Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related terms and characters are the property of JK Rowling. The use of copyrighted material is for non-profit entertainment purposes only, and in no way constitutes a challenge to the existing copyright.
A/N: Due to the clamoring of several friends and reviewers - and some unexpected holdups in finishing the Sir Harry challenge - I've finished TMF Chapter 5 first. Likewise, I'll probably have The Pale Chapter 2 up next. I'm very close to having chapters 3 and 4 of MEtyK overhauled; a couple of plot lines needed tweaking for reasons I can't believe I missed. If you're quick, you'll see what I mean. I'll likely post Pale 2, and Overhauled MEtyK 3 and 4 at the same time, hopefully next week. If my issues with the 'Sir Harry' plot resolve themselves, it will be up shortly thereafter.
For now, I give you Chapter 5 of TMF, in which many of your prayers are answered.
~TOW
Vendetta: Forgiveness
=================
The school was deathly silent as Harry and Hermione walked to McGonagall's office. The Heads of all four houses disappeared to their common rooms to ease fears and quell rumours. A flurry of movement two floors below caught Harry's attention, and he watched as a pair of Aurors walked purposefully towards the Divination tower. He felt Hermione reach for him mentally, and picked up his pace to match hers. 4:42am, his watch read; not the morning he had expected.
Dumbledore's office - McGonagall's office - was much the same as it had always been. The new Headmistress hadn't done much in the way of redecorating. Harry was greeted enthusiastically by the portraits of the room, the two-dimensional Albus Dumbledore taking his hat off and bowing slightly. Harry smiled and gave a small wave, sitting in one of the chairs arranged at the front of the desk. Hermione sat beside him taking his hand automatically, while McGonagall slumped into her seat behind the desk cradling her head in her hands.
"After so many years," she muttered, "so many accusations and insults, and she's dead, and it's my responsibility…"
"Professor, you couldn't have possibly done anything to help her," Hermione consoled. "Hogwarts is as safe as it can be; no one could have seen it coming."
"There was always a reason that Albus kept her here," McGonagall said, sniffing. "There was something important about her, but I couldn't see what, and he didn't tell me."
"She's the one who made the prophecy between me and Voldemort," Harry said, drawing the professor's attention. "Then, in my third year, she predicted his return. Now, she's given her last prophecy, just before she died."
"She gave - and others, as well?"
"She literally interrupted a dream I had to tell me. One of the beings in my dream attacked her, and then I woke up. We found her with the exact same injuries just a few moments ago."
"So you believe that this dream was… real?" Despite being distraught, McGonagall carried a healthy trace of scepticism in her voice.
"I do," Harry said with a sharp nod. "It's not the first time I've learned to accept that what's going through my head didn't come from me." He pointed to his scar, and McGonagall looked away.
"Yes, well… What do you propose, then? This is being investigated as a murder, and the Aurors will be looking for suspects."
"They won't find much," Hermione mused. "All the students were in their dorms, all the professors in their quarters. The portraits can recite the trail of anyone approaching the scene, as well as who came and went from the common rooms; while that doesn't prevent someone from using stealth magics, it does cover all known inhabitants of the school, so the students and professors should all be safe.
"Trelawney was the only person who was in a publicly accessible area - her own classroom. That would lead to the conclusion that whoever killed her would have gone in quickly, done the deed, and fled without breaking their concealment."
"Which reminds me," Harry cut in, "who sounded the alarm bells?"
"One of the House Elves," McGonagall replied. "This time in the morning is usually when House Elves begin to prepare the school. Classrooms are cleaned, breakfast is started, that sort of thing. The House Elf would have been doing their customary clean-up of Trelawney's classroom when they found her, and sounded the alarm."
"I see…" Harry's mood grew sombre for a moment, before he pushed his thoughts aside. "Alright then, why don't we let the Aurors do their thing? Unless I'm off, everyone's covered, which means that all the Aurors are going to do is run some traces to see if they can determine what killed her, and then clean up. They shouldn't take more than an hour, and then we can deal with the students. You should probably ask Firenze if he'd be willing to teach Divination again on short notice."
McGonagall looked slightly bewildered at Harry's suggestion. "But, Sybill's just died! Shouldn't I be-?"
"Minerva, no one will take care of this for you," the gentle but firm voice of Albus came from behind her. "It's imperative that the students perceive no panic, and no apparent change in their schedule. Divination classes may be cancelled for a few days while Firenze catches up on what needs to be done, but that must be the only interruption."
"I- I see," she said, looking down. "I suppose…"
"I'll deal with it," Harry said, standing up. "Let me go talk to the Aurors so that you don't have to, and then Hermione and I will go find Firenze. Just lie down," he soothed, "you look like you need it. We'll be alright."
-----
The sun began its inevitable climb from the horizon as Harry walked beside the Aurors. Trelawney's remains floated serenely behind them, encased in a small urn. The senior of the Aurors turned to shake Harry's hand before they left the castle, body in tow. With a sigh, Harry turned back and headed back to the Divination classroom; Hermione was still there, conducting an investigation of her own. He hoped that her findings would be more tangible than the blank slate turned up by the Aurors.
"Any luck?" he asked as he rose to the classroom's entrance.
"Not really," Hermione replied, her golden eyes sweeping across the classroom. "There's something here, but it's very subtle, and it's fading fast. I don't think that we'll find anything."
"Damn," he muttered, looking around. "You don't suppose that Trelawney acting through my dream means that whatever killed her also acted through my dream, do you?"
Hermione blinked, and shook her head. "That's a Dumbledore question, Harry. I can't begin to answer that for you."
"Well, suppose it's true," he continued, allowing his senses to expand. Various auras of magic surrounded him, none stronger than the golden aura pouring from Hermione's body. "If it is, then there should be a similar residue on me as there was on Trelawney." He stepped over to where the professor's body had lain, and squinted at the spot. "Hermione, can you pull your aura in? You're overpowering everything else."
Hermione's aura vanished almost immediately, and Harry searched the area. Near the ground where the professor had lain, small traces of golden light could still be seen in the five-fingered pattern that the giant hand had left in her chest. Looking down at his chest and arms, small traces of the same golden light emitted. Strangely, he felt as though the two colors were different, though they seemed nearly indistinguishable. The flecks of gold in his own aura seemed to come from Hermione, while the fading golden light on the ground was something different.
"Hermione, you've got to see this." Harry felt Hermione extend herself to his senses, drinking in the memory the instant he processed the information.
"Harry, that's-!"
"It's not you," he said quickly. "It feels… off, somehow. It's like your magic, but… different."
Hermione looked shaken by the revelation, and began to fidget. "Could you… not say anything about this to anyone?" she asked.
"Wasn't planning on it," replied Harry, allowing his sight to return to normal. "There might be about three people in the world besides you and the Weasleys that would believe me about this, anyways. Dumbledore's work gets quite controversial as far as magical theory goes."
"Thank you," she said quietly, moving to look out the window. It took Harry only a moment to process Hermione's reaction, and he turned his head sharply towards her.
"Hermione, are there others like you?" Hermione tensed at the question, but didn't answer. "Sorry," Harry said, feeling her discomfort rise, "don't worry about it."
"I don't know," she replied, her shoulders drooping. "I don't have complete answers, Harry. I'll look around and see what I can find."
"Take your time. I'll cover for you if you need it." Hermione turned to smile at him, and walked over, taking his hand.
"Let's go," she said. "There's nothing more for us here."
-----
The forest was peaceful in the morning, small animals and birds noisily beginning their day, while insects buzzed past. The sun was fully separated from the horizon, now, and breakfast called.
"It was perhaps governed by the stars," Firenze said as he walked beside Harry, "but I believe it to be a simple deduction on my part that you would come to find me."
