid of her dirty, distracting thoughts, and quickly climbs the ladder, ignoring Harry's outstretched hand.
"Follow me," Harry says. He replaces the trapdoor and walks into a supernate room. Ginny follows him; the floor creaks, and Ginny looks down so she can watch for any holes in the worn wood. The wood is painted white, an interesting color for a floor, especially since a werewolf used to shift here. The wooden walls are a gray color, and the wood has deep gashes in it. They don't look straight like you'd expect but instead squiggle as if he were being pulled away.
They cross through a doorway and enter a small bedroom. It seems fairly untouched, so Remus must not have been in here very often.
"Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once," Harry sits on a bed and starts casting runes to set up some wards. Ginny takes a chair next to a small table that sits by the wall, so she can face the door. Ginny watches the complicated wave motions and recognizes the silence wards.
"Go ahead," Ginny says.
"Training starts at three to five tomorrow evening. Our animagus training will be from five to six, and then we'll get dinner and return to our other studies. This weekend I'll be hospitalized for who knows how long, trying out one of Albus's theories about me being a Horcrux. You'll be training with Sirius while I'm incapacitated.
"I have special research studies given to me by Albus during my free periods. Since you're in your O.W.L year, you won't be joining me for the research, but if you want me to, I can share what I learn after dinner," Harry speaks quickly, and Ginny's brain rushes to catch up.
Incapacitated. Harry a Horcrux? Research?
The floor vibrates under Ginny's feet suddenly. Ginny stands quickly and pulls her wand. Harry does the same. Ginny slows her breathing and strains her ears. The floor continues to vibrate, and a thudding noise reaches her ears.
"Stay here," Harry mutters. He rushes out of the room, and Ginny quickly follows him. There's no way in hell she's staying inside the room.
Harry presses his back against a wall, right beside a window. Ginny rushes to the other side of the window and presses herself against the wall.
"I told you to stay put," Harry whisper yells.
"I don't have to take orders from you," Ginny mutters. She pushes her head away from the wall and quickly glances out the window. The trees block most of her line of sight, but the vibrations in the ground are stronger, and the noise is getting closer. Ginny presses her head against the wall again and sighs.
"You don't, but you need to learn how to trust me," Harry copies her and quickly glances out the window. He presses his head against the wall again and closes his eyes.
"Now's not the time for a nap," Ginny snaps at him. She glances out the window again, and she swears she sees something in the tree branches.
"Will you please give me a second to think?" Harry mutters. Ginny rolls her eyes and quickly looks around the branches, hoping to see something again. Nothing.
"The vibrations are too strong for it to be anything but a large magical creature," Harry says to himself. Ginny nods her head and thinks quickly. If she really did see something in the branches of the trees, then...
"I might have seen something in the branches of the trees. The vibrations and loud noises could be coming from trolls or giants. There could be other magical creatures out there, though," Ginny informs him.
"You guys don't have trolls hiding in the forest all the time?" Harry asks snarkily. Ginny glares at him. Does he have to be such an ass?
"Sometimes trolls will wander into the forest from the mountains, but it just started getting cold; there should still be plenty to eat in the mountains. I'd say Tom has put together a little attack on the castle," Ginny looks out the window and catches movement in the trees.
"There's something else out there, but it's hard to see in the dark," Ginny squints and tries to see through the dark night.
"Those are dementors, and it looks like the trolls are right behind them," Ginny nods her head, hoping Harry can see her in his peripheral vision. She doesn't want to make any unnecessary sounds.
Harry starts muttering under his breath, and Ginny watches a stag appear, and she hopes the creatures lurking in the dark don't notice the new light in the supposedly abandoned shack.
The Stag evaporates, and Harry nods his head to the side, signaling they move. Harry leaves swiftly, and Ginny follows, right on his heels.
"Albus will gather the teachers to help protect the castle wards. There doesn't seem to be too many of them out there, but there could be more than one group. We need to let them get to the wards and come at them from behind. We'll kill as many as we can and then move inside of the wards when too many of them notice us. Do you have any input?" Harry whispers.
"You take the left, and I'll take the right," Ginny says just as quietly.
"No, we stick together," Harry says harshly. His tone implies no arguments, but Ginny's never been one to not argue.
"We'll have less room to move if we fight next to each other; it's better to attack from two different points; that way, there won't be too many attacking us at once," Ginny argues.
