Harry Potter and the Siren's Song

Moody looked up as Harry entered the room, and there was no hint of a smile on his scarred face. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten what day it was, Potter. Miss Weasley and I have been waiting for you for over a quarter hour."

"Ran into Professor Trelawney," Harry said quickly, before he plunged into what he really wanted to say. "Why is Ginny here?"

Moody raised one eyebrow, a trick that Harry longed to be able to do. "She is here because I asked her to join us, Potter."

Harry frowned. Ginny stood, her face anxious. "Harry, please don't be upset-"

"I'm not upset," Harry said. Right, and Cornelius Fudge isn't a great big pile of cowardly Jell-O, that nagging little voice hissed in his head. "I'm just, um, surprised." He looked at his professor. "You still haven't told me why she's here."

"Miss Weasley is here, Harry, because I think she needs to be here." Harry jumped at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. The Headmaster swept into the classroom, his expression uncharacteristically sober. "Alastor, if I may..." he took a seat, and indicated for them to do likewise.

"Alastor Moody has been training you to make you ready for what I feel is inevitable, Harry - your next encounter with Voldemort. I wish I could tell you that I was acting out of an overabundance of caution, but based on recent events that would be a complete lie. But I cannot risk having your friends unprepared. Voldemort will no doubt turn his attentions to those closest to you, as a way to beat down your defenses. And as your girlfriend," here Moody cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable, but Dumbledore continued, "Miss Weasley is his most logical target. Partner that with the fact that she has already come under Voldemort's thrall once, and her likelihood of being chosen as his next target becomes almost a certainty."

"Ron and Hermione-" Harry started, but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him.

"Are excellent students, but neither have faced down Voldemort face to face. What Voldemort no doubt will see as a potential weakness in Miss Weasley will instead prove to be her most valuable weapon. She has seen him in action and knows to expect only the worst. Add to that her already extensive training in the Defense Against the Dark Arts, as well as the quick thinking she has readily demonstrated in battling them," Dumbledore smiled at Ginny, who stared at the top of her desk, her cheeks a bright pink, "and I can think of no one who is better suited to train with you."

Harry looked at Ginny, and then at Dumbledore. "Could we have a moment alone, please?" he asked, before reaching for Ginny's hand and practically dragging her from the classroom.

As soon as they were out in the hallway, Harry put grasped both of Ginny's arms in his hands and said urgently, "Tell them you won't do it, Ginny."

"What?" Ginny stared up at him. "You must be joking."

"Oh, no I'm not!" Harry said, feeling frantic. "I won't have you going through these lessons - it'll only place you in more danger."

"That doesn't even make sense!" Ginny said hotly. "And it really isn't up to you, is it? You heard Dumbledore, and if you think I'm facing Voldemort again without knowing about every weapon I can get my hands on, you're mad." She slapped at his hands then. "Let go of me," she said firmly.

Harry grasped on to her even more tightly. "No, Gin - I won't. I shouldn't have ever gotten you involved in this. Voldemort's after me; I won't let you become his next target!"

Ginny gave him a sharp look. "How exactly do you plan on stopping me? I've already told Moody I would, and besides, I want to do it."

"I don't want you prepared to fight Voldemort!" Harry practically shouted at her, before realizing how insane that sounded. "I mean, I don't want you thinking that you should fight him." Ginny glared at him, and Harry did his best to clarify. "That came out completely wrong...I don't want you to risk yourself by trying to fight him, Ginny. I want you to stay as far away from him as possible!"

If he thought this was going to appease her, he couldn't have been more wrong. Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Oh, of course, poor stupid Ginny should turn tail and run when Voldemort makes his next move. Sorry, Harry - that's not going to happen. You're not the only one he's tried to destroy, you know. This isn't just about you! At least Dumbledore and Moody give me credit for having the brains to recognize what's at stake, and let me choose for myself what I should do about it. Whereas my boyfriend," she practically hissed that word at him, "thinks I should stand idly by and let him get himself killed because he's too pigheaded to realize I might actually be able to help him!" Her brown eyes glittered with a temper he recognized as being pure Weasley.

"You're taking this all wrong-" Harry tried to say, but Ginny wrenched herself away from him rather hard then.

"How exactly should I take it? You don't think I'm smart enough, or strong enough to face him? I'm not that silly little girl whose life you saved three years ago - and you're going to have to accept that fact, Harry." Her face was filled with a look of pure determination...one Harry all too easily recognized. He had seen Ron wear that same look when they had faced McGonagall's chess set, had witnessed it on Hermione's face before she climbed aboard Buckbeak. "If Moody says I can't do it, then I'll stop - but don't think you're going to talk me out of this through some pointless act of chivalry. You need every ally you've got, and that includes me!" She stalked back into the classroom then, while Harry gaped after her.

Dumbledore joined him in the hallway. "Are you ready to begin now, Harry?" he asked, looking slightly amused.

Harry shook his head, and then said in a harsh tone of voice he had never in a thousand years thought he would ever use when addressing Albus Dumbledore, "If she gets herself killed trying to prove a point, I will never forgive you." Then he too stalked into the classroom.

Ginny didn't speak to Harry for the entire training session. How much of this could be blamed on their fight in the hallway was uncertain, however, as Moody lesson that evening left them both emotionally and physically drained.