Harry snorted in amusement. "I'm used to being predictable, I guess."
"I'm surprised that Bane didn't come rushing out to threaten us," Hermione commented, glancing over her shoulder every now and then. Harry smiled, and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Relax Hermione, nothing needs fighting today."
"The time of Mars has passed," Firenze agreed. "Saturn and Uranus now fight for dominance in the sky."
"I'm not even going to begin to interpret that," Harry said cheerfully. "We'll take things as they come."
"As it was always intended," Firenze said with a solemn nod. "That is the way of things."
Hermione's mood brightened considerably once they were clear of the forest, and the Head Students spent the walk back bringing the centaur up to speed on the school year.
"So we'll start the entire competition on Halloween with the first years," Hermione finished. "Your classes obviously won't be competing until later, but that's when everything starts. Any ideas you or your students have for appropriate challenges should be given to us at least a couple weeks before the competitions, so we can prepare."
"I do not foresee difficulties," Firenze said, "and I will assuredly contact you if I encounter any."
"It's going to be fun," Harry assured him, "and if we're lucky, we'll start to undo some of the damage to the school system." As they reached the castle entrance, Harry sent a Patronus off to McGonagall, informing her of their success. "We should be in time for breakfast. Are you going to join us?"
"No, Harry Potter, I will retire to my classroom. I trust it is still intact?" Seeing Hermione nod, Firenze bade them both farewell and cantered off down the hall away from them.
Harry shook his head as he watched the centaur leave. "It's confusing how he can be both polite and aloof at the same time," he said. "You never really know if he's happy or pissed."
"I think it's a centaur thing," Hermione shrugged. "If they're willing to be mysterious about it, I'm willing to ignore it. Come on, Harry, we need to get to breakfast."
"Right, breakfast. After all of this, I'm supposed to have an appetite."
Hermione sniggered behind him and urged him forward, and the two made their way to the Great Hall. Several students had already arrived, and while breakfast was quiet, the students were far from upset. A few students, like the returning Parvati and Lavender, wore expressions of grief, but Trelawney's demise was not at all the heartbreaking event that Dumbledore's death had been. There would be no grand funeral, no eulogies, nothing beyond a simple toast and the announcement that Firenze would continue this year's Divination lessons.
"And there's not a thing I can do about it," Harry voiced to Hermione, who had been paying close attention to his thoughts. "To keep the peace, no one can know about her real prophecies, not even now." Hermione nodded, and the pair walked silently up to the Head Table.
It became apparent as the Hall filled that McGonagall was not coming to breakfast. The other professors were discussing the Headmistress' absence amongst themselves, and Harry could hear similar murmurs from the students.
"Hermione?"
"She's still sleeping," she told him, her eyes dilating and staring at the ceiling. "She seems particularly stressed, and only some of it has to do with this morning. We should let her rest."
"Alright then, time to play ringmaster. Would you adjust the tapestries? I'll see if I can spew something 'official.'" Harry stood and watched as Hermione clapped her hands in a similar fashion to Dumbledore, and the hanging tapestries all darkened to black.
"Your attention, please," he called in a magically amplified voice. "I would like to assure everyone that Headmistress McGonagall is resting in her quarters. If possible, please try not to disturb her today, as the events of the recent battles and of this morning have taken a great toll on her.
"As most of you should know, Professor Trelawney was found dead this morning." Harry paused as gasps and murmurs rose, and thumped the table for silence. "That was the cause of this morning's alarm, and Aurors have already come and gone. The investigation is ongoing, so if you are approached by Aurors in the near future, please offer your full support.
"Professor Trelawney has been teaching at Hogwarts for my entire lifetime; Professor Dumbledore interviewed her for the position before I was born. Though many of us have never taken Divination seriously, Sybill Trelawney dedicated her life to this school and has had a hand in the education of hundreds of students. She was a valued member of the teaching staff, and she will be missed. Please, raise your glasses in memory of Sybill Trelawney."
The professor's name echoed across the Hall as students and professors stood and toasted to her. To his surprise, Harry's eyes stung at the thought that the batty professor was gone. Another small piece of Hogwarts died this morning, and Harry could feel the small pang of fear that the school might slide away from the home he knew and loved, becoming something altogether different and foreign. Suddenly, Harry could understand perfectly why the normally unflappable McGonagall was distraught: Her home was dying. Blinking away his feelings, he raised his voice to continue.
"Firenze has agreed to finish this year's Divination classes, and is currently setting up his old classroom on the first floor. We'll let you know when Divination classes are set to return. Any assignments that Professor Trelawney assigned are still due on the appropriate dates.
"We hope to update you about the funeral arrangements for Professor Trelawney tomorrow morning. Please remember her as you do Professor Dumbledore: For all the good things. Thank you."
"You were wonderful," Hermione whispered to him as he sat, wiping his eyes. Harry shared a smile with her, and Hermione wiped her own tears away.
"Thank you," Slughorn said, clapping his shoulder from behind him. "I couldn't have done a better job myself. You're a good man." Several other professors, including the elderly Simonson, thanked him. The rest of breakfast passed in quiet discussion with Hermione, as the students slowly returned to their normal level of noise.
"Do we have a budget to work with, as far as small prizes and supplies go for these competitions?"
"I don't think McGonagall thought that far ahead," Harry said, shaking his head. "I'll go to Gringotts this morning and get us what we need. How much do you figure? Four or five thousand enough?"
Hermione's eyes bulged as Harry spoke. "Four or five… that's a ridiculously high amount! We couldn't possibly use all that!"
"Oh, I think we can," Harry said with a secretive smile. "If the students don't need all of it, then I'll replace the old brooms and other obsolete equipment the school uses. I'm going to call Kingsley later to see if there's a right way to do this kind of thing. Lucius Malfoy got away with a lot because he donated money to the right places; maybe it'll work for me, too. Can you get some ideas from the Prefects? I can go shopping this morning if you do it quickly."
"I suppose…" Hermione trailed off, a worried look on her face. Before Harry could continue, Ginny walked up to the front of the table, clearing her throat.
"Do you have time to talk, Harry?"
"Good timing," he returned with a smile. "I'm going to disappear to Diagon Alley for a bit, and you're welcome to come along."
"Oh! Well, alright." Ginny hesitantly took Harry's hand, and the pair quickly walked out of the Hall. He could hear Hermione behind him, calling the Prefects to her to explain what was going on.
"It's a sad day when I feel like I'm more prepared than McGonagall," Harry sighed as they approached the castle entrance.
"You always could think on your feet," Ginny reminded, "and running off at the mouth is a specialty of yours."
"Thanks," Harry laughed. "Good to know my mouth is good for something."
"There are lots of things that your mouth's good at," she returned in a husky voice, and Harry laughed louder.
"Enough out of you! We've got business to do first."
"Fine, fine; ignore your girlfriend's needs." Ginny turned her nose up at him, before poking him in the side. "So, what are we going to Diagon for?"
"Shopping for prizes for the upcoming contests," Harry replied. "Hermione's got the Prefects together, and as they come up with a list, she'll pass it along. By the time we're out of Gringotts, I'll know what to get and how much it'll cost."
"Are you paying for this by yourself?"
Harry shook his head. "No, but McGonagall's behind the ball, so I reckon it's best to finish all the preparations and send her the bill. Worst case is that I'm out a few Galleons because she can't repay the whole cost, but I'm not particularly worried."
"You're sweet," she said, kissing him. "I hope that everyone appreciates that you're doing this."
"Let's hope so." Harry pulled Ginny against him as they passed the Hogwarts gates, and with a twist and a crack, they were gone.
