I know nobody liked it when i tried to write dialogue so heres a whole half chapter without a single person talking. Idk if its better or worse tbh.
Chapter Four: Bad Luck
Harry was not having a good time wandering the halls of Hogwarts.
He'd left the Common Room almost immediately after his conversation with Fred and George, not wanting to risk keeping the profane box on his person any longer than necessary. The troubles occupying his mind didn't lighten as he made his way into the depths of the castle. He was heading to the oldest standing parts of the building, the few remaining stone structures that had escaped the Great Fire of 1450 due to their location deep underground.
He slipped through a gaggle of third years unnoticed, his magic shielding him from their eyes as they made their way back from class. He watched them go, pausing in his stride for a moment. As they chattered happily down the hallowed halls of Hogwarts Castle, Harry felt a strange desperation come over him. He resumed his walk, not wanting to waste anymore time.
He fled into his mind, letting his unconscious self take over as they made their way towards the Old Vaults. He analyzed the dearth of information he had come into. One unfortunate event was something to be expected, two a coincidence, and three just back luck. Still, he'd been immersed in magic too long to merely discard the possibility. Something indeed was off.
His hands moved idly, tracing little shapes in the air as he stalked the halls invisible. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Was it really possible that someone had lain a curse on the Weasleys? He shook his head at the ridiculousness of the thought. Arthur Weasley had been a good man, but not a particularly important man. He'd given his life in Dumbledore's service, and his sacrifice had definitely made him some serious posthumous enemies...
But still, it didn't make a bit of sense. Harry racked his brain for anything he might have missed; a foreign magic sticking to them, any discrepancies in their behaviour, anything that might have helped him understand. A curse that effected the entire family by moving the strings of fate, but remained completely undetectable. There were certain potions that had a similar effect, notably the Felix Felicis that Slughorn had been addicted to, but any spells or foreign magic should have clearly stood out.
Was it possible it was all just the world's misfortune? His fist clenched around his wand as he tapped a seemingly random part of the hallway. As a small hole began to grow near the bottom, Harry bent down on his hands and squeezed into the newly made tunnel. He remembered it being a more comfortable fit last hear, but he easily squeezed in regardless. As he began crawl, he once more thought of the possibility that there was really nothing behind it all.
His breath felt hot as he exhaled, he hoped that wasn't the case. Last year had been a living nightmare. At the very end, when it had come down to it, Harry had trudged through a river of blood to put a stop to the Resurrection. The dark forces had been sent scattering, the ritual they'd nurtured for so long coming to a bitter end. He'd bought them years, decades even maybe, to prepare.
He sped up as the saw a pinprick of light in the distance, not wanting to spend a moment longer in the claustrophobic tunnel. This year was supposed to have given him time to step back and take a breather. Get out of the Hogwarts bubble and explore. Find out the truth about what had really happened that fateful night, start to rely on himself and travel, track down some old leads... He really hoped that it wouldn't end as 'Harry Potter & the Curse of the Weasleys'.
He emerged out of the other end after what felt like an eternity. Dusting himself off, he wondered whether the journey all the way down here had been worth it. He eyed the pipe he'd just crawled through with distaste. According to Fred and George, centuries ago it had once served as a latrine drain. Now it was the only way to get down to the charred and broken labyrinth that had once served as the entrance to Hogwarts' dungeons. All the other passages leading down here had either collapsed or been purposefully blocked off.
He gently ran his thumb over the near invisible etching of a snake that hung directly above the pipe. He snorted, latrine pipe his ass, there was a reason no magic was possible in or around the confines of the tunnel. A reason that no headmaster had ever been able to seal the hole. The founders had erred greatly when they'd left the plumbing entirely to Salazar. Only a Slytherin could have turned a punishment into a triumph.
The maze wasn't nearly as daunting as it looked, Harry thought as he made his way through. The first time he'd been down here, digging through the ruins with Ron and Hermione for the mythical Chamber of Secrets, he'd nearly soiled his pants. Now he knew that all one had to do to avoid getting lost was keep their hand firmly on the left wall as they entered. There were only two real remaining exits from the maze, and one led under the Black lake.
He had debated just destroying the box of dark sorceries in his pocket. He hadn't bothered with the rest of the scrolls, but if they were anything like the rest of what Fred and George had shown him, he was better off without them. He resisted the urge to take a peak at the unseen material, consoling himself that as someone well down the path of becoming a magus, magical instruments of this nature could only work against him.
He paused his ramblings as he came to what appeared to be a dead end. Harry blinked, surprised by the tension in the air. His mystic eyes came alive as a stray thought crossed his mind.
He nearly cursed out loud. All around him the leylines of magic burned, coalescing neatly into a spiral at the centre of the offending wall. Harry's head darted around as he took in the scene before him. His eyes had not nearly been this strong the last time he'd been down here, but he'd not expected anything close to this world of difference. Where before there had only been slight trails and ghostly afterimages, there now lay white-hot burning lines of fire that permeated the stone. As he brought his face closer to one of the burning streaks, he noticed the small black lettering running throughout each line.
Harry moved away slowly from the wall, letting the magic fade from his eyes. His hands shook as he realized it had not been his mystic eyes that had let him see the trails in the first place. No, these signs had been lain specifically for those with Slytherin's own blood. The man's egomania never failed to amaze him. This deep below the castle, Harry knew he had found the focal point of Slytherin's magic, etched deep underground. He turned to the invisible lines that ran down the hallway unseen and into the castle.
Down here they were concentrated and easy to see, the ancient halls making the old magic more potent, but Harry could easily imagine a young Tom Ridde, following trail after trail into the walls above. Until he eventually made his way down here, red eyes burning.
Harry decided not to think anymore on the matter, given the troubles he already had to deal with. He tapped his wand against his forefinger, watching as a small drop of blood formed at the tip. When it grew to a sufficient size, Harry touched the bloody finger against the centre of the wall, where moments ago he'd seen a burning spiral of magic.
The bricks began to churn, moving inwards as a passage began to open up. A powerful sealing technique bound in blood, even Dumbledore couldn't have dispelled such magic, Harry idly noted.
He resisted the urge to burn the box and be done with it once more. As he delved down to the Chamber of Secrets, Harry couldn't help but notice how quaint it felt to be putting dark and strange magic *into* Salazar's hoard for once.
As he stepped back through the blood-sealed door, Harry took care to apply an extra powerful notice-me-not charm to the bag newly slung over his shoulder. It was insufficient, he thought with annoyance. Conjured objects like the bag weren't great receptacles for charms, their inherently magic nature cancelling out the magic of the charm. It was one of the many reasons that heavy, physical objects were usually used in enchantments meant to last years.
