Rating:
R
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Draco Malfoy
Genres:
General Romance
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 12/31/2003
Updated: 04/18/2004
Words: 181,191
Chapters: 46
Hits: 99,765

Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

dan's girl62

Story Summary:
The summer after OoTP, Harry discovers he has control of his connection with Voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. With the help of his friends, and an unexpected joining of their team, Harry and the gang return to school for their 6th year and go in search of a way to defeat Voldemort. However, when teenage hormones set in, can Harry find room in his heart to love, or will he reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or lack thereof. Rated R for future chapters.

Chapter 16

Chapter Summary:
The summer after OoTP, Harry discovers he has control of his connection with Voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. With the help of his friends, and an unexpected joining of their team, Harry and the gang return to school for their sixth year and go in search of a way to defeat Voldemort. However, when teenage hormones set in, can Harry find room in his heart to love, or will he reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or lack thereof. Rated R for future chapters.
Posted:
02/06/2004
Hits:
2,177


Chapter sixteen

Harry yawned, stretching his long arms above his head. Even with his curtains shut around his bed, he could tell it was morning. The sounds of the room's occupants were stirring, shoes being slid across the carpet, zippers being raised and tired yawns echoing from one bed to the other. Harry sighed, reaching up and pulling the curtains to his bed back, squinting at the sunlight flooding the room.

"Good morning Harry," Neville said, tossing a wet towel on his messy dark hair. "You'd better get showered, if you're planning on having breakfast before Ron eats it all. He left over half an hour ago."

"Yeah, sure," Harry said, tossing the wet towel back to Neville and crawling out of bed. He gathered his clothes, and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Fifteen minutes later, he was wide awake, clean and still fighting an endless battle with his uncontrollable hair. He stepped back into his dorm, sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling on his socks and shoes, and retrieving his glasses from under his pillow. With his cloak in hand, he went down to the common room, to find Ginny sitting on the sofa, reading Witchcraft Among the Ages. He stepped up quietly behind her, placing a warm kiss on her neck.

"About time you got up," she scolded, turning a happy smile to him. "Ron's probably eaten half the food in the castle by now."

"So I've heard," Harry told her with a chuckle, taking her hand and walking with her to the portrait hole. "Is he still angry?"

"It's hard to tell. He wasn't exactly happy about last night, but he had hold of Hermione's hand when they left, so he can't be too biffed."

"He has a right to upset, Ginny," Harry told her, walking down the stairs to the Great Hall. "He's worried about you."

"He doesn't have to be, I'm with you after all. He knows nothing will happen." Harry stopped her at the bottom of the stairs, pulling her out of the line of traffic, when a group of first years came bounding down behind them.

"Something almost did happen last night, Ginny," he told her seriously. "If Ron hadn't stopped us, we would have made love. He has a right to be concerned. What do you think your other brothers, or your parents would say if you owled them to say, 'Guess what? I'm pregnant and it's Harry's baby.' They'd kill us both, and then they'd go after Ron for not watching you closer."

"You're taking this too serious, Harry," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I won't get pregnant, we'll find a spell or a potion or something. You said once we found a way, that nothing would stop us. Have you changed your mind?"

"No, but I think we're rushing things a bit. Why can't we just slow down a little, enjoy being with each other, without anything too physical?"

"You don't want me, do you?" Harry sighed deeply, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I love you Ginny, and I do want you, but I need time. Please try and understand that. I can't deal with all these feelings at once. I have to go slower than you do, maybe it's because I'm thick, but I need to learn how to do this love thing, one step at a time."

"It's not easy, Harry," she told him, kissing his cheek and his neck. "I want you so badly, I can barely stand it. I love you and I want to show you."

"Then show me in another way," he told her capturing her lips with his, kissing her deeply and thoroughly. His tongue caressed hers, teasing and tasting her until she moaned deeply into his mouth.

"If you keep kissing me like that," she warned him, "I can't be blamed for my actions." Harry chuckled softly.

"I think we need to get to breakfast," he told her, his tone slightly shaky.

Inside the Great Hall, the students of all four houses were eagerly reviewing their schedules for the upcoming term. Harry and Ginny sat at the table, each picking up their envelopes and scanning through the list of classes.

"We have Double Potions this afternoon, with the Slytherins," Hermione whispered. "Will the potion be ready by then?"

"It only takes two hours once the hairs have been added," Harry told her softly, leaning across the table.

"How do we know if it will work?" Ginny asked.

