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Charming Ginny | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Post-DH/PM Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Mild Language Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 12 Summary: Impetuous Decisions made in childhood are meant to stay there, but Ginny's first year at Hogwarts was more life-threatening than most. She swears never to do anything to put Harry at harm again, but never is a long time. Voldemort is dead, but will echoes of the Chamber prevent her and Harry from ever finding happiness? Hitcount: Story Total: 15801; Chapter Total: 2217 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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She was unaccountably excited about the Quidditch World Cup. This was the type of thing her family had always considered her to be “too young” for in the past and it seemed like they had finally decided she had learned her lesson about the Chamber. Even having to wake up in what felt like the middle of the night could not completely dampen Ginny’s enthusiasm, and she couldn’t help but grin at Ron and Harry as they stared blearily over their breakfast before they set out to walk to the Portkey. The chilly morning air seemed to wake everyone up a bit, and Ginny found herself walking next to Harry as they climbed a particularly steep hill. “Have you spoken to Sirius recently?” she asked as they panted along the path. Harry jerked his head around at her question and then, realizing they were the only ones around, relaxed. He nodded. “We send owls back and forth,” he said quietly. “But call him Padfoot.” “I know not to talk about him around other people, Harry,” Ginny said patiently. “It must be nice to have found out that your godfather is not the Dark Wizard everyone thinks he is.” Harry nodded again. “It is,” he agreed. “I just wish we could figure out how to clear his name so that he can come out of hiding.” He looked at Ginny. “How is your Patronus coming along? Have you been able to practice it?” Ginny shrugged. “A little bit. Not as much as I should be, probably. Now that the Dementors are gone from school I’m not as worried.” “And your nightmares . . .?” Harry asked. “I still have them occasionally, but not as often. What about you?” “Better for me too,” said Harry. “I think knowing that Sirius — Padfoot — is out there worrying about me has helped. He’s been telling me stories about my mum and dad in his letters.” “Hurry up kids, we can’t miss the Portkey!” Mr. Weasley was already at the top of the hill, looking down at them. Behind them, Ginny heard Ron groan. “I’m going to need a lie-in by the time we get there,” he grumbled. Harry laughed. “Go on ahead and tell them we are coming,” he told Ginny. “I’ll deal with your brother.” HPHPHPHPHPHP The match was one of the greatest things Ginny had ever seen. She and Harry passed his Onomoculars back and forth, talking excitedly about the moves and maneuvers each team used and debating with Ron about whether Viktor Krum was going to be able to carry the entire Bulgarian team on his own against the nearly seamless Irish Chasers. Afterwards, Ginny could only remember snatches of what had happened; Fred and George had grabbed her and marched her, lockstep, through the fleeing crowd. She had been startled, frightened even, but not anymore than anyone else, at first. She ran easily with them, trying to stay out of the way of the masked figures until they could make it to the edge of the field. But then she caught sight of the sky, at the enormous skull and snake floating above the campground, and her nerves failed her for a minute. The twins had to practically carry her to the meeting point; she was shaking too badly to walk. It was only when she heard that Ron and Harry and Hermione were still missing that she was able to shake off her stupor. And once she knew they were safe, Ginny was rather dismayed with her behavior. Everyone else was properly worried about the riot; apparently the Dark Mark had not been seen in nearly thirteen years. Harry had seen a mysterious figure and everyone was talking in hushed tones about Death Eaters. And she got upset at an image of a snake? This had to stop. Back at the Burrow, she sought out Harry as he helped her mum set the table. He smiled as she walked into the kitchen, balancing a number of plates in his arms. “Will be easier when I can finally do this by magic,” he said. “Ron’s out chasing gnomes with Hermione if you want to help them.” Ginny snorted. “No thanks,” she said. “I still haven’t recovered from being bitten the last time. Anyway, I wanted to ask you a question.” Harry put the plates on the table. “Sure, what is it?” “Do you think a Patronus can protect against more than Dementors?” Ginny spoke quickly. She still felt a little embarrassed about falling to pieces the day before. Harry looked