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Ancient Magic | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP, Buried Gems Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Humor Warnings: Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 158 Summary: Love is the most ancient form of magic there is. Harry and Ginny begin to discover they may have a love that will endure forever. He Who Must Not Be Named certainly thinks so. Could their love be the key to fulfilling one of his greatest wishes? Hitcount: Story Total: 78258; Chapter Total: 9332 |
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Disclaimer - I do not own or profit from any part of the Harry Potter world. Borgin brushed off the riser seat and sat down next Lucius Malfoy. The April showers were holding off, the grey clouds providing excellent background for the players. As he straightened his robes, Borgin noted the Slytherin fans had given Malfoy a wide berth, leaving seats free on all sides. He may be one of them, Borgin thought wryly, but even his own find him suspect. “Good morning, Lucius,” Borgin greeted, focusing on the field. “Borgin,” Malfoy nodded. “Should be an excellent match,” Borgin commented. “It should be,” Malfoy said. “If Hooch could see her way past Dumbledore’s favoritism, it would be.” “I understand Draco is Slytherin’s Seeker,” Borgin observed. “Nathan, I’d like to meet with you,” Lucius said abruptly. “About what?” Borgin asked calmly, surveying the field. “A matter I think you’d be interested in.” The crowd erupted as the two teams gathered in the middle of the pitch. “Come to my office after the match.” “No, it’s not secure. Is there somewhere on the grounds, somewhere private?” “I know of a little grove just inside the Forbidden Forest,” Nathan offered. Lucius nodded. “Tonight.” Nathan Borgin watched the teams mount their brooms and nodded. ++++ The Gryffindor team walked purposefully out on the pitch, the noise of the crowd enveloping them. Quidditch matches were always highly energetic, but the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor raised the emotion in the stands to explosive levels. The sheer numbers never ceased to amaze Harry as he looked up, the stands divided by colors. His eyes swept over the red and gold to the green and stopped. Lucius Malfoy sat, surrounded by empty seats, in one of the top rows. He was a hard man to miss, even at this distance. Harry’s eyes were drawn to the end of the row. He watched Professor Borgin make his way to a seat next to Lucius Malfoy. Harry still didn’t know what to make of Professor Borgin. It was hard not to like the man. But watching him position himself next to Lucius Malfoy made Harry’s blood boil. How could Dumbledore hire someone who openly associated with a known Death Eater? This may have gone too far, even for Dumbledore. Harry forced himself to clear his mind. He would find out more about Nathan Borgin. But first, he had a snitch to catch. +++++ Draco Malfoy was out for blood. The snitch had been his. His fingers had been right there. If Potter had not had that Firebolt, the snitch and the match would have been his. Potter needed to be taught a lesson and the opportunity he had been waiting for was standing right in front of the Gryffindor changing tent. “Harry, that was an awesome dive. You should have seen Malfoy’s face!” Ron exclaimed, flushed with the thrill of victory. “Well done, Harry,” Ginny said grinning. “And you too, Ron. You had some really nice saves.” “Thanks, Ginny,” Ron said, blushing even redder. “Don’t believe it, Weasley,” a cold voice sneered from over his shoulder. “You couldn’t catch a quaffle with a sticking charm on it.” Ron turned. “No one asked you, Malfoy,” he growled. “Well, why not? Ask an observer. It’s true. If the game depended on your Keeper skills, Gryffindor wouldn’t even stand a chance. You’re just lucky you’ve got your little sister and Potter here to clean up after you.” “Yeah, well, Malfoy, at least my family and friends stick by me,” Ron retorted. “That’s what you think,” Malfoy taunted. “You’re so pathetic. You’re too thick to see what’s happening right under your nose. Your family doesn’t have a clue, and neither do you.” “I think you have that backwards, Malfoy,” Ron sneered at him, drawing back his fist. “I do? What about you? What about your best friend snogging your little sister? Have you asked him about that?” “Shut it, Malfoy!” “Don’t believe me? Just look at him! He’s as red as his robes. Go ahead, ask him,” Malfoy taunted triumphantly. Unable to help himself, Ron turned. Harry looked at Ron desperately, at a loss for words, guilt written all over his face. Ron turned back to Malfoy. “Sod off, Malfoy,” he ground out and brushed by him. “My work here is done,” Malfoy trumpeted and turned to leave. Harry took a step in his direction but Ginny caught the front of his robes. “Harry, leave him,” Ginny said quietly, her eyes following her brother’s retreating form. “We’ve got bigger things to deal with,” she said, tilting her head in Ron’s direction. Harry narrowed his eyes at Malfoy’s