A/N: Welcome back once more! I went to sleep after posting that last chapter and I'm probably going to pass 300 reviews within the next chapter or 2. I need to do something special for that. I dunno what yet but let's see how this chapter and the next play out. I'll cook up something good. Let's hop right into it though because some people were like "whoa, a date? Where's the buildup?" haha. That was intentional.
And Away We Go!
Chapter 20: First Day and First Night
"Why did you do that?" Katie hissed to her friend, her face beet red from Alicia shouting across the Great Hall to ask out Harry for her.
"Because you were going to overthink it, like you did with the last 2 boys you fancied, and end up chickening out." Alicia said with a smile and finally released Katie's hand to pat it a few times and set into her sandwich. She grimaced that it had gotten cold a little bit but it was still good.
"I don't even know if i fancy him! We talked, like you said, for 3 minutes. About some Ancients Runes stuff. I wanted to have a few more classes with him, maybe talk a bit in the Common Room." Katie sulked while Angelina shot the girl an apologetic smile. Alicia was sometimes too gungho about going for it, part of the reason Alicia was their penalty shooter since she had basically unbreakable nerves.
"Well now you'll have a Hogsmeade weekend to chat. What would you have done if someone else had noticed that our little Seeker isn't quite so little anymore and asked him out before you did? Hmm?" And Katie could find no fault in the logic. It did kind of take the nervousness out of the equation and give her a fair shake at exploring this.
"You're the worst," Katie said, not wanting to give Alicia the satisfaction. Her words caused Angelina to snort loudly.
"At least you have a date already" Angelina said, shooting a longing side eye at Fred. "I have had absolutely no luck after my last boyfriend, that stupid boy from Hufflepuff who shall remain nameless"
"See? Even Angelina agrees." Alicia put the issue to bed.
Katie was about to continue the mild scolding though when a piece of paper appeared over her lunch salad. It floated there for a moment, but Katie snatched it out of the air when she saw Alicia about to reach over and take it. Katie sent a glare at Alicia and unfolded the mysterious paper. It was from Harry, saying to meet him outside in the courtyard in 10 minutes. She glanced up to see Harry with a small smile aimed her way. Katie was also excited to see that his ears were a little red as well, despite his earlier confidence.
Harry was indeed blushing just a bit. He had played it off when Alicia had shouted at him. But now he was getting some jealous looks from… a lot of people. Katie Bell was quite the attractive witch so more than a couple boys were giving him the stink eye. And quite a few witches were jealous of the easy date the Chaser had just received, their own plans of trying to get a date with Harry going up in flames. Hermione too, Harry noticed, gave Harry a very weird look when the date had been yelled across the Great Hall. That was something Harry would want to ask about if he could think of a way to bring it up.
Harry finished his lunch faster than he normally would and headed out of the Great Hall, Katie leaving 1 minute after to try, in vain, not to draw attention to the fact that they were leaving together.
The Courtyard was quiet, only a few students enjoying the fresh air before their next class so Harry was able to pick out a decent bench with some shade and a breeze. Katie spotted him as she exited the Great Hall and headed over. They stared at each other, blushes growing, before Harry gestured to the seat across from him.
Katie was the first one to work up the nerve to speak, "Sorry about that, Alicia is… well. I don't know what she is to be honest."
Harry almost chuckled at the way Katie acted confident enough to speak up first, unsure enough not to know what to say, and loyal enough not to make fun of her friend. An interesting mix. "That's fine. She honestly did me a favor, I had been thinking about asking you to Hogsmeade since the train ride."
"Really?" Katie asked excitedly before coughing and saying in a calmer tone, "I mean, that's so nice of you to say"
Harry had to chuckle that time, "Of course. I just wasn't sure how to go about it, I mean we've had maybe a grand total of 20 minutes of conversation since we last saw each other this summer."
"I know what you mean. That was a nice party though. Hogsmeade is what, in a week?" Katie fished for something to say.
"Yeah, this weekend. They're starting earlier this year but I guess that works out in my favor so I'm not freaking out even longer" Harry joked, hiding the truth of his own words in a bit of humour.
Katie saw right through it though, "Why would you be freaking out?"
Harry blushed and looked to the side, "Well, I've fancied you since last year if I'm being honest."
