Re: Helpless (A H/G fic) - Updated 11-24-02
Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2002 8:21 pm
Chapter Nine<br><br>The next day, when Harry looked back on it, ended up being one of those days he wished he had never even bothered climbing out of bed for.<br><br>It all started innocently enough. Pigwidgeon was making tiny screech-like noises near Ron’s four-poster and the sound awakened Harry. He reached through the curtains, over to his nightstand, to retrieve his glasses when things took a turn for the worse. He heard Neville, talking quietly to Seamus Finnegan across the room.<br><br>“I’m going to ask her today,” said Neville in an undertone. “When I have a break, after Divination.”<br><br>“Isn’t it a wee bit early?” asked Seamus. “It’s over a month away.”<br><br>“Well, I want to make sure no one else has the chance to ask her first,” said Neville.<br><br>“She said yes to you last year, didn’t she? Take it easy, mate. She’ll say yes to you again.”<br><br>“Easy for you to say,” whispered Neville in an anxious voice.<br><br>Harry heard Dean Thomas’ voice join in the conversation.<br><br>“You going to ask Lavender again this year, Seamus?”<br><br>Harry had heard enough. He pushed the curtains of his four-poster aside and quickly got dressed. He noticed Ron had already gone down and when he went to leave the dormitory, he barely muttered a “Hello” to Neville and the others as they said, “Good morning, Harry” to him.<br><br>As he headed down the staircase to the common room, he could hear Dean Thomas’ voice trailing behind him.<br><br>“What’s got his feathers ruffled?”<br><br>*****<br><br>Harry had never stopped to think that the Yule Ball was fast approaching. And it wasn’t as if it were the big deal it had been a year ago, either. There was no tournament this year – Dumbledore had only agreed to have the ball again because of its overall popularity with the students. He figured the festive event would keep the students’ spirits up. <br><br>No such luck with Harry. Last year, he had been one of the Triwizard Champions – he not only had to attend the ball, but also find a date. This year he didn’t necessarily have to worry about having a date – he could go stag, if he so desired. Hell, he could not go at all. <br><br>But, hearing his dorm mates talking about the Yule Ball had stirred a surprising amount of interest in Harry – and what interested him the most – or rather concerned him the most – was Neville’s plan to ask Ginny. <br><br>He spent all of breakfast mulling over whether or not he should take action. He looked down the table at Ginny, who appeared bored out of her wits listening to Claire Hodgkin blathering on, then over to Neville, who was whispering something to Seamus and Dean.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>He’s no doubt strategizing how to make his move</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, thought Harry. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I have until after Divination to make</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> my <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>move – but what kind of move am I going to make?</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Harry began to feel downright ill. He pushed his porridge bowl aside, prompting Hermione to make an inquiry.<br><br>“You all right, Harry?” she asked with a fretful expression on her face. “You haven’t seemed yourself lately.”<br><br>“I’m fine, Hermione,” said Harry irritably. “Quit making a fuss.”<br><br>Harry gulped down a bit of his pumpkin juice and looked back down the table at Ginny.<br><br>He was quite unclear exactly what his feelings for her were. All he knew was that his gut wrenched every time he thought of her spending time with Neville. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>But, why should I feel that way?</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> he thought. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Neville’s a decent chap. He’s got good intentions and he seems to have genuine feelings for her and all. He’s all right for her – I should be happy for them both …</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>But, he wasn’t happy at all.<br><br>No, Harry was not going to be able to kid himself that what he was feeling was some sort of brotherly protectiveness for Ginny. Someone with brotherly intentions wouldn’t heat up like a furnace every time he came near the girl he thought of like a sister.<br><br>Harry looked over at Ron, who was chewing a piece of bacon and listening to Hermione chatter. He would probably want to throttle Harry to death if he knew what kind of reaction Harry was having around his baby sister of late.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Guess I won’t be able to go to Ron for advice on this one</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, he thought gloomily.<br><br>*****<br><br>All through Divination, Harry sat anxiously, as if he were awaiting the arrival of Doomsday.<br><br>At the end of class, Professor Trelawney made a misty-voiced announcement.<br><br>“Before I dismiss you, I’d like for you all to do a tealeaf reading.” She waved her hands at them and said, “Go on, then! Bottoms up! Drink your tea!”<br><br>Harry swallowed the contents of his teacup in three gulps, and then set it down on the table in front of him. <br><br>“Potter,” said Professor Trelawney faintly. “Have you read your cup?”<br><br>“Er … yes,” he lied. “There’s a … erm … a horse. I’d better be careful to avoid them to prevent any riding accidents.”<br><br>Ron, who was seated on a pouf next to Harry, snickered loudly.<br><br>“Let me see your cup, dear,” said Trelawney importantly. She turned Harry’s teacup around, examined it and began to shake her head. “I’m sorry to inform you that misfortune is your lot today, Mr. Potter.”<br><br>“Oh, what’s new?” grumbled Ron, so only Harry could hear him.<br><br>“What kind of misfortune?” inquired Harry, ignoring Ron’s comment.<br><br>Ron shot him a quizzical look and Professor Trelawney beamed at Harry’s newfound interest in, what she called, the mysteries of the future.<br><br>“It’s unclear exactly what,” she answered Harry in a grave tone.<br><br>“Big surprise,” muttered Ron.<br><br>Harry was about to tell him to shut up – the anxiety of the day was wearing thin on him – but he didn’t particularly need Professor Trelawney to tell him anymore. He knew exactly what bad luck was waiting for him in the mysterious future.