Everyone watched Harry with bated breath, and Ginny finally turned to look at him, seeing a steely glint of resolution in his eyes.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Ginny was positive she was dreaming, waking up in arguably her favourite room in the world with Harry beside her. She rubbed her hand on his stomach, needing the solid contact to be sure that it was real and she hadn't just been dreaming last night.
"Morning," Harry said, smiling down at her.
She responded by peppering his face with kisses enthusiastically, making him laugh. Satisfied, she laid her head down on the pillow, looking back into Harry's eyes.
"I didn't have any nightmares last night," she informed him, almost unable to express how amazing that was.
He grinned. "Me either. I can't believe it."
"I can't believe it took us this long to remember that we could sleep in here."
"At least we know now."
"No way I'm ever going back to how it was before," Ginny added.
"I missed you," Harry said after a moment. She understood completely. Even though they'd been around each other for almost every waking moment since they arrived at school, they'd missed the intimacy of sharing a bed and the peace of not having to worry about nightmares.
"I missed you too. But you know what this means right?" Harry looked at her curiously, so Ginny continued. "We just figured out how to sleep together at Hogwarts. And after Hogwarts, we won't have any problems with sharing a bed wherever we end up. So that means…"
Her heart melted at the wide grin on Harry's face. "We're never gonna have to sleep apart again!"
"Well, there may still be random nights here and there," Ginny mentioned, even though she didn't think that would be too likely in the near future.
Harry shook his head. "I mean we'll always have our bed. Forever."
"I love you," she whispered, pulling Harry into a tight hug before sitting up in bed and stretching.
"I love…" Harry trailed off, and she glanced over at him, only realising that she still wasn't wearing a shirt when she saw what he was staring at.
She was smiling as she said, "My eyes are up here."
Harry nodded but didn't attempt to shift his focus. His hand slowly started slipping around her torso, as if to pull her towards him. She laughed and lightly swatted his hand away, making him look up at her like a wounded animal.
"I have a feeling we're already going to be late for breakfast, and I don't really want to draw attention to the fact that we're not sleeping in the dorms anymore."
That pitiful look on Harry's face didn't go away, and she did her best to not laugh at it, as adorable as it was. "I promise I'll make it up to you tonight," she added in the most suggestive tone she could muster.
Harry perked up at that, sitting up to plant a kiss on her lips but not taking things any further, which was a good thing for Ginny. She had pretty much exhausted her ability to turn him down and was almost hoping he'd continue being persistent. But this was Harry, and he wouldn't ever push her like that.
"I love you too," he said after he kissed her, completing the sentence he'd started before getting distracted. She quickly kissed the tip of his nose, making him smile again, before standing up.
"You think my clothes would be in here?" she asked hypothetically, opening the door to the small closet. She should've known that the room would have exactly what she wanted, and she removed a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. Harry followed, taking a larger pair of jeans and a yellow shirt with faded writing on it.
They dressed quickly, leaving their nightclothes in the room they planned to return to. Harry checked the Marauder's Map to make sure nobody would see them exiting. When the coast was clear, they exited the room. Ginny glanced back as they walked away to see the door fade into the stone wall. It really had been a brilliant idea.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
They weren't as late as they thought they would be to breakfast, but the looks they were getting from their fellow seventh-years as they slid onto the bench suggested that they weren't successfully hiding anything. It almost became a waiting game. Neither Harry nor Ginny would say anything about it, but their friends, at least most of Ginny's roommates, seemed to be determining who would say something first.
"Did you have a good night?" Nina asked abruptly, and the eyes of all the other seventh-years quickly shifted from her to them.
Harry could feel his cheeks reddening. It was embarrassing that he'd fought all manner of evil wizards but couldn't find the courage to respond now. Luckily, the woman he loved was so much more fearless than him.
"A great night, actually," Ginny responded, holding her head high. Harry noticed Dean shifting awkwardly, looking down at the table. Even though he liked Dean and literally nothing had happened last night, Harry couldn't help but feel a small burst of almost primal pride at that.
Now, the girls were glancing among themselves again. "Did you–" Sophie began to say, when she was cut off by Mia, who shouldered her so forcefully that Sophie bumped into Elliot on the other side of her.
"Any more questions?" Ginny asked curiously, challenging her roommates. Harry knew from the past several years and stories Ginny had told him that the majority of her roommates loved to gossip, but they were still good people… just a little immature. Sophie, Isabella, and Nina shook their heads, apparently unwilling to pry any further at the moment.
"Great!" Ginny exclaimed, digging into the porridge in front of her. Harry half snorted into his goblet of pumpkin juice, grateful for what must've been the millionth time that she was so perfect.
After breakfast, they walked around the grounds for a bit before Ginny made them visit the library. Harry complained, more than a little bit, but Ginny stood her ground.
"This is our N.E.W.T. year. I don't know about you, but I do still want to pass all of mine. Since we have some free time, we can go ahead and do our homework so it doesn't pile up this early in the term."
"There's really not that much though."
Ginny sighed. "That's why we should go ahead and get ahead of it then."
"Or we could–"
"Harry, I'm going to go do this. If you don't want to, you don't have to."
"Didn't know I was dating Hermione," Harry grumbled, unable to help himself from the sarcastic comment. If he'd taken even a second to think, he wouldn't have said it, and he really didn't mean it anyways. He just wasn't ready to adjust to actually being back at school yet.
That was clearly the wrong thing to say though, judging by the way she shoved away from him, less than gently, said "Fine" in a low voice, and didn't look back as she marched to the library alone. He exhaled loudly, leaning against a wall. It wasn't bloody fair that she was still so damn perfect when she was pissed off.
Harry ducked into an alcove when he heard Peeves bouncing down the corridor, and luckily, the poltergeist didn't notice him. He spent about five minutes trying to decide what there was that he could do without Ginny before sighing in resignation. He'd rather do homework with her than play Quidditch without her. That wasn't bloody fair either.
