Harry was really peeved as he waited for Mr. Weasley to come get him so he could go join the Weasleys for the rest of the summer. That choice of words caused a smile to come to him. He wondered if the reason the poltergeist at school was the way he was, was because he had been peeved so many times that he had finally gone over the edge. Harry could not remember any time Peeves had been serious about anything; he was always quite "mad".
He heaved a big sigh. Just a few more minutes and then he should be able to leave this forsaken house and his so-called relatives. What was really irksome, and had been weighing on his mind, was that he really should not even be here. He now knew he had a live, honest-to-goodness, godfather - someone who cared for him and wanted Harry to live with him. Yet, even though he was now fourteen, he was not allowed to decide where he was to live. For some reason that Harry did not understand, he had to follow the Headmaster's wishes in this, as if the Headmaster were Harry's guardian, which he did not think the old wizard was.
Harry was sure Albus Dumbledore did want Harry around, but he was not sure why the Headmaster did, or why he got special treatment sometimes. Harry knew of a couple of other orphans at school, such as Neville Longbottom (he did have his Gran so it was not quite the same, Harry mentally acknowledged), but the same rules did not seem to apply to Neville and the others. This really chaffed Harry, although he could not quite put his finger on why. Still, the Slytherin side of him wondered if he could use this situation to his advantage somehow.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the living room. Running in there, Harry saw Mr. Weasley come out of the previously-boarded-up fireplace. When the red-haired man looked up, he said, "Hello, Harry. I hope no one minds that we got the Dursley's fireplace hooked up to the Floo network temporarily, but this did seem like the best way to get to you without too many people being the wiser." Harry grinned as he shook the man's hand.
The next few minutes of conversation between Arthur Weasley and Vernon Dursley amused Harry greatly. The prank the twins pulled on his baby elephant-sized cousin was pretty good, too. Perhaps he could learn a lesson here, Harry mused as he dragged his trunk to the fireplace to head to the Weasleys. If he could not have everything his way, perhaps he should try for as many things as he could, stop caring about the stupid stuff, and just have fun the rest of the time. Life would sure be less stressful that way. With that mindset, he Flooed to his best friend's house and a World Cup Quidditch game in a few days.
"The champion for Hogwarts will be - Cedric Diggory!" the Headmaster announced. Harry applauded the Hufflepuff with the rest of the school. He thought it was pretty nice for the Puffs to get some recognition and Cedric seemed like a nice enough person, from what little Harry knew about the seventh year. After all, Cedric was a Seeker, so he could not be too bad. He unconsciously did not think about Malfoy, who tried to play Seeker too.
As Harry was thinking about that, the Goblet of Fire started changing colors and belched out a fourth slip of paper, which the Headmaster caught with ease, though a worried face had followed the paper's flight. "Harry Potter."
Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. In fact, he was hardly even aware that Hermione had helped him out of his seat and had pushed him to the front of the room, where the Headmaster had continued his trek with a push towards the trophy room. The unbelievable situation continued as everyone tried to figure out how his name had gotten into the Goblet of Fire.
"Are you sure you did not find some way to put your name in, Harry?" Dumbledore asked for the third time.
"Yes, Headmaster, very sure." Then an idea came to him. "Professor, may I see the paper with my name on it?" He was handed the paper. He sighed as he looked at it. While there was no school listed, the name there was his and appeared to be his handwriting. Looking closer, he noticed that the left and bottom edges were not as straight as the top and right edges. "This does look like my writing, but I did not write this for the Goblet..."
"Oh please, Potter, save your pathetic excuses," Snape sneered. "If it's your writing, you put it in there."
"No, I didn't!"
"Mr. Potter, control yourself," McGonagall snapped. After a few seconds for him to calm down, she asked, "Now, why do you think it was not your entry if it's in your handwriting? And where would it have come from since the Goblet will not accept forgeries?"
"Because, if you look at it, you'll see my name is on one line," Harry started explaining. "I would have written my name on two lines and my school on the third line. Actually, this looks more like what I'd put at the top of one of my tests or an essay, some of which I never get back."
"As interesting as that may be," Ludo Bagman spoke up, "you are now in the Tournament as it's a legally binding magical contract."
"How can it be a binding contract when I did not willingly enter?"
"Your name on the paper in your own hand indicates your willingness," Dumbledore told him with what sounded like a tired voice. "I'm sorry, Harry, but you will have to participate in the Tournament."
Bagman brightened. "Well, now that that's settled, I'll tell you that the first task is on the 24th of November. It will test your bravery and courage. It will also test your ingenuity as you won't find out what it is until that morning."
A few minutes later, everyone was leaving and Harry headed back towards the Gryffindor Tower. Cedric was walking that way too. "I have to participate he says," Harry darkly muttered to himself.
Cedric stopped when they got to the point where their paths split. "Harry? Just between us, did you put your name in the Goblet?"
Harry wanted to scream, but he caught himself. If occurred to him that Cedric thought that maybe Harry would not say the same thing if the adults were not around. He was not sure if that bothered him more, as Cedric thought he had been lying, or if that helped because Cedric recognized that it was sometimes the students versus the teachers. "No, I did not put my name in; I promise, I'm not lying about this. I'm sorry you're not getting all the recognition you deserve for being picked and I hope you win Cedric." An idea suddenly came to him. With a smile he added, "In fact, I think I know how I can help you win. Good-night, Cedric."
The Hufflepuff turned and went towards his dorm, contemplating the conversation, not only in the Trophy Room but the one he just had alone with Harry. As strange as it might sound, he almost believed Harry.
Harry continued to mutter on his way up to the Tower. "I have to participate, my arse. I'll show them participation." Reaching the Fat Lady's portrait, he spoke the password. As it opened, a wall of sound blasted him. He was quickly pulled into the Common Room and the ongoing party. Everyone was trying to congratulate him and no one seemed willing to listen to him when he denied entering himself.
Fed up with all the nonsense, he pulled away from everyone and pushed his way to the stairs to the boys' dorms. Pulling out his wand, he cast Sonorous on himself. "My I have your attention, please!" Everyone quieted down and looked at him. "Thank you. I'm glad everyone is having a good time, but I want everyone to know that I did not, I repeat, I did not enter myself. I have no idea how my name got into the Goblet of Fire. I should not be in the Tournament; therefore, I'm asking everyone to support Cedric as you would me. Now, for those who want to, carry on with your party. Quietus." Murmurs filled the room behind him as he went up the stairs to his dorm room.
In his room, he saw that Ron was the only one in there. He was still fully dressed while lying on his bed. "You really didn't enter your name?" Ron looked really confused, like he wanted to be angry, but a wrench had just be thrown into his mental gears.
