IX—The Detention, the Dance and the Lonely Wish

Valentine's Day had arrived. Gwen and Ginny sulked all day until the time for their detention had come. Harry felt bad for acting on his emotions and banning them from the first part of the dance, the part that most girls think is the most exciting where they enter, all dolled up, giddy with excitement, fawning over themselves and the boys and gossiping over who looks best individually and as a couple. Both of the girls were dateless because Gwen had been counting on Harry to ask her and Ginny would go with nobody but him, they had somewhat received their wish.

They were in his classroom right after dinner, cleaning chalk brushes and boards, wiping desks, and organizing the fallback pillows all without the help of their wands.

Harry supervised from his office simultaneously organizing the next week's classes. He was just perfecting a defense hex, which he would be teaching to the seventh years on Tuesday when Gwen and Ginny came to the door.

"Professor, we're finished."

"Then sit at a desk until I tell you that you can leave."

"No wonder he's good at detentions, he's gotten enough from Snape in his lifetime," Ginny muttered.

"Pardon me, Ginny. I couldn't quite hear you. Was that an extra hour you both want?" He added indignantly.

They groaned and sat down at the desk. Harry kept the door open so that he could hear if they were chatting. He supposed he should give them lines but then he wondered what he would give lines about, 'I shall not fight over Harry Potter,' or 'If Harry Potter wants to go to the Valentine's Day Dance alone, I should let him.'

When he had perfected the charm he told the girls that they could go to the Dance, "However, I suggest you change first."

The girls simultaneously hesitated and then glared at each other as if they both had the same thing in mind, asking Harry, once again, to the dance. When Professor Potter suggested that they sit longer at their desks, they both stood and hurried out of the classroom.

Harry watched them go, then went back into his office and changed for the dance. He was going to meet Ron and Hermione in fifteen minutes.

When he arrived, looking quite handsome in his long tailed dress robes, Ron looked giddy with excitement. He had enjoyed (for the first time) dancing, because it was with Hermione, who looked equally as excited as her date. She privately thanked Harry for keeping Ginny and Gwen as long as he had because without that time, she would have been stuck sitting on the sidelines settling the war between the dateless.

Harry was looking around the Great Hall, decorated with flying cherubs and hearts and suddenly he understood; Ron and Hermione had been shot with an arrow each. He vowed to try to steer away from the tiny angels.

Just then, the girls came down the steps, Ginny's red hair, loosely pinned up with rhinestone bobby pins, she wore a flowing, forest green gown. Gwen had not done much more with her hair than she normally would have, short in the back and long in the front, she swept her bangs aside with more class than usual and tipped each spike in the back with silver sparkles. She wore a red evening gown. Though they were beautiful, he tried to pay them no attention. Which wasn't hard, they swept passed him as if he wasn't even there.

Harry stayed for one song, which was slow. He watched couples grace the dance floor. He saw Ron and Hermione closer than he ever thought two people could be. He saw Ginny on the sidelines seeing him. For one moment, he thought one dance would not hurt, and then, thinking otherwise, he left.

Gwen found him unintentionally. She had left the dance in search of Ron and Hermione on Ginny's request. It seemed the two were getting along again. Harry was having a quiet moment on a terrace two floors above the Great Hall.

"Harry?" she whispered. The moment seemed to call for silence, as if normal speech would startle him as it would a deer.

He turned with his hands still on the stone rail. He looked so incredibly adult. He said nothing before turning back to view the castle grounds. Down below the terrace was the entrance, some students milled around the doors, laughing and talking. Further, following the path was the metal gate, which had closed the moment the carriages carried the students inside the grounds and had not opened for a student since then.

Gwen swallowed, "I'm really sorry for the way I've acted."

Harry accepted her apology adding with a grin that seemed to emit more pain than happiness, "You just didn't understand that's all."

"I could try to understand, if you'd let me."

Harry paused for a moment, thinking through his words. He felt now that he could trust Gwen more than he could in their first week of school, but he needed the trust of a friend, not that of somebody wanting to be a lover. In his opinion, that space was reserved for one person only and he had hurt her more than he had intended to.

"Hermione told you the story of Lord Voldemort, but she left out many details. What she told you is what the average person knows. She did not go into any more detail because it is far too painful. I am in more danger than anybody realizes. People have died, Gwen, too many people very close to me have died just because I cared about them too much."

Gwen was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "I would be willing to die for you if that meant I could first be close to you."

Harry scoffed, "This is no joke!"

"I'm not laughing am I? I love you, Harry Potter. I'm sorry if I sound stupid or if I'm making a total fool of myself, but I can't help it, that's what happens when your in love. When you're around I'm as happy as I am at home and when you're not around, the castle seems cold and dark and foreign. I would like not loving you because that would mean that I no longer have to compare myself to Ginny but I can't help it, I just can't!" Before he knew it, she was crying and he was reminded of not-too-fond memories of his first kiss with Cho.

He did not handle situations like this very well. He felt sorry that she loved him, but felt there was nothing he could do about it. He awkwardly pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back trying, in vain, to settle her. She sniffled and pulled away trying to hide her face, which was almost as bright as her dress. She left quickly without another word.

Harry stayed for a while, thinking over what she had just told him and what Ron had warned him, "She definitely has it hard," he sighed aloud. Looking toward the sky, shining with constellations and random stars splattered onto a deep canvas and though he was not a superstitious person, and if he were he would have known that wish making is reserved for the first star of the night, but he dove deep inside of him and wished with all his might anyway.

I dunno… this chapter makes me sad… lol thanks to all those who commented, your names will be mentioned next chapter! sweet eh? btw, I'm not intending for Gwen to be such a rude, angry character, but i guess it's hard to like a made up character when she interferes with relationships eh? I had planned to wait a couple more days (or at least until tomorrow) to update but I've been getting uber reviews on the last chapter so I decided being over enthusiastic never hurts! lol thanks!