Harry Potter, Heir of Gryffindor

A Confrontation with Pansy

After his shower the next morning Harry spent several minutes standing in front of the mirror in the boys bathroom trying to get his hair to behave. After several unsuccessful attempts the masculine mirror said, "Give it up, lad. It's a lost cause. Your father couldn't do anything with his hair either."

"Thanks a lot," Harry scowled and stomped back out into the sixth-year boys' dormitory where Ron was waiting to go down to breakfast with him.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said cheerfully as he shouldered his book bag, "I don't know if you noticed it or not but Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle aren't here this year. I wonder what happened. Do you think they finally transferred to Durmstrang?"

Neville, Dean and Seamus looked up to see what Harry's response to this good news would be. They were expecting him to at least be happy about it but were unprepared for what came next. "Try life sentences in Azkaban," Harry said dryly. "They were there."

"Oh," Ron said quietly. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"That's okay," Harry said softly, shouldering his bag. "You had no way of knowing."

The other three looked over at their friend with a mixture of curiosity and respect. Whatever had happened to him over the summer had moved and changed him deeply. He seemed different somehow. He seemed calmer, quieter, more reserved and yet more confident and determined than ever before.

Harry felt the play of these emotions but chose to ignore them. He had changed and he knew it. He would help them if he could but they would have to deal with the changes on their own terms and in their own ways. He had more important things to worry about.

At the bottom of the stairs Ron pulled Harry out of the flow of traffic and into the center of the common room. "Shall we wait for the girls?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," Harry shrugged, wondering if Ron had any idea how he felt about Ginny.

They didn't have to wait long as Ginny and Hermione descended the stairs moments later, their book bags slung over their shoulders, deep in a whispered conversation. "Mind letting us in on your conversation," Ron asked as Ginny and Hermione joined then in the center of the room.

"Its just girl talk," Hermione said as she winked at Ginny. "You wouldn't understand."

"You want to try me," Ron said, rising to the challenge.

"No," Hermione said flatly.

Ron was about to respond with a sarcastic retort and Harry could feel an argument coming on. So, before Ron could reply, he stepped in and said, "Ron, Hermione, please. We don't have time for this. There will be plenty of time for you to argue later. But right now I need you two to work together, as a team. I mean if Snape and Sirius could do it for a year the least you can do is try."

Ron and Hermione stopped and looked at Harry then, blushing furiously, looked at each other. "Truce?" Ron asked, extending his hand.

"Truce," Hermione said with a nod and shook Ron's hand.

"Thank you," Ginny said. "I don't think I could have put up with another year of those two constantly bickering."

"We do not bicker!" Ron retorted loudly.

"What else would you call it," someone called from near the portrait hole and the entire room erupted into laughter.

Ron and Hermione were blushing brightly when Harry turned to Ginny. "Hi," he said as a timid smile began to spread across his face.

"Hi," Ginny said just as timidly, smiling demurely and begining to blush ever so slightly.

It seemed an eternity to Harry but in reality it could not have been more than a few brief seconds. Their eyes met and he knew that he had found love. What's more, he knew that she knew.

Then it was over. "Shall we?" Hermione asked, tugging on Ginny's arm.

The four of them left the common room together and made their way down to the Great Hall. Along the way Harry noticed that Ron kept casting curious glances at him. Upon entering the Great Hall they made their way over to the Gryffindor House Table and found seats across from one another. Ron was seated next to Hermione and Harry sat beside Ginny.

Harry looked at all of the wonderfully prepared dishes and watched as Ron, Hermione and Ginny filled their plates but found himself at a loss. It all looked and smelled wonderful but he just wasn't hungry. He looked at his goblet and considered filling it with either milk or juice but found that even the thought of that felt too heavy.

Ginny seemed to notice that he wasn't eating and her voice was filled with concern as she slid her hand into his under the table. "What's wrong, Harry," she asked as she turned to study his face as if searching for come clue as to what might be going on in his mind.

"I . . . I don't know," Harry said honestly. "I . . . I'm . . . I'm just not hungry."

