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Harry Potter and the Prophesized Six | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, James Potter, Lily Potter, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance Warnings: Extreme Language, Sexual Situations Rating: R Reviews: 668 Summary: This is the sequel to my previous story, Harry Potter and the Twists of Fate, starting off a few hours after the last chapter. Harry and his friends are now aware of the part they will play in the coming war. Can their friendship and love hold them together or will they allow jealousy and uncertainty to pull them apart, allowing Voldemort to win? Hitcount: Story Total: 328142; Chapter Total: 6250 Author's Notes: Well, here's the next chapter as promised. I hope you guys like it. There is a scene that many have been waiting for. I hope you like that, too. I do apologize for a mistake I made with the seventh year duels. I had Fred and George duel with Adrian Pucey and Montague in the second round after saying that no seventh year Slytherin made it past the first round. I'm sorry for that. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review. Please don't get mad about the last part. |
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Chapter 28: Three significant conversations Harry was close to panicking. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth after Draco Malfoy had hit him with the same spell which had allowed him to defeat Ron the day before. As he frantically thought about a way to unstick his tongue, he dodged a disarming spell and a stunner sent at him by the blonde Slytherin. It didn’t help that he could feel Ginny’s own distress in the back of his mind through their bond. Then he saw another disarming spell headed his way and realized he may not be able to dodge it in time. “Merlin! Protego!” He frantically thought as he said the words in a garbled fashion, imagining a shield forming in front of him. To his surprise and that of everyone, a blue shield appeared right in front of him, deflecting the spell directly back at Draco, who also look stunned over what had happened. With his seeker’s skill, Harry grabbed Draco’s wand as it sailed toward him. He was then almost deafened by the applause and cheers that filled the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick came up to him and released his tongue with a Finite. “Impressive, Mr. Potter,” the diminutive professor said. “I didn’t expect you to get out of that one.” “Neither did I, Professor,” Harry said, breathing deeply to calm his still racing heart. He walked over to Draco to give him back his wand and shake his hand. Draco glared at him and grabbed his wand back before stalking off the platform. Shaking his head Harry headed back to his seat, still feeling the effect of the adrenaline in his body. Ginny threw her arms around him as soon as he was near enough. “I thought he had you, just like Ron,” Ginny whispered. “I was scared for a moment. What happened?” “I don’t know,” Harry replied mentally, “As that last spell headed for me, I tried saying Protego while imagining a shield to stop the spell and it happened. I think I’ll have to ask Dad or Professor Dumbledore about it.” Ron slapped his hand on Harry’s shoulder, “Congrats, mate. I thought he’d get you the same way he got me but you showed him who the better dueler is.” “Yeah, I guess so,” Harry said. He glanced toward Ti and was relieved to see that the younger boy didn’t look angry but gave him the thumbs up sign. The others also congratulated him over beating Draco. Thankfully, no one else asked him how it happened though Hermione looked shrewdly at him. Neville was the fifth and last semifinalist among the fifth years. So either Hermione or Harry would have to face him and the winner would go on to meet the other one for the final match. Professor Dumbledore waved his wand over the bowl to pull out another parchment. He read it and called out, “Hermione Granger!” Hermione sighed and stood up. Ron gave her another good luck kiss. Neville came up to her and offered his arm as he said, “Shall we, my Lady?” Hermione giggled and hooked her arm around Neville’s arm. Ron then gave him a mock glare. Hermione lightly slapped Ron’s arm as Neville just grinned. Hermione and Neville went up on the platform and shook hands. On Professor Flitwick’s signal, they began dueling as hard as they could. They alternately launched spells at each other and dodged the spells aimed at them. While Hermione merely moved left and right, Neville tended to move forward and backward as well. After five minutes, neither had been able to hit the other except for minor stinging hexes. Then, Neville cast a tripping hex right after a stunner. Hermione dodged the stunner but moved right into the path of the tripping hex. She fell heavily to the floor, slightly dazed. Neville managed to hit her