"We'll find out once we give it to Neville, I suppose," Harry said again, glancing down the table to his friend.

"Shouldn't we try it out first?" Ron asked, glancing to Hermione.

"How? None of us are afraid of Snape, so it won't work," Hermione told him.

"Lets go check on the potion," Harry told them. "Maybe we can figure something out on the way." The four of them left the Great Hall, Ron grabbing a large handful of toast as he left, and hurried to the second floor bathroom. Inside they found Myrtle sitting above her stall, crying and moaning in her typical low voice. She glanced down from her perch, looking at the four who quietly slipped in.

"Come back for your potion?" she asked. "The only time I see you, Harry, is when you need to use my bathroom for something against the rules. And now you come here with her," she pointed at Ginny, who stood next to Harry, her hand tucked inside his. "Why should you care about how I feel? Pitiful, poor, ugly, Moaning Myrtle, she doesn't have any feelings at all, she's just dead. Why would anyone want to love her?" With that said, or rather screamed, Myrtle disappeared back down the toilet, splashing water all over the floors and walls.

"I think she's a bit more sensitive than she used to be," Hermione said.

"She's a nutter," Ron added with a snarl as he tried to sidestep the water flowing out of the stall where the ghost had just been.

"Come on," Harry said. "We haven't much time." They went to the caldron, looking in. It was a thick liquid of pale yellow; steam the smell of rotting eggs emanating from within. Ron plugged his nose backing away slightly. Harry slipped the spell book from his bag, turning to the marked page, and reading the notations.

"The book says in its purest form, one drop of the potion will make the barer brave beyond imagination, but will return them to their original state in thirty minutes. One tablespoon however, will last for seven moons."

"So Neville will have to take a dose once a week, isn't that dangerous? Couldn't he become addicted to it?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe, once he gets used to the effects the real potion has on him, we can substitute a fake one later on. Kind of a placebo effect," Harry told her.

"But how do we know it's even going to work?" Ron asked bitterly, still holding his nose. "Maybe you messed up on it, you were after all preoccupied last night." Harry glared at the red head, opening his mouth to speak when he was interrupted.

"I'll test it," Hermione said. "If one drop of the purest form will last half an hour, that should give us just enough time to get this over with and get to Care of Magical Creatures."

"The book says it will make the barer brave beyond imagination," Harry told her. "You're already brave, so what good will it do to test it out on you?"

"It also says it will take away the inhibitions of the coward," Ginny said, reading the rest of the page. "Do you have any inhibitions, Hermione?"

"We'll find out," she answered, dipping her finger into the smelly liquid and letting one drop fall to her tongue. She looked at the three standing and watching her. "Nothing's happening," she said. "I don't feel any different, other than a slight tingling." With a gasp, she closed her eyes, the tingling sensation spreading through her lower limbs, up her torso, into her arms and face, bringing with it a flush of heat. She opened her eyes, focusing on each person individually, then locked gazes with Ron.

"What? Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, backing up slowly as she began to pace her way toward him. "Hermione, you're scaring me," he told her, backing up into a wall.

"Why should I scare you?" Hermione said, reaching forward, grabbing the front of his robes and pulling him toward her and locking her lips to his. Ron froze, his lips pressed soundly against hers, until she began pulling at his jumper. "I want you, Ronald Weasley," she told him, pulling his jumper up his torso.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron gasped, when he felt her biting the buttons off his shirt, one by one. Her right hand reached down to his belt, unfastening it all the while her free hand was roaming across his buttocks.

"Harry, do something!" Ron shouted, looking to his friend pleadingly, holding Hermione by the shoulders.

"Like what? If I get in the way, she may bite me thinking I'm a button."

"What do I do?" Ron asked, as she ripped his shirt open, trailing her tongue along his chest.

"Are you kidding?" Ginny asked, with a snicker.

"What do you want to do?" Harry asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"Are you kidding!" Ron snapped, as Hermione slipped her robes off, capturing his lips again, this time getting a very firm reaction from her red haired captive, as he wrapped her in his arms, pulling her jumper up her slender body. Harry grabbed Ginny by the arm, pulling her out of the bathroom door and away from sight of what was happening. He leaned against the opposite wall from the bathroom, bending over at the waist laughing uncontrollably.

"I can't believe Hermione had inhibitions like that?" Ginny said between giggles and snickers.

