Hinny: Harry's 5th year, Ginny's 4th
Ginny walked into the library sighing as she searched for Harry. Quidditch practice had been an absolute disaster, Jack Sloper the replacement Beater had managed to knock himself out with his own bat and the whole practice had had to be cancelled. Ginny recalled the pained look on Angelina's face as she had zoomed off towards the changing rooms. Ginny stormed off towards the castle, too wound up to remember to get changed herself. As she was clambering up the steps, rolling her eyes at Sloper's unconscious form being dragged by Ron, a large tawny owl swooped up to her. It dropped at her feet two parcels that were rewrapped messily in ugly brown paper and stamped with the words 'inspected and passed by the Hogwarts high inquisitor'. One was addressed to her and the other to Harry - bloody bird giving her both she thought. Ginny guessed they were the easter eggs her mother had promised to send. She scooped up the parcels and went off to find Harry, she supposed he would be in the library with the other fifth years studying for his O.W.L.S so she began there.
Pacing up and down the narrow rows of tables she eventually found him. He was sitting quietly by himself, hunched over a piece of parchment and scribbling frantically. Every ten seconds or so he would stop to run his hand through his perpetually messy black hair in exasperation as he glared at the parchment. Ginny watched him for a moment, smiling to herself at the scene. She didn't like to see him stressed but she had to admit he looked a little cute when he was dishevelled - she broke off from these thoughts by shaking her head violently. Harry liked Cho, not her. She had to get over him, for her own good.
She weaved her way through the tables until she was standing over him and began to tell him about the easter eggs but Harry appeared not to hear her. He had once again abandoned his parchment and was staring off into space with a look of anguish on his face. Ginny's heart twisted. She didn't like to see him upset, she wished she could reach out and hug him and make him feel better. But Ginny thought she knew why he was upset so she didn't - this was probably about Cho and their fight.
"Harry, I'm talking to you, are you listening to me?" She said.
Harry's head drifted towards her, eyes blinking at her rapidly as though he had just noticed she was there. "Huh?" He said "Oh hi." Instinctively he moved his books towards him to make room for her and Ginny collapsed into the chair opposite him, looking dishevelled and fed up.
Harry surveyed her, noticing her windswept hair and Scarlett quidditch robes. "How come you're not at practise?" He asked her.
"It's over" Ginny said with annoyance, lacing her tone. "Ron had to take Jack Sloper up to the hospital wing."
"Why?" Harry asked her with a perplexed look.
"Well we're not sure, but we think he knocked himself out with his own bat." Ginny signed again and shook her head slightly in disbelief. "Anyway…" she trailed off, desperate to forget the disastrous practice. "A package just arrived, it's only just got through Umbridge's new screening process. It's easter eggs from mum, there's one for you… there you go."
Harry took the offered package and opened it carefully, inside was a beautiful chocolate egg decorated with iced snitches. Ginny watched him open it, noticing that curiously he looked panic stricken all of a sudden. "Are you ok, Harry?" She asked with concern.
Harry coughed, clearing his throat "yeah im fine" he dismissed gruffly but looked away from her penetrating gaze.
Ginny closed her eyes briefly, steeling herself for what she felt she had to do. She hated to see Harry unhappy. If sorting things out with Cho would make him happy then she should encourage him to do so, even if it would tear at her heart to see them together. She decided his happiness was more important to her than her own selfish desire to not see them together, she had to get over him.
"You seem really down lately" she began "you know i'm sure if you just talked to Cho…"
"It's not Cho I want to talk to" Harry said brusquely and for a brief moment Ginny's heart leapt before she internally chastised herself for being happy at the downfall of a relationship.
"Who is it then?" She asked.
Harry glanced around to check no one was listening before leaning forwards to confide in her. Harry and Ginny had become a lot closer this year, he had really got to know her in a way he hadn't before since she had stopped acting so nervous around him. He found she was a great friend, fiery and independent. He hadn't told Ron and Hermione what had been bothering him - they had their own O.W.L stress and would only tell him it was impossible anyways. Yet he found himself wanting to confide in Ginny, her perspective might be fresh and if it wasn't her presence undoubtedly would be comforting.