Katie blushed as well but smiled wide at the confession. She had honestly had a small thing for him as well, but that was more being impressed at Harry's flying skills and his bravery. Now, well, the list had definitely grown and she would leave it at that.
"Do you want to maybe go for a walk after dinner? Knock some of these nerves out of the air so that we can enjoy the weekend?" Harry scratched his head nervously.
"I would like that Harry," Katie said with a beaming smile.
***Break***
Harry's grin as he walked back into the Great Hall for the rest of lunch was opposed by the well hidden furrowing of brow on Daphne's face. The loud announcement had been heard even by the snakes, and the whispering throughout the Great Hall had reached an all time high. She was… what was this. Grumpy at the lack of decorum in the way the date had been decided?
Tracey looked up from her lunch and tracked Daphne's eyes over to where Harry was sitting back down with Hermione. She had looked down, that sting still fresh if slowly lessening, when she too had heard the date get shouted across the Hall. Tracey glanced at her friend, the blonde's emotions apparent only to her due to years of practice.
"You okay, Daph?" She said in a whisper, disguising her words in the clutter of discreet conversations around her.
"Hmm? Of course, why would I not be?" Daphne's actions did not match her calm words, the small chicken cutlet on her plate being the outlet of the girl's well hidden frustration about something.
"You know… nevermind. We can talk about it later" Tracey busied herself with eating as well.
"Just say what you want to say," Daphne said coolly. Her knife was making a bit more scraping noise as she cut into her food with a little anger.
"Fine. You know I wouldn't mind if you took a chance with Harry, right?" Tracey whispered this just enough for her friend to hear and then winced when Daphne's knife scraped the plate a little harder. God that noise made her teeth hurt.
"I have no idea what you're insinuating," Daphne huffed. Her chicken was now finely diced but her appetite wasn't what it had started out as.
Tracey side eyed her friend, "If you say so"
Daphne grumbled to herself quietly and forced herself to eat a few bites. Was that what was bothering her? Was she jealous of Katie? Of Harry? Daphne knew that Harry would probably say yes to a date, if for nothing else then at least to be polite. But the rumor mill would eat that up for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and for dinner. The Wardship made most relationships have a hidden context that Daphne didn't want to have over her head. It also would make things much too awkward even if the rumor mill was taken out of the equation. So… yes Daphne was a bit jealous of the date but also a bit jealous of the freedom of being able to shout for a date across a crowded Great Hall and face less rumors than if her and Harry were spotted alone for even a minute in Madam Puddifoots. Tracey's hand came under the table and patted Daphne's knee in silent support.
***Break***
Hermione watched her friend as they walked down the hill to Hagrid's hut, the location of Care of Magical Creatures. Harry was chatting with Seamus Finnigan about something, but Hermione's mind was too far gone to try and follow along with it. What was this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach? Was she… Was she jealous of Harry's date? The preposterousness of the idea shocked her for but a moment before the truth of the idea hit her. Hermione had thought about it long and hard just the other day, and had come to the conclusion that she might be fancying her newly redheaded friend. It was new for her, having previously only been interested in books and other academia, but she couldn't deny that Harry had grown up quite a bit since the start of summer and in more ways than she had fingers. She remembered Harry's teasing tone at his party, about exploring Hermione's interest in his new bachelor status, and knew that her friend only looked at her in platonic light. She sighed and put it out of her mind. There was a lesson to attend after all.
"Afternoon, Class! Step close, step close! Welcome t' Care o' Magical Creatures. Feel free to jus' call me 'Agrid, the Professor bit is still new" Hagrid beamed out at the gathered students. Harry grinned at the half giant's excitement at finally being able to teach. He had helped the man, subtly, gain some confidence at teaching others with his frequent visits so Harry was excited to see how the man did.
"Now, I wan' you all to take out your books and open 'em to page 36." Hagrid said.
"How are we supposed to do that, without the bloody things taking a finger?" Draco eyed his own book, wrapped firmly in a belt, with a look of disgust.
Harry smiled at the giant man and spoke up, his own book having appeared from nowhere and open in his hand, "You stroke the spine, Heir Malfoy. Gentle and easy like a creature. Opens right up."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Potter" Malfoy spat. He listened though, as did the other students, and they all had the indicated page open. Harry smirked at Malfoy and winked. He made a show of holding up 4 fingers, a reminder of how many times so far Draco had forgotten his title. He even gave them a wiggle, as though a wave, at Draco's outraged expression.
