Always Stick Together

It was Harry Potter’s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was nearing the end of the winter term and he was sitting in the library on his own, trying to do an essay for Professor McGonagall, but his mind was actually completely preoccupied by the Prophecy he had heard just over half a year ago. It had told him, quite plainly, that either he had to destroy Lord Voldemort - or else be murdered by him. This prospect had been looming over Harry ever since he had heard his fate, and the thought filled him will terror. He had told his two best friends about the Prophecy after he had got over the first shock of it, and they had been very supportive this school year, sensing the trauma he must be going through. However, he still had that dark sense of foreboding in his stomach everywhere he went which followed him around like Colin Creevey – annoying and obsessive.


If only there were someone whose words were of comfort to him. Someone who understood what it felt like to be connected to Voldemort; the horror that lay in his very thoughts, which Harry often felt inside his own body – rage, joy or fear coming over him in great tides, with no apparent relation to what Harry himself was feeling at the time. Just as he thought of the only person who could possibly have any idea what he was feeling, her head peered around the bookshelves behind him.


“Harry?� said Ginny Weasley. Harry snapped out of his self-pitiful thoughts and looked round. “Ah, you are here.� She came over and sat down in the seat next to him. “Just thought I’d come and check you were ok. You looked a bit preoccupied earlier,� she added.


It was a nice thought that Ginny had wanted to make sure he was alright. His friendship with her had grown immensely since last summer, and she often came to chat with him at the times when he felt most lonely, which he was grateful for.


“Yeah, I’m alright,� Harry told her. “Just thinking about… stuff… you know?�


Ginny smiled and nodded.


“Yeah, I know alright. I think about ‘stuff’ all the time,� she joked.

“But you know what I mean, don’t you?� he asked, knowing that she did.


She looked up at him and shuffled a bit closer.


“We’ve got to stick together, Harry. You and me. We know what it’s like to be affected by Voldemort - not just the fear… but the thoughts…�


She stopped and her gaze intensified, burning into Harry’s eyes with friendship and understanding. He didn’t look away from her, but nodded to show his agreement. She put her arm around him tentatively, and he smiled at her. He wasn’t sure whether she wanted him to do the same to her, or hug her, or just sit there doing nothing like he was now. He decided that she wouldn’t have put her arm there if she wasn’t comfortable with him, so he wrapped his arms around her and her soft, red hair fell about his face. He was then certain that he had done the right thing, because she hugged him back, and it felt ok.


“So,� she said softly, not pulling out of the strong embrace, “are you ok? Because that is the reason I came to look for you, after all.“


“Yeah, thanks Ginny,� said Harry, glad that she was there.


Not knowing what to do next, Harry just stayed there with her in his arms, although he knew that he didn’t really want to move away. After they had spoken, hugging did not seem awkward at all, and Harry started to think that he could get used to this. After a few moments, which had felt like forever, Ginny pulled away and looked up at him, smiling.


“You really are beautiful,� he whispered.


His insides went beserk. What had he just done?


“Sorry?� asked Ginny, looking utterly surprised.


“I – um – I – “ stuttered Harry, completely at a loss for words.


“Did you just say I was beautiful?�


Harry looked at her, worry growing in his stomach. She was beautiful – he knew that from months of looking at her in wonderment – but he hadn’t meant to tell her that. His whole body seemed to have seized up, and no matter how hard he tried, no words would come out of his mouth.


Ginny looked at him expectantly for a minute, but then she started to laugh.


“What?� asked Harry


“You look so worried!� she giggled.


“Sorry, I just – um – “


He was cut off mid-stutter as Ginny lips seemed to jump onto his mouth and kiss him. She broke away and all Harry could do was gape at her.


“Sorry,� she mumbled, turning slightly pink.


“Don’t be,� said Harry, feeling as if his internal organs had just turned to mush from nervousness.


“I shouldn’t have done that,� said Ginny, more to herself than to Harry.


“Yes you should,� said Harry, and he kissed her back, this time longer and more believing.


When Ginny reciprocated the kiss, Harry’s stomach jumped for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and he started to wonder why he had never kissed her before when it felt this right.


They pulled away reluctantly after what seemed like another eternity. Harry beamed at her, still trying to register what had just happened, and feeling more adrenaline than he could ever remember feeling in his whole lifetime.


Ginny threw herself around him once more and he relaxed in her arms.


“Hey, we can always stick together, can’t we?� he whispered.


“You can rely on me, Harry – always…�



A/N: I have made quite a few changes to this Prologue. I hope that now it is much better than the original version which I read recently and it seemed rather random! Hope you enjoyed it, please read on!

Coming up in this story...
Professor McGonagall was cut off as there was a loud rap on the doors of the Great Hall. They swung open dramatically, and Mad-Eye Moody started to limp slowly up to the staff table. Whispers began to rise again as everyone questioned why he was there, until he spoke to Dumbledore, who then stood up once more. He looked extremely grave.

Many trials and tribulations, including a disappearance, a media scandal, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, and a thrilling last few chapters which won't let you stop reading!

With You

It was Christmas Eve and the grounds around Hogwarts Castle were dark and frosty. Although it was bitterly cold outside, the Gryffindor Common Room was warm and cosy as ever. Harry was comfortably curled up at the end of the sofa in front of the fire, reading Christmas Wizarding Traditions, as Ginny lay with her head on his lap, sleeping. He absent-mindedly twirled her hair around his finger as he read, as her chest rose and fell with her gentle breathing.

Hermione was sitting in the chair next to Harry, with knitting needles clacking in front of her, and Ron sat with his back against the front of her armchair, gazing into space. Ron and Hermione had admitted their feelings for each other to almost everyone but themselves, and this left them in the awkward position of practically being a couple, but it not being official.

Ginny stirred, yawned and turned over, and looking down, Harry saw that her eyes were now open. If he had looked the other way he would have seen Ron watching them closely, as if he couldn’t believe it but knew it was right. Harry put down his book and lifted Ginny into his arms, kissing her forehead. She sat up and brushed her perfect hair off her face.

“Better?� asked Harry.

“Yes, actually, much better,� she replied, leaning her head on his shoulder. “I haven’t had a proper nap in ages.�

Harry smiled and looked over at Ron and Hermione. Ron looked away quickly, so as to try and hide the fact that he had been staring at them, but Hermione just rolled her eyes at him and smiled back.

“Looking forward to tomorrow, Harry?� she asked.

“I am, actually,� he said, looking at Ginny. “Yeah, I am…� and he lay his head on top of hers, breathing in the sweet aroma of her hair and wishing he could stay here forever…

* * *

Harry woke warm and comfortable the next morning. He stretched and sat up, pulling back the hangings around his four-poster bed.

“Oh good, you’re awake,� said a grinning Ron from his bed.

The other boys had obviously gone downstairs already, and Ron looked eager for Harry to wake up properly so the Christmas festivities could begin. Harry grabbed a present from the pile at the end of his bed and read the label: “To Harry, Merry Christmas, love and kisses, from Ginny.� He ripped it open and the gift fell out onto his bed, along with a note which he picked up and read: “Mum told me how to make it. It’s along the same lines as her clock. It tells you where I am so you can always find me if you need to.� Harry picked up the gift and saw that it was a wristwatch. Looking at the face he saw that there were no numbers; instead, there were places: “The Burrow, The Great Hall, In bed, In a lesson, Outside, In danger, Dead, With you, Somewhere else.�

“Hey, what’s that?� said Ron, peering over as Harry donned the watch.

“Oh, it’s from Ginny. It tells me where she is,� he told him.

“Can I see?� asked Ron.

“Yeah, sure,� replied Harry, and he went over to Ron’s bed and held out his wrist to give him a closer look.

“Dead?! That’s not very optimistic, is it?�

Harry laughed and looked at the tiny dial. The hand was pointing to “In bed�, and he watched as it slowly moved to “Somewhere else�.

“She just got up,� said Harry, and he went back to his bed and sat down, ready to open more presents. Just as he reached for the next one, the dormitory door opened and Ginny came into the room. “That was quick!� he said.

“What? Oh, right!� she said, spotting the watch. “Do you like it?� she asked, lying down on his bed and propping herself up on her elbows.

“I love it,� he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. “I’ll give you yours later,� he whispered in her ear, and with a glance at Ron, she understood.

After a few minutes, all the presents had been opened. Ron had given Harry a box of sugar quills, Hermione an alarm clock which had been charmed to keep ringing until it’s victim was out of bed, Remus Lupin had sent him some Quidditch gloves and Hagrid, a slab of chocolate fudge. Harry had also got the usual knitted woollen jumper from Mrs Weasley, this year along with a miniature Christmas pudding, which Harry was now nibbling.

“I’m going to go and see if Hermione’s up,� said Ron, getting up from a pile of wrapping paper and leaving Harry and Ginny alone together.

“So, what do you want to do today, then?� asked Ginny, getting up and going to sit on Harry’s lap. This was something that she’d started doing, and Harry loved having her so close.

“Well, I suppose there’s Christmas lunch, but that won’t be until mid-afternoon, I expect,� he told her.

He wondered how he should give her her present, then he had a brilliant idea. “Hey, go and get dressed, then come back here. I’ve just had an idea.�

“I’m intrigued,� she said, turning to look at him. “Alright, then, back in a sec…� and she left the room.

Harry got dressed and went to look out of the window. Another White Christmas – perfect. The treetops were tipped with white and the smoke ascending from Hagrid’s cabin looked black against its background. The grounds glistened in the pale sunlight and Harry saw that the vast lake was just a huge sheet of ice. Just as he was wondering what the great squid thought about this, Ginny came back into the room.

“What’s this big idea then, huh?� she asked, coming to join him at the window.

“Ah, well,� Harry told her. “It involves this…� he held up his Firebolt, “…and this…� he held up his Invisibility Cloak.

“Well, you couldn’t have confused me more, Potter, so just tell me what you’re planning.�

Harry let his broom hover at her side.

“Hop on,� he said casually, opening the narrow window.

“Harry!�

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold on to you!� he teased, climbing on in front of her and throwing the cloak over them both. “Ready?�

“I suppose I’ll have to be, won’t I?� said Ginny. He kicked off gently, so as not to bump their heads on the ceiling, and they soared out of the room. Ginny was holding on tightly around his waist, and she giggled with delight as they swerved this way and that, the cloak keeping out the cold.

After a few minutes, Harry tipped forwards and they descended to the ground. They landed gracefully at the side of the lake under a snow-laden tree, and Harry took Ginny’s hand and led her over to the tree’s trunk, where they sat down with their backs against it. Harry reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, green box.

“This is for you,� he said, handing it to her. “Merry Christmas, Ginny.� She took it and lifted the lid, taking out a tiny silver chain with a beautiful, dazzling emerald on it. She gasped quietly as she held it in front of her, then looked up at Harry, and he noticed how perfect she looked sitting there in the snow, her long, red hair framing her fair complexion. She lent forwards and kissed him, her cool hands against his cheeks, pushing him back until his head touched the snow. Harry was taken by complete surprise at this, but he didn’t want it to end as he pulled her in closer around the waist and kissed her deeply.

“Thank you,� she whispered.

“No problem,� said Harry, still slightly overwhelmed. That was the best kiss he had ever had, even with Ginny. She lay her head on his chest and they stayed there a while together, before he realised how cold it was. “Hey, it’s pretty cold out here; shall we go inside?�

“Yeah, ok,� she answered, and they stood up and walked back to the castle, hand-in-hand.



A/N: hope you enjoyed that chapter. I have tried to improve this one as well so hopefully it's alright. On to Chapter 3!

Spit it out, Ron

It was Friday evening, and Ron had dragged Harry up to their dormitory, saying that he “needed to talk�. Harry, who knew exactly what he “needed to talk� about, had obliged unwillingly and was now sitting on his bed, listening to Ron rant about Hermione.

“Why can’t she just ask me out or something?� he cried in frustration.

“Er, Ron?� Ron whipped his head round and gave Harry such a glare that he thought he might tear his head off. “I think she’s probably expecting you to do that,� Harry continued carefully.

“What?� Ron yelled, making Harry jump. “She wants me to ask her out?�

“Well it is more traditional for the man to ask the woman,� said Harry. “She’s probably wondering why you haven’t done it yet.�

“But now she’s going to think I don’t like her or something!� yelled Ron in exasperation.

“Oh, I think it’s quite obvious that you like her,� Harry told him. Ron shot another glare his way.

“It is?� he asked, suddenly sounding worried.

“Er, yes! Only because you stare at her stupidly for long periods of time, even if she’s doing something really boring like reading or working.� Harry couldn’t believe he was having to explain this to his best friend; but then again, Ron wasn’t really one for romantics.

“Is it really that obvious?� Ron said, looking anxious. Harry nodded and Ron scowled, then continued. “But what if she doesn’t like me back?�

“She does,� said Harry.

“How come you’re so confident?� questioned Ron.

“Don’t you think there’s a chance that I might have had this exact same conversation with Hermione?� Ron’s look turned from confused to jubilant in a matter of seconds. Then he turned and ran out of the room. Harry rolled his eyes and followed him down the stairs, not wanting to miss anything interesting that might happen.

When he got to the Common Room, he found Ron, standing about 10 feet from where Hermione was working, looking thoroughly confused again. Harry spotted Ginny watching him with a slightly concerned look on her face, so he went over to tell her what had just happened. As he told her, Ron sat down, apparently trying to think of the best way to go about his next move. Harry finished, and Ginny watched Ron, giggling.

“Don’t you think you should go and tell him what he should do?� she whispered to Harry.

“Nah, I reckon he needs to work this one out by himself,� he whispered back. “And anyway, this way’s much more amusing.�

They sat watching Ron for a few minutes, as Hermione shot him glances, looking just as confused as he did. Finally, Ron got up and moved a bit closer to her. Harry noticed that Ron’s hands were shaking ever so slightly as he wandered over to Hermione’s parchment-covered desk. She looked up at him.

“Yes?� Ron froze. “What do you want, Ron?� Ron still didn’t move. “Look I’m trying to write a really complicated essay right now, so if you’ve just come to distract me-“

“No!� he said, slightly too loudly. Several people looked round and Hermione raised an eyebrow. “I mean… I…�

“Oh, spit it out, Ron,� she said. “I don’t have time for all this nonsense. Either tell me or go away.� It seems to be clear to him that it was now or never.

“DyoowannagotoHogsmeadewithmetomorrow?� he gabbled.

“Sorry?� said Hermione, looking at him as though she’d never seen someone with red hair before.

“Er… do you want to… go… to Hogsmeade… with me… tomorrow?� he mumbled. Hermione blushed, but she couldn’t have possibly gone as red as Ron was now.

“Um, yes, alright,� she stuttered, taking on Ron’s would-be-casual tone. She smiled shyly at him and he smiled back. Harry and Ginny, who were still watching them closely from the sofa, were shaking with suppressed laughter.

“Cool,� grunted Ron, and he started to walk away.

“Ron?� said Hermione, and he turned back to look at her. “I… er… thanks,� she finished. He smiled and practically ran towards the boys staircase, as Harry and Ginny finally let out their laughter, unable to contain it any longer.

Seni Seniyorum

When Harry went down to the Gryffindor Common Room the next morning, he was surprised to find Ron, pacing the room and looking nervous.

“Er, Ron?� he asked tentatively. Ron looked up at Harry.

“What am I going to do?� he whined.