Still, it had been better than the alternative. He'd have been an idiot to try and cast the charms directly onto Slytherin's old tomes, or to have tried and shrunk them. He refused to acknowledge the bag as he walked back to the castle, his pace picking up a bit. He hadn't intended to take a look at Salazar's library, but his newfound clarity had led him to some interesting discoveries within the chamber. He'd noticed them entirely by accident, as he'd run his eyes eyes over the intensely magical space.
Tucked away under the rubble, in between odd places throughout the massive chamber, Harry had found a total of some six hidden nooks and crannies. Each little space had been meticulously locked shut with the Slytherin blood seal. Harry's eyes narrowed, his unconscious mind taking over as he withdrew to examine the memory in greater detail. He'd taken care to notice the lack of significant rot or decay. There had been dust, but nothing resembling the millennia old degradation that permeated the entire chamber.
No, these had been hidden far more recently. He hadn't stopped to inspect the odd pile of books, parchment and scrolls in detail, but he had noticed the peculiar cipher that seemed consistent throughout most of the texts. None of them bore any titles either.
An intense headache throbbed in the background.
His mind magic began to subside as Harry returned to the waking world. He rubbed the tiredness from his eyes, the use of legilimency to review one's memories was one of the useful benefits of learning mind magic, but that didn't mean that it wasn't incredibly taxing. He was definitely handling it better though. Last year the thought of casually using legilimency while stalking the deep dungeons would have struck him as senselessly careless.
He stifled a yawn as he exited the labyrinth and walked towards the pipe that led back up to the upper castle. He adjusted his bag as he knelt, hands grasping the sides of the tunnel.
And immediately froze.
The foreign magic stunk in the air, sending goosebumps down his skin. He'd have missed it were it not for the untarnished nature of the ancient space, and had he not have just come through the hole himself. His mystic eyes burned into action on instinct, emerald light flooding the small dark space. His pupils moved frantically about the entrance as he tried to understand what lay before him. He stood up in an instant, his eyes scanning the entrance to the labyrinth.
Whoever it was, they'd crawled through the hole recently. Very recently in fact, they'd come after him. He'd seen the clear impressions of warming charms and invisibility spells lingering in the tunnel. Whoever it was, they were still deep in the labyrinth.
Harry made sure to double check his own invisibility charms, casting a few additional spells to muffle sound and cancel out his odour. He wondered who the mysterious intruder was as he crept back into the maze.
Making sure the hallway was clear, Harry brought his mystic eyes to life, blasting the room with emerald light for a single moment. He began to walk as soon as the magic subsided, the signs of sloppy charm work already marked in his mind. He followed the signs, stopping periodically when he knew it was safe to activate his eyes.
As he went deeper and deeper down the seemingly endless halls, a knot began to form in Harry's stomach. Only a few people knew about this maze, and fewer still would dare to go so deep. They'd passed the exit to the Chamber of Secrets a while back. An old memory of an impossible map able to trace out any and all paths in Hogwarts flashed in his mind.
He grinned, another benefit of legilimency. No matter how far into the depths he pursued the stranger, he'd know exactly where they were.
Deeper and deeper he went. Harry's curiosity had transformed into an intense worry as he passed the half hour mark. He knew from his memories, preserved in perfect clarity thanks to his mind magic, that the maze went on for quite a while. When he'd come down here with Ron and Hermione, they'd been the first to enter after the Heir of Slytherin had just activated the protections that lay on the path to the Chamber. They'd never even thought to journey down this far.
It was a difficult task; using his mystic eyes in careful bursts (lest he give away his position), while he stalked an invisible intruder's afterimages through a pitch black maze, only the years old memory of a map the twin's had once shown him acting as a guide. It was genuinely a test that stretched the limits of Harry's magic, and the simultaneous use of legilimency and mystic eyes wasn't at all easy.
A half hour stretched on into an hour, every moment of the chase dragging on as Harry bit into his reserves. A strange sense of determination had begun to creep in.
The pain in his eyes and the strain on his unconscious mind didn't detract at all from his tactical ability. He'd quickly estimated early on that he'd only spent about an hour in the chamber. The traces of magic he'd seen lining the tunnel couldn't have been more than twenty minutes old when he had found them. Thus, whoever he was after couldn't have had more than a thirty minute head start on him. As the time stretched on and on, his mystic eyes had gathered enough data for him to have gained an idea of the intruder's pace as they'd stalked the empty maze. It hadn't been too hard with the memory of the map burning in his mind, the distance between every little wall clear to see.
A separate part of his mind, cut off from the rest through a clever use of occlumency, 'dinged' in his mind. Harry sped up his pace once more, going precisely a quarter meter a second faster.
As he'd pursued his prey, he'd calculated their speed down to a tee. Distances, velocities and the map flashing in his mind as the little mental computer generated out a plan of action. Every few seconds, it would send a little ding to the part of Harry's mind that controlled his legs, tuning their speed to match the precisely calculated value. He tracked their positions on the map, narrowing the possible outcomes at every turn.
He couldn't stop the wild smile from breaking out on his face, and invisible as he was he didn't particularly care. This was the true power of a magus! Able to instantly find themselves in a dangerous situation and stack the entire deck in their favour as the planned the point of confrontation. Harry hadn't started this fight, but he was sure as hell going to finish it. His blood pumping madly in his veins, he felt the metal 'ding' again and sped up once more.
He knew where they were going, where both of them were going. They'd already passed all the exits behind them, and the image of the map in his mind was an of an impossible artifact incapable of lying. Only dead ends and collapsed passages awaited ahead. He silenced a silly giggle that nearly threatened to spill from his lips. He wasn't far now at all.
The sweat on his forehead had drenched his hair, and his clothes stuck to his skin as he picked up speed again. Their path had narrowed down spectacularly. Only four possible ends lay before them, a total of some eighteen permutations that could lead them there. By now exactly 97 minutes had passed since he'd begun the chase, covering a total distance of more than eight kilometres. The target had kept a constant pace throughout the journey, and had had adjusted his speed precisely to make up the distance.
Every moment his mystic eyes further narrowed the possible paths. Soon, he came to a crossroads.
He felt his heart race as he burnt his eyes emerald and saw just what he had been looking for, a small footstep going to the right. All the occlumency in the world couldn't have stopped the immense waves of accomplishment rolling off him. He felt giddy. Abruptly his mind magic broke to a halt, the clever computation machines fading away, while soothing relief poured into his eyes as he turned away from the last footstep of magic he'd seen. Only the memory remained.
