Chapter Three: Can't Stop The Music
In the little village of Hogsmeade…
Harry turned around, having just made his purchases at Honeydukes, only to be confronted with the very person he both longed and dreaded to see, Ginny. Harry managed a lopsided smile, which Ginny returned. "Fizzing Whizbee?" he asked, thrusting a paper bag under her nose. "Or would you like a Chocolate Frog? Or a tooth-flossing string mint? Or something else – I've got just about the entire contents of Honeydukes here!"
Ginny smiled. Harry's stomach did a couple of cartwheels and a handspring.
"Thanks, Harry." Ginny took a Fizzing Whizbee, her eyes following Harry as he left the shop hurriedly. "Hey, big spender," she sang softly to herself. "Hey, big spender!" she sang a little louder, attracting an odd look from the woman behind the counter. "Spend a little time with me…" Ginny paused wistfully as she watched Harry walk off down the street with a gaggle of Hufflepuff girls.
Meanwhile…
Dean Thomas was having a most strange morning. First of all, he'd been woken at God knew what time by Harry singing something that sounded like "save all your kisses for me" in his sleep. Dean had thrown a pillow at his dorm-mate and finally he'd got back to sleep. Then, at breakfast, he'd embarrassed himself in front of the whole school. He wasn't quite sure how that had happened: one minute Lavender had been telling him about how difficult she was finding Charms; the next he was standing on his chair, one hand draped over his knee as his foot rested on the table, the other reaching dramatically into the air, singing 'Climb Every Mountain' while the Gryffindors cheered and clapped him on.
And now, to top it all off, he'd bought a hamster.
Dean caught sight of a crowd of his classmates standing outside Zonko's and went over to speak to them, clutching the hamster foolishly.
"Hey Dean. What've you bought?" asked Ron as he hurriedly tried to get the lid back on a tube of Jingo's Jumping Jellybeans before they escaped.
Dean held out the hamster and grinned sheepishly. "He's called Basil."
Ron looked at Basil. Basil looked at Ron. "Where'd you get it?" Ron asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as the hamster continued to stare at him.
"It was the weirdest thing. I was going past this alleyway when I had this thought, 'why don't I have a familiar?' Ever since Twinkletoes died I've been without one, you see. Then, as luck would have it, this guy in a leather jacket with a handlebar moustache came along who happened to have a hamster for sale. I mean, talk about a co-incidence!" Dean blinked and looked confused for a moment. "At least… I think… that's what happened…"
"You do know hamsters aren't allowed as familiars at Hogwarts?" chipped in Hermione over Ron's shoulder, while Ron pulled a face.
"Really? Oh well, they'll never notice him. He talks, you know."
Ron coughed incredulously. "Oh, really. Can it fly as well?" Ron had torn his gaze away from that of the hamster, although he kept giving it suspicious glances as he spoke, as though he expected to catch it doing something it shouldn't.
"Que?" asked the hamster.
"Wicked!" said Ron. "What else does it say?"
"Well, erm, just that really. I've been trying to teach him to sing Britney's 'I'm Not A Girl' but he just doesn't get it."
Hermione, true to form, was worried, and not just about Dean singing Britney Spears' songs. "Maybe you should tell Professor McGonagall, Dean. After all, it's not normal for a hamster to talk, and that man who sold it to you sounds dodgy, and not just because of what he was wearing."
"No! No! Nobody's going to take my precious Basil away from me! Nobody, do you hear me, nobody!" With this outburst, Dean ran off, clutching the hamster to his chest protectively.
Ron shook his head as the Gryffindor boy ran away down the street, hissing at passers-by who gave him strange looks. "Weird." Just then he jumped visibly as Hermione touched his elbow.
"Ron, I'm just going to have a bit of a wander with Ginny. We'll see you two at The Three Broomsticks in an hour."
Ron's face clouded. "Does this have anything to do with those…" his eyes darted from side-to-side, "…sailor types who're in the village?" Many of the Hogwarts girls had gone crazy when they discovered that a number of members of the WSF, the Wizarding Sea Force, were in town, though what they were doing this far from the actual sea was anyone's guess. Ron's voice clearly showed his contempt for the seagoing wizards whom all the girls went wild over.
"No, Ron, it does not. We just thought we'd go and look at something other than sweets, practical-jokes and butterbeer for a change!" Hermione stalked off and was joined by Ginny further down the street.
Ron sighed. "Women, eh?" he remarked to a small Spanish-looking man standing nearby. Ron did a double-take at the man, shrugged and headed towards the pub.
