Chapter Thirteen: A Birthday
The next day Harry found himself unwillingly wearing the sling, but with no mark on his face where Draco's fist had landed. The attack had left him feeling more vulnerable then ever, but to his surprise, it was not the cloaked figure that haunted him. The hate in Draco's eyes was what Harry really remembered. Often at night he would lie in his bed following that encounter, just thinking of the hurtful emotions Draco was aiming at him.
Trying to forget the incident, Harry once more worked himself into a routine, enjoying the spare time he had between lessons, Quidditch and work. One evening, nearing the end of autumn Harry found his habit disrupted by an unsettled Ron.
Working on tragic and ever increasingly unrealistic events for Divination, Harry was surprised when Ron emerged through the portrait hole. Whereas Harry had taken to working up in Gryffindor tower by himself, Ron and Hermione had spent ever increasing time working together in the library. 'What's up?' Harry asked, seeing Ron's face flustered.
'I am so, so dead meat,' Ron replied, even more tactlessly than usual. 'I can't believe how entirely -'
'I get the picture,' Harry replied with a grin, before Ron's swearing could reach new levels. 'What's wrong?'
'I forgot Ginny's birthday,' Ron whispered so no one else in the common room would hear, his face was even paling as he said it. Harry blinked, he hadn't even known when Ginny's birthday was - for all he knew she never had one.
'I've got an idea,' Harry said quickly, a flash of inspiration hitting him. Packing up his work hastily, he led Ron up to their dormitory quickly. Throwing his Divination work onto his bed, Harry pulled open his trunk and began rummaging. Within seconds he found what he was looking for, the living model of the Horntail he had faced the year before.
'I can't give her that,' Ron protested as Harry lobbed it to him. 'You almost got burnt to a crisp against this thing.'
'Well, I can't keep it really,' Harry argued back. 'It keeps fighting with my ice dragon from Hermione.'
'Fair enough,' Ron conceded, a look of relief passing his face briefly. 'She'll know exactly where I got it from though,' he added, a new look of panic crossing his face.
Harry once more was struck by instinct, although this time it was more a warm feeling in his heart that guided his decision. Reaching behind his neck, he released the clasps on the Liefgema's chain, then handed the gem to Ron. 'Tell her that they're from both of us,' Harry said. 'Then she won't realise what happened. You may as well tell her it was my fault it's late as well,' he added, grinning at the flabbergasted Ron.
A few minutes later, after some steering and reassurance, Harry managed to get Ron down to the common room where Ginny sat among her friends, chatting and laughing. As they approached, she looked up, and Harry saw why Ron was slightly afraid of her when she sent a glare his way that had him trying to walk backwards.
Practically dragging his friend with him, Harry smiled at Ginny as they approached and she turned off the face that had been targeting Ron. 'Here's your birthday presents from Harry and me,' he said meekly, so as not to disturb the balance.
'Thank you,' she replied coldly, but then with a grin added; 'Ronald,' then laughed at the look on his face.
'Sorry they aren't wrapped,' Harry put in. 'We ran out of time.'
'This looks awfully familiar,' Ginny replied, ignoring the lack of decoration, but waving the Horntail model at Harry. 'Do I get a model of you to go with it?' she asked, another grin tugging at her lips.
'Why do you need a model when you've got me?' Harry replied, and this time it was his turn to grin as she flushed slightly, but laughed along with her friends.
Turning her attention to the Liefgema, Ginny's eyes lit up as it began to swirl with a myriad of colours, dancing over her face. 'Thanks Ron,' she whispered, tracing the soft curves of the teardrop, then she put it around her neck and reached up to give her brother a hug. 'It's beautiful,' she said, then turned to Harry and hugged him as well, 'and the dragon's.cute.'
'Try meeting the real one,' Harry replied with a smile, returning the embrace.
Leaving her with the group, Harry pulled Ron away, trying not to smile as he repeatedly muttered 'I'm alive,' with a look of surprise still in his face. To Harry's amusement, he was still muttering this as he left for the library again through the portrait hole. Shaking his head, Harry walked back up to his room to collect his work again.
As he was stacking the parchments of Divination notes, there was a knock at the door to the boys' dormitory. Leaving the work, he opened the door to find Ginny standing there, holding the Liefgema in her hand and a smile on her face. 'Thank you, not only for saving Ron but also for this.'
