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If Harry Potter Had Game | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Fluff, Humor, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 13 Summary: What if Harry Potter fancied Ginny back in Chamber of Secrets? What if he actually did something about it? What if there is a sarcasm feedback loop? Canon compliant, but divergent from that point on. Hitcount: Story Total: 6165; Chapter Total: 1051 |
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Dear Harry, Ron was actually going to try and call you on the thingummy, that sound device, but I talked him out of it. I told him if he was too lazy to write he could dictate and I'd scribe it for him, so then he got huffy and wrote a letter himself, attached. He didn't need my prompting to write a letter to Hermione though. Hmm. He sent poor Errol to her, and he's going to need a good five days to recuperate before he can manage another trip. But even then it won't matter because she's going to France with her parents and we don't dare send Errol that far. If you wanted to do something nice for Ron, you could send Hedwig to her and ask her to write him. Or, if you wanted to do something nice for me, you could do that same thing - the more time they spend together the more time I can spend with you without my brother around… Ginny __________________ ______________________ Dear Harry, My parents have agreed you can come to the Burrow for your birthday, and stay with us for the rest of the Summer! I told them just a bit of what those muggle relatives of yours are really like so they are going to let me do all the communicating with you. They can come pick you up, and I'll let you know the details when I know more. I'll impress on them the importance of trying to blend in among muggles. Not that I really know how to do that, but I think I understand it better than they do. I'm trying to get my dad to threaten your uncle a bit but he's just not the threatening sort, I'm afraid. Ginny ____________________ ____________________ Dear Harry, Enclosed is some of Fred and George's homemade itching powder. This won't count as underage magic. I explained to them that you needed a diluted dose for plausible deniability in order to prank your pig of a cousin. They handed me the packet. I then explained to them that if they gave me an extra strength version because they were really planning to prank you and me, that I would be bone-breakingly angry with them. They then took that packet back and gave me this one. Ginny _______________________ _________________ Dear Harry, I have terrible news. You can still come to the Burrow on your birthday, but you won't be able to stay the rest of the Summer. All our plans are ruined. My family is taking a sudden trip to Egypt. We're going to be gone until the term starts. Dad won the Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. Ordinarily I'd be thrilled. It's seven hundred galleons. That's huge for us. But it means we can afford to go to Egypt for a month to visit Bill, and that's what my parents want to do. I asked if you could come with us, but it's not allowed. My parents can't take you out of the country. So I asked if we could put it off until next year, since we already had plans. No. At first we were even going to leave right away! I cried and screamed - truly awful, you'd have been embarrassed to see it but I don't care. I told them it wasn't fair to invite you to our house for your birthday and then cancel to take a trip. They didn't understand because they didn't really understand what your home life is like. How could they? I started to play the "he saved my life" card but it didn't come to that. I'll have that in reserve if we need it someday. But my parents love you, Harry, my mother cried when I told her how important this really was. Ron said if this money was a blessing to help us visit family then that included you because you're family too. Don't tell him I said this but sometimes I like that he's my brother. So my dad will come pick you up on July 30th, and return you on August 1. I'm so sorry. Ginny _____________________ ___________________ Dear Harry, You've got a lot of great qualities, you know? You're brave, and caring, and funny, great at Quidditch, you're handsome, you have eyes that a person might just get lost in. But you know what else? You're infuriating. I get that your home life is awful. You live with awful people that don't care about you. That's because THEY ARE AWFUL PEOPLE. It's nothing to do with you. You didn't do anything to make them not care. That's all on them. You are worth caring about. I'm not forcing my parents to take you in when they don't want to. They want to. They care about you. They want you here. Don't give me any more of this noble "I'll just stay at the Dursleys, it's really not that bad, go enjoy your trip while I mope about" nonsense. You're better than that. My parents already rescheduled their trip. It's fine. They are looking forward to you coming over. If they're sad about the trip it's only that you can't come with us; they're not put out to reschedule. So please, knock off the nobility thing which is really you being insecure. Let me reiterate: everyone wants you to come over. Well, Percy doesn't really care one way or the other. But everyone else is looking forward to your visit and then the trip after. No one is upset or put out. Except you. Which, I get, it is indeed terrible news to have to stay at the Dursleys the rest of the Summer when you thought