Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, so give it up to J. K. Rowling for creating this wonderful universe for me to play in.
All text in italics is Ginny's thoughts. This story isn't exactly according to the books. For one, Ginny doesn't play Quidditch, and two, Sirius is most definitely alive!
Pairings: GW/DM, and maybe some other pairings later on, though I am not sure what they might be yet.
Chapter Three: If a Lemon Drop Could Talk
Harry, having not yet returned to bed, knew nothing of Ginny's little incident. That didn't stop her from invading his every thought. Harry knew that he had made a mistake all those years ago when he turned her down. The potion was just concrete prove. She's my soul mate. We are meant to be. I won't blow it this time.
The war had greatly affected Harry in more ways than one. He had lost his parents, had gotten countless numbers of innocent people killed, and had to watch as one by one his friends and new found family fought against Voldemort in a kill or be killed battle. In his earlier years at Hogwarts, Harry had known there was a war going on, but it wasn't really real. Not until Cedric was killed, not until he had all most lost his Godfather. Then all there was was the war. Nothing else mattered. Other kids his age, including Mione and Ron, could live normally, and some even, unaware that a war was going on. But not him. He was smack dab in the middle of the war., the one pawn that both sides fought desperately for, hoping that he would choose them over their nemesis.
He couldn't even get the war out of his head during exams, or balls, or heck, even homework. The only place that he wasn't the-boy-who-lived was when he was in the air, playing Quidditch or simply flying. He was able to go on, though, because of his friends. Hermione's constantly chiding him for not doing his homework. Ron talking nonstop about Quidditch and candy. Even Ginny's continuous adoration and Colin's admiration for him kept him going. But as the final battle of the war edged closer, the things closest to him began to break down. Hermione no longer talked about schoolwork, but about Order business. Ron was always reviewing war strategies. He even managed to lose Ginny's adoration, which had been the hardest change for him. He had yelled at her, told her that all she was was an annoying little sister that didn't realize the impact of what was happening around them and that he could never feel anything more for her than brotherly love. He had watched in satisfaction as she ran off, crying, into her room. He had expected her to continue as she always had, to just shrug it off and look at him with those pleading eyes the next morning at breakfast.
He to had to push her away, he just had to. She had almost died once already because of him. If Voldemort found out that thoughts of her kept him awake at night, that she was the one reason he knew he had to win, then she would never survive, or if she did, she'd wish that she hadn't. Voldemort would go after her to get at him, and it would work. He would cave, and he knew it. As it was, pushing her away only caused her to get involved even more with war; her ties to Voldemort was one of the main reasons Harry was able to defeat him. Ginny was not only his weakness, but Voldemort's also. He didn't want to think about Voldemort though. The war was over; the light had won, exposing all the shadows of the Dark Wizards and leaving them no place to hide.
Even after the war though, she never came back to him. And he never went after her, much to his dismay. In fact, he went out of his way to ignore her very existence, hoping that would help his bleeding heart to heal. Things only got worse though. He knew he had to win her back. He didn't know how, but dang it, he was the-boy-who-lived, the savior of the wizarding world. If he couldn't win her heart back, then there would be no reason to carry on.
Harry shook his head, aware that with all these thoughts running through his head that he would not get any sleep this night. Harry thought back to the train ride back to Hogwarts. He hard been in a compartment with Hermione and Ron, the conversation strained as each was deep in their thoughts. He had eventually excused himself, saying he had some business to take care, and they just nodded okay to him, not really hearing what he had said at all. He took the invisibility cloak with him, draping it over himself was outside their compartment. He took off, searching the train for her compartment, scolding himself the whole way. Finally he found her, so thoroughly engrossed in a book that she never noticed the opening of the door. He found himself a comfortable corner, and for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts watched as she vividly read what he could only imagine to be the best book in the world by the wicked grin on her face. He would never have guessed that it was not only him and Ginny in that compartment, or who else would want to watch over her. We would never guess that he would be in the fight of his life to win back the heart of his angel.
Eventually, Harry turned backed to the common room, in the hopes of catching a few winks of sleep, and maybe, just maybe, dreaming of her in his arms forever.
Whilst Harry was wandering through upper portions of the castle, another student was restlessly wandering the dungeon portion, hoping to quell the unnerving thoughts that kept popping into his head. Unlike Harry, though, this person was not alone, to the annoyance of his companion.
