A/N: I am soooo sorry this took so long! I have been really busy. This part has the beginning of some H/G romance. Not much though. There will be more. I just don't think that all of a sudden Harry is going to fall in love with Ginny. I think it will be a more gradual thing, so that's what I am trying to write. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!! I love you all!!!! Enjoy the story!!! Oh and someone brought to my attention that computers wouldn't work on Hogwarts, so please just forget about that part of the story. Sorry!!!
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, none is mine, it all belongs to J.K Rowling.
Keeping Harry Sane
Of Animagus, Patronus, Sleeping, and Favors
Part Two
You Don't Know Me
I can hardly speak
My heart is beating so
And anyone can tell you think you know me well,
But you don't know me
You don't the one who dreams of you at might
And longs to kiss your lips
Longs to hold you tight
Oh I am just a friend, that's all I've ever been
Cause you don't know me.
You will never know
The one who loves you so
You don't know me
Ginny took a seat on top of the teacher's desk. Harry began pacing in front of her. Her head was buzzing with questions. She had learned more in that short meeting than any other class this year. She watched Harry and figured he wasn't about to explain anything, so she asked the first question that came into her mind. "What is—what is watch duty?"
Harry stopped pacing and smiled. "Oh that. It's awful really. The one draw back to being in the SID. There is this room at Hogwarts that no one knows of other than people in SID. It has this stuff in it. It is sort of like Muggle surveillance cameras, but it's magical. There is this big wall of things like TV's. You do know what a TV is right?"
"Aren't they the things that Muggles watch pictures on?"
"Yes. So this room has walls full of them, and when you are on watch duty you sit in the room and watch the screens for suspicious movement. It is really boring because nothing ever happens. You just sit for hours looking at deserted rooms. Dumbledore has placed several receivers--those are the things that pick up the pictures--in different places he thought that dark magic might be gong on. I've had watch duty many times before, and trust me it is very dull."
"Oh. When do we have to watch?"
"Every night, 9pm to 6am."
"What?!" Ginny's jaw dropped. "What about sleeping?"
"Oh that. Well since there are two of us we get to take naps. I remember once I was alone. I must have gotten two hours of sleep that whole two weeks."
"We have to do it for two weeks?"
"Yeah, it gets to be a little tiring."
"I would expect so." They fell into silence for a while. Finally Ginny got up the courage to ask about something that had been bothering her. "Harry?"
"Mmm?" He had started pacing, but stopped again.
"Um I was just kinda wondering. You said that everyone in there was a good person. Well uh Sirius Black was in there."
Harry's face split into a grin. Then he started laughing. "Your parents never told you?"
"Uh no."
"Well Sirius Black is innocent. I'm sure you have heard the stories about him betraying my parents and then killing Pettigrew and all those Muggles. Well it was sort of the opposite. My parents had changed their secret keeper without telling anyone. It was Pettigrew. He betrayed them and then framed Sirius, making it look like he had killed everyone."
Ginny was staring openmouthed at Harry. So this was something she hadn't managed to figure out during those long years of worshiping Harry. She knew about the Marauders map, the invisibility cloak, but she had never figured out about Black. "But…but… where did Pettigrew go?"
"He was an unregistered animagus. He turned into a rat. Sirius and my father were unregistered animagus too."
"Oh." More silence. "Um Harry? What animal…?"
"Was my father? He was a stag. Sirius was a black dog."
"So that's why…" she faltered. He didn't know that she knew about his patronus. "That's why your patronus was what it was."
He studied her face for a while. She felt as though those green eyes could see right through her. "Yes, how did you--."
"How did I know? Oh Harry I know a lot of things."
"Mm."
They fell into more silence. Ginny had questions. "Uh one more thing. Why was Draco there? Isn't his father a Deatheater?"
Harry took a seat next to her on the desk. "Yeah his father is. He disowned Draco. He didn't want to be a Deatheater, and his father disowned him. So he decided to put all the information he had learned over the years to use and he joined SID."
"Oh."
More silence. Not that Ginny minded. Sometimes it was better not to say things. Harry said, "we missed lunch."
"I don't care. I'm not hungry. I am still sort of in shock. I nearly screamed when I saw Sirius."
Harry laughed (Ginny loved the sound of his laugh, it was so full, so deep). "I guess I should have tipped you off on that."
"Yeah that would have been nice."
"I guess we should get back to class."