"5 Poin's to Gryffindor for a good explanation. The book is meant to teach ya to stay calm in the face of a wild beast. Most o' them, sharp fangs an' all, turn into righ' sweethearts if treated appropriately an' that's what yer here t' learn. So make sure you pay attention, listen to the instructions, and don't goof off!" Hagrid boomed the last part, to make sure every student heard it loud and clear. Harry even noticed the half giant dropped his accent as best as he could. Hagrid beamed when Harry sent him a thumbs up.
"I wanted t' star' things off with a flair for you all, so I got us some interesting creatures. 'Fore I bring ya to 'em though who can tell me abou' Hippogriffs?" Hagrid asked the class.
Harry and Hermione both raised their hands high, Harry having shared the secret of the book to the girl after he had spotted, in his manor, that she had tied it up in a scarf. "Ms. Granger, if ya will"
"Hippogriffs are a magical beast that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse. It is very similar to another magical creature, the Griffin, with the horse section replacing the lion. They are proud creatures, and do not take kindly to insults of any sort which they are able to easily understand as they are highly intelligent hybrids with a triple X rating of danger." Hermione gave a clinical explanation, like always.
"Righ' you are! 5 Points. Now, hippogriffs, they're proud. Easily offended. Don't ever insult one, 'cause i' migh' be the last thing ya do. Ya always wait for the hippogriff to make the firs' move. Ya walk towards one, and ya bow, an' ya wait. Maintain eye contac' the whole time, don't blink or you'll make 'em skeptical of ya. If, an' ONLY IF, they bow back, ya migh' be allowed to touch one. If they don't bow, then get away and stay away. That won't be for another lesson or two though, so I can ge' a feel for ya all." Hagrid made sure that his words were heard, and then led them around the house to the paddock. Inside were beautiful creatures, half eagle and half horse, nosing the ground in an attempt to find a snack.
"These lovelies are the Hippogriffs. Ya go' Buckbeak, Eagleeye, Talon, Featherclaw, and Pete." Hagrid indicated each one of the 5 gathered, and Harry let out an unintentional guffaw at the oddity of such names followed by the normal name of Pete.
"Pete here is my newest one, didn' get t' name 'im. He's a sweetheart though, and he knows he's a pretty boy." Hagrid chuckled along with the class as Pete's head shot up at his name and he strutted around a bit. Pretty boy indeed.
Hagrid pulled out a bucket of fish, and indicated to the class to put on some gloves by placing some on his own hands. Harry knew the man didn't need them, Hagrid's skin was likely near as thick on its own, but it wouldn't do for Hagrid to flout the safety precautions and then try to enforce them. Hagrid winked at Harry, who grinned. Harry had bought Hagrid the pair just that summer as a token of appreciation of the lessons Harry had learned from the half giant.
"We'll start off simple. Diet. The easies' creature t' approach is one who isn't hungry. Hippogriffs here are meat eaters. Small rodents, snakes, even some insects are the bulk of their meals. These fellas, and lady. Sorry Featherclaw." Hagrid apologized to the roan colored Hippogriff, revealed to be female, who had bristled at being called a fella, "These lovelies have acquired a taste for the fish o' Black Lake. I wan' each of ya to take a fish here. Firm grip, they're dry on the scales t' avoid slippin', and when I call your name I want ya t' step up here t' the fence. I'll call out a name o' one o' the Hippogriffs and let's find out who was payin' attention by havin' ya toss the fish out. High as you can an' as close t' the named Hippogriff as ya can. We'll get t' see 'em in action a bit" Hagrid handed out the fish and Harry took one with an impressed look. Hagrid really had a knack for teaching, as long as he was careful about how excited he got around the creatures and remembered not a single student had his large frame or thick skin.
"Granger!" Hagrid called out, and Hermione nervously stepped up to the fence. Hagrid beamed at the girl and then called out "Buckbeak!"
Hermione, despite having a weaker arm than most, made a good arc with her fish and Buckbeak screeched before flapping his wings once to get some height and snatched the fish out of the air to the ooo's of the students. The chain that held Buckbeak to a large post in the ground rattled but held easily. Hagrid had made sure that the chains were new, and even requested Dumbledore hit them with some magic to reinforce them as Hagrid was likely to reuse them in future classes. There would be no accidents today. "Next! Thomas!"