"Since Voldemort now knows that your wands will not battle, Harry, it is unlikely he will attempt to duel you again...at least not face to face, and not at first. He'll more than likely try to get you away from your wand, and the protection it could provide. And as he tends to send others to do his dirty work for him, he'll probably send a flunky to bring you to him. So, first things first - how to take down a Death Eater, or even better, an army of Death Eaters."

"You told us that the use of an Unforgivable would result in a life sentence in Azkaban, Professor," Harry said nervously.

"Who said anything about using the Unforgivables, Harry?" Moody's smile was something terrible to behold. "There are other ways of defending yourself, and leveling your opponent." He held up a jar of spiders, and both Ginny and Harry took a step back, neither of them really wanting to watch what was to come next.

"As witches and wizards, you are capable of great magicks, but each of you have access to your own personal store of powers. You, Harry, as a wizard, are capable of drawing on inner reserves of physical strength, courage, endurance and tolerance for pain. Whereas you, Ginny, have access to a witch's powers of preservation, formation, and transfiguration - the powers of the three Great Mysteries: birth, life, and death. Used together, they are almost unstoppable. One of Voldemort's greatest weaknesses lies in his almost complete exclusion of women from the ranks of power within his circle. He underestimates them, just as he underestimated Lily Potter." Ginny shot a quick look in Harry's direction. "A foolish arrogance we can exploit to our advantage. He will not bother to consider that you might be as well prepared as Harry to face him."

"You cannot count on the fact that you will be lucky enough to face him together - so you will have to prepare yourselves to face him individually." His voice became matter of fact as he removed one spider from the jar and set it gently on top of the desk. "If you are tracked down by Death Eaters, always remember that your first and most important job is to escape. There's nothing cowardly about preservation - remember that. Better you live to face them another day, on your terms and on the time and day of your choosing."

"So, how to defend yourselves and escape without resorting to the Unforgivables? By using other lesser known curses that will remove the threat. For example," Moody pointed his wand at the spider and bellowed, "Secare!"

Harry's eyes widened as a flash of green enveloped the spider, and removed its legs. The body of spider flew across the desk, coming to land with a wet smack! at Ginny's feet. She blanched, but didn't look away. The spider's legs remained where they were, Harry noticed, and twitched as though in great pain.

"The effect wears off eventually, of course, but that should still leave you with enough time to deal with any other attackers. The Secare curse only works on one subject at a time, however, so you need to use it to remove the most offensive from the crowd before finishing off the weaker of your attackers." Moody said calmly. He was removing another spider from the jar, and it was doing its best to escape his grip. Harry didn't blame it in the slightest.

"There are a number of minor torture curses as well - minor in that they are not forbidden according to Ministry of Magic regulations, but painful nonetheless." Moody pointed his wand again, and hissed, "Deflagratio!" A wall of blue-black fire encased the spider, and Harry was sure if it had possessed a mouth, it would be screaming. Ginny's eyes were perfectly round now, and she seemed to be having difficulty in breathing.

"Finite Incantatem," Moody muttered. The wall of fire vanished, and the spider laid quite still, an occasional spasm rocking its features. His expression was quite unreadable as he looked at Harry and Ginny. "It seems cruel, I know, but there are times when one must fight evil with evil. If either of you can't handle it, say so now, and spare me the wasted time."

Harry looked over at Ginny. Her face was white, but there was no mistaking the determination in her eyes. She appeared to be steeling herself. Harry sighed. If this is what it takes to keep her and everyone I know and love safe, so be it."Show us what we have to do," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.

***

As soon as they left the classroom Harry reached for Ginny's hand, and was not surprised when she pulled away. "Talk to me, " he implored her.

"I can't," she said, stopping to look up at him. He was startled to see that her eyes were full of tears. "Not after that."

This is exactly why I didn't want her here. Harry reached down and stroked away a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "Especially after that," he said gently.

Ginny burst into tears, and flung herself against him. Harry wrapped one arm around her waist, and stroked her hair with the other hand. "It's ok," he murmured. "It's going to be ok."

"No, it's not!" Ginny hiccupped against his shoulder. She pulled away. "I kept trying to rationalize things, telling myself they were only spiders. And then I managed to convince myself that they were only Death Eaters, and we were protecting ourselves. But then I just got angrier and angrier, thinking about what that bastard did to me, and to you, and then I didn't care how much I was hurting those creatures, so long as they suffered!" Her hands were shaking as she pushed hair out of her face. "I don't want to be like them, Harry, and get some sick thrill out of watching others in pain!"

"Hey, now!" Harry said, somewhat alarmed. She was really doing quite a number on herself. "No one thinks you would ever get a second's pleasure out of that - least of all me. But you can't think that this makes you like them, Ginny. Voldemort tortures and kills people for fun - we're learning how to fight back out of necessity." He kissed her forehead, and hugged her tightly against him. "I was wrong, you know. I didn't want you to see this, because I don't want you to ever have to experience what he did to you again. But you were right - you need to know how to fight back." A small grin crossed his features. "And God help the Death Eater who tangles with you," he said, remembering how quickly Ginny had mastered Deflagratio, the Black Burn.

Ginny shook her head, still looking upset. "It's just that, I remember what Dad told me on how magic has its own way of balancing things. This is Dark Magic we're talking about, Harry - what if it comes back to haunt us?"

