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Path Diverged II | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Romance Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Mental Abuse, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 220 Summary: The Wizarding world finally knows that Lord Voldemort has returned, and the Second War has begun. As Harry prepares to enter his sixth year at Hogwarts, he is forced to deal with the trauma from his last encounter with Voldemort, the upcoming trial of Dolores Umbridge, Sirius's uncomfortable questions about his childhood, his budding relationship with Ginny Weasley, and the unknown shadow of what lies ahead as the "Chosen One" who must defeat Voldemort once and for all. This is an AU take of Half-Blood Prince following my previous story, Path Diverged. Hitcount: Story Total: 92595; Chapter Total: 3405 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: It's finally time to go back to Hogwarts! Parts of this chapter are taken from HBP chapter 7 "The Slug Club," and a tiny piece from chapter 16 "A Very Frosty Christmas." Enjoy! |
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Harry had a very strong desire to turn to Ron and Hermione and say, I told you so! He didn’t, though. The shocked look on their faces was enough for him at that moment. Ginny, however, had no such qualms. “Harry was right!” she hissed at them. “We told you so!” Sirius had his lips pressed together, obviously hiding a grin. “Yes, Ginny, you’re right,” sighed Hermione. “Harry, I’m sorry Ron and I didn’t listen to you. We just thought – the idea that Voldemort would deliberately seek out someone underage on purpose to join his followers…” “I think,” said Harry stiffly, “that if anyone’s going to understand how Voldemort’s mind works, it’s going to me, no matter how messed up my own is at the moment.” “I never said your mind was ‘messed up,’” said Hermione quickly. “But you obviously think it,” said Harry quietly, unable to look Hermione or Ron in the face, his hand clutching Ginny’s for support. “I don’t – I don’t like it, even if I get it. You’ve all done so much to help me this summer, but… he didn’t take away my ability to… be me, you know?” “We know,” said Hermione tearfully. “Sorry, mate,” said Ron softly. Nodding, Harry turned back to Sirius. “What’s Malfoy up to, then?” he asked. “Did Dumbledore tell you that much?” Sirius sighed, rubbing his face. “Voldemort wants Malfoy to do the same thing you’ve got to do, Harry. Kill the leader.” “Dumbledore,” said Ginny flatly. “Malfoy’s been tasked with assassinating Dumbledore?” “Yes,” said Sirius. “What’s he going to do to stop him?” demanded Ron. “He’s not going to let Malfoy actually kill him, after all.” Sirius stared at the four of them, and Harry had a sinking feeling. “Sirius…” “Dumbledore is dying.” Stunned silence met this statement, broken only by the sounds of Mrs. Weasley and Fleur bickering in the kitchen below. “What?” whispered Hermione. “It’s his hand, isn’t it?” asked Harry numbly. “His right hand… it’s worse than he told me.” Sirius sighed and nodded. “Snape says the curse on it is the kind that cannot be halted, that it… strengthens over time.” “How long has he got?” asked Ginny. “Snape thinks maybe a year,” said Sirius. “Harry, the private lessons you’re having with Dumbledore this year, you’ve got to pay close attention to them.” “Do you know what he’s planning to teach me?” asked Harry, surprised. “As of last night, yes,” said Sirius. “I’m insisting on being there for each lesson, Harry. Trust me, they’re going to be of vital importance to helping you defeat Voldemort, and I’m going to be there every step of the way.” “What about Malfoy, though?” asked Ron. “Are you expecting us to just let him try and kill Dumbledore?” “We don’t know what his plan is,” said Sirius. “I’m going to do all I can from outside of Hogwarts to figure this out, but I need you four to be eyes and ears inside the castle, to figure it out and then tell me. No rushing off on your own to stop him.” “But allowing Malfoy to kill –” began Ginny. “That’s the other thing,” sighed Sirius. “Voldemort… he doesn’t expect Malfoy to succeed.” “Then who –?” Harry cut off at the look on Sirius’s face. “Snape?” he whispered. Sirius nodded. “Something like that would completely cement Voldemort’s belief in Snape’s loyalty to him,” he said quietly. “Adding to that, Narcissa forced Snape into an Unbreakable Vow to ensure he takes over if her son isn’t successful.” Ron and Ginny gasped, and Hermione raised a hand to her mouth in shock. “What’s an Unbreakable Vow?” asked Harry. “Pretty much what it sounds like,” said Ron. “You can’t break an Unbreakable Vow –” “You die if you do, though,” said Ginny quietly. “Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five,” continued Ron. “I nearly did