“About…�

“Hermione!� Ron shouted. “I’m meant to be going to Hogsmeade with her today!�

“Then… shouldn’t you be downstairs?�

Ron stopped pacing and seemed to have come to some sort of conclusion.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later,� he said, and he disappeared through the portrait hole. Harry, still thoroughly confused, sat down in an armchair and started to wonder how on earth Ron and Hermione would cope on a date together.

“Morning.� Ginny had just got to the bottom of the girls’ staircase, and was coming over to Harry. She was still in her pyjamas, and Harry thought she looked rather adorable. She sat on his lap with her arms over the leg of the chair, and he gave her a kiss.

“Any plans for today?� he asked her.

“Not really. Do you want to go to Hogsmeade?�

“I do, but I can’t stay with you the whole time,� Harry told her, thinking of what he’d been planning on doing in the village.

“Why ever not?� she joked. “Don’t you want to spend time with me?�

“Ha ha, very funny,� he said. “No, I’ve just got some other stuff to do.�

“Ooo, I see! That’s rather secretive of you,� she said.

“You’ll thank me for it soon enough, Ginny Weasley. Now go and get dressed or we’ll never get there.� So she got up and left him alone in the armchair.

Half an hour later, Harry was fully breakfasted and he and Ginny were lining up to sign out in the Entrance Hall. They gave their names to Filch, then strode out, down the steps, into the chilly February air. They chatted about this and that as they walked, holding hands and feeling very relaxed. Harry thought he couldn’t have been happier; he was going to Hogsmeade with Ginny and the day was bright and frosty, just like it should be at this time of year.

When they got into the village, they decided to go to Honeydukes. The shop was warm and inviting, the thousands of brightly-coloured sweets just calling out to be eaten. Harry was enticed by a stand of huge shining red lollipops the size of side plates, and he went over to see what they were. ‘Red Hot Lollipops – warm your insides like a bottle of Butterbeer!’ read the label on the stand.

“Hey, Ginny! Do you want a lolly?� Harry called across the shop.

“Yes please!� she replied, standing on tiptoe so as to see over the boy in front of her.

Harry paid for the lollipops and they left the shop. He handed one to Ginny, and they both sucked them as best as they could considering their size.

“Mmm, yum!� she exclaimed, and Harry knew what she meant. They really did warm you right through like Butterbeer, only they tasty fruity and smooth in your mouth, and they dissolved as you sucked them. Harry and Ginny ambled down the lane, until Harry remembered what he had to do.

“Oh, we need to split up for a bit, remember?� he told Ginny.

“Oh yeah,� she said, looking slightly disappointed.

“Hey, I’ll be really quick, I promise. It’s just that I need to do this today.�

“Yeah yeah, I know,� she said. “Do you want to meet up in the Three Broomsticks?�

“Ok, give me half an hour,� said Harry, and he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before heading off by himself. What he wanted to do was to find the perfect Valentine’s Day present for Ginny. He didn’t really know what he should get her, or where to find it, so he wandered down a side street that he had never been down before, hoping to get some inspiration.

The shop windows were full of dangly things and glittery objects. Harry imagined that Professor Trelawney would have felt right at home. He went up to a shop called “Avariella’s Amazing Apothecary�, and saw that there were thousands upon thousands of tiny bottles on the shelves around the shop, but he didn’t go in because the lady behind the counter, who he supposed was Avariella, looked slightly creepy.

He carried on down the street, and stopped outside a small shop called “Gifts for Girls�. Harry was surprised to find such an appropriate shop in such an unlikely part of town, and went in with full confidence that he would find something for Ginny in here. He quickly checked his watch, but had forgotten that it didn’t tell the time, only where Ginny was. Right now, she was “Outside�, which wasn’t really surprising, considering where they were.

Harry concentrated himself on the task at hand, glancing around for something special and not too tacky. He found a quill that lit up when you wrote, but this was a little boring. He found a pot of Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion, but Ginny’s hair was already so perfect that she didn’t need anything like that.

Then, something caught his eye. On a little stand by the counter was a gold-framed mirror, just the size to fit into the palm of your hand. The caption read “Pocket-sized Foe Glass – know when your enemies are near.� Now that Harry looked more closely, he could see some shadowy figures in the mirror, and he thought of Ginny and how much he wanted to keep her safe. It wasn’t a very romantic gift for Valentine’s Day, but it might be able to prevent her from getting into danger, which was the most important thing at the moment. So Harry bought it and left the shop, planning to go straight to the Three Broomsticks to meet Ginny.

As he walked fairly quickly down the street (he suspected that he was a little late) he checked his watch out of habit. What he saw made him freeze with terror. “In danger�, the watch read. In danger? But, she couldn’t be; he’d been with her only minutes beforehand. Harry stood there in the middle of the street, unable to move a limb. His mind was racing with possibilities; what had happened to her? Where had she gone? He started to run - where to, he didn’t know - all he knew was that he had to find her, save her…

When Harry made it to the bottom of the street he stopped, panting, and looked around, wondering where to go. Then, he saw a flash of red hair and his heart leapt; but it wasn’t Ginny, it was Ron, and Hermione had spotted Harry and was pulling Ron towards him by the hand.

“Hi, Harry,� she said as she and Ron reached him. “Hey, are you ok? You look a bit pale.�

There wasn’t time to explain properly.

“Ginny, she’s in trouble,� he gabbled. “I don’t know where, but she’s in danger; look!� And he thrust the watch at her. When Hermione looked at it, her face drained of all its colour, as did Ron’s.

“But... maybe it’s wrong…� she stuttered, seemingly trying to make herself believe that it was.

“It’s been right all the rest of the time!� Harry yelled at her.

“We’ve got to find her,� said Ron, and Harry had never heard him sound so determined. “Where did you see her last?�

Harry explained how they had split up so that he could buy her present, and that he had only looked at the watch once before, and it had said “Outside�.

“We could split up to look for her,� said Ron when Harry had finished.

“No! We need to stay together, or we’ll lose each other as well,� said Hermione. She had her plan face on – she always wore this expression when she was deciding what they should do. Both boys watched her apprehensively, waiting for her to tell them the plan.

“Well,� she continued, after a minute of thinking, during which the possibilities of Ginny’s whereabouts flashed painfully through Harry’s mind, “we should go to all the places where there is likely to be danger. Harry, what does the watch say now?�

“Still “In danger�,� he told her with a pang of worry.

“Right, let’s go then. Come on, Ron,� and she grabbed both of their hands and started to march them down the street towards the more deserted and of the village. Ron seemed to have gone into a kind of daze; he dragged his feet along behind him, letting Hermione pull him in the right direction. Harry’s mind was still in overdrive, madly churning through the possibilities, not letting him think straight. Then all of a sudden, his mind was blank, as if he had never thought anything in his whole life, and just as suddenly, was filled with the most awful screaming he had ever heard. He realised that it was Ginny’s voice and it was as though he was sharing the pain with her. Harry couldn’t feel anything except an immense longing to be with her, to hold her, and to tell her that it was all going to be alright. The screaming stopped just as suddenly as it had started, and Harry felt his knees hit the cold, hard ground.

“Harry!� he heard Hermione call from far away. “Harry!�

Someone was shaking him by the shoulders, and he wrenched his eyes open to see Hermione kneeling by him with tears in her eyes.

“Ginny…� he whispered.

“Where is she?� asked Ron, who was trying to comfort Hermione with a hand on her shoulder.

“I… I don’t know,� Harry stuttered. “She’s… she’s…� he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud. “She’s being… tortured,� he finished, the pain of saying it hitting him hard. Ron’s face dropped and his legs became unsteady, causing him to fall to the ground next to his two best friends. Hermione’s face was stricken, but she put her arms around both of the boys in an attempt to comfort them.

“We need to find her,� said Harry, with the same determination as Ron had. He got up and the other two did the same. “Where should we go first?�

“I guess we keep going down here until we get to the more shifty part of town,� said Hermione. Harry and Ron agreed and followed her down a dark alleyway. The gloom surrounded them, shocking their eyes after the bright sunlight of the main street. Harry’s consciousness seemed to be ebbing away from him again, and the feeling in his legs gradually diminished until he couldn’t feel a thing in his entire body. His vision became blank, white and empty, then his ears were full of the same screaming, except this time, he could make out words:

“HARRY! Help me! No, please, please stop…�

Then, he saw her. She was right there in front of him, bound by thick, black ropes to what looked like a wooden post. She was paler than he had ever seen her, and her long, red hair was tousled and distressed. Harry noticed a boarded window to one side and immediately knew where she was.

“Ginny!� he yelled. “I’m coming! GINNY!� But he knew that she couldn’t hear him. Someone was shaking him again, and the image of Ginny gradually turned into Ron, crouched down in front of him. Hermione was at his side, crying, looking at Harry with an expression of utter horror on her face. Harry’s knees were stinging from having fallen onto them twice that day, but it was nothing compared to the pain that he had felt only moments beforehand, watching Ginny like that; struggling, pleading…

“Do you know where she is?� Ron asked, obviously accustomed to Harry’s way of somehow knowing more than was normally possible when someone was in danger.

“The… the Shrieking Shack,� he gasped, still struggling to speak.

“Right,� said Ron, getting up and offering Harry a hand. He took it and Ron pulled him back onto his feet. Harry saw him take Hermione’s hand and wished that Ginny were here to do the same to him. After what felt like no time at all, they were at the top of the hill, standing outside the Shrieking Shack. Harry hadn’t even realised he’d been walking his mind was so preoccupied, but now they were here, and he had to face whatever was inside.

“Do you have any idea what we’re up against here, Harry?� Hermione asked, her voice shaky.

“No; I only saw Ginny…� he answered, not really wanting to think about that image. The, he had an idea. He reached into the bag that was surprisingly still clutched in his fist, and took out the Foe-Glass. He explained it to Ron and Hermione before looking at it - for some reason, he was afraid of what he might see - but then realised that he was wasting precious time. He turned the Foe-Glass over in his hand, and looked into its misty pane. For a moment, he couldn’t see anything, then he saw a pair of cutting, grey eyes staring back at him; the eyes of Lucius Malfoy. Hermione gasped and Ron went even paler. There was a Death Eater waiting inside this very door, and the only way to save Ginny would be to face him. Harry gulped. He wished he had got some help while they were still in the village, but there was no time for that now, he should have thought of that earlier.

“Well,� said Hermione quietly, noticing Harry hesitating, “Ginny’s in trouble and she needs our help.�

“And we are in our sixth year,� said Ron, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself that this was a good idea.

“Yes, we are,� said Hermione. “And anyway, it’s not like we haven’t done this before,� she added with a touch of amusement. Harry was so surprised at this remark, and even more surprised at who had said it, that he hesitated no longer.

“Ok,� he said, stepping up to the door. “Wands out, then.�

He gave his two best friends one last look with as much courage as he could muster, and pushed open the door.

As they crossed the threshold, an icy chill ran down Harry’s spine. He presumed that the others had felt it as well, because he heard them shiver as they followed him through the doorway. Hermione stood in between the two boys, and Harry held her wrist, for his comfort as much as hers, as they moved a little closer to each other in the un easing silence. The lack of screaming was worrying. Had she just tired herself out, or could she be…? Harry shuddered and tightened his grip on Hermione, holding his wand out in front of him.

“Harry?� Ron whispered. “Where are they?�

“I’m not sure,� Harry replied, keeping his voice low. “But she was… she was screaming before.�

“Maybe they’re upstairs,� said Hermione. She looked round at Harry and he noticed the fear in her eyes.

“Yeah, ok,� he said, trying to sound brave for her sake. They crept forwards and Harry let go of Hermione so that he could start up the stairs in front of her. Every step creaked under their weight, making it seem as is the whole staircase was about to collapse beneath them.

When they reached the landing it was so dark that Harry couldn’t even see his own wand. They edged forwards, until –

“Shh!� hissed Hermione from behind him. Harry stopped and listened hard, and then, he heard it. From somewhere up ahead of them came the soft sound of someone weeping.

“Ginny…� whispered Ron. The room which the sound was coming from was the very one which they had visited three years previously, when Harry had first come face-to-face with his godfather.

“Come on, then,� he said quietly, and he proceeded towards the door. His scar started to throb painfully as the door grew nearer; the tension on that landing could have been cut with a knife. Harry extended his left arm, feeling for the handle, then looked back at Ron and Hermione. They both nodded solemnly, just as Hermione had done three years ago, and he pushed the door open…

There was the same dust-covered floor, there was the extravagant four-poster bed, and there, bound just as Harry had seen her earlier, was Ginny, tied so tightly to one of the bedposts that she could hardly breathe.

“Ginny!� Harry cried, rushing to her side.

“Harry…� she whispered, her voice hardly audible. Her face was extremely pale, and the ropes that were restraining her were digging into her body, suffocating her.

Harry felt Ron and Hermione at his side, but did not take his eyes off Ginny.

“Diffindo,� muttered Hermione, pointing her wand at the ropes. They broke, and Ginny fell like a rag-doll. Harry caught her just in time, kneeling on the grimy floor, with Ginny cradled in his arms. Her eyes were closed now, her breathing shallow.

“What happened, Gin?� Harry whispered. She was obviously feeling too weak to speak now, because she did not answer, only opened her eyes and looked at him. But for Harry, this was enough; those eyes told him more than words ever could – the pain she was feeling, the fear, and, like a true Gryffindor, her immeasurable bravery.

Ron was standing by Harry with his arms around Hermione, looking on in dismay at his little sister clutched in his best friend’s arms. Hermione had tears running down her face, but her wand was still clenched in her hand, as was Ron’s.

As Harry looked at Ginny, he felt sure that she was trying to tell him something. She opened her mouth very slightly, and Harry lowered his face to hers so that he could hear her speak.

“Not… safe…� she whispered. Harry drew back to look at her, and saw that her eyes seemed to say the same thing.

“Let’s get out of here,� he said. Ron and Hermione nodded, and Harry stood up, still holding Ginny in his arms. She was limp and her head lolled backwards before Harry supported it with his wand arm. They moved towards the door, which had swung closed after them, and opened it once more.

“And just where do you think you’re going?� said Lucius Malfoy. They froze. He was blocking their way out, the only exit. “Expelliarmus�. Their three wands flew into the air and he caught them effortlessly. “Wouldn’t want you leaving quite yet, would we?�

He pointed his wand at Ginny.

“Well well,� Malfoy leered, “it’s Potter, and he’s brought the whole motley crew, just as we expected. Don’t leave home without them, do you, Potter?�

“We’re here because you took my sister!� yelled Ron.

“Harry didn’t have to ask,� said Hermione, very coolly for someone addressing a Death Eater. Malfoy ignored them.

“Well, Master Potter, once again you have performed just as we expected. Obviously you still feel the need to prove yourself as some kind of a hero.�

Harry felt Ginny recoil in his arms. Her eyes were closed, but it seemed that she was still listening intently.

“And what better way to find you than to torture you’re little girlfriend here?� he smirked, nodding his head towards Ginny.

“She’s not just my girlfriend,� Harry yelled. “I love her!�

These words shocked Harry as much as they did everyone else, and they rang around the room in the silence that followed. Ginny’s eyes had snapped open and she was now looking at Harry in astonishment. Ron and Hermione were staring at him too, but Harry was avoiding all eyes, even Malfoy’s.