"Did you hear what I just told everyone downstairs?" Ron nodded. "It's the same answer to you mate, because it's the truth. Moody thinks someone entered my name to get me killed; I'm inclined to agree with him. So I'm not going to do anything."
"What?"
"I'm not going to do anything. I'm not supposed to be in the Tournament. They say I'll have to participate, but they did not say to what level. So I'll do the minimum required and make sure I survive."
"But, but, but you're good Harry. You could win."
Harry laughed. "No bloody way. I'm only a fourth year. But I'll tell you what Ron, if you think it's that cool, that you could survive whatever they throw at you, have Hermione start brewing Polyjuice and you can take my place. If you live and manage to beat three seventh year students, the thousand Galleons is all yours, along with any fame you'll get. At the end of the third task, you can hold the trophy up and let the Polyjuice wear off and I swear I'll say you did all the work and are the real champion." He could see Ron seriously thinking that through. "Remember Ron, that's only if you live and Hermione said it's not uncommon for participates to die in the Tournament."
Ron looked shocked, apparently he had not listened as closely to their knowledgeable friend as Harry had.
With a grin, Harry finished getting ready for bed. "Good-night, Ron." No answer came back for anything Harry had said. Harry found that amusing.
The rest of the week was not the best in Harry's life. Most people seemed to think Harry had put his name in the Goblet. Despite his speech, a few Gryffindors looked badly at Harry, as did most of the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws. The Slytherins were one hundred percent against him.
The biggest incident of the week came as Potions class was about to start on Friday. That was when Malfoy and all of his "friends" showed off their buttons that alternately showed "SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY" and "POTTER STINKS!"
"Is that all your little mind can come up with, Malfoy? I thought purebloods were supposed to be superior, but your vocabulary leaves a lot to be desired," Harry told the Slytherin. He could see Malfoy's hand inching towards his wand.
"Well at least I'm not a berk trying to steal someone else's glory."
At that, Harry pulled his wand and the two of them launched a spell. As luck would have it, the spells collided and ricocheted off of one another. Harry's hit Goyle, who had a fungus start growing on him; while Malfoy's hit Hermione, who's front teeth started growing. Harry's "luck" continued, as that was when Snape walked up.
"What's going on here?"
"Potter tried to hex me, sir. I managed to get a shield up in time," Malfoy smoothly said before Harry could even open his mouth.
For reasons only the Potions master knew, he ignored the evidence of two offensive spells. "No lasting harm done, but ten points from Gryffindor and detention for you Potter for fighting. Everyone into class."
"But what about Hermione? She's been harmed," Ron angrily spoke up.
"Ten more points from Gryffindor and detention for you too Weasley." He looked at Hermione, who now had teeth that were longer than her chin, though she tried to cover them with her hand. "Besides, I see nothing wrong with Granger. Goyle, go up to the hospital wing to be healed and hurry back to class." He turned and strode into the classroom.
"Git!" Ron hissed under his breath. "Hermione, go see Madam Pomfrey. Harry and I will take notes for you." She nodded and left, her front two teeth now down to the bottom of her neck. "Harry?" he said quietly before they went in. "I know I haven't given you as hard a time about all this like some have, but I haven't been the best friend I could have either. I'm sorry about that. I believe you didn't put your name in."
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Ron. It helps to have my best mate believe in me."
Snape started his lecture. "Today we will discuss poisons and their antidotes. For our lab today, you will brew an antidote and then we'll test them on someone at the end of class." The professor had been looking at Harry the whole time, so the boy knew what was coming.
After a short lecture that only listed the types of poisons, just like in the book, they started on their lab. Harry and Ron had just barely started when Colin Creevey came in. "Professor? The Headmaster needs Harry Potter for the rest of the morning." Snape sneered and waved them both off.
"Thanks, Colin," Harry told the younger boy when they were out of the classroom. "You have just saved me from certain death."
Colin laughed. "No problem, Harry."
"Do you know what the Headmaster wants me for?"
"It's for the tournament: pictures and the wand-weighing."
Harry rolled his eyes. Great, just what he needed - not!
Back in the Trophy Room, Harry saw the rest of the champions and Mr. Ollivander. None of the judges were to be found, though there were two other people. One had a camera and the other was a woman with big glasses covered with cheap-looking jewels.
"Harry Potter!" she simpered and glided up to him. "Just the person I was looking for. I'm Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet. How about you and I have a friendly chat while we all wait." She grabbed his arm to try to pull him towards a closet, but Harry dug his heels in and resisted her.
"No, thank you. I'm just fine where I am."
"Well, I suppose we can talk here too. So Harry, tell me how you feel about being in the Tournament?"
"I'm not happy about it because I'm not supposed to be in it."
"How could you not be happy? This is everyone's dream."
"Because I'm not supposed to be in it and I'm hurting Cedric's dream. I don't like that." Cedric's head snapped up to look Harry in the eyes; the other two looked at him strangely.
"Hmm, so how did you enter the Tournament, Harry?"
"I didn't. No one knows how my name got in the Goblet of Fire."
"But you're here now and one of the youngest to ever compete. How do you feel about competing again the older students?"
"I don't know; they'll have an advantage, obviously."
"Yes," her eyes seem to grow behind her bejeweled eyeglasses. "Yes, you could even face death. How do you feel about death? Do you ever cry about your dead parents?"
Whatever he was going to say, and Harry did not know himself, was prevented by all the judges walking into the room. Thankful for the reprieve, Harry walked away from the reporter.
The wand-weighing and pictures did take up the rest of the morning. As much as he hated it, he was glad not to be in Snape's class. That got him to thinking, as did the comment from Fleur that she needed to hurry to lunch so she could get to class back in the carriage. A very thoughtful Harry Potter slowly walked to lunch.
Other than relaying what had happened to him, and congratulating Hermione on her pretty smile now that she had been healed, Harry had been fairly quiet during lunch. He had been working on his thoughts of the morning and thoughts from the summer, about how he was treated. That made him wonder how much he could push things here; how much he could push things for the better. When he saw Madame Maxime leave the head table for the front door, and to her carriage he supposed, he excused himself from his friends and hurried after her. He only had free periods and History of Magic for the afternoon, so as far as he was concerned, he could do anything else he wanted for the next five hours until dinner.
Harry caught up with the Headmistress halfway between the front door to the castle and her carriage. "Madame Maxime?" he called out. "May I talk with you for about ten minutes or so?"
The very tall woman turned and looked at him. "Mr. Potter? What is the nature of the business you wish to discuss?"
"I'd like to ask if you take transfer students."
