Adaptations

Adaptations: Part 17

Dolores Umbridge walked into her office in quite a foul mood. It was a Thursday evening and that meant that Harry Potter, that insulting, vile, disrespectful, disobedient little brat, was off running his little DA. She sniffed her discontent as she closed and locked the door behind her. Of all the disgraceful things: students were deliberately cutting her classes so that they could attend those obscene sessions run by a lying little nothing. She was the Professor here, not that whelp. She was the one appointed by the Ministry to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and not him. She was the one who was qualified to teach this course; Minister Fudge himself had said so. How dare that poor excuse for a headmaster permit this... this outrage to continue? Why, he even seemed to be encouraging it! She waved her wand and commanded, "Lumos." She seemed rather surprised when only a single candle lit, leaving the rest of the room shadowed in darkness. It rested on an empty student desk positioned in front of her own. "Lumos," she said again, but to no avail. It was all probably part of the conspiracy to drive her out, she thought.

"I'll just have to write to the Minister and report this," she spoke out loud to herself, or so she thought.

"Report what, pray tell?" came a voice from the shadows.

Dolores startled at finding she had unexpected company. Her eyes darted around the room to find who it was as her hands tugged at the hem of her lucky pink cardigan. "Who... who's there?" she stammered. A dark chuckle was her answer. She raised her wand again and shouted, "LUMOS! LUMOS! I, Dolores Umbridge, High Inquisitor of this school, command it!"

"You command nothing here." The voice seemed to be coming from behind her and she spun around, her arm knocking a pot of ink off of her desk, sending it crashing to the floor.

"Who are you?" she said again, this time with even less confidence.

"A friend," the voice replied, causing Dolores to visibly relax until, "just not of yours."

The former Headmistress recoiled in fear. Her eyes finally adjusting to the darkness, she scanned the room again and noticed the tall figure standing in the shadows in one corner. She began to raise her wand when the voice cried, "ACCIO wand." The wand flew out of her hand and landed neatly in the grasp of her companion.

"You'll not be needing this," the voice said calmly. "After all, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself... accidentally. Magic can be such an unpredictable thing, don't you agree?"

Realizing that she had no means of protecting herself from this stranger, Dolores hunched her head down between her shoulders. This only increased her resemblance to a toad and caused the visitor to chuckle humorlessly.

"What do you want with me?" she pleaded, a sudden wanton gleam entering her eyes. "You're not going to ... assault me, are you?"

Recoiling with disgust at the very idea, the voice scolded, "You have nothing to fear on that account, I assure you. I much prefer the company of women."

Now, Dolores bridled. "I'll have you know that I am considered quite..."

"SHUT UP!" the voice commanded, shattering her brief uprising. "That you could find some poor miscreant willing to debase himself enough to touch you is immaterial. We have much to do this night."

Now Dolores could see a glint coming from her companion's eyes, a steely glint that held none of the human compassion she so prided in herself. It was almost animalistic, somehow predatory.

"Wh... what?" was all she could manage to say.

"Why, it's Thursday," the voice said reasonably. "It's detention night."

"What do you mean? I'm a Professor, I don't serve detentions."

"You do now. You've earned them and you shall serve them. Now, and with me."

Her eyes resumed darting around the room, seeking some means of escape.

"SIT!" the voice commanded and, as Dolores began to take the seat behind her desk, it continued, "Not there! You shall sit here." A finger pointed to the smaller chair under the student's desk. Dolores almost fell into it, the meat from her rump hanging over the sides and halfway down to the floor.

"What do you want from me?" she whimpered.

"I want you to die," the voice said calmly, "or, barring that, at least to leave this school, all of England for that matter, and never return."

"I... Never!" she said in a high squeak. "I was appointed by the Minister himself. I shall not leave!"

The visitor shook his head with mocking sadness. "Then let's get on with your detention."

Dolores paled and spoke in an almost inaudible whisper, "What shall I do?"

The man, if a man he really was, chuckled a deadly, cold laugh. "Why, you'll be doing lines, of course."

He held out a long, gaunt hand to reveal a black feather quill. Dolores screamed and collapsed to the floor in a faint.

* * * * *

The next morning Harry sat at the Gryffindor table. Snuffles curled up under the bench beneath him, eating his breakfast.

"I just don't get it," he said to his companions. "Why isn't anyone making any progress?"

"It's a very difficult spell, Harry," Hermione explained patiently, as if she had said this a hundred times before. "Maybe they just can't do it."

"Nonsense!" Harry snapped. "If I can do it then there's no reason why anybody can't."

"That's for certain," said a drawling voice from behind them. They all turned to see the smirking face of Draco Malfoy. "After all it's not like you're anything special. Any self-respecting wizard ought to be able to do anything that you could." He eyed the group coldly and then suddenly his eyebrows shot up as if he had just gotten an idea. "You know," he said, "maybe it's not the students? Maybe it's just an incompetent teacher?"

"Stuff it, Malfoy," Ron snarled.

"Oh do sit down, Weasel, after all, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He gave them a sneer and continued, "So long Potty, Mudblood, Weasel. I have to be going now." He gave Ginny a particularly evil leer before walking off to the Slytherin table. "Be seeing you, Red." Ginny flushed and turned away, not answering.

"What was all that about?" Ron asked. "Did you see the way he was looking at Ginny?"

"Oh, do be quiet, Ron," Hermione said. "He was just trying to get a rise out of you. Don't sink to his level." She turned to Harry now. "And don't you think on it either, Harry. He has no idea what he was talking about."