<br><br>*****<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I’ve got to do something</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, thought Harry as he hastily left Professor Trelawney’s classroom to follow Neville.<br><br>“Wait up!” gasped Ron, trying to keep up with Harry’s pace. “Where’s the fire?”<br><br>“I just need to get back to the common room” Harry called back to him quickly, nearly knocking a third year Hufflepuff boy off his feet as he did. He muttered a rushed “pardon me” and continued on.<br><br>“What for?” shouted Ron, who was lagging quite a bit behind him. “What’s so bloody important in the common room that we need to run there like it’s a bloody race?”<br><br>Harry didn’t answer him. He couldn’t think clearly enough to make up a decent excuse. He was still – rather unsuccessfully – trying to come up with a way to stop Neville from asking Ginny to the Yule Ball.<br><br>“Pixie dust,” said Harry impatiently to the Fat Lady. Neville had apparently gotten there with enough time for the portrait hole to close back up – perhaps then he had enough time to begin to ask Ginny. Harry’s palms began to sweat as the Fat Lady swung her portrait aside.<br><br>Ron caught up, but Harry plunged on through without so much as giving him a backward glance.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>I’m too late</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, thought Harry as he entered the common room and saw Neville standing near Ginny and some of the other Gryffindor fourth years. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Think!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> he told himself urgently. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Do something – anything – but quick!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>But, Harry didn’t know exactly <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>what</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> to do, so he did the first, rash thing that came to mind. He bounded clumsily across the room towards the group of them. He nearly toppled over Lewis Grimes as he approached them.<br><br>“Hiya, Harry,” said Colin Creevey brightly. “What’s the problem?”<br><br>“Ginny,” Harry said breathlessly. “I need to speak to Ginny.”<br><br>Ginny looked at him perplexedly.<br><br>“It’s really important,” he added. He almost tacked on “Sorry, Neville,” but thought that would have been going a bit too far.<br><br>“All right, Harry,” said Ginny. She followed him to an unoccupied corner of the common room. “What is it? Is it about the you-know-what practice? Neville was about to ask me something …”<br><br>“Er …” said Harry dully. Now that he had successfully gotten Ginny away from Neville, he was at a loss for what he should do next.<br><br>And to compound the problem, Harry realized they were no longer alone in the corner. Ron had joined them and was standing, arms folded, and looking quite cross.<br><br>“What’s going on here?” Ron asked impatiently.<br><br>“Harry was just about to tell me – weren’t you, Harry?” said Ginny.<br><br>“Er …” repeated Harry bleakly. “I was just about to tell her something …” He was hoping something brilliant would fall out of the sky to save his neck. “Something about the … the you-know-what we’ve been working on.”<br><br>This seemed to satisfy Ron. He knew “what” Harry was referring to and was content to leave them to discuss, though he did mutter, “Could have said so earlier,” as he walked off.<br><br>Ginny, on the other hand, was still looking puzzled.<br><br>“So, what <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>about</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> the you-know-what?” she asked curiously.<br><br>“Er …” Harry was feeling less than graceful at communication at that present moment. “That’s … not exactly … why I called you over here.”<br><br>His ears were heating up again.<br><br>“I called you over so …” He paused.<br><br>“Yes?” Ginny asked.<br><br>“So you wouldn’t make a mistake,” he blurted out.<br><br>“A mistake?” she asked, the utter confusion apparent in her voice. “A mistake about what?”<br><br>“About what Neville was going to ask you,” said Harry, glancing over at Neville, who was resting his elbow on the chessboard. Harry was guiltily hoping Neville had lost his nerve.<br><br>“How do <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>you</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> know what Neville was going to ask me?” Ginny raised an eyebrow at him and for a split second, Harry felt like Molly Weasley was staring him down instead of her daughter.<br><br>Harry swallowed hard. She had him now. He had painted himself into the proverbial corner.<br><br>“I … I … I,” Harry stammered. “I know he was going to ask you to the Yule Ball and I had to stop you from making a huge mistake by accepting him.” The words had tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.<br><br>“And <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>why</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> – do tell – would accepting Neville’s offer to go to the ball be a huge mistake?” Her eyebrow was still raised.<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>If only she would put that eyebrow down, maybe I could say something that would make some sense</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, he thought desperately. But, the only things Harry could utter were an endless string of “ers” and “erms.” <br><br>Ginny looked like a teakettle, ready to steam. “Harry, give me <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>one good reason</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> why I shouldn’t accept Neville’s offer, should he ask?”<br><br>Harry wanted to speak. He really did, but it was as if his mind had been temporarily taken over by the mind of a common garden slug.<br><br>“Can’t you give me a reason?” said Ginny angrily. <br><br>Harry couldn’t say a word. His mouth had become paralyzed.<br><br>“Fine then!” spat Ginny. She stormed out of the common room and out the portrait hole, letting it slam so hard behind her, some of the tapestries on the wall waved vigorously from the force.<br><br>Neville and the group of fourth years shot Harry a questioning look. Ron walked over to him and gave him a knowing look.