Ginny watched Harry as he walked away from her after Dumbledore’s funeral and felt her heart shatter. This was the hardest thing she’d ever done in letting him go, but knew that it would be the only way he’d come back to her. “I’m going to be strong,” Ginny whispered to herself. “I’ll keep him in my heart and he’ll come back to me. He’ll come back to me when he realizes that he needs me to help him, when he remembers that.” She watched him come back after walking with the new Minister of Magic to meet with her brother and Hermione. Ron was playing with Hermione’s hair, tugging it gently.
Walking over to where her parents were, Ginny leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek and hugged her father before telling them that she was going up to the hospital wing to visit Bill and keep Fleur company. Not exactly wanting to see the other girl, but wanted to see for herself that her adored older brother was really on the mend. Madam Pomfrey had been adamant about Bill not being moved to St. Mungo’s. Ginny’s brother and his fiance had been sitting with the older Weasley’s for the funeral, but as soon as it was over, Madam Pomfrey whisked Bill back to the hospital wing with Fleur trailing behind them.
“All right, dear. Tell him we’ll be up in a few minutes to check in before going home. Have you started to pack yet?” Molly asked, her anxious eyes sliding over her daughter’s pale face. “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me ‘nothing’ because I can see it. It’s more than just what happened today.”
“I’ll talk to you later. I need some advice, anyway,” Ginny said, and evading her mother’s question. “No, I’m not all packed yet, but there’s not much left. It won’t take long. How am I getting home?” She slid her hands into the pockets of her robe to hide their shaking from her mother.
“Floo powder, dear,” her mother replied. “I brought some with me. Now, go and see your brother. I’m sure he’d love some more company.” Molly stood and shooed her daughter away. It pained her so to see the unhappiness in Ginny’s eyes and knew that the one person that could help was her oldest son. Ginny had been Bill’s shadow since the day she was born.
Ginny took one last glance up at Harry as she walked by and headed towards the castle. Even though the sun was shining brightly and it was warm, Ginny shivered with cold and only felt dreariness from the day. She still couldn’t believe it. Dumbledore was gone and Snape had been the one wielding the wand that killed him. It just didn’t make sense; Dumbledore had trusted Snape - made him a Hogwarts teacher! A few moments later Ginny found herself standing beside Bill’s bed in the hospital wing, talking with Fleur, Remus, and Tonks.
She was heartened to see that Lupin seemed to come over to Tonks way of thinking; he had his arm across the back of her chair, lightly playing with her hair. It had been a tough day for all them, Ginny supposed.
Fleur sat on the bed beside Bill and gently wiped some of the soothing potion that Madam Pomfrey had left on the bedside table. He was improving, although only time would tell about the scars that slashed across his face and a full moon to show the full extent of injuries. Ginny knew her whole family was waiting and worrying.
“Would you all mind if I had a word along with my sister?” Bill asked, taking Fleur’s hand in his and kissed the back of it.
“Do not wear ‘im, out, Ginny. He tires easily,” Fleur admonished her future sister-in-law.
Once everyone had departed, he turned to Ginny and said, “Come here, lady bug.” Ginny took the hand that he held out to her and let herself be pulled down into her brother’s arms. Bill tightened his arms around her as the sobs broke from her heart. He stroked the back of her head, which lay on his shoulder and made noises to help calm her down. Slowly, Ginny was able to pull herself together. Once she’d stopped crying, Bill tipped her chin up, kissed Ginny on the forehead and said, “All right, I know you’re upset about Dumbledore, but I don’t think that’s enough to make you cry like you just did. Do you want to talk about it?”
Ginny wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her black robe and nodded. “I guess so,” she said and told Bill about the conversation with Harry. “What worries me the most is Harry’s thinking that he has to do this by himself. He let me go because he didn’t want to worry about what Voldemort might do to me. But what he forgets is - I’m the key. Dumbledore told him this on more than one occasion. What’s more, I want to help him. Bill, I love Harry more than anything else in this world and if he’s not going to be a part of it, then I don’t want to be either,” she spoke fervently, making the
music of her heart start to swell.
