Chapter Eleven

Past Alliances

By Sunday, Harry was finally out of bed and the Hospital Wing with strict instructions to take it easy for the next week. He didn't argue. His back was still aching, feeling like he'd been bent over a broom for far too long, but it was tolerable, and he wasn't about to tell Madam Pomfrey any different for fear that she'd keep him strapped to the bed, in her tender mercies.

His mother and Sirius had left the night before with promises given by Harry to keep them updated on anything else that Slytherin House might do in retribution for losing their Seeker. Harry was quite sure that Snape would have something to say about the matter and he also had the sinking feeling that a few hundred points would be finding their way from the Gryffindor hourglass to their archrival's for some reason or another.

Walking nice and slow through the halls seemed to give Harry time to stretch out some tight muscles that had accumulated over the last couple of days. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was ready for a normal breakfast and done with the 'hospital-gruel' that Pomfrey loved to serve. His stomach grumbled in response before he reached the doors to the Great Hall.

The tables were only half full as weekend breakfast was normally extended an extra thirty minutes to allow for late sleepers. He did however notice Ron and Hermione and acknowledged his entrance.

Hermione bounded from her seat and met him with a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling, Harry?"

He looked happy to see his girlfriend. "Still a little sore I guess, but I wanted to get out of that place and eat some real food."

She grinned and took his hand. "Well then, come on."

Hermione escorted him over to the table and made sure he was able to sit down properly before she took her seat and started to pile eggs and toast onto his plate.

Harry sniggled, "I'm sore, Hermione, not crippled."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You shouldn't overexert yourself, Harry. And I don't mind."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek in response, wincing a little in the process.

"See, you're not fully healed," she remarked. "Are you sure you don't want to spend another day in the Hospital Wing?"

Ron interjected his opinion. "No, he doesn't, Mum, but thanks for asking."

Hermione responded with a rude gesture, which Harry was sure was an accident because she had never done so before. Perhaps it was the way her hand was positioned on the fork she was holding. Ron just laughed it away.

"When are you going to schedule tryouts, mate?"

Harry paused with his fork dropping pieces of egg on the way to his mouth. "Tryouts?"

Ron gave him a confused smile. "Quidditch ... don't tell me you didn't have Quidditch before ..."

Hermione looked at her boyfriend who was returning her amazed face with one of his own.

"Um ... yeah, but you're Gryffindor Captain."

"Bloody hell!"

"Ron!" admonished Hermione.

Needless to say Ron was shocked that he would be considered for the position of Captain let alone actually make the cut. Harry knew how much it meant to his friend and couldn't understand how or why he himself, with all of his duties this year, would be appointed.

"Ron, I can't."

His friend was still basking in fantasized glory, but snapped out of it for a moment. "Can't what?"

"I can't be Quidditch Captain." He hesitated of moment. "With all of the school involved with the D.A. and my studies ... I don't have enough time. The team would suffer."

Ron's eyes widened further. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

He shrugged. "We'll have to pass it by McGonagall first, but yeah."

They both looked up to the teacher's table and Harry got up. "I'll go ask."

After getting her alone in the antechamber behind the teacher's table and explaining to her the problem he would have, McGonagall considered.

"I don't think I have ever heard of someone turning down the Captain's position before. Are you sure about this, Potter?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

She looked skeptical. "And Weasley's already agreed to this, I assume?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Well then, Potter, consider Weasley your Captain. I trust you will inform him of the change."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thanks."

Harry ran back to the table with a thumbs up for his friend. When he sat back down Ron leaned over. "Thanks, mate."

"Ron, you're the one doing me a favor."

After Hermione finished she excused herself to the library followed by Ron to their rooms to get the Quidditch playbook from Harry's trunk and post the day and time for tryouts.

Harry finished off the last of his third plate and sighed in contentment before heading to Gryffindor Tower to catch up on his homework when a closet door opened at the head of the stairs on the seventh floor and a hand snaked out to grab him.

He yelped and winced at the pain in his back before he got a look at who the culprit was.

"Pansy?"