***Break***
"That was brilliant! Did you see Eagleeye's jump? And his wingspan? Easily a meter longer than the others!" Dean Thomas's voice was as excited as the rest of them as they headed back up to the Castle. Harry's grin was wider than most though. Pete had scared Hagrid a bit when Harry was called up, by stretching to the end of his chain to get close potentially in offense to Harry's earlier guffaw. Harry had met the Hippogriffs eyes and bowed, and received a bow in return! The fish had been a welcome apology that the pretty boy Hippogriff had accepted. Hagrid had beamed at Harry for that one. Harry's wide smile was for how well the lesson had gone, though. Harry knew what the alternative was and he was glad that Hagrid had gained a bit of confidence from teaching Harry one on one over the summer. And some caution.
***Break***
Harry looked around the classroom in interest. The grindylows were in their tank, a few other creatures were displayed through a detailed drawing of them and hung up as posters. Overall the room had a very different vibe than their previous Defense Professors. Remus Lupin was standing in the middle of the room and the desks were all pushed to the back wall and stacked.
"Come in, come in. I've had my share of sitting down today so I wanted to do something a bit more active. Line up, just ahead there." Remus indicated an area in front of him.
The students, minus Harry, were nervous and some of them a little put off by the idea that Remus might be like Lockhart and have them act out scenes.
"Right. So I've reviewed your lessons thus far from Professor Quirrell and Prof… Let's just call him Lockhart, shall we?" Remus joked and a few chuckles made it through the group of students.
"I've reviewed those lessons and found a disturbing lack of any real exposure to the dark creatures that you are supposed to be recognizing and defending against. There is also a lack of any real spellwork. We'll look to have as much of that set right as we can over the course of the year and hopefully you will all feel much more confident come exam time both in your knowledge and your casting. To that vein, I have procured a wide menagerie of creatures including this little guy right here" Remus floated the tank with the Grindylow over to them and they all eagerly craned their heads to see it.
"Who can tell me what this is? Yes, you, umm" Remus fished for the name of the girl.
"Daphne Greengrass, Sir. That is a Grindylow." Harry covered his mouth to hide a chuckle, Daphne never said more than necessary and it seemed that it threw Remus off his game a bit when the girl didn't elaborate. The silence lasted 5 seconds before Remus decided to speak.
"R-Right. 3 points to Slytherin. Can you tell me any details that you know about the Grindylow?" Remus pressed for more information.
"The Grindylow makes its home in the shallow weed beds in lakes and water of Britain and Ireland. They primarily eat fish and algae but, if they have an established population, have been known to be capable of eating a person, earning them a dark creature classification" Daphne said succinctly.
"Much better and quite to the point. Speaking of points, take 7 more for a clean explanation" Remus said with a smile, "Yes, Grindylows are creatures of the water. They may look humanoid but their behaviour is more in line with a particularly cunning amphibian or reptile than a human's. They further exhibit amphibious traits by having a larval stage of their development, known as a Grypt. One or two has not proved much of an issue for an adult wizard, they only have a danger rating of XX, but these creatures can reach sizes of just around a meter and a half and therefore pose a significant risk to students and animals. This is why, besides the Giant Squid, it is ill advised to swim in the Black Lake as the Grindylow population there is quite large due to the Merpeople within who are the only known sentients able to tame Grindylows. You'll see here that Grindylows have a three fingered appendage and almost an octopus style to their lower body. The fingers have suction cups, much like the octopus or squid, and these have an almost magical grip to them similar to a Sticking Charm. That grip is how they catch their prey and why most of their victims will drown before being eaten. Grisly stuff, but you must know the risks of the creatures you encounter. It is that grip that you must learn to manage, and the spell for that is Relashio. The Revulsion Jinx. This Jinx is much like the Disarming Charm, that I am sure that you are all familiar with, in that it will cause the target to release whatever they are holding. So, I want you all to pair up. Grab one of these balls here. You will switch off, one with their wand and one with the ball. Hold the ball as tight as you can, and see if your partner is able to get you to let go of it."
Harry was grinning hard, another hands on lesson would go over well with the students. He glanced around for a moment in search of a partner and was surprised to see Daphne make her way over.