Both Ron and Hermione had stopped eating now and were watching him intently, expressions of concern etched on their faces. "You have to eat something," Ginny said softly, concern still evident in her voice. "Even if you're not hungry you have to eat something so your body can keep functioning."

"Yes, I know," he said. "But for some reason I just don't feel like I can do it."

At this point Ginny took charge. Tapping the center of Harry's plate with her wand she said, "Dobby! This is Harry Potter's plate!"

Moments later Dobby's smiling face appeared as a reflection in Harry's plate. "Good morning, Harry," the excitable house elf said. "How are you feeling today?"

Harry smiled meekly down at his friend's reflection. "Good morning, Dobby," he said. "I . . . Uh . . . I guess I'm fine. I just don't feel like eating."

Dobby scowled. "Harry Potter must eat!" he said sternly.

"Dobby?" Ginny interrupted. "Do you have that special diet Doctor Stone told us about last week?"

Dobby smiled and nodded his head vigorously, his ears flapping as he did so. "Yes, Ginny. Dobby is ready for Harry's order."

Harry looked curiously over at Ginny who glanced over at him then smiled down at Dobby's reflection. "Good," she said smiling warmly. "Harry isn't sure what he wants to eat yet so could you please prepare a simple, light breakfast for him."

Dobby smiled and looked from Ginny to Harry and then back to Ginny. "Yes, Ginny! Dobby will have it ready in a minute." Then looking back at Harry he said, "Dobby is glad you is alive, Harry."

Harry smiled and blushed slightly at the adoration. "Thanks, Dobby. I'm glad to be alive." Before he could say anything else Dobby's reflection vanished. Turning to Ginny he asked, "Special diet?"

Ginny turned to look at him then looked down at her hands. "We really didn't know if you were going to survive," she murmured, tears evident in her voice. "But Dumbledore kept insisting that you would. I'm not saying it was easy on him because it wasn't. We could see the pain and fear etched in his eyes. . ."

By this time Harry could tell that Ginny was crying so he gently tilted her chin up and looked into her tear filled eyes. "Hush, Ginny," he whispered gently. "It's all right. I'm here now and I'm not going away."

Ginny looked into his confident eyes and smiled briefly before throwing herself into his arms and crying into his chest as she clung to him. Wrapping his arm around her and rubbing her back to comfort her he looked over at Ron and Hermione for support. Hermione was watching Ginny and Harry could tell that she was on the verge of tears as well. Ron looked over at his friend and said, "It wasn't easy, mate. And I hate to say this but I think it was harder on her than anyone."

Harry nodded his head in understanding and then turned his full attention to the girl in his arms, rubbing her back and occasionally running his fingers through her hair, all the while rocking her back and forth and whispering reassuringly into her ear. Five minutes later, after Ginny had recovered and his breakfast had arrived the familiar swoosh of wings filled the Great Hall as the owls arrived with the mail. A tawny grey owl landed in front of Hermione, delivering her copy of the Daily Prophet. As she rummaged through he bag for the correct change Harry was surprised when Hedwig swooped down and landed on the table in front of him, a small roll of parchment tied securely to her leg. He untied the light green silk ribbon and retrieved the sealed roll then tore one of his bagels in half and offered it to his faithful companion. Hedwig gently nipped his finger, took the offered bread then hopped up onto his shoulder.

"I think she missed you," Ron said as the owl that had delivered Hermione's paper took off.

"We all did," Hermione admitted softly

. Harry shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sorry about that," he said while reaching down to gently squeeze Ginny's hand. "Now," he said, turning his attention to the roll of parchment, "I wonder who this is from."

Picking the parchment up he turned the roll over in his hands and noticed that it had an official, Ministry of Magic seal on its flap. Sliding his butter knife under the seal he opened the parchment and unrolled the letter. With Hedwig on his shoulder and Ginny at his side he read the Acting Minister of Magic's official response to his demands of the previous evening.

