Hey coffee eyes

You got me coughing up my cookie heart

Making promises to myself

Promises like seeds of everything I could be.

Hey ringwald haze

We're using bruises too loosely in a haste to lose me

And I've given all I could give.

We live in quick flips, slips, tips and taps

to snap us out of these statue traps.

But I've taken all I could take.

- Cap'n Jazz, Little League

"It's such a beautiful day out," Ginny said in a tone of contentment.

Harry had to agree. May had mellowed in its old age and was eager to share its cloud-free skies, warm sunshine and thick, soft grass.

The Hogwarts grounds stretched out before them, green under the midday sun as the shades of trees danced at the edge of the forest in the rustling wind. The sky was an inverted sea of bright blue, flecked with white clouds like foam in the surf. A cooling breeze rippled over the top of the lawn, stirring up loose leaves and dandelion tufts. It was a day for verdant things to grow. Harry took a deep breath of fresh, grass scented air, and let it shimmer down his spine.

His head was pillowed on Ginny's lap as they lay in the shade of a tree not far from the lake. The position was beneficial to everyone involved as Ginny enjoyed playing with Harry's hair and Harry enjoyed placing his head in close proximity to her thighs and more delicate parts. It was sort of like copping a feel, except he did it with his cheek instead of his palm and there was little danger of being slapped.

Nearby the sounds of students splashing in the shallow water mixed with the insects buzzing in the tall grass. It was a warm day, but comfortable enough in the shade and Harry wasn't willing to give up his pillow in order to play in the lake. The sun occasionally broke through the shifting leaves above him to shine blindingly on his face, so he kept his eyes closed and drifted close to the border between sleep and wakefulness.

"Harry?"

Ginny' s voice pulled him back to the land of the conscious. "Huh?" he mumbled.

"Just checking if you're awake," she said, ruffling his hair for the hundredth time.

"I am now," he said a trifle sullenly.

"Sleep at night, Harry," Ginny told him heartlessly. "Talk to me."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Isn't a beautiful day out?"

He realised that he had never actually answered her, his thoughts on the matter being purely internal. "Yeah, it is," he said, "and when people talk about the weather doesn't it usually mean there's nothing to say?"

"Nice try." She hit him gently on the head with one knuckle.

Harry reluctantly sat up, feeling dizzy for a moment as he regained his equilibrium. "We could talk about how great the team was last game, if you think that subject hasn't been done to death."

"I'm pretty sure it has."

"I was right, then. There's no point in talking, so..." Harry closed his eyes again fell back down onto Ginny's lap.

"Harry!" she laughed, pushing on his shoulder while he stubbornly refused to move. "How long do you expect me to sit here and be your pillow? My legs are starting to cramp."

"At least another hour."

"Forget it!" Ginny pulled her legs up to her chest, an act which roughly deposited Harry's head onto the ground.

"Ow." Harry pushed himself back into a sitting position and squinted out towards the lake. "Did you want to swim?"

"No, I want to talk, remember?" Ginny settled back against the tree and regarded Harry with a small smile. "You know people are still asking me about you."

"That's stupid," Harry muttered. He shifted over next to her but his gaze was fixed on the ground. He always felt uncomfortable whenever his fame became an issue in his relationship with Ginny. "They've had, what, two weeks to get used to us being together."

"Thirteen days, actually," Ginny corrected him, "but close enough."

Harry shook his head, distracted from the current topic by the thought of the date. Was it really May 23rd already? It was only close to a month before school was out for the summer, a prospect he was not at all looking forward to.

"Don't obsess over it, Harry," Ginny told him firmly, apparently having deciphered his darkening expression. "We've got lots of time yet, and who says you can't stay with us again after a bit?"

"I'm not ready for the year to end," Harry confessed. He reached over and grasped her hand a little more desperately than he had intended to.

"That's very sweet, but I'm sure that I'm not the only reason," she said lightly.

"I feel like there's this storm on the horizon," Harry told her lowly, his eyes moving unconsciously to the real horizon, "and I don't think I'm prepared. There's so much more to learn."

"From Scott?"

