Summary: Sequel to
Always Stick Together. After the life-changing events of the last few weeks, and the emotional ending to
Always Stick Together, the wizarding world prepares to fight for their freedom. Harry is going to have to play a key role in the battle and Ginny is willing to do anything to get them through the Second War... Love, unity, friendship and courage will all be tested in this battle between good and evil - but will it all come to a happy ending?
Reading Always Stick Together first is not completely necessary, but it would help this story to make more sense!
Categories: Harry/Ginny Characters: None
Warnings: Character Death
Challenges: Series: None
Chapters: 14
Completed: Yes
Word count: 32011
Read: 55855
Published: 07/04/05
Updated: 06/12/07
1. Prologue: I'll always be with you... by hattiepotter
2. Confide in me by hattiepotter
3. A Simple Flower by hattiepotter
4. So long by hattiepotter
5. The world outside Hogwarts by hattiepotter
6. Real Unity? by hattiepotter
7. Grief by hattiepotter
8. Destroyed by hattiepotter
9. In the thick of it by hattiepotter
10. Lead them into battle by hattiepotter
11. Emerald flames by hattiepotter
12. White lily by hattiepotter
13. I'll always be with you... by hattiepotter
14. Epilogue: The power of love by hattiepotter
Prologue: I'll always be with you... by hattiepotter
He woke with her in his arms. He took a deep breath, breathing her in, then opened his eyes. Blurry darkness was all he saw. He recognised the clinical bedsteads around him, and realised for the hundredth time that night that he was in the Hospital Wing, lying on his side next to Ginny, who was asleep on top of the sheets. She had obviously never moved since they lay down there together hours before. The monotonous night surrounded Harry, who had already woken several times since he had first fallen asleep what seemed like centuries ago, and now the humid air pressed in on him, threateningly suffocating. Darkness seemed like a fatal being which was now draped over the world; escape impossible, and happiness even further out of reach. The only thing sustaining Harry was that Ginny was back in his arms where she belonged, and that he was back at Hogwarts, where he belonged. But could it really protect him now like it always had done? Harry shuddered at the thought of Dumbledore “ the only wizard that Voldemort had ever feared “ some day being gone. Until then, there would always be hope.
Ginny suddenly started to shake, and her breathing quickened. Harry squeezed her hand and kissed the back of her neck, and she slowly relaxed. She had been on and off like that all night, and Harry knew that she was having nightmares just as he was. Harry finally fell back to sleep at the crack of dawn…
* * *
She woke in his arms. She could feel the deep rise and fall of his chest against her back, and his fingers intertwined with hers across her tummy. Trying to slow her breathing down from its panicky pace, Ginny took a deep breath and sighed a long, calming sigh. She opened her eyes. Hazy daylight was starting to creep through the long windows and across the bed sheets, the tip of the blinding sun just visible above the horizon, reaching towards the pale blue sky. The queasy contradiction of the weather and the world seemed like a spiteful reminder of the happy times that had once existed what was now so long ago; that sun was now just a measly souvenir of that life she had lived, when the only thing she had had to worry about had been a couple of ridiculous exams and the occasional stupid argument.
She needed everyone in her life at the moment, especially Harry, but the fear of someone she loved being taken from her had only been strengthened by what had happened over the past week or so, and now it was more likely than ever. She shook convulsively at the thought, and squeezed Harry’s hand tighter. She finally fell back to sleep once the sun’s rays were shimmering across the lake…
* * *
“LET GO, HARRY!” Ginny screamed, absolutely terrified of the mere thought of it.
“NO!” he shouted down at her. “I WON’T LET GO, GINNY! I WILL NOT LET YOU GO!”
The wind raged and a huge gust of air swept around them, blowing Ginny’s flaming red hair about her face, and causing her to clutch tighter to Harry’s hand.
“It’s the only chance we’ve got!” she yelled. “Let go and you can finish the battle! We can win, Harry! You can win! I know you can!”
“NOT WITHOUT YOU! I CAN’T DO IT ALONE, GINNY! I CAN’T “ I can’t “ “
Harry’s voice seemed to give up on him, and he just stared down at her hopelessly.
“I’ll still be with you, Harry,” Ginny called above the weather, her voice more gentle than before. “I’ll never really leave you…”
Both sets of eyes snapped open in unison.
“You awake?” he whispered.
“How could I not be “ I just relived that night again,” she replied.
“Me too…”
“Hanging from the tower?”
“Yup.” They lay in silence for several minutes, then: “Gin?”
“Yeah?”
“I “ I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Sorry? What for?”
“For everything,” said Harry. “For dragging you down with me and for putting you in danger and for letting you go after I’d promised I wouldn’t. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you down.”
Ginny turned over so that she was facing Harry and stared into his green eyes determinedly. “Harry, you have never let me down. There may have been times when we did not see eye-to-eye, but believe me “ if you had let me down I wouldn’t be lying here now. You have been braver than I could ever have expected you to be over the past few weeks, and even though for a lot of the time you were not with me, I could not have got through that time without the thought of you keeping me going. You have not let me down.”
Harry stared at her, lost for words. Then, not knowing what to say, he nodded slowly. Ginny smiled and kissed his lips gently.
“I’ll always be with you,” she whispered in his ear, then she lay her head on his chest and fell back to sleep…
A/N: I hope you enjoyed Always Stick Together and can now enjoy this story. I know that this Prologue was incredibly short, but it was really just to get me back into the story before I carried on. Please watch this space for upcoming chapters!
Confide in me by hattiepotter
“Do you think we should wake them?”
“No, they look so cute together. Vomit.”
“I really think that you should try to get used to them being together. I mean, let’s face it, neither of them are going anywhere in a hurry.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” muttered Harry, opening his eyes to see Ron and Hermione sitting beside the bed.
Hermione smiled. “Good morning, if it is a good morning, which I doubt…” Her smile faded.
“How’re you feeling?” asked Ron, obviously trying to avoid the negativity.
Harry, who didn’t seem to be able to sum up the immense load weighing down on his mind at the present moment, answered with a simple: “I’m alright.”
Hermione’s expression was difficult to read. She looked as if she was struggling somewhere between worried and disappointed, but all she said was: “Dumbledore wants to see you.”
Harry nodded; he had been waiting for that. He sat up carefully, so as not to wake Ginny, got out of the bed, then lay her back down on it. She didn’t stir one bit. “I may as well get it over and done with. You coming?”
“I’ll come,” said Hermione, standing up.
Harry looked to Ron. “Oh, I might just…” He gestured towards Ginny.
“Sure,” said Harry, “although I doubt she’ll be awake any time soon; she hardly slept last night… we’ll be back soon.” He and Hermione left the Hospital Wing and proceeded to walk to Dumbledore’s office in silence.
“Fizzing Whizzbee,” said Hermione to the gargoyle, and they ascended the revolving staircase.
“I have something for you,” said Dumbledore, looking up at Harry as they went in. He reached into a drawer of his desk and pulled out “
“My wand! But “ how “ ?”
“You have it back, that’s all that matters,” said Dumbledore, waving his hand as though to say that it was nothing. “Now, we have a few matters to attend to. Please, sit down.” Two comfortable-looking red armchairs appeared in front of the desk, and Harry and Hermione each took a seat. Harry had an uncomfortable lump in his throat, filled with guilt and dread, and, not wanting to look his headmaster in the eye, he gazed down glumly at his feet.
“Firstly, as hard as it may seem, I would like you to tell me exactly what happened from that night, up to when I saw you yesterday.”
Harry remained silent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione reach out and put her hand on his arm.
“Come on, Harry,” she said kindly. “You’re going to have to do it some time, and it will be better once you have it out of the way.”
And so he told them; told them of how he didn’t remember anything between Ginny falling and coming-to in that dark cell; of how he had survived on next to nothing for days on end, and of how he had tried to contact Ginny. So as to skip the sympathy and worry he knew it would induce, he left out the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, and went straight on to the end of the story.
“And then, one day, I heard a voice telling me to ‘get out’, and the next thing I remember is when I saw you.”
“You know nothing else of where you were?” asked Dumbledore.
“I’ve told you all I can,” said Harry through gritted teeth. If he had known where he was, he would have said so.
“In that case,” continued Dumbledore, “on to our second call of business. Do you remember the DA, Harry?”
“Of course I do,” said Harry, now starting to get frustrated with all this pointless chitchat.
“The work that you and your other members achieved there is nothing short of astounding,” Dumbledore told him. “What you and your friends managed to accomplish, was not only to teach highly advanced defence, but also to bring unity between three out of our four houses, something that Hogwarts school has always struggled for, and something that we need now more than ever. Harry, I would like you to seriously consider restarting the DA.”
This made Harry look up. He had broken numerous school rules, including several laws, in his running of the DA, not to mention the amount of trouble he had caused Dumbledore.
“But “ it was different then,” said Harry. “We weren’t getting any practical defence lessons. It was all we could do.”
“Oh Harry, don’t you see!” said Hermione. “This is just what we need! We need to pull the houses together, and extra defence training isn’t exactly going to hurt!”
“This isn’t just lessons, Harry,” said Dumbledore gravely. “This is preparation for war.”
Harry considered this for a moment. The DA had been fun, and it had helped to take his mind off things. “You’ll help me?” he asked, turning to Hermione. She smiled.
“Of course we’ll help you,” she replied. “We can all do it together.”
“Well… I suppose it can’t make anything any worse.”
“Excellent!” said Hermione, and Dumbledore’s eyes brightened.
“You can run it in the Great Hall,” said Dumbledore. “Say… Tuesdays and Thursdays? After dinner?”
“What about the summer holidays though?” asked Harry. “We’ll hardly be able to have any meetings before they start.”
“Well, actually Harry, that’s something else that I wanted to ask you,” said Dumbledore. “In our current situation, I really think that people would be willing to go to meetings during the holidays.”
Harry scoffed. “I have a feeling that my aunt and uncle wouldn’t be too impressed.”
“Not if they weren’t to know,” said Dumbledore. Harry’s stomach flipped; would this finally be the summer when he wouldn’t have to spend any time with the Dursleys?
“What do you mean exactly?” Harry asked.
“Well, I would like you to spend some time of your holiday with your aunt and uncle.” Harry scowled; so much for a Dursley-free summer. “However,” continued Dumbledore, “as you know, you have a neighbour who is well aware of the wizarding world, having had magical parents herself, and who can therefore help us while you are with the Muggles. I am talking, of course, of Arabella Figg.”
“And “ what were you thinking we could do?”
“Well, the Order’s headquarters at Grimmauld Place seem like a suitable place for the DA to meet. You see, I am proposing that the DA will be the Order of the Phoenix’s youth movement. Harry, I want you to be the head of Dumbledore’s Army, and to train anyone who is underage, and who wants to help the war effort, to be prepared for anything. You can reach our headquarters by Floo Powder some time at the beginning of the holidays, then stay at Grimmauld Place for the rest of the summer, training others and taking an active part in the Order. All I need to know now is whether you wish to do all of this.”
“Are you kidding me?” said Harry. “It sounds brilliant!”
“Very well,” said Dumbledore, looking content, “I will send you a letter explaining exactly how we will carry out the plan soon after you arrive back at Privet Drive. Any questions, either of you?” Harry and Hermione shook their heads. “Well then, be off with you. I’m sure you wish to discuss this conversation with your Weasley friends straight away.”
Harry and Hermione left the head’s office and started to make their way back to the Hospital Wing.
“We should start planning what we’re going to do immediately,” said Hermione on the way. “It’s really going to have to be a lot more serious this time.”
“Hermione,” said Harry, “we can still have fun at the DA, you know.”
“Oh, I know!” she replied. “But with all this about the war and the Order, we’ll have to take it a bit more seriously than before.”
“I suppose,” said Harry. “But then I guess I’m going to have plenty of time at the Dursleys to plan what we’re going to do. Where are you this summer?”
“Grimmauld Place with you, of course!” said Hermione brightly. “You’re not going to be there on your own, Harry.”
When they entered through the doors of the Hospital Wing, Harry saw that Ginny was awake and sitting up in bed. “Oh good, you’re awake,” he said as they approached.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Ron, and, quietly so as not to alert Madame Pomfrey to the fact that they were leaving, they left. As they made their way out to the grounds, Harry and Hermione told Ron and Ginny everything that Dumbledore had said.
“Oh, Harry, that’s excellent!” said Ginny once they had finished.
“We’re going to run part of the Order?” asked Ron, looking impressed.
“Dumbledore’s Actual Army,” said Hermione. “And with our combined knowledge of defence and Harry’s experience of Voldemort and the Death Eaters, they’re not going to know what’s hit them.”
“Hey, it’s not just me with the experience of Death Eaters,” said Harry, as they strode out into the sunshine. “Or Voldemort, in fact.”
“We’re trying to forget,” mumbled Ginny.
“I know,” said Harry, “but the more we know what it’s really like to fight them, the higher an advantage we have. In fact, with the number of people we had in the DA, we could certainly give them a run for their money.”
“Well we’ve done it once and we can do it again,” said Ron cheerily.
Hermione frowned. “It’s not all fun and games, Ron,” she said seriously. “This is the real thing, and we’re going to have to work hard to achieve the high standards that we’ll need.”
Ron cheery smile disappeared, and he looked down grumpily.
“Give him a break, Hermione,” said Ginny. “If we take it too seriously the novelty will completely wear off and no one will want to work at all. We’ve got to try to keep our spirits up these days.”
Hermione sighed deeply. “I know,” she said glumly, “I’m just “ well “ you know…”
The four of them continued to wander round the lake, none of them speaking, all lost in their own thoughts. When they had done a complete circuit, they parted, and Harry and Ginny went up to Gryffindor Common Room. As they clambered through the portrait hole, an overwhelming sense of comfort swept over Harry; now he really was home.
He collapsed onto the sofa, and Ginny snuggled up beside him.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” she said, slipping an arm around his back and laying her head on his shoulder.
“Believe it or not, so am I,” said Harry, and Ginny chuckled.
“I’ve missed this so much,” Harry heard her say.
“Tell me about it; I was going crazy!” Harry replied.
Ginny sat up suddenly.
“Sorry?” she asked.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why did you just say ‘tell me about it; I was going crazy’?” asked Ginny, looking bewildered.
“Because you said you had missed these times!” replied Harry in exasperation. “I was just agreeing with you!”
“I never said that!” said Ginny.
Harry couldn’t understand why she was lying to him about something so trivial.
“Yes you did!” he told her. “Just now!”
“No I didn’t, Harry,” she said seriously. “But I did think it.”
“You “ what?”
“I was just thinking that,” she said anxiously.
“Are you trying to tell me that I heard what you were thinking?”
“How else could you have heard me say that exact thing?” asked Ginny. Then, seeing Harry’s raised eyebrows, she continued. “Harry, something happened when you were away; something… slightly weird. It was probably just a random dream or something, but I was sitting beside you in the dark, and you were telling me how much you missed me, and “ “her voice faltered slightly “ “ and how much you loved me and “ oh, I don’t know, it was probably just a meaningless vision.”
“Not necessarily,” said Harry slowly. “When was this?”
“A few days ago.”
“Because I was just thinking those things a few days ago.”
Ginny gaped at him.
“That’s creepy,” she whispered.
“And it means I can find out when you’re really lying to me “ “
“Hey, you’re not just going to casually stroll into my mind whenever you feel like it!”
“Why?” asked Harry. “What’s so private that you don’t want me to see?”
“Private things, Harry,” said Ginny with a smirk.
“Do I really want to know?”
Ginny giggled, then got up.
“Freedom of thought, Harry,” she called over her shoulder. “We should always have freedom of thought, no matter what happens. Now, let’s go and get some lunch “ I’m starving.”
* * *
That evening, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stayed up late into the night. The Common Room fire’s embers were burning a low, pulsing orange, and Harry’s eyelids were as heavy as lead, but he had missed these times so much over the past week that he tried with all his might to stay awake.
A sort of mutual understanding of feelings had grown between the four of them, dismissing the need to ask each other how they were feeling or how well they were coping, and as Harry sat there with Ginny’s head in his lap, he could feel that understanding present in the air around them. So far, the impending doom of the wizarding world went almost completely unspoken of, which Harry was glad for. He didn’t want to have to do a post-mortem on recent events, or to imagine what could be coming; the future looked bleak and empty, and, having blocked out all thoughts of it and forbidden his mind from wandering to it, Harry was trying to focus on the present moment.
He habitually twirled a strand of Ginny’s long hair around his fingers, its mesmerising colour and touch causing him to think back to the first time she had kissed him all those months ago, and the adrenaline he had felt as their lips locked, setting a precedent for every time she had kissed him since. As he remembered, Ginny turned onto her other side to face him and smiled softly “ a smile that ignited her eyes and made Harry’s heart shiver. Had she remembered too? Ginny nodded slowly, her expression forming surprise. Eager to explore this new revelation, Harry asked another question:
“Can you really hear me?” he thought.
“As much as you can hear me,” said Ginny’s voice inside his head.
Harry stared at her unbelievingly, and she laughed nervously.
“What’s so funny?” asked Ron, mid-yawn.
“Don’t worry,” murmured Ginny, then: “Idiot,” said her voice.
Harry grinned.
* * *
The next week passed with almost no news of current affairs outside of Hogwarts. The Daily Prophet no longer came, and teachers were very reluctant to tell the students anything about anything. However, word of multiple deaths in the Ministry had reached them, and those who hadn’t been captured or killed were struggling to keep any sort of government running. Dark wizards had nothing to hide any longer, what with the majority of Aurors having been killed in the showdown at the Ministry, and surely that was Harry’s fault? Had he not have gone and got himself captured and locked up, they would never have had to rescue him in the first place, and maybe the Ministry would have been spared. Harry resolved that he would just have to train the DA so that they really were ready for anything, so that they could eventually replace the missing Aurors.
He woke early on Tuesday morning and, seeing that no one else in his dormitory was awake, dressed silently and crept down the stairs, taking his Firebolt with him. The sun’s early morning rays were shining brightly through the Common Room windows, and when Harry got outside, he found that it was already fairly warm. He mounted his broom and kicked off hard from the ground, soaring lightly into the air and somersaulting over and over until his head spun.
As he flew, a weight lifted from his mind, and he almost forgot the troubles that he had left behind on solid earth. By the time he was descending to the ground, the sun had risen above the forest, and a few eager first years were already heading to their Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Harry went up to Gryffindor Tower to put his Firebolt back, and, not feeling much like breakfast, went straight to his lesson.
“Where were you this morning?” asked Hermione, as they left the classroom and headed for lunch.
“Oh, I woke up early so I went to have breakfast,” Harry lied in reply. “Look, I don’t really feel like lunch. I might just go outside for bit.”
“Okay,” said Hermione slowly. “Have you worked out what we’re going to do tonight yet?”
Harry’s heart sank; he had no idea what he was going to teach the DA that evening.
“Er, yeah, I think so,” he muttered. “See you later.”
He strode away before she could bother him further, and did not stop walking until he was under his favourite silver-birch tree. Trying to forget everything that was on his mind, he lay back and shut his eyes, letting the sun creep round until there was almost no shade left, and he had to undo the top buttons of his shirt.
“Harry!”
He heard her distant cry and tried to pretend that he hadn’t, hoping that he wouldn’t have to move from his comfortable spot in the sun.