Olympe Maxime smiled ever so slightly. While she and Albus Dumbledore got along reasonably well, there were times he annoyed her with his grandfatherly know-it-all attitude. "We do allow transfer students from qualified schools, Hogwarts being one of them."
"Do you also have Quidditch teams?"
"Of course, Mr. Potter. We also have four teams which play in an intra-school competition."
"Excellent! Then I have only one more question."
"By all means, Mr. Potter." She opened the door to her school's carriage. "Please come in and we can discuss all of this in my office." Harry Potter would be quite the recruiting coup.
Harry Potter walked back into the castle. He was only a little late for dinner, but that was all right with him. He had a new look on life, especially life at school. He was also starting to look at his overall life differently. There was something about his having to stay at his aunt's house, the way he was treated differently, and all the bad things that kept happening here at school that seemed to be interconnected. Alas, he had yet to figure out what they all had in common, other than Professor Dumbledore. That suddenly made him wonder if the Headmaster knew more than he had told Harry.
In the Great Hall, he took a seat next to Ron and across from Hermione. She practically pounced on him, at least verbally. "Where have you been this afternoon? You missed History of Magic."
With a carefree attitude, he started dishing food for himself. "I've been talking to a couple of professors all afternoon, and doing a little thinking."
"What about?" Ron asked him as he filled his mouth.
"Classes, life, the past, the future, ah, you know, stuff." He also poured himself some pumpkin juice.
"And that was so important you had to skive class? It couldn't wait until this evening or tomorrow?" Hermione asked.
Harry shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time; in fact, it still seems like it was time well spent. I also spent a little time in the library doing a little bit of research. All in all, I had a very profitable afternoon. How about you?"
"You're not going to tell us, are you?" Hermione continued with her interrogation.
He smiled at his two friends. "Not this second, but soon."
"Speaking of soon, mate, you better hurry up with dinner. We've got detention with Snape in about fifteen minutes," Ron reminded him.
Harry did not change his eating speed. "That's one of the things I gave thought to this afternoon. I'm not going."
"What?!" Ron almost shouted.
"Ssh, you're drawing attention to us," Harry pointed out. Indeed, most of the Gryffindors, a number of Ravenclaws, and even a few Hufflepuffs along with a few teachers at the head table were now looking their way.
The three stayed silent for a few minutes to let the scrutiny pass. "Harry, you can't just skip detention because you feel like it," Hermione informed him. "Do you realize how much trouble you can get in for that? You might even be expelled."
Having finished dinner, Harry grabbed a large slice of apple pie. "Normally, I would agree with you, but not in this case."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, there is no case you won't be in trouble for this. You have to go, no matter how much you don't like Professor Snape."
"So why aren't you going?" Ron asked.
Harry almost answered, but stopped himself. Instead, he asked, "Have either of you ever felt like Snape could read your mind? You know, something happened and you were thinking about it in a way that wasn't obvious, and he asked you about the very thing that was on your mind?"
"Yes," Hermione answered and Ron nodded, "but what does that have to do with all this?"
"I'll answer your questions later tonight, but not before you leave for detention, Ron."
"But Harry," Hermione objected, "in the end, what's the difference? If Professor Snape can really read our thoughts, whether he finds out tonight or next week doesn't really matter."
"In the long run, you are correct. But in the short run, I'm protecting Ron. So, Ron, if Snape asks you where I am, tell him you don't know because I decided not to come."
"Are you daft? I can't tell him that," Ron hissed, trying to keep his voice low.
"Tell him whatever you want, Ron. Lay all the blame on me so you don't get into trouble, but I'm not going." Harry turned to his other friend. "Hermione? Is there a branch of magic that deals with reading other's minds and defending yourself from that?"
"Yes. I can't remember what it's called, but I remember reading about it in my book An Overview of the Magical World. Why?"
"Because, I think I need to know. Can I borrow your book to find out what it is?" Harry queried.
"Sure, I'll get it for you when we get back. It's not a very big book, so that should be easy to find." Hermione got up as she was done.
Ron got up too. "I can't believe you're leaving me hanging like this, Harry."
Harry shrugged slightly. "I'm not trying to hurt you. Like I said, tell him I decided not to come. You can even say you tried to get me to come but I ignored you, if you like. It will only happen this once, and I'll tell you why when you get back to the Tower." Ron nodded and left.
Harry followed Hermione to the Tower. She went up to her room and came back down a few minutes later. She handed the thin book to him with it open. On the right hand page, Harry saw two sections, one about Legilimency and one about Occlumency. After reading the overview of them, he decided that Occlumency was what he needed. The book was helpful and gave a couple of recommendations for further reading on the subject.
Looking at his brunette friend who was reading her History of Magic book, he said, "I'll be back in a little bit with your book." He left the Common Room, perusing the book for other interesting things while he walked to the library. In the library, it took him about half an hour to determine there were no books on Legilimency. It did not take long for him to reason out that the staff did not want the students to learn that subject. He'd probably have to mail order a book about that. Another half hour of searching led him to three books on Occlumency. He was amused to see that Sirius Black had been the last person to check them all out. With a laugh to himself, Harry guessed that they had been for group study. He would have to ask his godfather about them over the holidays.
Madam Pince gave him a funny look, but she checked them out to Harry anyway. He started reading the introductory book as he slowly walked back to the Tower. It seemed you could protect your mind in several different ways; which you used depended on your skill and the attack. He could think about one thing to the exclusion of everything else, like a candle flame, a lake, the night sky, whatever. He could also try to build a wall and try to just keep the attacker out. It said he could also try to divert the attacker to a safe or even false memory. That list was in order of difficulty, so he decided to start with the first. It also talked about clearing your mind, which also helped in controlling emotions. The book gave a few exercises for that too. By the time he reached the Tower, he thought he had a handle on the basic theory, so he just needed to start practicing.
Walking in through the portrait hole, he saw his head of house quietly talking to Hermione. The older woman turned, and as soon as she saw him, a scowl appeared on her face. "Mr. Potter," she said so sternly he almost got the chills, "Professor Snape says you purposefully did not show up for your detention tonight. Is that true?"
"Yes, Professor, that's true." Harry tried to think about breathing normally to keep his calm.
"In that case, please come with me. We need to talk to the Headmaster."
"Certainly, Professor. If you don't mind, I'd like to leave my library books with Hermione so I don't have to carry them everywhere." She nodded, the disapproving look not leaving her face. He put his three library books and Hermione's book on the table next to his friend. She gave him a look like "I told you so", so he smiled at her as if it was all going to be all right. Everyone else in the Common Room was staring at him, but for once, he did not mind. He was feeling defiant and was enjoying it.