She didn't sound confrontational but Harry still looked at her warily, hoping this wasn't the start of an argument. Ginny still didn't seem to really like the Kharadjai whom Harry had come to trust. "I suppose."

Ginny leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder, a gesture that made Harry relax. "What is it you think that you need to know?"

The Horcruxes were a serious concern, but Harry didn't feel ready to share that with her. He felt guilty, since he had told Ron and Hermione, but somehow endangering them with the knowledge just wasn't the same. Ginny remained separate from the war, and though it was probably selfish Harry preferred to keep it that way. "Well, I think Scott could teach me a few things about fighting, you know, in case I get into trouble this summer."

Her head shot up from its resting place. "What do you mean, get into trouble? What are you going to do?"

"Nothing!" Harry said quickly, trying to retreat from his mistake. "But you know me, I don't have to go looking for trouble..."

"That's true. You're a walking disaster sometimes, you know that?" she sighed, and resumed her reclined position.

"Thanks," Harry said dryly. "I always wanted an encouraging girlfriend."

She raised her head and looking him in the eye with an unexpected seriousness. "You don't need encouragement, Harry," she informed him, sliding one hand around to the back of his head, "you need someone to watch out for you, since you don't seem to care much for the job."

"Too much like honest work, I guess," he stammered in reply, drawn in by her closeness. He tried to glance away from the mesmerising brown of her eyes but failed.

She rolled her eyes at him and looked like she was about to say something, but apparently she changed her mind because she kissed him instead.

Harry hadn't been on the receiving end of very many kisses until he had entered a relationship with Ginny, but after sharing a number of them with her he seemed to be getting the hang of it. There was a bit of a trick involved in getting his nose into the right position and in making sure his glasses didn't poke her in the eye, but once the angles were agreeable, instinct was able to take over. He let her lead for the most part and steadily expanded his repertoire of active oral responses.

"OI! YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF!"

The shout rang out from somewhere behind Harry, startling him. He broke the kiss and spun around to see who was yelling, but before he even completed the motion his brain caught up and he recognised the voice.

"STUFF IT, RON!" Ginny screamed back at her brother, who was standing a ways off with Hermione, a revolted look on his face.

At Ginny's reply he began striding towards them but Hermione caught his arm and hauled him back. Harry didn't know what she was telling Ron, but she was nothing if not convincing when she wanted to be. Though Ron was clearly reluctant the pair moved on, Hermione looking back over her shoulder to give Harry and Ginny a small wave.

"I'll have to talk to him," Harry said resignedly as he watched them walk off.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be talking to him," Ginny snapped, her face flushed.

Harry prudently grabbed her hand again so she wouldn't be able to storm off after Ron. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "I can handle Ron."

"Not very well. You'll turn it into a big fight and then I'll be stuck between the two of you when you're not talking to each other," Harry said reasonably.

Apparently his logic was unwelcome; Ginny turned away from him with a huff. "I won't just let him get away with that, I've had about enough of his shite when it comes to my boyfriends!"

Harry didn't like being reminded that she had been in similar situations with other boys before him. He tried to change the subject. "Speaking of people who get you all shirty, here comes Scott now."

Scott was meandering across the lawn in their general direction, whistling an oddly complicated tune and pausing frequently to kick at clumps of dandelions. Lavender and Parvati shouted a multitude of unflattering things at him as he booted a thick cluster of already sprouted weeds and covered the sunbathing girls with a cloud of white fluff. He nimbly dodged the dirt clods they flung at him in reprisal and jogged away with a malevolent grin on his face.

Ginny got that look, the one she always did whenever Scott was around. Harry knew that she didn't actually hate Scott — or even really find him unpleasant, for that matter. Not all the time, anyway. But she definitely mistrusted his methods and probably his intentions, too. Hermione did also, but she didn't seem to make it as personal as Ginny did. Harry had the glum feeling that Ginny's wariness had a lot to do with him. She didn't trust Scott to look out for Harry's interests, or feelings, or whatever, and while Harry sort of appreciated the sentiment he wished she'd have a little more faith in his ability to take care of himself.