“Harry?”
She was closer this time, and inquiring in her tone.
“What are you “ oh my “ what the bloody hell’s that?”
She sounded shocked, and there was a hint of fear in her voice, so Harry opened her eyes. Ginny was standing over him, an anxious expression on her face, her eyes wide and staring at the opening in his shirt where his chest was showing.
“Harry,” she gasped, “what happened?”
Harry sat up and looked down, only to see, to his annoyance, that he had exposed the large, purpley-red bruising across his chest where he had been hit repeatedly with the Cruciatus Curse.
“Um, well, it’s nothing,” he muttered distractedly, trying to cover it up with his shirt.
But Ginny had already bent down and was kneeling beside him, reaching out to have a closer look.
“No,” he said, and he batted her hand away. As soon as he had done it, he knew he was in for it. Her eyes snapped up to his, full of surprise, and they stared at each other.
“What’s got into you?” she asked, her voice almost a whisper. She sounded more confused than angry. “You’re not there at breakfast, you’re not there at lunch, then you spend a whole hour lying outside on your own, and now you won’t even let me touch you?” Harry stared at her, as confused as she was. “Please don’t lie to me, Harry “ I have a right to know “ what’s going on?”
“I don’t know “ I’m just…”
“You really don’t know?” asked Ginny disbelievingly. “You’re not just too embarrassed or too proud to tell me?”
“No!” cried Harry. “Ginny, please, I “ “
“ “ oh save it, Harry,” interrupted Ginny. “When you really want to confide in me, let me know.” She got up and started to walk away, then stopped. “Lunch is over, by the way,” she mumbled. “You might want to get to your lesson.”
Harry waited until she was back inside the castle before picking up his things and going to Transfiguration.
A/N: Finally. Sorry it took so long - I've been away. Anyone get the OC or Winnie the Pooh references?! If you did, let me know! This one's for Olivia, who has just discovered the wonderful world of fanfiction, and has been waiting for this chapter for a while. (although I let her read some of it the other day...) Please R/R so I know what you think!
A Simple Flower by hattiepotter
A Simple Flower
Harry spent the rest of the day avoiding people, his head never stopping with cursing and worry. Why had he been so stupid? Instead of running from the people who cared, couldn’t he just have confided in them that he was feeling overwhelmed? Nevertheless, he hadn’t yet worked out what he was going to do to apologise to Ginny, so he never went down to dinner, complaining of a headache.
At five to eight, he reluctantly dawdled down to the Great Hall, hoping that maybe he would get a chance to speak with Ginny on her own. He had to explain why he hadn’t told her about the marks across his chest, and he wanted to do it properly.
When he walked through the great oak doors, he was heartened to find that, not only were a lot of people already congregated there, but that he could see a few Slytherins in the crowd. Heads turned as he entered, and nervousness kicked in.
“Hello,” he said shakily to the mass of faces. “Er, are you all here for the meeting?”
“Of course we’re here for the meeting,” called Zacharias Smith, who was near the front of the congregation. “Why else would we be here?”
“I think what Harry meant to say,” said Hermione, appearing from the edge of crowd and going to stand beside Harry. “Is ‘thank you all for coming’.”
“Great,” said Zacharias, “now, can we get on with it?”
“Look, why are you here if you can’t be bothered to listen?” Ginny had stepped forward and was staring him in the face. Harry winced at her unwavering loyalty. “Do you want to learn?” Zacharias nodded sheepishly. “Then shut your face and let the people with some sense do the talking.” She stepped back and looked at Hermione as though nothing had happened.
“Er… thanks Ginny,” said Hermione. “We really do want to get on, so if your just going to be like him “ “ she shot a glare at Zacharias “ “ then I suggest you leave now.”
“Or face her,” added Ron, gesturing to Ginny.
Nobody moved.
“Right then,” said Harry, now that his friends had got order. “Let’s move these tables.
Once they had cleared a space in the middle of the Hall they divided into two groups: one for previous members of the DA, the other for new members. There were at least thirty new faces in the second group, which gave Harry a small confidence boost.
“Can you teach us how to conjure a Patronus?” asked a tiny, awestruck first year, his wide eyes gaping at Harry’s forehead.
“Er, I’ll try,” answered Harry, doubting that this happy little chap could ever imagine just what it was like to face a Dementor.
The boy’s eyes widened further, if that was possible, and he started to whisper frantically to his friend.
“Okay, well you all know why you’re here,” Harry told everyone. “There will be meetings throughout the summer as well as during school time, for anyone who’s interested. Dumbledore has given us the job of being the Order’s youth movement, for all those who are still at school but want to be part of the adults’ work, so we really are important this time.”
An excited murmur rippled through the crowd.
“But we want to have fun as well,” added Ron.
“Yeah,” agreed Harry. “So I guess new members can start with some simple disarmament, just to get you going, and old members can decide what they want to try. We’ll have a vote.”
Now he’d got into it, the meeting wasn’t seeming so bad, but then he glanced at Ginny, and she averted her eyes. A guilty pang twinged in Harry’s gut, and his stomach clenched uncomfortably. I’ll deal with it later, he thought, and tried to concentrate on the meeting.
After half an hour of new members shouting “Expelliarmus!” and old members shrinking each other’s feet so that they fell over, an overwhelming sense of fatigue crept up on Harry, and he found that he had to sit down.
“Are you all right?” asked Hermione, taking a break to come and join him.
“Tired,” grunted Harry.
“You look it,” said Hermione anxiously. “We’ll finish up here if you want to go to bed.”
“Yeah, thanks,” mumbled Harry gratefully, and he dragged himself out of the Hall.
Just as he put his foot on the first step, however, he heard a small voice behind him, and his heart jumped.
“Harry,” said Ginny, and he turned to see her standing in the high doorway to the Great Hall, “where are you going?”
“Bed,” he muttered. “See you in the morning,” and he started to climb the marble staircase once more.
“Why are you being like this?” her voice echoed around his head.
“Why are you being like this when I just told you I’ll see you in the morning?” Harry yelled, turning on her.
Her eyes widened and she stared at him in shock. Harry shuddered at his own behaviour and her expression. Complete confusion racked her features, and they both stood, glued to the spot.
“What am I doing?” thought Harry. “She’s trying to help me.”
“You’re damn right I’m trying to help you,” said Ginny fiercely. “What the hell’s your problem?”
“Sorry, I “ I don’t know what came over me…”
She looked at him, her gaze boring into his.
“You’ve flipped,” she muttered, and she turned and strode back into the Great Hall.
As Harry lay in bed that night, he felt the darkness closing in on him. He began to shiver, then his back stiffened painfully, and, like lightning, unbearable pain spasmed across his chest, causing him to cry out and writhe and twist in his bed. The world went black around him, and he could hear a faint scuttling sound as the pain subsided to a dull ache. His usually plush bed had become as hard as a rock, and he could feel movement around his hands and feet, which were suddenly freezing cold.
“Get out the way!” said a familiar voice from far away. “Get out the way!”
Harry opened his eyes, and was relieved to find that he was back in his bed. Ron was looking over him, and Seamus, Dean and Neville were dithering a metre or so away, all looking undecided as to what they should do.
“What happened?” asked Ron, bending in as if he didn’t want the others to hear. “Was it “ Voldemort?”
Harry shook his head, then pushed Ron out of the way just in time to vomit promptly over the side of his mattress. The other boys winced, but Ron said: “Let’s go downstairs.”
Harry nodded again, afraid that, if he opened his mouth, his insides would take the chance to escape. Ron helped his out of bed, and they slowly made their way down the stairs, out of the way of prying eyes.
“What happened?” repeated Ron, once they were sitting in the Common Room.
“Not sure,” mumbled Harry, taking the risk of talking now that he felt a little calmer. “It was a kind of… flashback.”
Ron gulped and sat back in his armchair. Harry, however, had decided what he needed to do.
“Er, Ron?” he asked. Ron looked up. “I’ve got to go and find Ginny. Will you go and get my Cloak for me?”
“Ginny?” replied Ron, looking confused. “Won’t she be in bed?”
“No, she’s not,” said Harry, not knowing how he knew. “Will you get it for me? And the map?”
“Sure,” said Ron slowly.
A few minutes later, Harry had thrown on the Cloak, and was creeping through the gloomy castle. He reached the doors in the Entrance Hall and snuck through them, slinking off into the night. As he walked, he conjured a single red rose from thin air, and, slightly impressed with himself, kept walking until he got to the silver birch under which he had lain earlier that day. As he approached, he heard the sound of gentle weeping coming from under the branches, and he started to feel apprehensive.
“Ginny?” he whispered. The crying stopped abruptly. “I “ I’ve come to apologise.”
“You took your time,” replied Ginny’s voice from behind the leaves. Her voice did not sound muffled as any other person’s would have done if they had been crying.
“Yeah, well, I was thinking,” said Harry, staying where he was.
Silence.
“So was I,” said Ginny.
Harry bent down and pushed aside the canopy of leaves. Ginny was sitting there, looking towards the lake. He sat down in front of her and reached up to turn her head towards him. She still looked down, not meeting his eyes.
“Gin, please,” he whispered. Then, when she didn’t look up, he held the red rose towards her. “This is for you.” She didn’t move. “To show you how much I love you.”
“A simple flower?” asked Ginny, still gazing down at the grass beneath them. “You think that will make up for how you’ve treated me?”
“That wasn’t me,” said Harry defiantly. “I haven’t been myself, and I only realised today that I should’ve just talked to you in the first place, rather than trying to deal with it alone. Please, Ginny. I need to talk to you. I need to talk to you rather than shut you out like I have been doing.”
She still did not look at him.
“And what about me, Harry?” she breathed. “What about when I need you, and you’re just trying to figure out what you want?
Harry’s stomach clenched; he could be so stupid sometimes.
“I know I should have been here for you, these past few days, but I wasn’t. I was all wrapped up in my own worries and didn’t think that other people “ you “ were going through the same thing. But, if anything, it’s definitely made me realise… unity is what will win this war, and if I am… well… the ‘Chosen One’ then… I am going to unite this side. No matter what it takes. I just hope that… that you will help me.”
He waited for her to reply with baited breath. But, to his surprise, she just laughed.
“Very commendable, Potter,” she said. The use of his surname relaxed Harry a little “ she only ever called him by it when they were joking around. Ginny looked up, finally, and Harry noticed through the darkness that her eyes were darker than they ever were. “I can’t believe I fell for you. I mean, really, of all the boys in the world, I had to go and fall in love with the one destined to destroy Voldemort.”
“Or be destroyed…” muttered Harry, more to himself than to her.
“Oh God, Harry,” said Ginny, “don’t give me that. Maybe it’s stupid, and maybe we’re all fools for believing in you, but I know that you can do this; I just wish that you knew it, too.”
Her words sank through him, and he found that his breathing was deep and calm. He held out the perfect rose once more and traced it along her cheek, under her chin and down her neck. He felt her skin tingle beneath it, and she made as if to reach out to him, but held back.
“If you want to know how devoted I am to you,” whispered Harry, “kiss me.”
“What?” asked Ginny.
“You can tell everything from a kiss,” continued Harry.
“But “ I’ve kissed you before, Harry,” said Ginny amusedly.
“Let me remind you,” said Harry, and he leant forward.
After what felt like a lifetime, their lips touched.
It felt like their first ever kiss. Hot blood pumped through Harry’s veins, and he felt, for the first time in weeks, that he was really alive, really living and really loving. He decided, in that moment, that this was not a time for depression, grief and misery, but that he had the motivation and the power to change the world. This was no game any longer, this was the destruction of suffering which had haunted the world for too long now.
And he alone could end it.
Coming up in this story...
A spell flashed past them as they leapt down the last few stairs, narrowly missing Harry’s cheek and almost hitting Ron in the back. Harry could hear hurried footsteps not far behind them, and, as they ran through the empty doorway and into the yard, he saw two robed figures appear at the bottom of the stairs. Clutching Ginny’s hand and shooting random spells over his shoulder, he came up with a spontaneous plan, and seized Hermione’s hand as well, checking that the other was holding Ron's. He suddenly knew that he could do what he wanted to do, and gripped on to the two girls’ hands as tightly as he could. It was a horrible sensation, but he could soon no longer hear the footsteps behind him...
A/N: Man I'm good to you guys - two chapters in like 3 days and a taster for what's to come! Please do review - if you think it's good, what is it about it that you like? And if you think it's crap, let me know why, and I can use your advice. Thanks xxx
So long
Summer was well upon them now. The air was thick and humid, and lush green grass was spread generously over the grounds. Tension was mounting as news of more and more deaths reached the school, and still all they had was rumours. Harry could hardly bear the thought of leaving his friends in the wizarding world, where God only knows what could happen, while he was stuck with the Dursleys in quaint, perfect Privet Drive, where the biggest problems were wilting hydrangeas and whether to paint the hall beige or taupe. As the summer term drew to an end, he actually found himself wishing that he could stay in the fatally dangerous world, which he loved nevertheless, and that he would rather risk his life there than sit safely in a house in Surrey with a family that he loathed.
“Earth to Harry?”
“What?”
Ginny was standing over him as he sat, cross-legged, lost in his reverie.
“You’re meant to be packing?”
“Oh, right, yeah…” said Harry, looking down at his half-full trunk on the floor in front of him.
“Not too skilled at the whole putting-clothes-in-a-trunk thing, are you?” she smirked.
Harry grinned sheepishly. His meagre attempts at trying to get his possessions to fly neatly into piles had so far managed to throw them even further awry.
“Here, let me help you,” said Ginny, and with a flick of her wand, the shirts folded and the creases on his robes sorted themselves, and he was left with a perfectly organised trunk.
“Why did I even try to do it without you?” asked Harry, staring at her in awe.
“I don’t know, Harry,” she answered, looking pleased with herself. “You shouldn’t have bothered.”
“Obviously,” said Harry, closing his trunk and standing up. “But then again, I’ll never learn if you always do it for me, will I?”
“Oh God, you sound like Hermione,” said Ginny. Harry squeezed her sides and she wriggled, fighting him off. “Harry!” she squealed. “Get off!”
They fell sideways onto his bed, just as Ron walked through the door.
“Harry, we had better get down to the feast or “ “
Ron stopped in the doorway and stared at them, frozen, mid-tickle, on Harry’s bed.
“We’ll be down in a minute,” said Ginny, still trying to prize Harry’s hands off her waist.
“Er, right,” mumbled Ron. “Well “ er “ see you there, then,” and he turned and disappeared down the stairs.
“What’s his problem?” asked Ginny, finally managing to get Harry’s hands off her and playing with his fingers affectionately.
“Well we are laying on my bed,” said Harry.
“So…?”
“So he still gets freaked out by that,” he told her, knowing that Ron would probably have been disturbed by what he had seen.
Ginny rolled her eyes. “What an idiot,” she said, leaning closer to Harry. “How could anyone possibly find a problem with this…?” and she kissed him delicately.
“Beats me, said Harry, smiling as they drew apart. “What I want to know, is whether you have a problem with this!” and he continued to tickle her, then picked her up set her down beside the bed.
“You’re so going to pay for that, Potter,” said Ginny breathlessly.
“Oh yeah?” asked Harry. “I’ll be ready for you, then.”
“Not if I catch you unawares,” said Ginny, with a twinkle in her eye. “Let’s go.”
They sat down opposite Ron and Hermione for the end of term feast. Harry noticed that Ron wouldn’t meet his eye and laughed to himself; it had been half a year, and Ron still hadn’t got used to Harry being with Ginny. The food appeared on the table in front of them, and everyone tucked in, Harry making the most of what was likely to be his last decent meal in a while. Once pudding had come and gone, Dumbledore tapped his glass with his spoon, and stood up.
“And so we come to the end of another year at Hogwarts,” he announced. “Some among us will not be coming back next year, but many new faces will be here to greet us in September. I can only hope that those who do not return do so for the right reason. We are living in times of great darkness, but if we can learn to face our fears, to overcome our demons, we will find strength and happiness in places that we had forgotten to look.” Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, whose hands were joined on the table in front of them. “Those with power thrive on the weak. They find solution in oppression of the frightened; they use coercion, intimidation and often cruelty to get their way, and do not care how many lives are spoiled or sunk in the process. However, with unity, we can surmount this corruption; loss of a loved one only gives more reason to fight “ gain of a friend gives more might to do so.
“Be on your guard, look out for those around you, and concentrate on making the correct choice. If we do not make the right choices, if we are not vigilant and do not hold on to what is important, we might find ourselves living in anarchy before the year is up. We have too much to lose to let that happen.”
* * *
The train ride to London was much the same as any other time, except for the sombreness that was never usually present on the Hogwarts Express, but which now seemed to hold everyone on the train. Once they had pulled in to King’s Cross Station and hauled their trunks down onto Platform 9 ¾, Harry took Ginny by the hand, and led her away from the swarming crowds, to a place where they would not be overheard.
“Well then,” he said, “I guess I’ll see you soon.”
“Very soon, Harry,” she replied. “And don’t you go getting yourself all worked up about staying with the Muggles; you’ll be at Grimmauld Place before you can say Quidditch.”
Harry’s insides curled at the thought of Grimmauld Place “ he hadn’t been there since before Sirius died. Ginny had obviously read his expression, because she reached out and put her hand on his cheek.
“It’s going to be just fine,” she told him, then: “I love you,” said her voice.
Harry smiled and pulled her into a hug by the waist.
“I love you, too,” he thought, holding her body firmly to his and breathing in the smell of her hair to lock it in his memory.
They pulled apart and walked back, hand in hand, to where Ron and Hermione now stood. The four of them passed through the barrier, and there, looking as forbidding as ever, was Harry’s poor excuse for a family.
“So long, Ginny,” said Harry, and he leant down and kissed her tenderly.
“See you, Harry,” she replied.
Ron and Hermione came over to them and said goodbye, Hermione kissing him on the cheek and Ron shaking him hand warmly.
Harry wandered over to the Dursleys and they turned away from him. He followed them to the car as Dudley taunted: “Potter’s got a girlfriend, Potter’s got a girlfriend!”
Harry whipped round, pulling out his wand and moving right up to Dudley so that no one else could see it. “I’m allowed to use this, this year,” he muttered, pointing it at his cousin’s throat. “So, if I were you, I wouldn’t insult her, or I’ll jinx you into the next millennium.”
Dudley nodded quickly, and Harry stowed his wand back in his pocket. Even if he couldn’t use it until his birthday, it would be fun pretending.
A/N: Another short one, I'm afraid, but it’s either that or a long wait between updates. But I suppose this has been quite a long wait... sorry about that - submissions were closed for maintenance, so blame Mugglenet! (Don't really - Mugglenet are awesome) Please review with thoughts.
The world outside Hogwarts by hattiepotter
A week into the summer, and still no word from Dumbledore about the DA. Harry had received several letters from Ron, Hermione and Ginny already, but they were almost as useless as they had been last year, saying things like “It won’t be long,” and “I can’t go into too much detail here.” He thought that he might have channelled some of Ginny’s energies yesterday, when he had yelled at Aunt Petunia for being too protective; his aunt had been telling him he was an ungrateful waste of life and that she wished he had never been born at the time.
