A/N: In response to a guest review: Yes, Winky is dead. She took at least a dozen Stunning Spells. For reference, it takes 7 to stun a Dragon in Canon. It takes more in my story for certain breeds, but still…
Also, the stuff about the Years and the Deaths is a spoiler, but it will make sense by the end of the Story I promise. Don't think about it too much for now is all I can say.
I've changed the name of this Part to The Triwizard Tournament due to some changes the story will be undergoing.
You'll see those changes in the next Chapter though. I don't think this has been done before either so I'm really excited for it. That's also the reason I've changed the name of this Part.
Massive, no, MASSIVE shout out to RMWB who helped come up with said changes. I'll explain more in the end notes of the next Chapter, though. I don't want to spoil anything.
《••••••••••••••••••••》
A Song of Lightning and Fire
Arc I: Magic
Part V: The Triwizard Tournament
《••••••••••••••••••••》
Harry heaved a sigh as he sat down in his compartment in the Hogwarts Express. Ginny sat down beside him, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I almost don't want to go back," she said.
"Me neither," Harry agreed. "It just feels like tempting fate at this point."
Ginny nodded, and the two of them sat in silence until the compartment door opened, admitting Devon and Jessica into the compartment.
Jessica quickly came over and gave them both a hug that left them breathless, and not in a romantic way. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright," she said, seemingly not having any intention of letting them go.
Still, Harry and Ginny managed to extract themselves and greeted Devon as well, though he wasn't as enthusiastic with his greeting. "She heard about that attack on the Quidditch World Cup," he said. "She's been in a right state since."
"Of course I've been in a right state," Jessica snapped at him. "They were attacked by Death Eaters, Devon. Death Eaters. You haven't read what they're capable of doing."
Memories of the attack flashed through his mind for the first time since it had happened. Bodies levitating in the air… Lightning Bolts… Grayson… The Cruciatus Curse … it was all too much, and Harry looked away and swallowed the bile in his throat.
He couldn't help but agree with Jessica on this one though. Devon was a Muggle born, and as bad as this history was, it still felt unreal until one experienced it for themselves. Harry knew that from experience.
"Well, no," Devon said, sitting down on the opposite seat. "I do know that they were scary as hell, but it's Harry and Ginny. You can't tell me they wouldn't be able to handle Death Eaters."
Ginny tensed next to him. "We're not invincible, you know," she said with a convincing grin regardless.
"Yeah, I know," Devon said, holding up his hands. "But… was it that bad?"
"It was," Harry and Ginny said, leaving it at that.
"We didn't see you there," Ginny said to Jessica a few moments later.
"My family didn't get the tickets," she muttered venomously, though it wasn't directed towards them. "Everyone at the Ministry hates our family."
"Why is that, though?" Harry asked. "I don't think anyone's ever told me."
"It's mostly for the same reason that the Potters are," Jessica explained. "We've never really supported most of the Ministry's policies. And the Creeds supported Henry Potter when he said that we should all help the Muggles fight in World War One. Of course, we lost the vote, but it gave the Sacred Families a reason to kick the supporters out."
"That's horrible," Ginny said, and Harry agreed with her.
Jessica shrugged. "It's what they do," she said. "We can't change them. It's too deep rooted."
They sat in silence for a while as Ron and Hermione joined them, and they all began a discussion about the Triwizard Tournament, while Ron explained to Hermione and Devon what the Tournament actually was.
They reached the Hogsmeade station without falling asleep this time, something Harry considered a minor miracle before remembering that he and Ginny didn't need sleep as much as they did before, which caused his mood to darken.
They talked with Hagrid for a bit, but he had to get the First Years, and they were getting late for the Feast, so they went towards the last few carriages, which led them towards the Castle.
He and Ginny had to separate, unfortunately, and Devon and Jessica went to sit with another group of girls. Harry didn't mind, he knew Devon had a crush on one of them- Hayley Brown, if he remembered correctly- and really, having seen her in action, he knew that Jessica was a damn good wingwoman. He shook his head in bemusement, since when did he start thinking about dating like that?
Harry sat down near the end of the table, meeting Ginny's eyes from across the room. He looked up towards the staff table to see Professors Flitwick, Trent, and Dumbledore engrossed in a conversation. It was probably about some serious matter, or something random Dumbledore had thought of on the spot.
Soon, the First Years entered, The Sorting Hat was pulled out, and the students were all sorted, Harry, Ginny, and Sean dutifully clapping for any Slytherins that no one else clapped for.
