Of Scrolls and Sleeping

Chapter Seven: Render to Distraction

Harry found the dungeon mercifully empty upon his arrival and made his way to a seat at the back. He sat down and slumped forward over the desk, he couldn't stop thinking about Ginny. His head was spinning with so many thoughts; foremost were her lips. He could close his eyes and immediately feel that wondrous kiss again, but just as quickly his mind would flash to her fleeing from him up the stairs. Elbows propped on the desk, he braced his head with his hands as it began to spin out of control. He tried to calm himself. He would find Ginny at lunch and tell her everything he was feeling. He could only hope that she would forgive him faster than he had been able to move last night. Harry wished he could go to her now, but angering Snape by skiving off class was not at all wise. Who knew what annoyances Snape would cook up? He grimaced at the thought of Professor Umbridge's detentions and wondered if Snape could ever be nearly that cruel. Harry really didn't want to find out. He also had to admit to himself that he was more than a bit worried at this point that he might end up on the wrong side of Ginny's temper. He remembered very vividly how she had hexed Malfoy in Umbridge's office. He sighed, thinking that he would probably deserve it if she was angry with him, and the longer it took for him to find her and talk to her the worse it would be. Harry laughed out loud in the empty classroom at his line of thought. How many times had he faced Voldemort, twice with Ginny herself, and still the thought of Ginny Weasley angry worried him. He was still smiling at the irony of the situation when he heard Malfoy's voice approaching the entrance to the dungeon. Malfoy's ever present drawl ceased and was quickly followed by the howling laughter of his usual entourage of Slytherins. A moment later he saw Malfoy enter the room, his face cracked in its customary sneer with the entire complement of the class' Slytherins on his heels. Harry noticed Malfoy's confused expression at Snape's empty desk and watched as his eyes scanned the room slowly making their way to where Harry sat, locking with his own. His sneer spread to fill the entirety of his face.

"Well isn't that interesting, Potter's sitting all alone," Malfoy derided him, much to the enjoyment of his lackeys. "Have your friends deserted you, scar-head?" The room echoed with the contemptuous sound of Slytherin laughter. Harry just stared daggers at him. Usually he would be full of retorts that would send Malfoy huffing to his seat, but not today. After last night it was all he could do to keep from slumping forward across the desk like a balloon that had just been untied. Thankfully Dean, Seamus and the rest of the Gryffindors save Ron and Hermione arrived at that moment. Oblivious to what had just occurred they went to take seats between where Harry was sitting at the back of the room and where Malfoy and the Slytherins were standing near the front. The other Slytherins were already taking seats at the front when Malfoy glared triumphantly at Harry and turned on his heel to take a seat directly in front of Snape's desk. Harry sighed, half in disgust with himself and half out of despondency, as he began to get everything set up for the class that should be starting any minute now. Just then he heard the sound of running feet in the hall and he and everyone else in the room turned to see Ron and Hermione both gripping the doorframe and gasping for breath. Had Snape actually been there they would have just made it but still have been forced to endure his scrutiny and at least one snide comment. Ron glanced around the room looking for Snape and when he didn't see him, he rested a hand on Hermione's back to draw her attention and leaned over to whisper something in her ear. She giggled softly in response behind her hand, blushing faintly.

"Oi, look at that!" Malfoy started in wicked glee, "Weasley's got himself a girlfriend and a mudblood at that! No respectable witch would have you, eh?" Ron's face distorted in rage as he jerked forward, but Hermione caught his arm, her wand at the ready.

"Scourgify!" she cried, aiming her wand at Malfoy's mouth, and bubbles began oozing out around his lips. His eyes went wide in horror. The Gryffindors erupted into uncontrollable laughter as Malfoy spat suds onto the floor. Ron smiled appreciatively at Hermione before turning his attention to Malfoy again.

"Better watch your mouth, Malfoy, I'm not sure what she'll do next if you don't! But I can guarantee you it would still be nothing compared to what I will do when I get my hands on you!" Ron shot at him menacingly. At that moment Snape hurried in looking quite preoccupied. He muttered something under his breath, flicked his wand behind him without glancing back and the door to the room closed abruptly and silently.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, take your seats," he snapped as he passed them and Ron and Hermione scurried nervously to the back of the room to take two of the seats on Harry's right. Snape reached his desk and turned towards the class, not yet looking up.