"I can't have your back if we're on opposite sides. Besides, I'll be worried if I can't see you," Harry's eyes soften, and Ginny huffs in exasperation.
"You'll need to get over that. We're doing this my way. You can attack first, and I'll follow in forty-five seconds; this way, they'll think you're alone and will be overconfident," Ginny stares Harry down. His breathing becomes shallow, and he nods his head.
"Fine," he says breathlessly. Ginny gives him a look. Why is he breathless all of the sudden?
"I'll follow you out in forty-five seconds," Harry nods his head and quickly exits the shack. Ginny counts to forty-five in her head and then to fifty just in case she counted too quickly.
Harry...
Harry keeps all of his weight on the balls of his feet as he quickly follows the sounds of heavy footsteps. Harry sticks to the shadows and presses himself into the side of a tree when he hears something moving a little too close for comfort.
The tree line enters Harry's sight, and, with it, fifteen mountain trolls and over twenty-five dementors. Harry pauses, to catch his breath before flanking to his left. He has no idea why he ever let Ginny convince him to split them up. One second he's imagining what Ginny's scream would sound like if she got hurt and how he'd feel if he couldn't get to her, and the next second, Ginny's staring at him with a fire in her eyes that fills Harry with righteous desire.
He'd just gone with whatever she said after that. He'll need to be careful of that in the future. If she figures out the power that she has over him before she trusts him, they could have a real problem. She's smart and knows what she's doing, but Harry's been in these types of situations and survived too many times to not take the lead.
Harry climbs a tree and quickly pulls himself up onto a thick branch that he can walk on. Harry carefully stalks forward until the other branches stop providing cover. One more step, and the creatures will be able to spot him easily. Harry flicks his wrist, summoning his wand, and grips his wand tightly in his right hand.
Trolls are stupid so, if he casts the Patronus charm first, he can probably take out the closest dementors. Then he can use a blasting curse that will injure the trolls gathered together. He won't be able to plan for anything after that. It will be their move.
Now would be the perfect time to say some badass one-liner... What's the point if nobody can hear, though? Maybe after they're all dead? Perfect.
Harry quickly casts his Patronus and directs it to the nearest dementor. The creature shrieks and then shrivels upon itself. Harry quickly directs his Patronus to the other dementors. He kills five more before the other dementors spot him and the trolls seem to catch a hint.
Harry throws a blasting curse in the middle of the trolls. The blast causes the earth under their feet to explode, and the trolls go flying. Or, they fly as far as a troll can fly. Which is like six feet. Harry jumps out of the tree and away from the in-coming dementors. The air gets increasingly colder, and Harry starts to panic. A distant scream has Harry turning around and casting his Patronus again.
His mother's scream isn't the only frightening thing he hears because a second scream follows, and this one is Remus's. Harry directs his Patronus to dementor after dementor. As one shrivels up, another replaces it, and the screaming gets louder and the air colder.
I can't do this.
His Patronus disappears, and an outraged roar distracts Harry. He quickly turns and runs, trying to put more distance in between himself and the happiness vacuums. Harry spins around after he sprints twenty feet and casts his Patronus again. There are only fifteen remaining, and suddenly, Harry realizes there aren't any trolls after him.
Shit, Ginny better be okay.
Harry tries casting his Patronus again, but the cold despair is leaving him useless. His vision starts to blur, and Harry stumbles slightly. Harry turns and sprints away again, trying to outrun the screams. Harry is a powerful wizard, but dementors don't care if you can control the elements or can blast a hole straight through a giant. They're unnatural, and a Patronus charm takes a lot of magic, focus, and happiness. All three of which are hard to come by mid-battle. Harry enters the tree line and picks up his pace.
Harry shifts his course so he can turn around and head back toward where Ginny is. He dodges low branches, steps over roots, and impossibly uneven ground. Ginny seems like a capable witch, but fifteen trolls all at once might be a bit much. Harry steps into some mud and skids forward. He falls to his knees and quickly gets back to his feet.
My shoes better see this battle through. I just bought them!
Harry leaves the tree line so he can have the moonlight to help him carefully choose his path. Ahead of him are a group of trolls all gathered together, making tons of noise.
Is Ginny okay? I don't see her!
"Ginny!" Harry yells. Harry casts a few cutting curses as he runs toward the large gathering of trolls.
