"Oi, Potter! Get your arse over here!"
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"Over the next few weeks, we'll begin focusing our studies on the art and science of duelling."
It'd been a week since Harry had argued with Professor Grimhall about the ethics of using an Unforgivable Curse in war. The visit to the Burrow had been exactly what he and Ginny had needed, giving them a break from everything at Hogwarts to be with family. The effect it had was obvious– they were even happier than they'd been before they left, and the week seemed to fly by with no real troubles. Now, they were just a few minutes away from being dismissed from their last class of the week, and Harry was bouncing his leg rapidly in anticipation, excited for the weekend ahead.
"None of you have received any formal training on duelling, based on my understanding of your past curricula. It's my job to train you to be able to protect yourself while also breaking any bad habits you may have developed as a result of trying to teach yourself how to duel. I hope none of you will ever have to use what I teach you, but it's best for you to learn correctly rather than be unprepared if the moment does come. Your homework is to write a short outline of any experience you have with duelling and what those practices taught you. Class dismissed."
The room was immediately filled with the sounds of chairs scraping against stone as everyone rushed to exit the classroom.
"That was stupid," he commented to Ginny after they left the classroom.
"Grimhall?"
"Yeah, acting like a lot of the class wasn't at the battle is kind of ridiculous."
Ginny shrugged. "He's made it pretty obvious that he doesn't think any of us are capable of anything because we weren't 'formally trained' or whatever. Not much of a surprise, honestly."
"I guess so. At least the homework's easy."
"Speaking of, do you want to spend the rest of today doing it or Sunday?" Ginny asked him, looking like she already knew the answer. Harry considered it for a moment. It would be nice to not have anything to do for the rest of the day, but he'd also start dreading the upcoming homework after Quidditch trials were over. He didn't really like the idea of that, so he decided to surprise her.
"Let's get it done now."
Ginny's eyes widened as she made a slightly impressed face. "Wow. I'm really rubbing off on you, huh?"
"Or I'm finally taking Hermione's lessons to heart," Harry suggested with a wry grin.
"Nope. This is all my doing," she said proudly, taking his hand as they walked to the library.
After writing odd essays for Slughorn about what types of potions they'd like to invent, they spent some time practising nonverbal charms as review for Flitwick's class. They took turns surprising each other. Ginny began by casting a Slowing Charm on Harry, which made him feel like he was moving through gelatin. She thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world, but she didn't seem to think the game was as funny when Harry cast a Body-Bind Curse on her.
Even though she couldn't move, her eyes were more than making up for her lack of speech and mobility, and, after laughing for a moment, Harry obeyed the message her eyes were conveying and removed the curse from her.
"Some gentleman you are," Ginny muttered.
"I'm a perfect gentleman when I need to be. The rest of the time, I'm me, and you wouldn't have me any other way," he gloated.
"That's what you think," she said with a wicked smile, pointing her wand at his head. A moment later, she burst out laughing again, and Harry had to go over to a window to see what she was laughing at.
"Bloody hell, I look awful," he groaned, grabbing his now blonde hair in disgust. He wasn't exactly a fan of any resemblance to Malfoy.
Ginny was still giggling when he returned to their table. "You can change my hair if it makes you feel better."
Harry shook his head. "I don't ever want to change your hair."
"I wouldn't mind too much. It's not like we can't change it back."
He shook his head again. "I like your hair too much to want to change it."
She looked at him like he'd turned into a Pygmy Puff and was the cutest thing she'd ever seen. "Well now I feel bad that you said something that sweet right after I changed your hair without even thinking about it. I must be the worst girlfriend ever."
Harry smiled at her. "I mean, you're probably not the worst girlfriend ever."
Ginny rolled her eyes and gave him a shove, which only made him laugh as he wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You know you're the best girlfriend for me. I just happen to love your hair a lot."
"Is that your favourite thing about how I look?" Ginny asked curiously, and if it had been anyone else, Harry would've felt like he was walking into a trap.
"I– I don't think I have a favourite thing. It's just… I dunno, I mean I smell your hair in Amortentia and I love playing with it because it's just so you. But I couldn't pick a favourite thing about you. I love it all– your hair, your eyes, your smile, every single one of your freckles… it's all you."
She was turning redder by the second. "Merlin, Potter… you sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself," she responded, making him grin before he stole a kiss, loving how red she became when he really got her going.
"It's easy when I've got so much good to talk about."
Now she stole a kiss from him. "I love you."
"And what is it about me that you love most?" Harry flipped the question on her, but she was ready with a smirk.
"Wouldn't you like to know."
"Merlin, Weasley… you sure know how to make a bloke feel good about himself," he replied, rolling his eyes for good measure, which got her laughing loudly enough for Madam Pince to shush them.
"I know," she replied happily. "But you know it's the same for me. I love everything about the way you look. I love your black hair, although I think the blonde is growing on me–" she grinned at Harry's grimace "– and I love your green eyes. I love the way you smile at little things that make you happy and this intense look you get when you're looking at something you care about. I love feeling your arms around me and your body against mine and–"
Harry cut her off with another kiss. She was looking at him like she was considering jumping him in the middle of the library when they separated. "You're gonna get us kicked out if you keep talking like that, Gin, because I'm not gonna be able to keep my hands to myself."
"Good," she replied in a husky voice that made his stomach tie itself in knots as she started to reach towards him again.
"Just– just to be clear… we're done doing homework and you want us to go at it in the middle of the library?"
Ginny blinked once, then again. "Damn it. We're not done with homework yet. Let's knock out that thing for Grimhall, and then we can talk about going at it in the middle of the library," she said with a lustful glint in her eyes.
"Ah– homework… right," he responded after a moment, remembering that she'd said something else too.
"At least it shouldn't take too long," Ginny commented, acting like her normal self, even though Harry knew she could turn on a Sickle and have him at her mercy at any second.
"I think I'm just gonna tell him to read the Daily Prophet for my duelling credentials."
Ginny snorted. "Something tells me he wouldn't find that very amusing."
"Yeah, I didn't think so. What are you saying?"
She looked up from the parchment. "I'm saying that I duelled Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries, here in my fifth year, and here again in the Battle of Hogwarts. And I was taught how to duel by Harry Potter in my fourth year."
"He'll love that."
"It's the truth. I mean I learned some spells and stuff from a couple Defence professors, but almost everything practical I learned came from the D.A."
"Then it was worth the trouble, at least," he replied, even though he'd known that for a while. "I guess I'll put the same down. I don't think I can even remember all the duels I've had. And I'll say I learned duelling from… Gilderoy Lockhart's Duelling Club."
"You did not," Ginny laughed.
"I mean, that's where I learned Expelliarmus. I dunno, I just picked things up here and there. Doesn't matter, I doubt Grimhall will like whatever I put down anyways."