"What if we're supposed to be the balancing act?" Harry answered her softly. "Moody told me something this summer about using the Dark Arts. He asked if it could really be considered Dark Magic if a wizard used it to keep himself from being killed. And if I have use the Dark Arts to protect people I care for, then that's what I'll do. We already lost Cedric...I can't watch anyone else die because I didn't know how to stop Voldemort." He smiled down at her. "Does that make me a Dark Wizard?"

Ginny smiled tremulously. "You couldn't be a Dark Wizard if your life depended on it, Harry - you're just not wired that way." As they headed up to Gryffindor tower, however, the nasty voice in Harry's head hissed, What if someone else's life depended on it?

***

The Saturday after Halloween dawned cool and crisp. Unlike Gryffindor's last match against Hufflepuff, the skies were clear, without a cloud in the sky. Yet Harry was a bundle of nerves. He suddenly missed Oliver Wood with a shocking intensity: Oliver had always epitomized Quidditch insanity so the rest of the team could focus on day-to-day life. Now it fell to Harry to make sure the team was up, dressed, fed and on the Quidditch field on time. How hard could that be?

A lot harder than it sounded. Harry managed to rouse his own dorm-mates rather easily by getting dressed very loudly, stomping about the room, and finally throwing Pig out the window so his loud shriek of happiness that anyone was actually paying attention to him could be heard a half-mile away. Even so, he'd resorted to transfiguring Seamus' blankets into a pair of rabbits that had hopped all over his Beater as they tried (unsuccessfully) to reproduce. But that was nothing compared to the task of waking the twins.

He'd enlisted Ron to help him out, and the younger Weasley had taken enthusiastically to the task of rousing his brothers. But though they tried yelling, begging, pleading, dousing them with water, and even banishing their bedclothes to the top of the tower, the twins refused to wake for longer than a few minutes. Harry had learned the hard way that just because a Weasley said they were up didn't actually mean they were conscious and moving towards the door. (George had faked him out two times that morning already. Once by sitting bolt upright and reaching for his slippers, before grabbing his wand and transfiguring a chair into a spider that chased Ron around the room. The second time he had somehow placed an invisible ward around the bed that prevented sound from transmitting in to where he was peacefully sleeping.) Desperate, Harry charged into the girls' dormitory to wake Hermione, successfully spying Parvati in some sort of odd greenish facial crème that made her look like she was molding.

"DO something!" Harry implored Hermione, as he propelled her up the stairs, while she glared back at him. "We've only got two hours until the match, and they still need to shower, change, eat, and warm-up!"

"It's Fred and George - they can be dressed and on the field in 8 minutes!" she yawned, not seeing the urgency of the situation. Seeing Harry's pleading expression, she relented. "Oh, very well." She pointed her wand at the twins' beds. "Expelliarmus!"

As though they had been shot from a catapult, the twins were forcibly ejected from their beds and out the door into the hallway, where a crowd had gathered to watch the excitement. Fred and George realized too late that their choice of pajamas, (George was wearing a pair of formerly white boxers that his mother had accidentally made pink in the wash paired with a matching tank top, while Fred was wearing a pair of hideously loud orange plaid flannels and an equally offensive yellow t-shirt with a faded smiley face on it.) were now public knowledge for all of Gryffindor tower to relish. They had slunk off to the showers while Hermione stretched luxuriously. "Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective," she smiled brightly at Harry. "See you at breakfast."

Once the team was successfully assembled in the Great Hall, Harry hounded them to make sure they ate enough, had their coffee and juice, and checked his watch every five minutes to make sure they weren't running late while picking unenthusiastically at his toast. The second he felt they had all had enough to eat, he shepherded them out of the Hall and down onto the grounds in the direction of the locker rooms.

Ron was becoming more and more anxious as the time for the match approached, finally giving into nerves and running for a toilet as his stomach revolted against the concept of breakfast. Katie and Alicia were frantically discussing the new passing formation they had developed after witnessing a Hufflepuff practice session. Fred, George, and Angelina sat on a bench looking perfectly relaxed and watching their teammates work themselves into something of a frenzy. Finally, Fred caught Harry by the arm.

"Entertaining as it is watching you pace a hole in the ground that will one day reach Australia, do you think you could possibly say a few words to calm these nutters down? Honestly, it's just Hufflepuff - we're not exactly facing Puddlemere United, you know."

"And even if we were, we'd still clean their clocks," George said soothingly. "Or so sayeth all good captains during their pep talks."

"Right," Harry nodded, "pep talk." The entire team was looking at him now, and he cast his mind about frantically for something uplifting to say. Ron looked at him very seriously, as if actually trying to will him into calming down. He took a deep breath, and started.

"This match isn't going to be a picnic, no matter what we may have heard about Hufflepuff's lineup. I know this is going to sound harsh, but we cannot lose ourselves in the emotions that this game is going to churn up. They are going to want to win this in memory of Cedric. Well, I want us to play the game of our lives to honour Cedric." Harry could still hear Dumbledore's words in his mind, "Remember Cedric Diggory."

"This game represents a lot of things, but most of all it represents the fact that life will go on. We will pause, and honour and remember Cedric, not just because it's the right thing to do, but because he loved playing this game, just as we love playing it." Angelina had tears running down her cheeks at this point, and Harry felt a lump rise in his throat. "Play today the way he played in every match, in honour of our classmate." Harry stopped, and looked around. He'd never spoken so strongly about his feelings on this game to anyone before, and now that he had, he wondered how the others would take it.