Harry followed his head of house through the corridors. He used that time to try to clear his mind. He wished he had had time to practice Occlumency at least once. He was about to find out if his theory that there was more going on than what he had been told about was true. If he was right, he would be able to push the limits at least a little. If he was wrong, he was about to go down in flames. But no matter what, he hoped to have more information before the night was over, at least if he could keep his emotions in check and his inner Slytherin working.
As he walked into the Headmaster's office, he was not surprised to find his Potions Professor there. That was unfortunate, as it would make controlling his emotions that much harder, but it could also make the evening more amusing too. Having already decided that his focus object was going to be the dark of his old cupboard, as that "nothingness" was easy to think about, he brought up the image and tried to think about that as much as possible.
"Mr. Potter, please have a seat," the Headmaster held out his hand towards one. McGonagall took another while Snape stood to the side. "I have been informed that you purposefully did not attend detention with Professor Snape. Is that true?"
"Yes sir." Snape silently sneered at Harry's answer.
"Why is that, Mr. Potter?" There was not twinkle in the old man's eyes now.
Knowing that he would get further if he was as respectful as possible, Harry said, "Because I no longer recognize Mr. Snape as a professor, therefore his demands for a detention are meaningless."
"Oh for the love of..."
"Severus!" Albus almost shouted before he went on in a normal voice. "Please hold your comments and questions for a few minutes." He turned back to the student. "Mr. Potter, I realize that you've been having some difficulties lately, but you can not arbitrarily make decisions like that."
"I'm aware that the decision is a bit sudden, Headmaster, but it is very logical and I have excellent reasons."
A sarcastic, "Do tell what illogic you have conceived this time," came from Snape.
"Severus, keep quiet or I shall have to ask you to leave as you are not helping matters." Dumbledore sighed. "Now, what are your reasons for doing this?"
"I have two main reasons with a number of causes. First, Mr. Snape is not a teacher, therefore I can't really learn anything from him."
"Would you please explain that, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked before her sneering colleague could make another objection.
"Professor," he addressed his head of house, "if a student sabotages another student's work, would you consider that a problem?"
"Of course, the disruptor would be punished."
"And if two students had a disagreement in your classroom, would you work to find out what the problem really is, or would you just punish one of the students without asking any questions?"
"I would obviously investigate the problem before handing out any punishments."
"And," Harry continued, "if a student had a problem, would you help him or tell him read the book and take points away for asking a relevant question?"
"I would help him, but what does any of this have to do with your decision?"
"Have you ever threatened a student?"
"Never."
"Lastly, if a student was obviously injured, would you ignore the student or send her to the hospital wing?"
"The student would immediately be sent to Madam Pomfrey for the appropriate treatment. Mr. Potter, what are you getting at?" McGonagall asked.
"Professor, I respect you because you answered every question correctly. You obviously care for your students. You are a teacher. However, every single question I asked you, Mr. Snape did the exact opposite today. I can not respect a person as a teacher like that anymore. He is not a good role model and he does not know how to teach."
Snape jumped forward and pulled out his wand as he said, "Why you little..."
"Petrificus Totalus!"
As Snape fell, Harry moved his knee so it would not get hit and watched his ex-Potions teacher fall face first to the floor, stiff and unable to catch himself. He looked over and saw his head of house with her wand in her hand. With a smile, Harry said, "Thank you, Professor. I appreciate you saving me from his true character." Harry heard a sigh from the other side of the desk and saw the Headmaster pull his glasses off of his face and rub his eyes for a moment before putting them back on.
"Mr. Potter? Can you please tell us what happened today?" the Headmaster requested.
"Certainly, sir. However, if you have a Pensieve, I could show you and then you'd better understand."
"You know what a Pensieve is?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, Professor. I saw one for the first time this afternoon. They're brilliant. I wished I had one."
Minerva McGonagall sighed. "Yes, wouldn't we all. They are fairly rare and usually quite expensive when you can find them. Albus, if you'll pull yours out, I think I would like to take Mr. Potter up on his offer." As the Headmaster did that, she asked, "If I may, Mr. Potter, where did you see a Pensieve this afternoon?"
"Uh, when I talked to Professor Ferguson this afternoon," Harry said tentatively.
"From Beauxbatons?"
"Yes, Professor. She was very nice and quite knowledgeable. I think I learned more from her this afternoon in an hour than I have all of this year under Mr. Snape. I showed her some of my memories from his classes and she was amazed I hadn't blown up my cauldron this year because I hadn't really been taught anything." Harry noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and realized it was Snape shaking in fury on the floor, but he seemed to be unable to do anything else at the moment other than vibrate on the floor.
The Headmaster was ready for him. "Since you used one this afternoon, I assume you know how to put a memory in here?" Harry nodded. "Then please place today's memory so we can see it." Harry did so, and the Headmaster used his wand to start it up; the memory displayed itself above the Pensieve like a projector.
As the memory finished, Harry could tell his head of house was incensed. "Professors, may I show you one more memory?" And the Headmaster's nod, Harry returned the memory in the Pensieve to his head and pulled out another. "This is from my very first Potions class a little over four years ago." Albus played that one too.
"You can see that I've had this problem with him from the very beginning, and I don't know why. Given that he hates me, can't teach, doesn't respect me, and is basically against me, I hope you can see why I don't plan to ever go back to his class again," Harry said. "I am paying tuition to be taught, but I don't want to pay for that kind of teaching."
"But, you have to continue Potions," McGonagall told him.
"I plan to, Professor," Harry informed them. "I arranged to join the Beauxbatons students and let Professor Ferguson teach me for the rest of the year." The two professors stared at him. "Also, Professor Maxime agreed to let me attend their History of Magic class since I don't think I've ever learned anything from Professor Binns, and I really would like to pass that OWL next year."
"But, you can't do that, Mr. Potter. It's not normal," Professor McGonagall exclaimed.
"So, my life has never been normal," Harry replied with a touch of heat. He decided to push a little harder and see what would happen. "I think it will be a good test to see if I like the Beauxbatons students."
"Why is that, Mr. Potter?"
"Well, I would have talked to Professor Karkaroff, but something about him bothers me. Also, I haven't noticed any girls here with them, while some of the French girls are kind of cute and I would like to date some day." Harry heard a chuckle/cough from the Headmaster. "So if all goes well there, and things continue to go badly here, I might transfer there next year."
"Mr. Potter, Harry ..." the Headmaster started before he had to stop and clear his throat. "You really don't need to do that. We can provide for you here just fine. It's where your parents wanted you to go, too."
"I wouldn't know, Headmaster. I have no indication from them at all, so from my point of view, it's all up to me."
"Your guardian would want you here."
"My aunt doesn't care if I live or die, so I can choose to go to school wherever I want."