"I'm a bit busy, Harry! Can we talk later?" Ginny's voice is choppy, and suddenly, Harry sees a Patronus in his peripheral vision.
Finally! Calvary has arrived.
Harry finally spots Ginny as she spins out of the way of a large wooden club. Ginny's throwing spells left and right, trying to keep them all at bay.
Harry accios a wooden club out of a troll's hand as it tries to hit Ginny. The club rips its way out of the troll's hand and starts flying toward Harry. Harry calls upon the air elements and uses a powerful gust of wind to redirect the club back into the troll's face. The troll falls, and Harry throws a bludgeoning curse at it so it will stay down.
Ginny whirls out of the way of another falling troll, and Harry gets distracted by her hair briefly. How does she get her hair to shine in the dark like that?
Harry trips, his foot landing in a small hole. Harry, face plants into the ground and groans. Dirt gets in his mouth and on his tongue. Harry quickly rolls over so he can spit the dirt out of his mouth. Spells fly ahead of him, and then they all stop. Harry continues to spit as he looks over to see all the trolls on the ground surrounded by a bloody and bruised Ginny.
A feeling of death and sorrow like Harry hasn't felt in a long time overcomes Harry. Harry stumbles to his feet and tries to run from the dementors. Always running from your problems!
Harry twists onto his back so he can see the dementor and thinks about happy times with his family. Harry casts his Patronus and sighs in relief when his stag emerges from his wand and destroys the dementor. The rest of the dementors are quickly dissolving as the professors add their Patronus to the fight.
Harry returns to his face-down position and breathes a sigh of relief. He has a lot to work on if he plans on throwing himself into this war. Harry checks his surroundings to make sure it's safe, and his sight tunnels when he sees Ginny.
Ginny is beat-up in every sense of the phrase, surrounded by dead or passed-out mountain trolls. Her hair is everywhere, she has dirt all over her robes, and half of her robes' sleeve is missing. Not to mention the blood. Harry doesn't think he's ever seen anyone look so beautiful.
"Get your head out of the clouds, Potter! Or should I say, get your head out of the dirt?" Harry looks up at the sound of Snape's voice and groans. Great, just what he needs. Someone who loathes him.
"Dirt offers many great minerals that are great for the body. Some of them even make your hair shine in a non-greasy way. You should try the dirt sometime," Harry says rudely. He stands up slowly and ignores the pain in his ankle.
"Don't get snarky with me, Potter," Snape glares at him before stalking off to Dumbledore's side. Harry rolls his eyes and quickly checks the rest of his body for injuries. He doesn't seem to have broken anything, but his cheek stings, and he feels depressed. He touches his cheek with his fingers and pulls them away to see dirt and blood. He must have cut his face on some branches.
Harry walks toward Ginny while the Professors tie up the trolls and assess the damage to the castle grounds' wards.
"You alright, love?" Harry asks when he gets within a reasonable distance.
"Fine," Ginny responds shortly. She winces when she tries dusting the dirt off of her robes, and Harry narrows his eyes at her. Fine, my ass.
Now that he's up close, he can see a nasty bruise on her neck and cuts, seeping small amounts of blood on the left side of her face.
"You don't look alright," Harry says. He conjures a small table and grabs Ginny's waist.
"Get your hands off of me, Potter!" Ginny says harshly. She smacks at his hands and tries stepping away, but Harry ignores her and lifts her onto the table.
"You look like you're going to fall off of your feet. You've just faced fifteen trolls; let me heal your injuries."
Ginny ignores him and tries getting off the table. Harry grabs her thighs and puts his weight forward, holding her down. He stares into her eyes pleadingly. He just let her face fifteen trolls by herself he wants to heal her. He needs to heal her.
"Sit still, will you? I'm just trying to help!" Harry huffs and pulls her legs apart so he can stand in between them and get a closer look at the cuts on her face.
"I could have waited to see Madam Pomfrey, you know," Ginny says with a glare.
"Well, I like to look after my friends so you might want to get used to it. Next time we fight together, you listen to me, no questions asked," Harry says firmly. He conjures a small bowl of water and a washcloth. He dips the washcloth in the water and wrings it out, so it doesn't drip.
"You're mad at me," Ginny says. Harry looks into her eyes and sees confusion. Is this woman blind?