Harry picked up the letter that he had received from Ginny that morning, and read it through for the fourth time.
Dear Harry,
Yesterday was rubbish. Actually, so was the day before… I really miss you, and I can’t wait to see you again, but don’t get your hopes up too high “ life here isn’t much better than it is there at the moment; you’ll see what I mean when you get here.
I’m a bit of a loner “ Ron and Hermione keep disappearing for hours on end, and I’m left with none other than the likes of Mad-Eye Moody and the delightful Mrs Black. Mum is coming to her wits end, I think; I’ve never seen her more hassled or stressed than she is now, and that is saying something. I had a right go at her earlier because she kept trying to make sure that I was never alone, and now she’s in even more of a huff than she was before. You have to come and save me from this hellhole!
Thinking of you all the time,
xxx Ginny xxx
Harry folded it up carefully and lay it back on his desk. No matter what Ginny said, he was sure that it must be more fun there than it was in Little Whinging. Just as he was sitting back down on his bed, a huge tawny owl flew through the open window, and landed gracefully next to Harry. He detached the scroll from its leg, and, with one spectacular beat of its fine wings, the owl took off into the night.
Harry untied the red ribbon that was tied around the parchment and read:
Midnight tonight at Arabella’s.
He smiled; this could only mean that he would be leaving the Dursleys’. He packed up his things straight away (although it didn’t take long because he had never unpacked) and looked at his clock: ten thirty “ he would just have to wait…
He drifted in and out of sleep for an hour and a half, then woke with a start as the digital display flashed from eleven fifty-nine to midnight. He jumped up, grabbed Hedwig’s cage and the end of his trunk, and started to drag it down the stairs. The trunk banged on every step, but he didn’t care if he woke the Dursleys up now “ he was leaving, anyway.
“Where in God’s name do you think you’re going?” cried Uncle Vernon as Harry reached the foot of the stairs.
“I’m leaving,” said Harry, now proceeding towards the front door.
“I can see that!” yelled Uncle Vernon. “Come back here!”
“Why?” said Harry, stopping and turning around. “Don’t you want me out?”
Uncle Vernon spluttered with rage, but Harry just pulled open the front door and slammed it behind him.
He walked briskly to Mrs Figg’s house, then knocked sharply on the door. It opened almost immediately.
“Wotcher, Harry,” said Tonks, who ushered him inside.
Arabella Figg was standing beside the fireplace, holding a pot of Floo Powder, and looking slightly anxious.
“Hello,” she said, “come on, quickly now.”
“You go first, Harry,” said Tonks. “I’ll bring up the rear.”
Harry took a handful of the green glitter and threw it into the ashes. Stepping in after them, he called: “Twelve, Grimmauld Place!” and immediately felt himself spinning uncontrollably, until, thankfully, he slowed down. Opening his eyes, he gained his bearings and peered out into the familiar kitchen of the Order’s headquarters.
“Move it, then!” said Tonks in his ear, as she appeared right behind him.
He stepped out of the fireplace, followed by Tonks, who was promptly followed by another witch, then a wizard, then two more witches. They all hurried past Harry and Tonks, walking with purpose through the door and out of the kitchen.
“Who were they?” asked Harry.
“Ministry employees,” replied Tonks, “I think you’ll find we’re a bit busier than normal.”
They exited the kitchen and crept across the hall, where a few small gatherings of important-looking people were whispering to each other.
“Come on, Harry,” whispered Tonks, “let’s get you upstairs straight away.” They tiptoed up the stairs to the bedroom that Harry and Ron had shared two years previously. “Got to go, now. Oh, and it’s best you stay in there. They’ll fill you in.”
She scampered off, tripping slightly on her robes as she went, and Harry opened the door to see Ron, Hermione and Ginny sitting on one of the beds.
“Harry!” cried Ginny, and she jumped up and ran towards him, flinging her arms around his neck.
“Hi, Ginny,” said Harry.
She kissed him forcefully, then pulled away and looked at him, then kissed him again.
“Does anyone else get to see him?” asked Ron, who had come over with Hermione, and was now grinning broadly at Harry. “Good to see you, mate.”
“You too,” said Harry, also grinning.
Now that Ginny had stepped back, Hermione hugged him warmly.
“Come and sit down,” she said, pulling him over to the beds by the hand. “We’ve got loads to tell you.”
“Everything you didn’t say in your letters, I suppose,” grumbled Harry, sitting down opposite Ron and Hermione.
“Oh, don’t start that again,” said Ginny, lying down beside him. “It’s a bit two years ago.”
“Sorry,” Harry muttered. “So, who are all the people in the hall?” he said, trying to change the subject.
“Ministry officials,” said Hermione, “or what’s left of them, anyway. They’re having to try and keep some semblance of order from here, since they don’t have the Ministry any more.”
“What’s even happening at the Ministry,” asked Harry, now realising that he still didn’t know anything about the world outside Hogwarts.
“Well, let’s just say that you don’t want to be going outside,” said Ron, gravely.
“What do you mean?” asked Harry.
“Harry, Voldemort wouldn’t touch Hogwarts “ he knows that there would be no point with Dumbledore there,” Ginny told him, “and this place is guarded by ancient charms and countless lookouts, but everywhere else… “
“What?” stabbed Harry, with the feeling that they were avoiding telling him something. He looked round at Ron and Hermione, but they were both staring down at their knees. “Ginny?”
She took a deep breath, then proceeded to tell him, wincing occasionally.
“Well,” she said, “the Dementors are everywhere “ you can’t walk down a street without bumping into one “ and they’re multiplying like crazy. The Dark Mark has been performed so often that the sky is actually lit green. The majority of people we know are either in hiding or have had to put major security measures on their houses, and there are more Death Eaters now than there have ever been. It’s like a ghost town out there, or a ghost world…”
Harry stared at her, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing.
“Oh my God,” he whispered.
“I know,” said Ginny.
Harry put his feet up on the bed and lay back, staring up at the moth-eaten drapes. Ginny rolled over and held his hand in hers, shuffling up so she was right next to him.
“But we’re okay here, right?” asked Harry.
“As far as we know,” said Ron.
“Blimey,” murmured Harry.
He squeezed Ginny’s hand and she reciprocated.
“Are you okay?” said her voice.
“Just trying to take it all in,” he thought.
“So I assume that you two are sleeping upstairs like last time,” he said, trying to lift the mood.
“Er, actually,” said Hermione, “there are too many people. Everyone wants to stay here now that it’s one of the safest places around, so we’re all going to have to share one room.”
Harry sat up. “One room?”
Hermione nodded. Harry glanced at Ron and saw that he was looking uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry,” said Hermione, “we’ll conjure up some more beds!”
“Yeah,” said Ginny, “it’ll be fun.” But then: “We don’t need another bed, though.”
Harry grinned and looked at her. “You think I’m going to let you take up all the space on my bed?”
“You mean you don’t want me there?” she said, batting her eyelashes.
“I don’t think Ron would be too impressed,” thought Harry, noticing that Ron was still shifting around awkwardly.
“His problem,” said Ginny’s voice. “Anyway, he doesn’t have to know…”
At that moment, Mrs Weasley opened the door sharply and marched into the room. Harry saw what Ginny had meant about her looking stressed; she was a lot thinner than she had been, her hair was unkempt and her face was drawn and pale.
“Hello, Harry, how are you?” she asked, but without waiting for an answer, she snapped: “Bed! All of you! It’s gone midnight!”
She waved her wand and two clinical, uncomfortable-looking beds appeared, one either side of the original two.
“Goodnight,” she said distractedly, and she swept out of the room, shutting the door slightly harder than usual.
“Your poor mum,” said Harry to Ron and Ginny.
“Poor us, more like,” said Ron. “She’s hardly the loving, motherly sort at the moment.”
“I gathered,” said Harry.
Ginny wandered over to one of the new beds and poked it gingerly.
“Ugh,” she muttered, “let’s change these.”
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at each bed in turn; they disappeared, only to be replaced by two plush, four-poster doubles, with elegant, deep red covers and long white drapes at either side.
“Wow, Ginny,” gasped Hermione, “that’s some darn good Transfiguration you’ve got going on there.”
“I try,” said Ginny, now going and prodding one of the new beds. “Ah, that’s better!”
“Er, Ginny?” said Harry. “You’re not supposed to use magic.”
“They don’t care anymore, Harry,” said Ginny, lying back on the new bed and stretching out. “More important things to worry about.”
“Hey!” cried Ron. “How come you get the good bed?”
“Er, I conjured it, older brother,” said Ginny, looking very comfortable, “otherwise you’d be free to fight me for it.”
“I’m having the other one, then,” said Ron.
“No you’re not!” said Ginny. “That’s for Harry!”
“Since when!” cried Ron.
“Since I put it there and I said so!” retorted Ginny.
“Couldn’t you just… conjure up two more of those?” asked Ron, pointing at Ginny’s bed.
“Umm… no,” said Ginny. “But Hermione could.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Ginny,” said Hermione. “I don’t think I could make them quite like that.”
“You could try,” said Ron, looking at her expectantly.
“Well… well okay, but don’t get your hopes up.”
Hermione pointed her wand at the two original beds, and they changed to leave two which looked exactly like Ginny’s, only with lilac covers and dark purple drapes.
“Nice!” exclaimed Ron, and he jumped onto the nearest one and reclined like Ginny.
Harry laughed and sat down on his bed.
“Well,” said Ginny, “I’m tired; I’m going to sleep,” and she pulled her top off.
“GINNY!” yelled Ron, shielding his eyes and turning away from her.
“What?” asked Ginny, now proceeding to undo her jeans.
Harry turned away as well, more because of Ron than because he wanted to.
“Oh, for goodness sake, you two!” said Ginny. “I can’t even get changed in front of my brother, my best friend and my boyfriend?”
Ron just spluttered, but Harry was smiling at Ginny’s remark; it was funny because it was true.
“You can turn around now,” said Ginny, and Harry and Ron both looked at her. She was still in her underwear.
“GINNY! HONESTLY!” yelled Ron, turning away again, positively fuming.
Ginny giggled to herself and pulled a nightie over her head. Harry was still laughing at Ron, but also couldn’t get over the fact that he had just seen his girlfriend in so little clothes.
“Get over it, Harry,” said Ginny’s voice, and he realised that she had probably just heard what he had been thinking.
“Damn it,” he thought, “I forgot that you could hear.”
“Yeah, well, at least it was all good,” said Ginny, climbing into her bed and pulling the covers over her.
Ron eventually calmed down, bent down to his trunk.
“I’m going to the bathroom to change,” he announced with his nose in the air, and he marched out of the room, his pyjamas under one arm.
“We’ve got a whole summer of that,” muttered Hermione, who had changed discreetly behind one of the beds.
“I know,” said Ginny, “can’t wait.”
“Night, you two,” said Hermione, and she extinguished the lights, got into bed and closed the drapes.
Harry changed into his pyjamas and got into his own bed, but when he turned over, he saw Ginny watching him.
“What?” he asked her in a whisper.
“You didn’t come and say goodnight to me,” she teased.
Harry got out of bed and crept over to her.
“Goodnight,” he said, and he knelt down beside her and kissed her on the forehead, just as Ron came back into the room.
“What are you doing over there?” he asked Harry, staring at him warily.
“Just saying goodnight,” said Harry. “Keep your voice down “ Hermione’s trying to get to sleep.”
Ron grunted and he and Harry both climbed into their beds. Harry was glad for the comfort of a soft mattress “ he was exhausted, and couldn’t stop thinking about what Ginny had told him earlier. He pulled the duvet up to his chin, turned over, and promptly fell asleep.
* * *
It must have been the middle of the night; it was pitch black and colder than it usually was at this time of year. He scrabbled about for his wand.
“Lumos,” he whispered, as he grabbed hold of its handle.
He sat up and pulled open the drapes, and the light rested on the door to the room. He stood up and began to walk towards it, but then he heard something which made him stop.
“Harry?”
He swung around, and the beam of light pointed towards her bed, whose white drapes were still pulled shut. He drifted towards it and lifted one of the drapes back a little. Ginny was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest, leaning against the headboard.
“What’s wrong, Gin?” whispered Harry.
She shuffled along to the other side of the bed to allow him to sit next to her. He put his arm around her and she leant against his shoulder.
“The world’s a mess, Harry,” she whispered back in a shaky voice. “Everything is completely messed up “ we can’t even go outside!”
“I know,” said Harry, “but there are loads of people out there trying to make it right.”
“Those of them who weren’t blown to pieces,” muttered Ginny bitterly.
Harry felt a twinge of guilt; it was when they had been trying to save him that all this had happened.
“It’s not your fault, Harry,” whispered Ginny. “This was always going to happen, it was just a matter of time and place.”
Harry took his arm out from behind her and lay back on the bed, and she copied him.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, taking hold of his hand.
“Well, all we can do is try,” said Harry.
“And with a bit of training from the master…”
Harry smiled. “You don’t need any training from anybody.”
“Oh, no, I want to be trained by you,” said Ginny. She rolled over and looked him in the eye. “Do you realise how sexy you are when you’re ordering us about like that?”
They both laughed.
“Watch it, Weasley, or I’ll have to give you a rematch of that tickling fight.”
“Ooo, I’m quaking in my boots,” she said sarcastically. ”I could take you down in a minute.”
“Well apparently not, if last week’s performance is anything to go by.”
“I stand by my word that I will get you back for that,” said Ginny seriously.
“Now I’m the one who’s scared,” teased Harry.
“Shut it, Potter,” she said, “you know you are really.”
“Actually, you’re right “ I am.”
Ginny giggled reluctantly.
“Where would I be without you?” she whispered.
“Still sitting up in bed, probably,” Harry whispered back.
She pinched his side and he jumped.
“Watch it,” said Harry, “Ron and Hermione are asleep you know. In fact, I should probably get back to bed before Ron wakes up and has a hissy-fit.”
“No!” hissed Ginny. Then, seeing Harry’s raised eyebrows, she added: “Just… stay here for a bit.”
“Okay, a bit longer.”
She snuggled up to him, and Harry felt her breathing get deeper and deeper as she fell asleep. Not being able to move without waking her up, he watched her until he fell asleep himself…
A/N: A little longer than the last few, just to make up for their shortness! Hope you liked it. Please R/R!
Real Unity? by hattiepotter
“Has Harry already gone down to breakfast?”
“I suppose so.”
“You didn’t see him get up, then?”
“Well where else could he be, Ronald?”
A beat.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Harry waited for the sound of footsteps to fade away before drawing back one of the white drapes. No one there “ good; not that anything had happened, but he had a feeling that Ron wouldn’t be too pleased if he saw Harry emerging from his little sister’s bed.
He got up carefully and crossed the room to his trunk, pulling on some trousers and a shirt, and heading silently towards the door. He descended the wooden staircase, passing several bleary-eyed strangers on the way, and entered the kitchen at the bottom of the house.
“Good morning, Mrs Weasley,” he said as he sat down.
“Oh, hullo Harry,” she muttered, as she attempted to pick up a stack of plates at the same time as commanding a wooden spoon to stir porridge with her wand.
“Er, do you want some help?” asked Harry tentatively.
“Sorry? Oh, yes, thank you. Here, take these,” and she thrust the pile of plates into Harry’s arms.
He stumbled slightly, but managed to regain his balance and staggered towards the dresser where they were kept.
“Am I allowed to use magic?” he asked Mrs Weasley as he put the crockery down. He did not want to take Ginny’s version of the rules as standard.
“Yes, dear, go ahead,” she said, absent-mindedly, “I think we’re past punishing people for a little magic here and there, when there are Dementors roaming the streets here, there and everywhere.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then carried on. Harry charmed the plates to put themselves in the correct place, and they flew into the dresser, hitting together slightly more than perhaps they should have done.
“Morning,” grunted Ron, who had just come through the door with Hermione.
Harry wondered for a moment about where they had been since he had heard them leave the bedroom a few minutes ago, but decided it was best not to think about it.
“Hi, Harry,” said Hermione cheerily, sitting down beside him and taking the bowl of porridge that Mrs Weasley gave her. “Good sleep?”
“Yes, thanks,” said Harry, also taking a bowl. “You?”
“Oh, all right, yes,” said Hermione, although she didn’t sound sure.
“Where’s Ginny?” stabbed Ron.
“I dunno,” said Harry innocently, “maybe she’s still in bed.”
At that moment, a fatigued Ginny wandered into the room, her hair still messy from the night but her eyes bright.
“Oh for goodness sake, Ginny,” snapped Mrs Weasley, “would it kill you to comb your hair before parading around the house?”
“Oh, yeah, parading,” mumbled Ginny, dropping down onto the bench beside Harry, “that’s what I was doing.”
She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it lazily at her hair. It untangled obediently and fell straight. Harry observed that it had looked just as nice before.
They all ate their porridge in silence, Harry suddenly realising that the house was full of Ministry wizards, and wondering what they were going to do all day. As if she had read his mind, Ginny said:
“What are we doing today?”
“Staying where I put you,” said Mrs Weasley sternly, “and don’t let me catch you wandering about like I did yesterday, Ginevra.”
Ginny rolled her eyes and got up, pulling Harry’s hand with her.
“Let’s go back upstairs,” she mumbled.
Harry nodded and they traipsed back through the hall, where there was already a small group conversing in a corner, and up the staircase. They got back to the bedroom and collapsed onto Ginny’s bed.
“Aren’t we allowed to go anywhere?” asked Harry.
“Nope,” replied Ginny. “She usually makes us stay in here all day.”
“All day? We’re not allowed out?”
“Seriously, there’s hardly any point trying,” said Ginny grumpily. “All the doors are locked, anyway, so even if we did get out…”
They lay there for a bit, each in their own reverie, until Ron and Hermione came in several minutes later.
“Got to stay in here again,” grumbled Ron. “Mum says we should decorate.”
“Yay,” said Ginny sarcastically. “Like that’s going to fill up the day.”
“It might be quite fun,” said Hermione. “What colour do we want?”
“Anything’s better than grey,” said Harry, staring at the depressingly murky walls.
“Well, we could do it red and gold like the Common Room,” said Hermione brightly.
The other three grunted their assent; Hermione seemed to snap.
“Oh, I “ give “ up!” she cried. “I am coming to the end of my tether with you lot! If it’s not Ron moaning because he misses Quidditch, it’s Ginny moaning that she’s bored! We may be stuck inside this cesspit of a house, but if we don’t at least try to keep our spirits up then we’ll die of depression before any Death Eater even has a chance! So will you please pull yourselves together?”
Without giving any of them time to respond, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at it, gob smacked.
“What’s got into her?” said Ron after a long pause.
“Someone should go and apologise,” said Ginny. When neither of the boys volunteered, she gritted her teeth, flicked her hair over her shoulder, and followed Hermione out of the room.
“Women,” muttered Ron, “they are so finicky. Couldn’t they just give us all a break from time to time?”
Harry laughed half-heartedly, but he was actually feeling a bit ashamed that he hadn’t gone with Ginny to say sorry to Hermione; she was right “ they could all do with being a bit less sulky. Ron, however, carried on with his rant.
