Chapter Four

The Morning After

The sound of softly breaking glass followed by a low curse woke him early the next morning from a pleasant dream of lying in a meadow counting the stars. Another piece of glass broke under a small foot and Harry opened one eye to see Ginny darting quietly across the room acquiring clothing from various obstacles about the room; chairs, end tables and a desk.

'Ginny,' he moaned, 'whayadoin? Come back to bed.'

Ginny giggled as his hand lolled out of the bed in an attempted beckoning gesture, but instead flopped to the floor in exhaustion. She crept slowly over to him and crouched down so she could see the one visible eye.

'It's nearly seven, you need to get back to Ron's room before Mum and everyone else wakes up.'

'Nooo,' he groaned face planting the pillow.

'Yes, Harry, get up you lump,' she said sternly with a smile tugging her lips upwards.

'You're staying with me,' he said in a babied staccato voice, which, Ginny considered, to be sweeter than words.

'Really, Potter? And how are you going to manage-' she broke off and let out a loud shriek as Harry unexpectedly grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back into bed, rolling so that she ended up pinned beneath him gazing up at a smiling, hair tousled manic.

'Just like that,' he smirked.

'Well Mr Potter, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?' Ginny asked coyly.

'Nothing,' Harry replied, 'I want to talk to you about last night.'

Ginny's heat felt like it dropped to her stomach and the air left her chest.

'No, no Gin,' Harry frantically running one hand through his hair, 'I mean how are we going to deal with this?'

'Deal with what,' she whispered, her eyes narrowing.

'How to keep this a secret. Us. Our relationship. No one can know about this Ginny.' She sat up, pushing him off her so they were sat facing one another on her bed with pink spotted pillows.

'Why does it have to be kept a secret?' she asked, 'besides Voldemort.'

'Besides Voldemort?' Harry enquired in exasperation, 'alright then, let's make a list. Shall we?' he got up off the bed and began to pace in front of her bed. 'Number one, Voldemort. Number two, Death Eaters. Number three, the entire nation believes that you are trying to sabotage all hope for the light by leading me astray. Is that enough reasons?' Harry whirled around to gaze at her angrily, 'why do I need any other reason than Voldemort Ginny? He has already used you once, why allow it a second time? Or put yourself in more danger as though to encourage him?' he strode back to her and took her face in his hands roughly, 'I can't loose you Ginny, I can't loose somebody else I care about! I just can't,' he collapsed to his knees before her and dropped his head into her lap. Ginny momentarily stunned, just stared at the wall above Harry's head in shock, her hands glued to her sides. A strange guttural noise sparked from Harry's chest and Ginny was jolted back into the moment. Softly she lifted her left hand and smoothed his hair, it's alright, she thought, it will be alright.

'It won't Ginny, it's to hard.' he moaned, his voice muffled by her lap.

'Okay, here's what we are going to do,' she said, abruptly pulling his face to eye level, 'we are not going to tell anyone about us. We are going to keep it a secret, as it means that much to you; but if we do this Harry you cannot tell anyone. I mean it you can tell no one. Understood?'

Harry nodded, a smile breaking out across his face melting Ginny's heart. This is why I am crazy enough to do this, she thought, for that smile.

'You are crazy to do this Gin, but I am so glad you are,' he said pulling her into a hug.

'How did you know I was thinking that?' she asked pulling away and gazing sceptically into his eyes.

'I didn't, you said it aloud. You seem to be doing that a lot lately.' He laughed. As Ginny opened her mouth to reply an abrupt knock on the door stopped her.

'Ginny, are you awake?' Mrs Weasley called through the door.

'Yes, Mum,' Ginny shouted back as Harry scrambled about the room pulling on his clothes.

'Can I come in for a moment to talk to you?' she asked.

'Um, can't we talk later Mum?' Ginny replied throwing Harry his socks one at a time.

'We can not Ginerva, open this door now.' Mrs Weasley banged on the door.

'Two seconds Mum!' Ginny yelled panicking as both she and Harry ran frantically around the room trying to find his shirt, finding it under the bed she pulled it out, dusted it and threw it at Harry, who just had time to shrug it onto his shoulders as Mrs Weasley burst into the room.

'Ginerva Weasley!' her voice rang through the room, fortunately due to her focus on Ginny she didn't notice Harry quickly buttoning his shirt by the window, 'since when is it- oh!' she stopped her rant short as she noticed Harry stood by the window with his hands in his pockets. 'Harry dear, what are you doing in here?' Mrs Weasley glanced at Ginny dressed in a long T-shirt for bed and her eyes hardened, 'what are you doing in here?' she asked dangerously. Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably and shuffled his feet; he winced as a piece of glass softly cut into his heel.

'The mirror,' he said, struck with inspiration, 'Ginny smashed it last night and asked me to repair it this morning before anyone saw it. That's why she didn't want to let you in; she didn't want you to see it.'

'Is this true Ginny?' Mrs Weasley asked suspiciously.

Dumb-struck with the brilliance of the lie, Ginny simply nodded.

'Well then, hurry and repair it then Harry dear. Remus will be arriving shortly.'

'Are we are we starting our lessons today?' Harry asked in excitement.

'Perhaps,' Mrs Weasley said with a smile, 'let's hope one of your lessons is on lying successfully.' She left the room chuckling to herself.