you had an escape. You're right to feel that way. But don't spoil your birthday being upset. By the way I won't get to see you on MY birthday which is August 11. So things are rough all over. Now get prepared to come have a good time and you can be miserable afterwards but I insist you enjoy it during. Deal? Ginny __________________ ______________________ "Happy Birthday, Harry!" "It's not until tomorrow, Ginny." "I know that, but you've missed out on some Happy Birthdays so I'm making up for lost time." "And this one's from me, Harry," said Ginny. Harry opened the final present. It was a small canvas, about A4 size. On it was depicted a scene from the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny lay on the floor, face obscured by tangled red hair. Harry was depicted from the back, standing over her holding the sword of Godric Gryffindor aloft, while most of the canvas was filled with the face of the massive basilisk, dripping blood where its eyes had been. "I can't really draw faces, Harry," Ginny explained, turning pink. "Who's this buff heroic looking bloke supposed to be?" asked Harry? "That's you, you prat!" said Ginny. "I wish I was this manly in real life," said Harry. "You are to me," said Ginny softly. Ron groaned, while Arthur and Molly just smiled and shared a look. _______________________________ _________ Dear Ginny, I heard you kind of had a thing for the dashing hero type, but what about the law-breaking juvenile delinquent type? Because I sort of had a run in with The Law that the Minister of Magic had to get involved in. Exciting stuff, right? Very cool, and daring. I'm a real bad boy at heart. It's time you learned the truth. Last night I got a mite upset with my uncle's sister because she'd said one too many awful things. And, quite unintentionally, she might have gotten a tiny case of being inflated like a balloon due to accidental magic. My uncle, alas, did not remain of his usually calm disposition, and in the ensuing hysteria I just scarpered. I ended up at Diagon Alley and I rented a room at the Leaky Cauldron. I assumed I was going to get expelled for the use of underage magic outside of school, but the Minister of Magic showed up and smoothed it all over. He wouldn't fix my Hogsmeade permission slip problem though, so if you were hoping I could use my newfound political connections for World Domination I have to tell you they are apparently rather limited. But if you ever blow up an auntie let me know because I Know A Guy. The upside is that I am not going back to the Dursleys for the rest of Summer! I have Tasted Freedom and I Am Never Going Back. At least until next Summer I suppose. But that is Future Harry's problem. I am just going to enjoy being on my own for a bit and eat as much ice cream as I feel like. I know I won't see you on your birthday but I will have lots of time to shop for a present, which I can give to you when I next see you. I'm afraid I don't have artistic skills so it'll probably be something practical rather than beautiful. I'm a boy. You know this about me. I hope you are enjoying your trip, Harry __________________ ______________________ Harry had never wanted anything as much as he wanted that Firebolt. But the money he had from his parents had to last him, and he couldn't empty his vault in his third year of school when his Nimbus 2000 still did everything he needed it to. He wanted that broom, but he didn't need it. There was someone who needed a broom though… Ginny. If he did get the Firebolt, he could give his Nimbus 2000 to Ginny… but as much as he wanted it, his reasons to refrain were still solid. Moreover, he wanted to get Ginny something special for her birthday, not use her birthday just as an excuse to get himself something he wanted. The problem with buying a new broom for Ginny, though, was that after letting her ride his Nimbus 2000 before the end of last term, anything else was going to seem like a step backwards. And she was a good flier - if they had comparable brooms, they could have a much better time flying together. Harry supposed that while a Nimbus 2000 was still expensive, it was a good investment. The problem was that he knew about the Weasleys' tendency towards pride - Ginny might not like him spending that much money on her. And even if she was okay with it, she could end up getting an earful from her parents. Harry made up his mind. _______________________________ _________ "Harry!" called out Hermione when she saw him, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, and ran up to give him a hug. Ron grinned and greeted him, while Ginny, despite her boldness in her letters, smiled somewhat shyly and just said "All right, Harry?" Harry had not yet gotten tired of indulging in the various flavors (but fortunately not "every flavour") of ice cream. As they enjoyed their treats they caught each other up on their Summer adventures, in France for Hermione, Egypt for Ron and Ginny, and on the run from the law for Harry. Harry had already done his own shopping, but he accompanied his friends as they got their school supplies, and Ron finally replaced his broken wand from the previous term. When Hermione wanted to go to the Magical Creatures shop, Harry suggested she and Ron go, because he wanted to show Ginny something in the broom emporium. They both stared longingly at the Firebolt for a while, and Harry relayed his thinking about why he wouldn't try to buy one. "Blimey, Harry, to even consider such a thing! No one who isn't a professional Quidditch player needs a