Harry had managed to sleep late, so when he stumbled down the stairs into the Entrance Hall the next morning, he was alone. This made it easy for Ginny, who it seemed had been waiting for him to make an appearance. As soon as he set foot in the Entrance Hall, Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him off to an empty side corridor.
"Harry, we need to talk."
Harry felt a sudden stab of anxiety. If he was honest with himself, he'd been doing his best to avoid talking to Ginny alone. Many things had been lost over the last year, and it seemed that the spark Harry once felt when near the fierce red-headed girl was one of those things. Ginny must have seen something of his nerves on Harry's face, because she rolled her eyes and drew him into a quick, tight hug, before hitting him gently upside the head as she pulled back.
"No, you idiot, not about that. I knew when you left me behind that we never really had any hope of making it out of the war with what we had intact. It's okay, Harry. Really." She smiled gently at him, like he was a deer about to startle. "We're different people now, and that's okay."
Harry felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest, and he felt a twinge of regret that his love for the wonderful girl in front of him had swung back around to friendly rather than the – admittedly, a little awkward at times – passion they had shared for some of his sixth year.
"Thank you, Ginny. I'm really glad to hear you say that. You'll find someone who loves you with everything he has, I know it."
Ginny blushed prettily and shot Harry a sly smile.
"Yes, well. I might have my eye on someone, but he's being a little bit… obtuse, about the whole thing, honestly. But my love life, or current lack of, is not what I wanted to talk about. Harry, this is about Zabini."
Harry frowned.
"What about him?"
Ginny's eyebrows drew together.
"Look, I know you and Ron don't trust him, but I need you two to back off, okay? Just… try to avoid arguing with the Slytherins this year. For me."
Harry met Ginny's gaze and couldn't quite put his finger on the emotion that filled the hazel eyes of his friend. Well, other than the usual stubbornness that was a common feature among Weasleys.
"Yeah, okay. Alright, I'll ask Ron to hold back. I don't know why you've suddenly become the Slytherin's protector or whatever, but I'll ask."
Ginny sighed and shook her head.
"I'm not their protector,I'm just... Merlin, Harry, I'm just so tired. I'm so tired of hating people just because they wear green rather than red. I'm tired of judging people I don't even really know. I'm tired of living up to every bloody thing we tell ourselves the other side is evil for doing – for judging someone based on House, or their family. I'm tired of there being another side. Aren't you?"
Harry didn't say anything, but a piece of him that had become numb and dulled over the last few years raised its head in recognition at Ginny's words. He huffed out a breath but nodded once, and Ginny smiled tiredly.
"Thank you. Come on, let's go get some breakfast."
Harry followed the ginger into the Great Hall, waving a quick goodbye as Ginny headed towards the Seventh Year table and Harry turned to go sit with Hermione and Ron at the new Eighth Year's table. Ron was half asleep in his sausages, and Hermione was chatting excitedly with Padma Patil about what elective class they would each end up deciding on.
"I think I'm leaning towards Arithmancy," Padma was saying, and Hermione nodded eagerly, taking a distracted bite from her marmalade smothered toast.
"I am as well, it's my favourite subject. I did wonder whether or not I should take Ancient Runes, but after reading through the textbooks last night I just think Arithmancy will be more challenging, and I can always read up on Rune law myself later on."
Harry sat across from his friends and Ron looked up from his meal and shot Harry a forlorn look.
"I was wrong. It wasn't the Slytherins we needed to look out for, it's the bloody Ravenclaws, Harry! Those two have been like this for over twenty minutes. And did you see Hermione and Goldstein talking last night about these projects we're doing for McGonagall? I've never seen anyone other than Hermione be so pleased over extra work, the two of them were practically jumping around like kids in a Quidditch store!"
Harry chuckled and helped himself to some bacon and eggs, looking up when Neville sat next to him.
"Morning all."
There were a few chorused greetings back at the Gryffindor, who had started to help himself to some porridge.
"So," Ron continued, giving Harry's foot a friendly kick under the table. "I see you and Ginny came in to breakfast together. Got that all sorted have you? Do I need to give you another talk about treating my sister right?"
He was clearly joking, but Harry ended up blushing anyway. Beside him, Neville had frozen with his spoon halfway to his mouth as he looked between the two friends. Harry shook his head quickly, glancing around awkwardly to see who was listening – Ron had inadvertently gathered the attention of the whole table, the nosey gits. Harry could already see that only having thirteen at the table was going to be an issue for having private discussions, but Ron was looking at him in anticipation and so Harry shook his head again.
