The previous day had been exhausting. The students were up until midnight finishing homework so they'd have free time on the weekend. Professor Vector had assigned a review of pretty much everything they'd done since they'd first set foot in the class years ago. When the girls woke up around mid-day, Gemna and Dobby were standing at the ends of their beds with trays of food for breakfast. "Good morning. Dobby and Miss Rodemlovt have brought you food so you did not go hungry," Dobby said with a smile.
After seeing that the girls got their breakfasts and were conscious enough to hold a knife and fork, Gemna and Dobby brought food to the boys who woke up about an hour after the girls. "Gemna? Dobby? What are you two doing here?" Harry questioned.
"We didn't want you guys to miss breakfast," Gemna said, "so Dobby was nice enough to sneak some pretty decent portions out of the kitchen; enough for all eleven of you. Now eat up. I'm keeping my promise today, Harry. You wanted to come with me, well, today I'm going. I'll be back around 3:00pm to pick you up."
After she and the house-elf handed trays to all the guys and left, the other boys questioned the incident. "What promise? Where are you two going?" Ron asked.
"I'm…I'm not sure. I can't remember," Harry lied as he took a bite of toast.
Back in the girls' dorm, once Gemna had returned, the girls couldn't stop discussing what was planned for that night; though, none of them actually knew, with the exception of Gemna. "I'm sorry we didn't have time to do last night what we'll be doing tonight," she said. "I can't give you information on it yet, but I know you'll enjoy it."
"Aw, come on," Emilia begged. "Can't you tell us anything? I hate waiting!"
"Please? Can you at least tell us where whatever it is will be?" Courtney asked.
Gemna sighed. "Sorry, I can't. Too much risk of somebody else showing up. And I prefer it to only be us." After nearly an hour of gossip and pleading, the girls finally gave in and didn't question any further on the subject.
By around 1:30pm, all but Gemna had left to roam the campus. She locked the door and closed the curtains. A draw back of her wrist and lift of her head and a black book with silver pages flew into her hand. "Ah, Essence of Self," she whispered as she clutched the book to her chest. Gemna summoned a pillow to a spot on the floor in front of her and, with the help of the Makeshift Charm, Gemna sat down in an excruciatingly comfortable black leather armchair. She then put her hand out and snapped all her fingers into her palm, causing every light in the room to go out. For moments, there was nothing but darkness.
Gemna lightly ran her perfectly manicured nails down the front cover of the book before sliding them to the edge and opening it. A bright glow shined back at her, lighting up the whole room. There was a soft note; about a medium D. It went continuously, growing louder and louder, still keeping the constant sound. Just when it seemed the volume couldn't ascend anymore, a black shadowy figure swirled out of the book and stood before the naturally pale girl. "Hello," said a hushed voice as the figure embraced Gemna.
"Ready to go?" Gemna said as she walked into the boys' dorm. Harry said goodbye to the jealous and curious guys and walked out with Gemna. When they had reached an empty hallway, they laced fingers and kept walking. "So what have you been doing today?"
"Just thinking of a couple choice words for Myrtle," he said with a sly look. "You?"
"Nothing," Gemna answered abruptly. "Oh, was that picture always there?" She wasn't just trying to change the subject. The two students stopped in front of a portrait of a scarlet book and quill on a red velvet blanket. "How interesting. Still life is very popular among muggles, but all paintings in our world move. This one must do something."
"Maybe the person who writes in the book wandered off," Harry said, growing more interested by the minute. "Or maybe it's meant to be still. Art's a free thing. No rules. No restrictions."
At this, the cover of the book opened and there was a short list of names. Gemna and Harry read them out loud in unison as the pencil added a few words at the bottom. "Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Jean Courtlynn, Brian Dilzealand, Hazel Laceling, Draco Malfoy, Leo Rayson, Lavender Brown, Gemna Rodemlovt, Harry Potter."
They looked at each other for a minute until Harry spoke up. "Why do you think our names are on this list?"
Gemna thought for a moment. "I think the list is people who've taken time to consider the possibilities of the painting. Maybe it's to show that once you use your imagination for a painting or story, you become part of it."
"Wow," Harry said. "That's really profound. And so is this painting. It's a great addition for this school. And…so are you." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment and before they knew it, Harry's arms were wrapped around Gemna and their lips were locked. The kiss lasted for no more than ten seconds, but it felt like forever to them. Harry stepped back as his face glowed red. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Gemna asked.
"For...for kissing you like that. It was pretty forward. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she told him as a puzzled look grew on his face. "Did you not believe what I said yesterday? I told you I like you and I mean it. And that was a pretty good kiss," she laughed.
His face began to return to a more normal color and he smiled. "To tell the truth, I've only kissed once before. And that relationship didn't work out very well."