Dumbledore had apparently decided that food was important tonight, and let them have Dinner first before he spoke. "I have quite a few important announcements to make," he said. "As always, the Forbidden Forest is, as the name suggests, strictly Forbidden to everyone. The List of Banned items has now been updated, please do make sure to check out the added items, which will be found outside Filch's office."
"And now," he added. "On to the topic of changes, we have a grand total of one new change in staffing this year. Please welcome Professor Alastor Moody, who will be training all of you in the art of Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Professor Moody stood up, but not many people clapped. Most of the students were in several states of shock as they looked at the man's appearance. He had dark grey, grizzled hair, and what looked like a wooden leg. His eyes, however, were his most shocking feature: one was small and dark while the other was a vivid, electric blue magical eye and moved around independently from his normal eye, which was probably what gave him the nickname, "Mad-Eye Moody".
"Professor Moody has long been a respected member of the Anti-Dark Arts communities," Dumbledore said. "And he has also played a great role in the victory of the Ministry in the British Wizarding War."
"Also, this year," Professor Dumbledore began. "We shall be hosting a Triwizard Tournament."
Dumbledore had to stop his speech right there because the murmurs and gasps and mutterings reached a crescendo. He patiently waited, his eyes sweeping across the Great Hall, waiting till everyone was silent.
"Thank you," Dumbledore said with an amused smile. "Now, as I mentioned earlier we are hosting a Triwizard Tournament this year. Many of you already seem to know what this is, but I shall explain it now for the ones who don't."
"The Triwizard Tournament is a competition that has long since helped to foster international Magical cooperation amongst the participating nations," Dumbledore explained. "Three Schools compete, each of them from different nations, each of them traditionally having a single champion competing for the Triwizard Cup and the rewards that come with winning the tournament. There are Three Tasks that the Champions have to compete in to gain points for their respective School. The School with the Highest amount of points by the end of the Three Tasks wins. This year, the other two schools competing against us are Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."
"The rewards mainly include a boat load of fame, a thousand Galleons in the bank account of the winner of the Tournament, and the immortalization of the winner's name on the Goblet of Fire," Dumbledore continued.
"This Tournament, however, comes with its own set of risks," Dumbledore added. "There have always been Deaths in this Tournament. It was banned for over a century because all of the Champions in the last one died by the Second Task. Now, however, precautions have been taken. One of those, being that anyone who is Underage, will not be able to participate."
"I must caution you, however," Dumbledore said gravely. "If chosen, you stand alone. No teachers can help, nor can you ask any outsider for help."
"If any student of age chooses to enter, then I hope that they make sure to give this matter a lot of thought, and do the necessary research before you actually enter," Dumbledore warned. "You can enter your name starting from the 30th of October. That being said, I must bid you goodbye, and goodnight now. For the First Years, The Prefects will lead you to your Common Rooms. For the other students, I do hope you remember where the Common Rooms are."
There was an appreciative chuckle among the students, and Harry got up. The Prefects called for the First Years, who dutifully followed the Prefects. Sean hung back, and fell in step with him.
"You seem tense," he said. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Harry sighed. "Just… I don't know," he found himself saying. "You heard about the attack at the Quidditch World Cup?"
Sean nodded. "Yeah," he said, shaking his head. "But I wish I hadn't."
Harry grimaced. He had hoped that he hadn't heard of the more gruesome parts, but his luck was against him once again. What a surprise, he thought.
"Well, I was there," Harry said, waving goodbye to Ginny as she left for Gryffindor Tower.
Sean winced at the news. "Bugger," he said.
"Aren't you too young for that word?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Please," Sean scoffed. "I'm 12."
Harry shrugged a shoulder. "Never mind," he said. "So, I have this theory that me and Ginny are going to get our names entered in this Tournament."
"How?" Sean asked as they reached the Grand Staircase.
"Someone's going to put it in, obviously," Harry said. "And I don't even know who it could be."
"What are you and Ginny doing about it?" Sean asked.
"What can we do?" Harry asked miserably. "We were forced into a much less intense situation a few months ago, and we were still powerless to do anything. We…" he trailed off, grimacing.
"That would be why your Auras are weird, right?" Sean asked.
"It might be," Harry said, not wanting to just give anything away.
"Well, you can stop moping about for one thing," Sean suggested. "Try and get ahead of it somehow, or try and lessen the blow."
