For Your Love

Chapter 12 - Hey Jealousy

Harry threw off his invisibility cloak and peered around the corner to make sure the corridor was clear before approaching the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Jobberknoll," he whispered and strode into the common room as nonchalantly as he could under the circumstances.

After returning to Hogsmeade through the secret passageway to Honeydukes, Harry had wandered around the village aimlessly, alternating between feelings of anger at having to skulk about and relief that he could be anonymous and unseen for a little while. He had taken the opportunity to explore some of the side streets of Hogsmeade that he hadn't seen before. As he went farther afield, the shops had given way to houses, and he had watched the villagers going about their daily business: witches tending their gardens, children playing on toy broomsticks, elderly wizards gathering in twos and threes on their front stoops.

Once he had calmed down a bit, he'd made his way back to the village center and unexpectedly came upon Ellie Bridgeton crying in the alleyway behind the Three Broomsticks. She was alone, and Harry had hurried past, feeling uncomfortable. He supposed crying girls were just something he would never get used to.

And then, when he had decided he might as well head back to the castle, a sight greeted him that had stopped him in his tracks: Colin and Ginny, walking hand in hand with not a care in the world. He had looked twice to be sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. And when they'd stepped off the path toward the grove of trees, he had hesitated only a moment before curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Now, he forced a casual wave to Ron and Hermione, who were just taking off their cloaks in front of the fire as he walked in.

"Harry!" Hermione called, rushing over to him. "How are you feeling? I got rid of Rita as fast as I could, but it's a good thing you came back here. She was just itching to find you. What did you do all afternoon?"

"Oh, you know, wandered around a bit, went to the library for a while."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't sit in your room and sulk."

Ron joined them and put a restraining hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Alright, mate?" he asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

The portrait hole opened and Ginny and Colin came through. Harry's gaze met Ginny's briefly as they passed, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as they stopped at the dormitory stairs.

Colin spoke softly to Ginny and planted a quick kiss on her cheek before heading up the boys' staircase. Ginny turned and met Harry's eyes again with a look that was far too penetrating for his comfort. Then she, too, climbed the stairs to her room.

"Since when is Colin Creevey kissing my sister?" Ron asked, annoyed.

"Since this afternoon," Harry said without thinking.

"What? How do you know?"

Harry came back to the present a moment too late. "What? Oh... you know... I just assumed..." He trailed off and noticed Hermione giving him one of her own penetrating looks.

"Well," Ron went on, "you've got to break that up! I thought you were... well, you know."

"No, I don't know," Harry said tersely, "but if Ginny wants to be with Colin that's got nothing to do with me."

A silence fell over the trio as Harry shifted nervously and Ron settled on a disgruntled look of confusion. Hermione looked between the two of them with a bemused smile.

"Boys," she muttered and excused herself to her room.

* * *

Later that evening, Harry and Ron played chess in the common room while Hermione sat next to them, occasionally looking up from her book to suggest what Harry's next move might be. Across the room on the couch, Ginny, Colin, and Maura revised for their upcoming exam in Charms.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"I said, can you quiz me on chapter six?" asked Maura. "Where are you? You seem a million miles away."

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking." She turned to Colin. "Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I think... I need to talk to Harry."

Colin stared at her for a moment, trying not to look surprised. "Sure. Of course."

"It won't take long; just wait here for me, okay?"

"Okay."

Ginny stood and Colin chanced a glance at Maura, who looked as skeptical as he felt. Approaching the chess table, Ginny stood quietly until Hermione looked up from her book.

"Harry..." Ginny said in an even voice.

Harry looked up from the board and felt a jolt somewhere in his midsection. "Hi, Gin, what's up?"

"Could I talk to you for a minute, please?"

"Um, can it wait? I'm just about to..."

"No, it really can't."

Now Ron had also looked up from the board, and Ginny nervously shifted her weight. She wished the three of them would stop staring.

"Uh, okay," Harry said. "Hermione, can you sit in for me?"

"Sure."

Hermione exchanged a confused shrug with Ron as Harry followed Ginny toward the portrait hole.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as she turned down a little-used corridor not far from their common room.

"In here, where we can talk." She stopped in front of a large portrait of Godric Gryffindor and tapped her wand at the edge of the frame. It swung open to reveal a darkened room, though once they entered, the torches on the wall sprang to life and cast a glow over dusty red armchairs, scattered tables and rolled tapestries.