"Will you stop talking about her already? I get it that she's the most wonderful person on this planet, that she's the reason that you redeemed yourself, going against every one of your father's wishes, sacrificing yourself in her name. But why in the world must you force me to hear you rant about it every evening for the rest of my life just because you're too chicken to do anything about it?" Blaise asked, exasperated with his best friend's lecture on the qualities of one Miss Ginny Weasley.
"I do not rant about her every evening," Draco said defensively.
"Right, just every morning, evening, and night." Blaise replied sarcastically.
"Jealous because you haven't found anyone like her?" Draco asked.
"No, just very happy that I'm not the one who has it so bad!" Blaise happily exclaimed.
"And just what do you mean by that?" Draco asked, curious.
"I mean that I don't have it so bad that I have to sneak around in my invisibility cloak to stow away in her compartment watching as she reads a book all the way to Hogwarts. That's what I mean." Blaise replied, a knowing smirk on his face.
"Oh." Draco said, a little on the stunned side.
"Do you plan on doing anything to get her attention? I mean, besides insulting her in front of her friends and making her life a living you know what?" Blaise asked.
"Of course, I plan on doing something." Draco answered evasively.
"Like what? Proposing to her in the middle of the Great Hall tomorrow during dinner? Proclaiming your love to her in front of the Golden Trio and watch as her brother punches you in the nose and knocks the living day lights out of you?" Blaise questioned.
"I plan to do nothing of the sort. I am a Malfoy after all." Draco said.
"Yeah, and look where that's gotten you: on the number one spot on every Gryffindor's hit list, a broken father rotting away in Azkaban, a mother that couldn't stand up for you or herself when your very lives depended on it, and a temper that could match the most pissed of Scottish men." Zambini declared.
"That doesn't matter. It's up to me to cleanse the Malfoy line, to purify it and return it to its true place as a highly looked upon wizarding family." Malfoy replied.
"And where exactly does Ginny fit in to all of this? Blaise asked pointedly.
"The question is where does she not fit in. She's perfect in every sense of the word. An angel sent to cleanse me of all wrongdoings and to lead me to a path free of temptation." Draco said, already lost in exhilarating thoughts of his angel.
"Wow, you're in this deep man. I hope you can climb out on your own if you have to. Now, enough of this Ginny soapbox. Let's go to bed so you can get your beauty rest and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to capture your young Gryffindor's heart." Blaise said playfully, at the same time guiding his friend towards the Slytherin common room.
Ginny awoke the next morning with a sigh of relief as she left a dream world of possessed scissors and horrible haircuts. The sigh was cut short as she realized it wasn't a dream. Groaning instead, Ginny was already lamenting the day ahead of her. Though she was sure her friends would be supportive, she also knew she was in for a lot of teasing today. Willing herself to get a backbone and to remember what the book said, Ginny prepared herself for a very long and tedious Saturday. At least September 1st was on a Friday, so I still have the weekend before I actually have to deal with classes. A small smile appeared on her face. And that's two more days I have to fix my hair and continue with the next two steps of my transformation. With that thought on her mind, Ginny headed off to the wash room.
Ginny had been staring at the mirror for ten minutes now. These were the kind of moments when she was glad to be an early riser, so as not to deal with her classmates. At first she had sought out the mirror in hopes of salvaging her hair. After a very interesting conversation with the mirror, she realized that maybe it wasn't too bad. Of course, it wasn't something she had ever thought of doing herself, but it was starting to grow on her. Now she was just staring, wondering why she was really going through with the transformation. It wasn't exactly like the book said. She wasn't shy; she stood up for what she believed in everyday, and very vocally at that- a trait she proudly inherited from Molly Weasley. She wanted to change because she was overshadowed by the people in her life. People that had once been a precious part and had now became an aggravating wall blocking her way to her full potential. Before, she had had no problem being associated with the Golden Trio, happy to be one of their little tagalongs beside Colin, Luna, and Neville. Then she had grown up, her dashing dreams of a knight in shining armor destroyed, and realized just how much of her life the Trio controlled without even realizing, or caring. For that matter, the Trio hardly paid any attention to her and her friends what so ever unless they needed something, or Ron running off her many consorts. As a matter of fact, it was becoming very hard indeed to even find a companion to Hogsmeade.
It wasn't that she hated Harry, Ron, and Hermione, or even that she didn't want them to be a part of her life. It was that she needed friends in her life that looked to her for who she was, and not just what she could do for them. People in her life that wouldn't cast her out just because. People that would let her grow and not push her down. That was why she needed to change. That was why she was going to transform, like the ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, never mind the fact that she was already a swan.