"What's up, jizz mop?" Scott said to Harry as he approached. He nodded towards Ginny. "Ginnycide."

Harry decided to take a page out of Scott's book. "Blow it out your arse, prick," he said by way of greeting.

"Yeah, sod off wanker," Ginny chimed in, though Harry couldn't help but think she sounded more serious about it.

Scott chortled gleefully and flopped down into the grass next to them. "So, I have a question for you guys," he said. "Excepting your sudden plunge into significant other-dom, has anything unusual happened lately? Anything that would stand out and make you take notice? Or, have you had any recurrent thoughts or intuitions?"

Harry knew what Scott was asking, though he didn't think he'd have much to offer his friend in the way of insights. "No, not lately. Is there a particular reason?"

"Events are accelerating," Scott stated calmly. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"Maybe..." Harry hedged. Hadn't he just been talking with Ginny about how he felt there was something on the horizon? While she was still around he didn't want to be specific as to what that something was. "I think Dumbledore might want to talk to me, sometime soon, and that's been weighing on me a little..." he said pointedly, hoping that Scott would get the message.

Scott nodded slowly. "Makes sense. Ginny?"

Ginny had been looking at the two of them, clearly suspecting that she was only getting half of the conversation. "What?"

"What about you? Any hunches?"

"I don't get what you're asking," she told him rather sharply.

"Then the answer is no." Scott sighed and leaned back onto his elbows. "Conflicting information is so disheartening. At least when everyone is worried you know that something is going to happen." He sighed again and glanced around the lake edge. "So where's the R Man and Little Miss H?"

"They walked off that way," Harry said, vaguely waving one arm in the general direction he had last seen his friends.

"Perhaps finding a copse of trees suitable for copulation," Scott mused, peering off in the direction of the forest.

"Oh, ick," Ginny gagged. "Shut up, right now. I don't want to hear anything about them."

"Are you unfamiliar with the concept? 'Shagging', I believe is your colloquial term? I can walk you through the process, but not only would Harry object, I'm pretty sure you couldn't keep up." Scott had that gleeful, mean spark in his eye that meant he would continue to taunt Ginny until she either found it funny or lost her temper.

Harry decided to intercede. "Scott," he said quickly before Ginny could spit out a scathing retort. He moved over and put his head close to his friend's ear. He thought he knew the right sensibility of Scott's to appeal to. "Hey, come on, mate," he whispered pleadingly, "don't bollix this up for me. Can't you give me some time alone with her?"

Harry could almost see the gears in Scott's head shift from the setting of half-playful antagonism to male-best-friend-mode. "Sorry, man," he whispered back, "I didn't mean to cock block." He jumped to his feet. "I'm gonna go catch up to Hermione," he said loudly for Ginny's benefit. "Need to ask her about one of these spell bullshit dealies."

Scott sprinted off to find Hermione, stopping on his way to knock the breath out of Seamus with a full body tackle that sent both of them crashing to the grass and nearly flattened Lavender, who was sunning herself nearby.

"You cheeky fucker!" Harry heard Seamus shout as he attempted to put Scott into a headlock. He wished Seamus the best of luck, but knew there was little chance that Scott could be bested in even a non-serious fight. Sure enough, no more than a couple seconds later Scott bent Seamus' arm up in a submission hold and flipped him on his back again.

"What's gotten into him?" Ginny wondered, watching the altercation as Lavender and Parvati cheered the two boys on. "Is he out looking to pick a fight with everyone?"

That was entirely possible, Harry knew, but he didn't think it would reflect well on Ginny's opinion of Scott's character. "He's just having some fun with Seamus. He's not really trying to hurt him." Harry winced as Seamus' legs were kicked out from under him and he slammed into the turf face first. "Well, not seriously."

His most recent impact with the dirt seemed to have knocked the fight out of Seamus, and he slumped onto his back with his hands held up in silent surrender. Scott grinned down at his fallen opponent and then turned to talk to Lavender, though Harry couldn't hear what they were saying.

"You obviously know how to get rid of him," Ginny observed. "What did you say?"