Reluctantly, he trudged to the library. It wasn't that he didn't recognise the importance of grades. He typically did his best in school. That didn't make it less annoying though. When he entered the library, he immediately saw Ginny, looking up like she'd been expecting him. He walked over to her, ready to apologise, when he saw his bag on the chair next to her.
"Took you longer than I thought," she said casually, lifting his bag onto the table so he could sit next to her.
"You knew I'd come?"
She shrugged. "I know you." He knew that, but the way she said it made his heart pound a little faster. She knew him better than anyone.
"I'm sorry I said you're like Hermione. You're brilliant and perfect and I–"
He was cut off by Ginny putting a hand on his. "You don't have to apologise. I know you don't like doing homework. I don't either, but it's gotta be done, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. It's just– I realised that whatever I'd do with my free time– playing Quidditch or hanging out in the common room or whatever else… I'd rather do homework with you than any of those other things without you."
Her eyes were shining as she kissed him. "And that is why I couldn't possibly be too upset at you."
He put an arm around her shoulder and looked down at what she was working on. He chuckled, seeing that she hadn't actually written anything. Apparently, she was waiting on him to start. "So what do you want to do first?"
"I was thinking we could go ahead and do Grimhall's Auror essay. I figure it'll be pretty easy."
"Are you writing about Tonks?"
She smiled and nodded. "I have to. You've gotta pick someone else though. Don't want to give Grimhall any reason to think you're cheating."
Harry sighed but agreed. "I'll write about Mad-Eye then."
Ginny rubbed his leg under the table but didn't say anything more. They got to work, not really talking to each other since they were working on two very different papers. But working close to each other made it much more bearable.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny didn't need any book to write her essay about Tonks. Over the past couple years, Tonks had told her loads of stories about her time on the force, and she actually found it difficult to confine the essay to just twelve inches. Harry wasn't quite as familiar with Mad-Eye's career, needing to consult Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century to learn more about his time as an Auror before they'd met him.
Ginny also noticed that Harry was much more distractible than she was. Granted, the fact that she noticed that probably meant she was distracted as well. To be fair, they were both making solid progress on their essays regardless, but it seemed like half the times she glanced over at him, he was staring off into space or twirling his quill between his fingers, ignoring the ink stains it was leaving behind.
Somehow though, he was just about done with his essay when she put her quill down, only adding another sentence or two before offering to swap with her so they could review each other's work. She took his parchment and began reading his essay.
She smiled a little at the messy scrawl of his handwriting and inconsistent spacing between words and lines. He was pretty perfect in every way she could think of, but there was something oddly comforting about this insignificant piece of him not being completely perfect. It made him feel more real, and she definitely liked that.
It hadn't been easy for her to write about Tonks, and she figured that it wasn't easy for Harry to write about Mad-Eye either. As far as she knew, the two of them hadn't ever been close, but she still remembered the night that Mad-Eye died, seeing the look of guilt and pain on Harry's face when he heard the news. Reading the final lines of his parchment, she could feel the pain in Harry's words.
Alastor Moody died as he lived– a fighter. He was killed by Tom Riddle himself because he was a threat. He didn't deserve to die. The battle he died in helped save my life, and I wish I could thank him for it. He wasn't ever one for talking about feelings, so he probably would tell me not to worry about it. I still do sometimes. He made a great personal impact on my life, and, in my opinion, there's never been a better Auror.
She looked over at him, watching as he finished reading her essay. When he looked up, she saw some sadness in his eyes.
"I didn't know that Tonks' middle name was Mae," he commented, surprising her a little.
She chuckled. "Yep. She still liked being called Tonks better I guess."
Harry nodded. "It was really good. I mean, I know that I knew her, but I think anybody who didn't know her would feel like they did after reading your essay."
Ginny smiled at the compliment, thinking there weren't very many better things Harry could've said about it. "I liked yours a lot too. You did really good talking about all the different accomplishments he had. But the way you ended it… you still feel guilty about it?"
In typical Harry fashion, he shrugged. "I don't think that'll go away."
She still hoped it would someday but couldn't blame Harry for carrying that guilt anymore than the rest of the guilt he carried. She just hated how difficult that must be for him. He'd gotten better about sharing the load, but still, it was deflating, knowing there was only so much she could do to help, and she couldn't imagine how difficult it was for him.
She decided there was only one thing to say. "He'd probably say you were being too soft."
Harry snorted. "Constant vigilance or something like that, right?"
"Something like that," she agreed.
Finished with their Defence homework, they spent the next several hours finishing essays for Potions and Transfiguration, both of which wouldn't be due until the end of the next week. At least they could work on these assignments together, but after the Transfiguration essay, Harry was done, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his eyes under his glasses.
"Seriously, I was joking before, but are you turning into Hermione? Because I think I need more warning if you are."
"So I take it you don't want to help me with my Arithmancy homework?" Ginny asked. Harry groaned and put his head in his hands on the desk.
"That's fine. I'll just ask Dean for help," she teased, knowing she should probably feel a little bad at the panicked reaction Harry had, but it was just too funny.
"No, I can help you… or try at least," he offered, not hiding any of his jealousy.
"No, that's okay. I'm sure Dean would love to help me."
"I can try to teach myself Arithmancy," Harry offered, and it took everything in Ginny not to laugh.
But then she asked seriously, "You do trust me, right?"
He looked at her for a moment as if he was surprised by the question. "Of course I do. More than anyone."
"So what's wrong with me doing homework with Dean if you can't help me?"
He looked like he was trying to come up with an excuse or explanation for a moment before sighing. "There's nothing wrong with it. I dunno why I get like that sometimes. It's just– I dunno, sometimes I still think that you may wake up and realise you could do better than me or something."
