Chapter twelve

Chapter twelve

Hogsmeade Happenings

The week leading up to the first Hogsmeade visit of the year seemed to be a bit topsy-turvy to Harry. His two best friends, who were usually fighting about something, were now holding hands and giving each other odd sorts of looks. Harry even caught Ron writing Hermione's name on his Potions homework. And of course the whole school was talking about it - Ron and Hermione, finally together. There were also rumors flying about concerning Harry and Daphne, even though Harry always insisted they were just friends. It was very difficult to take it all in, but not as difficult as explaining it to some people.

Sitting in the Gryffindor common room the Wednesday before the visit, Harry found out just how difficult this was going to be. He sat with Ron and Hermione at the large table, working on the Astronomy assignment they had to turn in tomorrow, as Ginny entered with some of her fourth year friends. Her eyes immediately darted to meet Harry's. "Hi." She sounded distant.

"Hi." He said back.

She looked about the room. "Where's Daphne?"

"I dunno, I don't keep track of her all day." He replied, perhaps a bit more sharply than he had intended.

"Sorry, I just thought that you'd know where your girlfriend was," she mocked.

"She's not my girlfriend!" He practically yelled.

"Well, you could have fooled me!" She yelled back.

"HEY!" Ron interrupted. "Don't get your knickers all in a twist, Gin. They're just friends, as, may I point out, are the two of you. Friends. So, stop shouting."

Keeping very calm, Harry repeated, "She's not my girlfriend."

"Then why are you going with her?" Countered Ginny.

"Because she asked me." They held eye contact for a moment and Harry could see the disappointment in her face. She nodded once and headed up to her dormitory. Harry slammed his book shut and announced that he was going to bed. He started up the stairs to his room and could just make out that Ron and Hermione were discussing the scene they had witnessed.

"Why do you suppose that happened?" Ron asked.

"Do you really want to know what I think?" In the silence, Harry could imagine Ron shaking his red head at her. "Well, why did we ever get into silly arguments?"

"But this is…different. This is Ginny…and Harry." Ron said slowly.

"Precisely."

* * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * *


Seeing as how the weather was superb, Hogsmeade was very busy. Daphne, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all shuffled about the streets pointing at shops and watching the passers by. Daphne, who had never been to Hogsmeade, was anxious to visit the sweet shop, Honeydukes, so that's where they decided they should go first. Every type of candy you could possibly imagine was there, and Daphne wanted to try then all. Harry noticed the owner of the shop looking oddly at them. They most certainly were not the only ones in the store, but the owner still stared. Ron noticed it, too.

"Why don't you go up to him, give him a peek at your forehead and get it all over with?" Ron asked with a grin.

Harry chuckled. "You'd think he'd have noticed me in here a time or two before."

They worked their way around the shop, stopping to look at some of the new items like the multi flavored Sugar Wands and the repulsive Slippery Spiders. The latter looked to be made out of a pudding and licorice combination, but none of them really wanted to find out. When all the treats were paid for, the group found themselves out on the street and heading for Zonko's Joke Shop. Ron wanted to look for something to help him get revenge on his brothers for the Buddy Binder incident.

Hermione and Daphne, however, were more interested in the new dress shop across from Zonko's. They stood outside the window gazing dreamily at the gorgeous new formal robes displayed on the mannequins. "I'm not going in there, so don't even ask," Ron said to Hermione.

"I didn't ask. And don't worry; I wouldn't want to pull you away from your playtime in Zonko's. I know how important it is to you." This was more like the Hermione and Ron that Harry had been used to and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Fine then. Go in your girly shop." Ron turned and opened the door to Zonko's.

"I will. It may be girly, but at least it's mature." The girls were across the street before Ron could think up a clever retort.

"You tell a girl you like her and you still don't get any respect," Ron commented to his friend. Harry laughed and noticed a big, black dog approaching them. He elbowed Ron, who turned and jumped at the sight of the animal. "Did you know he was going to be here today?"