thoughtful. “I don’t really know,” he said slowly. “What are you looking for protection against?” Ginny sighed. “Snakes,” she said. “I . . . I saw that one yesterday in the sky. The Dark Mark. And it made me . . . remember things.” Harry nodded in understanding. “Right. Snakes. Hmm. Well, the Patronus is supposed to feed on positive energy and memories. I know that I cast my best ones when I’m thinking really good thoughts. I don’t see why casting one wouldn’t make you less upset.” He held up his arms. “But, I don’t think it would actually make a snake go away. It might just make it easier to bear, you know? Can’t hurt to keep practicing anyway.” Ginny nodded. She was a little disappointed that there was no easy fix, but what Harry said made sense. “I’m going to keep practicing,” she agreed. “I can help you,” Harry offered. “I finally figured out the knack for casting them at the end of the school year; I think I could teach you now.” Ginny couldn’t help but smile at Harry’s understated explanation for what, exactly, gave him the “knack” for casting a Patronus. “Yeah, nothing like being swarmed at by dozens of Dementors to help you pick up that skill particularly quickly,” she quipped. “Actually, it was something different altogether that helped me,” he said. “The swarm of Dementors should have gotten me and Sirius and Hermione. Have I never told you this story? About seeing my dad?” “Your dad? How did you see your dad?” “I didn’t, really. That’s what was so amazing.” Harry grabbed her arm. “Let’s go outside and practice. I’ll explain on the way. Can you think of a really good memory?” “Watching the World Cup,” Ginny said promptly. “Before . . . everything else, of course. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I’d love to be able to play like that someday.” “Let’s try it and see what happens,” agreed Harry. HPHPHPHPHPHP Ginny really wanted to smack her brother. Anyone who had seen Harry’s face when Dumbledore had called his name would have no doubt that Harry was telling the truth, that he had no idea how his name had gotten into the Goblet. She had watched Harry trip dumbly up the aisle of the Great Hall to mutters and jeers, and it hadn’t really registered until later that Ron was muttering loudest of all. She was rather annoyed with herself; maybe if she had said something to him right away she could have made him see reason before things got out of hand. But she hadn’t said anything and Ron and Harry had gotten into an enormous fight, leaving Ginny and Hermione to navigate between them. The older witch probably had it worse, having all her classes with the two boys. They were her best friends and she really couldn’t choose sides. Although Ginny suspected that Hermione had some kind of inexplicable feelings for her brother. She definitely did not want to examine that too closely, but it made things more complicated. Ginny, on the other hand, had no trouble telling her brother he was a git at every opportunity; since Hermione had to play more evenly, Ginny found herself spending more time with Harry than she might have otherwise; the poor boy really needed a friend. She didn’t really know what to do about the teasing and grief he seemed to get from all corners of the castle for being the “false” Tri-Wizard champion. She wasn’t good enough at Transfiguration yet to do anything about those stupid buttons everyone seemed to be wearing, and she was too well known already for her Bat Bogey Hex to be able to use it without getting caught. Instead, she tried to seek Harry out as much as possible for idle talk or company doing homework; it was the least she could do. More than once, he assured he was used to being stared at for one reason or another. And indeed, to look at him, Ginny had to admit that Harry seemed to be letting it all roll off his back. She realized that some of Harry’s bravado was an act when she came upon him late one night in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. He was alone, talking to Sirius through the Floo. Ginny couldn’t say what had gotten her out of bed to come downstairs, and she knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the loneliness and worry in Harry’s voice made her pause. So Harry is worried about the first task. I should have suspected. She just managed to jump back into the shadow of the staircase when her brother Ron came down from the boys’ dorm. Their snapping words to each other broke her heart a little but she forced herself to stay hidden so she didn’t make it worse. But Harry’s interrupted conversation with Sirius wouldn’t leave her. She remembered how happy he had seemed, telling her about the letters he and Sirius wrote to each other, and that gave her an idea. She just needed to find some parchment. HPHPHPHPHPHPHP It was the loss of Ron’s support that was eating at Harry, Ginny knew. But getting her stubborn brother to see