Author's Note:
I know the end was mean in the last chapter, but you know stuff happens LOL
I want to start off this note by giving a little breakdown of the political jargon for those who found it a bit difficult to read. I wanted the political stuff to make sense in terms of government. Politics have never been my strong suit and I didn't particularly like civics class in high school, but what I do know I covered in English history and in Canadian history and I took one American government class in university, which was awful by the way, (the American government makes zero sense to me on every level). When I wrote Umbitch's bill back in chapter 134, I explained how I used the bill from Nuremberg (the anti-Jewish legislation written by the Third Reich in the 1930s) and I kept the same outline. I originally looked it up to help me write my own ideas, but I ended up using it as a guideline for both bills, which helped me organize it accordingly. I knew that I wanted the Phoenix Initiative to have 4 sections:
1. Education: To cover new classes and new students including new rules in place for those new students.
2. Government: I wanted to have a way to bring in the new allies to the Wizengamot (this is where I spoke to my friend Brandon and had him explain it to me. I did research on the British Parliament and seat numbers and then made up my own seat numbers accordingly).
3. Sub-Government: I was thinking that obviously the Ministry of Magic does not control every tiny village and town where witches and wizards live in the UK, so I thought like my small town is municipal and is run by a township — a unitary government — so keeping that wording, I thought well, the fae have their own community, as do the wolves, so that can be the unitary governments to rule themselves like a town does, while still following the guidelines and regulations from the Ministry of Magic or the ruling party, but allowing them to dole out justice as they see fit as long as it is only within their own community and they are keeping the Ministry of Magic informed on their plans.
4. War Council: This was the big one. I wanted the Ministry to begin ideas on how to defend the people from the big bad.
Once I had all of those in place, I broke it down further. I studied educational goals from different British school boards to help me implement the new educational guidelines. I used pieces from the course syllabus from an international relations course I took to help determine more information for that and for the explanation of the new class. Then I broke down the war council into the 4 elements, using army, navy, air, and intelligence as my operating plan.
Military formations — again I took some military history classes, but it was never my strong suit. I knew that I wanted to divide between the 4 elements and then I thought well, most militaries have the 3 main components of Air Force, Army, and Navy (depending on the country) and then I thought well an Intelligence component would also be cool, but how to incorporate that magically… so if I used the 4 elements, I thought Earth is Army, Latin for Earth is Terra, so I thought Terra Troops sounded like a cool name and then I thought okay, Army, well that could be the duelling component, the witches and wizards on the ground ready to fight. Navy would be water which could be Aqua Protectors, well, they've been making alliances with creatures so it would be cool to get the Merpeople on board and magizoologists who have access to water animals so maybe they could help as well. The air element would be like the Air Force, okay what can magical people do that can fly — dragons, dragon tamers, witches and wizards on broomsticks, etc. Then I thought, okay Fire can be used for intelligence because it is complex and I thought that it makes sense to have a special elite Spook Squad to try to figure out what the "enemy" is doing. Spook makes me think of old time spy movies so I thought it was a good name. Anyway, I thought this might make it seem more helpful and it breaks down my elaborate and somewhat confusing thought process on the subject.
Reviews and Comments: To lovereading20613: Yes, it was mean, but necessary I think as well. Thank you! To Uipo: I'm sorry that politics bores you, but no, I won't write less of what I want because you don't want to read it. Thanks for your thoughts. To LifeonEarth: Ha! Sorry, that I had you! Harry is using Mandy, but I don't think that he fully realizes it, not yet, and no, he's not going to be a cheater, and Ginny would never let him be a cheater, it's not part of who they are (which is why I thought it would be fairly obvious that it was a dream). LOL. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Moony The Sheep: I know the bill was a bit dry and I apologize, but I tried my best to make it as formal as I could! The bill took me over 2 weeks just to write that scene. As to how they control what's happening, specifically in terms of those being Death Eaters unknown or potentially Imperiused, they have security protocols in place, but there are no guarantees. Some of them will be explained later on. Thank you!
To christyannb94: Thank you for an incredible review, I do try to bring a little bit of everything to this story and am working on keeping a balance. Thanks for being supportive over my LGBTQ+ characters and what they may or may not be going through. Thank you so much for saying that you love how my story isn't afraid to "add in touchy subjects from society." I do try to show that the world isn't perfect and I want to stress that. Thanks for loving Ginny and the path I've put her on and for saying how I display Harry's emotions really well. I love the long rambling post! Please keep them coming! Thank you! To : Well, it was a dream so it didn't happen. But yes, a talk with Mandy will be coming. To midnitewanderer: I like to tease sometimes! Ha, I'm sorry you wasted a happy dance, but trust me, you'll like how it happens much better! Thank you very much! To Retesz: Haha, sorry to take away your hope. Thank you! To Guest: Nope, sorry, that wasn't it. Neither Harry or Ginny would ever condone cheating. Definitely all dream. As to Umbitch, if you remember Dumbledore did say that Umbitch and Raffigan would be spending the first few weeks going over the course syllabi, reviewing the textbooks chosen and making notes on the curriculum for each class before inspecting. Don't worry, they will be coming into play soon enough. Thank you!
To bankerrtx01: Not really finally god damn time as it was all a dream, but it's coming closer. Thank you! To KittenWithAnAx: Ha, I know, it was evil to make it all a dream! I love that you're telling your friends to read my fanfic, thank you very much! I'm in Ontario and no, it takes me about eleven hours to get to Quebec. Thank you! To coloredwords: Thanks for understanding my choice to choose Ernie as opposed to a Slytherin. I do like to show that just because people are not Slytherin doesn't mean they aren't bad. Look at Peter Pettigrew. Things happen. I almost had you at the Harry dream, eh? Soon. Thank you! To hufflepuffle24: Thank you! To darkpegasuzz: Thank you! To Leaf Ranger: Yes, I know, that was a tease. Ernie does need to be punished. Thank you! To alix33: Ancient Greek would be interesting. I'm past the two hundredth chapter in writing now so, you'll have to wait and see. Thank you! To xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: You're right, Harry would never cheat and I don't think Ginny would allow him too. Yes, Draco does need to keep his eye on his friend. Bellarosa is lucky the attack didn't happen in England, you're right. Thank you! To Guest: I can't stop teasing Hinny. We're so close. Thank you! To Guest: Hinny will happen soon! Thank you! To Guest: It will be real for Hinny, soon. Thank you! To notthatchhavi: When Harry kissed her you were in shock before you calmed down and realized it was a dream? Haha, I love it! I know it was a little mean, but he needs to break up with Mandy first. Theo does need to do something about Ernie. Thank you!