"I can't believe Ron didn't know what to do with her," Harry gasped, as Ginny came closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I wonder what would have happened if you'd have taken that potion, instead of Hermione?" Ginny asked with a wide smile.

"Your brother would now be displaying my head to all of Hogwart's, that's what would have happened."

The soft moans from inside the bathroom echoed through the hallway, causing both Harry and Ginny to blush openly, still giggling with thoughts of poor Ron's predicament. They listened without trying to listen, hearing the sounds of the two lovers inside, as they slid down the wall, sitting on the cold stone floor to wait the time allotted. The moans continued, echoing off the walls around the hallway and lavatory. Minutes seemed to stretch into hours, as Harry and Ginny tried to ignore the sounds and images flickering in her mind. Hermione suddenly cried out in pain, bringing a deeper blush to Harry's face and causing Ginny to frown. Harry cleared his throat, trying to ignore the confused expression on the girl's face next to him. Moments later, the moaning began again, this time louder and more urgent, followed shortly by a primal growl from Ron. Ginny looked at Harry, studying the look in his eyes.

"It sound disgusting," she whispered, "and painful."

"You do know about...I mean the first time is supposed to be..." Harry stammered, wondering if what he'd always heard about a girl's first sexual encounter, would be the same with every girl or just a few.

"I know, but I guess I just wasn't really thinking about it before." Harry was silent for several moments, trying to think of the right thing to say, but couldn't form more than a few mismatched words together in his head.

"Have you ever seen anyone do it before?" Ginny asked, breaking the tension. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"The only time I've ever come close, was once when I was about five, and my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon came home from a dinner party, drunk. They didn't remember or care that I was in the cupboard under the stairs, and they ended up doing it in the doorway to the kitchen. It's definitely not the sort of thing a boy wants to remember."

"Gross! What did they do when they remembered you were there?"

"They didn't. It was really quite disturbing." Harry shivered at the memory, realizing the sounds within the bathroom had ceased.

"Do you think it's safe to go in?" Ginny asked.

"We don't have much of a choice," he said. "If we don't get this over with, we'll be late for class."

"You go first," Ginny told him, as they stepped cautiously to the doorway. He poked his head around the corner, not hearing anything, then slowly paced his way back into the room. Ron was struggling to dress around missing buttons and ripped fabric, and Hermione was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked, causing a deep blush to creep up her brother's face.

"She's using the lavatory," he said, glancing back down to the stones where he had just made love to her, seeing the slight tint of blood soaking into the cracks.

"Is she all right?" Ginny asked again, as the door to the stall opened and the bushy haired, red-faced girl stepped out.

"I'm fine," she told them. She looked to Ron, her cheeks turning a deeper red, as she pulled her wand from her robes and pointed it at him. "Repairo" she said, watching as the buttons were replaced, and the rips disappeared on Ron's shirt. He smiled at her, briefly saying thanks, before she turned her back and walked over to the potion, slipping the hairs stolen from Snape inside the yellow liquid. Ron stepped around to the side of Harry, who smiled at him and whispered low so the girls couldn't hear.

"I suppose that means the potion works?" Harry asked.

"Bugger off Harry," Ron blushed again.

"That should about do it," Hermione told them, turning back around. "We'll have to check on it after class, but it should be ready by lunch."

"How are you going to get Neville to use it?" Ginny asked.

"As nervous as Neville always gets around Snape, it won't be that difficult to convince him," Ron said, avoiding looking at the bushy haired girl, who was also trying to avoid his eyes.

"Well, I have to get to Divinations," Ginny said, leaning up and kissing Harry's lips. "I'll see you at lunch," she whispered, before turning to the other two. "I hope the rest of your day goes as pleasantly as it started," she said with a snicker, then left the room and the blushing couple behind.

Harry walked silently between the two, who had refused to look at each other or speak to each other since their encounter in Myrtle's bathroom. As they approached Hagrid's hut, they saw him talking to the familiar red haired man, while a large ugly vulture looking bird roamed nearby.

"What's Charlie doing here?" Ron asked, as they neared the hut.

"Hey your three," Charlie said, waving a hand to them as they approached. "How's the first day of classes?"

"Don't know," Harry said. "This is our first one."

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked his older brother.

"Hello to you too, little brother," he chuckled, patting the boy on the shoulder. "I had to come collect Buckbeak from Hagrid. I'm going to take him back with me to Transylvania. Sirius asked me to take care of him, if anything should happen." Charlie glanced to Harry and saw him shift his eyes downward.