with a disarming spell before she could recover. As soon as he caught her wand, he ran up to her and helped her up, making sure she was all right. Hermione smiled and reassured him that all she felt was a bit of disappointment over getting eliminated. They shared a quick hug and went back to their friends, arm in arm. Ron gave Neville a mock glare and said in a stern voice which was offset by the smile in his eyes, “Hey Neville, you wouldn’t be trying to steal my girl now, would you?” “Nah,” Neville answered casually as he removed his arm from around Hermione, “I’m not interested in an older woman or brunettes.” He winced when Hermione jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. The others laughed. They all sat down again. The next duels were among the sixth years. Once again, Katie Bell managed to beat her opponent, another Slytherin. Unfortunately, the two other Gryffindor sixth year semifinalists lost to their opponents, both Hufflepuffs. The last sixth year semifinal saw a Ravenclaw beat his Slytherin opponent. In the seventh year semifinals, Fred, George and Angelina all managed to beat their opponents. The last winner was a Ravenclaw. As the students sat down to dinner a few minutes after the last duel, Harry noticed that the twins took their seats next to Neville. He, Ginny, Rose, Ron and Hermione sat down on the other side of the table, across from the twins and Neville. As dessert was served, Fred and George exchanged looks of mischief. “Neville, you mentioned earlier…” Fred said. “…that you weren’t interested….” George said. “….in older women,” Fred said. “….or brunettes,” George said. “Then who are you….,” Fred began. “….interested in, Neville?” George finished. “Anyone we know?” the twins asked together. Neville turned red and shook his head, “Err, no one right now.” Watching him carefully, Harry thought he saw Neville’s eyes dart to Rose for a moment. That, coupled with his hugging Rose after his sister’s victory and her absence the day before when the group comforted Ron over his loss, made him believe that something was definitely going on between his friend and his sister. Maybe he should have a talk with his friend later. “Harry,” Ginny’s voice suddenly intruded into his mind, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Bloody bond! “Why not, Gin?” he asked her, “There is something going on between Rose and Neville, isn’t there? Come on, Gin, tell me. Have they been secretly seeing each other and are now having a row?” “Nothing like that Harry, just leave them alone for now. If what I think will happen happens, I’ll tell you then. Please?” “Oh, all right. I’ll let them alone, at least until the summer hols.” “Good boy,” Ginny said. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, making sure that Ron wasn’t looking. Once dinner was over, the students headed for their common rooms, eager get some rest for the final duels the next day. Harry on the other hand, had something to ask his dad. With Ginny beside him, he walked to his father as he was about to leave the Great Hall. “Dad, can I have a word with you?” Harry asked. James smiled, “Of course, son. What is it?” “Can we talk about this in your office?” he asked James quietly. James’ eyebrow rose for a moment, “All right, follow me.” They followed James up to his office. After sitting down, James asked, “Now, what is this about?” “Dad, you remember during the duel with Malfoy that I managed to conjure a shield just before that last disarming spell would have hit me.” “Yes, I noticed,” James said, “I was afraid he had you. I don’t know what spell he hit you with but it seemed you couldn’t cast a spell at him.” “Well,” Harry said, “that spell he hit me with tied my tongue to the roof of my mouth so I couldn’t pronounce the incantation properly.” “Then how did you get the shield up?” James asked. “That’s just it,” Harry said, “Even as I tried to say ‘Protego’, I said it in my mind and thought of a shield appearing in front of me and it did.” “So you just thought about it and it happened,” James said. Harry nodded. His father looked thoughtful for a moment then he got up. “I think we need to see the Headmaster.” He led them to the Headmaster’s office. When they got to the gargoyle guarding the moving stairs, James said, “Mars bar,” and the gargoyle moved aside to allow them to pass. “What is a Mars bar?” Ginny asked as the three of them rode the stairs up. Harry grinned as he answered her, “It’s another Muggle candy bar made of chocolate, peanuts and caramel.” “Mmm, sound yummy,” Ginny said. Harry smirked. He knew how much Ginny loved chocolate and candy. “I’ll get you some during the summer.” When they came up to the door but had not even knocked, they heard “Come in, James, Harry and Ginevra.” “I really want to know how he does that,” Harry said to Ginny as they entered Dumbledore’s office. Ginny said, “I just wish he