"No, it's not like that. We've decided to just stay friends."
Neville relaxed beside him and Harry shot him a pleading look, but Ron was already leaning forward over the table.
"Wait, so you guys aren't getting back together? Why the hell not?"
"Well, I mean. I don't know, we just- don't feel that way about each other anymore?" Harry muttered, and Ron squinted his eyes at Harry as he looked at him suspiciously.
"And this was a mutual thing?"
Harry nodded and after a second Ron nodded and leaned back in his seat.
"Well thank Merlin, that makes everything a whole lot easier."
Harry laughed, relieved, and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Honestly Ron, you couldn't have picked a more private time and place to grill Harry about his love life?"
Ron shrugged, not really caring that the table was still listening in to their conversation (with varying degrees of subtlety, Harry noted with some amusement).
"I'm just glad that Harry's love life no longer contains my sister," the redhead grinned at Harry and shrugged. "Don't get me wrong mate, you're a stand-up bloke, but you're just not good enough for Ginny."
Neville snorted and shook his head.
"If Harry's not good enough for Ginny Ron, I don't think you're ever going to be pleased with who she ends up with. What chance do the rest of us have if the defeater of Voldemort doesn't measure up?"
Harry blushed, embarrassed, but Ron was laughing along with Neville before he suddenly cut himself off as he realised just what the brunette had said, and he cried, outraged, "Oi, what do ya mean, 'the rest of us'? Who wants to have a go at my sister?"
Hermione groaned and put her face in her hands, and the rest of the table broke into laughter. Harry shook his head and looked sideways at Neville, who had blushed high on his cheekbones and was still trying to placate Ron when Headmistress McGonagall arrived.
"Mr Weasley, in future please be so good as to keep your voice lowered to a civilised level." The wry look on McGonagall's face said she knew exactly how likely that would be, but Ron grinned sheepishly and nodded anyway, muttering a hasty "Yes Professor."
"Now then. I've brought your timetables – you'll notice that a couple of the places have not been filled in. If you tap your schedule with your wand and say what elective you have decided upon, it will be filled in for you and arranged as necessary." McGonagall walked the length of the table as she spoke, handing each student a slip of parchment with their class times on it.
"You will notice that under your schedule," she continued, reaching Harry and handing over his class plan, "is a description of the special project you will be completing this year, and who you are working with. I have included three texts that I believe may help you achieve this, and which can be found in the library. You will, of course, have to do your own research on top of this – these books are simply a starting point. There is a copy of the list of who is assigned to each project on the notice board in your common room. You may find it helpful to discuss ideas with other pairs who have similar tasks, or even just to brainstorm ideas. These are your projects – though your heads of house and I will oversee your progress from a distance, ultimately the choices are yours. Remember – this is not only about extra credit to help you pass the year. This is your chance to leave a lasting mark on this castle," McGonagall raised a single eyebrow in challenge. "Whether you improve on the old, or create something new entirely... Do what you will – but make it count."
The Headmistress nodded encouragingly to her students, and pulled a small rose-gold pocket watch from her robes. "Now – enjoy the rest of your breakfast. I shall see you on the sixth floor for Transfiguration in half an hour." With a stern look that said that anyone who dared to be late would not be pleased with the result, McGonagall swept back up to the Head table, her emerald green cloak sweeping behind her elegantly. Harry finally looked down at the piece of paper and read his timetable quickly before skipping down to the details of his project for the year.
Your Eighth Year Project:
The Room of Requirement, on the Seventh floor across from the Barnabas the Barmy, was badly damaged in the Battle of Hogwarts. The cause appears to be fiendfyre. Your project is to find a way to heal the burns throughout the room and to restore the magic so that the room functions as it did before the fiendfyre scarred it. To gain access to the room, walk past the section of wall three times, focusing on what it is you need (eg: think "I need access to the room of requirement) and the door will appear.
Recommend textbooks:
A Guide to Magical Architecture by Rasim Medea
Advanced Magical Theory and Practice by Adalbert Waffling
Sentient Wizarding Settlements by Jengo Basir
Your Project Partner:
Draco Malfoy.
Harry felt his stomach sink. If he didn't know McGonagall better, he'd think it was a joke. Malfoy. He would have to spend the year working alongside Malfoy.