"Take out your essays and place them on your desks," he said as he looked up and noticed Malfoy still foaming at the mouth. Without missing a beat he casually pointed his wand at him, "Finite Incantatem," he said in a low voice and then continued. "Mr. Malfoy, in the future please refrain from washing your face in my class unless it is completely necessary." Malfoy turned quite red and began sputtering slightly while the rest of the class snickered quietly. Snape cocked one jet black eyebrow as he scanned the room. "Did I say something that amuses you?" he asked, neither expecting nor wanting an answer, "I think not." At that they all fell silent. Snape raised his wand and flicked it towards his desk while saying "Accio Essays." The essays flew across the room to Snape's desk and he bent down to rifle them all together then placed them in a neat pile on the near left corner of his desk.

"But professor," Malfoy whined at him almost indignantly.

"I have neither the time nor the inclination at this moment, Mr. Malfoy. There is a class to teach," he snapped and then softened. "Please bring your concern to me at the end of the class." Malfoy nodded smiling and turned to glare at Ron and Hermione, then Harry before returning to face the front of the room wearing a smugly satisfied expression. Snape was facing the board and using his wand to add ingredients to the list.

"Today we are going to continue our exploration of the uses of the Jobberknoll," he said while turning to face the class. "On the board are the ingredients for a simple truth serum, along with the instructions. Now there are only three ingredients, but don't let that lull you into a false sense of confidence." He paused to glare at Neville who squirmed sheepishly. "The procedure is quite complicated. This potion is the basis on which Veritaserum was developed, though that is far more complex in ingredients and formula. Correspondingly, this potion's effects are, shall we say... less potent." He walked back to his desk, placing his wand upon it. "When drunk, it causes the drinker to answer the very next question, only the very next question, with complete and total sincerity and truth. The ingredients are already on your desks-begin." At once the class began filling their cauldrons with the prescribed measure of leech juice. Snape ignored them and took his seat at the desk, reaching for the neat stack of essays to begin grading them with a red quill. Harry looked around and saw everyone working, even Ron and Hermione had begun without a word to him. He sighed. It was probably Snape's odd behavior and their close shave with Malfoy that had made them so preoccupied with paying attention. It had also not slipped Harry's attention that Snape had not once even looked at him since entering the room. He decided that apart from maintaining Snape's 'good graces', making this potion would also take his mind off of his real concerns for a while. With effort, Harry focused on the task at hand and began measuring out the leech juice to pour into his cauldron. He coaxed the fire to life and watched the cauldron simmer. As it began to bubble slightly he watched the faintly yellowish milky liquid clarify and at the point of gentle boil go clear as water. Harry quickly grabbed the belladonna extract and glanced at the board to make sure he knew the shape. Very carefully he drizzled the brownish green liquid evenly in the reverse of the shape on the board, the rune for strength.

He started near the top of the cauldron at a point slightly to the left and down, then moved in a diagonal up and right until almost touching the rim. Smoothly he traced straight down to almost the bottom where he turned at a 45 degree angle to continue diagonally up and to the right, mirroring in reverse the top half of the sigil. Harry corked the belladonna and placed it on the table, not taking his eyes off the surface of the liquid until he heard a fizzling sound from the direction of Neville's cauldron. He looked up to see pink steam rising from Neville's potion.

"Mr. Longbottom, it says to make the rune for strength in reverse. You will have to start over. Thankfully for you this is the shortest part of the process," Snape drawled without even looking up from the essays he was still grading. The Slytherins snickered, but Snape overlooked this as usual and within seconds everyone was back to their potions. Harry returned his attention to his cauldron and began to stir it counterclockwise as instructed, watching the brownish green rune he had just drawn swirl in the now clear leech juice. Three thousand revolutions later (he knew because he had counted and that was how many it had said to make) it was time to add the Jobberknoll feather. He grasped the feather like a quill but reversed, with the tip pointing down, in his right hand. Harry moved it over the surface of the potion, in the shape of the Rune for truth, the tip gently touching but not breaking the surface. It looked like a capital 'F' with the two horizontal lines of equal length pointing down and to the right at 45 degree angles. As soon as it was completed the rune glowed white hot and Harry drove the feather down through the center of the symbol, releasing it before his fingers touched the surface. He then let it simmer for another fifteen minutes, watching it closely, waiting for it to flash white again, at which point he extinguished the fire.

