Now, the moment you've all been waiting for....
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CHAPTER FOUR!!!!
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(Loud applause that lasts for several minutes)
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Yes, yes, I know how long you've been waiting for this one, but please, quiet down for a moment....
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(A few loud whoops and a whistle and then silence)
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Thank you. Now, this chapter is in Harry's time, set right after chapter two. –For full details, see chapter two-
All right, I think that's everything I have to say before I get started...oh, wait!
Disclaimer: Although you all undoubtedly love this story, the characters, setting, and all the other things I did not make up myself belong to J.K. Rowling. (This disclaimer applies to the whole story)
Okay, so here goes....
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Chapter Four: What the hell Is Up With Harry Potter?
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Ginny Weasley lay awkwardly on her hospital bed. Her head was falling off the foot and her feet were tangled in the mess that was her quilt.
She could feel the blood rushing to her head, and it gave her quite a headache. Blinking her eyes, Ginny sat up slowly to readjust.
The girl sat up cross-legged, facing the headboard. She stared at the metal rail behind her pillow.
Today was the third day that Ginny Weasley had been kept in the Hospital Wing, and she was starting to get extremely bored.
She wasn't even hurt. Well, not anymore at least.
Her arm had ached terribly for the entire first day, and when she finally alerted Madame Pomfrey of the pain, she found that her shoulder had been dislocated.
A simple spell had been enough to fix it, but Ginny's shoulder still felt a sharp twinge of pain when she moved it.
Now, however, she was (in her opinion) fully healed.
Her mind drifted to thoughts of the events of a few nights ago. Ginny's eyes glazed over as she lost herself in memories.
She had been walking up to the Astronomy Tower to take her test. Ginny was laughing on the inside about Ron and Hermione's hidden feelings. Why didn't they just get together already?
Well, that's what it looked like was happening. Her brother and his love interest had slipped out of the Dining Hall quite a while ago, and hadn't returned.
'Good for them,' Ginny thought.
She reached the antechamber with the rest of her class, and sunk down to the floor.
If she was going to be the last person called, she might as well have a comfortable wait.
Ginny leaned her head against the stonewall and looked around the room. There were several portraits of middle-aged nobility, and a statue of an ogre shaking hands with a wizard sat ten meters to her left.
She stood up slowly and wandered over to the marble carving. The smugness on the wizard's face was evident, but only a little less obvious was the anger on the ogre's.
Ginny pondered this for a moment until she heard loud screams coming from the antechamber.
She whipped around to see her classmates and Professor Sinistra backed up against the far wall, trembling and shouting.
It took her a few moments to see the source of their fright, but when Ginny spotted the two Death Eaters pointing their wands at them, she froze.
Death Eaters? In Hogwarts?
Suddenly, Henry Ward shouted, "GINNY! HELP!"
The Death Eaters spun around to face her, and she could only let out a muffled yelp before they closed in.
The taller of the two grabbed her forearm and pulled her violently towards him, and then looked back at the rest of the room. He pushed Ginny in front of him, using her as a human body shield.
The second man held his wand steadily, as if to say, "Don't move or Red- Head gets it."
They wallowed in fear as the other man grabbed her by the side and threw her over his shoulder.
"HELP!" Ginny screamed, but no one listened. No one came to help her. The rest of the students stood with Sinistra, completely terrified.
"PUT ME DOWN, GOD DAMNIT!!"
The tall man didn't listen, but only cast a silencing charm on her.
Ginny started to panic, and curled her hands into balls. She beat unmercifully on the Death Eater's back, until he had to set her down.
She felt her tailbone hit the stone floor, and nearly shouted out in pain. But she held it in.
Ginny seized this opportunity, and decided to try to run for it.
She started out at a slow crawl, but the Death Eaters' amused laughs only fueled her desire to escape.
Using her hands to push her up, Ginny stumbled in to a standing position. Turning back to face the two men, she shot them a bemused smile.
The cloaked men were confused at first, but when a red jet of light passed dangerously between them, they turned to see their victim running towards the end of the hallway.
Her feet pounded the floor as she raced for the exit. She could hear her ragged breathing, but paid it no mind.
A low voice from behind her quickly cast a binding spell, and presently thin cords wrapped themselves around her feet and ankles.
She tripped over the ropes, and felt as if she was falling in slow motion. Her arms tried to break the fall, but they were useless.
Ginny hit the floor and felt the searing pain as she made contact. It shot up and as her head hit the concrete, a hollow noise filled the corridor.
She skidded for another meter or so, and the evil men came running.
"Is she dead?" asked the shorter one, who had apparently cast the spell.
"Better not be, he needs her alive to get Potter up here," came the reply.
Harry?
She was going to be bait for Harry.
Why would they choose her? Honestly, if they wanted Harry Potter to come running, they should have captured Ron or Hermione.
Then again, Harry Potter would come running for anybody.
Ginny cursed his knack for trying to save people, and attempted to escape from the bonds, but to no avail.
She felt the cold hands of one of the men grab her by the wrist, and winced as she felt the bones creak. He once again placed her on his shoulder and continued to walk.
They talked in murmurs for the next few minutes as they carried her to another corridor in the tower.
Ginny wondered where her schoolmates had gone.
Hopefully for help.
She doubted it.
Then she heard one of the Death Eaters start to speak to her.
"Pretty little thing, you are. Pity we have to kill you."
She looked at him with malice, wishing she could make noise. Surely, the silencing charm would wear off soon.
"I mean," he continued, "It's just seems such a waste, killin' you and all."
The man who was not carrying her gave him a warning look, but the tall man continued to talk to the girl on his shoulder.
"My wife left me a few months ago, and I've been rather lonely..."
Ginny felt a strange pressure on her posterior, and was appalled when she realized it was in fact the Death Eater's hand.
"What d'you say?" he asked in what was supposed to be a seductive manner.
Suddenly, a very sinister, cold voice started to talk from behind her.
"I say, Norston, stop manhandling my captives."
His hand flew off her bum, and he knelt down quickly.
"So sorry, my lord."
"Very well," the new man droned, "Bring her over here."
Ginny could hear the entire conversation, but she couldn't see any of the people. Where was she? And was that really his master behind her? Lord Voldemort?
Her heart seemed to stop as the Death Eater dropped her to the floor and she caught a glimpse of the new presence.
He was tall and skinny, wearing long, dark robes. He had an aura of danger, and she could feel the other two men cower when they saw him.
But that wasn't the worst part.
No, the most terrifying part of the whole situation was Voldemort's face.
It was pale and misshapen, and his eyes almost glowed red. She could see wisps of hair on the top of his head, and his nose lay flat and pointed in the middle. His nostrils were slits, and his mouth was abnormally small.
But amidst all these grotesque features, there was an air of familiarity.
Yes, Voldemort still looked remotely like Tom Riddle. Which would make sense, she reasoned, because that's who he is.
"Why, if it isn't Ginny Weasley,..." he said in a low voice. When she didn't answer, Lord Voldemort proceeded to lift the silencing spell.