"If we had fought together, we wouldn't be as injured," Harry says curtly. Harry starts washing Ginny's face. Ginny winces when he puts too much pressure on one of her cuts. Harry instantly feels bad and lessens the pressure.
"Sorry, just hold still, and you'll be fixed in a jiffy," Ginny rolls her eyes before she closes them and holds still. Harry works silently and tries to be careful. He doesn't want her to be in any more pain. When the cuts are cleaned, he heals them with a few waves of his wand.
"Tilt your head to the side a bit," Harry whispers. His fingers grip her chin lightly, and he guides her head to the side so he can properly see the dark bruise on her pale, freckled skin.
"What happened here?" Harry asks quietly. He softly traces the bruise on her neck, and a fire in the pit of his stomach flares. Getting a bruise on the neck means she could have been killed. The neck is a weak spot if she was squeezed too tightly, she could have died, and it would have been Harry's fault because he let her fight alone!
"A troll got too close and got a hand around my neck and shoulders. I took care of it quickly, though," Ginny says quietly.
The fire flares again, and Harry takes a deep breath. Yelling at her to be more careful won't do anything but make her angrier.
"I'm glad you're okay," Harry says instead. He rubs the bruise with his thumb and then quickly scans the rest of her for any other noticeable injuries.
He sees some blood at the top of her forehead. He seems to have missed a small gash on her hairline. The blood camouflages with her hair so well he hadn't noticed it before. He quickly grabs the washcloth and cleans the cut before looking closer at it. There's slight bruising, so she must of his her head. She might have a concussion.
"Will you stop breathing on my forehead?" Ginny asks angrily.
"My apologies," Harry whispers. He can smell her shampoo, and Harry's slightly amazed that after being in battle, he can still smell the flowery fragrance. The urge to hug her is overwhelming. Why do I always want to hold and touch her? Being next to her all the time is going to be difficult if she continues to refuse physical contact.
Harry's resolve breaks as he lightly brushes his lips across the crown of her head. Harry pulls away and smiles when he sees Ginny's eyes are set in slits. Definitely a work in progress.
"You might have a concussion, so I should probably carry you to the castle," Harry says brightly.
Ginny smacks his shoulder, causing him to wince.
"It's a head injury, not a leg injury. You don't mind telling the professors what happened, do you?" Ginny hops off the table and walks away before Harry can reply.
Damn, forgot to say a cool one-liner. That one line from, "Apocalypse Now" would have fit so well!
Ginny...
Ginny limps into the hospital wing, making Madam Pomfrey sighs when she sees her.
"Why are you always the one hurt?"
"I must charm the wrong kind of people," Ginny mutters. Ginny takes a seat on one of the many beds. The thing is, at a school full of magic, you'd think the gifted ones would be in the hospital less, but that's not true.
It's the talented ones that end up in the hospital. Ginny has always liked learning on her own. Learning in a classroom with other people takes way too long. She figures, why wait for them to learn something when she can just move on? So, starting her third year, she learned ahead. She'd practice the material by herself, read ahead, and often get injured when trying something new and, of course, dangerous.
She's been a reoccurring resident of the hospital wing ever since. The sheets are cotton and white cream in color. The sheets are changed every year during the summer. The only reason she knows this is because one time, she was messing around with some wards, and long story short almost drained herself from blood. The sheets had to be replaced instead of washed. Madam Pomfrey had been very angry at her.
"Whoever healed your cuts did a fine job they did! You'll want some bruising paste for your neck and head, though. It will get rid of the tenderness, and yellow, purple color," Madam Pomfrey fusses with some vials and starts rubbing the paste on Ginny's neck when the doors open, and Harry enters.
"Dumbledore, there's plenty to learn, I know you're the most powerful wizard alive, but some of us have just begun our learning," Ginny watches Harry sit on the bed next to her, bouncing lightly when he drops all of his weight unceremoniously.
"Do you offer such encomium to all of your professors, Harry?" Dumbledore asks.
Ginny winces as Madam Pomfrey's fingers press harshly into her neck. The healer starts massaging Ginny's neck, causing the pain to slowly subside to a dull ache. Ginny stays silent and tries to catch what she'd already missed from Albus's and Harry's conversation.
"Encomium? My name starts with an 'H', but I think you have the wrong person. Hermione is most likely in the common room. I'm, Harry," Ginny snorts and quickly turns it to a cough when the two men look over at her.
