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SIYE Time:18:19 on 28th March 2024
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The Eyes Have It!
By Spenser Hemmingway

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Category: Alternate Universe, Night Time Challenge (2010-6), Night Time Challenge (2010-6)
Characters:All
Genres: Comedy, Fluff, Romance
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 6
Summary: Close your eyes. What do you see? Perhaps you’re witnessing yet another adventure unfolding before you—one where Ginny…Harry…everyone receives a wonderful gift or two. The multiverse is full of wonders to be seen, of lessons in how to do so, and, perhaps, a bit of fun to be had in the process.
Hitcount: Story Total: 3855



Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
Once again, this is a story from Spenser’s alternative universe. I had written far too many stories already when Book Seven was released to go back and alter everything to canon. Therefore it is the genre in which I now write. In a way, this is a follow-on to an earlier story, Tempus Fugit, which included Ginny’s aging curse referenced here. My apologies and thanks to Miss Evanna Lynch and Mr. Magoo (the late Jim Baccus’ and Leslie Nielsen’s character) for my use of their names. Thank you very much for reading—Eric B.




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The Eyes Have It!

By Spenser Hemmingway


“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind; and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”--William Shakespeare



“Mum, why aren’t you listening to me? I will not wear glasses! I do not need glasses!

“Uhm Evie, I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but you’re shouting at your family’s coat rack.”

“Huh? I…that is…of course I know that Aunt Luni.”

The fifteen-year old girl, and her mother Lily before her, were the only other people in the world I would allow to utilize my affection nickname for my favorite Witch. In fact, my niece had been named for the nice young actress who had portrayed Luna in the Muggle films.

“I was just…testing you Mum.”

“That’s Uncle Spenser in front of you now Evanna,” Lily told her, in a surprisingly calm voice, considering the louder one of the teenager. “Aunt Luna and I are standing behind you.”

The girl spun around so fast, I thought she would surely fall down right at the women’s feet. The outstretched hands added to the effect. Evie craned her neck, squinted her eyes as if staring into the sun, not just across the flat’s parlor. The girl’s restricted gaze went back and forth between Lily and Luna, unable to decide which was which. The mother was making her point without a word–that would have given herself away. Still, it was only a fifty-fifty decision for Evie, and this time she guessed correctly.

“Mum…I can’t… He’ll…he’ll…”

The kid was choking on her words; the sobs being far louder now than anything she could manage to say. Stepping around, I could see Evie’s eyes were wide, red, puffy, and extremely teary. That couldn’t be helping her vision.

“Oh Mum!”

Evie threw herself into her mother’s arms. Lily had been wise enough to step forward to ensure the girl’s success. Evie’s eyes scrunched shut–I saw the relief when her choice of fuzzy figures before her was confirmed. She needed a couple minutes of hug time with her mother, and Luna’s pull at my sleeve told me it was time for us to step into the kitchen.

Harry and Ginny’s daughter had married a wonderful, good natured young man named Simeon Topper who operated a very successful haberdashery in Diagon Alley with his father and much younger brother. Evanna Valerie–Evie was from her initials as much as it was from shortening her first name–was their only child and the center of Lily and Simeon’s universe.

When their daughter’s vision had begun to fail at twelve, it had almost broken their hearts. Naturally, the Healers had been consulted, and assured all three Toppers that, while her sight would progressively get worse with time, a simple regimen of eye drops (Muggle and Magic) could easily alleviate any problems. They were all wrong.

“It’s really bad now isn’t it Luna?” I asked then.

“Yes…yes, it is Spenser.” Luna paused just long enough to fill the kettle, to light the stovetop, and to retrieve the tea from the cupboard. Adopted family or not, we were often-enough visitors to the Topper apartment to know where everything was kept. “It is also very complicated now. You see…Evie has fallen in love with a very nice young man at school, and he with her.”

“Ah…I see, and Evanna’s scared that he’ll bolt if he finds out she can’t without glasses. Anyone I might be teaching? Also, does he know Simeon owns a shotgun?” Fortunately, Luna ignored my second question. She pulled down four teacups and came to join me at the table.

“His name is Hannibal Ernstwyle; his family is from Cornwall; his father is a senior partner at the law firm where Percy Weasley works; he has red hair like all the Weasleys, a wonderful smile, and yes, he has already kissed Evie, but don’t tell Simeon.”

“He already knows Luna.” Lily was standing in the kitchen doorway with her hand in Evie’s. The girl was now wearing what I recognized was an older pair of glasses belonging to her mother. She led her daughter to the table where each took a chair. “Family tradition was evoked. Just as Mum and Dad did; just as Simeon and I did; it was in the crowded Gryffindor Common Room.”

“It was under the mistletoe just before we left school for Christmas…” Evanna’s voice faded off there. She had stopped crying but would start again at the drop of a hat (no, I wasn’t wearing one) or the wrong word. My young niece was in pain, and not just with her swollen eyes.

“Kiddo, I know this boy. He’s one of the best students in my sixth year Muggle Studies group. He does well in all his classes I understand. I’ve never really carried on much of a conversation with him, but I still think Aunt Luna’s right–he is a nice young man.” I paused and took a deep breath when I saw Evie’s lip quiver for just a second. Regardless, I needed to risk one more comment. “You know, your Grandpa Harry has worn glasses since he was a baby, and Grandma Ginny was about the same age when she fell in love with him–never really thought twice about the things. Your mom has had them since she was what…five? How old were you when Simeon did the kiss? Oh right…fifteen. Never has said anything about the glasses has he Lil?”

The woman looked away, but, when she rose to fetch the hot water, I could see she was grinning. “I hated the blasted things until that afternoon in the Tower.” I saw the slightest of smiles on Evanna’s face, but then it was gone, and her chin dropped. “Evie?” Lily passed the kettle off to Luna, sat again, and took the girl’s hand.

“Mum, I know wearing glasses doesn’t matter…it shouldn’t matter, but…I just don’t feel that way. Mum, the Muggles…the Muggles have that eye surgery with the lights. Couldn’t we…”

“Evanna, Dr. Bombay says none of our conditions can be helped with the laser procedures. Grandpa and I have been to more than a few doctors over the years–-to more than a few Magic Healers as well.”

