To Have and to Want

"We'll be all right, Mum," Ron assured a crying Mrs. Weasley as they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"Be careful. All of you," she said, looking especially intently at Harry. "I know you're adults and all, but--"

"We'll be back, Mrs. Weasley. Don't worry. You're running the order, it's not like we'll be out of touch. Won't we, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Come on. The train is about to leave."

They boarded. "One good thing this year," Ron said as he and Hermione headed towards the prefect car. "No Malfoy and no Snape."

"That's two things," Hermione said.

"I'd rather have them inside Hogwarts than out there," Harry grumbled. "I'll wait for you," he said, and joined Neville and Luna, who, as usual, sat alone.

"Hi, Harry," Neville said.

"Hello," Luna greeted him.

"Hey. You decided to come back?"

"Of course. Grandma would kill me if I ditched."

Luna didn't say anything, but put her arm around Neville. Understanding, Harry nodded.

They spent about an hour speculating on the identity of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and which of their previous teachers was the worst (Neville and Luna thought it was Umbridge, while Harry insisted on Snape) when Hermione ran into the compartment, looking terrified. "Harry!" she yelled. "You won't believe--"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ron's voice bellowed in the hallways of the car so loud that people's heads popped out of every compartment.

"I thought we--" Ginny's voice started.

Harry immediately realized what happened. "Excuse me," he told Neville and Luna. "Come on, Hermione."

When they got to Ron, they saw exactly what Harry was afraid of. Ron, anger in his face, was holding a wand on Ginny, who was shielding Padma Patil with her body.

"I didn't mean--" Ron was saying.

Harry and Hermione grabbed Ron and pushed him into an empty compartment--unlike the previous two years, there were plenty of those. Harry firmly pushed Ron into a seat.

"What're you doing?" he demanded.

"I could ask you the same question," Harry said.

"I saw Ginny..."

"Snogging? Like last year--"

"No!" Ron replied. "Not like last year. She was snogging a girl."

Hermione gasped. Harry looked at her, then turned back to Ron. "So?" he said.

"So--wait. You knew?" He glared at both of them.

"I didn't--" Hermione protested.

"Yes," Harry said. "I knew."

"And you didn't tell me--"

"Why should I have? Ginny--"

"Is my sister!"

"She's also my friend," Harry said. "And she--"

The compartment door opened and Parvati stepped in. Ron leaped up.

"Stay away from my sister, you freak!"

Harry reacted without thinking. He punched Ron, bringing him down into the seat, and slammed the door into Parvati's face. "Never," he said, brandishing his wand, "call anyone a freak when I'm around." He stood up to leave.

"Harry! You're leaving me alone with this Neanderthal?" Hermione yelled.

"You have my permission yo use any curse you deem necessary, up to and including the Unforgivables," Harry said, and left the compartment.

The door behind which Ron found his sister and Padma was now closed. Harry knocked. "Ginny, it's me," he said.

"Come in," Ginny said quietly.

Harry entered. He found not just Ginny and Padma, but Parvati as well. Harry looked at her. "I apologize--"

"No need." Parvati embraced him. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. I didn't do anything dangerous--unless you count punching Ron."

"What's going to happen now?" Padma asked.

"It depends on Hermione's persuasive skills," Harry said. "Either Ron will come crawling back, begging for forgiveness, or--"

"Or what?" Ginny looked at him with fear.

"Or he'll tell your parents," Harry said.

"I was afraid of that. And then--"

"What will your other brothers think?"

"What?"

"Bill. Charlie. Fred. George. What will they think if they found out?"

"I don't know. Bill is most likely to be okay with it. Fred and George might think it's a big joke. Charlie's still at St. Mungo's, and I wouldn't burden him with this sort of thing now. What're you suggesting? That I tell them?"

Harry nodded. "It'll be better than if they found out from Ron."

"Damn," Ginny said. "Damn, damn, damn."

"Ginny, I'm on your side. As, I'm sure, Hermione will be."

"She's Ron's girlfriend," Ginny protested.

"As much as I would like them to be together, I wouldn't hesitate to tell her to break it off now. I don't like it very much when people call someone 'freak'."

"He called us freaks?" Padma asked.

"Indirectly. He actually called Parvati a freak, when she thought she was you. That's why I punched him, and left Hermione to deal with the rest."

When all three stared at him, Harry explained. "The Dursleys always called me 'freak' because I could do magic," he said. "I guess I just reacted."

"You don't have to justify yourself, Harry. It's good to release your feelings once in a while." She gave him a peck on the lips.

Harry chuckled. "Was that, as you put it, a 'release of your feelings'?"

Parvati winked. "It was. I'd like to do more, but--" She gestured at the Ginny and Padma-- "let's wait until we don't have an audience."

Harry grinned. "See what I have to put up with?" he said.

"She's got nothing on Ginny," Padma replied.

"Padma!" Ginny exclaimed. "Don't listen to her, Harry. I'm a very nice girl."

"Maybe she is," Parvati whispered in Harry's ear, "but I'm nicer."

Harry kissed her. "I'm too scared to disagree."

XXX

"See you later, Padma," Ginny said in the Great Hall when they had to split by house tables. Hermione quickly joined Harry, Ginny, and Parvati. She looked angry and frustrated.

"Your brother is--Urgh! Why is it so--"

"Face it, Hermione," Harry said. "You're in love with the git."

"Harry, that's--"

"I have to agree," Parvati joined the conversation.

"Parvati?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione!" Harry said.

Hermione ignored him. "Why are you hugging Harry? Is the--"

"Yes, we're dating," Parvati said, looking at Harry. "But what you saw was quite real. Ginny's--"

"Padma," Hermione realized. Ginny nodded.