The blonde grabbed his arm, not needing words to claim him as a partner, and they headed off to their own section of the room. Harry wandlessly Summoned one of the balls as he was led away earning a shocked look from Remus to which he only winked.
"Stealing me away, Greengrass?" Harry smirked at the girl, who dropped his arm at the words like it was on fire.
"No. I just know that Tracey is not the best when it comes to practical spellwork and I wanted a partner that might know what they're doing." Daphne glared at him for his cheeky words.
"I guess that makes sense. Do you want to go first and I'll hold the ball?" Harry positioned himself about 5 feet from her and gripped the ball tightly. It was foam, and therefore molded to his fingers well.
"Fine." Daphne said.
Remus waited until everyone had a partner and a ball, "Alright, there are no true wand motions for the Revulsion Jinx, though some practitioners have said that a whip-like movement has helped them learn it in the past. It will produce purple sparks that above water are not harmful, so try not to dodge too much. Give the spell a go and then switch off. Begin!"
"Relashio!" the students cried at various volumes. The results were a little more lackluster. Daphne's spell fizzled out halfway to Harry. Neville's made him drop his own wand but that might have been the vigorous whip motion he had used. Ron's spell surprisingly made Seamus drop the ball and so, less surprisingly, did Hermione's. Tracey's blew her partner, Bulstrode, back onto her rear but did not make the girl drop the ball so tight was the large girl's grip.
Harry tossed the ball to Daphne and drew his own wand. "I see what you mean about Tracey, Bulstrode over there does not look happy with how that went for her."
"Precisely." Daphne said with a grin, dropping the ball easily with Harry's spell.
"How have you been? We haven't had a chance to talk in the other classes so far" Harry decided to try and talk to the girl some given the chance. Her spell impacted Harry this time and he grimaced slightly at the Notification.
Spell stopped with Magical Aura!
Daphne mistook the grimace as Harry fighting the spell and maintaining his grip, "I'm doing quite well. Tracey and I were able to have our talk and the classes so far have been interesting. You must be doing quite well yourself"
"What do you mean?" Harry's curious look covered him intentionally missing the spell and hitting Draco behind the girl, causing the boy to drop his wand.
Pranking Skill has increased! It is now 27! 1 Boon Point unused!
"Watch that aim, Mr. Potter" Remus called from the front of the class. Harry nodded with a smile and a wink to the Professor, earning him a calculated look in return.
Daphne smirked slightly at Harry. She knew from seeing him display his dueling prowess that Harry's aim rarely went where he didn't want it to. Draco cursed behind her and lost 2 Points for language when Harry did it again. Remus's warning look let Harry know not to go for a 3rd.
"I mean your well publicized date for this weekend" Daphne said coolly. She was shocked when Harry dropped the ball at her spell, an odd look in his eyes.
"Is there a problem with who I'm taking, or that I'm taking someone at all," Harry said carefully but with a tinge of annoyance.
Daphne's look was deadpan, "You know me well enough that it doesn't matter to me if you take a Muggleborn or a Half-Blood, Potter. And your business is your own, you can snog every girl in this school for all I care."
Harry noted the tinge of annoyance creeping into Daphne's own tone. "I won't take her if you're opposed to it"
"Why would my opposition, of which I have already said I have none, matter?" Daphne dropped the ball. The rest of the class seemed to be getting the hang of the spell as well. Harry glanced around, and a discrete wave of his hand and a muttered word had a Muffliato cast around the pair.
Wandless Magic Skill has increased! It is now 7!
"Your opinions matter to me, Daph" Harry said, using her nickname to let her know their words were a measure more private. "If you don't want me to take Katie, I won't"
"That's honestly the most stupid thing I have ever heard you say, Harry," Daphne chided him, "My opinions, which are indifferent in this matter, shouldn't stop you from taking someone out on a date if that is your wish"
Harry nodded, accepting the truth of the words, "I understand that. But I… I don't know. I don't want to offend you with my choices of companions. I may be taking more than one girl out this year and it would fill me with regret if I knew you took offense at that."
Daphne sighed and ignored the twinge her heart gave at his words, "For the last time, Harry, who you take out on a date is your own business. It's not like I'm jealous. I am your Ward, and therefore will support you in the decisions you make as Head of House"
Harry cringed at the reminder that she was his Ward. It felt like a slap to his face, if he were honest with himself. He had some plans to rectify that but it would take some time to put together. Still, her words hurt a bit, "Thank you for your support, Heir Greengrass"
Daphne knew by the tone and name choice that she had overstepped a bit, and the conversation between the pair ceased. By the time the bell rang the rest of the class had Mastered the use of the Jinx.
