Search:

SIYE Time:9:52 on 28th March 2024
SIYE Login: no


Paintball Wizard
By cackling stump

- Text Size +

Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:All
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance, Tragedy
Warnings: Death
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 319
Summary: The life of a typical American teenager (okay, maybe not so typical) is shaken by tragedy. Then he discovers a new world awaiting him, filled with new people, new struggles, and, perhaps, new love.
Hitcount: Story Total: 256016; Chapter Total: 6232
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Thanks again to my beta, Arnel. She especially helped with the breakfast scene.




ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter


Temper, Temper

As Brook woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed for the first time in what felt like weeks. Before opening his eyes, he took a deep breath, but felt a weight on his chest. A little startled, his eyes opened to a curtain of red. Oh, no, I’ve done it again! I fell asleep with another guy’s girlfriend! But then the events of last night came back to him. No, I fell asleep with my girlfriend! He tightened his grip around her and let out a contented sigh. Ginny stirred at that moment and her head lifted until her smiling face appeared before him.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he murmured huskily.

“Good morning to you, too, handsome.” She stretched, giving him a little peck on the lips. “A wonderful morning, in my opinion.”

He kissed her back, but then said, “As much as I would love to stay here like this, we probably should get up. Why don’t we get showered and dressed and enjoy an early breakfast together.”

“Sounds wonderful.” She jumped up and walked to the girls’ dorm door, looking back over her shoulder, saying, “See you in fifteen or twenty minutes,” and blew him a kiss.

Brook got ready in record time, not wanting to miss out on any time that he could spend with Ginny. She came down a few minutes later, and when she saw him, she gave him a huge smile. Wow, that smile is for me! He arose from the chair he was sitting in, grabbed her hand, and the two of them walked out the portrait hole toward the Great Hall. They were one of the first to arrive for breakfast, so they ate leisurely. Not long after they had started, they saw several Gryffindors, including Ron and Hermione, walking into the room.

Ginny whispered, “Let’s not tell them anything and see if they notice.”

“Good morning, Brook. Good morning, Ginny,” said Hermione, while Ron grunted something that might have been a greeting. “What are you doing up so early, Ginny? You’re normally as much of a morning person as Ron and just nick some toast on your way to class.”

“I just didn’t want to waste any of this beautiful day lazing about in bed.”

“What’s beautiful about it? You don’t have double Defence this morning with Snape,” grumbled Ron as he started serving himself a large helping of eggs.

“What’s got you so chipper?” asked Hermione.

“I had the best night of sleep that I can remember,” Ginny replied, glancing over at Brook and grinning.

“Me too,” said Brook, leaning into Ginny and giving her shoulder a little nudge. “Can you pass me the marmalade, Gin?”

She reached across to grab the jar and handed it to Brook, their hands touching perhaps a little longer than was necessary. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He spread some on his toast and then looked at Ginny’s plate. “Ginny, would you like some more eggs?”

“Yes, please.”

Brook took the bowl of eggs from in front of Ron and spooned some on Ginny’s plate. “Is that enough?”

“Yes, that’s good. Thank you,” she said, giving him a smile and a pat on his knee under the table.

Hermione eyed the pair suspiciously. “Brook, I’m surprised you’re not heading off to the library this morning. Lately you hardly ever eat with us.”

Brook shrugged his shoulders. “I decided that I wanted to have some company this morning,” looking at Ginny the whole time he answered Hermione’s question.

Ginny added, “I like that decision,” beaming back at him.

Hermione leaned over and hissed, “What’s got into the two of you this morning? You’re flirting with each other for everyone to see, and with Dean not twenty feet away,” pointing at Brook’s roommate who had just sat down a little farther down the table. “I don’t care if you two start going out, but how can you so blatantly throw it in Dean’s face?” She poked Ron in the side. “Ron, what do you think of this?”

Ron looked up from his food, as if waking up from a trance. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Hermione looked at her boyfriend in astonishment. “Have you been paying attention at all to the way Ginny and Brook are behaving?”

Ron looked at Ginny and Brook, noticing they were sitting together. “So you two are talking again?” asked Ron. “Brook’s been avoiding you like the plague, Ginny. So did you apologize for whatever you did to him?”

“Why would you assume that I did something?” asked Ginny, obviously affronted.

“I dunno. Just assumed,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m glad you two are getting along again though; I was worried how Quidditch practice was going to be tonight.”