"I know, Cho told me," she smiled as the two of them sat down on the floor in front of the painting. "I'm not just saying this because I like you, but I really don't think she's your type. From what she's told me, she's into those filthy rich snobby guys. Her and Draco would make a good couple." They both laughed.
There was an awkward silence for a moment. "Um, Gemna?" Harry said as they stared at each other again. "Would…would you be my girlfriend?"
Though there was only a moment's pause, Harry felt like an eternity was passing, and he was positive his face was about as red as a tomato by the time he got an answer. "I'd love to," Gemna said with a grin. "But I want to be clear on something first. I don't like you because you're 'the boy who lived' or because you fight evil or anything like that. I love you for who you are: the sweet, caring, generous boy who has a heart of gold. That's how I see you."
Harry was overwhelmed with emotion. He just had to say what he'd been thinking since the first day of that school year. "I love you. I can't just say 'I love you, too' because I don't love you also. I love you my own way, whether you do or not. But I'm glad to hear you do." He kissed her softly on the lips and waited for a response.
"And you said I was profound." They both laughed. "So," she said as they stood up. "Do you still want to go see Myrtle?"
"Nah," he answered as they turned towards a new path he rarely ventured. "Freedom of speech. I know it's an American concept, but I agree she had a right to say what she said if she was involved in the situation."
"Hey, where are we going?" Gemna asked as they strolled down a dimly lit hallway leading to a stone staircase.
"I've been here with Hedwig a couple times when I just want some quiet. Not many people know about it. It's a nice little tower. You'll see." They made light conversation as the staircase drew nearer. They climbed the winding stairs nearly effortlessly, especially since it was three flights. "It's a charm," Harry told her when she seemed so surprised not to be breathless. "Some kind of thing that gives you extra oxygen."
He opened the door and closed it behind them as Gemna's eyes widened. Though she knew they weren't, it looked like they were outside…but not outside Hogwarts. They were somewhere overlooking snowy mountains, endless fields of flowers winding rivers, golden valleys, gardens of exotic fruit and vegetables, and emerald forests filled with life. Extra oxygen or not, she was now breathless. Gemna took a step back and into Harry's awaiting arms. He guided her to a hill only a few meters away and they sat down together. "I knew you'd like it," he said with a smile.
Gemna barely knew what to say. Harry's arm rapped around her back and she laid her head on his shoulder, gazing across the gorgeous landscape again. "It's beautiful. It reminds me of home. How…how'd you find this room?"
"The Marauder's Map," Harry answered. "It's a hidden thing that I found accidentally. You can only see it on the map when you're thinking of someone or something you love. I was thinking about my parents and I saw it appear. I didn't tell the others about it because sometimes I even come here to get away from them," he laughed. She giggled, too. "I've wanted to show it to you for days, but I didn't even know you liked me." He reached over with his other hand and picked a flower. It looked like a daisy, except it was all red and the petals were outlined in gold; the center silver.
Harry handed her the flower. "It smells just like my mother's favorite perfume. Eternity. I always loved it."
She held it loosely as Harry took it from her hand and put it in her hair. He sat back and looked at the girl he loved. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 'I've never felt this way about anyone. Not even Cho,' he thought. 'I think I've met the girl of my dreams.'
She smiled, almost as if she knew what he was thinking. They leaned towards each other and their lips joined together almost as if they were magnetic. Gemna closed her eyes and Harry tilted his head. Their tongues caressed each other, as a rush of wind seemed to blow their bodies closer. Harry subconsciously put his hand on her leg, bringing Gemna back to reality. She licked his lips as she pulled away from him. "We need to get back to the dorms. The others will get suspicious. Do you think we should tell them?"
Harry didn't want their time together to end, but he knew they had to go. He helped her up off the ground before he answered. "Well, I think it'll be much worse if they find out on their own. But it's not like I want our relationship to be in the Daily Prophet. We should probably tell them, but make sure they keep it a secret. If it does get out, though, I'm not going to stop seeing you if rumors start. I hope you feel the same."
"Of course," Gemna said as Harry opened the floating door and gave her a hand stepping up. "Rumors are nothing. We know what goes on between us and that's enough. Who cares what others think? I don't."
"Me either." They headed down the hallway and slowly back to the common room.
By the time they got there, the sun had already set and people were already starting to come back from dinner. Hermione, Ron, Dean, Ginny, and everyone else were waiting at the foot of the stairs leading to the boys' dorms. "Where in the seven Hells were you two?" Emilia questioned as soon as they approached.
"We've been waiting for you for hours!" Ron whined.
Gemna held Harry's hand and looked at him. He smiled back at her and turned to the others. "Gemna and I are going out," he sighed.
Maria filled with disappointment, but she tried not to show it. The others were in shock. Ron was outraged. "What? Since when?" He yelled furiously, jumping to his feet.