"Hello, Tom."
He looked taken aback by Ginny's statement. She had to admit; even she was surprised by her audacity.
"I see that Potter boy's been rubbing off on you," he replied, "A little too foolhardy for your own good, I'm afraid."
The whole room seemed to be getting darker, and she could feel him walking closer to her. The tension was almost suffocating. Ginny still lay bound on the floor, and the ropes were starting to cut off her circulation.
Voldemort seemed to sense her discomfort, and whispered, "Finite Incantatum," as he pointed his wand at the cords.
She immediately started to massage her ankles, but Voldemort continued talking.
"Just like his parents, that one. Quite unfortunate, too. He will undoubtedly go down the same slippery slope as James and his Mudblood wife. Too bad you'll have to join the brassy little whelp..."
"Don't talk about him like that," she managed to whisper through her rage, "He is not a whelp, and if you were half the man Harry was at age eleven, you'd--"
"Are you INSULTING ME?" he asked in anger. Ginny could feel the specks of spit fly from her mouth, but she didn't care anymore.
"It would seem so, Tom."
"DO NOT CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" the Dark Lord spat out as he grabbed her by the crook of her arm.
She gave him a mildly amused look as she said, "Really, Tom, I just don't see why--"
Ginny must have been delirious. Or delusional. Or both. Whatever ailment would cause someone to say such bold things to the most feared wizard of all time, she surely had it. And why was she acting so calm? Lord knows Ginny was scared out of her mind.
Voldemort set his face and jerked up on her arm. She could feel her feet leave the ground and the searing pain in her shoulder.
She didn't give in. They looked at each other in a stalemate until a cry from an adjoining hallway rang through the silence.
"Master!" it sounded, "Master!"
Voldemort grinned at the ever-increasingly terrified Ginny Weasley.
"Here comes scar-boy," he said in a menacing tone.
He whipped around to face the direction of the call for distress, and to Ginny's horror and Voldemort's delight; there stood Harry Potter, coming to rescue her.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of spells and terror. It finally ended in Harry and Ginny escaping from Lord Voldemort, and he in turn escaping from Dumbledore.
Now she found herself here, sitting on her bed, once again adjusting her position.
Life just wasn't fair.
She had now faced Voldemort twice, both times ending with her an inch from death. Ginny had defied Voldemort two times now, but her life was just beginning to be difficult.
But she reminded herself that the more you face the Dark Lord, the more difficult your life will be.
Just look at Harry.
Her heart went out to him, really. It wasn't exactly pity, but a deep understanding of his pain.
Harry Potter, the nicest boy she knew. He never thought of himself, and was always trying to make other people happy. He just wanted everyone to be all right, and he didn't want to be the reason for anyone's suffering.
Unfortunately, that's kind of impossible if you're the Boy-Who-Lived.
He had gone through more emotional pain than anyone Ginny had ever met. Harry had lost his parents, lived with the three worst muggles imaginable, been number one on Lord Voldemort's hit list for seventeen years, lost his best friend and godfather, lost the fight to avenge him, (which ended in even more death and destruction), and now, on top of it all, he had to knock up his friend's baby sister.
She understood if he never wanted to speak with her again.
Ginny was the sole reason his life would be permanently screwed up.
Sure, it was already pretty messy. But she had always thought Harry would be able to overcome everything that had happened to him so far. He would mourn for deaths, and then accept that some people were gone. He would kill Voldemort, and that alone would get rid of some of the baggage.
But having a child isn't something you can just forget. Harry would be tied to this whole ordeal until his life ended.
She didn't want to be the reason he was miserable.
Ginny looked over at him.
Harry was on the bed to her right, flipping through the pages of a Quidditch book. He was chewing on one of the chocolates that Ron had left him, and there was a pile of candy wrappers at the foot of his bed.
She got a strange sense of deja-vu, but had no idea why.
Harry seemed to sense her staring, and glanced over at her.
"Hey, Gin," he said, tone completely unreadable.
"Hey," she replied, moving to yet another sitting position, "What've you got there?"
Harry looked up from his book and held it out to her. Ginny grabbed it and read the cover.
"How many times are you going to read this?" she asked jokingly.
"Depends on how long we're locked up in here," he smiled back while she returned "Quidditch Through the Ages."
"That could be a while," she said sorrowfully. Ginny stared longingly out of the windows and reveled in the sunlight.
"Hopefully not," Harry said, "The Leaving Feast is tomorrow night."
"Really?" Ginny asked. She had totally forgotten.
"Yeah," Harry remarked, "Time flies when you're having fun."
"You know it," Ginny said.
Harry was looking at her strangely, at it was awkward but comforting at the same time.
They stared at each other for quite some time, until Ginny finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry," she said, eyes dropping to look at the floor.
"For what?" was all she heard from a surprised Harry.
"I dunno, messing up your life, I guess," she started.
"Ginny, never say that. This isn't your fault. It's no one's. I'm the one who's supposed to be worried about messing up YOUR life."
"Harry, you've been through so much already, though."
"Which is exactly why it shouldn't ruin anything for me. Ginny, you have so much potential, you could have any guy you wanted, but here I am, holding you back. D'you know how bad that makes me feel?"
Ginny only shrugged and tried to turn away. But she couldn't.
"Ginny, I'm really sorry I can't offer you what all those other guys can."
"Same goes for you, Harry."
"No, Ginny, but you deserve it."
"What?"
"Love."
"What are you talking about, Harry Potter?"
"We don't love each other, Ginny. And we have to have a baby."
He put the stress on the word 'baby.'
She winced slightly, but carefully looked back at his pained expression.
"Well," she said, trying to be cheery, "I guess we're in the same situation. Neither of us is in love, and both of us deserve it."
Harry only gave her a sad smile.
"Ginny, we'll always be friends, right?" he asked in a serious tone.
She offered a calm reassurance and said, "Of course, Harry."
She only wished she could mean it. She wished she didn't have feelings for the person next to her. Just like Harry wished he did.
*
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She was ruining it for him. Harry Potter needed something better than poor, little Ginny Weasley. What he needed was a large house with an endless green backyard. He needed more children than she was willing to give, and he needed a woman he loved to bear them.
Harry never had any siblings. He didn't have any memories of his parents. He had been alone for most of his life, and he needed a big family.
Ginny, having grown up in one of the biggest families in Britain, wanted one child. Two at the most.
Ginny was the one who was supposed to suffer. She was supposed to watch Harry grow up and get married to the woman of his dreams. She was the one who was giving birth to this new baby, and she was supposed to give up her life to play a part in the defeat of Voldemort.
She couldn't get over the fact that she was bringing Harry down with her.
After this was all over, she would force Harry to leave her.
That way, at least one of them could be happy.
*
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Madame Pomfrey released the two Gryffindor's around noon the next day. Harry told Ginny he would talk to her later, and then raced off to find Ron and Hermione.
He walked quickly to the common room, nearly colliding with several fourth years.