"I don't know, Hermione. Maybe he's right; maybe I am a lousy teacher. Maybe you'd all be better off going back to class with her."

Hermione shot a look up at the staff table where Umbridge was sitting in her usual seat next to Snape, wearing her ridiculous velvet bow and matching gloves.

"Don't talk foolishness, Harry. You know you're a much better teacher than that toad," she said.

"Then why isn't anybody making any progress?" Harry asked, frustration rampant in his voice.

"I don't know, Harry. Maybe it just takes time. It took you months, remember?" Harry just shook his head and headed off to class.

Two more weeks passed in much the same way; the only things that were going well were Harry's relationship with Cho and Quidditch. The new players were really jelling and Ron had turned out to be an excellent captain. He had the new Chasers working together as a unit while the Beaters concentrated on maintaining control of the Bludgers. Harry was actually quite relieved at his friend's skill and almost wished that he could turn the DA over to Ron as well.

A week before Halloween and only two days before the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, Harry had just dismissed the DA after another fruitless evening's work when Ginny came up to him.

"Harry," she said tentatively, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Ginny, what about?" he answered.

Ginny looked around the room, whether she was checking for eavesdroppers or avoiding Harry's eyes; he couldn't tell. "I just heard some rumors," she began.

"Rumors? What about?"

Ginny was looking at the floor as she said, "I've heard that the Slytherins have started a dueling club of their own."

Harry looked at her for a moment considering this, then said, "Well, I guess we shouldn't be surprised at that. I suppose that Snape is leading it?" Ginny nodded.

"Not only that," she said, "I've heard that they're going to issue a challenge to the rest of the school."

"What sort of challenge?"

"A dueling contest with 100 house points to the winner."

Harry thought this over for a bit and then broke into a smile. "You know? Maybe this is just what we need."

* * * * *

The morning of the Quidditch match dawned cool, overcast, and with a light breeze blowing, not hard enough to make flying difficult but enough to have an effect on a thrown Quaffle, or the Snitch. Harry ate a light breakfast with the rest of the team and noticed the Ravenclaw team doing the same at their table. Harry gave Cho a brief smile when their eyes met then brought his attention back to Ron. As Ron and the rest of the team rose to head out to the pitch, Harry took one last quick glance at his girlfriend and gathered his things to follow. He had only gotten halfway to the doors when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hi, Harry," Cho said softly. "I just wanted to wish you good luck today." She gave him a mischievous smirk and added, "You're going to need it."

Harry grinned back at her. "I most certainly am. You're going to lose today and we both know how cross you can get when you lose."

"Oh no, you're the one who will be losing because I'm going to catch the Snitch!"

"You think so? Somehow I doubt it."

"Oh, really?" Cho asked as she watched the smile spread on Harry's face. "Care to make a little wager on it then?"

Harry raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What sort of wager?"

"A Seeker's bet," came the reply. "The one to catch the Snitch wins."

"And what's the bet?"

"Anything," she purred.

Harry swallowed hard. "Anything?" he asked with a squeak.

Cho giggled; this was exactly the reaction she was hoping for. She nodded and said, "Anything. The winner gets whatever she wants from the loser."

"Don't you mean 'whatever he wants'?" Harry said, regaining his composure.

"Only if there was a chance that you could win, which, of course, won't be happening."

"My, my, isn't someone feeling cocky this morning?" Cho nodded at this statement. Harry grinned and said, "OK, you're on."

Cho grinned, held out her hand and they shook on it.

* * * * *

Ron was pacing up and down the locker room, giving them all an impassioned speech about Gryffindor pride, the honor of the house, and the need to keep the Quidditch Cup exactly where it was, and where it belonged... with Gryffindor! Harry hardly heard a word of it. He was busy trying to catch Ginny's eye.

As the team headed out towards the pitch, Harry tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Ginny, can I have a word with you? In private."

The Chaser paused and allowed the rest of the team to go on ahead. She turned to Harry and asked, "What's up, Harry?"

Harry wouldn't look her directly in the eye as he replied, "Are you nervous? It is your first match as Chaser and all."

Ginny looked at him questioningly and answered, "No more than usual, I suppose. I'm a lot less nervous than I was last year flying as Seeker, I can tell you that."

Harry nodded and continued, "And your new broom is working out all right?"

Grinning back at him knowingly, she responded, "Yeah, it's absolutely brilliant. Not as fast as your Firebolt, I would assume, but it's great none the less."

"Well, funny you should mention that," Harry stumbled on. "I was wondering if you'd like to maybe switch brooms?"

Ginny's eyebrows shot up, first from surprise that Harry would even consider letting someone else fly his Firebolt and then with suspicion as to why. Harry noticed the shift and began to get flustered.

"I just thought that, you know, that you might like to try it out in a match."

"And just why do you want me to fly your Firebolt?" Ginny asked then suddenly twigged on to what was happening. "Oh, hang on, maybe it's not that you want me to fly a Firebolt but you somehow want to fly my broom instead, is that it?"

"Well..." Harry stammered.

Now Ginny was really on a roll. "Wait a sec, what kind of broom does Cho fly?"

"She's got a Storm, her folks gave it to her for her birthday this summer," Harry said meekly.

"Just like mine," Ginny noted unnecessarily. "Are you trying to throw the match so that your girlfriend can win?"

Harry turned white at the thought. "NO! I'd never throw a match! I mean if that's what I wanted wouldn't I switch with her instead of you? Or I could just throw it while riding the Firebolt!"