"I hate that you're right about that."
He shrugged. "It is what it is. That should be everything we have to do, right?"
"Yep. Now, about going at it in the middle of the library… I have an idea that involves the Room of Requirement…" Ginny began, and Harry grinned. It was going to be a great weekend.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
"Come off it. You're gonna be brilliant!"
Ginny rolled over to look at Harry. "You're my boyfriend. You have to say that."
"No I don't. There's things you're not brilliant at."
She raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Like being afraid of stuff. It doesn't suit you very well."
"I'm not afraid. I just… I've wanted this for so long, and I don't want to mess it up."
"You won't. Think about who's probably gonna end up on the team. Demelza's one of your best friends. Ritchie and Jimmy both like and respect you. If Dean makes it, he's not gonna be a problem for you."
"And there's you," she added.
He gave her a proud smile that warmed her heart. "And me. And you know I'll follow wherever you lead, Captain."
"How do you always know what to say?"
"Magic," he answered obviously, and she gave him a kiss for that. "We should probably get down there though. Don't want trials to start without you there."
"Five more minutes," Ginny protested, climbing on top of Harry, who suddenly didn't have anything more to say about leaving their bed.
Twenty minutes later, they made their way from the Room of Requirement down to the Great Hall, where they met Emily for breakfast.
"Are you excited?" the second-year asked.
"I'm nervous. Don't know what I'll do if I lose my spot on the team," Harry answered.
Emily laughed loudly, thinking that was hysterical. "You'd probably break up with Ginny if that happened!"
Harry snorted, making Ginny cross her arms and raise her eyebrows curiously at him. He shrugged. "Probably best that you don't test whether that's true or not."
"You're making it awfully tempting," she replied.
"Guess I'll just have to do the best so we don't have to find out," Harry responded with a wink that made her roll her eyes even though she was smiling now.
"Can I come down and watch?" Emily asked.
"Of course! We're heading down there now, so you can come with us if you want," Ginny answered, snatching another piece of toast from the plate in front of her as she stood from the table.
"Awesome!" Emily exclaimed, keeping pace next to them in her chair as they exited the castle and headed down to the Quidditch pitch. When they arrived, she glided up the stairs into the stands, where a surprising number of students, both from Gryffindor and other houses, were gathered to watch the trials.
Ginny surveyed the group that was standing on the pitch, reminded of when Harry held trials as captain two years ago. It looked like everyone on the pitch was in Gryffindor at least, but there must've been thirty people trying out. This was going to take a while.
Harry nudged her. "I'm gonna go over there with everyone else. You've got this," he confidently told her before shooting her a smile and walking over to the remaining members of the last Gryffindor team, who were acting a bit less rambunctious than all the newcomers.
Ginny wanted to tell him that he could stay with her, that he didn't need to try out because there was no way anyone else would take his spot. But, at the same time, she recognised the importance of doing this independently and really appreciated how Harry so willingly and encouragingly pushed her to take it on by herself.
She waited until exactly eleven before beginning. "Oi!" she shouted and was pleased that everyone silenced at once. "Right, thank you all for coming out for trials today. I'm gonna be Gryffindor's captain this season, and–"
"What about Harry?"
Ginny turned to find the source of the voice– a third or fourth year Ravenclaw she vaguely recognised who was sitting in the stands. The girl was eagerly perched on the edge of her seat, but she had a sour look on her face like she couldn't understand why anyone other than Harry would be the captain.
Ginny pointed to the badge on her robes. "I'm the one wearing this. I'm the captain. Now shut it, and if you interrupt my trials again, I'll hex you."
She turned back to the group in front of her and saw some impressed expressions, including one from a very handsome potential Seeker. Any reservations she'd had about being captain seemed to evaporate.
"If there's nothing else, we'll get on with it. Divide yourselves up by what position you're trying out for. Keepers on my left, then Beaters, Chasers, and Seekers."
All that could be heard was the padding of footsteps on the pitch as everyone wordlessly organised themselves by position. Once they were assembled, she looked along the four groups. There were about five Keepers, five Beaters, and maybe ten Chasers, but she was a little surprised to see that there were around ten Seekers as well. Then she realised that Harry was a full head taller than all the other very young prospective Seekers.
"Okay, I want each position group to take three laps around the pitch. Weave between the goalposts on both ends, go into a controlled dive on the far side, and go as fast as you can on our side," Ginny instructed.
Her job felt like it would be significantly easier after seeing how a lot of the new faces did. As usual, a majority of the new people were younger students, and a lot of them struggled to control a broom. Even many of the ones who could actually fly clearly couldn't do it at a skill or speed needed for Quidditch. She sent away two Keepers, two Beaters, three Chasers, and… all of the Seekers except Harry.
She tried her best to be apologetic with the younger kids, but there wasn't much point in keeping them out there when they clearly weren't ready. Harry had actually lapped the rest of the Seekers who were trying out, which was more than a little impressive considering they only did three laps. Granted, he was on a superior broom, but it was also obvious that he was a better flyer regardless, and there wasn't a chance any of the younger students would've been able to beat him to a Snitch.
While the people she'd dismissed filed into the stands, Harry stood against a wall of the pitch, looking a little disappointed that he hadn't actually gotten to compete with anyone. It was a little cute, to be honest. Maybe she could let him chase after a Snitch at least.
"Oi, Potter! Get your arse over here!" Ginny shouted. Everyone's jaw dropped, as if unable to believe she was talking to her boyfriend or to Harry Potter like that. Harry grinned widely and walked over, apparently unintimidated by her. She did her best to not let that grin make her weak in the knees, but she needed to get him in the air because her resolve was crumbling by the second.
"I need someone for my Beaters to hit Bludgers at. You chase the Snitch and try not to get killed up there."
Harry raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Sure thing, Captain."
"Are you wanting one of us to protect him?" Jack Sloper, the other Beater candidate besides Jimmy and Ritchie, asked. Harry looked at her like he'd very much like to know the answer to that question too.
"Nope," Ginny answered, reaching down to let the Snitch out. Harry didn't even bother looking for it as it flew off. Instead, he was nodding slowly like he appreciated the challenge. He really was mental.
"We'll try to keep him in one piece," Ritchie promised with an eager grin.
"Good. We don't have another Seeker, and I really want to play Chaser this year," Ginny replied, winking slyly at Harry before walking to the edge of the pitch with the Chaser and Keeper candidates. Once the four of them kicked off, she released the Bludgers, and Harry shot straight up into the air.
Ginny had to admit that it was pretty clear that Jimmy and Ritchie were the better Beaters. Not only did they have better technique, aim, and power behind their hits than Jack did, but they were clearly working together, while Jack was attempting to single-handedly knock Harry off his broom. She probably could've called it within two minutes, but she was a little curious to see how Harry would handle it, and she wasn't disappointed.