"Oh, Harry," she threw her arms around him. "I was so worried after what that arsehole of a human being did to you. Are you okay?"

Harry was seriously freaked out by what, of all people, Pansy Parkinson was doing, hanging on him.

"Um ... Pansy."

She pulled on his shoulder. "Turn around I want to see your back. Take off your shirt. Here, I'll help."

She was almost his height and easily wrapped her arms around from his back and started undoing the buttons to his shirt.

"Pansy ... wait."

The self-titled princess of Slytherin House pressed her lips to his neck and slid her hands down his front to his belt and tried to unstrap him before he turned back around.

"Pansy, wait!"

Her eyes were smoky and heated. "Oh you poor dear, I'm sorry. You probably aren't up to going at it like this, so soon after your ordeal. How about if I just slide down here and taste the road." She giggled. "I mean test the road."

Harry grabbed her arms before she got too low. "Pansy, stop!"

She halted her affections and seemed to snap out of it. "That stuff didn't get all the way down there, did it?" she said in horror. "I'll kill Malfoy."

"What are you doing?" demanded Harry.

Pansy's head snapped back. "What do you mean, lover?"

"Lover?" gasped Harry.

A look of horror came over her face. "Did that goo affect your brain too? Harry? No ..."

A quick thought came to his head. "Um ... yeah. Madame Pomfrey told me that it might happen. Selective ambrosia or something."

"Amnesia?"

He edged away slightly. "Yeah, that's it. Maybe you ought to fill me in on what's been happening."

She covered her mouth with one hand in shock. "You don't remember the last year, Harry? Nothing?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Guess not ... um ... I mean ... we?"

She nodded and her eyes dropped. "Amnesia."

His hand fell on the doorknob. "Yeah ... well, I guess I better be going.

She grabbed his arm. "Wait. They say the best thing for amnesia is to do things that are familiar."

Pansy started unbuttoning her blouse.

Harry was to stunned to do anything but stare. "Erm ..."

"We'll do everything that you liked."

He felt his ears burning. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Pansy. I should really be ..."

He didn't have a chance to finish before her lips were on his and her breasts were pushing into him. They thumped onto the door and Harry groaned. Pansy's hands were all over him especially in certain areas. He couldn't take anymore and pushed her back.

"Pansy I really think ..."

"Harry, I'll let you spank me."

His jaw dropped open. WHAT?

She turned around and hiked up her skirt, bending over on one of the shelves in the supply closet. He slapped a hand over his eyes, but was too late in seeing she wasn't wearing any knickers.

"Pansy, I have to go. We'll talk later, okay."

Before she had a chance to say anything Harry bolted out the door and almost ran into Ron coming out of the portrait hole.

"Hey, Harry. Listen ..." He stopped ant pointed at him. "Why is your shirt unbuttoned?"

Harry pushed him back in the portrait hole and closed it behind him as he almost jumped though himself.

"What's going on?" asked a very concerned Ron.

After a quick look around to make sure the coast was clear. "Ron, was I cheating on Hermione?"

"Uh oh."

"Uh oh? Did you forget to tell me something, Ron?"

Harry could tell by the look on his friend's face that indeed, he had forgotten to tell Harry about his little indiscretions.

"Pansy Parkinson just jumped on me in the supply closet!"

"Uh yeah ... see, about that."

"Pansy Parkinson, Ron!" Harry almost yelled. "She wanted me to spank her, of all things."

Ron audibly gulped.

"And she wasn't wearing any knickers, like we do this all the time or something," he hissed.

The redhead winced. "Sorry, Harry, but you kinda do."

This time he really did yell. "What? Are you insane?"

He seemed to take offence at that. "No, you are ... or you were." He took Harry by the shoulders. "Look Harry, Pansy wasn't the only one."

This deflated his anger. "Oh my god. Poor Hermione."

"Sorry to tell ya mate, but I think she knew about it. Maybe not about all the girls you had, but she knew you were cheating on her."

Harry looked up. "She told you?"