reason was a lot harder than she had thought. It didn’t stop her from trying though. “You can’t really think Harry would want to be in this competition, can you Ron?” This was not the first time Ginny had asked him, and her patience was wearing thin. But she had decided to try a different tactic, and now, late one afternoon she and Ron were walking down to the Quidditch pitch to go for a fly; with no games this year, the pitch was more often empty. Maybe getting him alone would help Ron see reason. Ron shrugged, a mulish look on his face. “He gets attention for everything. Why wouldn’t he want it for this too?” Ginny huffed with exasperation. “Exactly. He gets attention for everything, and it’s never his doing. And you know better than anyone how much he hates it.” For a second, Ron looked uncertain. But just as quickly, his face closed up again. “It just figures he gets the glory.” “Glory? Really? People die during this thing and Harry is three years younger than the rest of them! No one has any idea what the Champions are going to face. It could be anything, cursed fire, giant spiders, dangerous spells . . . Charlie!” “They are going to have to face Charlie?” “No Ron,” Ginny grabbed her brother’s arm. “Look, isn’t that Charlie, walking into the Forbidden Forest?” Ron peered into the deepening gloom. “What is he doing here? And why didn’t he tell us he was coming?” Ginny started to jog towards her older brother’s retreating back. “Come on, let’s catch up to him. I have a feeling I know why he’s here, and what the Champions are going to be facing in the first task.” They caught up to Charlie, but he wouldn’t tell them outright what he was doing at Hogwarts. “I can’t say anything, it’s got to be a secret until the first task,” he explained. At Ginny’s piercing look, he sighed. “But yes, I assume you can guess what it relates to. Just don’t tell anyone you know anything.” “But Harry is only a Fourth Year, how is he going to be able to handle a . . . you know?” asked Ginny. She noticed that even Ron looked a little troubled. Charlie did too. “I have my orders. I can’t say anything. But if I know you, Ginny, you can figure out a way around it. You have a lot of Fred and George in you.” He gave his brother and sister a hug. “Now get out of here before I get in trouble. I’ve got a lot to do to get ready.” Ginny and Ron walked slowly back to the castle, all thoughts of flying forgotten. “We have to warn Harry,” Ginny said. “You heard Charlie, we can’t tell anyone,” said Ron. “It wouldn’t be fair. Harry’ll be fine. He always is.” “Facing a dragon, Ron? You think Harry will be fine facing a dragon?” Ginny was gratified to see her brother go quiet. Finally, he spoke. “Maybe . . . maybe we could get Hagrid to say something to Harry. You know how bad he is at keeping his mouth shut. And if there are dragons anywhere around, I’m sure Hagrid is going to be involved. Just . . . just keep me mostly out of it.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Of course, Ron. HPHPHPHPHPHPHP After the first task was over, and Ron had finally come to his senses, Harry sought out Ginny. “I heard you were the first one to find out about the dragons and you made sure Hagrid told me,” he said. “Thanks. I don’t think I would have survived if I hadn’t known ahead of time.” “Ron helped too,” Ginny said. Now that her brother was speaking to Harry again, she wanted to make sure it stayed that way. “I know,” Harry nodded. “I guess I understand why he got upset. I’m just glad he’s speaking to me again.” “Not as half as glad as Hermione, I bet,” said Ginny with a grin. “Have you and Ron joined SPEW yet?” Harry groaned. “Don’t talk about it. She’s being totally mental about the house elves. Even Hagrid refused to join.” “Hagrid should know,” Ginny agreed. “Have you figured out the clue for the second task yet?” Harry frowned. “Not yet.” He sat up and looked at her. “Hey, that reminds me, you wrote Sirius, didn’t you?” Ginny wiggled uncomfortably under his gaze. It had seemed a good idea at the time, reaching out to Harry’s godfather and asking for advice about how to help Harry with the tournament. But now that Harry and Ron were talking again and Harry had survived the first task, she wondered if he would think she was being intrusive. “Umm,” she began. To her relief, Harry grinned. “That was really nice of you,” he said. “And you did a good job of keeping the letter from being intercepted. ‘Padfoot’ said he could barely open it himself.” “Yeah, well, I figured you need all the help you can get,” she teased. “He didn’t write me back, and I was worried I messed up.” Harry shook his head. “Sirius thinks you are, to use his word, ‘charming.’ He will probably write back to you soon.” Harry looked at the clock on the wall. “I have to go in a minute. Cedric told me he needed to talk to me about something, something about the next task. I told him about the dragons, so I guess he wants to make it up to me.” He huffed. “He owes me double, actually. I told him about the dragons, and then he went and beat me to asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball.” Ginny laughed. “This dance is really making you all crazy, isn’t it?” Her voice grew sly. “So, Cho, huh? I guess you Seekers have to stick together. She’s really cute.” Harry sighed. “Yeah. I was just too slow in my ‘seeking’ this time. Hey, do you want to go with me? Third Years aren’t invited otherwise, right?” “Right. Sure, I’ll go with you. It would be fun.” “Maybe we can get your brother to ask Hermione. I know he has no idea what to do about a date.” Ginny snorted. “That’s true. But Hermione has already been asked. She told me this morning.” Harry looked surprised. “She has? By who?” Ginny waggled her eyebrows at him. “I can’t tell you, you will need to ask her yourself.” HPHPHPHPHPHP People seemed to make a bigger deal than Ginny expected about the fact that Harry was taking her to the Yule Ball. She couldn’t exactly understand it, but from the snatches of conversations she heard, she finally surmised that certain girls must be jealous that she was going with Harry, or else still angry that Harry was getting more attention as a Champion. Why else would their conversations choke to a halt when she approached? She and her roommates spent hours discussing what they were going to wear, who everyone else had paired up with, and how far some of those couples might go. But after Ginny finally convinced Ron to ask Demelza, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement in the dorm to stop talking about their own dates; it would have been too awkward. Meanwhile, Sirius had, as Harry predicted, written Ginny back. The letter had apparently been written before the first task; Ginny was heartened to see how accurate the man’s advice and predictions had been. Dear Ginny, I very much enjoyed your letter; as I’m sure you can imagine, it gets rather lonely here. Harry is very lucky to have a friend as caring and lovely as you are, particularly at a time when his friend Ron is being less than supportive. But I guess you know Ron as well as Harry does, don’t you? I hope you agree that Ron will come to his senses sooner or later — and probably sooner, if his tough little sister has anything to say about it, right? In the meantime, I don’t have any specific advice about how to help Harry, but definitely keep your ears open. There is always interesting information to be learned when people don’t know you are listening. And keep practicing your Patronus! Yes, Harry told me he taught you the charm. It’s a mighty useful spell to have when you are feeling down. As dark as things are feeling right now, I can’t help but think we are going to need all the cheering up we can get. Take care, and please write me again! Yours, Padfoot Ginny smiled every time she thought of the letter; she could not begin to imagine growing up without her parents and she was happy to know that Harry finally had someone looking out for him, even from afar. She vowed to do what Sirius asked, keep her ears open and keep practicing her Patronus. Her latest happy memory was from just the night before, sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, listening to them take the mickey out of each other about the Yule Ball. Hermione was still being tight-lipped about her date and it was driving Ron crazy. Harry and Ginny had been cracking up, egging him on, a tactic that worked well until Ron had turned on them about the fact that Harry had asked Ginny. “We’ve been over this like a dozen times. She couldn’t have gone otherwise.” Harry was still chuckling over Ron’s latest guess about Hermione’s date. It’s not Hagrid, Ronald! “And this way, I can watch Cedric’s moves with Cho. Figure out what works and what doesn’t for when Harry moves in,” Ginny teased. Harry groaned. “It had to be Cedric, didn’t it? I don’t have a chance.” “It’s more likely than Fleur Delacour saying yes to Ron,” Ginny giggled. That had set them off completely, Ron had spilled ink all over his Potions essay, and the conversation had generally ended there. But it still caused Ginny to dissolve into laughter at the memory, and she was pleased to be able to produce thicker silvery smoke this time. The Ball was likely to be a lot of fun; maybe she would get still more happy memories from it. HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP Dear Red (I think you need a nickname too). Yes, I heard all about the Yule Ball. I’m glad Harry didn’t step on your feet too much while dancing; I imagine it was hard for the poor bloke to pay attention to you while mooning over Cho at the same time. Thanks for keeping him in line. More importantly, the conversation the two of you overheard was quite . . . enlightening. I won’t say more now, but I have made contact