She had to admit that she was a little taken aback by that. That was probably the root of most jealousy, but it still seemed mental coming from Harry. She put a finger under his chin, tilting his head to face her rather than staring at the table. Once she was sure that he was looking into her eyes, she spoke.
"It isn't possible for me to do better than you. I'm pretty sure there's nobody out there that's better than you, and I'm positive that there's nobody that's better for me than you. No matter what, I will always pick you."
A smile was sneaking its way onto Harry's face. "I love you, Gin. And… I do trust you. Completely. So if you want to study with Dean or Michael Corner or any other guy… I trust you."
"Thanks, Harry. That– that means a lot. You're still not allowed to study with any other girls, but–" Ginny was cut off by Harry's loud laughter, which earned them a sharp look from Madam Pince.
"You'll always be my top choice for study partner. And you don't have to worry anyways, I was just kidding about the Arithmancy homework," she added casually, and Harry stared at her for a second before snorting and rolling his eyes.
"You're something else, Blaze."
"But you love me anyways," she responded, very pleased with the affectionate look on his face.
"Madly," he answered, giving her a quick kiss as if to prove it.
They ate dinner with Emily and her friends again before leaving the Great Hall, not even bothering to go to the Gryffindor common room. Instead, as soon as nobody was around, Harry pulled the cloak over them and checked the Marauder's Map as they made their way to the Room of Requirement, which had expanded today to become the entirety of Sunrise Cottage rather than just the bedroom.
Ginny exhaled loudly as she flopped down onto the loveseat. Harry smiled, sitting next to her.
"Tired?" he asked.
She shrugged. "A little. At least we get a break tomorrow."
"Today was supposed to be part of our break," he replied, still a little sore about how much time they'd spent doing homework on the first Saturday of the term.
"Well, we could've either done a little homework today and a little tomorrow, or we could've done it all today so that tomorrow's completely free," she pointed out.
His eyes lit up a little. "So we're not gonna do anymore homework tomorrow?"
She shook her head. "We deserve a break."
"Agreed."
She cuddled up against him, smiling as a fire began roaring in the fireplace by her feet. They stayed like that for a while before she remembered a promise she was very eager to keep.
"You know, our break's basically started now. And I did promise you I'd make not having more fun this morning up to you tonight."
He raised an eyebrow at her as his eyes very quickly dropped to her lips before locking onto her eyes again. "Oh?" he asked simply.
"Yeah," she responded before jumping onto him. Harry moaned into her mouth as she slid onto his lap, tangling her hands in his perpetually messy hair. It wasn't long before their shirts were removed and Harry was carrying her to the bedroom, doing his best to keep as much contact between them as possible.
They'd had to wait several weeks for an opportunity like this, and it was an understatement to say they were eager. She wasn't sure whose hands were faster unbuttoning their jeans as they completely bared themselves to each other like they'd been used to doing in this very bedroom during that one magical week they'd had on the beach.
"Pressimino," Ginny cast breathlessly before tossing her wand to the side, focused completely on Harry. He always made her feel complete, but when they were like this, that feeling was ratcheted up in intensity tenfold. She gasped and moaned, biting his shoulder a little as he moved with an urgency that thrilled her. Now that they were sharing a room alone again, there'd be plenty of time for gentleness. But for now, they both needed this.
She wasn't surprised when Harry finished rather quickly. He'd improved over the week they'd spent at Sunrise Cottage, but it had been a while, and she knew she was just as desperate for it as he was. Very happy, she rolled over to kiss him where he'd laid down next to her, but he was already standing from the bed.
He walked into the bathroom, and she heard water running before he came back out to her. "Merlin, you're perfect," he breathed out as if seeing her for the first time. She was fairly certain she was a sweaty mess, but he seemed to like her like that after Quidditch. It was probably even more enjoyable when she was naked and very turned on.
"I was about to say the same thing," she responded, raking her eyes up and down his lean body, loving the way the sweat glistened on his skin. He smiled, a little shyly considering what they'd just been doing, before walking closer to her and pressing a kiss to her lips. She happily kissed him back but let out a gasp of surprise when he lifted her up off the bed.
"Ready for another round?" Harry asked, looking hungrily at her as they walked into the bathroom.
He gently set her down in the bathtub, which was now filled with warm, bubbly water. "Hell yes," she growled, pulling him into the tub with a large splash that they didn't even notice.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
The day off was fantastic, even if they could've done with a longer break. Still, they made it through the start of the week in much higher spirits and significantly better rested than the previous week. Nobody had said anything more about them not sleeping in their dorms, and Harry was perfectly happy for that to never be brought up.
By the time Tuesday morning came, they were both completely recovered from the sleepless nights they'd had at the start of the term and probably more excited for a Herbology class than they'd ever been. Their excitement was justified though when they saw Neville at the front of the greenhouse, next to Professor Sprout. He was mostly observing, but he did also have to help a few people with potting their Devil's Snare without getting their arms wrapped in it. Between that and their own struggles with their Devil's Snare– Harry still didn't like the plant after his experience with it in his first year– they didn't really get a chance to talk to Neville, but he offered to join them for lunch in the Great Hall after class.
Neville met them there a few minutes after they sat down, having needed to help Professor Sprout with some poorly potted Devil's Snare leftover from their class. Ginny greeted him with a kiss on the cheek and Harry pulled him into a tight hug. Neville was a little red in the face by the time he sat down across from them at the end of the table.
"How was the rest of your summer?" Ginny asked immediately.
Neville nodded enthusiastically, hurrying to chew the first bite of chicken he'd just put in his mouth. "Mmph– it was good. Really good, actually. Gran took me to Spain for a week for a Herbology workshop that Tilden Toots does every year. Last year was in Ireland, and he said the next one might be in Greece. And then I got back a few weeks ago to start helping Professor Sprout get ready for the term."
"How's it been working with her?" Harry asked.
