Harry and Ginny were walking next to each other, leaving the Burrow (and her nosy family) behind. Harry could tell that Ginny was irritated, but, thankfully, not at him.

"Stupid Phlegm!" Ginny's nickname for Fleur was neither particularly clever nor particularly mature. "Smiling at me like that. She doesn't even know me!"

"Not terribly fond of her?" Harry said.

"She's just so… flouncy," Ginny said. "Always flipping her hair this way and that, speaking about 'zis and zat' with her stupid accent." As she spoke, Ginny flipped her hair in a remarkably accurate imitation of Fleur. Although Ginny lacked the part-Veela's magical allure, Harry was still riveted by the redhead's movements. "I don't understand what Bill sees in her," Ginny said.

"She's an extremely talented witch," Harry said. "She made it through the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and it's not every wizard that can single-handedly evade a dragon." Harry had a great deal of respect for Fleur's abilities.

"So what? That doesn't mean she's a good person." Ginny had slowed her pace somewhat. Ginny and Harry had made it almost all the way to the pond; they turned to the west, following the property lines.

"She isn't a bad person, though," Harry said. "During the second task she was absolutely frantic to save her little sister."

"Everybody would have been, unless they were made of stone," Ginny countered.

"Right, but her sister wasn't in any real danger," Harry said. "A half-second of thought would have made that obvious—Dumbledore wouldn't have let that happen. But Fleur never paused to think about it, because the thought of losing her sister was so horrible."

"Ugh, have you finally fallen under her spell?" Ginny said. "Are you going to start following her around the house with your eyes glazed over, like Ron?"

"You seem overly concerned about Fleur getting my attention," Harry said, struggling to suppress a grin. Ginny was right, in that Harry had been defending Fleur more vigorously to Ginny than he would have to a stranger. Teasing Ginny about Fleur served two purposes: first, it was fun, and second, Ginny's reaction gave Harry a glimpse of her feelings about him. Early results were positive.

"That veela magic demeaning," Ginny said firmly.

"To women?"

"To men! It reduces Ron to a slobbering idiot, as if the only thing he could think about was sex. Yuck!" Ginny stuck her tongue out.

"Bill seems to handle it fairly well, though," Harry said.

"Bill's engaged to her," Ginny said. "He isn't handling it well at all!"

"Well, I guess that's one way of looking at it," Harry said. "But think of it this way: Fleur could have practically any wizard she wanted, but she chose Bill. There's something about Bill that makes him special, and she won't want to lose that."

Ginny folded her arms. "Stop making good points and just let me hate her. Let's change the subject."

Harry laughed. "Did I tell you about our new Defense teacher?"

"You know who it is?" Ginny said.

"Dumbledore brought me along when he asked Slughorn to join the staff," Harry said. "Actually, I was the one who convinced him to join."

"Oooh," Ginny said sarcastically. "I am sooo impressed."

"Don't be," Harry said. "He's an old Slytherin. His full name is Horace Slughorn, and he used to teach Potions, back when my parents were in school. Your mum and dad might know him, actually."

"Do you think he'll be any good?" Ginny asked.

"He did a hell of a job faking a Death Eater attack," Harry said. "Splashed dragon's blood all around, upended all the furniture, transfigured himself into an armchair, all in less than two minutes."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, acknowledging the feat. "So he's going to teach us to hide?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. Teaching us anything would be an improvement over Umbridge. Let's not get picky."

"Any port in a storm, I guess," Ginny said. "Why did Dumbledore send you to convince Slug's-his-name?"

"Slughorn," Harry said. "Dumbledore says that Slughorn is notorious for befriending famous and powerful wizards. He likes to create a little club at Hogwarts and then maneuver his chosen ones into positions of prestige and power. In return, they help Slughorn maximize his comfort—sending him quidditch tickets, crystal pineapples, that sort of rubbish."

Ginny blanched. "He sounds like a real winner."

"He's likable enough," Harry said. Harry paused for a moment. "He practically invited me to join his club already. I'm probably going to do it."