-----
"So, what's next?" asked Ginny, her eyes on the bag in Harry's hand. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes; Ginny had never seen his vault before, and she had stood stupefied, watching him as he methodically counted out five thousand Galleons into a lunch bag-sized money sack enhanced for space.
The Alley was nearly empty, which suited Harry's purposes perfectly. After close to two hours of shopping and several trips back and forth by Kreacher to ferry the purchases to Hogwarts, Harry deemed himself finished. His last stop had been to the Quidditch store to place an order for 60 Nimbus 2000 brooms still left over from previous years, to be sent to Hogwarts care of Minerva McGonagall.
"Nothing," Harry said, leading them into the Leaky Cauldron, where they sat at a corner table. "We're officially done. Whittling the price down to 24 Galleons per broom means that I still have money left over. We haven't even spent half actually, which means that I can accommodate some requests from the professors and maybe the Prefects."
"New common room furniture, maybe?" Harry chuckled at the hopeful expression on Ginny's face.
"Yeah, stuff like that," Harry said with a nod. "Anyways, this is where we sit down, order a Butterbeer from Tom, and you start talking."
"Right," Ginny muttered, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Why don't I get us those Butterbeers, then?" Harry passed her two Galleons, and Ginny disappeared, quickly returning with the drinks.
"I don't know where to start," she said. "I feel … lost, Harry. I've gone from knowing exactly where I stood with you to barely knowing you at all in the last three days. On Saturday, you took Hermione to the convention; on Sunday, you came to visit and cleared the air with Ron; on Monday, you're pissed off with me, Hermione's pissed off with me, and Ron's suddenly going out with Luna. I don't understand what's going on."
"You're leaving some key things out," said Harry, frowning. "First, I went to the convention with Hermione because you said no; I actually had to convince Hermione that it was a good idea. Next, Sunday turned into a mess because the paper decided that I was front-page news, and half your family's pissed, Ron included, because they think I'm cheating on you. Ron decides to have a go at me, and I spend a few hours straightening him out."
"What do you mean, he 'had a go at you?' You said that you two-"
"Ginny, drop it," Harry growled. "I'm not telling you about it.
"Moving along," he said overtop her attempt to interrupt him, "On Monday you decide that Ron's somehow earned another chance at Hermione, and you spend your entire day trying to sell the idea to me, and when I didn't buy it, you tried selling it to Hermione directly. Hermione called you out on it, and you just about ended up on the wrong side of a duel."
"Now wait a minute-"
"To top it all off," Harry continued, again raising his voice over Ginny's, "Hermione shocked me by saying that you did all that because she was trying to take me away from you. Now, how am I supposed to take that?"
"Harry, I didn't-"
Ginny jumped as Harry slammed his fist against the table, nearly spilling their drinks. "Before you try to answer that, please remember two things: First, Hermione is a good Legilimens, and I don't ever remember you taking Occlumency; second, Hermione is in my head, and that makes it very, very hard for her to lie to me. The best she can do nowadays is to refuse to answer.
"Now, say what you have to say."
Ginny's eyes began to fill with tears. "I … Harry, you're painting me into a corner, here. What have I done to you that you're so hostile? I'm sorry I didn't go with you to that convention; I'm sorry! I can't even begin to tell you how painful it was to see you dancing with Hermione, and seeing how happy you were. But I told Mum I'd be there for her! Is that wrong of me?
"I'm so jealous of Hermione, Harry! She monopolizes your time as though she owns you, and I get scared that maybe you'll see her as more suited to you. And I do want her with Ron, no matter what she says! I want us all together! I want us to be family!" Ginny's breath was ragged now, and she struggled against the tears that fell. Harry, too, felt his eyes begin to water.
"You're not treating me like family, Gin. You've told me a few times that you want us to last, and I need to be able to count on you to be there for me, regardless of your family. I can't take your brother's along when we go out; I can't wait for your Mum's permission when I have a dinner to attend, and I sure as hell am not going to keep tiptoeing around your family when it comes to snogging and spending the night with you, if we ever get to it.
"I need you to begin thinking about me like I'm more important to you than your family is, because I need that."
"How can you be more important, Harry? Nothing's as important as family. You've always told me you wanted family, and we're trying to include you as best we can!"
"You're trying to treat me like your brother," Harry asserted. "There just happens to be a side-order of kissing and touching. I don't need you to treat me the way you treat Ron, I need you to treat me the way Molly treats Arthur."
Ginny's eyes narrowed. "You want me to treat you the way Hermione treats you, you mean." A spike of anger from Hermione mixed with Harry's own, and he grabbed the sides of the table reflexively to prevent from drawing his wand.
"Do you even hear what's coming out of your mouth?" he asked viciously. "Do you think that trying to piss me off is going to help you here? Tell me how Hermione treats me, then! Go on, tell me what she does that makes you think of her when I tell you how I want to be treated! Could it be that she's always around when I need her? Could it be that she chose to help me above and beyond all her other concerns, even though she wasn't even my girlfriend? Could it be that she understands exactly how alone I feel, and tries to make a difference?"
"I - why are you doing this?" she cried. "I love you, Harry! You are important to me! I can't tell you how often I daydream about sitting with you in front of the fire at the Burrow when we're older! How you have me sitting sideways on your lap and you're laughing while Ron or George tells a funny story, or… or when I'm telling them about how dangerous a two-year-old child is… I want that future with you! I'm trying to give you as much as I can!"
"You've dreamt of us having a family and sitting… at the Burrow," Harry said, closing his eyes as his heart fell. "Ginny, has it ever occurred to you that I don't want to live at the Burrow?"
"Well yes, not there, but-"
"No, Ginny, not at the Burrow, not near the Burrow, and certainly not anywhere where your mother has easy access."
Ginny blinked owlishly at him, processing what he had said.
"I want my home life to be private," he continued, "and that means that your Mum can't come calling to check up on us whenever she takes a fancy to, your brothers can't drop by whenever they please, and our house will never, never be used to host family gatherings outside of holidays and birthdays. I never want to hear another adult tell me what I should or shouldn't do; the only exception to that is Kingsley, and that's because I'm asking him for advice.
"I want you in that house with me, helping me raise children, laughing at the trouble I get myself into, and then telling me your own work stories. What I don't want is you to act the way your mother does, and the shit you pulled with trying to get Ron back with Hermione was very much something your mother would have done."
"You're asking me to abandon my family, Harry."
"I'm asking you to be independent from your family," he retorted. "If you can't do that, then you need to rethink what - shit." Kingsley's feline Patronus bounded onto their table, looking straight at Harry.
"The Vatican Inquisitors are departing for Hogwarts as we speak," it said quietly in Kingsley's voice. "If there's anything you don't want them to see, now's a good time to hide it." As the Patronus vanished, Harry felt icy pangs of fear from Hermione.
"Damn it!" he swore as he jumped from his seat, tearing towards the exit.
"What's going on?" asked Ginny as she tried to keep up. "Can I help?" Harry grabbed her hand and twisted, sending them through the blackness and back to the Hogwarts gates.
"Tell McGonagall what Kingsley said!" he ordered. "Get her to have House Elves remove everything of Dumbledore's! They can put it in the Room of Requirement, or pull it out of the school completely. Now, hang on!" Harry rapped the both of them over the head with his wand, and pulled Ginny's disillusioned arms around his neck while space began to warp around him. Ginny shrieked as they took off, Harry staying within ten feet of the ground as they covered the path to the castle in mere seconds.
"Go!" he shouted as they landed, cancelling the Disillusionment Charms. Ginny wobbled for a moment, but quickly took off. Harry raced for his dorm. He wrenched the portrait open, only to twist back around the corner as a huge mass of unidentifiable magic flew in his direction. The massive ball of colors exploded against the other side of the Hall, nearly obliterating the wall.