"No." Replied Harry in surprise. The dog was carrying a note in its mouth and dropped it at Harry's feet. He didn't sit and wait as Harry had expected, but rather walked away in the direction of the Shrieking Shack. Harry snatched the note quickly, hoping no one had noticed.

Harry,

Meet me up at the Shack for a little chat. Tell your friends to wait for you in town. The less people heading for the shack, the less attention we draw.

Sirius.

"Wonder what he wants?" Ron questioned, reading the note over Harry's shoulder.

"Guess I better go find out. I'll meet up with you at the Three Broomsticks."

The Shrieking Shack lay on the edge of town, far away from the busy shops. For most people, it was a frightening place, but for Harry and Sirius, it held memories…both painful and happy. The last time they were in the old house together, Harry had wanted to kill Sirius. And then, as if night had turned to day, Harry had been convinced that Sirius was one of the few people in the world that actually cared for and loved him. Harry thought about this as he climbed the stairs to the second floor.

"Did anyone follow you?" It was his godfather, now in human form, which spoke from the shadows. Even in full daylight, the house seemed very dark.

"No, I was careful," Harry replied.

"How are you? Everything going well?" Asked Sirius.

"Everything's fine."

"Nothing has happened to worry you at all?"

"No." Harry was puzzled at the line of questioning. "Why?"

"The calm before the storm," Sirius replied mysteriously.

"Pardon?"

Sirius walked to a bed and sat down. "Here we thought that this year would be a difficult and dangerous one. And yet…nothing has happened."

Harry joined his godfather on the edge of the bed. "You sound disappointed. Shouldn't we be glad that nothing has happened?"

"No, Harry, we should be more alert. At times like this, when you think all is well and nothing could go wrong…that's usually when the ground falls out from under you."

"So…what should I do?"

"Are you still wearing the Amulet?"

Harry's hand went to his chest. He could feel the metal against his skin. "Yes, but like I said, I haven't had much need for it."

"Don't let that trick you into taking it off," Sirius warned.

Harry shook his head in agreement. "I won't"

"Remember, a threat can come from anywhere, and anyone at anytime." Sirius sighed. "Well, I was hoping that you'd have some news for me. I haven't been receiving many letters." His tone turned more playful and he smiled at Harry.

"Well…I've been…busy."

"Um hum." Sirius hummed knowledgeably. "I think I saw what's been keeping you busy…or, better yet, who's been keeping you busy."

"Then you saw them, did you?"

"Well, I saw a very pretty girl," Sirius nudged his godson.

"Daphne? Oh…I thought you were talking about Ron and Hermione." He explained all about his friends and the situation with Daphne. Harry had never had a "birds and bees" kind of talk with a grown up before, and he could tell that Sirius was willing to discuss it, but seemed a bit nervous about it. Harry chuckled at him and told him that he didn't need to worry because he already knew about all of that.

"I hope you don't know all about it. I mean…you haven't…you haven't…"

Harry's eyes grew large. "Heavens no!"

"Good…as your guardian, I have to tell you that you're too young."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, you needn't worry. I mean…I've not even…" he staggered from embarrassment, "you know…kissed a girl."

As if stating the obvious, Sirius said, "Well, you're here with a girl now. What's wrong with her?"

Harry crumpled his nose. It was time to change the subject. "Er…speaking of Daphne, I better get going. They're all waiting for me at Three Broomsticks." They said their good-byes and Harry headed back to his friends, patiently waiting at a table with a butterbeer just for him. He saw the animal form of his godfather in the distance and wondered if he was waiting to see if Harry did as he suggested. But, after a few minutes, the dog ran off into the hillside.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * *

Evening had come quickly and the party had gotten under way. It was held under a large tent off one of the side streets. Students mingled and chatted about the day's happenings and showed off purchases they had made. Dinner was served at a buffet, something Harry had never seen in the wizarding world, but enjoyed none the less.

When the dancing started, he remembered having to dance in front of all those people at the Yule Ball and felt his hands become all clammy. He was going to have to dance with Daphne. Students started towards the middle of the tent, and Harry was stunned to see Hermione and Ron pop up from their seats to join the crowd. He chanced a look at Daphne. She looked back. "Er…wanna dance?"