Sean's belief in Harry's theory really made him feel good. There wasn't any trace of doubt or suspicion in his voice, just a desire to help.
"Thanks mate," Harry said, smiling. "I'll try."
"Good luck," Seam replied with a smile of his own as they reached the Common Room entrance.
《••••••••••••••••••••》
The next morning, Harry met Ginny in the Great Hall early in the morning. They'd talked over the mirror last night, agreeing to meet outside the Great Hall when they woke up.
It was currently six in the morning, and literally no one was up. Harry and Ginny had stayed up till one last night, hoping to sleep in a little, but as Fate would have it, they were here.
"This is strange," Ginny commented, seeing the closed doors of the Great Hall.
"Too strange," Harry agreed.
"Kitchens?" Ginny suggested. "The Elves sleep even less than us, don't they?"
Harry nodded, recalling that Misty had told them that they only slept for 3 hours, and even then, they always had another Elf covering for the time they took for resting.
Harry and Ginny made their way down to the Kitchens, getting greeted like royalty, and enjoying a rather healthy looking breakfast. They talked for a while, about the Tournament, and about Alastor Moody's upcoming classes, which also happened to be their first one today. It was a Friday, though, so he'd been hoping that there would be no classes today, but oh well.
They'd agreed to talk to Dumbledore as soon as they could, and Harry promised to call Sirius soon. Neither of the two men would dismiss the theory, Harry knew. Or hoped. He didn't know which at this point.
A few hours later, Harry couldn't help but be awed as he walked into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. It had been completely revamped, various different artefacts lined the room, whizzing, whistling, and spinning as they entered. There was an odd looking mirror hanging on the wall to their left, and it showed the faces of three people: Tom Riddle, a man with a goatee, and another man with Dark Brown hair, who Harry belatedly recognized as Barty Crouch Junior.
"Foe glass," a voice grunted behind them.
They whirled around, Wands drawn, only to come face to face with Professor Moody himself, who smiled at their display.
"Well done," he said. "I've heard about ya both. Nice to see that the rumors seem to be true for once. Always remember, the most important thing you can do is to practice CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Harry and Ginny flinched as the man raised his voice, but he continued speaking like he hadn't just scared the living shit out of them.
"The Foe Glass shows you the faces of the three most Dangerous enemies you have," Moody explained. "The whites in their eyes glow when the enemy is near to you."
Harry checked, but so far, none of the whites in the eyes of his enemies were glowing. So unless Moody was lying, they were in the clear.
"But mine seem to be far away for once," Moody said, shaking his head. "What about you?"
"Same for me," Harry and Ginny said simultaneously.
"Good, good," Moody grunted. "Take your seats. We shall start learning about the Unforgivable Curses today. I will start Dark Detectors by next week."
Harry and Ginny's eyebrows raised in surprise, but they managed to restrain themselves enough to get to their seats. They had to wait a while for more people to arrive, though.
Professor Moody had Vanished sometime in that time, and neither Harry nor Ginny had a clue as to where the man was since they were busy talking to each other about the Tournament again.
The bell rang, and the door suddenly snapped shut. The whole class wasn't present here, Harry noted. Most of the Slytherins were absent. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, and their gangs being the most welcome of the absences
Just as the thought passed through his head, a shout was heard from the back of the classroom. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Screams of terror echoed throughout the classroom, and Harry was genuinely starting to belive that Moody did all of this just for the fun of it. "This is the most effective skill I can show you," Moody continued. "And I will teach it to you over the course of the year."
"For now, we will learn about the Unforgivable Curses," Moody said, making his way to the front of the room. "The use of any one of these Curses is sure to ensure a one way ticket to Azkaban for yourself. Who here can name an Unforgivable Curse?"
"The Imperius Curse," Theodore Nott Jr. said, an odd gleam in his eye that was rather unsettling for Harry.
"Yes," Moody replied, looking at Nott suspiciously. "The Imperius Curse. It allows the caster to take complete control over someone's mind. But you need to know Basic Legilimency to even begin to cast it. Legilimency, for those who don't know, is the art of navigating through the layers of someone else's mind."
Moody then walked over to a jar, withdrawing a large spider from inside it and placing the creature on the table. "Imperio," he growled, pointing his Wand at the spider.
"I now have complete control over this one's mind," Moody said. Harry and Ginny watched with wide eyes as the Professor made the spider do a tap dance, much to the amusement of the other students.