"Impressive, all of you seem to have completed the potion, even you, Mr. Longbottom. Bottle a small amount as usual and bring it to my desk before cleaning up." Harry reached for an empty vial and ladled a bit into it, after which he labeled and corked it, then followed everyone else to place it on Snape's desk. He had returned to his desk and had begun cleaning his tools and cauldron when he saw a familiar flash and rustle of red out of the corner of his eye. More than familiar, his mind had played over Ginny's retreating form so many times since last night he felt he knew every curve and motion completely. She walked up to Snape's desk and handed him a note. He opened it with a mildly annoyed expression as he waved her out of the room. Harry watched her move toward the door wearing a very tired and sad expression. She glanced at him once and smiled weakly before hurrying out of the room. As Snape's eyes scanned the note he came abruptly to his feet and headed for the door without preamble, absentmindedly saying something about class being dismissed before he exited hastily. Parvati and Lavender exited quickly as soon as he was gone, followed very quickly by Neville and the rest of the Gryffindors in the middle of the room. Harry was still frozen in place when he saw Hermione grab Ron's hand and, with a reassuring smile for Harry, pull him half protesting from the room. Harry hurried to the door, hardly noticing the sound of the grumbling and shifting Slytherins still at the front of the room.

He stopped dead in the doorway of the room. Ginny was standing not ten paces in front of him apparently waiting for him.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted without thinking, not really caring why or how she had gotten there, only that she was there and she seemed not to hate him.

"Professor Dumbledore found me in the entrance hall upstairs and asked me to deliver an urgent message to Professor Snape," She answered, looking almost as though she'd been slapped. But she did not move, didn't flee this time, it was as though she were rooted to the spot. Harry crossed the distance between them in an instant, unable to bear the hurt he saw in her any longer. He wrapped his arms around her gingerly, holding her delicately as though she might snap.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry, I would never mean to hurt you," he whispered to her comfortingly, his voice full of regret as he stroked her hair. She slowly reached her arms around his waist; she was beginning to feel that this was more than just an apology and her heart was racing.

"And what do we have here," Malfoy's vicious voice cut through their intimate exchange. "Potter snogging in the halls, tisk tisk, I might just have to report you." Harry whipped around, holding his arm protectively around Ginny's shoulders. Malfoy's eyes went wide at the sight of Ginny, who had until that moment been hidden almost completely behind Harry. He was no doubt concocting another Weasley related barb, when Ginny smirked disdainfully.

"If you think that was Snogging then I feel awfully bad for your girlfriend," she scoffed at him offhandedly. Malfoy's face began to redden, but neither she nor Harry noticed. At her words his eyes had begun to darken mischievously and his hands had settled on her waist. As he pulled her to him her hands came to rest on his upper arms and her face filled with confusion and barely suppressed hope.

"Ask that girlfriend for a quill, Malfoy, you might want to take notes" Harry said loudly enough for everyone in the hall to hear. The whole time his eyes were locked to Ginny's, not able to look at or even think of anything else. Her arms reached up around his neck, daring to hope as he pulled her even closer, finally leaning down and giving her the kiss he wished he could have given last night. The kiss he had been planning all day, though his mind had not allowed him to focus on it for very long. Her arms tightened around his neck as she pulled herself closer to him, returning the kiss with equal passion and tenderness.

Somewhere near them yet beyond their awareness Malfoy began to sputter slightly, still looking as though his pale skin had been far too long in the sun. An unnaturally deep feminine cackle erupted from behind the knot of Slytherins still gathered in the doorway of the Potions dungeon. All eyes save Harry and Ginny's, still oblivious to life continuing around them, snapped to center as the mass appeared to part for a small pale witch with almost black-red hair to pass between them. She had a quill poised saucily in her right hand and was flicking it slightly against her shoulder. Her other hand rested on her hip as she sauntered up to Malfoy with a wicked smirk gracing her delicate features.

"Here," she said with a rather think Irish lilt, still holding the quill in her upturned palm level with her shoulder but pointing the tip at him, her piercing blue eyes laughing.

"What are you playing at, O'Lacey?" Malfoy shot at her, his face full of confused indignation and barely repressed anxiety at her proximity.

"It's a quill, Malfoy," she told him smugly, thrusting it at him. "And please use it, for Pansy's sake." He took it from her automatically and she continued to laugh in that unearthly rumble as she continued past him, pausing for a moment to glance appreciatively at Harry and Ginny, still lost in each other, before continuing on her way.

"Maeve!" he practically whined after her as he ran, still blushing, to catch up with her. All of the Slytherins burst into fits of laughter at that and followed them out of this secluded corner of the dungeon.

