Chapter 2 - Early Morning Surprise
Harry cautiously ran for the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. He passed through onto Platform 9 ¾ with no problems and waited for Ginny to follow him. After Ron, Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had also arrived on the platform they headed for the train. Harry passed his trunk and then Ginny's up to the conductor who was stowing them and eagerly grasped Ginny's hand as they looked for an open compartment.
The rest of the Weasleys had taken Harry and Ginny's relationship just about the same way that Ron had. They were all happy for the couple. Hermione, as far as Harry could tell, was having a hard time balancing being happy for them and being completely jealous of what they had. Harry had the feeling a certain other red-haired Weasley was the cause for the latter emotion, but he wasn't about to be the one to mention it.
Harry and Ginny found a compartment that was free and sat down together. Ginny laughed as she looked out the window at a fuming Ron and an exasperated Hermione. She must have asked Ron to help her with her trunk, and he was having a bit of trouble with it, balancing the basket that held Crookshanks on the top while trying to get everything done at once. It didn't seem to be working and Harry watched Hermione huffily grab the basket and storm onto the train. Ron stared after her, giving what looked like a cross between irritation and admiration. He knew they liked each other; he'd have been an idiot not to notice the looks his two best friends gave when they thought the other wasn't looking. But, he wasn't about to get involved in that mess. Harry reached for Ginny's hand as she continued watching the students board. She smiled at him and held his hand in a slightly tight grip. He marveled at his luck. He was still smiling when Hermione reached their compartment, setting Crookshanks down on the empty seat that would have been Ron's if he ever decided to board the train.
"Hermione? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked gesturing to the other side of the compartment that had a sliding door they could close for privacy. Harry had been meaning to talk to Hermione alone for a while, but never seemed to get the chance at the Burrow. It was hard enough for him to try to get some time alone with Ginny, let alone someone who wasn't his girlfriend. Besides, he had wanted to be discreet about it and the Burrow was anything but.
Hermione gave Harry a funny look but agreed. Harry let her walk in the adjacent compartment first and then shut the door softly behind them. He took a seat opposite Hermione and looked her square in the face.
"Thank you," he said. Hermione furrowed her brow, giving Harry a quizzical look.
"For what Harry?"
"For doing what you did last year.and not giving in when you should have," he said as he looked down. Hermione's voice caught in her throat as tears rose to her eyes. Harry noticed, but continued as if he hadn't. "I know it has been hard for you. I know you didn't want to curse me and I don't blame you for it one bit, Hermione. It takes a lot to be able to fight the Imperius Curse. I just.I don't think I've ever thanked you before." He looked up and saw that tears were silently falling down Hermione's cheeks.
"I didn't want to hurt you Harry. I would never have forgiven myself if I had." She shook her head in an attempt to get away from the thought.
"But you didn't. We are all fine." Harry had the feeling that she needed to know he didn't blame her. And he had no problem expressing to her something that was very much the truth. Hermione smiled at him through her tears and without warning, she threw her arms around Harry's neck to hug him. For the first time, Harry was not surprised by this reaction and he hugged her back. He was becoming more and more comfortable with showing affection lately.
***
After a few games of Exploding Snap, a break for the lunch trolley, and a short conversation about the upcoming Quidditch season, they were more than halfway to Hogwarts by Hermione's estimation. Harry was just thinking about how nice the journey had been when the compartment opened and Malfoy strolled in, shadowed by the ever-enormous Crabbe and Goyle.
"Wouldn't be a true Hogwarts Express trip without an appearance from you, now would it Malfoy?" Harry remarked as he yawned and hugged Ginny closer to him. They were sitting sideways in the seats, Harry leaning against the window with Ginny in front of him, her back pressed into his chest.
"I see you've found yourself a girlfriend, Potter?" Harry blinked. Malfoy was becoming less and less intimidating every year.
"Your lines are getting old too. Yes, Ginny is my girlfriend." Malfoy scowled a bit at the lack of expression in this compartment. Everyone was being blasé about Malfoy even being in their presence, and he didn't like it one bit.
"You'd better watch yourself, Potter. The war isn't over yet," he said threateningly.
"I'm well aware of the progress of the war, Malfoy," Harry said attempting to get up. Ginny purposely stayed where she was, not letting him get up. Harry backed down.
"Just leave Malfoy. No one here wants to talk to you," Ron said, not bothering to look up from his Quidditch Weekly magazine. Malfoy looked positively infuriated at being told what to do by anybody, no less a Weasley.
"The Dark Lord's not going to stop at just Harry," he tried again.
"He hasn't in the past, why should we think otherwise now?" Hermione countered. Malfoy finally gave up and stormed out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle following.