"That was entertaining," Moody said with a laugh. "What shall I have her do next? Drown herself?" He asked with faux-curiosity. Harry noted that not one person was laughing anymore, all of them had gone deathly quiet.
"This seems funny to you all, does it?" Moody asked, shooting a scathing glare at the entire class. "DOES IT!?" He roared.
"No, sir," a few of the students muttered.
"Then why the hell were you laughing your heads off?" Moody asked. "Just in case you don't understand the gravity of this Curse, it allows you to control someone's mind. You can make a person do things they never would have ever dreamed of doing."
"Many of the old Death Eaters were able to avoid Azkaban altogether by claiming that they were under the Imperius Curse," Moody said. "Veritaserum was illegal back then, sadly, so we had no way of truly finding out if they were telling the truth or not."
"What's the next one?" Moody growled when Theo Nott looked like he was going to interrupt. No one answered. "Anyone? Weasley? How about you?"
Ginny blinked, but quickly regained her composure. "T-The Cruciatus Curse, Professor," she said.
"Correct!" Moody exclaimed. "The Torture Curse, inflicts what is probably the most intense pain you will have ever felt in your life. Crucio!" He cried, pointing his Wand at the spider.
The Spider writhed and twisted on the table, making a pitiful sound as it did so. Professor Moody quickly took off the Curse, though, probably not wanting to upset any of the Students.
"If you ever saw a Human get inflicted by the Curse, it might be one of the worst things you see happen to them," Moody said. Having already seen what Moody was talking about, Harry couldn't help but agree with him.
"Voldemort's followers used this Curse frequently," Moody said. "It has been around for centuries, evolving along with Dark Magic. You do not want to cross paths with anyone using it, I can assure you that much."
"As for the last Curse," Professor Moody continued. "I do not know how to cast it. Nor does anyone else on this planet that isn't one of Voldemort's closest Death Eaters. Potter, I hope you know which Curse I speak of?"
"The Killing Curse," Harry said, taking Ginny's hand under their table as he remembered his Mother, and Harry and Ginny, dying.
"Yes," Moody said, gravely. "This one is, for many reasons, the most horrific. The Power needed to cast the Spell alone makes it nigh impossible, but the fact that no one else, except Voldemort himself, knew how to cast it made it incredibly difficult to fight. There are no counters to this Curse, and no Shield can stop it. Physical Barriers work, but they need to be dense enough to not shatter upon impact, otherwise the Curse can tear through the barrier. If the Curse hits you, you die. Mo exceptions. None except for one, apparently," he added, glancing at Harry.
Harry swallowed the bile in his throat as he imagined Voldemort raising his Wand towards Lily Potter, a Green Light forming at its tip. He felt Ginny tightly squeeze his hand a second before Professor Moody's voice cut through his thoughts.
"...and I want you all to read the section on the three Unforgivable Curses on page 64 to page 70," Moody said. "It details the Curses we mentioned, the Curses that almost made the list, and the reasons for the Curses being included or excluded."
"Alright?" Ginny asked as every student moved to take their books out of their bags.
Harry just shook his head no in reply, too bothered by the lesson to say anything just yet.
《••••••••••••••••••••》
So, you want to become an Animagus? Well, you have come to the right page. I am Mister Prongs, and I will guide you through the whole process of making the Potion. Please read this whole page, and the previous ones BEFORE you attempt to begin your journey. And please, I beg you, read the warnings at the end.
Harry's breath hitched as he read about the Mister Prongs part, but he kept on reading, wondering what his Dad would think of him starting this process today.
The First Step would be to register yourself to the Ministry of Magic. It isn't too tedious, nor is it a crime to want to become an Animagus, but you should know that failure to register *is* a crime.
All you have to do is go to the Department of Magical Law, and ask for an Animagus submission form. Chances are, they won't even interview you! If you are Underage, do make sure to have your both parents' signature on the form.
I will assume you have done that already. If you haven't, well, you're just like us Marauders! Three of us became Animagi without letting anyone else outside our group know. This was because we wanted to help Moony during his Full Moon Transformations, though, not just for fun.
But enough of the serious stuff. The actual First step is to do your homework in Potions and Transfiguration. Yes, I mean it. No, I don't mean your N.E.W.Ts and O.W.Ls homework, I mean actual homework. For those who didn't understand what I meant: PRACTISE!!!