Harry and Ginny slowly, almost deliriously, pulled apart just enough to take in each other's faces. Ginny smiled breathlessly up at Harry's almost dizzy expression. She noticed his glasses were slightly steamed and sitting a bit off center on his nose. She blushed faintly as she took her hand from behind his neck to straighten them. Her eyes met with his ardent gaze again as she finished leveling his glasses and her hand fell to rest against his cheek.

"Gods, Harry, how I love you!" she breathed quietly, contentedly amazed that he returned at least some level of her overwhelming devotion. He stared in wonder at her warm serene face, his mind reeling at the thought. Harry wasn't sure he remembered ever hearing those words from anyone, but he knew somewhere deep down that he understood what they meant. He had been loved once, a very long time ago and it had left its mark on him. He pulled his hands slowly from her waist and raised them to take her hand gently from his face and hold it between them. He studied her palm and fingers briefly before bringing them to him lips and kissing them softly. Her eyes closed at the tender sensation, not knowing quite what to expect yet ready to accept anything. He lowered her hand to his heart and held it there with both of his own. Her eyes opened to find him gazing at her intently.

"Thank you... now I remember" he whispered to her, unable to suppress fully the tremor in his voice. At once she began to fathom absolutely and completely what was in his thoughts at that moment. Ginny's eyes filled with honest compassion as she stared into his hopeful yet wounded eyes. A single tear slipped freely down her cheek as she reached up with the hand not clasped to Harry's chest and gently smoothed the hair on his forehead revealing the jagged scar that was both the sign of the only love he'd known before coming to Hogwarts and a painful reminder of his connection with the one who had given it to him. Her mind flicked briefly to her own torments at the hands of the Dark Lord. More tears escaped her eyes as her finger gently traced its path down Harry's forehead. He was overcome with the depth of her feeling for him and quickly clutched her to him. To have her tell him she loved him so unabashedly and then to have her the very next moment empathically feel his years of pain, shedding tears of thorough comprehension... somewhere deep inside he knew.

"Ginny, I ... I love you..." he half gasped quietly, his lips brushing her ear sending flames through her body. Her arms grasped his waist and pulled him close as she buried her head against his neck, feeling his warm skin against her temple and her tears soak into the neck of his robes. She could tell by the way he shook slightly that he was crying as well, his face nestled in her hair, collecting his tears. They continued to hold each other in silence, till the tremors subsided. She nuzzled her face on his shoulder for comfort and to dry her eyes before pulling back to look at him. His face was streaked with tear tracks of fine salt, an expression of mingled apology and muted longing across his features.

"I'm sorry Gin-" he began to whisper but she raised a hand to his lips, hushing him before he could finish.

"Why should you have to bear it all alone?" she asked gently, squinting slightly, as if willing him to see the truth of it. He stared at her, letting her sweet and singular gift wash over him almost in disbelief. But he knew somehow that she was really the only one who could offer him this and know what it truly meant. Hers was not only a promise of support but a pledge of her life, to fight to the end if necessary. It was not only for him; Ginny's own nightmares of the past demanded it. As he absorbed the depth of her commitment, she gently brushed the remnants of the tears from his face, her fingers slipped to rest along his jaw just next to his chin. She leaned her head up and sealed this pact with a wholly passionate and deceptively fleeting kiss. Their lips parted almost reverently, their eyes still closed unwilling to open and take in the hall outside of the potions dungeon and the call of lunch in the Great Hall. When their eyes did open it was to take in every curve and line of this moment and to lock it away in their hearts before returning from the reality of life outside the sanctuary of Hogwarts.

Ginny smiled up at him, mirth now filling her eyes.

"We should probably head up to the Great Hall before my brother comes looking for your head," she half laughed, still hugging Harry tightly about the waist.

"We've already dealt with that, Ginny," he started teasingly, leaning in closer to tickle the next words against the soft spot below her ear and behind her jaw. "I have his blessing."

"Harry!" she gasped, squeezing her ear against her shoulder as the tingle stretched down her spine, forcing him back before her where she could look him in the eye.

"Saying it and seeing it are two very different things," she jokingly chided him, and then mused, "One out of six certainly is a start, though." As Harry's face fell in mock distress, she said "But I don't care what any of them think." She looked up at him from beneath her lashes enticingly. And before he could seize her with more urgent kisses she pulled away grabbing his hand, continuing to look at him impishly. "Come on Harry, I'm getting hungry, aren't you?" And she pulled him half protesting through the maze of the dungeon.