To Menna Taha: Thanks for leaving me two reviews! I'm sorry the first one was your annoyance that it was a dream lol. Yes, you are right, no one wants their first kiss to happen like that. That's why I thought the dream would be obvious lol. Thank you! To x-shadow-x-kisses-x: LOL, I'm sorry I cockblocked you like that. Thank you! To Krazyasibe: Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To Saz J: I know, that was nasty of me lol. Sorry, I made it a dream and got you all excited for nothing! Thank you for appreciating my level of detail in the government bill. Thank you! To ReverseF: Ha, I don't think the ending was cruel and unusual lol. Yes, they will be together soon. Thank you! To Blue Luver5000: Thank you! To Hailie: I do love to tease lol. Thank you! To Matt9917: Harry does need to do something more than wank over his feeling about Ginny, he's getting there. Just not yet. Thank you! To Guest: Yup, I thought the moment Ginny returned the kiss it would be obvious it was a dream. Thank you! To kdecastro24: Thank you! I love having Harry be so loved and supported as well! Thank you! To Steelcode: Thank you! To BioHazard82: Thank you!
To Obscure-Reference-Girl: It was rushed and forced which is why I thought it would make sense it was a dream. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To nesciamema: Thanks for loving the political take! I'm sorry you can't stand Dean. Theo needs to come to terms with it and ask for help, but yes, I'm sure revenge will come. Thank you! To 90: I'm glad I had you for a second! Thanks for saying I'm great at building up suspense! Thank you! To JT8960: Thank you very much! I'm honoured that you've reread ASC twice now. Thank you so much for your kind review! We'll see more of Theo and Ernie as well as Harry and Mandy soon too. We will see Harley again I think, but not anytime soon. Thank you! To Kate: Harry and Mandy are almost done, but yes, that was a dream. Thank you! To krelofwerewolf: Sorry, you see them happy together soon. No one deserves what Theo is going through. Thank you! To Rayssa_RDuarte: LOL, I'm sorry I did that. A little. 😉 Thank you!
To Jmcglynn522: Thank you! No, I don't think you were lone in being thrilled with the differences between Sirius' bill and Umbitch's bill lol. Yes, I did work my ass off to get it right! I know, poor Theo, no one deserves to be treated like he is. Draco and Ginny should team up against Ernie? We'll see. Yes, sorry, that was a fake lol. Thank you! To Niamh Hickey: Yes, it was a little mean, but it will happen for real soon. I promise! Thank you! To Laedari: I agree, poor Harry. He needs to accept what he cannot change — he wants Ginny. Thank you! To Greaterthan84: I'm glad you were growing suspicious the more you read, it was clearly a dream because yes, Harry would never cheat on anyone. Thank you! To Matt71478: Yes, Harry does need to do more than wank off. He'll get there. Thank you! To Soveliss: I know, poor Harry can't even appreciate his dream because he won't admit it to himself. Thank you!
My posting schedule: Once a week and sometimes on weekends.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-ONE:
The One Where Harry Is Dumped
Theo woke up earlier than he planned on. After lying in bed and listening to his roommates snores, he got up to hop in the shower. It was only ten after five, he noted and classes didn't even start until twenty after eight, but he knew that he wasn't getting back to sleep. Sleep hadn't come easy to him since meeting the Dark Lord. It had already been a long month and September wasn't even over yet. Dealing with Macmillan was another story all together and he still didn't know how to get himself out of that situation. He knew that his friends were worried about him, but he needed to work it out for himself. Not to mention that he knew how Draco and Blaise would react if they found out and he knew that wouldn't solve his problem.
He had just headed up to the Slytherin common room, debating about heading down to breakfast early when he heard the crying. His eyes scanned the room before he saw the tiny girl on the sofa near the fire. She had a huge blanket wrapped around her that looked like she had pulled it down from her bed and huge tears were falling onto it. Her bright blonde hair was in two braids on either side of her face and she looked so lost. He moved over there carefully, not wanting to startle her, and knelt down in front of her.
"Hi, there, little duck, I'm Theo."
She looked up at him, her eyes a startling bright green and full of tears. "Hi."
"Can I sit?"
She looked surprised by this, but nodded.
Theo sat next to her on the couch, stretching his legs out across the floor. "I woke up feeling hungry this morning. Want to come down to early breakfast with me?"
The small girl used the back of her hand to wipe her tears away. "I don't know."
Theo held his hand out to her. "Come on; let's go get some breakfast. You'll feel better after you eat."
The girl smiled and accepted his hand. "My roommates are mean to me."
Theo frowned. "Why?"
She stood up. "They said that I'm a freak."
"You don't look like a freak to me," Theo told her. "What's your name, little duck?"
"Ciara."
"Well, Ciara, you can't let what other people say bother you. You don't look like a freak to me."
She sniffed, wiping her tears on her sleeve. "My mum is a Fae and my dad is a wizard."
Theo's eyebrow lifted. "Ah," he said, his eyes on her. "Can you fly?"
Ciara's face broke out into a smile. "No."
"What, no tiny fairy wings?"
She giggled. "No. But my mum has wings and they're beautiful and big and gold and silver."
Theo grinned. "Yeah? Well, I bet you're going to be just as beautiful as her when you grow up, even without the wings. But, you just look like a witch to me; nothing freakish about that."
She sniffed and then to his surprise, threw her arms around his middle, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, patting her back until she grinned up at him.
"Can I still come down to breakfast with you?"
"Absolutely," he said with a grin. "I'll wait for you to get dressed."
The little girl beamed at him, grabbing her blanket and running to the stairs that led down to the girls dormitories, stopping to turn back and smile at him. He smiled back as she hurried off and then he leaned back against the couch to wait for her. She was sweet, he thought, and a half-fae; interesting. He had heard in passing that there two half-fae who had started at Hogwarts this year, but he hadn't thought much about it otherwise. There were wolves too, he remembered. He didn't even know if any of them had been sorted into Slytherin, but obviously Ciara had been and her dorm mates weren't treating her nicely. He wondered what her surname was.
He only waited ten minutes before she came upstairs dressed in jeans and a warm jumper in the same bright green as her eyes. Theo stood up and offered his arm, making her smile up at him in adoration as they headed out of the Slytherin common room and into the dungeons.
"So, Ciara, what's your last name?"
"Casey," she said. "My dad works at the Ministry of Magic."
"That's a great place to work," he told her. "What does he do?"
"He works in maintenance," she said. "He was really excited that I was able to come to Hogwarts this year. He said that the Ministry was doing some good for once."
"I agree," Theo told her. "You are one hundred percent welcome here. Listen, if anyone gives you grief over having a fae as a mum, I want you to come tell me, okay? My last name is Nott and we Slytherins stick together."
Ciara beamed at him and to his surprise, hugged him tightly. "Really?"
He smiled and pat her gently on the head. "Of course. Now, you should tell me all about these mean girls."
Ciara shrugged. "Only Mila is nice, but her dad is a vampire. They aren't mean to her though because she scares them. They said that she's going to drink their blood. The other girls said that my dad's a half-blood and my mum is a freak so that makes me a full freak with dirty blood."
Theo smiled. "No one has dirty blood, Ciara. Have you made any friends? Mila maybe?"
She sniffed. "Mila's nice and Tara is my friend, but she's in Hufflepuff."
"That's okay. It doesn't mean that you can't be friends with her. One of my closest friends is in Gryffindor."
"There's a nice boy in our house too, his name is Julian."