wouldn’t call me by that name.” Dumbledore was seated at his desk. He waved three to sit in the chairs in front of the desk. “What do I owe the honor of this visit?” Dumbledore asked. “Albus, this is about what happened during Harry’s duel with Malfoy this afternoon,” James said, “Go on, Harry, tell the professor what you told me.” “Okay,” Harry replied. “Professor, during the duel with Malfoy, you saw him cast the same spell at me that let him win his duel with Ron yesterday.” “Yes,” Dumbledore said, “I am familiar with that spell. It was created by a talented student here several years ago. I am surprised Mr. Malfoy knew about it. The creator of that spell did assure me that he didn’t teach it to him.” “Who made the spell, Albus?” James asked. “It seems highly effective. Few people can cast a spell if they can’t pronounce the incantation correctly.” “That is true, James,” Dumbledore said. “I cannot tell you who he is since he does not wish to be identified.” “Well then,” Harry said, “You saw that shield form in front of me just before that last disarm spell would have hit me.” “Yes, Harry,” Dumbledore said, “I did see that. I think you’re interested in how you did it, am I right?” “Yes sir,” Harry said. “I couldn’t form the words correctly so I don’t think I conjured it the normal way. The only other thing is that I was thinking about forming the shield, even imagining it. Does that mean anything?” Dumbledore looked at James with a twinkle in his eyes before turning to Harry. “I think it means that you may have the aptitude for wordless magic, Harry.” Harry’s eyes widened, “Wordless magic, Professor?” “Yes,” Dumbledore said. “It’s a more powerful form of magic that branches from wandless magic where you merely think the incantation to do the spell. I believe you’re powerful enough to do that.” “I agree with the Headmaster, Harry,” James said, “When you attempt to cast a spell wordlessly, all you need is intent and thinking about what you want. It’s actually a controlled version of the accidental magic we used to do when we were younger. Remember the twins and Hermione’s brother last summer. They simply willed the blocks to do what we want. As we get older, we learn to use wands because they allow us to focus our magic. However, some wizards and witches are strong enough that they can direct their magic to do what they want without saying anything.” “Of course, accidental magic is often done by children in times of stress,” Dumbledore said, “Which is probably why you were able to do that then.” Harry sat in silence, contemplating what they meant. Ginny held his hand. He could feel her awe and wonder through their bond. After a few minutes, Dumbledore said, “I had already planned on starting to teach you wandless magic this summer, Harry. Now that you’ve done this, I think we shall extend it your training to wordless magic. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that I can do some wandless and wordless magic of my own, like when I light the torches in the Great Hall.” “How about Ginny and the others, Professor?” Harry asked. “You said she and Neville at least are almost as powerful as me.” “We shall see, Harry,” Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. “For now, let’s keep it between the four of us.” Recognizing the dismissal, James led the two teens out of the office and escorted them to Gryffindor Tower, leaving them in front of the Fat Lady’s portrait. Inside, Harry and Ginny snuggled up in their usual chair in front of the fire, both wondering about this new power. They went to bed still feeling awe over it. The next day, they put it behind them and focused on the coming duels. After a splendid breakfast, the students awaited the start of the fourth year finals. The glass bowl for the fourth years had only three rolled up pieces of parchment with the names of the three finalists: Ginny, Rose and Luna. Dumbledore flicked his wand and one pieces floated up to his hand. He opened it and read, “Rose Potter!” He flicked his wand again and a second piece came into his hand. “Luna Lovegood!” The two girls walked over to the platform from opposite sides of the Hall. They faced each other and got ready. When Professor Flitwick gave the signal to start, Rose began firing spells at Luna. Luna, meanwhile again adopted her unusual style of dodging. This continued for several minutes. All Rose managed to hit Luna with were minor hexes. She was getting tired while Luna still looked fresh. Finally, Rose cast four stunners rapidly at Luna, one to each side and two at the same spot. Luna skipped over the first, ducked under the second and third only to be hit by the fourth. Groans rose from the Ravenclaws while cheers broke out among the Gryffindors as Luna dropped to the floor, clearly stunned. Rose picked up Luna’s wand and went up to the stunned girl. She revived her and gently pulled her