"Only this afternoon," he said as he stepped in front of Gemna in protection. Ron looked angry enough to attack.
The others still remained speechless. Hermione got up and stood by Gemna who was beginning to look rather depressed. Her and the other girls went to comfort Gemna while the guys stood by Ron. "Harry…" Dean said. "You knew we all liked her. How could you?"
"She said she likes me, too! You guys should be happy for me. I finally found someone who I really love. Not like Cho, that was nothing. Gemna really cares about me and I care about her. I don't care if you like her or not. Besides, you guys will find others. There are plenty of other girls you could date. It's not like Gemna's the only one in the school. You have no idea how hard it is for someone constantly having death threats and rumors spread to get a girlfriend! She doesn't care about that stuff. Maybe it won't work out, but I think it will. You guys will just have to get used to it." Harry stormed over to the girls who hugged him and gladly admitted him into the conversation. They were happy for the couple.
"I hate to say it," Seamus sighed, "but he's right. If she likes him, who are we to get in the way?"
"Who are we?" barked Ron who's skin now matched the color of his hair. "We're his friends! It's an unwritten rule: you can't date your friend's crush!"
"Unwritten rule or not," Dean answered in Harry's defense, "she's not property. She doesn't belong to one person. If Harry was fortunate enough to hook up with Gemna, we should be happy for him. An even more significant unwritten rule is that you back your friends when no one else will. And since no one else is, I'm siding with Harry."
"Me too," Seamus said.
Ron glared at Neville. "S-sorry Ron. I got to side with Harry."
"If you're supposed to back your friends, why aren't you backing me?" he hissed.
"Because you know there's a girl dying to date you. And I'm sure there are others besides her. You're a good guy. You can get a girl without too much trouble. Harry's right. With all the rumors constantly spread about him and all the attacks from evil creatures, not many girls are doing back flips to go out with him," Dean said as the voice of reason.
Ron took a moment of silence to think about everything he'd just heard. "I guess you're right. I mean, I know I'm no girl magnet, but I can get a date easier than Harry. And I know of at least one girl who'd go out with me." He looked across the room to Hermione and turned back to the others. "I guess I should go apologize to Harry." The other guys gave him approving looks as Ron walked over to his best friend. "Harry?" Harry turned around and anger returned to his face, but only momentarily. "I'm sorry. I should have been more supportive. Can you forgive me?"
Harry patted Ron on the back and nodded. "I knew you'd come around. Besides," he whispered, "Hermione seems to be a bit jealous of being single. Tomorrow or even tonight would be a good time to ask her. Come on, you know you like her, too." He gave Ron a shove jokingly.
"Okay, okay. So I like her too. Just give me some time. I'm nervous." He looked down at his watch. "Shit, we missed dinner."
"That's okay," Gemna said as she walked over with the rest of the girls. Ginny and I practiced a spell at the beginning of the week that we can use to make food from nearly nothing. If you guys can just get us a few spider webs, plants and bugs, we can whip up some pretty good dishes in about ten minutes."
"Sure," Seamus said as he and the guys walked over. "We can get the bugs. I just read a book on frogs. It made insects sound pretty good." He laughed.
"Well, you guys can get bugs. I'm not touching them. Especially not spider webs." Ron shuddered.
"Courtney, Emilia, Maria, and I are gonna get the plants. You can come with us," Hermione said. Ron and the guys exchanged looks and him and the five girls walked off.
The guys left shortly after as Michelle, Gemna and Ginny headed up to the guys dorm, knowing the guys couldn't go to theirs. They set up some cauldrons and lit floating fires. Michelle and Ginny used the Makeshift Charm on some shoes and shoelaces to turn them into plates and silverware. Gemna used her Indegica to conjure some potions out of midair. "Wicked," Michelle said as a magenta liquid filled one of the three cauldrons. "That Indegica thing is so cool. I wish I had it." Gemna just replied with a smirk.
Moments later, everyone returned with the ingredients needed. Ginny sorted and measured them as Gemna added them to the mix. They insisted all the others sat down at the table they created from the nightstand. In ten minutes, just as Gemna had promised, the twelve students sat down to a feast of lobster, roast duck, ceaser salad, and many other things they normally would find at a fancy restaurant. "We should do this more often," Neville said with a mouth full of food.
Gemna sighed. "I wish I could. But the potions needed to make this are hard to get and I can only conjure so much of them. I probably won't be able to get them again for a month or so. I used about twenty-something different ones."
Harry kissed her cheek. "Aw, why didn't you tell us? I would have preferred to eat just the bugs if I knew you'd have to suffer."
"It's okay. It was worth it," she said. "And I'm not suffering. I just can't take advantage of my full powers for a while. I can still do like spells and stuff. But I can't do anything that you guys can't."