"Encomium, by definition, means a formal expression of high praise. If there was a way to measure power, then I might let you give me such praise, but I'm sure power cannot be measured," Albus's tone leaves the mind wandering. There are spells to measure power, though.
"What about the potentia spell, professor?" Ginny asks. The spell isn't used anymore because it has been known to blind people when used on especially powerful witches and wizards.
"Some say that knowledge is power, some say it's a strength of will. I agree with the first one, but only to a certain degree," Ginny nods along, knowing he won't finish explaining his thought process. Albus has a knack for under-explaining his thoughts.
"Back to what I was saying, Albus; if I don't loosen my schedule up, I don't think I'll have enough time to live my life and be prepared for what is to come."
"Lay down on the bed Miss Weasley," Madam Pomfrey says. Ginny follows her instructions knowing better than to argue. The pillow is stiff and Ginny rests her eyes while Madam Pomfrey unbuttons her white dress shirt to examine her torso.
"Is there anything wrong that requires my immediate attention, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asks as she prods Ginny's ribcage.
"No, please take care of Ginny first. She had to deal with more than I did," Harry says. Ginny opens her eyes and pushes up onto her forearms so she can look at Harry. He shouldn't compliment her for things he doesn't know about. She doesn't deserve the praise considering she was sloppy tonight.
"All I had to do what incapacitate fifteen trolls. You had to take care of twenty-five dementors. Facing that many dementors at once should have been impossible," Ginny says for everyone listening. Madam Pomfrey frowns and leaves Ginny's side to give Harry some chocolate.
"Eat all of it," she commands. Harry smiles at her and returns his attention to Ginny.
"If you have the right mindset, you can run and regroup from dementors. Trying to face that many trolls is impossible! You need to have complete control over your body to dodge that many trolls at once," Harry narrows his eyes at her, and Ginny can see a challenge when it's right in front of her.
"Trolls are slower than Dementors! You need to be extremely fast and well-balanced to try and outrun despair!"
"Trolls have ten times the amount of strength we do, are five times larger, and have skin that protects them from spells!"
"Dementors can kill even the most powerful wizards if they aren't careful!"
"Power is a mere concept. You'd know that if you had tried listening earlier. Oh wait, you were eavesdropping, weren't you? So, do you just ignore every bit of advice you get? You hear everything, but you just ignore everything you hear?"
The sudden accusations sting. Now he's asking for it!
"If you had even a scruple amount of good advice, I'd take it into account, but you don't!" Ginny closes her eyes and drops back to the bed. Her side flares with pain, and Ginny holds back a groan. Damn, where isn't my body bruised?
"That's enough! You're both powerful we get it. You both should rest. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey will gladly keep you both overnight. I'll be seeing you both at breakfast tomorrow," Albus gives them both a warning look before he smiles kindly at Pomfrey and leaves the hospital wing.
The room is mostly silent after that. The only sounds are when Madam Pomfrey tsks and mutters disapprovingly as she checks them both over. Ginny keeps her eyes shut. When Madam Pomfrey announces she's finished and that they should both sleep, Ginny turns over and does just that.
Harry...
Harry stares at Ginny's back. It moves with every inhale and exhale. In and out. Back and forth. She had so many more injuries than he did. She had made good points when she made the decision for them to split up. It made total sense. It's difficult to fight when your happiness is being sucked out of you by dementors.
The real problem with the decision she made was, that they couldn't have each other's backs. They can't protect each other from different sides of the battlefield. He can't protect her. Do I need to protect her? Good question. Better figure that one out before she asks me.
Harry's eyes come back into focus when Ginny shivers. I wonder what she's dreaming about? Stop watching her sleep, you dolt.
Harry rolls onto his back and sighs. The adrenaline isn't going away. He feels like he can get up and run around the black lake without breaking a sweat. Maybe he should try and study while he's awake.
Harry turns onto his other side and winces when he twists his ankle. He'd hurt it when he fell earlier, and while it's mostly healed, phantom pain is a thing. Especially when you get rid of injuries instantly with magic. Harry tries to clear his mind; the sound of Ginny's breathing is very comforting, and at the same time, very unsettling. It would require very little effort to accio her bed closer to mine...
Harry forces himself to stay put and tries to even out his breathing and clear his mind. A task that is practically impossible with Ginny so near him. His thoughts conjure images of Ginny in random scenarios, scenarios he won't ever own up to creating. Eventually, his thoughts turn into dreams, and that's when his unsettling night ends and turns into a horrifying morning.