broom that expensive." "I know, I know. But it did get me thinking… the Nimbus 2000 is still a really good broom, top of the line." "Exactly, you don't need a new broom when you have a Nimbus 2000. It'd just be greedy." "But if you had a Nimbus 2000, we could fly together and do some pretty amazing things." "Harry. Please tell me you aren't suggesting what I think you are suggesting." "What do you think I'm suggesting?" "You have that sneaky look in your eye. Like you were going to do something outrageous and completely mad, like buy another Nimbus 2000 so I could fly one too." "Why is that so mad?" "Because it is! Do you have any idea how much money that is? I'd be afraid to touch it! Ron would explode with jealousy, and my parents would send me Howlers because they'd assume I manipulated you with my feminine wiles or something." "So they wouldn't be okay with me buying you a broom for your birthday?" "No!" "Okay, just checking. Well, I'm not going to, so you don't have to worry." "Were you just taking the mickey then?" said Ginny, a dangerous glint in here eye. "Not at all. I was thinking though, while I'm not worried about Malfoy's flying ability, he does have the Nimbus 2001… all the Slytherins do. It might not be a bad idea for me to buy myself a new broom, to make sure Gryffindor stays on top of the Quidditch standings. Then I'd have a spare Nimbus 2000 I wouldn't really need any more. I'd hate to give you an old, used broom for your birthday… it might not seem like a very thoughtful gift. Would you think I was too selfish if I gave you my old Nimbus 2000? Or would you want something brand new, like a nice book, or a new quill set…" "Harry. Do you really think that load of tosh is going to work on my parents?" "Yes." "It won't work on Ron." "Any time Ron wants to fly with Hermione he can borrow my Nimbus 2001. I think he'll understand." "It's still too much money, Harry. No." "Ah, but you only said that second, the first thing you said was about getting your parents to go along with it. It's settled. I'm buying myself a new broom. For Quidditch." "Harry!" _____________ ___________________________ "I'm sorry you won't be able to go to Hogsmeade this term, Harry." "Yeah." "But at least you got to hang out at Diagon Alley for as long as you did! Most people don't get to do that. Hogsmeade is just more shops, and you've already gotten to do that." "Yeah, and I really liked it, and I wanted to do it again!" "Well, you know what they say, don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." "Who says sappy stuff like that and calls it comforting?" "I just did, you prat!" ______________________________ __________ All too soon it was time to board the Hogwarts Express and return to school. Harry and his friends discussed the rumours about Sirius Black, and met their new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor when he helped them after Dementors entered the train. Harry missed the sorting while he was examined by Madam Pomfrey, but made it to the welcoming feast in time to witness the announcement of Hagrid as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. The days sped past and Harry found himself excited for the start of the Quidditch season in October. It was also soon time for the first Hogsmeade weekend for students of Hogwarts. "Harry, it's simply so unfair that you can't go to Hogsmeade," said Hermione. "Do you want us to get you anything?" "It's all right, Hermione. It's no big deal. Ginny and I will find something to do." Ginny and Harry ended up having tea with Professor Lupin, and discussing boggarts, dementors, and, eventually, the Patronus charm. ______________________________ __________ It was the first Quidditch match of the season: Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. Slytherin was scheduled, but backed out due to the "injury" of their seeker. The match was miserable due to the weather, but Harry finally spotted the snitch. He beat Diggory to it, but before he could celebrate, he felt them - at least a hundred dementors were below him. Harry shot straight up in the air, as the wave of cold and horror swept over him. "Expecto Patronum!" he cried. A silver mist came forth from his wand. It was not enough to drive away the dementors, but it was enough to allow Harry to stay conscious as he retreated. After the general mayhem caused by the dementor incursion, the students returned back to their dorms. In Gryffindor tower, the Quidditch team and their fans celebrated their victory. When at least Harry had opportunity to speak to Ginny alone, he thanked her. "What did I do?" Ginny asked. "Well, it's a happy memory that powers the Patronus charm," said Harry. "All of my happiest memories have you in them." Ginny blushed. "I don't suppose you want to share with me which specific memory…" "I do not." _______________________________ _________ "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much." "Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly. "Pick up something nice for our sister while you're there," said Fred. "Or take her with you, if you're breaking the rules, break them all the way off," said George. "Believe it or not, we actually trust you, Harry. Your dot and Ginny's dot are often in close proximity, but your continued breathing is a testament to the fact we've never seen them enter any broom cupboards." "Honourable men are in short supply these days, so we've decided to adopt you-" "Not that that would save you if you ever betrayed our trust-" "Oi, stay positive though-" "The point