“I mean, it’s not like we don’t care,” he continued, “we’re just a bit more laid-back about stuff. There’s no use getting all uptight about things “ or all enthusiastic about living here, because that’s hardly a joy. And plus, it’s not always us giving her a hard time “ she’s not exactly an easy person to live with either “ and Ginny’s no better, what with her massive temper and the way that she’s always striking up arguments with Mum, which gets them both in a bad mood for the rest of eternity, but then I guess you don’t mind that, do you?”
Harry was a bit taken-aback by this sudden enquiry.
“Er “ I dunno,” he said vaguely.
“Well you spend half your time with her, so you can’t find her that annoying. I personally don’t know how you stand it.”
Harry sat up; Ron never spoke about his relationship with Ginny.
“She’s not always in a stress,” he told Ron.
“Not with you,” muttered Ron, “it’s like you’re immune.”
“Hardly,” said Harry, surprised that Ron felt this way, “we have our moments.”
“Approximately once every 3 months!” retorted Ron. “You never seem to bother her at all.”
“Well it’s a bit different, isn’t it?” cried Harry. “I am her boyfriend, you know!”
“Yeah, I’d noticed!” Ron cried back, his ears turning red. “Hardly keep it a secret, do you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?” yelled Harry, standing up. “Do you expect me to pretend she’s not my girlfriend when you’re around or something?”
“I’d appreciate a little more decency!” Ron yelled back, also standing up.
Harry couldn’t believe his ears.
“You just can’t accept that I’m with her, can you?” he asked, bringing the volume of his voice down. “You’ve always been touchy about it, ever since we got together, but I thought that you might’ve gotten over it by now!”
“SHE’S MY LITTLE SISTER!” yelled Ron. “WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THAT’S WEIRD FOR ME?”
“WHY CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT I LOVE HER AND THAT WHAT YOU THINK ISN’T GOING TO CHANGE THAT?”
The door opened, and Ginny and Hermione walked in. Ginny’s face was murderous.
“What the hell is going on?” she asked, looking from Ron to Harry and back again. They both gaped. “Well?”
“It doesn’t matter,” murmured Harry, turning away from all of them.
“Ron?” asked Ginny.
“No, it doesn’t matter,” Harry heard him say. “I’m going.”
Harry heard the door shut behind him, and could feel two sets of eyes burning into his back.
“What just happened?” asked Ginny.
“I’ve told you, don’t worry about it.”
He knew that he should tell her, but something inside him didn’t want to. Ginny cried out in frustration, and Harry heard one of the beds creak as she parked herself on it rather more fiercely than normal.
“This is just great,” she snapped. “Now everyone’s in a mood.”
Harry turned back around and flopped down onto one of the beds, burying his face in his arms. He couldn’t believe what had just happened; Ron was actually annoyed because Ginny wasn’t angry at him? That was fair. Harry avoided looking up, knowing that it would only make it easier for Ginny to understand what he was thinking. He could already feel her somewhere in his mind, and he willed her to leave.
“How else am I going to know if you don’t tell me?” said her voice.
“Maybe I don’t want you to know,” thought Harry.
“Harry?” Hermione spoke for the first time. “Should I go and talk to Ron?”
“Yeah, then maybe he can explain to you what a bad friend I am, and turn you against me, too,” Harry mumbled into the bed sheets.
“Oh, rubbish,” said Hermione. “You can’t honestly think that, can you?”
“Well he seems to think so,” said Harry bitterly.
“Why? You were getting on fine earlier.”
Harry hesitated; he didn’t want to tell them that it was because of Ginny. A part of him realised that this was because he didn’t want to subject Ron to her wrath, but he pushed that part to the back of his mind and ignored it.
“Oh Harry, come on,” said Ginny. “It can’t be that bad.”
Harry turned onto his side and looked at her.
“He started talking about us,” he said.
Ginny’s expression hardened.
“What did he say?”
“He said that he’d ‘appreciate a little more decency’ when it comes to us, and that it’s still weird for him.”
Harry held his breath and waited for her reaction. It came.
“He WHAT?” she yelled. “Oh, I am going to sort him out!”
She got up and practically ran to the door before Harry could stop her.
“Ginny! Wait!” he called, but she had already run down the stairs, leaving the door swinging on its hinges behind her.
“Great, that’s just great,” said Harry, frustrated that it was only his first day and yet everyone was already miserable.
“It’s not your fault, Harry,” said Hermione consolingly, coming to sit on the bed beside him.
“I never said that it was!” said Harry.
“But you thought it.” Harry didn’t reply, not wanting to admit that she was right. “Ron can be such an idiot.”
“Tell me about it,” said Harry.
Hermione put her arm around his shoulders.
“He’ll get over it,” she told him. “Once he realises he’s being stupid.”
“Or once Ginny has released her pent up anger on him,” muttered Harry.
“That’s true,” said Hermione, smiling slightly.
“Trouble is,” said Harry, “that’s what started this stupid argument in the first place.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ron got annoyed because Ginny doesn’t get angry with me like she does with him.”
“Seriously?” asked Hermione. “That’s why he’s mad?”
Harry nodded. “That and the fact that Ginny and I got together in the first place.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake,” snapped Hermione. “I’ve told him to give that a rest a million times! Who does he think he is to decide who his sister goes out with?”
“Exactly,” agreed Harry.
“WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?” The words drifted up the stairs and through the open door to Harry and Hermione. “MORE DECENCY? I’LL GIVE YOU MORE DECENCY! HOW ABOUT I JUST STOP SEEING HARRY? WOULD THAT MAKE YOU HAPPIER? MAYBE YOU’D FEEL BETTER TO SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND AND YOUR SISTER BOTH MISERABLE JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO IMMATURE TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM HAPPY TOGETHER? IS THAT IT? DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE I’M THE ONE OUT OF ORDER, RON!” There was a pause, presumably in which Ron tried to defend himself. He shouldn’t have bothered. “WHY DO YOU THINK I LOSE MY TEMPER WITH YOU AND NOT WITH HARRY? DON’T YOU THINK THAT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, HARRY IS A SLIGHTLY MORE UNDERSTANDING, BETTER PERSON THAN YOU ARE? DID THAT EVER OCCUR TO YOU?” Harry groaned; Ron would never dare to come within so much as 10 miles of him after this. “DON’T BOTHER, RON. COME BACK AND APOLOGISE WHEN YOU’VE GROWN UP!”
Harry could feel Ginny’s anger pulsing through him as her footsteps crashed up the stairs. She appeared in the doorway, stomped over to her bed and yanked the drapes shut with such force that the whole bed wobbled slightly. Harry approached it apprehensively, worrying that she would still have some anger left to take out on the next person she set eyes upon. He lifted back one of the white curtains slowly; Ginny was lying face down “ her face in her pillow “ breathing heavily.
“Ginny?” he asked tentatively.
“What?” she retorted.
“You’re “ you’re steaming.”
“Wha “ ? Oh damn.” Ginny turned over and, sure enough, faint trails of steam were rising from her body like thin wisps of excess anger.
“Are you all right?” asked Harry anxiously, now feeling a slight heat radiating from her.
“I’m fine,” she said firmly, “that just… happens sometimes.”
Harry watched as Ginny took several deep, calming breaths, and the steam gradually whiled away to nothing.
“I’m going to leave you alone,” said Hermione, and she left the room.
“Come here,” said Harry kindly, and Ginny got up and sat on his lap.
Harry hugged her close and kissed her hair.
“Sometimes I wish I didn’t have brothers,” she said.
“It’s what makes you who you are, Ginny,” Harry replied.
“What, the loner girl in a family of men?”
“No,” said Harry patiently. “Independent, unconventional, feisty, no nonsense “ well, some nonsense “ “
“Okay, okay!” said Ginny. “I get the idea, but you know what I mean.”
“Strange though, isn’t it?” said Harry. “I would kill for a big family like yours, and yet you’d gladly be an only child.”
“Not that gladly,” said Ginny reluctantly. “It’s okay sometimes, especially when you’re younger.” She paused for a moment, remembering. “I remember once when I was about seven; Mum wouldn’t let me play Quidditch with the others, so they all went against her “ would ignore everything she said until she let me, even got Dad on their side “ and one day, she eventually gave in.”
“There you go then,” said Harry, “brothers aren’t all that bad. Ron’s only being protective; he won’t admit it, but he does care about you.”
“It’d be nice if he showed it once in a while,” mumbled Ginny.
“Yeah, well, he’s not exactly one for public displays of affection, is he?” said Harry. “That’s why he’s got such a problem with us and why poor Hermione doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going.”
“My my,” said Ginny with a smirk, “we’re very observant today, aren’t we, Potter?”
Harry laughed. “I do try.”
He stopped laughing abruptly as the door opened and Ron walked in, followed by a stern-looking Hermione. Ron was staring around the room, looking everywhere but at Harry and Ginny.
“Yes?” enquired Ginny.
“Erm, I “ er “ “ Ron stuttered. Hermione hit him over the head. “I just wanted to say,” he muttered, rubbing his head, “that… that…” Harry saw Ginny raise her eyebrows; Ron looked even more disconcerted. “I don’t have a problem with you being together,” he blurted out.
Harry would have smiled had it now been for the somewhat serious nature of the conversation; Ron looked so uncomfortable “ he was squirming and still gazing at the wall just to the right of Harry’s head.
“We appreciate it,” said Harry.
“Well… good,” muttered Ron. Hermione gave him a questioning look. “And, um, I also wanted to tell you, Harry,” Ron continued, now looking at the ceiling, “that “ er “ I’m glad it’s you who’s with Ginny, and not some other random.”
Ginny got up and walked towards Ron.
“There’s no taking that back now, Ronald,” she said seriously. “I don’t want to see you so much as flinch, okay?”
Ron nodded. Ginny stepped forward and hugged him; Ron took a moment to react, then tentatively returned the gesture. Harry felt suddenly a lot better about himself “ more comforted “ and he went to stand with the others.
“It’s about time we showed some real unity,” he said. “That is what we’re working for, after all.”
A/N: Hope you're liking the story so far. I'm still not sure how many chapters I'll get to, but please do keep checking back for more! And leave a review!
Grief
Tuesday brought the first DA meeting of the summer holidays. Harry had decided that, given the current circumstances, everyone should be able to conjure a Patronus. He had therefore come to the conclusion that he should not confuse them with anything else until he was sure that everyone was happy that they would be able to defend themselves against a Dementor.
“Where is the meeting taking place?” he asked Dumbledore, who had just arrived in the kitchen of 12, Grimmauld Place.
“You can use the drawing-room,” replied Dumbledore.
Harry nodded, but there was another question which had been sitting at the back of his mind for days now, and which was positively burning through his skull.
“Professor?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “How do we know that… that people aren’t… on the wrong side?”
Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment, and Harry thought that maybe he had over stepped the line when it came to undermining the Headmaster’s intelligence. Dumbledore, however, merely sat down at the table and gestured for Harry to do the same.
“You’re right to ask, Harry,” he said, as Harry took a seat opposite him. “Here, have some tea.” Dumbledore conjured up two cups of tea and gave one to Harry. “Everyone who wishes to come must agree to swear their loyalty to the DA, and not to release any secrets of the Order. Anyone who breaks the oath will find their speech… impaired, shall we say? I’ve left that up to Miss Granger.”
“But won’t it be too late by then?” asked Harry. “I mean, they could have already revealed something to the Dark Side.”
“There becomes a time, Harry,” said Dumbledore, “when we must chose how far we want to trust people. We could present all manner of tests for DA members, and numerous curses and jinxes to punish anyone who went against us. However, if we can’t learn to use our own judgement, we may never know who to trust at a moment’s notice. And plus, if we can’t trust our own friends, who can we trust?”
Hermione appeared in the doorway, looking rather flustered.
“Oh, hello, Professor,” she said to Dumbledore. “We wanted to know where we were going to hold the meeting.”
“I’ll leave you to set up,” Dumbledore said to Harry. “Good evening, Miss Granger,” and he stepped into the fire and disappeared in a swirl of soot and smoke.
Hermione gave Harry an inquiring look, and he led her up to the drawing-room, whose green walls and many tapestries looked, if possible, even more grimy than they had done two years ago.
“I suppose it’ll do,” said Hermione.
Two red heads wandered into the room.
“Mum said you were in here,” said Ron.
“Ew, I’m sure it smells worse than it used to,” said Ginny, screwing up her nose against the musky aroma of years of filth.
“We need more light,” said Hermione, and she waved her wand to produce bright sunshine, which filled the room with a summery glow from no apparent source, and made it feel a lot less oppressive.
They spent a few minutes conjuring up various things: cushions, chairs, and a small raised platform on which anyone could stand if they wanted to speak to the whole room. At five to eight, the door opened, and some familiar faces entered: Lavender, Neville and Seamus all wandered in rather anxiously, peering around at the dusty carpet and the Black family tree with expressions stuck somewhere between fear and wonder.
“Hi!” said Harry. “Where are the others?”
It was as though he had told them that Lord Voldemort would be making a visit during the meeting; their faces dropped, and the wonder was immediately replaced with more fear.
“Um “ er “ “ stuttered Lavender, on the verge of tears.
“They’re not coming,” said Seamus, sounding unusually firm.
“Parvati and Padma are… are in hiding with their parents,” stuttered Lavender, fighting back sobs, which resulted in her getting the hiccups. “And Dean’s… Dean’s…”
“Dean’s dead,” blurted out Neville.
The atmosphere in the room tightened like a piece of string pulled taut. Out of the corner of his ever blurring vision, Harry saw Ginny’s knees buckle slightly, and he grabbed the top of her arm.
“He’s… what?” gasped Ron, but Seamus just stared at him with hard eyes, rarely blinking, his body rigid.
The silence was crudely broken by a muffled hiccup from Lavender, who had covered her faces with vigorously shaking hands.
“He’s dead?” asked Harry, who found that his voice came out in a kind of croaky whisper.
“Never had a chance,” said Neville quietly. “Three Death Eaters against him once his parents were done for.”
“But… why?” whispered Hermione, who had grabbed Ron’s hand and was now squeezing it within an inch of its life.
“Don’t need a reason, do they?” said Seamus bitterly.
Harry felt Ginny sway precariously, and he pulled her into him and put both of his arms around her. Tears formed and leaked from her closed eyes, and she hardly seemed to be breathing at all. Harry leant his head on top of hers, feeling the grief passing between them at an immeasurable speed, and the slow thump of her heartbeat pulsing against his.
The door opened again and a small group of second-years came in, followed by Cho Chang and a few friends. Harry’s mind painfully snapped back to reality “ the DA meeting.
“I can’t do it,” whispered Ginny.
“What’s going on?” asked Cho, noticing the grave faces.
“Don’t be stupid,” Harry whispered back to Ginny. “This is exactly why we have to do it.”
“Harry?”
Cho was watching them, frowning.
“This isn’t the time,” said Harry, and he slid his hand down and interlocked his fingers with Ginny’s.
“No,” said Hermione, who was still strangling Ron’s arm, “we’ll wait until everyone has arrived. Please, take a seat.”
She gestured to the chairs, and a couple of people sat down tentatively. A while passed, in which many more people arrived, until all the chairs were full. Harry moved over to the platform, still holding Ginny’s hand, and they both climbed onto it. Ron and Hermione sat on it at their feet.
“Er “ thanks for coming,” he said, in a slightly less croaky croak than before. “I don’t know how many of you have heard, but “ erm “ Dean Thomas… has died.”
There was a curious murmur throughout the gathering, and Ginny squeezed Harry’s hand a little harder.
“He was killed by three Death Eaters, who I expect would have shown no mercy and who… who never really gave him a chance. But we can… we can only imagine that he did the DA proud.” Harry saw Seamus give a tiny nod, as though reassuring himself that it was true. “And although… although some of you may feel like this is the time to give up, I feel that it gives us all the more reason to fight even harder to make our world right again, and that it would be a discredit to Dean’s memory to do any less than our best.”
A tense silence greeted the end of his words, but then:
“Here, here,” said Ernie Macmillan.
“Too right.”
“That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
“He’s got a point, you know.”
Harry smiled with relief.
“What are we learning today?” someone yelled.
“Yeah, what are we going to do now?”
“By the end of this week, I want everyone to be able to conjure a Patronus,” said Harry. Several younger faces lit up, but many older ones looked disappointed. “I know loads of you can already do it “ most of you, actually “ but it’s pretty hard, which is why I want you all to help each other. If you can already do it, help someone who can’t, and if you can’t, ask someone who can.”
He then explained the basic technique, and people began to group together to work. Harry pulled Ginny to one side.
“Are you going to be all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s just “ a bit of a shock, that’s all,” she replied in a small voice.
“I know,” said Harry, “but hopefully it’ll give this lot the enthusiasm to really put their all into what they’re doing.”
Ginny looked hurt.
“So you’re glad he died because it makes your job easier?”
“Oh don’t be stupid,” said Harry, angry that she would even think such a thing. “I’m just saying that maybe something good can come out of this. Of course I’m not glad that he died.”
“Sorry,” muttered Ginny, looking a bit ashamed of herself.
Harry sighed. There was no point getting cross with each other at times like this “ unity, unity he thought, desperately trying not to think of how easily something could happen to someone closer to him than Dean. He put his arms around Ginny and tried to hold her with steady arms, but knew that she would be able to feel him shaking.
“Harry, this kid really needs some help,” said Ron, who had just appeared by their side. “He looks like he’s constipated or something.
Harry and Ginny went to see if they could help him, and sure enough, a small boy with an increasingly pink face, eyes screwed up and breath held, was holding his wand up in front of him with no sign of a result. Ginny suppressed a giggle and her dark eyes twinkled.
“Come here, sweetie,” she said kindly, putting her hand over his on the wand handle. “You want to hold it more like this.”
The boy opened his eyes, and at first seemed highly alarmed at the sight of them both standing over him, then got extremely excited.
“I think I almost did it a minute ago!” he squeaked, and Harry recognised him as the same awestruck first-year that had been so eager to learn in the first meeting a few weeks ago. “Look!”
He crumpled his face up again and determinedly clutched his wand with a white-knuckled hand.
“Stop, stop!” said Ginny, now laughing outright. “You’re meant to be thinking of something happy, not getting all tensed up like that!”
The boy looked somewhat disappointed, but he was soon ready to try again after Ginny had helped him a little further. Harry wandered off to see how everyone else was doing, and was pleased to see that most people who had attended the DA in his fifth year could conjure fairly good Patronuses, and that most of them were corporeal. However, he was a little less heartened by the attempts of some of the younger people there.
“Okay!” shouted Harry, standing back on the platform. “Let’s try tackling this a different way. I want you all to close your eyes “ yes, that includes you, too, Miss Weasley “ close your eyes and forget about the spell.” Everyone closed their eyes obediently. Harry tried not to laugh at the sight of them all standing there facing him like zombies. “Now, think of your happy thought, whatever it is, and concentrate on it very carefully.” Harry thought he saw a flicker of last Christmas flash in front of his eyes, and was sure that it had come from Ginny. “Okay, now, say it like you mean it!”
“Expecto Patronum!” chanted the room.
Fifty shining bright animals lit up the high ceiling with a spectacular explosion of blinding silver mist. There was a gasp as several people conjured their first ever Patronus, and many saw their animal form for the first time. Harry watched as a fox, a horse, a monkey, a leopard and a whole herd of other protectors galloped and flapped and padded through the air. Ginny opened her eyes and grinned at the success of the group, and Hermione was clapping her hands with glee.