He smiled as he looked into the dark of the left wouldn't need his mystic eyes for this. He broke into a run, the image of the map ever burning in his head. He revelled in his own power as he ran, his feet turning into large plumes of smoke that flew him across the floor. The wind churned in his air as he let out a single laugh he'd been desperately holding back. The invader had made a mistake. They'd not known that both paths from crossroads terminated at the same dead end.
Not only that, but with his speed, Harry would reach the collapsed old exit before the intruder would at their current pace. He'd focused on narrowing the head start for this express purpose, to get ahead of them with a burst of speed near the end.
Magic burst through his wand like a flood through an inadequate dam, bright grey light reaching out to the vortex at his feet at he propelled himself to overtake his prey. He truly couldn't stop the near delirious feelings of pride that threatened to burst in his chest.
He'd found someone stalking the dungeons, then managed to discern their destination and make it there before them without ever having laid eyes on them. He'd utterly wiped away the intruder's advantage.
He came bursting through a decrepit doorway to find the ceiling broken away beneath his feet. Without skipping a beat, Harry wrought the magic as he fell, the tornado chipping away at the air. He landed in the open room with a large displacement of air, sending dust flying throughout the antechamber. With a note of annoyance, Harry manipulated the air to churn around him as he waited for the dust to settle.
His breathing was strained, the complex and consistent use of magic having gradually taken its toll. Finally ahead of his foe, he allowed his mind to truly relax for the first time since he'd begun the chase.
The dust formed a fog around him as it settled, but Harry didn't mind. He had a good ten minutes before the intruder arrived to meet him down here. There were a total of three possible paths he could come through, with two that dropped down from above. Harry briefly looked around the room with his mystic eyes. He'd seen it on the map, but that was different from actually laying his eyes on it.
The design seemed odd, even for the depths of the castle. It barely resembled the rest of the cobblestone and brickwork architecture that dominated the deep maze, looking more similar to a strange mishmash of the Interior Ministry and the Astronomy Tower. The room was entirely devoid of magic and Harry couldn't have found a single mark of life even if his own had depended on it. Whatever this place was it had clearly been important in it's heyday, given from the number of exits that led down here.
As he cast several alert charms and a bounded field to warm him of the intruder's proximity, Harry wondered why few of the many exits that led down to the pit had stairs to get back up. Maybe people were supposed to fall down and make their way from the passages on the ground floor? He eyed the scarce few doors around him, most of the exits on the ground floor had long caved in. He absently wondered where they had once led to, the map only including the working pathways.
When the bounded field had expanded a large enough area, Harry cancelled the spell and let the charm hang in the air. If anyone came within three hundred meters of his location, he would know. Sure someone could dispel it with a simple finite, but then he'd know that it was gone and that was kind of the point.
Just in case there was going to be a fight, Harry drew out a few arrays in the thick dust, tapping his wand to each as he finished. If things decided to get ugly, Harry had tricks waiting up his sleeve. He drew as many explosive arrays as he thought sensible, before adding a few more just to be on the safe side. The map in his mind was a huge advantage, if it really came to it Harry could have selectively caved in the walls as he fought a tactical retreat, sealing them behind him as he trapped his-
He abruptly blinked, realizing the nature of his thoughts. He stepped back as he blended into the darkness, chiding himself for having such silly thoughts this deep underground. His muscles felt tense as he began the wait, every pore ready to burst open with magic at the slightest hint of disturbance.
It would be any moment now that his prey would enter the bounded field, and then Harry would pounce.
But the minute stretched on.
And turned into five.
That turned into half an hour.
Deep down all alone in this ancient place, even his sense of time felt distorted. He had never experienced such a silent dark as he waited.
Harry's lips felt exceptionally dry as he checked the map for nth time in his head. It didn't take a genius to realize that he had been stood up. Somewhere along the line, he had broken from a calculated plan into a madman's blind charge.
The image of the map dominated his every thought. It was an impossible magical artifact, incapable of telling a lie. Hermione had even thought that the Marauder's Map was linked directly to the root of Hogwarts itself, a psychic manifestation of castle made real.
But then, how had the mysterious invader vanished on what the map said was a straight road right down to him?
With a sigh he stood up, his patience at an end. He had clearly miscalculated. Or maybe whoever it was had just decided to turn back. He snorted in the dark as he stretched his weary muscles, it had been real stupid of him to just blindly-
His thoughts came to a halt in an instant.
He didn't move, even his heart refused to beat.
His hand slowly moved to his naked back as panic flooded into his mind.
The hour was late by the time Harry made his way back to the surface. He'd emerged from the ancient latrine pipe covered in muck, grime and copious amounts of dust.
He spared the exit a look with his mystic eyes, but as expected he found no trace of the mysterious intruder's magic. Here, in the upper echelons of the castle, magic flowed through the halls like water. Any traces left by a stalking student would have been easily washed away, a stark contrast to the silent and dead dungeons below.
He tried not to notice the absence of the bag on his shoulders as he headed for the showers and the dorm. He made liberal use of his occlumency, doing his best not to react to his profound mistake. Here he was, trying his hardest to make Hogwarts' safe for his loved ones before he had to leave. Instead he'd inadvertently released terrible dark magic in the dungeons below, knowing that there was someone else creeping about the same path.
The filth caked under his nails was a testament to the hours he'd spend searching, all to no avail. Even with all the mind magic in the world he couldn't keep the anxiety from leaking into his conscious mind. He of all people knew that such actions did not go unnoticed. Through his carelessness he had let loose a powerful evil into the castle. Somewhere out there, the strings of fate were weaving into a terror of his making. There had been too many strange coincidences of late that didn't add up. And now, he had just thrown potent dark magic into the mix.
He resolved to go back down to the deep dungeons and search the area again at first light. Yet for some strange reason, he doubted that he would ever see those books again.
The silence of the castle felt good on his ears. Compared to the impossible quiet of the deepest parts of the maze below, this was practically a racket. He tried his best to enjoy the walk back to the dorms, appreciating how the pale moonlight cast the castle a deep blue in the midnight. There was a certain life that permeated the moonlit halls of Hogwarts that had been completely absent from the deep dungeon below.
He felt relieved that it was still up here, he'd half expected to emerge into a decrepit castle under a starless sky.
He reached the Common Room before he knew it. It wasn't long before he'd stripped and gotten under the hot water.