"Do those two even talk?" Hermione mused as she took out her copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6. No one answered her question, yet she hadn't really been expecting an answer. With Ron flipping through his magazines, and Hermione engrossed in her studies, Harry found the compartment rather peaceful. It was nice just to hold Ginny and feel her weight against him. She was absentmindedly running her fingers over his arms that were holding her around her middle. Harry noticed that she had her eyes closed. He lifted his head off the window and gently kissed her forehead before settling back against the window. Within a matter of minutes, the motion of the train and the comfortable position he was in had lulled him to sleep.
***
Harry felt someone shaking him, but he didn't want to wake up.
"Geroff." he mumbled. He heard a slight chuckle and faded back to sleep. He then felt lips lightly kissing all over his face, trying to rouse him. He was fully awake now, but wanted to play along to see how far Ginny would go to wake him up. He felt her lips cover his in a chaste kiss that made his senses go on overload. Knowing that she would never have started this if she couldn't finish it, Harry wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Ginny sighed into his mouth as they broke apart. He blinked his eyes open and looked into her sparkling brown eyes that smiled back at him.
"I could get used to waking up like that. I wish you were my wake up call instead of the WWN," Harry muttered, stretching his limbs to their fullest extent. Ginny smirked and leaned over to his ear.
"Be careful what you wish for," she said as she got off of him and headed out of the compartment. Harry shook his head in bewilderment. Just when he thought he had a grasp on her, Ginny always caught him off guard. What in the world had she meant by that?
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by a booming voice that filled the air outside the cabin. He would have known that voice anywhere. He looked out the window as he picked up his things that were in the compartment.
"Firs' years, this way!" Hagrid bellowed to a confused and terrified looking group of eleven year olds. Harry smiled to himself as he watched the first years start boarding the boats that would take them to the castle.
"You coming, or did you just come along for the ride?" Ron asked as he poked his head into the compartment. Harry laughed.
"I'm coming, keep your trousers on."
"With pleasure." Ron said sounding somewhat scandalized and he bounded off the train before Harry could make another comment.
***
The Sorting Ceremony and welcome feast were everything Harry had always remembered them to be. He was becoming more and more aware of what it meant to have great people surrounding him. He had realized at the Burrow that he was happiest when he had the people he cared about most around him, when he felt supported and loved, and when he was laughing and having fun.
Ginny was sitting next to him on his left and Dean Thomas was on his right. Ron and Hermione were across from them with Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom. Harry was definitely aware of his friends more so now than ever before. He looked up at the head table and caught Hagrid's eye. They waved and smiled at each other before Harry moved on to find Dumbledore at the head table. When his eyes moved over to the Headmaster, Harry was met with a smiling blue gaze. He smiled back at the man he had come to respect more than any other. The only thing that would have made him any happier was if Sirius had been able to be there.
Harry continued to scan the head table. He noticed Professor Remus Lupin and waved. Dumbledore had asked him to return to his Defense Against the Dark Arts position, against many people's wished. Lupin had agreed and a special schedule had been set up to accommodate him. He smiled at Harry. Harry smiled back.
The rest of the table was much the same as it had been the years previous. Professor McGonagall, tiny Professor Flitwick, Professor Trelawney, Madame Hooch, Snape. Harry passed by Snape quickly, not wanting to meet his eye. There was an empty spot where Professor Rapunze used to sit and Harry surmised that Dumbledore had yet to find a suitable Muggle Studies professor.
After the end of the feast, everyone went to their dormitories to unpack and get some sleep for the beginning of the term. Harry said good night to Ginny at the bottom of the girl's dormitory staircase, and went back up to his own room.
"So, Harry," Seamus spoke up. "Ginny, eh?" Harry could tell that he was up for being the leader in a game of embarrass-Harry-as-much-as-possible, but Ron spoke up.
"Yes, Ginny. What's wrong with Ginny?" his face was a bit pink as he said this, but Harry thought he was doing a good job of keeping his temper in check. Seamus shook his head.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Ron. I think Ginny is quite gorgeous actually." He smirked at Harry's red face. "So, how far have you gotten Harry?" He asked excitedly as he perched on his bed, trying unsuccessfully to fold his robes to fit into the drawer of his bedside table.
Ron's eyes narrowed. "Yes, Harry, how far have you gotten with my little sister?"
"Honestly," Harry countered, sounding a bit too much like Hermione for his liking. "We've been together for what, two weeks? And besides, like I would tell you lot about it when it does happen?" Harry turned back to his bed smirking, knowing that comment would shut Ron up.