back and reluctantly nodded. Turning away, he ran to catch up with Ron. “Ron! Wait!” he said, trying to catch Ron’s arm. Ron snatched it away. “Don’t, Harry,” Ron said, not looking at him but holding up his hand to stop him. “Just don’t.” Harry was left standing alone, watching Ron trod back to the castle, feeling as if Malfoy had punched him in the gut, and knowing it was his fault. ++++ “Nathan, the Dark Lord would appreciate your talents.” “I thought you’d appreciate my talents teaching your son what I know, Lucius.” “I do. But you could also teach through your actions.” “Did the Dark Lord show his appreciation for you letting you rot in Azkaban?” “I do what needs to be done.” “I do, too, Lucius. For now, I’m a mere observer. When it is time, I will serve. You can count on that.” “Always the cautious one, weren’t you, Nathan.” “I like to review all my options, Lucius.” ++++ Ron sat on a bench by the side of the lake. Ginny stood under a nearby tree for a moment, studying him. It had been a long week. Judging by Ron’s defeated slump, maybe longest for him. Of all her brothers, Ron was the one who wore his heart on his sleeve. He’d always been the one who acted on emotions, letting his heart rule him instead of his head. He had more of their mum in him than he probably liked to admit, but it was exactly that commonality that always made Ginny feel loved in his presence, even if sometimes it was a bit suffocating and over-protective. Walking over to stand behind Ron, she put her hand on his shoulder. “You told Hermione. She told me you did,” Ron accused softly without looking at her. “Well, I needed someone to talk to. She understood.” “And I wouldn’t have?” “Ron, we’re really sorry —“ “Whatever,” Ron interrupted, his voice rising. “Why didn’t I know? Does Harry not trust me? Why didn’t he tell me?” “Ron, if you weren’t as thick as the castle walls about some things, you would have figured it out on your own!” Ginny snapped, frustrated that Ron couldn’t simply share her happiness. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, Ginny sighed and moved around the end of the bench, sitting down next to her brother. “Ron, in our family, we haven’t had much when it comes to money, but when it comes to love and support and knowing someone cares about you, we’ve always had that in spades. Harry hasn’t,” Ginny stated. Ron plunked his elbows on his knees and shoved his hands through his hair. True, his family had never had material possessions or lots of money, he contemplated, looking at the worn hem of his robes. But he had never doubted the love of his family. “Ron, have you ever had something that was so special and all yours that you just wanted to hold it in your hands, hold it close to you so you could examine it without anyone else knowing?” Ginny tried to explain. “Something you knew you would have to share with everyone sometime but, for that moment, no matter how brief, you kept it to yourself because it was new and it was special and it was all yours?” Ron slowly nodded, thinking of the first few weeks after his relationship with Hermione had become more than a friendship filled with bickering. “Harry hasn’t had many of those types of things in his life. I think Harry just wanted to keep this to himself while he got used to it. And Merlin knows every relationship I’ve ever had has ended up going through the Weasley brother wringer, so you can imagine how excited I was to have this become family knowledge. Especially when Harry is the one boy I would like to keep,” Ginny admitted quietly. Ron looked up from his shoes to watch the breeze blow ripples across the lake. Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. “You know, Ginny,” he said slowly, “I’m not mad you’re going out with Harry.” “I know. Thank you.” “I’m just mad I found out from Malfoy.” Ginny nodded. Silence fell again as Ginny watched the giant squid trail a tentacle across the surface of the water. “Ginny?” “Yeah?” “I’d like you to keep Harry, too. I just don’t want to know any details.” Ginny smiled softly at her older brother. “I think we can do that.” Ginny held out her hand in a sign of truce. Ron took her hand but, instead of shaking it, tugged on it, pulling her close for a brotherly hug. ++++ Harry studied his shoes, scuffed and in need of a good polish. Harry still wasn’t sure how he had managed to muck this up so badly. It was ironic, he thought. On one hand, he wanted to keep his love for Ginny all to himself. On the other hand, this was exactly the kind of thing he should be talking about to his best friend. In hindsight, Harry admitted he could have handled this better. He owed Ron more than that. Ron had not talked to him since the match, giving Harry a wide berth in their room and barely acknowledging him outside of the dormitory. Harry’s guilt was compounded by Malfoy, who spent every minute of their DADA classes smirking at Harry. After the first day, Harry had made it a point to be the last one in class in order to ensure a seat behind Malfoy, making it harder to be on the receiving end of his arrogance. But