up. “Congratulations, Rose,” Luna said, smiling at her, “I would have dodged the last one but the boobywumps slowed me down.” “Uh right, that was bad luck,” Rose said, “Come on, Luna. Let’s get Madam Pomfrey to heal us before going back to the others.” Professor Dumbledore stood up while Luna and Rose were being healed by the school nurse. “Congratulations Miss Potter. So that means she and Miss Weasley will face each other for the fourth year championship. After a ten minute break, we will go first with the fifth year championship duel to give Miss Potter some time to rest.” Harry and the others congratulated Rose for winning the duel. Harry noted that Neville didn’t hug Rose this time but shook her hand without meeting her eyes. Harry was surprised by the hurt look that momentarily passed through his sister’s eyes. He really needed to talk to Neville about this no matter what he had promised Ginny. He took care to shield this thought from his soul mate. A few minutes later, Professor Dumbledore called on Harry and Neville for their duel. Harry and Neville shook hands then walked side by side up the platform. Neville walked on to the other end and turned around to face Harry. At Professor Flitwick’s signal, they started casting spells at each other. The other New Marauders soon realized that the two Gryffindors were dueling harder than during either the DC meetings or the Marauders’ own training sessions. At first, they managed to dodge or raise shields to deflect spells. But as the minutes passed, they began to tire. Minor hexes starting finding their mark. As the duel passed the ten minute mark, the two boys had bruises and cuts on their faces and bodies. Then, Harry stumbled and fell to one knee. Neville stood still as he cast a stunner at him. Harry suddenly leaped to one side and cast a disarming spell at him. He grinned as he caught Neville’s wand. Neville shook his head and grinned back as the Hall erupted in cheers and applause while Dumbledore offered his congratulations. Harry handed Neville back his wand and they shook hands before going to Madam Pomfrey to heal their wounds. When they walked back to their friends, Ginny threw her arms around Harry’s neck and pulled him down for a good kiss. The other girls hugged him while Ron and the other Gryffindor boys shook his hand and pounded him on the back. Even Ti came up to congratulate him. Dumbledore let ten minutes more pass before announcing the final fourth year match between Ginny and Rose. Both girls nervously got up. Harry gave them both a kiss, on the lips for Ginny and on the cheek for Rose, to wish them luck. The girls got up on the platform and faced each other. Just as Harry and Neville had done earlier, Rose and Ginny started dueling like they were the worst enemies. Hexes and curses flew through the air. The girls dodged like acrobats. Then after five minutes of this, they both yelled, “Expelliarmus!” Both wands flew out of their owner’s hand into the other girl’s hand. The watching crowd was stunned into silence. How would the winner be decided? Dumbledore stood up. “It seems we have another dilemma. Both girls lost their wands. Just as what happened in the match between Mr. Black and Mr. Harper, whoever last lost her wand would be the winner. To be fair, it would be best to view the duel as a memory. I’d like Professors McGonagall and Flitwick to help me judge the outcome.” He waved his wand and said, “Accio Pensieve!” A minute later, the doors of the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore’s pensieve came through to settle on the table in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore extracted the memory of the duel from his mind and placed it in the pensieve. Then, he, McGonagall and Flitwick entered the pensieve. As the students waited, Rose and Ginny were healed of their injuries by Madam Pomfrey then went to sit with their friends. Five minutes after they had entered the pensieve, the three professors came out. “From our observation of the duel,” Dumbledore said, “Miss Potter’s spell hit Miss Weasley first. However, Miss Weasley managed to hold onto her wand for a second longer and was the last to lose her wand. Therefore, the winner and champion for fourth year is Miss Ginevra Weasley.” Applause and cheers again greeted the announcement. Ginny and Rose hugged each other and Rose congratulated her best friend. Harry gave Ginny a kiss similar to what she had given him earlier. Hermione and Maggie hugged Ginny and patted Rose on the shoulder. Ron hugged Ginny while Neville shook her hand. Next were the final duels of the sixth year. Katie Bell was matched up against one of the Hufflepuffs. Unfortunately, she was caught by a disarming spell after three minutes. The other Hufflepuff lost to the Ravenclaw finalist. Professor Dumbledore then announced that the last duel for the sixth years would occur after lunch. The last