CHAPTER ELEVEN: Best of Intentions
It was not until well into October when Harry figured out why his normal seriousness or brooding behavior had been replaced by an almost constant cheerfulness he had not known he was capable of. Hermione had been the first to notice the change and when she had asked him about it, he had simply replied it was because he was glad to be back home at Hogwarts. At the time, it was what he had believed – even the impending threat of an attack by Voldemort managed to stay out of his thoughts during the day. The nightmares were another story, but he could handle those – he had been living with them since he was eleven.
Visiting the library on a Sunday was something Harry hated doing, having seen enough of the place during the week. But the person he needed to see was far more important then following his usual Sunday morning routine.
When Hermione hadn't known where she was, he had the most embarrassing task of asking a group of Gryffindor sixth year girls where he would find Ginny Weasley. In the midst of giggles and smiles they had managed to tell him she had left for the library a couple of hours earlier. He could have saved himself the embarrassment and just checked there in the first place, since she seemed to be spending an awful lot of time there almost since the start of the school year.
Something had changed since that first Hogsmeade trip, and Harry wondered if she noticed it as much as he had. He saw her just about the same amount of time as before, except now he found himself making excuses to sit with her in the common room or beside her during meal times. Unlike in the past, he could pick her out in the crowd during Gryffindor's matches, clapping and cheering along with everyone else. Things had become extremely comfortable – that was the only way he could describe what was happening between them.
People hadn't started to talk – yet, but Harry knew all they had to do was say one wrong thing in an openly public place and the entire school would jump all over him and Ginny. He certainly didn't want any added publicity, and he was sure Ginny did not want to become the center of attention for all gossip surrounding Hogwarts. He was having enough trouble sorting out his feelings without worrying about how the rest of Hogwarts would react.
He had little difficulty in locating her in the library, with so few other students around. She had a mountain of books piled on the table around her. At the moment she was pouring over an immensely large and tattered looking one, completely oblivious to anyone around her. She did not look up even when he was right in front of her.
"You know, if you're trying to read this whole library before Hermione does, I think you started about six years too late," he said, grinning.
Even though he had seemingly snuck up on her, she didn't appear very surprised. "No one in the right mind would try that."
He noticed how quickly she closed up the book she was reading and hid it behind a pile of textbooks to keep him from seeing what it was.
He arched an eyebrow. "Secret project?" He found he was only half-teasing after he said it.
"No, not really," she said dismissively. "It's just some extra credit assignment for Potions."
He seated himself across from her saying, "how come Snape was never that generous with our class?"
"He can actually tolerate the Gryffindors in my year," she said sweetly.
He didn't think the Potions Master was capable of tolerating anyone outside of his own House, but maybe that was just the impression he gave off because he acted like a slimy bastard to everyone else.
"We're playing Ravenclaw today."
It had become an almost natural thing for him to touch her in recent weeks that he found himself reaching across the table for her hand.
"Sounds like it'll be a tough match," she said, running her fingers over his bare arm.
"We're prepared," he told her. "Are you coming to watch?"
The smile vanished off her face. "I can't," she answered, sliding her hand off his arm as she said it. "I have to finish this by Monday."
"That's okay," he said, trying not to let his disappointment show.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go and ask Madam Pomfrey some questions incase she's tied up with you later." She added the last part in hopes that it would take his mind off the fact that she wasn't coming. It seemed to have the desired effect.
"I can't help that my body loves the hospital wing so much," he said, smiling at her.
She gathered up the book she had been reading earlier and tucked it under her arm. "Good luck against Ravenclaw."
Before she could lose her nerve, she kissed his cheek, leaving the spot on his face where her lips had touched warm and tingling long after she had vacated the library.
Harry couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. He didn't care if he looked like an idiot to anyone he passed in the common room on the way up to the dormitory. A simple kiss on the cheek had lifted his spirits to the point where he didn't even think Malfoy's derogatory comments could bring him down.
Ron was the only one in their dorm when he got up there, sitting on his bed, already dressed for the game. There was only one thing Ron was never late for, and that was Quidditch.
"Give me a minute and I'll be ready to go," Harry told him, pulling his uniform out of the closet.
"How's Ginny?"
Coming from anyone else it might have been simple curiousity, but from Ron, Ginny's self-proclaimed 'protector', the question meant much more.
Unlike before, Harry had no trouble letting his smile disappear. "She seemed all right. She was in the library working on something for Snape."
"You've been seeing a lot of her lately," Ron stated, standing up and folding his arms over his chest.
"Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Tell me what your intentions are and we'll see."
Harry had secretly been dreading this conversation for a while now. He was just glad it had taken Ron longer then he thought it would to broach the subject to him.