"Wait a second," Courtney interrupted nervously. "Can you still levitate?"
"I…I don't know. But I'm not going to try until next Friday when the classes start. I don't want to use up too much extra energy. But if I can't, there are thirteen others who can levitate well enough to do the first class or two."
After no one could eat another bite, Gemna swooshed her hand and vanished all the leftovers and garbage. Hermione restored the shoes and everything else to their original state and they all said good night to each other. Ron kissed Hermione's cheek. "See you in the morning." She hugged him and left with all the girls but Gemna who was too busy cuddling with Harry by the window.
"Congrats, Ron," Dean said with a friendly punch. "You finally asked her out. Took you long enough."
"Well, I finally realized how much I like her. I can't see what I liked in Gemna. I mean, she's practically perfect and all, but now it seems foolish to have a crush on her; at least for me. I'm happy for Harry." The four of them got change for bed, seeing as Gemna and Harry were too distracted with stargazing to notice.
About half an hour later, Harry gave Gemna a brief goodbye kiss, and she left for bed. "So what's it like, Harry?" Seamus asked. "You know, snogging with one of the most perfect girls on Earth."
Harry raised an eyebrow, shook his head, and climbed into bed. "That's not how I see it. You make it sound like I'm dating her just for that."
"What he means," Ron interrupted, "is what's it like snogging?"
Everyone laughed a bit. "Oh come on, I'm not the only one who's done it." Harry said told them.
"But you're the only one who's done it with someone you're, not mention half the school, really in love with. It's not the same with people you don't truly care about. There's more passion in a kiss between lovers." They all turned to see Neville who had been silent all day until that point (with the exception of supporting Harry in the earlier argument).
"We're not sleeping together!" Harry laughed.
"Not yet," joked Dean. "So tell us already!"
"Well," he said, "Neville's right. There is a lot of passion in it; nothing like my kiss with Cho last year. When Gemna's lips touch mine, I feel like my life's perfect. I feel like as long as she's there, nothing can go wrong. I feel…" Harry stared into space for a moment.
"Horny?" Dean laughed. The others burst into laughter with him, even Harry. Ron's face glowed pink and he fell backwards on his bed.
"That's not my word of choice," Harry responded as soon as he caught his breath. "But I guess I do feel that emotion."
"I really don't think we need to hear anymore," Seamus said. "Goodnight." They all said goodnight to each other and went to sleep.
Gemna was verbally attacked the moment she closed the door behind her and turned to change into her nightgown. "Tell us what it's like?" Courtney begged.
"I can't believe you kissed Harry!" Emilia squealed.
Hermione and Ginny were the only ones not bombarding Gemna with inquiries. "Come on," Ginny said. "Leave her alone. It's her relationship and she doesn't have to tell if she doesn't want to."
"Maybe another time, girls." Gemna turned towards her closet again to get changed when she remembered her promise. "Oh, I almost forgot. Remember I said I had plans for us?" They all hushed and turned to her. "Get changed into nightgowns. Not pajamas. It must be a nightgown. If you don't have one, I can give you one."
Michelle and Ginny left and Hermione, Courtney, Emilia, Maria, and Gemna all changed. About ten minutes later, the other two returned. "So what exactly are we doing?" Michelle asked as they all sat down in a circle on the floor.
"Well, tonight there's a story I want to share with you all." Gemna sat down on the floor and used her Indegica to summon Essence Of Self and turn off all the lights. She opened the cover of the book and the room was filled with a mystical light. "Book of self, show us your power. Your time is limited, merely an hour. Show us your strength, just what you can do. Bring out the souls, bring out the true!" Gemna was singing a reasonably quick-paced chant with a ceremonial dance to match. The other girls were rather freaked. Ginny grabbed Hermione's hand and Maria and Courtney huddled together. A red and beige cloud was forming from above the book. "Ginny Weasley," a voice hissed.
"Good morning my love," Harry said as he took Gemna's hand and kissed her cheek. The other girls descended the stairs just behind her. "Sleep well?"
"Very well, thank you. And you?" Gemna licked her rosy lips and stepped through the portrait hole.
Harry stepped out behind her. They walked slowly so the others could catch up, considering how fast they dashed out of the common room. "Pretty good. I had another dream about flaming ducks. This time it was quacking to a squirrel that had a chainsaw for a tail." Gemna giggled. "Yeah," Harry said after a chuckle, "it was pretty funny." A few minutes later the others caught up with them and they sat down in the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry and Gemna sat together, as well as Ron and Hermione. Michelle, Courtney and the other girls had no recollection of the previous night. Dean and Seamus were constantly whispering jokes to each other about their night. As Professor Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement about how he appreciated the respect he observed for the new teacher and exchange student, Neville rapped his arm around Ginny and she kissed his cheek.