"May I have your attention, please," the voice of Professor McGonagall echoed in the Great Hall, which quickly grew quiet.

"First, I have to commend the courage of the students who returned to these halls despite the dark times we live in," she said. Harry looked around and saw that she was right. Two out of eight Gryffindors in their year, Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan, weren't here. The Slytherin table was barely half-filled.

"Most of you know, from last year, Professor Slughorn," she said, "who had agreed to take the post of Deputy Headmaster and head of Slytherin." This was met with mild applause.

"Our second staff member is also returning to his former post. Please welcome, once again, Remus Lupin as our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

This was met with cheers from most of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, and silence from Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Harry couldn't believe it when he saw Lupin pull off his hood.

"Well, this is a welcome change from the ones we've had since he left," Ginny said.

Hermione almost ignored the announcement. "What's wrong?" Parvati asked.

"Well, in the Prefect car, we found out who the Head Boy is."

"And?"

"Blaise Zabini," she said. "Right there--"

"I know him," Harry mumbled. "Well, not personally--he'd consider me a blood traitor, or more likely, a filthy half-blood. What was McGonagall thinking?"

"I don't think she really had a choice. She couldn't give it to a Gryffindor because of me, and Ernie MacMillan, Anthony Goldstein, and Malfoy aren't here."

Harry nodded. "Don't worry about me," Hermione insisted. "Come on."

They got up to their common room and bid Hermione and Ginny off. "I still don't understand how you can date Harry and Padma--"

"What, Hermione," Parvati said, "never heard of bisexuality?"

She flushed. "Of course, but you--"

"Don't worry, Hermione. You're not my type. Besides, I know perfectly well what your type is, and it doesn't resemble me in the slightest."

"And just what would that be?"

"Tall. Red hair. Lot's of freckles," Harry said, and Ginny and Parvati laughed. "Now if only he could stop being a git..."

He was interrupted by Ron's entrance into the common room. He looked furious.

"I think you better go," Harry told Parvati.

"Agreed." She headed up, almost dragging Hermione and Ginny behind.

"Having fun at the expense of stupid Ron Weasley, is that it?" Ron asked.

"I think your sister's dating habits--"

"Dating? You call that dating? The way Parvati hung on you, I'd say--"

"In case you forgot, the Patil sisters are twins. Parvati's my girlfriend. Padma's Ginny's."

"That's nonsense. My sister is not a--"

"A what?"

"I accepted her dating Dean. I didn't like it, but I--"

"And why--"

"'Cause she's with a girl--"

"So you'd rather have her date Malfoy than Padma," Harry said.

That seemed to stop Ron. "I'd rather have her date you. Don't--"

"She's not interested. She won't be. There's no point in--"

"But you--"

"I like Ginny. And not entirely platonically. But--"

"And your girlfriend--"

"Parvati knows. She was the first to figure it out. So--"

Ron then lost control completely. "My sister is not a dyke! You talk so much about defeating You-Know-Who, and--"

"What does that--"

"How will dating a useless airhead defeat--"

"Parvati is not an airhead!" Harry protested. "And what's your dating status with Lav-Lav?"

"What?"

"I happen to know a certain someone--"

"Who supports my sister in this--"

"And that should tell you something! The girl we're talking about is certainly not, as you put it, 'an airhead'! She knows Ginny, and she knows Padma better than you. So do I. If you're concerned about Ginny, trust me, guy or girl, Ginny could do a lot worse. What would you say if it was Pansy Parkinson?"

"There--"

"Goodnight, Ron."

"I'll write to Mum--"

"Take my advice: don't. Goodnight, Ron," he repeated, and headed upstairs to bed. He had hoped that he would succeed where Hermione failed, but that hope now seemed foolish.

XXX

The next day, breakfast in the Great Hall was a source of mass commotion. First, new schedules got distributed. Harry and Hermione's schedules haven't change, but Parvati chose to add charms to her studies. When Harry suggested she drop Divination, she gave him an icy glare and had Harry apologize at least twenty times.

"How are you going to decide what to take?" Harry asked Ginny. "I mean, there were no O.W.L.s last year."

Ginny shrugged. "Just stuff I like. I'm dropping Herbology and Astronomy. And I never really enjoyed Arithmancy, so--" Hermione looked scandalized by that assertion.

Then, the owls delivered the morning mail. A note fell in front of Harry. He glanced at it, but didn't recognize the writing. Before he could read it, though, he heard a gasp from Ginny.

"No," she said. "No..."

A red envelope was smoldering in front of her.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!" her mother's voice boomed. "What were you thinking, bringing shame upon our family. I will be writing to this Padma's parents to put an end to--"

"Silencio," Harry said, and Mrs. Weasley voice vanished. Ginny was blushing horribly. At the Ravenclaw table, Padma buried her face in her hands.

Harry turned to Parvati. "What if she does tell your parents?"

"Oh, they know," Parvati said. "They were dead-set against us coming back here, but a lesbian relationship--no problem. It's Ginny's family that's an obstacle."

"Perhaps not everyone in the family," Harry said. "Ginny, did--"

She nodded. "No response yet. But now, everyone will know--"

"Not the details," Hermione said. "Thanks, Harry."

He nodded. "I better get to class," he said, "but there's one more thing that needs to be done."

Harry got up, walked across the entire Hall to where Ron was sitting, and walked past,not looking at him. "I hope you're happy," he threw out, making sure almost everyone heard it.

Once in the hall, Harry finally turned his mind back to the note he received.

Mr. Potter:

We need to meet tonight. Come to the third floor, next to the tallest suit of armor. Make sure no one sees you.

T.A.N.