George broke the ice first. "For Ced," he said, standing up and pulling on the long black armband they would all be wearing for today's game. Fred followed suit, saying in a choked voice, "For Ced" as he too tied on his black armband. One by one, the entire team said Cedric's name as they pulled on the black armbands emblazoned with the Hufflepuff crest that Angelina and Katie had made for them. And as one, they trooped out of the locker rooms.

Lee and Hermione were already in the teacher's booth and were discussing the statistics of the match as the Gryffindors, Harry in the lead, made their way onto the field.

"And here come the Gryffindors, led by their new captain, Harry Potter." Lee called into his magical megaphone. (He and Hermione now each had one.) "In a remarkable show of sportsmanship and school unity, the entire team has chosen to remember the former Hufflepuff Captain, Cedric Diggory, with traditional armbands of mourning. What an incredibly moving scene, as the new Hufflepuff captain, Matthew Dailey, shakes hand with Harry Potter, while each player on the Gryffindor team shakes hands with his or her counterpart..."

Dailey, a Hufflepuff seventh year whom Harry had played against but had never actually spoken to, gripped Harry's hand somewhat harder than was necessary. "This means a lot, Potter," he said, his voice sounding tight in his throat. "Thanks."

"We all miss him, Dailey...we thought your House should know that," Harry answered. They watched as Angelina, Alicia and Katie gave their opposing Chasers hugs, while the rest shook hands and murmured words of sympathy and support.

"And now," Hermione's voice rang across the subdued stands, "please stand and join us in a moment of silence while we remember our fallen classmate and friend, Cedric Diggory." They did it, all of them - even the Slytherins. There were a few choked sobs from the Hufflepuff stands. Harry caught sight of Professor Sprout, standing with her arm around Cho Chang, who was crying openly. Harry closed his eyes, and said a silent prayer in the seconds that passed, feeling the light breeze tickle against his skin while the crowds surrounding the field were amazingly still. It was a moment he would never forget - the feeling of having hundreds of his fellow students joined in a common purpose, and remembering their friend.

"Thank you," Hermione said after the minute was over. Harry nodded to Matthew, and turned to his team. "It's time," he said grimly, and mounted his broom.

"And now, allow me to introduce the Hufflepuff lineup!" Lee shouted, while the Hufflepuffs burst into loud cheers. "On Chaser: Rebecca Olson, Serena De Lyes, and Susan Bones!" The three girls, dressed in Hufflepuffs colours of canary yellow and black, shot off into the air. "On Beater: Ernie MacMillan and Adam Montgomery!" A set of boys flew off after the Chasers. "On Keeper: Justin Finch-Fletchley!" Harry couldn't help but grin as Justin flew past, whooping loudly. "And on Seeker - Matthew Dailey!" Lee drew out this last bit, much the way that Ludo Bagman had at the World Cup. It was a different style of commentating, but Harry rather liked it. He suspected Hermione had pestered Lee with tips - she had been researching different styles of commentating, going so far as to order a book on an American basketball commentator, Dick Vitale.

"And now, allow me to introduce the Gryffindor lineup!" Hermione said, her excitement plainly obvious in her voice. "On Chaser: Head Girl Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell!" The three Gryffindor chasers screamed in delight as they were announced, looking like brilliant red blurs as they took to the sky. "On Beater: George and Fred Weasley!"

"That's the Wonder-twins Forge and Gred to you!" Fred yelled as he and George mounted their brooms and joined their teammates.

"On Keeper: Ron Weasley!" Ron no longer looked a bit nervous as he mounted and flew off in the direction of the goals. In fact, he looked as though he was having the time of his life, and he blew Hermione a kiss in passing.

"And on Seeker - Harry Potter!" Harry followed his teammates, and took his regular post high above the game as Madam Hooch stepped onto the field, carrying the heavy box of balls. She kicked it open, and both the Bludgers and the Snitch flew into the air, and began streaking around the field.

"The Quaffle is released - and the game begins!" Lee shouted as Madam Hooch threw the vivid red ball high into the air. "And it's Katie Bell in possession, Bell swerving up the field as she and her fellow Chasers expertly pass the ball up the field, using a version of the Woollongong Shimmy!"

"The Woolongong Shimmy, as avid Quidditch fans well know, was perfected by the Australian Woollongong Warriors during their famous 14 hour match in 1958 against the Moutohora Macaws of New Zealand..." Hermione broke in.

"If it's so well-known, then why in blazes are you commenting on it?" Lee demanded.

"For the education of the students present who may not have memorized Quidditch Through the Ages!" Hermione shot back.

"What are they supposed to do, reference footnotes to understand what you're rattling about?"

"Jordan! Granger! Would you please get back to telling us about the match or is this a new style of commentating that makes no mention of what is actually taking place on the field - such as Miss Johnson's successful goal!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, and Harry had to choke back a laugh. This could prove even more entertaining than he'd imagined.

Two sheepish voices were heard saying "Sorry, Professor," before Lee again seized control of the commentary by saying, "Gryffindor scores - ten to zero! Hufflepuff in possession, and it's De Lyes, to Olson, back to De Lyes, to Bones - ooh, nice Bludger work there by Fred Weasley."

"Spectacular, but that was actually dealt by his equally talented twin George Weasley," Hermione's voice cut in.

"They're my roommates - you think I honestly can't tell them apart after seven years?" Lee bellowed at her.