Ginny returned to her questioning gaze. "Yeah, you could. So why do you want to play the match on the same broom as Cho? That's why you asked, right?"

Harry looked downcast; he knew he had been found out. "Yeah, that's it. Ya see, we have a bet on. The one who catches the Snitch wins and..."

Ginny leapt in. "And Cho told you that you had to be riding a slower broom just to make it fair. Why that little..."

"No!" Harry interrupted her. "It wasn't Cho's idea. I mean the bet was her idea but she never said anything about the brooms. That was my idea. I want it to be fair and so I thought you and I might swap, just for this match."

"And Cho didn't put you up to this?" she asked.

"No," Harry repeated. "Switching was my idea. I'm gonna beat her and I just want to do it fair and square, that's all."

Ginny thought for a moment then extended her new broom towards Harry. "Yeah, well, I reckon it's OK then. Especially considering that you're the one who bought it for me in the first place." Harry took the broom with a grin and handed over his own beloved Firebolt. "You'd just better not lose, Harry. I'm warning you."

"Oh, trust me, Ginny; I have no intention of missing this one. Besides, with you on a Firebolt I'd expect that, if the game lasts any longer than an hour, it won't matter who catches the Snitch, we'll be that far ahead."

Ginny blushed as she took the offered broom. "Just make sure you keep your mind on that Snitch and not on her..."

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Ron sticking his head back into the locker room and calling, "HEY! What's keeping you two! The game's about to start."

They turned and began to walk out onto the pitch. Just as they reached the gateway, Harry turned back to Ginny and said, "Hey, how did you know that I was the one who bought you the broom?"

"I didn't," she replied with a grin straight from Fred and George. "Not until just now, anyways." She dashed out the door, leaving a bewildered Harry Potter just standing there. "Thanks for it, by the way," she called over her shoulder.

The crowd roared as the two teams were introduced and the balls released. High above the pitch Harry was circling erratically, dodging the strange broom back and forth to get a feel for it. Cho pulled along side of him and shot him a questioning look then noticed he wasn't on his Firebolt. Harry pulled back to a hover and looked back at her, her long silky hair plaited and hanging down the back of her blue robes.

"What's with that?" she called across the gap that separated them.

Harry looked down as if just noticing what broom he was riding. "Oh, this? I just wanted to make sure that you didn't have any excuses when I beat you."

"You still think you can?" came her saucy reply.

Harry's head suddenly jerked at a movement down at ground level that Cho hadn't seen.

"Watch and see!" he called as he nosed over into a steep dive.

Half a second later Cho was after him, the wind whipping at her face as she lay flat against the broom, gripping it tightly with her knees, ready at a moment's notice to let go with one of her hands and grab the flittering golden ball. The ground was shooting up at them, getting dangerously close. At the last second she saw Harry yank back on his broom and pull out of the dive. She followed suit, feeling the stick begin to vibrate at the stress of the maneuver. The twigs at the back of it drew a line in the grass as the broom struggled against gravity and then shot back into the air. Regaining a position above the rest of the game she finally pulled to a stop and found Harry hanging there with a silly grin on his face.

"Did you just try to plough me?!" she screamed at him.

Harry looked shocked, although not so shocked that she didn't see that he was enjoying this immensely. "Would I do a thing like that?" he asked innocently. "Nah, you almost did that all by yourself. I just wanted to see how well this new broom could dive."

"A Wronski Feint!" Cho exclaimed. "I can't believe I fell for it!"

Harry just shook his head with a wry grin. "You didn't fall for it; you're still on your broom after all. You almost did, though." With this he spun his broom and took up a searching pattern heading away from her.

Cho huffed at him and turned in the opposite direction; if she was going to have a chance at winning this match (and the bet) she was going to have to fly her own game and not try to tail him.

So focused on finding the Snitch were they that they barely acknowledged the roaring of the crowd as one team or another scored. They had no idea what the score was as both circled the pitch and each other, searching for an elusive glint of gold. Once Harry thought he saw it but it was behind Cho and he couldn't manage to maneuver around her to get a better look without alerting her. Twice Bludgers came soaring their way but they dodged them easily.

After a while, Harry's eyes began to ache from the strain and he rubbed at them under his glasses. When he pulled his hand away and focused again he noticed that Cho had gone into a dive. Harry cursed and dove in pursuit. While he had let his concentration fail she had spotted the Snitch and now she had a solid lead. Lying low to cut as much wind drag as he could, Harry followed the Ravenclaw Seeker down. He was a little behind her and swung around to position himself to one side of her flight line in the hope that the Snitch would veer away and give him a chance. From this vantage point Harry scanned the turf below them. He couldn't see any sign of the Snitch and as he spared a glance at Cho he could see that she was gripping her broom fiercely with both hands. She wasn't getting ready to catch anything, she was feinting! Harry immediately slowed his broom and took advantage of Cho's distraction to scan the field from a lower altitude before climbing again.

A red blur zipped past him forcing Harry to duck. It was Ginny, and she had the Quaffle firmly tucked under one arm as she dashed upfield. Harry noticed the two Ravenclaw Beaters lining up to shoot the Bludgers at her back. Like an arrow, Harry shot off and flew straight between them disrupting their move and causing both Bludgers to sail awry. He looked back in time to see Ginny make a shot through the left hoop and pump her arm in victory. She seemed to be in total control of things and Harry began to slowly return to his usual position when a gleam caught his eye.