“That has to be it Mum! Aunt Hermione could find the spell to help me…all of it! She’s always finding old, lost, or undiscovered spells and potions!”

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Nothing works. The Healers have tried everything–longhorn runes, applications of schivnik liver oils, Navaho shaman steam wraps, shots of Beefeater gin. Hmm…Mad-Eye Moody recommended that one. We’ve bathed your eyes in fresh Mooshi Root Potion, and that’s almost powerful enough to even bring a ghost back to...” Lily stopped herself when Evie began to cry again.

“No. No!” Evie somehow stuttered. “No, Aunt Hermione will help me. I know she can! She’ll find the right Potion! She has to find a way! Mum, I love Dad and Grandmum. They are such special people…but Hannibal, if he sees me wearing glasses, I’ll lose… Uhm…Uncle Spenser?”

I was doing something just then that drew a concerned look from Lily, a scared yet puzzled one from Evie, and a jab in the ribs from Luna. I was laughing. I was laughing long and hard at an old, old memory. Although she very rarely got angry with me about anything, when Luni’s and my eyes locked then, hers were shooting daggers. That can be very dangerous, in a literal sense, when dealing with a Witch. A moment later, however, those same eyes went wide when she remembered the occasion as well. Then came her giggling.

Evanna stopped crying at this strange sight. Mother and daughter were staring at us the way people do whenever Luna tries to explain the feeding habits of those cannibalistic purple-finned dust bunnies. If Lily and Evie hadn’t been family, they would surely have thought us to be crazy…uhm…crazier. It took me several seconds, but I was finally able to speak again.

“Actually, Aunt Hermione did discover a potion recipe for improving vision, and it was… Uhm, I’ve never told this story before. Luna and I have never written it down either. It’s a tad bit personal, but, under the circumstances, I think the others would insist upon your hearing it.” I really had both their attention now. Evie was much calmer as well. I knew they had never heard about what was coming next.

“Let me preface this a bit by reminding you of how there are infinite possibilities, with infinite corresponding realities out there. Our universe is very special Evie, and for a number of great reasons. For one thing, a few us, who were fortunate enough to be close to your grandparents in the final years of the war, were completely aware of the mutiverse and its possibilities.” I stopped for a second to bite my cheek. “For another, I’m here, only in this version, and I got the girl instead of that creepy Rolf Scamander dude.” Luni elbowed me again, but softly, and all three girls were giggling. “Most importantly, however, is that we could learn, and grow, and be influenced by those other possibilities we would peek in on sometimes. We did things very differently, for example, than in the seventh volume of Harry’s biography.


*****


Early November 1997



It was the second month of school at Hogwarts. Ginny and Luna were enjoying their sixth year in the castle. It was my first there–-my earlier academic time having been spent at Oregon’s Canemah Academy. Harry, Ginny, and Ron were searching for Horcruxes, living in a tent somewhere. Buzz! Sorry, wrong answer! Would you like to try ancient Freedonian folk music for two hundred?

In reality…in our reality…on this particular Saturday morning our hero was engaged the most dire of conflicts, that of man against…

“Quidditch Snitches are notorious for their unpredictability, but rarely have I seen such erratic movement in one! Three times the golden ball has been within reach of the Gryffindor Seeker, only to dart hard to the left or right. Is it any wonder that Potter was dismissed from his team captaincy by his house in favor of his teammate Ginny Weasley? It is further reported that she was instrumental in the removal of her own brother from the Keeper position this season.”

Reported? He should be reporting all the rumors he’s making up. Stupid Hufflepuff substitute! Who decided to let him announce this! Harry fumed as he hugged his Firebolt, hoping to cut his drag as he flew into the driving wind and cold rain. Rolling back and forth on the broom seemed to improve his maneuverability, but speed couldn’t be brought to bear in such a storm. Ron left the team to help me find the Horcruxes, and they’re why I arranged for Ginny to replace me as captain. Stupid Hufflepuff!

This was to be Harry’s only organized match. He was only helping cover for the new Chaser who was surrendering his tonsils to Madame Pomfrey that day. Ginny would take the other girl’s place for the match, and Harry hers as temporary Seeker. She had asked him if he could at least help with some practices as well, but he had had to turn her down. Certain warnings…certain advice…from certain individuals had convinced him of the need to return to Hogwarts that year with its wonderful resources, but studies left little time for anything else other than their clandestine off-campus artifact searches. Besides which, the only secret greater than the Horcruxes was how Harry was still quietly seeing Ginny. They had to keep their distance in public.

“There it goes again, within inches of Harry Potter’s face. He’s completely oblivious to the Snitch. My how the mighty have fallen! Ravenclaw has the Quaffle…goes for the goal, and… Negative! Negative!! Bailey, Gryffindor third-year blocks!”

Outstanding! George Bailey’s a great kid. I wonder why he keeps grinning and calling me Old Man Potter whenever we run into each other. Harry had other more important things to consider just then. How could he not have seen the Snitch if it had been as close as the pitch broadcast indicated?

No, that wasn’t fair. He might not like the announcer, but the guy was correct about one important thing. Harry was playing like a first-year Slytherin. He couldn’t find the Snitch. Harry couldn’t see the Snitch, or much of anything else for that matter. Normal glasses had years before been replaced with match goggles with prescription lens, but it didn’t matter. He was experienced with rain, fog, snow, heavy winds, and annoying Dementors. The problem was the freezing rain. Except for lightning, it was the only weather condition which could postpone a Quidditch game…if detected before its onset. Once a match had begun, Voldemort himself arriving wouldn’t stop the contest.

As this type of rain comes in contact with anything, especially so high in the air, it will instantly freeze…to the brooms, to their robes, to the balls and bats, and, unfortunately, to the special glasses Harry needed to see. With each passing moment, it became harder and harder to make anything out, and the wind didn’t help. It was as if he was trying to read fine print through a stained-glass window while riding a bucking bronco. I’m blind with or without these blasted things! he realized. I have to get to the ground now before I…

Wham!


The decision came too late. Harry couldn’t tell if he’d hit someone or something, or if he’d been the one struck. A falling sensation washed over him. The last thing he remembered before blacking out from the pain was Ginny’s voice calling out his name. He was gone before he could decide if it was real.