"Obviously not, since you said the wrong name!" Hermione yelled back.

"Get on with it!" the crowd in the stands roared at them, not waiting for McGonagall to break them up this time.

"Right!" Hermione and Lee both called, before Hermione began a long drawn out commentary on the history of the position of Chaser, ("originally known as Catcher, the name was officially changed to Chaser in 1419") while Lee did his best to ignore her and commented on the game itself. "Nice save by Keeper Ron Weasley, maintaining the score at Gryffindor 10 - Hufflepuff Zero!"

Harry did a little sequence of loops in midair to show his support for Ron before he refocused on hunting for the Snitch. A glimmer of gold, a flash of something metallic - but all he saw was green grass and the shimmering blurs of the other players moving quickly down the field. He quickly looked around for Dailey, and saw that the opposing Seeker was looking equally frustrated as he craned his head, looking frantically around the pitch.

"Bones with the Quaffle now, she zooms in on Weasley while her fellow Chasers stray dangerously close to the scoring zone...an offense known in most minds as stooging but apparently is now just being viewed as a woman's prerogative to tease!" Lee called, before placing his hand over the megaphone to yell, "Where's the call, Hooch? Or have you taken one too many bludgers to the head, you blind cow..."

"Jordan! One more comment like that and I will ban you from the commentator box!" McGonagall's fury was drowned out by the call of "Foul!" that was being yelled by hundreds of Gryffindor supporters as Rebecca Olson flew upwards just on the edge of the scoring area, drawing Ron's attention while Susan Bones hurled the Quaffle towards the goal. Ron managed to launch himself in front of the ball just in time by throwing his body prone across his broomstick and blocking it with his head. Unfortunately, he managed to nearly concuss himself on his broomstick at the same time, and Hermione let out a scream of fury as she realized that Ron was bleeding freely.

"Language, Miss Granger!" McGonagall yelled furiously as Hermione let loose with a stream of epithets in Susan Bones' direction that left Lee at a complete loss for words. He recovered only after Hermione gave him a hard nudge in the ribs and hissed, "Are you planning on saying anything the rest of the match, or were you just going to sit there and bond with the megaphone?"

Lee shot her a nasty look and started again. "It's Angelina Johnson with the Quaffle, closely marked by Serena De Lyes and Rebecca Olson." Lee said. "There's a Bludger - watch out, Angelina! Ooh, the Quaffle is picked up by Susan Bones. She streaks towards the goals and is met by Keeper Ron Weasley..."

"Susan Bones is 0-4 on scoring attempts today, while Ron Weasley is 6-0 on blocks," Hermione interrupted. "Hufflepuff Captain Matthew Dailey has no doubt prepared his Chasers well to face this kind of defense however, as Bones executes a perfect Reverse Pass off to Olson, who banks a shot off her broom tail - she scores!"

"Whose side are you on, anyway?" Lee shouted in outrage, as Ron's blocking attempt failed. Grimacing, Ron dove after the Quaffle. He managed to catch it just before it hit the ground, before he zoomed back up in the air and threw it up the field to Alicia Spinnet.

"Do you even know what unbiased commentating means?" Hermione retaliated. "Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor in possession, nice swerve to miss the Bludger work by Ernie MacMillan of Hufflepuff, and Spinet easily draws off the attention of Keeper Justin Finch-Fletchley as yes! She rebounds her own shot off the right goal to score! 20-10 for Gryffindor!"

"Oh, yes baby! Clean the field with him!" Lee yelled to Alicia, who grinned at him and flew off after Serena De Lyes.

Fifteen minutes later, the score was tied 40-40, and neither team seemed to be losing any energy. Harry was starting to wonder if the Snitch would ever make an appearance when a shimmer of gold by Adam Montgomery's knee made him tear off in the direction of the Hufflepuff Chaser. Matthew Dailey had clearly seen it to, as he came streaking up the field from where he'd been circling the Gryffindor end zone.

Bam! A Bludger came hurtling in his direction. Adam, completely unaware of the fact that the Snitch was a mere six inches from his head by now, had sent the heavy iron ball in Harry's direction. Harry couldn't dive - he would be temporarily off target and possibly allow Matthew to beat him to the Snitch. Suddenly, he remembered Ginny's tryout - and opted instead to jump over the offending Bludger, resettling himself on his broom seconds later. Adam looked as though he'd just been hit with the Petrificus Totalus charm.

"Did you see that?" Hermione shrieked, as every person in the stands gasped and yelled their approval. "Harry Potter, long rumored to be one of the most talented Seekers in Hogwarts' history-"

"What happened to providing unbiased commentary?" Lee demanded.

Harry didn't hear a word of their ongoing argument. He threw himself forward and caught the Snitch in his right hand, as the Gryffindors in the stands went wild.

"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan was yelling at the top of his lungs, while Hermione burst into excited tears. "Hermione, you idiot, we won! Why in blazes are you crying??" But their yells could scarcely be heard over the ruckus of the Gryffindor fans that were streaking onto the field, welcoming their players back to the ground.

Harry, grinning broadly, looked across the field to see Ginny running straight at him, her brown eyes shining with pride. And then he looked at the Hufflepuffs - and his grin faded.

Matthew Dailey was on the field, calling his players over. Susan Bones was crying, her fellow Chasers Serena De Lyes and Rebecca Olson staring stonily at the ground. Adam Montgomery still looked stunned, and Hannah Abbot was hugging Justin Finch-Fletchley. Matthew looked over at him, and a kind of resigned smile crossed his features.