"See? You don't need those mean girls anyway."
Ciara grinned up at him. "Will you be my friend, Theo?"
"Absolutely," he said with a smile. "You can come to me anytime."
The little girl smiled happily at him as she sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast and he grinned back. She was adorable. She had been sorted into Slytherin which meant no matter what kind of blood she had, she was a Slytherin at heart, and no one was going to mess with her.
He'd make sure of it.
~ ASC ~
"Weasley!" The smooth voice called out, making Ginny stop in her tracks.
She and Colin both turned around to see who was calling for her and her eyebrows rose at the sight of Blaise Zabini hurrying towards her.
Classes had just ended for the day and they were on their way to dinner before the weekend would start. Blaise was wearing his black trousers and white uniform shirt, top buttons undone, suspenders still in place with his green tie hanging loose around his neck. His dark hair was chopped short on his head and he gave her a winning smile as he stopped in front of her.
"Zabini," she said, eyes on him. It really ought to be a sin for anyone to be as good looking as Blaise Zabini was, she thought. And what was worse, was that he knew it.
He grinned widely. "Have you seen Theo lately?"
Ginny shook her head. "Not much over the last few days, no. We don't exactly have multitudes of classes together."
Blaise's smile widened. "Fair point. I think something's going on with him, but he's not saying. I'm a bit worried."
Ginny frowned and turned to Colin. "I told you that there was something off about him!"
Colin shrugged. "I said that I didn't know, I just agreed that he'd been more quiet this year."
"Definitely more quiet," Blaise said with a nod. "But there's also something that he's hiding. I'm worried about him and so is Draco."
"And you think that I can get through to him?"
Blaise shrugged. "Possibly. Will you talk to him?"
She nodded. The look of concern in Blaise's dark eyes made her feel a little nervous. If both Zabini and Malfoy had also noticed something going on with Theo, then something was definitely going on. "I'll see what I can do."
Blaise bent his head a little closer to her and sniffed. "Thanks."
"Did you just — smell my hair?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Blaise's grin widened. "Well, you smell great, Weasley. If you ever want to know what it's like to snog a real man, come see me."
Ginny's mouth dropped open in disbelief as he took off, turning to stare at Colin. "Can you believe that?"
Colin grinned. "I told you, you're beautiful, Ginny. All the blokes are noticing you more than before. You really grew up this summer."
She blushed. She had noticed that about herself the last few months, but hearing Colin say it made her feel oddly flattered and embarrassed at the same time. "Well, that hardly seems… it doesn't matter. If Zabini and Malfoy are both worried about Theo as well, something must definitely be going on with him."
Colin nodded, his eyes on his friend. "I agree. How are you going to get him to talk?"
She bit her lip as she looked thoughtful for a moment and then turned to Colin to tell him what they needed to do. He nodded as she relaid her idea.
"Sounds perfect."
"Meet us in the kitchens, Colin. I'm going to go snag Theo."
Colin grinned and hurried off to do just that as Ginny made her way towards the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, her eyes peeled for her friend. She didn't see him anywhere and she frowned at that, until she saw him walk through the doors a moment later. He looked a little paler than usual and his cheeks were a tad flushed.
Ginny hurried over to him. "Hi!"
"Hey," Theo said easily, his eyes on hers.
"I'm stealing you for myself tonight. We're going to the kitchens for our dinner."
Theo looked like he was going to protest so Ginny took his hand in hers and tugged him along, making him sigh. She was determined to put a smile back on his face tonight and she was ready to get him to feel a bit better and hopefully open up about whatever it was that he needed to talk about.
When they stepped into the kitchens, the house elves were bustling about and Ginny smiled at the tiny elf that she had befriended over two years ago during one of her late night jaunts named Daisy.
"Hi, Daisy. Theo needs some cheering up tonight, would you mind if the three of us played around for a bit?"
Daisy smiled warmly at her. She had learned how Miss Ginny liked to play around and found it charming. "As long as Miss Ginny lets Daisy clean everything up when she is done."
Ginny smiled at the elf. "We'll talk about it."
She pulled Theo over to the kitchen countertop where Colin had already laid out the ingredients for a chocolate pudding cake topped with fresh bananas and strawberries.
Theo snorted when he saw it. "You're going to make me bake? I don't know how to bake."
"Bake dessert," Ginny said with a smile. "Chocolate always cures the soul and I'm here to help."
She elbowed him lightly as he rolled up his sleeves with a sigh and then the three of them got to work, chuckling and grinning as they poured and mixed the ingredients before placing the cake into the oven to bake. Theo did as he was told, but was rather clueless about almost everything.
"I have Kiki for this," he teased. "You know I don't know how to bake."
Ginny found it endearing and took over for him, urging him to lick the chocolate off of the spoon as Colin laughed. Daisy brought them each a plate of food from the dinner served in the Great Hall and Theo eagerly dove in.
"I befriended an adorable little first year this morning," Theo told them. "Her name is Ciara Casey and her mum is a fae. I guess her dorm mates are giving her a hard time."
"That's horrible," Colin said. "Is she in Slytherin?"
Theo nodded. "Yeah. I found her crying in the common room just after five this morning. I think that she's been sleeping in there rather than in her own room."
"Poor thing," Ginny said. "I hope you set those girls straight."
Theo grinned. "I said something to Pansy at lunch and she marched over there to deal with it after dinner. Pansy is a lot of things, but being head bitch is her specialty. She made three of them cry, but Ciara said that they've been somewhat friendlier to her since. It's only one day so far, but I'm hopeful. Pansy can be a real scary bitch when she wants to be."
"Are you going to watch out for her?" Ginny asked, chuckling at his description of Pansy Parkinson.
Theo nodded. "I told her I would. But I think that she's going to be okay. One of the other girls in her dorm, Mila St James, her father is a vampire. They seem to have bonded over both being called freaks, but the other girls are scared of Mila and not of Ciara. Ciara's befriended another first year Slytherin as well named Julian Norton and the other little half-fae girl in Hufflepuff, Tara Brady. I think a lot of it is nerves too, right? She's never really been away from home. I told her if she needed anything I would always be around."
"You're a bleeding heart, Theo," Colin said with a smirk.
Theo snorted. "Don't let it get around."
Ginny smiled at him. "It's too late, we know your secret."
He shrugged. "I'm hardly the only person to do so, I saw your brother talking to the little first year boys from your house just last week."
"Which brother?"
"The annoying one," Theo said.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That just depends on the day of the week, but I'm going to assume that in this case you mean Ron. He's a prefect, you know, so it's his job to talk to first years."
Theo grinned. "His job, yes, but I heard him saying something similar to what I said to Ciara. Aren't two of the wolves in Gryffindor this year?"
Ginny nodded. "Yes, and Ron did go out of his way to make sure that they felt welcome. From what I understand, their dorm mates think it's brilliant. Ron said he had to go tell them to go to bed three times because they stayed up the entire first night asking them a million questions about pack life and society. They've made instant friends."
"Luna said the Danson girl in her house is very quiet and doesn't talk too much to others. Two of the girls were mean to her, but the prefect told them off," Colin said.