Ginny checked her watch. "Charms doesn't start for another 20 minutes. What do you have?"
"Potions, with the Slytherins. Fun, fun, fun. Maybe Snape is a spy, but that doesn't change how he feels about me."
"Haha, have a blast."
"Yeah, I had better go. I have to get my stuff from the common room, then get down to the dungeons."
"Bye Harry."
"Bye Ginny." He stood up then leaned over and kissed her cheek. Ginny might have been able to keep herself form blushing, but then he smiled, that lopsided grin of his that made her head spin. She turned beat red. "See you at nine."
"Yeah," she said very distracted. She was never going to wash her cheek again.
* * *
Harry, who had once again forgotten to let go of Ginny's hand, led her up a dozen different staircases and down a dozen different ones.
"Harry, how on earth am I ever supposed to remember the way to all these different places? Your office, that room we were in earlier, and now this place."
"You'll get it eventually." Finally they stopped, this time in front of a suit of armor. "Lemon Drop," Harry said. "Dumbledore makes the passwords." The armor giggled and moved aside with loud scraps of metal to reveal a doorway.
Ginny let out a small squeak when she saw the inside. It was a circular room about thirty feet in diameter, with walls twenty feet high and every inch of the walls were covered in screens. There had to be hundreds. About three feet off the ground was a piece of wood that ran all the way around the circular room. Even below the wood (that was obviously supposed to be a desk) there were even more screens. Two swivel chairs were pushed against the desk.
"So this is where we spend the night?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, I'm afraid so." He slid his bag on the floor under the desk and plopped down into one of the chairs. Ginny sighed and thought that there were probably worse things than spending the night with Harry. "Oh god, Snape's positively awful. Three whole roles of parchment about swelling solutions. I mean there isn't much you can say other than they make things swell."
"Yeah." Ginny took a seat next to Harry. She pulled out her charms homework, but couldn't concentrate. Harry's quill was scratching his parchment next to her. She smiled and looked at him. He looked up and smiled back.
And so the evening passed. Ginny tried to do her homework, but kept getting distracted by Harry. By one in the morning she had finally managed to finish it all. Harry had finished at quarter to midnight. He was walking around the room inspecting the screens. They all showed empty rooms, or barren fields.
"Ginny if you want you can take a nap. I'll wake you in three hours. Then I get to sleep."
"Um are you sure?"
"Yeah, go ahead." He waved his wand and a sleeping bag appeared on the floor. He sat down in one of the chairs. Ginny took off her shoes and got into the sleeping bag. It was incredibly warm. She had a suspicion that it was enchanted. Just as she was about to start thinking about Harry she fell asleep.
***
Harry watched Ginny sleep and sighed. She looked so content. He knew that if anything ever happened to her, he would never forgive himself. He did not think he had made the right decision in letting her join. He also knew that if anything happened to her Ron would never forgive him. But he did like her company. He could be so honest with her. Even more so than Ron and Hermione. They always flipped out over the smallest thing. Ginny always seemed to stay calm, which is what he loved about her. That is why he told her about everything. He sighed again and dug around in his bag for a magazine. The only on he could find was The Adventures of Michael the Mad Muggle. Opening it up he leaned back in his chair and began to read.
***
Ginny woke a few hours later. Harry hadn't had to wake her, as the floor was not the most comfortable floor ever. While stretching and rolling over she saw Harry. He hadn't noticed that she was awake. He was leaning back in his chair with his legs one the desk. In his hands was a magazine.
"Harry?" He jumped and fell backwards out of the chair. "Harry? Harry? Are you ok? Can you hear me?"
"I'm fine," he said while getting up and rubbing his backside. "Nothing hurt, 'cept my pride. And maybe my butt."
Ginny couldn't help it, she giggled. "Well I would offer to kiss it and make it better, but considering the place that you are hurt…"
"Yeah, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do that."
"What time is it?"
He glanced down at his watch. "Three. I think I'll take a short nap. Wake me at five thirty." He pulled Ginny out of the sleeping bag and got in himself.
Almost instantly he was asleep. Ginny watched him for a while. His chest rose and fell evenly. With his glasses off and his eyes closed he looked like an angel straight from Heaven. Not that he didn't usually look handsome. Most of the population of girls swooned when he smiled. He looked so peaceful. Ginny had a sudden urge to go and kiss him, but, of course, she didn't.
