Title: A Never Failing Bond
Category: Books » Harry Potter
Author: SocksForDobby
Beta: Foxmac

Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Drama/Angst

Pairings: It is not a slash story.
Published: 06-20-09, Finished: 07-24-09
Chapters: 19, Words: 48,200

Disclaimer: I do not own "Harry Potter" or any characters from it. I am making no money off of this story.

Chapter One
"Dreaming Big Dreams"

"Longbottom!" The Potions Master roared after spitting out the potion.

"Y-Y-Yes, sir?"

"What is in this?" Professor Snape held up the small cauldron that the student had brewed his potion in.

"J-Just what the book said to put in it."

Neville Longbottom, as far as Purebloods went, was pretty pathetic in most areas of wizardry. He rarely escaped Potions without an exploding cauldron, had never completely succeeded in changing a beetle to a button, and everyone knew that Professor Flitwick had only let him pass Charms out of sympathy.

"Read the ingredients out loud," Hermione Granger hissed beside Neville.

Neville looked down at the Potions book. "Finnegan droppings, crushed chicken toenails, cornflick seeds and mashed harnkin berries. I-Is that right?"

"How is it, Longbottom, that you can manage to mess up even the simplest of potions? You are in your seventh year! Eighth! Most third years could have easily... " He started picking through the ingredients Neville had prepared. He picked up one of many off-white slivers off pf Neville's work area. "What is this?"

"A-A cornflick seed."

"Correction, Longbottom. It is a flake of dragon hide. Only used in the rarest of potions. Twenty points from Gryffindor for wasting precious supplies, and ten from Gryffindor for messing up so dreadfully." Snape said smoothly, to the groans of all Gryffindors in the room.

Most Gryffindors in Snape's Potions class were all seventeen and eighteen years of age. After the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort, many of Harry's year mates returned to Hogwarts to repeat their previous year. Among them were Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.

"Bloody disgusting, that's what it is," Ron muttered, glaring at the back of Snape's billowing cloak. "Thirty points from Gryffindor, my foot."

"Don't let him hear you, Ron." Hermione hissed. "Or he'll take more points."

Harry glanced over at Ginny Weasley, whose brown eyes were staring at Snape in rage. She was a year younger than him and consequently usually a year behind. However, since Harry came back to Hogwarts to resume his seventh year, he had found himself in the same class as her. Harry was casually dating the red-headed Gryffindor but had started to contemplate asking more.

'Ginny, will you go steady with me?' Harry imagined himself asking Ginny. 'Will you date me exclusively? Will you be my girlfriend?'

'Of course, Harry!' would be Ginny's ecstatic and sincere reply. There would be no excited shriekingthat usually accompanies an annoyingly high-pitched voice that most girls tend to do when they got excited when the target of their affections took notice of or spoke to them.

'I thought you would never ask!' Her brown eyes would sparkle as she leaned towards him, lips parting slightly-

"No one is to drink this potion!" Snape roared suddenly, snapping Harry back to the present. Snape's eyes were wild with panic and his severely scarred throat bulged. He stood behind his desk, snapped an ancient book entitled, "Potions From Afar" shut.

"Who put the dragon hide flakes on Longbottom's desk?" Snape asked the class, staring at each student in the eye as he walked through the aisle of desks. "Who did it?"

Snape stopped at Harry's desk, as Harry knew he would. Harry stared at his own stubby, dirty fingernails. He knew if he didn't look up at Snape, he might walk away. However, the familiar black professorial robes remained where they were.

"Potter," Snape growled, grabbing the back of Harry's robes.

"I didn't do it!" Harry exclaimed, looking up at Snape wide-eyed. "I didn't!" I'm horrid at Potions, Snape knows that. He is just looking at a way to sabotage Gryffindor, which makes no sense!

Apparently Hermione was thinking the same thing. "Professor Snape," she spoke up, speaking patiently. "Why would Harry sabotage Neville's cauldron? They're both Gryffindors."

Snape snarled, dropping Harry's robes. He evidently saw the reason in that, though he didn't give Hermione any credit for the thought. "You're dismissed early," he said. "Everyone, go - and no one touch Longbottom's potion on your way out."

Snape was letting class out early, which was a first that anyone could remember. And since no one was going to dare argue that point, the class silently cleared away their work areas before walking out the room in single-file.

"What was that all about?" Ron whispered to Neville, who was paler than Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost.

Neville shrugged. "I-I thought they were cornflick seeds."

"We know you did, Neville." Ginny comforted the boy, patting his arm.

"I wonder why was Snape so paranoid about the potion," Hermione said thoughtfully. "What sort of potion is exactly like the one we were making only with dragon hide? I know that there are not too many potions that are alike in the amount of time needed to brew stir, and-"

"I thought it was ridiculous that he thought Potter did it," Draco drawled, catching up with them. "After all, we all know how Potter is at Potions. How could he have known to exchange the seeds with the hide?" His intentions were, of course, to make fun of Harry's grades in Potions but his words had given Hermione more to think about.

"So whoever did it knew what he or she was doing," Hermione added, mulling over what Draco had said.