"I want to speak to Sirius," he said in a low voice. He awaited her reaction, nervously breaking off pieces of the egg and eating them to give him something to do. The chocolate tasted too rich in his mouth as he waited for her reply.
Ginny didn't reply right away, contemplating what he had said. She began to try to think of ways that he could achieve his goal wanting to do anything to make him feel better. Absentmindedly she began to break of pieces of his egg too, savouring the sweet flavour whilst she thought.
"Well" she said slowly "if you really want to talk to Sirius, I expect we could think of a way to do it."
Harry lifted his arms in the air in exasperation and flung them back onto the table "come on" he said hopelessly "with Umbridge policing the fires and reading all our mail?"
The corners of Ginny's mouth began to lift up as she fought off a smile, her brown eyes twinkling with slight mischief as a thought overtook her. She had never known Harry James Potter to be a quitter and she wasn't going to let him start now. "The thing about growing up with Fred and George is" she said thoughtfully "you start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."
Harry looked up at Ginny, catching the fire in her eyes. Inside him the hope that he hadn't let himself feel, the hope he had drowned began to flare up. He hadn't told anyone the wish that had been clawing at his insides all week afraid of someone voicing aloud his own thoughts that it was impossible. But here Ginny was with her eyes shining telling him to not give up and he couldn't stop the hope flaring up inside of him like a fire in a grate. He wondered if speaking the wish aloud had made him feel better about it or even if it had been the chocolate - Lupin had always said chocolate made one feel better. He didn't have time to connect the dots between Ginny and his sudden hope as Madam Pince's roar cut off his thoughts abruptly.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Came the enraged yell.
"Oh damn" whispered Ginny, looking at Harry with slight panic "I forgot -"
"Chocolate in the library!" Pince screamed, thin face glaring at them from behind her spectacles with undiluted fury written all over it. "Out - out - OUT" she bellowed before whipping out her wand and causing Harry's books and bag to chase and whack the pair of them as they ran.
Ginny got up first sprinting ahead, her red hair flying like a fiery curtain as she dodged Harry's bag which was attempting to whack her. Harry followed her, his quill, inkwell and book following his bag's example and smacking against his head. The pair of them sprinted until they were 2 corridors away from the library where they slumped out of breath against a wall. Ginny was laughing hysterically between pants, clutching at her stomach as she doubled over. Her laughter was infectious and despite his prior somber mood Harry stood next to her, laughing along at the image of Madam Pince's angry face.
Once her laughter had subsided Ginny stood up straight and wiped tears from her eyes, running a hand through her windswept curls. Harry watched her hand go mesmerised by the shades of red her hair turned in the flickering candlelight of the corridor. "I'm sorry I got you kicked out of the library" Ginny said although her grin said she wasn't that sorry - the incident itself being too funny. "I should have probably brought you the egg later in the common room."
With exam stress and wanting to contact Sirius, Harry had been gloomy all week but at this moment he felt lighter than he had in a long time. He grinned at her "It's alright Gin, I shouldn't have opened it. Besides, that was sort of hilarious."
Ginny laughed again "yeah it was wasn't it." Then she made an impression of Pince's expression as she proclaimed "OUT! OUT!"
Harry laughed, smiling lopsidedly at her. It made butterflies swim in her stomach and for once she ignored the voice in her head that told her she was supposed to be getting over him. "Come on, let's go to the common room" Harry said, leading them away and they walked side by side sharing the Easter egg along the way, hope fluttering like a ribbon around them.