The lost bag kept popping into his mind as he scrubbed his browned skin clean. His occlumency kept failing, buckling under the pressure of his own anxieties and regret. The image of himself, zeroing in on a stranger as they both traversed the impossible dark of the depths of Hogwarts, kept haunting him. He'd flown through the ancient halls, maybe the first to set foot in them in centuries, like a madman possessed with murder in his eyes.
He tried to scrub the image away along with the rest of the muck from down there. He kept telling himself that he should have known better. Using his magic in such a way was temping fate.
Harry gulped, feeling an invisible noose tighten around his neck.
He finished his shower and began to dry himself off, having taken his time to thoroughly scrub away all the grime and sweat.
He appraised the door to the changing room carefully, before shrugging and stepping through. This late at night there was no one around to see him. With only a towel wrapped around his waist, Harry took stock of himself in the mirror for the first time in a while.
His eyes widened as he blinked repeatedly, suddenly understanding why everyone kept commenting on his tan. Apart from the scars he concealed under his robes everyday, not a speck of his previous complexion remained on his skin. He ran his fingers over the healing wound in his thigh, where Dumbledore had nearly chopped him in half. The skin that slowly grew there seemed to be even darker than the surrounding area.
He stepped closer to the mirror, his hands running through his hair as he closely inspected his once jet black locks. With his skin this different, he'd expected his hair to have begun changing as well. But even as the Moon Princess' words rang in his ears, he only found a cursory amount of stray white hairs in the ocean of black.
Breaking away from the mirror, Harry began to dress himself. He'd decided on a casual robe. He doubted that he'd manage to catch any sleep tonight. There were questions he wanted answered, things that would bother him all night if he tried to rest right now.
With his shirt unbuttoned Harry spared the mirror one last glance. Leaning back, he decided to flex on a whim, watching with more than a little interest as the powerful muscles contorted and grew. His biceps had grown surprisingly big, but it was his abs that gave him the most pause. Even peppered in rough, uneven scars as they were, Harry couldn't help but notice that he looked pretty damn good.
With a little sadness, he realized that he looked far too good for a fifteen year old boy who'd been underfed for most of his life. He didn't care to linger on those thoughts, and hurried to button his shirt.
Even at this time of night, the Common Room had its faithful. A small group of first years occupied the prime seats by the hearth, ones that they'd never be able to grab during the day. A few pseudo-Ravenclaws worked away in the corners, unaware or uncaring of the hour. Harry spied Neville, settled into a plush armchair as he shuffled through a leaflet of parchment. Harry hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate him on his shiny new badge, but the it was too late to do so right now.
Besides, he thought as he left the common room, he had more important things to do.
He felt a bit of unease going back down the way he had come through only an hour ago. As he reached the fork in the crossroads between the Hufflepuff Dungeons and the deep maze below, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Even at this time of night the walls that led to the Hufflepuff Basement were warm and cozy.
Harry had stopped using the lumos spell a long time ago, instead relying on the nightvison of his inactive mystic eyes, but he still recognized the little pinprick of light far down the tunnel. Without missing a step, he cast a series of invisibility charms. Harry marvelled at how fast the spells wove into action. The standard cloaking charms all relied on a desire not to be seen and noticed, so Harry's intent had never been lacking. But still, it was exciting to see his immense improvement in action.
As the light grew closer, Harry recognized the wizard holding the wand. Justin Finch-Fletchley, right outside his own Common Room, seemed as out of place as Harry had in the depths below the castle. He reached with with his legilimency, innocently curious about what the skittish boy was up to. With his spells hiding him from Justin's eyes the legilimency probe was even more potent; normally with a passing glance all he could extract were surface thoughts.
He winced as he received the memories, pausing for a moment to watch Justin head back slowly towards his Common Room and to bed. It turned out that Justin had been coming back from Harry's current destination, a particularly guilty conscience having kept him up till the late hour. He shook his head at Justin's foolishness. He really ought to feel guilty, poor Hannah hadn't even been able to sit down properly the next day.
'Well, at least he came to confess', Harry thought as he bent down to unseal the door to Saint Helena's Chapel. He cancelled the spells concealing his form as the tiny cross burnt into the stone.
As Harry entered the sanctum for the second time since his return, he was surprised at how different it just was. Soft orchestral music beamed down from an infinitely high ceiling, a chorus that Harry knew no human tongue could ever weave. Far more lit candles littered the cathedral. Though the endless pews remained just as empty save for a single woman seated by the altar. Even from the entrance, Harry could make out her hands clasped in prayer, and her church attire.
It may not have been the specific maiden he was searching for, but as Harry approached the other end of the room he decided that Ginny Weasley and Deborah Baker had a similar sort of look as they prayed.
With his footsteps echoing through the near empty church, Harry cursed his luck for having come during a confession. Randomly scheduled and revealed only upon request, Hogwarts' confessionals were something that Harry tried his best to stay away from.
As he neared the altar, Deborah's voice rang out ahead of him, her eyes and hands unmoving, "I had not thought to see you here tonight Harry Potter. Have you come to confess your sins to the Lord?"
He raised an eyebrow and wondered how she had known it was him. He had felt no magic in the air, but miracles were beyond his sensory capabilities. He took a seat in the pew a row behind her.
"I'm sorry Sister Deborah," he answered with a smile, "I actually came looking for Ginny. She wasn't in the Common Room and..."
This close he was able to take a better look at her. He regretted his thought about comparing her to Ginny. Deborah had a slightly homely look about her that had more in common with Molly Weasley. As seventh-year who'd earned her robes when she'd given her theology OWL, Deborah was as typical of a maiden of the church as they came.
She unclasped her hands and turned her head towards him, "Did tonight's confession catch you unaware then?"
Harry nodded, wishing she'd get to the point and just tell him where Ginny was already.
Deborah seemed to appraise him carefully, "The hour is late to be seeking the company of a young lady. Pray tell what do you require of Sister Ginny?"
Last year, Harry would have told her it was none of her business and gone looking for Ginny himself. He prided himself on his growth as he replied, "She had an exorcism today, down in the Shrieking Shack. She wasn't in the Common Room so I thought she'd be praying down here. Just wanted to make sure everything went okay".
Try as he might, he couldn't fully stop his distaste for her from leaking through, and he didn't doubt that she had noticed.
Still, she seemed outwardly pleased by his answer, "I am glad that Sister Ginny has friends that care about her so. She is very talented indeed".