He used the speed of his Firebolt to his advantage, consistently staying ahead of the Beaters and easily avoiding the Bludgers. But once he started looking for the Snitch, the Beaters began catching him and the Bludgers started coming closer and closer. Ginny felt herself breathing a sigh of relief when Jack completely missed a Bludger that would've crashed into Harry's back if he'd connected.
She was about to end it when Harry suddenly dove, breaking up the Beaters that had done a decent job surrounding him. Jimmy sent one last Bludger after him, but it was like Harry had a sixth sense because he suddenly pulled the handle of his broom up, looping over the Bludger, which flew harmlessly underneath him, before plucking the Snitch out of the air, just a foot or two off the ground.
"Not bad," Ginny commented when he practically strutted over to her, holding the Snitch proudly.
"Only the best for you," he responded cheekily, making her stony facade crack momentarily as she grinned at him before turning to the Beaters that had just finished wrestling the Bludgers back into the crate.
"Sorry, Jack, but we're gonna be keeping Ritchie and Jimmy this season."
He nodded. "No problem. I get it," he said before joining the other disappointed candidates in the stands.
"You two stick around until I finish up with the Chasers and Keepers," she told Jimmy and Ritchie before returning to the remaining players on the pitch. "We have six Chasers here and three Keepers. You'll all scrimmage against each other, and we'll trade Keepers out every five minutes. So the three of you–" she pointed to Demelza, Natalie McDonald, a fifth year who was trying out for the first time, and a fourth year named Liam Turner "– will be against these three." Now she pointed to Dean, Ryan Phillips, a fifth year, and Charlotte Scott, a third year she recognised as one of Emily's friends.
Another of Emily's friends, Zoe Williams, was one of the three remaining Keepers, along with Miles, Harry's roommate, and Aidan Hall, a fourth year. She sent Zoe and Miles to the opposite goalposts first before throwing the Quaffle into the air and joining the Chasers in the air, flying like a referee as she tried to evaluate the skills and potential of the people trying out.
It was interesting to observe a simulated match like this. She was so used to being the one playing that she had to keep herself from grabbing the Quaffle as it flew past her on more than one occasion. She was glad to be in this position though, not just because she liked being the captain but because she was specifically looking for two Chasers who she knew she could play well with.
Ginny was pleased to see that Demelza immediately stood out as the best Chaser in the group, confirming what she already knew. Identifying the third Chaser was proving to be a bit more of a challenge though. Dean and Natalie stood out, but she genuinely couldn't decide who would be a better choice, so, for the moment, she turned her attention to the Keepers.
It was tough to tell how good the Keepers were, considering that the Chasers weren't experienced in playing together and a lot of their attacks were solo efforts with little passing to throw off the Keeper. Despite that, she didn't notice Miles making any saves when he was playing. She did feel a little bad because she'd always liked him enough even though they'd never been really close, but it was her job to make the team as strong as possible.
She let the scrimmage go on for another twenty minutes, not gaining any more clarity on the battle for the last Chaser position or the Keeper position, so she reluctantly magnified her voice and told everyone to return to the ground. Once they'd all landed, she made the next round of cuts.
"Okay, everyone but Demelza, Natalie, Dean, Aidan, and Zoe can go to the stands. We'll be taking a few minutes before finishing up."
Ginny walked away from the gradually shrinking crowd on the pitch. She almost didn't notice that she was pacing back and forth as she thought about the decisions she had to make. She thought Natalie had played better than Dean in the scrimmage, scoring several impressive goals and making even more impressive passes, but she wasn't sure how much of that was a result of Natalie playing with Demelza. However, if she was playing well with Demelza, that would be a good thing if she made the team, and Ginny could easily see herself, Demelza, and Natalie making a potent Chasing trio.
On the other hand, Dean did have some experience, although it wasn't much, playing in actual Quidditch matches. He was good enough, she supposed, and he'd worked well with her and Demelza before. But, when thinking hard on it, Ginny knew that she liked the potential that Natalie brought to the table enough to go with her, even though the girl was a bit of an unproven quantity. Dean hadn't ever shown the flashes of brilliance and raw potential that Natalie had in her tryout, and Ginny knew it was worth the risk.
A small voice in her head said that she might look petty or vindictive for not selecting her ex-boyfriend for the team, but she quickly shook that off. She knew what she was doing, and if they won, she'd be proven right. Dean was smart. He'd understand, and if he didn't, that wasn't really her problem or her fault.
She really didn't know what to do about the Keepers either. After giving it a couple minutes of consideration, she decided that she'd have to test them herself. Returning to the group, she saw that Harry was easily conversing with everyone, but he still kept an eye on her. Her respect for him felt like it was growing, even though she didn't think that was possible. She imagined a lot of boys would've volunteered their opinion or asked what she was thinking, but Harry knew her and trusted her to make her own decisions, which meant more than she could put into words.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. I've decided that our Chasers for this year will be me, Demelza, and Natalie. Sorry, Dean," she offered sincerely. He looked disappointed and pressed his lips together in a frown but nodded, walking off the pitch with his head down. Seeing that, she remembered how disappointed he'd been when he'd gotten rejected from the team two years ago and wasn't surprised to see that he still took it hard.
"I thought for sure I was gonna get it," Dean said, staring into the fire.
"I know. There were a lot of good Chasers out there though," Ginny offered, even though she thought Harry had made the right decision in the three Chasers he'd selected.
"Yeah, I guess. I just really wanted us to play together."
"It's okay. I promise I don't like you any less because you're not on the team."
"Easy for you to say. You made it somehow," Dean grumbled, and Ginny froze, inches from the cheek she'd been about to kiss in an attempt to comfort him.
"What do you mean I made it 'somehow'?"
Dean's eyes widened and he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean that you weren't good. It was just a tough trial, and I was impressed that you made it."
"Mmm," Ginny replied, pursing her lips as she leaned back on the sofa.
"I swear I didn't mean anything by it. You were the best one out there, Gin," he said.
"Ginny."
"What?"
"My name's Ginny. I don't like being called Gin."
"I'm sorry for that too," Dean responded, still wearing a sad expression that could've expressed apology or self-pity.
She sighed after a moment. "It's fine, Dean. I'm sorry you didn't make the team."
He nodded and put an arm around her. "It's okay. At least I've still got my girl."
"Yep," Ginny replied a little half-heartedly. Dean didn't seem to notice though, and that was fine by her. She wasn't really in the mood for a fight tonight, and even though he was annoying her now, she wasn't planning on breaking up with him over it. He was still sweet most of the time. She didn't really love being called his girl like she was a trophy though. But that could be a conversation for another day.