Scorily: 5th year for Scorpius, 4th for Lily
The dreaded O.W.L examinations were finally creeping up on Scorpius and he sat slumped on a table in the library too stressed to think straight. Scorpius had always been good at school, he didn't really have to try to do alright in previous years. Sure he could have been brilliant like Rose - near the top of the class if he put in a little effort. But why put in a little effort when you can get by without it? It meant more time for having fun with Al and Rose, playing quidditch and wizards chess ect. Scorpius thought he had it all worked out, life was good. But then came fifth year, like a speeding freight train it slammed into him and he found himself swamped with work. He wasn't used to hours of studying and it was draining him quickly. Rose had long since left having completed her homework and revision and Al hadn't come in the first place due to having detention. Hence Scorpius was all alone in the library wallowing in his stress and despair.
At that moment, his pity party was interrupted by a shadow falling over him causing him to look up. Lily stood before him, eyebrows raised as she took In his appearance. His normally neat and combed blonde hair was sticking up in wild directions as he had ran his hands through it, his head had been on the desk in his arms and he'd been groaning. All around him were scraps of balled up parchment, a few broken quills and open books.
"All right there Scor?" She quizzed him with her eyebrows raised slightly.
"No," he groaned, "I'm dying."
Lily laughed, taking the seat opposite him. "My Uncle George said Malfoys were dramatic, I never thought that applied to you until now."
Scorpius narrowed his grey eyes at her. "I will remember your lack of sympathy when you are in your O.W.L year Lily Luna."
Lily rolled her eyes at his inclusion of her middle name, he was the only person who ever called her her first and middle name as he knew it irritated her. However - secretly - although she would never tell him this she liked that he called her by something that no one else did. "Come on Scor, you're smart and you've been studying for days you've got this." She said.
Scorpius shook his head "No I don't, I'm going to fail. I'm going to fail and then I won't be laughing at you in your O.W.L year because i'll be sat here with you having to re do it!"
Lily raised her eyebrow at his theatrics again before picking up his charms textbook. "What charm would one use to produce a pocket of clean air around them?" She asked.
"Bubblehead" he answered before continuing on his tirade about how he was going to fail.
"And what is the incantation for the summoning charm?"
"Accio" he said "but that's besides the point Lily are you not listening? I don't know anything!"
"Scorpius" Lily deadpanned. "You just answered two questions correctly."
He blinked at her "I did?"
Lily suppressed a laugh at his shock "You did, now let me test you on more. You do know it you're just working yourself up so much you're convincing yourself you don't."
Lily tested him on several more charms and Scorpius began to feel much better as he realised she was right. Once she had put the charms book down however his panic began to return slightly.
"Okay so I know charms but what about divination? I Have that exam tomorrow too!"
Lily smiled comfortingly at him "Look when you get there you'll probably find you know loads more than you think. But if it's any comfort no one cares if you fail divination. It's the most useless subject."
Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her, the edge of a smirk growing on his face. "The daughter of the prophesied chosen one thinks divination is a waste of time?" He teased.
Lily scoffed "the chosen one himself thinks divination is a waste of time, ask him yourself next summer! The way I see it you're either a seer or you're not a seer you can't teach it. I'm so glad I listened to Aunt Hermione and took ancient runes instead."
"I wish I'd listened to your Aunt Hermione, bloody hell" Scorpius muttered darkly, flipping through his book with a look of contempt. He put the book down with a sigh and looked up to Lily "thank's Lil."
She smiled "no problem."
They sat there in silence for a few moments until Lily broke it - noticing the frown hadn't quite left Scorpius face. "What's really wrong?" She asked him.
'Huh?" He said, broken off from his trance.
"You've been down for a couple of weeks, this can't just be exam stress," Lily pressed gently. "In fact , I think you're letting yourself get so stressed about exams to distract yourself from something else."
Scorpius was silent for a moment, he was shocked that Lily had picked that up - was he so easy to read? But then Albus and Rose had believed it was exam stress, perhaps Lily was just perceptive.
Lily was pained to see Scorpius look troubled and not know how to help him so she reached across the table and took his hand gently in hers "you don't have to tell me" she said softly, "but i'm here."
"It's my mother" Scorpius blurted out suddenly, looking up from the table to meet her green eyed gaze.
"Is she ill again?" Lily said in a voice that was barely a whisper saddened by seeing Scorpius' grey-blue eyes look so full of anguish.