It was the Golden Snitch! It was hovering at the opposite end of the pitch, right in front of the Gryffindor goals and just below Ron. Harry took off after it. He dodged back around the Ravenclaw Beaters and his focus closed down on the fluttering silver wings ahead of him. In the meantime Cho had also seen the Snitch and was chasing it too. She drew in on the left side of Harry as she avoided some Chasers and the two were neck and neck. She glanced over at him and saw that his focus was only on the Snitch. He likely didn't even know that she was there. She turned back to the Snitch and saw that it had started flying towards them. She stretched her hand out to catch it and met Harry's as he did the same. Not sparing him another glance she tried to stretch even further, a single millimeter of advantage might be all she could hope for and she intended to make the most of it. The two of them raced up the pitch, side by side and broom by broom. The Snitch was drawing ever closer and the slightest move to one side or the other would be the difference between victory and defeat.

Ahead of them a Chaser was forced to veer to avoid a Bludger and came right into the path of the two questing Seekers. Cho jerked to the right to avoid a collision and wound up bumping into Harry and sending them both momentarily off course. Letting the Snitch go, they grabbed their brooms tightly with both hands to regain control. Harry's head pivoted around to track the Snitch which had by now had passed them both. He hauled his stick over to the left as hard as he could and reversed directions by flying right under Cho. She spun to the right and did the same.

In a heartbeat they were neck and neck again with the Snitch just out of reach ahead of them. Again, both stretched out their arms to reach for the ball. Harry's arms were longer but Cho was lighter and able to extend forward on her broom enough to make up for it. It looked like they would get the Snitch together when she saw it. A Bludger was dead ahead and coming straight for them. It was directly in line with the Snitch and Cho knew that it would get there first. She tried to coax more speed from her new broom but couldn't. The Bludger was now inches in front of the Snitch and going full speed straight for them. She pulled back on her stick to avoid the collision and looked over her shoulder in time to see the Snitch jump up and over the Bludger. She watched in shock as Harry sat up on his broom and took the iron cannonball directly in the chest as his hand closed over the fluttering wings of the Snitch.

Somewhere a whistle blew signaling the end of the game but Cho barely registered it. She stared in horror as Harry was knocked backwards off his broom and tumbled towards the turf below. She screamed his name as he hit with a dull thud, spread-eagled on the grass in the middle of the pitch.

She dove down to the ground and got to his side just as Madam Hooch arrived. Hooch called for Madam Pomfrey as Cho collapsed beside him. He looked up at her with glazed eyes, a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

"I won," he said weakly and tried to smile. A bloody cough wracked him as he passed out and Cho screamed again.

* * * * *

The starched sheets felt oddly comforting as Harry slowly made his way back to consciousness. It disturbed him slightly that he should be so familiar with the Hospital Wing that he could tell he was here without even being fully awake. He reached out to the bedside table where Madam Pomfrey always left his glasses and felt a warm hand grasp his instead. He opened his eyes and saw a dark, fuzzy image beside him. Whoever it was leaned closer and Harry made out Cho's face just before she kissed him.

Harry smiled weakly as she sat back again. "Now that's a nice way to wake up," he said to her.

"Oh Harry, you bloody idiot," she moaned. "How could you do something so foolish?"

"What? You mean catch the Snitch?"

Cho flung her hands out to her sides in exasperation. "No. I mean deliberately allowing yourself to get hit by that Bludger!"

Harry looked at her wide-eyed. "But I had to get the Snitch."

"It could have killed you!" Cho practically wailed. "Madam Pomfrey said it broke six of your ribs and punctured your lungs! If she hadn't been right there at the pitch you might not have made it up here!"

Harry tried to shrug this bit of news off. "Oh, she's always down at the pitch during a match." He leaned forward and continued in a stage whisper, "I think she has something of a crush on me."

"I most certainly do not!" the Matron said as she bustled over to examine Harry again now that he was awake. "I am merely quite familiar with your propensity to injure yourself while playing that infernal game and so I presumed that Mohammed ought to at least meet the mountain halfway." She waved her wand over him in an imperious way then proclaimed, "Well, it seems that you have sustained no lasting injury this time... in spite of your usual high level of effort to the contrary."

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" Harry asked hopefully.

Cho looked shocked. "It most certainly does NOT!"

Poppy looked at the young Ravenclaw and graced her with a brief nod. "I agree. You will remain in that bed until at least tomorrow morning. That way, at least, I can get one decent night's sleep without being interrupted by one of your stunts."

Harry fell back onto his pillows. "But that means I'll miss the victory party," he whinged. "I always miss the parties."

"That's because you finish most of you matches right here in my infirmary, Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey stated. "May I suggest that you arrange to have your parties here if you wish to attend them?"

Harry's eyes lit up causing Poppy to retreat on her sentiment. "On second thought, I refuse to allow a bunch of Quidditch rowdies to disturb my ward. You shall NOT hold any parties here!"

"Then can I go back to the dorm and go to the one there?" Harry asked hopefully.

The Matron was about to agree when she caught herself. "No, you may not. As I have already said, Mister Potter. You will remain here and in bed until I am assured that you are healthy once again."

Harry shot her a morose look. "If I'm going to be forced to remain in bed, can I at least have some company?"

Madam Pomfrey gave him a stern look and Harry momentarily wondered if they had some sort of staff training camp to teach them how to do that. She said, "I suppose Miss Chang can remain for a short while, as long as you remain quiet!" With this she turned and walked off back to her office at the other end of the room.