Ginny blinked, not really wanting to relive that memory while she still had a job to do. "Aidan and Zoe, I'm still not sure which of you to go with, so I want the three of us to go up. Whoever stops me from scoring gets the job."
They both nodded, and Ginny noticed that Zoe looked a little nervous as she remounted her broom and the three of them kicked off, leaving the rest of the team to watch from the ground.
"Aidan first," Ginny called, and the rather large fourth year hovered in front of the middle hoop, watching her intently. She sped at him, pump faking to the right at the last second before putting the Quaffle through the hoop he'd just vacated.
"Zoe, you're up."
Ginny did the same thing to Zoe that she did to Aidan, but when Zoe didn't bite on the pump fake, Ginny went ahead and threw it through the hoop she'd been faking towards. On Aidan's second attempt, she flew in towards the right hoop and, with no warning, whipped the Quaffle across her body, sending it soaring into the far left hoop before Aidan had even noticed what was happening.
It was time for Zoe's second attempt, and Ginny did her best to smile encouragingly at the girl who seemed to be shaking on her broom. Ginny approached slowly, moving laterally from side to side, attempting to get Zoe to commit to a hoop. Zoe seemed to be mentally unfazed, even though her expression was still one of near terror, not ever straying too far from the middle hoop. Ginny abruptly darted to the left side, bringing Zoe with her before she tossed the Quaffle behind her back at the far hoop that Zoe had left completely abandoned. Even though it didn't count for anything, Ginny had practised that move before, and it was beautiful to watch as it… was saved by Zoe at the last second, tipping it over the hoop with her fingertips.
Ginny gaped for a second. "How did you save that?" she finally asked.
Zoe smiled a little bashfully for someone who had just made an absurd save like that. "I'm pretty fast," she admitted.
"No kidding," Ginny laughed. "Congratulations on becoming Gryffindor's new Keeper," she added, giving Zoe a high five before they descended to the ground, where Zoe was met with cheers from her new teammates. Aidan even gave her a congratulatory fist bump before walking away, leaving the seven teammates alone on the pitch.
"You all played brilliantly today. Our first practice will be at the same time a week from today, and then we'll start with more regularly scheduled practices from there. This is a great team, and I'm feeling good about our chances this season. But we've got a lot of work to do with our first match in just under two months, so enjoy your last week off for the rest of the term."
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry was unsurprised that he'd been correct. Ginny was a natural captain, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't incredibly proud with how confidently she'd run the trials. Obviously none of it mattered until they started playing, but he thought she'd picked the best possible team.
Once Ginny had dismissed them, Harry hung around, waiting for her to finish talking to Natalie and Zoe about some of the practical things related to being on the team since this was
their first time.
"She's pretty good," Demelza commented, walking past him towards the changing rooms.
"She's brilliant," Harry corrected, barely noticing the sarcastic smile and eye roll Demelza gave him.
A moment later, he was joined on the pitch by Emily. "What'd you think?" he asked, crouching down to be able to look her in the eye.
"Oh, that was awesome! The only thing that would've made it better was if Charlotte had made it, but you and Ginny and Zoe all being on the team is so cool!" Emily replied with infectious enthusiasm.
Harry chuckled. "Now all we need is to get you up there."
Emily sighed. "You know I can't play Quidditch," she said sadly.
"I dunno about that. I know you said that you wanted to be a Chaser, but I'm a Seeker, so… I was thinking it might be fun to take you up and let you look for the Snitch?"
Emily's face broke into a massive grin that actually made Harry proud of himself for making that happen. "Let's do it!"
Harry walked over to the crate of balls and released the Snitch before returning to her. He held the Firebolt between his legs and reached down to help Emily swing herself over onto the broom in front of him. "This is gonna be all you. I'll lean whatever way you lean to help out, but you've gotta find it and catch it. Okay?"
"Okay," Emily agreed, letting out a whoop of excitement when he pushed them off from the ground. She had the right idea, pulling them up high above the pitch and beginning to move back and forth, looking for any sign of the Snitch.
He spotted it once at the base of a goalpost and another time near the stands before she saw it darting around near the grassy surface of the pitch. Immediately, she pushed down on the broom, sending them hurtling towards the pitch. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held the broom tightly with the other hand since she couldn't use the lower half of her body to keep herself on the broom.
He was concerned for a moment that he'd made a bad decision, telling her to do this without any prior experience, but that concern was dispelled completely when Emily wrenched the broom handle up and flew them parallel to the ground. Harry willed the Snitch to stay in place because he really wanted Emily to be able to catch it, and somehow, his wish came true. The Snitch darted about in a small area just in front of them but didn't fly away, and he kept a tight hold on Emily as she reached out and grabbed it.
"Let's go, Emily!" Harry cheered from behind her, and she turned back to him with the same wide grin that she'd had on her face when they'd started. He wasn't the only one cheering. Emily pulled the broom back around, hearing another person cheering near the stands. Ginny was alone on the pitch now, and she was applauding wildly for Emily.
They touched down near Ginny, who immediately wrapped Emily in a big hug before giving her a high five. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed before helping Emily back into her chair.
"I can't believe I did that!" Emily said giddily.
"I told you," Harry replied, giving her their secret handshake.
"That was your idea?" Ginny asked, and he nodded.
"Emily, that was so cool!" Zoe yelled, running at them from the changing room area.
"You saw?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, I saw you catch it! That was awesome!"
Harry smiled as the two girls congratulated each other for their accomplishments on the pitch today before leaving, not even remembering that he and Ginny were still there. He wasn't too upset about that though when Ginny jumped him the second they were out of sight.
He was a little lightheaded when they pulled apart for air and Ginny unwrapped her legs from around his waist. "What was that for?" he asked between breaths.
"I just– nobody else would've thought to do that for Emily," she answered, looking at him with an intense love that made his knees feel weak.
He shrugged. "She's my friend, and I knew she could do it."
"And that's what that was for," she replied, giving him another kiss for good measure.
They began walking away from the pitch with Ginny tightly wrapping her arm around Harry's and holding his hand. "You were amazing today, by the way," he said once they'd left the stadium.
"I was nervous at first," she admitted. "But then after I yelled at that Ravenclaw girl, I just felt in control."
"You definitely looked like you were in control. And I think you did a great job picking the team."
"You do?" Ginny asked in a tone that told him that meant a lot to her.
"Yeah, I definitely do. You're already a brilliant captain. There's no way we don't win the Cup this season."
She snorted. "We should probably practise a couple times before saying that."
"Maybe once," he conceded. "Oh, hang on, let's stop here," he added, pulling her towards their tree.
"What's the occasion?" Ginny asked as she sat down and leaned back against the trunk, smiling at him as he sat very close to her.
"Well, I just figured I'd remind you just how sexy I find you as my Quidditch Captain."