"Can't we just drop it?" Harry whined. "It's not that important. Besides, all this talk about being sabotaged is going to make Neville faint." Which was true as Neville was white as a sheet.

As they headed towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry grabbed Ginny's arm. "Stay behind for a few minutes?" he asked nervously.

Ginny nodded, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. No doubt she thought Harry had some sort of scheme planned. "What is it?" she asked as they saw the door of their classroom shut.

"Tonight, after supper, would you like to meet me at the pond, underneath the oak tree?" Harry asked.

Ginny eyed him carefully. "Why?"

"I promise that what I have planned will take no points away from Gryffindor." Harry said quickly. "It's perfectly legal, even by Snape's standards."

Ginny thought for a moment before nodding. "You've got it, Harry," she said as she squeezed his arm. "Let's get to class."

Harry felt like he was floating on air as he walked into the Great Hall three hours later.

Ginny agreed to meet me. The thought thrilled him. He just knew she would agree to be his girlfriend for who knew how long. Maybe he would end up marrying her . . .

"Harry, aren't you hungry?" Hermione asked with concerned as Harry ignored his pasta.

"Huh? What?" Harry looked at Hermione, coming out of his Ginny-induced daze.

Hermione sighed and lowered her voice. "Listen, Harry, I know you're excited about Ginny and all but you need to eat. It'll help keep you from getting nervous over asking her."

Harry shook his head, a drunken smile on his face. "I won't be nervous," he assured Hermione.

"Yeah, 'Mione." Ron agreed around a mouthful of bread. "He only defeated You-Know-Who so why would he be afraid of asking a stubborn seventeen year old to be his girlfriend?"

"Shh!" Harry hissed sharply. "I don't want her to hear you."

"You don't want her to hear what, Potter?" Malfoy's voice came up behind Harry.

Harry turned around, glaring at his least favorite schoolmate. "Sod off, Malfoy."

"'Sod off, Malfoy'," Malfoy mimicked. "Are you going to ask the Weaselette to be your girlfriend because that's what I heard."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all leaped to their feet. "Not another word, Malfoy," Harry said in a low voice, brandishing his wand.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall's shrill voice came up behind them.

Malfoy was an obnoxious jerk and a former Death Eater but he wasn't an idiot. Professor McGonagall was not only Head of Gryffindor House, but was also the Deputy Headmistress of the entire school. He knew better than to cause trouble in front of her. "I was just talking to Potter," he replied smoothly.

"Fine. You've spoken. Now get back to your House table," Professor McGonagall barked.

"I hate Slytherins." Harry muttered, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"Hear, hear," Ron said as he raised his glass of orange liquid.

Harry was pacing back and forth under the oak tree. Did I say to meet me here after supper?

Bill Weasley had once told Harry that women were habitually late, that it was in their blood or something. Harry had hoped that Ginny was different. He loved her so much that it hurt. It wasn't puppy love, either. He knew that he would be marrying her someday. He would need a couple of years to become an Auror, and she definitely was not the type to get married right out of school. Once he'd gained his Auror badge, he'd ask her then. And once she'd agreed to marry him, they would have a nice small wedding - with no reporters - and settle down somewhere in the country. They would grow old together, and-

"Harry!" Ginny called out as she hurried across the Hogwarts grounds to him. She was still wearing her school robes, and he thought that she'd looked gorgeous in them.

Ginny sat down beside him and smiled. "Oh, wow," she said, looking out over the pond. "It's beautiful."

"Sometimes I come here to relax," Harry added with a smile. "It's really nice in the evening."

"It is," Ginny said with a dreamy smile on her lips.

"You should see it in the sunset," Harry continued. "The reflection on the pond matches your hair perfectly." Harry wasn't flirting - well, okay he was - but he meant it. He thought of her every time he saw the setting sun's reflection on the pond.

"Oh," Ginny breathed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Thanks for asking me to watch the sunset with you."

Harry's head started to spin slightly. "I wanted to watch the sunset with you," he said breathlessly. "But that's not the main reason why we're out here." He caught his breath, which he seemed short of.

Ginny looked at him in anticipation as she was waiting for him to continue.

"I really like you, Ginny," Harry began shyly, remembering what Ron had told him about feeling awkward towards girls. Harry was going to prove Ron wrong. Although, that wasn't the point of all this, but- oh Merlin, he couldn't see straight. Apparently he was more nervous than he thought.

"I really like you, too, Harry," Ginny said.

Harry thought Ginny's eyes shone brightly at him as he felt her look at him. He cleared his throat. "Will you be my girlfriend, Ginny? I'd like to be your steady boyfriend. To go out with you and only you unless we decide otherwise," he relayed the words he had spent memorizing the past few weeks, only he hadn't counted on the nausea he had begun to feel.

"Oh, of course I will, Harry!" Ginny replied excitedly. "I've been- Harry? Are you feeling all right?"

Harry couldn't answer. His head was swimming. He couldn't keep his thoughts straight. The last thing he heard was Ginny calling his name before darkness consumed hm.