*****



“He has to listen to us now Ron! We have to make him!”

“I know we do Hermione.”

“I mean it Ron! Harry came close to being killed out there today.”

“You’re preaching to the choir Hermione. Bloody… Now we need to wait for the staircase to swing back.”

“Will you listen to me for two seconds Ron…please? I was doing some studying, I mean shortly after we came back, and I found this obscure potion in the library for lack of vision. It was on the one shelf between the bartending guides and the bovine grooming manuals.”

“Here are the stairs again.” Hermione didn’t seem to hear him as Ron guided her onto the momentarily unmoving steps. “I was with you when you found the potion. You remember. I was the one carrying those forty or fifty books of yours; walking as blind Harry does without those glasses. It’s a brilliant idea you’ve got.”

“For the love of all that’s… Wait, what did you just say?”

“I said it is a wonderful, brilliant, long-overdue idea. You’re actually listening to me for once? Whoa, be still my heart.” Hermione pretended to punch her boyfriend in the stomach, and Ron in turn reacted with mock pain. “Two questions though: will your soup mix work, and how do we convince Harry to drink it?”

“Oh, I’m certain I can make it effective…well, mostly sure…somewhat…it’s worth a shot in the dark. As for the second, that will be easy.”

“You think so? Here we are–Madame Pomfrey’s House of Pain. Crikey, we sure seem to spend a lot of time here. Now why do you think we can convince him today when we’ve never had that luck before?”

In lieu of an immediate reply, Hermione opened the Infirmary door and motioned Ron inside. There, from across the room his question was answered. Ron’s little sister sat beside Harry’s bed, holding the Wizard’s hand, and trying her best not to cry. Their relationship was meant to be quiet if not downright underground in order to protect Ginny from his enemies. For a few minutes, neither seemed to care…but only for those few. Seeing Ron and Hermione finally, Ginny stood, gave the room a quick scan before gently kissing Harry’s bruised cheek, and then walked out past the two, offering them just a quick, sad smile.

“Ginny was there with Harry when he woke a bit ago. She was the one who pulled him to her broom after he slammed into the goal posts…saved Harry’s life at the last second. That, and being team captain; it was enough of a plausible excuse to come see him. Harry and Ginny’s secret is safe.” Ron hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath waiting for those words.

“How is he Hermione?” he asked. The two started walking toward Harry, who gave them a sleepy but sincere grin.

“He has a broken left arm, leg, and three ribs on that side. The right hip was dislocated, and Harry has a concussion. His Quidditch glasses were smashed as well.” They were at Harry’s bedside now, but Hermione continued to speak as if he wasn’t there. “No one else on the team had an accident.”

“No one else on the team has to wear glasses you mean?” Harry countered in an extremely quiet voice. Hermione felt a twinge of guilt, but she knew how important it was to press her case. Harry did it for her. “I was blind as a bat, and I put Ginny in danger with her rescue.” He closed his eyes for maybe ten seconds before continuing. “What’s to stop Voldemort…anyone from hurting me, or someone I love by pressing this weakness of mine? Do…what you can for me with your potion Hermione, but…see if you can come up…with a backup or two as well if you don’t mind…just in case…it doesn’t...” Harry was out before he could finish. The sleeping draught he’d been given had kicked in.

“Come on Ron. We have your Transfiguration essay to review, but then we need to get started with repairing Harry’s eyes.”

“Lunch first please.” Hermione swatted him yet again, but then kissed his cheek…yet again. “I suppose I should ask. What’s this potion you found going to taste like?”

“Uhm…as I recall, from my quick perusal of the recipe, it should be quite tasty for once.”


*****


Ear ly January 1998



“Bleck Hermione! Can’t anyone ever develop a potion that tastes even half good?” Harry moaned. He was holding his upset stomach even as he returned the glass to the Common Room table. “This attempt number six is a step down. It tastes like burnt pine needles. At least number five had a slight chocolaty aftertaste to its fermented road kill flavor. No offence.”

“Uhm, none taken Harry…I think. Now, let me remove your glasses to… Oh right. I always forget. Only you…”

“…and Ginny,” Ron cut in. “Why was it you included her again?”

“…and Ginny may remove your glasses while you’re conscious–-your anti-Accio protection. No lens scratching, no breaking, no fog or ice, and they even have ultraviolet filtering. Now Harry will you please take off those Buck Rogers spectacles, so we can see if the…glop worked this time?”

“Who’s Buck Rogers?”

“Harry’s eye doctor Ron,” I lied.

I was an ardent supporter of Hermione’s work, but she wasn’t one of me in those days–one step away from hating my guts to be honest. The dear girl was just enough of a showoff to allow me to see the test runs though. She disliked me just enough to somehow blame me for the failures each time as well. Someday, I’ll tell people how we moved on to become such close friends…family. It wasn’t that particular day in the Tower however.

“All right now Harry, if you will just keep your eyes closed for a moment longer. Wait, and…that should be good I believe. Now slowly, slowly open them just a tad…further…and good.” Hermione moved her gaze back and forth, studying the pupils, but not at all sure what to look for. “Has your vision improved Harry?”

“I’m not sure. No, that’s not right. I’m sorry Hermione; I mean they’re still not fixed. I know how hard you’re working and all. I do appreciate the effort.” Harry’s voice echoed resignation…and something else.

“Hey, maybe his sight has been restored, and the potion makes the whole world actually fuzzy.” Hermione did not appreciate the joke. Wait for it. Wait for it.

“Spenser this is all your fault!” There it was. “How could I expect to concentrate on the potion with all your tomfoolery constantly at hand? You’re…you’re a distraction!”

“That’s not fair Hermione,” Ron told her, coming to my defense. “Between the Christmas lockdown, our wild Horcr…uhm, goose chase New Year’s Eve, and Ginny being poisoned like that, you’ve had enough distractions without him. You just need to take a step back girl. You’re doing everything right.”

“Hermione, I have faith in you. You will mend my eyes.” Harry rose, and I knew where he was going.

“Thank you for saying that Harry. All the omens are favorable,” she announced in a proud voice, but barely audibly she added, “We are therefore doomed.”

“What was that? I didn’t quite hear what you said.” Ron was the only one who hadn’t apparently, since Harry offered her a supportive smile.