"Oh–" Ginny gasped before he caught her lips with his, tangling his hand in her windswept hair that always looked so bloody good after she flew. Between Quidditch and this, he couldn't think of a better way to spend a day, and that was the last conscious thought he had for a while as he lost himself with her.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
It was a sign that they were becoming more adjusted to being at school that the weeks were passing quicker and quicker. It felt like Ginny blinked and it was the end of another week. She walked into the Defence classroom with Harry, Dean, Mia, and Luna, joking about a recent article in Witch Weekly that had alleged that Harry was actually pursuing a career racing Muggle cars and the Harry at Hogwarts was just someone taking Polyjuice Potion.
"I'm pretty sure my cousin would pass out if he heard a rumour about me racing cars for Arrows," Harry laughed. Seeing Ginny's expression, he shook his head. "Not the Appleby Arrows."
She shrugged. It wasn't the craziest assumption to make. "You'd be better off driving for McLaren," Dean suggested, and he was met with four blank expressions. "Oh… I thought maybe you watched racing when you were with your Muggle family."
Ginny glanced at Harry, who shook his head. "Nope, I never watched much of anything there. I just saw the name in the article and assumed Dudley would've cared about it."
Dean nodded but didn't say anything else, which Ginny was more than a little grateful for. It was pretty obvious that Harry hated being reminded of his Muggle family, even if he was the one who brought them up today. They didn't have any more time to talk though because Grimhall strode into the classroom holding what looked like the parchments they'd turned in concerning their duelling experience a couple days earlier.
He'd spent the last class talking about some of the duels he'd been a part of as an Auror, which Ginny had found to be rather interesting, even if it did get a little repetitive hearing him describe how each dark wizard was more powerful than the last but he always somehow managed to defeat his opponent. She had to admit that she was interested to see what new material they'd be covering today related to duelling.
"I read through all of your homework, and I must say that I was surprised to see how many of you claimed to have duelling experience considering your lack of training. I should've been more clear. When I asked if you had duelling experience, I didn't mean that you watched people duel at the Battle of Hogwarts. It seemed like several of you misunderstood, but that's–"
Ginny almost jumped when Harry cleared his throat loudly. She hadn't realised how tense her body had become, listening to Grimhall, until that interruption. Grimhall stopped mid-sentence and looked at Harry.
"Did you have something to say, Mister Potter?"
"I just wanted to say that there were no bystanders at the battle. If someone put that down, they fought."
"If you say so, Mister Potter," Grimhall responded in a disgustingly patronising tone that made Ginny clench her jaw. "Regardless, mentioning that battle does bring me back to the main point of this part of our course. It's critical for me to train you to be as prepared as possible to face real threats in our world. The fact is that we are incredibly lucky that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated, even if it was a fluke, but we cannot depend on that happening again."
The only reason Harry spoke before Ginny was because she was busy closing her wide open mouth and trying to be sure that Grimhall had just said the insane thing she'd heard.
He cleared his throat and didn't even wait for Grimhall to acknowledge him. "Excuse me, sir–" he put extra emphasis on that word "– but I think it's incredibly inappropriate for you to suggest that the people who fought and died at the battle only won because of some freakish luck. The people in this room who fought that night can tell you that none of it felt lucky at all."
Ginny almost shivered at the harshness of Harry's tone, which she'd rarely heard before. Everyone in the room was staring at him and Grimhall, as if waiting for them to begin duelling each other or something. Almost unconsciously, she wrapped her fingers around her wand. Just in case.
"I beg your pardon, Mister Potter. I just find it very difficult to believe that there are people in this classroom who actually fought Death Eaters, aside from myself, especially considering how many people claimed that you were the one who taught them how to fight in the first place."
"It's not like there were many better options for people to teach us how to fight," Dean half-snorted, glaring at Grimhall like he took offence to this conversation as well.
"Ah, of course. I should've known. You're all operating under the assumption that Mister Potter used some sort of skill to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I'm sorry to break it to you all, but it was an incredibly lucky fluke. And yes, thank you, Mister Potter, for your part in that, but don't be so naive as to think that you could've defeated him in a proper duel."
The room was eerily silent. Ginny could almost sense Harry doing his best to not explode in his seat, but she couldn't bear to look at him. There was no doubt that he was intensely staring at Grimhall with a look that even she was wary about seeing. The silence continued, with nobody willing to disturb it until Harry had responded.
Finally, in a measured tone that almost amazed Ginny in its self-control, Harry spoke slowly. "It sure as hell didn't feel like a lucky fluke."
"Really, Mister Potter? I've read what you claim happened that night. There's no way to describe what happened as anything other than lucky."
Dean interrupted, doing a worse job than Harry at controlling his anger as he was now tightly gripping the sides of his desk. "But that wasn't the only time he was face to face with him. Harry fought him a couple other times."
"Seven."
Harry spoke so quietly that Ginny was sure she was the only one who heard exactly what he'd said.
"Repeat that," Grimhall commanded.
"I said, Professor, that I came face to face with Tom Riddle seven times. Eight if you want to include the night he murdered my parents. Would you like for me to include that night in my count?"
Ginny inhaled sharply, both proud of Harry for standing up for himself and unbelievably stunned at the direction this argument had taken. She saw the wide eyes of people staring at Harry, as if they couldn't comprehend the fact that he'd seen Riddle that many times and lived. She was a little startled and saddened that he knew the exact number without thinking about it.
"I commend you on your survival skills, Mister Potter, but the fact remains that the only time you believe you bested him in a duel was a fluke. I don't wish to continue dwelling on this, but I'm tired of you disrupting my class, believing that you're superior to everyone else because of some rubbish papers and the scar on your head."
Several people gasped, and it took everything in Ginny not to lose her shit with Grimhall. The only thing that kept her together was that Harry was handling himself impressively, and she knew he would stop it all if she got involved because he wouldn't want her getting in trouble. She was losing her ability to control her rage though, and it was fortunate that she didn't need to say anything because Harry was ready with a response.
"Forgive me, Professor. I don't think I'm better than anyone for anything, especially not for the mark Riddle gave me the night he killed my parents and tried to kill me. It's just that every time I fought Riddle, he was more interested in casting the Killing Curse than having a proper duel for some strange reason. It was almost like he didn't understand that that was an unethical curse to cast. But that's my mistake for forgetting that only one of us was allowed to talk about the times that we fought and defeated dark wizards. So remind me, in all your exploits and adventures as an Auror, how many times did you fight him?"
If there weren't any jaws dropped in shock before, they were all dropped now. Even Luna looked stunned at the way Harry was directly challenging the professor. Ginny saw Grimhall clench his fists, his beady eyes seemingly attempting to bore holes in Harry's face with the intensity of their glare.