From: The Desk of Amelia Bones, Acting Minister of Magic

To: Harry James Potter, Student, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Dear Mr. Potter,

Professor Dumbledore and I spoke at some length after you and Miss Weasley
retired last evening and we are in agreement that all of the security and
recruitment measures you mentioned are steps that need to be taken. This
note is to let you know that by the end of your classes today teams of aurors
and hit wizards will have been dispatched to guard and protect the families
of all muggle-born and half-blood students at Hogwarts; that I will have
spoken directly to the Prime Minister of England about opening a dialogue
between the magical and non-magical communities; that owls and/or emissaries
will have been sent to the official representatives of all magical communities
the world over, asking for their assistance; and my staff will have begun work
on opening the lines of communication between all branches of the magical
and non-magical worlds so that Mister Weasley will have his "chess set."

In addition, Mister Potter, I thought you should know that we are using your
name in many of these letters because, whether you like it or not (and I have
been assured that you do not), you really are much more famous than you realize.

Sincerely,

Amelia Bones,
Acting Minister of Magic

P.S. We will all remember Cedric.

"Well," Ron asked. "Who's it from?"

Harry looked up as Ginny squeezed his leg under the table - she had been gripping it since he had unrolled the parchment and begun reading. He held onto it for a few more seconds so she could finish reading then looked over at Ron and Hermione. "Let's just say that when I said 'jump' last night Madam Bones asked 'how high.'"

Ron's mouth fell open and he said, "What?"

Harry handed the parchment across to Ron and Hermione and as they read the letter Hermione's eyes began to tear, Ron's mouth fell even further open and their heads gradually came closer together until they were just centimeters apart. As they read, Harry turned to Ginny and whispered, "They look good together, don't they."

Ginny nodded her head slightly then whispered back, "Yes, they do. I just wish they would realize it."

"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said softly, her voice beginning to crack, as the two of them lowered the parchment to the table.

Ron just looked at his friend in amazement. "Wow," he finally said after a prolonged pause.

"Well," Harry said as a mischievous smile spread across his face, "you always said you wanted to do something no one else in your family had done. And here's your chance: How many of your brothers can say that they were a general playing a real life game of wizard's chess where the stakes are so high?"

Before Ron could answer Professor McGonagall stopped behind Harry and Ginny and handed all four of them their timetables. "Professor Dumbledore would like a word with the four of you in his office after dinner tonight," she said softly enough that only the four of them could hear before proceeding down the table, presenting the rest of the Gryffindor students with their timetables.

Harry retrieved, re-rolled and stuffed his letter from the Acting Minister of Magic in his bag before picking up his timetable to begin studying it. Hedwig hooted softly on his shoulder then lifted off to return to the owlry. Harry watched her leave and silently thanked her for being such a loyal friend.

"What!" Ron exclaimed as he stared in disbelief at his schedule. "NEWT Potions, NEWT Charms, NEWT Transfiguration and Divination are bad enough but two Defense Against the Dark Arts classes? And what's this," he asked peering down towards the bottom of his timetable. "What's Military Tactics and Strategies?" he asked softly.

Harry studied his schedule for several seconds and noticed that his schedule sounded a lot like Ron's except that he had early morning Dueling classes five days a week and something called 'M.A. Training' with Dumbledore on Thursday evenings. As he studied his timetable he saw that a two hour time slot on Tuesday evenings had been blocked out with the notation "Defense Assotiation, Room of Requirement 8:00-10:00 PM." "Consider yourself lucky," he said, handing over his timetable for his friends' inspection.

Ron and Hermione compared their schedules with his while he studied Ginny's over her shoulder. "It looks like you've got the Defense Assotiation as your second defense class," he said. "It also looks like you've got that military class, whatever that's all about." Then, remembering all of the homework he had had in his fifth year, added, "You know we'll help if you want us to."

Ginny smiled warmly up at him. "Thanks," she said, "I may take you up on that."

"Holy cow," Ron said after studying Harry's timetable. "When are you going to be able to eat, mate? I mean our timetables are almost the same except for Thursday evenings; but you've got Dueling Practice every morning."

