Story: Blossoming Heart
Entry Eight: Ha! The Potter Charm Always Works!
Author: Miyoko

❤❤❤

Diary,
The day of the third task has arrived. Why am I writing instead of being nervous? Because I am nervous and I wish to transplant that nervousness to you.

But there are a few memorable moments as well as nightmarish ones which I wish to discuss. Let me tell the former because well, the latter is included in it too.

Harry was running on adrenaline twenty four bar seven. Only two days were left for the third task and he had to  win, if not for himself, he would win for Ginny. He had to. Else that big-headed Krum would snatch her from him.

In this fit of nervousness, Harry had already skipped his lunch and it was now dinner time. He was locked in his bedroom since his breakfast, improvising a plan and the list of spells he was going to use. A shark knock brought Harry out of his planning.

"Come in," he said, not taking his eyes off of the parchment he was scribbling on. The door creaked open and he heard loud noises accompanied by stomping footsteps.

"What sort of door is this, Nev?! Repair it!" a feminine voice bossed.

"Sorry. Ron crashed into it and the hinges got loose," Neville's voice apologized.

"Sorry, Hermione," Ron apologized.

"Oi, Potter! Hear me out now!" another voice commanded. Harry turned around.

"What?" he asked Ginny, who was standing there with a stern expression, her hands on her hips.

"What? What?! You skip a meal and stay locked in your dormitory for hours, leaving your friends to worry about you and all you say is what. Who on Merlin's stinky socks gave you the permission to lock this blasted broken door?!" she thundered. Harry winced slightly at her aggressive tone. Trust Ginny Weasley to boss you around for the name of caring.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What's with boys and 'I am sorry'?" Hermione asked as she sat on Ron's bed.

"I'm sorry," the three boys echoed, then looked at each other. Ginny and Hermione face palmed.

"Now just shut up and come with us to the Great Hall! Dinner is almost over!" Hermione commanded.

"But Hermione! I have to revise the list of spells!" Harry protested. Ginny was about to retort but Hermione stopped her. The bushy haired brunette stood up.

"Leave him, he will know the value of food then," Hermione said.

"Says who?" Ron asked. Hermione shot him a look. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily. Her look turned to disgust. "I-err. . . I am sorry that I am sorry, Hermy!" Ron joked humorously. Getting an even sterner look from the witch, Ron sighed and left the room.

"Cute nickname," Ginny said, nudging Hermione's midriff. Hermione turned pink.

"I don't like nicknames," she retorted then left the dorm. Ginny chuckled, then looked at Harry in a second of rage before leaving the dorm. Harry continued revising the list of spells as if nothing had happened. After ten minutes, which actually was half an hour, Harry looked at his best mate who was silent since apologizing for the 'blasted broken door' as Ginny put it. Neville was happily laying on his bed, dreaming about stars and planets when Harry turned to him.

"Oi. Don't look at me like that. She's been starving since after breakfast. Didn't eat at lunch just because you did not and now dinner. I don't think she has gone on such an hunger strike even in her house," Neville said.

"Starving? Ginny's been starving?" Harry asked to confirm if he did not go deaf. Neville nodded against his fluffy pillow.

"Heard it right."

"Oh," Harry's mouth turned to the shape of an 'O' then he jolted out of the dormitory, leaving the smirking Neville to shout 'lovebirds'.

Harry, for all intents and purposes, never wanted Ginny to starve for him. He walked down the stairs and found a mess of red hair on the couch in front of the fireplace. He slowly approached it and found Ginny curled up on the couch. The crackling fire was making her hair dance with several beautiful shades of red and scarlet. Her brown eyes were glistening beautifully and Harry's stomach did a lurch. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him, her glistening brown eyes meeting his tired green ones. Immediately, she turned her face away from him with a frown.

"I'm sorry," Harry apologized. Ginny laughed.

"What's with boys and 'I am sorry'?" she echoed Hermione's statement.

"I-err. . . I don't know," Harry said. Truthfully, he thought boys never apologized.

"Why are you here, Potter? Shouldn't you be in your dorm, revising the list of spells mm?" Ginny asked as she sat up and allowed Harry to sit beside her. Harry gratefully took the seat. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder. "You know. It's just a tournament. You don't have to win. Everyone likes you the way you are, Harry. Eternal glory isn't needed for that," she whispered. Her voice made the monster in his chest pur.

"Ginny, you are weak," Harry said, trying to divert the topic.

"Don't divert the topic."

"I'm not. . . You matter more to me than the Triwizard cup, Ginny. You need to eat something," Harry said. Ginny remained silent. Harry thought she fell asleep but she was not breathing steadily.

"Yeah. You are right. Even you seem tired, Harry. Let's go to the kitchens," Ginny said then stood up and winked at Harry. Harry scratched his neck in thought then checked his watch. It was half past nine, near curfew. "Come on, Potter! Scared of breaking rules?" Ginny challenged. Harry grinned.

"You're on, Weasley."

And so, fifteen minutes later, the pair of Gryffindors, under the invisibility cloak just got out of the portrait hole.

"Whozzair?" The Fat Lady residing in the portrait asked.

"No one, dear," her friend, Lady Violet reassured. Harry and Ginny grinned under the cloak and made their way to the kitchens. Harry felt a happy sort of déjà vu when he tickled the pear. He half expected the aged Headmaster to be sitting in, with a plate of chocolate cake. However he found no one but he was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a chocolate cake on the table. It had a gryffindor themed icing on it.

"Is this Dumbledore's fault?" Ginny asked.

"Not fault, Ginny. Greatness."

"You worship him, Harry."

"Maybe I do."

"Idiot."

With a laugh, the two of them started having a meal prepared by the house elves. The conversation was a pleasant one. Chocolate strawberries which were later brought in by the elves were eaten in the same tradition as their first visit to the kitchens and Harry caught Ginny with a pink blush on her cheeks when he fed her one. Ginny immediately covered her cheeks with her hands as if chewing the strawberry. Harry internally grinned to himself. Perhaps the Potter Charm had finally striked the Weasley girl.

The conversation which immediately turned dark and serious made both the young teenagers worry. Harry had been experiencing nightmares recently which usually were the same. He would always start at a graveyard by name 'Little Hangleton's graveyard' and end with a green light at a house. Harry described every single detail in ease since it was Ginny who he was talking to. Ginny had the charm which always made Harry to easily be open with her. This was the second thing that attracted him the most. Ginny raptly listened to his nightmare and when it was over, he felt very relieved. Although Ginny was worried, she never showed it. 

"Harry, it might have been some scene that you watched in that muggle teppy. . . teppywishy? Anyways, you might have seen it while you were a baby. Maybe that's just a flash of your memory," Ginny explained. Harry nodded slightly.

"Ginny. It's a television. And I don't have a good feeling about this nightmare. . . If you see this name, 'Little Hangleton' anywhere, then I'm probably in trouble," Harry said, gravely. Ginny nodded.

"If I see it, I will immediately come to you."

"No. Get some one else if that happens," Harry requested. Ginny signed but agreed. She diverted the topic to a much needed and lighter topic and the night was spent reassuring each other.

That's all the time I've got. I need to get going before Gin goes on another hunger strike. Wish me luck, diary.

H.J.P
24th June 1995

Sorry for the late release! I was pretty busy with school work. I hope this chapter was enjoyed by you all!

Also, I have opened a graphic shop where I offer to make covers, themes, banners, bios, aesthetics, etc. If you are in need of one, check out my 'Quintessence Graphic Shop'!

Edit: Edited typos

Word Count: 1480 words

Thank you for reading!

Miyoko x