'I can't imagine what you mean,' Harry replied, smiling back and then going to get his Divination work.
'I knew he'd forgotten,' Ginny replied. 'With the amount of time he spends around Hermione now, I'm not surprised.'
Harry was surprised to hear something like jealousy in her voice as she said this, and turned back with a frown on his face. 'You'll always be his little sister Ginny, he won't forget you - none of us will ever forget you.'
'I'm not everyone's little sister,' Ginny replied, a slight look of annoyance on her face.
'I know,' Harry replied. 'But that doesn't stop us caring for you.' Lifting his work once more, he went to the door and gave her a reassuring hug before heading back to the common room. Walking down the stairs he didn't hear what she whispered after him.
'I don't want to be everyone's little sister.'
* * *
The next day, Harry found himself, Ron and Hermione, helping to round up the batch of Nifflers that Hagrid had brought into the Great Hall. After they'd sorted through the mound of earth for leprechaun gold, they had moved onto the rest of the hall's contents. Currently the trio were chasing a Niffler with Dumbledore's goblet clasped between its teeth.
Jumping after it, Harry tripped over Ron's robes and sent his friend flying over the table to land with a thump on the other side. 'Well,' Hermione muttered, watching the Niffler sprint away. 'You can't say it's not a fun Christmas lesson.'
'Yeah,' Ron muttered. 'Falling flat on my face is always a welcome treat.'
'Awww,' Hermione replied. 'Want me to kiss it better?'
'Go on then,' Ron replied, smiling at her cheekily, a smile that quickly disappeared when she leant over the table and planted a kiss on his forehead, then it was her turn to smile.
Leaving Ron to do an admirable impression of a fish, Hermione started off after the Niffler again. 'You two getting along well then?' Harry asked, trying not to burst into a large grin.
'Hmmm?' Ron mumbled, by way of a reply, his eyes following Hermione across the hall.
Any further conversation was cut short as Hagrid walked over to them, a large smile on his face. 'Yeh look like yeh've run into a dragon,' he remarked to Ron, taking in his red face as well as the dirt smeared over it from the floor.
'The lesser known Grangeris Hermionis,' Harry whispered to Ron, who flushed even more.
'Got any plans for Christmas then?' Hagrid asked, as he surveyed the mass of students trying to chase down the last Niffler.
'Staying as usual,' Harry replied.
'Staying,' Ron echoed. 'Mum and Dad have gone to see Bill in Egypt, Charlie's out chasing a family of dragons and Percy's gone to stay with Penelope's family this year.'
'Suppose that means I'll be chasing Fred and George away from the Forest for half the holiday,' Hagrid said, now watching the Niffler climb up a drape as Seamus attempted to pull it down. 'I better get over there before one of yeh friends hurts the Niffler,' he continued, as Seamus fell from the drape with a loud thump.
'Typical Hagrid,' Ron remarked with a smile, but then his eyes flickered as someone walked past the door.
'What is it?' Harry asked, seeing the flicker.
'I dunno,' Ron replied. 'I swear that was Fudge.'
Harry felt his stomach tighten involuntarily; his last memory of Fudge was not a good one. 'Can you cover for me?' he muttered quickly to Ron. 'Tell Hagrid I went after a Niffler or something.'
'Sure, where are you going?' Ron asked, looking for an answer in Harry's face.
'Wherever he's going,' Harry replied, nodding in the direction that Fudge had gone.
Sneaking around the crowd of Gryffindors who were watching Hagrid lift the Niffler down from the top of one of the statues, Harry snuck into the corridor. Sure enough he caught sight of Fudge walking up the stairs in the Entrance Hall. Realising where he was going, Harry went down another corridor and started climbing the stairs at the end, emerging onto the corridor where Dumbledore's office was.
Staying in the shadows he saw Fudge appear a few moments later, then after giving the password to the gargoyle, he walked up the stairwell to Dumbledore's office. Moving quickly, Harry crept into the passage before the gargoyle could move back, surprised that it didn't object to his sneaking into the entrance.
Listening carefully, Harry guessed that Fudge was already in the office and so crept up to the door, which was indeed shut. Putting an ear to it, Harry began to listen to the conversation inside.