duels before lunch were the ones between the four seventh year finalists. George went first against Angelina which was ironic since she was Fred’s on-again off-again girlfriend. Right now, they were on a break. George and Angelina dueled for six minutes before Angelina managed to trip George right into a stunner. The duel between Fred and the last finalist, a Ravenclaw boy, lasted just two minutes. Fred hit his opponent with three consecutive tickling charms that had him laughing so hard, the Ravenclaw dropped his wand to roll around the ground. Dumbledore then announced that the last duel for the seventh year would also take place after lunch. Lunch was a boisterous affair as the students were still talking about the duels between Harry and Neville and between Ginny and Rose. There was also a sense of relief that the summer break was only a few days away. The sixth year final duel lasted seven minutes and ended with the Hufflepuff who had beaten Katie winning their year’s championship. In contrast, the duel between Fred and Angelina lasted less than a minute. Angelina managed to blast Fred’s shield to pieces with a stunner then took out a surprised Fred with another one. After Fred was revived by a grinning Angelina, Dumbledore told the students to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and to be back for dinner for the awarding ceremony. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Rose and Neville decided to head outside to enjoy the June sunshine. Fred and George had gone off with Angelina, Alicia and Lee, Ti was with Jake and Paul and Maggie had gone off with her classmates. Harry and the others ended up at their favorite spot by the lake. Harry sat down with his back against the base of their favorite oak tree while Ginny sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. Ron and Hermione lay down side by side to their left. Rose sat down on the other side of Harry and Ginny while Neville sat down beside Ron. They spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing and talking about the tournament. When dinner was almost over, Professors Dumbledore, Flitwick and Potter got up to honor the winners of the tournament. Each winner was called up in front of the head table and presented with a trophy, amidst boisterous cheers and loud applause. Harry ducked his head as he went up to receive his trophy from his beaming father. After Angelina got her trophy, the students were dismissed to head back to their common rooms. In the Gryffindor common room, the trophies of the five champions from the House were admired by the rest of their house mates. Maggie and Ti were surrounded by their year mates, basking in their awe and praise. A whoop from one corner drew curious stares. Fred had his arms around Angelina as they snogged. George stood smirking to one side and explained that Angelina had agreed to be Fred’s girlfriend again. It was hours before the students started drifting up to their dorms. After all, they still had two more days before the Hogwarts Express came to take them back to London. It was past midnight when Harry noticed Neville going up to bed. Ginny was playing Exploding Snap with Rose, Hermione and Ron. He excused himself and kissed Ginny good night. Fortunately, the game distracted her so she wasn’t able to read his thoughts. When he arrived in their dorm, Harry saw Neville fixing his trunk. He approached his friend and asked, “Neville, is there anything going on between you and Rose?” Neville looked shocked, “Er, um, no,” he answered. “Oh really,” Harry asked. “Over the last month, you’ve been hanging around each other. All of a sudden, it changed. Since Saturday, you haven’t been spending time together. It’s like you’re avoiding her. What happened? Come on, you can tell me. I may be Rose’s brother but I’m also your friend.” “That’stheproblemrightthere, ” Neville mumbled. “What was that?” Harry asked. “I didn’t catch that.” Neville sighed. “The problem is that we’re friends and last Saturday by the lake …I…um… almost…kissed…her.” The last part was barely whispered. “You almost kissed my sister!” Harry just about shouted. He felt shocked by this. “Shhh!” Neville whispered loudly, “They’ll hear you downstairs.” He sat down heavily on his bed. “I probably would have done it if Ron hadn’t interrupted us when he and Hermione came out of the woods.” “Wow!” Harry said, sitting down beside him. “Wait a minute, Nev. Do you…um…fancy my sister? Since when? You didn’t act like it after the Yule Ball last year. You had a girlfriend until…well…sorry to bring it up.” Neville sighed, “That’s okay, Harry. I was already thinking of breaking up with Lisa before she was killed because I started to think of her as just a good friend. Even before going out with Lisa, I already knew how great Rose is. Since last summer, I, um, found myself being attracted to her.” “Wait a minute,” Harry said, “If