***Break***
Dinner was a welcome affair for all of the student's and one topic that Harry had picked up from bits and pieces around him was how well Remus's and especially Hagrid's lessons had been received by the various years. McGonagall smiled proudly at the half-giant when a 5th year student came by to thank Hagrid personally for a solid lesson, and knew that there would be a few students at least picking the class back up from the earlier dropouts.
Harry grinned at Hagrid who was nothing but smiles and blushes from the praise he had gotten that day. It was nice to see the half-giant succeed where he had plenty of chances to fail. The lesson had been informative, fun, and above all safe. A fantastic start.
Hermione seemed to be pretty tired across from him and Harry was aware that she had taken 1 more class than him that day. To help out his friend he piled a plate high for her with some of her favorites and slid it across without a word. Hermione looked up at him gratefully from her book that she was studying. Harry cocked an eyebrow at the book and with a sheepish smile Hermione closed it and started eating.
Ron joined them a little later, having been held up by trying to find a seat not next to Harry, but as everyone had worked up an appetite from the hands-on lessons of the day the seats were hard to come by.
"Hey, Ron," Harry said politely when the boy joined them. Hermione chose not to acknowledge Ron, still a bit annoyed at Ron for saying she had slept with Harry.
"Hey, Harry. Hey, Hermione. Blimey, I'm starving" Ron said and piled a massive plate in front of himself. Harry suspected that it was equal parts hunger and desire not to talk that had prompted the boy to dig in with such gusto.
Harry nodded but declined to comment. Instead he cast his eyes up and down the table for Astoria, who he finally spotted near the end giggling with the other First Year Gryffindors. Seems she was able to make some friends after all, Harry thought with a soft smile. The girls' bubbly disposition seemed to be a good glue and the group Astoria was with would listen well enough when she spoke. Harry waved at Astoria when she noticed Harry looking their way and the small blonde waved back leading to Astoria getting pulled down for some urgent whispering with Romilda Vane.
Ginny was his next observation, she was seated with the Creevey boy near the middle of the table. It appeared that might not have been entirely due to her choice, as Colin tried his best to talk the redheaded girl's ear off. Harry was conflicted heavily about what to do with the girl, as Tyran's recent appearance had made him remember a lot of things from the beginning of his adventure. That included the apparent life-debt that Harry had over Ginny. A visit to the Library would be in order to see what sort of information he could dig up about that particular peculiarity of Magic.
Shaking off his worry about others, Harry spied Katie glancing at him shyly from a few places down. Harry grinned at the cute brunette. At least he had a nice walk to look forward to. This prompted him to dig into his meal with a proper abandon, though he of course used his utensils well and used his napkin frequently unlike the crumbstorm that was Ron next to him. When he did talk, it was usually with Hermione across from him about some of their classes.
***Break***
Harry set down his small helping of dessert that he had just polished off and excused himself. Hermione looked up and tried to stop him with pleading eyes but he was already halfway to the door. Damn long legs, Hermione thought to herself. Hermione glanced at Ron who seemed wholly concerned with keeping his eyes on his food and sighed. The dessert was too good to leave behind so she stayed to at least finish it. Maybe a bit of book reading while she ate would make it less awkward without Harry for a buffer.
Ron glanced up when he heard a page turn, Hermione was reading again like always. He was conflicted about her. He knew, logically, that he should apologize but was too proud to admit it. Plus she had left him to get his hide tanned by his mother, never a fun occurrence for a teenager. But… he missed her, Harry too. Neville and Dean were alright, and Seamus could be a right hoot in the right circumstances, but they hadn't dived into the 3rd Floor Corridor with him. Nor faced a Mountain Troll. They were his friends but they weren't his best friends.
Deciding he should get it over with he swallowed hard, both to calm his nerves and finish his bite. Maybe a sip of Pumpkin juice as well. Oh, but his dessert would get stale if he left it alone too long Ron reminded himself. If only it didn't dry his mouth out like that he used as an excuse to keep going. Disturbed from the loop by a noise across from him Ron looked up to see Hermione leaving. Ron sighed heavily.