***
The first two weeks of classes went by in a blur for Harry, with all of the homework he was getting lately, Quidditch meetings, and preparation for the O.W.L.'s. It all amounted to no free time whatsoever, and Ginny was the one suffering because of it. Harry knew that she understood, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel guilty. She deserved more than holding hands at meals and stolen kisses before heading to their separate beds.
Harry was supposed to be on the Quidditch pitch at nine on Saturday morning. He had gone to bed early Friday evening, leaving his friends to wonder what was up and Ginny to be quite disappointed. He hadn't meant to cause worry or disappointment, but he was honestly exhausted and needed a good nights sleep before his first practice as co-captain. The team had voted earlier in the week for Harry and Ron to share the responsibilities of team captain. Harry couldn't have been happier with the idea as he knew and trusted Ron's abilities more than anyone else's. He also knew neither he nor Ron could have done it alone with all the work they had.
Ginny stepped cautiously into the sixth year boy's staircase and crept along the stairs as quietly as possible. It was six in the morning and while she wasn't taking a great chance at getting caught by anyone, she was still a bit nervous. She opened the door to the room Harry shared with Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville, and looked around searching for which bed was Harry's. She noticed the telltale glasses on the nightstand just outside the curtains of a bed on her left and smiled. Carefully, she closed the door and raised her wand. She waved it in the direction of Harry's bed and whispered the silencing charm that she had perfected the week before.
Grinning, she walked over and slipped into the curtains. She stretched her body out alongside Harry's and watched him sleep. She draped an arm across him and felt Harry stir enough to grasp her, pulling her even closer in his sleep. Ginny seriously contemplated falling asleep in Harry's arms but banished that thought after careful consideration. That would not be spending the time they needed together the way they should, no matter how excruciatingly pleasant the thought was.
Ginny stirred against Harry and brought her hand up to brush the fallen pieces of hair off his forehead. His scar was blatantly obvious and it intrigued her as she inspected it. It was a dull pink color in the center and looked almost traced in red. She had never had the chance to really look at it before and thought now was as good a time as any. She ran a finger down it, following the jagged line, feeling the slight dip the indentation caused in the otherwise perfectly smooth skin of Harry's forehead. She sighed; it felt warmer to her touch than the rest of his face. She wondered what that meant, but quickly shook off the feeling when she saw Harry's face scrunch up in what looked like pain. She all but jumped off of him, thinking she was pressing her body on a nerve somewhere that was hurting him, but his expression didn't change. He squeezed his eyes shut even more and groaned painfully. Ginny scanned his body carefully, trying to see what was causing him so much pain, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had the fleeting thought that touching his scar might have hurt him, but disregarded it immediately. It was a fifteen- year-old scar, it was plenty healed and she had even seen Harry touch it himself without painful aftershocks.
Harry released his grasp on Ginny as he began to thrash about on his bed, whimpering. Ginny wasn't sure she should wake him from a nightmare, but her heart broke to see him in this state. She laid her body down on one side of his again and whispered soothingly into his ear.
"Baby.its okay.Harry? It's Ginny, wake up." She was running her hand slowly up and down his arm as it moved jerkily. He wasn't hearing her wherever he was and Ginny was getting frantic as Harry started banging his fist into the mattress. She closed her eyes and began to massage his shoulder that she was closest too, all the while whispering endearments and encouragement into his ear. Harry began to calm. Ginny smiled and continued to softly speak to him until she felt his arm grasp around her. She then felt saw his eyes fly open. They were wild and searching when they finally found her concerned ones. She leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his slightly open lips, which he gently returned. When they broke apart, Ginny lifter her head and noticed that Harry's scar was an angry shade of red and he had begun to sweat.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked a bit breathless. Ginny snuggled into his chest before she answered him.
"You said you would rather I woke you up than the WWN, so I was just taking you up on your offer," she paused and looked up at him. He was rubbing his scar and had a pained expression on his face. "What were you dreaming, baby?" she asked.
Harry's expression changed to a confused yet thoughtful one. He rubbed his scar again.
"I'm not sure what it means.someone, I think it was my mum," Ginny pulled herself closer at those words, "she was being held in the air by Voldemort. He was asking her where I was and she wouldn't tell him. It was almost like she couldn't tell him but I got the idea that it was of her own will. Strange though." Harry's voice faded.
"What's strange?" Ginny whispered.
"It was Voldemort, definitely Voldemort as he is now, but." Harry's face screwed up in concentration. "She called him Riddle."
Harry felt Ginny tense against him. Voldemort had never been called Tom Riddle by anyone but Ginny and Harry as far as they knew. Not that many people really knew about the connection.