"I told him we wanted to be alone for awhile," Harry said diplomatically.

"I'm surprised he was that considerate."

"He can be considerate sometimes." Harry didn't inform her as to why Scott had been so accommodating, but that was probably better left unsaid.

"Hmmm," she hummed non-committally. She was still watching Scott closely.

Harry didn't feel there was anything to be gained by following their current thread of conversation any further. He knew as well and probably better than anyone (with the exception of Hermione) that Scott could be a royal pain in the arse, but he still felt compelled to defend his friend and that wouldn't sit well with Ginny.

"So what about you? Any plans this summer?" he asked her instead.

"A number, if you should happen to show up," she informed him with a smouldering sort of look that made Harry's trousers feel a bit too tight. With Scott successfully banished from the conversation, Ginny scooted back closer to Harry.

Harry swallowed hard but managed to stammer, "Like what? Or do you not want to give it away?"

"I don't mind giving you a sample," Ginny said, leaning in towards him again, "since I know you'll keep coming back for more."

Over the next few minutes Harry was given an extended chance to further sharpen his osculatory skills.

"Hermione, let go-"

"No," she said firmly.

"Come off it, I'm not gonna yell again-"

"Only because you want to go pull them apart." Hermione tightened her grip on Ron's sleeve and dragged him further away from the tree where Harry and Ginny were ensconced. "Leave them be."

"What, and just let them snog in public?"

"Yes."

Ron continued to grumble but ceased dragging his feet. The growing distance between him and the debilitating sight of his sister and best mate snogging helped make the disgust less immediate, Hermione supposed. She began to regret suggesting that they take a walk. She had known that Harry and Ginny were outside together, and if she had stayed in the common room the encounter wouldn't have happened.

"Hey! Hermione!" Scott's strident voice rang out not far behind.

Ron looked over his shoulder. "You know, I bet he's at least partly to blame."

"To blame for what?" Hermione asked. "For Harry and Ginny snogging?"

"Yeah. He helped us out, didn't he? Scott, you poncey bastard!" Ron raised his voice, shouting back at Scott. "It's your fault I'm scarred for life, mate!"

Scott jogged up to them, chuckling grotesquely at Ron's sally. "You should see what they do when they're not in public," he said.

"No I bloody well shouldn't," Ron retorted. "And neither should you, for that matter. Have you been spying on them?"

"What can I say? There's a shortage of porn at this school. A portage, I suppose."

"Oh, bloody hell, don't tell me you've been getting off to my sodding sister."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

"I think you boys can have this conversation alone," Hermione said primly, and turned to leave.

"Stick around, actually," Scott told her. "I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"Remember the night of the game I asked you if you had noticed anything unusual, and you still haven't provided me with a satisfactory answer."

"But you found out what it was. Harry and Ginny kissed, and they're together now," Hermione said, confused.

"Maybe. That's what I used to think. The curve of the shape suggests a variety of things, all of them conjecture." Scott squinted off into the forest, though Hermione wasn't sure if he was actually looking at anything in particular. "We're picking up the pace. This is a long term acceleration that can't be explained by a limited focal event."

"Right. Now explain it again in English," Ron said.

"Things are coming to a head."

Hermione felt a low jolt of apprehension in her stomach. "Are we going to be attacked?"

Scott looked over her with an expression of serious interest, as if she had offered a suggestion instead of a query. "I don't know. Do you think that's likely?"

"No, of course not," she said hurriedly. "Not with Dumbledore here."

"But it was the first thing that popped into your head, so you must have thought it was at least possible," Scott pointed out.

"We're living in dangerous times," Hermione said nervously, not at all liking where Scott's mind was going. "It was just an impulse on my part, surely that isn't significant."

Scott scrutinised her closely for a few more seconds, but then his eyes lost their searching look and he shrugged. "If you say so." He turned towards Ron. "And how about you, my firecrotch friend?"

"I think we might get attacked," Ron said with a straight face.

"How am I supposed to shape with my Primes if I can't ever get a consensus out of you fucks?" Scott complained.

