The Frog Princess
(Ginny's Story)

by Frog-Princess
(ginny@darkcastle.com)



Disclaimer: As always, everything from HP belongs to its rightful owner, J. K. Rowling, not me. =)

A/N: I finally have a little time to myself now that I'm out of school for the holidays. So, here's the next chapter as promised!



Chapter Six



To Ginny's surprise, she managed to contain herself when in Harry's presence. As soon as they returned to the common room, however, she excused herself. She dashed straight back up to the girls' dormitory, gave a great squeal of delight, and flopped down onto her bed.

That did not just happen... did it?

After a few moments, Ginny propped herself up on one arm, breathing deeply. She glanced at the diary that was still sitting on the edge of her bed, but knew deep down that it wasn't the right time to be pouring her feelings into it. She tried to scold herself for thinking so impulsively. I must stop acting like a child. I'm fourteen! She sat up. Well, she mused, at least I managed to catch myself in time. At least I didn't do anything too embarrassing.

She stood up and wobbled unsteadily towards the staircase, an oddly familiar queasy feeling coming over her. She didn't want to believe that Harry Potter still managed to make her feel insanely happy after all this time. She didn't want it to be true, for nothing good would come of it. She was determined to ignore the fact that she was shaking all over.

"Oi, Harry! All right there, mate?" called Fred. Harry had been so distracted looking at something else that he barely noticed the Bludger heading straight towards him. He only looked up when he felt it brush past his left ear, the breeze ruffling his hair. Swoosh. Harry started and clung to his broom to keep from sliding off.

Though still a little shaken, he assured Fred that he was fine while George sped after the Bludger and aimed for it with his club.

The something Harry had been staring at was a certain redhead that was making her way into the otherwise empty stands below. "Ginny," Harry said quietly to himself, gazing down at her in wonder as she took a seat. Practice was halfway over. While he'd been devoting his attentions primarily to spotting the Snitch, he was beginning to wonder whether or not Ginny had forgotten her promise to show up.

Meanwhile, Ginny was scanning the skies for any sign of Harry or the Snitch. Obviously, she didn't expect to find him staring back down at her. He gave her a quick wave and returned to the game.

Ginny caught a flash of red hair shooting around a goal post just in time for the person to catch the Quaffle. A third Weasley, Ron, had joined the team as Keeper. He appeared to be having the time of his life as he showed off for the rest of the time, making spectacular saves. Straining her eyes in the bright sunlight, Ginny could see the grin on her brother's face as he whirled around on his broomstick and caught the Quaffle almost effortlessly, yawning exaggeratedly to give a greater effect.

Ginny opened up her bag. She had an idea. Pulling out her diary, she found a blank page and picked up her quill. She paused for a moment to study the sky above. Soon she focused her attention on the paper and carefully began to sketch, which isn't easy with a feathered quill, but the thin lines slowly began to take shape. She looked up at Harry now and then before returning to her drawing.

When she finished, the bit her lip and studied the portrait carefully. It was almost an exact likeness of Harry, although through the eyes of an artist, there's always room for improvement. Ginny supposed it was close enough. She was quite proud of the way she'd managed to capture the exact sparkle she had imagined in his eyes as he reached forward, hands outstretched, to capture the tiny winged Snitch. She smiled, satisfied, and gazed at the picture, barely realizing how much time had passed. A voice interrupted her, telling her that Quidditch practice had ended.

"Hello, Ginny."

Ginny didn't have to guess who it was. She hadn't managed to close the book in time. "What were you drawing?" Harry asked, peering down at the page. Ginny could feel her face and ears growing red. "It's nothing," she lied, snapping the book shut. "Actually, it's not even mine." Harry grinned at her. "Come on, let me see."

He gently took the book from her hands and opened the the page that was bookmarked. His eyes widened and his face went slightly pink.

Run, Gin! thought Ginny. Start running, right now! Back to the castle! He's tired from practice - he might not be able to catch you if you sprint! But her legs refused to move, and Ginny remained frozen in place, humiliated.

"Er... it's very good," Harry told her. "It... it looks just like me."

"I didn't draw that," said Ginny in what she hoped was a very standoffish sort of way. "A friend of mine did. It's not even--"

But Harry's eyes flickered down to the corner of the page, where Ginny had signed her initials inside a small heart shape. He gave her a knowing smile and handed the book back. Why, thought Ginny to herself, does he have to smile like that? "So..." he said awkwardly. "You're a really good artist... do you draw much?"

Ginny hoped he hadn't meant to say, "Do you draw me much?" He probably didn't, but just in case, she quickly shook her head. It was an obvious lie, but she couldn't risk it.

Ginny was thoroughly relieved when Ron approached them, beaming; she didn't want to talk about herself anymore.

"Did you see that, Gin?" he asked his sister happily. "Did you see that save!?"

Ginny nodded, smiling politely, though she was just as happy for Ron as he was. "You're a natural, Ron," she said enthusiastically. She was happy that her brother had something he was really good at, something he could take pride in. But she didn't get to say much more, because the rest of the team rushed over and began congratulating him. When Ginny looked over at Harry, he, too, was talking excitedly with Ron.

George shouted over the noise, and Ginny looked up as he and Fred came over. "We need to talk to you later," said Fred in a low voice. "Meet us in the usual spot in the common room, okay?"

Eventually Harry, Ron, and Ginny fell behind as the rest of the team hurried back to the castle to get changed. Harry was grinning as Ron boasted playfully. "And then I came shooting around that goal post and caught it anyway!" he laughed. "But I had you worried, there, didn't I?"

Just then, without warning, Harry came to a sudden halt. The expression on his face changed. He jerked his head towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Harry, what is it?" Ginny asked, her brown eyes full of concern.

Ron was confused. "What'd I say?" he asked Ginny.

Harry shook his head. "It's nothing... I just thought I heard something coming from over there." He pointed towards the dark, shadowy forest and sighed. "I must have been hearing things."

But Harry had only taken a few more steps when he heard the noise again, clearer and sharper this time. It was the sound of a dog barking, and this time, all three of them heard it. Leaves rustled, twigs snapped, and before long, a large black dog appeared at the edge of the forest. It barked again and sat down expectantly. It appeared to be... grinning.

Harry blinked.

"Sirius!"