Brook squeezed Ginny’s hand underneath the table and said, “I’m glad we’re getting along, too, Ron,” again looking directly into Ginny’s eyes.

“So what did she do to annoy you?”

“She didn’t do anything, Ron. I was avoiding her because of something I did.”

Ron’s eyes narrowed. “And just what did you do to my little sister, Pelton, that made you want to avoid her?”

“I kissed her. In Hogsmeade.”

“What?!” Ron sat up and looked ready to get up to defend his sister’s honour.

Brook put his hands up in front of him. “Calm down, Ron. We worked it all out last night.”

“And how did you ‘work it all out’?”

Brook looked over at Ginny before answering. “I kissed her again.” He then grabbed her hand and took it to his mouth and kissed it.

Ron speechlessly turned the shade of a tomato, but Hermione was able to choke out, “What about Dean?”

“What about me?” said Dean, who had just stood up from the table as Padma walked toward him. He took her hand in his and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“We agreed to break up last week as we had both found someone we were more attracted to,” said Ginny.

“Yeah,” agreed Dean. “I’m sure that we’ll always be good friends, but we just didn’t have that ‘spark’.”

“So, Ron, Brook and I are dating; are you okay with that?” Ginny stared at him, daring him to protest.

Ron hesitated for a moment as he thought. “I guess; I just didn’t see that coming. I actually thought you were avoiding Ginny and I wondered what she had done to tick you off.”

“Well, I did feel pretty guilty about kissing her in the first place, so I wanted to keep my space, even though I was attracted to her.” Brook leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, but she turned her face and their lips met.

“Oi, I’m trying to eat here!” Ron exclaimed. He took a swig of pumpkin juice before adding, “I’m okay with this, as long as you aren’t constantly snogging her in front of me.”

“Then, maybe you are going to need to close your eyes more often, big brother,” teased Ginny. “After all I had to put up with this summer with the two of you, I think some payback is warranted.” She put her hand on Brook’s chin, turned his head toward her again, and gave him a much more passionate kiss.

They each finished their breakfast one handed as they held hands underneath the table through the rest of the meal. Ginny had just popped her last bite of toast into her mouth when Malfoy approached them, his customary sneer on his face. “So the Yankee tosser is going out with the Weaselette now, huh? Not surprising that a blood traitor like her would go out with yet another Mudblood like you.”

“Sod off, Malfoy,” said Brook calmly, not even looking up from his meal. He could tell that Ginny was getting angry, but he squeezed her hand and looked at her reassuringly.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, Pelton? No Yank Mudblood is going to talk to me like that!” Malfoy pulled out his wand, but before he could cast a spell, Brook waved his free hand and muttered, “Diminuendo” under his breath. Malfoy’s eyes suddenly widened, he gulped and looked down, said something under his breath in a very high voice, and then ran from the hall.

Everyone just stared at Brook until Hermione asked, “Brook, what did you do to Malfoy? I heard you say a spell, but couldn’t quite hear it.”

“I just used Diminuendo on him.”

“The Shrinking Charm? I didn’t see anything different? What did you shrink?”

Brook got a nasty smirk on his face. “His . . . what do you call them here? Oh, yeah, bits. But I don’t think there was much of a change though.”

Ginny was the first one to laugh, followed by the rest of the table. “Thanks for holding me back, Brook,” whispered Ginny. “I was getting ready to hit him with my Bat-Bogey Hex, but I think your idea was better. Definitely more subtle, and less likely to get us in trouble.”

A few minutes later, as they gathered their bags to go to their first lessons, Lavender came over and stopped them from leaving. “Brook, I want to apologize to you for that trick I played on you and Hermione a few weeks ago. I realize that I read all the clues wrong; obviously, Ginny was who you meant.”

“Yeah, she was, but you had me scared for a moment. When you said that you knew who it was, I thought that perhaps I wasn’t hiding my feelings for Ginny as well as I thought.” Brook admitted.

Dean came up to the couple and gave Ginny a hug. “Congratulations, Ginny. I haven’t seen you this happy for a long time; you are absolutely glowing.” He turned to Brook, “I still care for Ginny as a very good friend, and if you hurt her, you are going to have to answer to me.”

“That goes for me as well,” added Ron.

“I’ll be careful, you two. I had already assumed I would be in hot water if I ever hurt her, since she has six overprotective older brothers.”