Harry's standing in a dark room. Where is he?
Harry looks down. The floor shines with a fresh wax that causes Harry to make sure he's dressed appropriately. He's not. Great, I don't know where I am, and I've not dressed appropriately.
Harry looks around and finds himself among five others. All of them wear rich linens. The air reeks of different scents, all of them still failing to mask the smell of blood. Harry looks more closely and notices a table with a body on it. Why is there a bloody body on the table? Oh, this better be a vision from Voldemort, or else I'm going to need a therapist sooner than Sirius thinks.
The man, Harry guesses, seeing the short-cropped hair, lays on the table, breathing shallowly. Harry tries to move to him to help but is frozen in place. The table has carvings on it of snakes and phoenixes. The carvings are very detailed, and if Harry could get closer, he's sure they would tell a story. A narrative of pictures. Expensive.
Harry takes his eyes off the man and tries to identify the other people in the room. Harry doesn't recognize many of them. One of them is, however, Orion Black, Sirius's late father. Sirius is a spitting image of the young man now standing before Harry.
The urge to find a corner to hide in makes his frozen situation unbearable. They can't see him as far as Harry can tell, but that might change.
The four others don't remind him of anyone, but they all look wealthy. Their robes are traditional and very well-cut. They were obviously tailored for them. The people speak to each other in light tones, their voices not quiet, but somehow Harry can't hear them. Can they not see the dead body?
Harry's nose forces him to look back at the man on the table. How do they ignore the smell of a dying man?
The man's blood drips from the table, covering some of the table's carvings as they wind down the intricate wood. The man's breathing is spastic and will probably cease at any moment. His body quivers, and then, with one last shuddering exhale, he's gone.
This has already happened, obviously. I mean, Orion Black is dead, and everyone alive wouldn't be caught dead in the robes they're wearing. They'd try to sell them to a museum instead.
Harry's hearing returns when the doors to the room open wide, revealing a very attractive man in his late twenties.
I really ought to take into consideration that I might be bi...
"Now that our company has left us, I believe it's high time we start," the young man says. So they did know there was a dying man in their company. I definitely shouldn't be here.
The young man walks with a careful stride. He walks with confidence, every step he takes, self-assured like he's practiced this. Maybe he does practice his walk. I'd get a real kick out of perfecting Jack Sparrow's walk.
Harry's lucky he's frozen so he doesn't laugh. How can he think about laughing in a situation like this? I'm severely messed up. The five people from before all line up in the center of the room, right next to the table. They've all fallen silent, and Harry wishes he could move to get a closer look at his surroundings. All he can really see is the chandelier above all of their heads. The fine crystal causes the candlelight to be dimmed. Of course, the walls and the many fine paintings. He's in a very lavish room.
"Tonight is the night we start our journey to freedom and pure living. Tonight we have set into motion the purifying of wizardkind! Tonight, we drink the blood of a man who rejected our goals, rejected our virtues, and rejected the true way of life!" The man conjures six goblets, each of them encrusted with jewels and unique in their own right. The man takes one of the goblets gesturing for the others to follow his lead. He holds the goblet under the lip of the table and lets the blood drop into it. The rest do the same. Oh, he meant literally drink the blood.
Harry gulps and tries to move again. He has the feeling he should leave. Harry tries summoning his wand, but he's still frozen.
The young man lifts his goblet and smiles charmingly at the others, "To the beginning of the future, to the reign of me, myself, and I, Lord Voldemort."
The men raise their goblets and repeat, "To the future and its ruler, Lord Voldemort."
If Harry could stumble, he would have. Harry feels bile rise in his throat. The good-looking one is Voldemort? It's no wonder he had such a gathering in the first war! Can I puke while I'm in a vision?
The area around Harry shimmers before the original five are now near the door instead of the table. Voldemort is kissing a woman's hand, the only female there. The five leave, and Harry is left with a young Voldemort.
Voldemort walks over to the table, all careful strides gone. He leans on the table, his hands resting in the man's blood. Harry can't see Voldemort's face from the place he is frozen, but he can see his body quiver, much like the man in front of him had before his death. His body writhes, and Harry hears a hiss. It must be from pain because it's not parseltongue. Voldemort continues to writhe until finally, he collapses. Sitting on the table is a golden cup. A cup that hadn't been there before.
