Disclaimer: I own nothing; it all belongs to J.K.Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

September gave way to October, and the crisp fall air permeated the halls of the castle. The vibrant colors of the leaves were fading, and the evening chill was growing more and more pronounced. Students and staff alike seemed to take every opportunity to be outdoors, knowing that the days before winter was upon them were numbered.

Quidditch practices grew more frequent as the match against Ravenclaw grew nearer. Harry threw himself with vigor into training for the match. He enjoyed the exhaustion a good workout brought and slept better on the nights they had practices. Harry was thrilled to be back in the air again and could hardly wait to compete in his first match in nearly a year.

Ron was obsessive in his bid for the cup and tolerated nothing less than perfection at each practice. He often kept them out until well after dark in order to perfect a certain move. On these nights, Madam Hooch would shoo them off the pitch, threatening Ron with a detention on the day of the match if he didn’t pay attention to the curfew. His persistence had paid off, however; the team was looking good. Ron’s tantrums were an added bonus as a source of amusement for them all.

Katie Bell and Ginny, who had played together the previous year, worked well as a team and quickly got young Holly Proctor up to speed. The three girls worked well in tandem, and even Ron had trouble blocking them. Ginny seemed to be in her element as Chaser, having the same fierce competitive spirit for which her brothers were famous. Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke had improved vastly since the previous year. They still weren’t up to the standards of the Weasley twins, but Harry doubted there would ever be two Beaters as well paired as those two. Harry remembered the twins saying they would come for the first game and hoped that they would be able to follow through.

Harry had continued his Apparition lessons with Remus and eagerly anticipated their first visit into Hogsmeade to attempt a long distance trip. He had mastered moving around the Room of Requirement, and found he preferred Apparating to travelling by either Floo or Portkey. As Dumbledore had requested, he was still keeping his Defense lessons secret from Ron and Hermione. A childish part of him couldn’t wait to tease Hermione that he had Apparated inside Hogwarts.

Remus hadn’t mentioned their conversation about the Prophecy again, and Harry left it at that. Heeding Ginny’s advice, he thought about how he might handle it and decided he liked it best when people let him take things at his own pace; he would wait for Remus to make the next move.

Harry found he enjoyed his lessons with Tonks most of all. She had decided that the best way for Harry to train would be to put him through a pseudo boot camp of Auror training. Since this was the career path Harry wanted to follow, anyway, he was eager for the challenge. Tonks told him that in addition to needing to work on his magical abilities, he had to improve his physical fitness. She said they were going to begin training using some Martial Arts techniques. Martial Arts took a great deal of both physical and mental control, and, she said, one didn’t need to be a muscle man in order to be deadly.

"Are you implying my physique is less than spectacular?" Harry joked.

Tonks rolled her eyes and sent her hair color through a rapid succession of shades of the rainbow. "Oh, yeah, Harry. I can’t wait for your pin-up calendar to be released."

Harry smirked back at her. "I might even autograph it for you."

Tonks was good for Harry; she boosted his confidence level in himself, and he found he learned very quickly from her. She was an expert at Karate, and Harry noticed that she was far less clumsy while they practiced than at other times. He began to suspect that her clumsiness was an act, designed to throw suspicion off of her and make her appear unassuming. It was a good ruse, because he found a lot of people seemed to let their guard down around Tonks, which was probably a good way for an Auror to gain information.

On several occasions, Harry had tried to tease her about her budding relationship with Remus, but she was so straightforward and to the point that it was usually Harry who ended up blushing and quickly changing the subject. Tonks found it amusing to embarrass him and quickly learned how easy it was to do. She took great glee in seeing how red she could actually get her charge to turn. He took it well, and they fell into an almost sibling-like camaraderie. Between the Quidditch practice and workouts with Tonks, Harry’s body had strengthened, and he was actually beginning to develop some muscle. His shoulders had broadened over the summer, and, with the physical activity combined with a normal diet, he was looking much healthier. His metabolism would always keep him on the thin side, but he no longer appeared sickly. Harry liked the physical changes; not only did they boost his self-esteem, but they also made him feel he was doing something to prepare for the battle ahead.