Ron shook his head. "No, I could just tell when you've skive off your studies and head out to practice Quidditch by yourself. I could see it on her face. She never said anything because she didn't want to lose you or something. Thought she wouldn't get anyone else to like her."

"That's mad!"

"What's mad?"

Harry almost jumped out of his pants right there when Hermione emerged out of the portrait hole behind him.

He took her in his arms. "I've been an ass, Hermione, or my other self has."

She pulled away looking goofily at him. "What are you talking about, Harry?"

Harry rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses. "My other self, before we changed things ..."

Hermione frowned. "What about him?"

He took a deep breath. "He was cheating on you."

That took her unaware and she blinked. "Huh?"

"With Pansy Parkinson."

"You're serious," she said matter-of-factly.

Harry nodded and shook his head, waiting for the inevitable slap in the face.

"Well that explains Neville," she said.

"Huh?" he replied.

She brushed past him and headed over to her usual armchair by the fireplace. "Neville just pulled me into the closet and tried to snog me to death."

"Neville," laughed Ron.

Harry gave him a scathing look.

Hermione nodded. "He was blathering on about you stealing Ginny away from him, and wanting to get even. I slapped him and walked out the door."

That wiped the smile from Ron's face. "Ginny!"

He looked at Harry like he was going to kill him.

"Ron, it wasn't me. I've never cheated on Hermione. And I've never even looked at Ginny in that way."

He still looked indignant at Harry. "And what exactly is wrong with Ginny?"

Harry dropped himself into an armchair. "Quit being a prat, Ron."

So how did you get out of it with Pansy," Hermione asked.

"I told her side effect of the goo was selective ambrosia."

"Amnesia," she corrected.

"Whatever."

Ron laughed. "Good one."

"How many did I have, Ron?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "How should I know? I mean it's obvious I didn't know about all of them."

Harry grit his teeth. "How many did you know about?"

Ron seem to think for a moment. "Well there was Cho Chang, Hannah Abbot, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson ..."

With each name Harry became paler and paler.

"... Lavender Brown, Susan Bones, Padma and Parvati Patel ..."

Hermione interrupted. "What, both of them together?"

Ron looked over. "At the same time."

"I'm getting you neutered," she told Harry. "It's Sirius' influence you know."

"Huh?"

She looked smugly into her book. "I bet he filled your head with all sorts of demented sexual things as you were growing up."

He thought on it and absently nodded. "Probably." The whole conversation was making him uncomfortable. "I think I'm gonna go fly around the Quidditch pitch for a bit."

Ron gave him a knowing look.

"I mean really fly. I have to work the kinks out of my back."

"And your head," commented Hermione.

"Funny."

She smiled at him. "Just trying to help."

He retrieved his Firebolt from the room and waved on the way out the portrait hole. He steered clear of the supply closet, just in case. However, what he should have done was avoided the locker room and went through the main entrance.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

He felt his legs snap together and his arms whip to his sides before he fell forward. Someone caught him before he hit the floor and cushioned the blow. A light sound of giggling lit the air.

"I got you this time, Harry."

The fiery hair of Ginny Weasley came into view as she bent over the body of her victim. Her lips brushed against his and her tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip.

"Remember how much you teased me in this exact same position last June?" Her smile was so evil as her tongue again flicked out against his lips. "Payback is so much more fun."

He watched helplessly as she magically locked the door and started to loosen her blouse as she returned, walking more seductively that Harry had ever seen her move before.

"Ron would kill you if he knew how much I want you right now." She walked around his body. "I did that thing you suggested. Can you see from there?"

She walked past his head and her skirt brushed her hips rising up just enough to tease him with forbidden flesh.

"Harry, it's no fun if you close your eyes. I can't tell if you enjoy the view or not." After a brief pause. "Oh ... I guess there's another way, isn't there."

He snapped his eyes back open when he felt the pressure of her body straddling his midsection.

"Oh, yeah. I think you're enjoying the view."

Her smile turned to a frown. "I thought this was going to be more fun, with you helpless and all, but I think I like it better when you are making me feel helpless."

There was a noise at the door and her head swung around to hear muffled voices. "Someone's locked the bloody door." And then louder. "Who's in there? Come on, open up!"