“How quaint,� sneered Malfoy, breaking the moment. “Wee Potter thinks he’s in love.�

“It’s true,� yelled Harry, realising that it was. “I love her and I won’t let you destroy it!�

“We’ll soon find out,� replied Malfoy, taking a step in Harry’s direction, his wand still aimed at Ginny’s chest. “Crucio!�

Ginny let out a terrible, agonising scream. She writhed in Harry’s arms, and he watched helplessly as she flailed about, her eyes suddenly unfocused. Ron launched himself at Malfoy, causing the curse to be lifted off Ginny, and she lay, gasping for breath, with Harry clutching her so close that she couldn’t possibly have moved if she had wanted to.

“How… how dare you…� Harry muttered, fighting for words after the shock of what he had just seen. He did not know how to explain what he was feeling right now; he only knew that for someone to attack Ginny was for someone to attack him.

“Ready to surrender, Harry?� said Malfoy calmly, as if it were a common business meeting. Harry did not reply. “No? Well then, let’s try again. CRUCIO!�

But this time, Harry was ready. He turned immediately so that his back was facing Malfoy, and took the full power of the curse himself. He wasn’t going to let Ginny get any weaker than she already was. The pain was almost unbearable, but it was a small price to pay to keep Ginny alive. After what seemed like a lifetime, Harry opened his eyes to find that he had fallen to his knees for the third time that day, and that Ginny was still grasped tightly in his arms.

“That was a brave thing to do, Potter,� he heard Malfoy say from behind him. Ron and Hermione had dropped to their knees beside Harry. Ron had taken Ginny’s hand and Hermione had put her arm around Harry’s shoulder. He had led them to the danger again, and now Ginny was part of it too. He gazed into her eyes, and she spoke, but still no louder than a whisper.

“My wand,� she croaked, only loud enough for Harry to hear. Of course; she must still have it with her, thought Harry. He reached inside her robes to find it, letting Malfoy think that he was pulling her into a hug, and drew it out. One glance at Ron and Hermione told them to get out of the way.

“It looks like this is the end of the road for you and your friends, Potter,� Harry heard Malfoy say. “Now, shall we go quietly, or am I going to have to help you along?� Harry didn’t move. “Imp-“

“STUPEFY!� yelled Harry, whipping round and pointing Ginny’s wand at Malfoy, just in time.

The Death Eater froze, his wand still raised, and fell backwards onto the wooden floor with a clunk.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and Harry, Ron and Hermione collected their wands. Harry gave Ginny hers back, then bent down to pick her up, but, to his surprise, she stopped him.

“No, I can do it myself,� she said, with a bit more of her usual assertion.

“You sure?� said Harry. She still looked very pallid and lifeless to him, but she sat up nonetheless and tried to push herself up. Harry gave her his hand to help her, and she took it, pulling herself onto her feet, but when she was upright, she swayed dangerously.

“Come on, Gin, just let me carry you,� said Harry, who had darted forwards to keep her from collapsing. She shrugged and he scooped her up like before. “Let’s go,� he said to the others.

They slowly made their way down the rickety staircase, Ron and Hermione taking the lead, Harry and Ginny bringing up the rear.

“Shall we take the passage to the school?� asked Hermione when they reached the gloomy hallway.

“Yeah, good idea,� said Harry.

“What passage?� asked Ginny. Harry had forgotten that she didn’t know the exact events of the night that they had first met Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, but it was going to take a while to explain.

“We’ll tell you on the way,� said Ron, reading Harry’s thoughts.

So they descended the narrow tunnel and started to walk back to Hogwarts, telling Ginny the story on the way. Harry decided not to ask how she had got in the way that they had found her quite yet; it was too soon and she was still very shaken.

After a while, the tunnel sloped upwards and they saw daylight at the other end.

“I’ll nip ahead and press the knot,� said Hermione, and she sped up towards the exit. They emerged a few minutes later beside the Whomping Willow, but there was no one outside, and they walked up to the castle in silence.

“Well,� said Hermione, once they were inside the castle doors, “I suppose we ought to go to Professor Dumbledore’s office.�

“Hold on, he might still be in the hall from lunch,� said Ron, and he walked over to the huge open doors of the Great Hall and peered inside. “He’s still in there,� he said, coming back over to them.

“Well, go and get him then!� said Harry.

“Oh, right,� said Ron, and he disappeared inside the hall. Harry, Hermione and Ginny waited anxiously, and Harry put Ginny down, holding her around the waist to keep her balanced. A few moments later, Ron appeared in the Entrance Hall, the Headmaster at his side.

“Right, Miss Weasley,� said Professor Dumbledore, striding over to where they were standing. “Your brother has told me what has happened as best as he could, and I would like you and Harry to accompany me to my office.� Ginny and Harry nodded together.

“Mr Weasley, you are to owl your family at once to tell them the situation, and Miss Granger, please alert Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey.�

“Yes, sir,� said Ron and Hermione, and they both ascended the marble staircase.

“Come on, then,� said Professor Dumbledore, leading Harry and Ginny towards the staircase. Ginny staggered and Harry caught her again just before she fell.

“Er, Professor?� he asked the Headmaster. “Ginny’s not feeling too good, could you, er-“

“No, I’m fine, Harry. Really I am� said Ginny, sounding completely exhausted.

“No, you’re not fine,� said Harry sternly, “and you’re not going to make it up those stairs.�

“Miss Weasley, I do agree with Harry on this one. You’ve been through a terrible ordeal and maybe it would be best if I helped you.�

“Fine,� shrugged Ginny, and Dumbledore conjured up a stretcher for her to lie on. With Ginny hovering in front, the three of them proceeded up the marble staircase, towards the Headmaster’s Office.


A/N: Please review with any comments so far!

Disclaimer: don't own Harry Potter, never have, never will...
A/N: thanks to Rachel for being a wonderful best friend and for being the first person to read any of my stories!


The Only One

The three of them arrived in front of the oak door to Dumbledore’s office a few minutes later, Ginny still hovering in front on the stretcher. The door opened magically as Dumbledore approached it, and they stepped inside. The familiar tinkling of magical instruments and the snoring of previous headmasters and ‘mistresses was apparent immediately; there was something about those sounds that made Harry feel like everything was going to be alright.

“Please, come and sit down,� said Professor Dumbledore, taking a seat behind his desk and conjuring two more for Harry and Ginny. They did as they had been told and sat down as Dumbledore surveyed them closely over his glasses. “Now, would you like to tell me what happened, Ginny, or would you prefer it if Harry did?�

“No, I’ll do it,� said Ginny, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Very well,� said the Headmaster. “Why don’t you start at the very beginning – a very good place to start?�

Harry recognised the quote from the Sound of Music and caught Professor Dumbledore’s eye; he saw him wink, smile, and then look back at Ginny. She hesitated for a moment – she looked fearful of telling her story – but continued all the same.

“Well,� she began slowly, “I left Harry soon after we got to Hogsmeade. I was going to go to Zonko’s, but as I was walking, I suddenly felt a really… odd feeling. I felt light and extremely free; then I heard a voice telling me to go to the Shrieking Shack. I didn’t want to go, and I resisted as hard as I could – I wasn’t going to give in that easily,� she said, sounding more and more like her usual self with every word.

“But the voice persisted, until my head just… gave up. When I came back to consciousness, I was tied up, and Lucius Malfoy was just standing there, pointing his wand at my chest…� Ginny paused, rubbing her sides where the ropes had bound her, and Harry felt an overwhelming desire to comfort her. But all he could do was to reach his hand out for her to hold, which he did, and she seemed to gain new courage.

“He told me that Harry would come, and then… and then…� Her voice trailed away. Harry squeezed her hand and she looked up at him. Her eyes were full of tears, and he urged her to continue through looking at her. She seemed to understand, and she carried on: “…and then we’d both… die…�

Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. He wanted to kill Malfoy for causing Ginny so much hurt. He reached up and wiped away the tear that was running down her cheek, and it was only when Dumbledore spoke that the remembered where he was.
“And then Harry came?�

“Not before…� Ginny’s voice seemed to have failed her again, or perhaps she could just not bare to relive what she was trying to say.

“Right,� said Dumbledore, who seemed to have understood Ginny even though she had not finished her sentence. Harry supposed that she was thinking of Malfoy torturing her, and he shuddered at the thought. As he watched her gazing at her knees, with teardrops falling onto her robes, he felt another huge yearning to comfort her, and wished that Professor Dumbledore would leave them alone. “Would you like Harry to continue?� She nodded, and the old Headmaster looked up at Harry. Dumbledore’s eyes never sparkled as much as they used to any more; he was looking tired and as old as ever.

So Harry told him the whole story; how he’d seen what the watch had said, how he’d heard the screaming and seen Ginny in the Shrieking Shack, and how they’d come across Lucius Malfoy. By the time he had finished, Ginny was shaking with silent tears.

“Professor?� asked Harry. “Could you excuse us for a moment?�

“Of course, take as much time as you need,� replied Professor Dumbledore.

“Thanks,� said Harry, and he led Ginny out of the room.

Once they were on the other side of the door, Ginny burst into tears.

“It’s all my fault!� she cried. “I’m so stupid!� Harry couldn’t believe she was blaming herself for this.

“No! No, you’re not stupid, and this is definitely not your fault!� he told her, taking her by the shoulders.

“It is! I let them manipulate me just like I did with Riddle’s diary! I led you into the danger again, Harry!� She was sobbing uncontrollably, but Harry couldn’t let her take the blame.

“Ginny, it’s not you leading me to the danger, it’s the other way around,� he told her. She stared up at him, looking slightly confused.

“What do you mean?� she asked, her crying subsiding a little.

“Look, I promise I’ll tell you everything later. I’ve kind of been putting it off because it’s pretty serious and I didn’t want to… to worry you,� he finished rather feebly. She still looked puzzled, but she seemed to trust him, because she hugged him tightly and snuggled her way into his chest.

“I love you, Harry Potter,� she whispered. These words were like sinking into a hot bath to him – warm, comforting and had the ability to make him feel better even when he was feeling at his worst.

“We should get back to Dumbledore,� he said in her ear, holding her close and not making any action to carry this out.

“Yeah,� said Ginny, pulling away from him and wiping away her tears with her delicate fingers. He took her hand once again, and they re-entered the office together, sitting back down at the desk.

“So, Miss Weasley, would you like to stay in the hospital wing tonight?�

“No thank you, I’d rather sleep in my own bed,� she replied. “I need to be near my friends.� She looked up at Harry and he was pleased to see her smile.

“Very well,� said Dumbledore reaching into a drawer of his desk. “But I would like you to eat all of this.� He handed her a bar of Honeyduke’s chocolate, and she took it from him, nodding to show her understanding.

The Headmaster got up from the desk and gestured that they should do the same.

“Harry, you are to take Ginny back to Gryffindor Tower,� he said. “I want you to look after her tonight – she will be needing all the care she can get. I would also like to ask you not to tell your story to anyone but those closest to you, as I do not want the school to panic.�

“Thank you, Professor,� said Harry, and he and Ginny left for the Common Room.

They were both quite silent as they made their way back through the corridors, and neither of them spoke until they got to the portrait hole.

“Flibberdey Jibber,� said Harry, and the Fat Lady’s portrait swung open. They climbed through and Harry spotted Ron and Hermione sitting anxiously by the fire. When Hermione spotted them, she rushed over and gave Ginny a hug, before doing the same to Harry.

“Oh, are you ok?� she asked earnestly.

“Yeah, I reckon we are,� replied Harry. Hermione smiled at them and Ron came forwards, embracing his little sister in an affectionate hug. Harry had never seen Ron show any sort of emotion towards his sister before, and was quite surprised, but happy all the same.

“Are you sure you’re alright?� Ron asked Ginny.

“Yes, really, I am!� she said, sounding as if she thought that Ron didn’t believe her.

“Er, can we all sit down? We need to discuss… things,� said Harry, trying to tell Ron and Hermione what he was on about. Ron looked confused, but Hermione seemed to understand.

“Oh, right. Do you want us to leave you to it?�

“No, I was actually wondering if you’d stay. After all, it’s important to you too,� Harry mumbled. He didn’t it want to sound as if he was incapable of telling Ginny, but he’d much prefer to tell her with Ron and Hermione present.

“Of course,� said Hermione. “We’ll stay.�

Ron’s expression changed as if it had suddenly dawned on him what they were talking about, and he nodded in agreement with Hermione.

“Why do I get the feeling I’m being left out of something here?� said Ginny.

“Well, actually, you are,� Harry muttered, looking at his feet.

“What’s going on?� Ginny demanded. She was starting to look anxious now, and Harry was hoping against hope that she wouldn’t take the news too badly.

“Perhaps we should go and sit down,� said Hermione, and they settled themselves in front of the fire; Harry, Ginny and Hermione on the sofa, and Ron in one of the armchairs.

“So, are you going to tell me what this big secret is, or do I have to try and guess?� asked Ginny.

“No, I will tell you; but you have to know, Gin, it’s kind of a big deal,� said Harry, speaking quickly out of nerves.

“Ok…�

“And you have to try and understand why I didn’t tell you earlier,� he added.

“Well I’m not going to understand that until you tell me what it is, am I?� she said, the colour in her cheeks definitely starting to regain its normal shade, but, when it got there, it didn’t seem to stop rising.

“Ok, ok,� said Harry. “It’s about what happened last year,� he began. She was looking at him intently, but Harry was avoiding her gaze, shifting around uncomfortably. “It’s about the Prophecy.�

“But it smashed, didn’t it?� asked Ginny.

“Yeah, it did, but when I got back here, Dumbledore told me what it said,� he continued.

“And?�

Harry couldn’t bring himself to tell her.

“Would you like us to tell her, Harry?� Hermione asked softly. He shook his head – he needed to tell her himself. Hermione put her hand on his shoulder, and he carried on.

“Basically either I kill Voldermort or he kills me,� he blurted out.

“What?� said Ginny, thought Harry knew she had heard him.

“I’m the only one who can destroy him,� he mumbled, still not meeting her eyes, “because he marked me as equal.�

Now he looked up at Ginny, and he saw that she was watching him. She looked confused – helpless – and Harry waited with baited breath for her to respond, but she only stuttered.

“But… you can’t be… not the only one… it’s… it’s…� Her words faded to nothing as she twisted her fingers together in her lap.

“I’m afraid it’s true, Ginny,� said Hermione, taking her hand. This seemed to confirm it for Ginny, and only made her more upset.

“So, if you don’t destroy him,� she said quietly, “and you… and you…� Her words seemed to have failed her again.

“Die?� asked Harry, a little more boldly than he had intended. Ginny gasped and Harry saw that her eyes were filling with tears. This was what he had hoped wouldn’t happen.

“Then what happens?� she whispered.

“Let’s not think about that,� said Ron, and Ginny shuddered.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?� she asked Harry.

“I didn’t want you to be frightened,� he answered, although now he said it out-loud, it sounded rather feeble.

“Didn’t want me to be frightened? Harry, this is the sort of thing that you tell your girlfriend!� she said, looking slightly taken a-back at Harry’s stupidity.

“I know,� he told her, “but I knew you’d get all worried and there’s enough going on at the moment without you worrying about me as well.�

“But I want to worry about you!� she replied. “Even if it means I get scared sometimes, I need to know!�

Harry was a bit surprised at this declaration of loyalty, and he found himself staring into Ginny’s eyes, not knowing what to say next. Then, he remembered what he had been meaning to say.