"Unlike you, I do not pretend to think that I could've defeated him in a duel–"
"That must be why you were hiding on your farm during the battle while a bunch of teenagers laid down their lives fighting and winning the war. And I thought you were trying to tell all of us that you were a bloody hero, Auror Grimhall."
There were no more incredulous actions that could match what the students were witnessing. They all stared in shock. In all the time she'd known Harry and known how much he'd hated Snape, she'd never heard of him speaking like this. It almost scared her, seeing how furious he was now. This was a side of himself he normally reserved for dark wizards and witches, and there was something very disconcerting about him having to turn to it in somewhere that was supposed to be safe like a classroom.
"That's detention, Mister Potter. And twenty points from Gryffindor. For disrespecting a professor and maintaining delusional fantasies."
Harry wasn't done. "And what's your punishment for dishonouring the sacrifices made by the students who fought at the battle?"
"That's a week of detention, Mister Potter. Would you like to make it more?"
"That depends, Professor. Would you like to apologise to the people in this room who lost friends and family at the battle you were too cowardly to fight at?"
"I can keep going, Mister Potter. You're at a month of detention now and fifty points lost for your house. Believe me, I'm not worried about what the Daily Prophet says about me giving detention to their celebrity hero."
"Oh, that's right! All you care about are the hero stories you give your classes about the glory days. But you had to wait until I bloody killed him to come out of hiding. You know nothing about what I had to do. Nothing. And I'm fucking done with this shit."
As Harry stormed out of the classroom, Grimhall called, "I'll see you at my office at seven tonight for detention, Mister Potter, or I will see to it that you're expelled."
The only answer he got was the heavy wooden door slamming.
Grimhall tried to resume lecturing, but it was clear that nobody was in a mood to listen to him talking anymore. Even though Dean had been the only other person to speak, Ginny figured pretty much everyone agreed with what Harry had said. Class was dismissed about ten minutes after Harry left.
"That was unbelievable," Mia whispered to her while they walked away. She shook her head grimly.
"I've never seen Harry that upset," Luna commented once they'd left the classroom.
"Me either," Ginny agreed. She wanted to find him, but there were several places he could've been. Her first thought was their tree, but she decided that was too public. He definitely wouldn't want to be anywhere people might bother him. The next thought she had was that he might be flying, but a look out the window towards the pitch told her that wasn't right either. Really, she could only think of one place that was private that he might go to stew for a bit.
"I'll see you later," she told her friends before heading the opposite direction of them towards the Room of Requirement. She paced in front of it, asking for their bedroom, but when it didn't appear, she knew the room was currently serving a different use. She was positive that Harry was in there now and just hoped he hadn't closed the loopholes like they usually did when they used the room.
'I need the room that Harry's in,' she thought to herself as she paced back and forth in front of the blank wall three times. After her third pass, she was relieved to see that a door had formed in the wall. She cracked it open tentatively, not wanting to surprise him. She heard something coming from the room. There were brief pulses of sound and what sounded like something breaking or ripping. She opened the door further and stepped in, eyes widening as she took in the scene in front of her.
Harry was a blur, casting spells– nonverbally, she noticed– at practice dummies that had been set up across the room from him. The floor was littered with the stuffing of dozens of already destroyed dummies. It seemed like the room just created more when he'd destroyed all the old ones. From what she could see of his face, he looked very pissed off, which didn't surprise her. She felt similarly, even if she was worried for him too.
Suddenly, he stopped casting spells. She thought he'd noticed her, but it was obvious he didn't when he walked over to one of the dummies, dropped his wand, and began punching it, trying to physically rip its head off. She watched in silence for a moment or two, thinking it best that Harry let his anger out, even if it did scare her a little seeing him this mad. Finally, she couldn't take it any more.
"Harry," she said in as calm a tone as she could manage. He froze for a second before dropping his hands and looking at her as if he was ashamed. She sighed and walked over to him. He tensed slightly when she neared until she wrapped her arms around him. He was a head taller than her and weighed more, but she supported him as he leaned into her hug and sobs began wracking his body.
Ginny remained silent, just running her fingers through his sweaty hair while he cried, even though it broke her heart hearing him like this. He hadn't cried like this since the memorial, almost four months ago. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, but she knew she'd be there as long as he needed. Eventually, his breathing began evening out and he started sniffling. She pulled him down, knowing that there was a sofa behind them now that she'd requested from the room, and he sat without hesitation, still holding her as tightly as she was holding him.
Slowly, she began kissing his neck and ear and cheek. "I've got you, babe," she whispered, smiling a little at the grateful sigh Harry breathed out.
A moment later, he pulled away, still keeping an arm around her, which was good because she was keeping an arm around him too. "I– I don't know what all… that was," he said in a scratchy voice.
Ginny reached up and wiped another tear from his cheek. "He made you mad, and I honestly can't blame you."
"I just– what he said was so wrong. He shouldn't have talked about the– the battle like that."
She looked at his eyes which were dark with grief and wide like he was still shocked at what had just happened. "I'm proud of you," she said simply.
He tilted his head towards her, looking at her properly for the first time since she'd entered the room. "After that?"
"After that? Harry, what you did was so brave. I mean… it was probably a little stupid too, but you did the right thing. He shouldn't have talked to you or about the battle like that."
He nodded and rested his head on top of hers, pulling her into another hug. "I don't deserve you."
"That's weird because I don't deserve you."
He snorted, which made her happier than she could believe. "I love you, Gin."
"I love you, Harry," she replied, cuddling closer to him for her comfort as much as for his.
They spent the rest of the day in the Room of Requirement– which they'd changed back to their bedroom– until it was time for Harry's detention.
"I can't believe I have detention for a month," he said as he prepared to leave the room.
"You could just not go," she offered. It wasn't the first time she'd suggested skiving off from his detention.
"And leave you here by yourself when I get expelled?"
"I'd just leave with you," she replied.
Harry smiled a little. "Your mum would kill me."
"You know that's not true. But– at the very least, you could tell McGonagall about it. I still think you should've already gone to her for everything else, but Grimhall definitely went too far this time, and she could help you out." It also wasn't the first time she'd suggested this.
And like before, Harry had the same response. "You know why I'm not doing that. I– I just can't give him that satisfaction."
Ginny couldn't let it go as easily this time. She pressed a little further. "This isn't Umbridge, Harry. You don't have to do it alone. He doesn't have any authority over McGonagall or any other professor. Hell, you could tell Hagrid about it and let him take care of Grimhall for you."
He chuckled. "I don't know that any of us would ever see Grimhall again if that happened."
"Is that really so bad?" Harry raised an eyebrow at her until she sighed. "I mean Hagrid could probably keep himself from killing Grimhall. Maybe he could just… teach him a lesson."
Harry snorted now. "Yeah, that sounds safe. Look, I'll tell you what… I'll go to this detention, and if it's anything unbearable or painful or anything, I'll tell you and we can go to McGonagall about him."