Harry scooted over in the bed and waggled his eyebrows suggestively at his girlfriend. "Well, aren't you going to join me?" Cho just stared at him. "She did say I could have company here in bed, didn't she?"

Cho looked shocked, and then laughed. She made sure that Harry was tucked in nice and snug then hopped onto the bed next to him and on top of the covers. That way if Madam Pomfrey caught them she wouldn't be getting any wrong impressions of the situation. She snuggled her head close to him before speaking.

"You do know that was an awfully foolish thing to do, don't you?" she said, quietly returning to her original subject.

"What? Teasing Madam Pomfrey?" he answered, a bit confused.

She lightly slapped a hand against his stomach. "No, deliberately letting yourself get hit by that Bludger."

"Bah!" he snorted. "It's just Quidditch, nothing really important."

"Harry," she said with exasperation, "it's an iron ball traveling at a high velocity, and adding in your own velocity vector, it became a highly dangerous situation. You should have avoided that collision in order to prevent any injury. That would have been the intelligent thing to do."

"Who ever said I was intelligent?" Harry teased her.

"You're bright enough to date me, aren't you?"

"I'd have to be really dim not to jump at that opportunity."

"Dim enough to fly straight into a Bludger?" she said, wagging her finger under his nose.

Harry grinned back at her. "Yeah, just about."

Cho snuggled back under his arm and Harry leaned over to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked after a few moments.

"What's that?" he answered.

"You won the bet."

Harry brightened at this. "I did, didn't I? And what was the wager again?"

Cho blushed prettily and said, "Anything you want." She rolled over a bit and looked deeply into his eyes as her own filled with an unspoken promise. "And just what is it you want, Mister Potter?"

Harry caught her lips in a deep kiss and whispered into her hair, "Dinner."

Cho jerked a bit as if this was the last thing she was expecting. "Dinner?" Harry nodded. "You mean now?" She seemed somehow insulted at the thought.

"No, silly, Madam Pomfrey will give me something later tonight. I mean a special dinner. Just me and you."

Cho began to smile. "Oh, like a date?" she almost squealed.

"Yup, like that." Harry nuzzled her hair with his nose. "Next Saturday night, I'll take care of everything all you have to do is show up in your prettiest outfit."

"Eww, so this is going to be fancy, not just sandwiches down in the kitchens?"

Harry hugged her tight and nodded. They lay there together for some time until Harry drifted off to sleep. Cho gently got up, so as not to disturb him, and made her way back to the Ravenclaw dormitory.

* * * * *

Late the next Saturday afternoon, after an exhausting Quidditch practice that seemed to drag on for hours, Harry took a long shower before carefully putting on his clothes for the evening. He was wearing black dress slacks, a white fitted silk shirt with French cuffs that he had bought in London with no idea why at the time, and a black waistcoat with deep burgundy brocade on the front. After trying to tame his hair for fifteen fruitless minutes, he decided that he didn't look half bad.

Before meeting Cho for their date, Harry decided to take Snuffles for a run around the grounds. He didn't want the dog getting anxious if he spent his evening waiting outside the unused classroom Harry had set up for his dinner. He threw an everyday cloak around his shoulders and headed out of the common room with Snuffles in tow.

A few minutes after Harry left, Ginny stood up from the table she had been working at and headed up to her room, telling her friends that she needed to get ready. After her shower she dressed in a white uniform blouse, tucking it into a pair of loose blue jeans that were one of her favorites due to their comfort. She cast a quick charm on the tails of her blouse and then critically examined her appearance in the mirror. She turned sideways to see how the outfit made her figure look. Tugging at loose material in the seat she cast a shrinking charm and watched with satisfaction as the cloth pulled tight to her bum and thighs. She ran a finger inside the snug waistband of her slacks and with a thoughtful scowl cast the charm again. She inhaled sharply as the waist pulled even tighter and began to restrict her breathing. It was going to be an uncomfortable evening but, if things worked out as she planned, it would be worth it.

* * * * *

The air was starting to chill as Harry walked the grounds. The sun would be setting soon and he looked at the play of scarlet and gold that filled the western sky. He noticed a figure entering the gates and was mildly surprised when, instead of heading directly to the steps of the castle; it skirted the low walls and moved around the perimeter.

Suspicious, Harry began to follow, keeping to the shadows in an attempt to appear unobtrusive without skulking. Snuffles stayed right behind him, and was sniffing the air intently, as if trying to get a whiff of the intruder. Suddenly, just as the stranger was nearing the Whomping Willow, the dog, with a barking lunge, leapt out of cover and ran to the newcomer, who turned to meet the assault. Harry drew his wand and gave chase.

As Snuffles drew close, the stranger, rather than running, dropped to one knee and welcomed the huge beast with open arms. When Harry finally caught up to them, he was greeted with the sight of Remus Lupin thumping the flanks of the Grim, who had his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth in pleasure.

"Remus!" Harry called. "I didn't expect to be seeing you around here."

The old ex-professor looked up with a sad smile and said, "Well, it is that time of the month, Harry."

Harry quickly turned his head to the east, where the full moon would be rising just as the sun set. He felt embarrassed that he hadn't remembered that it was a full moon tonight. Remus noticed this and easily understood the young man's discomfort.

"Don't worry about forgetting, Harry," he said reassuringly. "After all, it's not like you have to remember or anything."

"But still, I should," Harry said, abashed. Remus waved this off casually. "I suppose you'll be spending the night in the Shrieking Shack then?"