"Mr. Potter!" Minerva McGonagall exclaimed.
"It's true, Professor. I have more memories of them saying that than you probably have hairs on your head," Harry told them matter-of-factly.
"While that may be true, Mr. Potter," Albus said, "your wizard guardian wants you to go to Hogwarts."
"Sirius? He's never told me that, but I suppose we should discuss it during the holidays."
"No, Harry, I mean me," the Headmaster told him. "I am your wizard guardian."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't recognize you as such. Or do you have something written from my parents indicating that which you've never shown me?" Harry wondered about this, and also wondered if he should write Gringotts about this. He had heard they handle some people's Wills.
"No, Harry, I don't have anything in writing from your parents, but I have always acted as your guardian; and it is in your best interest that I act as such."
Harry shrugged slightly. "I'm sorry, Headmaster, but this will be my decision, although I will listen to advice from Sirius. I don't know for sure that I will attend Beauxbatons next year, but I might. It all depends on how this year goes. I can tell you with certainty that I will not return to the Dursleys ever again."
Dumbledore instantly sat up straight. "I'm sorry, Harry, but I really must insist upon that."
"And why is that, Headmaster? Why can't I go live with Sirius as my parents wished?"
"Because living with your aunt is the safest place for you. You can not be harmed there," the old man explained.
Harry was annoyed at the Headmaster for ignoring the question about Sirius. "That is factually false, I've been physically and emotionally harmed there many times over; but you've avoided the main part of my question: why?"
"Harry, when you were little, I placed some very special blood wards there to protect you. You must return there every year to recharge them with your magic."
"Why? What do I need protection from?"
"I'd rather not get into that just yet; I'm not sure you're ready for that information."
"All right," Harry calmly said and Dumbledore looked relieved. "In that case, since I have no reason to stay there, I won't." Now Dumbledore looked alarmed again. "Professor, I've finally used the brains Hermione says I have and I've noticed that a number of things in my life don't add up, but they seem to indicate that I'm important or special for some reason. I've also noticed that every one of them has you in the story somewhere. Therefore, I believe you know the answers, just like you know why the blood wards are on my aunt's house. But since you won't tell me anything, I'll just have to do the best I can with what information I have. If you want different results, you'll have to tell me the truth about a number of things."
Albus did not answer him, though he was deep in thought.
Harry stood after a few moments of silence. "If you change your mind, please let me know. Good-night."
It was not until he was out in the corridor again heading towards the Tower that Harry took a very deep breath and blew it back out. He had been playing a very dangerous game and it appeared that he had actually won the first battle. He was under no illusion that the war was over though. He also had to admit that tweaking the Headmaster had been a lot of fun.
"Well, Albus are you going to explain it to me?" Minerva asked. Before she could do anything else, she saw a slight movement near her feet. Looking down, she realized the third professor was still down there. Standing and stepping backward, she unfroze the man.
The man sneered and started with, "What the bloody hell do you think you were doing to me?"
"Shut up and sit down, Severus." As he opened his mouth again, she pointed her wand at him again. "Don't even try it. I've been a fully qualified witch for more than twenty years before you were born. Besides, from what I saw in the Pensieve, I should hex you anyway. You have no business treating any student that way. The hatred and blatant favoritism was completely appalling. I do not blame Harry in his decision and I'm quite surprised he hasn't done it before now."
"Why do you think he picked now to do this, Minerva," Albus tiredly asked. He popped a lemon drop in his mouth as he thought about Harry.
The head of the lions sighed. "I think it's a combination of things: stress, he's hitting his rebellious phase that most teenagers go through, and as he said, he's starting to notice things, ask questions, and put it all together."
Albus sighed again. "I was really hoping to wait one more year before I had to tell him a number of things."
"Then don't tell him and make him do the right thing," Snape grumpily advised.
Dumbledore snorted. "Minerva, if I were to attempt that, how do you think Harry would react?"
McGonagall did not hesitate in her answer. "He would rebel more and do the exact opposite. If you pushed him hard enough, I would even guess he would run away over the summer. If you think about it, he basically did that at the end of his stay during the summer before last."
"I'm afraid I agree with that assessment." Albus considered the boy a little more. "Severus, I'm sorry, but you are to keep away from Harry as much as possible. You may no longer take points from him or give him detentions, though I will not tell him that. Also, all detentions you give for the rest of the year will be reviewed by me, as will anytime you remove more than ten points from any person in a single day. Consider yourself on probation."
"Headmaster?!"
"I'm sorry, Severus, but it's your own fault. If you can show me that you've become more fair and a better teacher, I'll take you off of probation. Good-night to both of you." Albus sighed yet again. He was doing a lot of sighing tonight. His last thought before he headed for his quarters was: What do you do with a rebellious teenager who was starting to understand he has power over you?
It was a little after eleven when Ron came back to the Gryffindor Tower. His clothes were slightly damp and he looked tired, but he did not appear to be covered in anything foul.
"Was Snape a git to you over detention?" Harry asked. He had been back long enough that he had already sent Hedwig off to Flourish and Blotts with an order for two books on Legilimency.
Ron shook his head. "Actually, as soon as I told him that you had declined to come, he took me to Filch and I had to scrub floors. So it wasn't too bad." He plopped himself into a chair near the fireplace. Harry and Hermione were on the couch reading. There were a few older students in the Common Room talking and laughing, but no one else was near by.
Hermione closed her book and put it away. "Tell us Harry, what are you doing and what happened when Professor McGonagall came and took you away."
"What?" Ron was confused.
Harry grinned. "Surely you didn't expect Professor Snarky to go back to his dungeons after he left you with Filch did you?"
"Professor Snarky?" Ron started to chuckle. "Oh, good one. I like that." Hermione had small smile on her face too.
"Yeah," Harry grinned. "I talked to Hermione for a few minutes after dinner, then I went to the library to get some books, and when I came back, Professor McGonagall was waiting for me. She took me to the Headmaster's office. Snape was there too." Harry proceeded to tell them about the conversation there, which also explained some of his recent decisions.
"Wait," Hermione said, "you're going to stop going to Professor Snape's class and go to the Potions class with the Beauxbatons students?"
"Yep. I'll do History of Magic, or really their equivalent, with them too."
"Wow, that's cool..." Ron had a goofy grin on his face.
"Why's that?" Hermione asked coolly. Harry wondered if she was thinking about Ron and the Veela girl.
"No Snape. You are one lucky git, Harry. I wished I could do that, but Mum would kill me." Harry agreed with his friend's assessment.
Hermione looked at Harry and in a small voice asked, "Are you really planning on leaving here and not coming back next year?"