“Ginny, don’t you see what this means?� he asked her. “As long as we’re together, you’re in constant danger because of me. Today was a perfect example of that, and I don’t want it to happen again!�

“I don’t care,� she whispered, and Harry was amazed to see some of the usual cheeky sparkle returning to her eyes.

“You don’t?� asked Ron, taking the rest of them by surprise.

“No, I don’t,� said Ginny, not taking her eyes off Harry, as though it had been him who had asked the question. Everyone was silent for a moment, then Hermione suddenly stood up.

“I’ve got to go to the library,� she announced. “Coming, Ron?�

“Er, no,� he replied. Hermione glared at him. “But I’ll come and keep you company if you really want me to,� he added with a quick glance at Harry and Ginny, and he and Hermione departed through the portrait hole.

Harry could hardly believe it. She really didn’t care that she was in danger because of him? He had to make her understand what could happen if they stayed together.

“Ginny,� he said, his voice steady and serious, “I can’t let you do this.�

“Well you’re going to have to,� she said, as though she were telling him off. “We’re staying together whether you like it or not. I agree that it might be dangerous at times, but I’d rather be in danger with you, than safe without you.�

Harry was stunned into silence. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then opened it and managed: “You would?�

“Yes,� she finished, and a smile flashed across her face, making Harry’s stomach flip. He was surprised that Ginny’s smile still had this effect on him, but he was so happy that he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

“If anything happened to you, I don’t think I could forgive myself,� he whispered into her hair.

“We’ll be alright,� she whispered back, “just as long as we always stick together…�


A/N: hope you liked that chapter! That was originally the end, but now it is continuing quite a lot furthur. Please review if you have time! hattiepotter xx :-)

Coming up... sparks fly due to some unapparent circumstances... sparks guys... sparks...

A/N: sorry it has taken soooo long to get this chapter up. I had a little break but now I'm back on track. Recap so far: Ron and Hermione got it together, Ginny kidnapped and held in Shrieking Shack by Lucius Malfoy, then Harry told her the Prophecy when he realised it was probably time. Enjoy! :-)

Lost in each other

The next few days were very strange for Harry and Ginny. Everywhere they went, a teacher seemed to pop up and follow them for a bit, then they’d disappear and someone else would be there. It was because of this odd behaviour by the staff that the students had started to talk about the young couple and many thought that they had done something seriously wrong, which was why they were being watched so carefully.

It was particularly embarrassing one Monday afternoon, when Harry went to meet Ginny outside of her Charms classroom. She was the last one out, and no one was around, so Harry kissed her rather more passionately than he usually would, before cheekily squeezing her behind, in what he thought was a discreet manner.

But he was wrong.

“Keep your hands to yourself in the corridors please, Mr Potter,� came the brisk voice of Professor McGonagall from behind them.

“Oh – er – sorry, Professor,� mumbled Harry, feeling himself going red.

Ginny snorted and pulled him away down the corridor, until they got to the Room of Requirement. They walked past it three times, then dashed in, out of sight. Ginny promptly burst into fits of the giggles.

“Good one, Harry,� she said, with just enough breath.

“Honestly!� he replied. “They’re everywhere! Hey, look at this.�

He had just realised their surroundings. The room had obviously known that they’d wanted privacy, because it had given them a tiny, but cosy little space, with just a small two-seater sofa and a nice rug on the floor.

“Good thing no teachers ever come in here,� said Ginny. “We can finally be alone.�

They snuggled up on the sofa together, and Harry started to wonder whether Ginny realised why everyone was following them.

“You do understand why it has to be like this, don’t you, Gin?� he asked her.

“Yes - they’re trying to protect you,� she said simply.

“No – don’t you see? This has been happening ever since you were kidnapped. I’ve been under threat my whole life, but now that someone else has actually been harmed because of it, Dumbledore’s got all the teachers to look out for you. They’re trying to protect you.�

“Oh,� she said quietly, “I suppose you’re right. I hadn’t really thought of that. But why are the Death Eaters so interested that I’m going out with you? I mean, you care for Ron and Hermione, but neither of them have been kidnapped.�

“I’m not sure,� Harry told her. “Maybe it’s just not as obvious that I care for Ron and Hermione or something. I guess it’s a bit different though, isn’t it?�

“How do you mean?� asked Ginny.

“Well, it’s not like I go round snogging them is it? And I don’t exactly tell them I love them all that often either.�

“How might you say it to someone if you did want to tell them you loved them?� asked Ginny, fluttering her eyelashes melodramatically.

“Well, I suppose ‘I love you’, or something like that,� he joked.

“That wasn’t very emotional.�

“I love you,� said Harry in his deepest, most manly voice. “That do?�

Ginny just giggled again and Harry felt like his insides were melting as she looked up at him and said:

“I love you too.�

* * *

That evening at dinner, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table, when Ginny shushed them. She pointed to her ear, then behind her, signalling that they should listen.

“I hear that they were caught doing you-know-what in the boys’ dormitory,� came the loud whisper of a third year girl.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,� said another. “They’re all over each other normally.�

“Don’t you think it’s quite sweet though?� said a third voice. “I mean, they’re obviously crazy about each other. I think you two are just jealous because you wish Harry Potter loved you.�

“Whatever,� said the first girl. “If you ask me, he’s just desperate to get back at Cho Chang after last year.�

At this point, both Harry and Ginny stood up. Harry grabbed Ginny’s hand and marched over to the next table.

“For your information,� Harry said to the three girls, his temper on the edge, “this isn’t just some lame attempt to get back at Cho. The only girl I ever want to be with is Ginny.�

“And if you think that I’m stupid enough to fall for a guy who’s only using me then you are very wrong,� added Ginny.

“Oh, and just so you know,� said Harry, “in future, if you’re going to talk about people, try to do it when they’re not sitting at the next table, blatantly eavesdropping.�

The three girls, who were now looking terrified of the two angry older students, nodded fearfully.

“Let’s go,� said Ginny, and they left the hall together.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Harry and Ginny spent more and more time in the Room of Requirement. It was the only place in the whole castle where they new that they could be properly alone, without a teacher watching their every move. Every time they went in it was slightly different. Once, when they were particularly hungry, it gave them a buffet of delicious food; and the next time, when they were particularly tired, it gave them a luscious double bed.

Harry and Ginny discussed everything in that room, from friends to family to feelings, and they shared almost all of their thoughts with one another. Harry found himself coping with things a lot better now that he had Ginny to talk to, because she would talk them through with him in a way that didn’t get him angry or annoyed, and she would comfort him when he just needed to be loved. As well as being the perfect girlfriend for him, she was also like the comforting mother he had once lost, and the chatty sister he had never had, not to mention a best friend.

One Friday morning before Easter, Harry left his dormitory for the Common Room, and immediately saw that giveaway head of red hair resting on the arm of the sofa. He sneaked up behind her and covered her eyes with his hands, then he swung round and kissed her. Ginny jumped, and Harry was shocked to find that she didn’t kiss him back, but started to struggle and push him away. Harry leant back, surprised at this strange reaction, and saw that Ginny’s face was contorted with an immense rage that he has never seen in her before.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?� she screamed.

Harry just stuttered, overly confused and not knowing what to say. He had kissed her before whilst covering her eyes, and she had told him that she liked it.

“God, Potter, what are you trying to do to me?� she yelled, and she stood up and stormed out of the room before he even had a chance to ask her why.

Ron, who had just reached the bottom of the stairs, was looking at Harry with disgust.

“What did you do to her?� he asked, but before Harry could explain that he had no idea what was going on, Ron had followed Ginny out of the portrait hole.

Thoughts started to run through Harry’s head at top speed. Why did Ginny not want him to kiss her? The last time he had seen her was… when was it? He remembered sitting with her at dinner yesterday evening, but he couldn’t remember what he had done between then and going to bed. But she was fine with him at dinner, and he could have sworn that he had kissed her when he’d arrived.

Wanting to find out what on earth had happened to make her so angry with him, Harry sprinted all the way through the castle, and a few minutes later he arrived at the Great Hall. But Ginny wasn’t at breakfast that morning; neither was Ron; or Hermione as a matter of fact. Still confused, Harry grabbed a piece of toast from the Gryffindor table and went back to the Entrance Hall, planning to look for Ginny.

Trying to think where she might have gone, he set off for the Room of Requirement, but just as he was almost there he realised that he was five minutes late for Advanced Charms. He ran all the way there and burst in, out of breath, to the stares of all of his classmates. He sat down at the only desk left near the back of the class, and tried to catch Ron’s eye, hoping to ask him why everyone was acting so strangely. But Ron wouldn’t meet his gaze, and neither him nor Hermione spoke to him throughout the entire lesson.

By the time it got to lunch Harry was desperate for some information, and he was half-relieved, half apprehensive to see Ginny sitting alone at the table in the Great Hall. He walked quickly over to her, wondering what on earth he should say, but knowing that he had to say something.

“Er, Ginny, are you cross with me about something?� he asked tentatively.

She looked up,and Harry saw that not only was she angry, but her eyes were full of hurt and bitter coldness.

“How can you look at me with so cooly, with so much conviction?� she said harshly. “How can you even dare to speak to me?�

Harry only gaped, staring hopelessy into her deep brown eyes – the eyes which he had fallen in love with – as if pleading with them to once again regard him as someone they could trust.

“But, Ginny, I don’t understand – “

“Just leave me alone, Harry,� she said. “I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to look at you, I don’t want to love you – not any more.�

And she got up and left, leaving Harry standing in the middle of the hall, surrounded by people, and yet feeling more alone than he had ever felt in his life.

* * *

Harry couldn’t find Ginny anywhere for the rest of that day, and Ron and Hermione were avoiding him so much that there was no way he could have asked them what was happening.

But nothing could have made the situation worse than what greeted Hogwarts the next morning.

As Harry sat alone eating his breakfast, a large tawny owl landed in front of him with the Daily Prophet attached to it’s leg. Harry paid the owl, then unfolded the paper to be faced with his own face, only from about two years previously.

‘MY LOVE LIFE: Harry Potter’s heart revealed,’ read the headline. Panicking, he started to read:

‘Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, has recently been sighted with a younger girl almost constantly by his side. The Prophet can now exclusively reveal that the couple were deeply devoted to each other, up until two days previously, when their relationship was ended by none other than the boy-hero himself. The girl in question, a Miss Ginevra Weasley, has been heard to say that she “doesn’t want to love him any more.� We can only hope that her life is not too ruined now by this appalling event that she is unable to complete her OWLs, which are coming up this school year…’

Harry put down the paper and looked around him. All over the hall, people were craning round in their seats to stare at him, pointing and whispering just as they had done when he had first arrived at Hogwarts. He stood up and promptly left the hall with only one thing on his mind – he had to find Ginny. He went once again to the one place he expected her to be.

Arriving at the door to the Room of Requirement, he stopped for a moment, trying to prepare himself. What if she never took him back? He didn’t even know what to apologise for, because he didn’t know why she was in such a stress. He knew that he wanted her back, but why did she have to be so unbelievably badtempered with him? She could at least have told him what was wrong rather than just storming off like that.

He reached for the handle and turned it slowly. Entering the room, he saw Ginny sitting alone on the edge of a small double bed. Her hair was tossled and her eyes were red, and her shoulders shook with silent tears. Harry hesitated – having to deal with crying girls was not his speciality.

Ginny looked up and noticed him standing there, but she only gave him a look of loathing before turning to face the other way, as if she didn’t want to have to look into the eyes she knew she loved.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re so upset, or do I have to guess?� asked Harry.

She turned her head.

“Why I’m upset?� she said, her voice rising with every word. “Why I’m upset? Are you trying to pretend you don’t know?�

“I – I don’t,� Harry mumbled, thoroughly confused.

Ginny stood up and walked over to him. Harry felt an unimaginable amount of pain seeing her argue with him like this, when all he wanted was to know why she hated him so much.

“Just tell me why, Harry,� she said, her hurt voice almost a whisper. “Why?�

“Why what?� he asked.

“Oh don’t play those stupid games with me,� she spat. “Why did you break up with me, for God’s sake? After all we’ve been through! After all of that and you suddenly decide you’ve had enough of me! You can’t just pick and choose when you want me, Harry! I HAVE EMOTIONS OF MY OWN YOU KNOW!�

She was yelling now and her normally fair complexion was blushed red with anger. Harry was at a complete loss for words. He had no idea what she was on about, or why she felt all of this.

“Ginny, I – I never said I didn’t want to be with you,� he said carefully. “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.�

“So you’re denying it now, are you?� she screamed. “What do you think this is some kind of sick game? Seriously Harry, you – you – “

Suddenly Ginny’s emotions seemed to have gotten the better of her, and she broke down, her words no longer comprehensible. Harry just stood there, gobsmacked. Without knowing any better, he tenderly put his hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off as if he were a fatal disease.

“I can’t believe you went to the papers,� she whispered, trying to take control of herself. “That was just the last straw."

“What?� said Harry. He had thought that maybe this was just one of those girl things that could never be explained, but now he was entirely bewildered. “I don’t know where the Prophet got that story! I have no idea why they think that we broke up two days ago, because I never dumped you!�

“I CAN NOT BELIEVE MY EARS!� Ginny shouted. “How can you possibly deny dumping me? It was right here, in this very room!�

Harry thought as hard as he could, although he couldn’t really see the point. He didn’t remember ever coming to this room that night, let alone breaking up with Ginny. He could only think of one explaination, although it was an extremely long shot. It had not been him at all.

“Ok, this is probably the last thing you want to hear from me right now,� he began, “but is there any chance that it wasn’t me who told you all of that? Because you’ve got to believe me, Gin – I have had no thoughts to break up with you. You’re the only thing keeping me going at the moment.�

“You – what?� she stuttered.

“Do you trust me?� asked Harry.

“What? Why would I trust you now?� she answered.

“Come on, Ginny. You’ve got to trust me – please,� Harry begged.

“Well – I – I don’t know,� she said unsurely.

Harry looked into her eyes and pleaded with them to believe him.

“Why should I trust you?� said Ginny, at long last.

“Because – “ Harry didn’t actually know, “- because I love you and I hate not knowing why you loathe me so much at the moment.�

Ginny hesitated.

“What’s your point, Harry,� she said, trying to keep up her unsympathetic pretence.

“Well, I reckon that it wasn’t me who was here, but someone else,� he told her.

Ginny was the one looking baffled now.

“What do you mean?�

“What if someone took Polyjuice Potion to look like me, then came here and broke it off with you?� he said. “It’s not like we don’t have enemies who would do that.�

“I’m not buying it,� she retorted. “Why would anyone bother?�

“I don’t really know,� said Harry. “It was probably Malfoy trying to make us both miserable or something.�

“Well, I don't know Harry, it seems a bit unlikely…�

Harry looked at her for a bit, hoping for some sort of an apology.

“So… am I forgiven?� he asked after a while. “I mean, I didn’t actually do anything wrong.�

Ginny regarded him, looking confused.

"It's just - how am I supposed to know whether it's you or not? Now I'll always be paranoid."

Harry suddenly had an idea. He pulled the Marauders' Map out of his pocket.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he said, with his wand's tip touching the parchment. He held it out to Ginny. "Look - Harry Potter - it has to be me; the map never lies."

This seemed to decide it for Ginny.

"Sorry," she muttered.

Harry was so happy that he pulled her into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Am I forgiven for being so horrible?" she asked.