"It's been really good. Herbology was always the one class that I just got, you know? I don't know what I'm gonna do after this year yet, but I'm doing whatever I can to learn as much as possible from her this year."
"You're not sticking around after this year?"
Neville shrugged. "Not sure. The apprenticeship is only supposed to be a year, so we'll see what happens I guess."
They took a break from interrogating Neville to let him eat, diving into their own lunches. As usual, conversation flowed easily between them. It was a little remarkable seeing how much Neville had changed. Granted, Harry supposed they'd all changed a lot, but it was very noticeable with Neville.
Harry knew there were things that Neville and Ginny went through together last year that he may never fully understand. It hurt a little every time he remembered the pain that Ginny and his friends were in that he couldn't have done anything to prevent. He knew they both fought like hell against it though, and he respected Neville massively for what he did for Ginny and everyone else in the last year.
He hadn't even realised that lunch was over until Dean came by to ask Ginny if she was going to Arithmancy. He glanced up and saw that the tables were mostly empty, with only a few scattered sixth and seventh years with a free period remaining. Ginny looked a little surprised too, having been so caught up in conversation and reminiscing with Neville, but she nodded, kissing Harry quickly on the cheek before telling them both goodbye and walking out the Great Hall with Dean.
Harry watched her leave before turning back to see an amused look on Neville's face.
"What?"
Neville grinned. "What do you mean what?"
"What was that look for?"
"Just a little curious, I guess. Ginny going to class with her ex, I mean."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I mean I don't love it either, but I'm not gonna tell her that I get to approve of who she spends her time with."
"I just meant I'm surprised that you're not acting jealously. I seem to remember some very angry looks you were giving Dean a couple years ago when he was dating Ginny."
"Really?" Harry asked, a little surprised by that.
Neville was laughing at him. "Did you think you were being subtle?"
Harry halfheartedly shrugged. "I mean, I thought I wasn't being obvious…"
"Harry, I think Ron might've been the only person who didn't know. Between you staring at her and glaring at Dean all the time, it was pretty obvious."
"I didn't realise I was that open about it," Harry admitted.
"No harm in it. You've never been able to hide your emotions, and it worked out for you anyways. I was just messing with you about Dean anyways. Everybody can see how mad Ginny is for you. She wasn't ever like that with Dean."
Harry did know this, if he was thinking rationally. Still though, it felt really good to have somebody outside their relationship say it too. He felt his chest warm slightly as he smiled to himself.
"Harry. I'm still here, and you're still not hiding your emotions," Neville said, looking at Harry with raised eyebrows that made him laugh.
"Sorry, Neville. I appreciate that though. It means a lot."
"It's the truth."
He nodded, still smiling a little. "Are you living in the castle now?"
Neville shook his head. "No, the school's paying for me to live in a room above The Three Broomsticks."
"Oh, that sounds great. I'd love to live in Hogsmeade."
"Yeah, it's pretty nice. It seems smaller once you're living there. Everyone knows each other. I like it," Neville said contentedly.
"So I guess you've seen Hannah then?"
"Hmm?"
"Hannah Abbott. She's a manager at The Three Broomsticks."
"Oh… I– I didn't know that. I'll keep an eye out for her I guess," Neville replied, spilling a little of his water as he went to take a sip. They stayed together for a while longer before Neville had to leave to help Professor Sprout prepare for their next class.
Exiting the Great Hall together, Harry took a left while Neville began walking outside. "What?" Harry asked suddenly, turning around.
Neville turned too, looking at him strangely. "I didn't say anything."
Harry nodded hesitantly, narrowing his eyes as he looked around. "Weird. I could've sworn I– I dunno. See you, Neville."
"Yeah, see you, Harry," Neville responded, giving him one last glance before walking away.
Harry shook his head and began walking up to the Owlery. He'd been meaning to stop by and see Eirwen. Hopefully she didn't hold a grudge like… he couldn't finish that thought in his mind. It still hurt sometimes, remembering the faithful companion he'd lost for no real reason. Just another life snuffed out senselessly by war.
Eirwen was actually very happy to see him, immediately flying down from the top of the Owlery to land on his shoulder and rub her head on his. He chuckled and reached up to stroke her chest, which made her hoot appreciatively. She was very happy with the owl treats he brought to her, nipping his ear affectionately after each one. When he finally had to leave, Eirwen hooted at him once more and flew up to perch above him, watching him with big yellow eyes as he walked out of the Owlery.
He wasn't sure exactly what time it was, but he figured that Ginny was still in Arithmancy. He didn't really have any pressing homework that needed to be done, so he decided to do a little training for Quidditch, considering the trials were less than two weeks away. He wasn't worried about making the team, but he still did want to make Ginny look like she was making the right decision in picking him, and if he impressed her in the process… well, he liked the idea of that too.
Harry grabbed his broom from his dorm, wondering for a moment if he shouldn't just move his entire trunk to the Room of Requirement. He probably would've if he didn't think it would've made his current sleeping arrangement a bit too obvious.
Madam Hooch was actually in her office for once, but she was willing to let Harry borrow a Snitch to practise with, provided he started reserving the pitch in advance moving forward. He probably wouldn't, but she didn't need to know that.
Practice went well, even by his admittedly high standards. He never went more than ten minutes without catching the Snitch, and he finally stopped for the day when he caught it three times within the span of five minutes. Granted, it was significantly easier to catch the Snitch when there was no crowd or other players or balls in the air to keep track of, but he was in pretty high spirits regardless.
Those high spirits were threatened for a moment when he came into the common room before dinner and found Ginny and Dean rather close together, bent over Arithmancy homework. His jealousy dissipated rapidly when Ginny looked up at him and her eyes lit up like he was the sun. He could've caught a hundred Snitches, and that look would still make him feel happier than all of them combined.