too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental,” he added with a reminiscent gleam in his eyes. “Only time I’ve ever seen Dad as angry as Mum.” “My point is,” said Sirius quickly, “that I need you lot to act as you normally do around Malfoy. We can’t let him suspect that we know what’s he’s up to, but we need to know what his plan is so Dumbledore and Snape can make the appropriate choices to ensure that Snape’s loyalty is what Voldemort thinks it is.” Harry could not believe what he was hearing. Dumbledore was dying and he was supposed to let Malfoy have a go at killing him? And Snape was going to finish the job no matter what? “Why are you telling us this?” he asked. Sirius met his eyes. “I’m telling you,” he said, “because I know you can all be trusted. I’m telling you so you don’t go rushing off and put yourselves in harm’s way unnecessarily. I’m also telling you because I’m hoping I can hone your focus to what we need to know to ensure things play out right.” He sighed and shook his head. “You’re all so young, too young to be dealing with this, and I hate that this is how things have to go, but… I trust you, Harry. I trust each and every one of you. I gave Dumbledore and Snape my word that you would do as I’m asking you to do, and I’m trusting that you’ll prove me correct.” Harry was struck speechless. The trust Sirius was showing right now made him want to do nothing less than live up to it. “Okay,” he finally said. “You can trust us, trust me, Sirius. I won’t go after Malfoy or try to stop him.” “We’ll all do our part,” said Ginny, squeezing Harry’s hand. “This is mental,” sighed Ron, “but I promise we’ll do what you’re asking.” “Agreed,” said Hermione shakily. “Whatever we can do to help, Sirius, we’ll do it.” Sirius’s smile was filled with pride, and it warmed Harry’s heart. He reached out and pulled Sirius into a hug. “Thank you for trusting me,” he whispered as Sirius gripped the back of his shirt. “I love you, kiddo,” Sirius whispered back. “We’re a team. I mean it.” “What’s taking you lot so long?” came Mrs. Weasley’s voice from the ground floor. “Breakfast is ready and the Ministry cars will be here in half an hour!” Harry pulled away from Sirius as Ron and Ginny’s stomach gave audible rumbles. “Can’t deny these Weasley’s their food anymore,” he said with a grin. Ginny laughed and pulled him downstairs, the others following. They ate the bacon sandwiches Molly had prepared quickly and then retreated back up the stairs to collect their trunks. Soon enough, the Ministry cars had arrived, and Harry found himself between Ginny and Sirius in one car, while the others took the other car. The journey was, as always, smooth, leaving the group with twenty minutes to spare to get onto the platform at King’s Cross Station. Two grim-faced Aurors met them as they arrived. Sirius walked closely with Harry while one Auror kept a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. Harry caught her eye and she made a face at him. As much as they both understood the need for their safety, the whole situation still rankled their nerves. The Aurors found a compartment for Harry and Ginny’s trunks, and Hermione and Ron quickly added theirs to the compartment, along with Hedwig, Pig, Crookshanks, and Ginny’s new pet Arnold the Pygmy Puff. Since Ron and Hermione were both prefects, they were going to have to go to the prefect meeting in the front carriage once the train left, but thankfully, Neville and Luna showed up just before they stepped outside to say their farewells and promised to keep an eye on their compartment. Mrs. Weasley seemed particularly tearful this time around, catching both Harry and Ginny three times with a hug as she bade them all farewell. “Please be careful,” she told both Harry and Ginny. “I need to know you’re both safe.” “You know me, Mrs. Weasley,” said Harry with a smile. “I like a quiet life.” Ginny laughed as Mrs. Weasley sniffed and engulfed them both in hugs once more. “We’ll be fine, Mum,” she said when she pulled away. “Hogwarts is safe, you know that.” “But it wasn’t when you needed it to be,” said Mrs. Weasley in a shaky voice, and Harry was grabbing Ginny’s hand instinctually as the painful memory of possession threatened to overwhelm him. He felt Ginny pulling him to face her, felt her free hand on his cheek, whispering words of comfort and breathing with him until the flashback passed. “It won’t happen again, Mum, I’m sure of it,” said Ginny firmly to her mother, who broke down into tears and hugged the pair of them yet again. When he managed to extricate himself from her embrace, Harry found himself facing Mr. Weasley. “You keep my daughter safe,” he said, placing firm hands on Harry’s shoulders. “I will, sir,” said Harry seriously. “You let her keep you safe, too.” Harry smiled. “I’ll do my best.” Mr. Weasley pulled him forward into a