Even Harry could figure out what she was really asking. "I don't know, Hermione; it probably depends on what happens this year. I've finally noticed that there are a number of things happening around me that I can't explain and I don't like most of them. I want them to stop or else I want to know what's going on and why. My, uh, threat is the only way I know to find out what's happening. But you should know that if I do decide to change schools, I'd love to have you come with me - both of you. I don't want to lose either of you."
The girl smiled. "Thank you, Harry." It was silent for a moment before she asked, "Harry? How would you do that? Aren't most of their lessons in French?"
Harry smiled. "Yes, but Madame Maxime said there is a spell which can help you with a basic understanding so you can learn the language very quickly. She said I probably wouldn't have any problems after the first month. She even invited me over a few weeks before school started to help out with that. Of course, that was before I decided to start classes with her next week, so I guess she'll do that for me on Monday."
"It sounds like she wants you to come over there."
"Yes, I had that feeling too," Harry agreed. "But you know, it was a different feel than with the Headmaster. With her, I felt like I knew where I stood. She wants me there because it would look good for the school, and also because she thinks she can help me. With Dumbledore, I think he wants to help me, but it can be hard to tell at times because I think he's hiding something very important from me. I guess I felt like Madame Maxime was being more open with me."
Harry yawned. "Oh well, other than some different classes, my strange life goes on. I'm going to bed. Good-night." Ron followed him and Hermione went to her room.
The next couple of weeks went well for Harry. His potions class was hard, but much of that was due to his having to make up work Snape should have taught them over the last few years. Hermione was interested in his new classes and eagerly absorbed any new information from Harry.
Harry found his History of Magic course to be much more French oriented, but Madame Maxime was an interesting teacher and usually lectured about topics that affected the entire Wizarding world. She also rarely discussed goblins, for which Harry was thankful. He also found it interesting that Madame Maxime taught a class. When he had asked, she had explained that she was only doing so on the trip so as not to have to bring as many teachers. Therefore, only Madame Maxime, Professor Ferguson, and Professor LeMoure had come from the French school.
The translation spell worked quite well on Harry and he could converse with all of the students, though some words still escaped him. It only took a few days for the Beauxbatons students to get used to him being there. He also talked with Fleur a little and found she was now a little nicer to him. Apparently, taking classes at her school had raised her estimation of him.
The day of the first task, Harry went to the preparation tent with the other champions. Again, Rita Skeeter was present, but having dealt with her once before, he was now ready for her. No matter what she did, Harry ignored her. Once he even started practicing spells, and he made sure a Stinging hex went her way and hit near her. He was not foolish enough to actually hex her, even though he wanted to do just that. As luck would have it, he drew the Hungarian Horntail and he was to go last. So he sat down to wait and plan.
Hearing his name called, Harry stood and went out to the arena. Stories from his childhood school about the old Roman gladiators came to mind. There was the huge dragon with several eggs at her feet, along with the golden egg he was supposed to retrieve. Surprisingly, he was not that nervous, but then his plan did not call for anything to get nervous about. Pulling his wand out, he pointed it at the pile of eggs and cast "Accio Golden Egg!" He was not surprised to see nothing happen. It was the obvious thing to try; therefore, they would have prevented that.
Looking up, he saw a smirk on the judges's faces. Casting a Sonorous on himself, he announced, "Well, that failed so I'm done. You can tabulate my score now."
The judges's expressions now turned to shock and everyone quieted down. Bagman was the first to recover. "Mr. Potter, you can't be done, you have yet to complete the task."
"I am done," Harry argued with his amplified voice. "You said I was required to participate. I have done that by making an attempt to complete the task. It was merely my bad luck you anticipated my attempt and prevented that. It's obvious not every person can complete every task. What if I had gotten so hurt I could not continue?"
There were murmurings now, not only from the judges, but from the students too. Everyone had wanted to see what Harry could do.
Harry now addressed the crowd. "To the other students. While Cedric is the Hogwarts champion and we should all support him, I'll give my place up now for anyone who wants it. Who wants to fight a dragon? Come on down and you can be my proxy. If you win all three tasks, you can even have all of the prize money. You only have to fight a dragon, and the other two tasks, which I think we can assume will be harder than this." The students talked among themselves, but they also looked at the dragon. No one seemed keen to take him up on the offer while the judges looked at each other trying to determine if that was possible.
"Mr. Potter," Bagman continued. "You can not have a proxy either. You must try to complete the task."
"I did try to complete the task, but apparently there is an Anti-Summoning charm on the egg and I haven't been taught enough in school to do anything else." Hagrid had told him dragons were on the grounds, and Professor Moody had discussed using his broom to fly and get past the dragon. While Harry had thought that might work, he had no desire to abandon his overall plan.
Dumbledore seemed to look embarrassed, but he finally spoke up. "I guess the task is complete for this participant. Judges, show your scores please." Every judge gave him a zero, to which he smiled and walked out of the arena.
Back in the Common Room, a number of people started giving him grief about his choice to give up. Lee Jordan even went so far as to tell Harry he should not be a Gryffindor because he had no courage.
Harry turned at that point and shouted, "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" When the room quieted, he went on forcefully, although not shouting. "I did not enter myself in this tournament. I did not want to be down there fighting a dragon for a sack of money. If a friend was dying or in peril? Fine, I'd find a way to kill the dragon. But there's no need to face a dragon for some stupid tournament. And how dare any of you call me a coward!" He looked at Lee. "I made an invitation for anyone to come down and do the task, have the fame and the glory along with the money, but none of you volunteered. So I don't want to hear any of your complaints. Like I said earlier, Cedric is the Hogwarts champion, support him." His tirade over, he stomped over to the stairs to go to his room for some peace and quiet. "Hypocrites," he muttered as he went up the stairs. His slamming of the his dorm room door was clearly heard by the shocked students in the quiet Common Room below.
It took Hermione a half hour to convince Ron to go up after him, and another ten minutes for Ron to get Harry to come down to dinner. Ron patted him on the back and Hermione gave him a hug. They got a number of looks from everyone at dinner, but no one said a thing to him. In fact, other than a few snide comments from Malfoy, no one said anything bad to him at all, and Harry was happy about that.
At first, the only interesting thing that happened was he was pulled aside by the judges the next evening. Professor Dumbledore seemed to be the spokesman. "Mr. Potter, because you did not complete the first task, you can not have the extra golden egg which would give you a clue about the second task. Therefore, you will have to begin the task unprepared, unlike the other participants."
Harry just smiled. "That's all right, Professor; I'll deal with the task when it happens. Is there anything else I need to know?" he asked calmly.
"No, Mr. Potter, that's all."