"I was wondering what happened to Buckbeak," Hermione said. "He wasn't at the house all summer."

"Yeah, Dumbledore brought him back here to Hagrid, after getting his death sentence overturned." Charlie smiled at the three, before patting his brother's shoulder again and reaching a hand out to Harry, shaking it. "Well, I've got to get a move on. We've got a new Peruvian Vipertooth that's just hatched, and I've got to get him trained up." He reached forward, kissing Hermione's cheek, and then smiled at the three again. "Keep in touch, and have a great year." They watched as the slightly stalky built man headed back into the Forbidden Forest to collect the hippogriff, then flew overhead and out of sight.

Hagrid was his usual cheerful self, waving and greeting them as he instructed the class to join him, where he stood by the large bird. He spent a great deal of the hour discussing their lesson of Augurey.

"The Augurey," Hagrid began, "is also called the Irish Phoenix. Its cries used ta be thought of as death omens, but modern wizardry has taught us that it's actually a prediction of rain. Normally this little lady remains hidden in its nest in brambles and thorns, flying only in heavy rain, but I found her a while back with a broken talon. After I mended her up, she decided ta stay close by. I guess she'll be wantin' a mate soon, so I'll have ta find her one or send her ta Ireland to a Magical Creature Reserve. Now, all of ya come forward, but be careful. Inside her wings are ink, and it's our job ta milk that ink out of her wings, but she's not just gonna let you grab at her ya know. Ya have ta earn her respect. Ta do this, you have ta bring her a treat, so I have some chocolate here for each of you. Now remember this is for the Augurey, not ta be eatin'. If she smells it on yer breath, she'll attack, wanting ta have a taste. When ya've finished, offer her another piece of chocolate as thanks. Now, who wants ta be first?" There was a rustle of movement and low whispers from the students, as they decided who would be first to approach the thin, mournful-looking bird that resembled a vulture. Harry drew a deep breath, stepping forward, as everyone stopped talking. He took two pieces of chocolate and an empty vial, before stepping up to the bird. Her greenish-black color made her appear deadly and threatening, and yet as she took the chocolate Harry handed to her, she seemed to almost purr. He reached forward, taking her wind and milking the black ink from one of her large feathers. When his bottle was full, he slowly backed away, offering her the second piece of chocolate as thanks.

"Excellent, 'Arry," Hagrid said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Next, who's next?" Ron stepped up and repeated Harry's actions, grimacing at the creature as he handed her some chocolate. By the time he had filled his bottle, he looked nearly as green as the bird. One by one the students advanced, picking up their chocolates and feeding the bird, while filling their bottles with ink. Malfoy was as successful, though not as cheerful as the other students, yet when his robust friend Goyle approached the bird, she flapped her wings violently, her long beak reaching out and trying to peck at the boy's round, fear filled face.

"Have ya been eatin' the chocolate Goyle?" Hagrid said, securing the tethers around the bird's neck, and tying her to the post nearby.

"I got hungry," Goyle grunted, over a mouth full of chocolate covered teeth.

"Well, thanks ta yer classmate here," Hagrid said with an angry glare, "we will have ta finish up with the rest of the class on Wednesday. Once the Augurey gets her feathers all ruffled, there's nothing ta do but let her rest. Class is dismissed." Harry turned with Ron and Hermione and was walking behind Goyle, Crabbe and Malfoy. The two larger of the three were snickering and making fun of Hagrid and his 'bird brain ideas of mating outside his species...whatever that may be,' when Malfoy stopped, pulling his fist back and let it go in Goyle's face, knocking the larger boy to the ground. Blood began rushing from his broken nose, as he laid there staring with obvious shock at the tall blond standing over him.

"I am so sick of the two of you and your stupid jokes," Malfoy snarled. "You are both a disgrace to the house of Slytherin and should be black balled from ever wearing the robes." With that said, the attacker turned and stormed off, leaving an entire class full of both Slytherin and Gryffindor to look after him in shock.

"What's gotten into Malfoy?" Neville asked softly.

"He's been like that since we arrived at school," answered the weedy looking Theodore Nott, from behind them. He was a tall, dark haired, thin Slytherin, who appeared more like a black snake than a boy.

"He wasn't on the Hogwart's train with the rest of the students," Hermione said. "We heard he was staying with is godfather."

"Yeah, he came here with Professor Snape a few weeks before school started. Rumor has it, his mum is missing, and his dad's in hiding, no thanks to Potter," the boy said, staring an angry eye at Harry, who happily returned the look.