“Spenser, I will apologize for what I said…this time. Your assistance in acquiring and preparing the potion ingredients was, in actuality, very adequate.” Without another word, Hermione retrieved her books from the table, and moved off to the girls’ stairwell.

“Wow, an apology for you Spense! I have to say, that it’s the last thing I expected here today. Crikey, if she fails with the thing again, she might just hug you.” Ron wasn’t smiling, which told me Hermione was taking the project more seriously than anyone (but he) thought. “I’d better go see to her cauldron. She’ll want to start again tonight.”

It was his turn to move toward the staircase–-the boys’ that is. Harry and I waited until Ron had disappeared at the top before heading for, and then out of, the Tower’s portal. We were to meet Luna at the infirmary at one o’clock sharp.

The poisoning Ginny had received, the one Ron mentioned, just days before New Years, was actually an effect associated with an ancient relic called the Samhain Glass–an oversize, cursed hourglass to be exact. The contraption was utilized to cause Ginny to age dramatically over a short period of time. In destroying the confounded thing, we had broken the spell, allowing Ginny to revert to sixteen again. Unfortunately, we hadn’t disposed of another Horcrux as we’d hoped. Further unfortunate were Ginny’s repeated stays with the school Healer with residual symptoms. It worried Harry enough to where, secret relationship or not, he was going escort Ginny back to the Tower that afternoon.

We were to the first stairwell before I felt comfortable enough to speak. “It’s been ten minutes Harry–any change?”

“Yeah, and I’m going to need some stomach medicine from Madame Pomfrey to deal with it. Hermione is a great friend, but I think she’s trying to kill me in trying to cure me.”

“That’s just it isn’t it Harry. Oh, hey there’s Seamus across the way.”

“Isn’t that Esmeralda Somethingrather with him?”

“You don’t know her name Harry?”

“No, Somethingrather is their name. Her little brother Liam Somethingrather was sorted to Ravenclaw this year. Hmm…she cut her hair.” We waved to the couple, but they were too far off, and walking too quickly, to notice us. “Now, what were you saying?”

“What I was saying is, as far as you’re concerned, Hermione doesn’t need to cure you. You’re not diseased. What’s more, you just demonstrated how you can see extremely well even at a distance. With all the safety modifications to the glasses, and the ones being done now to your Quidditch goggles, you’re perfectly happy wearing them, aren’t you? You even… Hoo boy!”

Harry and I stopped, and we locked eyes for just a moment. I knew the truth. I was certain of it. What’s more, Harry knew I knew. We started off again and reached the final set of stairs before he spoke again.

“I know you’ve seen my parents’ photograph on my nightstand.”

“I have Harry. Remus is right; you do have your mother’s eyes, if not her eyesight.” I got Harry to smile again at that. “Otherwise, you look remarkably similar to your father. Any coincidence with how you both have the same style of glasses’ frames? I didn’t think so. Your dad wore them, so you’ll wear them. You won’t cut that tie.”

“No, I won’t.”

“So, what about your two best friends’ efforts on your behalf?”

“Ron knows how I feel now. He didn’t agree at first, but well…he’s uhm…sabotaging things a bit for me. I just wish he could make the stuff taste better somehow. I’m hoping Hermione will give it up soon. Now, speaking of best friends as we are, anything new about this mysterious, secret boyfriend that Luna has acquired?”

“I have no idea who he is, but if he breaks her heart, I’m going to feed him into a Muggle paper shredder, and then I’m going to hurt him. I don’t like how she allows him to call her Loony.”

“You do.”

“It’s in a different context with me. It’s like Ginny for Ginevra, or… Okay, when are you going to tell us if Harry is for Henry or Harold?”

“I…honestly don’t know. No one seems to know, even Remus. As soon as I find out, I promise that you’ll be the second to know after Ginny. You’ll need it for one of your stories no doubt.” We both laughed at that.

“No Harry, I have absolutely no idea who Luna’s sweet on–not a clue.” For some reason Harry snorted just then.

“Talk about being absolutely blind!” I thought I heard him mumble.

“What was that Harry?”

“Oh, I…uhm…said ‘Tacos would be absolutely divine.’ I’m suddenly hungry for some–or perhaps a bowl of chili? I imagine I’d have to arm wrestle Ron for a batch.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but his suggestion did sound delicious. “Harry, chili is always worth fighting over.”

Turning into the final corridor leading up to the infirmary, we saw Luna there deep in conversation with the headmistress. Luni had been invaluable for Harry and Ginny over the past few days. With Hermione so occupied with the potion (among everything else), Luna had taken it upon herself to carry Ginny notes from Harry, as well as changes of clothes, books, toiletries, and such from the dormitory. Luna was one of only three non-Gryffindor students permitted the great and highly unusual honor of entry into the house. Not everyone liked this privilege, but no one could dispute how she’d earned it.

The two stopped talking at the sound of our steps, but both blinked in relief when they saw it was us. Luni ran up and gave me a quick hug and a nice smile, but Professor McGonagall’s face displayed only concern. Unlike other realities, in ours a tiny group of people knew about the Horcrux search. The professor was one of them, having been told in a letter by the late Albus Dumbledore. Harry had agreed to her request to return to Hogwarts for his seventh year. McGonagall had agreed to his demand that we be allowed to occasionally leave the castle for our hunt. It was an uneasy contract, and she never appeared at ease with it, but today I felt it was something completely different bothering her.

“I had hoped Miss Weasley’s brother would accompany you to escort his sister to our Tower.” The headmistress was looking me over, yet again trying to make up her mind about this odd American exchange student. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I doubt that anything I ever say to you is long omitted from the conversations you have with Miss Granger and him.” She offered us a slight smile then, and we relaxed a bit. Luna flashed a bigger one, and then slipped inside, probably to join Ginny.

“Mr. Potter…Harry…it is a safe assumption that you have extremely strong feelings for young Ginny. I must compliment you on your incredible discretion as well.” The woman then turned to me, cocked her head, and issued me an impish grin…or the closest she could render. “I understand that you have a similar relationship with Miss Lovegood young man.”

“Huh? What? No, no, no…she’s my best friend and all, but that’s it. She has some secret boyfriend running around here, and no one will tell me who he is.”