"Hermione!"
"Harry?" Her voice was shaky and nervous, and Harry felt her thoughts reaching out for his. He allowed them to mingle, and he heard Hermione sob in relief. Harry fumbled around for the Elder Wand, hastily repairing the wall and removing all traces of Hermione's magic before heading inside the portrait. Hermione latched on to him fearfully.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "What's going to happen?"
"I think they're coming for me," she squeaked, trying to hide in his chest. "They have to be. There's nothing else here that would interest the Vatican."
"And why would you interest them?"
"I've tried to find out things about them since Saturday. Harry, the Vatican specializes in obscure magics. Prophecies, angels and devils, possession… wherever something like that occurs, they usually have their Inquisitors go. I would be…"
"The perfect experiment for Unspeakable-types," Harry finished. "Right, then. You're going to disappear for awhile, and I'll clean up."
Hermione looked at Harry in confusion as he fingered the Elder Wand absently, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the magic of the room.
"Harry?"
Harry his flicked his wand and the collective journals of Dumbledore and Snape soared over to him. He shrunk them in mid-air, and hastily stuffed them in his expanded mokeskin pouch. With another complicated motion and a long murmured chant, the room flashed white, nullifying the lingering traces of magic. Harry looked around, frowning at the remaining auras, and repeated the spell. Satisfied, Harry repeated the spell in Hermione's room and his, until he was certain that nothing remained. He stuffed the Elder Wand back into his pouch, and removed the pouch from his neck, handing it to Hermione.
"Okay, here's what's going to happen. Anything that would have a signature of its own is in here. You're going to take this, and go straight to McGonagall's office. From there, I want you to Floo out to the Cauldron, and stay there until I call for you. Tell McGonagall you're finishing shopping for the school or whatever other story you like. Okay?"
Hermione stared at the pouch in her hands, cradling it like the treasure it was. "Harry…"
"We're a little short on time," Harry pressed. "You've got to go."
Hermione slowly nodded, and reverently tied the pouch around her neck, watching as it obediently shrunk to the size of a pendant. Harry hurried Hermione along to McGonagall's office, passing a bewildered Ginny along the way. Once Hermione was safely ascending the spiral staircase, Harry turned back towards the entrance hall.
"Harry, what's going on?" Ginny asked as she caught up to him. "McGonagall's all flustered, and you're acting strange."
"The Vatican likes to poke their noses into things," Harry explained as they walked. "I sent Hermione off with our more questionable items, and cleaned up our dorm a little."
"What would you have that the Vatican could want?"
Harry remained silent, however, focusing on the two red and white figures that were approaching the castle. He walked out to meet them, Ginny trailing hesitantly in his wake.
"Good morning, gentlemen!" Harry called, painting a big smile on his face. "I remember seeing you or your colleagues at the convention Saturday night! What brings you here?"
"Mr. Potter!" the older of the two men replied in a thick Mediterranean accent. "I am Inquisitor Rossi, and my compatriot is Inquisitor Moretti. I am glad it is you who is speaking with us, as we are here on delicate matters."
"Delicate?" Harry let his smile drop slightly. "Is there something wrong? Let me alert Minister Shacklebolt, then. He'll be sure to provide assistance."
"It's hardly necessary to go to such lengths," Rossi stalled immediately, glancing to his partner. "There have been rumblings in the Department of Mysteries both here, and abroad. Our attempt to track the cause leaves us with only a slight trail leading to Hogwarts."
"This has to do with Professor Trelawney's murder, then."
"It is very possible," agreed the elder Inquisitor.
"Well, let's start there, then," Harry decided, leading the group back towards the castle. "Before I forget my manners, this is Ginny Weasley, a great help to me during our struggle with Voldemort."
"Charmed," Moretti said, speaking for the first time.
"Likewise." Ginny allowed Moretti to kiss her hand formally, shooting Harry nervous glances. Harry simply nodded at her, and hastened them along. Harry explained the exact scene he had witnessed as they climbed to the classroom. "It looked at us, saying 'Blood of the Father,' and then crumbled to dust. Professor McGonagall is still quite distraught over this. I imagine that she's tired of seeing her school attacked."
"Indeed," Rossi hummed, looking around. "And there were five black holes in her chest?"
"Each several inches wide, yes." Harry held his hand up, making a claw. "The way they were seated made them look like something's fingers burned through the professor. It was very grotesque."
Moretti interrupted in Italian, pointing his finger towards the area where Trelawney had died. Rossi immediately went over, squatting beside his partner as they bantered back and forth rapidly.
"I take it that you can see magical traces?" Harry asked, bringing the Inquisitors' attention back to him. Moretti nodded slowly, and Harry smiled. "Good, I was wondering about that. Dumbledore showed me how to spot traces, and I've been wracking my brain as to what those marks were for the longest time. It doesn't match the signature of any other magic I've seen." Harry instinctively narrowed his trails of thought as he talked, leaving no room for them to spot a lie.
"This magic is very rare," Rossi said slowly. "There have been only sporadic cases of it, and it always ties back to someone who is very proficient in the Dark Arts. The magic itself is a perversion of the Holy Magics of God."
"Holy Magics…? I'm sorry, I'm not sure about those."
"You would not be," Rossi smiled. "They are kept very secret. We have shared some, however, for the protection of the people. The Patronus Charm that you are so renowned for is one such Holy Magic."
Harry nodded slowly, thinking about the charm. "I think I understand. Gubraithian Fire?"
Rossi clapped his hands, beaming. "Very good! I believe that you do understand."
"How familiar with the Dark Arts are you, Mr. Potter?" asked Moretti as he stood.
"Personally? Not very. Indirectly? How much do you know about Voldemort?"
"A fair amount," Moretti said, "though I gather than you have kept the worst to yourself."
"Seven Horcruxes," Harry said, watching as the Inquisitors' eyes widened. "Can I trust you to keep that bit of information quiet?"
"Of course," Moretti assured him. "It serves no purpose to let such blasphemous things reach people's ears."
"Agreed," Rossi said, clapping his hands. "I believe that we are finished here, Mr. Potter. Will you show us the rest of the school, and the dorms? We must perform a sweep of the castle, though of course I do not believe that we will find anything."
"Of course," Harry echoed neutrally. "Let's start at the top and work our way down and I'll have Ginny alert the various professors. This way to the Gryffindor tower…"
-----
"We are grateful for your assistance and cooperation," Rossi said diplomatically as he shook Harry's hand at the entrance hall. "We have not found what we were looking for, but it does give us a better idea of what might be involved."
"I'm glad I could help," Harry said. "If there's more you need, Kingsley can always reach me." He watched as the two frustrated Inquisitors left, talking in rapid Italian once again. Biting back a sigh, he turned and walked back into the castle, Ginny still trailing behind him.
"Welcome to my life," he said, seeing the conflicted expression on Ginny's face. "Did you find that entirely confusing?"
"A little. You had them going back and forth like crazy, and you kept throwing the professors in their faces. What's going on?"
"We rushed back here, hid all of Dumbledore's stuff, I sent Hermione away on an 'official' errand with all my stuff, I derailed their investigation with sporadic talk about Voldemort and idle threats to call Kingsley, and I had you bringing the professors to breathe down their necks. All in all, I'm sure that they're very annoyed with me, but it would look bad for them to come back after both Hogwarts and Harry Potter had been so accommodating."
"Okay," said Ginny, looking overwhelmed. "How illegal was all of that, exactly?"
"Not at all," he replied with an oily smile. "The Vatican is unofficial everywhere they go, and they have no real authority, just immunity. They like to push their luck, though, and so I made it very clear to them exactly how far I'd let them push."