with several other people who will be interested to hear what old Severus had to say. I’m going to be on the move soon; I think I need to get myself closer to Hogwarts. Tell Harry not to worry, I’ll be fine. In the meantime, have him look up the properties of a plant called Gillyweed. I think it is just what he is looking for. Yours, Padfoot. HPHPHPHPHPHPHP As Winter faded into Spring and the third task approached, Ginny couldn’t shake a vague sense of unease. She, along with her brother and Hermione were helping Harry learn and practice jinxes and hexes during every free moment; it seemed that finally, his three fewer years of magical education was going to be a real detriment. Ginny had seen Percy at the castle several times; he was pompous as ever, but she thought there was also something odd about his behavior but she couldn’t put her finger on it. And she continued to keep a close eye on both Professor Snape and Karkaroff; if Sirius had been concerned about their conversation, it was likely something to worry about. She tried to keep her concerns mostly to herself so she didn’t distract Harry from his practicing. It mostly worked, until late one afternoon when they were in an empty classroom. Harry was flipping through a book of advanced jinxes and Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were throwing them at him as quickly as they could. It was hard work for all of them, involving wand and spell work not usually taught until Sixth Year. Hermione sent a new hex at Harry and two enormous snakes flew out of the end of her wand. Ginny screamed, feeling like she was about to pass out. The snakes were slithering everywhere; one reared up to bite her and she couldn’t raise her wand to protect herself. She barely heard Harry’s voice or saw him move; the next thing she knew, she was sitting on the ground with Harry’s concerned green eyes looking down at her. “Ginny, are you okay? They are gone, don’t worry. No one was ever in danger. Snakes are something I’m good at, remember?” Harry’s voice seemed to come from far away. “Ginny, I’m so sorry. I had no idea there would be two of them. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Hermione was speaking too. Ginny shook her head as it slowly cleared. “I’m fine,” she said shakily. Harry helped her to her feet and gave her a hug. “By the time this is over, I think all four of us will be ready for that damn maze,” he said with a small laugh. He peered more closely at her. “Want to try a Patronus? It would be good practice while you are feeling upset.” Ginny shrugged. “I’m not sure I have a happy memory right now.” Harry smirked. “How about thoughts of kissing? I seem to recall seeing you and a certain Ravenclaw bloke enjoying each other’s lips before curfew the other night.” “Wha. . . what? Kissing? Ginny, who were you kissing? Ravenclaw?” Ron sputtered, his head moving rapidly back and forth between Harry and Ginny. Ginny sighed. “Thanks, Harry. If you didn’t realize, I hadn’t told my brother yet.” She turned to Ron. “Yes, I am dating Michael Corner. Yes, we have kissed. And no, it is none of your business.” She looked at Harry. “I don’t know that I’m feeling up to a Patronus right now. Maybe later.” The group broke up after that and Ginny walked slowly back to her dorm. Her fear of snakes didn’t seem to be getting better; she was going to have to try harder. She just hoped that none of them made an appearance as part of the Third Task. HPHPHPHPHPHP Ginny leaned heavily against her brother Bill, trying not to cry. To say the mood in the infirmary was shocked and tense was an understatement. The arrival of Professor Moody with the news that the man who had been impersonating him all year was a Death Eater had pushed everyone nearly to the edge. And now they were waiting, silently, for answers. Harry’s arrival with Dumbledore did little to ease Ginny’s mind. He appeared exhausted and nearly shell-shocked, leaning on a large black dog that Ginny realized with a start must be Sirius. Harry fell heavily into a bed and the dog rubbed his head against Ginny’s hand with a comforting motion before curling up on the floor. Ginny relaxed a fraction, knowing Harry had his godfather to watch over him while he slept. It was just getting quiet when Professor McGonagall burst in with Cornelius Fudge and news that Barty Crouch Jr. had been kissed by a Dementor. Harry woke up and began arguing with the Minister, his face pale but determined. Ginny unconsciously moved closer to him as he spoke, and noticed that Sirius was also there; his head resting against Harry’s side. Harry gave them both a small smile and Ginny put her hand on Sirius’ back. Everything was about to change. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew that Harry was going to need her support even more than ever in the coming days. |
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