McGonagall just stared at me with her mouth slightly open. It was a little annoying in fact. Then stepping up to Harry, she muttered something along the lines of “Surely he isn’t that blind?”

“What was that Professor? Chili would be just fine?” That had to be what she said. “Harry and I were just talking about digging up some of that. Thank you!”

Her mouth was really open now, and the eyes just as wipe. It was several moments before she again spoke.

“Yes…well, I’ve been in conference with Madame Pomfrey this hour. Miss Weasley has responded very well to the treatments for the residual effects of the curse, but we both agreed that the girl needs some time away from the stress and responsibilities associated with our school.” As well as from your Horcrux hunt she didn’t add. “We have agreed to a three-day furlough for her, for you Harry, and for whomever you feel you need to ensure her comfort and security.”

“Professor, I do have a few concerns,” Harry admitted to her. The woman nodded in understanding.

“Your absence will be explained as a short quarantine for some nasty, undisclosed ailment. Madame Pomfrey will provide you with her medications and specific instructions for her treatment. Yes, I have notified her father about what we intend to do. He has chosen to withhold her condition from Molly for now after seeing the toll Bill Weasley’s convalescence took on her last spring. Naturally this eliminates their home as a possible rest site.”

“Too bad–Mrs. Weasley’s pies would have cured her on the spot.” Harry grinned and nodded at my comment, but our attention instantly went back to the professor.

“I don’t believe Grimmauld Place should be utilized either unless absolutely necessary. The security risk from Professor Snape’s departure is far too serious at this point. The house would have to be a last resort. I have an idea, if my friend will allow me to impose upon his generous nature. I haven’t spoken to him since…” She wasn’t able to finish.

The door opened just then, and Ginny emerged, making use of a cane, and with Luna…all of us then…ready to grab her if she went down. While no longer a hundred and ten years old, the girl looked as tired as if she still was. The red hair was back (except for two or three grays at most), she now stood fairly erect, had none of the wrinkles from earlier (apart from under eyes), and her once pale complexion was again littered with countless freckles. The girl was so thin though that it scared me–her skin was almost shrunken. Harry seemed to know these last traces would quickly disappear with a few days rest however, and he gave her his best smile. The only concern he really had was with how she was squinting back at him, much the way he would without his glasses. I thought it a good time to divert his attention for a minute or two.

“What a…nice robe you have there, Ginny,” I told her.

“Thank you–Luna found it for me. It’s actually a coat.” The thing was ankle-length, knitted of some kind of thick animal hair, and heavily spotted, but naturally, not dyed. “Tell me Harry, do you think this outfit makes me look at all like a tusked Peruvian Maliquan llama?”

“Absolutely,” Harry replied with a straight face. “What exactly is a…?”

“You’ll have to ask Luna.” Sniff, sniff. “However, I think this one was well overdue for a bath when it was sheared,” Ginny softly added.


*****



“Boyfriend?” Ron, Hermione, and I shouted together.

“Mr. Needles, are you trying to tell us that our Professor McGonagall and Lord Magoo were once romantically involved?” Hermione asked for all of us. “Oh, excuse me. I’ll see you and raise you.” Four matches were thrown into the poker pot.

“Crikey! That’s just weird thinking about her all hot and heavy. I’ll call.” Ron gave us a tweaked face as he spoke and studied his cards.

“Well, I’d hardly describe them as that young man. I’ve been this castle’s caretaker for near on fifty years, as were my father, grandfather and great grandfather, and so on, before me. I’ve known Mr. Quincy and Miss Minerva since we were small children playing here together. To say they were fond of each other would be an understatement of massive proportions.”

This explained more than a bit to me…to all of us. The afternoon before, the headmistress had made some quick inquiries, sent off our fastest owl–Hedwig naturally–and, minutes after curfew that night, ushered the six of us with supplies and luggage out of the school. By borrowed flying sleigh (he wouldn’t be needing it for another eleven plus months), it only took minutes to reach the modest-sized Scottish castle. It took twice that time for the professor to calm herself enough to approach the door.

Before we could knock, the large portal swung open for a small, balding, and seriously squinting older gentleman. He approached Hermione, Luna, and Ginny there on Harry’s arm, and took several seconds with each studying their faces. Finally, he repeated this with the professor, but only for a moment before she did something no one thought was possible. She embraced the man, and I mean the way Harry and Ginny do, and for just as long. Our expressions…well, a bird could easily have built a nest in any of our gaping mouths. The story the caretaker was now relating clarified matters dramatically.

“Do you smell something burning?” Mr. Needles asked.

Hermione, Luni, and I were instantly on our feet running to the two stoves set up in the large, immaculate kitchen. Hermione to her potion, Luna to Ginny’s medicinal potato porridge, and me to the special dinner I was preparing–it was a false alarm, and, from the one’s smell, I could actually see Harry enjoying vision potion number seven.

“Go on with your story sir…please,” Ron asked as we returned to our card table.

“Not much to tell. Quincy and Minerva were inseparable from the time they were infants. Her family lived down in the village, where her father owned a large book store. He and Quincy’s father were like brothers, so their children naturally spent a great deal of time together. It was always wonderful to see them in each other’s company. The two became so close; it was as if you were watching one person. Ho, ho…sometimes they got to where they could finish each other’s sentences.”

“So, what happened?” I asked.

“The worst time of year was always in the fall when Minerva would go off to school. The best was when she would return from Hogwarts on holiday. You see, Lord Magoo is a Squib, and he couldn’t join her there. The short-sighted idiot! Yes, figuratively as well as literally–he refuses to wear glasses. He could see no future for the two of them together since he couldn’t perform magic. She deserved children who would certainly be Wizards. He broke off their relationship. Minerva went on to become a teacher, and he to be a gentleman farmer. They’ve rarely seen or spoken with each other over the years. Blind old fool!”

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Needles was instantly on his feet and running for the door. His smiling expression told us this must be a commonplace event for him.

“Oh Magoo…you’ve done it again!”

“Is four aces a good hand Spenser?” Luna asked, examining my cards over my shoulder. Everyone folded.


*****



“I really don’t understand Harry. Because your father wore glasses, you have some need to do so as well?”

“You don’t understand Ginny?”