"Riddle?" her voice was just barely audible.
"Yeah, she kept calling him Riddle.as if Voldemort never existed. And he didn't like that at all. He hurt her more whenever she said it."
"What do you think it means?"
"I don't know. My nightmares have always been premonitions. But my mum is dead." Ginny was thoughtfully quiet. "What are you thinking, Gin?" Harry placed a protective arm around her. He hadn't been blind to the fact that his girlfriend held some of the same aesthetic beauty that the pictures of his mother showed him. In all honesty, Harry thought that his mum and Ginny looked an awful lot alike. This dream of his brought him back to that realization, but he didn't want to think about that right now.
"Could your dream have been a memory?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with emotion. Harry sucked in a breath.
"I suppose. I mean that might be why my scar is hurting. But." Harry shook his head. Ginny rose up and propped her chin on Harry's chest, looking him in the eye.
"Think about it, Harry. Your mum died because she was protecting you. You said the woman in your dreams wouldn't tell Voldemort where you were. She died at the hands of Voldemort and then he turned on you and gave you the scar. It makes perfect sense that your scar would be hurting if you were dreaming about the night your mum." Ginny trailed off, knowing it must still hurt Harry to talk about his parents.
"Yeah.I guess." Harry was still not convinced. He had never had nightmares of the past before; they were always of future things to happen. He supposed anything was possible, but something told him that wasn't the correct assessment to make. He rubbed the dulling pain that was his scar again before turning his attention to the task at hand - his girlfriend, alone in his bed at 6:30 in the morning.
***
Three weeks later, Harry had finally found a routine balance to his life. Classes, library, and homework during the day as much as he could, the rest of his homework, Quidditch practice, and time with Ginny in the evenings, all day Saturday was devoted to socializing or Quidditch matches, and Sunday was a rest day of studying for the OWL's and finishing up homework. Harry felt good about his efforts to balance his life and even more proud of the fact that he was actually making it work.
He was presently sitting on the floor in front of the fire, absentmindedly running his fingers through Ginny's hair. She was sitting in the middle of his outstretched legs, her back leaning on his chest, enjoying his company.
"How did you do on that Potions test you were studying for last week?" Ginny asked leisurely. Harry groaned. "That good, huh?" Ginny chuckled.
"Yeah, about that good."
"You'll do better next time."
"Maybe." Harry didn't sound as confident as Ginny did.
"He's just a stubborn old git who can't get past a grudge that's older than you are, Harry." Ron fumed at his chessboard. Hermione was his latest victim and she was losing pitifully. "Hermione, you ought to set up your defenses better," Ron suggested.
"My defenses are fine, thank you very much," she retorted.
"All right." Ron moved his pawn across the board to capture Hermione's queen. "Check."
Hermione bristled as she moved a piece across the board, leaving Ron free to win. "You're no fun to play with, you know that?" she asked, quite seriously. Ron looked at her.
"Why's that?"
"You're always going to win! You never lose." Hermione sounded neither cross nor flabbergasted. She actually had a hint of pride in her voice. Ron smiled.
"We'll see about that. I'm joining the Wizard's Chess meetings on Wednesday's." Harry started at this news.
"Wednesdays? We have practice on Wednesday nights."
"It's before dinner anyway, so it won't run into Quidditch," Ron answered, charming his chess pieces across the board to set up for another game. He looked up innocently at Hermione and gestured at the set board.
"Not this time, Ron. Find yourself another person to slaughter at chess. I need to finish my essay on why Muggles have fur coats for Snape," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Can you believe that one Ginny? That essay is almost as bad as the questions on that test of his. I swear you'd think the man has never met a Muggle in his life before!"
"How about I play against Ron and you two can discuss the merits of fur coats?" Harry asked to Ginny.
"Sounds good to me. Maybe since Snape won't know the difference, we can make stuff up, Hermione? Like they do with their Divination homework?" Ginny grinned as she reached for her bag and Harry sat across from Ron.
Harry playfully stuck his tongue out at Ginny who returned the favor and moved his first piece across the board. He faintly heard Ron mutter, "Set up your defenses, Harry."
Author's Notes: This has been a very hard chapter for me to get right. It wasn't all that hard to write, but it was hard to revise. Thank you Jilly for catching the things that I never would have, and for making me think about this chapter but still giving me complete free rein over it. I appreciate you more and more with every chapter I send you! Dellaran, who only had one big problem with this. Sorry I had to do it Dell, maybe, if you think really hard before you go to sleep.;) To the ITOBTDSM Club members and others who frequent the Tower nightly and keep me laughing my butt off and make sure I don't take anything to seriously.