The Patronuses gradually faded away, but a couple of disappointed faces were still trying to produce them.
Finding his voice, Harry cried: “Excellent! Really excellent! Don’t worry if you didn’t manage it this time, that was brilliant for an early attempt!”
He was so overwhelmed by the effort that everyone was making, that by the end of the evening he was suitably tired and well ready for a good night’s sleep.
“Well that was well worth our time!” said Hermione, as the four of them mounted the stairs and headed up to their bedroom.
“I don’t half feel tired now, though,” said Ginny, yawning widely.
“Well you were working hard this evening,” said Harry.
Ron scowled and Ginny elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“I reckon loads of people can do it now,” said Ron, rubbing his side.
They got to their bedroom and changed into their pyjamas, still discussing the best parts of the evening.
“And then Seamus produced that amazing Patronus!” squeaked Hermione happily. “I don’t know how he did it, what with “ “
She stopped talking abruptly and her face dropped. No one spoke as they got into their beds and fell asleep, one by one.
A/N: Please review or send me an email if you have any comments. xxx hattiepotter xxx
Destroyed by hattiepotter
He reclined in the comfort of the high-backed leather armchair behind the desk, and observed his setting: a long, tall room, with spectacularly large windows, stretching almost right up to the high ceiling itself, beaming fake sunlight into the glorious office. As he congratulated himself on what he had achieved, a small, cowering man shuffled into the room.
“My Lord, some bad news,” he murmured.
“Bad news?” replied the Lord. “You know I don’t like bad news, Wormtail.”
Wormtail shuddered fretfully and took a few shaky steps back.
“Yes, my Lord, I know,” he stuttered, “but we knew that you must be informed.”
“Tell me now, Wormtail, before I really lose my patience.”
“Well, it’s the boy, my Lord,” said Wormtail hesitantly, now shaking frenziedly. “We didn’t manage to “ er “ to get him before “ before “ “
“Yes?”
Wormtail winced.
“ “ before he “ er “ disappeared,” he finished, with a terrified glance at his master.
“‘Disappeared’?” shrieked the Lord. “What do you mean ‘disappeared’?”
Wormtail was now trembling so badly that he looked as if he was doing some kind of strange hand jive.
“An incompetent follower did not keep track of the subject closely enough!” he cried in his meagre defence. “The boy was gone when we went to check on him!”
“How dare you call another ‘incompetent’?” screamed the Lord. “When you are just as much to blame as anyone else!”
Wormtail stuttered incoherently.
“Find the boy!” ordered the Lord. “Or so help you, Wormtail!”
Someone’s lips were kissing his. A blissfully familiar scent wafted over his face.
“Wake up, lazy bones!” she said cheerily.
He opened his sticky eyes and saw Ginny standing beside his bed, her bright red hair shining in the morning sun.
“Why are you so cheery?” he croaked.
“Am I not allowed to be cheerful?” she asked.
“No, carry on,” he told her, sitting up against his pillows.
Ginny grinned and danced away to the other side of the bed, where he could no longer see her because of the drapes.
“Where are the others?” asked Harry. “Having breakfast?”
“Preparing lunch, more like!” said Ginny’s voice from the opposite side of the room. “It’s midday, Harry!”
Harry blinked and rubbed his eyes, putting on his glasses blearily. Ginny’s head popped around the bedpost.
“What were you dreaming about, by the way?” she asked. “You seemed to be getting incredibly angry.”
“Oh, um “ “ stuttered Harry, trying and failing to think up a quick cover story.
“Very convincing, Harry,” said Ginny sarcastically. “Don’t worry “ I don’t want to know if you don’t want to tell me.”
“I’ll tell you later,” he promised her.
“Sleeping Beauty has finally awoken,” said Hermione, as she and Ron came in carrying a plate of sandwiches. “Good sleep, Princess?”
“Ha ha,” muttered Harry. “Actually, I might as well tell you now, since you’re all here,” and he proceeded to explain his dream to them.
They listened intently as he narrated, and by the end, Hermione and Ginny were looking worried. Ron, however, merely frowned.
“So they’re looking for a boy?” he said to himself thoughtfully. Harry, Hermione and Ginny stared at him incredulously. “Hold on a minute…” Ron continued, light dawning in his eyes. “A boy… could it be “ no…”
“Get there faster!” said Harry.
Ron gasped as it finally hit him.
“There it is,” murmured Ginny.
“They were following you!” Ron cried victoriously.
“Well, probably, but we don’t know for sure,” said Hermione.
“Oh come on, Hermione!” said Ron. “What other ‘boy’ would old Voldy get so worked up about, huh?”
“He’s got a point, you know,” muttered Harry.
“Have we ever considered the fact that maybe it was just an ordinary dream?” asked Ginny. “That it was all just random stuff floating about in Harry’s subconscious.”
“No offence, Gin, but exactly how often does this sort of thing turn out to be ‘just an ordinary dream’?” asked Harry.
Ginny sighed.
“Oh I know, I know,” she said. “I just sometimes wish that we were ordinary people with ordinary worries.”
“Hate to break it to you, Ginny, bit I really can’t see that happening to me any time soon,” said Harry.
“Yes, well, maybe not that soon, but we’ll see what we can do,” said Hermione. “Now, you said they were in some sort of an office?”
“I suppose it was at the Ministry,” said Harry.
“Good point,” said Ron thoughtfully. “He’s probably settled himself into the Minister’s old office. It’s all very cushy for him right now, isn’t it?”
“He’s certainly well on his way to getting what he wants,” said Hermione gravely.
Harry’s stomach clenched, knowing that what Voldemort ultimately wanted was to take his life. He had been trying desperately to keep his mind off the Prophecy as much as possible, but every night it came back to him in some form or other, only to remind him of his fate and leave it in the back of his mind for the rest of the day.
“We should probably tell Dumbledore “ “
“No!” interrupted Harry. “I mean, no, I don’t want to bother him…”
“Harry, Voldemort’s having you followed!” cried Hermione. “We’ve got to let the Order know!”
“No, we don’t,” said Harry firmly. “We don’t need to tell them anything. They’ve got enough to be getting on with without me worrying them further.”
Hermione shrugged. “Whatever you want, Harry,” she sighed. “It’s not up to us.”
“Yes it is!” argued Ginny. “We have a right to tell you what we think and you have a responsibility to listen and to think about what we say!”
Her eyes were raging and she wasn’t blinking as she stared at them.
“Oh I do, do I?” thought Harry.
“Yes, you do,” she replied. “You can’t just keep it all to yourself without talking about it.”
“I told you about the nightmare, didn’t I?” thought Harry. He was angry that she was being so defiant about this; of course he shared things with them.
“Um,” said Ron, breaking the tense silence. Ginny had her face in her hands and was breathing heavily.
“Sorry,” thought Harry. “Just… calm down “ you’re getting all stressed and that’s not what we need.”
The door opened and in came Mrs Weasley, looking as flustered as she had done all holiday. It was not rare nowadays to see her hair unkempt and her face looking older than usual.
“Awake at last, I see,” she said to Harry, forcing an unconvincing smile. “I’ve got a job for you all to do. I need you downstairs in five minutes.”
Five minutes later Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were gathered in the kitchen, dressed and ready for a probable long and frustrating household task, which none of the Order had enough time to do.
“We’re going to need more things from home,” Mrs Weasley told them, wringing her pale hands together nervously. “You can travel by Floo. I want you in and out of there as quickly as possible. I’d go myself, but we’re just too busy.”
“We’re going home?” asked Ginny.
“Just to get some clothes and other essentials,” said Mrs Weasley. “But listen to me, Ginevra “ there’s to be no larking about whilst you’re there, and you’re to come straight back once you’ve finished.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “I mean it, Ginny!” cried Mrs Weasley. “Now, you’ve all got wands, I presume? Okay “ get as much as you can carry, and be careful. Off you go.”
Harry went first, taking a handful of Powder and yelling “The Burrow!”. A short, but dizzy, while later, he spun to a stop in the grate. Replacing his glasses, he looked out.
The old wooden table, which had once hosted so many spectacular homemade dinners, had been overturned, and one of its legs blown off. The front door was lying in a dishevelled mess on the floor in the doorframe, which was blackened and threatening to collapse at any moment.
Hearing someone arriving in the fireplace behind him, Harry’s first reaction was to prevent them from seeing the distressing scene that would meet them, and prayed that it would be Hermione rather than a Weasley. However, he was not so lucky. Ginny spun into view, coughing slightly from the ashes, and Harry immediately lurched forward to cover her eyes.
“Harry!” she cried, trying to pull his hands away from her face. “What on earth are you doing?”
“Go back,” he told her, “go straight back.”
“Why? What’s going on?”
Before he could answer, flames fired up in the fireplace again, and a whirling Hermione landed and stumbled onto the hearthrug. With one look at the bizarre sight of Ginny struggling against Harry, and the obvious signs of a break-in behind then, she understood. Harry gave her a pleading what-are-we-going-to-do look, but she simply returned it. After an excruciatingly long and confused pause, Ron appeared and stepped out.
For a moment, Harry stupidly considered shouting “I did it!”, but realised very quickly that it would be pointless. Ron stared at the empty doorframe, growing slowly paler as his eyes flicked to the table, then to the smashed plates and broken pots surrounding it.
Ginny was still desperately trying to resist Harry’s grip, and decided that it was about time that he gave up. He removed his hand from her eyes, and she blinked up at him.
“What was all that about?” she asked, then she looked behind him and saw the room. “Oh my “ “
“What’s happened?” whispered Ron.
“We should leave,” said Harry. “Now.”
He grabbed Ginny’s arm, but she pulled away, walking towards the door and inspecting the crime scene. She ran her hand down the empty doorframe, and a gentle breeze blew through it, as if the house was shuddering.
“Harry’s right, Ginny,” said Hermione. “We shouldn’t stick around here.”
“We’ve got to get our things, though,” said Ginny defiantly.
She started to walk towards the staircase, but Harry held her back.
“Don’t go up there,” he said firmly.
“Let go of me,” she muttered through gritted teeth.
Harry reluctantly loosened his grip, and she mounted the staircase and started to climb. The others followed warily, until they reached Ginny’s room which they entered after her.
Clothes, books and parchment littered the old, purple carpet. Photographs lay behind smashed frames, and jewellery had been carelessly pulled out of an old wooden box on the chest of drawers to be thrown onto the desk. Hermione let out a short gasp, but Ginny simply stood perfectly still, staring at her destroyed bedroom; then she suddenly dropped to her knees and started to scoop her things up in her arms, throwing them into a large wooden chest at the foot of the bed.
“Ginny, please,” begged Harry.
“There’s no point running out of fear, Harry,” she muttered, continuing to pile her stuff into the box. “That’s what they want.”
There was a clunk from above them somewhere, and Ginny froze.
“That’s it,” said Ron, who had gripped Hermione’s hand, “we’re going.”
“It was probably just the pipes,” said Ginny.
“No, we’re leaving,” said Harry sternly. “Come on.”
He grabbed her wrist, but she shook him off. There was another loud thud from above, followed by what was unmistakably a man’s voice. Harry didn’t have time to think; he wrenched Ginny off the floor and pulled her to the door, seeing her snatch something from the dresser as they left the room, but quickly forgetting about it.
A spell flashed past them as they leapt down the last few stairs, narrowly missing Harry’s cheek and almost hitting Ron in the back. Harry could hear hurried footsteps not far behind them, and, as they ran through the empty doorway and into the yard, he saw two robed figures appear at the bottom of the stairs. Clutching Ginny’s hand and shooting random spells over his shoulder, he came up with a spontaneous plan, and seized Hermione’s hand as well. He suddenly knew he could do what he wanted to do, and gripped on to the two girls’ hands as tightly as he could. It was a horrible sensation, but he could soon no longer hear the footsteps behind him.
He opened his eyes.
“Where the hell are we?” asked Ginny.
“Welcome to my bedroom,” answered Harry.
A/N: Sorry about the MASSIVE wait for this chapter. I had it ready a few weeks ago, but I have been soooo busy recently that I haven't had time to get it up here. I hope it was satisfactory though! You'll have to bear with me for the next update - it's all written but needs to be typed up. Please review! xxx hattiepotter xxx
In the thick of it by hattiepotter
The old bedroom at Number 4, Privet Drive, looked exactly as it had been left under a week ago. The bedclothes were still tangled at the foot of the bed, and the empty desk stood where it always had, bereft of the parchment it held for only a short time every year.
“Your “ what?”
“My bedroom,” said Harry.
“What just happened?” asked Ron, but it wasn’t Harry who answered.
“We Apparated, didn’t we?” said Hermione quietly.
Harry nodded.
“But… how?” asked Ginny, looking thoroughly bemused.
“We were all joining hands, weren’t we?” replied Harry. “I thought it might work, and it did!”
“Side-Along Apparition,” whispered Hermione. “It takes a lot of strength, and you’ve never even Apparated before! You must have really wanted to get away from there…”
Ginny was inspecting the bed.
“Are we in Privet Drive?”
“Yup,” said Harry, “welcome to Surrey.”
“Why did you bring us here?” asked Ron, who was opening and closing the cat-flap in the door with great interest.
“Well you can’t Apparate into Grimmauld Place, and this was the next place I thought of,” said Harry. “Come on “ let’s find a fireplace and get out of here.”
He opened the door and the others followed him out onto the landing. A wide bottom was just backing out of the next room, but its owner did not notice them the newly arrived visitors.
“Hi, Dud!” said Harry loudly.
Dudley jumped dramatically and looked down at Harry, then at Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
“Don’t mind us!” said Ginny brightly, skipping forwards to join Harry.
Dudley cowered against the wall and watched them pass with wary eyes. They reached the bottom of the stairs, where Harry could hear his aunt and uncle’s voices coming from the sitting room. He was just about to open the font door, when the voices stopped, and instead there was the sound of heavy footsteps.
“Brace yourselves,” murmured Harry.
The door opened. There was a long, tense pause as Uncle Vernon stood, aghast, gaping at each witch or wizard in turn, and gradually turning a darker and darker shade of puce.
“What the devil are you doing?” he spluttered, his moustache bristling threateningly. “Where did you come from?”
“Just passing through,” said Harry casually.
Ginny snorted with laughter, quickly disguising it as a chesty cough.
“Passing through?” snarled Uncle Vernon, ignoring her.
“Yes,” replied Harry, “we were just leaving, actually.”
“Listen here, boy,” muttered Uncle Vernon, advancing on Harry. “You might think that you can use this house as some kid of a “ a stop off point in one of your little adventures, but I will not “ tolerate “ it! Now get out of my house!”
“Vernon, what’s going on?”
Aunt Petunia had appeared in the doorway behind her husband, and she noticed Harry with a wince of deepest disgust.
“He just decided to turn up!” spat Uncle Vernon. “And with all of his little friends, by the looks of things!”
This seemed to be the point where Aunt Petunia noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny for the first time. Her eyes landed on Ginny, and her tight blonde curls seemed to wilt slightly. Her gaze dropped down to Harry and Ginny’s interlocked fingers, and her jaw clenched, her lips pursed.
“And who are you?” she asked Ginny rigidly.
“I,” said Ginny, with an uncanny likeness of Aunt Petunia, “am Ginny Weasley.”
Aunt Petunia’s nostrils flared reproachfully, and for a moment, Harry thought she looked slightly disconcerted, but she pulled herself together, drawing herself up to her full height.
“Get out,” she hissed waspishly.
“Sorry?” asked Ginny coolly.
“Get “ out “ of “ my “ house,” said Aunt Petunia, bending closer to Ginny’s face.
Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at his aunt’s chest.
“Don’t speak to her like that,” he told her warningly, then he pulled open the front door with a sharp yank, and they left, leaving Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon frozen to the spot behind them.
They all promptly burst out laughing as soon as the door was shut.
“Nice one, Harry,” said Ron, between sniggers.
“What was her problem?” asked Ginny incredulously.
“Lily,” Hermione murmured to herself.
“What?” asked Harry.
Hermione started and looked up, as if she hadn’t meant anyone else to hear her.
“Lily and James,” she told them simply.
“What about Lily and James?” asked Ginny, staring at Hermione as if every thought she’d ever had that she was mad had now been confirmed.
“Have you never realised?” said Hermione, her eyes wide. “It’s so obvious!”
“What’s obvious?” asked Ron.
“These two!” said Hermione, gesturing to Harry and Ginny. “James and Lily? Your aunt was reminded of them, and it completely threw her. Didn’t you see the way she looked at you?”
Harry couldn’t believe that he had never really thought about it like that before; he sometimes forgot that Aunt Petunia was his mother’s sister.
“I guess Potters like redheads,” said Harry, ruffling Ginny’s hair.
“You only want me for my hair!” she cried.
“Yeah, didn’t you know that?” teased Harry, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her towards him to smell her hair.
Ron and Hermione laughed at them, and for a minute or two it felt as if nothing was different, but then Harry remembered why they were where they were. He led them to Mrs Figg’s house, where they hoped they could make use of the fireplace.
“Hello, dears,” said Mrs Figg kindly when she opened the door. “What can I do for you?”
“Er, we were wondering if we could use your fireplace,” said Harry, very aware of how stupid it sounded.
“Of course you can!” she said happily. “Come in, come in. What brings you to Little Whinging?”
“Oh, just visiting my aunt and uncle,” said Harry vaguely.
They each stepped into the fireplace in turn and flooed back to Grimmauld Place. Mrs Weasley bustled into the kitchen just as Harry landed in the grate to join the others.
“Back so soon?” she asked. She looked down at their empty hands. “Where’s the stuff?” Harry knew that she would be able to read their downcast faces. “Ron? Ginny?”
“It’s ruined, Mum,” said Ginny.
“What’s ruined?” demanded Mrs Weasley. “What’s going on?”
“They’ve destroyed our house,” said Ron, not looking his mother in the eye.
Mrs Weasley wobbled, looking from Ron, to Ginny, and back again.
“They’ve… what?”
“Two Death Eaters were there when we got there,” said Ginny quietly.
“Oh… oh…” cried Mrs Weasley, whose eyes were filling with tears, “I should never have let you go there. Oh Ron, Ginny…”
She reached out for them and they steered her into the nearest chair. Harry nudged Hermione and they left the kitchen, heading up to their bedroom instead. They were both very quiet.
“They’ll probably be able to fix it back into a reasonable state with a bit of work,” said Hermione, after a long pause of them both sitting on her bed not saying anything. “But you know… some things just can’t be fixed…”
Harry knew what she meant: it was never going to feel the same at the once homely Burrow again, now that Death Eaters had intruded and rummaged through everything.
“And the Weasleys of all people,” said Harry. “I can’t think of anyone less deserving.”
There was a long silence again, until “
“Harry?”
“Yes?”
Hermione looked down at her knees.
“What do you think… will happen to my parents?”
“Well if they’re anything like you, they’ll be fine,” replied Harry encouragingly.
“Thanks,” said Hermione, smiling reluctantly, “but they’re not like me in the fact that I can do magic and they can’t.”
Harry glanced at her and noticed tears starting to form under her eyelids. Half of him felt like saying that she should just be thankful she had parents, but the other half told him how unfair it would be, and, in the end, he was glad that this half prevailed.