"I guess I never really thought about what it would be like having these new students in the school. It makes sense that everyone is curious about them," Theo admitted. "I even understand the fear to some extent, but they are only eleven years old. They're here to learn. And I don't know if it's just me, but I swear we were never that tiny."
Ginny laughed. "We were, we just like to think that we were older and wiser."
He smirked. "I suppose that's true."
"Ginny's trying out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team tomorrow," Colin told him with a grin. "They are looking for both a Chaser and a Keeper and I told her that she's going to be brilliant."
"She definitely will," Theo said, smiling. "You should have seen her on the surf board in Anguilla, Colin. She was incredible! She was riding the waves like she had been born to it. She's even better on a broomstick."
"I just hope that everyone else agrees with you two," Ginny admitted. "Flying is one thing, but I have to be able to meet their requirements for my Chaser skills as well. Will you come watch tomorrow? Tryouts begin at two."
"I'll be there, but I might be late. There's somewhere that I have to be at for half past two."
Ginny nodded, her brown eyes on his. "Where's that?"
"Just something I have to do. I can have secrets, chick."
Ginny smiled at him and rested her chin on her hands. "Yes, you definitely can, but not ones that make you look so sad."
He shrugged. "I'm all right."
Ginny only stared at him for a long moment before she turned to Colin. "I don't believe him, do you?"
Colin shook his head. "No, not even a little."
Theo sighed. "I'm just worried about the escaped Death Eaters and my father and… honestly, it'll pass."
Ginny and Colin both looked unconvinced, but they left it alone.
By the time they dug into the chocolate pudding cake, they were all smiling and laughing, but Ginny couldn't help but notice that the smile didn't quite reach her friend's eyes.
~ ASC ~
Theo left Ginny and Colin after a fun evening in the kitchen. He loved listening to Colin talk all about his photography and his plans for the Hogwarts Herald this year. Listening to Ginny talk about Quidditch and about flying always brought a smile to his face as well. They were sweet for worrying about him and he appreciated that, but the last thing that he could do was tell them what was really bothering him.
Ernie had made that pretty clear in his terms, that no one was to know. And if he was honest, he didn't want anyone to know. He was embarrassed that he had somehow let this happen. The thought of missing the start of Ginny's tryouts tomorrow because he had to be on his knees at a designated time hurt him. Sucking the prefect off was mindless and he tried not to think about it, but it was the abuse the prefect bestowed upon him both before and after that was starting to take a toll on him.
He had a bruise the size of the prefect's fist on the left side of his ribs that hurt when he moved. His jaw was perpetually sore from the constant slaps and punches that followed his sucking. He was finding it harder to hide the bruises on his neck from the night before.
Macmillan had found him in the boy's bathroom on the sixth floor and had forced him to his knees and then had wrapped his hands around his throat and squeezed while he shoved his penis into his mouth. Theo had seen stars before Ernie had finally let go and when he'd woken that morning, he had purple and yellow finger-shaped bruises littering his throat. It hurt to talk and he had placed a glamour charm over them so that no one would see them.
It was only the third week of September and he was already stuck in this situation beyond his control. He had been thinking about what Narcissa had said to him at the end of the summer, about potentially being able to claim his rights and his inheritance away from his father once he turned sixteen as opposed to seventeen. He wondered on if it was possible or not. But he wasn't sure who to ask or how to get that information. If he could find out, he could put a stop to this, and then he could curse the cock right off of Macmillan.
He shoved his hands into his pockets as he headed down towards the Slytherin Common Room and saw Snape step out of his office.
"Sir," he said, kindly.
The hand that landed on his shoulder when he attempted to walk by had him stopping.
"Come into my office for a moment, Theo."
Theo let out a slow sigh before he moved into the Potion Master's dungeon office and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk. Snape closed the office door behind him and moved around to sit in the chair across from Theo, his dark eyes staring at him for a long moment and he felt the loose prodding on his mind.
"Narcissa taught you well, your Occlumency is strong."
"Thank you, Sir. I don't know if it's strong enough to keep out the Dark Lord, but I think my walls are strong."
Snape nodded and pushed into his mind again. The assault felt like a battering ram against his temple and he felt his magical walls shake before Snape nodded. "Could be stronger. I'd say with another fifteen to twenty minutes, I could break those walls down completely if I wanted to."
"I'll work harder on them, Sir."
Snape nodded again before he stared at him, his long fingers tapping together in front of him. "What's on your mind, Theo?"
Theo shrugged. "Nothing. Just tired."
Snape continued to stare at him. "How did you find your meeting with the Dark Lord?"
Theo stared at him. "I hated it."
Snape's eyes bored into his for a moment. "You must keep those thoughts to yourself. I want you to know that I always have your best interests in mind, Theo. I abhor the way your father has treated you and I will continue to do what I can to keep you safe from him while we are at school. But I wanted to warn you that the Dark Lord often recruits at sixteen."
Theo paled. "I won't join him!"
Snape nodded. "I don't want you to join him, Theo. I'm not here to recruit you. I'm here to warn you. You're a bright young man and I think that you're smart enough to realize that some of us are in too deep to get out again, but you still have choices. I know that you'll be sixteen in October and with it being the school year, I doubt that he would try to bring you in. But come the summer, you need to be on your guard."
"I don't have to say yes," Theo said carefully.
"No, you don't have to say yes," Snape said quietly. "But if you say no, he'll kill someone you love. Torture you. Make you suffer. If you continue to say no, he'll kill you. If you're lucky, he'll do it himself. If you're not and he hands you over to any of his followers, your death will take hours, if not days."
Theo's eyes were wide as he stared at Snape, deathly pale now. "Why are you telling me any of this? I saw you sitting there with him! You agreed with everything that he had to say!"
"I did and I was," Snape snapped at him. "Because if I disagreed with him, what do you think would happen to me?"
His breath hitched. "You… you don't really support him, do you?"
"I am a loyal follower of the Dark Lord and I plan to stay as such. I will do whatever heinous deed he commands of me because that is the path that I chose. The Dark Lord is wise and powerful. But he is also ruthless and cunning. Watch out for yourself."
He gestured to the door and Theo stood up, his brow furrowing. "Professor?" At Snape's look, he spoke. "Do you think that he will try to recruit Blaise and Draco as well?"
"Zabini's birthday isn't until December and Draco won't be sixteen until June, but I can assure you, he will want to collect the three of you, whether this year or the next, I couldn't say, but he will want you."
Theo swallowed. "I'll… be on my guard, Sir."
Snape nodded. "Do that."
Theo closed the office door behind him, his head spinning. Snape was a Death Eater and yet he still felt like he could trust him. He wasn't sure how that made him feel he thought as he headed back to the Slytherin common room.
Draco was snogging his girlfriend behind the tapestry near the entrance to the common room and he snickered when he saw his friend's hands boldly cupping Ophelia's breasts through her blouse. Guess he decided not to break up with her, he thought.
He found Blaise by the fireplace and sat next to him. "Ginny said that you sniffed her hair."