He grinned at her before walking past to take a shower, not missing the suggestive glances she was giving him. Maybe she liked the way he looked after playing Quidditch as much as he liked the way she looked. That probably wasn't possible though.
When he came back down, Ginny was sitting in the chair in front of the fireplace, apparently waiting for him. He took the invitation, sitting on her lap like she was used to sitting on his, causing her to grunt loudly.
"Hey babe," he said, grinning at Ginny's rapidly reddening face.
"Harry… love you, but… crushing me," she replied breathlessly.
He laughed and stood. She took a moment before rolling her eyes and standing up as well. Harry sat back in the chair, expecting that she'd get on top of him. Instead, he watched her walk over to the notice board, pinning something up that she pulled out of her pocket. Then she came back over and dramatically fell into his lap, and it was his turn to huff loudly, which made her giggle and made him think it was definitely worth it for that.
"Quidditch trials?" he asked.
Nodding, she answered, "Yep. Had to put the announcement up for it."
"Any early thoughts about what the team's gonna look like?"
"I probably shouldn't tell someone who isn't the captain about that," she responded, acting like she was giving great consideration to it.
"Oh, okay… I see how it is."
She laughed. "Who am I kidding? You're basically my co-captain anyways. Obviously we're gonna need a new Keeper, and it wouldn't hurt to find another Chaser."
"You don't need a co-captain. Maybe I'll be vice captain."
"That works. As long as I'm still in charge," she replied with a wicked grin that made Harry wish they were somewhere much more private.
"That's the way I prefer it," he answered, very pleased with the kiss that earned him. She was definitely better at being in charge than he was, and he didn't mind that one bit.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Ginny hadn't ever voiced it aloud, even though it was obvious, but she'd been hoping that, with Snape and the Carrows both gone for different reasons, they'd finally have a normal year with their professors as much as with evil wizards. It was baffling that Professor Grimhall made that seem like an unrealistic dream.
Today, Grimhall was admittedly a little more subtle, and she was sure that it went over the heads of a lot of her classmates. But she couldn't miss what was still blatantly obvious to her in her defensiveness of Harry. Grimhall chose to spend today talking about the importance of honesty and integrity in being an Auror. Truthfully, there was a decent lesson in there about ethics and morality in the workplace, particularly as an Auror. However, she definitely noticed the look Grimhall gave Harry when he was talking about being truthful in reports.
So that was it then? Grimhall somehow believed that Harry was receiving undeserved acclaim because he wasn't truthful about what had happened with Riddle? Grimhall was right that Harry wasn't entirely honest in his account of events– he'd left out things that would've made him seem even more heroic. She knew more than anyone just how heroic he'd been, but even if she didn't know and hadn't seen the proof of it firsthand, she didn't understand how anyone could've read or heard what he'd said at his hearing over the summer and thought he was lying.
Judging by the look on Harry's face after class was over, he didn't miss the look Grimhall gave him either. He didn't say much as they walked to Transfiguration, and as she sat through a lecture about transfiguring appearances that Ginny would've normally found rather interesting, she considered telling McGonagall what was going on. The headmistress may have been stoic, but she'd proven how much she cared for both of them, especially Harry, over the past few months. The only thing stopping Ginny was that she was absolutely positive that Harry would've been livid if she'd gone to McGonagall about something that he thought was only his problem.
The truth was that it hurt her deeply to see Harry being treated like this. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he could handle it. He'd been through much worse than this, and so had she. Still though, he was a hero. Not just to her but to the rest of the world. And he didn't want praise. He just wanted to be treated normally, and Grimhall couldn't even settle for treating Harry like everyone else. It was ridiculous.
After Transfiguration, they went to have lunch in the Great Hall. Harry still wasn't talking much, which was definitely something Ginny wanted to remedy.
"What do you think about going back home this weekend?"
In an instant, Harry's entire demeanour changed. He looked up at her with bright, hopeful eyes that almost reminded her of a child at Christmas. "That would be brilliant!"
She grinned and pulled out a couple pieces of parchment from her bag. "I thought you'd like that idea. We just need to write to my parents and Andi to let them know."
His smile got even wider. "I can't wait to see Teddy again!"
"Me too. I know it's only been a couple weeks, but I miss him."
"He's probably already walking and talking. Merlin, I hope we don't miss any more big things like that while we're at Hogwarts."
"Harry, you know he probably won't start doing either of those things for several more months, right?"
"Oh. Well… I do now. What about crawling?"
Ginny knew that Harry didn't really have experience with babies, but it was a little cute seeing just how much he was learning. "He may start crawling around Christmas. I doubt we'll have missed much since we left though."
Harry nodded, apparently comforted by that reassurance. "That's good. I don't want to miss anything."
She smiled at him again as she began scribbling out a letter to her parents explaining the new Hogwarts policy and informing them that she and Harry would be arriving Friday afternoon. It really was adorable, seeing how much he cared about Teddy despite knowing so little about babies. It wasn't like Ginny had mountains of experience either, but she'd learned a little from her mother throughout the years, plus she had distant cousins who were around seven or eight now that she'd been around when they were babies. She'd liked them then, but that was nothing compared to the affection she felt for her godson.
They sent Eirwen with the letters to her parents and Andi, very eagerly anticipating their return home now. She was halfway expecting the fact that they had plans for the weekend to make the rest of the week pass slowly, but somehow, the opposite happened. Before she knew it, they were in their last class of the day on Friday, already packed and ready to leave as soon as they were dismissed. Unfortunately, the last class of the week was Defence, and she had a feeling Grimhall wasn't going to let them go into the weekend without giving them a little more trouble.
Today, Grimhall was continuing his discussion of ethics in Defence, and at first, Ginny didn't see any issues with what he was saying. Honestly, it was probably his best class of the term, talking about the rights criminals still had as people and the responsibility Aurors and practitioners of defensive magic had to be responsible with their actions.