you started liking Rose since the summer, why didn’t you ask her out then?” Neville shrugged, “I didn’t try dating Rose because I was afraid it would affect our friendship.” Harry placed his hand gently on his shoulder. “Neville, I won’t stop being your friend if you’re dating my sister. Of course, if you hurt her, that’s another matter.” He grinned as Neville gulped. “Then when Lisa died,” Neville continued, “Rose was there for me, helping me. I’ve enjoyed spending time with her, Harry. I look at you and Ginny and I imagine Rose and me that way. I want to run my fingers through her auburn hair and kiss her slowly.” Neville had gotten a dreamy look on his face.” “Whoa, mate,” Harry said, holding his hand up, “Stop right there. I do not want to hear what you want to do with my sister. I’m just glad you haven’t done it in my sight. Why haven’t you asked her out then?” Neville shrugged, “I guess I’m afraid to lose her friendship, if she doesn’t feel the same way about me.” “Look mate,” Harry said, “I don’t know if she likes you as well but my sister’s one of the cleverest witches in Britain. She’s probably aware that you almost kissed her that day. I noticed you hugged her two days ago after she won her duel with that Slytherin but didn’t after her duel with Luna.” “I know,” Neville said, “I tried to keep a distance from her since Saturday but I couldn’t help myself after seeing her win against that Slytherin.” “Well, that certainly isn’t helping you,” Harry said, “That probably confused her even more. Avoiding her is just hurting you both. You may lose her friendship anyway if you don’t talk to her. You should be honest with her.” “All right, all right,” Neville said, “I will talk to her but not right now, maybe tomorrow or Saturday. Just let me figure out what to say to her, okay?” “Okay, Nev,” Harry said, “Just a word of warning, mate. If you do go out with her, just be careful. If you hurt her, the duel we had today would pale against what I’d do to you.” Neville gulped and nodded his head. Harry clapped him on the shoulder rather hard before going to his trunk to get ready for bed. Ron, Dean and Seamus soon came up to go to bed and the room soon fell silent except for the boys’ snores. The next day, most of the students woke up late. Harry was the first one awake in his dorm. He reached out through his bond to Ginny and found her awake as well. “Harry,” Ginny said, “I know you talked with Neville last night even if I told you not to.” Harry groaned, “I know you told me not to, Gin but I just wanted to have a man to man talk with Neville. I know it sounds like the protective brother act but it wasn’t like that, well except in the end.” “I know, Harry,” Ginny answered, “I heard it all through the Bond. It was good, what you told him, surprisingly so.” “You think so?” He asked her. “Yeah,” Ginny said, “I guess I was wrong to stop you from talking to him. I thought you’d act like Ron and tell him to stay away from Rose but you actually gave him good advice. I’m sorry for not trusting you to be mature about this.” “Thanks, Gin,” Harry said, “I am trying. I remember how I acted when Rose started going out with Ti. I just want her to be happy, like we are. I figured that the best way for that to happen is for her to find it for herself and it means I don’t try to pummel every guy who wants to date her.” “Good for you,” Ginny said, “She’ll appreciate that. Now, why don’t we go down to breakfast? It’s past nine and I’m hungry.” Harry grinned. His soul mate was definitely a Weasley and that was one of the reasons he loved her. “Okay, Gin. Meet you in the common room in a few minutes.” When they came into the Great Hall for breakfast at half past nine, Harry and Ginny still found it half full. Hermione, Neville, Rose and Maggie showed up soon after, followed by the twins. It was half past ten by the time Ron came in. Unfortunately for the hungry redhead, all that was left was some cereal, toast and a few rashers of bacon. “Where’s all the food?” he whined. “I’ll starve.” “Well, Ronald,” Hermione said, “that’s what you get for sleeping late. You’re lucky this much is left.” The others just laughed as they got up from the table, leaving Ron and Hermione. Maggie saw Dennis Creevey and some other second years and bid them a goodbye. “Why don’t we go flying?” Harry asked Ginny, Neville and Rose, “It’s a nice sunny day, just perfect weather for it.” They all agreed. After a quick trip to Gryffindor Tower to retrieve their brooms, the four teens were walking through the grounds headed for the Quidditch Pitch; Harry and Ginny leading the way with their hands joined and Rose and Neville following with three feet separating them. Once in the Pitch, they kicked off and soared into the sky. After a few minutes of lazily flying around, Ginny looked mischievously at Harry who was hovering in front of her. Her hand reached out to