I am not joking, if your skills are lacklustre, don't even attempt this Potion. Get better, or leave it alone. I cannot emphasize this enough. Again, this is NOT a joke. Harry, if you're reading this without my knowledge and you're not good at the above-mentioned subjects, I beg you, PLEASE follow the First Step. Thank you.
He and Ginny laughed a little. Of course James Potter knew that his son was planning on becoming an Animagus.
Step two, carry a single Mandrake leaf in your mouth for an entire month- from full moon to full moon to be precise. Yes, I am serious. If you swallow the leaf or remove it from your mouth at any point, you have to start the whole thing again, and let's be honest, no-one likes to see that happen. You then have to purchase/acquire/borrow a Lunar Crystal phial. Place it in a place where it would receive the pure rays of the moon for the entire cycle of the moon- from full moon to full moon- so that the crystal gets charged fully. After the last day of the cycle, put your saliva-filled leaf inside, and add one of your own hairs.
Step three, add a silver teaspoon of dew from a place that neither sunlight nor human feet have touched for a full seven days. And if that wasn't hard enough, you then have to add the chrysalis of a Death's-head Hawk Moth to the crystal phial as well. Then put this mixture in a quiet, dark place and leave it alone until the next electrical storm. And really leave it alone- don't even look at it.
Step four, while waiting for the Transfiguration to begin, you must place your wand tip over your heart every sunrise and sundown and speak the following incantation: 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus'. If you keep repeating your incantation, there will come a time when, with the touch of the wand-tip to the chest, a second heartbeat may be sensed. Don't be sacred, and don't change anything! Keep going. Keep waiting for that storm! A second heartbeat is merely an indication that you are capable of becoming an Animagus. Sometimes you can become one even if you can't hear the second heartbeat, but it always feels good to have confirmation, right?
Step five, as soon as lightning appears in the sky, go to the place where you've hidden your crystal phial. At last! If you've done everything right then you will discover a mouthful of blood-red potion inside it. Then move somewhere where you aren't going to alarm anyone or place yourself in physical danger during your transformation. A partial Animagus transformation is definitely a bad idea. Trust me, Mister Moony, Mister Padfoot, and I had to work on Mister Wormtail for hours before we could take him out in public.
Step six, place your wand-tip against your heart and speak the incantation 'Amato Animo Animato Animagus' and drink the potion. The potion will send you into a trance-like sleep, and you will awake within your mind. There, you will meet the creature you turn into. You must study it briefly, and bond with it. I can't explain what that means, but trust me. It's a beautiful experience.
Step seven, unfortunately, the pleasant stuff ends in the last step. The first transformation is extremely uncomfortable, and there is intense pain, but when it's over, it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced.
Now, the Warnings and Precautions. Can't forget about those pesky little things.
1) When the process of becoming an Animagus goes wrong, it often goes seriously wrong. We're talking horrible half-human, half-animal mutations here, with no known cure.
2) Clothing and items such as glasses or jewellery meld to the skin and become one with fur, scales, feathers, or spikes. You can choose to leave them out once you're skilled enough (I don't know why you would want to, but hey, to each their own as my wife would say).
3) When you first transform, try to avoid panicking otherwise the animal mind 'may gain the ascendancy' and you could do something stupid or dangerous.
4) Wandless Magic is beneficial to know so that you can learn to transform quicker.
"Still want to do it?" Harry asked, closing the book shut.
"Harry," Ginny said. "After everything we've done, do you really think I'm going to say no?"
"Probably not," he replied, smiling.
He got up and she followed his lead. "So, I was thinking we could get the Mandrake Leaf and Crystal Phial first," Ginny said. "Get that going, you know?"
Harry just nodded as they made their way out of the Shrieking Shack. It was September 19th today, which was a full-moon night, and Harry and Ginny had snuck out of School to come to Hogsmeade for the supplies they would need.
They were wearing disguises, and by disguises Harry meant a simple Color Changing Charm on their hair along with concealer in Harry's case that he'd borrowed from her. They looked like two blonde haired students now, and some could even mistake them as siblings. The problem was they'd never been here like this before, and they weren't wearing Hogwarts robes, meaning that they stood out a bit for their age.
"I reckon we should just steal the Mandrake Leaf from Sprout's stores," Harry said. "She's been growing them since Second Year, hasn't she?"
"Oh, I didn't even think of that," Ginny said. "Are you sure that's okay, though? Don't get me wrong, I'm always up for a little mini heist, but what if there are more Petrifications?"