The fat lady let him in with a polite, "Nice to see you again, Mr. Potter."
He smiled at her and then entered Gryffindor Tower.
No one was there.
Final Exams were over, and everyone was lounging in the shade around the lake.
Harry laughed at his stupidity and quickly ran up to his dorm to change robes. The ones he was wearing were surprisingly old, and when he got up to his room, he decided that taking a shower would be a good idea.
Grabbing a towel, Harry walked across the bedroom he shared with the four other Gryffindor seventh years and opened the door to the bathroom.
He thought for a moment and realized that after the feast tonight, he was a legal wizarding adult.
Hogwarts was over.
There were not going to be any more teachers, nor classes, nor textbooks. No more uniforms, detentions, or midnight trips to the kitchen with Ron.
Harry had learned everything that was considered necessary for a witch or wizard to know. He was on his own. Now, he had to figure out what to do with his life.
Of course, Harry already knew what profession he was going into. He was going to be an Auror, and a damn good one at that, according to Moody.
No, the choice was not the job, but the location. Being Harry Potter had its perks, and one of them was being able to secure a job as an Auror wherever he wanted.
Now that this whole prophecy thing had been brought in to light, he had a decision to make.
Harry decided that he would work for the Ministry of Magic in Britain. That way, he could be close to Ginny and their child.
Child.
It sounded too weird.
He was going to have a baby with Ginny Weasley.
Ginny Weasley was going to carry his child.
Harry paused momentarily to think of the process in which babies are normally conceived, and shook himself violently.
He had to have sex with his best friend's younger sister.
And get her pregnant.
And put them all in danger.
Harry glanced around the bathroom, and then down at his robe pocket.
Sitting together in the folds of his school uniform were two wedding bands. One had been his mother's, and the other his father's.
Harry reached in and took them out of his pocket. He held them out in his palm, examining the rings.
His fingers closed tightly around the gold, and he walked over to the nearest toilet. He held his hand over the bowl and prepared to throw them in.
He could just flush them away, pretend he never had them. Pretend they never existed.
As his fingers started to loosen, his mind flashed to images of his parents. He thought of the pictures he had of them, the piles he had amassed over the years.
They always looked so happy, hugging each other or looking lovingly at their baby boy.
Lily and James Potter really loved each other.
Harry closed his eyes and retracted his hand. He deposited the rings into his robe pocket once again, and then turned to take his shower.
*
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"Oi, Harry!"
He heard Ron calling from inside the dorm room.
"Harry, are you in there, mate?"
There was a loud knock on the bathroom door, but he didn't answer.
"HARRY, MATE, YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR AGES!"
Harry looked down at his watch and read the time. He was shocked at first, but realized that he had been in the shower for a LONG time. It was almost six o'clock.
"Be out in a minute," he called, shutting off the water. He savored the last few minutes of steam before opening the door to the stall.
Harry grabbed his dark red towel and started to dry himself. He wrapped the towel tightly around his hips, and reached for his glasses. Looking into the mirror, Harry studied his features closely.
Grabbing a brush, he quickly tried to partially calm his soaking wet hair, but it was useless. Harry turned around and exited the bathroom.
"You know," Ron, said, "Some of us need to take showers as well."
Harry nearly ran into his best friend, who was standing directly in front of the bathroom door.
"Sorry mate," Harry smiled and motioned behind him, "All yours."
Ron picked up his towel and walked into the bathroom, and was about to turn around and crack a joke when Harry playfully slammed the door in his face.
He could hear a muffled shout from the other room, but Harry continued to laugh.
He faced the room and saw Dean and Seamus standing in their respective corners, pulling on their clean robes.
"Harry, you really have to cut down on the shower time, people will start to think you're a little feminine,..." Seamus said. Dead laughed at his joke and turned to see Harry's reply.
"Yeah, well, Seamus, we've all been thinking that about you for quite some time now...."
"Ha!" exclaimed Dean.
Seamus wore a look of defeat and let out a little laugh.
Harry headed to his four-poster bed and dressed himself.
*
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Ginny stood in front of the mirror, playing with her hair.
Nothing looked quite good enough.
Tonight was the Leaving Feast, and the ending of Ginny's sixth year at Hogwarts.
Only one more year until she was a legal adult.
Ginny smiled and settled for a simple curl, and dabbed on just a hint of makeup.
She heard the door to the bathroom open just a bit, followed by Hermione's voice.
"Gin," she called, "We've got to get down to supper."
"Don't call me Gin," was all she replied, as Ginny turned around to follow.
They walked together to the Great Hall, talking about what ever Ginny had missed during her stay in the Infirmary.
The two girls started to walk down the Grand Staircase, and memories came flooding back to Ginny. There was where she and Harry had jumped down, there was where they hid from incoming curses, and there's where she fainted...
Ginny quickly dropped her train of thought when she saw Ron and Harry standing together with Seamus, Dean, and Neville. Hermione didn't notice her sudden discomfort, however. She had become oddly quiet as well.
Ron suddenly turned around and waved at the two of them. Ginny could see Harry avert his gaze, and she followed suit.
"Oi!" came Ron's shout, "Hermione!"
Ginny was slightly put out that Ron hadn't called her name as well, but when she saw the look on Hermione's face, she immediately forgave him.
Hermione was positively beaming at Ginny's brother, and there was an odd look in her eyes. Her face seemed to light up when she saw the youngest Weasley boy, and she called back, "Hey, Ron."
They came up on the five boys and Hermione said in a caring tone, "Harry! I haven't seen you all day, where've you been?"
Harry opened his mouth to explain, but Ron cut him off.
"He took a shower."
"For five hours?" asked Ginny skeptically.
"I guess so," said Ron, not taking his eyes off Hermione.
Harry seemed slightly embarrassed, so Ginny changed the subject.
"Well, let's go in and eat," she suggested.
Ron agreed happily, and led the way in. Harry seemed oddly quiet tonight.
Neville, Dean, and Seamus stayed in the hall for a few more minutes, so just the four of them walked to the Gryffindor table.
They all sat down at the far end, girls across from boys. Ginny tried to catch Harry's gaze, but failed. He was too busy looking down at his plate.
Ron immediately grabbed a flask of pumpkin juice and poured them all a liberal amount, and them cleared his throat in a polite way.
"Excuse me," he said in a loud tone, "I would like to propose a toast."
"May I inquire as to the occasion?" asked Hermione skeptically.
"Tonight is our last night at Hogwarts, and after this meal is finished, we are all considered adults!"
He made to take a sip from his goblet, but Hermione stopped him.
"What about Ginny?" she asked.
"She's still got a year left," Ron said, brushing her comment off, "Now, to being legally grown-up!"
Hermione and Harry raised their glasses to his, with a small, "Here, here," from Harry.
Ginny looked extremely sad, and looked up only when Hermione asked, "What's wrong, Ginny?"
The girl replied, "Nothing, just that you all are leaving, and I'll have to make some friends of my own age...."