"What's this place?" Harry asked, amazed that Hogwarts still held secrets of which he knew nothing.

"Gryffindor storage room," Ginny said off-handedly. "So..."

"How did you find it?" Harry interrupted.

Ginny crossed her arms impatiently. "If you must know, Michael and I found it when we were together. There's one like it at Ravenclaw Tower as well, behind the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw."

"Oh. Oh..." Harry said, as the understanding of why Michael and Ginny would have use for such a room dawned on him. He shifted uncomfortably. "So, you wanted to talk to me?"

Ginny exhaled and regarded him for a moment, unsure of how to start. "How was your day? Did you have a nice time in Hogsmeade?"

Harry stared at her, his apprehension starting to mix with annoyance. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Because I had a very nice day," she continued. "With Colin. In fact, we got a lot closer today, and we've decided that we want to try being together. As more than friends, I mean. But I think you already knew that."

"Why would you think that?"

Ginny looked at him pointedly. "Because I think you were there. I felt you."

Harry wrinkled his brow. "You couldn't have. I didn't touch you."

"Aha! I knew it." Harry saw the spark in Ginny's eyes grow larger as she advanced on him. "Were you spying on me?"

Harry's heart was racing now; he was caught and there was no way out of it. He held up his hand to fend off the coming attack. "Alright, yes, I was there. But I wasn't spying on you. I just saw you together and I... sort of... what do you mean you felt me?"

Ginny gestured between them. "I felt you. I felt your... emotions."

"How did you know they were mine?"

"I didn't until I saw your footprints in the mud. You were under your cloak, weren't you?"

She took his silence as a yes.

"I can't believe you. What were you thinking, following us like that?"

Harry was at a loss for words. "I... I don't..."

"You were jealous. I could feel it. And hurt. And I have to ask myself why in the world you would be feeling like that when you've made it very clear to me that you don't want anything more than friendship!"

Ginny's anger was quickly dissolving into confusion. She was desperate to get inside Harry's head, to know what he was thinking, because she was at her wits' end. One minute they were getting on fine as best mates, and the next she was getting signals that had her mind whirring again with possibilities. It had to stop.

"Ginny, you're acting like you think I had this all planned out, like I did it on purpose. But I didn't," Harry retorted. "After lunch, Hermione spotted Rita Skeeter in town and I came back to the castle to avoid her. But after a while I couldn't stand being stuck up here, so I grabbed my cloak and snuck back into the village. I was angry; you can't even imagine the things that were going through my head. And then I saw you and I just..."

"You just what?" she pleaded.

Harry didn't know what to say. He didn't think it would help the situation to tell her that what he had felt was an inexplicable longing to be near her, a longing so deep that it had taken him by surprise. He had wanted her to talk to him, to touch him and tell him that everything would be alright and that she would never leave him. He tried a different tack.

"I just think maybe you're rushing things. I mean, are you serious? Colin Creevey? I saw the way he looked at you. You can't tell me that you feel the same way about him."

Ginny caught her breath and a look of hurt crossed her face. "Colin likes me. He's safe. I can feel that he is just happy to be with me. He's so... not... complicated." She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "He's what I need right now."

Harry stared at her intently until she looked up at him again. "Do you not feel safe with me?"

Ginny gave a cynical laugh. "I feel a lot of things when I'm with you, Harry, but I'm not sure that 'safe' is one of them. My heart is not safe with you. What am I to you? Do you even know?"

"We're friends, we're..." He had been about to say they were more than friends, but he didn't want her to take it the wrong way. He wasn't even sure what that meant. He only knew that he didn't want her to go back to Colin.

"What are you jealous of? Can you even tell me?"

"You tell me," he huffed. "You're the one who's supposed to know all about my feelings."

"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you, I can't read your mind. Yes, I can feel that you're jealous, but I don't know of what. Are you jealous of Colin because he's with me? Are you jealous of me because I've found someone and I'm happy? Or are you just jealous because you want to feel that way about someone, too?"

Harry was startled. He had thought the answer was obvious, that he was jealous because he wanted Ginny for himself. But maybe she was right. Maybe it wasn't her, exactly, but the idea of being in a relationship with someone that he really longed for. His mind rejected this notion immediately. He didn't want the trappings of a relationship; he had already decided that. Hadn't he?