“Hermione, we may be able to use magic, but we’re also in the thick of it all,” he told her. “Voldemort would much sooner do away with the wizarding world than harm those who can do nothing against him.”
Hermione nodded slowly.
“But what if “ what it something happens to me and.. and I’m here…” she said shakily.
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” said Harry firmly, putting his arm around her. “We’ll all be here at the end, you’ll see.”
Deep down, a jabbing feeling told him that there was a high possibility that he was wrong, but he wasn’t about to give in to it. There had to be hope.
Ron came in and slumped down onto his bed.
“Dad’s come back from his shift to talk with Mum,” he said gloomily.
“Where’s Ginny?” asked Harry.
“Dunno,” mumbled Ron, “probably sulking somewhere.”
“It’s going to be all right, Ron,” Hermione told him kindly.
Ron grunted.
Now that they were alone together, Harry felt he could voice what had been on his mind for a while.
“I sort of… wish we were back at school,” he said slowly.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.
“Me too,” muttered Ron.
Hermione laughed.
“You do?” she asked disbelievingly.
“Felt a lot safer there than I do here,” said Harry.
“Yeah,” agreed Ron, “it was somehow nice not knowing what was going on in the outside world.”
“Well, there you go,” said Hermione. “You never know what people are going to come out with…”
The room fell silent, and Harry suddenly felt a huge tide of sadness crash down on him, almost bringing him to tears; apparently Ginny was taking it hard.
“Someone should go and find Ginny,” said Hermione, as if she had read his mind.
“I’ll go,” mumbled Harry. “You all right, Ron?”
Ron grunted again. Harry caught Hermione’s eye and she gestured with her head for him to go; it was a toss up which Weasley would be easier to comfort, but, then again, he couldn’t exactly kiss this one if words didn’t quite cut it.
Feeling miserable, and at the same time trying to work out what he could say to Ginny to make her feel at all better, he left the room. After looking in the drawing-room, two bedrooms, and a room smelling of curry that he had never been in before, he finally found her in the library, a tall, circular room, where she was sitting on the wooden floor at the foot of the crowded shelves.
“There you are.” She looked up, saw him, then looked down again. “You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she mumbled.
“No you’re not,” said Harry.
Ginny shrugged. “I need to go back,” said her voice.
“What?” said Harry, wondering whether it had been his imagination. She couldn’t seriously be considering going back there so soon after such a near miss? “You… you want to go back?”
“I have to,” she said quietly, standing up.
“No! Ginny, you can’t “ “
“Yes, I can,” she said forcefully. “If it was your house, you would too,” and she pushed past him and strode out onto the landing.
“Ginny! Wait!” he called after her, but she was already half way down the stairs. Harry ran out of the library and followed her “ damn she was fast “ all the way down to the kitchen.
“Stop!” he yelled at her, not looking where he was going and charging straight into the table. “Ginny! Just calm down and think about this for a moment!”
She faltered slightly, cast him what he took as an apologetic look, then threw some Floo Powder into the grate. Harry swore as she stepped into the green flames, lunging forwards to try and grab her before she disappeared, but the fire exploded around his outstretched arm, and she was gone.
Harry cried out in frustration, snatching a handful of the green glitter and thrusting it into the dying flames. “The Burrow!” he shouted, and he was immediately swept off his feet. Forgetting to close his eyes and mouth, and still breathing heavily from the chase, he choked on the ashes as they whirled around him until the wrecked Burrow’s kitchen came before his eyes. Ginny was already running up the stairs, her footsteps banging on every step “ careless…
Harry got to her room seconds after her, doing everything he could to keep his cool, but failing miserably.
“FOR GOD’S SAKE!” he yelled. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? BARGING IN HERE WHEN WE’VE ONLY JUST GOT AWAY! THEY COULD STILL BE HERE, YOU KNOW? YOU’RE NOT THINKING! DO YOU NOT REALISE HOW STUPID YOU’RE BEING?
Ginny’s eyes were blazing dangerously, flashing orange and gold in the afternoon sun which was streaming through the window. She stayed silent, however, and although this should have been a good thing (she could shout pretty loud) it was making Harry feel uneasy.
“Look,” said Harry, closing his eyes for a moment to avoid hers, “will you come back, please? It’s not safe here.”
Ginny’s eyes did not soften, but the anger towards Harry seemed to evolve into a different kind of anger. She looked at her possessions on the floor, her photographs lying behind cracked glass, her bed covers thrown unceremoniously into a heap beside the bed, and shook. Even her eyelashes seemed to be shaking as she glared at what the intruders had left behind them, and gradually “ although maybe Harry was imagining it “ everything in the room began to shake with her. The sheets twitched, the drawers shuddered and “ and this was definitely real “ they started to slide back into their desk.
As Harry watched, dumbstruck, the room and all its contents returned to how they should have been. When everything was still once more, including Ginny, who was breathing heavily but no longer shaking, Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or not. It was hard to say whether it was really very funny, or not funny in the slightest.
“Ginny “ how “ ?” he murmured.
She shrugged, as though coming out of a trance. “It’s happened before “ when I was really angry at Ron one time “ but… ah well! It’s better, isn’t it?” she finished happily, and she sat on the end of her bed and lay back.
Harry, who was now beginning to wonder just how much magic Ginny kept locked away like that, lay on his front beside her.
“You’re… “ he started. She raised her eyebrows. “You’re amazing, did you know that?” He leaned over her so that they were face to face. “I mean… really amazing.”
She gazed at him. “You’re pretty amazing, too,” she whispered, tracing a finger over the lightning scar on his forehead.
Harry winced as a sharp pain pinched the skin that she touched, and she gasped as she felt it too.
“Sorry,” she muttered, but Harry wasn’t sorry.
“It only hurts because it’s hurting Voldemort,” he said, “so it’s definitely worth the pain.”
He swept a strand of red hair out of her eyes with a gentle finger, and sighed.
“If only it hurt him all the time I loved you,” murmured Ginny.
“Perhaps it does,” said Harry, “my scar hurts all the time now, anyway.”
“No wonder I’m always getting headaches,” smirked Ginny, smiling.
“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Harry, also smiling. “But, as I said, it’s worth it…” and he leant in to kiss her. Their lips almost touched, but a cry from outside made them freeze, millimetres from one another.
“WHERE IS HE?” screamed a woman’s voice. A pause, in which there must have been a response. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON’T KNOW? IS THERE NOTHING HERE TO GIVE US A CLUE?”
Harry sat up, freeing Ginny, who did the same.
“YOU’RE USELESS!” shrieked the woman. “THEY COULD STILL BE HERE “ HIDING! I’M GOING TO LOOK FOR MYSELF!”
Harry jumped, yanking Ginny’s arm with him, and sped to the window.
“Are you trying to pull my arm off?” hissed Ginny, taking out her wand and peering out of the window, just in time to see the dark head of Bellatrix Lestrange disappear through the kitchen door directly below them.
“Come on,” muttered Harry, and he grabbed her hand again.
“Don’t happen to have your Cloak, do you?” she whispered, as they darted out onto the unforgivingly creaky floorboards of the landing and started up the similarly noisy stairs.
“Shut up!” Harry whispered back.
They kept climbing until they reached Ron’s bedroom door; Harry shoved it open and they ran inside.
“Excellent plan, Potter,” said Ginny sarcastically. “Now what do we do?”
“Oh don’t give me that,” Harry snapped. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be back here in the first place.”
He could hear Bellatrix rampaging around below them “ was it the floor below? “ and started to worry; it was a dead end “ they were trapped at the very top of the house. Desperate and helpless, Harry dashed into a small space behind the wardrobe, and Ginny squashed in with him. Trying to keep his mind on the rather pressing matter of the Death Eater wanting to kill them, but finding it difficult due to the fact that Ginny was pushed up against him so tightly, Harry held his wand firmly by the handle, and waited. It felt so stupid to be hiding behind a wardrobe, just waiting to be found, but there was no way of getting out, so this was their only hope.
“Can't we Apparate like before?” said Ginny’s voice.
“No - Remus told me they'd put an Anti-Apparition spell on the house so no one could get in. We were beyond it before,” thought Harry, and he felt her body tense slightly.
What felt like a lifetime passed before they heard those frantic footsteps and the slow, agonising creak, as the door of Ron’s room swung open.
“I know you’re in here somewhere,” said the sing-song voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.
A terrifying silence, in which Harry saw her long, black cloak flicker into view, then disappear again, as if she might leave.
“Expelliarmus!” she shrieked, jumping out from in front of the wardrobe and causing Harry and Ginny’s wands to fly out of their hands, shoving them even harder against the wardrobe.
There was a loud thud, and Harry turned to see Ginny’s head rebound from the wall, crimson blood seeping through her vibrant hair where her head had cracked open. Harry caught her as she slumped forwards, unconscious.
“Oh dear,” said Bellatrix, in an unconvincingly sympathetic voice, “looks like it’s just you and I now, Potter.”
Lead them into battle by hattiepotter
Harry’s stomach clenched; in front of him stood the woman that he hated more than any other female he’d ever met “ more than Aunt Petunia, more than Dolores Umbridge “ this was the woman who had killed Sirius, this was the woman who had almost killed Ginny, who was now unconscious in his arms and bleeding from the head because of the unfeeling, heartless Bellatrix Lestrange.
“What’s the matter?” sneered Bellatrix. “Worried she might die? It wouldn’t be such a great loss. Perhaps I should put her out of her misery.”
She raised her wand and pointed it at Ginny. Harry, who was still squashed between Ginny and the wardrobe, did the only things he could do; he kicked out with his foot, knocking Bellatrix back a few unsteady steps, and using the time as she recovered to drag himself and his rag-doll girlfriend out from behind the wardrobe.
“Not very friendly,” said Bellatrix. “You ought to learn some manners, Potter.”
“Don’t you speak to me about manners,” said Harry, not being able to help himself. “You killed my godfather!”
“Ah, yes!” chirped Bellatrix, as if she had forgotten that particular murder. “Dear cousin Sirius… a blood-traitor if ever there was one… he didn’t deserve to live “ “
“SHUT UP!” Harry roared. He wanted to hurt Bellatrix and didn’t care that he had no wand, but he had to hold on to Ginny.
“Aw, did you lovey-wov him?” jeered Bellatrix, in a disgusting baby voice. “I suppose the closest thing you’ve got to a family now are your pathetic Muggle-loving friends and that excuse-for-a-witch you’re so carefully clutching. Too bad about your parents…”
“This so called “excuse-for-a-witch” happens to love me more than anyone ever has, or ever will love you,” retorted Harry.
Bellatrix smirked.
“I suppose she reminds you of your filthy Mudblood mother. She’ll probably die just the same “ “
“At least my mother lost her life to save someone she loved,” said Harry, “which is more to her name than anything you’re ever done is to yours…”
“Well now you can add this to your name, Harry Potter,” spat Bellatrix. “Avada Keda “ !“
Ginny took a great, shuddering breath, her eyes snapping open, flickering hauntingly, then closing again. Bellatrix had been distracted by this, but Harry didn’t notice.
“Ginny!” he said urgently, shaking her slightly.
“Harry,” she whispered. “Ow, my head…”
“It’s going to be okay,” said Harry softly, noticing how much of her blood had stained his hand.
“Bellatrix… the house…” she muttered.
“As cute as this is,” interrupted Bellatrix. “I’m afraid it’s time to take one last look at her, Sonny. Here lies the end of the adventure you call ‘life’… Avada Ked - !”
“STUPEFY!”
The door swung open, and there stood Ron and Hermione, wands out, looking to Harry like two glorious beacons of hope.
Bellatrix froze, then fell to the floor with a resounding thunk. Hermione, who had cast the spell, was wearing an expression of mingled fear and worry.
“Ginny!” gasped Ron, seeing the blood in her hair and dashing forwards to help Harry.
“We need to get back straight away,” murmured Harry, his mind a blur.
“It’s okay, Harry,” said Hermione kindly. “Ron’ll take Ginny.”
Harry reluctantly let Ron pick Ginny up, and Hermione took Harry’s hand, giving him his wand which she had prized from Bellatrix’s fingers.
“Come on,” she said.
Harry didn’t know what to feel as the four weary friends cautiously made their way back to the kitchen and Flooed back to Grimmauld Place. His thoughts were a mess of anger, worry, fear and relief. Half of him was still mad at Ginny for going back to The Burrow, but the other half knew that he would have done the same, and just stayed thankful that she was alive.
“Don’t tell Mum,” whispered Ginny in his ear when they arrived back in the kitchen of the Order’s Headquarters. Harry nodded “ he hadn’t been going to anyway.
“Let’s go and clean you up,” Hermione said to Ginny, and she led them all up to their bedroom, thankfully not meeting anyone they knew on the way.
“How did you know we were there?” asked Harry, whilst Hermione stopping Ginny’s bleeding.
“It was pretty obvious when you both disappeared,” answered Ron.
Hermione had finished helping Ginny, and was now sitting with her arms crossed, with an air of haughtiness about her. Harry knew what was coming.
“You shouldn’t have gone,” she muttered.
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on, Ginny!” said Hermione, raising her voice all of a sudden. “You can’t deny that it was a stupid thing to do!”
“Yeah, yeah,” mumbled Ginny.
“You were almost killed!” cried Hermione. “I dread to think what Ron and I would have seen if we’d arrived a minute later!”
Ginny had that look on her face which Harry recognised as the one that for any other person would have shown them on the verge of tears. She stood up, threw Hermione a fiery look and said, in a deadly, low voice: “You try having your home destroyed, Hermione, and then come back and tell me what I should and shouldn’t do,” and she left the room, slamming the door behind her.
*
Before long, the day of Harry’s birthday arrived. He woke up to an empty bedroom, turned over, and heard a crumpling noise. A small bit of parchment lay on his pillow, and he picked it up to read: Come down to the kitchen, written in Ginny’s hand. Harry dressed quickly and followed the instructions, feeling a little excited.
A banner with “Happy Birthday Harry!” was hung across the kitchen, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all say around the table. Ginny was talking animatedly and none of them appeared to have seen Harry.
“You’ll never guess what he said!” exclaimed Ginny, who seemed to be retelling an incredibly funny story.
“How about ‘Happy Birthday’?” interrupted Harry, stopping her mid-flow.
“Harry!” said Hermione happily, getting up. “Harry Birthday!”
She kissed him on the cheek as Ginny stood up and went over to him. Hermione moved aside and Ginny skipped forwards, kissing Harry so that he suddenly felt wide awake.
“Happy Birthday,” she whispered through his hair, as she hugged him.
Ron was dithering behind her, trying not to pay too much attention.
“You’ll be wanting to kiss me too, I suppose?” joked Harry, offering Ron his cheek.
“Do you want a present from me, or not?” asked Ron, now grinning.
“This is great!” said Harry, indicating the banner.
“You’ve got Hermione to thank for that,” said Ron, and Hermione seemed to glow.
Harry couldn’t stop smiling “ maybe it was because there was hardly anything to be happy about these days “ and he grabbed Ginny round the waist, making her squeal.
“Thanks,” he said to them, “this is just what I needed.”
“Hold your horses!” said Ron. “We haven’t given you any presents yet!”
He disappeared into the larder, reappearing a moment later, holding three, wrapped presents.
“Happy Birthday, Harry,” said Hermione, handing him a cube-shaped box covered in silver paper.
Harry thanked her and ripped off the wrapping hastily.
“Wow, Hermione!” he cried excitedly, for he was now clutching a box with ‘Snap-Happy’s Super-Snazzy Magical Camera’ printed on it.
“Cool!” said Ginny. “We’ve never had a camera, they’ve always been too expen“ “
“This is Harry’s present, Ginny,” said Ron patronisingly. “But you will let me have a go, won’t you, Harry?” Harry laughed and thanked Hermione again. “Now my present!” said Ron, moving it around in front of Harry’s face.
It turned out to be one of Fred and George’s ‘Patented Daydream Charms’, which Harry was partly surprised at getting from Ron, because of the wide variety of things that could happen with his little sister during that daydream.
“Last, but not least,” said Ginny, handing him a shoebox-sized parcel. “Happy Birthday, Harry.”
She kissed him on the cheek as he took it from her, and he noticed that there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Harry frowned and unwrapped the parcel. A note lay on top of what, when unwrapped, did appear to be a simple shoebox. The letter read:
I have asked around and managed to compile various memories of Lily and James. Everyone I asked was so willing to help, that I collected more than I ever thought I would.
May they always be with you in all that you do.
Yours forever,
x Ginny x
Harry found that he was sitting down. He read and reread the message several times before saying: “I… it’s… thank you,” to Ginny, and giving her a one-armed hug. He couldn’t stop staring at the plain cardboard box with the small piece of parchment resting on the lid; it was possibly the most thoughtful present he had ever received.
“You don’t have to open it now,” said Ginny. “Not while we’re all here.”
So, a little later, once he was alone in their bedroom, Harry lifted the lid of the shoebox and peered inside. An old photograph lay on top of a small pile of items; James and Lily, their foreheads touching, eyes alight with laughter and love, were gazing at each other happily. They looked to be in their early twenties.
Harry stared at the picture for ages, lost in another world. James would occasionally lift a hand to Lily’s hair, or kiss her gently “ undying love was evident… they thought that they would last forever…
Harry sniffed and looked back to the box in his lap; a letter, its parchment browning and tatty, was now uppermost on the pile. It was written in a beautifully simple and yet compelling hand, in purple ink:
James,
The summer so far has been unbearably boring. Wales was all right, but it rained until the roads flooded and the car sunk right into the muddy drive “ I suppose that’s what’s to be expected if you go to Wales for your summer holiday…
Petunia complained all week “ I got a shirty letter from the Ministry telling me that ‘if I performed one more Bat-Bogey Hex on my sister they’d break my wand in two.’ Oh well, she deserved it…
These few weeks have been hard, to say the least. You’d think that now we’ve left school, we could do what we wanted “ but my mum insisted upon one more family holiday before I left home completely. Now that I’m home, I just want to see you! But you’re in France… damn family holidays…
Dad’s calling “ apparently the dishes I charmed to wash themselves are filling the kitchen with bubbles “ I’d better go.
Yours forever,
x Lily x
Harry clutched at the parchment protectively. So this was a letter from his mother… to his father… She can have been no more than 18 when she wrote this. With shaking hands, he reached into the box, and took the next letter on the pile:
To my sweet-scented Lily,
Just got back from France. Now it’s just a question of what to do next. Auror training doesn’t start until September, and, until then, I have nothing to do. I suppose I should make the most of the free time that I have now before the gruelling challenges that I’m going to have to face over the next few years, i.e. spend as much time with you as possible.
That’s why I propose that you come to stay, at least for a week or two. Is tomorrow too soon? I don’t think that I can wait much longer. If that’s okay, I’ll come and pick you up at five in the afternoon. If it’s not, I’m coming anyway…
Owl me,
James
Harry’s heart was beating rapidly. It was so real, so … disturbing. There they were, with the prospect of two wonderful lives ahead of them, writing so lovingly, so devotedly, not knowing that they would have only a few precious years with each other before … Harry shuddered. It is often true that the best presents make you cry.
“Harry! Harry!”