***Break***
Katie eyed Harry as they walked together. They were leaving well before most people did after dinner so the grounds were quiet and lit almost brightly by the full moon. Katie stared at the way the light gave the grass an interesting glow.
"Thanks for coming with me," Harry said softly, not wanting to ruin the peace of the walk with a louder than necessary voice.
"Of course. It's a nice night." Katie replied nervously. Harry nodded his agreement and they headed towards the water and the sparse beach nearby. The wind off the water gave the air a slight chill with the soft breeze. It was agreeable though, not too chilly after a warm day.
"So, what would you like to do when we go to Hogsmeade? You don't seem like a Madam Puddifoot's type." Harry joked weakly. Not his best work, but it kept the conversation going.
Katie however smiled at the question, "I tend to go to Scrivenshaft's to browse. I actually enjoy using a quill and sometimes they have some updated line guides for Ancient Runes."
"So is Ancient Runes your favorite class?" Harry prompted. The conversation seemed to be coming a little easier and the pair began to walk around the lake.
"Yes, actually. As I said I enjoy writing but I also like to draw a bit. Ancient Runes can kind of feel like both and once we move onto more complex Runes it really will start to feel like that." Katie's grin about talking about her dual passions sparked a grin of Harry's own.
"I didn't know you were an artist, that's pretty cool." Harry spoke truthfully. He had never really gotten to know Katie before, so this was new territory for him.
"It's kind of my backup plan and my hobby if Professional Quidditch doesn't work out" Katie said. The pair found a big enough rock to rest against and both stopped a moment to rest.
"You want to go pro? That's awesome!" Harry sat on the ground with his back to the rock after conjuring a blanket, earning him a thank you and an impressed look when Katie joined him. They weren't close enough to be improper but Katie could feel the warmth that Harry seemed to radiate. They were downwind of the breeze now and the rock served to block the chill.
"But really hard to pull off. I do alright in Charms and Potions, and could probably do a desk job somewhere with art to supplement but yeah, Pro is the real dream. Have you thought about it?" Katie leaned into the rock gently in case it was pointy, luckily it was pretty flat.
"I've thought about it, but I've always felt drawn to be an Auror or something similar." Harry admitted. The appeal of Pro Quidditch Player was there but it just felt… boring. He might dabble in it, maybe join an Amateur League, but Auror was where his heart was.
"Ooo, I bet you'd be good at that. You can already cast Wandless spells which by the way is bloody awesome." Katie bumped her shoulder into Harry as a weird kind of pat on the back.
The moonlight did well to hide Harry's blush at the praise, and the lightning that seemed to go through him at Katie's contact. "Yeah, I've been getting a lot of practice. Comes with my irresistible charm for the face of danger"
Katie blushed a bit, irresistible charm indeed she thought. "There are a lot of rumors about all of that. I won't pry though. But I've been meaning to ask, why the hair change?"
"It might actually make you laugh," Harry said softly, and Katie saw the weird look in his eye at the question.
"I wouldn't laugh," Katie promised, and she scooted just a little bit closer.
"It's actually for my mum. Everyone always said I looked exactly like my dad but with my mother's eyes and… I just wanted a bit more than that. So I settled on red hair" Harry, having noticed the poorly hidden scooting also moved just a hair closer to the older girl.
"That's actually really sweet. And it looks good with the eyes, so bonus points for that" Katie lightened the mood with a small compliment and grinned when she could, ever so faintly in the moonlight, see Harry's cheeks darken in a blush.
"A bit of revenge for my compliment on the train?" Harry side-eyed Katie with a smirk.
"More like the saucy walk you gave me after" Katie giggled at the reminder of how goofy Harry was in that small moment.
"Saucy? That was elegance and class and you know it" Harry defended himself, and Katie laughed. The night was warmer without the wind so Katie shedded her outer robe.
"Was it now? I think you need to fire your etiquette teacher." Harry chuckled at her words. He noticed her shed her robe, but declined to comment. He wasn't even in an outer robe, but was still pretty warm without that breeze.
"That one Fred taught me actually, said it would win over the ladies," Harry smiled at her.
"Oh it would, would it?" Katie smiled back. Her heart was doing flips in her chest at how Harry's eyes were locked onto hers.