hug, something Harry had never experienced form the man before. “We love you, Harry,” he muttered gruffly before releasing him and patting his shoulders, turning to his wife to pull her into a warm hug. “You got the mirror?” Sirius asked him. Harry reached into his jeans and pulled it free. “Good. And the Invisibility Cloak?” “In my trunk.” “I want you to keep it with you all the time,” said Sirius firmly. “Between the mirror and the cloak, you’ve got your own protection covered as best as I can manage for you. And if things are bad, you can always rely on Kreacher to come to your aid. Now, what we discussed this morning…” “You have my word,” said Harry quickly. “I’ll figure out what he’s planning and that’s it.” “Good,” repeated Sirius. “And anything you figure out?” “I tell you right away,” said Harry, “I remember, Sirius.” Sirius grinned and hugged Harry tightly. “Try and make your main focus your studies,” he said. “And Ginny. Definitely focus on her.” Harry laughed as he hugged Sirius back. “Bit hard to focus on anything else when she’s around,” he admitted. “And that was purely James right there,” chuckled Sirius as he pulled away. “You remember everything I taught you?” he asked with a wink. Recalling that rather educational evening back in July, Harry nodded, feeling warm in the face. “Don’t think I’ll be forgetting that anytime soon,” he said, “even if I wanted to.” The train horn sounded. “Time to go,” sighed Sirius. “Anytime you need to talk, I’m here to listen, Harry. No matter what it is.” Harry nodded and hugged Sirius again. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Love you, kiddo,” returned Sirius with a warm smile. “Now hurry!” Ginny seized Harry’s hand and pulled him to the train, Mrs. Weasley trailing after them. “Make sure you look after yourselves,” she said through the window as Harry slammed the door shut behind him and Ginny and the train began to move. “Be good and –” The train was gathering speed. “– stay safe!” Harry and Ginny waved until the train turned a corner and they could no longer see Sirius or Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry took a deep breath as the chatter of students enveloped him. Ginny squeezed the hand she was still holding. “It’s going to be okay,” she said quietly to him. “I know,” said Harry, leaning down to kiss her, but pulling away when he heard several dramatic sighs. He realized at that moment they were sounded by students staring openly at him, and the sighs came from a group of younger girls who were now glaring daggers at Ginny. Ginny, for her part, glared back at the group of girls with equal venom and dragged Harry down the corridor to the compartment they had already set up in. As they went, people stared shamelessly after him. They even pressed their faces against the windows of their compartment to get a look at him. “This is worse than usual,” he finally said uncomfortably as they reached their compartment. “We knew it would be, though,” sighed Ginny as she tugged open the door to smile at Neville and Luna. “Thanks for waiting for us,” she told them. “No problem,” said Neville. “Are we still doing D.A. meetings this year, Harry?” asked Luna, who was detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of her copy of The Quibbler. “I kept meaning to ask, but the wrackspurts in the orchard must’ve gotten to me, because I could never remember to bring it up.” “I haven’t given it much thought,” admitted Harry, completely bypassing the wrackspurts. “I mean, I know our new teacher will be Snape” – Neville shuddered – “and I’m pretty sure he’ll have lots to teach since it’s the subject he’s wanted to teach all this time, but…” “He’s a git,” said Ginny. “He won’t treat anyone but his Slytherin students fairly, and he’ll definitely target you and Neville the same way he’s always done.” “True,” said Harry. “I learned lots from you,” said Neville earnestly. “Even if it just involved reviewing whatever Snape teaches us, it would be in a less stressful environment, you know? Oh, no, Trevor!” His toad had leapt under the seat, and Neville dove after him. “I hope you keep doing them this year,” said Luna vaguely as she put on the strange glasses and opened to a particular page of her magazine. “I enjoyed the meetings. It was like having friends.” “I thought you realized that, though,” said Ginny. “You’ve already got friends, Luna.” “Yeah,” said Harry quickly as Neville extricated himself, Trevor in hand and bits of lint and fluff in his hair. “Sirius wouldn’t have let me invite just anyone over this summer but the friends he knew I could trust.” Luna smiled at him, looking pleased. “I know that,” she said. “It was just nice, is all.” She disappeared behind her magazine as the compartment door opened and couple of fifth-year Gryffindor girls stuck their heads in. “There you are, Ginny!” said one. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” “I told you she’d be here,” said the other, shooting a grin in Harry’s direction. “You owe Colin five sickles.” “Figures you lot would bet on me,” said Ginny, rolling her eyes. “Where is Colin, anyway?” “With the others,” said the first girl. “You coming? Your letters this summer were basically without any real substance.” Ginny laughed. “They were not!” The girl raised her eyebrows. “Okay, maybe they were,” Ginny allowed, “but I was busy, Emily!” Both girls looked quite deliberately at Harry and Ginny’s clasped hands. “Really?” said the second girl. “All summer? Surely you can spare an hour for your friends!” Ginny glanced at Harry. “I’m definitely not supposed to be the center of the universe here,” said Harry quickly, though he felt a bit panicked at the thought of not having any of the people he trusted to help him with any potential problems. Neville and Luna were great, but they’d never attempted to assist with any land mines before, either. “You sure?” asked Ginny quietly, eyes searching his. Harry put on his best grin. “Go on, go catch up with them,” he said. “I’ll see you later, okay?” Ginny hesitated, but then nodded and kissed him long enough for her friends to let out soft aw’s before she left with them, promising not to take too long. “I love you!” she added with a bright smile before shutting the compartment door. “It’ll be okay, Harry,” said Neville bracingly after a moment. “Ron and Hermione will be back before you know it, and Ginny will, too.” “I know,” said Harry. “It’s just –” “You don’t have an anchor now,” said Luna, looking up from The Quibbler. “Neville and I haven’t established ourselves well enough for it.” “But it won’t be like this for long,” said Neville reassuringly. “We can just –” The compartment door slid open. “Hey, Harry.” It was Dean Thomas, one of Harry’s fellow Gryffindors. “Could I – can I have a word? In private?” “Sure,” said Harry, rising and following the taller boy into the hallway. “What’s up? Did you have a good summer?” “Yeah,” said Dean. “Listen, Harry, I’ve been wanting to ask you something.” “Okay,” said Harry. “It’s about Ginny.” Harry blinked. “What about her?” “It’s –” Dean broke off, looking away and frowning slightly. “One day you were friends, right? And then next thing I know, you’re together.” “And?” said Harry, feeling a little clueless. “And… well, she and I had been talking for a couple week before that, and I thought she was interested in me, but then, well…” “Oh.” Harry hadn’t known this. He’d been so wrapped up in his studies for their O.W.L.’s and everything else that had been going on that he hadn’t noticed much of anything outside of it. “I didn’t know that, Dean.” “I figured as much,” said Dean, nodding. “Just – how did you go from nothing to a couple so quickly?” Harry considered how best to answer this question. It wasn’t exactly Dean’s business, but he was a friend of Harry’s, and he did feel a bit guilty that the other boy might have possibly felt led on in some way. “I’ve always noticed Ginny,” Harry finally settled on. “It, well… it kind of took a hard knock of sorts for me to figure out why.” He shrugged. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he added before he could stop himself. Dean nodded slowly. “I get it,” he said, though Harry wasn’t sure he believed the other boy. “I’ll see you around, all right, Harry?” He smiled tightly at Harry and headed off, and Harry watched him go, considering the interaction. “Hi, Harry,” said an unfamiliar voice, and Harry turned to see a group of girls staring at him. The girl who had spoken stepped forward boldly. “I’m Romilda, Romilda Vane,” she said, smiling widely at him. “Why don’t you join us in our compartment? You don’t have to sit with them,” she added, gesturing at the compartment Harry was sharing with Neville and Luna. Harry raised his eyebrows. “They’re friends of mine,” he said coldly. “Oh,” said the girl, looking very surprised. “Oh. Okay.” Harry turned his back on her and entered the compartment, shutting the door a little harder than necessary. “What did Dean want?” asked Neville curiously. “Apparently he was going to ask Ginny out before she and I got together,” said Harry. “Did you know about that?” Neville shook his head, but Luna nodded. “Ginny started talking to him not long after she dumped Corner,” she told Harry. “I think she liked him well enough, but he wasn’t you.” “Oh,” said Harry, not knowing how to respond to this. “What did that girl say to you?” asked Luna. “She apparently thought I was only with you two because I had nowhere else better to go,” said Harry grumpily. “People expect you to have cooler friends than us,” said Luna sagely. “You are cool,” said Harry shortly. “You stayed with me when Voldemort was attacking my mind, and you agreed to testify at