Hermione gave her a knowing smile and said, "Don't worry about it."
It was then that Dumbledore stood up to give his annual end-of-year speech.
"Settle down," he said for no particular reason, because the hall was already quiet. The students all stared at him with rapt attention as he continued.
"Now, tonight is the last night of the term, and I am delighted to inform you that all seventh years will be considered adults when I dismiss the meal. While that does leave me with an incentive to never dismiss you, I must acknowledge that every one of you has grown this year, even those who are not graduating from Hogwarts. We have been through some trying times this year, especially lately. I would appreciate it if you could all refrain from asking two certain Gryffindor's about the events of late Wednesday night. I do believe that you would all like to begin the feast, so I will say just one more thing: bon appetit!"
The Hall broke out in chatter once more, as Ron leaned over to talk to his sister.
"I've been meaning to ask, Ginny," he said in a serious tone, "I mean, Harry here won't talk about it, but could you tell me, you know, what happened? Wednesday night, I mean."
Ginny cringed slightly and tried to readjust her seating.
"C'mon, Gin," her brother said in a coaxing tone.
"Don't call me Gin," she replied, still fidgeting.
"Then just tell me, and I'll leave you alone," Ron persisted.
"Just step off, Ron," Harry interjected.
Ron turned his head to stare dumbly at his best friend. "What?" he asked.
But Harry didn't answer. He just looked back at his plate and continued to eat.
Ginny was very taken aback by Harry's sudden 'outburst.' He had been mostly quiet all night.
She was about to start back on her food as well when Hermione shot her a look that said, If-something-is-going-on-that-I-don't-know-about-you-had- better-tell-me-as-soon-as-dinner-is-over.
Hermione always did give complicated looks.
Ginny looked at her and shrugged her shoulders, as if she didn't know what was bothering Harry.
Hermione seemed to believe her friend, and slowly turned back to her potatoes.
*
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*
Ginny headed back up to the dorm with Hermione.
They had left before Ron and Harry, who were still stuffing their faces. Just some things never changed.
She could tell Hermione was about to ask her something about Harry, and Ginny was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.
"So," the redhead began, "What's this with you and Ron?"
Hermione was shocked at first, but quickly put up a façade and said, "I haven't any idea what you're talking about."
Ginny smiled and said, "Don't lie to me, Hermione. I'm not that thick."
Hermione seemed desperate for someone to talk to.
"I dunno," she began, "I guess he's okay."
"Okay?" Ginny asked in a mocking voice, "Just okay?"
Hermione sighed and stopped walking, right in the middle of the hallway.
"Alright, I guess he's a little more than okay. Satisfied?"
"Very," Ginny said smugly.
They continued on their walk and went straight up to their dorm rooms.
Ginny entered the bedroom and inched to her four-poster bed.
She threw back the hangings and blankets, snuggling deeply under the covers. She closed her eyes, said her prayers, and then waited for sleep to claim her.
She waited a long time.
*
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*
Harry awoke the next morning to the sound of his roommates rummaging about their trunks and Ron's exasperated yells.
"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS MY RIGHT SHOE?" he yelled, dropping to his stomach in order to look under his bed.
Dean and Seamus were sitting on their newly made beds, laughing at their friend's stupidity.
His shoe was sitting on the floor next to his trunk.
Feeling a spot of pity for him, Harry rolled over and said in a raspy, morning voice, "It's right next to your suitcase, you git."
Ron shot him a look of anger before leaping to secure his lost tennis shoe.
Slipping it on quickly, Ron said, "Harry, the train leaves in half and hour."
That was enough to get the last boy out of bed. Harry quickly threw all his belongings into his black trunk and then sat on it in order to close it.
Another fifteen minutes later, and the five Gryffindor boys were in the Great Hall, luggage and all.
"There you are," exclaimed Hermione, "We didn't think you'd make it."
She stepped to the side to reveal Ginny Weasley standing behind her.
Harry's stomach got an oddly sick feeling of dread when he spotted her. She smiled sweetly at him, but he could see the pain that lay in her eyes.
This was just as awkward for her.
The four of them caught a carriage, and headed to Hogsmeade station.
*
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*
The train ride to King's Cross went by quickly but was also excruciatingly slow. Well, it only dragged by when Ginny was around. The rest of the journey flew by relatively fast.
Aside from a minor spat with Draco Malfoy and his evil cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, (which ended in a few unsightly boils on Crabbe's face), Ron, Harry, and Hermione had a fun trip, reminiscing about their time spent at the castle.
They remembered all the times they'd slipped out after curfew, all the time they spent in Hagrid's hut, and all the Quidditch matches they'd won.
"So, Harry," Ron, said after talking about the last match of the year, in which Gryffindor had beat Slytherin 230 to 90, "Who're you choosing for next year's captain?"
Harry mentally slapped himself for forgetting. It was his duty as Quidditch captain to appoint the next one. Raking his brain for an answer, he was about to answer when Ginny walked into the compartment.
"Hey guys, I was just coming to see what's going on," she said casually, slipping into the seat next to Hermione.
Ron was still looking at Harry, and when he didn't answer, Ron pressed on.
"Harry? Who's it gonna be?"
Harry looked immediately over at Ginny and said, "How about it, Gin?"
"How about what?" she replied, confused.
"You wanna be Quidditch captain next year?"
Ginny Weasley had joined the team in her fifth year, and was a very talented chaser. Harry had no fears in turning the team over to her.
"Oh," she said, surprised, "Erm, sure, thanks Harry."
*
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*
When the train pulled up to the platform, Ginny stood up abruptly and started to look for her trunk. She could hear Ron and Hermione exit the train behind her, and was just about to pull her luggage off the rack when another hand reached over to help her.
"Here," said Harry, pulling her trunk off and handing her the handle.
"Thanks," she replied quietly.
Harry looked at her sorrowfully and set his hand on her upper arm, just below her shoulder.
"I guess I'll see you soon," he said sadly, wishing he didn't feel so obligated to say it.
"Yeah," she whispered.
They stood there together for another uncomfortable minute before they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice from outside on the platform.
"Ginny, dear, c'mon now, we've got to get going!"
She looked up at the boy in front of her and said, "Bye."
Harry just watched her walk off the train. There wasn't a name for the emotion he felt. It was somewhere between immense guilt and ironic happiness. He closed his eyes and grabbed the handle of his trunk.
Harry walked off the train to see the surrounding area surprisingly empty. Well, he had just spent a fair amount of extra time on the train, so naturally most people would have already walked through the barrier.
Pulling his trunk through the wall that separated the magic platform of 9 ¾ and the muggle platforms beyond, Harry walked with a certainty to his steps. When he finally reached the doors that led to the parking lot, he pushed them open with gusto and took a deep breath.
He was an adult, confused, and on his own. He had to find a place to live, he had to find a job, and he had to figure this whole thing out.
But he just stood there, looking up at the sky, savoring the warmth and comfort of the sunlight.
*
CHAPTER FOUR!!!!