Remus nodded. "Since Grimmauld Place was destroyed, this has been the safest place for me. Professor Snape is still making me my Wolfsbane Potion and Poppy takes a quick look at me in the mornings." Harry nodded then turned his head, looking for something else to talk about. Again, Remus came to his rescue. "You look awfully dashing tonight Harry. A big date perhaps?"

Harry grinned and was quite glad that the gathering darkness hid his blush. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Well, enjoy yourself, Harry, and maybe I'll drop by to see you at breakfast."

"That would be great, Remus," Harry said.

"I suppose we both ought to be heading our separate ways now. Neither one of us wants to be late."

"Yeah, I suppose," Harry agreed suddenly understanding the reason why his father's old friend seemed in such a hurry to be rid of him. "Good night... I mean... well... Take care of yourself, all right?"

Remus grinned at the boy's continued discomfort. "I will Harry, and thank you. By the way, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Harry grinned back, "And when was the last time you 'didn't do' anything for me not to do?"

Remus laughed lightly. "Quite a long time, I'm afraid. Well, good night, Harry." With this the older man waved his wand and banished a stone into the knot on the side of the tree, stilling it so that he could disappear within its roots.

Harry and Snuffles turned and began to walk back towards the castle. Halfway there, Snuffles stopped short and looked back at where Remus had disappeared. Harry stopped as well. He looked down at his godfather in thought for a moment.

"So, you think you're up to it?" he asked the dog. Snuffles barked in response. "OK then, but let's not dawdle."

Quickly returning to the Whomping Willow, Harry gathered up a handful of stones and began to throw them at the bole of the tree, trying to hit the knot to stop its motion. Snuffles watched in growing frustration for a moment before growling his discontent.

"I know, I know," Harry answered the dog. "I was always rotten at Cricket in primary school." Giving up on the rocks, Harry drew his wand and cast a bee sting at the knot, hitting it dead on with his first try. The tree stopped and Snuffles dove beneath it.

Shaking his head, Harry turned and went back to the castle alone. Alone that is, until he met up with Cho, who was waiting near the doors to the Great Hall.

"So, where are we going, Harry?" she asked coyly.

"Now, that's for me to know and you to find out," Harry answered with a smirk.

Harry reached down and took her hand, leading her up the steps towards the first floor. Cho was also wearing a plain outer cloak, but as she climbed the steps a passer-by would have seen glimpses of a shimmering black hem peeking out occasionally.

When they were standing outside one of the unused Transfiguration classrooms, Harry turned to Cho and said, "Well, we're here."

Seeing where they were, Cho said with a teasing smile, "Some romantic you are: for our big date you want me to tutor you in Transfiguration."

"Well, you've certainly transfigured my life," Harry answered without thinking and then blushed as Cho's eyes grew wide. She stared up at him for a moment then quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Harry opened the door and led her into the room. After closing the door he turned and noticed she was standing there with her eyes closed.

"Oh come on, Cho. It's just a classroom, nothing to be afraid of." She took two hesitant steps into the room but still kept her eyes closed. "Open your eyes, Cho," Harry said gently.

Cho opened her eyes and looked around her in amazement. What had, a few days ago, been a dirty, dusty unused classroom had been transformed, there was a cluster of odd furnishings, still covered in dust and cobwebs gathered at the back of the large room but the rest of it was spotless. The floors had been waxed to a high sheen and a candelabrum hung high above them, casting gentle shadows around the room. In the large fireplace a warm blaze crackled with a large settee before it, gathering in its warmth. On a table nearby sat a wireless emitting soft music. To their left was a table, set for two with dazzlingly white linens and crystal which caught the candlelight and twinkled like so many fairies. Silver domes covered the plates but tantalizing aromas wafted across the room.

"Oh, Harry," Cho gushed, "this is just lovely!"

Harry took off his cloak with a swirl and draped over the back of the settee. Cho took in his outfit with an admiring gaze and undid the clasp that held her own cloak shut. Harry stepped behind her and carefully removed the garment, placing it on top of his own. When he turned back to her, his mouth dropped open in amazement. Cho smiled shyly. She was wearing a strapless dress of deep shimmering black that sparked with silver as it swayed. The bodice clung to her figure as if it was a second skin. The skirt flared over her hips and belled out as it hung to mid-calf. Her hair was in its usual silken waterfall over her right shoulder and looking at her, Harry found it suddenly hard to breathe.

"Do you like it?" Cho said coyly and twirled so he could see the rest. Her shoulders stood out like alabaster above the material of the gown. Harry wanted nothing so much as to touch the delicate skin to see if it was as soft as he imagined.

"Cho," Harry finally managed to stammer, "you're beautiful."

She smiled and came to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips in a gentle kiss filled with emotion. "You look rather smart yourself," she said, pulling away. She glanced around the room again. "So this is your idea of a date?" she asked teasingly.

"Well, I thought... We've never really had a..." he tried to say.

Cho silenced him with a smile. "It's absolutely lovely," she said. "Dinner?" she asked with a tilt of her head towards the table.

"Then maybe a little dancing," Harry answered with a slight blush. "I never got to dance with you at the Ball, and I thought we could tonight."

Cho kissed his cheek again then threaded her arm through his as he led her over to the table.

The dinner was chicken, roasted with subtle herbs and vegetables. They sipped the sparkling pumpkin juice as if it were champagne. After a light pudding of sponge cake and fresh strawberries, Harry rose from his chair and rounded the table to stand behind Cho.

"Would you please dance with me?" he asked quietly. Cho nodded her response and rose as Harry withdrew her chair.