His Shield Charm had come along nicely, and even Tonks was no longer able to break it. He could tell she was really trying and was impressed by his efforts. The one area he still was having no luck with was wandless magic. Despite nearly six weeks of effort, he was no further along than he had been when they started the training.

Harry had also continued his Occlumency lessons. He met twice a week with Professor Dumbledore and practiced clearing his mind nightly before falling asleep. He hadn’t had a single vision since his first night back, although his scar still twinged regularly; however, nothing as bad as it had been over the summer. On occasion, he’d get a brief flash of a feeling that wasn’t his own, but it would be gone as quickly as it came after he threw a Mental Block up. The feeling he got most often was that of frustration, and it pleased him to think he was irritating Voldemort.

He wasn’t sure what to make of something strange that happened during his Occlumency lessons: during the times he was concentrating the hardest to keep Dumbledore out of his mind, he felt a kind of heat rise up within him. It almost felt like a surge of magical energy, but Dumbledore hadn’t noticed anything, and Harry had kept his mouth shut, not sure what to think.

It had happened twice, and each time he’d found he accomplished his lessons quite easily the following day. He had amazed Professor McGonagall by transforming a rock into a gerbil before she had even finished giving the instructions. It was the first time he’d ever done a task in Transfiguration before Hermione, and she was quite put out by it. Although she never understood Ron and Harry’s love for Quidditch, Hermione definitely had a competitive spirit when academics were involved. Harry suspected these "surges" had something to do with the ease with which he was completing his tasks, but he wasn’t positive and thought he’d wait and test it if it happened again before he alerted Professor Dumbledore.

Harry said goodbye to Ron and Hermione as they left to attend yet another prefect meeting. He’d already figured out that most of their ‘prefect meetings’ were, in actuality, snogging sessions in the broom closet on the third floor. He let them continue with their ruse, however, and pretended to be unaware of their activities.

Tonight was the night that he and Ginny were going to pull their first prank. With Ginny’s OWL studies and all of Harry’s extracurricular activities, there just hadn’t been time to do it before this. Now, with the game against Ravenclaw - and a potential visit from the twins - set for Saturday, both Ginny and Harry knew they had to get to work if they were to fulfil Fred and George’s expectations.

The two of them had poured through the Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes catalogue and finally settled on Flaming Fairies. They were designed to look like confetti, but were charmed to flutter about the first person that touched them for several hours. The color could be charmed according to the user’s choice. They reminded him of Gilderoy Lockhart and his Cornish pixies. Harry and Ginny charmed the fairies to red and gold and planned on leaving them all over the tables and benches in the Great Hall.

Originally, they were going to plant them the morning of the match so their victims would appear to be supporting Gryffindor but feared if they got caught they might get detention and miss the game. The rivalry was already running high so they figured any day during the week would work. Ginny thought of getting Luna’s help to put the fairies in the Ravenclaw common room, but Harry worried that her house mates would figure out who had done it and would make life more difficult for her than they already did. Ginny then decided it would be more fun to see the Slytherins flashing Gryffindor colors, and they settled on the Great Hall and decided to add the Hufflepuffs with the other Houses to be pranked for good measure.

So, here he sat in the Gryffindor common room with his invisibility cloak tucked under his robes, waiting for Ginny to come back downstairs. Aside from Quidditch practice, he’d never done anything alone with Ginny before; they’d always had other company. He found himself looking forward to it. He hadn’t broken the rules in a while and didn’t want to let Fred and George down; otherwise, he’d never hear the end of it.

Ginny bounded down the stairs with her ponytail flying behind her. She looked harried and rushed as her eyes scanned the room before spying Harry and smiling at him brilliantly. Harry found himself lost in that smile for a moment before he forcibly shook his head to clear it. "All set?"

"Yeah, I just finished the last of my homework, so I’m free for the night," Ginny said, smiling, and Harry felt his stomach do that flip-flop. He recognized it now; it used to happen when he looked at Cho Chang. He knew he was developing a bit of a crush on Ginny but was determined to ignore it. They were friends; he couldn’t let anyone in his life right now, anyway. With everything that was hanging over him, it wouldn’t be fair to her, and besides that, she didn’t like him that way. They were just friends.