It must be a Horcrux.
Voldemort stands and leans on the table. He must have sent his followers away before the show so they wouldn't see his weakness. A man who hides his weaknesses from his allies has more weaknesses than a man who doesn't hide them.
Voldemort sets the cup aside before he conjures a silver knife. The knife is serrated, Harry notices. Voldemort rips the man's shirt with the knife before he starts carving the man's chest. Harry tries to look away. How does this man have so much blood? Wasn't he drained of it all?
The sound of cutting flesh makes Harry's stomach roll, and the sight of the bloody knife every time it's ripped out of the man's body makes him feel faint. It's the psychotic laughter that has Harry's vision blurring.
Harry sits up with a gasp. His clothes stick to his skin, and his scar burns. Harry throws the covers off of him and turns so his feet can be on solid ground. His breathing is quick, and his body is overheating. Harry unbuttons his shirt and leans back on his hands, letting the cool air hit his bare chest. Harry hasn't had a vision from Voldemort in quite a while. Usually, they were of something happening right at the moment. It's the first time he's ever seen something from the past.
Maybe, Voldemort was dreaming, and our dreams got connected? Does Voldemort dream?
Harry feels around the side table for his glasses. When he finds them, he puts them on and blinks at the windows on the far side of the room. The hospital wing has high ceilings, and the windows are high on the walls. The room must be designed to bore the injured to death. What's the point of windows if you can't look out of them?
Light starts to peek through the windows causing the gray stonework to lighten. In the dark, the castle feels spacious, and while Harry would rather feel like he has room to breathe, he hates knowing he can be attacked from any angle. They really ought to lighten this place up with some color. Maybe everyone will lighten up, and I won't feel the constant loom of the war.
Harry looks around for a clock and finds a small one on the table next to his bed. It reads five, forty-five. Way too damn early.
Harry lays back on the bed, leaving the covers where they lay. His body is still overheated and the sweat that five minutes ago covered his skin now leaves him feeling grimy.
Harry closes his eyes but can't drift back to sleep. Late to bed and early to rise. Not the best way to live one's life.
Harry gets up and grabs his white shirt. The shirt is covered in dirt, and the collar is stained a gray color, probably dried sweat. Harry grabs his wand from where it lay on the side table and casts a refreshing charm. The wrinkles fade away, and so do the sweat stains and dirt. The simple magic is refreshing in itself. Casting powerful offensive and defensive magic is tiring physically, emotionally, and mentally. Doing simple magic is a good way to disconnect with that side of his life. The largest side of his life.
"Where are you going?" Harry jumps and turns to see Ginny sitting up in bed. Her hair is a mess, and her white shirt is unbuttoned more than Harry thinks she knows. The dress code is a pain, but he'll never complain again if he gets to see Ginny like this again.
"I need a shower. Care to join me?" Harry asks. He smirks and throws a wink in for good measure. Flirting is great therapy. Maybe I can teach it to her.
"I'll leave with you, but I'll quickly depart to the prefect's bathroom," Ginny gets out of bed and straightens the bedsheets. Harry looks at his own sheets and shrugs before straightening them out as well.
"Do you have everything?" Harry asks when he finishes. Ginny nods her head and starts to leave. Harry glances to her side table and sees it empty. Weird, I never saw her grab her wand.
Harry speed walks to catch up with her, and when he does, he tries to find something to say. Will she want to talk about last night? Maybe they should talk about their training?
"You should button up your shirt," Harry blurts. Harry cringes, and Ginny looks down at her shirt.
"Holy shit, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ginny quickly buttons up her shirt and glares at him. Why is she so hot?
"Hey, I asked if you had everything and were ready to go! I assumed you'd check over your clothing!" Harry raises his hands in the air as a sign of his surrender.
Ginny sighs and starts walking in a different direction. Harry stares after her watching her walk away. While it's a complete turn-on when she's angry, why is she mad at me? She could have run into somebody with her breasts falling out of her shirt if it weren't for me!
Harry sighs in defeat. If Ginny doesn't want to be around him, there isn't a lot he can do about it.
Harry finishes his journey to the boy's dormitory and grabs some clothes before hitting the shower.
If his studies aren't interesting it'll be a long day.
I hope this is all going as well as I think it is, haha.
-Ace