= = =
As Hermione and Ginny approached The Three Broomsticks an hour later, they noticed a fair-sized crowd gathering outside. The sound of raised voices reached their ears, and the first thing Ginny saw as they drew near was the bloodied, unconscious form of Neville being dragged from the pub. Then a number of the sailors in their distinctive dark blue and white robes burst out protesting loudly followed by Madame Rosmerta, the landlady.
"Is he okay?" asked Ginny, pushing to the front of the crowd to reach Neville's side.
"Oh, he's fine," said Ron, coming up behind her. "He just got floored by a punch from a six foot sailor."
"Oh no! You're kidding!" Ginny patted Neville's cheek and called his name softly while Harry glowered at them from a distance.
"It was awesome!" said Seamus as a burly dwarf ejected him from the pub. "Neville said something to this sailor, and he just went ballistic, and 'wham!'"
Neville raised his head slightly and peered up at the fuzzy shapes above him. "Wake me up before you go-go," he muttered before blacking out again.
"That doesn't sound very awesome!" said Ginny to Seamus angrily.
"Oh no, the awesome bit comes next. So Harry goes over and tries to stop the sailor, right, and he gets hit too, so Ron and Dean and me naturally jumped in to protect him, and before we knew it, it was a brawl! Imagine that, a real, live brawl!"
"Forgive me if I don't congratulate you on your manliness," she said coldly.
"Ginny, there was really nothing we could have done – the guy just attacked Neville!" Ginny looked up to see Harry standing over her, a bruise already forming on his cheekbone. He looked genuinely upset and sorry and Ginny's heart melted. She opened her lips to speak and-
"What in heaven's name is going on here?" Professor Sprout appeared, puffing slightly from the strain of running down the street. She stopped, looked up, caught sight of the crowd of sailors and suddenly her whole demeanour changed. "Well, hello there," she purred, sauntering over to them while the crowd of students watched, expressions ranging from shocked to downright horrified pasted onto their faces. "What seems to be the problem, Captain?" she asked of a bewildered Lieutenant. She touched his arm lightly and gave a little gasp. "My, you're so muscular, and so… so… virile! May I please squeeze your bicep?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him and gave him a coy smile.
"Oh. My. God," said Ginny quietly, unwilling to watch the Herbology teacher chatting up a man at least thirty years her junior, yet strangely unable to look away.
"You're telling me," said Harry, wincing.
"So what did Neville say to make this bloke hit him?" Ginny asked, trying to take her mind off the sight before her.
"Oh, I dunno, it's weird. I'm not sure if I heard right, it was pretty loud in there, but it sounded like he said something like 'hey sailor!' in this really strange voice," replied Harry.
"Things are getting weird," was all Ron could manage. "Really, really weird."
= = =
"I am so not a morning person," grumbled Ron, as he and Harry made their way down the staircase from their dormitory. "Especially Monday mornings, there's something I particularly detest about Monday mornings. In fact, if I had to pick a day of the week which-"
Ron was halted mid-Monday rant by the sight of practically the entire of Gryffindor house pushing their noses up against the window of the common room overlooking the Great Lake.
"What the-?"
"Harry, Ron, come over here," Hermione gesticulated at them from the front of the throng of people. The two boys pushed their way through the crowd to see what Hermione was so excited about.
"Hermione," Ron began, "what's all the fuss about, why is everyone-?"
"Oh, just shut up and look Ron." Ron became immediately quiet and followed the direction in which Hermione's finger was pointing.
The sight that greeted him was a particularly spectacular one. On the shore of the lake stood the majority of the Hogwarts teaching staff, all battling with a giant sea creature which seemed to be writhing about in the lake and flinging its tentacles madly in the direction of Professor Snape, who was hovering at the back of the crowd of teachers.
As the students looked on in wide-eyed amazement, Professor McGonagall broke in to a run in the direction of the castle, glancing up at the window and glaring at the students.
Everyone immediately withdrew from the window as they heard footsteps approaching the portrait hole. Harry took up a 'casual' pose, reclining on one elbow on the back of a chair before realising he was pressing himself up against Ginny who had been standing at the window next to him. Stammering an apology to an extremely red-faced Ginny, Harry jumped a foot back just as McGonagall burst through the portrait hole into the common room.
"Gryffindors," she began, breathing heavily. "As you may have seen, we're having a little trouble settling Ms. MacDougal into life in the lake. However, the problem is being dealt with, and I'm sure you'll all be pleased to hear that it has been decided to give the entire school the morning off so that the issue can be addressed fully by the teaching staff."
She turned, preparing to leave the room.