“Are you kidding? Any guy who treated you like that deserves to be yelled at."

Ginny smiled and squeezed him a little tighter.

"We need to tell Dumbledore though, and find out what’s going on,� he told her.

“Right,� replied Ginny.

They sat down on the bed together and Harry swore to himself that he would never take Ginny for granted.

“Damn! Look at the time!� said Ginny a few minutes later. They had been too lost in each other to notice that they were meant to be in lessons. “We’d better run - who do you have now?�

Harry swore. He had Snape.

“You could tell him you were in the Hospital Wing or something,� Ginny suggested.

“Like he’ll care,� said Harry. “Oh well, I had better be going. You never know, we might just end up in detention together.�


A/N: please R/R if you have time! I always reply to them.

Shame and Regret

A week later, Harry and Ginny were due in detention together with Professor Snape. They had decided that, for Ginny’s safety, they should try to pretend that the break up had been real, and had not let on any clues to make people believe otherwise. They had told Ron and Hermione, of course, but Harry was still finding it increasingly difficult when he couldn’t talk to Ginny at all until they were completely alone, and even then they had to be careful.

So at seven that evening, Harry made his way down to the dungeons without Ginny, finding her outside Snape’s classroom when he got there. They did not speak to each other, but waited in silence, although Harry kept glancing at her because he found that for some reason he couldn’t help it.

The door of the dungeon opened, and Professor Snape beckoned them inside.

“You will scrub out every cauldron – by hand – using the wire brushes at the back. If I hear one peep out of you, it will be fifty points from Gryffindor before you can say ‘Quidditch’,� said Snape coldly. “Get to work. And don’t let me hear you talking.�

“Don’t worry, I won’t be talking to him,� said Ginny, looking at Harry through narrowed eyes.

“Likewise,� replied Harry.

Snape swept into his office, closing the door behind him.

“Nice acting, Gin,� whispered Harry.

“Likewise,� she whispered back.

He smiled at her, and they got to work scrubbing the cauldrons. It was slow work, and the fumes from the remainders of potions made Harry’s head spin. On the third cauldron he went to clean, he started to feel very drowsy; it must have held a sleeping potion. As he repeatedly dragged the brush back and forth, he could feel his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, until his whole body slumped forwards suddenly, and he passed out cold…

“I’m so sorry, my Lord, but the plan failed,� said a tall, blond man, kneeling at his feet.

Rage seared inside him like an animal.

“No!� he screamed. “How could you let this happen?�

“My son, he did his best, but something terrible got in the way, my Lord,� stuttered the first man.

“What? What is so terrible that it can defeat one of my plans?�

The blond man hesitated and shuddered compulsively.

“L – love, my Lord,� he mumbled, as though it were a thing which should never be mentioned.

“HOW DARE YOU!�

His body was pulsing with anger.

“Nagini! Get rid of this useless servant!�

“No, please no,� begged the man at his feet, but a diamond-patterned snake was already slithering towards him out of the darkness, rearing its head, getting ready to strike…

“Harry! Harry, wake up! Please, Harry, you’re scaring me!�

He felt a cold hand touch his face and he wrenched his eyes open to see Ginny, holding him tightly in his arms and looking at him as though she was terrified of what he might do next.

“Malfoy…� he whispered weakly.

“Malfoy?� said Ginny. “Harry, what’s going on? What happened?�

“He’s angry. He set his snake on Malfoy,� Harry told her.

“Who? Voldemort?�

At this point, Snape’s voice cut in.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing? Why are you not working?�

“We need to see Professor Dumbledore, sir,� said Ginny shakily.

“Whatever for?�

“It’s about Voldemort, sir,� she answered bravely.

Snape seemed to consider this for a moment.

“Alright, you can go,� he said sternly, “but you will continue this detention another night.�

Ginny did not reply, but stood up and helped Harry to his feet. Once they were outside the door, she looked up at Harry anxiously.

“So, what did you see exactly?� she asked.

Harry told her what he had seen, and he could tell that, for once, someone was taking him completely seriously. They arrived at Dumbledore’s office, knocked on the door, and entered. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, using the tip of his wand to extract silvery thoughts from his head, and then watching them swirl gracefully in his Pensieve.

“Even an old man’s brain can become too overloaded sometimes,� he said distantly, without looking at them. “What can I do for you two?�

“Harry had a vision of Voldemort, sir� said Ginny when Harry didn’t answer.

“I see, and what happened exactly?�

“Lucius Malfoy,� said Harry, finding his voice. “He said that his son had failed, and Voldemort got really angry and set Nagini – that’s his snake – on him. He told him to get rid of him.�

Dumbledore surveyed Harry for a moment.

“Um, sir?� said Ginny timidly. “I think Harry may have spoken in Parseltongue when he was having the vision. He kind of – hissed.�

Harry could not bear to look at her once she’d told him this. It was embarrassing, and she sounded somewhat fearful of him because of it.

“It doesn’t really surprise me that Harry spoke some of what he witnessed out loud,� said Professor Dumbledore. “I’m sure you will both have realised that this was probably about what happened last week concerning your relationship.�

“Yes, sir,� said Harry, wondering how Dumbledore knew about that, and glancing at Ginny.

She smiled at him uncertainly, then looked away.

“Does this mean that it was Draco who did it?� asked Ginny.

“It certainly does seem that way, Miss Weasley,� replied Dumbledore. “Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment. I need to alert the Order of what has happened immediately.�

Harry and Ginny nodded, and the Headmaster swept from the room, leaving them alone together. Harry did not make eye contact with Ginny at all in those few minutes, and before long, Dumbledore was back with them.

“I have had a rather excellent idea,� he told them. “I am not sure whether it will work, but it is definitely worth a try.�

He gestured for them to sit down in the two purple armchairs which he conjured next to his desk, then continued.

“It is the art of relaxation of the mind and body, taking it to a level where no unwanted thoughts or feelings can directly harm it, and the person involved can feel totally free,� Dumbledore told them.

“But, sir, why will this help us?� asked Harry, completely lost at why Dumbledore thought this was such an ‘excellent idea’.

“Maybe not so much Miss Weasley here – although I’m sure you will find that here are benefits if you do take part – but I am sure that you will both agree that you, Harry, are going to have some extremely difficult things to deal with over the next year or so. This magic could help you to keep calm even when you feel like the whole world is against you, and I am determined to make sure that you do not lose sight of the things which are most important to you – “ his eyes twitched towards Ginny as he said this – “as you face what might happen in the near future.�

Harry considered this for a moment. He was torn between feeling anger at the old man sitting in front of him for even suggesting that he might need to do some sort of sissy meditation, and relief that this might be a way to keep his mind off things.

“What would I have to do?� asked Harry, trying to delay the time when he would have to decide.

“Well, actually, you wouldn’t have to do very much at all,� said Dumbledore. “I was hoping that Ginny might help us there.�

He looked up at her hopefully. Ginny looked rather surprised at the sudden mention of her name.

“If Harry wants me to help then I’ll do whatever it takes,� she said, her eyes fixed on the headmaster.

“Would you mind if I spoke with Harry alone for a moment?� asked Dumbledore.

“Whatever you tell me I want Ginny to hear too,� interrupted Harry.

“Very well,� said the Professor, looking sincere. “I want you to know that you probably should not practise this form of magic if there is any chance that this –" he waved his finger between Harry and Ginny “ – will not last. I do not think that it would be wise.�

Harry didn’t even have to consider the answer to this question, and Ginny was shaking her head.

“That won’t be happening,� he said firmly.

“You’re absolutely sure?� asked Dumbledore.

“I love her,� said Harry decisively, and he saw Ginny smile gently out of the corner of his eye.

Dumbledore’s eyes sparkled with what looked like a cross between triumph and worry, and he turned to Ginny.

“It’s true, sir,� she said softly. “I love him too.�

“In that case, I can see no reason why you shouldn’t at least try this. If anything, your feelings will make it more successful,� said Dumbledore. “What I want you to do is every evening, go to the Room of Requirement. You should spend half an hour there – more if you wish – practising this magic. Ginny, I will be teaching you how to execute it.�

Ginny nodded.

“Actually,� Dumbledore continued, “it might be more effective if Harry doesn’t know what to expect. Do you mind?�

“Not at all, I’ll wait outside,� said Harry.

He left the office, his head buzzing with thoughts, and waited for Ginny by the stone gargoyle at the bottom of the staircase. She emerged quite a while later, took his hand, and they proceeded to walk back to their Common Room.

“Don’t you think that we should still be careful?� Harry asked her, taking his hand out of hers.

“No, there’s no point now that Voldemort knows we’re back together,� she answered bluntly, taking his hand again.

“But don’t you think we should still play it a bit cooler or something?� he asked.

“Oh right, yeah, that’d be great if I never saw you,� she said sarcastically.

“We’ll still see each other, just less often, that’s all,� said Harry, getting a bit annoyed.

“So you’re fed up of spending time with me?� she said accusingly.

“Whatever, Ginny,� said Harry, his voice rising. He wrenched his hand out of hers this time. “You’re twisting my words now. I never said that I didn’t want to spend time with you!�

“That’s what it sounded like to me,� she mumbled back.

“Of course that’s not what I want,� Harry protested. “I just think that if there’s any chance that this fake break-up might help to protect you, then we should do all we can to encourage the rumours!�

Ginny stopped walking as they reached the Fat Lady’s corridor.

“For Merlin’s sake, Harry!� she yelled. “Haven’t I told you a thousand times before? I don’t care if it’s me who gets in Voldemort’s way of you! I love you and I want to stand by you through this, not watch as you struggle alone!�

“Oh stop being so selfish!� Harry yelled back. “Fine, stand in the way of Voldemort, but what am I meant to do when you’re gone? Not only would I have to live my whole life without you, but I’d have to live with the guilt of knowing that it was because of me that you had died!�

Ginny watched unflinchingly as he swore loudly.

“I can’t stand this any more! I can’t stand knowing that one day I’ll have to fight him again; I can’t stand living every day with the people I love, knowing that it might just be the last; I can’t stand loving you because I know that every moment I do, you’re the one he’ll target; I CAN’T STAND BEING BLOODY HARRY POTTER!�

Harry turned on his heel and marched off down the corridor, in the opposite direction from the Common Room, leaving Ginny standing there – too shocked to do anything to stop him. He didn’t know where he was going, he just had to get out of this monotonous place. Maybe he would go and live in Hogsmeade: take residence in the cave that Sirius had stayed in, live his life as a rogue wanderer, going wherever his thoughts took him.

Before he could think any further, he was at the oak entrance doors, pushing them open with a slam and striding out into the rain that was driving down upon the Hogwarts grounds. The moon was shadowed by cloud, so it was almost totally dark as he made his way towards the winged boars at the gates. Soon enough, his whole body was drenched through, and the initial rage was wearing off, leaving only misery and self-pity.

Too exhausted to carry on, he subsided hopelessly onto the muddy grass, the weather still tirelessly beating at him from all angles, but he did not care enough to move. After a while of trying to recall the reason he was mad at Ginny, he remembered how he had acted. Why couldn’t he keep his temper under control for once? She’d never take him back now – if Harry was right in thinking that an argument like this meant a break up. How the hell was he supposed to know?

“Women,� he said to himself. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.�

Deciding that he should probably get inside, considering the weather, he got up and turned towards the castle doors. There, standing at the bottom of the entrance steps, was a young girl with long hair, her clothes dripping wet and clinging to her due to the fact that they were utterly saturated with water.

“Ginny…� Harry whispered.

He started to run, stopping just before he reached her.

“Ginny I – “ started Harry, but she interrupted him.

“Look, I know you’re going through a lot at the moment, and I know it must be hard for you, but you can’t expect me just to stand by and watch as you battle through your troubles alone. I want to be here for you, and if all you can say is that I’m being selfish by doing that, then you are not the person I thought you were.�

She started to walk away from the castle, away from Harry and the heart inside him which had just been ripped in two, but she turned back.

“Oh, and don’t try to follow me. I don’t really want to talk to you right now,� she said, before disappearing into the night.

Harry stood there, lost for words, his body frozen with shame and regret at the things that he had said to her earlier that evening. He stared into the darkness after her, but all he could see was a looming black space, brightened only by the dull sheets of rain slicing down through the troubled sky. He had no idea how long he stayed there, all he knew was that by the time he got inside, his whole body was numb with cold, and he was the only person in the castle who was still awake…


Coming up in this story:
“Get help,� he repeated, more firmly this time. “Now.�

“Why?� asked Ginny. “Harry, what’s wrong?�

She looked concerned, as if she could sense his fear. Harry grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to the window, forcing her to look out.

“What the – ?“ she whispered.

A/N: please R/R if you have time! I always reply to them. Keep reading to find out if Harry and Ginny can work through their first major argument...

Under the spell

When Harry woke the next morning, he had that odd feeling that he should be worried about something, he just couldn’t remember what.

Then it hit him.

He groaned and fumbled about, trying to find his glasses. He got dressed, then went down to the Common Room, finding only Hermione there.

“Morning,� she said cheerily.

“Hi,“ he replied, in possibly the least cheery voice imaginable.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong?� she asked.

“Nothing, I’m fine,� lied Harry.

“No you’re not,� she said. “Is it something to do with you and Ginny?�

Harry just shrugged unhelpfully and sat down next to her.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re in a mood so I can help, or am I going to have to put up with you until you work it out for yourself?� she asked.

Harry squirmed under her interrogation.

“We just had an argument,� he mumbled.

“I see,� said Hermione, as though she had expected that answer. “Well, why don’t you wait for her to come down, then you can talk it through.�

“I don’t think it’s going to be quite as easy as that,� Harry told her, thinking back to what Ginny had said last night.

Hermione thought for a moment.

“Write her a letter,� she said finally.

“A letter?�

“Yes,� she said simply. “Sometimes it’s the best way to get down your thoughts if you can’t say them to someone’s face, or you’re not sure how to put it. It gives you the chance to think about what you want to say before you give it to them.�

Harry considered this idea. It did sound quite a lot simpler than trying to face Ginny’s temper.

“Maybe,� he muttered. “I’m going to go and have breakfast.�

Harry got up and left the Common Room, with no intention of going to the Great Hall. He walked out into the grounds, just as he had done last night, and kept going beyond the iron gates, not really thinking about where he was heading.

By the time he reached the village, Harry had made the decision to take up Hermione’s advice. After all, she did seem to have a much better insight into the ways a girl’s mind worked than he did. He bought a few sheets of parchment, a cheap quill and a tiny pot of ink, then headed up the hill where he found some rocks to sit on.

Dear Ginny he wrote. His mind had gone blank. All he had to do was write down his thoughts – how hard could it be?

You have no idea how hard it is to write what you really feel. Hermione told me to write down my thoughts, so that is what I’m trying to do.

Today has been hell, and it’s not even eleven o’ clock yet. After you left me last night, I spent a long time thinking about you, and what we’d said to each other. I don’t think selfish was really the right word – you’re not a selfish person, I know that more than anyone. It’s just that sometimes when you say that you’d do anything to protect me from Voldemort, I start to wonder – what if you did? And I was left without you, with the thought that if it hadn’t been for my stupid fate, you’d still be alive.

Over the last few months, you, Ron and Hermione have been the only things keeping me sane, and if I lost you now I have no idea how I would get through what ultimately faces me. Please, Ginny – you’re my rock. Without you now I feel incomplete.

