Harry nodded. "Quite possibly."
"And aurors?"
"—Carry huge ass iron shields with them that levitate from their arms as a protection against certain dark spells such as Avada Kedavra. Because they're not touching them, they wouldn't be counted as clothing for the switching spell and would probably be left behind."
Ginny leaned back.
"This is all speculation, of course. We don't know that's why no one's ever done it. Hell, we don't even know its not impossible. It's just Voldemort's theory after all. It could be total rubbish."
Ginny tilted her head. "Do you think it's rubbish?" Harry cast his gaze into the distance. "I think its worth a shot. The rewards far outweigh the risks. We've got to have you doing something. I don't have the time and I believe this is the best thing to try."
Ginny nodded. "That's good enough for me. Okay. Let's do it."
"Right. The first step is switching two objects like normal without a wand." Harry motioned her to sit herself in front of him, back against his chest, which she did.
"Now, feel this, and take note…"
Ginny stirred the cake batter, bored. Bored, bored, bored. She put the spoon down, looked around furtively, and dropped into her occlumency. She tried to pool intent to switch, but found it tough going. The spell just didn't want to form. She knew this feeling. She'd felt it before when she couldn't get first the stunner, then the shield, and then, the stinger. There was nothing for it, but put in the hours, and keep on slogging away.
"Try again, Ginny?" Luna extended her hand to her.
Ginny looked up into Luna's tired but glowing face. She still couldn't beat Luna, but she prided herself that she now got the blonde witch out of breath. "No, I think we should rest for a bit before we have another go."
Luna hauled her up and bounced up and down a bit. "Okay, Ginny."
They sat down on the ground, fallen leaves all around them, and passed a bottle of pumpkin juice between them. The sky night was clear of clouds. The stars shone through. Owls hooted. The chilly wind rustled the leaves.
"Luna?"
"Yes, Ginny?"
"Do you talk with Alexandra Black much?"
"Oh, yes. We are quite close friends."
"Really?" Ginny looked at her friend in surprise. "Why didn't you say?"
Luna put one small finger on her chin. "Well, we have only recently started seeing each other again. She invited me over for her birthday party. I think she wanted to know if Harry was trying to marry her." Ginny spat "W-what?"
out
her juice
and
choked.
"Harry has been courting her as Lord Slytherin. He wants her to join our little group. I think she was somewhat confused."
Ginny stared at the ground, face flaming red. "S-so Harry doesn't want to…"
"Oh, I have no doubt he does. But, you know Harry. He is all about long term plans, with short term goals, which is good. World conquest requires both."
Ginny squirmed. She half-wanted to ask what Harry thought about her, but she had a feeling that if she asked, she would get what could only be described as an 'honest' answer, and she didn't feel she could handle the embarrassment. The phrase 'world conquest' also bounced around in her head like a gob stone in a bludger. "S-so," she said instead, "Does Alexandra know? About Harry being Lord Slytherin and from the future and everything?"
Luna shook her head. "No, she does not. If you are going to talk to her, make sure you refer to Harry as Lord Slytherin, our lord, or, if there are others around, just 'our teacher'. She does know Harry Potter exists, and that he is being taught by Lord Slytherin, but that is all she knows."
"I see."
Luna rose from the ground. "Are you ready for another round, Ginny?"
Ginny nodded. "Sure."
Ginny let the magic flow through her, again. Let the magic pool in her, again. Focused her intent on the desire that the stone in front of her, should be over there, and the stone over there should be here. She pushed it into her hands. The spell died.
Her shoulders slumped.
Harry looked up from where he was doing paperwork at a mahogany desk on the other side of the small, Aztec stone room. 'Ninety percent of paperwork is thinking,' he'd told her months ago when she'd asked about the impossibility of doing paperwork in a dream. "Did you manage to keep your intent intact through the post-middle phases?" he asked.
She nodded.
Harry smiled. "Well, that's something." The desk vanished. "C'mon! I've got a surprise for you." Ginny perked up and followed Harry out of the pyramid.
The sounds of songbirds hit them as they stepped out into the open air. There in the courtyard, on either side of the several massive buildings that made up the Aztec temple complex that they'd made their dreamland training base for the last few months, were six, hundred-foot-tall quidditch hoops.
"Harry!" Ginny leaped up and hugged Harry.
Harry grinned. "I thought we'd have some fun with mid-air duelling since you're doing so well."
Ginny smirked. "Sure I am, Mister Time-traveller. And it has nothing to do with the fact that today was the first Hogwarts Quidditch match, does it?" Harry smirked back. "I can't imagine how you could possibly suggest such a thing."
Two Nimbus Two-Thousands appeared in front of them.
Harry swung a leg over one of them. "I'm pretty sure I've got the physics right."
Ginny scrambled to mirror his actions, grinning like a loon all the time. "Only pretty sure?" "Well, I guess we'll find out!"
And they shot into the sky, laughing and cheering all the way.
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