"Bugger," cursed Ginny. "Oh well, maybe next time, Harry."

She ran to the field door and turned around at the last second. "Finite Incantatum!"

"Bye lover," she whispered.

Harry sat up immediately. "This can't be happening."

Grabbing his fallen Firebolt he dashed out of the door from which Ginny made her escape.

****************************

"I'm not going anywhere ever again without one of you along," said Harry. "What is it about the girls this time around?

Ron chuckled. "Who was it this time?"

"You don't want to know."

Hermione turn a page leisurely. "Ginny."

Ron's shoulders tightened and his lips thinned in sudden anger. "What did she do?"

Harry closed his eyes and shook his head in exhaustion. "You really, really don't want to know Ron. Let's just say that we were interrupted and she didn't have a chance to do anything ... well not much of anything."

He watched his girlfriend and her apparent lack of interest.

"Hermione ... of all people I thought you'd be the most upset."

She didn't give it a second thought. "I'm not," she said simply. "You're very aware of the number of hexes I can perform, and what I would do if you ever voluntarily cheated on me."

A shudder ran up his spine, which at any other time would have been chilling, but this instance it was only painful. "Vol - voluntarily?"

She looked up. "Well if Ginny were to say, put you in a Full Body Bind and have her way with you, there's not much you could do about it."

Harry's eyes widened and he deftly wondered if she had somehow known what had happened down at the Quidditch locker room.

"And with you being sixteen and all the male hormones running amok in your bloodstream I know you wouldn't be able to control your ... reaction to certain external stimuli."

"Erm ..."

"I trust you, Harry, and I'm sure Ron does too. Right Ron?"

The redhead's eyes darted back and forth at the implication that his baby sister was throwing herself at his best friend, but he was interrupted by someone coming through the portrait hole. Ginny. He turned to Harry and Hermione.

"Look I'll trust you if you tell Ginny everything. I don't want her acting the tart, even if it is with my best friend."

He didn't even give them a chance to say if they would. "Oi, Ginny. Get over here."

She stopped in place and looked back and forth between Harry and Ron, most probably thinking if the boy she almost shagged had just spilled the Bowtruckles. "What?"

Ron waved her over. "Harry and Hermione have something they want to tell you. Come on."

She moved slowly closer, seemingly ready to bolt if the occasion called for it. "What is it, then?"

Ginny gripped back of Ron's armchair, staying clear of any grabby hands that might want to ... grab her.

Harry looked to his girlfriend for some kind of support or encouragement. All he received was a polite smile and her returning to her studies.

"Um ... Ginny ... have you ever heard of a Time Turner? ...

**************************

"You expect me to believe this?"

Ron ushered him on. "Show her the scar. "

Harry lifted his bangs.

Ginny moved around the chair and closed on him laying her fingers on the lightening-bolt scar. "Where did you get this?"

"Hands off my boyfriend, please."

Ginny snatched her hand back as if she'd been burned and looked at Hermione with fear.

Hermione flipped another page and then looked up to meet her eyes. "What went on between you and Harry before last week is in the past. Touch him again in a sexual way and I'll make sure you'll regret it."

"Me too," replied Ron with conviction.

Ginny's notorious temper was the same in both time periods, unpredictable and vindictive. "You aren't enough to satisfy him. No girl is. You can't have him to yourself."

"Yes ... she can," replied Harry.

She turned back to him. "She won't do the things you like, Harry. You told me yourself."

"Ginny, how many different ways do I have to prove it to you. I'm not the same Harry Potter that you've know for the last five years. I love Hermione, and I won't be cheating on her."

She backed away shaking her head. "We've all known you loved her, Harry. Even she knew she couldn't please you like you needed. She knew, Harry, and she encouraged it."

Ginny turned and ran up the stairs

Authors Note: I have not notified any new readers for a while, but I don't update to FF.net very often as access is a pain in the butt when I want to update, usually during peak times. Instead I set up a list at Yahoo. You can find the address by clicking on my name at the top of the page and viewing my profile.

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