Blaise snorted. "She smells nice. She really grew up this year."
"I won't deny that, I have eyes even if she doesn't have the right stuff for me," he added, making Blaise grin.
"Yes, you do have eyes. Did you tell her what was bugging you?"
Theo smiled at him. "I appreciate you going to her to watch out for me, but I'm fine."
Blaise stared at him for a long moment. "I still don't believe you. You know that I'm here when you decide that you're ready to talk, right?"
"I know," Theo told him. "I appreciate that. Did you see Draco out there with Rowle? He said that he was thinking about breaking up with her."
"Told me the same, but then I reminded him that he would only have his hand for company and he reconsidered. I give it another week, max."
Theo nodded. "Bet you ten Galleons he makes it to All Hallows Eve?"
Blaise's grin flashed quickly. "You're on."
~ ASC ~
Harry was surprised to see how many people had shown up to try out for the positions of Chaser and Keeper that Saturday. The stands were full of waiting participants and he was surprised to see that most of them didn't even have brooms. He took a drink of water from his bottle before he sat it on the bench and said as much to Angelina.
Angelina narrowed her eyes as she looked around. "Oi! Anyone trying out for the position of Gryffindor Chaser please line up on my left and those for Gryffindor Keeper please line up on my right!"
The crowd of people immediately began to line up and Harry began to walk up and down the line of them, examining them carefully. Ninety percent of them were girls he noted and then he saw the flash of blue and bronze and sighed. He suddenly knew why there were so many people there and he rolled his eyes.
"Anyone who is not in Gryffindor House needs to leave now! This tryout is for Gryffindor students only!"
There was a loud groan as half the crowd dispersed to take off, groaning again when Harry ordered them directly off the pitch. Most of the girls were giggling madly and staring at him.
Angelina grinned at him. "Anyone who is here only to see Harry Potter needs to leave now."
There was a collective groan as more people walked off the pitch.
"Also any first years need to leave as well," Harry called out.
Six more students took off, heads down as Harry shook his head.
"Thank you," he said, glancing out at the crowd of about twenty Gryffindors, a much better number he thought. He recognized Ginny standing in the group and smiled. He knew that she liked to fly, but he had never seen her play Quidditch. He noted that she was in the Chaser line-up with interest.
"All right, so first off we need to get you all equipped in the proper athletic clothing for tryouts. Your school robes won't do. Girls, follow Angelina and she will help you out. You blokes can come with me."
Twenty minutes later, each person was outfitted in Gryffindor athletic gear. They were all wearing black drawstring sweats with Gryffindor down the side in bright gold. The boys were in black vests or tee shirts with the Gryffindor logo across the chest and the girls differed between vests, sports bras, and tee shirts.
Harry nodded at everyone. "Anyone who does not have a broom, there are Cleansweep 7s by the benches there. Please find one that you are comfortable with before we begin."
Once everyone had a broom, he smiled. "Great. I am going to run you through a basic Quidditch practice before we try out for the specific positions. This will test your stamina, your endurance, and see how well suited you are to a practice before we delve into your Quidditch skills. Follow the lead of the Gryffindor team."
Harry held his Firebolt over the back of his shoulders and began to do simple stretches, using his broom as he lunged and twisted his hips and shoulders in a gentle motion to loosen up. Then, still holding the Firebolt over the back of his shoulders, he began to jog around the pitch. At the halfway mark, he headed up the stands to the top, moving back down the stairs on the other end. Everyone was huffing and puffing behind him as he led them back around the other half of the pitch in a slow jog and then back up and down the stands again. Once they reached the pitch a second time, he urged them to stretch it out slowly.
Ten of the people were lying on the grass gasping for breath. Everyone else was bent over, hands on their knees as they relaxed and gulped back water.
Harry gave them a minute to catch their breath before he spoke up. "That's a typical start to practice. Usually from now we move onto sit-ups and push-ups followed by chin-ups on your flying broomstick. Twenty of each; let's see it!"
There was a collective groan as everyone got to work.
Harry stood next to Angelina once he finished his own sixty reps, his eyes on the people lined up. He had been surprised to see Dean there, despite knowing his roommate planned to tryout. He tried not to scowl as he watched his roommate flirt with Ginny. Ginny had opted to dress in the same attire as Gryffindor's current three Chasers. Riding low on her hips was black drawstring sweats with Gryffindor down the side in bright gold, but it was the black sports bra with the Gryffindor logo across her chest that had caught his attention. It accented her flat stomach littered in freckles. The swell of her round breasts were already glistening in a soft sheen of sweat from the workout that he had started them with. Her long red hair was up high in a ponytail and danced down her shoulders and back and she was wearing the Quidditch gloves that he had given her for her birthday.
She bent down to scratch her ankle and his gaze immediately settled at her cleavage and he choked on the water that he had been drinking, closing his eyes tightly. When he opened them, the sixth year Cormac McLaggen, who was trying out for the position of Keeper, had his head bent to check out her butt. Harry practically growled at him. Cormac closed his teeth over his fist and said something to the bloke on his left who nodded and grinned.
Harry broke the cup in his hand, water spraying everywhere. Katie Bell gave him a look and he shook his head, jumping onto his broom, and heading up into the air. He did four loop-de-loops before landing back on the ground.
"All right, we're going to start with the Chaser tryouts. Those wanting to try out for the position of Keeper, have a seat in the stands. Chasers, on your brooms." He rose up with them surrounding him. "I am going to fly high and monitor your progress. Angelina and Katie will be passing the Quaffle around to you as Alicia plays the role of Keeper. Watch out for the Beaters, they will be working to unseat you as much as possible. Let's see what you can do!"
He flew up higher to watch them work, eyes on those trying out as Fred and George shot Bludgers towards them while they passed the Quaffle back and forth to each other.
Harry was hoping to find a Chaser who worked well amongst the team and who worked well with Angelina and Katie. But Harry kept his eyes on Ginny. She flew well. She flew really well, actually, he thought. Her long red hair was in a high pony tail, blowing behind her as she flew, whipped under a Bludger, and loop-de-looped around George who gasped at her.
"Nevra, when the hell did you learn to fly so good?"
She smirked at her brother. "When you boys were sleeping and I stole your brooms."
Fred stared at her, looking half-amazed and half-horrified. "Gem's a little scary sometimes, Forge."
George grinned and flew up around his brother.
Fred hit another Bludger at her as Katie passed her the Quaffle, Ginny caught it in one hand, swerved around the Bludger, and sent a perfect goal through the centre hoop before Alicia could block it. She whooped and circled around, scoring twice more.
Her brothers were staring at her in shock.
She flew up high, grabbed the Quaffle again and passed it flawlessly to Katie. Then she was spinning to the left and diving down quickly before she pulled herself back up from a seamless dive, catching the Quaffle as Angelina passed it to her. Harry tilted his head to watch her progress, too focused on her and not on his surroundings, and the Bludger hit him right in the leg. He swore as he felt his calf burn and he flew down to the ground as his team surrounded him.