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(Loud applause that lasts for several minutes)
*
Yes, yes, I know how long you've been waiting for this one, but please, quiet down for a moment....
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(A few loud whoops and a whistle and then silence)
*
Thank you. Now, this chapter is in Harry's time, set right after chapter two. –For full details, see chapter two-
All right, I think that's everything I have to say before I get started...oh, wait!
Disclaimer: Although you all undoubtedly love this story, the characters, setting, and all the other things I did not make up myself belong to J.K. Rowling. (This disclaimer applies to the whole story)
Okay, so here goes....
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Chapter Four: What the hell Is Up With Harry Potter?
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*
*
Ginny Weasley lay awkwardly on her hospital bed. Her head was falling off the foot and her feet were tangled in the mess that was her quilt.
She could feel the blood rushing to her head, and it gave her quite a headache. Blinking her eyes, Ginny sat up slowly to readjust.
The girl sat up cross-legged, facing the headboard. She stared at the metal rail behind her pillow.
Today was the third day that Ginny Weasley had been kept in the Hospital Wing, and she was starting to get extremely bored.
She wasn't even hurt. Well, not anymore at least.
Her arm had ached terribly for the entire first day, and when she finally alerted Madame Pomfrey of the pain, she found that her shoulder had been dislocated.
A simple spell had been enough to fix it, but Ginny's shoulder still felt a sharp twinge of pain when she moved it.
Now, however, she was (in her opinion) fully healed.
Her mind drifted to thoughts of the events of a few nights ago. Ginny's eyes glazed over as she lost herself in memories.
She had been walking up to the Astronomy Tower to take her test. Ginny was laughing on the inside about Ron and Hermione's hidden feelings. Why didn't they just get together already?
Well, that's what it looked like was happening. Her brother and his love interest had slipped out of the Dining Hall quite a while ago, and hadn't returned.
'Good for them,' Ginny thought.
She reached the antechamber with the rest of her class, and sunk down to the floor.
If she was going to be the last person called, she might as well have a comfortable wait.
Ginny leaned her head against the stonewall and looked around the room. There were several portraits of middle-aged nobility, and a statue of an ogre shaking hands with a wizard sat ten meters to her left.
She stood up slowly and wandered over to the marble carving. The smugness on the wizard's face was evident, but only a little less obvious was the anger on the ogre's.
Ginny pondered this for a moment until she heard loud screams coming from the antechamber.
She whipped around to see her classmates and Professor Sinistra backed up against the far wall, trembling and shouting.
It took her a few moments to see the source of their fright, but when Ginny spotted the two Death Eaters pointing their wands at them, she froze.
Death Eaters? In Hogwarts?
Suddenly, Henry Ward shouted, "GINNY! HELP!"
The Death Eaters spun around to face her, and she could only let out a muffled yelp before they closed in.
The taller of the two grabbed her forearm and pulled her violently towards him, and then looked back at the rest of the room. He pushed Ginny in front of him, using her as a human body shield.
The second man held his wand steadily, as if to say, "Don't move or Red- Head gets it."
They wallowed in fear as the other man grabbed her by the side and threw her over his shoulder.
"HELP!" Ginny screamed, but no one listened. No one came to help her. The rest of the students stood with Sinistra, completely terrified.
"PUT ME DOWN, GOD DAMNIT!!"
The tall man didn't listen, but only cast a silencing charm on her.
Ginny started to panic, and curled her hands into balls. She beat unmercifully on the Death Eater's back, until he had to set her down.
She felt her tailbone hit the stone floor, and nearly shouted out in pain. But she held it in.
Ginny seized this opportunity, and decided to try to run for it.
She started out at a slow crawl, but the Death Eaters' amused laughs only fueled her desire to escape.
Using her hands to push her up, Ginny stumbled in to a standing position. Turning back to face the two men, she shot them a bemused smile.
The cloaked men were confused at first, but when a red jet of light passed dangerously between them, they turned to see their victim running towards the end of the hallway.
Her feet pounded the floor as she raced for the exit. She could hear her ragged breathing, but paid it no mind.
A low voice from behind her quickly cast a binding spell, and presently thin cords wrapped themselves around her feet and ankles.
She tripped over the ropes, and felt as if she was falling in slow motion. Her arms tried to break the fall, but they were useless.
Ginny hit the floor and felt the searing pain as she made contact. It shot up and as her head hit the concrete, a hollow noise filled the corridor.
She skidded for another meter or so, and the evil men came running.
"Is she dead?" asked the shorter one, who had apparently cast the spell.
"Better not be, he needs her alive to get Potter up here," came the reply.
Harry?
She was going to be bait for Harry.
Why would they choose her? Honestly, if they wanted Harry Potter to come running, they should have captured Ron or Hermione.
Then again, Harry Potter would come running for anybody.
Ginny cursed his knack for trying to save people, and attempted to escape from the bonds, but to no avail.
She felt the cold hands of one of the men grab her by the wrist, and winced as she felt the bones creak. He once again placed her on his shoulder and continued to walk.
They talked in murmurs for the next few minutes as they carried her to another corridor in the tower.
Ginny wondered where her schoolmates had gone.
Hopefully for help.
She doubted it.
Then she heard one of the Death Eaters start to speak to her.
"Pretty little thing, you are. Pity we have to kill you."
She looked at him with malice, wishing she could make noise. Surely, the silencing charm would wear off soon.
"I mean," he continued, "It's just seems such a waste, killin' you and all."
The man who was not carrying her gave him a warning look, but the tall man continued to talk to the girl on his shoulder.
"My wife left me a few months ago, and I've been rather lonely..."
Ginny felt a strange pressure on her posterior, and was appalled when she realized it was in fact the Death Eater's hand.
"What d'you say?" he asked in what was supposed to be a seductive manner.
Suddenly, a very sinister, cold voice started to talk from behind her.
"I say, Norston, stop manhandling my captives."
His hand flew off her bum, and he knelt down quickly.
"So sorry, my lord."
"Very well," the new man droned, "Bring her over here."
Ginny could hear the entire conversation, but she couldn't see any of the people. Where was she? And was that really his master behind her? Lord Voldemort?
Her heart seemed to stop as the Death Eater dropped her to the floor and she caught a glimpse of the new presence.
He was tall and skinny, wearing long, dark robes. He had an aura of danger, and she could feel the other two men cower when they saw him.
But that wasn't the worst part.
No, the most terrifying part of the whole situation was Voldemort's face.
It was pale and misshapen, and his eyes almost glowed red. She could see wisps of hair on the top of his head, and his nose lay flat and pointed in the middle. His nostrils were slits, and his mouth was abnormally small.
But amidst all these grotesque features, there was an air of familiarity.
Yes, Voldemort still looked remotely like Tom Riddle. Which would make sense, she reasoned, because that's who he is.
"Why, if it isn't Ginny Weasley,..." he said in a low voice. When she didn't answer, Lord Voldemort proceeded to lift the silencing spell.
"Hello, Tom."