She sighed and nodded. That was about the best she was going to get out of him, even if she had no faith that he would tell her if the detentions were terrible. "You promise?"
He nodded. "Promise. I really do have to get going though. Don't think he'll like me being late."
"Was it at least worth it to tell Grimhall he was a coward and storm out of the classroom?"
He grinned. "Maybe a little," he acknowledged, and she laughed before giving him a kiss on the cheek.
He was about to leave when she stopped him. "Can I have the Marauder's Map?"
He raised his eyebrows curiously at her, so she continued. "I just– I don't like not knowing where you are. I'm not asking to keep it, but I'm gonna go do some homework with Luna and want to meet you back here as soon as you're out."
Now Harry was smiling at her. "All yours," he answered, opening up the mokeskin pouch that hung around his neck and withdrawing the folded piece of parchment.
She kissed him again after he handed it to her. "Try not to make things worse," she suggested. Harry put a hand over his heart in mock surprise, which made her roll her eyes.
"I'll see you later tonight," he said once they'd left the room, turning right to head to Grimhall's office while she turned left to meet Luna in the library.
"How is Harry?" Luna asked once Ginny had set her bag down.
Ginny shrugged. "Well, he was doing better, but he's going to detention now, so he's probably not doing great now."
"He was very upset today."
"So was I. He was just… extra vocal today."
"He was right," Luna stated firmly.
"Yes, he definitely was," Ginny agreed as she reached into the bag to pull out the map and her Care of Magical Creatures textbook.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said, pointing her wand at the parchment, which came to life and showed her the whereabouts of every person in the castle. She turned the parchment until she found Grimhall's office, grimacing when she saw Harry standing across a desk from the professor.
"Is that Harry's map?" Luna asked.
"Yeah, he gave it to me so I could see when he got out of detention," Ginny explained, setting the map down in front of them and opening her textbook. Hagrid had asked them to make a feeding plan for a Crup, which was basically a Jack Russell terrier that didn't like Muggles and ate everything in sight. Maybe Hagrid could just put one of those in Grimhall's office to take care of their problems.
She and Luna worked for a few minutes, ignoring the description of Crups eating gnomes. That was a little too similar to the Jarveys they'd mutually agreed to forget. Ginny was adding rubber tires to the feeding plan when Luna spoke.
"I thought detentions were supposed to be long."
Ginny looked up at her. "What?"
Luna gestured towards the map. "He left. Doesn't that mean his detention is over?"
She was right. Grimhall was alone in his office again. Ginny rapidly unfolded the map, looking along the path Harry would've taken back to the Room of Requirement, but she didn't see him. Where was he? She looked all throughout the castle as fast as she could but couldn't find him. Annoyed, she flipped the map over to reveal a side that she didn't realise showed the grounds of Hogwarts. What she saw horrified her.
Harry was alone, walking towards the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't a Healer, but she knew enough about him to know that he'd almost definitely have a panic attack triggered if he went there. If he wasn't already having one. Why the hell would he be out there?
Without saying another word to Luna, she bolted out of the library, bringing the map with her so she could find Harry once she got out there. She just hoped she wouldn't be too late.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry still couldn't believe how the day had gone. He'd honestly thought he was getting past his issues with Grimhall, at least to the point that he could deal with the snide, underhanded comments, but Grimhall took things to a totally different level in class today. He just couldn't listen to Grimhall act like the things that people had done in the battle didn't matter. Harry couldn't care less about how demeaning Grimhall was to him. It was just wrong what he was saying about everyone else, dishonouring the sacrifices that had been made. That's what had made him break.
He was so grateful for Ginny. If she hadn't found him, he probably would've destroyed a hundred dummies with his bare hands. He was just so angry and sad and frustrated and she let him express that like nobody else could. He would've been mortified if it was anybody else he was crying on. Instead, he was just grateful for her strength as she supported him through his emotional turmoil.
They ended up almost completely forgetting about the events of the day, shutting the rest of the world out for several hours while they stayed in their bedroom, but he knew he couldn't miss this detention, or Grimhall would do everything he could to expel him. So, reluctantly, he said goodbye to Ginny and trudged to Grimhall's office, hoping that, somehow, this detention would be less painful than the ones he'd endured with Umbridge.
He knocked on the door when he arrived and Grimhall told him to enter. Harry swung the door open unceremoniously and walked in. It had become habit for him to see the new Defence professor's office at some point, but the decorations in this room were practically nonexistent, offering no insight into Grimhall's life. Not that Harry really wanted any.
"Thank you for joining me, Mister Potter. No need to take a seat," Grimhall said as Harry had moved to sit across from him. Harry pushed the chair back towards the desk and stood, glaring at the man.
"I'm sure you think that your behaviour in class today was the way a hero should act. So for our first detention, I want to give you a chance to prove just how much of a hero you are. I want you to spend an hour in the Forbidden Forest, thinking about what it means to be a hero and whether you really deserve that title. I will know if you don't go there or spend the full hour there, and if you don't, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't spend another day in this castle."
Harry felt his heart leap into his throat. Grimhall was looking at him with predatory eyes, as if looking for some sort of weakness to exploit. Summoning all of his resolve, Harry nodded, doing his absolute best to keep his voice from shaking. "Fine."
He turned and left the office. As soon as he closed the door, he hesitated. He could go to Ginny right now. They'd tell McGonagall everything. Grimhall would at least have to be less forward with his attacks in the future. But every time Harry would see him after, Grimhall would have the same smug expression. He could practically hear the professor taunting him for crying to the Headmistress because he couldn't fight his own battles. Harry refused to let that happen, so, ignoring the small voice in his head that cautioned against it, he turned and began to walk towards the exit that would lead him onto the Hogwarts grounds. He had to make it through this. If he didn't… Ginny would probably kill him, if McGonagall didn't beat her to it.
There was no doubt in his mind that Grimhall knew exactly what he was doing. He'd made it clear that he'd read all about Harry's testimony, so he knew exactly what had happened in the forest. It didn't matter whether he believed it or not– it would torture Harry all the same.
Maybe he was too stubborn for his own good. He'd definitely been told that by his aunt and uncle before. But after everything he'd been through, he refused to let some arrogant ex-Auror with an ego problem beat him. So he pressed on, walking towards the forest, along the exact same path he'd walked all those months ago, doing everything he could to keep the memories at bay. He could do this. He was strong enough.
It was just a little warmer than it had been that night, but not so warm that he should've been sweating as much as he was. He felt his breath accelerating and clenched his fists to fight a silent battle in his mind as he walked past the place he thought he'd seen Ginny for the last time, when she'd been with Emily. He remembered how difficult– almost impossible– it'd been to walk past her. He still didn't know how he'd done it. He'd had to be stronger than he'd ever been before. He had to be strong now, just like then.