“No, I don’t. If Uncle Alastor was your father, would you remove an eye and a leg? Harry, you might be killed if you’re blinded again. How could you forget the Quidditch accident?”

“I’m not. It’s why I asked for the modifications to my glasses. I have all those magical protections for them now, and when I wear them I can see as well as you can.”

“That’s not a good argument at the moment Harry. It appears that my eyes are going to be the last thing to come back to normal.”

Harry rose from the edge of Ginny’s bed, and moved to place another log on the small fire she kept in the bedroom. The chamber was small, but tight and warm, and it had an incredible view, from its lone window, of the castle’s estates and distant forested lands. This was academic, however, since she still couldn’t quite make any of them out in the distance.

“I thought you said my glasses made me look ruggedly handsome Ginny.”

“You would look ruggedly handsome at any hour of the day.” She gave him a soft smile, rose, and moved to embrace him. “You could crawl out from under a rock and still be the best-looking man on Earth. Hmm…have you ever considered growing a mustache?”

Ginny laughed, but Harry pulled back instead. He began to study her face then. It was a good face, not just a beautiful one. He knew every freckle on it, every curve, dimple, and nuance. It was a face that could demand respect, elicit laughter when she scrunched it just so, and could drive Harry to distraction when Ginny tilted it a bit and gave him the certain look which she reserved just for him, and only when they were alone. He could see all of it…but only through his glasses. Ginny couldn’t even do that. He knew she would soon but worry crept into his brain yet again. The furlough was an excellent idea. All at once Harry had another.

“Ginny, would my spare glasses help until you recover?”

It was Ginny’s turn to step back. First surprise, and then relief, washed across her face. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Certainly, the prescription would be wrong, but it would be better than nothing…or would it? Did she want to wear glasses…even for a day? Would Harry look at her and see a four-eyed freak? Would he…? Ginny squinted at Harry, as if she were Magoo, examining the face she knew at least as well as he knew her own.

“Harry, I love you. I haven’t said it in ten minutes, and I apologize for being so long overdue in mentioning it again.” He softly laughed at that. “I also want to apologize for something else. For pushing as hard as Hermione has been about you taking the vision potion. I never even see the glasses when I look at you. You are absolutely right Harry. With their new protections, I have nothing to worry about any longer. They don’t matter to me. If you don’t want to…”

“You’re the one who’s right Ginny. They don’t matter. Let’s pretend my dad wouldn’t have worn his had the potion been available. I’ll…give the wretched stuff another chance.” Provided Ron hasn’t messed with it again for me. Harry gave Ginny one last quick hug, and then moved toward the door. “Let me fetch those spares for you first though.”

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen Harry. It’s time for my own medicine. Don’t give me that look! I don’t need to see the expression clearly to know it’s there. I am perfectly capable of making my way downstairs. In fact, I’m stubborn enough to insist upon doing it myself. No shadowing me as I go either. I always know when you’ve nearby. Now please go fetch those bloody glasses.”

Harry stepped back to the girl, gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and immediately jogged out of the room to retrieve them. Ginny stared after the blurry figure as he darted away. She hunched her shoulders, put out her arms, and started off herself.

“All right you mule-headed Weasley–let’s see if you can break your neck or any of the castle’s furniture attempting this.”


*****



“There’s that burning smell again.” Hermione sniffed the air around the stoves, but immediately decided it was merely something on one of the Muggle gas stove’s cooking elements, not scalded ingredients. “It certainly isn’t the vision potion. That should be cool enough now for Harry.”

“It smells totally incredible Hermione–like cinnamon cranberry punch. Still…if I were to add…”

“Absolutely not Ronald!” Whenever she used his full name, he knew she was very serious. “My last six batches were dismal failures. If this version is not successful, it won’t be because too many others have had a hand in it. Only I will have touched it!” Seeing the hurt look on his face at her rebuke, Hermione did step over and give Ron a kiss as recompense.

I guess I’m not helping Harry out with it this time. Did I really want to try? Ron wondered. Deep down, he agreed with Hermione. His friendship and loyalty to Harry had caused him no small amount of mental conflict when he had tinkered with the earlier potion attempts.

“You’ve got to admit, that’s some beautiful-smelling juice you’ve put together,” he accurately pointed out.” Joining them there at the cauldron, I had to strongly agree. “Hey Hermione, you’ve brewed enough of the stuff for an army. Harry doesn’t need more than a taste of it you said. What would happen if a normal-sighted person were to say…enjoy a small cup of it?”

“Well Ron it would… That is to say it would… Hmm…actually, I’m quite certain that it would have absolutely no effect on us. It might even be beneficial. It does smell quite incredible, doesn’t it?”

I think Ron was as surprised and perhaps as disappointed as I was that we didn’t get to watch our normal overly cautious Hermione performance. The girl was as eager to try it as the rest of us. Without being asked, Luna approached with four teacups and a small ladle tucked under her arm. Passing out the cups, she then took it upon herself to mete out a small portion to each of us from the cooking vessel, and was then the first to down hers, all in one gulp. It wasn’t my imagination when I saw her eyes twinkle for just a second. I couldn’t tell you which was bigger then–-her eyes or her smile.

“Of course! The blimpy-eyed snorkel fish could not possibly be extinct since their mating calls were recently heard off the Siberian coast! It really is extremely difficult to roller-skate underwater! How could I be so stupid as to believe Neville would never forgive me for that silly Quibbler article? Oh my…the lost Ravenclaw Diadem is one of the Horcruxes!”

Luna’s eyes twinkled again, and the smiling face faded to a look of confusion. We could just stare at her, wondering where all she had said had come from. Ron and I looked to Hermione for an explanation, but she merely narrowed her eyes, studied the other girl, and took her own sip of potion while doing so. There was the twinkle again. Hermione’s attention turned to me so quickly, I though she would hurt her neck.

“Oh no! Oh no! I’m so sorry Spenser! That was so unfair to you!” she almost whimpered.

“That would be…what exactly?” Ron asked for me. He set his untouched potion down and moved closer to her.