slap him on the arm. “You’re it, Potter!” she cried before speeding away from him. Harry laughed and directed his broom to follow her. They were soon zooming around the stadium in hot pursuit of each other. ******* Rose hovered over the Quidditch Pitch, enjoying the warm sun and gentle breeze. She heard Ginny shout ‘You’re it, Potter!” and turned her broom in that direction. She smiled as she watched her brother chase his soul mate around Pitch. She sighed. How she wished to find someone to love her like that someday. “They look good together, don’t they?” a deep voice said from behind her. She turned her head see Neville hovering like her. “Yeah, they do.” They hovered in silence as they continued to watch the couple race around the Pitch. Finally, Neville spoke up, “Rose, can we talk?” “What about, Neville?” she asked in return. “Well, about the last week,” Neville said. “About how I almost kissed you, about me keeping away from you since then, about me hugging you the other day….” “All right,” Rose said, “Let’s land and sit in the stands.” They landed their brooms on one of the rows of seats in the stands. Sitting down a few feet from each other, they waited. After a few minutes of silence, Rose said, “I thought you wanted to talk.” Neville blushed, “Yeah, right.” He took a deep breath before he spoke, “Rose, over the last month, I’ve gotten to really know you since we’ve been spending a lot of time together. When I wake up in the morning, I look forward to seeing you and talking to you. I’ve come to realize that I really like you, a lot more than just a friend. That’s why I tried to kiss you that day by the lake.” “Then why have you been avoiding me since then, Neville,” Rose asked. “It seemed like you regretted what you almost did. When I was in the hospital wing, I saw you sitting behind the others. Then you hugged me the other day after I won my duel but not after I beat Luna. Why?” “Well,” Neville began, looking down at the ground, “I was afraid.” “Afraid?” Rose asked, surprised, “What is it you’re afraid of?” “I’m afraid you only think of me as a friend,” Neville said, looking at her again, “I’m afraid if I gave in to my desire and kissed you, it would ruin our friendship and you wouldn’t spend any more time with me.” Rose moved closer to him and reached out to caress his cheek, “Oh, Neville, sweet sweet Neville. I don’t think you have to be afraid of that.” She dropped her hand and looked down at the ground, “You see, I had quite a crush on you since first year, especially after you danced with me at the Yule Ball last year.” “You…you…did?” Neville asked. “But you went out with Ti for most of this year.” “Yeah,” Rose said, “I did. I liked being with Ti. I heard someone say that you danced with me as a favor to Harry and decided you’d never think of me as more than a friend. So when Ti asked me to be his girlfriend, I accepted. I thought he’d help me get over you.” Neville looked down again. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Rose. I was stupid. Did Ti help you get over me?” “Well, in a way,” Rose said. “Going out with Ti, I realized my feelings for him were that of a good friend but my feelings for you were a lot more. I didn’t like it that you had a girlfriend but I tried to suppress my dislike for your sake. Lisa was a great girl. You were lucky to have her. I saw how crushed you were when she died. It almost broke my heart. So, I decided to be there for you even if you never returned my feelings for you.” Neville smiled and gently took a hold of her hand, “Thanks for that. It opened my eyes completely. So you do like me as more than a friend.” Rose rolled her eyes, “Duh, yeah, that’s what I said.” In spite of her tone, she didn’t remove her hand. Neville looked into her eyes and moved even closer to her. Rose didn’t back away and looked up into his eyes as he brought his face closer to her. Finally, their lips met and they were lost in each other. ******* “You’re it,” Harry said as he sped away from Ginny after he had come close enough to poke her in the ribs. He glanced around as he flew. Strange, it seemed they were the only ones in the air. He thought Rose and Neville had said they’d joined him. He started looking for them on the ground. When he spotted them, he was so surprised, he stopped in midair. Ginny had been about to tag him but also stopped as she saw what he was seeing through the bond. There, in the stands, were Rose and Neville snogging. Harry stared at them for a few seconds then he groaned, “That is not something I really wanted to see. Ow! Ginny!” Ginny had just slapped him on the backside of the head. “Really, Harry, you should be happy for them. I know Neville told you he liked Rose. Well, Rose has been mooning over Neville for a couple of year now. She really fell for him after the Yule Ball. The things Neville did over the past week really confused her. Your