"Perhaps you shouldn't rely so much on people who aren't accustomed to 'shaping'," Hermione shot back. "It's not our fault we can't feel the same things you can."

"I know. I didn't really expect to get anything useful out of you, I was just making sure you were worthless." Scott grinned at her.

"At least we're Primes. You're not necessary at all."

"You guys are Priority Two Primes, which makes you the sidekick to Harry," Scott told her, still smiling mockingly. "Or at least, that's what it makes Ron. I suppose your job is to stand around and look pretty."

Hermione clenched her fists and only by a supreme effort of will was able to suppress the urge to throw a nasty jinx or two in Scott's direction. She knew they would have been ineffective anyway, which only made her even angrier. "I know what you're doing," she said as calmly as she was able, "and I'm not going to fight with you just because you're bored."

"Then who will?"

"Call your sister. She always seems happy enough to oblige."

"No joke, mate. And I thought that my family know how to row," Ron said. "You two go at it like it's an art."

"It isn't?" Scott said.

"If that was all you needed..." Hermione moved closer to Ron and took several meaningful steps in the direction that they had been headed before Scott stopped them.

"What, doesn't anybody want to hang out with me? Am I the only person not getting laid today?" Scott lamented.

"Nobody's getting laid!" Hermione spluttered.

"Then stop wasting time. You don't have that many years left to sneak off and screw around in the woods, you know. You'll be adults sooner than you think and then all the fun will go out of it."

Hermione had heard enough. It was obvious that Scott had gotten the information he wanted and was now amusing himself at her expense. She had been enjoying a lovely afternoon with Ron before Scott decided to interrupt things and she wasn't going to allow him to continue.

"We're taking a walk, because it's a beautiful day out," she stated, "and I don't mean to be rude but you're not invited. So we'll see you later."

Scott slumped against a nearby tree in an exaggerated pose of dejection. "Oh, fine. I see how it is."

"Good, I was afraid I'd have to explain it to you," Hermione said brightly. She reached out and gave Ron a firm tug on the arm, leading him away.

"He's not trying to follow us," Ron noted as they sauntered off into the trees. "I reckon he knew you were serious."

"I don't particularly feel like spending any time with him today, to be honest."

Ron gave her an easy smile and wrapped one arm around her waist, drawing her closer. "Fine by me."

Neville stumbled and nearly tripped over the fallen log but managed to catch himself just in time. The bright sun shifting through the forest canopy made the ground sometimes difficult to discern, a mottled pattern of alternating bloomed light and dark earth. He slowed down to step carefully around the remains of what had once been a large tree and then hurried on down the poorly defined path.

The area he was in wasn't technically characterised as the Forbidden Forest as it was an outlying area with sparser trees and far less undergrowth, a sort of shrub suburb surrounding the forest proper. Hagrid's cabin wasn't far away, and Neville nervously tried to keep it in sight. He figured as soon as he could no longer see that he had gone too far.

Luna appeared unconcerned by their relative proximity to the deep and accordingly more dangerous parts of the woods. She meandered about with no apparent destination in mind and frequently paused to examine flowers and other plants which captured her interest. Neville was happy to tell her about the ones he was able to identify, but she seemed more interested in the possibility that they might feed or house mythical creatures than in their practical aspects.

"Are you coming, Neville?" Luna called to him as he fell further behind.

Neville shot a quick glance over his shoulder and was dismayed to find that Hagrid's cabin was nearly obscured by the trees. "Um, don't you think we've gone far enough?"

To his relief, Luna assented and came back towards him. "I suppose you're right," she said absently. "Snorkacks aren't likely to live where there's not much sun."

Deciding not to answer that, Neville picked out a trail and began walking back the way they came. "Watch out for that log," he warned her, pointing out the obstacle which had nearly sent him sprawling.

"It's only a log," she said dismissively, apparently finding it unsuitable as a potential nesting place for any of her favourite creatures.

"Still tripped me up," he mumbled, taking a detour around the stubborn object.

"That's not very nice of it," she commented, and gave the log a chiding kick.