Bill grimaced at her words and marvelled at the
music. “You’ve got to calm down. We don’t know where Harry is and you could hurt yourself. Then what good would you be? We’ll figure something out. Ron and Hermione have all ready told me that they aren’t going to let him go on by himself. They’re going to help him go after those Horcruxes and when they’re destroyed, you and Harry will just have to come back together and face Voldemort. Just like Dumbledore predicted.”
Although it made Ginny sad that she wasn’t going with him, she was equally happy that Harry wasn’t going to be alone. Ron and Hermione would look out for him and though Ginny would worry, there was hope that her brother and best friend might be able to talk some sense into him.
Several months later, Ginny was back in her room at the burrow getting dressed in the dress robes she’d be wearing for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. “What an ugly color! How could she have picked this for me?” Ginny muttered looking down at the yellow colored robe. “This is hideous! Come in!” she yelled to the person who was knocking at the door.
“Hi Gin, are you about ready?” Hermione entered the room the two girls were sharing, already dressed in her ice blue formal robes. “Wow! That’s some dress robe, Gin. Aren’t you a picture?” Hermione was trying to be nice, but the color really didn’t suit Ginny.
“Isn’t it lovely?” Ginny said sarcastically and spun around so that Hermione could have the full effect. “Why couldn’t she have picked blue or green? Why yellow? And why this yellow? It’s an ugly puke color! I look ridiculous!”
“Girls, we’re ready to start! Ginny, hurry, you’re the first one down the aisle!” Molly Weasley’s voice called up the long staircase. The wedding was being held out in the Weasley’s backyard.
After grabbing her
flowers from the bureau, Ginny hurried out of the room with Hermione behind her. Upon reaching the kitchen, Molly ushered them out the door and down the garden path to where the guests were all seated. Hermione was shooed to sit with Ron and noticed the empty seat beside him. She looked at him questioningly, and frowned at his shrug, before turning back to look at Ginny.
Standing first in line and waiting for the
music to start, Ginny’s eyes darted through the guests looking for her one source of true comfort. Harry. She needed to see him. Not only see him, but touch him, too. She’d been having terrible dreams since leaving school and it made true sleep almost non-existent. Now Ginny understood a little bit about Harry’s visions. She’d been seeing Voldemort in her dreams. Maybe if she could spend a little time with Harry, the dreams would go away.
Feeling a nudge from Gabrielle, Fleur’s little sister, Ginny started her walk down the make shift aisle, all the while looking for Harry. “Maybe I’ll see him when I turn around to face the congregation,” she muttered to herself, a stiff and brittle smile on her face. Once she reached Bill, Ginny stood on tiptoe to kiss his scarred cheek and whispered, and “be happy”, before turning around.
Ginny’s eyes darted back and forth until she found Ron and Hermione - and the empty seat beside Ron. He didn’t come. He didn’t come. It was all Ginny could think. It was all she could hear in the loud buzzing in her ears. He didn’t come.
The wedding was a complete blur to Ginny. She supposed it was nice. Maybe the pictures would show how nice it was when she saw them. “How long do you think I’ll have to wait before changing out of this ugly gown?” she asked Hermione, who because of the lack of seats, was perched on Ron’s knee.
“Probably not until...” Hermione’s voice trailed off when Fred came to whisper something in Ginny’s ear, causing her to run up the stairs to her room. “What was that all about?” Hermione asked.
“Harry’s here, but he didn’t want to make a big fuss. He’s waiting upstairs in Ginny’s room. Wants to talk to her.” Fred walked off to find Angelina.
Ginny reached the closed door to her room and softly knocked before pushing it open. “Harry, are you really here?” she said looking at him and reached out a hand to touch his face. “I’m so happy to see you!” Ginny exclaimed and threw herself into his arms for a hug, her heart swelling as she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.
“Yes, Ginny, I’m really here. I wanted to see you one last time before I take off. I have a possible lead on one of the Horcruxes and I may be gone for some time.” He let her go and drew her over to sit on one of the beds. “We also need to talk. We need to talk about Dumbledore,” Harry’s voice broke slightly, but he continued on anyway. “I know you think that this is something we have to do together, but I meant what I said after the funeral. We can’t be together anymore. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. It would be my fault.”
“Harry, when are you going to accept that you’re not in this alone? Dumbledore has told you time and again that love is the key. I know he did, because Dumbledore told me so the morning he died. He’d summoned me to his office and told me.” Ginny grabbed Harry’s hands in her and held them tightly, smiling softly when he squeezed them back.