"Ugh," Ginny said. "It sounds like the worst form of torture."

"Maybe," Harry said. "But I need to make up for last year. I wasn't the most popular wizard in Britain when I left school, and Slughorn can put me on the fast track to respectability."

"I thought The Prophet had already done that," Ginny said. "You've been on the front page for how many days in a row?"

"I stopped counting," Harry said. "But popularity and notoriety are very different things, and I need more of the former and less of the latter. Even Voldemort is notorious, after all."

"Well, I hope it works out for you," Ginny said. "It sounds like a lot of work for very little tangible gain."

"Spoken like a true Gryffindor," Harry said. Ginny pushed Harry in the shoulder, and he stumbled away before catching his footing.

"If Slughorn's as shallow as you say he is, maybe Hermione will re-start the D.A.," Ginny suggested. Harry and Ginny had reached the western edge of the property, and turned north. To their left were the woods, rapidly darkening in the fading light. The Burrow was to their right, and through the window Harry could see the Weasleys in the living room. Fleur was saying something, gesturing grandly with her hand, and she had Ron and Billy's rapt attention.

"Do you really think people will sign up for extra work?" Harry asked, turning back to Ginny. "We don't have O.W.L.s this year, and we'll be learning in class again."

"You don't have O.W.L.s this year," Ginny said. "And by the end, I think people were really enjoying themselves. It didn't feel like work any longer." Harry tried to look away before Ginny could see the grimace on his face, but Ginny's small intake of breath told him that he had failed. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry. That's not-"

"Don't worry about it," Harry said, waving his hand in the air. "I know what I did last year, and I know how everybody reacted." Longbottom and his lot had antagonized Harry until he snapped. After Harry's duel with McLaggen, the D.A. had completely turned against Harry. "It's one of the reasons that I need to join the Slug Club."

"Oh, is that it? I figured it was because of all the connections you lost in Slytherin," Ginny said.

Harry gave Ginny a sour look. "Not helping."

"Sorry," Ginny said. She and Harry continued to the north. The rolling hills of the English countryside were purple in the twilit air. A single, distant oak stood strong and tall in the growing was a few moments before Ginny spoke again. "What's it like? In Slytherin?"

"Do you mean now?" Harry asked. "Or before Voldemort came back?"

"Both."

"Before it was… active. There was a social hierarchy, but it could change at any moment. Every interaction with another student was a chance to improve your standing… or the opposite. At first it was nerve-wracking, but eventually I found it exciting. Energizing. Complacency is not rewarded, in Slytherin." Harry paused and ran his hand through his hair, taking a moment to organize his thoughts. "Some people were more resistant to negative change—Draco, myself, Pansy. Others had a harder time improving, like Tracey, or Urquhart. Usually it was in direct proportion to wealth." Harry paused to let Ginny comment, but she said nothing. Harry turned and found that her jaw was hanging open. "I take it from your expression that things are not like this in Gryffindor?"

"NO!" Ginny exclaimed. "Of course they aren't! How can you live like that?"

"It isn't as bad as I make it seem, I guess," Harry said. "Slytherin is too small to go around betraying people—you'd burn all our bridges before your second year ended. Mostly it's about building alliances with one another, and then taking advantage of the other person as much as you can without making an enemy out of them." Harry shrugged. "It's a lot like real life, I think."

"Not my life," Ginny said.

"Well, politics, then," Harry said. "It's a lot like politics. Everybody has a person or two that they trust absolutely—for me, it was Draco and Tracey. Daphne had Tracey and her sister Astoria; Theo had Blaise. Outside of that, though, it was a free-for-all."

"But you always seem so… together," Ginny said. "Slytherin is like this inscrutable green and silver monolith that nobody from the other houses can even begin to comprehend."

"When everybody else hates you because of the color of your robes, you have to band together," Harry said. "At least, you have to band together until the external threat is gone. It's a lot like you and Tracey, actually. The two of you might not like one another much, but you were on the same team when confronted by Death Eaters."