Harry rose an eyebrow at that, but didn't interrupt as she continued, "It strikes me odd, however, that you should find yourself here at the time of confession. With Sister Ginny nowhere near".
Harry leaned forward, "What do you mean? She isn't down here?"
Deborah shook her head, "She and Father Snape left for the shack this morning, but have not yet returned. We were told to expect them to return late but I had not thought that Father would have missed the confession".
Harry felt a weight plop down in his stomach. Snape and Ginny were still at the shack? His head felt lightheaded. With all the unfortunate events taking place recently, he couldn't help but feel that this was somehow connected. His day had gone from bad to worse to outright terrible, and he'd been hoping to end it on a pleasant note.
His wand grew warm in his pocket as he spoke, "Are they both still at the shack? Any idea how far in they planned to go?"
Deborah seemed surprised by the question, "I'm afraid not Harry. Have no fear though, the Lord illuminates their path. I am sure they will return soon".
Harry didn't care for her answer, "Yeah, but any idea how soon?"
He was seriously debating going down to the shack himself if Deborah continued to drive him crazy.
Her voice was hard to hear in the silence of the chapel, "This would have been Sister Ginny's first time experiencing the darkness of the shack, I doubt they would have gone far. But have faith Harry for Father Snape is with her, and more than that the Lord will assuredly return them to us. If they are delayed, it is only by his design".
He slunk back down, her words giving him some measure of comfort. With Snape behind her, and given that they wouldn't have gone too far into the hellish landscape that lay bottled up inside the Shrieking Shack, Harry thought that few things would have been able to give them any real trouble.
"Mayhaps you would care to await their return with me Harry? Though I shall have to take my leave should one of the Lord's children arrive seeking confession," she added.
Harry nodded, he wouldn't have minded catching up on some sleep while he waited. The church was a surprisingly comfortable place to be in when he wasn't alone.
As he pulled out his wand and began to conjure himself a pillow, Deborah interrupted his thoughts, "Or perhaps it was also part of the Lord's design that you were to arrive here tonight Harry".
With his pillow in his hands and sleep only a few meters away, Harry took a moment to understand what she was saying, "Sorry Sister, I didn't quite catch that".
She turned around to face him, her smile shining merrily as the candles danced gently across her eye, "Mayhaps it is no coincidence that you wandered into the Lord's embrace, with a heavy heart and sin on your mind".
Harry blinked, his pillow forgotten as he took in her words, "How do you know there's sin on my mind?"
She giggled, and Harry found the sound not entirely unpleasant, "Is there anything else on the minds of teenage boys these days?"
Harry didn't bother hiding the smile from his face, "Thankfully sister, my sins haven't gotten to the point where I need to confess them away yet. Still have room for a few more".
Deborah didn't seem to mind his response, "As you wish Harry, but confession isn't just a place to unburden one of sin. Many come to share their trials and tribulations with the Lord. Some find their luck turned the next day as the Lord shoulders the weight alongside them".
Harry abruptly realized that Deborah had been using some kind of miracle. He'd never heard or seen of anything like it before, but she had clearly come by it recently. He noted the similarity to legilimency, his interest piqued. Maybe agreeing to a confession wasn't such a bad idea if it ended with him taking the details of her technique from her mind.
He measured his words carefully, "Actually, now that you mention it Sister-"
But before he could acquiesce to her idea, a small ringing noise broke out somewhere in the distance. Harry's eyes flickered over the door nearest to the altar as the ringing continued, small and uneven pauses in between.
Deborah was already up and moving before Harry had the chance to voice his thoughts, she made for the door with a note of alarm clear on her face. As Harry moved to follow her, she seemed to realize he was here for the first time.
"Oh! Harry, I'm sorry but would you do me a favour," she started hurriedly, "I'll be back in a moment but would you take up the confessional stand should a student arrive? Just tell them I'll be back in a moment".
She shut the door behind her, and Harry heard her quick footsteps echo through to the other side. He'd barely gotten up from the pew by the time Deborah had already slammed the door in his face. The ringing suddenly stopped, and Harry's thoughts went to what it could have meant. He'd never heard that particular bell in the church before, but it wasn't as if he'd spent a lot of time here recently.
He considered turning on his mystic eyes and trying to see what Deborah was up to by looking through the walls, but discarded the idea. The silence seemed to weigh on him, the air heavy in the church. Without Deborah around, the chorus and orchestral music in the background grew louder in his ears. He tried not to listen to it. Now knowing what it really was, the sound scared him a little bit.
Clearing his head, he tried to bring his attention back to Deborah's interesting little ability.
She'd clearly been sensing his emotions when he'd walked in, although it didn't take a genius to realize that he clearly had something on his mind. He'd felt nothing against his occlumency barriers, and it should have been impossible for any hostile foreign magic to have penetrated his mind completely. His brow furrowed in thought as the memory from a week ago hit him. No, his shields were completely secure, sealed at the end with blood. Even against true titans of mind magic, they would hold.
He eyed the place where she'd been sitting. Mystic eyes came alive as he reached out to touch the still warm wood. Miracles by themselves left behind no trace of magic, but it was a rare wizard who didn't supplement their miracles with a few charms. He turned his eyes off, letting the light fade as he slowly withdrew his hand. He'd seen nothing anyways, and he hadn't felt like looking around the cathedral with his mystic eyes active. And he'd have been a fool to look up.
His eyes snapped back to the door a moment before they opened, Deborah carefully but quickly making her way back to the altar.
She stopped as she saw him, "Oh Harry, I'm glad you're here. It seems the Lord heard your plea".
Harry raised an eyebrow, that only meant one thing.
"But," Deborah continued, a little hesitation creeping into her voice, "I'm afraid Sister Ginny sustained a minor wound while delivering the Lord's justice. She's in the Hospital Wing with Father-"
Harry had turned around before shed even finished speaking. He had heard enough. With everything going on lately, he wasn't sure if this was related but the panic hit him regardless. His hand camp up behind him as sent her a wave and quickly walked towards the exit, "Thanks Sister! I'll catch you on that confession some other time!"
He winced as his voice echoed loudly through the church, drowning out Deborah's reply behind him as he made for the Hospital Wing. He was quick to leave the shadow of the chorus behind him.
By the time his feet touched the Hufflepuff hallway, his wand had already cast three separate spells. Cold water trickled down his back as invisibility covered him like a shroud, and with all noise muffled he broke into a run with the wind at his legs.