"Nice game, Potter." Matthew held out his hand for Harry to shake. "Hell of a catch."

Harry bit his lip, frantically searching for what he should say. "Had to be, in order to beat you to it," he said finally, firmly shaking the Hufflepuff captain's hand. "You have a hell of a team, Dailey."

Matthew's smile widened. "That we do." The rest of the Hufflepuffs silently followed him off the field, and their entire house got to their feet cheering them madly. After a long moment, the rest of the stands joined in.

Ginny had reached Harry by now, and had given him a quick kiss. "You were great!" she said, eyes dancing.

"We all were great," Harry said softly, taking her hand in his, and watching the Hufflepuffs moving towards their locker rooms.

"All of us."

***

The Gryffindor team was in high spirits as they entered the Common Room, a fresh burst of applause erupting at the sight of them.

"Ron! You were incredible!" Hermione squealed, throwing her arms around him. Ron beamed down at her, ignoring the catcalls of his brothers as he pulled her close for a kiss.

"That cup is as good as ours!" squealed Lavender Brown from her spot beside Seamus Finnegan. He and Lee looked as excited as the rest of team, and Harry couldn't help grinning as he looked around the shining faces that surrounded him. He pushed the thought of what the Hufflepuffs must be feeling firmly from his mind. Cedric would want us to celebrate this, he told himself.

Despite the allure of the impromptu party that had begun, Harry slipped upstairs and into his dorm room. He was still scheduled to meet with Draco that night to work on the Impenetrable potion, and he was sure it would not be a fun session. If nothing else, Slytherin loyalty would keep Draco sneering the entire evening.

Just as Harry reached for a dark green jumper, there was a soft knock at the door. "Just a minute!" Harry called frantically, attempting to cram the sweater over his head.

"It's just me." Ginny's soft voice filled the shadowy room. He heard her hesitate, before shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

Gasping in surprise, Harry managed to locate the neckline of his sweater and pushed his head through the opening to stare at her. "Ginny - you shouldn't be up here!"

"Please - I'm not likely to see anything I haven't seen before. I do have six brothers, remember?" Ginny looked around the room, and Harry became suddenly conscious of the fact that he had piled his drawers on top of his bed that morning in a frenzied search for the chain Ginny had given his to wear with his Quidditch robes. "Hmm. Not exactly neat freaks, are you?" Her eyes widened as she saw the pile of Muggle flesh magazines piled at the end of Dean's bed. "Oh, my - Parvati wouldn't like to know about that!"

Harry crossed in front of her to keep her from seeing the particularly suggestive cover. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing up here?"

"Well, I knew you would be in a hurry to get to your Potions session, and I wanted to give you this before you left." Without warning, she suddenly pounced, locking her arms around his neck and kissing him.

Harry was so surprised by this unusually aggressive side of Ginny that he found himself frozen in shock, before his arms automatically encircled her waist, one hand reaching up beneath her thick hair to drag his fingers through the silken strands at the base of her neck. She groaned softly, and her tongue eagerly sought his, as her hands freely explored his back. They slid up under his jumper and he jumped at the feel of her hands against his skin. God, she tastes good, was his one rational thought before he focused on the task at hand.

Harry lost himself in her kiss for a few minutes before managing to pull away. "Ginny - what on earth?" He managed to get out, holding her at arm's length.

Her brown eyes laughed up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry - would you prefer I did that downstairs - in front of my brothers?"

"Not exactly," Harry said dryly, envisioning the looks on Fred, George and Ron's faces if they had seen their little sister's actions just now.

Ginny looked up at him, some of the elation in her features fading. "I thought you'd like it..." she said, letting go of him. "I'm sorry-"

"No, no - I did. You just took me by surprise." Harry couldn't stand to hear the hurt in her voice, and he pulled her closely against him, tucking her head against his chest. "It was a nice surprise," he added. Then he started laughing.

"What?" Ginny pulled away, starting to look angry. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is!" Harry stopped laughing long enough to explain. "You have no idea how many times something like this has happened in my dreams - and now that it has, I completely blew it. Typical Potter charm." He grinned down at her, and the anger that had flared in her eyes faded as quickly as it had appeared.

"Really? You, uh, dream about me?" Her voice had suddenly grown husky, and her eyes were dancing. "Why, Mr. Potter - I thought your dreams revolved solely around two things: Quidditch, and broomsticks."

Dangerous ground,he thought. Harry had dreamt of Ginny, of course - but those dreams had been a rare moment of respite from his usual blood and death filled nightmares. "Well, that too - and I just realized I am not going to continue this conversation here." Harry took her hand and pulled her towards the door. "That way lies the path of much embarrassment and confessions I'd rather not share just yet." Safely outside the dorm room, he bent and kissed her softly. "Tell you what - I should be done with the Malfoy torture session by 9 - why don't I meet you by the fire, and we'll sneak off to the Astronomy Tower to continue this, erm, conversation there?" He gave her a suggestive wink and she giggled.

"Deal. I haven't really congratulated you properly yet, you know?" Ginny's eyes were dancing mischievously. "Besides, that way I can make sure you don't waste an entire Saturday night with the likes of Draco Malfoy."