"And you really have to think like that? Every moment of every day?" Ginny asked.

"You make it sound crazy, but it isn't," Harry said. "It took me longer than most, I think, but I was insulated from any consequences. I was rich, I was famous, I was best friends with Draco Malfoy. For a long time, Tracey did the majority of my social thinking for me. But I picked it up, eventually." Harry chuckled. "It came down to small talk, mostly. I banter a lot while I try to figure out whether somebody is taking advantage of me, or whether I can gain something from a particular person."

"I was not cut out to be in Slytherin," Ginny said, shaking her head.

"What's it like in Gryffindor, then?" Harry asked. "I happen to know a few Gryffindors who started a secret society last year, so don't tell me that you all just say exactly what you're thinking and then pat yourself on the back for being honest."

"No, it isn't like that," Ginny said defensively. "But it certainly isn't what you just described, either."

"What about Longbottom?" Harry said. "He did an admirable job of manipulating me and the rest of the D.A. last year."

Ginny laughed. "Really? Because his favorite insult for you is 'sneaky.' Potter's being sneaky again, he's always so sneaky, he's trying to sneak something else past us."

"I guess it takes one to know one," Harry said.

Ginny thought for a moment. "Actually, you two remind me of one another," Ginny said. "If things had turned out different—if you had been sorted into Gryffindor, maybe—I think you two would have been friends."

"And both you and I would be dead," Harry said.

Ginny's head snapped around. "What?"
"If I'd been sorted into Gryffindor," Harry said. "I couldn't have claimed the title of Heir of Slytherin, and Voldemort would have killed us both in the Chamber of Secrets." Harry shrugged. "I like having friends, but I like being alive more."

Ginny shivered, and Harry got the sense that it was not because of the cooling night air. "So… what's it like now, then?" Ginny asked.

Harry laughed. "It's different, that's for sure. A cauldron full of simmering resentment, never boiling over? That sounds about right. Personally, I've fallen as far as I could fall, in terms of social power—that's a bit of a relief, because now I don't have to worry about it. In terms of actual violence, well, I'm sleeping a few feet away from the children of Death Eaters. A handful of my dormitory mates have fathers in Azkaban because of our trip to the Ministry last year. But I'm better in a duel than any two of them put together, and I made sure that they know it." Ginny opened her mouth to ask the obvious question, but Harry held up his hand. "Don't ask. Anyway, with Dumbledore gone and the Inquisition ended, there's nothing to embolden them any longer. I think this year will probably pass rather quietly. Lots of dirty looks, but very little of consequence."

"That and the fact that everybody loves you, now." Ginny said. "You're the Choooosen Oooooone." Ginny spoke in a teasing sing-song, referring to the title The Daily Prophet was now using to refer to Harry. It was worse than The Boy Who Lived, but far better than The Boy Who Lied. "And now that you're The Chosen One, you'll be more fanciable than ever—even more than you were during the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"Spend a lot of time thinking about how fanciable I am, do you?" Harry asked, teasing back.

"Who said anything about fanciable?" Ginny asked.

"You did."

"When?"

"Just now. You said, 'now that you're The Chosen One, you'll be more fanciable than ever.'"

"I said 'popular,' not 'fanciable.'"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Maybe you thought the word 'popular,' but you said the word 'fanciable.'"

Ginny began to turn red, and Harry could see that she was embarrassed by her slip of the tongue. She turned away slightly and looked toward the hills. The sky was fading from purple to blue to black, and the white moon was visible in the sky. Harry was prepared to turn east, but Ginny turned on her heels and began walking south again, alongside the woods once more.

"Are you The Chosen One?" Ginny asked, somewhat quietly.

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Why do you ask that?"

"Lucius Malfoy said something about a prophecy. It didn't seem right to ask you last year. But now, with everything the Prophet has been saying…"

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal," Harry said, paraphrasing the first portion of the prophecy. "He will have power the Dark Lord knows not. Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives."