"I care about her, but anything beyond that is none of your business." He matched Ron's stance, showing he had no intentions of being intimidated.
"Who the hell do you think you are telling me something concerning my sister is none of my business?"
"Ron, she's sixteen, okay? She doesn't need you interfering – "
"Of course I'm going to interfere when suddenly my best mate decides after six years to take an interest in her. You barely even acknowledged her existence for her first two years here. And then after that it was all Cho Chang until you two broke up late last year."
Harry was finding it extremely difficult to resist the urge to punch Ron in the face – but he managed, just barely. "Feelings change, Ron. Not that I should have to explain any of that to you."
"If I recall correctly you gave me a pretty lengthy lecture back in fifth year on what would happen to the remains of my body after you killed me if I ever did anything to hurt Hermione."
"Is that what this is, a lecture?"
"You can call it what you like," said Ron, "I'm just trying to look out for my sister."
"She won't get hurt."
Ron's features actually softened when he spoke next. "You can't make a promise like that."
Frustrated that there was no way he could win with Ron, he threw his hands up in the air, saying, "what else do you want me to say, then?"
When Ron let his gaze fall to the window, looking silently down at the grounds outside, Harry knew the conversation was over. He also knew they both needed some space from each other before the match started, so he grabbed his broomstick and Quidditch robes and made for the door.
"Do you love her?" Ron said to his retreating back.
It was nearly a full minute before Harry turned around. His hesitation should have been answer enough, but Ron was Ginny's brother and his best mate that Harry felt he had to say something – even if the answer would result in Gryffindor having to play without their Seeker.
"I don't know."
He waited for Ron's reaction, but he just continued to stand there as if he hadn't heard Harry's words. But Harry was positive he had heard every syllable. He was just trying to process them before he figured out what punishment Harry deserved.
He approached Harry in an almost predatory way. Harry waited for the first punch. He didn't want to fight, but he wasn't going to stand still and let Ron beat him into tomorrow.
When Ron was mere inches away from him, he spoke in a deathly serious voice. "Break her heart and I'll break you."
Then he walked passed Harry and out of the dormitory.
Harry left shortly after, Ron's words sticking in his head the entire walk down to the pitch.
After watching Ravenclaw play their first three games of the season, it wasn't hard to miss they weren't the same Quidditch Cup bound team they had been last year. With Cho Chang and all three of their Chasers having graduated the previous year, they were seriously lacking when it came to experience. Changes had been made and the empty positions were filled, and maybe if the Quidditch season started in May instead of October they would have been a bit better. As it was, the only challenge to the game (which Gryffindor was winning seventy to twenty) was Harry having to find the golden snitch, which he was searching for at that very moment.
He had gotten so used to playing against Cho, that it felt strange to look over and see someone else on a broom playing the position she had owned on Ravenclaw since her second year.
The bright side to playing against this new female seeker, Gloria Elliot, who he knew only from passing her in the halls, was he wouldn't feel guilty about being the first to catch the snitch.
He had broken into a dive for the fluttering object and had been chasing it for a full twenty seconds before the other Seeker had spotted him and joined in on the chase.
A bludger flew in their direction and Harry veered off course to avoid having it smash into him. The Ravenclaw Seeker had to do the same, but when Harry turned back around to find the Snitch it had disappeared. That was normally what happened if you took your eye off it for more than a split second. And he had definitely taken more than a second to correct his position thanks to the bludger.
Seamus and Ron had each scored a goal by the time he had reached the top of the playing field to get a better look at his surroundings.
This time Harry was the one caught off guard when he heard the loud cheers of the crowd coming from the Ravenclaw side in the stands as their Seeker put on a burst of speed.
Harry mentally swore at himself for not concentrating enough and took off after her. His Firebolt was still as good as it had been in the days when he had first got it, allowing him to catch up to her with relative ease. Sirius had offered to buy him a new broom many times over the years, but Harry had always refused. He had a connection with this broom, and he planned to ride it until it was nothing more then a few twigs.
His opponent was more than a little stunned – and looked even a bit panicked – at how fast Harry had caught up with her.
The two of them kept up their pursuit of the Snitch for the second time that game. Harry hoped that no bludgers would be sent their way this time because he really wanted to end the game. They had just barely scraped passed Hufflepuff last week, which had allowed Slytherin to slip back into first place. They needed almost a landslide win against Ravenclaw before Slytherin got too far ahead.
Harry tried edging as much speed as he could out his broom. It was vibrating harder then ever now, but he kept on pushing his Firebolt passed the point where it was safe.