Harry pushed open the portrait hole and followed Ginny outside. When they rounded the corner, they found that the coast was clear. Harry pulled out the cloak and, with a swoosh, flung it over both their heads. He was very aware of their close proximity and had trouble focusing his mind on the task at hand.

"Harry, are you there? Come on."

They stealthily made their way into the deserted Great Hall. When the door shut behind them, Harry removed the cloak, and they went to work. Not wanting to arouse suspicion too early, they placed the Fairies on the Gryffindor table, too. No Gryffindor would mind the annoying little butterfly like creations if it meant that they were showing support for the House Quidditch team.

By the time they were finished, it was well after midnight. They would just have to sneak back up Gryffindor Tower and wait for the festivities to begin at breakfast tomorrow. Harry put the cloak back over them, and they began their way back. As they were leaving the Great Hall, Ginny shut the door behind her, and it latched a little too loudly in the quiet entry hall. To Harry, it sounded like a gong booming. He wasn’t surprised when Snape appeared in an instant, his eyes darting around furiously for the source of the disturbance. Harry grabbed on to Ginny’s waist and pulled her into the corner beside the doors. Ginny, who hadn’t yet noticed Snape, turned to him in surprise. Harry put his finger to his lips and nodded in the Potion Master’s direction. Ginny’s eyes widened in alarm, and she grimaced as Snape made his way towards them.

At first, all Harry’s attention was focused on remaining absolutely still and quiet and not getting caught out of bounds after hours. It didn’t take long, though, to become aware of the fact that Ginny and he were pressed chest to chest, stuffed in a corner. Suddenly, it had become extremely warm under the cloak. He still had one hand on her waist, and he struggled with himself over what to do with his other hand. Inexplicably, Harry found himself very nervous, and his heart thundered in his chest.

For her part, Ginny was looking everywhere BUT at him, as if she didn’t know where to put her eyes. Harry’s breathing was getting heavier, and he thought for sure that Snape would be able to hear it. He felt a thin sheen of sweat break out on his forehead and didn’t know if it was from nerves at getting caught or nerves from being so close to Ginny. He couldn’t help but stare and notice the thin band of freckles she had spattered across her nose and cheeks. He fought against an overwhelming desire to reach out and touch her face. We are just friends…Sure, Potter, you always use the way your friends make you feel to summon a Patronus… Shut it.

Snape had opened the doors to the Great Hall, but seeing no one about and nothing amiss, he slowly shut them and took a last look around. He scowled deeply, as if aware there was something not quite right, but strode from the Entry Hall, his cape billowing behind him.

Both Harry and Ginny let out sighs of relief and relaxed their shoulders against the wall. Harry could feel his heart still pounding aggressively within his chest.

"That was close," Ginny whispered. "We’d better get back before anyone else wanders by."

The feel of her breath against the skin on his neck caused another reaction in Harry that he didn’t want her aware of. Pulling back quickly, he said, "Yeah, let’s go."

They had made it up to the third floor landing, still hidden beneath the cloak, before being nearly taken out by the swinging of a broom closet door. Harry pulled Ginny back as a furious Hermione emerged, looking rather disheveled. A frustrated-looking Ron followed her into the hallway.

Ginny and Harry froze in their tracks. Harry felt the color rush to his face; he did not want to hear about this. Looking desperately at Ginny, thinking she would have similar feelings, he was shocked to see the near-hysterical look on her face. She was biting her lip so hard Harry thought for sure that she was about to draw blood. He knew she was going to lose it, and then they’d both be caught. Harry did not want to face Ron and Hermione with them knowing he’d heard them. He slapped his hand over Ginny’s mouth, trying to control her laughter. He could feel her body trembling in suppressed mirth. Ron and Hermione continued going at each other; Ron trying to proclaim his innocence to a disbelieving Hermione, and both completely unaware of their audience or the predicament in which they found themselves.

As Ginny was starting to get hold of herself, she took a good look at Harry, who still had his hand over her mouth. She realized he was about this close to bursting out laughing himself, and she clamped her own hand over his mouth. So, there they stood, the two of them, nearly doubled over with the effort to contain themselves, standing right next to Ron and Hermione, who were still arguing over hand placement in a broom closet.