Harry cautiously ran for the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. He passed through onto Platform 9 ¾ with no problems and waited for Ginny to follow him. After Ron, Hermione, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had also arrived on the platform they headed for the train. Harry passed his trunk and then Ginny's up to the conductor who was stowing them and eagerly grasped Ginny's hand as they looked for an open compartment.
The rest of the Weasleys had taken Harry and Ginny's relationship just about the same way that Ron had. They were all happy for the couple. Hermione, as far as Harry could tell, was having a hard time balancing being happy for them and being completely jealous of what they had. Harry had the feeling a certain other red-haired Weasley was the cause for the latter emotion, but he wasn't about to be the one to mention it.
Harry and Ginny found a compartment that was free and sat down together. Ginny laughed as she looked out the window at a fuming Ron and an exasperated Hermione. She must have asked Ron to help her with her trunk, and he was having a bit of trouble with it, balancing the basket that held Crookshanks on the top while trying to get everything done at once. It didn't seem to be working and Harry watched Hermione huffily grab the basket and storm onto the train. Ron stared after her, giving what looked like a cross between irritation and admiration. He knew they liked each other; he'd have been an idiot not to notice the looks his two best friends gave when they thought the other wasn't looking. But, he wasn't about to get involved in that mess. Harry reached for Ginny's hand as she continued watching the students board. She smiled at him and held his hand in a slightly tight grip. He marveled at his luck. He was still smiling when Hermione reached their compartment, setting Crookshanks down on the empty seat that would have been Ron's if he ever decided to board the train.
"Hermione? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry asked gesturing to the other side of the compartment that had a sliding door they could close for privacy. Harry had been meaning to talk to Hermione alone for a while, but never seemed to get the chance at the Burrow. It was hard enough for him to try to get some time alone with Ginny, let alone someone who wasn't his girlfriend. Besides, he had wanted to be discreet about it and the Burrow was anything but.
Hermione gave Harry a funny look but agreed. Harry let her walk in the adjacent compartment first and then shut the door softly behind them. He took a seat opposite Hermione and looked her square in the face.
"Thank you," he said. Hermione furrowed her brow, giving Harry a quizzical look.
"For what Harry?"
"For doing what you did last year.and not giving in when you should have," he said as he looked down. Hermione's voice caught in her throat as tears rose to her eyes. Harry noticed, but continued as if he hadn't. "I know it has been hard for you. I know you didn't want to curse me and I don't blame you for it one bit, Hermione. It takes a lot to be able to fight the Imperius Curse. I just.I don't think I've ever thanked you before." He looked up and saw that tears were silently falling down Hermione's cheeks.
"I didn't want to hurt you Harry. I would never have forgiven myself if I had." She shook her head in an attempt to get away from the thought.
"But you didn't. We are all fine." Harry had the feeling that she needed to know he didn't blame her. And he had no problem expressing to her something that was very much the truth. Hermione smiled at him through her tears and without warning, she threw her arms around Harry's neck to hug him. For the first time, Harry was not surprised by this reaction and he hugged her back. He was becoming more and more comfortable with showing affection lately.
***
After a few games of Exploding Snap, a break for the lunch trolley, and a short conversation about the upcoming Quidditch season, they were more than halfway to Hogwarts by Hermione's estimation. Harry was just thinking about how nice the journey had been when the compartment opened and Malfoy strolled in, shadowed by the ever-enormous Crabbe and Goyle.
"Wouldn't be a true Hogwarts Express trip without an appearance from you, now would it Malfoy?" Harry remarked as he yawned and hugged Ginny closer to him. They were sitting sideways in the seats, Harry leaning against the window with Ginny in front of him, her back pressed into his chest.
"I see you've found yourself a girlfriend, Potter?" Harry blinked. Malfoy was becoming less and less intimidating every year.
"Your lines are getting old too. Yes, Ginny is my girlfriend." Malfoy scowled a bit at the lack of expression in this compartment. Everyone was being blasé about Malfoy even being in their presence, and he didn't like it one bit.
"You'd better watch yourself, Potter. The war isn't over yet," he said threateningly.
"I'm well aware of the progress of the war, Malfoy," Harry said attempting to get up. Ginny purposely stayed where she was, not letting him get up. Harry backed down.
"Just leave Malfoy. No one here wants to talk to you," Ron said, not bothering to look up from his Quidditch Weekly magazine. Malfoy looked positively infuriated at being told what to do by anybody, no less a Weasley.
"The Dark Lord's not going to stop at just Harry," he tried again.
"He hasn't in the past, why should we think otherwise now?" Hermione countered. Malfoy finally gave up and stormed out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle following.
