A/N: Well well well. My first fic. I finally got the courage to post part
of this sucker. I hope you like it; I've had fun writing it. Rest assured
there is more to come, whether you like it or not, bwahahahaha! Please
review and remember where you can stick your flames. *sweet smile*
Disclaimers: I don't own anything (except Boggart Beans and the plot), J.K. Rowling (and though it's been said a million times before, it bears repeating, the woman is a genius) owns it, her and a bazillion other companies. *sad shake of head at the thought of all the ugly dolls being made in these characters' "likeness"*.
It had been a rather uneventful day in Harry's estimation. He'd spent the morning transplanting Boggart Beans in Herbology and had fallen asleep in Divination during Trelawney's customary predictions of his death. Now he was in the library, trying to finish up some last minute assignments. As he sat alone in the library, trying his best to concentrate on Snape's abominable Potions homework, he chanced to glance out the window. A grove of trees stood near the window, lining a path that led to the Great Hall. Amongst the shafts of light that fell through the thicket of trees, one chanced to land upon the face of Ginny Weasley. Her companions, a few other fifth years, remained engulfed in the darkness of the trees, making her seem of some divine deliverance. Her hair shone fiery red as her pretty face broke into a smile, laughing at a remark made by one of her friends. She carried her guitar case, as she often did, and her battered book bag. He watched her until she disappeared from view, wondering why her visage held him so entranced. He chalked it up to the fact that he'd rather be doing anything than homework. His mind wandered back to the last two weeks before term, when he'd stayed at the Burrow.
His summer with the Dursleys had been insufferable, as always, and he'd looked forward to his stay with the Weasleys even more than usual. The constant owls to and from his friends and Sirius didn't satiate his constant boredom and longing for the world of magic, the existence of which was constantly squelched by his relatives' ignorance and prejudice. Another birthday had passed without recognition, though this did not extend to his friends who'd sent presents and cakes. Harry was eternally grateful for the latter; his cousin's "diet" was still being enforced, though he grew fatter by the minute. Harry was near complete madness by the time the last weeks of summer arrived. He'd acquired special permission from Dumbledore to travel by way of floo powder, using the fireplace of an abandoned home near Privet Drive since the Dursley's was so obligingly boarded up. Firebolt in hand (the rest of his things had been taken to the Burrow by a special regiment of house elves, which would surely have infuriated Hermione, had she known) he had stepped into the fireplace, steeling himself for the ash that had thwarted him before and shouted "the Burrow". He arrived without incident in the kitchen fire of the Weasley home. It was very early in the morning; a few stars still shone in the dark sky. They had originally planned for him to arrive in the afternoon, but he couldn't bear waiting that long, and intended to sit quietly in the kitchen until the Weasleys came down for breakfast and surprise them. It turned out it was he that was in for a surprise.
When he stepped out of the fire the first thing that caught his attention was a flash of crimson. Back to him, Ginny Weasley was standing on tiptoe reaching for something on a high shelf. "Don't see why we can't use magic outside of school, mum always has to put the cocoa so high up." she muttered sleepily to herself as she continued to toil, her Weasley pride making her refuse to grab a chair for a leg up. Harry smiled to himself, watching Ginny quietly, her long legs taut with her effort. He was unable to take his eyes off her, something that surprised him. She finally grabbed her cocoa with a triumphant "Ha!" to which Harry had to suppress a laugh and turned around, reading the back of the container. She was unaware of Harry's presence, though he couldn't have been more aware of hers. His heartbeat quickened as he took in her long nightshirt whose blazing orange letters read "Chudley Cannons" and was hanging off on one side, revealing one of her smooth, pale shoulders. It seemed Ron wasn't the only one that got hand me downs. Her crimson hair was wild and flowed around her face in artful disarray. Her pretty face was thoughtful and a bit sleepy as she read the back of the cocoa. Why wasn't he saying anything, just standing there and staring at her like an idiot? This was a different Ginny then the one he'd seen last at school. She looked up from her cocoa at last, finally seeming to sense Harry's eyes on her. She gasped, her eyes suddenly alert, all traces of sleep gone. "Harry?" she asked in an anxious whisper. "Hi Ginny." he replied with a grin, keeping his voice low as not to wake the entire household. She seemed to suddenly realize that Harry Potter was in her house, early in the morning and she was standing there with mad hair and wearing one of Ron's old shirts. She sighed inwardly, eternally grateful that she had not been wearing less. Her hands immediately went up to her hair, desperately trying to put it in some semblance of order. Harry had to stop himself from telling her that it looked great the way it was. "Weren't you supposed to get here later?" she asked, giving up on her hair, choosing to fuss with the shirt instead, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates when she realized where one of the shoulders had fallen. "Yeah, sorry, but I couldn't bear another minute with the Dursleys." he said, unable to make his heart return to normal. She smiled at him, "Well, I'm glad you're here." She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud. She quickly added, "Want some cocoa?" with a rather flushed face. Harry had accepted, blushing just as much. They'd talked the morning away, discussing everything from family, to school, to Quidditch. Harry was amazed at how very smart and funny Ginny was. He supposed he'd never had a chance to really find out since she usually ran from him like a frightened rabbit. He quite liked the change.
