Disclaimer: I own no part of Harry Potter
Next morning, the first thing Harry did when Ginny walked into the common room was give her the biggest smile she'd ever seen.
"What's wrong with you?" she teased.
"You look adorable in your robes," he grinned, taking her hands.
"Gross," Ron shuddered. "Stop."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "If you have something to say Ronald, go ahead."
"It doesn't matter if you guys date," Ron said slowly. "But don't do that stuff in front of me. It's disgusting."
Ginny considered losing her temper, but took a deep breath and kept it under wraps. Instead, she grabbed Harry by his robes and pulled him close, planting a large smooch on his lips. Harry went with it, pulling her close and enjoying the ravenous side of Ginny.
When they pulled apart to hoots and cat calls, Ginny raised a single eyebrow at Ron in challenge. He only huffed in annoyance and shot his best friend a death glare before their entire group of friends exited the common room.
At the breakfast table, Ginny felt once again intimidated by the heavy foods before her. She had been getting better about eating the hearty English meals, but she couldn't seem to do it first thing in the morning. At Grimmauld Place, Isabella and Marcus had kept typical French food on hand for her, but Hogwarts didn't have any special treatment.
If she ate the food in front of her, she would be sick by her second class.
"Ginny," Dean frowned at her across the table. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," she answered lightly.
"No you're not," Harry narrowed his eyes from his seat beside her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"I'm alright, I promise," she smiled and squeezed his knee. "I just forgot that I'm not at Beauxbatons. I should've listened to you and learned to eat English food again."
"Oh!" Harry dropped his fork, wiping toast crumbs from his mouth. "I'm an idiot, I completely forgot."
"Forgot what?"
"Kreacher, now." Harry's voice was firm, like it always got when he summoned Kreacher. Instead of the little house elf appearing at Harry's side, however, a plate of two chocolate croissants appeared in front of Ginny. Her goblet was filled with hot chocolate, and a little cup of espresso popped up beside the goblet.
"What is this?" Ginny asked in awe.
Harry shrugged. "You hardly ever change up breakfast, and I knew they wouldn't have chocolate croissants just waiting in the Hogwarts kitchen, so I asked Kreacher to come to school with us. Marcus and Isabella can cook for Sirius, so...he came with us to make sure you got what you like."
Ginny stared blankly at Harry.
"What?" her boyfriend asked. "Kreacher likes you."
"You care enough to make sure I get something as small as the food I want?" Ginny grabbed his hand. "Harry, that's...you're spectacular, you know that?"
"I like that you think that," Harry smiled widely. "And you better drink that hot chocolate before it gets cold."
"These are magical goblets, darling, they don't get cold unless you want them to."
"Well. Still."
Ginny laughed at him as he rolled his eyes and dove back into his breakfast. She noticed the strange look Lavender gave them, but the other girl was soon distracted by her own boyfriend. Ginny ignored the unsettling feeling in her stomach and looked across the table to see her brother smiling. She raised her eyebrows in question, and he glanced at Harry.
She smiled. Even if she didn't need his approval, it was nice to know that Ron gave it.
As Ginny was finishing up her hot chocolate, Hermione appeared at the Gryffindor table, but beside Ron. She looked particularly lovely, with her hair smoothed down and a pretty smile on her face.
"Hello, everyone," she spoke shyly.
Ron spilt pumpkin juice down his front. He quickly tried to set his goblet down and wipe his mouth, but still looked rather flustered. Hermione blushed and twiddled her thumbs. In return, Ron cleared his throat. "Hello. Can we help you with something?"
Ginny wanted to smack him. He was so oblivious sometimes! He most likely had no idea what he was saying sounded horrible. Poor Ronald had absolutely no experience, clearly.
"What he means," Ginny said swiftly. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Hermione's blush deepened. "I was wondering if I could see your schedule."
Ron's mouth dropped open slightly.
"Ginny, I mean."
It closed.
"Yeah," Ginny cut in again. "Um, right, let me just—"
The girls set about comparing schedules, realizing they had almost all of their classes together. Hermione explained that some of the more advanced, smaller classes added various houses together, instead of only two houses.
"Brilliant," Ginny beamed. "You don't know how glad I am to be with you in these classes."
"With these kinds of NEWTS, you'll be working in ministry for sure, won't you?" Hermione asked. "Clearly, you're unbelievably intelligent."
"Not quite," Ginny smiled. "Just unbelievably determined."
"What's the difference?" Harry shrugged.
Ginny shoved his shoulder. "It's about time for Muggle Studies for me. You have fun in Care of Magical Creatures."
"Doubtful," Ron crinkled his nose. "It's with Slytherin."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but instead bent down and kissed Ron cheek's softly, in a way where her lips lingered just so. She smiled at him. "You could always turn him into a ferret."
And with that, she and Ginny walked off.
)-(
"You don't think she was just messing with me, do you?"
"You do know that you're overanalyzing things like a girl, right?"
"She just makes me nervous and I always do something stupid in front of her. How could she fancy me after I emptied my breakfast and lunch on her—in public?"
"You didn't care this much if Lavender thought you were an idiot."
"Yeah, well, I didn't care this much about Lavender."
Harry stopped them walking in the hallways and half-smiled. "I thought I was the romantic one?"
"Well," Ron shrugged off Harry's hand. "Things change, dear Harold."
"Hermione Weasley doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
"Whoa mate, I haven't changed that much."
"Whatever you say, Ronald."