He was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Ginny’s voice shouting through the house, shortly followed by:
“Keep your voice down! There’s no need to shout!”
There was an ascending stomping sound, then Ginny’s long, red hair fell through the gap between door and doorframe.
“Harry, come downstairs, everyone’s “ “ She stopped abruptly when she saw his white-knuckled hands gripping the two letters, and her gift to him lying open on the bed. He did not meet her eyes, but continued to stare at the letters. She came in and shut the door behind her, going to sit by him on the bed. Taking his hand, she said: “I hope it’s not too hard for you.”
Harry shook his head, unable to speak. He held her hand more tightly.
“Come on, let’s go downstairs,” said Ginny softly.
She pulled him on silently, until they reached the kitchen.
“SURPRISE!”
A large gathering of people were crammed into the small room, all smiling jovially at Harry. A lump caught in his throat “ the feeling of complete yearning for his parents still brooding sadly in his heart, and now this…
A ringing silence seemed to echo around the stone walls, the faces watching Harry, frozen in their happy expressions. He stared at them, aware of his rigidity and lack of words.
“I “ “ he murmured, feeling a little stupid. “Thanks,” he managed to say.
This seemed to be enough for Mrs Weasley, who came forwards and embraced him tightly. “We thought we could all do with a bit of a party,” she said, smiling.
As Harry could never have said that he felt less like a party now than he ever had, he smiled back as convincingly as he could. He felt a gentle tug at his hand and followed Ginny out to the steps that led up to the rest of the house.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” she said, guiltily.
“Sorry?” he asked. “What for?”
“For giving you that stuff and bringing it all back from the past. You probably just want to forget it...”
The lump in Harry’s throat was still there, and, although it hurt, he was glad that it had a reason to be there.
“Forget it?” he asked. “If I’m hurting, it’s only because I miss them. It would be awful if they were gone and there was no one to remember them.”
Ginny nodded and hugged him, and Harry was suddenly aware of how much he loved her, and how little time they would have had left had they been Lily and James. Ginny pulled back and looked up at him.
“Do you love me?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Harry. She raised her eyebrows. “Yes! I do, I will “ always and ever.” He gazed at her, and had to say what had been prying on his mind since he had read those letters. “Tomorrow may never come...”
“Tomorrow will always come, whether in this world, or the next,” she replied, and she planted a kiss on his lips.
A shrill scream and the breaking of glass made them both start, and they hurried back to the kitchen. Everyone was huddled around the fireplace “ Harry stood on tiptoe to peer over their curious heads to see Lupin and Tonks sprawled awkwardly on the hearth. Tonks was clutching Lupin, who was covered in what appeared to be his own blood, seeping from a wound somewhere in his shoulder.
“Harry… Harry… “ he groaned, over the cries of alarm.
“Where is Potter?” said McGonagall sharply.
“Here, Professor,” croaked Harry, pushing his way through the crowd to the broken warriors.
“Harry?” slurred Lupin.
“Yes?” asked Harry, kneeling down beside the battered man.
Lupin reached into his robes, and, with what seemed like a tremendous amount of effort, held out his hand to Harry. Within, coiled in the centre of a blood-stained palm, lay a tarnished gold chain, with a dusty, green emerald hanging from it.
“Your… mother’s…” whispered Lupin, who then went limp in Tonks’ arms.
“He’s unconscious!” cried Tonks. “Help him!”
Several people rushed forwards and lifted Lupin off Tonks, who was helped up by Bill Weasley.
“What did he say, Harry?” asked Bill, but Harry could not find it in himself to respond.
It had been exactly the same. Not one difference between his mother’s necklace and the one that he had bought Ginny for Christmas last year, which she now wore religiously every hour of the day.
Harry turned away from Bill to Lupin, who was lying on the table being treated by various people. Harry opened Lupin’s fingers carefully and took the gold chain; he felt no guilt in doing so “ it was rightfully his now.
“What is it, Potter?” asked Professor McGonagall, some of the briskness gone from her voice, but Lupin, who had come to briefly, answered for him.
“Lily’s necklace…” he gasped. “She’s… in danger… and James…”
“But “ you’re not making any sense!” cried Harry. “They’re… they’re…”
They’re was a gasp near Harry’s ear, and Hermione whispered: “Professor! You don’t think “ Inferi?”
Harry felt frustrated that he had, once again, no idea what she was talking about, and even more so because, as usual, it seemed that everyone else did.
“It is possible, Miss Granger,” said McGonagall, sadly. “Lupin?”
Lupin opened his bloodshot eyes half an inch, and inclined his head slightly.
“Harry, come outside,” said Tonks. “We need to explain what’s happening.”
Thankful that somebody wanted to take the time to tell him what was going on, Harry followed her up the steps and into the drawing room, Bill bringing up the rear. They all sat down in dusty, badly-upholstered seats, Harry noticing that they two faces were sombre, and bracing himself for the bad news that he knew was coming.
“Do you know what Inferi are, Harry?” asked Tonks. Harry shook his head, afraid of what he was about to find out. “Well… Voldemort’s used them before, and now he’s trying again. He’s using dead bodies to do his work for him.”
Harry felt sick as the image of a corpse following Voldemort’s commands filled his mind; then the body’s blank face became his mother’s, and another his father’s, and he fought back his stomach’s desire to wretch…
“Lupin and I…” Tonks continued, apprehensively, “… we’ve just come from… from Godric’s Hollow. We found Death Eaters… in a graveyard…” Harry didn’t want her to go on, but couldn’t speak. “Lupin was enraged…” she whispered “…and he attacked without thinking that we were outnumbered three to one. He grabbed the necklace from one of them… must have been trying to steal it… but he was injured… we had to come back… I hope you understand…”
“Yes,” murmured Harry, without elaborating.
The door of the drawing room opened and in came Dumbledore.
“Albus, it’s Voldemort “ “ started Tonks, but he held his hand up to stop her.
“Thank you, Miss Tonks,” he said, calmly, “but we have managed to rejuvenate Remus sufficiently, and he has told us everything. I assume that you have told Harry?”
“Yes, Albus,” said Bill, and Tonks nodded.
“Good, good,” said Dumbledore. “And now, I would like a word with Harry, if you would be so kind.”
“Of course,” said Tonks, and she and Bill left the room, glancing at Harry as they went. Dumbledore waited for the door to shut behind them, before taking Bill’s vacated seat and facing Harry.
“We’ve just received news from several other places throughout the country, that Voldemort’s people are at work there, too,” he said, gravely. “Manchester, Hereford, London… and Surrey.” Harry swallowed. “This is it, Harry,” said Dumbledore, deeply.
Harry faltered.
“Er, sorry, Professor,” he said. “This is what?”
“This is the time when Dumbledore’s Army either rises or falls,” said Dumbledore, simply. “This is your chance to lead them into battle.”
A/N: A few lines are from the poem Reunion by my Grandma, Elizabeth Rumsey. I read them a long, long time ago, and they have been in my head for aaaaaages, and, when I wrote this story, I finally had a chance to use them! I shall have to ask her about the poem, because I have interpreted them in a certain way, and I would like to know what they really mean.
I have now about two sentences to write before I finish writing this story. It is quite sad! Three more chapters still to come! Please review. xxx
Emerald flames by hattiepotter
Emerald flames
The birthday party was quickly forgotten and instead people became flustered and busy. Members of the DA began to arrive at frequent intervals, and, since there was nowhere else to put them, they converged in Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny’s bedroom. The room gradually filled with Hogwarts students, mostly older ones, and Harry’s stomach fluttered with the mounting pressure of the expectant crowd. When it seemed like no one else was going to come, he stood on his bed and addressed his peers.
“We’ve finally got a proper job,” he told them. A murmur of talk rippled around the room, but quickly died out when Ginny shushed them loudly. “Voldemort is trying to use Inferi,” he continued, and several people exchanged worried looks. “Death Eaters are “ are digging up graves… to get bodies… It’s our job to stop them. Lupin and Tonks have just returned from Godric’s “ “ his voice cracked again “ “ Godric’s Hollow, where they did not succeed in preventing the Death Eaters from carrying out their morbid task. I guess we start there.”
“We’re just going to march up to the Death Eaters and pick a fight with them?” called Seamus.
“Look,” said Hermione, “we’ve been training so that we’d be ready for a time like this. If you don’t want to come, fine, but this may be the only opportunity we’ll get to actually use what we’ve learnt to help the Order.”
“Exactly,” said Harry, “and we’re not taking anyone who isn’t sure.”
“How come you and your friends get to tell all of us whether or not we can come?” called someone at the back.
“Because he’s in charge!” yelled Ginny. “For God’s sake, surely you know that after over a year of coming to meetings!”
Harry started to laugh, but stopped himself when he saw some people scowl.
“You can’t guilt-trip us into risking our lives!” cried a fourth-year.
“Don’t be stupid,” said Harry, “we’re not forcing anyone to do anything. In fact, I’d much rather you didn’t come if you’re having any doubts about it. We’re not going to think any the lesser of you if you leave right now.” At this, a few people near the door mumbled something about not wanting to worry their parents, and left quietly. “Please go now if you don’t want to come,” said Harry. “There’s no point staying.”
He was heartened to see that only another dozen or so people left, leaving the majority of the more experienced DA.
“But is this enough?” he thought.
“Of course it is,” said Ginny’s voice. “This is what we did it for.”
“But can we do it?”
“Not without trying.”
“Are we all going together?” asked Justin Finch-Fletchley, stopping Harry’s train of thought.
“Yes, or in groups?” asked Ernie Macmillan.
“Can I go with my friends?” said another.
“I’m not going if I’m not with her.”
“How do you kill dead people?”
“SHUT UP!” Harry shut his eyes and took a deep breath. How was he supposed to answer all these questions? “Thank you,” he said to the silence, and he suddenly found that the answers were there, in his mind “ that they had been brewing there waiting to be used for months, years, even. “We’ll all go together. We don’t know how many Inferi there will be, but we certainly won’t be able to kill them.”
“What do we do to them, then?”
Harry faltered. What did they do to them? He glanced around, his eyes landing on Hermione. He gave her a hint of an inquisitive look and she picked up on it instantly.
“Remind them of their past,” she said, quietly.
“What?” said several people, turning their heads to stare at her.
Hermione took a deep breath.
“An Inferi is made when the soul is separated from the body. They can only be defeated when the body and soul are reunited again. To do this, you have to remind the body of the soul that once inhabited it, and the soul will return.”
She said this all very quietly and a breathless silence followed.
“How do you know that?” asked Lavender Brown, loudly.
“She knows everything,” said Seamus Finnigan.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” said Hermione, shortly. “Of course I don’t know everything.”
“But that’s Dark magic, that is,” said Seamus.
“Yeah, do you read into the Dark Arts, too?”
“Stop it!”
Ron was glaring at them all with a threatening look in his eyes. He had stepped forwards and grabbed Hermione’s hand in her defence. “Shut up, all of you,” he said, angrily. “You know bloody well she’d never get mixed up in any of that. None of us would.”
A couple of people mumbled words of apology, and, gradually, they turned back to Harry.
“We don’t know exactly who we’re dealing with, though, so we’ll have to stun them temporarily until we find out who they are,” said Harry, the image of his parents flashing once again in his mind, blank-eyed… unknowing…
The bedroom door opened and Tonks hurried forwards to Harry.
“You’re going to have to wait for the all-clear,” she told him. “Best go after the Death Eaters have left, you see? Easier to tackle the Inferi, that way.”
She rushed out again before Harry could say a word. His head reeled. What if it was his parents… he couldn’t fight his own parents…
The remaining members of the DA were settling down, sitting on beds or on chairs that Hermione had conjured for them. All except Ron, Hermione and Ginny, who were gathered together in conversation.
“Talking about me, are you?” asked Harry, approaching them.
“Yes, actually,” said Ginny. Hermione gave her a piercing look. “Well I wasn’t going to lie!”
Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry chuckled as Ginny grinned at him.
“We were just hoping that going to Godric’s Hollow wasn’t going to be… you know… too hard,” said Hermione.
“I’ve got to go back some time,” said Harry, who had always felt a strong desire to return to where he had once lived with his parents.
“That’s what I said!” said Ron. “I told you not to bring it up, Hermione.”
Harry rolled his eyes at Ginny as Ron and Hermione started to bicker.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” asked Ginny.
“As sure as I’ll ever be,” he replied. “I’m just glad you’re all coming with me.”
“Hey, we wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise,” she said, smiling up at him, then reaching up on tiptoe and kissing him.
Harry suddenly felt an intense longing for the moment not to end. For some reason, he felt more connected to Ginny in that minute than he had ever felt before, and he could sense the desire passing between them like an electric current as they enveloped themselves in each other’s arms. They both knew that they had horrors up ahead of them and that they could only face them together; it wasn’t enough just to know what to do, but to know that your friends were beside you and would never leave “
There was a flash of bright light, and they broke apart. Hermione grinned sheepishly at them.
“Sorry,” she said, lowering Harry’s camera from her eye, “but photographs are best taken when your subjects don’t know you’re there.” She handed the photo to Harry, whose breath seemed to vacate his body.
“Aw, that’s nice,” said Ginny happily, peering over his shoulder.
“I need to show you something,” muttered Harry, and he took her by the hand and led her over to his trunk, where he pulled out her gift to him. “Look at this.”
He handed her the photo of Lily and James, then held the newly printed picture of him and Ginny next to it. She gasped; apart from the switched eye colours, the likeness was almost identical: four happy faces, two lots of long, red hair and, most noticeable of all, two couples so in love that their joined spirits would never die “
Ginny’s arm had snaked around Harry’s back under his t-shirt and they stared, transfixed, at the two photographs…
* * *
Another two hours passed in a slow blur, bringing with them a headache of questions which throbbed persistently in Harry’s brain, and still no word… He had been sitting on his bed with Ginny curled beside him and her head in his lap for what seemed like forever. Ron and Hermione sat opposite them on Ron’s bed, similarly quiet and subdued, whilst the remainder of the DA spoke in low voices to one another.
Finally, Hermione broke the silence: “They must have gone by now.”
“They’ll tell us if anything happens,” said Harry. “Let’s not worry about it.”
Hermione nodded and rested her head on Ron’s shoulder. Ron turned his head and looked down at her, then, apparently deciding that there was no point in being foolish right now, let his hand fall on her knee. Harry sighed “ at least they were together.
The bedroom door opened with a loud creak and everyone in the room looked up, hopefully. Dumbledore stood in the doorway, as old as ever. Ginny sat up, allowing Harry to cross the room to speak to Dumbledore.
“Have they left?” he asked, urgently.
“Yes, Harry, they have, but that is not to say that they will not return.”
The room was so quiet that Harry could feel everyone listening to their conversation.
“Well?” asked Harry. “Can we go?”
“Certainly,” said Dumbledore, “as soon as you are ready. I wish you the best of luck “ all of you. There is a fireplace in an old house in Godric’s Hollow that will suffice for travelling. Just be sure that you stick together,” and he turned and left the room.
Harry looked around at his comrades.
“You heard the man,” he said. Let’s go.” A few people began to get up rather unenthusiastically. “Move!” Some gave him dirty looks, but everyone else was looking around excitedly, unbelievingly “ apprehensive but in the good way that gets your blood pumping. “We can’t waste any more time,” said Harry. “Come on.”
He led them across the landing, down the stairs with all the busy strangers, through the whispering hall and down the cold, stone steps to the similarly alive and yet melancholic kitchen.
“Oh, good,” said Tonks, who had been talking frantically at Mrs. Weasley in the corner of the room. “Time to get going, Harry.”
Mrs. Weasley cast him a worried glance, looked around at the DA, then hurried out of the room.
“Right,” said Harry, finding his voice higher than normal. “I guess “ er “ I’ll go first, and you can all follow behind. Sixth and seventh years first, then everyone else.”
The older students pushed their way to the front of the crowd and Harry took hold of Ginny’s small hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back, then gestured for him to go. Harry took a pinch of glittering Floo Powder from the ceramic pot on the hearth and threw it into the flames; they burst immediately into an emerald spectacle of dancing light, filling Harry with a powerful, indestructible glow and making his whole body burn with anticipation and the thrill of adventure. Breathing heavily with this feeling “ and reluctantly dropping Ginny’s hand “ he stepped forwards into the emerald flames and yelled: “Godric’s Hollow!”
The ashes whirled around him as the fire roared in his ears; he held his breath and shut his eyes and waited for it to stop. When it did, Harry steadied himself from the ride before looking at where he was. All that greeted his spinning vision was darkness “ thick and seemingly impenetrable; then, things started to appear: a long, wooden table, a rusty agar, an old piano with dark spaces where keys were missing… Harry felt a shiver run down his spine.
He stepped out of the fireplace onto the dusty floor just in time, as bright green flames had just reignited in the grate, bringing with them a spinning Ginny. She, too, balanced herself, then joined Harry beside the shadowy table.
“Creepy, isn’t it?” she whispered.
They felt for each other’s hands in the darkness, finding and holding tightly. Another roar of flames and there was Ron, then Hermione, with similarly dubious reactions to their surroundings. One by one, the other members of the DA arrived, huddling together in the murky room and shuddering as if it were winter.
“Let’s get outside,” whispered Harry, and he began to edge around the dusty, wooden table towards what looked like the looming silhouette of a door.
He found the cold, metal doorknob with his outstretched hand and turned it apprehensively. A thin shaft of moonlight splintered the darkness, gradually widening as the door creaked open slowly and the DA crept out into a shadowy garden. A lawn reached out towards a downward slope so that everything beyond it was hidden from view “ everything, except a faint, orange glow which emanated from what Harry assumed was the village below. They walked through the warm, breezy night to where the land dropped away from them steeply, and anxiously peered over the edge.
The light was coming from the village, but it wasn’t just streetlights. Fires burned red and amber as far as the eye could see, flickering directly beneath them and pulsing serenely in the distance. The crimson light was penetrated here and there by the green glow of a hundred Dark Marks, all hovering proudly above the apparent lack of life for miles around.
“Oh my God,” whispered Harry.
A/N: Two more chapters left now. Man - it's weird now I've finished writing it. I'll try to type them up asap to put out after the Christmas break. Please review! xxx
White lily by hattiepotter
White lily
Harry soon became aware of how tightly he was squeezing Ginny’s hand, but did not loosen his grip. He just could not draw his eyes away from the awful view.
“Harry, we need to go,” said Ginny, softly.
He nodded slowly and turned around. He noticed a glistening tear rolling silently down Hermione’s cheek as she clung to Ron.
“We can’t waste any more time,” said Harry. “Come on.”
They walked across the lawn to where there was what looked like a gravel driveway, and followed this until it petered out into a narrow lane, overhung by trees. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were walking a little in front of everyone else so that no one could hear their whispered conversation.
“Do you know where we’re going?” hissed Hermione.
“Not exactly,” replied Harry, “but the village was below us and we’re going down, so…”
He expected Hermione to scold him for being so badly prepared, but she didn’t seem to have anything to say.
“Why don’t we go into the woods for more cover?” whispered Ron, gesturing to the trees lining the lane.