"Do those two even talk?" Hermione mused as she took out her copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6. No one answered her question, yet she hadn't really been expecting an answer. With Ron flipping through his magazines, and Hermione engrossed in her studies, Harry found the compartment rather peaceful. It was nice just to hold Ginny and feel her weight against him. She was absentmindedly running her fingers over his arms that were holding her around her middle. Harry noticed that she had her eyes closed. He lifted his head off the window and gently kissed her forehead before settling back against the window. Within a matter of minutes, the motion of the train and the comfortable position he was in had lulled him to sleep.
***
Harry felt someone shaking him, but he didn't want to wake up.
"Geroff." he mumbled. He heard a slight chuckle and faded back to sleep. He then felt lips lightly kissing all over his face, trying to rouse him. He was fully awake now, but wanted to play along to see how far Ginny would go to wake him up. He felt her lips cover his in a chaste kiss that made his senses go on overload. Knowing that she would never have started this if she couldn't finish it, Harry wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Ginny sighed into his mouth as they broke apart. He blinked his eyes open and looked into her sparkling brown eyes that smiled back at him.
"I could get used to waking up like that. I wish you were my wake up call instead of the WWN," Harry muttered, stretching his limbs to their fullest extent. Ginny smirked and leaned over to his ear.
"Be careful what you wish for," she said as she got off of him and headed out of the compartment. Harry shook his head in bewilderment. Just when he thought he had a grasp on her, Ginny always caught him off guard. What in the world had she meant by that?
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by a booming voice that filled the air outside the cabin. He would have known that voice anywhere. He looked out the window as he picked up his things that were in the compartment.
"Firs' years, this way!" Hagrid bellowed to a confused and terrified looking group of eleven year olds. Harry smiled to himself as he watched the first years start boarding the boats that would take them to the castle.
"You coming, or did you just come along for the ride?" Ron asked as he poked his head into the compartment. Harry laughed.
"I'm coming, keep your trousers on."
"With pleasure." Ron said sounding somewhat scandalized and he bounded off the train before Harry could make another comment.
***
The Sorting Ceremony and welcome feast were everything Harry had always remembered them to be. He was becoming more and more aware of what it meant to have great people surrounding him. He had realized at the Burrow that he was happiest when he had the people he cared about most around him, when he felt supported and loved, and when he was laughing and having fun.
Ginny was sitting next to him on his left and Dean Thomas was on his right. Ron and Hermione were across from them with Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom. Harry was definitely aware of his friends more so now than ever before. He looked up at the head table and caught Hagrid's eye. They waved and smiled at each other before Harry moved on to find Dumbledore at the head table. When his eyes moved over to the Headmaster, Harry was met with a smiling blue gaze. He smiled back at the man he had come to respect more than any other. The only thing that would have made him any happier was if Sirius had been able to be there.
Harry continued to scan the head table. He noticed Professor Remus Lupin and waved. Dumbledore had asked him to return to his Defense Against the Dark Arts position, against many people's wished. Lupin had agreed and a special schedule had been set up to accommodate him. He smiled at Harry. Harry smiled back.
The rest of the table was much the same as it had been the years previous. Professor McGonagall, tiny Professor Flitwick, Professor Trelawney, Madame Hooch, Snape. Harry passed by Snape quickly, not wanting to meet his eye. There was an empty spot where Professor Rapunze used to sit and Harry surmised that Dumbledore had yet to find a suitable Muggle Studies professor.
After the end of the feast, everyone went to their dormitories to unpack and get some sleep for the beginning of the term. Harry said good night to Ginny at the bottom of the girl's dormitory staircase, and went back up to his own room.
"So, Harry," Seamus spoke up. "Ginny, eh?" Harry could tell that he was up for being the leader in a game of embarrass-Harry-as-much-as-possible, but Ron spoke up.
"Yes, Ginny. What's wrong with Ginny?" his face was a bit pink as he said this, but Harry thought he was doing a good job of keeping his temper in check. Seamus shook his head.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way, Ron. I think Ginny is quite gorgeous actually." He smirked at Harry's red face. "So, how far have you gotten Harry?" He asked excitedly as he perched on his bed, trying unsuccessfully to fold his robes to fit into the drawer of his bedside table.
Ron's eyes narrowed. "Yes, Harry, how far have you gotten with my little sister?"
"Honestly," Harry countered, sounding a bit too much like Hermione for his liking. "We've been together for what, two weeks? And besides, like I would tell you lot about it when it does happen?" Harry turned back to his bed smirking, knowing that comment would shut Ron up.