is you're a good lad and we'll trust you with this, to only break most of the rules." _____________________________ ___________ "I can't believe they had this the whole time and never told me, their favourite sister-" "Well, you're quite a bit younger than them, I imagine they are wrapped up in their own stuff, but actually you got into quite enough trouble on your own already to be honest-" "Too soon-" "Anyway, look on the bright side, this will let us sneak to Honeydukes on Saturday." "I'm more interested in the fact that this tracks every last person in the castle than the secret passages." "Who are you interested in tracking?" "Whoever does something interesting, I suppose. What if we found out that Sprout visits Snape in the middle of the night-" "I think I'm going to be sick-" "I'm just saying I feel like the twins may have underestimated this thing's power. Knowledge is power, after all - Francis Bacon." "France is bacon? What does that mean?" "Oh, read a book sometime, Harry!" _____________________________ ___________ "Ginny, so these stairs here go up to the girls' dorms, right?" "Harry, I'm not describing the girls' dorms to you-" "I'm just trying to understand the layout of the castle!" "You're just trying to build a mental picture of the girls' dorms so you can be a better Peeping Cartographer!" "I'm not trying to peep on the girls, what's the matter with you, it's just dots on a map!" "'Ooh, Parvati's dot has been standing still against a wall for a while, is that a closet or a shower?' Heavy breathing-" "I've never so much as looked at Parvati's dot before, is she even on the map? If I were going to stare at anyone's dot-" "Ah hah!" "Hey! You tricked me!" ________________________________ ________ "Harry, didn't you say Peter Pettigrew was a friend of your parents, and that Black killed him? Then why is he in Ron's bed?" _______________________________ _________ "Merry Christmas, Harry." "It really is. This is the best Christmas ever." "It's too bad Sirius can't actually come visit." "It's fine. He's got to get all his legal troubles fixed up, and that takes time, but Dumbledore says we've got nothing to worry about. I'll be able to go home with him for Easter holidays for sure." "I've never seen you so happy." "If you ever met my relatives you'd understand." "This isn't going to replace me as your new happy Patronus memory, will it?" "Are you worried about that? Maybe you should be. Maybe you shouldn't try to coast on past achievements. Maybe—" "Maybe we could make a new Patronus memory together, that we share." "Oh. Uh, what did you have in mind?" "Maybe you'll need to wait to find that out." _______________________________ _________ Late on Christmas evening, after all presents were exchanged, after the Christmas Feast, the night was winding down for the Gryffindors that had stayed at Hogwarts over the holidays. Ron and Hermione had a private conversation at the far end of the common room, then each went to their own dormitories and turned in for the night. Harry and Ginny were among the last to remain, as just a few people were scattered about in the dim light, having quiet conversations. After a while, Harry realized that he and Ginny had just been sitting in silence for several minutes. Ensconced in comfort by the fireplace, sitting next to his best friend, on Christmas, while somewhere out there his new godfather was working to restore his life and build a genuine home for Harry. Harry felt a contentment that he had never felt before. "Harry," Ginny said. "It's late. I think it's time for bed." "Oh, okay," said Harry. "I've just been happy sitting here with you. But if you're tired…" "Yes, tired. Come on, walk me to the foot of my stairs." Harry obediently followed Ginny to the base of the stairs to the girls' dorms. Ginny turned and stopped, and looked Harry in the eye. "What?" said Harry. "Shh," whispered Ginny. "It's late. Let's not talk anymore." Harry was confused for a moment until Ginny took a step closer to him. He almost stepped back by reflex, but held his ground. Slowly, Ginny tilted her head up and looked towards the ceiling. Harry followed her eyes and looked up, as well. Suspended and glowing above their heads was a small branch with green leaves and red berries. They tilted their heads back down and looked each other in the eyes, and Ginny took another step closer to Harry. For a few moments, their faces were only a few inches apart. Then Ginny kissed him, and he kissed her back, and they each knew that they would be using the same memory to power the Patronus charm. Ginny broke the kiss, and without a word, turned and ran up the stairs. Harry returned to his own dorm much more slowly. _____________________________ ___________ Harry and Ginny had asked Professor Lupin to help them practice the Patronus charm. They could each manage silvery wisps, like the one that had helped Harry keep the dementors briefly at bay during the Quidditch match. But Harry was determined to fully learn the charm, and Ginny was determined to learn it alongside him. His particular vulnerability to the dementor's influence worried him, and his fear of that is what worried Ginny. Professor Lupin had the idea of using a boggart to simulate a dementor. That was Harry's greatest fear. Ginny's boggart fear, however, was Harry dying in the Chamber of Secrets, and so she along with Professor Lupin had to let Harry face the boggart head on. Professor Lupin was astonished when, by the end of the lesson, each had managed to produce a weak but definite