"Professor?"
"Yes?" she spun to face Lavender Brown.
"Is Nessie okay? Only, my mother has this book which says behaviour like that is only exhibited by monsters of her size when they're-"
"Thank you Lavender, that's quite enough. It is none of your concern what is ailing Ms. MacDougal. I will only say this, you all of course know the old proverb, 'when love goes wrong, nothing goes right.'" McGonagall turned quickly and exited the common room as a group of first year girls melodically echoed her ominous last words.
Ron glanced around at the other Gryffindors. "Weird. Definitely weird."
Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron yet again came out with what was fast becoming his favourite word. "I have to go and see… erm… Professor McGonagall. I'll see you later."
"But we just saw McGonagall!" Ron called after her as she hurried out.
= = =
Hermione wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but it definitely wasn't normal, and she didn't like it one bit. She didn't like feeling so utterly helpless when it came to what she said and did. For a moment back there, as Ron had pressed himself against her in his eagerness to look out of the window, she had almost lost control altogether and done something to embarrass herself and her friend. Her friend, she reminded herself firmly. There was no need to spoil a perfectly good friendship just because she was having certain… feelings towards him.
She noticed other students begin to appear in the grounds, taking advantage of the morning off to get outside in the sunshine. Wanting to avoid seeing Ron right now, Hermione meandered away from them, enjoying the feel of the sunshine on her face as she strolled away from the castle. But try as she might, thoughts of her tall, ginger-haired friend kept entering her head.
"I think I love you, so what am I so afraid of…?" Hermione sang softly to herself, and smiled sadly. Part of her wanted to dismiss it as part of this madness that had taken everyone over, but part of her knew she loved him. It seemed the latter part was winning. "All you need is love!" she shouted. "Love is a many splendoured thing!"
"Love lifts us up where we belong, where eagles fly, on a mountain high!" she sang, running across the grass, feeling free as a bird. Hermione flung herself down in the long grass under a tree, smiling, her worries forgotten as she lost herself in dreams of Ron.
A voice calling her name penetrated her thoughts, and Hermione sat up and opened her eyes just in time to see Ron tackling her to the ground, before she felt something heavy sweep the air just above her head.
Hermione rolled over, and with a warm feeling realised that Ron was lying on top of her. "Hermione, what the hell were you doing?" Ron yelled, his voice cracking slightly.
"What?"
"You were lying right under the Whomping Willow!"
"I was… what?" She looked up and saw that they had rolled just out of reach of its flailing branches. "But I- how…?" She looked dazed and upset.
On impulse Ron held Hermione tight as she began to shake. He'd gone to look for her when she hadn't reappeared, and when he'd peered through the half open door of McGonagall's office the sight of McGonagall and Swift at it on her desk was so traumatising he hadn't been able to move for a good ten minutes.
Once he had recovered from the experience, Ron had caught sight of Hermione disappearing across the grounds and come out to look for her. Then, to his horror, he'd seen her fling herself down right under the Whomping Willow, and without thinking he had charged across the grass and thrown himself on top of her, just as a huge, knobbly branch had made a swing at her head.
"Ron, you- you saved me!" Hermione smiled at him and before his brain knew what he was doing he had leaned in a little – not far, as they were still lying in each other's arms – and kissed her.
To Ron's surprise, Hermione had not turned away, looking shocked. In fact, she had kissed him back. Just as he was getting used to the idea that his friend was not repulsed at the mere thought of kissing him, Ron remembered something and broke away. He fished in his back pocket and a moment later drew out a small, flat box, which he presented to Hermione with a bashful grin.
"What's this?" asked Hermione, beaming at him as they crawled a little further away from the Whomping Willow.
"I, um, got it on Saturday in Hogsmeade, but I've been too afraid to give it to you."
Hermione gave him a delighted kiss and opened the box. Immediately the box began to sing the Muggle tune 'Daisy, Daisy', inserting 'Hermione' instead of 'Daisy' each time. Inside it was a little chocolate heart, with writing on it-
"'If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?'" choked out Hermione.
Ron grabbed it off her. "Hang on, it's not supposed to say that – I'll kill Fred and George!"
"Ron, don't worry, it's okay!" she said, laughing so hard she could barely get the words out. "Let's go back to the Common Room. Harry must be getting worried!" Grabbing Ron's hand she pulled him along after her.
= = =
Later that day…
"Come on baby light my fire," sang Harry to himself as he made his way down the corridor to the Great Hall.
"What? Oh, never mind. Come on Harry. I'm starved. Stop dawdling," barked Ron as he dashed past Harry in his hurry to reach the food.