What I wouldn’t give to be someone other than Harry Potter, and live a normal life with the people I love. I just hope that, some day, I can live that life with you.

Harry

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was back at Hogwarts, trying to decide how to give the letter to Ginny. He headed to the Room of Requirement, not wanting to face anybody but himself, but when he got to the picture of Barnaby the Barmy he was surprised to find the door of the room already visible. For some reason unknown to Harry, he automatically took out his wand, then turned the handle of the door as gently as possible, and peered round.

Ginny was sleeping on a four-poster bed, not unlike the ones in Gryffindor Tower, in the middle of a small room with a fire in one corner. The embers in the grate were glowing dimly, and the soft light that they were giving out was glancing over Ginny’s fiery hair, illuminating her pale complexion in the darkened room.

Harry put his wand away, tiptoed cautiously over to where she slept, and knelt beside her. He watched the bed-covers gently rising and falling with her body, and the way her eyelids flickered, showing that she was dreaming. Harry took the carefully folded letter out of his pocket and laid it on the pillow by Ginny’s head, then he got up silently and crept out of the room…

* * *

Ginny woke with a throbbing headache and the definite feeling that she never wanted to leave this comfortable bed. Unfortunately for her, she had Quidditch practise that afternoon, so at some point that day she would have to emerge from the depths of the duvets to face the world outside. She yawned widely, stretching her arms out, then quickly pulling them back in again when she felt how cold the air was compared to that of the bed. But her hand had felt something unfamiliar as it swept over the pillow, and when she rolled over to find out what it was, she saw a piece of folded parchment lying right beside where her head had been only moments before.

Picking it up, half anxiously, half excitedly, she opened it to find handwriting that she knew only too well. Wondering whether to feel angry or grateful, she started to read…

* * *

Harry took his Firebolt out of his trunk and began to walk through the castle, heading for the Quidditch pitch. Ron had left a few minutes earlier in order to avoid Harry, who he wasn’t speaking to again after hearing what he had said to Ginny from fellow Gryffindors. Harry was sure that this practise was going to be extremely awkward, assuming that Ginny had taken one look at his letter before ripping it up, which was what he suspected. He changed quickly, then went out onto the pitch where the rest of the team were awaiting their Captain’s arrival.

“Ok,� he announced when they were all up in the air, �today we’re going to have a practise game. Chasers obviously shooting through Ron’s hoops; Beaters – try not to injure any of our players today if you can help it – one of you can be attacking, one defending. Let’s go.�

The game went fairly smoothly for half an hour or so, but Harry noticed that Ginny was hardly trying, and that she had dropped the Quaffle more than once, which was very unlike her. Harry kicked himself for writing that stupid letter – she wasn’t going to want him back, and now she would think that he expected it. He called for a time-out, then wandered into the changing rooms to get away from Ron’s reproachful glares for a bit.

“I got your letter.�

Harry took his head out of his hands, and looked up from the bench that he was sat on. Ginny was standing in the doorway. He didn’t know what to say to her, seeing as though he wasn’t even sure whether she had got the letter.

“Oh, um, right,� he stuttered.

Ginny looked him in the eye and Harry found that he could not look away.

“Thanks,� she mumbled gratefully.

Harry smiled because he had never imagined her apologising to him like this. Ginny stepped up to him and he stood up, longing to ask the question which was burning a hole in his head.

“So,� he started cautiously, “are we…?�

“I think that little outburst last night might count as one of the reasons for practising the relaxation,� said Ginny, as though she didn’t want to face his question.

“That’s a good point,� he answered.

“You still want to do it then?�

“Definitely – it sounds rather intriguing,� said Harry. “How exactly does it work?�

“Ah, that would be telling,� teased Ginny, and she kissed him swiftly on the cheek before turning and walking back out onto the pitch.

The team performed a lot better with their two strongest players in higher spirits than they had been in in a long time.

* * *

After dinner that evening, Harry and Ginny made their way up to the Room of Requirement together. Most people turned their heads as they passed, surprised to see them holding hands after all the yelling that had gone on the night before. When they entered the room, they found themselves in what looked like an endless white space, and when Harry turned to face the door, he saw that it looked as if it were floating randomly; a dot of colour in a sea of blankness.

“Well this is… different,� said Ginny.

“Just a bit,� replied Harry.

They sat down on the floor rather warily, as if they expected something drastic to happen.

“I guess we just get on with it, then,� said Ginny. “I’m going to do a spell on you, just so you know, and you need to keep as calm and relaxed as possible while you’re under it. Ready?�

“What’s going to happen?� asked Harry, feeling a little anxious at this quick start.

“Don’t worry – you are here to relax after all. It’ll be fine,� answered Ginny vaguely. “Here goes – remissio!�

She shot the spell at Harry before he had got any further than shutting his eyes. His head suddenly felt empty and he no longer felt the floor beneath him, then he heard Ginny speaking very clearly. It was almost as if she was inside him, and she spoke gently:

“This is what it will feel like when you are under the spell, Harry. Your mind can focus on nothing at the moment except the sound of my voice. Okay, now I want you to relax totally and imagine a time when you were particularly happy, a bit like you would when conjuring a Patronus. Oh, and don’t worry, I can’t see your memory. I’m not that clever.�

Harry started to search through his past, and remembered last Christmas, when he had been sitting by the Common Room fire with Ginny asleep on his lap.

“Try to recall how you felt in the moment you have chosen. Imagine you are there and let the happiness fill you up,� said Ginny’s voice.

Harry found it easy to feel how he might have done then: the warmth of the fire and the touch of Ginny’s hair twirled around his fingers. He could even hear the chatter of other Gryffindors in the back of his mind, although this sound was very distant compared with that of Ginny’s voice.

“I’m going to bring you back to the real world now – just to check how I’m doing.�

Harry felt his senses gradually coming back to him, and very quickly his mind and body were normal again, and he could open his eyes. Ginny was sitting opposite him, cross-legged, watching him expectantly.

“Well?� she asked.

“Excellent.�

“Really? Oh good. I couldn’t really tell, you see – you just looked like you were asleep or something.�

“Is it difficult?� asked Harry.

“Not really,� Ginny answered. “It was a bit strange though, don’t you think?�

Harry did understand what she meant. When he was under the spell, it had felt as if they were connected by something deeper than just the sound of her voice, but to say what would have been impossible.

“Yeah, me too,� he said.

Ginny shrugged then looked around at their surroundings.

“I wonder whether this place has any walls,� she said, more to herself then to Harry.

She got up and started to wander further and further away from him.

“Er, Ginny?� said Harry. “Maybe you shouldn’t go too far from the door. It would be pretty easy to get lost in here.�

“I doubt it,� she called back, without looking round. “You couldn’t exactly lose a brown door in never ending whiteness, could you?�

This did seem reasonable, but there was something about this room that unsettled Harry.

“I don’t know, it’s just – “

“If I get lost, I’ll yell, alright?�

She was gradually getting smaller as she walked away from him, and for some reason, Harry started to panic. He got up and ran towards her.

“I’m coming with you then,� he said as he caught up with her.

“You do that,� answered Ginny bluntly.

They walked together for a while as a cold silence descended between them, and Harry started to wonder whether there really were any walls.

“It’s funny,� he said, breaking the pause, “for a place that’s meant to help you relax, it’s surprisingly creepy.�

“It’s not necessarily to help you relax,� said Ginny, who was blatantly in one of her random moods, “it just a good place to do that spell because there’s nothing to distract you.�

“Ok, there’s no need to get in a huff,� mumbled Harry.

“I’m not in a huff,� she answered back.

“Whatever,� said Harry, who didn’t feel like arguing with an hormonal Ginny.

He turned back to check the door and saw that it was now hardly visible.

“We should go back before the door disappears completely,� he told her.

She didn’t say anything, but kept walking determinedly.

“Look,� said Harry crossly, “are you still angry with me about last night or something? Because I thought we’d worked all that out.�

Ginny stopped in her tracks and looked at him, her expression changing for sulky to more softened.

“Sorry – it’s not you,� she said with resignation. “Well, it sort of is, I just… need some time to myself, that’s all.�

She sighed slightly.

“Do you mind?�

Harry felt a bit worried about her. She seemed suddenly withdrawn and dejected.

“Are you sure you’re okay?�

Ginny smiled, which put his mind at rest.

“Yes, honest,� she said.

“Okay, well I’ll head back to the Common Room in that case. And just be careful in here, alright? This place gives me the shivers.�

Ginny nodded and reached up on tip-toes to kiss him.

“I’ll be fine, Harry, just go!�

She giggled, and Harry’s stomach did a little flutter as her eyes lit up with liveliness like they did so often. In fact, Harry’s stomach hardly ever stopped fluttering when he was with Ginny – her novelty just did not seem to wear off. She turned away from him, and her vibrant hair flicked over her shoulder.

Harry slowly made his way back to the wooden door, looking back only once at Ginny, and smiling to himself.


A/N: all Fred and George lovers, make sure you read the next chapter!

Like it or not

The Easter holidays came with a mountain of work for the sixth years. Although NEWT exams were not until the seventh year of school, the teachers were piling on study and revision as if they were next week. Fifth years also had it bad, as their OWLs were looming ever closer, and only the Gryffindors had Hermione to help them get organised. Whether they wanted her to was a different matter all together. She seemed to have taken it on as a personal goal to get all Gryffindor fifth years as many OWLs as she could, which meant that, on top of all of her own work, she was almost as stressed as she had been in her third year.

Harry had found Ginny rather difficult over the past few weeks, as her mood changed so frequently, sometimes in no more than a matter of seconds. The pressure of exams seemed to be getting to her, and whenever Harry tried to help, he just felt useless. One evening, he saw her sitting at a table in the Gryffindor Common Room, struggling to keep focused because Ron and Hermione were bickering again at the next table. Not wanting Ginny to give up and go to bed, he went to join her.

“Hello there,� he said as he sat down beside her.

“Oh, hi Harry,� she replied, looking up from her parchment. “All right?�

“I just came to ask you that actually.�

“I’ll be fine, I’ve just got to finish this revision timetable.�

“Hasn’t Hermione offered to help you yet?� asked Harry.

“She did,� Ginny explained, “but I told her I’d rather do it myself.�

“She can make each square a different colour, you know,� he told her.

“So can I.�

At that moment there was a tap on the window, and Harry looked up to see Errol perched on the ledge. He let the owl in and detached the parcel, which was slightly too large for such an old owl, from its left leg.

“Looks like Easter eggs,� called Ginny, as Errol took flight and Harry sat down again.

They opened the box together, and sure enough, it was filled with brightly coloured chocolate eggs. Harry passed one each to Ron and Hermione, then unwrapped his own and started to munch on it.

“So,� he said to Ginny as he swallowed his first mouthful, “what’s the real problem?�

“What do you mean?�

“Well, you seem a little stressed at the moment, that’s all.�

She rolled her eyes.

“Honestly, Harry, I’m fi – “

“You’re not fine, don’t give me that. I want to help if I can.�

Ginny stared at the table and frowned.

“You’ll think it’s really stupid,� she muttered.

“I don’t care, just tell me.�

“Well I – I guess I miss having Fred and George around, and I’ve been trying to think of a way to get to see them.�

Harry gaped. She couldn’t seriously be thinking of going to Diagon Alley?

“Right,� he said unhelpfully.

“You think I’m mad, don’t you?� said Ginny with a smirk.

“Not mad,� answered Harry, “just crazy.�

Ginny smiled and pushed him affectionately.

“Well, I was thinking Floo Powder,� she continued.

“Floo Powder?�

“Yeah, to their shop. Nobody would have to know.�

“You do realise that if you just asked McGonagall, she’d probably give you permission,� said Harry.

Ginny looked outraged.

“Where’s the fun in that?� she squeaked. “Where’s your renowned sense of adventure gone to?�

Harry hesitated.

“Um – “

“Come on, Harry. My life has been stuck in a rut for too long now. I need to do something interesting, or I’ll spontaneously combust,� said Ginny. “And anyway, I don’t care if you approve – I’m going whether you like it or not.�

“I guess I don’t have much choice then,� said Harry.

“You’ll come with me?�

“Yeah, I will, but don’t let Hermione find out. She’d go mental.�

“Don’t let me find out what?�

Harry jumped at Hermione’s voice, and looked up to see her standing over them, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Oh, noth – “ started Harry, but Ginny interrupted him.

“How long have you been listening?�

“Long enough to know that you’re planning to do something you shouldn’t be doing,� said Hermione.

“So what if we are,� said Ginny coolly. “It doesn’t affect you in any way.�

Hermione looked slightly taken aback.

“It does if two of my best friends are going to get into trouble,� she said, sounding bothered.

“Well your two friends are not planning on getting caught,� answered Ginny.

“What exactly are you going to do?� asked Hermione, eyeing them suspiciously.

“Us?� replied Ginny innocently. “We’re not doing anything. It’s those two friends of yours that you want to be keeping an eye on. Anyway, got to go. Cheerio.�

And she got up and walked away, pulling Harry with her, and leaving a very confused-looking Hermione behind them. She dragged Harry up to his dormitory and started to hunt around in his trunk.

“What are you doing?� he asked, reaching forward to stop her, but Ginny had already found what she was looking for.

She pulled his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder’s Map from beneath his school robes and dodged his outstretched arm.

“Come on, we’re going now,� she said, taking hold of his arm and pocketing the map.

“Now?�

“Yes, now,� and she flung the cloak over them both and marched him down the stairs.

“Shouldn’t we tell someone where we’re going,� Harry whispered in her ear as they left the Common Room.

“Tell someone?� she hissed back. “Seriously, Potter, what’s come over you? You’re being all… moral.�

Harry didn’t know whether to stop her or not, and ended up tripping over his feet in this moment of confusion. He started to laugh at himself for being so ridiculous, but Ginny turned and glared at him which shut him up. A moment later, she had thrust the Marauder’s Map into his hand.

“Check it,� she whispered.

Harry carefully got out his wand and tapped the yellowy parchment with its tip.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.�

The inky lines started to spread and tiny moving dots began to show themselves. One of these dots made Harry gasp so suddenly that he started to choke. Ginny’s eyes shot daggers at him again, and she shoved him sideways into a well-placed cupboard.

“Are you trying to get us caught?�

“Shut up, Snape’s coming,� said Harry.

It was extremely cramped and Harry had had to pull Ginny in close to enable them to shut the door properly.

“Well, this makes the trip a whole lot more interesting, doesn’t it?� whispered through the darkness.

Harry sniggered, but stopped promptly as footsteps came to a halt just outside the door. The two teenagers held their breaths and waited, expecting the worst.

And they got it.

The door opened suddenly and Severus Snape’s shadowed face glowered right at them. Forgetting that they were in fact invisible, Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny stamped on his foot abruptly to stop him. Snape lifted his wand and lit it, so that the light was shining right in Harry’s eyes. Squinting, Harry watched the Potions Master reach out slowly, his fingertips getting closer and closer to the back of Ginny’s head. Harry held her as close as he could, but soon enough they were as squashed as was possible, with no way out.

Just has Harry had given up all hope of an escape, he felt Ginny take his wand out of his pocket ever so carefully and give it a little flick. There was a crash in the next room which sounded like a whole cabinet had just fallen to the ground, and Snape whipped round as Ginny made another flick with the wand. There was a second crash, prompting Snape to march off in the direction that Harry and Ginny had came from.