Over the course of the holiday, he'd seen little more of Ginny than he had the previous summers (back when she liked to perform her little disappearing act when Harry so much as entered a room). She'd taken a Muggle job in the village, intending to exchange the currency for wizard money at the start of the term. Her father was ecstatic and questioned her everyday about the workings of the Muggle world. Though Harry didn't see her often, she was constantly in his thoughts. Ron assumed he'd been brooding about Voldemort and what he might do this coming year, and thought it better not to question him about it. The little time she had off from work, they spent together. Harry discovered she was quite good at flying and they'd often discuss Quidditch tactics in the midst of their aerial pursuits. On her days off he'd often find her down by the stream at the edge of the Weasley property; her guitar and sketchbook her constant companions. Sometimes Harry would walk up and join her, but he often liked to sit some distance off and watch her, letting his presence remain a secret. No matter how he prodded her, she refused to sing in front of him, a constant sore point between them. He knew she sang because he often caught her writing snatches of song and even caught a few words being sung just before a sixth sense immediately alerted her of his presence. She was so angry after one incident that she'd actually pushed Harry into the stream. Unfortunately for her, he'd had the presence of mind to pull her in along with him, to which they both had a good laugh. One afternoon she left her sketchbook behind when she ran to get something from the house. Harry seized the opportunity and flipped through it, feeling slightly guilty. The number of sketches there were of him and how very good they were startled him. One in particular caught his eye. It depicted the two of them on the back of Fawkes the Phoenix after escaping the Chamber of Secrets. It was beautiful. Harry looked pensive as he leaned forward, holding on to Fawkes' feathers and Ginny looked full of sweet relief, her head leaned against Harry's shoulder, her eyes closed. Harry traced his finger over the sketch, reliving the memory. He felt a strange kind of warmth in his chest as he stared at the small figure of Ginny on the page. He quickly put the book aside when he heard Ginny returning, calling him to lunch. The time had gone by in a flash, as it always did, and Harry hadn't seen or thought much about Ginny since they'd gotten off the train at Hogwarts. Not until today anyway. He tore his eyes away from the window and went back to his homework, ignoring the fact that he was perfectly able to do it now that Ginny was out of sight and, for the most part, out of mind.
After some time, Harry rolled up his parchment and rubbed his weary eyes. He glanced out the window again and saw with delight, that Hermione and Ron were coming toward the library. They walked close to one another, each gesturing animatedly, apparently in yet another heated argument. Harry couldn't help but smile at their bickering facades. It seemed everyone but Ron and Hermione knew what was going on beneath all the fighting. "Well you were staring at him Hermione!" Harry heard as Ron and Hermione entered the library. "Ron, he's our teacher, what was I supposed to do, pointedly ignore him?" he heard Hermione answer in an indignant tone. At that point they came into view, both pink in the face, Ron's hands shoved in his pockets. "Well.yeah." Ron answered in a muffled voice, eager to drop the argument since Harry was in earshot. "You're just impossible!" cried an exasperated Hermione. "Hello Harry," she said, picking up her pace "have you finished everything?" She looked at his blotted parchment and the mounds of crumpled paper beside it and tsked, looking very much like Professor McGonagall. Harry stretched as he stood up and replied "As much as I can stand without revisiting today's breakfast." Hermione wrinkled her nose at this. "A simple yes would've sufficed, really." she said disgustedly. Ron, oblivious to any delicacies, replied "Speaking of food, I'm starved. Let's get down to lunch!" Hermione shook her head as if to say "Boys!" and Harry laughed as they walked out of the library together, his books and homework in tow.