***
The first two weeks of classes went by in a blur for Harry, with all of the homework he was getting lately, Quidditch meetings, and preparation for the O.W.L.'s. It all amounted to no free time whatsoever, and Ginny was the one suffering because of it. Harry knew that she understood, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel guilty. She deserved more than holding hands at meals and stolen kisses before heading to their separate beds.
Harry was supposed to be on the Quidditch pitch at nine on Saturday morning. He had gone to bed early Friday evening, leaving his friends to wonder what was up and Ginny to be quite disappointed. He hadn't meant to cause worry or disappointment, but he was honestly exhausted and needed a good nights sleep before his first practice as co-captain. The team had voted earlier in the week for Harry and Ron to share the responsibilities of team captain. Harry couldn't have been happier with the idea as he knew and trusted Ron's abilities more than anyone else's. He also knew neither he nor Ron could have done it alone with all the work they had.
Ginny stepped cautiously into the sixth year boy's staircase and crept along the stairs as quietly as possible. It was six in the morning and while she wasn't taking a great chance at getting caught by anyone, she was still a bit nervous. She opened the door to the room Harry shared with Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Neville, and looked around searching for which bed was Harry's. She noticed the telltale glasses on the nightstand just outside the curtains of a bed on her left and smiled. Carefully, she closed the door and raised her wand. She waved it in the direction of Harry's bed and whispered the silencing charm that she had perfected the week before.
Grinning, she walked over and slipped into the curtains. She stretched her body out alongside Harry's and watched him sleep. She draped an arm across him and felt Harry stir enough to grasp her, pulling her even closer in his sleep. Ginny seriously contemplated falling asleep in Harry's arms but banished that thought after careful consideration. That would not be spending the time they needed together the way they should, no matter how excruciatingly pleasant the thought was.
Ginny stirred against Harry and brought her hand up to brush the fallen pieces of hair off his forehead. His scar was blatantly obvious and it intrigued her as she inspected it. It was a dull pink color in the center and looked almost traced in red. She had never had the chance to really look at it before and thought now was as good a time as any. She ran a finger down it, following the jagged line, feeling the slight dip the indentation caused in the otherwise perfectly smooth skin of Harry's forehead. She sighed; it felt warmer to her touch than the rest of his face. She wondered what that meant, but quickly shook off the feeling when she saw Harry's face scrunch up in what looked like pain. She all but jumped off of him, thinking she was pressing her body on a nerve somewhere that was hurting him, but his expression didn't change. He squeezed his eyes shut even more and groaned painfully. Ginny scanned his body carefully, trying to see what was causing him so much pain, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She had the fleeting thought that touching his scar might have hurt him, but disregarded it immediately. It was a fifteen- year-old scar, it was plenty healed and she had even seen Harry touch it himself without painful aftershocks.
Harry released his grasp on Ginny as he began to thrash about on his bed, whimpering. Ginny wasn't sure she should wake him from a nightmare, but her heart broke to see him in this state. She laid her body down on one side of his again and whispered soothingly into his ear.
"Baby.its okay.Harry? It's Ginny, wake up." She was running her hand slowly up and down his arm as it moved jerkily. He wasn't hearing her wherever he was and Ginny was getting frantic as Harry started banging his fist into the mattress. She closed her eyes and began to massage his shoulder that she was closest too, all the while whispering endearments and encouragement into his ear. Harry began to calm. Ginny smiled and continued to softly speak to him until she felt his arm grasp around her. She then felt saw his eyes fly open. They were wild and searching when they finally found her concerned ones. She leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his slightly open lips, which he gently returned. When they broke apart, Ginny lifter her head and noticed that Harry's scar was an angry shade of red and he had begun to sweat.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked a bit breathless. Ginny snuggled into his chest before she answered him.
"You said you would rather I woke you up than the WWN, so I was just taking you up on your offer," she paused and looked up at him. He was rubbing his scar and had a pained expression on his face. "What were you dreaming, baby?" she asked.
Harry's expression changed to a confused yet thoughtful one. He rubbed his scar again.
"I'm not sure what it means.someone, I think it was my mum," Ginny pulled herself closer at those words, "she was being held in the air by Voldemort. He was asking her where I was and she wouldn't tell him. It was almost like she couldn't tell him but I got the idea that it was of her own will. Strange though." Harry's voice faded.
"What's strange?" Ginny whispered.
"It was Voldemort, definitely Voldemort as he is now, but." Harry's face screwed up in concentration. "She called him Riddle."
Harry felt Ginny tense against him. Voldemort had never been called Tom Riddle by anyone but Ginny and Harry as far as they knew. Not that many people really knew about the connection.
"Riddle?" her voice was just barely audible.