"Harry, you can't have it both ways. Please don't do this. I like Colin, I need to give it a chance."

The look on Ginny's face gave Harry a sinking feeling. He knew he was putting her in an impossible situation, but he was powerless to stop the clenching in his gut at the thought of losing her. "I... I'm sorry, Gin. I've gotten so used to you, so used to having you in my life. I wasn't prepared for what I felt when I saw you together."

"What did you feel?" she asked softly.

I wanted to be the one laughing with you, holding your hand. I wanted to be the one to make your face light up like that, he thought. Instead, he said, "I miss you. We were so close at the Burrow. I miss that."

Ginny was beside herself. What did he want from her? "Do you want me to leave him? Should I tell him I can't be with him? Tell me... please... tell me if that's what you want."

"No... I don't know."

"Don't do this to me, Harry." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "You can't do this to me again." She made to move toward the door, but as she drew level with him, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't go."

"What do you want me to do?" she sighed in frustration.

"Stay with me."

"Why?"

"Because you're..." She thought if he said "my friend" she would be done with him forever. She couldn't do it. Not anymore.

"Just stay with me... please. I'm sorry."

She looked up into his eyes then and saw the boy she loved, the boy who had captured her soul. Her resolve collapsed. Who was she kidding? She couldn't leave him.

"Alright."

He loosened his grip, but didn't let go. Letting out his breath, he pulled her into an awkward embrace. They stood in silence as he stroked her hair, and she grasped him tightly, burying her face in his robes, not wanting to break the bond between them. She could feel the conflict raging inside him. The desire, the loneliness, the desperation, the confusion.

"Ginny, I'm..."

"Shhh." She looked up at him with a whisper. "Don't say you're sorry. I know, I know. Can you still be my friend? Even if I'm with someone else?"

"Always."

She reached up and touched his cheek, holding his eyes intently. "I am still your friend. Always."

"You must think this is all so unfair, that I can't sort this out and give you the answers you need."

A sad smile crept onto her face. "I've gotten used to it."

"I don't deserve you."

"No, you don't. But I'm here."

"I know. Thank you." Harry released her and stepped back, clearing his throat. "We should go back."

"Are you okay with me going back? To Colin?"

He looked at the ground for a moment before meeting her eyes again. "Yes," he lied.

She nodded, not so much in agreement as in understanding. They turned and exited the room, walking in silence until they reached the portrait hole. Harry gave the password and stood aside as she entered the common room first. He watched her walk to the sofa where Colin was waiting, curling up next to him and laying her head on his shoulder. He whispered in her ear and she nodded, not taking her eyes off the fire. Colin looked over the top of her head, and Harry met his steady gaze for a moment before turning and climbing the stairs to his room.

* * *

Harry opened the window next to his bed and climbed under his covers, letting the cool night air wash over him. At last, he felt his shoulders relax into his pillow, his mind slowly shutting down. A soft melody drifted through the window like a lullaby. He looked up to see Hermione leaning over him, his head resting on her outstretched legs. A warm breeze ruffled the grass around them as she sang, her fingers smoothing his hair as a mother might to a small child. He closed his eyes to rest, but the legs were shifting now.

When he looked again, it was not Hermione but Ginny who knelt next to him. She whispered something that he could not understand and placed her hand over his heart. He reached for her, but she stood up and began to walk away. The air turned cold and the sky darkened. Harry felt a lead weight in his chest where Ginny had touched him. He tried to get up and go after her, but she was too far ahead now. The air around him began to swirl with snow, and he lost sight of her. A feeling of dread came over him as he called her name again and again, but the only response was a cold, disembodied laugh.

Harry woke with a start. His nose was numb from the cold wind now blowing over him. He hastily got up and shut the window. Still disoriented from his dream, he climbed back into bed and buried himself beneath the covers, wishing for sleep to return and ease the dull aching in his scar.

* * *

The following Wednesday was the first of October, which meant Harry's monthly meeting with Professor Dumbledore. Excusing himself to Ron and Hermione after dinner, he made his way to the gargoyle and rode the winding staircase up to the headmaster's office. But before he could knock, the door opened to reveal a very preoccupied Draco Malfoy. Malfoy stopped short at the sight of Harry, and the two stared at each other for a moment: Harry in surprise and Draco with a look of barely concealed disdain. But his usual remarks were absent, and Harry was greeted only with a curt "Potter," as Draco brushed past him and down the stairs.