As they walked past the lake on their way to the Great Hall, Ron's face broke into its customary grin. "Hey, isn't today the day you're supposed to be sucked down into the depths by the giant squid?" Harry laughed, "Yeah, Trelawney would love that." he replied. Hermione scoffed at the mention of her name. "In her estimation you'd be a zombie Harry, you've died so many times." she answered sarcastically. She opened her mouth to elaborate on the incompetence of Trelawney when a voice called out, "Hi Harry!" The trio stopped and turned; the voice belonged to Cho Chang. Her silky black hair shone in the midday sun as she hurried towards them. "Hi Ron, Hermione." she added, as an afterthought, and the two sensed it. "We'll catch you later Harry." Ron said, with a wink and a slightly painful nudge to Harry's ribs. Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged Ron away before he could make things even more obvious. With a wave to Cho and Harry, and arguing yet again, they walked off, much to Harry's dismay. He always felt tongue tied around Cho, and today was no exception. "Hullochohowyou?" he blurted out. She cocked her head to one side, her lips curving in a bemused smile. "Sorry, I'm not taking any new languages Harry, you'll have to translate." she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. Harry cursed the day blushing was invented. "I said hello." he answered sheepishly, running a hand through his messy hair, wishing, now more than ever, that he had some control over it. "Oh, hello." she answered, laughing a bit. They stood silently for a moment, Harry clueless as to what to say next. He felt nervous as always, but more and more he attributed that fact to what had transpired at the end of fourth year. Cedric's death had left a deep hole in his heart, and Cho's lovely face was a constant reminder of that pain. Guilt overwhelmed him as he stared at his scuffed shoes, avoiding her gaze. "Brilliant conversation we're having, eh?" asked Harry jokingly. Cho laughed. "Indeed it is." She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her sleek hair quickly. "Anyway Harry, what I came to ask you was if you'd meet me later tonight. There's something I need to talk with you about." Her voice had become a shade less merry, nervous even. Harry's brows furrowed in confusion. Cho, pretty, popular Cho wanted to speak with him? It's probably just about homework you great git, he told himself. "Uh, sure, what time?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know, about 9:30 I suppose, in the entryway." she answered, twisting the sleeve of her robe. "Okay, see you then." he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Cho's smile reached her lovely almond shaped eyes as she waved to Harry, hurrying off in the opposite direction. He stared after her in bewilderment, wondering what she could possibly want.
A/N: Liked it? Didn't? Well, there's more, much more. Oh the power I wield! *insane grin* Anyhoo, fill in that pretty little box down there and let me know what you thought of it. Save the flames. If you send them to me, you'll get far more than your share where you'll be going. Heh heh heh.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything (except Boggart Beans and the plot), J.K. Rowling (and though it's been said a million times before, it bears repeating, the woman is a genius) owns it, her and a bazillion other companies. *sad shake of head at the thought of all the ugly dolls being made in these characters' "likeness"*.
It had been a rather uneventful day in Harry's estimation. He'd spent the morning transplanting Boggart Beans in Herbology and had fallen asleep in Divination during Trelawney's customary predictions of his death. Now he was in the library, trying to finish up some last minute assignments. As he sat alone in the library, trying his best to concentrate on Snape's abominable Potions homework, he chanced to glance out the window. A grove of trees stood near the window, lining a path that led to the Great Hall. Amongst the shafts of light that fell through the thicket of trees, one chanced to land upon the face of Ginny Weasley. Her companions, a few other fifth years, remained engulfed in the darkness of the trees, making her seem of some divine deliverance. Her hair shone fiery red as her pretty face broke into a smile, laughing at a remark made by one of her friends. She carried her guitar case, as she often did, and her battered book bag. He watched her until she disappeared from view, wondering why her visage held him so entranced. He chalked it up to the fact that he'd rather be doing anything than homework. His mind wandered back to the last two weeks before term, when he'd stayed at the Burrow.
His summer with the Dursleys had been insufferable, as always, and he'd looked forward to his stay with the Weasleys even more than usual. The constant owls to and from his friends and Sirius didn't satiate his constant boredom and longing for the world of magic, the existence of which was constantly squelched by his relatives' ignorance and prejudice. Another birthday had passed without recognition, though this did not extend to his friends who'd sent presents and cakes. Harry was eternally grateful for the latter; his cousin's "diet" was still being enforced, though he grew fatter by the minute. Harry was near complete madness by the time the last weeks of summer arrived. He'd acquired special permission from Dumbledore to travel by way of floo powder, using the fireplace of an abandoned home near Privet Drive since the Dursley's was so obligingly boarded up. Firebolt in hand (the rest of his things had been taken to the Burrow by a special regiment of house elves, which would surely have infuriated Hermione, had she known) he had stepped into the fireplace, steeling himself for the ash that had thwarted him before and shouted "the Burrow". He arrived without incident in the kitchen fire of the Weasley home. It was very early in the morning; a few stars still shone in the dark sky. They had originally planned for him to arrive in the afternoon, but he couldn't bear waiting that long, and intended to sit quietly in the kitchen until the Weasleys came down for breakfast and surprise them. It turned out it was he that was in for a surprise.
When he stepped out of the fire the first thing that caught his attention was a flash of crimson. Back to him, Ginny Weasley was standing on tiptoe reaching for something on a high shelf. "Don't see why we can't use magic outside of school, mum always has to put the cocoa so high up." she muttered sleepily to herself as she continued to toil, her Weasley pride making her refuse to grab a chair for a leg up. Harry smiled to himself, watching Ginny quietly, her long legs taut with her effort. He was unable to take his eyes off her, something that surprised him. She finally grabbed her cocoa with a triumphant "Ha!" to which Harry had to suppress a laugh and turned around, reading the back of the container. She was unaware of Harry's presence, though he couldn't have been more aware of hers. His heartbeat quickened as he took in her long nightshirt whose blazing orange letters read "Chudley Cannons" and was hanging off on one side, revealing one of her smooth, pale shoulders. It seemed Ron wasn't the only one that got hand me downs. Her crimson hair was wild and flowed around her face in artful disarray. Her pretty face was thoughtful and a bit sleepy as she read the back of the cocoa. Why wasn't he saying anything, just standing there and staring at her like an idiot? This was a different Ginny then the one he'd seen last at school. She looked up from her cocoa at last, finally seeming to sense Harry's eyes on her. She gasped, her eyes suddenly alert, all traces of sleep gone. "Harry?" she asked in an anxious whisper. "Hi Ginny." he replied with a grin, keeping his voice low as not to wake the entire household. She seemed to suddenly realize that Harry Potter was in her house, early in the morning and she was standing there with mad hair and wearing one of Ron's old shirts. She sighed inwardly, eternally grateful that she had not been wearing less. Her hands immediately went up to her hair, desperately trying to put it in some semblance of order. Harry had to stop himself from telling her that it looked great the way it was. "Weren't you supposed to get here later?" she asked, giving up on her hair, choosing to fuss with the shirt instead, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates when she realized where one of the shoulders had fallen. "Yeah, sorry, but I couldn't bear another minute with the Dursleys." he said, unable to make his heart return to normal. She smiled at him, "Well, I'm glad you're here." She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud. She quickly added, "Want some cocoa?" with a rather flushed face. Harry had accepted, blushing just as much. They'd talked the morning away, discussing everything from family, to school, to Quidditch. Harry was amazed at how very smart and funny Ginny was. He supposed he'd never had a chance to really find out since she usually ran from him like a frightened rabbit. He quite liked the change.
Over the course of the holiday, he'd seen little more of Ginny than he had the previous summers (back when she liked to perform her little disappearing act when Harry so much as entered a room). She'd taken a Muggle job in the village, intending to exchange the currency for wizard money at the start of the term. Her father was ecstatic and questioned her everyday about the workings of the Muggle world. Though Harry didn't see her often, she was constantly in his thoughts. Ron assumed he'd been brooding about Voldemort and what he might do this coming year, and thought it better not to question him about it. The little time she had off from work, they spent together. Harry discovered she was quite good at flying and they'd often discuss Quidditch tactics in the midst of their aerial pursuits. On her days off he'd often find her down by the stream at the edge of the Weasley property; her guitar and sketchbook her constant companions. Sometimes Harry would walk up and join her, but he often liked to sit some distance off and watch her, letting his presence remain a secret. No matter how he prodded her, she refused to sing in front of him, a constant sore point between them. He knew she sang because he often caught her writing snatches of song and even caught a few words being sung just before a sixth sense immediately alerted her of his presence. She was so angry after one incident that she'd actually pushed Harry into the stream. Unfortunately for her, he'd had the presence of mind to pull her in along with him, to which they both had a good laugh. One afternoon she left her sketchbook behind when she ran to get something from the house. Harry seized the opportunity and flipped through it, feeling slightly guilty. The number of sketches there were of him and how very good they were startled him. One in particular caught his eye. It depicted the two of them on the back of Fawkes the Phoenix after escaping the Chamber of Secrets. It was beautiful. Harry looked pensive as he leaned forward, holding on to Fawkes' feathers and Ginny looked full of sweet relief, her head leaned against Harry's shoulder, her eyes closed. Harry traced his finger over the sketch, reliving the memory. He felt a strange kind of warmth in his chest as he stared at the small figure of Ginny on the page. He quickly put the book aside when he heard Ginny returning, calling him to lunch. The time had gone by in a flash, as it always did, and Harry hadn't seen or thought much about Ginny since they'd gotten off the train at Hogwarts. Not until today anyway. He tore his eyes away from the window and went back to his homework, ignoring the fact that he was perfectly able to do it now that Ginny was out of sight and, for the most part, out of mind.