"I highly doubt there will be Petrifications, Gin," Harry said.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
"There's a Triwizard Tournament at the school," Harry said. "You know how the Ministries are about events like these. There will be more security than you or I have ever seen, especially after what happened at the World Cup."
"I still can't make sense of how you can just connect the dots like that," She said a while later, bumping his shoulder.
Harry shrugged. "Happened sometime at the Dursleys, don't know when, don't know how. I'm just glad it did."
"And you're certain I can't go and Hex them?" She asked. "I mean, it's not like they wouldn't deserve it."
"I just want to leave it in the past," Harry told her gently. "I'd rather not see them again, I just want to forget about it. Besides, do you have any idea how much time I'll have to spend to come up with a plan to break you out of Azkaban? It'll be a nightmare!"
"Bold of you to assume I'd go there in the first place" she said primly, dusting some imaginary lint off her shoulders.
Harry was about to reply, but the other people were actually looking at them like they'd lost their minds, and while Harry didn't normally give a shit what other people thought, anonymity was, unfortunately, essential today.
They reached the apothecary in silence, and went inside the shop. "Hello?" Harry called.
"Yes?" A woman called back from the back of the store. She came to the front not a moment later, a Potion Bottle in her hands.
"We'd like two Lunar Crystal Phials please," Harry said, trying his best to look as adorable as he could. He'd found that it always got him the stuff that he wanted without any questions. As long as he paid properly of course, which he did.
She nodded and placed the Bottle on a shelf and went to a shelf on the other side of the room, picking out two of the phials and bringing them to the counter.
"Are these for Hogwarts?" She asked, frowning. "I don't think they use these Phials there."
"It's not," Harry said. "My sister and I are homeschooled, you see, and our instructor told us we needed these."
The woman frowned more. "What is your instructor having you make?"
"Wolfsbane," Ginny replied. Harry remembered that that Potion could only be stored in a fully charged Lunar Crystal Phial, otherwise it would be spoiled to the point where the Potion could not be fit for anyone's consumption.
"Ah," she said, nodding in understanding. "Well, I don't envy you. My husband has a friend he brews for. It's not easy, I can tell ya that much."
"Thanks for the warning," Ginny replied with a smile.
"Anything else?" The woman asked.
"No," Harry replied, paying the bill. Five galleons per phial was a bit much in his opinion, but he was rather loaded, and this was important to him.
An hour later, they were out of the apothecary, and Harry was waiting in the Room of Requirement, where Ginny would meet him after- hopefully- having successfully acquired two Mandrake Leaves from Sprout's greenhouse. She had a perfect reason to be there, seeing as she had a Herbology lesson while Harry had been skiving off History of Magic to find somewhere to place the phials tonight, and he had found a place. He just hoped they'd be able to go there tonight.
A few moments later, the door finally opened, and Ginny came running towards him, a small pouch in her hands. "Got it," she declared triumphantly.
He grinned at her as she removed the leaves from the pouch. "I only took two, but it should do for now, right?"
"I hope so," Harry said. "We'll just have to wait till midnight."
"And figure out how to get the bloody dew and the chrysalis," she muttered.
Harry nodded. The dew, he thought, would be a lot easier than the chrysalis, especially because he had to fathom drinking the damn thing. "I think we can set up something in the Forest that will just give us the dew if we wait long enough," he said.
"What? Cover up a dense area or something?" Ginny asked.
"Kind of?" Harry asked. "It says sunlight, so we could try it while keeping an artificial light in there. I could ask Flitwick or Trent if there's a Charm for covering stuff up."
"You do that," Ginny said. "I'm going to be late for History."
"Ugh, just bunk it," Harry said, making a face.
She laughed. "I can't," she said. "I promised Colin I'd help him with his notes."
Harry heaved a tragic sigh. "Bloody Colin," he muttered, hoping she'd get that he was joking.
Thankfully, she did. "Dickhead," she said, laughing and kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah, see you there," Harry said, fighting not to blush, or to touch the spot where she'd kissed him because by Merlin, he was never washing it for the foreseeable future.
She smiled and waved at him as she left, leaving him with the thought of how nice it would feel if the kiss was on his lips… oh boy, he had it bad.
《••••••••••••••••••••》
A/N 2: And that's this Chapter done! Harry and Ginny will hide the Phial in the next Chapter, though. Mostly because I needed the words in that one, and I couldn't figure out how to end that scene without making it look awkward.
As always, please leave a review if you enjoyed it, and I'll see you in the next Chapter!
Byee!!