"Ah, Harry, come in," came the ever-congenial, though increasingly tired, voice of the headmaster from within the office. Albus Dumbledore had a long and colorful history with Harry. They had kept secrets from one another, fought with each other, and protected each other. But in the end, it was the earned respect and love that had developed between them that kept Harry coming back to his mentor's side again and again.

Harry tore his gaze away from Malfoy's retreating back and stepped inside.

"Hello, Professor." He sat in the chair that Dumbledore indicated and reached for a lemon drop from the bowl on the desk, knowing that he would be offered one anyway. The two exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Harry got up the nerve to ask what was on his mind.

"Professor, there hasn't been any more news of Voldemort's activities, has there? I haven't heard of any more killings."

Dumbledore sighed. "The Order has received some inside intelligence that seems to indicate that Voldemort is still gathering followers to replace those he has lost to Azkaban. They now believe that the Muggle-born killings of last spring and summer may have been a sort of training exercise for new recruits."

"Inside intelligence? You mean Snape."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Yes, Professor Snape, and... others."

"Others?" Harry asked. "Who?"

Dumbledore rested his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers in front of him. He stared in the direction of his office door for a long moment before answering. "That information is being kept confidential for the time being. For the safety of those involved."

"Being kept even from me?" Harry's annoyance at having information withheld from him was beginning to rise in his gut, even though he knew there were certain things he was still not privy to.

Dumbledore smiled. "Even from you. But we have discussed this before. You can rest assured that I will share any information with you that is pertinent to you and your ultimate confrontation with Voldemort. But there are other forces at work here, Harry. Things that do not necessarily concern you."

"Like a threat to Hogsmeade, perhaps?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose in interest. "Has there been a threat to Hogsmeade?"

Harry faltered, not expecting this response. "Hermione seemed to think so. And I got the distinct impression that she got that idea from you."

Dumbledore nodded. "Miss Granger is an excellent Head Girl. Her loyalty and trust serve me and this school well. Though I admit that it is sometimes necessary to call on that trust for other purposes." He paused to lean forward, making sure he had Harry's full attention. "I know you are well aware that Miss Granger is the brightest witch at this school. But her role as a protector and overseer of its students is a new one. Yes, I did lead her and Mister Malfoy to believe that there might be a threat in Hogsmeade, but it was part of a larger plan of the Order's. A test of sorts."

"A plan which you did not feel the need to let me in on."

Dumbledore inclined his head again, but offered nothing further.

"Well, Hermione was hell-bent on shadowing me all day. She was convinced something would happen to me. Why get her all worked up over that and not let me in on it? She made me paranoid over nothing."

Dumbledore voice became suddenly sharp. "I did not say it was nothing. I also did not think I needed to remind you of the importance of keeping up your guard at all times. Especially when you are outside the walls of this castle. Was I mistaken?"

Harry felt the color rise in his cheeks, and his frustration was replaced by embarrassment. He was ashamed that the headmaster should have to remind him of the need for constant vigilance.

"No, sir," he replied.

Dumbledore's posture relaxed a bit as he settled back in his chair. He considered Harry for a moment, letting the air clear between them. When he spoke, his voice had regained its fatherly tone.

"You seem to have more on your mind than a trying day in Hogsmeade. Is there anything else that you wish to discuss with me?"

Harry shook his head. "It's just... I had a dream. It wasn't like the dreams I had before, when Voldemort was trying to show me something. I don't think. But I did feel some aching in my scar afterwards."

"May I ask what the dream was about?"

"It was... personal."

"I see. But the connection between yourself and Lord Voldemort is nothing if not personal," Dumbledore said with a shrewd look.

"I just meant that... it wasn't to do with Voldemort specifically. But I thought I could still feel him there. Somehow. Like he was watching my dream."

Dumbledore's brow creased in thought. "Perhaps your Occlumency training has prevented him from insinuating himself into your dreams, but you have still left an opening of some sort? An interesting thought. I think we will spend a little more time on Occlumency tonight rather than what I had planned. I trust you will let me know if you have any more dreams of this nature?"

Harry nodded. Dumbledore rose and walked around the desk.

"So, other than these things, how have you been settling in to the new year? You are happy to be back, I trust?"

Harry smiled. "As always."

"And I understand that your first match of the season is only a few days away. Against Slytherin?"