After some time, Harry rolled up his parchment and rubbed his weary eyes. He glanced out the window again and saw with delight, that Hermione and Ron were coming toward the library. They walked close to one another, each gesturing animatedly, apparently in yet another heated argument. Harry couldn't help but smile at their bickering facades. It seemed everyone but Ron and Hermione knew what was going on beneath all the fighting. "Well you were staring at him Hermione!" Harry heard as Ron and Hermione entered the library. "Ron, he's our teacher, what was I supposed to do, pointedly ignore him?" he heard Hermione answer in an indignant tone. At that point they came into view, both pink in the face, Ron's hands shoved in his pockets. "Well.yeah." Ron answered in a muffled voice, eager to drop the argument since Harry was in earshot. "You're just impossible!" cried an exasperated Hermione. "Hello Harry," she said, picking up her pace "have you finished everything?" She looked at his blotted parchment and the mounds of crumpled paper beside it and tsked, looking very much like Professor McGonagall. Harry stretched as he stood up and replied "As much as I can stand without revisiting today's breakfast." Hermione wrinkled her nose at this. "A simple yes would've sufficed, really." she said disgustedly. Ron, oblivious to any delicacies, replied "Speaking of food, I'm starved. Let's get down to lunch!" Hermione shook her head as if to say "Boys!" and Harry laughed as they walked out of the library together, his books and homework in tow.
As they walked past the lake on their way to the Great Hall, Ron's face broke into its customary grin. "Hey, isn't today the day you're supposed to be sucked down into the depths by the giant squid?" Harry laughed, "Yeah, Trelawney would love that." he replied. Hermione scoffed at the mention of her name. "In her estimation you'd be a zombie Harry, you've died so many times." she answered sarcastically. She opened her mouth to elaborate on the incompetence of Trelawney when a voice called out, "Hi Harry!" The trio stopped and turned; the voice belonged to Cho Chang. Her silky black hair shone in the midday sun as she hurried towards them. "Hi Ron, Hermione." she added, as an afterthought, and the two sensed it. "We'll catch you later Harry." Ron said, with a wink and a slightly painful nudge to Harry's ribs. Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged Ron away before he could make things even more obvious. With a wave to Cho and Harry, and arguing yet again, they walked off, much to Harry's dismay. He always felt tongue tied around Cho, and today was no exception. "Hullochohowyou?" he blurted out. She cocked her head to one side, her lips curving in a bemused smile. "Sorry, I'm not taking any new languages Harry, you'll have to translate." she said, a hint of laughter in her voice. Harry cursed the day blushing was invented. "I said hello." he answered sheepishly, running a hand through his messy hair, wishing, now more than ever, that he had some control over it. "Oh, hello." she answered, laughing a bit. They stood silently for a moment, Harry clueless as to what to say next. He felt nervous as always, but more and more he attributed that fact to what had transpired at the end of fourth year. Cedric's death had left a deep hole in his heart, and Cho's lovely face was a constant reminder of that pain. Guilt overwhelmed him as he stared at his scuffed shoes, avoiding her gaze. "Brilliant conversation we're having, eh?" asked Harry jokingly. Cho laughed. "Indeed it is." She cleared her throat and ran a hand through her sleek hair quickly. "Anyway Harry, what I came to ask you was if you'd meet me later tonight. There's something I need to talk with you about." Her voice had become a shade less merry, nervous even. Harry's brows furrowed in confusion. Cho, pretty, popular Cho wanted to speak with him? It's probably just about homework you great git, he told himself. "Uh, sure, what time?" he asked. "Oh, I don't know, about 9:30 I suppose, in the entryway." she answered, twisting the sleeve of her robe. "Okay, see you then." he said, trying to sound as casual as possible. Cho's smile reached her lovely almond shaped eyes as she waved to Harry, hurrying off in the opposite direction. He stared after her in bewilderment, wondering what she could possibly want.
A/N: Liked it? Didn't? Well, there's more, much more. Oh the power I wield! *insane grin* Anyhoo, fill in that pretty little box down there and let me know what you thought of it. Save the flames. If you send them to me, you'll get far more than your share where you'll be going. Heh heh heh.