The snitch continued in a straight line across the field, taking the two seekers directly through where a section of the play was currently happening. Doing his best to keep one eye on the players he was about to pass, and one eye on the snitch, Harry raced by them.
The Ravenclaw Seeker had not been so fortunate as her broom had caught the side of one of her own teammate's broom and she lost momentum. Harry didn't waste the lead he had been given. He quickly ended the game by going full out and wrapping his hand around the struggling object.
The Gryffindor's packed in the stands cheered and clapped, waving their House pennants proudly through the air. Amongst the celebrating crowd, Harry managed to land his broom before the rest of his team – including Ron – crowded around to congratulate him. He seemed to have gotten over their earlier conversation or was too happy with the win to show any animosity towards Harry at that particular moment
Harry spotted Cho in the stands, looking a little defeated that her old team had lost, but she was clapping for Gryffindor all the same. She smiled down at Harry before he was dragged away by the victorious Gryffindor team.
They didn't bother with dinner in the Great Hall. Dean, Seamus, and a group of sixth years had gotten enough food for a feast from the house elves down in the kitchen. Somehow they had also acquired several dozens of butterbeer – no one bothered asking how they managed to get their hands on that much butterbeer because of all the times Fred and George had done the same when they had still been at Hogwarts.
There was never just an ordinary win for Harry's team. Almost every victory was followed by a celebration of some sort, and though Harry did not always find it necessary it was a good way to relax after a hard fought game.
Harry was halfway through his meal when he saw the portrait hole open and Ginny walk inside carrying the same book he had seen her reading earlier in the library.
She grinned when she saw him "I guess congratulations would be in order."
"How can you tell?"
She took a look at the celebrations going on around them before whispering in Harry's ear, "do you want to go upstairs? There's something I need to show you."
He found it odd that she couldn't show him whatever it was in the common room where everyone else was, but he didn't let that stop him from following her upstairs. It was only when they got to the landing for the sixth year's dorm, that he realized he was about to enter the girl's room with just Ginny.
Ginny, noticing his obvious discomfort, said, "you can come in Harry. You wouldn't be the first boy in our dorm."
That probably would have made him feel better if he hadn't been so nervous. There was almost complete silence where they were. The noise from the common room was greatly reduced up there.
"Come over here. I want to show you this."
She was beckoning to her bed, and Harry slowly made his way over there, all the while wondering what would happen if Ron came upstairs and found him sitting alone with his sister on her bed…
When he was sitting, Ginny shoved the book she had been carrying into his hands.
"When Good Dreams Turn Bad," he read off the title. "Uh, thanks."
Did she want him to read this so he could figure out why he dreamt about the things he did? That sounded like something Professor Trelawney would want him to do. He didn't need a book to tell him answers he already knew.
"You have to open it," she said, getting impatient. "Turn to page three hundred and four."
He did as he was told. When he came to it he read the title on the page: The Purging of Nightmares. He skimmed through the paragraphs that explained which part of the brain triggered nightmares, but read more carefully what a successful spell required. At the bottom, the potion ingredients were listed. He recognized the names of only about half and pondered over other ones he had never even heard of but sounded rather horrible.
"Well?" Ginny prompted. "What do you think? It took me forever to find the right book in the library – "
"This is why you've been spending all that time there?" He asked, looking up.
"Well I couldn't very well take most of them back to the common room because they came from the restricted section," she said matter-of-factly. "I had the worse time trying to convince Madam Pomfrey to write me a note so I could get them since their medical books. I had to tell her I was interested in becoming a med-witch and wanted to do some research."
"Why didn't you tell me that you were doing this?"
"Because I didn't know if it would work. Some of the stuff in there is very advanced, and I couldn't just use a regular sleeping potion either because a lot of people can get addicted to that. But I really think this will work."
"I don't want you doing it," he said, handing the book to her.
"Harry, did you even read it? I can make you a potion that will keep your nightmares from surfacing."
"Did you read it? Because if you did you would know this is way too dangerous and more complicated then any potion you or any other student at Hogwarts has ever made."
"I don't believe this," she said, shaking her head. She let her frustration at his refusal show in her voice. "I just want to help and you're telling me that I can't, even though this would work."
"I don't want you messing with these spells because of me, okay? You've never had any practice with this. Even a trained med-wizard would have trouble with this. If it's really not that dangerous how come people don't use it all the time?"
"Harry, if you just give me a ch – "
"Leave this alone, Ginny," he said, getting up from her bed. "I've handled my dreams fine for years. I don't need you messing around with my head because you think you've come up with a solution."
As he left her room, he didn't care about his earlier words to Ron about not hurting her. From his perspective, it was better he do it now to keep her from doing it to herself later on.