Just a little further ahead was the forest, somehow just as dark as it had been that terrible night. He took a deep breath as he reached the edge of it. He could almost feel the fingers of an imaginary hand creeping across his mind, ready to seize it the second he let his guard down. He took another breath and stepped into the forest, willing his strength to carry him forward.
Suddenly, it seemed like the air was full of smoke. All he could smell was burning flesh and blood. It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe as his heart hammered in his chest. He tried to calm himself. He knew it wasn't real. That didn't make it feel any less real. He wasn't sure why, but he kept walking forward.
He didn't have a plan, other than moving around could possibly distract him from the thoughts that were slamming around on the outskirts of his mind, desperate to invade and break him down. He was trembling and freezing but sweating at the same time. He would not give in. He could not give in. He had to be strong enough.
His feet had a mind of their own, and he felt strangely disconnected from his body… like he had that night. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't have his wand out. That felt like something he should've had in the forest. Suddenly, his feet stopped, and he took in his surroundings for the first time. He knew where he was, and he couldn't believe that he'd made it so far into the forest without realising it. This was where he'd seen his parents, Sirius, and Remus for the last time. He'd dropped the Resurrection Stone here, just before–
"Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry."
"Kill."
"So the boy… the boy must die?"
"How dare you?"
"Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry."
"Kill."
"You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?"
"She's dead because of you!"
"Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry."
"Kill."
"You have been raising him like a pig for slaughter!"
"You have permitted your friends to die for you."
He stood in the clearing, looking at the camp. Everything in his body screamed at him to run away while he still could, but he couldn't move. He was trapped. There was no escape.
"I thought he would come. I expected him to come. I was, it seems… mistaken," a high, cold, cruel voice said within the camp.
They didn't know he was here. He could turn around. He could find Ginny, and they could run away together. They'd start a new life, far away from all this danger. He just wanted to be anywhere but here.
Why was he talking? Why was he walking into the clearing? He heard shouts and screams– he heard so many screams. Parents lost children, sisters lost brothers, he lost everything, and now he was going to lose the last thing, and nobody would even know.
There was nothing but a fire separating him from the red slits and lipless grin of Voldemort. He'd jump into that fire to escape, but there was no escape. He'd run out of breaths to take. No matter how he tried, his body had given up, recognising defeat. He'd come so far and fought so hard, and it would end like this. His efforts had been in vain. He was to be no more.
"Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived."
He closed his eyes. He saw Ginny running towards him with a look of terror on her face. A flash of green light cut her down, and behind her, he saw Ron, Hermione, the rest of the Weasleys. Dumbledore, Hagrid, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, his parents. He'd let them all down. It was too late.
His body had no strength to cry anymore. He'd fought for so long and it had all been useless. He was going to die, and then everyone else he loved would die, and it would all be his fault. He couldn't bear it anymore.
He looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear–
He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
A/N: Back around Chapter 24 of SoR, I promised it'd be a while before I tortured you all with another cliffhanger. I made it 14 chapters, so… I think that was long enough! I also cannot help but pat myself on the back for what I think is one of my more clever chapter titles. I love a good double meaning and try to use them as much as possible.
Several times in the author's notes of SoR, I referred to the key plot points that I created for the story. To recap, I initially planned for the first book in this series to span the day of the Battle of Hogwarts to the end of the year at Hogwarts. When I first decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing, I knew I needed an overarching plot to follow, and, within an hour, I'd created eight key plot points or guideposts for the book. As luck would have it, those eight were evenly split between the summer and the year at Hogwarts, so when I finished writing the summer and saw how much I'd written, it wasn't a difficult decision to begin another book while keeping the four guideposts for their year at Hogwarts. All this is to say that this is the beginning of the first guidepost of ToG, that I conceived of over a year ago, and, obviously, everything relating to Grimhall has been building to this.
Backpedalling to earlier in the chapter, I felt like it was still important for us to see Harry and Ginny continuing to enjoy being together at Hogwarts and have fun with their studies, both because it made me happy to write and read and because, as sad as it is, it also provides even more context for what could possibly be jeopardised by what happens later in the chapter.
Quidditch trials were fun for me to write because I have rather extensive experience with trying out for sports teams. To be fair, most of the tryouts I was a part of weren't quite as quick and cutthroat as this one, but I did have to expedite some of it so this chapter wasn't significantly longer. I do think I captured the spirit of how I felt in trying out for teams at least.
On the team, I genuinely didn't decide until this chapter what the Chasing situation was going to be. I gave a lot of consideration to making Dean the third Chaser, but I ultimately decided against it, in large part because it allows for us to spend more time with a newer character, considering Dean is already important to the story outside of Quidditch. I also liked the idea of the all girl Chasing trio mirroring the first Chasing trio that Harry played with. Since then, the ideas and plans I've come up with for Natalie make me very glad that she won the spot over Dean!
As an incredibly random aside, I am a big F1 fan, and the idea of having a wizarding tabloid spreading rumours about Harry racing for a team was very funny to me. Arrows were actually a pretty bad F1 team that folded in 2002, while McLaren, the team Dean suggests, would've been on the verge of winning a championship at the exact time that this chapter takes place. McLaren is also my favourite F1 team, so I couldn't resist the reference!
That brings us back to the argument with Grimhall. Like I said, everything's been leading to this explosive moment so far. Pacing things and creating a realistic-feeling progression was a bit difficult to get right, but I'm happy with the end result. Grimhall is, clearly, a very egotistical person who is incredibly condescending to anyone that he views as less qualified or talented than himself, which, unfortunately, is pretty much everyone. The bright side is this argument allowed sassy Harry to come out in full force for the first time in a while, and I did have quite a bit of fun writing that argument for that reason.
Justifying Harry not telling McGonagall about everything was difficult as well but necessary for the story. I don't think it's out of character at all for Harry to be so stubborn with something like this that he'd rather try to fight it out himself than try to get help from an authority figure. Even though he trusts McGonagall, Harry almost always elects to do things on his own or with peers as opposed to telling adults who could help, and, even though he's maturing, this conflict with Grimhall made him revert more to the mindset of keeping things to himself like with Umbridge. And, unfortunately, the consequences are pretty terrible for him. The first part of his panic attack is an amalgamation of several panic attacks he experienced in SoR, while a lot of the descriptors and the last two sentences are lifted directly from The Forest Again in DH, just to make things feel even more real for Harry.
So… yeah! That does it for Trials, and I'm very, very excited for the continuation of this guidepost plot point! As always, feel free to share thoughts, questions, encouragement, outrage at me making you all endure another cliffhanger, etc. in the comments! I love talking with you all (even if you might not love me right now haha)!
Coming Friday: Be Okay- Ginny felt helpless.