It wasn't until he started talking about Unforgivable Curses that Ginny understood what the issue was going to be today.
"There are some who would tell you that in dire circumstances, the use of Unforgivable Curses is acceptable. They'll argue that, sometimes, the ends justify the means. That's an incredibly slippery slope, and if we accept this, then we practically throw the law out because anybody can justify their actions as self defence in the line of duty.
"There is a reason that Unforgivable Curses are unforgivable. It's incumbent on everyone, particularly Aurors, to never stoop to that low. Real heroes don't use curses that cause unimaginable pain or remove someone's free will." He looked directly at Harry as he said that last part, and Ginny was positive that more people than just her remembered Harry's confession of using the Imperius Curse in Gringotts over the summer.
She was about to glance over and make sure Harry was alright when she was startled by the sound of his voice.
"Then why did the Ministry authorise the use of Unforgivables in the first war?"
Several people looked startled as they turned to look at Harry. Ginny inhaled as measured a breath as she could, picturing the look of disappointment or righteous anger on Harry's face even though she didn't take her eyes off Grimhall, who almost looked pleased to have been challenged by Harry.
"Because the Ministry was afraid. Aurors were authorised to use Unforgivables, but that didn't make it any less wrong, despite what the media or popular opinion says."
"So then you've never cast an Unforgivable Curse?"
"No, Mister Potter. Any time I've been backed into a corner, I've found a way other than that to make it out. You do seem rather discontent with the idea of punishing Unforgivable Curses though. Is there any particular reason for that?"
Everyone watched Harry with bated breath, and Ginny finally turned to look at him, seeing a steely glint of resolution in his eyes. "I believe people should be punished for using Unforgivable Curses without cause. But I do think it's rather… naive to say that nobody can ever use them in a war when the other side uses them without hesitation."
Grimhall's eyes narrowed, probably not appreciating being called naive by someone thirty or forty years his junior. Ginny would've been impressed if she didn't feel like the tension was rapidly growing within the room.
"I'm sure that, as an admitted user of the Imperius Curse, you'd feel that way. However, most people find it disconcerting to even consider using curses that nobody can fathom the consequences of."
"So then you've never experienced an Unforgivable Curse?"
"I've never cast one, and I've never had one cast on me. I'd prefer to keep it that way."
"So you don't know what the consequences of it are."
Grimhall's nostrils flared, and for a moment, Ginny thought he'd give Harry detention. She agreed with everything Harry was saying, knew he was the only person in history who had experienced all three Unforgivables and lived to talk about it, but for his own sake, she hoped he'd let it go.
"I know more than enough, Mister Potter. I know you think that being a celebrity gives you infinite wisdom, but I advise you to leave that attitude behind in my classroom."
Harry's jaw flexed as he seemingly contemplated his options. He probably didn't, but she wanted to believe he sensed her begging him to not respond in her mind. He pursed his lips and maintained a fixed flare at Grimhall, but he didn't speak again.
Grimhall gave a childish smirk that made Ginny's blood boil and returned to the lecture. As soon as class was over, Ginny grabbed Harry by the arm and pulled him out of the classroom. He followed without question, and the second she found an empty classroom, she dragged him into it and placed an Imperturbable Charm on the door.
Harry was looking at her apologetically. "Sorry for–"
He didn't get the rest of that apology out because Ginny was on him, kissing him passionately, almost desperately. It was a little messy, but neither of them minded. She wasn't even planning on doing that when she brought him into the classroom, but she couldn't help herself. They were breathing heavily when she pulled away from him, and he still had a confused look on his face as his eyes flicked between her eyes and lips.
"What was that for?"
"Because… I love you, and I love seeing you getting worked up about the stuff you care about. And you were right and that bastard was so out of line, and you don't deserve that–"
Now it was Harry's turn to cut her off with a kiss. Admittedly, it wasn't as intense as the first one, but it made her heart flutter all the same.
"You're kind of insane to love seeing me like that, you know? You're the only one who can look brilliant when you're angry."
She smiled up at him and ran a hand through his hair. "That is so not true. You definitely do, and I definitely do love you."
"I love you too," he answered immediately.
"But… I know it's hard, but if you keep reacting like that, he's gonna keep trying to get under your skin."
Harry sighed, frowning a little. "It's just… I mean, you hear what he's saying. How can I ignore that?"
"Ah… I don't know, honestly. I think the only thing you can do is try to remember that he's just one man and nobody else feels that way about you. Everyone loves you. I guess… I don't ever want to hold you back from being you, and I understand if there's a point where you can't ignore it. And if you get to that point, I'm with you completely. But I don't want him to start punishing you because he realises that's another way he can get to you if you fight back every time he says something."
He looked at her for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "I can do that."
"Good," she said, giving him another quick kiss. "Now let's go home."
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
It felt really good having a place to call home. That was Harry's first thought as he and Ginny apparated to the Burrow, grinning at the misshapenness and cosy familiarity of his home. Almost as soon as they arrived, they were greeted by Molly, who gave them both very warm hugs before bringing them inside, where a surprise was waiting for them.
Andi was in the sitting room, holding Teddy in her arms. As soon as they walked into the room, Teddy's face broke into a huge, toothless smile as his hair very quickly turned red to match Ginny's.
"Thanks, Andi," Ginny said as she took Teddy from her outstretched arms and immediately sat down on the loveseat. Harry followed, and they were quickly lost in their own little world, doting on their godson, who was in such a happy mood, seeing them both.
Word had apparently spread about them coming back today because the entire family was present for dinner a couple hours later. Molly had outdone herself in Harry's opinion, making a delicious roast that had his mouth watering as soon as it was placed on the table. Once dinner had been obliterated by the voracious eaters around the table, everyone became very interested in learning more about the first two weeks of the term.
"How's it been being back at Hogwarts?" Charlie asked.
"Kinda weird, honestly," Harry answered.