***
"Gin, come on eat something. You'll starve." Ron attempted to push some food down Ginny's throat. Ginny just groaned and pushed the food away. She had been on watch duty for a week and it was really starting to get to her. She had dark circle under her eyes and had fallen asleep in three classes all ready. Harry on the other hand looked normal. He wasn't talking to anyone this morning, but that was normal. "Ginny, what is with you? You haven't eaten since like six days ago."
"I'm fine."
At this Harry looked up. His eyes were filled with concern, unlike Ron's who's just looked annoyed. "Come with me," Harry said to Ginny. Ginny got up and followed him out of the great hall. He led her to the base of the marble staircase. "Look Ginny, I want you to go up to the Gryffindor common room and then up to your dormitory. Once there you are going to go to sleep and not wake up until I come up to get you. Understand?"
"But classes…"
"No buts, right now young lady!"
A grin crept onto Ginny's tired face. "Yes Sir! Harry Sir!" She saluted him.
"Just go," Harry said smiling, giving her a little push. He watched her slowly walk up the stairs. He sighed loudly then stopped himself. He realized that he sounded exactly like Hermione used to when he and Ron would break rules. Used to… But not anymore, he realized. He hadn't been breaking many rules with Ron lately. Oh well, I guess we stopped as we got older, he thought.
He turned around and walked back to the Gryffindor table to finish his breakfast. Upon arrival there he found Ron and Hermione in the middle of an argument.
"I'm telling the truth," yelled Hermione her face red.
"If you are telling the truth why are you getting so worked up?"
"Because it bugs me when you accuse me of things I don't like."
"Well if you don't like--." He noticed Harry suddenly and shut up. Harry was so used to the two of them fighting that he did not pay any attention to it. He sat down and started to cut up his pancakes. He did not notice that both Ron and Hermione were staring at him.
"So…?" began Ron.
Harry looked up, "So what?"
"Where is Ginny?"
"Oh, I sent her up to bed. She looked awful."
Ron raised his eyebrows. "You sent her to bed?"
Harry nodded. "She didn't look good."
"Yes I do have eyes too." Harry gave him a funny look, but continued to cut his pancakes. Ron continued in a voice that was definitely not his own, "since when have you been the ruler of the school? With the authority to tell other people where to go and what to do?" His voice was getting steadily louder. Harry couldn't figure out why he was getting so worked up about nothing. "Ginny has classes today. She shouldn't miss them."
"She didn't look good."
"You already told me that!" Ron yelled this so loud the Gryffindor table went silent. He waited a moment for everyone to go back to his or her conversations then continued, this time in a deadly whisper, "Just because you are the Famous Harry Potter doesn't mean you have the right to do what ever you want."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. Had Ron just said what he thought he said? By the look on Hermione's face he had. "Shut up, you don't know what you are talking about."
"Oh don't I?" He was still using the whisper. "I don't know about my sister? I have known her for a lot longer than you have."
"Trust me Ron, you don't know what you are talking about."
"Well then maybe you could enlighten me." His voice was getting steadily louder, but still had the deadly tone.
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He shook his head. "Forget it."
"I don't want to forget it!"
"Ron," Hermione broke in, "drop it." It was obvious that Ron didn't want to drop it, but when Hermione uses that tone, you don't argue with her.
***
Ginny walked slowly up the stairs to her dormitory. She was so tired. She had gotten about five hours sleep total in the past week. This just didn't work when you had classes to pay attention in, tests to study for, and tests to take. She walked into her room and didn't even bother to change, just laid down on her bed. The last thought in her head was if Harry would bother to tell her teachers where she was.
***
"Ginny? Ginny, come on, you have to get up." Ginny shook her head and tried to go back to sleep. "Gin, get up!" She recognized the voice, it was Harry. She sat up very suddenly and hit something hard. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw Harry sitting on her bed rubbing his forehead. Apparently he had been leaning over her.
"Oops." Without thinking she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "All better." Then it seemed to hit her that she had kissed Harry Potter. Her face turned very red. Harry, much to Ginny's relief, didn't notice.
"Hey sleepy head, it's five-thirty."
"FIVE-THIRTY??? I slept all day?"
"Yeah, I told your teachers where you were. Come on get up. I'll meet you in the common room in twenty-five minutes." He got up and walked out of her room.