Finally happy with the way she had fixed her hair, Ginny ran downstairs, hoping to find Colin wide awake and ready for action. After all, it was time to take the next step in her transformation. Plus, she really was starving. Looking around the common room as she entered, she found Colin by the painting of the Fat Lady, apparently wanting breakfast as much as Ginny.
"Hey Gin. Ready for breakfast? All the excitement from last night left me starving this morning." Colin asked, escorting Ginny through the door after whispering "Blue Bells" to the portrait.
Ginny threw a mock glare his way before busting out laughing, nodding her head as they headed for the Great Hall.
"So Gin, what do you have in store for us today?" Colin asked casually, the scissors very fresh in his memory.
Ginny sighed. "Today we have to change my clothes. I figured we could start after we have breakfast. That way, if something goes wrong, at least I'll have eaten first." She said, smiling all the while.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, you saw what happened with the scissors." Colin pointed out. "This could get bad Gin, really bad."
Ginny shook her head. "I know, but the scissors were my fault. I must have did something wrong when I said the charm. Plus, the book gave me a spell for the clothes, so everything will be fine."
Colin shrugged. If it was what she wanted, then it wouldn't matter if he disagreed or not. She could be very stubborn when needed.
The two friends turned the corner and ran smack dab into Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zambini.
Colin and Ginny prepared themselves for some sort of insult when the two just plainly ignored them, continuing down the hall without a backward glance. Colin and Ginny looked at each other for a moment, shook their heads, and then entered the Great Hall, where all thoughts of Draco's and Blaise's weird actions left their thoughts at the first scent of food.
It was the very same moment Colin and Ginny entered the room that Snape had decided to drink his morning coffee. Upon seeing the youngest Weasley however, the coffee was transferred from Snape's mouth onto the face of one Professor Trelawney. All talk at the table stilled, all waiting to see her reaction. Trelawney, shocked by Snape's actions, began to shout out a string of words that would have astounded even the most devoted sailor, and then stormed out of the Great Hall, all in the room watching her exit with amusement. All in all, Snape decided, today would be a great day.
The beloved Golden Trio was entering the Great Hall just as Trelawney was running out. They threw bewildered glances at each other before continuing on toward the Gryffindor table. Coincidently, they sat beside Ginny and Colin, who were deeply animated in a conversation about the Plimpy and the best knot to use on it.
Hermione smiled at Ginny's hair, then sat down to her breakfast. She noticed Harry's confused look as he glanced at Ginny and had to smile once more. Harry shrugged and started to eat, noticing that Ron was already on his second plate. Harry and Hermione both shook their heads. How could one boy eat so much?
"So Harry, when did you finally get to bed last night?" Hermione, worried about her friend's sleeping patterns.
"Err, not too long after you guys went off. I stopped by the kitchens to get a cup of hot chocolate from Dobby." Harry easily lied. Ron nodded, accepting his lie at face value, but Hermione was skeptical. She would have to stop by the kitchens today, and have a talk with Dobby. Plus, she had another sweater for him. After that, conversation was strained. Ron was too focused on his food to notice anything. Harry was feigning a Quidditch debate with Seamus and Dean, all the while watching Ginny. Hermione kept stealing glances at the Head Table, feeling a certain pair of eyes watching over her, hoping to catch whoever it was. Harry's eyes followed Ginny as she left the hall, and quickly excused himself from the table to trail her. Soon after Ron also left, telling Hermione he would catch up with her at lunch, and they could go visit Hagrid. She nodded, hardly hearing what he said. Hermione stayed a while, then realized that morning would be a perfect moment to take a walk around the lake. With that, Hermione left, leaving only the late stragglers to eat their breakfast.
At the Head Table, a certain Potions Professor was pretending not to eye the Gryffindor all morning long.
"Ah, Severus, have you spoken with Miss Granger yet?" Dumbledore asked, a twinkle in his eye.
Snape eyed the Headmaster warily. "And, pray tell, why in Merlin's name would I speak to the Gryffindor know-it-all?" Snape snapped.
"Severus, I am quite sure that you do remember our little discussion before the term started. Am I correct in my assumptions?" Dumbledore asked merrily.
Snape stood up
abruptly, saying as he did, "I will speak to her Headmaster, but
only at your wishes," and with a curt nod billowed out of the Great
Hall.
The Headmaster retreated from the Great Hall, greeting
students and teachers alike as he went. He headed towards his office,
where he would hopefully be able to sit and thoroughly enjoy a
handful of lemon drops. On the way to his office, the Headmaster
encountered a few of Hogwarts' ghosts, a lost owl, and a very put
off cat who ran at the first sight of a lemon drop. Relieved to be at
his office, the Headmaster slumped in his chair, feet fixed lazily
atop his desk as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth and began to
contemplate the new year that was to be at Hogwarts this year.
Things should go much easier thanks to the Dark Lord's demise. This year shall be a year of healing, and a year of ending as the last traces of the Dark Lord are gotten rid of. Hmmm… But on to better things. Like toffee. Who doesn't like toffee? Well, actually quite a few people don't like toffee. Oh well, their loss. And so his thoughts went on as the Headmaster slowly but surely lost his ever loving mind.
While Dumbledore pondered on toffee, Colin and Ginny had made their way to the Room of Requirement in order to start the next phase of her transformation. About the room lay a good portion of her out of school clothes, and one school robe. She was going to be cautious this time; she couldn't have all of her clothes ruined at once if the spell went wrong.
"Okay, are you ready Colin?" Ginny asked before she began the incantation.
Colin sighed. "I'm ready to run you to the Hospital Wing if this goes run, and say a flesh-eating blouse chases you, followed by boots that try to swallow you whole." Ginny couldn't help but to laugh, even if it was nervously. She raised her wand and prepared to begin the spell when a loud 'Yowl!' caught her attention. Turning around, she found Crookshanks bounding toward her, landing on the robes she was about to bespell.
"Crookshanks, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, confused as to how he could get in. He is a cat after all, and part kneazle at that. Crookshanks stare and a softer yowl seemed to confirm her thoughts. She bent down and removed the kneazle from the robes. "I don't mind if you stay and help, but you can't sit on my robe while I work magic on it." Ginny told Hermione's familiar.
The part cat part kneazle looked indignant at having been moved, but said nothing. Ginny got ready to begin once more, already waving her wand when a flash of yellow caught her eye. She looked down at the robe to find Crookshanks on it once more, a pleased look on his face. He gave another loud 'Yowl' as if saying, "You stupid girl. What do you think you're doing? This is a major mistake." Ginny shook her head and removed the familiar once more. She could hear Colin laughing in the background, and momentarily thought about hexing him with the Bat-Bogey Hex. Maybe later she decided as she tried once more to transfigure her robes. Crookshanks gave her a resigned look as if to say: It's not my fault if everything goes wrong. I tried to tell you.
Ginny began to wave her wand once more, and, seeing that she wouldn't be interrupted, began the incantation. "Novo Atra!" Ginny stepped back as not only her robes began to glow, but all of the clothes in the room, including what she and Colin were wearing at the moment. The clothes began to shake, and with a loud 'pop', a bright light flashed before the room was back to normal. Well, almost back to normal. It would have been normal if all of Ginny's clothes had not been transformed into various shades of black with white block lettering that read 'I am not a Nugget!', and the fact that Colin now sported a very bright, lime green mini-skirt with fish-net stockings and a cute black halter top that read 'Punk This' in bold letters. Ginny couldn't help but to laugh aloud when she saw that his shoes and been changed into very sleek pumps and that a quaint silver nose ring accompanied the outfit.
"Ginny." Colin said, bringing Ginny's attention from his shoes to his stern looking face. "I do believe that your spell hit the wrong person." Ginny began to giggle even more, then grabbed Colin's camera off a nearby table and took a snapshot before Colin realized what was happening. He took off after her, only to trip over his on feet thanks to the pumps he was wearing. Ginny was on the floor rolling with laughter. Colin just glared at her, while Crookshanks had a mocking I told you so smirk on his face. Colin sat up enough to retrieve his wand and cringed when he realized that it, alas, had not escaped the misfortune of the spell. It now displayed 'Punk This' along its length, flashing in and out. He groaned, then cast 'Finite Incantrum'. To his chagrin, it didn't work, sending Ginny into another fit of laughter. Colin just glared, and then lunged at her, finding it much easier to crawl than walk.
Crookshanks left the two rolling on the floor, and proceeded to find his mistress, hoping that she would heed his warnings but knowing well enough that she wouldn't. It was going to be a very long night.
Author's Note: Hey, hey everyone. Thanks for the reviews and all the hits. Sorry this chapter took so long, but I really enjoyed writing it.
Okay, so I didn't quite get to the detention scene with Hermione, but I just thought this was a perfect ending in this chapter. Coming up is Hermione's detention (finally), Ron's mysterious obsession with a certain painting, and Ginny's new adventure with the awful American Transformation Book. Keep reading and enjoy! R&R.
Thanks to my great beta, chellelovesfic!