Harry knew he deserved every bit of it. Staring at his shoes, Harry heard the dormitory door open. Looking up, he stood, shoving his hands in his pockets, as Ron walked in. Seeing Harry, Ron stopped, shoving his own hands in his robe pockets. Harry cleared his throat. Taking a step toward Ron, he took a deep breath. “Ron, I’m sorr-“ “Harry,” Ron interrupted. “You hurt my sister, you’ll answer to me.” Harry nodded. “And I told Ginny, no details. I don’t want to know any details,” Ron said, holding his hands up in front of him, shaking his head. Harry couldn’t help it. “As long as I don’t have to hear any details about you and Hermione, it’s a deal.” Ron’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t think you have any bargaining room, right now, Potter,” he said seriously. Put back in his place, Harry nodded. “I’m sorry, Ron.” Ron nodded. “I know,” he said quietly. “I felt like an idiot finding out from Malfoy.” Harry nodded again, not knowing what to say. Ron’s calm, quiet tone hurt worse than anything else. “Okay, then,” Ron said, finally taking his eyes away from Harry. His hurt draining away, Ron just really wanted to get their friendship back to normal. “You done?” Hermione asked, as she and Ginny poked their heads around the corner. “How long have you been standing there?” Ron asked startled, but thankful for the end of the awkward silence. “Not long,” Ginny replied, taking a tentative step into the room. “You two okay?” Hermione asked, walking over to Ron, taking his arm. “Yeah,” Ron said, looking over at Harry. “Yeah,” Harry replied. Ron took a step toward Harry and held out his hand. Harry took it. Ron pulled Harry into one of those manly, back slapping hugs that come out of the maturity of a friendship strong enough to endure a setback such as this. Stepping back from Harry, Ron slapped his hands on the front of his jeans and smiled. “Okay, now, who’s hungry? I’m starved! What’s for dinner?” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Ron, it’s amazing you haven’t figured out how to put your bed in the kitchen!” she said as she let Ron lead her out of the room. Harry looked at Ginny. “I think I might owe you a huge thank you,” he said. Ginny walked over to Harry, wrapping her arms around his middle and smiled up at him. “I have an amazing brother,” she said. “Yeah, you do,” Harry agreed, hugging her back. “Of course, my talk with him might have laid a little groundwork. I’m sure you can figure out an appropriate way to show your gratitude after dinner,” Ginny concurred impishly. “I’ll do my best,” Harry grinned. ++++ “Canary Creams.” Borgin watched as the stairway to Dumbledore’s office appeared. He made a mental note to ask Dumbledore about his choice of passwords. When he had asked Professor McGonagall for it, she had smiled in a way that told him there was a story behind it. Borgin stepped off the stairway and into the Headmasters office, taking in the rich Hogwarts history surrounding him. His eyes rested on the bookshelves. Nathan Borgin always believed you could tell a lot about a person from his bookshelves. On the Headmaster’s shelves, he was surprised to find Muggle books, both historical and contemporary, interspersed with magical titles. These bookshelves, with their well loved tomes, told him Dumbledore was someone who prized all kinds of knowledge. He took down one of the older looking books and turned it over to examine it. “Good afternoon, Nathan,” Albus Dumbledore said, stepping into his office from behind. “Ah, I see you’ve found one of my favorite books. I’ve always wished I had had the opportunity to sail on a raft down a river and whitewash a fence, but something tells me I might attract my fair share of attention. Some in the magical community think it nonsense to read Muggle fiction. I, however, find it an interesting escape.” Borgin smiled. “We all need our escapes, sir.” “Yes, we do. How are your classes?” Dumbledore asked, moving to sit down behind his desk, motioning Borgin to take a seat in one of the chairs opposite. “Good. The students are bright. I think they find the subject matter a little unorthodox, but overall, interesting.” Dumbledore nodded. Nathan looked at his Headmaster. “This isn’t easy, Albus.” “I know,” Dumbledore said. “I turned my back on my past years ago. To relive it stirs up a lot of old memories. I’m afraid it might stir up too many.” “Nathan, I have faith in you,” Dumbledore assured his newest Professor. “We all have faith in you. I never believed you to be that person, and neither did you.” Nathan took a deep breath and gazed at the portraits lining the circular walls. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this office.” “Yes, it has. I’m glad we have the opportunity to meet here under better circumstances,” Dumbledore said kindly. “Me, too,” Nathan said sincerely. A/N: All my thanks to my new beta parvatipatil who insanely agreed to jump on this bandwagon seven chapters in. I’m so thrilled I didn’t scare her off! Thank you! Next…Late Night Revelations |
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