"No" Scorpius shook his head "but we thought she was, we had a scare. It turns out she's alright but Im - im just scared Lily. I'm scared of her getting ill again. I -" his voice broke slightly as his eyes glazed over with unshed tears. "I can't lose her."
Lily gripped his hand tighter as she processed his words. She was trying to figure out what he needed right now, wanting to offer him the best comfort she could.
After a moment she began speaking again and he looked up from the tabletop once more to meet her eyes "I won't promise you it won't happen." She said "I can't do that. All I can say is that it hasn't happened. You're sitting here worrying over something that is only a possibility not a fact. You can't live your life tearing yourself apart over every 'what if'. Life is so precious, don't waste your time with people wondering how long you have left with them because then you won't take the time to enjoy and cherish the moments with them."
Scorpius gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand back "I suppose you're right, but I can't stop thinking about how if - if she gets ill again and dies she won't be here. It's so permanent - death."
"She wouldn't really leave" Lily said quietly "the ones we love are always with us. My grandads in the way my dad messes up his hair, according to those who knew her my grandma is in my smile, my Uncle Fred is in my uncle George's laughter. Teddy's parents are in the way he likes his tea and the way he gets grumpy near full moons. Those we lose don't truly leave us; we are all made of fragments and bits of pieces of the people whom we have loved. Your mum is in you even now. The people who we lose can never leave us, not when we keep them alive by remembering them."
A tear fell from each of Scorpius grey-blue eyes as he closed them to let Lily's words wash over him. He breathed in deeply then exhaled as he thought. His melancholic feeling ebbed away slightly as he admired the beauty of her narrative. He'd never seen loss from this perspective before and her words comforted him in a way others hadn't.
"That's beautiful" he whispered "how did you get so wise, Lily Luna?"
"My family experienced so much loss before I was even born, i've been surrounded by the shadows of death my whole life but my dad always told me that death is not the end, that the people we love don't really leave us." Lily paused as a thought overtook her "you know he said his godfather Sirius taught him that - Sirius said something like 'the ones we love never truly leave us you can always find them in here''' Lily reached out and put her hand over where Scorpius' heart was feeling the beat pick up beneath her fingers. "I think you're related to Sirius you know."
"I am?" Scorpius asked her, unconsciously pressing his hand over hers - holding it to his chest. Lily noticed that his fingers were warm.
"Your grandma is his cousin or something I think."
"I didn't know that" he said, releasing her hand "thank you Lily, I feel like a weight sort of lifted a bit. You're right my mum isn't ill right now and I shouldn't waste my time with her worrying about the chance that she could be one day."
A comfortable silence descended over the two of them once again until Lily reached into her bag and pulled out a half eaten easter egg. "Hey do you want some of this? Gran sent it today and chocolate always makes people feel better."
"Absolutely" agreed Scorpius, learning forwards to break off some of the egg, he moaned "this is delicious!"
"Honeydukes finest" Lily winked "feel better?"
"Yeah I -" Scorpius began but he didn't get to finish his sentence for he was interrupted by the Almighty roar that came from a descending Madam Pince.
"MALFOY! POTTER!"
"Oh no" Lily whispered hastily, helping Scorpius throw his belongings in his bag.
"She's gonna kill us" Scorpius said, his grey-blue eyes wide in slight fear "what do we do?"
"Run" whispered Lily.
"Chocolate! In the library!" Pince screeched as she rounded on them "Just like your mother and father Miss Potter! They thought it was acceptable to eat chocolate in the library too! Insolent children get out! Out!"
Pince didn't have to say it again, Scorpius and Lily fled from the library as fast as they could, chased by their bags that Pince had enchanted to hit them over their heads until they had left.
The pair collapsed in an alcove a few corridors down from the library, breathing heavily from their running but laughing at the imagery of what they had seen.
"That was hilarious!" Scorpius wheezed "She looked like she was about ready to murder us! It was only a bit of chocolate!"
"You didn't even have any library books out!" Lily said exasperatedly "she's nuts and what was she on about my mum and dad for?"