"Well it worked, didn't it?" Harry's smile turned into a smirk and Harry noticed that Katie's eyes darkened just a hair.
Flirting Skill has increased! It is now 47!
"I suppose that's true, but you haven't won me quite yet." Katie scooted just a hair closer to the boy and their arms touched. The warmth that Harry was radiating seemed to increase now that she was touching him. What had gotten into her?
"I'll certainly enjoy trying some more though." Harry placed his arm around her shoulders nervously, but relaxed when Katie leaned against him.
"I think I'll enjoy seeing that." Katie laughed. She had noticed his nerves, and patted herself on the back for giving them to him. They watched the water for another 10 minutes just enjoying the peace and quiet of the night.
***Break***
"Do you see that?" Katie asked Harry quietly, the first thing she had said since they had assumed their current position. It was the slight tinge of fear that made Harry lean forward a bit, and then he saw it too. Eyes, watching them from the woodline. A chill went down Harry's spine.
"Yeah. Let's stand up nice and easy, and head back. I'll keep an eye behind us." Harry said to the girl and stood up with a smile on his face. He helped Katie up as though nothing was amiss and they both started walking towards the Castle. Harry heard it more than saw it, the creature was causing just the faintest rustle as it matched their pace. Thoughts as to what it could be prompted Harry to pull out the Marauder's map. If it was Sirius, this would let him know.
Katie looked at the paper curiously, but Harry simply tapped it with his wand and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"
"What?" Katie said, but Harry shook his head and put a finger to his lips. He glanced at the Map, and then stopped and stared.
"Fly." Harry said urgently, letting go of her hand. The Map was willed away and he drew his wand. "Katie, fly back to the Castle!"
Katie stared at Harry in shock. Harry's urgent words and sudden change of demeanor shocked her. "What do you mean?"
"FLY!" Harry said, and Harry pushed his Firebolt into her hand. From the woodline came the howl of a wolf.
*Fin*
A/N: DUN DUN DUN! I love doing this to you guys.
Review answers below.
Frankieu: Thank you! Yeah, Harry's a bit intimidating right now.
Ronin Kenshin: Thank you for the review!
Thundramon: Thank you so much for this review! I'm trying to make people human in this universe. Flaws, quirks, all of that. The scene where Dumbledore explained Jackson's life to Harry was by far my favorite scene I've ever written in anything.
Vallavarayan: In my canon Alicia did it first lol.
Adrian King1: I put some interaction for you! And now she dies! MUAHAHAHAHA! Thanks for the review!
Nina0116: Aww thank you for the review!
TheGreatBubbaJ: Harry wanted to give her space. He knows that he can't be everywhere at once, or control what she encounters. For the sake of giving her that freedom he has chosen to trust her to come to him if she needs help. It might blow up in his face, but he didn't want to press. I really liked Babbling as well, kind of a mad scientist vibe. As for Astoria, Harry hasn't found out about a Healing Skill or anything like that. He doesn't know where he would start and running around with his head cut off to try and fix it could end up pushing Astoria away.
AvidReader2425: That's kind of what he's doing, just without actually having to do it. His "skim" ability is that he basically looks at a page for less than a second and reads it.
Mestre720: Thank you for the review! I will!
Stars90: It's a friend who didn't want to see Katie miss her chance! So… a confident one! Thank you for the review!
The Royal Mage: Potentially! More like even Pansy can see that Harry is different!
Firetemplar415: Yes, poor Katie. Now she's running for her life! Muahahahaha!
Kairan1979: Thank you for the review! No, Dumbledore is letting Harry make his own choices this go around.
Daddy Solaire: Thank you for the review! I hope to produce a meatier one next chapter! And also thank you for your service! I'm glad I can make your days a little more entertained.
Lamont: You have some interesting theories! There will definitely be a heavy divergence from Canon! Stay tuned!
Lycan01: Thank you for the review!
Kuman: Babbling, as it will be revealed in future chapters, is about 2 years younger than Snape. Thank you for the review!
Dibbley: Thank you for the review! I try hard to make my characters come alive! I said it in a review reply in an earlier chapter, Astoria was based on a close friend of mine who acted in much the same way up until the day she died. I really wanted to bring that energy back to life, I hope I am doing her justice. I unfortunately was not able to load the rest of your review due to a glitch on FFnet but please stay tuned! I hope to make you run that gambit once more!