“It’s not a question of accepting that I’m in this alone. I know Hermione’s told you that she and Ron are going with me to hunt down the Horcruxes and ultimately Voldemort. Breaking off with you was only because I want you here safe and sound so that when we do have to face him together, you’ll be strong and healthy and whole. I can’t afford to worry about you. We also have Snape to contend with.” Harry’s voice was very bitter and his fingers squeezed Ginny’s to the point that it hurt. “The new term starts next week. Have you decided about going back to school?”
“I’ve thought long and hard about this, and yes, I’m going back. I still need to learn as much as I can. My O.W.L. scores were very good. Mum and Dad were happy, of course. I’m going to be an Auror, I’ve decided. I can hunt dark wizards with the best of them, but I still have a lot to learn.”
They talked for a few more minutes and Harry leaned over to softly kiss Ginny and frowned slightly at the shadow that crossed in front of her eyes. “I have to go. Tell Ron and Hermione I’ll meet up with them. They’ll know what I’m talking about. Please don’t do anything stupid this year, Gin. I have to put you out of my mind and the only way I can do that is knowing that you’re safe. Promise me,” he ordered before standing up.
“I promise, but I don’t like it.” Ginny wasn’t sure she liked his use of the word stupid. “You promise me that once you’ve found all the Horcruxes, you’ll come back to me and we’ll go after Voldemort.”
Harry grimaced, but nodded. “OK. Deal,” and he Apparated out of the room.
Ginny walked over to her bureau where a picture of the two of them sat and started to speak to Harry’s image. “You know what? I may love you, and you may be my so-called soul mate, but that doesn’t mean I have to do everything you tell me. Promise or no promise.” Ginny pulled her hand out from behind her back where her crossed fingers had hidden. “We’ll see, Mr. Potter. We’ll see.”
To be continued:
Several days later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Ron looked at Harry, amazement written all over his face. “You’re going to do what? Explain it again, because I know that I didn’t hear you right,” he said and took a big gulp of juice before slamming the glass back on the table. “Especially after all your grand words about not wanting to subject Ginny to You-Know-Who! Have you suddenly just changed your mind or have you gone mad?” Ron stuffed a whole piece of toast into his mouth while he waited for Harry to answer.
“You heard me right, Ron. I said I’m going to take Ginny with me. I have to, according to what Dumbledore told me before he died. She’s the key to my success and if she’s not with me, then how do I succeed? I have given this a great deal of thought, you know. It’s not like I decided on a whim. I have to teach her the binding spell and we’ll need to practice the spell that Dumbledore taught all of us, Propulso Corior.” Harry sat across the kitchen table at the Weasley’s house calmly talking to Ron and Hermione about what he wanted to do. “Since that lead I had about one of the Horcruxes wasn’t real, we’re back to square one.” The lead had turned out to be a bad one and had Harry chasing across the country into Scotland looking for Helga Hufflepuff’s cup.
Hermione picked at her scrambled eggs and bacon, took a bite of egg and swallowed before saying, “Harry, I understand why she needs to be there, but you still need to find the Horcruxes and destroy them before you can even think about going after Voldemort.” Her words caused Ron to give the usual grimace, but he was ignored. “Why don’t you let Ginny get started on her school term, find the ones you can and destroy them, then go to Hogwarts and get her?”
“That’s a good idea in theory, Hermione, but I’m going to need to go up to Hogwarts for the binding spell, among other things, anyway. I’m also hoping to talk to Dumbledore’s portrait, as well. The last time I was in there, he was sleeping. The sooner we continue on, the better off we’re going to be.”
“Harry, no one is denying that! We’re here to help you! It’s not just your fight and if you’d listen to anything, listen to that. You talk of succeeding against Voldemort “ get a grip Ron!” Hermione was exasperated and it showed. Frustration was written all over her face. “I think that when you get ready to work on the binding spell with Ginny, we all should go up to Hogwarts with you!”
Relief spread across Harry’s face. “I don’t want to do this alone,” he confessed abruptly. “I just don’t want to see anyone else that I care about die.” Harry picked up some bacon off his plate and fiddled with it. “It was hard enough knowing that my parents died because of that lunatic and I don’t even remember it! It will be far worse to watch one of you,” he finished and stood up. “I’m going up stairs for a while.”