Someone near them snickered. It was Draco Malfoy, flanked on either side by Crabbe and Goyle, who were looking lustfully at each other over Malfoy's head. "Oh, Weasley, the novelty of getting food when you need it not worn off yet, eh? Mind you, I suppose in a home like yours it's an absolute delight if you manage to scrape two knuts together to buy yourself a loaf of bread for the week."
"Oh, you swine Malfoy, can't you ever keep that huge mouth of yours shut?" Harry asked, and cringed inwardly as he realised he'd just called someone a 'swine.'
"What was that, Scarface? Say something, did you? Sorry, I was too distracted by the sight of that hideous gash on your forehead. How is your godfather anyway?" Draco folded his arms and smirked. "Dementors caught up with him yet?"
Harry took a step towards Malfoy, reaching into his robes for his wand but someone else got there first. All of a sudden, as if out of nowhere, a large Grecian urn smashed over Malfoy's head. Harry stood there astonished and looked over to where Ginny stood holding a large piece of the vase in her hands.
Recovering, Malfoy heaved himself up off the floor, pulling his wand out. "What the hell? Who do you think you are, Weasley? It'd be quite funny, really, if it wasn't so very pathetic, you defending Potter like that. Well, you've had your moment of fame now; go back into your brothers' shadows. You watch your back though, wouldn't want anything nasty happening to the baby Weasley, would we?"
"Shut it Malfoy," Harry growled darkly.
"Oh, how sweet, orphan Potter defending the penniless Weasley; it can't be her money you're after, can it?"
"Leave Ginny alone, Malfoy, she's worth a hundred of you!"
Malfoy began to cackle at Harry's anger but was knocked to the floor as Harry threw himself onto him, knocking Malfoy's wand out of his hands. The boys scuffled on the floor whilst a crowd gathered round them chanting 'fight, fight, fight'.
"This is almost as good as being back in The Three Broomsticks on Saturday," shouted a delighted Seamus, flinging a hand into the air which clutched a flask of Ogden's Firewhisky
"Crabbe! Goyle!" Malfoy screamed through a mouthful of blood.
Crabbe ran forward and kicked Harry in the stomach as he pinned Malfoy to the floor by his throat. Harry clutched his stomach breathlessly providing Malfoy with the advantage as he jumped on top of Harry, pinning his arms to the floor.
"Well, well, well, Potter, look who's got the upper hand. You like being on top, don't you, Harry!" Malfoy leered down at him suggestively. "I bet you're not used to losing a fight, what with those firm, Quidditch toned muscles, eh?" Draco's tone as he murmured in Harry's ear was getting decidedly lecherous.
Looking up at the blond Slytherin in pure shock, Harry writhed to get out of his surprisingly firm grasp. A look of utmost horror came onto Malfoy's face and he immediately withdrew his hands from Harry's arms, clapped one over his mouth, the other over his groin, and fled down the corridor. Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other, confused, before fleeing after their leader.
"That's right, Malfoy," shouted Seamus after him, wildly gesticulating with his flask, "Bugger off with your tail between your legs!"
Harry rose to his feet feeling shocked, cast one quick look around him at the cheering crowd and ran off down the corridor in the opposite direction to that which Malfoy had gone, before anyone had the chance to congratulate him.
As he rounded the corner, Harry leaned against the cool stone wall, trying to gather his thoughts together. It must have been a joke, he concluded, there was no way that Malfoy could… I mean, he couldn't even possibly be…Well, whether it was a joke or not, at least no one in the crowd had heard what Malfoy had said.
"Harry?" He looked up to see Ginny standing before him, a worried expression on her face. Great, he thought, just what I needed.
"Harry, are you okay?" she asked. "You ran off in a hurry back there, you seemed a bit bothered about it all." Ginny sighed. "It wasn't your fault, you know, Malfoy deserved everything that he got. I mean, I was the one that started all the violence, smashing that pot over his head. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it. It was a rash, stupid thing to do, but that's me all over."
"Gin-"
"I think, the only reason that he affects me so is because I know what he's saying is true. I am just the 'baby Weasley', no one ever considers me a person in my own right. I'll always be the stupid one of the family who opened the Chamber of Secrets."
"Ginny, that's so untrue. I've never considered you as just Ron or Fred and George's sister.." Harry paused and blushed. "Well, not anymore. I like you for who you are." Harry stopped, staring into Ginny's tearful eyes.
"Really Harry? Do you mean that?"
"Of course I do, I wouldn't say it otherwise."