Continuing with his calm smile, he turned and left.
"What is he playing at?" Ludo Bagman asked.
Dumbledore was not sure why Bagman looked worried. "I have no idea, but I suspect we'll find out." Looking at the other judges, he saw smiles on Madame Maxime and Karkaroff's faces. That was easy to figure out, they felt their contestants had a much better chance now.
November turned into December and life went on. At the end of first week of December, the next interesting event happened to Harry. At the end of his Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall had an announcement.
"Class, on the evening of the 25th, we will have the traditional Yule Ball that accompanies the Triwizard Tournament. Fourth years and above are allowed to go. You may invite someone from a lower year if you wish. While you do not have to have date to attend the Ball, you will find it more enjoyable if you do have one." The bell rang to end the class. "You are dismissed, except for Mr. Potter."
With a sigh, Harry waited for everyone else to leave. When it was just the two of them, Harry asked, "You wanted to talk to me, Professor?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter, there are a couple of things we should discuss. As a Triwizard champion, you are required to attend the Ball, and you need a partner because you have to open the dancing after dinner."
"A partner?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter, a dancing partner, a date. Be sure to get one and I would suggest you do it as soon as possible. You do not want to disgrace Hogwarts."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Professor. I believe that already happened when my name came out of the goblet of fire; but I will find a date for the Ball."
She sighed before she softly went on. "I'm very sorry you got pulled into this, Mr. Potter; this should not have happened to you. Do you know what you're going to do since you don't have an egg to help you with clues for the next task?"
Harry shrugged. "Obviously, I don't know exactly what to do, but I have a general plan. I guess I need to develop a plan to find a date to the Ball too."
"That would be a good idea. I heard about your speech to the house after the first task. I don't agree with your non-participation, but I do understand and applaud your thinking it through, as well as your support for Mr. Diggory. Be careful, Mr. Potter."
For the rest of the day, and especially that evening, Harry could not help but notice all the twittering from the girls in the corridors and in the Great Hall. It really set him on edge. Between that and his need for a date, he decided to deal with the problem head on and just get it all over with.
After dinner, he looked around the Common Room and saw everyone he was looking for. With a deep breath to steel himself, Harry walked over to the stairs to the boys dorm rooms and stood on the third step so he would have some extra height. In a loud voice, he called out, "My I have your attention please? If you would be so kind, I'd like all the third and fourth year girls to come over here please. I need to talk to you for just a minute."
Harry watched them Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati, as well as Ginny, Mandy, Allison, and Cynthia come over and stand in front of him. He came down to the first step. "Ladies, I have a problem and I need some help. Professor McGonagall told me today that I have to go to the Ball, and that I have to have a date. My date and I must dance the first dance. Besides that, I really don't care whether I go to the Ball or not, so after I've fulfilled my obligation, I don't know how long I'll stay at the Ball, although my date can stay as long as she likes. So you can see that I might be the worst Yule Ball date ever, especially since I can't dance." He noticed some confused looks on the girls in front of him as they tried to puzzle his speech out. He also noticed that everyone in the Common Room was watching and listing to him, not just the girls in front of him. He should have thought about that before, but too late now.
"Given all of that, do any of you want to go to the Ball with me?" Harry looked at them, not sure what he was going to do if more than one volunteered. After a few seconds, he saw Ginny raise her hand. "You do?"
Ginny smiled and nodded. "Sure, Harry. If I don't go with an older student, I can't go."
"OK, if you're fine with everything I said, you have a date to the Ball - congratulations." He stepped down and shook her hand. She blushed slightly but shook back. As the other girls walked away, he lowered his voice. "Despite what I said, I'll try to make it nice for you, but there are no guarantees. I felt like I had to say what the worst was so there were no unrealistic expectations placed on me."
Ginny chuckled. "I understand. I'll do my best to help you like it, and I'll even help you learn to dance."
Now Harry chuckled. "It's a deal, Ginny."
At the end of his next Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall again held Harry back. "Mr. Potter, why did you use that method to get a date for the Ball? I understood you practically auctioned yourself off."
"Do you hear about everything in the Common Room, Professor?"
"Of course not, but when students make announcements and speeches, they do tend to get back to me. Now, answer my question please."
"Well Professor, as you know, I really don't want to be in the Tournament, and I shouldn't be in the Tournament; and truthfully, I don't even want to go to the Ball. In fact, every boy in my dorm room, with the exception of Seamus, dreads finding a date, so I don't think I'm unusual. Girls are nice to look at, but I don't really want to date now, maybe next year. So that was the only way I could think of to get a date quickly."
McGonagall sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Your attitude is quite normal for a fourteen year-old boy. Very well; head on to your next class." As he left, she shook her head and wondered how many other surprises he was going to have for her this year.
As Harry entered the Great Hall for the Yule Ball with Ginny on his arm, he was very surprised. There at the Head Table, where he and the other champions and judges were to sit, was none other than Percy Weasley. According to him, he was filling in for his boss, Barty Crouch. Harry mostly kept his mouth shut and just listened; however, Ginny seemed to have an agenda. It seemed that whenever Percy said something, Ginny would make a comment. Her comments seemed innocent at first hearing, but with some thought looking for double meanings, Harry realized she was skewering Percy. The boy was almost continually red faced, and Dumbledore seemed to be highly amused. Harry's regard for his date rose several pegs.
When dinner ended, it was time for dancing. As required, he escorted Ginny to the dance floor, along with Cedric and Cho Chang, Viktor and Hermione, and Fleur and Roger Davies.
"Don't worry, Harry," Ginny quietly told him. "Just dance like you did in practice. After the first few seconds, no one will be watching you anyway." That probably was not quite true, but it did seem to help Harry's nerves.
As the first song ended, they kept dancing for the second song too. "So, do you like dancing now?" she asked him.
Harry grinned at her. "Do you want an honest answer?" She nodded as they continued to move around the dance floor. "I sort of do, but I think the only reason is because I have you with me."
Ginny blushed madly and almost tripped. "Harry, I ..." She did not know quite what to say.
"Anyone can see that you're very pretty when you dress up like this, as opposed to just normal pretty when you're not." Ginny raised an eyebrow at that, but did not say anything. "You were really funny at the dinner table; I like your sense of humor. You're also a good dancer and a good teacher. I think that makes you a nice person to be around, so yes, I like dancing with you."
Ginny still was not sure what to say. Was he flirting with her, or did he actually like her?
By the end of the fourth song, they sat down for a few minutes with some punch. "Are you glad you came, Harry?"
He looked at her and cocked his head slightly. "Yes, I think I am. I may not leave early after all."
"Wow, I've taught Harry Potter something new that he likes. I should mark this on my calendar."