"That was a little scary."
Harry arched an eyebrow incredulously. "My life is a little scary, Ginny. That's nothing new."
"Yes, well, it's not usually you that's the scary one."
Harry said nothing, levelling an appraising glare at Ginny, who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.
"Okay…" Ginny was quiet for a moment, before looking back at Harry. "Can we finish our talk now?"
"I think I've said all I wanted to say," Harry said firmly. "You and I seem to have different ideas as to what our future holds."
"Harry, I love you," she said brokenly. "Don't say that."
"I love you too. I always will, even if we don't work out. But we can't force this to work 'just because.' That won't happen."
"We can make this work," insisted Ginny, reaching out to grasp Harry's robe. "I can't just give up on you."
"Yes, but can you survive another situation like we just had? Because things like that are going to keep happening to me."
"I - I don't…" Ginny looked away for a moment, before looking back resolutely. "I'll adjust," she said firmly.
"We'll see." Without further comment, Harry turned and walked away, intent on reaching the Heads' dorm. Hermione was back, and he had things to discuss with her before afternoon classes began.
-----
Harry entered the Heads' dorm only to be floored by Hermione the moment the portrait had closed. "Thank you," she cried. "Thank you so much, Harry. You have no idea how scared I was."
"It was nothing," said Harry, snaking his arms around her. A moment passed where they simply leaned against each other, before Hermione continued, slightly calmer.
"I didn't even think to try erasing the signatures in the room! I hate it when I panic; it always makes me feel like such an idiot afterwards."
"Is that so?" asked Harry playfully. "Tell me then, 'Miss Idiot,' what would have happened if you tried to erase your own magical signature?"
"I'd… oh!" A light of understanding appeared in Hermione's eyes. "I couldn't have done it; it would have left traces of me all over!"
"Right, it had to be me, because my signature isn't going to arouse suspicion, and the Elder Wand makes the signatures go funny, anyways."
"Funny?"
Harry shook his head. "I can't really explain; it's like smearing a fingerprint, making it too blurry to identify."
Hermione nodded, and backed away, pulling Harry's pouch from her neck. "Here," she said. "They all stayed and behaved themselves."
"I figured a couple of hours wouldn't matter to them." Hermione placed her hands on Harry's as he took the pouch from her.
"Thank you for trusting me," she said in a voice thick with emotion. "Maybe you don't think this way, but these are … your life, and you just handed them over to me without thinking at all."
"There isn't thinking to be done," he assured her, kissing her hands. "I trust you, end of story."
Harry absently placed the pouch around his neck as they walked to the couch, and Harry explained the investigation.
"So I stonewalled where I could, and they didn't get a chance to really sniff around. I'm going to floo Kingsley, and see if there's anything else to be worried about."
"I doubt it," Hermione opined. "As long as they saw those traces, and decided that it didn't come from here, they'll be satisfied."
"We can hope." Harry grabbed the floo powder from the side of the fire pit. "Kingsley Shacklebolt!" he called as he threw the powder into the fire.
A moment later, a large, three-dimensional image of Kingsley's head floated in the center of the room, surrounded by green flames. "Harry," he said warmly, "Just the man I wanted to speak with. Nice job with the Inquisitors; by the sound of it, you walked all over them."
"A little bit here, a little bit there," Harry allowed with a smirk, and proceeded to talk about the visit.
"That's about what I'd expect from them," Kingsley agreed after listening. "They have nothing to stand on to merit a return trip to Hogwarts. If they do, then send me a Patronus and keep them out of anything sensitive; I'll rein them in."
"I can do that."
"Good. Now, you were also talking earlier about donating to Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded. "For the inter-house competitions and new supplies, yeah."
"That will work," Kingsley said. "Let the press cover it, and be specific on exactly what was purchased. Make sure it looks good for the whole school, not just parts. Donating money is a tricky business when you're already directly involved, but as long as you're specific about where it goes, there shouldn't be a problem. Just send an owl to the Prophet, and they'll send someone up."
Harry agreed, and Kingsley looked away for a moment, before looking back, a piece of parchment appearing under his disembodied head. "Not that this is surprising, but I have another invitation for you … and Hermione, too. Looks like you both made an impression at the convention. This time it's to attend the celebration of All Saints' Day in France with the French Minister. The Weasleys might also be invited, as I see that the Delacours have a table for themselves."
"Well, that avoids the previous problem," Harry mumbled. Hermione snickered, and Kingsley shot him a questioning look. "It's nothing. I don't see a problem with attending; are you arranging transportation?"
"Absolutely. I'm sure that you could Apparate if you wanted to, but it's best to keep the group together. Alright, if that's all, my paperwork awaits!" After exchanging quick goodbyes, Kingsley's head vanished and the fire returned to normal.
"Does it ever feel like you're being pulled in ten different directions at once?" Harry said, falling back against the couch with a frustrated sigh. "Trelawney's dead, McGonagall's down, the competitions have supplies and prizes, the school as new brooms on the way, the professors will get a chance to order new supplies for their classroom, the Vatican came, saw, and were intimidated, I nearly broke up with Ginny, and now we have another event to attend in a month."
"Well, at least you can dance with Ginny this time," Hermione offered, attempting to sound cheerful.
"Yeah, because the rest of her family will be there," he muttered darkly, before sitting up with a determined look on his face. "I think I'm going to ask her before I tell the others about the invitation," he decided. "Let's see if she's willing to step up this time. Come on, it's almost lunch."
The two heads left their dorm, and Harry wasted no time descending on Ginny with a slightly edited version of Kingsley's invitation.
"France?" Ginny sputtered, nearly choking on her lunch. "You want me to go with you to France?"
"That's the plan," confirmed Harry, perched on the Gryffindor table's bench beside her. "We'll meet with Kingsley at the Ministry, and take a Portkey from there. I can Apparate us back if you're not comfortable with it; you'll be just fine, though."
"I… I don't know," she managed after a moment. "I'll have to ask Mum."
"You have to ask your Mum," Harry echoed disbelievingly.
"Don't be like that," she said, frowning. "Mum always worries when we're travelling. She worries about you, too."
"Get an answer today, please," Harry said woodenly; without waiting for Ginny to respond, he stood up and walked away, nearly running into Luna.
"Sorry," he said automatically. "I didn't see you there."
"It's alright; are you okay?"
Harry smiled at the concern in Luna's voice. "I'm fine," he assured her, "just brooding as always."
"Since you've just spoken with Ginny, I can imagine what you're brooding over."
Harry met Luna's knowing smile with a sardonic one. "I'm not going to bother confirming that. Ginny needs to learn how to make her own decisions."
"Oh?" Luna looked at him curiously, and Harry decided to run his test again.
"If I asked you to come to France with me for the day to meet the French Minister and a couple of other people, would you come?"
"Of course," Luna answered immediately. "I've have to owl my father to let him know, but I'd love to go. There isn't a chance that you're actually serious and we could go, is there?" Luna adopted a slightly wistful look, ensnaring his heart immediately.
"Not right away, but I'll arrange something," Harry promised. "I'd like to take Hermione too, if that's alright." Seeing Luna nod, Harry continued to the point. "Anyways, you said you'd owl your father. Would you be asking his permission?"
"No, I don't need to. Father's very- oh," Luna made a noise of understanding, "Ginny's asking her parents if she can go?"
"Ten Galleons says Molly tells her no, and Ginny won't fight for it."
"I'm sorry," the small Ravenclaw gave Harry a one-armed hug. "Things were looking so good for you both."
Harry shrugged and said his goodbyes, walking up to the Head Table.