<br><br>“That was <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>not</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> about the you-know-what. Care to fill me in?”<br><br>“No,” said Harry flatly. “I really don’t.”<br><br>Ron stared at him, baffled, and Harry trudged up the staircase to his dormitory.<br><br>He flung himself on his mattress and drew the curtains around the four-poster. He was willing to skip dinner and go straight to sleep. He was more than ready for his day from hell to end.<br><br>**********************************************<br><br>Chapter Ten<br><br>The next day, Harry gave serious consideration to wearing his invisibility cloak all day long.<br><br>Ron had been acting tetchily around him all day. Harry had refused to tell Ron what the spat between he and Ginny was all about. Hermione was itching to find out, too, but Harry had taken to telling her to mind her own business every time she opened her mouth around him by the time dinner had rolled around that evening.<br><br>That’s when Harry had spotted Ginny for the first time that day. He knew he’d have to bite the bullet and talk to her. He’d managed to find a boggart earlier that day and needed to ask her when a convenient time would be for them to practice her Patronus. He could just hear her response now, <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>“When they’re ice fishing in hell, that’s when!”</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>He watched Colin and Claire tell Ginny goodbye. <br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Now’s my chance</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, thought Harry. Ginny was sitting alone.<br><br>Harry ignored whatever Ron had said as Harry got up from his place at the table and moved to sit next to Ginny.<br><br>Ginny didn’t looked up from her Yorkshire pudding as Harry plopped down beside her.<br><br>Harry gave her a sheepish look as he started to say, “I was wondering if you’re ready to move onto the next level with the <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Patronus</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->.” He said the last word in a whisper. Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet were sitting nearby, talking to Fred and George Weasley.<br><br>Ginny put her spoon down on her napkin and turned to Harry. Her face was almost stiff. “Just so long as you promise not to inflict anymore dating advice on me.”<br><br>Harry gulped. He wanted desperately to ask her whether or not that meant she had accepted Neville’s invitation or not, but he valued his head too much to make that comment sitting so close to Ginny’s wand hand.<br><br>“I promise,” said Harry awkwardly. “Are you busy now? We could go to the empty classroom – I’ve put our makeshift Dementor in there.”<br><br>Some of the color drained from Ginny’s face, but she nodded. “All right, then. I have some Transfiguration homework, but it can wait.”<br><br>*****<br><br>As they walked along the corridor, Ginny’s mind reeled. Just when she thought she had Harry Potter all figured out. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>He’s a complete mystery to me, that one</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->, she thought as they walked together towards the empty classroom. Secretly, she couldn’t help but be a little pleased with him, even if that pleasure was laced with loads of annoyance. He had tried to stop her from going to the ball with Neville – that could only mean one thing. He wanted to go with her. But, why – if that were the case – didn’t he just say that? <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Boys are total, raving idiots.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Amid her thoughts, a soft voice broke through.<br><br>“Oh … hello, Harry.”<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Great, bleeding horntoads!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> thought Ginny miserably. <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Of all the people to run into in this enormous castle!</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Cho Chang, with her perfect skin and onyx-colored hair stood in the corridor adjacent them.<br><br>“Hi,” she said to Ginny. Ginny felt the need to dive behind the nearest tapestry to hide her freckled-skin and her flame-red hair. She was feeling utterly inferior in the presence of Cho. “I’m Cho … I think you must be Harry’s friend Ron’s little sister.”<br><br><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Oh, what gave it away?</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--> thought Ginny glumly.<br><br>“This is Ginny Weasley,” Harry said, introducing her.<br><br>“Nice to meet you, Ginny” said Cho politely. “I’d better be going – I have a lot of studying to do,” she added. “See you later, Harry.”<br><br>“G’bye, Cho,” said Harry.<br><br>Ginny looked at her feet the rest of the way to the empty classroom, not wanting to see any sort of expression on Harry’s face that might tell her he’d rather be following Cho to the library than going with her to work on defense practices.<br><br><br> <p><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:DarkOrchid;"><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"Never trust anything that can think for itself, if you can't see where it keeps its brain." - Arthur Weasley</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:DeepSkyBlue;"><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?" - Ron to Hermione</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:DarkOrchid;"><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through...." - Fred & George</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:DeepSkyBlue;"><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant." - George about Harry.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--> <br><!--EZCODE FONT START--><span style="color:DarkOrchid;"><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Prof. Dumbledore</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--></em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--></span><!--EZCODE FONT END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><br /><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE CENTER START--><div style="text-align:center"><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/07 ... <!--EZCODE IMAGE END--></div><!--EZCODE CENTER END--><br></p><i></i>