"Funny girl." Harry gave her bottom a soft smack! as they headed down the stairs. Just before they reached the landing, he pulled her back for another long kiss. "I'll see you at nine," he said finally, letting her go regretfully.

She nodded, somewhat dazed, and headed towards the fire where Fred and George were mercilessly imitating Lee and Hermione's commentary. Harry smiled as he headed towards the portrait hole.

He was stopped on his way down to the dungeons by the sudden appearance of Filch. "And exactly where do you think you're going?" the grizzled caretaker sneered at him. "Why aren't you up in your Common Room with the rest of your nasty little friends, watching those bloody twins make fools of themselves?"

"I am working on a special project with Professor Snape," Harry retorted, refusing to let Filch's usual bullying unnerve him. "Check with him if you don't believe me."

"Really?" Filch's smile was truly an awful sight to behold - mostly because of where the missing teeth revealed blackened gums. "Odd claim, boy, because I was just down in the dungeons and Professor Snape was no where to be seen."

"What?" Harry was taken aback by this revelation. Before his mind could come up with a suitable excuse, he heard a cold drawling voice and experienced something he never thought he would feel at the sound of it - relief.

"About time you bothered showing up, Potter." Draco Malfoy appeared on the steps then, looking rather bored by the show in front of him. "Relax, Filch - I have a note from Professor Snape that explains it all - not the least of which is why we're working together."

Filch snatched the bit of parchment from Draco's outstretched hand, and held it up to one of the overhead torches, as though determined to detect a forgery. "Really, Filch - you can check with the Headmaster if you don't believe us. Now, if you'll excuse us - Potter and I have work to do. You know, the kind that excludes Squibs." Malfoy jerked his head in the direction of the Potions lab. "Coming already, Potter?"

Too dazed to reply, Harry followed Malfoy into the lab and shut the door behind them, pointedly ignoring Filch's angry wheezes. "What was all that about?" Harry asked. "And where is Snape tonight, anyway?"

"You're welcome, Potter. Jesus, didn't your mother teach you any manners before she-" Malfoy broke off, and had the grace to look away at the sudden grunt of anger from Harry. "Anyway, Snape said he was busy tonight and that we should check in with Flitwick if we needed anything."

That was odd, Harry thought. Snape was rarely more than a dozen or so feet away whenever he and Malfoy were working on the Impenetrable solution. "What, he had a hot date?" Harry asked, even as he wished he hadn't. The vision of Snape participating in any sort of dating ritual made him feel slightly ill - not to mention incredibly sorry for the unwitting female involved.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Might be - he seemed in a great hurry to resume talking with Velange when he came to let me know."

Harry managed to restrain the sound of disgust that this news elicited. "Ok, well - let's get started then, shall we?"

***

"Damn it!" Harry swore vehemently as their latest batch of Impenetrable potion managed to completely dissolve the beaker holding it and began eating its way through the tabletop.

"Well, I did try and warn you - graphorn hide and essence of belladonna tend to repel one another." Draco looked somewhat amused as he peered through the hole the potion had made in the scarred wood. "That is one mess I won't be explaining to Professor Snape," he added, reaching for a vial of Bundimun secretion and pouring it on the now smoking liquid on the floor.

"How can you sit there and look so unconcerned?" Harry snapped at him, snatching the vial from Malfoy's hands and pouring it onto a rag before he started wiping up the last of their failed potion attempt. "We should have figured this out by now! We're wasting time - and all you can do is make ridiculous observations about my mistakes! Or is that the Slytherin definition of being helpful?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Talk about a drama queen...this isn't exactly my idea of a good time, Potter. Blaise's birthday was tonight, and I could be off sharing a rather special moment with a beautiful woman - instead I'm listening to you whine-" He stopped suddenly, and his eyes darted towards the door.

"Well, don't let me stop you from what was sure to be a stellar evening of romance -" Harry started.

"Shut up, Potter," Malfoy said from between gritted teeth, jerking his head towards the door. Harry was quickly silenced at the sound of angry voices in the hallway.

"I cannot believe you would allow those creatures to conduct a meeting here, Severus!" The unmistakable sound of Professor McGonagall's voice reached their ears. As if they had planned it, both boys sidled towards the door of the laboratory and pressed their ears against the entrance to Snape's office.

"I told you, Minerva, that Marie Priscus made it perfectly clear that she has no interest in coming any closer to the school then the forest. As we need her support in order to hopefully persuade the entire Council to join us, I felt a show of trust necessary-"

"I cannot believe that Albus Dumbledore would agree to allow those, those - monsters - within a thousand yards of Hogwarts!"

"Minerva, please-" that was unmistakably Professor Velange's voice, "we have taken every precaution-"

"Every precaution!" Harry had never heard his Head of House sound more outraged. "They are evil, unnatural creatures who live to destroy human lives! The thought of placing any sort of trust in their word is an insult to those their kind has destroyed throughout the centuries!"

"And unless we want their kind to rejoin the likes of Voldemort, I would suggest that we place our prejudices to the side for the moment," Moody's rasp was heard to say.

There was a long silence, and then McGonagall spoke again. "Very well. Do what you feel is necessary, and I - I shall do as I feel is necessary, to protect the students whose lives have been entrusted to us." There was an icy silence before Harry heard McGonagall say in a low urgent tone, "I beg you to approach them with the utmost caution, all of you. It would hardly do for two of our best teachers to be killed by those whom they claim to trust." A door shut quietly then, and Harry heard Moody's voice fill the room.

