MetaFic

Harry Potter watched, astounded as Ginny Weasley slowly changed from her animagus form into a regular fourteen-year-old. He had guessed Ginger's identity earlier, but to stand and watch the small cat that had been his friend and roommate over the last weeks change into his best friend's sister was another matter entirely. Harry noted with interest that the collar she wore as Ginger changed into a black choker with the Gryffindor pendant.

"That's brilliant, Ginny!" he said.

Ginny finished transforming into her normal state, then wearily settled on Harry's bed. She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back the pain and nausea, then gave Harry a rueful smile.

"It's not all it's cracked up to be," she told him before collapsing on his bed and curling up. She couldn't hold back the pain any longer; she had transformed too many times in the last several hours. She cracked open one teary eye when she felt a weight settle on the bed next to her. She looked up and gave Harry a wane smile. "At the moment it's not much fun at all."

Harry reached down and brushed back the hair that had fallen over face, "What can I do to help," he asked anxiously.

"Water. And maybe something to eat." Ginny's smile widened into a true one. "Don't worry Harry, I'll be fine in a few minutes."

Harry stood. "I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." He unlocked the door and slipped downstairs. He kept waiting for one of the Dursleys to appear, but they never did.

Once he reached the kitchen, the mystery to the Dursleys silence became apparent. On the refrigerator was a note explaining that they had gone to an overnight conference in York for Vernon's work. They would return that evening. The note admonished him to not do anything funny, and that they expected the house to be in the same condition as when they had left.

Harry quickly gathered up two glasses of orange juice, a glass of water, and several pieces of buttered toast. He put the entire thing on a tray and, taking out his wand, levitated it in front of him as he returned to his room.

When Harry returned to his room, Ginny was sitting up and looking much more like her normal self.

"Here you are, Ginny," Harry said, passing her the water and some toast. She smiled in thanks at him and drank half the water in one gulp. He waited until she seemed settled, then cleared his throat before beginning to ask the various questions on his mind. "So, when did you become an Animagus?"

Ginny swallowed her toast. "Apparently I've been one since birth." She took another sip of her water. "I've been doing the transformations since the start of summer."

"But Sirius said the training took months."

Ginny nodded. "It does, if you aren't born to it. If you’re a natural, it's mostly a matter of training to gain control over the transformation. It's supposed to be a slow process to learn even then. You're supposed to start slowly, changing little things and gradually working your way to the full change."

"But–"

"But I didn't have time for that. So McGonagall gave me a crash course. Then she laid formulas on me as a short cut, Snape made a bunch of potions to assist the change, and hey, look mum, I've got paws and claws"

"That's why it hurts so much? Because you haven't been trained properly?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded her head, "Yeah. Once school starts I'll work with McGonagall to make the change easier, but right now it's hard on the body."

"Why, Ginny?"

She smiled at Harry and patted the spot next to her on the bed. He came over and sat near her. She put down her glass of water and turned to face him fully. She reached out and took his hand. "Because I care, Harry. Because I couldn't bear the thought of you alone with those Muggles all summer, cooped up in this room with nothing to do but brood. Because you're my friend, and you were there for me in my worst moment."

Harry looked at the floor and let Ginny's words sink in. He again felt like a terrible heel for ignoring her all this time. She had stood patiently and quietly on the sidelines, offering him her friendship since his third year while he had blithely ignored her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. Dumbledore wants to keep it secret that I'm an Animagus, and mum made me promise not to change into myself while I was staying here." Ginny smirked playfully. "After all, it wouldn't be proper for a young witch to be living in the same room as a young wizard who wasn't one of her brothers."

Harry blushed, remembering how he had handled her in her animagus form with almost rude familiarity. He suddenly realized that Ginny Weasley, the very girl sitting across from him on his bed, had seen him naked. Harry went a terrible shade of scarlet and considered turning his own wand on himself in embarrassment.

Ginny chuckled, realizing where Harry's thoughts had gone. "I'll hold the memory of this summer dear for the rest of my life. I've seen The-Boy-Who-Lived au naturale."

"And slept in his bed all summer," Harry decided to try and overcome the embarrassment.

"Yes, what a wicked, terrible scandal it is."

Harry suddenly sobered. "Ron's going to kill me."

Ginny burst out in laughter, a clear, beautiful sound that made Harry's heart rate suddenly increase several beats. "Ron's wanted us to get together since your fourth year."

"What?" Harry's eyebrows rose to his hairline.

"Honestly, Harry, use your head for something besides a target for bludgers."

Harry took a moment to review any conversation between himself and Ron that involved Ginny. He suddenly remembered the train ride home last term. "Oh."

"Oh indeed, Potter."

Harry suddenly remembered another part of the conversation. "I suppose Dean must be annoyed that he can't find his girlfriend over the summer."

Ginny blinked. "Did he lose her or something?"

"Um, Ginny, aren't you and Dean, well, you know?"

"Oh, my goodness no! I was just trying to get a rise from Ron."

"I see," Harry said, nodding sagely and suddenly considering several things at once.