Just then Neville came over and stopped behind Ron and Hermione. "Moody said that we could have this week off so we could get started on our classes."

Harry looked up and nodded. "Thanks, Neville. What's your timetable look like?"

Neville studied Harry's timetable over Ron's shoulder for a few seconds then said, "It's pretty much the same as yours except that I have Thursday evenings free and I have NEWT level Herbology on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons while you have those times off."

Harry sighed. "It looks like we are going to be busy this year. I hope you are ready to study, Ron. How about you, Hermione?"

"Our schedules pretty much coincide," Hermione said reassuringly, "except for your early morning workouts, that Thursday evening class and while I have Arithmancy and Ancient Runes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings you and Ron have . . ." she hesitated, "Divination."

They ate in relative silence for a few minutes when they suddenly heard a very clipped walk coming up the aisle towards them and a near hysterical girl was screaming at Harry. "I hope you're happy, Potter," she screamed. "Why didn't you just kill him too? We all know you hated him. Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?"

Ron glanced up then looked back at Harry. "Uh oh," he said softly. "It looks like Pansy is a little upset that her darling Draco is in Azkaban."

Ginny and Hermione looked up with curious expressions on their faces but before they could say anything Pansy stopped behind Harry and cuffed him violently on the shoulder.

Harry slowly stood up, stepped over the bench and turned around to face his accuser. "Pansy, he said gently, a practiced calm overtaking his demeanor, "I want you to sit down for a minute. I want to explain something." When she was sitting down next to Ginny, with her back to the table, Harry squatted down on his hams and faced her. He gently looked into her eyes and said, "Pansy, the charm I used to defend myself was a purely defensive charm. It cannot be used to attack anyone. The nature of it is such that the curses that were hurled at me were rebounded back upon their casters. Draco, Vincent and Gregory all hurled Cruciatus Curses at me while their elders were trying to kill me with Avada Kadarva. I won't say they got what they deserved because I really don't know. All I know for sure is that they were on the receiving end of the curses they cast at me.

"If you think I enjoyed it all I can do is ask that you please think again. It was not a pleasant experience. I felt all of the anger and hatred that went into the casting of those curses. I also felt the horror and revulsion their casters felt when they realized that their curses were being rebounded back upon them. But it saved my life. For those who died there was nothing after that: I simply felt them die and it was not a pleasant experience. But for Draco, Vincent and Gregory there was pain, anger and hatred beyond belief. I almost wish I could communicate some small portion of the anger and hatred Draco felt as he cast his spell because I want you to know what you were getting yourself into. Suffice it to say, Pansy, that before you get seriously involved with anyone else I can only suggest that you take a good, long, hard look at that which lies within because you are going to have to deal with their inner worlds on a daily basis. Oh, you may have gotten some of Draco's money, power and prestige but the emotional price you would have paid would have destroyed you in the end."

As he stood up he noticed that the Great Hall was as silent as it would have been in the dead of night and yet it was packed and full. He also noticed that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape were standing a few meters away, poised and ready to break up any fights that broke out but with bemused and curious expressions on their faces. He helped Pansy to her feet and nodded towards Professor Snape who came forward and took Pansy back to her seat at the Slytherin table. Professor McGonagall let out the breath she had been holding, shook her head and walked back up to the teacher's table. Professor Dumbledore nodded, smiled and winked at Harry before he too returned to his seat at the teacher's table.

"Wow," Heamione breathed as Harry sat back down. "Where did that come from?"

Harry looked at her tiredly and shook his head. "Please don't ask because you really don't want to know."

Ron's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open yet again. Harry looked over at his best friend. "You might want to close your mouth, Ron," he said, "because we aren't going to feed you and if you aren't careful Pig might mistake it for a new roost or something." Ron snapped his mouth shut and then shook his head as he laughed nervously at the depths of the wisdom his friend was showing.

Ginny rubbed her hand along Harry's thigh, took his hand in her own and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Now I know why I've loved you all these years," she said softly to herself; but Harry heard her anyway and gently squeezed her hand.