Umbridge’s trial when you didn’t have to.” “That’s a very nice thing to say,” beamed Luna. Then she pushed her free Spectrespecs farther up her nose and settled down to read The Quibbler again. “It’s only the truth,” shrugged Harry. He and Neville chatted quietly for the next little while until Ron and Hermione returned, Ron bemoaning the lack of food to eat and Hermione annoyed that Malfoy was already ditching his Prefect duties on the train. “That’s definitely not like him,” said Harry with a meaningful look. “Was he even paying attention during your Prefect meeting?” “Not really,” said Ron. “I mean, this was normal for him” – he made a rude hand gesture – “but otherwise, he basically ignored everyone and everything that was going on around him.” He caught Harry’s eye. “It definitely seems like he’s got other things on his mind.” Hermione nodded. “I’ve never seen him so disinterested in his Prefect duties before.” Just then, the compartment door slid open and a shy third-year girl Harry didn’t recognize appeared. “H-hi,” she said nervously. “I have these notes that I’m supposed to deliver to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter.” Harry reached out and took the thin scrolls of parchment the girl held out. “Thanks,” he said, and the girl gave a little squeak and left. Harry passed the scroll with Neville’s name on it over to his friend and pulled off the violet ribbon tying his own closed. Harry, “What does the new teacher want with us?” asked Neville, perplexed. “Right, I didn’t tell you that part,” sighed Harry. “Professor Slughorn had this club years back when he used to teach at Hogwarts, and he liked ‘collecting’ students and making connections with the rich and powerful.” “That explains you easily enough,” said Neville, “but me?” “Your parents were pretty famous Aurors, right?” said Harry. “Not to mention testifying at the trial and all. I expect he’s curious about you.” Ron glowered a bit at this, but said nothing. Neville frowned, but nodded, and they both set off for compartment C, promising the others they would return as soon as they were able. Harry had retrieved his Invisibility Cloak to carry on his person at all times as Sirius had requested, and he rather wished he could use it to hide now as they made their way along the crowded train toward the front. The staring seemed to have increased in intensity since he’d last walked down the train. Every now and then, students would hurtle out of the compartments to get a better look at him. “This is how you handle fame, Harry?” Voldemort started laughing in his mind, and he grit his teeth, trying to focus on his destination. “All right?” asked Neville quietly. Harry nodded shortly and carried on, keeping his gaze averted from the onlookers. When they reached compartment C, they saw at once that they were not Slughorn’s only invitees, although judging by the enthusiasm of Slughorn’s welcome, Harry was the most warmly anticipated. “Harry, m’boy!” said Slughorn, jumping up at the sight of him so that his great velvet-covered belly seemed to fill all the remaining space in the compartment. His shiny bald head and great silvery mustache gleamed as brightly in the sunlight as the golden buttons on his waistcoat. “Good to see you, good to see you! And you must be Mr. Longbottom!” Neville nodded, looking incredibly nervous. Slughorn gestured for them to sit down, and Harry glanced around to see a Slytherin from their year, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes; there were two seventh-year boys Harry did not know, and – “Ginny?” said Harry in surprise. “What are you doing here?” “I’m still trying to figure it out,” she said with a bit of a grimace. “Oh, so you do know this young lady!” said Slughorn jovially. “She said she knew you.” “Yeah,” said Harry. “We’re seeing each other, so I’d hope she knows me.” “Good heavens, dating, you say?” said Slughorn as the Slytherin boy developed a rather distasteful expression on his face. “Well, we must make room so the two lovebirds can sit by each other!” He made the seventh-year boy sitting next to Ginny move so Harry could take his seat. She immediately grasped his hand, and he breathed in her flowery scent. “You all right?” she asked him quietly. Harry nodded, already feeling more relaxed in her presence despite the situation they both found themselves in. “Now, do you know everyone?” Slughorn asked Harry and Neville. “Blaise Zabini is in your year, of course –” Zabini did not make any sign of recognition or greeting, nor did Harry or Neville: Gryffindor and Slytherin students loathed each other on principle. “This is Cormac McLaggen, perhaps you’ve come across each other –? No?” McLaggen, a large, wiry-haired youth, raised a hand, and Harry and Neville nodded back at him. “– and this is Marcus Belby, I don’t know whether –?” Belby, the boy Slughorn