"Blimey, Harry! You all right?" Fred asked, checking his leg.
Harry nodded. "Fine. It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention." His eyes drifted over to Ginny who had landed next to him, her long red ponytail bouncing as she hit the ground. His attention had very clearly been on someone else.
"Should we get him to Madam Pomfrey?" Fred asked, looking at Harry in concern.
Harry shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. Trust me, it's not broken."
Ginny gave him a pointed look. "I don't trust your version of 'fine,' Harry. You should let Madam Pomfrey check you out."
Mandy, who had been watching in the stands, had hurried down to see if he was okay and she nodded at Ginny's words, reaching out to touch his arm. "Hey, let's get you to Madam Pomfrey."
Angelina nodded. "Harry, go; come back after you've been cleared. I'll run the tryout."
He nodded and let Mandy lead him off the pitch, limping a little. He was pretty sure that nothing was broken, but his leg hurt like a bitch nevertheless.
"Ginny's very good, isn't she?" Mandy said quietly, startling him from his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"Ginny," Mandy said again, her eyes on her boyfriend. "She's good. She was doing pretty amazing up there, wasn't she?"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, she was."
Mandy watched him for a moment. "You were so busy watching your Chasers you forgot to keep an eye out for the Bludgers."
He smiled at her. "I'm not used to being so stationary during a game either." They stepped into the castle and she led him towards the hospital wing as he spoke. "Hey, our date might be a little later tonight, depending on how long tryouts take, and I have to leave before dark to see my father so, we might only be able to sneak out for an hour or two."
Mandy smiled. "I know. We'll talk after your tryouts are done and you've found your Quidditch team."
He nodded as they stepped into the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey saw him.
"Merlin's beard, Potter, it's still September, what did you do already?"
He grinned at her. "Bludger to the leg. I think that I might have fractured something."
Madam Pomfrey rolled her eyes as he sat on the bed and she began to examine him. "Surprisingly no, but you did tear through a muscle." She handed him a vial of potion. "Drink that."
Harry drank it down, making a face at Mandy in disgust. "Can I go back to practice now?"
Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "No flying for forty-eight hours."
He pouted, but agreed, his leg already feeling slightly better from her potion as he made his way back down to the pitch with his girlfriend. He could see that Angelina was already getting the Keepers going and he watched as Ron paced nervously in front of the stands. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Hey, mate!"
Ron grinned at him, looking a bit green. "You okay?"
"Golden," he said, eyes on Dean who was doing fairly decent. "You try out yet?"
Ron shook his head. "No. What was I thinking, Harry? I'm not good enough for this!"
"You're going to be great, Ron. I know it."
He smiled at Hermione when she came over to them. "I'm fine, I swear."
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Mandy already told me what Madam Pomfrey said so don't even try to lie to me," she said sternly before turning to Ron. "Ron, I just wanted to say good luck out there. I know how much you want this."
His ears pinked a little and he nodded.
Harry made a face as he watched McLaggen head out to replace Dean. "That's the bloke Angelina was telling me about. I think that he looks like a ponce, but apparently he's really good."
Ron looked even more nervous so Harry pat his shoulder before he headed out to see Angelina and told her that he would be watching from the ground due to his injury. McLaggen was good. He blocked four out of five saves and then on the last one, he missed by a lot, turning in the complete wrong direction altogether and making Harry frown. It seemed rather out of character for him.
Ron went up next and saved all five earning a loud cheer from Harry and Hermione along with Fred and George who hurried over to high-five him.
Angelina grinned and pulled Harry aside. They agreed to narrow it down to Ron, Dean, and McLaggen for Keeper. For the Chasers, it was down to Ginny, a girl named Demelza Robbins, and a boy named David Gunderson. They ordered another game and had Fred and George get back into position for Alicia, Katie, and Angelina to join the fray.
Harry took a seat on the bench, his leg propped up as he watched them fly into formation. They were all talented, now he just had to find the best pick.
But his eyes were on the bouncing red ponytail as she flew overhead and he forgot to watch the other players entirely.
His eyes were only on her.
~ ASC ~
Sirius nodded at Snape when he stepped into Number Twelve that afternoon. Kreacher immediately made him a cup of tea as Zee came out of the living room and took a seat next to Sirius.
"Snape, I don't think that you've officially been introduced. This is my girlfriend Zee Zacarias, Zee, Severus Snape."
"Right, the git who likes to treat our son like crap," Zee said, crossing her legs.
Snape only sneered at her. "A beautiful woman like you should have better taste, but we all have our flaws." He turned back to Sirius, his sneer still in place. "You said that you had questions for me, Black? I don't know anything about the prison break outside of the fact that he's stationed the prisoners around a few safe houses to help rebuild their strength. Those who were not previously Death Eaters are also being talked into becoming his followers."
"Figured as much when the bodies started turning up," Sirius said under his breath. "No, I wanted to ask you about his snake."
Snape frowned. "Why?"
"It's like a familiar to him, right? Harry mentioned that she seemed to do whatever he asked of it. I know that he speaks Parseltongue, but Harry said that he seemed to be oddly attached to it."
Snape scratched his forehead. "He is. I imagine that it's because Nagini nursed him through his many possessions and ultimately it was her venom that helped keep him alive."
"You don't know anything else about the snake?"
"No," Snape said carefully. "I do know that Bella hinted something along the lines of some ritual that they did with the snake a few months before the Dark Lord was restored. The Dark Lord needed the help of her and Brax to perform it on the snake as it greatly weakened him in the child's body. I don't know what it was, but I assumed that it was something to do with the restoration potion."
Sirius nodded. "You're probably right. I just thought that him having a familiar seemed out of character for him, like he could actually care about something for once?"
Snape nodded, taking a drink of the tea Kreacher had brought him. "He does seem inordinately attached to her, but she did milk him for many months. It makes sense. Do you need me to try to find out more about the ritual performed on her?"
Zee shook her head. "No, you're right. It was most likely pertaining to the resurrection potion itself. We just wanted to confirm that. Has Voldemort made any plans to move forward since the breakout?"
"No. Like I said, he's about building strength at the moment. But he does plan on making a move on the Ministry of Magic at some point," Snape said. "He's been in a rage since Potter escaped him, but the news that Dumbledore passed some secret initiative through the Wizengamot hasn't made him much happier. He's still furious about Potter's escape. He claims that one of us should have told him that Potter was an Animagus and he's convinced that someone helped Potter because Disapparating as an Animagus is a rare ability."
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, tell me about it!"
Zee smiled. "My father told him that he could do it and they practiced doing wandless spells in his Animagus form, but to have actually succeeded in Apparating and all that way… we were surprised ourselves."
"How did he break through the wards at Hogwarts?"
Sirius shrugged. "We don't know for sure, but Dumbledore thinks that it was because he needed me, his family, and in times of great need —"
"— your magic answers," Snape finished quietly. "It's still very rare and very powerful for him to have done so. Very few people could have done it — nor have done it." He was quiet for a moment. "Maybe there was more to that prophecy than we thought."
Sirius frowned. "What are you saying?"