Ginny didn’t think she could take it much more, when the sparring lovebirds finally began making their way up the stairs. Once they were finally at a good distance, Harry and Ginny let go of each other and collapsed against the wall in helpless glee. Ginny was laughing so hard she literally couldn’t stand up and sat right down on the floor. Trying to remain under the invisibility cloak, Harry had no choice but to sit down with her. Harry was holding his stomach, trying to control his laughter, and Ginny had tears streaming down her face.

"That was way more information than I needed to know," Harry said, after he finally had got himself under control.

"And Ron still trying to deny it after he’d been bagged."

"Can you imagine what they would do to us if they knew we were there? We can’t let them ever find out."

"What? Are you crazy, Harry? This is excellent blackmail material; it just gets stored away for use at a later date."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "You wouldn’t…"

"Wouldn’t I?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then his face broke into a huge grin. "I like you, Ginny Weasley, and I’m very glad you’re on my side."

"Just watch your step, Potter. Just watch your step."

The next morning, Harry was up early as usual, despite the late night. He had taken to using the Quidditch pitch for a morning run before doing the physical exercises Tonks had assigned to him. Ron, always a late sleeper, had yet to notice Harry’s morning activities, so he hadn’t needed to come up with an explanation yet. He had a lesson with Remus today, and they were planning on heading into Hogsmeade.

He had finished his run, showered, and returned to the common room just as Hermione and Ginny were coming down the stairs. After waiting for Ron, they all headed down to breakfast. Ron and Hermione pointedly ignored each other and tried to make conversation with everyone but each other. Hermione had latched on to Neville by the time they entered the Great Hall. Harry had nervous butterflies in his stomach from wondering if he and Ginny could pull this off. He exchanged a conspiratorial glance with her across the table.

The first thing they noticed was that all the Flaming Fairies were gone, nowhere in sight, and nothing seemed amiss among the students. Harry looked to Ginny in confusion, and her return look was just as puzzled. Before they could even question each other, Professor Snape strode angrily up to the staff table. His face was venomous and several first-years hurried out of his way in alarm. Flying merrily around his head, like a kind of live halo, were a swarm of red and gold Flaming Fairies. Their colors were brilliant, and they flashed with every step he took, seeming to burst into flame repeatedly. Several more followed behind him, flowing like a veil from the back of his head.

The laughter in the room started out low, but gradually built until the whole hall, minus the Slytherins, was roaring in delight at the stern professor’s discomfort. Harry tried to keep his face blank, he really did, but when he caught the glare Snape sent his way he had to drop his napkin on the floor in order to retrieve it to hide his mirth. Ginny had no such problem as she calmly buttered a scone and asked Harry to pass the jam as if she hadn’t even noticed what was going on. Years spent with Fred and George had taught her how to appear innocent in a crisis.

Her lack of amusement immediately caught Hermione’s attention, and she looked at both Harry and Ginny with suspicion. With eyes narrowed, she said, "That looks like something Fred and George would have come up with. What do you two know about this?"

Ron, who was still holding his sides from laughing at Professor Snape and his apparent Gryffindor loyalty, turned his head sharply. "You did this? Is that where you were so late last night? Why didn’t you let me in on it?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "We’re prefects. If Professor McGonagall asks us who was responsible–"

"You’ll just say you don’t know," Ginny said, calmly buttering another scone. "Tell her you have no idea who had their…erm…hands in on this." Ginny emphasized the word ‘hands’, and Hermione’s eyes flew open wide. Ginny smiled sweetly at her and batted her eyes.

"I think we’d better get to class," Hermione said and never mentioned another word about the Fairies.

Harry and Remus walked into Hogsmeade together, enjoying the bright fall afternoon. They just needed to clear the gates of Hogwarts before they could Apparate. Remus had decided to use the train station to begin with, as Harry was familiar with it, and he could practice moving from one end to the other. If Harry succeeded, they would try it in other locations around the village.