"I see Ginny just ran off," Hermione commented as he sat down. She passed him an already-filled plate, which Harry accepted gratefully.
"Ginny's going to floo Molly, I'd guess." Harry explained as he ate, and Hermione nodded in agreement. "Let's not dwell on that; how'd the Prefects react to the news about their prizes?"
"They were ecstatic!" Hermione enthused. "You got everything we could possibly need, and I actually did pick up a few things when I was out, too. Would you like me to pass along to the professors that they can order new supplies within reason?"
"Please do. Have them give all their requests to you, and I'll deal with it from there. Now, tell me about the inter-house meeting area. How's the tutoring going?" Lunch passed in quiet discussion as plans were made and improved for the remainder of the school year.
"Here we go," Harry interrupted near the end of the hour. Ginny approached the Head Table looking solemn. "Should I even ask?" Ginny shook her head, and Harry viciously quashed his anger. "That's fine," he said neutrally. "Hermione, will you go with me?"
"Of course," she replied immediately, displaying none of the worry that Harry could feel through their link.
"Good." Harry stood and motioned for Hermione to follow. "Come on, let's go tell Kingsley. He wanted to know right away." Shoving his chair back forcefully, Harry stalked out of the Hall, Hermione on his heels.
"Harry…"
"I'm tired of this," he snapped. "I'm not going to stand around and take it."
"Maybe you should talk to Molly about…" Hermione trailed off as Harry turned a furious glare on her. "I know; it's stupid. I just wish that she'd understand."
"It's their problem," Harry said decisively, "not mine. Let's get to class."
-----
October trickled past in a flurry of activity. Harry found it harder and harder to see Ginny, and he was secretly grateful for the added distance. The students continued to struggle with new magics, but the issue had reached a plateau with the implementation of Harry's training regime. Class progress slowed to a crawl as students performed each spell hundreds of times, but professors were thrilled as the degree of mastery rose tremendously, and tentative plans to extend the school year into the summer were discussed.
The inter-house tutoring system soon expanded to no less than four students available each night, and Harry and Hermione both took to doing their homework in the meeting area to ease the burden on prefects and professors; they also were in high demand for tutoring, which they inevitably did every night they were there.
The professors were overjoyed to be able to order new books and supplies. The Prophet reported Harry's donation in its usual overblown style, praising him for giving back to his school, and working towards improving it. The Quidditch teams all thanked Harry personally for the brooms, as the Nimbus 2000's were a large upgrade for many of the players.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team celebrated its first victory of the year against Ravenclaw. Ron earned a shutout, performing with a newfound energy that reminded Harry of Oliver Wood. Ginny led the chasers in scoring, devastating their opponents with twenty-four goals over the thirty minutes of the game. Harry spent his entire time frustrating Ravenclaw's beaters before catching the Snitch, ending the game and humiliating the Ravenclaws with a 630-0 loss, despite the new brooms.
Each House hosted events and contests for their students, and the first inter-house contests were held for the first years. The students all formed teams with their Housemates over the month, and competed against each other in Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions events before the Halloween Feast. The two Heads offered Transfiguration demonstrations at the start of the event. Dozens of Hermione's life-like conjured animals ambled around the amused and amazed student body for the rest of the day, chirping, barking and purring at anyone who gave them attention. Harry impressed the other NEWT Potions students and Professor Slughorn by transfiguring a pewter cauldron to gold so completely that he was able to begin a batch of Felix Felicis, a normally impossible task without natural gold.
Though it often cost him hours of sleep, Harry continued with his own research and training. His flight had become steady and quick, and he slowly began to incorporate it into his types of movement during spell practice. His physical workouts using the power had also increased. Entire days were spent with the power actively resisting his every movement, forcing his muscles to grow and develop from normally un-trainable angles. Hermione laughed at him, letting out his robes yet again as he grew at least another inch in every direction.
With Hermione's help, Harry put more than a dozen new spells through his training routine, adding them to his repertoire while Hermione continued to absorb entire tomes of magic. Harry grudgingly began to study the art of Legilimency, guided along by his link with Hermione. She also pushed both herself and Harry to learn French and German, citing Harry's need to make an impression. Languages proved far easier to learn than Legilimency, and they both considered themselves passably fluent by the end of the month.
It wasn't until the week before the party that Molly received an invitation for the family, and a very excited Ginny confronted Harry with the news.
"No," he replied to Ginny. "We can't 'go together.' I've already confirmed things with Kingsley, and the French Minister is expecting Hermione to attend with me. I'll make time for you during the party, though."
"Oh," was all Ginny could say. Her disappointed look echoed Harry's sentiments earlier in the month. That's what it feels like, he thought vindictively. I hope you remember that feeling.
-----
Ginny grouched all the way to the Ministry, where Kingsley and Hestia met them with the Portkey. Ginny jostled with Hermione for the spot next to Harry while they walked through the French Ministry towards the banquet hall. Hermione subtly called on her magic, shoving the girl just as the doors opened. Ginny tripped, catching herself on Ron; Hermione sped up to walk next to Harry and the two entered together as the master of ceremonies introduced them.
"You know I'll hear it for that later, right?" asked Harry with a grin. Hermione shrugged daintily and smiled. The pair was quickly ushered with Kingsley and Hestia to the French Minister's table. Harry exchanged a knowing look with Hermione as the Weasleys were lead to the Delacours nearly across the room from them, and schooled their looks into warm smiles as they returned the greetings from their table.
"It's always good to see you both again," said Kingsley once they were seated. "I'm in good company tonight."
"You are good company, Kinsley," Harry returned. "Good to see you again too, Hestia. Has it been a good month for you?"
"I think things are going well," she said, taking Kingsley's arm in hers. Hermione smiled at this, and took Harry's arm.
"Good to hear." Harry turned to the rest of the table, drumming up his courage. "Good evening, Minister," he said in French, pleased that it didn't sound too stilted. "I hope you'll forgive my mistakes, but if I'm going to be meeting wizards from other countries often, I thought it best to learn the languages."
"It pleases me to see," the Minister replied. "Don't be ashamed to resort to English; you've come a long way in only a month."
"I'll pass all the praise to Hermione. She's amazing with languages, and she's a wonderful teacher." Hermione blushed at Harry's compliment.
"I tried my best," she answered, her French far more refined and natural. "Harry's a quick learner, though; soon, you'll wonder if English was his first language."
The banter continued, and Harry and Hermione both avoided the lethal glares that Ginny sent in their direction and the confused glances from the Weasleys. Harry answered Ron's questioning look with a shrug, motioning towards Kingsley. Ron gave a satisfied nod, and relayed the information to the rest of the family, who relaxed into smiles. Only Ginny looked truly put out.
Dinner was excellent, and Harry could see that the Weasleys and Delacours were thrilled. Harry spent the dinner discussing national politics with the two Ministers, who were more than happy to answer the questions he had. What pleased Harry the most was that the French Minister and Delegates included Hermione in the conversation. The table laughed at the tale of S.P.E.W, Hermione's youthful attempt to free House Elves, as both Harry and Hermione traded off on their perspectives. The laughter increased tremendously as Harry relayed Hermione's attempts to free the Elves in their fifth year."
"You never told me that!" she cried, slapping Harry's arm. "Why didn't you tell me that Dobby was doing everything himself?"
"You thought it was working, and Dobby liked the work. I had more than enough on my plate that year; I didn't want to see you hurt." Kingsley and Hestia chuckled, and the French party gave knowing smiles. Hermione tried to look affronted, but a small smile played on her face. Harry moved on to the tale of Dobby's rescue, which left the French Minister shocked and amazed. Dessert arrived shortly after, and conversation lulled.