While this conversation was going on downstairs, Ginny flopped on her bed in the middle of packing her trunk in preparation of going back to Hogwarts. Arnold, the purple Pygmy Puff, slept peacefully in a cage on top of the dresser and Ginny’s things were still strewn around the room. The sun shone brightly through the window and fell directly across her face, temporarily blinding her until she slapped a hand over her eyes. Since sitting up made it easier to see, Ginny quickly did that and surveyed her room. What a mess! she thought and frowned before getting back up to finish the packing. It was taking a lot longer than she had anticipated. Of course, procrastinating hadn’t helped the situation any. Hearing her mother climbing the stairs, Ginny bolted off the bed and started to throw her school things into the open trunk that sat by the door.
“Ginny, dear,” Molly said, knocking on the door and opened it. “How is the packing going? We need to be leaving very shortly.” Glancing around the room, Molly pulled out her wand to help her daughter finish packing.
Smiling up at her mother, Ginny said, “thanks, Mum. I was feeling overwhelmed!” Seeing the knowing look on her mother’s face, she continued on to say, “I know, I know! If I’d done it yesterday, then it wouldn’t be such a mess now. What time are we leaving?”
“Any minute now. Your father will be here momentarily and then we’ll be off,” Molly told her. “I’ll have your brother come up here and help you carry down your things when you’re ready,” she said to Ginny and left her daughter to finish up with the odds and ends of packing.
Several hours later, Ginny was ensconced on the Hogwarts Express after a tearful good-bye between her and her parents. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed on seeing her off in favor of searching through the Black family homestead, which had been left to Harry after Sirius’s death. She hoped and prayed that Harry would be successful and safe while he hunted down the Horcruxes and that he would come to his senses while he did it. After settling in to a compartment with Neville, Luna, Dean and Seamus, Ginny closed her eyes so that her friend’s wouldn’t see how she was feeling. Thoughts of the missing Horcruxes were never far from her mind; she just didn’t know where to start looking for them. Hermione had promised to keep Ginny informed with up to date information. It might help, as the only remaining Horcruxes they were aware of were the snake, the locket, the Hufflepuff cup and You-know-who. Ginny drifted off to sleep and only awoke once they were at the Hogsmeade station.
As the days and weeks passed, Ginny drifted through, dragging herself from class to class and forcing tasteless meals down her throat. Quidditch didn’t even hold an appeal for her. This year was very different from the ones she had experienced in the past. Hogwarts was different. None of her brothers were in school and her best friends weren’t coming back. Dumbledore was gone. Professor McGonagall had been installed as Headmistress during the summer and had the task of finding three new teachers. Professor Slughorn decided not to come back after Snape had killed Dumbledore and that left the Potions position open. The erstwhile professor felt that he’d be much safer in his own home and left for parts unknown. The Transfiguration position had opened when McGonagall became Headmistress. Ginny had loved McGonagall’s acerbic way of teaching and sorely missed her. Snape was a different story, however. No one, other than the Slytherin’s, would miss him. The school had been abuzz for weeks over what had happened at the end of last term and it was clear that even though McGonagall would be a good Headmistress, Dumbledore would always be missed.
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Ginny slipped the Potions homework she’d been working on into her bag and headed to bed. She’d been falling asleep in front of the fire with the unfinished assignment in front of her. Upon arriving in her dormitory room, she quickly changed clothes and climbed into the bed that had been warmed by one of the house elves. Slowly, Ginny drifted off to what she hoped would be a dreamless sleep...
The sun was shining brightly as Ginny walked down the lane to the burrow. Even from a distance, she could see Fleur and Bill sitting with Ron and Hermione outside, enjoying the beautiful day. Bees were buzzing to and fro from one flower to another. There was a wonderfully light breeze that lifted the tendrils of Ginny’s hair. Birds chirped merrily in the trees. Love was definitely in the air and what a picture it created. Without seeming to realize it, Ginny started to look for Harry. If Ron and Hermione were there, then Harry wouldn’t be that far away. Where was he? Why wasn’t he with the others? she thought to herself. The closer that she got, the more Ginny found that picture wasn’t what she thought.
“Where’s Harry? Why isn’t he here, Ron?” she asked, perplexed confusion written on her face. Ginny pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the others.