had made move so Harry could sit by Ginny, gave a strained smile. “– and, of course, your delightful girlfriend, Miss Ginny Weasley!” Ginny grimaced at Harry, but squeezed his hand firmly. “Well now, this is most pleasant,” said Slughorn cozily. “A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I’ve packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on licorice wands, and a poor old man’s digestive system isn’t quite up to such things… Pheasant, Belby?” Belby started and accepted what looked like half a cold pheasant. And then it started, just as Harry had suspected it would. Belby’s uncle was apparently the man who had created the Wolfsbane Potion Remus had been able to take during his time teaching at Hogwarts, but as soon as Belby said he didn’t see much of the man due to the fact that he didn’t get on well with Belby’s father, Slughorn rather coldly dismissed him and moved on to McLaggen, instead. Cormac McLaggen seemed to impress Slughorn with the fact that he knew some well-connected people, including Minister Scrimgeour. It seemed that, outside of Ginny, everyone in the compartment was connected to someone well-known or influential. Zabini apparently had a famously beautiful witch for a mother (from what Harry could make out, she had been married seven times, each of her husbands dying mysteriously and leaving her mounds of gold). Then came Neville: This was a very uncomfortable ten minutes because of the fact that Neville’s parents, though famous Aurors, had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and a couple of Death Eater cronies. At the end of Neville’s interview, Harry had the impression that Slughorn was reserving judgment on Neville, yet to see whether he had any of his parents’ flair. “And now,” said Slughorn, shifting massively in his seat with the air of a compere introducing his star act. “Harry Potter! Where to begin? I feel I barely scratched the surface when we met over the summer!” He contemplated Harry for a moment as though he was a particularly large and succulent piece of pheasant, and Harry gripped Ginny’s hand firmly, hoping he could get through this in one piece. “‘The Chosen One,’ they’re calling you now!” Harry said nothing. Belby, McLaggen, and Zabini were all staring at him. “Of course,” said Slughorn, watching Harry closely, “there have been rumors for years… I remember when – well – after that terrible night –” “You do remember it, Harry!” laughs Voldemort in ecstasy as the dim images and screams dance across Harry’s mind. “I told you your mother needn’t have died, and you called me liar. Now that I know you get to hear her last moments every time the dementors find you, I’ll have to ensure that you are a special target of theirs.” The flashback ended as abruptly as it had started, and Harry realized that he was all but crushing Ginny’s hand in his own. He immediately loosened it and found that Slughorn was still prattling on, not having noticed Harry’s lack of attention. He knew Ginny had noticed, as had Neville, and the suspicious look on Zabini’s face had him worried, but he ignored all this and forced himself to pay attention again. “– the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary –” Zabini gave a tiny little cough that was clearly supposed to indicate amused skepticism. “Yeah, Zabini,” Ginny spoke up angrily, “because you’re so talented… at posing…” “Oh dear!” chuckled Slughorn comfortably, looking past Harry at Ginny. “You want to be careful, Blaise! I saw Ginny here perform the most marvelous Bat-Bogey Hex as I was passing her carriage! I wouldn’t cross her!” Zabini merely looked contemptuous. “Who were you hexing?” Harry asked Ginny. “Is that why I didn’t see you before now?” Ginny was scowling. “Zacharias Smith,” she said shortly. “Came bursting in on me and my friends, wanting to know what happened at the Ministry in June. It was annoying, and so was he.” She shrugged unapologetically. Harry grinned. “Sounds like he deserved it.” “You know it!” laughed Ginny. “My, such a healthy relationship you both have!” Slughorn suddenly cut in. “I can see why you picked her, Harry!” Harry felt his face heat up, abruptly recalling where he was and who was with him. “She kind of picked me first,” he muttered despite his best judgment, and Slughorn let out a booming laugh as Ginny pressed her lips together to hold back a grin. “Anyway,” said Slughorn, still smiling widely beneath his enormous moustache, “such rumors that have flown about this summer, and all of this on top of testifying against Dolores Umbridge!” Ginny’s grip on Harry’s hand held fast and firm in the face of his usual reaction. “Of course, one doesn’t know what to believe, the Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies, make mistakes – but there seems little doubt, given the number of witnesses, that there was quite a