“I’ve never…liked you Spenser, and part of the reason has been because you remind me so much of my Uncle Phillip. He was…is a terrible, terrible man. My father told me once that his brother actually fathered a child but had abandoned mother and infant. I have no idea why you would remind…” Hermione’s eyes glinted again. She shook her head as if to clear it. “What was I just saying? Oh…yes…right. Spenser…”

“It’s okay Hermione. I know you’re not ready to be friends yet, but I still appreciate what you said.”

Everyone went quiet then, trying to figure out where Luna and Hermione’s revelations had come from, and why they had chosen this particular time for them. Two minutes of awkward silence was broken when the kitchen door opened, and a smiling but squinting Ginny stepped in and walked over to the left-hand stove. I was a bit puzzled as to why Harry wasn’t with her.

“I made it, and I’m very proud of myself for doing it. I am also famished and well in need of some of my medicinal porridge. Don’t you dare try to dish it for me Ron,” Ginny told him in a fierce, demanding voice. “I am not some helpless cripple. In fact, I feel dramatically better with just a day’s rest so far.” With her back to us, she served up a healthy portion of her supper, and then took three spoonfuls before turning toward around. “Harry will be here in a minute. I insisted that he allow me to come downstairs on my own. He’s letting me borrow…”

The bowl she held crashed to the floor. Ginny screamed then, but it was cut short as if her voice box had been torn away. She sank to the floor before Ron and I could reach her, clutching her throat and stomach in agony. Just then, Harry, who had to have heard the scream, burst into the kitchen and rushed to Ginny’s side.

“What happened?” he shouted.

I obviously didn’t have a clue, but Ron seemed to think he had. Pulling his wand, he leveled it at the cauldron. In the blink of an eye, it shrank, imploded and vanished with a loud pop. Then he turned his wand on Luna.

“What did you do to my sister you crazy Witch? You fouled up her potion! You poisoned her flippin’ porridge!”

Luna looked as if he’d slapped her. Ron might have been considering that if I hadn’t stepped between them. Ginny was shaking there on the floor, and her skin seemed to be rippling. Regardless, she was clearly as angry with her brother as I was.

“Are you stupid? Are you stupid?” was all I could manage to get out.

Ron glared back at me, but after a few seconds turned away, stomped over to the table, and downed his share of the sweet-tasting vision potion–perhaps to help calm himself. A heartbeat later, his head shot up and he spun back around.

“Blessed Merlin…I am so stupid! I am sorry Luna…really! You’re as brilliant with potions as Hermione, and no one would be as careful with building one. I forgot about how your mum died. I’m so sorry!”

It was Ron’s turn to draw our confused stares. I could just shake my head at him. I did follow his example, however, and retrieved my cup of potion from the counter. It did taste delicious, I decided, as I drank it–fruit with just a touch of the cinnamon. All at once, I felt myself blink, but knew I hadn’t. I also knew I had to speak to Luna right away. The girl was still visibly shaken, but something on my face somehow calmed her significantly. I gently reached out and took both her hands.

“Luni, listen to me. Ron’s right…at least with the second part. You are bright, and you are wise. You are my best friend. You are the girl I fell in love with. You are brilliant with potions, just like he said. You are also an extremely cautious person. You didn’t do anything wrong. Do you believe me?”

“Oh yes Spenser!” The girl was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and suddenly hugging me like the Boston Strangler. I felt another non-blink, which caused me to shake the cobwebs out of my brain.

“Ron, I need you to help me get Ginny back to her room,” Harry told him, as he helped Ginny back to her feet. Maybe my brain was still addled, but I thought she now looked dramatically better.

“No Harry,” she said in a raspy voice, “I need to stay angry with Ron for a few more minutes. You and I can manage alone…or maybe Luna can help us.” Luni did just that. I wasn’t wrong. Ginny did have a stronger spring in her step as she walked away. “It took him long enough to figure it out, didn’t it?” she said as they passed from the room.

They were gone maybe ten seconds before I lashed out at my grinning friends. “What?” Ron whispered in my ear what he thought he had heard me say. “I did not! I did not! Why would I ever say…? Oh no? Of all the…” I went to the stove then, ladled up another cup of the vision potion, and set it down on the table before Hermione and beside the still open spell book. “Quit smiling and take another sip please.”

“What? Why? Oh, very well.” The Witch slowly drank down the potion, sat down and began to reread the recipe. The moment her eyes flashed, her entire continence changed. “Oh, my stars and garters! How could I be so blind? This isn’t a potion for improving one’s eyesight–-it’s for improving your vision!”

“What’s the difference?” Ron asked.

“This stuff makes you see…things more clearly,” I explained for Hermione, who was clearly addled by her mistake. “It opens the mind; it makes you a whole lot less dense; it allows you to realize what should be right in front of your face.”

“…and in your case…”

“I did not say it Ron! Enough with your little joke,” I almost screamed at him.

“What we need to figure out then is what was wrong with the potato porridge Ron so conveniently disintegrated.” The girl sniffed the air again. “Wait, the smoky smell is finally gone. Why would…?”

I rushed to the stove with Ron and Hermione a step behind me. I didn’t need her potion to instantly see the solution to our little mystery.


*****



Ginny wasn’t sure what woke her up. In the past, when she’d been giving a sleeping draught, it had left her listless and groggy later. Even with just the quarter dose she’d agreed to, she still expected those aftereffects. Now, however, the girl was wide awake and completely alert. She sat up and pulled down the quilt, remembering then that she was still dressed, less her shoes.

In the corner, in an older overstuffed chair, Harry slept. He hadn’t even removed his glasses. She smiled at the thought of his insisting upon watching over her that night, although he apparently hadn’t lasted long before nodding off. Ginny listened to his steady breathing, and it fascinated her. Pulling herself from the bedding, she moved her stocking feet to the floor intending to douse the lights for him. That was when Ginny realized that they weren’t lit.

The bedroom was as bright as day, but there was no visible light source. For more than a minute she quietly searched about the room trying to determine where the illumination was coming from. Suddenly it came to her–she could see in the dark! She could see extremely well in the dark! Her eyesight had been restored, and then some! Ginny stepped over to her sleeping boyfriend and gently shook him.

“Harry…Harry wake up. Something wonderful has happened.”

“What…what…huh? Ginny, what is it? Are you all right?” Harry was instantly on his feet, but then down again after tripping over the ottoman in front of his chair. “Ouch! What’s wrong Ginny?”