"As I mentioned before, the Dark Lord has become very interested in the prophecy since Potter escaped his grasp again. He is determined to find out what sort of powers Potter has been foretold to have that could potentially rival his, since it was said that he would have powers to defeat him."
"He's looking to find the source," Sirius said in surprise. "Now that's interesting. Does he know who gave the prophecy?"
"No," Snape said. "And since I didn't know at the time either, he thinks that I still don't."
Sirius nodded, his eyes darkening. He looked at Zee when she touched his arm. "No, I'm just thinking … he knows that Dumbledore knows the full prophecy, but who else?"
"The Guardian would know."
Sirius looked at his girlfriend, his eyebrow rising. "The Guardian?"
"Of the Oracle," Zee said.
Snape nodded, his eyes on Zee as he spoke. "But no one knows who that is. It's one of the biggest mysteries in the Department of Mysteries. The Guardian is kept hidden and a secret from everyone. Not even the Minister of Magic is privy to who they are."
"Exactly," Zee told him. "The Guardian is the only person who knows every single prophecy recorded and has complete access to them."
Sirius frowned. "How have I never heard of this before?"
Zee grinned at him. "I dated an Unspeakable once. He told me that he worked in the Department of Mysteries assisting the Guardian of the Oracle in the Hall of Prophecy, but being that he was an Unspeakable, he couldn't exactly tell me what that meant."
"A Hall of Prophecy?" Snape whispered, his eyes wide in interest. "I could bring that to the Dark Lord's attention… that could be useful."
Zee nodded. "We already know what the prophecy pertained so, it hardly matters."
"How do you know that the prophecy in question is there?" Sirius asked.
Zee shrugged. "I don't know for certain, but from what Lenny was able to tell me I ascertained that the Guardian has the power to trace every single prophecy ever made. The Guardian then places it into an orb that is then held in the Hall of Prophecy to be kept as a record of the oracle. I assume that they are studied in some way to try to figure out what they could mean."
Sirius nodded. "You really dated a bloke named Lenny?"
Zee rolled her eyes at him. "Really? That's the part that you narrow in on?"
Snape stood up. "That's information that I can use. In the meantime, let Dumbledore know that the Dark Lord is interested in the prophecy. If this doesn't pan out, he may make a move on him since he knows that he has the knowledge of it, but I doubt it would be anytime soon. He knows how well protected Dumbledore is and I think Dumbledore is the only wizard who he has ever truly feared."
Sirius nodded and watched him leave and when the front door slammed behind him, he turned to Zee. "So, Lenny, huh?"
Zee smiled at him. "Yes, Lenny. We went on a total of four dates as I found him incredibly boring. You would think that dating an Unspeakable would be exciting, but since they literally can tell you nothing, it makes conversation rather hard."
Sirius leaned in, sliding his hands up her thighs to rest on her hips. "And you only had conversations with him?"
Zee grinned as his lips brushed the side of her neck. "No, we also had sex."
"After four dates, you were such a slag."
She slapped him on the arm and he grinned against her mouth.
"My slag," he whispered, kissing her softly.
Zee wrapped her arms around his neck. "Call me a slag again and the only action you're going to ever get again is from your own hand."
He winced and nibbled at her lips. "You're right. You are my goddess and I apologize."
Zee grinned. "Good." She shifted sideways into his lap. "Now, if we can get over the jealousy —"
"— I'm hardly jealous of some prat named Lenny," Sirius scoffed.
Zee rolled her eyes at him. "Sure sounds like it."
"Well, who was all jealous last week over Tia, Em, and Thea?"
Zee smiled. "Well, Lenny was just a shag, so why does it matter?"
Sirius made a growling sound as he realized that she had used his own logic against him. "I'm an idiot."
She grinned. "My idiot." When his eyes narrowed, she smiled and cupped his cheeks to kiss him softly. "Now, if we can both stop being needlessly jealous, I want to talk about this Hall of Prophecy. From what I understand, there is a Guardian who is essentially the Head of the Oracle division within the Department of Mysteries within the Ministry of Magic. I don't know for sure, this is only my guess, but I assume that the Guardian has some form of Seer abilities if is not a seer him or herself. Like the way the Ministry can track the magic use of underage witches and wizards, this Guardian can track prophecies using their diviner skills. I think that they can then take them from the Seer who gave the prophecy or from someone who overheard it, kind of like how we can remove memories into a Pensieve to be viewed later? But the Guardian takes the prophecy in question and places it into a special orb to keep it safe and they store it in the Hall of Prophecy."
"And you think that they study them there?"
She nodded. "Well, why else would they keep a record of them if one is not going to try to decipher what the prophecy could mean? I imagine most of them are kept as anonymous visions as well, unless they knew for sure who the prophecies were made about."
Sirius looked pensive for a moment, his thumb gently stroking the elephant on her ribs beneath her shirt. "And you think that the prophecy about Harry is in there then?"
"I can't imagine why it wouldn't be. Like I said, Siri, this is my guess. No one knows how it works and those that do know are forbidden from talking about it. Unspeakables are extremely powerful mind witches and wizards with a skill level for Occlumency that is completely unprecedented. I heard just to get through the interview process you go through an intense mind attack. Who really knows what might be in there?"
Sirius nodded. "Yeah, who really knows," he murmured. But his mind was thinking now. "If Snape told Voldemort that a record of the prophecy in question was being held at the Ministry of Magic, that could be a way to get him there directly."
"Do you really think that he would go himself instead of sending one of his lackies?"
Sirius frowned. "Fuck, no."
Zee wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "One step at a time, Sirius. We're getting there."
"Yeah, I know. Hey, that ritual that Snape said that Bella and Brax helped Voldemort perform on the snake? We're both thinking that was the Horcrux, right?"
"It sure sounds like it. Something that weakened him? That he couldn't perform alone because he was in the body of a child? I think it definitely was and I think he did it as another precaution in case the potion didn't work. They're both obviously willing to help him in any way possible and helping him murder innocents to remove a piece of his soul hardly seems like a stretch for them."
Sirius nodded. "I agree, if they even knew what the ritual truly was. But it's nice to have it confirmed."
"Snape doesn't know what it is that they did."
"No, and it's probably for the best that he doesn't find out. The last thing we need is for Voldemort to get wind that we are hunting them down. We just have to hope that he doesn't make any more in the meantime."
Zee nodded, her eyes on his. "At least we finally know something. He wants to know about the prophecy."
"One step forward," he agreed.
Zee smiled at him. "By the way, he is a bit of a greasy-haired git, isn't he?"
Sirius grinned widely. "I fucking love you." He kissed her softly as she chuckled against his mouth and then he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Come on, let's go home and get some dinner. I have to get to Wales before the moon comes up. Harry is joining us tonight."
"Be safe," she said as he lifted her with him when he stood.
He sat her on the kitchen table and kissed her softly. "Always."