With a sigh of relief, Harry let go of Ginny and they ran off down the corridor. It was at this point that Harry realised he had no idea where they were going. Just as he started to ask her, Ginny gave him another huge shove through a door on their right and shut it behind them.

“Shouldn’t we lock it?� asked Harry.

“No,� said Ginny, looking at him as though he were completely stupid. “It wasn’t locked to start with – it would be obvious that someone had tampered with it.�

“Oh,� said Harry, “how silly of me.�

He looked around at where they were, and realised that they were in Professor Flitwick’s office.

“How come – ?�

“He never locks it,� interrupted Ginny. “Too trusting.�

“He’s obviously never met you,� muttered Harry, who was watching Ginny warily as she waved her wand around muttering various incantations. “What are you doing exactly?�

“Checking for Stealth Detectors and the like,� she answered distractedly. “Well, it’s all clear. I’ll go first.�

She took a pinch of Floo Powder from the pot on the hearth and threw it into the fireplace.

“91, Diagon Alley,� she yelled.

Harry followed her, falling forwards a few moments later in a shower of ash and soot, coughing a little on the dust and trying to straighten out his glasses. He stood up and brushed himself down, then looked around, trying to take in what he saw.

It was incredible. Every wall seemed to be a different wild colour, and on almost every surface was some kind of odd mirror, which made you look anything from incredibly small to immensely overweight. There were shelves and shelves of interesting products: items of clothing, suspicious-looking sweets and all sorts of other everyday objects which looked perfectly ordinary, but would probably try to eat your face or something similar.

“Wow,� stammered Harry.

“Fred and George are really doing well for themselves, aren’t they?� said Ginny, looking gobsmacked.

The heard footsteps overhead, which then began to get louder as someone descended the stairs behind the counter.

“You have told them you were thinking of coming haven’t you, Gin?� asked Harry, suddenly aware of how odd this could look.

“Er, not exactly,� started Ginny, but one of the twins had just reached the bottom of the stairs and was watching them with a confused look on his face. “Hi, Fred.�

“Where did you come from?� he asked.

“Came through the Floo Network,� said Ginny.

“From school?�

“Yeah,� said Ginny plainly.

“Nice one. Flitwick’s office?�

“Of course,� answered Ginny.

“Alright, Harry?� said Fred, turning his attention to the second guest.

Harry was slightly disconcerted at how normal Fred was finding all of this.

“Er, yeah, I’m alright thanks,� he said unsurely.

“Cool. Well, come upstairs and I’ll find George.�

They followed him up the wooden staircase, of which every step flashed a different shade of green when you stood on it. Harry almost fell over in surprise when the stair he was about to step on totally disappeared, and he had to hop over another because it seemed to be made of some kind of quicksand.

“Nice stairs,� said Harry as they reached the top and emerged in an odd-looking lounge.

“Thanks,� replied George, popping up from behind a lurid pink armchair, “and welcome to our humble abode.�

He grinned broadly, then offered them all chairs and took a seat in his own pink one.

“So, what brings you to Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes?� asked Fred.

“Just thought we’d pay you a visit,� said Ginny.

“I see,� said George. “Do you want to stay?�

Ginny looked at Harry with pleading eyes.

“Gin, we really – “ started Harry, but she started to bat her eyelashes at him, so he gave in rather sooner than he had hoped. “We leave to be back at seven tomorrow morning, and no later.�

Ginny grinned and hugged him tightly around the neck, parking herself nimbly on his lap.

“Great,� said Fred. “You can stay in – “

He was cut off mid-sentence by a noise which sounded like Crookshanks when he had just had his tail trodden on.

“Excuse me,� said Fred, standing up. “I’ll just get that.�

It turned out to be someone ringing at the doorbell.

“I just want a quick word with George,� Harry heard a frighteningly familiar voice say downstairs. “George, come down here, I want a word!�

“Bloody hell!� hissed Ginny, jumping up and suddenly looking assertive. “It’s Mum!�



A/N: So, there it was you guys. I don't know about you, but I feel that I've been rather good with updates recently. I hope all you Fred and George fans liked that chapter.

Only 4 chapters left to go! Exciting!

Be prepared

All havoc broke loose in Harry’s mind. If Mrs Weasley were to find them there she would go ballistic.

“Come on,� said George, opening a door to his right, “in here.�

Ginny pulled Harry up and George bundled them into the bathroom.

“Colloportus,� said Ginny, locking the door behind them.

They waited in silence as the voice of Mrs Weasley grew ever closer.

“I wanted to deliver your Easter Eggs in person so that I could come and see how you were doing,� she said. “I must say, I’m quite overwhelmed at how this place has come on. Although I still don’t approve of your career choice,� she added quickly.

“Er, Mum, this isn’t the best time,� said Fred from just outside the bathroom door.

“Why ever not?� asked Mrs Weasley. “Are you entertaining guests?�

“Yes, its – “

“ – Lee. He’ll be here – “

“ – any minute.�

“At ten o’ clock in the evening?� Harry heard Mrs Weasley say sceptically.

“Yup. Works during the day.

“Couldn’t get here ‘til late.�

Mrs Weasley paused.

“Ok,� she said slowly. “Well, I’ll just use your bathroom and I’ll be off.�

Harry’s mouth fell open. She wanted to use the bathroom? He looked at Ginny and she too was wearing the same bewildered expression. He stared at her – his mind blank – hoping that hers was trying to figure out a plan. All of a sudden, her eyes brightened in that way that they did, and she whipped her wand out of her robes and knelt down on the floor, facing the door. Harry had no idea what she was doing, but there was no time to argue now, or any way that he could.

The door know turned and there was a push from the other side.

“Why ever have you locked your own bathroom?� Mrs Weasley asked the twins.

“Aloho – “

At that moment, Ginny did an extravagant little pattern with her wand, and water started to run freely from its tip.

“ – oh,� said the voice of Mrs Weasley, “what’s this?�

“A leak,� said George.

“The whole bathroom’s gone mad,� added Fred.

“There’s no point trying to use it,� continued George.

Ginny glanced up at Harry with a glint of hope in her eyes. Trust her and the twins to be able to come up with a story just like that.

“I was about to go in and fix it just as you arrived, Mother, dearest,� said Fred.

“You’ll have to hold on, I’m afraid,� said George.

“Alright, alright,� said Mrs Weasley. “I’ll go at home if it’s going to be a nuisance. Now, are you sure you have everything you need? I wish you’d let me tidy this place up a bit…�

Their voices trailed away as the three of them went back down the stairs, and Ginny stood up cautiously.

“That was too close,� said Harry.

Ginny giggled.

“It’s things like that that keep us on our toes,� she smirked.

“Ginny, it’s not funny,� Harry protested. “If she’d have caught us we would have been dead meat.�

“But she didn’t,� replied Ginny, “so we’re not.�

A minute or two later, the door opened and the Weasley twins stood there with amused grins on their faces.

“Priceless,� remarked Fred.

Harry and Ginny pushed past them into the living room.

“We should go,� said Harry. “I knew this was a bad idea.�

The three Weasleys looked outraged.

“Already?� asked Ginny. “We’ve only just got here!�

Harry couldn’t believe his ears.

“We’ve already almost been caught twice!�

“Yeah – almost being the imperative word there!� said Ginny.

“Almost is close enough, thanks,� said Harry. “We’re going – that’s final.�

“Your master has spoken,� said George. “You must obey or face destruction.�

Harry ignored him and turned to descend the stairs.

“Harry, wait – “

He marched down to the shop and stepped up to the fireplace, taking a pinch of Floo Powder from the pot on the wall. Just as he turned to take one last look at Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes, he glimpsed Ginny standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’ll come back if it means that much to you,� she muttered.

Harry smiled and she joined him by the fireplace, taking some of the green powder. Fifteen minutes later they were climbing through the portrait hole, carrying the Invisibility Cloak which they had carelessly left on Professor Flitwick’s floor. The Common Room seemed to be deserted, apart from one brown and one red-haired head just visible above the sofa back.

“Are they awake?� whispered Harry.

Ginny peered round to have a look.

“Nope,� she whispered back. “Aww, look at this.�

Harry walked around an armchair to stand next to Ginny, and saw that Hermione looked as if she had fallen asleep mid-sentence. She had a half-finished essay on her knee and a quill between her fingers, and a pot of black ink was teetering dangerously in Ron’s hand next to her. As Harry watched, Hermione shifted so that she was lying across Ron’s chest. They never acted this close – their subconscious’s must have been at work.

Hermione stirred and Ron lifted his hand to rub his eyes as they both woke up. As soon as they had regained consciousness, they jumped apart with looks of horror on their faces.

“Oh, um, sorry,� stuttered Hermione, looking from Ron to Harry to Ginny, then averting her eyes elsewhere.

Ginny chuckled.

“You know, you are allowed to act like a couple,� she told them.

Ron was shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.

“Yeah,� said Harry, “it’s not as if you have to keep it a secret.�

“We certainly don’t,� added Ginny, winking at Harry.

“I’d noticed,� grumbled Ron. “Where have you two been, anyway?�

“Oh, nowhere,� said Harry vaguely.

“They’ve been doing something they shouldn’t,� muttered Hermione disapprovingly.

Ron looked scandalised.

“What?�

“Oh, no no,� said Harry quickly, “not that.�

Ron breathed a sigh of relief, although still looked slightly unsettled.

“Well, I’m going to bed,� Harry announced.

He turned and strode towards the boys’ staircase. When he was about half way up, he heard footsteps running up behind him.

“You’re not supposed to come up here,� he teased, turning to find that Ginny had caught up with him.

“I know,� said Ginny as they reached the dormitory, “but I wanted to talk to you.�

She sat down on his bed and Harry changed into his pyjamas.

“I wanted to thank you for coming with me this evening,� said Ginny.

“Hey,� said Harry, sitting down next to her. “I like the odd adventure too, you know that. You should go before anyone catches you in a boys’ dorm.�

“I suppose,� said Ginny, looking slightly disappointed.

“Night,� said Harry, leaning in to kiss her.

Their lips connected, but when they pulled away, Ginny was looking up at Harry expectantly. She shrugged and started to walk away, which made Harry nervous.

“Gin, what’s wrong?� he whispered into the darkness.

She turned and he saw the glint of the moonlight in her eyes.

“I feel a bit… strange,� she answered slowly.

“Strange?�

Ginny walked towards him and stopped just in front of him. She looked up and he saw that her eyes were troubled in a way that he could not comprehend. Then he felt it. Stress; fear; pressure which hurt his soul.

“You’re tense,� he muttered.

Ginny’s eyes brightened, and she stared at him. Harry did not know why he had said that she was tense, or whether it was true.

“How did you – ?�

Then, as if she couldn’t figure out what was going on, she took a deep breath, and continued to speak.

“I am,� she said.

“Why?� Harry asked.

“Aren’t you scared?� she replied. “Can’t you feel it? It will come, Harry. Some time soon. I know it will. Something terrible. Something…�

She trailed off at a loss for words. Harry hesitated. He knew that he had been feeling exactly the same lately; that no matter how hard he tried to push it out of his mind, the darkness that he knew was going on in the background would soon break out of its shell and surround them all, and he sensed that Ginny could feel the pressure of it all, just as he did.

“I need – “ she started again. “ – I just need to – talk.�

Harry put his arms around her.

“Let’s talk then.�

* * *

As the Easter holidays came to an end, everyone at Hogwarts seemed to fall into a kind of pre-examination depression. Teachers desperately tried to cram as much information as they could into the students’ brains in the week before their exams, but they were already so saturated with things to remember that it wasn’t much use.

Harry felt as if his brain had turned to mush with all the revision, but he seemed to be coping a lot better than his friends. Ron kept falling asleep at meal times, and Hermione was constantly complaining of headaches. Ginny, on the other hand, did not seem to be revising much at all, and when she did her concentration span was limited to half an hour at the most.

When Monday morning came at last, the students trudged down to breakfast looked very sullen indeed. Harry ate his breakfast with an extremely tired-looking Ron and Hermione on one side, and a rather-too-casual-looking Ginny on the other.

“How an you be so relaxed?� he asked her.

“What’s the point in getting stressed?� she replied. “I’ll do the best I can and that’s the best I can do.�

This seemed sensible, but was a lot harder than she made it look.

An owl carrying the Daily Prophet landed in front of Hermione, and she unfolded it sleepily to read the front page.

“Oh my – !� she gasped.

She lay the newspaper down flat on the table and started to read aloud to the people around her.

“Last night, the Wizarding World’s worst fears were confirmed when the Ministry finally lost total control of Azkaban prison,� read Hermione, her voice sounding more shaky on every word. “Since the Dementors left the island last year, trained Ministry officials have struggled to keep order, and were overthrown once and for all in a mass riot yesterday evening. Thousands of the prison’s criminals are now attempting to rejoin He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and everyone is urged to stay on their guard.�

Hermione looked up at Harry, her face pale and set.

“Bloody hell,� murmured Ron, Hermione being too shocked to scold him.

Harry felt a hand clasp his, and he turned to see Ginny looking at him uneasily.

“What’s going to happen?� she whispered.

“I don’t know,� replied Harry, wrapping his arms around her.

She clung to him nervously, and Harry thought for the briefest moment that he had felt a rush of her worry pass through him, but it came and went so quickly that he didn’t have time to register it properly. Everyone in the hall had now heard the news, and people were speaking to each other in low whispers of what they thought might happen.

“The Aurors will catch them,� said Ernie Macmillan confidently to Justin Finch-Fletchley. “It’s their job to put a stop to those kinds of people.�

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was glaring around looking extremely smug, making Harry feel even more like punching him on the nose than he normally did. Professor Dumbledore stood up at the staff table, and everyone was hushed into silence.

“I am sure that you have all heard what has happened,� he said firmly, “and I must ask you not to panic. The walls which surround you now are among the safest in the country, and there is little to no way that any of you could be harmed while you remain within this school. As for exams – “ everyone held their breaths “ – they will proceed as normal.�

The students groaned in unison, except Hermione, whose face had brightened slightly. Dumbledore chuckled sadly and sat down, and Professor McGonagall stood up.

“We are implementing some new school rules in the light of recent events,� she announced. “Firstly, no one will leave the school grounds under any circumstances. All Hogsmeade trips have been cancelled. Secondly, all students are to stay alert, and to reside in their common rooms or in here when not in lessons. Finally, Quidditch matches and training will no longer proceed to take place.�

The entire student body groaned again.

“That’s so unfair!� moaned Ginny. “We’ve got to keep playing Quidditch! It’s the only thing that will keep our spirits up!�

“Anyone found disobeying these rules will be – “

Professor McGonagall was cut off as there was a loud rap on the doors of the Great Hall. They swung open dramatically, and Mad-Eye Moody started to limp slowly up to the staff table. Whispers began to rise again as everyone questioned why he was there, until he spoke to Dumbledore, who then stood up once more. He looked extremely grave.

“Word has just come from that Voldemort and his newly reacquainted followers are planning an invasion of the entire wizarding world,� he announced sombrely. “This will mean a full-scale war against what can only be classed as evil. We have, in some ways, been expecting this for some time, and now that it has come, we must all pull together to present a united front. War is coming; we will be prepared.�

* * *

The rest of that day passed like a blur for Harry. He was so caught up in the news of the escaped criminals that he couldn’t concentrate in his work at all. The whole way through his Potions theory paper, he kept checking his watch to make sure that Ginny was safe, or glancing about nervously at his friends, even though he knew it was just paranoia.