“And don’t forget Ginny herself. You may not have seen her temper yet. I would be more afraid of her wrath than all her brothers combined,” Dean joked.

Ginny laughed and hit him on the arm lightly. “I’m not that bad, Dean. Don’t scare him off now that I finally convinced him to go out with me.”

“I’ll let you be the judge of that, Brook. Good luck dealing with her temper.”

I’m sure I can handle a little temper, Brook thought. How bad can it be? He turned to Ginny and said, “We’d better head to class.”

As they left the Great Hall and walked hand in hand up the marble staircase, they passed Professor McGonagall. “Good morning, Professor,” greeted Brook.

“Mr Pelton. Miss Weasley.” Brook noticed her eyes dart down toward their entwined hands and then back up to their faces. “It is good to see the two of you this morning,” she said with a definite emphasis on ‘two’. “Perhaps now you will be able to concentrate better in Transfiguration, Mr Pelton?” she asked and then gave him a wink as they passed, causing Brook to turn red.

“What was that all about?” asked Ginny.

“How am I to know?” Brook said. Trying to change the subject quickly, “Well, I better get off to Defence. Don’t want to be late for Snape. See you at lunch,” giving her a quick kiss.

**********

October 10th, 1997

Dear Aaron,

I know I just wrote you ten days ago, but I need to fill you in on some news. I told you about the free day to visit the local village in my last letter and my reluctance to go. Well, it ended up that I got to spend the whole day with Ginny, the girl I told you about that I couldn't stop thinking about, and much of it just the two of us (not my plan but events conspired against me.) At the end of the day, I don’t know what came over me, but I just kissed her. And what a kiss. I know it sounds cliché, but it was magical. (Brook couldn’t help putting in that little joke). I’ve never had a kiss anything like it. While kissing a girl who already has a boyfriend is out of character for me, my reaction to my error in judgment was typical; I ran. I avoided her totally over the next several days, but eventually she tracked me down in the middle of the night (again), and told me that she had already been considering breaking up with her boyfriend, and our kiss finally convinced her to do it. So we’re together now and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

Other than that, no major changes. School’s the same, teachers are the same, Quidditch is the same. Well, maybe not the same, because everything is better because of Ginny. I know I sound sappy, but it’s the truth.

Hope you are doing as well as I. Hope to hear from you soon,

Brook

**********

"Hey, Lydia! Do you want to sit with Ginny and me?" Brook and Ginny were walking hand in hand down to the Ravenclaw/Hufflepuff Quidditch match when he had spotted the younger girl walking by herself. Brook had kept his promise and had been working with her after most practices, and had learned a lot about her. She was the daughter of a Muggle and a Squib, so she had been raised in a non-magical house, but was aware of magic since she often visited her mum's parents, who were magical. He also discovered that she was quiet and shy and had few friends. Unfortunately, most of the Gryffindor girls in her year had known each other before arriving at Hogwarts, so she never felt like she fit in. She tended to sit by herself at meals and in the common room, but Brook had been trying to include her with the rest of the Quidditch team.

"I don't want to intrude on you two," she replied. "After all, you did just finally get together this week."

"What do you mean 'finally'?"

"Oh, come on, Brook. At Quidditch practice, Ron had me focused on watching you and even I could tell you fancied Ginny with the way you were constantly staring at her. I'm just glad the two of you realized what you felt for each other. Haven't seen the two of you in the common room that much the last few days. Not doing anything you shouldn't be, are you?" she said with a smirk.

Brook ruffled her hair. "That's none of your business, pipsqueak," he teased, before putting his arm around her as they arrived at the pitch. "Let's find some seats."

They scanned the Gryffindor section and finally found the rest of the team sitting together. Hermione, Padma and Colin were there, too, sitting with their significant others. Brook and Ginny weren't the only new couple that started during the Hogsmeade weekend as Colin had finally developed enough courage to ask Demelza to go with him. As they climbed the stairs to join the team, Ron noticed them.

"Oh, good, Forrest and Pelton, you're here." As they sat down one row in front of him, he put his arm around each of them and said, "Now, I want the two of you to scout the Seekers. Summerby for Hufflepuff has never impressed me, but he may have improved. I don't know who the new Ravenclaw Seeker is, since Chang left last year. Make sure you get a good feel for their tactics so you can be ready for them in the spring." He turned to Ginny. "Ginny, why don't you sit over there with Dean and Demelza so that you can discuss the Chasers."