Scorpius shrugged, still wiping tears from his eyes at how hard he had laughed "they must have liked to eat chocolate In the library or something."
"Trust her to hold a grudge" Lily grumbled "I knew she didn't like me but I didn't know it was because of a generational grudge!"
Scorpius laughed again, his somber mood of before long forgotten "I can't believe she remembers that they ate in the library… 20 something years ago?"
Lily shook her head bursting into laughter herself "she's got issues, that woman."
At that moment they were interrupted by the arrival of someone's quick footsteps. "It's near curfew whoever is there should get to their common room instead of loitering in alcoves giggling!" The voice chastised and Lily and Scorpius shared a look before bursting into laughter once more. The voice belonged to none other than Rose Granger-Weasley - the Gryffindor prefect, best friend of Scorpius and cousin/best friend of Lily.
Rose popped her head into the alcove ready to scold the people again when she noticed who the pair was. "What are you two doing, pressed into an alcove?" She asked in a shocked tone.
"We just got thrown out of the library. We were half terrified that Pince was going to follow us and assassinate us." Lily said blushing slightly as she just noticed how close she and Scorpius were standing. She could smell the pine of his cologne lingering in the space between them.
"You got thrown out of the library?" Rose said letting a giggle of her own slip "how'd you manage that?"
"We committed the cardinal sin Rosie!" Scorpius said dramatically as he stepped out of the alcove "we ate chocolate in the library!"
"Yes" Lily continued "which is apparently something mum and dad used to do. Must run in the family to be such a rebel."
Rose was about to respond when a voice at the end of the corridor called out to her "Rose are you coming? We have rounds, remember?" it was the Ravenclaw prefect - Jake Chang.
"I've got to go" she said "you two should probably head back to your common rooms. Don't forget we have an exam tomorrow Scor."
"I won't" he said rolling his eyes before he muttered for only Lily to hear "I think she's sponsored by O.W.L.S she finds a way to mention them in every conversation."
Lily giggled again and had to throw a hand over her mouth to suppress the sound until Rose had gone.
"Come on Lily Luna I'll walk you to Gryffindor tower."
"Scor" Lily deadpanned "the Slytherin common rooms miles away from mine just go back to yours. Al is probably wondering where you are anyways."
"Let him" Scorpius said with a shrug of his shoulders "I want to be with you a little longer."
Lily's heart fluttered and she hid her blush behind her hair. She had had a crush on Scorpius on and off ever since she had known him. She couldn't help but laugh at herself at the cliche of it all - the little sister falling for her older brother's best friend. But Lily knew better than to think Scorpius liked her back so she tried her best to get over him. She was thinking about asking Lorcan Scamander out - he seemed interested and might help her move on.
Later when her and Lorcan began to date Rose would ask her "do you have a thing for blondes?" And Lily would blush and say "He's the only blonde ive dated!" But Rose would only give her a knowing look in response "yes but we both know you've liked another for a while even if he is oblivious to it." Lily would sigh, mentally wondering how Rose could know everything.
Scorpius and Lily walked to Gryffindor tower sharing Lily's easter egg and laughing and joking. Finally the walk was over and they stopped in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.
"Well this is me," Lily said, "thanks for walking me."
"No problem, Lily Luna" Scorpius smiled "thanks for cheering me up."
Then Scorpius left and Lily - smiling brightly to herself told the Fat Lady the password. Once she had climbed through the portrait hole the fat lady turned to her friend Violet who was visiting her frame.
"Do they remind you of anyone?" She asked.
Violet grinned "yes, a certain Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley."
The fat lady chucked "They're as oblivious as they were but hopefully they'll realise how mad they are for each other like her parents did."
Violet sighed dreamily "ah young love, it is sweet how history repeats itself. The sister and the best friend are falling in love once again! But this time there is the added layer of a Slytherin and a Gryffindor! It's so exciting!"
The fat lady agreed "It is! Cheers to it!" She said raising her glass of wine to chink against Violets.