The next day Harry found himself unwillingly wearing the sling, but with no mark on his face where Draco's fist had landed. The attack had left him feeling more vulnerable then ever, but to his surprise, it was not the cloaked figure that haunted him. The hate in Draco's eyes was what Harry really remembered. Often at night he would lie in his bed following that encounter, just thinking of the hurtful emotions Draco was aiming at him.
Trying to forget the incident, Harry once more worked himself into a routine, enjoying the spare time he had between lessons, Quidditch and work. One evening, nearing the end of autumn Harry found his habit disrupted by an unsettled Ron.
Working on tragic and ever increasingly unrealistic events for Divination, Harry was surprised when Ron emerged through the portrait hole. Whereas Harry had taken to working up in Gryffindor tower by himself, Ron and Hermione had spent ever increasing time working together in the library. 'What's up?' Harry asked, seeing Ron's face flustered.
'I am so, so dead meat,' Ron replied, even more tactlessly than usual. 'I can't believe how entirely -'
'I get the picture,' Harry replied with a grin, before Ron's swearing could reach new levels. 'What's wrong?'
'I forgot Ginny's birthday,' Ron whispered so no one else in the common room would hear, his face was even paling as he said it. Harry blinked, he hadn't even known when Ginny's birthday was - for all he knew she never had one.
'I've got an idea,' Harry said quickly, a flash of inspiration hitting him. Packing up his work hastily, he led Ron up to their dormitory quickly. Throwing his Divination work onto his bed, Harry pulled open his trunk and began rummaging. Within seconds he found what he was looking for, the living model of the Horntail he had faced the year before.
'I can't give her that,' Ron protested as Harry lobbed it to him. 'You almost got burnt to a crisp against this thing.'
'Well, I can't keep it really,' Harry argued back. 'It keeps fighting with my ice dragon from Hermione.'
'Fair enough,' Ron conceded, a look of relief passing his face briefly. 'She'll know exactly where I got it from though,' he added, a new look of panic crossing his face.
Harry once more was struck by instinct, although this time it was more a warm feeling in his heart that guided his decision. Reaching behind his neck, he released the clasps on the Liefgema's chain, then handed the gem to Ron. 'Tell her that they're from both of us,' Harry said. 'Then she won't realise what happened. You may as well tell her it was my fault it's late as well,' he added, grinning at the flabbergasted Ron.
A few minutes later, after some steering and reassurance, Harry managed to get Ron down to the common room where Ginny sat among her friends, chatting and laughing. As they approached, she looked up, and Harry saw why Ron was slightly afraid of her when she sent a glare his way that had him trying to walk backwards.
Practically dragging his friend with him, Harry smiled at Ginny as they approached and she turned off the face that had been targeting Ron. 'Here's your birthday presents from Harry and me,' he said meekly, so as not to disturb the balance.
'Thank you,' she replied coldly, but then with a grin added; 'Ronald,' then laughed at the look on his face.
'Sorry they aren't wrapped,' Harry put in. 'We ran out of time.'
'This looks awfully familiar,' Ginny replied, ignoring the lack of decoration, but waving the Horntail model at Harry. 'Do I get a model of you to go with it?' she asked, another grin tugging at her lips.
'Why do you need a model when you've got me?' Harry replied, and this time it was his turn to grin as she flushed slightly, but laughed along with her friends.
Turning her attention to the Liefgema, Ginny's eyes lit up as it began to swirl with a myriad of colours, dancing over her face. 'Thanks Ron,' she whispered, tracing the soft curves of the teardrop, then she put it around her neck and reached up to give her brother a hug. 'It's beautiful,' she said, then turned to Harry and hugged him as well, 'and the dragon's.cute.'
'Try meeting the real one,' Harry replied with a smile, returning the embrace.
Leaving her with the group, Harry pulled Ron away, trying not to smile as he repeatedly muttered 'I'm alive,' with a look of surprise still in his face. To Harry's amusement, he was still muttering this as he left for the library again through the portrait hole. Shaking his head, Harry walked back up to his room to collect his work again.
As he was stacking the parchments of Divination notes, there was a knock at the door to the boys' dormitory. Leaving the work, he opened the door to find Ginny standing there, holding the Liefgema in her hand and a smile on her face. 'Thank you, not only for saving Ron but also for this.'