Ginny's face turned a little red as she faced her brother. "Ron, I came here to watch a Quidditch match with my boyfriend, not to spend the whole time scouting the other teams. Can't you just let us enjoy the match instead of making it work? Life is not all about just Quidditch!" She pulled out her wand, pointing it at him.

Ron put up his hands. "Okay, okay, Ginny, don't hex me. If you could maybe watch the Chasers while you are 'enjoying' the match, I would appreciate it." Ron retreated down the row to sit with Hermione.

Dean leaned in and whispered to Brook, "I warned you about her temper, didn't I?" giving him a wink.

Brook did watch the match closely, though, as it was his first chance to actually see one, instead of playing. He tended to watch the Quaffle, as that was where most of the action was, but after about thirty minutes he noticed Lydia giggling next to him. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Look at the Seekers! It looks like they were both told to follow the other and they don't know what to do!"

Brook looked up at the two Seekers, and couldn't help laughing himself. Each Seeker was trying to get behind the other, so that they were flying in small circles around each other. Their attention was focused on their opponent and not looking for the Snitch, and both Lydia and Brook spotted it several times, while the two Seekers were totally unaware of it. The match was close, but finally ended when the Snitch just appeared in front of the Ravenclaw Seeker's face. The sudden appearance shocked him so much that he almost fell off his broom before he was able to grab it, giving Ravenclaw a 310-180 victory.

**********

The next few weeks were pure bliss as Ginny and Brook explored their new relationship, as well as several broom cupboards . Well, maybe not pure bliss, because there was one pang that jabbed him occasionally; he was not totally honest with her about his identity and his past. Dumbledore had told him to tell no one, but that didn’t stop him from feeling guilty. Brook visited the Headmaster to discuss this topic, explaining how he felt keeping this from her, but Dumbledore just reiterated the importance of maintaining the secret. His final point hit Brook really hard: Ginny knowing would put her safety at risk. He knew that he couldn’t do anything that would endanger her.

It didn’t help that Luna continued to whisper things to him about his secret in Ginny’s presence. Luna and Ginny had been friends for years, but he could still tell that Ginny didn’t like Luna whispering to Brook. She had asked him about it a few times, but he tried to push it off as just Luna being Luna. That worked at first, but as Luna kept doing it, there was more and more tension between Ginny and Brook.

It all came to a head one day in the Great Hall when Luna had whispered to him, “I think you should tell her your secret.”

This time, Ginny was close enough that she actually heard what she said. She turned red and said to Brook through tense lips, “What secret does she know that I don’t?”

“Ginny, I am really sorry, but Dumbledore made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“Hiding behind the Headmaster, huh? How does Luna know then?” Her voice was rising to just below a yell.

Brook shrugged. “You know Luna; she just knows things sometimes and can’t stop herself from saying what she thinks.”

Ginny huffed, putting her hands on her hips. “Are you going to tell me this secret or not? Can you at least tell me what it’s about?”

“I can’t. I want to, but I just can’t. I am sorry, but I will as soon as Dumbledore says I can,” pleading with her to understand.

“Well, I don’t want to have a boyfriend who keeps secrets with other girls. When you are ready to tell me the secret, then maybe I will be ready to consider being your girlfriend again!” She stormed out of the Great Hall, leaving Brook dejected. He looked up at Dumbledore, who had seen the whole exchange, along with the rest of the student body and faculty, with pleading in his eyes, but Dumbledore just shook his head. In addition to sadness at possibly losing Ginny, now he was angry at Dumbledore and he stormed out just like Ginny had.

Ginny wouldn’t talk to him for the next few days, no matter how he tried. Whenever he saw her, he could see the pain on her face, and that look hurt him more than the ache of his own heart. One evening he came into the common room and saw her talking to Hermione and could tell she had been crying. He felt a weight in his chest, seeing the pain he was causing her. When she noticed him, she ran up the stairs to the girls’ dorms before he could stop her. The boys’ dorm also became a tense place to be with both Ron and Dean giving him the silent treatment when he wouldn’t explain what had happened. Quidditch practice was a disaster as no one would talk to Brook, Ginny wouldn’t talk to anyone else, and Ron took out his anger at Brook on the rest of the team.