The two young men finished their bout as they entered the dungeons. Snape waited behind his desk with a textbook, watching students file in every so often with a glare on his face. Harry still remembered the pout on the potions master's face when Dumbledore revealed Lupin as the returning Defense Against the Dark Art's professor the night before.
It was a memory he would cherish.
Harry settled into his seat, ignoring the whispers directed his way. He was fairly sure that they either had to do with Malfoy being an arse and starting something stupid, or his new relationship with Ginny. Neither was something he felt like discussing with Slytherins.
Thirty minutes into class, Snape stood up. "I have an errand to run for that dog, Lupin. I expect potions to be completed when I return in twenty minutes time." His eyes narrowed in on Neville and Dean. "Do not fail me."
The moment Snape left the room, Malfoy decided that he was finished with Harry ignoring him. The prideful boy spoke loud enough for the whole room to hear. "It's quite ridiculous that a weak link such as a Weasley somehow made it through Beauxbatons. Now she's an advanced student here! Did you ever think that could happen? A Weasley! Being Harry Potter's slut pays off, I guess."
Harry's neck prickled. He clenched his teeth and held Ron's arm to the table. "Don't let him win."
"He called Ginny a slut!" Ron hissed back. "Am I supposed to let him get away with that?"
"No, but—
"Oi, Potter!" Malfoy called across the classroom. "Some say your Weasley bitch's got it hot for Thomas over there. I guess your broomstick isn't the only one she's riding, eh?"
Harry whipped his wand out so fast that Ron barely had time to duck before his friend fired his wand at Malfoy, performing some of the strongest magic—a wordless spell. Within seconds and not a word uttered from Harry, Malfoy was shrunken down into a little white ferret. Harry grinned in surprise at how well it worked.
"Say another word about my girlfriend, Malfoy, and you'll be stuck as a ferret forever," Harry snapped, keeping the ferret in place. "Say what you want about me all day, but not about her. Never—about her."
The ferret squealed mercilessly, but could not go anywhere. Harry laughed. "I think I prefer him like this, don't you Ron?"
"He deserves a little extra, I think," Ron sighed dramatically, pretending to think about it. "You know, I believe Ginny has the right idea about the little prick. I know just how to keep him occupied!"
"Be my guest," Harry bowed majestically. He watched as Ron fired a bat-bogey hex, which caused the ferret to run away wildly. The Gryffindors in their room almost fell out of their chairs in laughter, amused that Draco Malfoy finally got what was coming for him.
"I'll kill you!" Crabbe yelled, coming for Ron and Harry. The latter pointed his wand at the overly large young man, clearly seething. Crabbe backed down pathetically, and Goyle didn't even try to fight.
"You need to bring him back!" Pansy Parkinson wailed. "I'll tell Professor Snape what you've done.!
"Why should we?" Ron glared. "Where does he get off talking about my sister like that when he hangs around you?"
Pansy looked like she wanted to argue, but her face was twisted in fear and tears sprung into her eyes. Harry began to feel just a bit sorry for embarrassing Malfoy that way. He had said horrible things, but...
Sirius would've done it, his inner devil said.
But Mum wouldn't have, his conscience whispered back.
Harry sighed and lifted his wand. "Accio Malfoy!"
The white ferret zoomed back into his hand. Harry waved his wand and muttered the counter curse to the bat-bogey hex, and the bats stopped running after the small animal, who was squealing in pure terror. Finishing it off, Harry mumbled the counter curse for the transfiguration and Malfoy grew back into a human.
"I'll get back at you for this!" Malfoy hissed, his eyes crazed. "Mark my words, Potter!"
"I'll be ready, Malfoy," Potter said. "And if you involve Ginny, I'll do much worse than turn you into a ferret."
"Make no mistake, my father will hear about this."
"If you utter a word of it, you will never get the chance to be a father."
Malfoy paled even further (if possible on the already ashen faced bloke) AsRon's wand was the one that lowered to aim at Malfoy's middle. "What do you care anyway, Potter? She's just some girl."
"She's more than that you blithering idiot," Harry clenched his fist. "Just because you don't care about anyone but yourself, doesn't mean that nobody else has the capacity to love."
"Don't you—"
"You're arrogant, and selfish, and for those reasons you'll never find anyone who will actually care about you," Ron cut in sharply, pointing his finger accusingly at Malfoy. "Find a heart, Malfoy. Even you have to have one deep down in there."
"And what do you use your heart for?" Malfoy sputtered. "That-that mudblood, Granger?"
"Mr. Malfoy, that is quite enough, thank you," Snape's voice drawled sharply from the doorway. He had his hands folded, but his eyes were hard. "I don't care if you wish to kill Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter—in fact, be my guest, please—but I ask that you not use such offensive terms in my classroom. Are we clear with each other?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"Yes sir," Malfoy looked as if in a matter of a few seconds, his entire world had shattered. Harry was fighting back with violence and Snape was reprimanding him in front of Gryffindors. Indeed, it seemed as if the world really had flipped. "Y-Yes sir."
"You are all dismissed," Snape said sharply. "Tomorrow we will start the process of brewing. Leave me."
The class did as they were told, dispersing to the dungeon hallways. Ron and Harry hung back. No conversation was between them, only a tense sort of understanding.
"I shouldn't have done that," Harry muttered. "It was cruel."
"He deserved it," Ron said.
"Maybe so," Harry murmured. "But I still have a bad feeling about it."