disturbance at the Ministry and that you were there in the thick of it all!” “We both were,” said Ginny staunchly. “Your point being, sir?” “Both of you, eh?” said Slughorn, eyeing her with even more interest than before. Harry nodded, but said nothing. “So modest, so modest, no wonder Dumbledore is so found – but the rest of the stories – so sensational, of course, one doesn’t know quite what to believe – this fabled prophecy, for instance –” “Never heard any such thing,” cut in Ginny at once. “I was there with Harry the whole time, and all this ‘Chosen One’ rubbish is just the Prophet making things up as usual.” Harry had never been more thankful for Ginny’s presence than he was in that moment. Her smooth ability to lie, borne from growing up with six brothers, was making this much easier to get through. He squeezed her hand in silent thanks, and she returned it. “Yes, well… it is true that the Prophet often exaggerates, of course…” Slughorn said, sounding a little disappointed. “I remember dear Gwenog telling me (Gwenog Jones, I mean, of course, Captain of the Holyhead Harpies) –” He meandered off into a long-winded reminiscence, but Harry had the distinct impression that Slughorn was not finished with him, nor that he had been totally convinced by Ginny’s insistence about the lack of a prophecy. Neville met his gaze with a questioning look of his own, and Harry gave a minute shake of his head. Neville knew a prophecy apparently existed, but nothing else. Harry was loathe to reveal to the other boy how close he had come to having Harry’s destiny. “Are we ever getting out of here?” Ginny whispered to him at one point as the afternoon wore on with more anecdotes about illustrious wizards Slughorn had taught, all of whom had been delighted to join what he called the ‘Slug Club’ at Hogwarts. “I doubt it,” replied Harry in an undertone; he wanted nothing more than to grab Ginny’s hand and walk out of the compartment. He knew he needed to be polite based on the little Dumbledore had said about the man’s desire to “collect” him, but Harry hoped the headmaster had a very good reason for wanting him to put up with this, because thus far, Harry was finding the experience to be most unpleasant. Finally the train emerged from yet another long stretch of dementor-induced mist into a red sunset, and Slughorn looked around, blinking in the twilight. “Good gracious, it’s getting dark already! I didn’t notice that they’d lit the lamps! You’d better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on nogtails. Harry, Blaise – any time you’re passing. Same goes for you, miss,” he twinkled at Ginny. “Well, off you go, off you go!” Zabini pushed past Harry with a filthy look that Harry returned with interest. The two of them had had very little to do with each other over the past five years, and even though he knew the boy was friends with Malfoy, he had always stayed out of the way of their various confrontations. “That was not a fun experience,” said Neville as the three of them headed back to their compartment. “I don’t know that I like Professor Slughorn all that much.” “I know what you mean,” said Ginny. “I would love to meet Gwenog Jones, but the price?” “The Slug Club, you mean,” sighed Harry. “He’s going to keep going after you, Harry,” said Neville, and Harry nodded. When they reached their compartment, Harry immediately slumped into his seat, Ginny joining him with a disgruntled expression on her face. “Where were you?” asked Ron. “You’ve been gone for hours!” “Slughorn,” said Ginny with a scowl. “He caught me hexing Smith and apparently thought it was impressive rather than something to be lectured over.” “So you were with Harry and Neville, then?” asked Hermione. Ginny nodded. “Good,” said Luna vaguely from behind her magazine. “He wasn’t very happy without an anchor around to keep him steady.” Ginny shot a grin at Harry, and he flushed, wondering if he’d ever get used to Luna’s uncomfortable truths at the most embarrassing of moments. They all changed into their school robes, and Ron headed off with Hermione when the train stopped to round up the first years for their traditional journey across the lake. Ginny seized Harry’s hand and didn’t let go as they disembarked, Harry holding Hedwig’s cage and Ginny carrying the wicker basket Crookshanks had been stuffed into under her free arm. Luna kindly carried Pigwidgeon’s cage as well as Arnold the Pygmy Puff while Neville held tightly to his toad, and they found a free carriage to climb into, Harry doing his best to avoid looking at the Thestrals that pulled the carriages. Ron and Hermione joined them a few minutes later, and the carriage was soon trundling its way up the drive and past the boar-flanked winged gates to Hogwarts. At long last, Harry was home. |
| Reviews 220 |
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