Ginny got out of bed and pulled on new robes, her other ones were all crinkled from being slept in. Quickly she washed her face in cold water, which really woke her up. She walked down to the common room and plopped down in the chair she had used before to wait for Harry. The common room was deserted except for a few fourth years playing chess.
Why did Harry want to meet her here at six? They didn't have to go to watch duty until nine. I hope they haven't decided to make it longer, she thought. She wasn't sure if she could survive watch duty for twelve hours. Finally Harry arrived, he was ten minutes late, which Ginny of course pointed out.
"Sorry, got tied up."
"Oh?"
"Literally, Malfoy put a hex on me. Of course I cursed him back."
"Of course you did."
"Don't make fun of me."
"Me?" she asked innocently pointing to her chest. "I would never do a thing like that."
"Right. Now on to business." He glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening. The only other people in the common room now were first years who were giggling in a corner, the fourth years had gone to dinner. "Dinner at six, well six ten, meeting at six thirty, duty at nine. Got it?"
"Meeting?"
"Yeah you know, I told you didn't I?"
"Uh no."
"Oh well sorry. Resistance meeting." Her face still looked confused. "You know the one we attended last week."
"Ohhhh yes. I was wondering why you wanted me down here at six. For a while I thought they might have made watch duty an extra three hours."
"God forbid."
***
At dinner Ron wasn't talking to Harry. Ginny didn't notice because no one really talked all that much anymore. Every now and then Hermione would take stabs at conversation, but nothing really worked. The most that was said today was Ron commenting on how Ginny was eating again. After a good day's rest she realized how hungry she was and had eaten all of her dinner and most of Harry's. So at six thirty she was well fed and a lot more cheerful than she had been in a while.
On their way to the 'Briefing Room' as Harry called it, Ginny tried to remember the way. Up one flight of stairs, left two hundred yards, down the left staircase, through the tapestry, pet the cat painting, through the painting, left, second right, but it was just too difficult. She gave up less than halfway there.
Once they got to the very solid looking wall Harry did not put his hand on it, instead he told Ginny to. Reluctantly, thinking that there was no way this would work she reached out and touched the cold stone. At once she felt a burning sensation and the wall started melting away beneath her fingers.
Inside, most of the group was there. Remus, Dumbledore, Snape, and Arabella were watching the fire, waiting for Sirius and Mundungus. Kevin was standing by himself in a corner fiddling with his fingers. Harry and Ginny walked over to join him.
"Hey Kevin!" said Harry.
"Hi Harry, hi Ginny. You guys have fun with watch duty?"
"Oh yes it was great. Only one more week."
"I hope I don't get it next."
Harry didn't have to answer because Mundungus and Draco had just arrived and Dumbledore was trying to bring the meeting to order.
"Ok now. Sirius will not be joining us, anyone else missing? Ah Lisa. Now she should be here. I don't know… well we will just start without her."
Lisa didn't show up the rest of the meeting. No one had anything very exciting to report. Draco had had a fairly funny encounter with Nott in the middle of the night. Apparently Draco had been following him in the middle of the night. He had watched Nott walk into an empty classroom then put a locking charm on it. Naturally Draco had suspected something so he had burst into the room only to find Nott and a sixth year Hufflepuff in the middle of a make-out session. He had quickly apologized and left, but Nott had been sending him dirty looks the rest of the week.
Dumbledore found this very amusing and while laughing told Draco that he would put someone else on Nott. Draco nodded thankfully. Arabella and Mundungus, who had been tracking Lucius Malfoy, didn't have anything to report, other than the normal 'went out at 10:30, came back at 11.' Harry and Ginny of course didn't have anything interesting to say.
"Ok, this seems to have been a very unproductive week. New assignments. Harry and Ginny, watch duty." Dumbledore gave them an apologetic smile. "Kevin you will be on Nott, after Draco's uh incident." Draco glared at Dumbledore. "Everyone else. Same thing. Um please if anyone sees Lisa reminded her to stay on Goyle. She probably just forgot about the meeting. Ok dismissed. Harry, Ginny can I talk to you for a second?"
Ginny and Harry hung back in a corner as all the students walked to the door and all the adults moved towards the fireplace. Once everyone was gone he spoke. "You two still have thirty minutes before duty so I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
***
A/N: What's Dumbledore's favor?? Read the next part (which I hope will be out soon) to find out!! What do you think so far? I promise the next part will have more H/G. If you haven't noticed this chapter is much more light-hearted than the last. At least that's what I tried to do.