Harry joined her in a chuckle. "Wonders never cease. Are you glad you came with me? Have I been a bad date yet?"
"Of course I'm glad. You've been a good date, but the night is young so you have plenty of time to be a bad date," she teased.
Whatever Harry was about to say was stopped when another boy came over. "May I borrow Miss Weasley for a dance?"
Harry looked up to see a Ravenclaw there, Michael Corner, he thought. He looked at Ginny to see what she wanted and she nodded. "As long as you treat her well," Harry said. Michael held out his hand and helped her up, and out they went onto the dance floor.
It was interesting to watch Ginny. She seemed so at ease with everything. Harry again realized how pretty she was when she was made up like this. He had not been joking that she was normally pretty; he had noticed her, but she was extra pretty tonight. She was Ron's little sister, though that did not matter much to him and Ron had not given him any problems for taking her to the Ball. What did matter was her sense of humor and her intelligence. In many ways, she reminded him of her twin brothers, or at least a variation of them.
As the song ended, so did his pondering of his date. Corner brought her back and Harry rose and pulled her back out onto the dance floor. "Still having fun?" he asked her.
"Yes, but then I'm a girl and girls are supposed to like Balls," she told him with a soft laugh that bordered on a giggle but did not quite make it.
"And I'm a guy, so I'm not allowed to like the Ball," he teased her back. After another moment, he had worked up his courage to ask her another question. "Ginny, can I ask you a serious question?"
"Sure, Harry. I'll answer almost anything as I owe you."
"You owe me? I don't understand."
Ginny seemed to struggle with an answer. "Can we stop and go outside and sit down for a few minutes? This may be hard for me to answer while we're dancing."
"All right." Harry did not understand, but he decided to give her the chance to explain. They could have gone out into the Rose Garden, but it was a bit cool for Ginny's dress, so they found a bench in the hallway that was secluded. They sat down turned towards one another, knees touching.
"I owe a debt for what you did for me two years ago," she told him very seriously. "There are some things I can't do for you now, but I'll do anything reasonable for you. You gave me my life back."
Harry was not sure what to say. "I've heard the term Wizard's Debt before, are you saying you owe me something like that?"
"Yes, Harry, I do."
"Ginny, you don't. I saved you because it was the right thing to do, not because I wanted you to owe me something, whatever a Wizard's Debt entails."
She played with a ribbon on her dress for a moment. "It's not a formal debt, it's more like a tradition but stronger; it's quite serious. Like I said, I'll do anything reasonable for you - once."
"I don't know what to say. I don't think I'll ever hold you to that, but I'll keep it in mind just in case I run across a basilisk that needs slaying." Ginny chuckled with him, the mood again a bit lighter at that seemingly impossible occurrence.
"What is your serious question, Harry? I think we got side-tracked."
"My question? Oh, right. I, uh, I was noticing back in the other room what a nice person you are. You've got a great sense of humor, you're fun-loving, and you seem to be smart - maybe as smart as Hermione." Ginny blushed at his praise. "So why don't we know one another better? It seems like we barely talked to one another over the summer."
Ginny again blushed. "I think I'd rather talk about the basilisk than this."
"Huh? Surely this isn't that hard of a question." Or at least Harry did not think it should be that hard.
"Ok, it's not hard, just embarrassing. Can't you see my face?" She looked up at him and he was smiling at her. "All right, let's try this. What was I like around you two years ago?"
Harry ran his fingers through his hair as he thought about that. Ginny was almost mesmerized by that. "I seem to recall you being somewhat shy back then."
She rolled her eyes. "That's putting it mildly. Harry, I was completely and hopelessly shy around you. I had this huge, and very unrealistic I might add, crush on you. I couldn't say anything with you in the same room without squeaking."
"You're doing pretty well right now," he pointed out.
"Thank you, I've had to work very hard to get this far, and I still find myself blushing around you for no reason." Or at least for reasons I refuse to name, she thought.
"Hmm, interesting. Do you think we could be friends now?"
A part of Ginny's heart soared and dared to hope, the rest of her heart was not sure what he really meant. She decided to listen to the majority for now. "What do you mean? I thought we were friends, at least as much as we can be since we're in different classes."
"You have a point, but I still think we could be closer friends, sort of like Hermione and I are. Would you like to do that?"
She smiled. "Sure, Harry, I'd like that." Harry looked at her for a minute, and she could tell he was thinking something through very carefully.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Harry asked.
Ginny almost fell off the bench. That was about the last thing she had expected him to say or ask. Still, her teasing nature could not be denied. "No. Are you asking?"
"Maybe, but I guess I don't really know yet. I told Professor McGonagall not too long ago that I wasn't ready to date yet, but maybe that was because I hadn't met the right person. Can we be friends for a little bit before I ask?"
This was so sudden, and yet it was thrilling for Ginny. She had wanted to be his girlfriend for a long time, and now here she was "this close" to being there, all because she had volunteered to go on a "bad date" with him. "Maybe," she finally replied. "How long is a little bit? I don't want to be strung along forever."
Now Harry blushed. "Right, sorry. Oh, a month or two. I'd like us to hang around together and get to know one another first." He chuckled as he told her, "Sort of pre-dating."
Ginny grinned. "Sure, why not. I don't have anyone even trying to ask."
"Oh, well, that's good for me, then. We don't have to hurry and can make sure of things so we can know whether to get serious or not. So, now that we have that awkward part out of the way, how about we go back in and put some of your tutoring to work?" He stood and held out his hands for her and helped her up.
They went back to the Ball and onto the dance floor. They stayed until the end and the only time they did not dance was when Hermione came over and asked him to dance, so he gave Ginny to Viktor for one song. At the end of the Ball, they walked back to the Tower arm in arm.
At the bottom of the girl's stairs, Harry pulled her into a loose embrace. "Thank you for going with me, Ginny. I hope you had a wonderful time."
"I did. What started out as a sympathy date," she teased him before she got serious, "turned into a date that has given me a new good friend, and maybe more."
"Maybe more, but don't count your dragons before they hatch. Still, I'd like us to be better friends no matter what." Ginny agreed. "Why don't you start joining us for meals, at least some of them?"
"Thanks, Harry, I will. Maybe breakfast and dinner so I can sit with my friends during lunch."
"Sure, you shouldn't have to give up your friends."
She was glad he had said that.
"Good-night, Ginny, and thanks for coming." Harry did not feel comfortable kissing her like a boyfriend would, so he leaned down slightly and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He saw her beam and that made him smile. Maybe he was ready to date, he thought to himself as he let her go and they each went up to their own dorm rooms. Maybe dating would not be so bad with the right girl