“Nothing Harry…nothing at all! I feel wonderful! Whatever it was I ate in the kitchen, it purged every last bit of the Samhain Glass Curse from me. And I can see in the dark. It’s like daytime to me here.”

“Yeah, about what you ate, Ron came up and told me it was… Hold on! What did you just say Ginny? You can see…?”

“…in the dark. Yes Harry, I can! Oops watch out for…”

“Oof!!”

“…the cedar chest there. No Harry…please don’t turn up the lamp yet. I don’t know how long this will last, and I really want to enjoy it for a bit. Here, take my hand. I don’t know if it was the porridge, or some residual side effect from the poisoning, but I can see…so many, many things now. Oh, Harry…you really don’t have the dragon tattoo on your chest do you. Maybe I’d best keep my field of vision at eye level with you for now. Wait…why are you laughing?”

“Ginny, Ron did come upstairs after you fell asleep, and he told me they discovered what you’d eaten. It was…no I’ll let Spenser tell you. You’ll never believe it.” Harry pulled her into another long embrace. He could feel the relief flood through him, trumping any concern or curiosity about what was happening with her eyes. “You really are all well again Ginny?” He could feel her nodding yes against his chest.

“Harry…Harry can we go for a walk now?” she asked after several minutes. “I mean outside in the snow? A long walk as well.”

“I don’t know Ginny. It’s well after midnight. It’s freezing out there too. You say you’re feeling better, but I don’t know if it’s a great idea to be tromping about in the snow that way.”

“Harry, I’m fine. I’m cured. No one knows my body as well as I do.” Including you still. “Somehow I feel…I know this wonderful gift I’ve been given won’t be with me long. I want to experience as much as I can with it out there before it fades away. Please Harry.” It took him no more than ten seconds to make up his mind. “Oh, thank you Harry!” Her kiss would wait until she could be sure they wouldn’t bump heads in the dark.


*****



As Ginny led Harry through the castle, and then to a side entry door, he realized that the tables had been turned on him yet again. Once more it was he who was relying on Ginny’s eyes, just as he had during the Quidditch mishap…just has she had done with him when the poison had affected her sight. He saw things as clearly now, as if he had taken the strange vision potion Ron had described. There is more than one way to be blind. He realized that both he and Ginny could now share a perspective on poor eyesight.

Once outside, the full moon came into play, and Harry was able to make out the new wonder on Ginny’s face. They traveled perhaps a hundred yards, hand-in-hand, before she broke the silence.

“Harry…I can’t begin to describe to you how incredibly beautiful the world is for me right now. It honestly hurts that we can’t share it all.”

“Describe it to me Ginny. Let me see it through your eyes.” Harry closed his, trusting in Ginny to lead him, and prepared to concentrate on her every word.

“I’m…seeing colors beyond the visible spectrum. Some are so intense that they’re almost painful. They’re dancing about like spectral ballerinas–-shimmering rays bouncing off the snow and trees. Harry, imagine you could actually see music. The universe is one infinite orchestra, and each of those stars in the sky is a single note in the most incredible symphony imaginable. Oh Harry, I wish…I wish you could see it.”

Harry opened his eyes again and turned to face her. Ginny’s cheeks were rosy, but he knew she would never complain of the cold. Her smile was amazing, and he was once again filled with the most enormous feelings of love for this brown-eyed girl. He wasn’t ready to say it, let alone discuss it, and absolutely not prepared to approach her parents yet, but there was no doubt in his mind or soul that Ginny would always be there beside him in the years to come.

“I can see it Ginny. I can see all of it in your eyes.”

He kissed her then, and Ginny no longer cared about the cold.


*****




“Anyway Evie, that is exactly what happened all those years ago when some misguided friends tried to help your grandfather with his glasses problem. There was no problem, and once everyone opened their eyes we realized that. Now what did you just learn from this little tale?” I asked.

“That…that Hannibal would have to be pretty blind not to see the real me despite my glasses, and I’d have to be even more blind to believe that he couldn’t. Thank you Uncle Spenser, but I still have a few questions.”

“Shoot kiddo.”

“Did anyone ever suspect Grandma and Grandpa of being together while they were away?”

“Nope; even though Ginny had been completely cured, we stayed away all three days to maintain our quarantine story. Next.”

“When did you and Aunt Hermione become friends?”

“Well Evie, that was the following summer, not long after I finally admitted in public how I really felt about your Aunt Luna,” Luni again squeezed my hand and giggled at the memory, “but all that is another really long story.”

“I’ve got a copy of Nelly Bly around here somewhere dear,” Lily quietly told her daughter. “It’s in one of the later chapters. Uncle Spenser, how long did it take for Mum’s eyesight to revert to normal?”

“It was back by the time they joined us for breakfast that morning,” Luna said, answering for me. “I remember how Ron made up stacks and stacks of moonberry pancakes. He was still trying to make up for being so mean to me the afternoon before.

“I have another question.”

“Go ahead Evie,” I told her. I wondered if it would be the inevitable one I was expecting. It was.

“What was it that Grandma ate in the castle’s kitchen that day?”

“It certainly wasn’t potato porridge,” I began, and paused for just a second for dramatic effect. “Back at Hogwarts your grandfather mentioned being hungry for Mexican food. I decided to surprise him. I combined two old family recipes: Grandma Hemmingway’s Four Alarm and Uncle Theodore Weasley’s Please, Please Kill Me Now chilies. I defy any curse in Wizardry that can stand up to either. The smoke everyone smelled then was it eating away at the brass cauldron.”

Mother and daughter’s eyes went wide at this revelation, and Luni and I exerted great effort to keep from laughing at the scene. Finally, Evanna nodded, and was then deep in thought for quite a while before speaking again.

“I suppose eyeglasses will be okay Mum. Anything would be better than the cure they tried to impose on Grandpa. No, I really don’t think I am worried about Hannibal after all.” Evie’s smile turned into an evil grin that was easily the match of Great Uncles Fred and George’s. “It won’t be too difficult to win him over to the glasses…even if they have taken down the Tower’s mistletoe already when we get back there.” Could anyone ever doubt that she was Harry and Ginny’s granddaughter?

Mischief managed!

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