conversation with Neville last night was probably the push he needed to talk to her. It looks like they’ve sorted it out and found that they share the same feelings for each other.” “Well, I’m glad then,” Harry said, “As long as he keeps her happy and doesn’t hurt her, I’m all for it. I think Rose is jealous of our bond.” “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Ginny said, “I hope this is what she’s looking for. Now, I doubt you really want to watch them. You’re it!” She slapped Harry on the arm and sped away. “I’ll get you, Gin!” he said, following her. When they flew back down a half hour later, Rose was sitting on Neville’s lap as they talked. “So, anything new?” Ginny asked as she landed beside them. “Yeah,” Harry said, “Like something to explain why you have my sister in your lap, Nev?” Neville and Rose blushed but it was Rose who answered his question. “Why do you ask, big brother? Isn’t it acceptable to be in my boyfriend’s lap?” “Oh that’s great!” Ginny said. “I’m so happy for you.” “Yeah,” Harry said, “I’m glad this is out in the open. Just don’t snog too much where I can see you, okay?” “Sure, Harry, sure,” Rose said before kissing Neville on the lips. “Hey, what did I just say?” Harry said. Rose gave him a rude gesture as she and Neville continued to kiss. Harry was prevented from saying anything further by Ginny who grabbed his face so they could do what Rose and Neville were doing. A few hours later, the four of them entered the Great Hall for lunch, holding hands with their significant other. They noticed that Ron and Hermione were already sitting at the almost full Gryffindor table. It didn’t take long before someone noticed Rose and Neville’s linked hands. Most of their house mates were avidly watching the new couple by the time the four teens sat down at their House table. Surprisingly, it was Maggie who was the first to say something, “So, big brother, you and Rose seem pretty cozy. Is there something I should know? Something I ought to write to Mum and Dad about?” Neville blushed as he stared at her, “Don’t you dare, Margaret Ann Longbottom. I prefer to tell them on my own. We’ll be on the train and back to London anyway in a couple of days.” “Don’t worry,” Maggie said, grinning, “I’m just taking the mickey out on you. Anyway, I’m happy for you. I love Rose like a sister and someday, she’ll be mine for real.” Rose and Neville blushed and looked down at the ground. “Er,” Neville said, “We’ll see. We’re just starting to date so that won’t come up yet.” The others then offered their congratulations before everyone began eating. After lunch, they decided to go down to their favorite spot by the lake. Once again, Harry and Ginny sat down by the large oak tree which they had dubbed ‘the picnic tree’ in remembrance of their first Valentine’s Day date two years ago; their postures mimicking the one they were in a week before. Ron and Hermione sat down beside them on the grass. Harry watched as Neville and Rose once again sat on the rocks by the lake. This time, they sat very close to each other with Neville’s arms around Rose and her arms around his waist. They appeared to be talking quietly. “Don’t they look good together?” Ginny asked Harry through the bond. “Yeah, I guess so,” Harry replied, “I just hope this works out better than her time with Ti.” “We’ll just have to wait and see, Harry,” Ginny said. “I do think it’ll turn out well for both of them.” Harry looked down at Ginny, “Don’t tell me you’re getting seer powers as well.” Ginny slapped him lightly on the thigh before replying, “No, I can tell that their feelings run deeper than they think.” “Y-y-you mean they’re in love with each other?” Harry asked feeling a bit stunned. “Yeah, that’s what I mean,” Ginny said as she turned around to lay her head down on Harry’s shoulder, “They don’t realize it yet but they will someday. Then Maggie’s dream will come true.” “You mean what she said during lunch about Rose becoming her sister for real?” “Yes, Harry, that dream. Just don’t tell them yet,” Ginny said. “Of course not,” Harry said, “I wouldn’t want to put any ideas into their heads yet.” Ginny giggled and drew Harry’s head down for a decent snog. That night, Harry was sleeping soundly when Ginny’s voice suddenly spoke up in his mind. “Harry! Wake up, right now!” Harry groaned, “What is it, Gin?” He looked at the clock on his bedside table. “What’s going on that you need to wake me at 1 in the bloody morning?” “Rose just had a vision,” Ginny said. “One that terrified her.” A foreboding fear sprang up in Harry, fully awakening him. “What did she see in the vision, Ginny?” He sprang out of bed and proceeded to put on a night robe. “She saw St. Mungo’s being attacked,” Ginny answered quietly, “Harry, it’s going to take place in less than an hour. We have to warn Professor Dumbledore.” |
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