"Nothing like an old log to work out the aggressions," a loud, cheerful voice rang out through the woods. Neville looked up from watching his feet to see Scott loping his way over to them, an amused look on his face. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"Well, we... er..." Neville shut his mouth, slightly confused. Come to think of it, why were they out in the woods? Luna had simply drifted in that direction and he had followed her.

"We're out for a walk," Luna explained, her voice muffled by the bush she had stuck her head into as she examined its innards.

"I don't suppose you could take a break to answer a few questions? Or maybe just one question?" Scott asked.

"I haven't answered many questions today." Luna's head emerged, her hair full of small twigs. "I'm sure yours won't be a bother."

"Marvellous," Scott said dryly. "In that case, have either of you had any thoughts, or maybe feelings would be a better term, that have been repetitious? Maybe you've felt like something is going to happen, etcetera?"

Neville wasn't entirely sure what Scott was getting at, but he did his best to answer. "Well, school's about to end, so that's been on my mind... But not like you said, no."

"Things have been a bit quicker lately," Luna remarked. "I suppose the world has to speed up before it can slow down."

Scott's eyes immediately snapped over to her. "Is that so?"

Luna took a moment to consider it before nodding gravely. "Yes, it's so."

"Uh huh." Scott said nothing for a moment, staring at her. "Anything in particular lead you to that conclusion?"

"Oh, we're all moving faster these days. Not just me." Luna bent over to pick up a medium sized pine cone, which she stuck in one of her pockets.

"If you're moving the same as everyone else, how can you tell they're going faster?"

"Well you can feel it, can't you? It's quite troublesome and just a bit dizzy." Luna looked up thoughtfully. "Is it going to rain?"

"No."

"No," she echoed with a touch of sadness. "It's a shame. It might all make more sense if it would."

"Sunlight is perhaps less conducive to thought." Scott's eyes were narrowed and his teeth worried at the inside of his cheek. "Have you ever felt something like this before?"

"Yes, a few times. It seems to happen about this time of year. It was the same before the big tournament in third year, and before we went to that Department last year. That was my fourth year, you know."

"I do now." Scott took a few steps forward and bent down slightly to be at eye level with Luna. "Luna, do me a favour — if you feel things get faster or slower, would you come tell me about it?"

"If you'd like," she said, leaning forward until her nose was almost touching Scott's. They stayed like that for a handful of seconds until Scott crossed his eyes. Luna smiled and leaned back.

Scott turned to Neville. "Nev, my advice is stick close to this girlie. She knows what's up."

As Scott walked away, Neville watched and thought about what had been said. He'd be lying to himself to say he understood all or even parts of it well, but he also wasn't stupid. The significance was clear enough, even if the particulars left him confused.

"So something bad's going to happen?" he said to Luna.

"We can hope not, but it probably will anyway," she told him, sounding unperturbed by the thought.

"Are we-" Neville turned to look at her and was startled when he discovered that she was standing much closer to him than she had been before. Her silvery grey gaze was fixed on him intently, tilted upward to study his face. "Ah, are we going to be ready?"

"We can try," she said pleasantly.

"Right." Neville squared his shoulders and tried to look more prepared for what darkness the future might bring. At least after the Department of Mysteries he felt somewhat more like a veteran. He wasn't at all certain he could survive that sort of thing twice, but he also wouldn't run away. It was too late for that. For the first time he had found some measure of belief in himself, and cowardice was no longer an option.

He jumped slightly, jolted from his thoughts by an unfamiliar sensation. Luna had placed her small, fine-boned hand in his. The feeling of her soft skin against his palm immediately made him feel jumpy and hot. "You're very brave, Neville," she said seriously.

He flushed and tried to look away, but her silvery eyes held him fast. "I- I don't know about that... I just try to follow Harry..."

She smiled up at him. "Someday you'll see what I see in you."

As always, her uncomfortable honesty disarmed him and left him reaching for something to say. Maybe, he thought dimly, there wasn't anything to say this time? He tightened his hold on her hand and started walking back towards the lake. Luna didn't say anything else either.

Neville thought that perhaps the future was not so insurmountable as they went hand in hand towards the sunlight.