Taking her hand, Harry lead her to an open area of the floor as the volume of the wireless increased slightly, filling the room with gentle strains of music. Cho turned to face her partner and stepped into his arms as he took one of her hands in his and wrapped the other carefully around her waist.

Suddenly shy, Harry looked down at Cho and said quietly, "I'm not very good at this so I hope you'll forgive me if I accidentally step on your toes?"

Cho graced him with a happy smile and said, "I'm certain you'll do wonderfully."

Moving his feet with deliberate care, Harry began to dance with her. He was awkward at first, uncertain as to what to do, but soon he had fallen into the rhythm and danced adequately if with little of the grace that he exhibited when in the air. Cho, for her part, accepted his awkwardness as a sign of his inexperience and snuggled herself into his chest, enjoying the rhythm of his breathing and the steady beat of his heart. One melody blended into another as the young couple lost themselves in each other and neither wanted the moment to end.

Sometime later, as a song came to an end, Cho slid back from his chest and looked up at him. Harry returned her gaze and asked softly, "Enjoying yourself?"

Cho's face lit with a smile and her eyes shimmered as she replied, "Yes! This is the most perfect night I could have imagined. The dinner, the dancing, it's all been just wonderful... You're wonderful, Harry, and I lo... I've loved every second of it."

Harry drew her close once again and spun her around, liking how her dress flared around her legs as she moved.

As she came back against him, she asked again, "Is this really what you wanted, Harry? For winning the bet, I mean."

"Of course," Harry answered, not sure what she was after. "I've wanted to do this with you forever."

Cho smiled shyly at him and responded, "But is this all? I mean, most blokes in your position would be asking for a lot more."

"What more could I possibly ask for?" Harry asked. He looked at her face and the shy blush that rose in her cheeks answered his question. Harry's breath grew short and he began to blush himself. "Oh," he managed to say before taking her hand and trying to start dancing again.

When Cho didn't respond to his overture, he looked back at her and saw a questioning look in her eyes. He swallowed hard and tried to speak. "I mean that's... that's something special, don't you think? I could never ask a girl to make a wager of that. It just wouldn't be right," he stammered. "After all, that's a gift, not a payment."

Cho just looked up into his eyes and smiled a smile that warmed him through to his soul. She spoke in a soft whisper, "Happy Christmas, Harry." Harry appeared gobsmacked, like he couldn't understand what she was saying. Cho's smile grew even warmer. "Or Happy Birthday, if you prefer, or any other gift-giving occasion you care to mention."

For a moment Harry continued to be stunned, then his face split in a wide grin. He wrapped Cho in his arms and began to dance. He whirled her across the floor as if he had wings. Cho's voice rang in peals of sweet, gentle laughter as she was swept away by him, her feet barely touching the ground. Finally, they came to a stop in the center of the floor, Cho wrapped tightly in his arms. He looked at her with such emotion that she thought she might faint from its intensity. He slowly lowered his lips to hers and just before they made contact.

"Hem, hem," a stern voice broke through their reverie. Harry's head snapped around to see Professor McGonagall standing behind them, her arms crossed over her chest. Cho pulled away from Harry and retreated from the scene. "Mister Potter, Miss Chang, I am sorely disappointed in both of you." She turned to face Harry directly. "Given your position as an adjunct to the staff, I expected better from you in particular."

Harry watched Cho's retreating form then turned to face his Head of House, anger at her intrusion beginning to grow in his chest. "And just what were we doing wrong, Professor?"

"I'd have thought that would be obvious," McGonagall replied in clipped tones.

Harry returned her gaze unwaveringly. "No, please enlighten me; specifically, what school rules were we breaking?"

The head of Gryffindor House looked around the room but didn't answer immediately. Harry took advantage of her pause. "Are we out after curfew?" Harry made a point of looking at his watch. "No, still more than an hour to go." McGonagall remained silent.

Harry looked around the room and his eyes stopped at the table, still littered with the remains of their supper. "Perhaps the food, then? Is it against the bylaws for students to eat outside of the Great Hall, hmm?" Professor McGonagall shook her head no.

Harry glanced down at the clothes he was wearing. He waved his arms over them imperiously. "Perhaps it is against school policy for students to be out of uniform on weekends, then?" Again, the professor indicated no.

Harry's eyes gleamed as he continued his game. He looked around the room. "Ah," he said with dawning understanding, "it's against the rules to dance? Which by-law is it, exactly, that forbids students from dancing, Professor?" Still the Deputy Headmistress remained silent.

Harry turned and gave her the full force of his glare and it was to her credit that Minerva McGonagall stood against it, although she did need to concentrate to keep her knees from quaking. She had heard about Harry's confrontation with the Headmaster and Severus over the summer and had witnessed his dealing with the Potions Master during the recent events in Albus' quarters but never before had she borne the brunt of his hostility. It shocked her that the shy young boy she had seen flying from her office window as a firstie just a few short years ago could have grown into the force that stood before her now. For a moment she was more frightened of him than of Voldemort.

"Then, if nothing we were doing was against the rules, exactly what are you doing here?"

* * * * *

Sensing the confrontation brewing between Harry and his Head of House, Cho backed away. She knew Harry could be quite something when his back was up and Minerva McGonagall had quite the well-earned reputation for being a firm disciplinarian. As she retreated to the back of the room, she bumped into something. Turning with a start she saw it was a large ornate mirror, covered in cobwebs and dust. She noticed figures moving across the grimy surface.