"It's just, sometimes I feel that the only reason you put up with me is because I'm Ron's sister. That you just find me annoying or an intrusion on your time with him-" Ginny's words were silenced as Harry pressed his lips against hers, slipping his arm round her waist. Shocked as she was Ginny responded more than a little willingly. The kiss soon evolved into a passionate clinch as Harry turned around, pressing Ginny up against the wall.
"Don't mind me, you two carry on," laughed Peeves as he floated past, grinning evilly.
Harry broke away from Ginny, shocked at what he'd just done. She must think he'd gone mad. What had he been thinking? "Sorry!" he spluttered and one look at the stunned expression on her face sent him bolting off in the direction of the common room, leaving Ginny standing alone, hurt and bewildered by what had just happened.
Ten minutes later in the common room…
As soon as he had reached the empty common room, Harry had found a chair that was sheltered from the view of anyone entering through the portrait hole and had sat mulling over what had just occurred. He could not believe he had let that happen. What the hell had he been thinking? It was Ginny. Ginny Weasley. His best friend's little sister. Ron would kill him if he ever found out what had happened.
Harry was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of someone entering the common room, he stayed sitting as still as possible, listening intently.
"Oof," came a cry, "bloody chair."
Harry felt immediately guilty as he recognised his best friend's voice as he cursed the furniture. There could not have been anyone who he so desperately did not want to see at that moment in time as Ron, unless it was Ginny.
Harry sighed. He would have to face him at some time or other. He peeked out from behind the heavy curtains that shielded his chair from view.
"Ron, over here."
Ron jumped and spun around to face Harry.
"Bloody hell, Harry, what are you doing lurking behind curtains like that? You scared the life out of me. Anyway, I'd have thought that you'd have been proudly strutting your stuff around Hogwarts after the way you sent that runt Malfoy off in tears. I know I would be."
Harry blushed at the thought of Malfoy as the portrait hole opened to admit a group of Gryffindors.
"C'mere," he said, grabbing Ron and pulling him behind the curtain.
"Whoa, wait up there Harry, I had no idea you felt like this. It's not that I don't like you, but I'm not that way inclined…" joked his friend.
"Oh, shut up you idiot, I didn't pull you behind here for a quickie, I just don't want anyone else seeing me." Memories of what had happened in the corridor earlier with Malfoy flooded back to him. Horrible, disturbing memories. Harry shuddered.
"Oh, right," Ron said, taking a seat in the chair opposite Harry's. "Actually, there's something I'd like to talk to you about. It's a bit embarrassing, but- well I need to know the answer."
Harry looked at him inquiringly.
"Well, today, you got really annoyed at Malfoy."
"Yeah, course I did, the guy's a total moron."
"I know that, but it's why you got so angry at him today that I'm talking about. Why were you so overprotective of Ginny? I know she's had a crush on you for Merlin knows how long, but if there's anything going on between you…" Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Ron trailed off ominously. He was acutely aware of Ron's gaze fixed firmly on him.
"You think that I was protecting Ginny?" Harry laughed feebly, "Well, I was in a way, but that's not why I got so angry. Did you not here what he was saying about Sirius, the slimy git?" Harry was relieved to see Ron's face relaxing. "I mean, I do like Ginny, yeah, but as your sister. Come on, you don't honestly believe that I could ever have feelings for her, at least not beyond a sort of brotherly love." Harry was on a roll here, and he was getting a bit carried away. "I couldn't care for her at all in that way, ever," he concluded with an air of finality.
Ron slumped in his chair. "Good oh, that's what I thought. I was just, you know, checking. Anyway, I'd better go, Hermione's waiting for me by the Great Lake." And without waiting for Harry to ask him why he was off on a secret rendezvous with Hermione, Ron ran out of the common room in lightening speed.
Harry smiled to himself as he watched his friend run off, but the smile quickly faded. Standing not a few feet away from him was Ginny. The stricken look on her face told Harry that she had heard everything he had said to Ron.
Harry rose from his seat, "Ginny, I, I didn't mean any of that, no, wait, Ginny, let me explain-"
Breaking down into sobs, Ginny turned around and ran blindly up the stairs to her dormitory, angrily wiping the tears from her eyes as she did so.
Harry sank despondently down into his chair once more. Idiot, he cursed himself, Stupid bloody fool. Now she must hate you, and could you blame her?
A/N Next Chapter: Oliver Wood, HALF NAKED!!! If you enjoyed this chapter, or indeed the story so far, we'd be very grateful if you could review while you're here. As any author will know, it's really good to know that someone's actually read your fic! Thanks.