"I plan to stay here and stand guard with Minerva. Are you sure the two of you can control the situation?"

"The three of us will be just fine," said another voice that made Harry gasp with shock. Malfoy tread on his foot, and gave him an angry, warning look. Lauren Velange. What on earth was going on?

"You'll forgive me, girl, but I'm not placing much confidence in your abilities to take on the Priscus and their like. They aren't exactly the kind of thing a folk singeris used to dealing with." Moody's voice was little more than a growl.

"Screw you, old man! You have no idea what I'm used to dealing with-" Lauren retorted angrily, but Snape's voice cut silkily through the room.

"A little decorum, if you please, Lauren. You're here because your sister has spoken to your abilities in dealing with such creatures, and for no other reason. It would be prudent of you to remember that."

An uncomfortable silence followed before Moody spoke again, distain clear in every word. "Very well. If I don't see you lot return before midnight, however, your Priscus had best make themselves scarce. It's been a while since I used a crossbow and stake, but that doesn't mean I don't remember how."

"Of course, Moody. Your concern is touching." Only Snape could twist something as profound as legitimate concern into an insult, Harry thought wildly.

There was the sound of chairs scraping the floor, and of the door opening and closing again. Harry and Draco managed to get away from the doorway and back to their desk just as the door to the laboratory opened again and Professor Moody stepped inside. He gave them both suspicious looks before he said, "It's getting late, boys - I suggest you finish this up and get up to your dorms." His magical eye lingered on the still smoking floor, while his normal eye swung to look at Harry. "Having some problems?"

"No, sir," Harry said. Malfoy bit back an angry noise in his throat as Harry stepped firmly on his left foot. "We'll be done here in just a moment."

"Very well, Potter. I'll see you in the morning." With a final look at the pair of them, Moody clunked his way out into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

"What's the big idea, Potter?" Malfoy said at once. "These shoes aren't exactly cheap, you know!" As if to demonstrate, Malfoy placed one gleaming leather-cased foot up on the desktop and proceeded to wipe the marks from Harry's trainers off of it. The shoes looked as though they cost more than everything in the Burrow combined.

And Harry thought he glimpsed a bit of fake bravado in Malfoy's tone. It was this that made him say aloud what he was thinking. "They're going to the Forest," he said slowly, the memory flashing back to him of Snape, Velange and Lauren sneaking off in the direction of the forest.

"So I gathered." Malfoy said darkly. "What of it?"

Harry turned to glare at him. "Does nothing penetrate that perfectly gelled hair of yours, Malfoy? They're meeting with some of Voldemort's old supporters, trying to keep them on our side."

"Our side?" Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Your side, Potter. I'm just in this for the extra credit points Snape promised me-"

Harry didn't let him finish, catching him firmly by the arm as Malfoy attempted to make his way towards the door. "Do you really want Voldemort back in power, Malfoy? Really and truly?"

Something glittered behind those silver eyes. "Have I ever said otherwise?"

"You've never said either way," Harry retorted, not releasing his grip on Malfoy's arm. "So now I'm going to give you a chance to make your loyalties known at last. Look me in the eye and tell me that you relish the thought of having that damned Mark burned into your arm, and the thought that you'll be another one of Voldemort's flunkies, licking his robes and following his orders. Tell me you like the idea of torturing and killing innocent people! Tell me that you want to become exactly like your father!" Harry was breathing hard as he spat this last bit out, his adrenaline rushing through his veins. "Moment of truth, Malfoy - what's it going to be? Be a sniveling piece of Death-Eater filth, or be a man in your own right?"

Malfoy's eyes flashed, and he jerked his arm away. "Where do you think you're going?" Harry asked, wondering if he might have pushed to hard, and how he was going to explain this to Snape if they'd lost Malfoy because of his needling.

"I'm going to get my invisibility cloak, you incredibly dense prat! Or did you think we might get past McGonagall without it?"

***

A/N: Many thanks to all that have reviewed at Schnoogle.com and FF.net so far - your encouragement and critiques mean a lot:

Alpha Wolf, Lily Vance, Erised12, Firecracker, Venus4280, Elizabeth Culmer, driver8, lilahp, Luigi, Vying Quill, StuFFedTIger, Dark Phoenix8987, ADJ, SeaS, Princess Fiona, ninnoc, little*, padfoot1979, Liz, Morwen Langan, Opaleye, Maria1314, sk8reagle, skirt, WerghofTur, ALEX, EliCa, Beci, Princess Kattera, floramorada, Papercut, Alison, Tituba, Summer Thyme, aldalindil, Cathy, strangelypotty, amalthea, Kyle, makulit, Tamz, Duke, Tabitha B. Potter, Victoria Weaver, Jesse, Piper D, Elektra, Anna Black, §ämäÑhä, Erinyes, Johnny V, holly, tima, azriona,Phenomonous, canadian chick, unregistered2, QuidBrm, sara ane, Zelda, SweetBttrfly1, MarchoftheDemented, Albus Dumbledore III, Lori McCloud of Clan McCloud, Gobbling Fire, Lilia, Starlite, baby norbert, Alyssa Potter, Majorca, Ennacie, H. Sanders, Lidder Deed, Lolli Potter and the prodigious Unregistered. And in response to all your questions re: who Harry's godmother is: "I'll never tell..." Ok I will, but not yet!

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