As he sped down the hallways he began to pick up speed, his acceleration unceasing even as he took sharp turns throughout the castle. It was far easier to turn at high speeds in Hogwarts compared to the never-ending training ground of the Millennium Castle, given that no deathly trap awaited him around every corner. Slowly but surely his invisible run turned into as invisible flight, a soundless phantom that tore its way through the castle in the night.
The late hour meant that the halls were entirely deserted, but Harry made sure not to let down his guard lest he accidentally stomp Mrs. Norris into a puddle. As he ran down up the Hospital Wing, he felt someone cast a spell a few floors below him. He almost stopped, the familiar greasy feel of the magic stirring his memories.
Yet Ginny dominated his thoughts, and he only flew faster.
He had cancelled cancelled his charms only a few feet from the door. Bursting into existence with a silent drop, the *Muffliato* spell being the last to leave. He stood up and dusted off his robe, fingers quickly reaching out to the handle.
The door almost impossibly softly as he entered into the dark room. The large hall was filled with empty sickbeds, and a single candle lingered at the counter at the distance. Cold moonlight flooded the hall as Harry made his way over to Madam Pomfrey, who hadn't noticed hi yet. This early in the year the entirety of the Hospital Wing would have been empty, and Ginny had either already been sent back or been given a private room.
Harry didn't want to startle the elderly matron, Good evening Madam Pomfrey, sorry for bothering you so late".
She looked up from the stack of papers she'd been immersed in with a bit of fright, "Oh Harry! I didn't expect to see you here. Don't tell me you've gotten into trouble again so early in-"
Harry waved her off, "No, no, nothing so far. I just dropped by to see Ginny. I found out that she'd gotten hurt during her exorcism yesterday, just wanted to drop by and see her. I knew it's way past curfew, but it's almost morning and..."
She gave him a raised eyebrow, "And you thought you could just bend the rules one more time Harry?"
He gave her a fake nervous chuckle in response, she was more likely to let him through if she thought she held all the power.
But before he could push her any further, her eyes softened as she looked towards the doors lining the wall behind her, "Well, it is almost morning after all and I daresay she wouldn't mind the company. Go on through, Room 14".
Harry blinked. He'd not been expecting it to be have been so easy, but he gave her an earnest thanks as he motioned towards the offending door.
A few steps from the handle, a voice familiar caught his ears.
"...more careful. Taking stock and keeping accurate inventory is crucial..."
A distinctly unpleasant voice that somehow conjured the image of citrus fruit rotting in the sun.
He didn't bother waiting a moment before opening the door and stepping into the room, Snape going silent as he stepped in.
The first thing that hit him was the stink. His nose crinkled as the foul smell of decay intermingled with sterile potions worked its way down his lungs. He eyed a particularly filthy pile of black rags near the foot of the bed, abruptly realizing that they were the remnants of Ginny's robes.
The second thing he noticed was Ginny herself, lying in the bed covered in crisp white sheets. Her forehead had been wrapped in bandages, and her right arm was in a cast. Her head had snapped towards the door as he'd entered, her mouth slightly open as she watched Harry close the door behind him. Harry winced as he saw her right leg levitating in the air, wrapped in a thick cast.
The last thing he wished to acknowledge was Snape, his hair greasy as ever. Only a few scorch marks and the occasional tear marred his otherwise immaculate vestments. Harry met Snape's eyes directly as he came in, looking right into beady black pools he knew to be empty inside. Snape had been in the middle of saying something when he'd entered but it was Ginny who spoke first.
"Harry! What're you doing here?" Ginny asked, her surprise all to evident.
He tore his eyes away from Snape and onto Ginny, replying with a small smile, "Just wanted to see how your exorcism had gone, got a little worried when Sister Deborah told me you'd gotten hurt".
Ginny beamed in response, and Harry was struck by just how happy she looked. In all the years that he'd known her, he'd rarely seen her so obviously pleased.
Snape interrupted them with a small cough as he cleared his throat, "Well, it appears you have company Ms. Weasley. I shall not keep you any longer, today has been tiring enough as it is. See me before Theology tomorrow, we have much to discuss".
Snape didn't spare him a second glance as Ginny bid him a small, "Yes Professor". Nonetheless, Harry felt the slight touch of mental fingers probing into his mind as Snape walked by. He grinned, his own mental magic rising to the forefront to bat away Snape's tendril like a fly.
He noticed Snape pause, his hand on the door handle. Harry didn't bother turning around, but he took a vicious sense of joy in having beat Snape at his own game. Last year, he'd never have detected such a subtle use of legilimency.
But Snape's parting words still served to surprise him, "Your progress this summer has been exceptional Ms. Weasley. I hope you endeavour to maintain your level of growth".
Harry nearly turned around to stare at Snape's head, eyes bulging in shock. Had Snape just given an honest compliment? To a Gryffindor? His legilimency shot out on its own, but the door shut and it found only wood.
Harry blinked, turning to Ginny and not bothering to his unease, "What was that about?"
Ginny only seemed to close her eyes and smile, wriggling the sheets about her. She used her hands to lift herself and plopped down to the left of the bed. Se wiggled her bum and made herself comfortable, happily patting the place she'd made next to her.
On some other day, Harry may have seen fit to look the gift horse in the mouth. Today however, bad luck had been following him wherever he had gone and he wasn't going to shirk at the only inviting prospect he'd seen all day.
He sat down right next to her, careful not to agitate her wounds but Ginny seemed to throw his caution right out of the window, wrapping her arms around his as she pulled them back onto the pillow. Harry couldn't help but let his surprise show as she nuzzled his shoulder happily, her nose only inches away from his.
"What's got you in such a nice mood," he wondered out loud. She didn't seem to hear him, more intent on getting him in the bed with her.
Ginny moved her one free leg towards his as best she could, trying to nudge the shoes off of his feet as they hunger over the bed, "Take your shoes off, and don't get the bed dirty".
Harry rolled his eyes at her, his wand coming up with a quick swish and flick. The moment his shoes hit the ground, Ginny intertwined her available leg in between his and threw the sheets over them with her uninjured hand.
Her eyes closed and Harry felt her pull him down, deeper into the bed. His hand reached out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She looked so beautiful, he thought abruptly. So happy and alive that her hair shone like fire in the dark room.
"I reckon you had a good time down at the shack?" Harry wondered, brushing his hand through her hair. He wished he had a comb.
Ginny's only response was a a vigorous nod and a pleasant whine that purred out of her throat as Harry scratched her head. He couldn't even smell the scent of decay or the noxious sterility of the potions that lay scattered throughout the room, Ginny's scent dominating his senses.