"Sure." He took her hand and stepped out to the area where all the other dancing students were. He felt as if his feet were two sizes to large, but he wasn't nearly as embarrassed this time as he had been at the Yule Ball. In fact, he decided that it wasn't all that bad…once you actually convinced your feet to start moving. And the music changed several times, allowing them the chance to dance apart and get a little wilder. Justin Finch-Fletchley even got up on one of the tables and started imitating old muggle disco moves…very badly, Harry thought. But it was all very fun, and Harry decided that it was because of the casual, rather than sophisticated, atmosphere.

As the evening came to a close, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Daphne headed back to the castle together, laughing all the way about Justin's new career as a professional dancer. When they reached the steps to the castle, Ron and Hermione told the other two to go on ahead. Harry looked over his shoulder at them from the top of the steps and could see them just about to kiss. He turned away quickly. "What's the matter?" Daphne asked as they entered the Great Hall.

"I'm still not used to them…you know…" he trailed off.

"I can imagine it must be strange."

"Daphne, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a deserted hallway. "I had a nice time." He flinched at how stupid he sounded.

"So did I," she replied.

"Well…I was wondering…would it be all right…er…I mean, would you mind terribly if…" He fiddled with his glasses.

She smiled simply at him. "Spit it out, Harry."

"May I…giveyouakissg'night." He had said the last part very fast.

She looked hesitant. "I suppose so."

That wasn't the answer he had expected. Now what? They looked at each other, wide-eyed and confused. Daphne took a step closer. Then Harry moved closer. He leaned in and nervously, and rather clumsily, touched her lips with his. It was over almost as soon as it had begun, and they just looked at each again other for a moment. Harry broke the stare and said, "We better get upstairs." Daphne just nodded.

They reached the portrait hole at the same time as Ron and Hermione. Harry was afraid to make eye contact with Ron for fear that he would be able to tell what Harry had just done. "Sugar quill," Hermione said, and they all entered the common room to find an unexpected sight - Ginny Weasley, sitting on the floor in torn robes, mouth wide open and eyes blinking very fast.

Ron rushed to her. "What happened?"

"He just…shoved me down?" She was astonished and her voice was very high.

"What?"

"We came back from the party and I mentioned wanting to talk to you all, and he just…well…look!" She pulled at her torn sleeve.

Ron took her hand and brought her to her feet. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is just like Malfoy…but what's a Slytherin doing in our common room?"

"It wasn't Malfoy. It was Colin," Ginny said.

"Creevy?" Harry asked, amazed.

Ginny ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make herself more presentable. "Yeah, we went to the party together." Her eyes darted to Harry and then to the floor. "He's always been nice to me. I don't know what got into him."

Harry noticed a small amount of blood on Ginny's hand. "Oh dear, he's cut you." He took her hand and examined the wound. Ginny shrank back from Harry a bit, but didn't pull her hand away. "Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey."

Ginny's mouth formed a smile at his concern. "It'll be all right." She pulled her hand away and began blotting at it with the hem of her robe. "See? All better."

"Ginny, any idea of what set him off?" Harry questioned.

"None. He was fine, and then…he wasn't. It was creepy."

"Creepy Creevy…sounds like a good nick name." Ron said.

Hermione frowned at him as if to say, "How can you joke at a time like this?" But instead, she put an arm around Ginny and said, "Come on. Let's go get some rest; we'll worry about it in the morning." The girls all headed to their rooms. Ron and Harry followed suit.

"Wonder what that was all about?" Ron asked Harry as he got into his bed.

Harry instinctively put his hand to the amulet hanging from his neck. "I don't know, but it sure is curious." And for the first time, Harry slept without taking the amulet off.

****Thanks again, Lin-z, for the beta reading! And thanks for all the reviews!!

**** Daphne Affigo is an Alphie creation. Harry Potter and all other characters are property of J.K.Rowling and Warner Brothers.