"Yeah, it feels like everyone's still sort of figuring out how to go back to normal," Ginny added.
"And Ron and Hermione aren't there either," Harry finished. He noticed a few concerned looks around the table, mainly from Molly and Arthur, and he understood why. Australia was so far away that there wasn't really a way for them to communicate with Ron and Hermione, who'd been gone for almost exactly a month now, looking for her parents. He fully believed they were okay, but he did miss them and hoped they'd be back soon.
"Are your classes going well?" Arthur asked when nobody spoke right away.
Ginny chuckled. "Other than Harry getting into fights with the new Defence professor."
That got everybody's attention, and he could feel his ears burning as Ginny giggled and winked at him.
"Bloody hell, you just can't take a break, can you?" George asked incredulously.
"I didn't fight with him… really," Harry offered feebly, but nobody was satisfied with that explanation. "It's– he's got it out for me for some reason. On the first day of class, he had us practising disarming charms, and he said that I couldn't disarm him because my wandwork was lazy or something like that. So when I disarmed him, he wasn't very happy."
That got a laugh from everyone other than Percy and Molly. Ginny continued, "He's also been making some really passive aggressive comments about Harry. Like saying that real heroes are Aurors like him, not celebrities that the papers love or suggesting that Harry lied about what he said at his hearing."
"He did what?" Bill asked, looking more than a little upset.
"He was talking about how important it was to be truthful in reports and practically stared Harry down the whole time he was talking about it. And just today, he was basically saying that Harry deserved to be in Azkaban because he had to use an Unforgivable during the war."
Everyone was quiet. "Damn," Charlie muttered, shaking his head. They'd never really talked about that piece of information that had come out during his hearing, Harry realised.
"He was wrong," Bill said matter-of-factly.
"Harry did his best to make sure he knew that too. I thought he was gonna get himself detention for a week if he didn't let it go."
"You were arguing with your professor?" Percy asked, totally baffled by the notion.
Harry shrugged. "He was wrong. I know he fought in the first war, but he doesn't know what things were like this time. I didn't do any of it because I enjoyed it or wanted attention. I did it because there wasn't another choice."
"We know," Molly said quietly, looking at Harry with tears in the corners of her eyes.
"Who is this professor?" Arthur asked.
"Adrian Grimhall. Some ex-Auror that retired after the first war to farm and write books," Harry answered.
Arthur nodded. "I've heard of him. Never met him though. I know Kingsley tried to get him to join the Order a couple years ago, but he wasn't interested."
Ginny snorted derisively. "Figures."
"I wouldn't try and start any fights with him though, Harry. Based on what the two of you have said, he's not the most amicable person, but I doubt you really want the trouble of having a teacher wanting to give you detention all the time hanging over you," Arthur advised.
Harry nodded. "I know. I'm gonna do my best to control myself. It's just… not always easy."
"You'll figure it out, son," Arthur encouraged, warming Harry's chest slightly.
After talking for a while longer in the kitchen, they moved to the sitting room. Ginny was sitting on the loveseat with George, who was making silly faces at Teddy to make him laugh, and Harry was leaning against a wall watching the two of them.
"How's everything else?" Bill asked, leaning against the wall next to Harry nonchalantly.
"What do you mean?" Harry replied.
"I was just wondering if everything was okay with you. I doubt it's been easy actually being at Hogwarts for real now."
"Ah… yeah, it– it was rough, starting out." When Bill raised an eyebrow but didn't respond, Harry continued. "I had a pretty bad panic attack when I went into the Great Hall for the first time. And the nightmares the first few nights were so bad that I couldn't sleep at all."
Bill nodded. "Sorry, Harry. I'm sure that's been rough on you. I guess you're getting used to dealing with the nightmares by yourself now though?"
Harry faltered a little. "Ah– not exactly."
"Oh?"
"I mean, they weren't getting any better, and Ginny's have been just as bad. So… we've started sleeping in the Room of Requirement," he admitted.
Bill looked at him for a moment before chuckling. "You are one brave bloke, Harry. Doesn't matter where you are– your girlfriend's family's house, school, anywhere else– you'll figure out a way to share a bed with her."
Harry felt himself blushing. "It's not like that, Bill. It's just–"
"I know, I'm only kidding. Honestly that sounds like a great idea for both of you. As long as no professors find out."
"Yeah… that's the main concern," Harry acknowledged, feeling worried for a split second before smiling at the way Ginny was looking at Teddy in her arms. He'd missed this.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
"So how have things been going with the shop?" Ginny asked while watching George play with Teddy.
Without taking his eyes off Teddy, George answered. "Surprisingly good, actually. Lee and I are still working on developing some new products to really make things pop once we reopen."
"And Percy?"
George looked up at her now. "Believe it or not… he's been a massive help. Neither of us really knew much about what we were doing back when we first opened with finances, so it always felt like we were spending more time trying to figure that out than we should've. It's been nice to not worry about that now that Perce has taken over that side of things."
Ginny nodded, very impressed that Percy had managed to integrate himself into the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes culture with George and Lee. She doubted that it was all smooth sailing, but it must've been more good than bad for George to sound that optimistic about working together.
A couple minutes later, George told her goodnight and handed a rapidly tiring Teddy to her. She was rather tired too, she realised after he left. As if reading her mind, Harry came and sat next to her. He looked at Teddy and covered his face with his hands. Then, he quickly pulled his hands away from his face.
"Peek-a-boo!" Harry exclaimed. Teddy blinked in confusion, like he was wondering if he'd imagined Harry disappearing and reappearing because he was sleepy. When Harry repeated the game again, Teddy giggled and kicked his legs, very entertained by the way Harry showed up out of nowhere.
Teddy's hair quickly turned black watching Harry, and, even though he was still entertained by the game, he seemed to remember that he was still sleepy. His giggles became softer and his blinks were drawn out as he started dozing off. Harry glanced back up at her.
