A first year and a Promise
The first year of Harry Potter made quite a bit of waves. When he was sorted into Hufflepuff of all houses, most were of two minds. Either it was a fact worthy of jokes, or it was a sign he would be a good wizard. Not necessarily exceptional, but at least, the rumours about him becoming the next Dark Lord, were, mostly buried.
Ginny knew though.
She knew that Harry could have gone to any of the houses.
They kept on meeting during their dreams. And she made certain Harry brought his books to help prepare herself for school next year.
So they spent most of their time learning magic and Harry practised his spells. He made his essays as well and had Ginny read them over and give him lesson on how to properly write with a quill.
Once he asked why they used quills at all.
“Outside of most wizards and witches not liking muggle stuff? Because quills help build the muscles in your hands and wrist for more complex wands movements, as well as gain control over your strength.”
He had then started using her as an encyclopedia on the magical world. When she became upset at this joke, he told her he already used Ron as well, but her brother generally just exclaimed about stuff as they encountered them.
Harry was also, strangely intuitive when it came to magic. Not genius level, but he was often able to find shortcut, loophole and, generally, more efficient way of accomplishing his spells, and, subsequently, using them in a practical fashion.
They had great fun, and from the news they got home, she learned that Harry, by Himself, was carrying the Hufflepuff first years points.
Ron was raving about a girl though. A Gryffindor in his year that was an insufferable know-it-all and who, unlike Harry, was unable to keep it shut when someone did not answer her or pick her to answer.
She’d apparently taken Harry, as a rival of sort, and was so intent on beating him at every avenue, that she grew only ever more dissatisfied by her apparent lack of success.
“Hermione?” clarified Harry.
“If that’s her name then yes?” she indicated Ron’s letter.
The current incarnation of Hades took the parchment letter, and read. His frown grew more and more. Then he sighed, seemingly foregoing the tension he felt entirely.
“I wish he wouldn’t say all that about me.”
“But?”
Harry shot her a glare, his lips twitching upwards a few times.
“But I am not stupid enough, or conceited enough, to not believe at least some students will have spoken about me to their parents.”
Ginny hemmed a little distracted by a butterfly having placed itself on her nose.
Harry looked at it funnily.
“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a Butterfly in this place before. Or any animal at all.”
Ginny raised her brows and huffed the butterfly away. She stood up, stretching herself and doing the usual routine before exercising a little.
Since those dreams could only last twelve hours, but not necessarily in real time, they had decided to establish a schedule to get rid as quickly as possible of the weakness they still had. Ginny was, still, a little girl. But her baby fat was quickly disappearing.
Harry, to the contrary, was still somewhat too thin. But he had grown taller already and it seemed he would have a first growth spurt imminently. She blamed it on weird muggle stuff in the waters.
He’d laughed himself silly when she’d revealed her theory, and just told her that people entered puberty at eleven sometimes, though it was rare. And that boy went through it at twelve all the way to the ripe old age of thirty for the lost cases.
This joke did not get old for him, since he often maintained that Snape must still be in puberty to have such oily hairs.
She got a good scare when she learned in one of their dreams that he’d met a Cerberus, and had tried to approach it, but it hadn’t recognized him as Hades.
She answered that the earthly Cerberus were not actually descended from ‘the’ Cerberus, but were a species crafted by ancient Greek wizards.
How she knew that was everyone questions, but, hey! It doesn’t mean she’s wrong.
As the event of the year unfurled and became more and more awful, she tried desperately to have Harry avoid any danger. Only relenting when he told her her brother was going down the trapdoor with Hermione and Neville whether he himself went as well or not.
She spent that night wide awake and hopping beyond belief that nothing would happen. When she felt herself burn up from the inside, she almost screamed, but instead, acted impulsively and sent as much of her magic toward the burning to help appease it.
Miraculously, it worked!
And when she fell asleep, Harry was panting, still winded from the event in whatever was under the trapdoor.
“I hope it taught you a lesson.” she said with tears.
“Yeah. That I need to get stronger faster, harder and better than before.”
Ginny Blinked as the boy turning into adolescent started pacing like a caged lion.
“I need your help. You’re the only one who’s been unquestionably truthful with me. I need to know you’ll always be.”
Ginny crooked her head sideways.
“Why? What happened down that trapdoor?”
Her horror grew the more she learned. The more she learned, the more she wanted to puke. The more she learned, the more determined she became to grow stronger as well.
“I’ll help! And next year, we’ll be able to train even harder! We’ll have more time than anyone else before to grow stronger!”
Harry nodded, smiling thankfully.
She hesitated. Then asked her question.
“What should we do for your and my friends if I get any in my year?”
Harry looked at her funnily.
“What?”
“Nothing, I just thought you’d join my group of friends. Because, you clearly are above first year in level.”
She thought about that argument.
“In theory, yes. But in practice? I haven’t done any magic that wasn’t accidental and so, I still need the time to get accustomed to it at all.”
Harry nodded.
“Well then, let us study.”