Harry groaned quietly, and Ginny's fierce gaze from earlier that morning popped into his mind, her voice echoing in his head.
"I'm tired of judging people I don't even really know…"
Harry scowled – he knew Malfoy plenty well. He hadn't been lying at the blonde's trial. Malfoy wasn't a murderer, but he was a bigoted git, and dammit all Harry had wanted this year was to finish his schooling and hang out with his friends. Being made McGonagall's poster boy for a new start wasn't what he'd had in mind.
Harry looked up from his paper to see everyone else comparing class times and projects. Hermione was reading over her project, her eyes wide and moving swiftly over the page as she read. A smile was growing on her face. Beside her, Ron was tapping his schedule and saying carefully "Care of Magical Creatures". Harry felt a prickle on the back of his neck and looked down to table just as Malfoy looked away. The Slytherin's face was drawn, his mouth pressed thin and tight. For a second, Harry thought he looked angry, but then Malfoy risked a glance back up the table and Harry realised that the blonde wasn't angry – he was scared.
Malfoy met his gaze for a second before standing up and leaving the table, his robes swishing behind him as he stalked out of the Hall, slinging his satchel over his shoulder as he went. Harry stared after him, confused, before his attention was drawn back to his friends.
"I'm so excited!" Hermione was chattering happily, "fixing the Great Hall is going to be so interesting, I'll have to look into not only the structure of the ceiling but the charms that were used, and whether or not they've aged and sunk into the room's aura, and that's just to start with – I don't know if one year will be enough, there's just so much to do!"
"That's all very well Hermione," Ron interrupted, "but what the hell am I supposed to do about the broken statues and paintings? I don't know anything about art!"
Dean Thomas laughed from a few seats down.
"Then you're lucky you're paired with me, Ron, because I do. How McGonagall knew that I want to go into Magical Art Theory, I don't know, but this will look really good on my apprenticeship application!"
Ron breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well thank Merlin for that – just don't ask me to draw anything and we'll do alright. And hey!" he added with a grin, "at least I'm working with a fellow Gryffindor, that'll be fun. Who're you working with Harry?"
Ron and Hermione had turned to hear his answer, and, still feeling a bit sick over it all, Harry simply handed over his piece of paper.
Hermione skim-read his project and after a few seconds, frowned – no doubt she had reached Malfoy's name.
"What was McGonagall thinking?" Hermione said sternly, and Harry nodded enthusiastically.
"I don't know, I mean Malfoy and I are likely to kill each other before the week's out if we have to work together!" Harry agreed, and Ron choked on his mouthful as he realised who Harry was working with. Hermione on the other hand, was shaking her head and looking at him at little sadly.
"Harry that's not what I meant. What I meant was, what was McGonagall thinking, having Malfoy work on the Room of Requirement?" she prodded, and at Harry and Ron's blank faces, she huffed angrily.
"Well I don't know about you two, but if either of you had died in that room then I certainly wouldn't want to spend any time there!"
Harry's gut sank even further.
"You mean Crabbe."
"Of course I mean Crabbe!" Hermione said briskly. "I mean, I'm certainly no fan of Malfoy, but you've got to feel sorry for him. First his father and now this – I don't know what possessed McGonagall, but I have a mind to speak to her about this, it's just... it's cruel!"
To Harry's surprise, Ron nodded, albeit reluctantly.
"You're right, that is cruel. But McGonagall wouldn't do this without a good reason, right? She's strict as hell, but she isn't mean. For whatever reason, McGonagall thinks Malfoy should be the one to work on the Room of Requirement. And," he added, giving Harry a pitying look, "she obviously thinks Harry is the best person to work with him."
The three were quiet for a few moments before Ron shrugged, helping himself to some more sausages.
"I always knew she was barmy."
Harry chuckled weakly, and the trio finished their breakfast before the warning bell tolled and they left with the rest of the Eighth Years, all of them climbing up to the sixth floor to the new Transfiguration classroom. Malfoy was waiting outside the door, and he nodded to Bulstrode as the stocky girl clapped a hand on his shoulder. The blonde didn't meet Harry's eyes, and when the small throng of students entered the room, the three Slytherin's sat at the back of the room. The trio sat behind Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott, and when McGonagall stepped into the room, the chatter died down as the thirteen students got ready for the first class of their last year.