~ ASC ~
Harry stood under the spray of the shower in the Gryffindor change room after the tryouts. He had spent the remainder of practice with his eyes on Ginny, watching her in her incredible flying skills and the way that the sun had glinted off her fiery red hair and now he was rock hard. He stood under the spray and his hand covered his cock as he imagined tasting that sweet sheen of perspiration off of her chest, covering his mouth with hers as his fingers danced along her hipbones, counting each freckle around her belly button… touching the ones on her back as he pulled her closer… as her lips met his and he came so quickly that he startled himself. He bit his lip hard as he tried not to groan as his hand lingered on the base of his shaft, trying to prolong his orgasm and when he caught his breath he leaned his forehead against the cold tile of the shower wall, and cursed himself.
These thoughts were getting completely out of hand. He'd been hit with a Bludger today just because he couldn't concentrate on anything — but her. Ginny was his friend, not his girlfriend — who was in fact waiting for him in the stands at this very moment for their anniversary date tonight. He had asked Dobby to help him prepare a romantic meal and bring it to the swimming pool room since he knew that it was her favourite.
And here he was thinking about another woman.
Wanking off to someone who wasn't his girlfriend.
He should be ashamed of himself.
Ginny wasn't for him and he needed to stop having these naughty thoughts about her. He washed up and headed into the change room in his towel to dress. He had just finished spraying cologne on himself and brushing his hair before he grabbed his Quidditch bag just as Ginny stepped out of the women's showers dressed in black tights and a long sleeved off the shoulder dark green cotton shirt.
"Hi, Harry," she said brightly grabbing her brush and attempting to detangle her long red hair. "I feel pretty confident about that tryout, do you think that I did okay?"
He nodded, stopping his fingers from reaching out to touch her hair by shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Oh yeah, you did great, Ginny! You were definitely the best by far!"
She beamed at him. "Really?"
"Really!" Katie said, coming out of the showers behind Ginny. "Angelina and I were really impressed. Harry, we're choosing Ginny, right?"
"Definitely. No one better for the position."
Ginny whooped in delight, jumping in excitement. "YES!"
Harry grinned at her. "Welcome to the team, Gin. As for Keeper?"
"McLaggen had better skills than Ron, Harry, but he missed three saves. It was like he forgot where he was or something. Ron was definitely better than Thomas so… two Weasleys?" Angelina said, hesitantly. "Merlin, we'll be outnumbered."
Harry laughed. "You get used to it. Ron and Ginny it is. Excellent!"
Ginny grinned wider and hugged Harry. "Thank you so much!"
He nodded, hardening again at her touch so he moved away quickly. "Yes, good. Well, um, I have to go see Mandy. Bye."
He hurried out of the change room, trying not to think about her and when he spotted Mandy waving at him, guilt swam through his stomach. Ginny isn't yours, he told himself letting out a slow breath.
Get over her!
He focused on his girlfriend as he approached her in the stands. "Hey, did you watch until the end?"
"I did," she told him. "Did you decide?"
"Ginny and Ron," Harry said with a grin. "Angelina says that we'll be outnumbered by Weasleys, but we all agree that they were the best. Ginny was fantastic! I had no idea that she was so good as her brothers never let her play Quidditch with us when we play at the Burrow. I mean, I always knew that she loved to fly, but she's great. She was brilliant out there and she meshed so well with Angelina and Katie, picking anyone else would just be dumb," he said, plopping down on the bench next to her.
"Yeah, she is." She slipped her hand into his and smiled at him. "Harry, I really like you."
He linked his fingers through hers. "Well, that's good. I really like you too."
She smiled. "You're good looking and sweet and the nicest boyfriend that a girl could ask for. After our time in Corfu... on the beach…"
Harry's grin widened as he leaned in. "Watching you come for me was incredible and I know that it was only the one time, but it was… special."
Mandy blushed and stared down at their joined hands for a moment. "I could fall in love with you," she blurted out, her eyes moving back to his. "I can see myself falling." She let out a slow breath before she spoke. "Which is why I think that we have to break up."
Harry frowned. "Wait — what?"
"Harry, you're wonderful. Everything about you is just wonderful, but we can't be together any more."
"Why?" he asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Where is this coming from? I thought that things were going great between us!"
Mandy chewed her lip before she spoke. "Because I am falling in love with you, Harry. You're an amazing bloke. And I won't let myself fall only to get my heart broken by someone who can't love me the way that I want him too."
"Mandy, what — what do you mean?"
She had a soft smile on her face, but her eyes were sad as her gaze met his. "You know what I mean. Harry, you're in love with Ginny Weasley. Anyone can see it. At first, I thought that it was just because you're such good friends. I tried to tell myself that it was the reason why you talked about her so much, why you seek her out so often, and why your eyes follow her when she enters or leaves a room. You talk about her all the time. It's her that you talk to about the big moments in your life, not me. I'm not who you need. I let myself pretend that I could be longer than I should have because I care about you, but I can't do it anymore."
"No, Mandy, Ginny and I, we're friends —"
"You are," she interrupted him, squeezing his hands in hers. "And you're in love with her. I think that it's time for you to stop fighting that, and admit to it. Tell her how you feel. She deserves to know."
She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "You were the perfect first boyfriend that a girl could ask for. I'm going to miss you and… give me a bit of time, but I think that I'd like to be friends, if you'll have me that is. Just not… yet. Good luck, Harry."
She let go of his hands and jumped to her feet, hurrying across the pitch.
"Mandy! Mandy, wait!" Harry called out after her, but she only turned back and smiled, shaking her head at him before she hurried off.
Harry sat there feeling completely bewildered by what had just happened.
The loud crack of Apparition only had him looking up at his house elf.
"Mas-Harry Potter, Sir, Dobby has prepared everything for your date."
The anniversary dinner, he thought, rubbing his hands over his cheeks. "Dobby, I'm sorry, but the dinner tonight has been cancelled. I know that you must have worked very hard on it and I'm sorry."
Dobby's ears deflated. "Mas-Harry Potter doesn't want my food?"
"No, Dobby, of course I wanted it, it's just… well, my girlfriend broke up with me so I guess there won't be a date tonight after all."
Dobby nodded, his eyes sad. "I is sorry Harry Potter, Sir."
"Thanks. Um, have a good night."
Dobby stared at him for a moment and then he reached out and pat Harry on the head as if offering comfort before he Disapparated and Harry buried his face in his hands. He liked Mandy. He cared about Mandy, he did, he thought desperately, but he couldn't help his mind from drifting to her words.
You're in love with Ginny Weasley.
Love, that seemed like an over exaggeration he thought. He fancied her, sure. He'd admitted to that. He loved her as well, always had, but in love with her, that didn't seem quite right. He put a hand over his aching heart and saw her in the distance coming out of the change rooms. Her long red hair dancing in the wind.
He was in serious trouble.
End Author's Note:
As to Ginny's Quidditch attire, I take my inspiration from blvnk's work — love that picture of Ginny in her Quidditch gear. So, I thought let's make it the practice uniform for school, girls can choose the top to wear when practicing.
Thanks to Bex for helping with the idea concerning the Guardian.
PS — for Kmi, DeMandy is no more.
Thanks for reading and please review!