Facing the mirror, Cho watched, transfixed. There was a couple dancing there. Cho was surprised to see that it was clearly her and Harry, she easily recognized their clothing. 'What a marvelous mirror', she thought to herself. 'It shows you happy memories.' She watched for a moment as the mirror couple danced. Harry glided across the room through the film of dust that covered the glass. Her own dress swirled about her legs provocatively, just as she hoped it would when she had bought it before the start of term. Her image fairly floated across the floor and Cho noticed that Harry had certainly overcome his initial clumsiness and was becoming quite an excellent dancer.

Without thinking, Cho began to reach for a handkerchief to wipe away some of the dust. The mirror's surface was so coated with years of accumulated dirt that it made her look as if her long black hair was turning grey. Then she remembered what she was wearing and that she had no kerchief to use to clean it. Shaking her head wryly at her own foolishness, Cho noticed that the frame of the mirror was engraved with a legend. 'Erised...' she read to herself when movement from the other side of the room drew her attention away.

* * * * *

Professor McGonagall took a long step back away from Harry. She brushed her hands over the front of her robes, straightening them needlessly. "Very well, Mister Potter, you and Miss Chang may continue your evening. However, I expect you to return her to her common room at a reasonable hour."

"I'll be sure to do just that, Professor," Harry answered shortly.

McGonagall turned and left the room, closing the door with a bang of finality behind her. Harry turned and saw Cho approaching him. He heaved a deep sigh and tried to let go of his annoyance and recapture their earlier mood, but it evaded him. He took her into his arms and tried to dance but nearly tripped her over his unmoving feet.

She looked up into his face and said sadly, "They've cancelled Christmas then?"

Harry nodded and answered more to himself than to her, "I've got to get my hands back on that bloody map."

* * * * *

The broom cupboard on the third floor was crowded with mops and buckets, and Ginny was having a hard time keeping her feet under her. The fact that the fellow who was sharing that cupboard with her seemed intent on her losing her footing only made things worse. She had her face buried in the shoulder of his robes and grinned to herself as Draco cursed under his breath. He was struggling to wedge his fingers underneath the tight waistband of Ginny's slacks and failing miserably.

Giving up for the time being, he brought his hands back around to her front. Ginny felt his fingers begin to make their way up her stomach. Draco pulled his face away from her and, when she did the same, he kissed her. He may have thought that his kiss was filled with passion, or even simply lust, but to Ginny it was just rough, coarse and assaulting. He drove his tongue forward, through her lips and against the wall of her teeth, causing Ginny to turn her head, breaking the kiss. She ran her hands over his chest and downwards. She felt the sharp intake of his breath as she reached his belt and she threaded her arms around his waist, subtly forcing his arms apart and his hands away from her before they got to where she didn't want them to go.

Pushing him back against the wall, she strained to hear any noise from outside in the hallway. 'Come on, Ron,' she thought to herself. 'You're always bragging on that blasted Marauder's Map and how much it shows, put it to use. I know you saw me leaving; you practically jumped Kirke and Sloper when they whistled at how I looked. You couldn't have resisted looking at it to see where I am, and who I am with, I know you too well. You should be pounding up the stairs right this very second to stick your nose into my life again. Where are you?'

By this time Draco had gathered a fistful of Ginny's blouse in his hand and was trying to pull it out of her slacks to expose her skin. Ginny responded by kissing his neck and beginning to nibble on his earlobe. Her nose was pressed into his hair and Ginny almost gagged at the overwhelming greasiness of the tonic he used to slick his hair back. It clung to her nose and she had to fight off the image of it slowly creeping up her nostrils to attack her from the inside. Suddenly, there was a sharp noise as the locking charms on the door were countered and the latch clicked open. Ginny quickly pressed her mouth to Draco's and forced her tongue halfway down his throat.

The cupboard was flooded with light as the door was thrown open. Draco pushed Ginny away and made a grab for his wand when a cold voice froze him in his tracks.

"Ahh, and what have we here?" the drawling voice asked.

Ginny blinked away the sudden glare and just made out the outline of Professor Snape when he spoke again.

"Such deplorable conduct, especially from a Prefect," he said with more disdain than she had thought humanly possible, but then again there was a healthy book going within Gryffindor Tower that the Potions Master wasn't exactly human. "I would have thought that even Gryffindor Prefects would have better morals. That will be ten points, Miss Weasley, and now return to your House before I add a detention."

Ginny wormed her way past the Professor, who made no effort at all to get out of her way, and sprinted down the corridor to safety. The elder Slytherin turned to the younger and smiled.

"It is a dangerous game you are playing here, Mr. Malfoy," he said quietly.

Malfoy smirked and responded, "The greater the risk, the sweeter the victory. Isn't that right?"

Snape merely sneered and, with a slight jerk of his head to the side, told his student to return to his own dormitory immediately.

Ginny reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and paused for a moment before giving the password. As she caught her breath she made sure that her hair was properly mussed before pasting a dreamy smile on her face and entering. All conversation in the common room stopped as Ginny strolled in but she seemed not to notice. She gave her friends a small half-wave and headed up the stairs to the girl's dorms. As she rounded a turn in the staircase, blocking her from view, she began to tug frantically at her blouse and ran towards her room.

Slamming the door behind her, she continued pulling until she realized her mistake. Taking out her wand, she countered the sticking charm she had placed on the tails of her shirt and practically tore it off. Then she undid the shrinking charms and stripped off her jeans. Grabbing a towel and her things, she dashed into the shower to try and scrub the feel of the Slytherin off her skin.