"Yes, sir."

"I know Mister Malfoy is looking forward to the challenge. You would do well to keep on your toes, Harry. But of course," he said, eyes twinkling, "you always do." He moved back a few paces and raised his wand. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

Saturday dawned clear and cool, and Harry was anxious to get into the air and work off the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He led his team onto the Quidditch pitch and met Malfoy's firm handshake and steely glare eye to eye.

"You're not going to know what hit you, Potter," Malfoy sneered.

"I doubt that."

The whistle blew and fourteen red and green blurs rose into the air. Harry flew high above the stands as the announcer's voice boomed over the crowd.

"And they're off! Gryffindor looking very fit today as Ginny Weasley takes the Quaffle. It's Weasley to Jacobs, Jacobs to Townsend, Townsend for the shot and... ooh, a narrow save by Slytherin."

Harry checked Malfoy's position, then flew to the left, not paying attention to the ongoing commentary until he heard the unmistakable sound of a Slytherin cheer rise up into the air.

"Blimey... did they... yes they did! Slytherin scores!" the announcer yelled. "What a shocker; Weasley hardly had time to see those Chasers whiz by as Harding and Harding team up for the goal."

Harry whipped his head around to the end of the field to see Malfoy's new Chasers, two mirror-image boys, streaking around the hoops. "What?!" he breathed. At the goalposts, he saw that Ron looked equally shocked.

Malfoy flew up behind Harry and smirked. "Finally, a pair of twins who know what they're doing, eh, Potter?" he called and sped off toward the other side of the pitch.

Harry set his face with a grim determination. He gave the field a once over, but seeing no sign of the Snitch, took a chance and brought himself alongside Ginny.

"Stay on them!" he said, nodding at the dark haired twins in green. "Don't let them shake you!"

"They're too fast!" Ginny yelled, leaning into her broomstick.

"Then fly faster!"

The match continued in the same way for the next hour, Gryffindor making only one goal for every five scores by Slytherin. Harry was seething when the announcer called out, "...and it's Slytherin 100 to Gryffindor 20!"

"Time out!" Harry called, waving to Madam Hooch. She blew her whistle and the Gryffindor brooms raced each other to the ground.

"Harry, you've got to catch the Snitch now!" Ron bellowed, red-faced. "I can't hold them!"

"Do you think they've charmed their brooms?" Harry asked, shooting a glance behind him at the Slytherin huddle.

"Not likely," Ginny said, her cheeks on fire from the exertion of flying. "Madam Hooch would have caught it in the security check. They're twins, Harry. That's why they're so quick. They know what each other is thinking. They're anticipating everything we do."

Ron nodded, and Harry realized that if anyone would know just how powerful twin minds could be together, it was the Weasleys.

"Right," he barked. "I'm going to catch it as soon as I can, but I want everyone on them. And you two," he pointed to his Beaters, "I want every Bludger aimed at their heads. Got it?"

The whistle blew and the team rose into the air as one. Harry searched frantically for the Snitch. Slytherin 110. Slytherin 120. Gryffindor 30. Slytherin 130. And then, there it was, glinting at the edge of the third Slytherin goalpost.

Harry sped toward it, flattening himself against his broom. From the opposite side of the field, Draco Malfoy sped toward the same goal, arm outstretched. Both Seekers closed their fists at the same moment, colliding in midair and rolling over each other in a tangle of red and green. But only one felt the fluttering of wings against his hand as he opened it to reveal the Golden Snitch, holding it high above his head.

The red, yellow, and blue stands erupted into cheers as Harry circled the field with the Snitch before landing on the soft pitch, surrounded by his team who just looked relieved that the whole thing was over at last. He stalked over to the Slytherin team and stopped abruptly, holding the Snitch in front of Malfoy's face.

"Looks like Chasers aren't everything," he growled.

"This time," Malfoy glared as he turned and walked off the field.

The Gryffindors entered the locker room battered and exhausted. Ron kicked the wall, sending a stack of school broomsticks clattering to the floor. Harry knew he should say something encouraging, but didn't think he could muster any positive words just now, despite their narrow win.

"Why didn't we see this coming?" he asked, pacing in front of his team. "Did anyone know about the Harding twins?"

The team slumped on their benches and against the wall in silence until Sophie spoke tentatively.