As they walked, Harry couldn’t help but remember the scene in the Great Hall that morning. He was completely impressed by Ginny’s handling of Hermione. Hermione hadn’t met Harry’s eyes all day, and he was beginning to feel sorry for her embarrassment. Ron, it seemed, was clueless to a lot that had transpired at the table this morning.

Not long after they left the castle, Harry became aware that his scar was bothering him. It was nothing intense, but the twinges seemed more frequent and sharper than they’d been. The brief flashes of Voldemort’s mood seemed to indicate to Harry that he was happy. This was troubling, and he made a mental note to remain on guard. He concentrated on keeping his Occlumency block up.

Harry relayed to Remus the prank he and Ginny had attempted, as well as the actual outcome. Although Remus tried, he couldn’t hide his delight at the thought of Snape being besieged by Gryffindor fairies, and he roared with laughter. It was good to hear him laugh like that again, and he and Harry joked about Snape as they continued their walk into the village.

When they reached the train station, Remus stopped Harry at one end and made his way down to the other. When he reached it, he turned around and gave Harry a wave of his arm. Closing his eyes, Harry allowed his body to relax and concentrated with all his power on the opposite end of the train yard. He was startled a moment later by Remus’s jubilant voice in his ear. "Congratulations!"

He opened his eyes and realized he’d done it. "Yes!" he bellowed, raising a triumphant fist in the air.

Remus laughed at his delight. "Nice job, Harry, now let’s see you go back."

Harry repeated the process, and Remus appeared with a pop next to him an instant later. Harry was too elated to even notice the increasing pressure in his head.

"Okay, let’s try a bit of a longer distance, shall we? Can you picture the front of the Three Broomsticks?"

Without responding, Harry grinned and shut his eyes. A moment later, he was standing in front of the pub, and Remus followed a moment later. "You’ve got it, Harry. You’ve done it. Let’s try one more, a bit further again. Try the Shrieking Shack."

The Shrieking Shack was located on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, a good distance from where they stood. Both he and Remus Apparated there instantly, and Harry grinned in pleasure. He liked travelling this way.

"Well, Harry, you’ve mastered this task very well. Next week we’ll move on to fencing."

Harry’s grin faltered. "Fencing? You mean, like, with a sword?"

"Exactly. Tonks tells me you’re doing well with the martial arts training; Fencing will be the next step. It’s a pleasurable and ancient sport, Harry; I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s not like you haven’t used a sword before."

Harry’s mind flashed back to the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. "I didn’t find it very pleasurable," he said.

Remus smiled. "Let’s try it without the snake, then," he said mildly. "I enjoy Fencing, Harry, makes me feel like a Knight of the Round Table. I really think you’ll come to enjoy it, too. Your father was very good."

Harry was about to respond, when his scar burst with fiery pain. Clutching both hands to his head, he fell to his knees, gasping for air.

Remus knelt beside him and placed his hands protectively on Harry’s shoulders. "What is it, Harry? Are you all right?"

Harry nodded mutely, letting the pain recede. After a moment, he said, "Voldemort is really happy. I’ve been getting twinges all afternoon, but that’s the first time he really broke through. I think I forced him out, though; he definitely wasn’t ready to leave."

Remus glanced around in alarm; his gaze taking in their surroundings and the path up to the castle. "Can you stand?"

Harry rose shakily to his feet and leaned heavily on Remus. "Yeah, I’m fine."

"You’re not fine, Harry. You’re pale as a ghost. Let’s take the tunnel through the Shrieking Shack— I want to be back inside Hogwarts."

Harry nodded and accepted Remus’s help back to the castle. By the time they’d reached the entrance, he was exhausted, and Remus was nearly dragging him. He didn’t understand why he felt so physically drained; it had never been quite like this before.

"It’s probably the magical energy you needed to use to force him out of your mind that’s exhausted you," Remus said, answering his unasked question. "You go on and lie down. I’m going up to see Dumbledore and let him know what happened,"

Harry nodded; he was too tired to argue and didn’t think he’d have the energy to see Dumbledore, even if he wanted to do so. Wearily, he gave the Fat Lady the password and headed up to the dormitory for a nap.

A/N: Thanks again to Mistral and ChaoticK for all their efforts getting this in shape to post. Please R/R and let me know what you think, I love hearing from you.