Harry's troubles seemed to bleed away as he lay there with Ginny, rubbing her head as she snuggled into him. The soft moonlight that filled the room was only broken by a single candle that hung in the air. Ginny didn't seem to want to stop moving, and Harry marvelled at her energy. His own worries felt like a thing of the past, the day's unfortunate events shoved far in the back of his mind with a comfort that mind magic could never bring. Her buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, letting the exhaustion tremble out of his bones.
Still, he took care not to aggravate Ginny's injuries, especially given her own sense of abandon. He was dying to hear about what had happened in the shack but...
He didn't dare disturb the situation he found himself in.
Ginny felt wonderfully warm pressed up against him like this. As he rubbed his hands over her waist, he couldn't help be appreciate the dense muscle concealed under the hospital gown. Her head may have been as big as his bicep, but for her size Ginny was an incredibly strong girl. She felt a bit like marble, but soft somehow. And unlike him, he thought as he pulled her close, her strength was entirely without the aid of magic.
His mental clock, constantly ticking during the day and giving him his perfect sense of time, faded into the background as he truly gave into Ginny's embrace. He wasn't sure how much time passed as the two of them lay there in silence, but it wasn't long before darkness covered his eyes and he silently fell asleep.
And in her warm embrace, he dreamed of a frozen wasteland.
*The sun's light never touched the dark side of the moon*
*He had forgotten even the feeling of warmth*
*Uncountable hours spent alone in the cold and dark*
*His haze of bloodlust broken only once*
*As the intruder bent down to whisper*
"Harry! Are you asleep!"
Ginny's voice tore him from the darkness, the dream all but forgotten as he replied on instant, "Wha- No, no, 'M awake?"
His hands tried to come up to rub his eyes, but he felt a small resistance tug down. Looking towards them, he noticed that Ginny was hugging his right arm with her left, her bandaged right hand firmly gripping his left wrist.
She seemed annoyed as she looked away from Harry's face, "I just wanted to cuddle Harry, I didn't think you'd fall asleep without asking me-"
Harry interrupted her with a roll of his eyes, "Oh come on Gin, it's not like that".
He wriggled his arm gently but firmly out of her grasp, ignoring her quick squeak. Before he could protest, he brought it around her shoulders and quickly pulled her towards him. Ginny was a small girl, and he easily moved her about as he got comfortable.
"I just felt tired is all," he said looking down at her.
Her eyes seemed irritated as she lay up on his chest, but this close Harry could see that she wasn't actually mad, "Uh huh. You still haven't asked you know".
He gave her a quick shake, staying away from her injuries, but enjoying her yelp all the same, "Okay, okay, would you please tell me how your exorcism went?"
Ginny beamed as she began her tale, her eyes dancing with pride, "Well, remember how I told me we were hunting some ghoul that ate a few cows and scared some kids?"
Harry nodded, remembering the details of the simple job. The spirit had fled to the magically enhanced space of the Shrieking Shack a long time ago, but had only recently started coming out at night to cause havoc in Hogsmeade. Normally the priest at the parish in Hogsmeade would have taken care of it after hearing complaints from the citizenry at mass, but the Shrieking Shack lay on Hogwarts ground. Not to mention that he almost certainly wasn't up to the task.
As such, Hogwarts' own priest had to take care of it.
"Well, we went straight to the Shack from Hogwarts. Under the Whomping Willow if you can believe it, but it took us right outside the shack," her eyes widened as she paused for dramatic effect.
"You should have seen it Harry, it's *huge*. It looks like a massive cave on the inside. Ladders that just go down and down. Professor Snape said that it was bigger that the chapel, like way bigger," her one working hand came free as she tried to gesture in the air.
"And there was the smell!" she wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Even in the passage from Hogwarts I could smell it, but down in the shack I couldn't believe how bad it was. It stank so bad Harry! I almost puked all over Professor Snape the minute we went in!"
"That would have been a fun way to start the exorcism," Harry quipped, "But why'd you guys end up taking so along? I thought you weren't gonna be going that deep-"
Ginny interrupted him with a shake of the head, "Thats what I thought as well. Professor Snape thought, cause Father Daemon had said so, that the spirit was just a ghoul coming out to kill some cows and scare some kids".
Harry felt her push a little closer into his chest. There was a faraway look in her eyes as she continued, "Professor Snape thought that we'd only have to go down ten floors. But when we finally found it's lair you won't believe what we saw".
As he waited for her to continue, Harry realized that she was purposely delaying. He let his annoyance show with a slight kick to her shin, "Yeah, yeah, what did you see?"
Ginny looked right at him, "We didn't find a lair Harry, we found a nest. A whole nest full of Marygrants Harry. A whole fucking nest!"
Harry didn't bother hiding his shock, "Holy shit, what the hell is a nest of Marygrants doing this close to Hogwarts? So the little shit that had been coming out at night-"
"Was just one of the Marygrants that had hatched early," she continued for him, "I don't think they were expecting us. Most of the things in there had just hatched, but there was a fully grown male protecting the nest".
Harry paled at hearing that. For once, he thanked the Gods for Snape's presence.
"We managed to kill it. Well, Professor Snape did most of the work, I just kept the small ones away from him," she snorted, "it was more like target practice really".
Harry nodded, "Still, you guys shouldn't have been held up down there that long. If it was just on the tenth floor-"
Ginny cut him off once again, getting up slightly as she grew more excited, "Harry don't you see, we couldn't just leave! The nest had been tiny. Professor Snape said that the male guarding it had been young, not too big himself. They had to have come from somewhere!"
He felt his blood go cold as she continued, "We had to go deeper, find the female".
Harry inhaled sharply, "What the- Snape let you come along for that!"
A female Marygrant was an altogether different beast, a terrifyingly powerful spirit that fell squarely in the class of 'True Revenant'. An extraordinarily rare phenomenon in the modern era, they were nigh impossible to make naturally or artificially, and took centuries of angst to form. Even a powerful mage would steer clear of a mature Marygrant.
Ginny seemed taken back by his answer, "Well, Professor Snape couldn't have just left after destroyed the first nest! If we left the mother might have found the burnt nest and decided to go deeper into the shack".
Harry wasn't too happy with her answer, but he didn't much care for how she kept inching away from him, "That doesn't explain why you had to go with him".
At that Ginny seemed to shy away, "Well, after we cleared out the first nest he said my trial was complete and gave me a portkey. But then he just started going towards the ladder and I just..."
Harry brought his occlumency into action for the first time since he lay down. He didn't want to lose his anger and spoil the moment, "You what Ginny?"