"Hold on," Ron began. "You mean Snape is Malfoy's godfather?"

"You mean Professor Snape, and yes he is, not that it's any business of yours, Weasley." Ron, Harry and Hermione watched as the boy stepped around them, heading toward to the castle entrance. Once he was out of earshot, and the other students were far enough ahead of them, Ron turned to Harry and Hermione.

"If Snape is Malfoy's godfather, that means he is a Death Eater," Ron told them.

"No, it means he was a Death Eater," Hermione corrected him, speaking to him for the first time in over an hour. "He's been loyal to our side for years."

"That's what he wants us to think, Hermione," Ron said, biting back at her. "How else would he have known to collect Malfoy when his mum turned up missing, if he wasn't a part of the group?"

"I'm not going to argue with you about this, Ronald," Hermione snapped. "At least we know where Malfoy's been this summer."

"Come on you two," Harry said, pulling on the two by the arms of their robes, heading them toward the castle steps. "Let's get to Charms class before it's over." He walked quickly between the two again, trying to ignore the tension that built up around them.

"If this is what sex does to two people," he told them abruptly, "I think Ginny's going to be very disappointed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron snarled, stopping to look at his friend.

"You figure it out," Harry told him. "This morning you were friends, probably a lot more, but after that incident in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, you're acting like you can't stand the idea you're on the same planet. If that's what making love does to two people who care for each other, I don't want anything to do with. I'd rather keep Ginny in my life, then have her in my bed." Harry turned and continued on his path, leaving the two alone.

"Do you wish I wasn't on the same planet?" Ron asked, looking at the girl next to him.

"No, of course not."

"Then why haven't you spoken to me, since we...since this morning?"

"You haven't exactly spoken to me either."

"I was in shock. I had no idea you could do that. I mean, when I've tried to go further, you've stopped me because you weren't ready, and then this morning...I didn't know how to react. I mean it was great and all, but still it was a huge shock."

"I didn't think I had inhibitions like that," Hermione whispered. "It's embarrassing."

"So you do wish I wasn't on the planet?" Ron felt miserable, and turned to walk away when Hermione stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Do not put words into my mouth, Ronald Weasley," she snarled. "I happen to like the idea that you're on this planet, and with me, I'm just embarrassed that I could be so...slutty!"

"You were not slutty, Hermione," Ron told her, reaching forward and pulling her into his embrace. "It was wonderful, maybe a little more impetuous than I'd expect from you, but I don't regret it. Do you?"

"Not really," she whispered with a blush. "But it would have been nicer in a warmer, softer place." Ron laughed, pulling her tightly against his chest, remembering how she had felt in his arms earlier when he made love to her for the first...and hopefully not the last time.

"What if I promise a better place next time," he asked, kissing her cheek. "Will you consider repeating this morning?" Hermione leaned back and smiled at him.

"It would depend on how much better," she told him. "And hopefully not with Harry and Ginny standing outside the door." Ron smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her, when her hand reached up and stopped him.

"Ron, you have to promise me something," her tone was very serious and it caused him to frown. "Ginny and Harry really love each other. You have to give them space, and quit being the big brother. Harry needs his friend, more than he needs Ginny's protector."

"It's hard 'Mione," Ron told her. "She's my kid sister, and I've always had to protect her. I don't know how to just back off and let someone else do it for me."

"But she really loves him, Ron. And with luck you'll be too busy to get in their way." With that Hermione leaned in to him, kissing his lips passionately, promising silently all the things he wanted and more.

Harry slipped silently into the castle, having stood by the doors watching his two best friends talk. He didn't know what was being said, but he did know that they had ended their conversation the right way. With a smile he headed to Professor Flitwick's Charms class, feeling a little more secure about Hermione and Ron and a little less secure about him and Ginny. Maybe he should have tried the potion himself, he thought. At least Ginny would have finally gotten what she wanted most, and he would have lost his own inhibitions.

"I'm never going to get a hang of this relationship stuff," he thought. "I think I'd be better off looking for Voldemort. At least I know what to expect."


Author notes: I want to thank everyone for continuing to read/review. For those who wanted more of Ron/Hermione, I hope this is enough to keep you happy, and for those who criticize that I have left canon, please remember what I said at the beginning of this story; I am not JK Rowling, and even though the characters are hers, I am writing this from my own head. I hope this doesn't offend anyone. Please keep R/R