Harry nodded and they swerved off into the forest, where the light was even dimmer than the lane. They picked their way through the vegetation, catching their clothes on brambles and bushes as they went, until: “Shh!” Everyone halted abruptly. The distant scream of a woman, followed by a muffled bang and a flash of green light bursting through the branches overhead. Harry held his wand a little tighter and saw Ginny look up to the crimson-lit sky, which was littered with ash and debris from the fire. Harry looked at her and she at him: a simple nod and they carried on struggling through the trees, until they began to choke from the smoke.
Eventually, the light got brighter, until they emerged from the trees to find themselves in a narrow, cobbled street, the buildings consumed by a roaring blaze which leapt and flailed up into the dark sky. The group huddled closer together and proceeded down the rubble-strewn road, the heat from either side pressing into them with blinding force. Then, as Harry led the way, he thought he saw something dark move through the night up ahead of them. As he looked closer, shadowy shapes appeared, seemingly from thin air, and, as they approached, and the light from the burning houses darted over them, it became apparent that they were the silhouettes of people.
“Not people,” said Ginny’s voice, “bodies…”
They were advancing, becoming clearer, until there was a sudden explosion in a nearby house and the subsequent light hit their faces; gaunt and staring. At first, Harry noticed nothing but their wide, gaping mouths, where the jaw had gone slack and the chin had dropped down, lazily. Half-rotted cloth hung off them and long, matted hair drifted wispily around their drawn faces, the pale skin stretched tightly over jutting bones. There were five, ten, twenty of them, all wandering slowly but purposefully towards the frozen DA.
Harry’s hand clenched around Ginny’s as he raised his wand.
“STUPEFY!” cried several voices behind them, and Harry saw that Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna all had determined looks on their faces and were pointing their wands at the Inferi, four of which fell to the ground, rigidly.
Others followed suit, then more, until bodies were dropping like flies all around them, temporarily lifeless once more.
“Let’s split up and do the whole village,” Harry shouted over the rumble of the flames, and small groups began to peel away from the larger one.
Harry, with a surge of pride, continued to advance up the street with Ginny, Ron and Hermione by his side. They battled through yet more of the attackers, until they reached a dark alleyway and darted down it past the backs of more burning houses. A low, wooden gate blocked the end of the path and Harry unbolted it so that they could all pile through.
They seemed to be in a clearing of land, strangely dark with the absence of flames. Harry couldn’t see more than five feet in front of him, but he knew that they were not alone. Faint, rasping gasps could be hear from a little way away, getting louder as Harry and the others crept across the overgrown grass.
“Harry, watch out!” hissed Ginny, stopping Harry just before he fell into a black, rectangular pit. A pit… headed by a gravestone…
“Lumos!” said Harry, turning the beam of light onto the moss-covered marble and bending down to dusted some of the dirt away so that he could read the engraving:
James Potter
1955-1981
and
Lily Potter
1956-1981
Loving parents and dear friends
May their souls rest in peace
Rest in peace… rest, peace? Harry shone the light down into the grave, but there was nothing there except mud and stones.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and let Ginny pull him away from the pit. Everyone was very quiet as they walked slowly past it, but Harry’s ears were deafened by the questions in his head “ questions that were horrifying to even consider. His heart was a lump in his throat and his scar was throbbing painfully, but nothing hurt as much as the image in his mind: his mother and father, their souls gone, their bodies acting under Voldemort’s command, completely unaware of the destruction they were causing “
Ginny tensed slightly as Harry thought of this; he had to focus on the task at hand, he had to lead the others into battle “
Now all their wands were lit and the shapes of more graves were appearing from the gloom, every one unceremoniously emptied, many gravestones felled. The four teenagers found a path through the graveyard and began to follow it, while the rasping breath continued close by. Harry thought he saw something move behind a tree up in front of them, and yelled: “STUPEFY!”. A stiff body fell to the ground and there was a terrible crack as its bones broke.
They came to the gate at the other end of the path leaving the looming figure of the towering church behind them and crossing the lane that they found themselves on. It was all deadly silent, until:
“I see them.”
Harry’s head snapped down to the ground, where he saw a huge snake slithering towards him.
“Bring them to me,” said another voice, and Harry felt his legs begin to follow the snake up a drive to his right.
“Harry!” shouted Ron, but it was no good, as now his legs were following too, as were the others’.
Harry fought with all his might to be released from the enchantment, but to no avail. He couldn’t stop walking until he reached the top of the drive, where there was nothing but grass. No house, no garden, apparently no people. Then, all of a sudden, his head burst into pain and all he could hear was a dreadful screaming…
“Please no, take me, kill me instead “ “ Harry’s head was burning, sure to explode at any second “ “Please… have mercy… have mercy…” but he couldn’t reach her… he couldn’t save her…
Finally, thankfully, it ended, and Harry found himself on his knees, pulling at the grass. He opened his eyes and saw, as if it would never die, a beautiful, white lily. As he looked at it, he understood: this was where his mother had died “ right here “ and his father only a few feet away “
“You guessed right,” said a cold voice. “And now, it’s your turn.”
A/N: Well, that's it. The penultimate chapter. Woah, that's weird. Sorry for the shortness, but its really leading onto the next chapter, which I shall warn you now may be a little scary. If you're waiting with baited breath for that last chapter, I recommend that you read the prologue again: it's very short and would help you to totally understand what I've done in the last chapter. It's almost all over! Thanks for reading - please review. hattiepotter xxx
I'll always be with you... by hattiepotter
“Not again,” thought Harry. “I’ve led them to the danger again.”
“No, you didn’t,” said Ginny’s voice. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Where are you?” thought Harry, not moving from his hands and knees.
“Behind you,” said Ginny, and Harry turned his head.
She was standing a few feet away from him, a Death Eater pointing their wand straight at her heart.
“You should keep a closer eye on her, Harry,” said Voldemort’s voice from nearby. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had her within an inch of her life.”
“Yes,” Harry replied to the darkness, “she’s always got away.”
“Ah, but this time, she’s not going to have you to rescue her…”
Harry looked up and saw a dark, looming figure approaching. Voldemort stopped just half a metre away from the lily and Harry got to his feet so that he could face him properly. Ginny’s thoughts were darting to and fro across his mind, connecting with his on their way to create the spindly web of a plan.
“But don’t worry,” hissed Voldemort, “I’m not going to kill you both just yet.”
“Where are the others?” thought Harry.
“That wouldn’t be half as much fun as what I’ve got in mind.”
“I don’t know,” said Ginny’s voice.
“Time for you to meet some old friends of yours, Potter…”
Harry saw movement out of the corner of his left eye and swung round to fight whatever was there. A pair of shadows was emerging from the night: a man and a woman…
The man had dark, knotted hair, but the woman’s was long, wispy… and red. Gazing unblinkingly at Harry were two startlingly green eyes… Harry’s eyes…
Harry’s mother. And Harry’s father.
Rags hung off them and their mouths hung open. There was no expression in their faces, no real life in their bones “ they were just bodies… not parents… just bodies…
“Do you remember them, Harry?” asked Voldemort, as if it amused him that Harry now stood before his dead parents. “Funny, how you watched them die, and now they’re going to watch you die “ “
“You’re sick!” screamed Ginny, her face contorted with hate and disgust.
Voldemort watched her for a moment as she glared at him.
“So this will be your great achievement?” asked Harry. “The one you’ve been so dying to fulfil: killing two teenagers who hardly had a chance?”
“Oh, no,” said Voldemort, red eyes flashing. “I want to see you squirm, first…”
He turned to the bodies of Harry’s parents and gestured with his wand “ they began to walk slowly towards Ginny, who took a few, small steps back, her wand poised for attack. The two bodies lifted their hands, pointing them at her. Instantly, she began screaming; her whole face screwed up in pain and her body shook violently. She fell to her knees, then keeled over onto her side, writhing and crying out so disturbingly that Harry hardly noticed the volcano that had just erupted in his forehead.
As the reality of the image hit him, he, too, fell to the ground and vomited on the grass. Trying to ignore the pain penetrating deeper and deeper into his brain and the terrible absurdity of what he was about to do, Harry lifted his wand and brandished it at his father.
“Stupefy!” he yelled, and the corpse fell motionless. Harry turned on his mother, pulling her golden necklace from his pocket and stumbling forwards, holding the chain before him.
“YOU’RE MY MOTHER!” he screamed. “LILY POTTER! MY MOTHER!”
The corpse staggered, its glazed eyes shining with a lost beauty for a moment “ and for that moment, Harry was sure that his mother lived once more “ until she dropped slowly to her knees, then fell to the ground.
Ginny stopped screaming and the physical pain subsided. Harry stared at the corpses of his parents, on the point of collapse, before losing his balance and falling to his knees beside his mother’s body.
“Why did you die to save me?” he cried. “Why didn’t you stand aside? WHY DIDN’T YOU STAND ASIDE?”
His vision was blurring.
“Don’t let him get to you,” said Ginny’s voice.
“SHE’S NOT YOUR MOTHER!” Harry screamed, turning on Ginny.
He gasped; for one, split second, he had seen his mother in her. Not just in her face; he felt the spirit of his mother in Ginny’s thoughts that ran through his mind, heard her in the sound of her voice, which now spoke to him, softly…
“She’ll always be with you…”
Harry buried his head in his hands and let the racking sobs shake his body dry of feeling. Ginny knelt by him and reached out to put her hand on his shoulder, and Harry tried to let her consoling thoughts penetrate his distraught mind.
“Is this revenge enough for what you did to me, Harry?” came Voldemort’s voice. “If I killed you now, would you have suffered enough? Would I be satisfied?”
Harry remembered where he was and looked up, wiping his face on his sleeve.
“No…” whispered Voldemort and he raised his wand again.
Two figures flew through the air and landed beside Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione instantly dropped down to see if they were all right, Ron retching slightly when he saw the remains of James and Lily Potter “
“Harry!” gasped Hermione, reaching out and putting a hand on his cheek. “What happened? What has he done?”
Ron and Ginny were looking at each other, and Harry could fully appreciate in that moment that she was his little sister.
“As if I didn’t know where you were hiding,” sneered Voldemort.
They raised their wands at him, but he just laughed and clicked his fingers: four more Death Eaters appeared and surrounded them. Harry and the others helped each other up and Harry stepped in front if Ginny so that he was between her and Voldemort. Anything he wanted to do to her, he could do to Harry.
Voldemort began to pace slowly towards them, speaking softly:
“These are the ones you love, Harry. They are your weakness… Crucio!”
Hermione let out a high-pitched scream and spasmed from head to foot; Ron instantly jumped in front of her and the curse passed to him, making him fall to his knees and twist and shout “
“Stupefy!” yelled Harry, pointing his wand at Voldemort, but he was too quick, moving just an inch or two to the side so that Harry’s jinx missed him completely.
The Cruciatus Curse lifted, leaving Ron lying on the grass, panting.
“Ron!” cried Hermione, kneeling beside him.
“Her “ Hermione,” gasped Ron, and he pulled her head down and kissed her.
Voldemort scowled.
“You see?” he hissed. “See what love does to you? Now do you understand why I have never needed it? Never wanted it?”
“I could never understand you,” muttered Harry.
He couldn’t think of any way that they were going to escape this time. There had always been someone to save them before now, but this seemed like the end of the line: his life had started at Godric’s Hollow and now, it would finish there…
“Not if you don’t let it,” thought Harry, forcefully. “There’s so much to live for,” and he squeezed Ginny’s hand. Yes, love can destroy you, but it can also give you more than anyone without it could ever imagine “
“Okay, fine,” said Harry, firmly. “If you want to fight it out, then let’s do it.”
“Harry, no!” whispered Hermione, but Harry had already stepped forwards.
“That’s more like it,” said Voldemort, lifting his wand so that it was level with his chest.
“But I thought you said that your wand wouldn’t work against Voldemort’s,” said Ginny’s voice warily.
Harry knew that she was right, but he wanted so much to have a fair duel with Voldemort, once and for all, that he studiously ignored the nagging voices in his head. He took another pace towards Voldemort, keeping constant eye contact.
“Harry “ it won’t work!” said Ginny’s voice, following Harry’s conscience. “You can’t use your wand against him! You’re just going to get yourself hurt!”
He faltered and, not being able to help himself, looked round at Ginny. Her face was etched with worry and pleading; her vibrant, red hair “ which had been tied up in such a neat ponytail on the back of her head “ had fallen about her face. Harry forgot all about his situation and couldn’t help but stare at her in all her beautiful glory.
“Come on, Harry,” her voice pleaded frantically. “Think about it.”
“Are you going to face me like a real wizard, or not?” jeered Voldemort, jerking Harry back to reality.
He turned and raised his wand. What was he supposed to do? Stand there, looking totally vulnerable, totally unprepared, just waiting for Voldemort to kill him? He had to at least try “
“EXPELLIARMUS!” he yelled, but Voldemort jumped aside.
“Come on, Harry “ put some effort into it!”
Harry gritted his teeth and stepped closer, but Voldemort began to stride towards him and a great force pushed Harry to the ground. He could see Ginny running, her vivid hair flying out behind her like the flames now consuming the nation “
“HARRY!” she screamed.
“Avada Kedavra!” cried Voldemort, pointing his wand at Harry.
“NO! GIN “ !”
A flash of green light, a flash of red hair, then a pain beyond anything Harry had ever felt “ this was pain beyond burning, beyond cursing, beyond torture “ was this what it felt like to die? Was this the last thing that he, Harry, would ever feel? No “ this was the pain of love “ love that was being ripped and torn and shattered but would not break, would not shatter, would not die…
Harry screamed as his soul was split and half of it destroyed in that one, life-changing second. Voldemort was powerless “ bodiless once more “ but that didn’t matter now… none of it mattered now…
…and all he could hear was her, screaming…
...“I’ll always be with you…”
* * *
He woke without her in his arms.
A/N: UPDATE: the epilogue - "The power of love" - is now up!
A/N: Well, there it is...
Finishing stories always feels strange, but this was the strangest. I cried a lot and felt odd for hours. I really hope it made some sort of an impact on you.
I'd like to say a quick thank you to Libs (user name: There You Are Peter), who has given me so much support and has nagged me for chapters constantly! It's thanks to her that you haven't had to wait months and months between chapters! Please do go and read her story about James and Lily - it really is excellent.
A final thank you to you guys, who make it all worth while. Please do review - it's what keeps me writing.
Thank you,
xxx hattiepotter xxx
Epilogue: The power of love by hattiepotter
Author's Notes:
The long-awaited ending that clears it all up. So many people have asked me for it that I would love to know what you think! hp x
A ray of sunlight was burning unwontedly through his closed eyelids, and a soft breeze was gently caressing his face. He lay there, half-asleep and confused, trying to remember some faint glimmer of when he had fallen asleep, or where he was. It seemed like he had been sleeping for such a long time, and yet he could remember no remnants of dreams or momentary wakings, and his body felt oddly heavy with fatigue. He turned onto his back and groaned as a painful ache was awakened by the movement, and his eyes snapped open in surprise. A blurry ceiling came into view as his hand groped for his glasses.
Harry sat up, trying to ignore the pain, and put them on, feeling a small sense of relief as he realised that he was in Percy’s old bedroom at The Burrow. The pain in his chest and back increased slightly as apprehension slowly seeped into his blood, and a kind of sick feeling found its way into his stomach and lingered there unsettlingly. He couldn’t remember how he had got there, or why, or where anyone else was, and he suddenly felt lost and empty, as though there was a significant part of him missing somehow.
At that moment the door opened and Hermione appeared, promptly dropping the bundle of sheets that she was carrying.
“Oh, Harry!” she cried. “You’re awake! You’re okay! Oh, I’m so relieved!”
Harry, never having had a reaction so enthusiastic to his waking up before, was unsure of what to say, and just remained silent as she rushed over to him and embraced him tightly. She pulled back and looked at him, then hugged him again before running out of the door calling “I have to go and get Ron!”
The sick feeling in Harry’s stomach grew as he sat there alone, staring around, trying to piece together what he knew. There was something wrong, something missing, and the emptiness inside of him was telling him that, whatever it was, he felt wrong and helpless without it.
He glanced over at a family photograph on the wall and his mind flipped upside-down as everything came rushing back to him in a tumult of raw and blinding emotion: green light, red hair, and her, her “ her arms spread, her face determined “ as she fell in a blur of slow motion, gracefully, beautifully, into his arms; her body growing colder as he screamed, and the pain “ the agonising, insufferable pain “ that pulled at every limb and bone and tendon in his body, threatening to rip his soul out of him, until numbness and darkness graciously took over.
Harry threw back the covers and stood up, almost falling over as his legs buckled beneath him and he grabbed the bedside table for support. His vision was swimming; there were two rooms, two doors that he stumbled towards, two doorknobs and two stairs for every one that he took “ his mind was racing so fast that his thoughts were blank as he threw open the kitchen door and fell out into the blinding sunlight, his legs carrying him, dreamlike, over the ground. It was as though he knew where he was going, like he had been there every day for the past month, and when he reached the clearing in the apple trees he fell to his knees and stared at the stone that had been erected there.
Here were scattered the ashes of Ginevra Molly Weasley
August 11th 1981 “ August 1st 1996
Beloved daughter, sister and friend
“No,” Harry whispered, then, his voice rising to a yell, “NO!”
He collapsed forward onto the grass and racking sobs began to shake his whole body, shuddering their way up from deep within him, then bursting out in a torrent of overwhelming truth. He stayed that way until he ran out of tears, then, inhaling deeply through his nose, he breathed in the musty scent of the earth where she resided, giving life to the soft long grass that Harry’s hands clutched to desperately. There was some remnant of her here, this was all that was left, and it was fresh and solid and real but cold and heartless and terribly lonely “ desolate, like he was, like he felt, like it seemed he always would be. Without her.
*
He was woken from this numb state hours later by the touch of someone’s hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Ron gazing down at him, offering him his hand. Harry, whose mind was dry of words, took it and pulled himself up so that they were standing facing each other.
“Come inside,” said Ron in a choked voice.
Harry obeyed and they walked together in silence, as though in a dream, back to the house. They sat down opposite each other at the kitchen table, and the need for something to be said eventually became apparent.
“Do you remember?” asked Ron in a voice so low that it was almost a whisper.
Harry nodded, the rest of the events having come back to him within the several hours he had been outside.
“How long was I “ ?“
“Four weeks,” said Ron. “We weren’t sure if you were going to wake up.”
“And is Voldemort …”
Ron looked at him uncertainly, as though trying to decide the best thing to say.
“When your mum “ when your mum did the “ the same thing,” he stuttered, looking down at the table. “It’s … it’s the same.”
Harry knew exactly what he meant; Voldemort wasn’t dead, just bodiless again, as he had been almost fifteen years ago. Harry stood up abruptly.
“Where is he?” he asked gruffly.
Ron answered straight away this time, as though he had been anticipating the question.
“The Order knows,” he said, “they’ve been tracking him. They said … they said they had to wait until you woke up because “ “
“Because I’ve got to kill him,” said Harry simply.
They looked at each other for a minute before Harry spoke again.
“Will you come with me?”
Ron stood up and took a step towards Harry.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” said Ron deeply, “so that we can go and do him in, once and for all.”
Harry nodded, feeling closer to his best friend than he had felt since they had got on the Hogwarts Express together six years ago. Voldemort was defenceless in the face of their determination; he had destroyed one heart too many, and the power of love would finally be his downfall.
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