"Looking forward to dancing again?" Harry whispered to Hermione while they ate. Hermione nodded vigorously, though she directed Harry's gaze to Ginny.
"Dance with Ginny first," she told him. "It's the right thing to do."
"Of course, what could I have been thinking," Harry said dramatically, his hand over his heart. "You're such a considerate, caring friend, Hermione. That's why your magic built up and Ginny tripped, after all." Hermione snickered at his antics and poked his shoulder playfully, and they both turned back to their desserts.
Harry stole several glances at Hermione as they ate. She was every part the sophisticated woman, and she commanded her own respect at the table. Judging by how impressed the French Minister was, he expected that the next time he and Hermione were invited to an event, they would both receive direct invitations from the source as a show of respect. A fierce pride blossomed in Harry's chest as he watched her; Hermione looked up, giving him a startled smile.
"I'm proud of you, too," she whispered. "You've done so well for yourself."
"Thanks," he said, smiling. "It means a lot to hear that."
Dinner passed and the ensemble walked on stage, beginning to play. Harry walked over and collected Ginny, while Hermione pulled at Ron. The first song was slow, and both Weasleys kept up with their partners.
"I've been waiting for this," Ginny admitted, smiling at Harry.
"Me, too. I'm glad we finally have a chance."
"You don't suppose…" Harry followed Ginny's gaze to where Ron and Hermione danced formally, talking and smiling.
"No," he said firmly. "Absolutely not. Give it up."
"But they-"
"You do realize that Ron's going out with Luna, right?"
"But she's - no, I'm sorry, that's wrong. I like Luna a lot. I just like seeing him with Hermione, though." Ginny gave a wistful sigh, looking away from Harry's face.
"You're not happy."
"I'm angry, Harry. I thought that this was supposed to be us tonight. It's wrong that everyone expects you to be with Hermione."
"Mm Hmm?"
"I know you think it's my fault," she snapped. "I don't want this to keep happening. I'm not just hiding in the background."
"No one's asking you to. This isn't the type of event where you can just sit with anyone you want."
"I'm hurt, Harry. I'm hurt that you just walked away, sat over there, and said nothing. I wanted to be with you tonight."
"I am over there for business," he retorted. "Neither Hermione nor I were invited here for fun, or because we looked nice. Kingsley's trying to establish interest in us from the international community, and so far, it's going really well. Hermione was asked to come by name, not just as my date. The fact that Hermione could come as my date is just a detail. If you'd said yes in the first place, you'd still not have been sitting with me tonight, because the Minister's wife is over at another table, too. My entire table is Ministry big-wigs; you and your family were invited by the Delacours as extended family, which is a lot different. You do understand that this isn't your average party, right?"
"Don't talk down to me," she growled. Harry turned sharply as they danced, silencing Ginny as she struggled to keep up with his more aggressive moves.
"This really isn't the time to be sensitive. Before the next event, I'll tell them in advance that you're my date. It doesn't mean that we'll be sitting together or much of anything-"
Hermione danced past, and in a beautifully coordinated move with Ron, she swept in and claimed Harry as her new partner, while Ron took a struggling Ginny.
"Hi," she said brightly, "you looked like you needed rescuing."
Harry let a small breath out in relief. "Thanks. Honestly, your timing was perfect. So," he looked at the partially empty dance floor as the music picked up its pace, "want to dance?" Hermione's smile grew, and their link widened to provide physical feedback.
They danced flawlessly and effortlessly across the floor. Their forcefulness drew the approving eyes of the room, and his admiration for Hermione grew.
"They're gawking at us again," he announced playfully as he spun Hermione and pulled her close.
"They should," she answered, turning her nose up. "Quality like this is hard to find."
"Thanks to you," he laughed, spinning them in a new direction. When the dances ended, Harry kissed Hermione on the cheek, and the two started back towards the tables. Before they could even leave the dance floor, Ginny bore down on them, a burning rage in her eyes, with a frustrated Ron trying to pull her back.
"You bitch!" she roared, to the general shock of the gathering. "You complete and utter whore!"
"What the-"
But Ginny would not talk; she threw Ron off and hurled curses at Hermione as fast as she could. Hermione dipped low, ducking the first curse and drawing her wand. Harry pulled his own, idly countering a hex that flew too near to him. He felt Hermione urge him to wait as she countered three stunners and sent one of her own, purposely to the left of Ginny. Harry felt her smirk through the link as Ginny spun predictably and launched her signature Bat Bogey Hex.
Hermione's aura flared to life around Harry; with a casual flick of Hermione's wand for show, the hex stopped mid-air and reversed direction, slamming into the unprepared Ginny. Two quick spells later, Ginny was secured tightly with ropes, hanging upside down by her ankle, defenceless against her own hex.
"Enough please," Harry said, placing his had on Hermione's wand arm. Hermione disarmed the incapacitated witch, ending the duel, and Harry felt a wave of satisfaction radiate from the link. Harry moved quickly towards Ginny, seeing reporters already taking pictures. Harry quickly released Ginny and countered the hex. Another wave cleared the mess from her reddened face. "We're going to be a few minutes," he said loudly as helped a whimpering Ginny to her feet.
"Move," he barked. "We need to talk, now." Without waiting for Ginny's response, he grabbed the distraught redhead by the arm, dragging her outside. He moved her quickly through the building until he reached the Apparition point at the entrance to the French Ministry. Jerking painfully on Ginny's arm, he Apparated them both to the Burrow.
"I have had enough!" he screamed, shoving Ginny away from him as soon as they appeared. "I am sick of your jealousy and your temper! I am sick of seeing Hermione attacked by you, and that is the second time you've thrown hexes at me this year! Do you and your brother get off on cursing me?"
"Harry-"
"NO! This isn't going to work like that! I'm done with all this! I warned you about Hermione already! Do you respect me at all?"
"Harry, listen to me!"
"You just embarrassed me, Hermione, and your entire family! The Delacours might never be able to invite you again, and you did it because you couldn't give two shits about anything but your own feelings!"
"You- You should have-!"
"-Stayed with you," Harry mocked viciously. "Completely ignored both Ministers, the people who invited me, and sit with you."
"You could have at least tried to include me!"
"The same effort that you showed me?"
"What do you mean?"
"I intentionally asked you to come with me, remember?" Harry stepped towards Ginny as he spoke. "You said no. You wouldn't trust me and support me enough to show up when I asked you. Do you remember what happened? Your mother didn't want you to travel.
"Mum thought-"
"I AM NOT GOING OUT WITH YOUR MOTHER!" he bellowed, making Ginny take several steps away from him. Harry stood there for a moment, breathing heavily; both recovered quickly. One had a look of anger, and one felt resigned.
"Just because you think that-"
"You know what, Ginny?" Harry said, stepping back to her, and cutting her off. "I'm not going out with you, either."
"What?" Ginny's eyes widened, and her face, flushed red with anger, quickly paled. "Harry, no…"
"I love you," he said holding her at the shoulders. "I love you, but I'm done with this. We haven't been happy since school started, and I need so much more that you're willing to give."
"NO!" Ginny crashed into Harry's chest, crushing his ribs in a desperate embrace. "NO, NO! You can't! Please don't! I love you, Harry! Don't leave, please!"
"I do love you," he said, trying to calm Ginny's hysterics. "But this isn't right, though. It's not working." Ginny wailed in his arms, and Harry slowly lowered them to the ground as her knees gave out, tucking Ginny's head above his shoulder.
"No," she sobbed. "Y-You can't leave. I don't want to l-lose you."
"I'm not going to disappear," he soothed, stroking her hair and back. "I'll never be far away."
"B-but you're b-breaking up with m-me," she stuttered, "a-and I don't w-want that. I've t-tried to make you happy."