Ginny started to get a tad uncomfortable. Harry had that intense, slightly manic look in his eyes he got when he had decided on a course of action and was prepared to execute it. She had seen that look on his face during Quidditch matches and the night he decided to try to rescue Sirius. She had seen the look many times in fact, but had never had it directed at her. She squirmed and cleared her throat.

"Anyway, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark about me for so long."

Harry nodded, but kept his eyes firmly on hers. "Why did you change your mind about telling me?"

Ginny swallowed. Why did he keep looking at her like that? "I just couldn't keep hiding something like that from you, not after everything you told me last night. Everyone keeps hiding things from you, trying to protect you, trying to not worry you, but I know you want the truth." She smiled again, and met his eyes squarely. "You deserve the truth, Harry. I don't want any secrets between us."

"Thank you," he said simply.

Ginny reached out and lightly touched his hand with her fingers. She looked down at the bed. "I was afraid you might be mad at me."

"I thought about it. You're my friend, Ginny, and I trust you, so yeah, I thought about being mad because you've been watching me for Dumbledore and hiding your identity."

"Why aren't you?"

"I realize you were only hiding yourself because that was what the adults wanted you to do. And I've enjoyed Ginger's company. It's been nice to not be alone. You've given up your whole summer to keep me company, and it's obviously been a painful thing to do, changing from Ginny to Ginger. I'm -- I'm touched that you care that much, truth be told."

Ginny Weasley blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. In that instant she wanted to rush downstairs and hex the Dursleys into the next year, then hex Dumbledore for allowing Harry to be trapped with these loveless Muggles. "Oh Harry, of course I care about you. Lots of people care about you."

"Well, I'm still trying to get used to the idea." Harry suddenly stood and held out his hand to her. "The Dursleys are gone for the day. What say we continue this conversation over a real breakfast."

She took his hand and stood up, "I'll go down and get something started while you shower."

"Ginny, you’re my guest, I'll make breakfast."

Ginny shook her head. "You've been making our food all summer, it's my turn. Don't worry, I'm quite skilled at domestic charms."

"Molly Weasley's daughter, huh?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Sadly."

Harry chuckled before gathering up his things and heading for the shower.

By the time he finished his shower and wandered down to the kitchen, Ginny had already made tea, cooked several eggs and pieces of sausage, and was casting charms to make the dishes clean themselves. He would have to show her how the dishwasher worked. He stood and watched her for several minutes. She had rolled her sleeves up, and Harry noticed a series of symbols that seemed to be written on her arms.

Ginny turned and smiled at him, "Breakfast is ready."

They sat next to each other, and Harry unfurled the morning paper. They took turns reading about the disaster in Kent, which the newspapers were calling a freak gas explosion, followed by wind-whipped fires. Harry brought Ginny up to date on all of the information that Tonks had given him. Afterward they cleaned up the kitchen and settled back down at the table with cups of tea. It was then that Harry asked Ginny about the symbols on her arms.

"McGonagall put them on me. She said that normally Animagi don't need formulas written on them, but since we were rushing, it would help me make the changes quicker by giving me something to focus the magic on."

"Will you be able to remove them after you've mastered changing the right way?" Harry asked.

Ginny grimaced, "No, once they're on, they're on." She sighed softly. "I suppose this might be the end of the dating life."

"Why?" Harry asked.

She tossed him a small, almost sad smile, "Really, Harry, whose going to want to date the Amazing Tattooed Cat Girl?"

"I think they're brilliant," Harry whispered, running an idle finger over one of the marks on her arm. Harry was amazed that she was willing to go through so much to help him. He looked up and smiled at her. "So, how much of you do they cover?"

Ginny blushed lightly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would."

Ginny blinked. Was Harry actually flirting with her? She took a deep breath and launched a sally of her own. "Maybe someday you'll find out."

"I'll look forward to it." Harry couldn't quite believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Ginny grinned widely. "I'll keep that in mind."

Harry laughed and led her back upstairs. "So, did you talk to Dumbledore for me."

"Nearly hexed Dumbledore as a matter of fact." She gave Harry a quick smile. "I think he sent me here to keep himself safe, actually. And he wants to talk to you tonight at Mrs. Figg's house, seven sharp he said."

"I'll make sure to be fashionably late."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow at Harry. He laughed.

"I did learn some things from Lockhart, just not anything about Defense, that's all. So tell me about your argument with Dumbledore. Ron thinks your Mum sent you to a nunnery over it."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "She almost did." Once settled in Harry's room, Ginny related the entire encounter at Grimmauld Place.

The two teens spent the day sitting and conversing as if they had been friends since birth. Harry broke into his secret stash of Wizarding candies hidden under the loose floorboard, and they ate chocolate frogs and joked about what a wizard card would say about them someday.

Harry kept thinking just how brilliantly wonderful Ginny Weasley was, with her wicked sense of humor, her love of Quidditch, and her fierce heart.

Ginny kept trying to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground as Harry treated her just like he did Ron or Hermione. No, she thought, not exactly like Ron and Hermione.

Finally it came time to meet Dumbledore. Ginny transformed back into her animagus form. Harry scooped her up and started down the street toward Mrs. Figg's house.

They were halfway there when the first explosion rocked the neighborhood.