"I... I know them. They're in my year. But I've never seen them play. I figured they would be just as new to the whole thing as I was. Ginny was right, though. They do seem to have some kind of twin connection going on. In the classes I have with them, anyway."

"This cannot happen again. Does everyone understand?" Harry pointed at his Chasers. "You three have got to come up with a plan. Sophie, find out what you can about them. And you," he said, wheeling on Ron. "You and I are going to spend every free minute we have in extra Keeper practice."

Ron nodded, embarrassed. "We won't let you down, Harry."

Harry dismissed the girls to their own locker room to get changed and shook his head in frustration.

"Great catch, Harry," Sean mumbled.

He gave a half-hearted "Thanks" as he threw open his locker and began tossing his gear into it with a bit more force than necessary.

* * *

Monday morning and Advanced Potions came far too early. Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team had endured taunting remarks and triumphant looks from the Slytherins all weekend, and it didn't appear that they had any intention of letting up.

"Well, at least Harry is still the better Seeker," Hermione had pointed out unhelpfully at breakfast. "That's really the most important thing, isn't it?"

"No," Ron had snapped back, "that isn't the most important thing. We're a team." But Ron knew better than to try and engage Hermione in a discussion on the finer points of Quidditch, and she had shrugged her shoulders and let the matter drop.

Harry dropped his bag on the dungeon floor and leaned over his cauldron, poking the greenish brew that had been stewing since their last class. He looked around nervously when Professor Snape swept into the classroom and Ellie had still not arrived, a fact which had also not escaped the potion master's notice.

"Well, well, Potter, it seems..." But the gleam in Snape's eye was checked by the opening of the dungeon door and a very harried looking Ellie rushing to her seat.

"Sorry, sir," she mumbled, not looking up.

"Five points for your tardiness, Miss Bridgeton."

"Yes, sir."

Snape cast her a disappointed look and turned away to harass Neville Longbottom and Susan Bones.

"Sorry, had a bit of a bad start today," Ellie said distractedly, pulling out her notebook.

"Right, well, what do we add next, then?" Harry asked impatiently, having had a bit of a bad start himself.

"You've got a notebook as well, haven't you? Why don't you look it up," she snapped.

Harry was about to spit back a caustic remark, but was stopped short by the puffiness around Ellie's eyes and red cheeks that she was trying unsuccessfully to hide behind her long hair.

"Are you okay?" he asked in an undertone, pretending to look over his notes so as not to attract attention.

Ellie sniffed and brushed the hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yes, fine."

"Because you don't look okay."

"I said I'm fine. Are you going to go on about it or are we going to add this yarrow root?" she grumbled, pulling the plant from her bag and slamming it on the table.

Harry huffed. "No need to get in a snit." He grabbed the root and began chopping vigorously. When he was finished, he lifted the cutting board and tipped it into the cauldron.

"No, wait! We're supposed to..." Ellie yelled, grabbing his arm and spilling the yarrow root to into the cauldron, causing the potion to hiss and turn an unsavory shade of yellow, "...put the essence of murtlap in first," she finished with a groan.

"You didn't say that!" Harry hissed.

She let go of Harry and buried her face in her hands. "No, no, no, no, no..."

Within seconds, Professor Snape was standing over their cauldron with a look of incredulity mixed with disdain. With a wave of his wand, the potion vanished. "I'm glad there was no one lying in the hospital wing waiting for your Inanimatus Restorative, because their condition would have just been severely lengthened by your incompetence." He glared at both of them, and a few Slytherins sniggered. "I trust you will pay better attention next time. Begin again."

"That was a week's worth of work!" Harry ground out under his breath as Snape walked away. "Now we're going to have to come in extra to start all over again!"

Ellie finally looked him in the eye, though when he saw the glare she was giving him, he almost wished she hadn't. "Everyone makes mistakes. Or maybe the great Harry Potter doesn't know what that's like."

Harry's eyes widened. Who did this girl think she was? The mistakes he had made had cost people their lives. What did she know? He didn't know anyone who would dare say such a thing to him. Except for...well... Ginny.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N: The chapter title "Hey Jealousy" is taken from the Gin Blossoms song of the same name. And I also probably should have mentioned before that the story title "For Your Love" is taken from a song by The Yardbirds. I actually have a little list of songs I used for inspiration while writing this story. Maybe I'll list them all at the end as a "soundtrack" of sorts.

Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks.