VII—Mystery Revealed

As the weeks progressed, Harry began focusing more on the class he taught than on his other courses. Hermione continually pressed him to excel but his excuse was that if he did not find new material for the class he taught, everybody in Hogwarts would fail a class as opposed to him failing three of his classes. He did not mind too much anyway, "After all, who needs potions," he quipped.

Ron and Hermione began noticing a change in Harry. Halloween came and went, Christmas was fast approaching and he never lost his enthusiasm.

"You know, this reminds me of the time when Umbridge was here, and you had Dumbledore's Army to think about. You're really excited about being a teacher," Hermione said.

"I'd say he's too excited. Harry, can you let up on the homework? You're killing me!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry laughed, "It'll do you good in the end!"

Ron's face turned green, "I hope you don't mean the end!"

Despite his happiness, Harry still had his moments. He frequently found it difficult to do his homework in the common room. There were too many distractions. Students asking for favours, which he promptly turned down, then they would ask him for help on homework. Gryffindor students felt as if they had their own private Defense tutor living in their dorm. All the girls attempting to make conversation with Harry would crowd Ron, Hermione and himself at their table while they tried to study. Gwen was the worst, always laughing at every small thing he said, trying to bring up Dark Arts Defense into every conversation he took part of, just because he was the teacher. What bothered him was that none of these girls knew anything about him other than he was the boy who lived. He found that the only place to escape all of the unwanted attention was his office. He locked himself in there every night after the fifth years left with a small fire crackling in the hearth he studied. Sometimes Ron and Hermione would accompany him, but this night, he was alone.

He was frustrated because now that he had found a place to study and work out the next day's class, he could not concentrate. The image of a particular sixth year girl kept floating into his mind, as seemed to be the case more often than not.

There was a knock on the door. He invited the person in, unlocking the door with his wand.

His breath was taken away the instant he saw her face. He stood and slowly walked around his desk. Regaining his senses, he found that he was angry.

"What are you doing here?"

"Harry, I couldn't stay at home knowing that you and Ron and Hermione are here!"

"You're her. You're that blonde girl in the back of the sixth year class!" He exclaimed heatedly.

Ginny looked upon him cocking her head to the side slightly, warning him not to be angry with her but knowing that he was only angry because he cared. "Do you want to hear an explanation or do you want to keep yelling at me?"

Harry calmed his temper and sighed, "I want to hear an explanation."

She smiled. His heart melted but he stayed in control. "Like I said, I couldn't bear the thought of you and Ron being here without me. I did the stupidest thing I could have possibly thought of doing at a time like this and I ran away. I've contacted my parents and they know I'm OK, but they don't know where I am and I would sort of like it to stay that way. You can't tell Ron—"

"What do you mean I can't tell Ron? If Mr. and Mrs. Weasley contact him all worried sick about you, they are going to ask him to go back to the burrow and he will, you know he will, Ginny. He'll be worried sick about you too."

She inhaled deeply, thinking through her situation. She paced the office.

"Why did you do this?" Harry asked his voice sounded small and desperate. Ginny turned around to him and he knew the question in her eyes. "No," was his answer.

"Why not?" she cried, "you can't ignore this!"

"I can, and I will. I have to." He turned away from her, his irises reflecting the dancing flames of the fire. It hurt him so much to hurt her but he had not the choice. His voice was a pained whisper, "I thought you understood. I thought I could keep you safe."

"I do understand, Harry. I really do. But I care about you too much to let you go so easily. Besides, it's not your responsibility to keep me safe."

They stood in silence for a while. Harry wanted to comfort her, to take her in his arms and kiss away her tears but he had a duty to fulfill. He wanted to tell her that when it was all over he hoped she would be waiting for him, but he kept thinking that it would not end. Instead, he asked in a tortured voice, "Why did you hide yourself from me?" For the pain of knowing she did not want to be known hurt him more than she could ever understand.

She bowed her head ashamedly, "Because I was afraid."

Confused he replied almost scathingly, "You were afraid of me knowing who you are, but you're not afraid of Voldemort using you to get to me? You are afraid of your hair colour but not of torture and death? I don't understand."

She grinned slightly at his comment and weakly replied, "Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I've been silly these past few months haven't I?"

"Yes you have. Now, let's go back to the common room and you can show yourself to Ron. I don't think your parents will do anything about you leaving now that you're here. After all, you're here with me, your professor."

Ginny laughed, "You make it sound so dirty!"

Harry only shook his head laughing and led her out of the classroom. "So, how'd you get your hair like that?"

"Oh, Fred and George have a special dye, you wash your hair with it and it never runs or fades until you say the code on the back of the box and touch your wand too your head making it disappear. I don't think I'll use it again though," she said.

"Why not?" Harry asked. He thought she looked pretty with light hair.

"Because, when it's in your hair it attracts the most gruesome bugs. I'll have to tell them about that, but I suppose they already know and that's part of the joke."

Harry smiled and asked, "Did they know of your intentions?"

"Know? Are you kidding, they suggested it!"

"What about that Wensley bit?" Harry asked, "Did you think of that all by yourself?"

Ginny grinned, "I had to think of something on the spot because I never expected you to ask me."

Ron was none too pleased to find his sister had been sneaking around Hogwarts behind his back. He only shook his head when he found out that she had changed her hair colour to hide herself, "Ashamed to be a Weasley eh? Well I suppose you wouldn't be the first."

His words, and his insinuation about her following in the footsteps of their over ambitious older brother Percy, cut her but she knew he did not mean them. After a bat-bogey hex and a very heartfelt apology from both parties, they were as they had been before and together they sent an owl to the burrow with Ron's signature telling their parents the story.

"You know you're going to get a Howler for this," Ron told her.

Ginny sighed, "I don't care. It's just so great to be back."

OK, not so many more comments but the favs and alerts make me happy too lol yeah, this chapter probably wasn't all that much of a surprise considering what a Harry/Ginny shipper I am and I left that little hint last chapter which was a bit obvious. Well I hope you liked it! Review please!