He looked taken aback by Ginny's statement. She had to admit; even she was surprised by her audacity.
"I see that Potter boy's been rubbing off on you," he replied, "A little too foolhardy for your own good, I'm afraid."
The whole room seemed to be getting darker, and she could feel him walking closer to her. The tension was almost suffocating. Ginny still lay bound on the floor, and the ropes were starting to cut off her circulation.
Voldemort seemed to sense her discomfort, and whispered, "Finite Incantatum," as he pointed his wand at the cords.
She immediately started to massage her ankles, but Voldemort continued talking.
"Just like his parents, that one. Quite unfortunate, too. He will undoubtedly go down the same slippery slope as James and his Mudblood wife. Too bad you'll have to join the brassy little whelp..."
"Don't talk about him like that," she managed to whisper through her rage, "He is not a whelp, and if you were half the man Harry was at age eleven, you'd--"
"Are you INSULTING ME?" he asked in anger. Ginny could feel the specks of spit fly from her mouth, but she didn't care anymore.
"It would seem so, Tom."
"DO NOT CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" the Dark Lord spat out as he grabbed her by the crook of her arm.
She gave him a mildly amused look as she said, "Really, Tom, I just don't see why--"
Ginny must have been delirious. Or delusional. Or both. Whatever ailment would cause someone to say such bold things to the most feared wizard of all time, she surely had it. And why was she acting so calm? Lord knows Ginny was scared out of her mind.
Voldemort set his face and jerked up on her arm. She could feel her feet leave the ground and the searing pain in her shoulder.
She didn't give in. They looked at each other in a stalemate until a cry from an adjoining hallway rang through the silence.
"Master!" it sounded, "Master!"
Voldemort grinned at the ever-increasingly terrified Ginny Weasley.
"Here comes scar-boy," he said in a menacing tone.
He whipped around to face the direction of the call for distress, and to Ginny's horror and Voldemort's delight; there stood Harry Potter, coming to rescue her.
The rest of the night passed in a blur of spells and terror. It finally ended in Harry and Ginny escaping from Lord Voldemort, and he in turn escaping from Dumbledore.
Now she found herself here, sitting on her bed, once again adjusting her position.
Life just wasn't fair.
She had now faced Voldemort twice, both times ending with her an inch from death. Ginny had defied Voldemort two times now, but her life was just beginning to be difficult.
But she reminded herself that the more you face the Dark Lord, the more difficult your life will be.
Just look at Harry.
Her heart went out to him, really. It wasn't exactly pity, but a deep understanding of his pain.
Harry Potter, the nicest boy she knew. He never thought of himself, and was always trying to make other people happy. He just wanted everyone to be all right, and he didn't want to be the reason for anyone's suffering.
Unfortunately, that's kind of impossible if you're the Boy-Who-Lived.
He had gone through more emotional pain than anyone Ginny had ever met. Harry had lost his parents, lived with the three worst muggles imaginable, been number one on Lord Voldemort's hit list for seventeen years, lost his best friend and godfather, lost the fight to avenge him, (which ended in even more death and destruction), and now, on top of it all, he had to knock up his friend's baby sister.
She understood if he never wanted to speak with her again.
Ginny was the sole reason his life would be permanently screwed up.
Sure, it was already pretty messy. But she had always thought Harry would be able to overcome everything that had happened to him so far. He would mourn for deaths, and then accept that some people were gone. He would kill Voldemort, and that alone would get rid of some of the baggage.
But having a child isn't something you can just forget. Harry would be tied to this whole ordeal until his life ended.
She didn't want to be the reason he was miserable.
Ginny looked over at him.
Harry was on the bed to her right, flipping through the pages of a Quidditch book. He was chewing on one of the chocolates that Ron had left him, and there was a pile of candy wrappers at the foot of his bed.
She got a strange sense of deja-vu, but had no idea why.
Harry seemed to sense her staring, and glanced over at her.
"Hey, Gin," he said, tone completely unreadable.
"Hey," she replied, moving to yet another sitting position, "What've you got there?"
Harry looked up from his book and held it out to her. Ginny grabbed it and read the cover.
"How many times are you going to read this?" she asked jokingly.
"Depends on how long we're locked up in here," he smiled back while she returned "Quidditch Through the Ages."
"That could be a while," she said sorrowfully. Ginny stared longingly out of the windows and reveled in the sunlight.
"Hopefully not," Harry said, "The Leaving Feast is tomorrow night."
"Really?" Ginny asked. She had totally forgotten.
"Yeah," Harry remarked, "Time flies when you're having fun."
"You know it," Ginny said.
Harry was looking at her strangely, at it was awkward but comforting at the same time.
They stared at each other for quite some time, until Ginny finally spoke up.
"I'm sorry," she said, eyes dropping to look at the floor.
"For what?" was all she heard from a surprised Harry.
"I dunno, messing up your life, I guess," she started.
"Ginny, never say that. This isn't your fault. It's no one's. I'm the one who's supposed to be worried about messing up YOUR life."
"Harry, you've been through so much already, though."
"Which is exactly why it shouldn't ruin anything for me. Ginny, you have so much potential, you could have any guy you wanted, but here I am, holding you back. D'you know how bad that makes me feel?"
Ginny only shrugged and tried to turn away. But she couldn't.
"Ginny, I'm really sorry I can't offer you what all those other guys can."
"Same goes for you, Harry."
"No, Ginny, but you deserve it."
"What?"
"Love."
"What are you talking about, Harry Potter?"
"We don't love each other, Ginny. And we have to have a baby."
He put the stress on the word 'baby.'
She winced slightly, but carefully looked back at his pained expression.
"Well," she said, trying to be cheery, "I guess we're in the same situation. Neither of us is in love, and both of us deserve it."
Harry only gave her a sad smile.
"Ginny, we'll always be friends, right?" he asked in a serious tone.
She offered a calm reassurance and said, "Of course, Harry."
She only wished she could mean it. She wished she didn't have feelings for the person next to her. Just like Harry wished he did.
*
*
*
She was ruining it for him. Harry Potter needed something better than poor, little Ginny Weasley. What he needed was a large house with an endless green backyard. He needed more children than she was willing to give, and he needed a woman he loved to bear them.
Harry never had any siblings. He didn't have any memories of his parents. He had been alone for most of his life, and he needed a big family.
Ginny, having grown up in one of the biggest families in Britain, wanted one child. Two at the most.
Ginny was the one who was supposed to suffer. She was supposed to watch Harry grow up and get married to the woman of his dreams. She was the one who was giving birth to this new baby, and she was supposed to give up her life to play a part in the defeat of Voldemort.
She couldn't get over the fact that she was bringing Harry down with her.
After this was all over, she would force Harry to leave her.
That way, at least one of them could be happy.
*
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*
Madame Pomfrey released the two Gryffindor's around noon the next day. Harry told Ginny he would talk to her later, and then raced off to find Ron and Hermione.
He walked quickly to the common room, nearly colliding with several fourth years.