corporeal Patronus. He was further astonished that they were both Phoenixes. "Well, we're good friends with Fawkes," explained Ginny. "Yeah, we wouldn't have our happiest memories if it wasn't for him," added Harry. ______________________________ __________ "It's nice to be able to walk openly in Hogsmeade instead sneaking around under an invisibility cloak," said Harry. "Speak for yourself," said Ginny, underneath Harry's invisibility cloak. "You know," said Hermione, "if you hadn't told Ginny about Sirius signing your permission slip, you'd have had a perfect excuse to snuggle under the cloak with her." "I don't need to hear that," said Ron. "Ron, it is nearly Valentine's Day," said Ginny. "I would suggest you listen carefully to anything Hermione has to say. It may have greater application than you realize." "Then why don't you two go off on your own and she can explain it to me without you around to make it weird?" "Wait," said Harry. "I want to hear more of Hermione's clever ideas." _____________________________ ___________ During the Quidditch game against Ravenclaw, the spectators were horrified when it appeared the dementors had returned to Hogwarts. They were shocked when Harry Potter produced a Phoenix Patronus that attacked the dementors. They cheered when they realized it was a bevy of Slytherins pranksters. "It's weird they tried the dementor disguise trick even though they've all gone back to Azkaban." "Well, I did still fall for it," said Harry. ______________________________ __________ "Looking forward to your first trip home for the holidays, Harry?" asked Ginny, the night before Easter holidays. "Yes. I'll miss you, and it's actually going to be a lot of work; Sirius has a house, but it's apparently in an utterly dreadful state. We're going to spend most of the time working on cleaning it up." "But you'll be turning a house into a home." "Legally, my home will still be on Privet Drive. In fact, I have to return there over the Summer." "What?! Why? Why would you ever have to set foot at the Dursleys again if Sirius has custody of you now?" "Dumbledore was forced to explain about the protective enchantments he placed on Privet Drive. Because my mother died to save me, and my aunt shares her blood, living with my relatives keeps me safe from Voldemort. Going 'home' for a couple of weeks keeps the protection active, but then I can go 'visit' Sirius for the rest of the Summer. I just can't truly call it home." "What's the point in the protections on Privet Drive if you're not there? Let the Death Eaters burn it to the ground!" "If it stays safe, it's a place I can return to in a pinch if I'm ever in danger. Sirius is putting in a floo connection there. I'm not going to tell the Dursleys about it though." ____________________________ ____________ Dear Ginny, If I happened to hear any news about a dangerous Hippogriff disappearing and presumed to be on the run from justice, I would be shocked and appalled how such a thing could possibly happen. I can't imagine how anyone could pull off such a job under the very noses of the Ministry. Whoever did it would have to be pretty amazing. Harry P.S. Sirius says hi ______________________________ __________ Oliver Wood sobbed with joy as he finally held the Quidditch Cup in his hands. Harry hugged Fred and George and cheered with them, but his eyes were searching the stands for Ginny. ______________________________ __________ "Oh no, Ginny, Sirius has rescinded my permission slip for Hogsmeade. I'll have to get under the cloak with you after all." "Have you just been waiting four months to say that?" "I have a little book I write this stuff down in for later." "It belongs in the Restricted section." "You belong in the Restricted section." "You're just jealous because I'm more well-read than you are." "You're definitely more 'red' than I am." "I've got Gryffindor hair. While you've got Slytherin eyes." "Can I Slytherin under the cloak with you?" "Just take the cloak back. I don't want to get sick all over this nice material." __________________________ ______________ Harry hugged his friends goodbye at King's Cross station, while Ron pretended not to notice he hugged Ginny rather longer than anyone else. Sirius escorted Harry to the Dursleys. He had gone there the previous day and introduced himself to them. After hearing some of Harry's stories about his life there, and some more from Ginny that Harry had shared with her, but that he hadn't mentioned to Sirius, Sirius Black had decided he needed to make an impression upon them. Sirius walked with Harry to his room. The Dursleys all were sitting quite still. They said nothing whatsoever to Harry. They said nothing to Harry at all for the entire two weeks of his stay. _______________________________ _________ Author's Notes: The theme of this story is that if Harry had been smart enough to notice Ginny then his life would have just been better overall. By getting close with her and opening up in a way that he never did even with Ron and Hermione, Harry understands people better, he's more confident, more motivated to work harder. And I'm just assuming that Ginny would be more interested in people while Harry would be interested in things like secret passages, so she notices Peter Pettigrew on the Map while Harry never did (nor did Fred and George). This leads to his early capture (and presumably Dementor's Kiss) and ends with Sirius' public exoneration. This also will have quite an impact on Harry's life. |
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