Ginny turned, eyes wide with wonder. "So you are The Chosen One? You're destined to defeat You-Know-Who!"

Harry shook his head. "No. I have the power to defeat him, but the prophecy doesn't say I actually will. And after last year…" Harry looked Ginny in the eye. "I'm really worried, Ginny. I'm not sure I can do it."

Ginny seemed to sense Harry's uncertainty. "Of course you can," she said. "The prophecy says you can! And you were the best in the D.A.!"

"The difference between Voldemort and me is bigger than the difference between me and Colin Creevey," Harry said. "I was stupid not to realize it." Harry looked up at the sky. The stars had started to come out, and the moon was shining brightly. It reminded him of Luna's eyes, shining brightly after Bellatrix Lestrange sent a curse through her skull in the Department of Mysteries. "I was stupid, and Luna got killed for it."
"Harry-"

"Sirius was an adult, at least," Harry said. "It still hurts, knowing he's gone, but he knew what he was doing. He fought in the first war, he knew what could happen, and he still chose to fight again. He knew what the risks were."

"And you think Luna didn't!?" Ginny said angrily. "She knew what she was doing! We all did!"

"If I hadn't asked-"

Ginny grabbed Harry's shoulder and pulled him to face her. "You listen to me, Harry Potter. We didn't go because you asked. We went because we're your friends! Luna understood what it felt like to lose a parent—that's why she went along. Not because you asked." Ginny shook her head, sending her long red hair flying. "Lucius was the closest thing you had to a father, and you thought you lost him at the beginning of the year. But suddenly you had a chance to bring him back. Luna would have done anything to have the chance to bring back her mother. But for you… it was really there. An actual chance to get back the father you lost." Ginny pushed Harry away. "That's why she went with you. She wanted to give you a chance at something she could never have."

"But I was wrong!" Harry shouted.

"You weren't wrong, Harry. You were tricked. For Lucius Malfoy to do that to you, using your relationship like that… If my father had…" Ginny shook her head again. "I can't even imagine it."

"It was the worst kind of betrayal," Harry said. "Abandoning me when Voldemort returned was awful, but he was weak and scared and I understand why he did it. And I expected that Lucius would use his knowledge of me to his advantage. But actually using our relationship to lure me into a trap…" Harry had kept these feelings bottled up for so long, and if felt good to say it aloud. It didn't change anything about what had happened, but it made Harry feel better. As if the burden of hatred was no longer Harry's alone to bear. "It's a good thing he's in Azkaban," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's the only thing keeping him safe from me."

"I was thinking the same thing," Ginny said grimly.

"Get in line," Harry said.

"I'm sure we could do it together," Ginny said. "We practiced together often enough, last year."

Harry snorted. "I'm not sure that you'll want to be part of what I'm planning for Lucius Malfoy."

A look of concern crossed Ginny's face. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Dead serious," Harry said flatly.

Ginny's frown deepened. "Harry…" She put her hand on Harry's shoulder. "I just want you to know that when the time comes to face him, or to face Voldemort, you won't have to do it alone."

"Ginny…"

"Harry, I believe in you. I supported you in the D.A., I supported you when you wanted to go to the Ministry, and I supported you when you wanted to ask Draco to join us. Nobody could do this alone, not even Dumbledore. And I promise you, you won't have to." Ginny looked Harry squarely in the eye. "But you have to promise me, too. Promise me that you'll accept my help. If you don't…" Ginny smiled a little. "I might have to go after Lucius Malfoy myself." Ginny stuck out her hand. "We do this together. Promise?"

Harry was touched by Ginny's sentiment. Dumbledore had been right about her. "Promise," Harry said, seizing her hand and giving it a firm shake. Even in the pale light of the moon, Harry could see how brightly Ginny was smiling.