The fat lady let him in with a polite, "Nice to see you again, Mr. Potter."
He smiled at her and then entered Gryffindor Tower.
No one was there.
Final Exams were over, and everyone was lounging in the shade around the lake.
Harry laughed at his stupidity and quickly ran up to his dorm to change robes. The ones he was wearing were surprisingly old, and when he got up to his room, he decided that taking a shower would be a good idea.
Grabbing a towel, Harry walked across the bedroom he shared with the four other Gryffindor seventh years and opened the door to the bathroom.
He thought for a moment and realized that after the feast tonight, he was a legal wizarding adult.
Hogwarts was over.
There were not going to be any more teachers, nor classes, nor textbooks. No more uniforms, detentions, or midnight trips to the kitchen with Ron.
Harry had learned everything that was considered necessary for a witch or wizard to know. He was on his own. Now, he had to figure out what to do with his life.
Of course, Harry already knew what profession he was going into. He was going to be an Auror, and a damn good one at that, according to Moody.
No, the choice was not the job, but the location. Being Harry Potter had its perks, and one of them was being able to secure a job as an Auror wherever he wanted.
Now that this whole prophecy thing had been brought in to light, he had a decision to make.
Harry decided that he would work for the Ministry of Magic in Britain. That way, he could be close to Ginny and their child.
Child.
It sounded too weird.
He was going to have a baby with Ginny Weasley.
Ginny Weasley was going to carry his child.
Harry paused momentarily to think of the process in which babies are normally conceived, and shook himself violently.
He had to have sex with his best friend's younger sister.
And get her pregnant.
And put them all in danger.
Harry glanced around the bathroom, and then down at his robe pocket.
Sitting together in the folds of his school uniform were two wedding bands. One had been his mother's, and the other his father's.
Harry reached in and took them out of his pocket. He held them out in his palm, examining the rings.
His fingers closed tightly around the gold, and he walked over to the nearest toilet. He held his hand over the bowl and prepared to throw them in.
He could just flush them away, pretend he never had them. Pretend they never existed.
As his fingers started to loosen, his mind flashed to images of his parents. He thought of the pictures he had of them, the piles he had amassed over the years.
They always looked so happy, hugging each other or looking lovingly at their baby boy.
Lily and James Potter really loved each other.
Harry closed his eyes and retracted his hand. He deposited the rings into his robe pocket once again, and then turned to take his shower.
*
*
*
"Oi, Harry!"
He heard Ron calling from inside the dorm room.
"Harry, are you in there, mate?"
There was a loud knock on the bathroom door, but he didn't answer.
"HARRY, MATE, YOU'VE BEEN IN THERE FOR AGES!"
Harry looked down at his watch and read the time. He was shocked at first, but realized that he had been in the shower for a LONG time. It was almost six o'clock.
"Be out in a minute," he called, shutting off the water. He savored the last few minutes of steam before opening the door to the stall.
Harry grabbed his dark red towel and started to dry himself. He wrapped the towel tightly around his hips, and reached for his glasses. Looking into the mirror, Harry studied his features closely.
Grabbing a brush, he quickly tried to partially calm his soaking wet hair, but it was useless. Harry turned around and exited the bathroom.
"You know," Ron, said, "Some of us need to take showers as well."
Harry nearly ran into his best friend, who was standing directly in front of the bathroom door.
"Sorry mate," Harry smiled and motioned behind him, "All yours."
Ron picked up his towel and walked into the bathroom, and was about to turn around and crack a joke when Harry playfully slammed the door in his face.
He could hear a muffled shout from the other room, but Harry continued to laugh.
He faced the room and saw Dean and Seamus standing in their respective corners, pulling on their clean robes.
"Harry, you really have to cut down on the shower time, people will start to think you're a little feminine,..." Seamus said. Dead laughed at his joke and turned to see Harry's reply.
"Yeah, well, Seamus, we've all been thinking that about you for quite some time now...."
"Ha!" exclaimed Dean.
Seamus wore a look of defeat and let out a little laugh.
Harry headed to his four-poster bed and dressed himself.
*
*
*
Ginny stood in front of the mirror, playing with her hair.
Nothing looked quite good enough.
Tonight was the Leaving Feast, and the ending of Ginny's sixth year at Hogwarts.
Only one more year until she was a legal adult.
Ginny smiled and settled for a simple curl, and dabbed on just a hint of makeup.
She heard the door to the bathroom open just a bit, followed by Hermione's voice.
"Gin," she called, "We've got to get down to supper."
"Don't call me Gin," was all she replied, as Ginny turned around to follow.
They walked together to the Great Hall, talking about what ever Ginny had missed during her stay in the Infirmary.
The two girls started to walk down the Grand Staircase, and memories came flooding back to Ginny. There was where she and Harry had jumped down, there was where they hid from incoming curses, and there's where she fainted...
Ginny quickly dropped her train of thought when she saw Ron and Harry standing together with Seamus, Dean, and Neville. Hermione didn't notice her sudden discomfort, however. She had become oddly quiet as well.
Ron suddenly turned around and waved at the two of them. Ginny could see Harry avert his gaze, and she followed suit.
"Oi!" came Ron's shout, "Hermione!"
Ginny was slightly put out that Ron hadn't called her name as well, but when she saw the look on Hermione's face, she immediately forgave him.
Hermione was positively beaming at Ginny's brother, and there was an odd look in her eyes. Her face seemed to light up when she saw the youngest Weasley boy, and she called back, "Hey, Ron."
They came up on the five boys and Hermione said in a caring tone, "Harry! I haven't seen you all day, where've you been?"
Harry opened his mouth to explain, but Ron cut him off.
"He took a shower."
"For five hours?" asked Ginny skeptically.
"I guess so," said Ron, not taking his eyes off Hermione.
Harry seemed slightly embarrassed, so Ginny changed the subject.
"Well, let's go in and eat," she suggested.
Ron agreed happily, and led the way in. Harry seemed oddly quiet tonight.
Neville, Dean, and Seamus stayed in the hall for a few more minutes, so just the four of them walked to the Gryffindor table.
They all sat down at the far end, girls across from boys. Ginny tried to catch Harry's gaze, but failed. He was too busy looking down at his plate.
Ron immediately grabbed a flask of pumpkin juice and poured them all a liberal amount, and them cleared his throat in a polite way.
"Excuse me," he said in a loud tone, "I would like to propose a toast."
"May I inquire as to the occasion?" asked Hermione skeptically.
"Tonight is our last night at Hogwarts, and after this meal is finished, we are all considered adults!"
He made to take a sip from his goblet, but Hermione stopped him.
"What about Ginny?" she asked.
"She's still got a year left," Ron said, brushing her comment off, "Now, to being legally grown-up!"
Hermione and Harry raised their glasses to his, with a small, "Here, here," from Harry.
Ginny looked extremely sad, and looked up only when Hermione asked, "What's wrong, Ginny?"
The girl replied, "Nothing, just that you all are leaving, and I'll have to make some friends of my own age...."