'Damn,' Ginny murmured.

'I agree,' Harry replied brandishing his wand, 'we need to be more careful, I'm sorry I should have left this morning when you told me to,'

'Yes you should,' she said with a smile, 'one day you will learn I am always right, Potter.'

'Oh really?' he said, 'Reparo.' The pieces of the mirror rose up and flew back into their frame settling into their old arrangement in less than five seconds.

'Really,' Ginny said through a yawn. 'Now get out I want to get dressed.'

Harry pouted, 'I wanna see that.'

'No!' Ginny laughed pushing him out the room, 'I will see you downstairs. Goodbye!' and slammed the door shut in his grinning face.

Making his way downstairs, Harry found that he felt considerably lighter on his feet than usual, perhaps this was the effect Ginny had on him; he felt like nothing could harm him and that Voldemort was just some school bully that needed to be dealt with. He entered the kitchen to find Mr and Mrs Weasley in deep discussion by the stove.

'Good morning!' he said brightly, seating himself beside Ron who had his head in his hands and, Harry strongly suspected, had gone back to sleep. 'What's for breakfast today Mrs Weasley?'

'Bacon sandwiches Harry,' she replied pointing her wand at a plate of bread which rose and drifted towards the table.

'Can I help with anything?' he asked.

'No need, it's all done,' she said with a smile. 'Just make your own sandwiches, you to Ron.'

Upon hearing his name Ron jerked and looked around the room looking thoroughly dishevelled. 'Breakfast?' he asked thickly.

'Breakfast,' Harry said pushing a plate with bacon and bread towards his friend, 'did you sleep at all last night?'

Ron wiped one hand across his face and then simply stared at the plate before him as though willing the sandwich to make itself.

'No, was talking to Hermione about tomorrow until Merlin knows what time. What about you? What time did you come up?' Ron asked.

Mr and Mrs Weasley stilled as they listened to Harry's well thought answer to this inevitable question.

'Not sure, I went out flying to clear my thoughts and stayed out there longer than I thought,'

Mr and Mrs Weasley resumed drinking their coffee. He had no reason to lie to us Molly thought to herself, he was a good boy, man, she corrected, trustworthy.

'You could have asked me mate, had to listen to her yapping away for ever,' Ron groaned.

'Well I apologise if discussing our new education was intolerable for you Ronald,' Hermione strode into the room her light blue robes flapping behind her, and seated herself opposite Ron, 'if you had heard enough of my yapping then perhaps you should have simply informed me, instead of having a sleepless night!'

'What's going on now?' Ginny entered the room wearing a stunning set of green robes which brightened her red hair further, Harry thought she looked beautiful.

'Ronald finds my voice to be intolerable to listen to,' Hermione said haughtily.

'I did not say that, I was just tellin' Harry why I was so tired. So what if I described you exactly how you were!'

Hermione's face turned pink and she gazed at Harry for support.

'Both of you, be quiet and eat you sandwiches, I'm tired,' Harry said shortly, his good mood was slowly fading and it was all because of Hermione and Ron's petty argument, which he secretly was beginning to believe was simply foreplay for them both. The fireplace flared green and Lupin and a stranger stepped into the kitchen.

'Morning Molly, Arthur' Lupin said shortly. Mr and Mrs Weasley nodded in reply. 'Would you mind giving us a moment?' he looked pointedly at the young foursome seated at the table eating sandwiches.

'Not at all Remus,' Mrs Weasley rose and pulled Arthur to his feet before frog marching him from the kitchen. Lupin waited until they were out of earshot before speaking, 'Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, this is Fabien Hart. He shall be your trainer.'

Fabien Hart stepped around Lupin and gazed at them all. He didn't look like much, a slight man with mousy blond hair, more lean than brawny and a weak jaw. However his eyes were sharp and an ice cold blue, they flitted about the room taking in every crevice before he even looked at the four seated at the table in slight shock. oHoHHe took in Hermione and Ginny's robes with a smile, which instantly faded as he gazed at Harry's creased shirt and then promptly vanished at the site of Ron with bacon hanging out of his mouth.

'Good morning, I am Fabien Hart, but you can call me Hart and Hart only, understand?' he barked. They nodded in reply and Ron's bacon fell back onto his plate.

'I am not your friend,' Hart said as he began to walk towards the table, 'I am not your guardian or partner. I am your teacher, trainer, and torturer. I am here to train you to face evil and to do this you will be pushed beyond your limits. If you have any doubts, leave the table. Now.' He waited, his eyes flitting from each of them, daring them to stand and leave. No one did, if anything they sat straighter. Hart's lips curled into a smile that didn't appear to suit his face.

'Right, first things first, you two,' he pointed to Ron and Harry, 'need to change into robes, I refuse to train you without robes on.'

'Why?' Ron asked, rather rudely.

Hart rounded on him and placed his hands on the table, leaning so they were practically nose to nose.

'What do you wear when you are outside?'

'Cloak or robes,' Ron replied.

'So don't you think it would be wise to be trained in the correct attire? You need to know exactly where your wand is stored, where your potion vials are, everything is hidden in your robes. Don't you agree?'

Ron nodded sullenly.

'Come on,' Harry murmured, 'lets be quick.' He rose and made his way to the stairs with Ron following in his wake.

'Now then ladies, why don't we make our way to the garden to await the gentlemen?'

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XoX