"Think he's about ready to go to sleep."
"He's not the only one," Ginny answered, standing up with him. Harry was right behind her, telling the family goodnight before they went to her room, where Teddy's cot was already set up.
"We fed him around dinner, right?" Harry asked.
"Mum did. You know, she thinks it might be time to try giving him solid foods."
Harry looked up at her like she was mistaken. "He doesn't have any teeth."
She snorted, thinking that the best compromise between rolling her eyes and laughing out loud. "I don't mean like solid solid food. But he might be ready for mashed fruits or vegetables or something."
"Oh. Yeah, that makes more sense. Maybe we'll ask Andi when she comes back on Sunday about it. She'll probably want to know if Teddy's ready to start eating."
"Good idea," Ginny agreed, thinking it definitely made sense to talk to Andi about it first.
"He really is out, isn't he?" Harry commented, looking at Teddy, who had a fist curled up under his chin and just looked so adorable, one last time.
"I'd say so," she replied before crawling into bed.
"He's so cute," Harry said, following her into bed.
"So are you," Ginny informed him, smiling at the tinge of red in his cheeks that she could see in the dim light of her bedroom. It reminded her of the first time she'd told Harry he was cute, just after they'd kissed for the first time. It was funny, thinking how much had changed since then, but all the important things were still the same. It was still a little incredible to her that the man who had conquered the darkest wizard of all time was really just someone who loved cuddling with his girlfriend and entertaining his baby godson.
"I missed being home," Harry whispered, wrapping an arm around her as he pulled her tight to him.
"Me too," Ginny responded, equally quietly, wiggling to move even closer to Harry. She did love a lot about Hogwarts, but it wasn't the same as being home. She'd been so glad to see her family and even return to her bedroom. More than anything though, with Teddy sleeping close by and Harry holding her with all the love and care in the world, this felt like home.
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A/N: Hopefully that wait wasn't too terrible! I know it was a bit weird for me to not be releasing a chapter on Tuesday for the first time in like four months, but hopefully we'll all get more used to once a week releases soon. Or, alternatively, maybe I'll suddenly start writing a chapter a day for Book 3 and we can get back to twice a week releases by Chapter 6 :)
I guess the first thing I should say, just because I expect that people might have questions about it, is that, as mature and in love as Harry and Ginny are, every couple does still have little petty arguments that don't matter. Most of their disagreements in SoR were a bit bigger, and I did feel like it was important to ground their relationship with things like them disagreeing on whether or not to do homework. And for the record, Ginny's 100% in the right in this case. Stuff like that is part of how I try to make their relationship feel more real. Obviously, they have a fantastic relationship, but hiccups come in every relationship, and I feel like it's important for me to represent that as well.
Similarly, jealousy is something that exists even in long term, loving relationships. It's totally normal, in my opinion, that Harry and Ginny will both have some lingering jealousy, just because of how much they love each other. It's important to me that reiterating that they trust each other is how they work through the jealousy. Because even if Dean did have interest in Ginny again (spoiler: he doesn't), Harry has to trust that Ginny wouldn't ever be pulled in to something like that (spoiler: she wouldn't) because they love each other. In my experience, that's the only way mature relationships can work.
Grimhall sucks. That's just an objective fact. He's a real asshole. I don't really have much else to say about him at this point, but I figured it never hurts to say it again.
As something super random, I had to make up a middle name for Tonks, and, after a fair bit of deliberation, I decided on Mae because Nymphadora Mae just sounds so much better than something much longer. I figured Andi and Ted Tonks had to take a bit of pity on her with her name, giving her a much more normal middle name rather than naming her something like Nymphadora Guinevere. There is one more reason I chose that name, but it's going to be a while before I say what that reason was, but feel free to speculate!
Surprisingly, that's pretty much all the notes I have for this chapter. Clearly, things are going much better for Harry and Ginny now than when they first arrived at Hogwarts, and they're definitely enjoying all the comforts of being together, but the conflicts aren't going to go away either. There's still a lot that they're going to be working through together, starting with next chapter, which is… a bit explosive, as the preview shows. As always, comments are very much appreciated! I love talking with you all about the story!
Coming Friday: Trials- "Oi, Potter! Get your arse over here!"
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Zjy: It's been great to begin exploring what life at Hogwarts is like, with things like Hagrid having trouble teaching a class and Harry having issues with another Defence professor, and I'm so excited to continue getting into that as well as, like you mentioned, how the houses continue to interact, particularly with Slytherin, as they all try to move on from the war. You're definitely right about the Jarvey not actually living everywhere and not actually eating everything. My thought was more that that was what Ginny took away and possibly what Hagrid was teaching than actually trying to convey the facts... particularly considering the Jarvey immediately murdered a sack of potatoes dressed like a gnome! And... I'm very, very sorry to say, knowing that you're a Manchester City fan, that the reference to the Muggle football match in Manchester was a nod to my favourite club, Manchester United. I hope you'll continue reading now that I've admitted that haha!
Scrappy8 and TheRiflesSpiral: It definitely wouldn't feel like a real year at Hogwarts to me if Harry didn't at least chafe against a Defence professor, although he's admittedly not ever had this much conflict with one this quickly, and it's only escalated in this chapter. There's definitely going to be some very interersting developments with Grimhall over the next several chapters, and it's tough to see how it could get better from here.
I am very excited for you all to see where things go though! And I also agree that McGonagall transitioning to treating Harry more as an adult is cool to see. They have a very unique relationship, and it's been very cool for me to continue developing their relationship even further in this book. That she treats him as an adult is also going to be very important for a lot of other reasons moving forward that are going to have a big impact on the rest of the book.
It seems like Harry and Ginny have their sleeping situation sort of figured out for now though, and all we can do is hope that continues, even if Ginny's roommates give them a hard time haha!