Hermione gave her a knowing smile and said, "Don't worry about it."
It was then that Dumbledore stood up to give his annual end-of-year speech.
"Settle down," he said for no particular reason, because the hall was already quiet. The students all stared at him with rapt attention as he continued.
"Now, tonight is the last night of the term, and I am delighted to inform you that all seventh years will be considered adults when I dismiss the meal. While that does leave me with an incentive to never dismiss you, I must acknowledge that every one of you has grown this year, even those who are not graduating from Hogwarts. We have been through some trying times this year, especially lately. I would appreciate it if you could all refrain from asking two certain Gryffindor's about the events of late Wednesday night. I do believe that you would all like to begin the feast, so I will say just one more thing: bon appetit!"
The Hall broke out in chatter once more, as Ron leaned over to talk to his sister.
"I've been meaning to ask, Ginny," he said in a serious tone, "I mean, Harry here won't talk about it, but could you tell me, you know, what happened? Wednesday night, I mean."
Ginny cringed slightly and tried to readjust her seating.
"C'mon, Gin," her brother said in a coaxing tone.
"Don't call me Gin," she replied, still fidgeting.
"Then just tell me, and I'll leave you alone," Ron persisted.
"Just step off, Ron," Harry interjected.
Ron turned his head to stare dumbly at his best friend. "What?" he asked.
But Harry didn't answer. He just looked back at his plate and continued to eat.
Ginny was very taken aback by Harry's sudden 'outburst.' He had been mostly quiet all night.
She was about to start back on her food as well when Hermione shot her a look that said, If-something-is-going-on-that-I-don't-know-about-you-had- better-tell-me-as-soon-as-dinner-is-over.
Hermione always did give complicated looks.
Ginny looked at her and shrugged her shoulders, as if she didn't know what was bothering Harry.
Hermione seemed to believe her friend, and slowly turned back to her potatoes.
*
*
*
Ginny headed back up to the dorm with Hermione.
They had left before Ron and Harry, who were still stuffing their faces. Just some things never changed.
She could tell Hermione was about to ask her something about Harry, and Ginny was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret.
"So," the redhead began, "What's this with you and Ron?"
Hermione was shocked at first, but quickly put up a façade and said, "I haven't any idea what you're talking about."
Ginny smiled and said, "Don't lie to me, Hermione. I'm not that thick."
Hermione seemed desperate for someone to talk to.
"I dunno," she began, "I guess he's okay."
"Okay?" Ginny asked in a mocking voice, "Just okay?"
Hermione sighed and stopped walking, right in the middle of the hallway.
"Alright, I guess he's a little more than okay. Satisfied?"
"Very," Ginny said smugly.
They continued on their walk and went straight up to their dorm rooms.
Ginny entered the bedroom and inched to her four-poster bed.
She threw back the hangings and blankets, snuggling deeply under the covers. She closed her eyes, said her prayers, and then waited for sleep to claim her.
She waited a long time.
*
*
*
Harry awoke the next morning to the sound of his roommates rummaging about their trunks and Ron's exasperated yells.
"WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS MY RIGHT SHOE?" he yelled, dropping to his stomach in order to look under his bed.
Dean and Seamus were sitting on their newly made beds, laughing at their friend's stupidity.
His shoe was sitting on the floor next to his trunk.
Feeling a spot of pity for him, Harry rolled over and said in a raspy, morning voice, "It's right next to your suitcase, you git."
Ron shot him a look of anger before leaping to secure his lost tennis shoe.
Slipping it on quickly, Ron said, "Harry, the train leaves in half and hour."
That was enough to get the last boy out of bed. Harry quickly threw all his belongings into his black trunk and then sat on it in order to close it.
Another fifteen minutes later, and the five Gryffindor boys were in the Great Hall, luggage and all.
"There you are," exclaimed Hermione, "We didn't think you'd make it."
She stepped to the side to reveal Ginny Weasley standing behind her.
Harry's stomach got an oddly sick feeling of dread when he spotted her. She smiled sweetly at him, but he could see the pain that lay in her eyes.
This was just as awkward for her.
The four of them caught a carriage, and headed to Hogsmeade station.
*
*
*
The train ride to King's Cross went by quickly but was also excruciatingly slow. Well, it only dragged by when Ginny was around. The rest of the journey flew by relatively fast.
Aside from a minor spat with Draco Malfoy and his evil cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, (which ended in a few unsightly boils on Crabbe's face), Ron, Harry, and Hermione had a fun trip, reminiscing about their time spent at the castle.
They remembered all the times they'd slipped out after curfew, all the time they spent in Hagrid's hut, and all the Quidditch matches they'd won.
"So, Harry," Ron, said after talking about the last match of the year, in which Gryffindor had beat Slytherin 230 to 90, "Who're you choosing for next year's captain?"
Harry mentally slapped himself for forgetting. It was his duty as Quidditch captain to appoint the next one. Raking his brain for an answer, he was about to answer when Ginny walked into the compartment.
"Hey guys, I was just coming to see what's going on," she said casually, slipping into the seat next to Hermione.
Ron was still looking at Harry, and when he didn't answer, Ron pressed on.
"Harry? Who's it gonna be?"
Harry looked immediately over at Ginny and said, "How about it, Gin?"
"How about what?" she replied, confused.
"You wanna be Quidditch captain next year?"
Ginny Weasley had joined the team in her fifth year, and was a very talented chaser. Harry had no fears in turning the team over to her.
"Oh," she said, surprised, "Erm, sure, thanks Harry."
*
*
*
When the train pulled up to the platform, Ginny stood up abruptly and started to look for her trunk. She could hear Ron and Hermione exit the train behind her, and was just about to pull her luggage off the rack when another hand reached over to help her.
"Here," said Harry, pulling her trunk off and handing her the handle.
"Thanks," she replied quietly.
Harry looked at her sorrowfully and set his hand on her upper arm, just below her shoulder.
"I guess I'll see you soon," he said sadly, wishing he didn't feel so obligated to say it.
"Yeah," she whispered.
They stood there together for another uncomfortable minute before they heard Mrs. Weasley's voice from outside on the platform.
"Ginny, dear, c'mon now, we've got to get going!"
She looked up at the boy in front of her and said, "Bye."
Harry just watched her walk off the train. There wasn't a name for the emotion he felt. It was somewhere between immense guilt and ironic happiness. He closed his eyes and grabbed the handle of his trunk.
Harry walked off the train to see the surrounding area surprisingly empty. Well, he had just spent a fair amount of extra time on the train, so naturally most people would have already walked through the barrier.
Pulling his trunk through the wall that separated the magic platform of 9 ¾ and the muggle platforms beyond, Harry walked with a certainty to his steps. When he finally reached the doors that led to the parking lot, he pushed them open with gusto and took a deep breath.
He was an adult, confused, and on his own. He had to find a place to live, he had to find a job, and he had to figure this whole thing out.
But he just stood there, looking up at the sky, savoring the warmth and comfort of the sunlight.