'I can't imagine what you mean,' Harry replied, smiling back and then going to get his Divination work.
'I knew he'd forgotten,' Ginny replied. 'With the amount of time he spends around Hermione now, I'm not surprised.'
Harry was surprised to hear something like jealousy in her voice as she said this, and turned back with a frown on his face. 'You'll always be his little sister Ginny, he won't forget you - none of us will ever forget you.'
'I'm not everyone's little sister,' Ginny replied, a slight look of annoyance on her face.
'I know,' Harry replied. 'But that doesn't stop us caring for you.' Lifting his work once more, he went to the door and gave her a reassuring hug before heading back to the common room. Walking down the stairs he didn't hear what she whispered after him.
'I don't want to be everyone's little sister.'
* * *
The next day, Harry found himself, Ron and Hermione, helping to round up the batch of Nifflers that Hagrid had brought into the Great Hall. After they'd sorted through the mound of earth for leprechaun gold, they had moved onto the rest of the hall's contents. Currently the trio were chasing a Niffler with Dumbledore's goblet clasped between its teeth.
Jumping after it, Harry tripped over Ron's robes and sent his friend flying over the table to land with a thump on the other side. 'Well,' Hermione muttered, watching the Niffler sprint away. 'You can't say it's not a fun Christmas lesson.'
'Yeah,' Ron muttered. 'Falling flat on my face is always a welcome treat.'
'Awww,' Hermione replied. 'Want me to kiss it better?'
'Go on then,' Ron replied, smiling at her cheekily, a smile that quickly disappeared when she leant over the table and planted a kiss on his forehead, then it was her turn to smile.
Leaving Ron to do an admirable impression of a fish, Hermione started off after the Niffler again. 'You two getting along well then?' Harry asked, trying not to burst into a large grin.
'Hmmm?' Ron mumbled, by way of a reply, his eyes following Hermione across the hall.
Any further conversation was cut short as Hagrid walked over to them, a large smile on his face. 'Yeh look like yeh've run into a dragon,' he remarked to Ron, taking in his red face as well as the dirt smeared over it from the floor.
'The lesser known Grangeris Hermionis,' Harry whispered to Ron, who flushed even more.
'Got any plans for Christmas then?' Hagrid asked, as he surveyed the mass of students trying to chase down the last Niffler.
'Staying as usual,' Harry replied.
'Staying,' Ron echoed. 'Mum and Dad have gone to see Bill in Egypt, Charlie's out chasing a family of dragons and Percy's gone to stay with Penelope's family this year.'
'Suppose that means I'll be chasing Fred and George away from the Forest for half the holiday,' Hagrid said, now watching the Niffler climb up a drape as Seamus attempted to pull it down. 'I better get over there before one of yeh friends hurts the Niffler,' he continued, as Seamus fell from the drape with a loud thump.
'Typical Hagrid,' Ron remarked with a smile, but then his eyes flickered as someone walked past the door.
'What is it?' Harry asked, seeing the flicker.
'I dunno,' Ron replied. 'I swear that was Fudge.'
Harry felt his stomach tighten involuntarily; his last memory of Fudge was not a good one. 'Can you cover for me?' he muttered quickly to Ron. 'Tell Hagrid I went after a Niffler or something.'
'Sure, where are you going?' Ron asked, looking for an answer in Harry's face.
'Wherever he's going,' Harry replied, nodding in the direction that Fudge had gone.
Sneaking around the crowd of Gryffindors who were watching Hagrid lift the Niffler down from the top of one of the statues, Harry snuck into the corridor. Sure enough he caught sight of Fudge walking up the stairs in the Entrance Hall. Realising where he was going, Harry went down another corridor and started climbing the stairs at the end, emerging onto the corridor where Dumbledore's office was.
Staying in the shadows he saw Fudge appear a few moments later, then after giving the password to the gargoyle, he walked up the stairwell to Dumbledore's office. Moving quickly, Harry crept into the passage before the gargoyle could move back, surprised that it didn't object to his sneaking into the entrance.
Listening carefully, Harry guessed that Fudge was already in the office and so crept up to the door, which was indeed shut. Putting an ear to it, Harry began to listen to the conversation inside.