"And it isn't working," Harry picked up, "and I keep hurting you. I'm tired of hurting you, and I'm tired of being hurt. Aren't you?" Ginny's breathing began to ease, and her sobs became sniffles against his shoulder.
"But I'm not tired of you, Harry. I want you to be a part of my life."
"I will be," he assured her. "I'm not going to leave and never see you again. You'll see me again tomorrow, and every day afterward. You'll have your dream, Ginny; you'll have me and your family laughing together at the Burrow."
"But… but not with me."
"I told you before you treated me like your brothers," Harry said, still rubbing her back. "You can still do that, Ginny. I promise you that you'll be happy."
"You'll… be with Hermione, then," Ginny stated, pulling back to look at Harry directly. Harry reached up to wipe the tears away from her bloodshot eyes, and pulled her back to him.
"I'm not going to jump at Hermione," he said. "If it happens, it happens, and you'll know right away. But I want my friend back, Ginny; Hermione wants her friend back. She cried when you shouted at her about Ron, she was so upset. We all deserve to be happy again, and right now, we're not."
"I don't want things to change," Ginny said with a sniff. "I… I'm scared."
Harry kissed her chastely on the lips. "I'll always be here. The only difference is snogging, and I think you can live with that." She snorted at his comment, and put her head back down on Harry's shoulder. Her breathing was steady now, and Harry relaxed his embrace.
"I'm really, really sorry," she said as she pulled away, wiping her eyes and face. "I know I've messed up; I hope everyone's alright. Oh, Harry…"
"You're forgiven," he said. "You're forgiven for everything. Will you forgive me? For hurting you?"
"You haven't- yes," she said, an understanding dawning in her eyes. "You're forgiven Harry."
"Thank you." Harry walked Ginny into the house and up to her room, gently laying her on the bed. "Rest," he said warmly. "We'll deal with the backlash later. Hopefully, it'll all blow over quickly, and we can laugh about it later. You won't lose me; I'll be there for you tomorrow, as your friend." He reached down and hugged her tightly, and Ginny's arms pulled him close.
"Goodnight," he said, giving her one last kiss. "I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow."
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Harry reappeared at the French Ministry, quickly moving to find Hermione "Everything's fine," he told the officials and reporters who approached him. "Ginny Weasley is at home resting. She'll be fine tomorrow, and she offers her sincerest apologies for tonight's disruption. The argument is family business, and I'd appreciate it if you afforded us our privacy on that matter. Thank you for your concern."
Hermione walked up to him as soon as he entered the room, her eyes watery. She hugged him unabashedly, trying desperately not to cry. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I can't believe it came to that, even if it was obvious. It was so… intense."
"Well, that's Ginny," Harry joked. With a practiced wave of his wand, Harry cleaned Hermione's face. "Come on, the night's not over yet. Big smiles for the press, keep your poker face up."
"Mate?" Ron came up beside him while Hermione fixed her makeup. "What happened?"
"We fought, and we broke up," Harry said, squeezing Ron's shoulder. "We shouted, we cried, we apologised, and then I put her to bed and came back here. She's resting now; she'll be alright."
"What about you?" Harry was touched by the sincerity in Ron's question. It had only been a month, but it was still amazing to see the concern in Ron's eyes.
"I'll get there," Harry assured him. "Tonight, I'm going to drink, dance, play politician, and tomorrow, we'll see."
"As long as you're alright." Ron clapped him on the shoulder, before turning to go. "I'm going to disappear for a bit, and see that Ginny's okay. Something tells me she could use a brother right now." Harry smiled and waved his friend off, watching as he walked away.
"I wish we'd caught this sooner," he sighed. "I missed this Ron."
"I know," Hermione agreed. "There are so many things I wish I had done differently, this most of all."
"None of that," Harry chided. "It's fixed, it's over, and life goes on."
"Alright; no moping." Hermione looked up hopefully. "Ready to dance again?"
"Yes," he laughed, "let's dance."
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Harry absently shut the portrait to their dorm and slumped into the couch, shedding the outer layers of his dress robes like an unwanted skin. Hermione dropped into the seat beside him, loosening the various straps and ties on her dress, and curled against his shoulder.
"The press is going to have a field day with this," he sighed. "At least the rest of the night went well." Hermione nodded, her fingers trailing into Harry's hair.
"Harry, what happens now?" Harry turned to look at her, tilting his head questioningly.
"What are we?" Hermione clarified. "We're so close now, and I know that if you hadn't been dating Ginny, we'd be together. You've been so wonderful to me, and I can't tell you how often I think of that image of us together as a family. Is that something you want?"
"Absolutely," he replied, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "I want to give it a shot, but I want to move slowly. We're already close; hell, we sleep together. I really don't think that there's much more for us to do; it's going to take care of itself. Besides, I don't want to antagonize the Weasleys by jumping straight into another relationship."
"Is that really a reason to wait?"
"Is Ginny's friendship something you want?" Hermione closed her eyes; after a moment, she nodded.
"Then it is," Harry concluded. "We're not 'waiting,' really. I'm right here, you're in my head, and we sleep, eat, work and hang out together. I don't think there's twenty minutes that passes in this dorm that we aren't touching each other is some way, and now it'll probably be more often than that. All we're not doing is giving a big public display that we're dating. And to be honest, I want some time away from being intimate with anyone. I'm used to being able to hold and touch Ginny, and I need to wrap my head around not doing that anymore before we start anything."
"But soon…?"
"Soon. It's our turn now. I want you to be mine. I want to be able to say 'yes, that's my woman, and she's damned amazing.'"
"I think I've always been yours," she said lovingly. "For quite a while, anyways. I think I just didn't want to accept it until this summer."
"I wasn't ready, either. But we have all the time in the world, so we'll take this one step at a time." Leaning into Hermione Harry gently touched her cheek, slowly closing the small distance between them.
"Are you mine, Harry?" Hermione asked, their lips touching, her breath hot against his face.
"Always," he vowed, pressing his lips against hers. Hermione pressed back, and they quickly deepened the kiss, feeling complete for the first time in months.
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Breakfast was already in progress as Harry and Hermione walked into the Great Hall. Shocked whispers and muted laughter circulated as students pointed at the front page of the newspaper, occasionally looking at Ginny, or the Heads. Luna, Ron, and several other seventh years formed a protective ring around Ginny at the Gryffindor table, shielding her from the other students.
"Feeling better this morning?" Harry asked as he passed her, loud enough for the rest of the students to hear.
"A little," she mumbled, looking determinedly at her breakfast.
"Good." Harry dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and carried on towards the Head Table. The laughter and whispers died off a little at Harry's display of affection. From the corner of his eye, he though he could see a ghost of a smile on Ginny's face.
"Everything alright?" asked Hermione as Harry caught up to her.
"I think so," he replied. "As good as it can be, anyways." They quickly sat and began to fill their plates, pausing as Hermione gathered her paper from the waiting owl.
"Oh God," she breathed as she opened the paper. Harry leaned over her shoulder to read. A large picture showed Ginny floating upside down, bound in ropes, with flying gobs of mucus attacking her face. The crowd looked on with shocked faces from the background, and Harry could see his two-dimensional self pushing Hermione's wand down; Hermione had a satisfied smile on her face while she watched Ginny. A moment later, Harry walked over to break the spells, and the picture started over, Hermione reversing Ginny's hex and trussing her up again, while the crowd gaped.
"That's pretty bad," Harry said, skimming through the article. "Well, it can only get better from here."
Hermione smiled and took his hand under the table. "It will," she said confidently. "We'll be fine." Harry couldn't help but grin and agree.
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A/N: Review!