"Yeah, she kept calling him Riddle.as if Voldemort never existed. And he didn't like that at all. He hurt her more whenever she said it."
"What do you think it means?"
"I don't know. My nightmares have always been premonitions. But my mum is dead." Ginny was thoughtfully quiet. "What are you thinking, Gin?" Harry placed a protective arm around her. He hadn't been blind to the fact that his girlfriend held some of the same aesthetic beauty that the pictures of his mother showed him. In all honesty, Harry thought that his mum and Ginny looked an awful lot alike. This dream of his brought him back to that realization, but he didn't want to think about that right now.
"Could your dream have been a memory?" Ginny asked, her voice laced with emotion. Harry sucked in a breath.
"I suppose. I mean that might be why my scar is hurting. But." Harry shook his head. Ginny rose up and propped her chin on Harry's chest, looking him in the eye.
"Think about it, Harry. Your mum died because she was protecting you. You said the woman in your dreams wouldn't tell Voldemort where you were. She died at the hands of Voldemort and then he turned on you and gave you the scar. It makes perfect sense that your scar would be hurting if you were dreaming about the night your mum." Ginny trailed off, knowing it must still hurt Harry to talk about his parents.
"Yeah.I guess." Harry was still not convinced. He had never had nightmares of the past before; they were always of future things to happen. He supposed anything was possible, but something told him that wasn't the correct assessment to make. He rubbed the dulling pain that was his scar again before turning his attention to the task at hand - his girlfriend, alone in his bed at 6:30 in the morning.
***
Three weeks later, Harry had finally found a routine balance to his life. Classes, library, and homework during the day as much as he could, the rest of his homework, Quidditch practice, and time with Ginny in the evenings, all day Saturday was devoted to socializing or Quidditch matches, and Sunday was a rest day of studying for the OWL's and finishing up homework. Harry felt good about his efforts to balance his life and even more proud of the fact that he was actually making it work.
He was presently sitting on the floor in front of the fire, absentmindedly running his fingers through Ginny's hair. She was sitting in the middle of his outstretched legs, her back leaning on his chest, enjoying his company.
"How did you do on that Potions test you were studying for last week?" Ginny asked leisurely. Harry groaned. "That good, huh?" Ginny chuckled.
"Yeah, about that good."
"You'll do better next time."
"Maybe." Harry didn't sound as confident as Ginny did.
"He's just a stubborn old git who can't get past a grudge that's older than you are, Harry." Ron fumed at his chessboard. Hermione was his latest victim and she was losing pitifully. "Hermione, you ought to set up your defenses better," Ron suggested.
"My defenses are fine, thank you very much," she retorted.
"All right." Ron moved his pawn across the board to capture Hermione's queen. "Check."
Hermione bristled as she moved a piece across the board, leaving Ron free to win. "You're no fun to play with, you know that?" she asked, quite seriously. Ron looked at her.
"Why's that?"
"You're always going to win! You never lose." Hermione sounded neither cross nor flabbergasted. She actually had a hint of pride in her voice. Ron smiled.
"We'll see about that. I'm joining the Wizard's Chess meetings on Wednesday's." Harry started at this news.
"Wednesdays? We have practice on Wednesday nights."
"It's before dinner anyway, so it won't run into Quidditch," Ron answered, charming his chess pieces across the board to set up for another game. He looked up innocently at Hermione and gestured at the set board.
"Not this time, Ron. Find yourself another person to slaughter at chess. I need to finish my essay on why Muggles have fur coats for Snape," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Can you believe that one Ginny? That essay is almost as bad as the questions on that test of his. I swear you'd think the man has never met a Muggle in his life before!"
"How about I play against Ron and you two can discuss the merits of fur coats?" Harry asked to Ginny.
"Sounds good to me. Maybe since Snape won't know the difference, we can make stuff up, Hermione? Like they do with their Divination homework?" Ginny grinned as she reached for her bag and Harry sat across from Ron.
Harry playfully stuck his tongue out at Ginny who returned the favor and moved his first piece across the board. He faintly heard Ron mutter, "Set up your defenses, Harry."
Author's Notes: This has been a very hard chapter for me to get right. It wasn't all that hard to write, but it was hard to revise. Thank you Jilly for catching the things that I never would have, and for making me think about this chapter but still giving me complete free rein over it. I appreciate you more and more with every chapter I send you! Dellaran, who only had one big problem with this. Sorry I had to do it Dell, maybe, if you think really hard before you go to sleep.;) To the ITOBTDSM Club members and others who frequent the Tower nightly and keep me laughing my butt off and make sure I don't take anything to seriously.