After a moment Ginny blinked and turned her eyes down, and her smile softened a bit. Harry realized that he hadn't released Ginny's hand, and he also realized that she hadn't pulled her hand away. Every passing second was another moment that neither of them had pulled away from the other. When Ginny's finally moved she merely turned her hand slightly, allowing Harry to hold it more gently. Harry ran his thumb across Ginny's knuckles, and she responded by squeezing his hand slightly.

"Ginny, I-"

"Harry-"

Both of them paused, and then they laughed.

"You first," Ginny said.

"Okay," Harry said. He paused for a moment, composing his thoughts. Then Harry took a half step toward Ginny and leaned down to kiss her.

Ginny was shorter than Harry, but just barely—he hardly needed to turn his face down in order to kiss her. But, somehow, Harry's lips met only open air. Harry opened his eyes—he had closed them instinctively when he moved in for the kiss—and found that Ginny had taken a step back. "Did you hear that?" She was looking over her shoulder, left and right. She took several steps and Harry lost sight of her behind a bush.

"What?" Harry asked. He jammed his hand into his pocket and seized his wand, following quickly. "What is it?"

"I thought I heard something," Ginny said. Harry rounded the bush just in time to see Ginny disappear behind another. Harry jogged ahead, worried. The Burrow had disappeared behind the leaves of the bushes—Harry could barely see the light from the window. If something happened…

"Ginny? Wait!" Harry broke into a trot. He found Ginny behind the second bush, lifting its branches, inspecting the area all around.

"It's strange," Ginny said. "I expected to find Professor Snape and Igor Karkaroff hiding around here somewhere." Ginny released the branch and shrugged. "Historically, that's been true whenever you've kissed me.

A minute ago, Harry had been certain that Ginny was flirting with him. But she had dodged his kiss, and her current teasing lacked the flirtatious tone she had used earlier in the night. Harry felt the chill of uncertainty creep up his spine. "I think your sample size is too small to draw any real conclusions," Harry said tentatively.

"Oh? And you think we should increase the sample size? For the sake of research?" Ginny folded her arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I…" Harry ran a hand through his hair. Was it possible that she hadn't been flirting with him? Had he been misinterpreting her signals? No; maybe he would have during fourth year, but Harry had enough experience with witches to know when one was flirting with him. But that didn't foreclose the possibility that Ginny was simply being mean—leading Harry along, seeing how far he would go, with the ultimate goal of rejecting Harry in the most embarrassing way possible. Probably to teach him a lesson about treating her poorly. She'd say something about only getting one chance, and he'd already ruined it-

"Harry?"

"Huh?" Harry snapped out of his reverie.

"You have horrible timing, you know that?"

"Yeah, I sort of figured," Harry said glumly. So, that was it. He had missed his chance—she didn't fancy him any longer. Ginny might have gotten caught up with somebody else over the summer, perhaps even before they left Hogwarts. Harry thought she would have told him, but she didn't owe him anything. "I really ruined things, didn't I?"

Ginny have Harry a hard, blazing look. "Look around you, Harry."

Harry looked.

"Can you see my house from here?" Ginny asked.

Harry glanced toward The Burrow, but the whole house was obscured by the tree. He could see fireflies beginning to light, but nothing of the Burrow. "No," he said.

"I can't see it, either," Ginny said. Ginny grabbed the hair on the back of Harry's head and turned his face toward hers, which allowed her to kiss him firmly on the lips. A moment later, she pulled back and smiled. "Now would be a good time to kiss me," she said softly.

Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist and pulled her close. Her lips were slightly chapped from many afternoons spent in the sun, and her hair smelled like flowers. Not roses or carnations, but wildflowers, something that grew in the meadows during long, sunlit days.

The next morning, Harry and Ginny awoke covered in mosquito bites. Mrs. Weasley asked them at breakfast why they hadn't come inside if they were being bitten so badly. Ginny shrugged and responded for both of them.

"I guess we just didn't notice."

A/N: Sorry about the delay, everybody. I was, what, two weeks late, here? So, bonus chapter (and by bonus chapter, I mean "regularly scheduled chapter") next Friday.