“Harry? Who’s Harry? Do you know anyone named Harry, Bill?” Ron turned to his older brother.
Bill smiled up at Fleur who was sitting in his lap playing with the shark tooth earring that dangled from his ear and shook his head. “Never heard of him. Who is he, Ginny?”
Ginny gaped at them. “What do you mean you’ve never heard of him? We met him at Hogwarts. He’s the bloody Boy Who Lived! He’s completely famous and has been to this house a million times! Come on, Hermione! You have to be joking! He defeated Voldemort!” Jumping up, Ginny paced around the table in exasperation, her arms swinging wildly and fire in her eyes.
“He defeated who and we met him where?” a chorus of voices rang out.
“Volde “ what?”
“Hog “ what?”
Ginny glanced around the table, glaring at them before catching a movement out of the corner of her eye and blinked. Standing next to the broom shed was Harry and…Voldemort? How is that possible? she thought, blinking hard again. “Harry? Are you all right? What’s going on? Why don’t they know who you are?” Ginny kept her eyes on Harry and walked over to where he was standing. Reaching up to touch his face, desperate to make contact with him, she brushed the back of her fingers down Harry’s cheek. As soon as she touched him, Ginny felt the music begin to swell in her heart, making it grow.
Ignoring most of her questions, Harry reached up and swatted Ginny’s hand away from his face, effectively cutting off the music before pushing her away from him. “I’m fine. I’ve told you, I don’t need you and I don’t want you! Don’t touch me, don’t look at me, and don’t talk to me. I can do this all on my own! Actually, Riddle has offered me an opportunity that I can’t refuse.” Harry shouted at her while Voldemort pulled his wand out. “I can join his side and live forever! I will never die and I won’t have to worry about surviving some stupid war that I never wanted to be part of in the first place!”
Staring at him incredulously, Ginny sputtered, “Harry, what have you done?”
“I’ll show you what I’ve done, I’ve switched sides!” Harry pulled up the sleeve of his robe and showed Ginny the Dark Mark that had been tattooed to his arm. “Best thing I’ve ever done, too! The Dark Lord needed a new right hand man now, since I killed Lucius Malfoy and Snape! I’m just the man for the job, too. I’m the boy who lived! No one can kill me.” Harry sneered at her. “I put up with a baby relationship to put everyone off! I never wanted you. I definitely don’t want to marry you or have ugly redheaded children with you. I laughed later at that conversation. You bought everything I said hook line and sinker! You disgust me.”
Ginny looked at him, appalled. “You don’t mean that! You love me and told me so many times. Was it all just a lie? What purpose did it serve to tell me things like that?” Ginny was so involved in the conversation she was having with Harry, that she’d stopped paying attention to the most feared wizard in the magic world.
“Avada Kedavra!” The dark lord suddenly shouted and pointed his wand at Bill and Fleur, killing them at once. Voldemort then turned towards Ron and Hermione and before Ginny knew it, they were gone, too. “You were my seventh horcrux, you silly little girl. You didn’t know that, though, did you? I created it in you in the Chamber of Secrets by transferring it from Nagini to you! However, I’m more than willing to give up that portion of myself if it means killing you! I should have had Wormtail take care of you last summer! He had opportunity during that fight at Hogwarts with my Death Eaters!” Voldemort’s wand was pointed at Ginny and the dreaded curse was uttered again, once more causing a green light to shoot out of it.
Harry violently hit the back of Voldemort’s hand to keep the spell from hitting Ginny. “No, if anyone is going to do it, it’s me! I have the right to kill her. She has driven me mad and I hate her,” he shouted pulling out his own wand. Harry took aim and muttered the words that would end Ginny’s life, maniacal laughter spilling from his lips.
Ginny saw the green flash of light release itself from Harry’s wand and felt the blast hit her chest before slowly falling backwards to the uproarious laughter of Voldemort. The last thing she saw as her back hit the ground was Harry’s face and the evil smile that lurked there. Ginny closed her eyes and was gone...
Far away in London, Harry bolted up right from a dead sleep and at the same time Ginny did likewise at Hogwarts. Harry jumped out of bed and dressed before Disapparating to the city of Hogsmeade and Ginny rolled over, buried her face in the pillow trying to calm her wildly beating heart and keep the sobs at bay.