"I told him that my trial wasn't over," she continued, "I didn't think it was over. Like, what if it had been a sign that-"
"Ginny for fuck's sake," Harry interrupted as his hand came up to massage the bridge of his nose.
She rolled her eyes at him, but let out a breath as she realized he had nothing more to say. Harry had already guessed the nature of their delay and knew that getting angry wouldn't have helped, but hearing about it directly from her was another thing.
She let her weight fall back on him, getting comfortable again, "Well, anyway, I didn't think it was a sign either but... I don't know, I just wanted to see the rest of the shack. Actually do the job and-"
Harry cut her off with a squeeze, "Yeah, yeah, you decided to be stupid. That explains why you got hurt. Still, what actually went down?"
Ginny didn't answer, pausing for a moment before flicking her messy hair towards Harry, "Pet me".
Harry rolled his eyes as he began to comb her hair with his fingers, nails scratching softly against her scalp.
"After that, it wasn't long before we found the second nest. We got to this one just in time, more than half of the little things hadn't hatched yet and the big one protecting it was really dumb. I managed to kill him all by myself actually!"
Harry's hands froze in her hair. An immediate whine from Ginny's lips made him quickly continue, but the couldn't hide the shock from his voice, "Damn Gin. I've never seen a Marygrant but I know that they're tough shits. That one Marygrant in the maze nearly cut Krum open last year. You managed to exorcize it yourself?"
Ginny dismissed his flattery with a wink, "Mhmm. It wasn't hard at all. It only took twenty keys before I managed to get it to fall, and the dummy was so slow he just let me poke him full of holes".
He gave her a vigorous scratch, combing her hair all back at once and stretching her face as one would do to a cat, "That's my girl".
She wriggled out of his grasp and stuck out her tongue before continuing, "Professor Snape torched the nest with Bright Fire after we were done. You should it seen it Harry, it can burn *anything* so long as there's heresy in it. Anything, even water".
He'd actually seen the heretic hunter's Bright Fire miracle in action before, but Ginny didn't need to know that. Her awe and respect were well founded. Harry would never forget the golden church flames, leaping from field to field and building to building as they consumed an entire village.
"No kidding, I'm surprised it didn't burn the whole shack down," he replied.
Ginny didn't seem to have heard him, "After that we just kept going deeper and deeper. Most of the nests we found after that were old, just a few Marygrants here and there guarding some unhatched eggs. We didn't take a single break Harry, Professor Snape just kept casting miracles and we stayed on the move".
As he rose an eyebrow in response to her praise of Snape, she continued, "I don't think he even took a single sip of water the whole time. You should have seen him in action Harry, like somewhere near the fortieth floor we walked right into a trap. The nest looked deserted from the outside, so we walked right in just to make sure it was empty. Boom! Four Marygrants fell from the ceiling".
Harry couldn't have hidden his shock if he'd tried, "Fucking hell, four of them? Please tell me you got out of there while-"
She shook her head, "Nope, Professor Snape took on three of them at the those things at once. You should have seen him Harry, he killed one instantly by just summoning like a hundred black keys and throwing them like a cannon. I mean, I knew Professor Snape was strong but I didn't think he was that strong. He left the smallest one to me, and like I said they're actually not that scary once you get used to killing them".
Harry interrupted, "Ginny, a Marygrant isn't a joke. They're-"
She didn't seem to want to hear it, "Have you ever seen a Marygrant Harry? Huh? Or killed one?"
At his silence, she smugly continued, "Go ahead and ask me how many of those things I took down today. Go ahead".
Harry gave her what she so badly wanted, "And just how many Marygrants did you kill today Ginny?"
She snuggled close into him and answered, "I honestly don't know! Harry listen I need a favour!"
At the abrupt change in topic, and her renewed affections, Harry grew a bit suspicious, "Uh huh, what's in it for me".
Ginny's good hand shot out jokingly at his side, a pair of knuckles striking right at his ribs. She'd only punched him from about two inches away but it damn near made Harry cry out loud. Every single bit of his occlumency training barely helped him disguise the immense pain as a small cough. God damn that had hurt! Ginny had always been tough for a girl, growing up with six bothers, but this was something else. He shoved her playfully in response.
As she continued to talk, Harry briefly wondered if Ginny had any idea of how abnormally strong she was, "I need you to make me new seals, ok? I used up all of my black keys today and thats why I ended up getting hurt".
Her eyes rose up to meet him, beautiful brown eyes glistening with a thin coat of moisture, her lips quivered in an adorable pout, "Please Harry, you make them so much better than me, come one I-"
He cut her off, "Ginny I told you last year, you have to learn how to make simple storage seals by..."
The memory came to the forefront as his voice trailed off, Ginny inquisitively looking up to see why he had stopped talking.
He licked his lips, a small pit growing in his stomach, "Ginny, did you say you used up all the seals I made you?"
She nodded, he duly noted how cute she looked.
"Ginny, there was space for almost a thousand keys in there. I made those for you at the start of summer. There's no way you could have used them all up, especially in just-"
Ginny seemed surprisingly happy by his assessment, "That's what Professor Snape said too but it's true, I'm completely out. I don't even know how many of those Marygrants and its babies we killed today. We never did manage to find the female, but we went all the way down some... I don't know, seventy floors maybe?"
His mouth hung open as he digested the information, but Ginny didn't seem to mind, "Anyways, at that point Professor Snape decided that wherever the female was, she definitely wasn't going to be a threat to Hogsmeade. Besides, I'd run out of keys by then and you know how bad I am with a wand. Neither of us realized the time until we got back".
He turned towards her, pride and joy evident on his face, "Don't worry your pretty little head alright. I'll make sure to make you some new seals tomorrow. I think I can make some even better ones now".
He was rewarded for his answer with a happy series of snuggles, Ginny settling into him with a long, comfortable whine.
He brushed her hair out of her face, "You had a hell of a day huh Gin. Let's try and get some sleep yeah?"
She nodded eagerly in his shoulder as he spelled the door shut. A series of silent spells cast powerful locking charms on the door, given that he'd rather not be interrupted by a disapproving Pomfrey. With a second thought he decided to add several extra layers of protection to the room, going so far as to secure the windows and prevent even prying mystic eyes.
As Ginny fell asleep in his arms, Harry moved his hands down her waist. She really did feel like soft marble, he idly noted, extraordinarily muscular for her age and physique. As sleep took him as well, he did his best not to dream of cursed red eyes that refused to die.
But the nightmares came anyway.