"Peakes, you call that Beating?” Ron growled. “Hit that Bludger like you mean it!” Frustrated at his captain, Peakes reared his arm back and hit the Bludger with all that he had, but with all the effort he put into it, his aim was off. Brook, who had looked down at Peakes when he heard the impact of the bat on the Bludger, saw that it was heading right for the back of Ginny’s head and that her attention was on attempting to get the Quaffle past Ron, so she had no idea it was coming right at her. Brook yelled, “Ginny, watch out!” as he pressed his body to his broomstick, accelerating in her direction. Just before the Bludger hit her, Brook extended his hand and slapped it away, feeling two snaps in his forearm as he did it. He looked down at his arm, which was no longer straight before pulling it against his body to protect it from jostling. As he alit on the ground gently, Ginny flew down and asked, “Brook, what did you do that for?”

Brook responded weakly, “I couldn’t let you get hurt,” grimacing in pain.

Ron had joined them by this time. “Mate, you better get to the hospital wing so Madam Pomfrey can heal that.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” replied Brook.

“Are you going to be okay getting there by yourself? You look a little peaky.”

“I’ll help him, Ron,” said Ginny. As they walked, she asked, “Are you sure you can make it? I can levitate you if you want.” Her obvious concern despite their argument caused a feeling of warmth go through him. I think she still cares for me; maybe we do have a chance, he thought.

“No, that’s alright, Ginny. I can make it.” But to be sure, she placed an arm around his waist to steady him. Brook felt a chill go up his spine at just this minor touch from her.

The rest of the trip was quiet, as neither knew what to say. Ginny ushered him into Madam Pomfrey, who asked, “What do we have here?”

“Mr Pelton took a Bludger at Quidditch practice and it looks like he broke his arm. I’ll leave you to it.” As she left, she added, “Thanks, Brook. I’m sorry you were hurt protecting me.”

“I’d do anything to keep you safe, Gin,” he responded as she walked away, too quietly for her to hear.

Madam Pomfrey quickly waved her wand, confirmed the fracture, and gave him a potion to drink. “That will heal you right up.”

Brook drank it down, but responded by gagging and saying, “Ugh, that’s horrible!”

“What did you expect, pumpkin juice?”

“Isn’t there a spell that can heal a fracture? I seem to remember coming across one in my reading this summer.”

“There is a spell, but it is not used by most healers because it is a tad temperamental. If done improperly, it can render the limb boneless.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“No, indeed it isn’t. It is a lot harder to regrow all the bones than to heal the original fracture. Now, I want you to stay overnight to make sure that everything knits properly, but you should be fine to go to breakfast. I’m sorry, but that means you’ll have to miss the Halloween feast.”

That night, Brook stared at the ceiling of the hospital wing, pondering his relationship with Ginny. He was floored by the depth of feeling he had for her in such a short time. He was brought back to his talk with Dad about how he knew that he loved Mom. As he replayed his father’s advice, he mentally checked off whether his feelings matched with what his dad had said. More interested in her happiness and well-being than my own? Yep; today’s events showed that. A smile that she has just for me? Yes, but I haven’t seen it for a few days, and the start of my day doesn’t feel right without it. A spark when we touch? Oh, yeah, even when she just put her arm around me to steady me on the way to Madam Pomfrey, I felt a chill. A feeling of loss when she isn’t there? That’s a definite yes. The last few days have demonstrated that to me in spades. Can’t imagine a future without her? Yes again. He had even caught himself daydreaming in class one day of a little cottage where the two of them would live, complete with a few red haired children flying around on broomsticks.

Well, it looks I am in love with Ginny Weasley. I guess I take after my parents with falling quickly and hard. Now, if I can just convince her to talk to me again without taking off my head. He rolled over, with a smile on his face as he dreamed again of that cottage.

Reviews 319
ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter




../back
‘! Go To Top ‘!

Sink Into Your Eyes is hosted by Grey Media Internet Services. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & © 2001-2006. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions on this site are those made by the owners. All stories(fanfiction) are owned by the author and are subject to copyright law under transformative use. Authors on this site take no compensation for their works. This site © 2003-2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Special thanks to: Aredhel, Kaz, Michelle, and Jeco for all the hard work on SIYE 1.0 and to Marta for the wonderful artwork.
Featured Artwork © 2003-2006 by Yethro.
Design and code © 2006 by SteveD3(AdminQ)
Additional coding © 2008 by melkior and Bear