“I’m going to find Ginny,� he told Ron and Hermione as they left the exam.

“No, you musn’t!� hissed Hermione. “We have to go straight to lunch like McGonagall said!�

Hermione carried on being overly snappy throughout the afternoon, and Harry was glad when evening came and he could go and sit quietly in the common room with Ron and Ginny while Hermione worked.

“I can’t believe that we’re actually at war,� said Ginny as she sat on the hearth rug and stared into the fire.

She sighed deeply and rolled onto her front, propping herself up on her elbows.

“I’m so scared,� she whispered.

“We all are,� said Ron.

“You’d be crazy if you weren’t,� added Harry.
They sat in silence for a bit, all gazing pointlessly into the roaring flames.

“Ginny?� said Ron after a few minutes.

“Mm?� she replied, without tearing her gaze from the hypnotising flames.

“It’s going to be alright,� he told her. “The war won’t last long.�

“I hope so,� answered Ginny, although she did not sound completely convinced.




A/N: So there it is! As you can probably tell, it's starting to get more exciting now, leading up to the end of the story. Keep reading and please review!

Keep Fighting

The sky over the grounds darkened forebodingly as the week went on, the black clouds looming down repressively so that the world seemed somehow smaller beneath them. Nature appeared to be sensing the moods of the people around it, and the gloomy weather was doing nothing to change those moods.

On the last day of exams, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Worry had been augmenting treacherously throughout the week as the promised war did not come, and Harry’s scar had been aching more than usual. He, Ron and Hermione dawdled back to Gryffindor Tower more slowly after their last exam, feeling more relaxed but trying to forget about what was coming.

“You know, we should be getting back as quickly as possible,� said Hermione as they wandered along.

“I think we’ll manage,� replied Ron wearily, and no one said any more of it.

They clambered through the portrait hole, and Harry spotted Ginny asleep on the sofa, looking completely drained. Ron and Hermione went and sat down next to her, and Harry walked over to the window and looked out.

“Shame the weather’s not getting any better,� he said. “I feel like going for a walk.�

He saw Hermione glance up at him condemningly from her armchair.

“Don’t worry,� he told her. “I won’t.�

He gazed out over the grounds, his eyes glazing over with thought, until he noticed something which caught his attention. A dark shape was emerging from beyond the forest, and Harry stared at it curiously. It looked like one of the storm clouds, although it was a lot lower, and it seemed to move as one, like a creature advancing soundlessly on its prey. As it got closer, Harry squinted, trying to make out what it was. Then, as it began to reach the edge of the trees, he recognised it and almost feinted with panic. What must have been over five hundred Dementors were drifting towards the castle, morbid black shapes against an ever-darkening backdrop of trees and sky, floating with that terrifying gracefulness which could not be explained.

A voice inside Harry’s mind was telling him to do something, but his eyes were fixed on the Dementors as though he could not believe that they were real. When he finally managed to snap out of it, he turned to Ron and Hermione.

“Get help,� he said, surprisingly calmly, as though someone else were speaking for him.

“Pardon, Harry?� asked Hermione, looking up at him.

Ginny woke with a jolt and sat bolt upright.

“What’s happened?� she asked immediately.

“Get help,� he repeated, more firmly this time. “Now.�

“Why?� asked Ginny. “Harry, what’s wrong?�

She looked concerned, as if she could sense his fear. Harry grabbed her by the arm and pulled her over to the window, forcing her to look out.

“What the – ?“ she whispered. “Come on, we’ll go to Dumbledore. Ron, Hermione, there are Dementors attacking the school. You need to make sure that everyone knows and is safe. Let’s go.�

She dragged Harry out of the common room and they set off at a run towards Dumbledore’s office. Just as they reached the gargoyles, the moving staircase appeared and Dumbledore stepped out.

“Gather all the younger ones together,� he told them, as if he knew why they were there. “Sixth and seventh years who can conjure strong Patronuses will help to fight.�

Harry nodded.

“No, sir,� protested Ginny. “Many fourth and fifth years can also conjure Patronuses, thanks to the DA. I want to fight.�

Dumbledore looked at her, and Ginny stared into his eyes persuasively.

“Very well,� he said softly. “Younger students who are sure that they can face that many Dementors may also help. Everyone else must stay put in their common rooms; and hurry.�

They nodded and ran all the way back to Gryffindor Tower. On their way they heard Dumbledore’s voice, magically amplified, ringing instructions though the hallways. Harry and Ginny entered the common room to find chaos. Ron and Hermione were desperately trying to keep people sane for long enough to tell them what to do, while the younger ones ran around screaming and the older ones tried to get some order.

“Everyone SHUT UP!� yelled Ginny.

All the students stopped what they were doing and looked round at Ginny.

“Thank you,� she said, standing on a chair. “We’ve got to keep our minds straight. If we lose it now, we’ve got no chance, so will you please just do what Ron and Hermione tell you, and then maybe we can actually win this battle.�

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at Ginny, shocked that someone had actually had enough sense to speak out.

“If everyone who can conjure a strong Patronus, and is absolutely sure that they can face this number of Dementors, can move to this side of the room,� said Hermione, gesturing to her right.

“And if you can’t, stand over there,� added Ron, gesturing towards the fireplace.

The Gryffindors moved obligingly.

“Remaining fifth years are in charge. Everyone must stay here,� said Hermione.

“And bloody well use your initiative,� added Ginny.

When they got to the Great Hall, they found a mass of worried-looking students and teachers gathered in the doorway. Harry also noticed several members of the Order in amongst the crowd: Tonks, Moody, Remus and Bill Weasley were huddled in a group, conversing in low voices. Professor Dumbledore came through the crowd into the Entrance Hall as the Gryffindors arrived, and addressed everyone there.

“Members of the Order will go first, and students will bring up the rear. Think happy things.�

He strode up to the castle doors and flung them open with a bang. There were now nearing a thousand Dementors crossing the sky above them, descending slowly but eagerly. Dumbledore marched down the steps, followed by the Order.

“Three, two, one…� he yelled, and silver-white animals shot up into the sky in all directions.

The students followed suit, taking aim at the Dementors.

“Expecto Patronum!� Harry cried, imagining a life free of Voldemort.

A dazzling stag erupted from the end of his wand.

“Go on, Prongs!� he said, urging it on.

Harry glanced around at Ginny to see how she was doing, and was astonished at what he saw. She was coaxing on her Patronus, which appeared to be some kind of crossed animal. It looked like a phoenix’s head and wings, with the hind legs of what must have been a white horse. Its powerful back legs drove it into the air with incredible momentum, as its vast fiery wings propelled it upwards, towards the impending sky. When it reached the battle field, Prongs charged with it, and together they banished twice the number of Dementors than before. Harry grinned at Ginny and she returned the favour, before her expression turned from happy to petrified, her eyes focused just behind Harry. He turned to see a swarm of Dementors creeping down on him, the people behind him too frightened to act.

“Oi!� yelled Ginny. “Down here!�

Her Patronus and Prongs cantered past Harry, and soon enough the threat had gone, although Harry had started to notice people everywhere who were losing their nerve, and he himself began to panic.

“COME ON!� he cried. “KEEP GOING!�

He tried to think the happiest things that he could – of life after Voldemort, with his friends around him, and Ginny always by his side…

The gleaming stag galloped after three more Dementors with a new burst of energy, although this prolonged attack meant that many people were dropping onto the ground, too exhausted to carry on. The Order was still going strong, led by what must have been Dumbledore’s Patronus – a beautiful, shining white phoenix, soaring above them all and banishing three times the amount of Dementors that any of the others were.

A fourth year to Harry’s left collapsed, and Ginny ran over to try and help her.

“Harry!� she shouted. “She’s shaking like nobody’s business! Help me!�

Harry didn’t want to stop fighting, as people were now falling to the ground all around him, and Prongs was one of the strongest defenders.

“You’ll have to leave her, Gin,� he replied. “We’ve got to keep fighting!�

Ginny looked at the girl for a moment, then got up and faced Harry.

“I’ll be glad when this is over,� she muttered.

The battle seemed to last for hours, and neither side appeared to be making much progress. Rain started to fall lazily on the grounds, turning them into a quagmire of mud, which was being churned up continuously by frantic feet.

“TAKE THE INJURED INSIDE!� called Bill Weasley to the remaining students.

“Ginny, help me with her,� said Harry, bending down to the girl on his left.

Ginny took her under the shoulder and Harry lifted her into his arms, where she lay limply across him, still quivering madly. When he got inside, Harry found Ron helping a younger boy, and Hermione supporting a shaken Hannah Abbot. They went into the Great Hall and sat them down at the Gryffindor table.

“What’s your name?� Harry asked the girl.

“A – Adelaide,� she answered back, fiddling with her white-blonde hair nervously.

Harry noticed that Ginny was at his side, having just helped a fifth year boy into the hall.

“It’ll be ok, Adelaide,� said Ginny, putting her hand gently on her shoulder.

She nodded tentatively and the trembling lessened. Ginny turned to leave the hall.

“I’ll go and get any others,� she told Harry.

“Right, let’s get back out there,� said Ron, as Hermione conjured up some mugs of hot chocolate for the people staying inside.

“You should probably go back to your common rooms,� she told them. “It’s safer there.�

Just as she finished speaking, there was a piercing scream from the Entrance Hall and Harry froze. Ginny’s scream. The thud of hooves cantering across wet ground. Harry ran to the castle doors and looked out to see jet-black thestrals landing everywhere, each one carrying a hooded person – Death Eaters. Ginny was standing, immobilised on the stone steps. Harry grabbed her and pulled her back inside.

“Get everyone out of here!� he yelled at Ron.

“What’s going on,� asked Hermione as she emerged from the hall.

“Death Eaters! Outside!� shouted Harry.

There was chaos. Harry seized Ginny once again and made for the marble staircase, which they ran up faster than ever before. The screams from below started to fade away, until BANG – the bone-chilling sound of the castle doors being flung open once more.

“The others won’t be prepared, Harry!� screamed Ginny, trying to stop him and pull him back.

“We can’t go back now!� he yelled. “They’ll kill us!�

“They’ll kill them!� she screamed. “We’ve got to go and help them!�

Harry struggled for a moment, trying to decide what to do.

“Alright, but stay with me.�

They started to run back towards the Entrance Hall, but when they reached the top of the marble staircase, Harry realised that they just could not go down there. Members of the Order were duelling fiercely with the Death Eaters, and several students were lying motionless on the floor and up the stairs. Ginny gasped and swayed dangerously.

Harry saw Ron and Hermione shooting spells at a Death Eater from behind while Tonks attacked him from the front. He fell rigidly with a smack, and Tonks moved on to her next victim. Ron looked up and saw Harry and Ginny watching them, and started to make wild banishing gestures with his arms.

“Go!� he mouthed.

But Harry wasn’t going to run off again while his friends defended the school, so he started to descend the staircase.

“THERE HE IS!� shrieked the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange. “On the stairs!�

Harry started and looked down to see her gaunt face and dark eyes staring frantically up at him. Death Eaters who were not already duelling grouped around Bellatrix, and they started to advance towards Harry.

“STUPEFY!� yelled Ginny, and Harry remembered that she was still at his side.

The spell simply ricocheted off an invisible wall that seemed to have formed around the Death Eaters, and bounced back at Ginny. Harry pulled her to one side and held her close with his free arm. Bellatrix cackled wickedly.

“Potter’s ‘ickle girlfriend is trying to play with the grown ups!� she taunted. “You had better hold on to her, Harry. We wouldn’t want her to go missing again, would we?�

Harry reached around Ginny and found her left hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“STUPEFY!� yelled Hermione from the bottom of the stairs.

Bellatrix glanced around to see who had cast the spell, and Harry realised that this was their chance. He tugged Ginny’s hand and they sprinted away from the staircase, pelting down corridors and up stairs as fast as they could. They turned all the corners that they happened upon, hoping to lose any Death Eaters who had followed them, but Harry had no idea where they were heading.

They burst through a door on their right and found themselves outside in the rain, at the top of a tall tower. Harry ran forwards and looked over the stone ledge. His stomach leapt. They were about a hundred feet above the ground, with no way out except the door they had just come through, which now opened to show no less than ten Death Eaters, all pointing their wands at Harry.

Harry gripped Ginny’s hand as tightly as he could, the Death Eaters getting closer by the second. They backed away, but Harry didn’t realise how close they were to the edge. One small step was too much – Ginny’s foot slipped and she fell over the edge of the parapet, yanking Harry down with her. He managed to catch the edge of the stone with his spare hand, and he held on with all his might.

“Harry!� yelled Ginny.

He looked down at her, and saw that her eyes had ignited with a fear more terrible then he could ever have imagined.

“Ginny, don’t worry,� he called, their hands still firmly clasped together. “We’ll get out of this. It’s going to be alright.�

She started to cry, her words battling through the tears.

“No!� she cried. “Harry, you’ve got to let me go!�

“WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? I WOULD NEVER LET YOU GO!�

Ginny shook compulsively, as a fresh wave of despair ran through her.

“Harry, look!�

Following her gaze, he looked up and saw that over twenty hooded Death Eaters were now looming over them from the parapet, all with their wands out, pointing straight at Harry.

“LET GO, HARRY!� Ginny screamed, sounding 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.�

As he gazed into her troubled eyes, they pleaded with him to understand. Harry’s heart pained so intensely that he felt as if he would pass out, but he had to hold on to Ginny, for Ginny…

“GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN’T JUST KILL YOU NOW, POTTER!� came a terrible voice, cold as the wind around them, from above Harry.

Harry wrenched his eyes away from Ginny’s and looked up again. A thin, white face with cat-like eyes was sneering down at them from under a black hood. Lord Voldemort.

“BECAUSE IF YOU DO KILL ME NOW,� Harry yelled, “THEN YOU’LL BE CONFIRMING EVERYTHING I THOUGHT YOU WERE: LONELY, UNLOVED, AND WITHOUT HOPE.�

Voldemort laughed a bitter, mirthless laugh.

“DON’T YOU SEE, HARRY?� he taunted. “I’LL NEVER BE LONELY!�

He gestured at the Death Eaters surrounding him.

“THESE PEOPLE WOULD GLADLY DIE FOR ME!�

This time it was Harry’s turn to laugh.

“OUT OF LOVE?� he yelled at Voldemort. “OR OUT OF TERROR?�

Voldemort leaned in closer, so that he was only a few inches from Harry’s face.

“I don’t need love, Harry,� he hissed, “all I need is power. Now let go of that worthless girl and face me like a real wizard.�

Harry knew that if he didn’t let go of Ginny, they would probably both die, but he’d rather die with her, than let go and have her dead because of it. He felt a stabbing pain in his left hand, and saw that Voldemort was pointing his wand at it.

“Let go, or you go with her,� he breathed.

“I guess I’m going with her, then,� said Harry, as calmly as he could muster. “It’s just too bad you won’t get to kill me in a fair duel.�

Harry felt a surge of Voldemort’s anger course through his veins, and Ginny gripped his hand even tighter.

“Let go, Harry,� he heard her voice say in desperation, but when he looked down, her lips weren’t moving. “Let go and you can do away with him once and for all.�

A flash of light streaked past Harry’s cheek from above and hit his fingers, forcing them apart, and allowing Ginny to slip away from him. He watched helplessly as she fell in slow-motion, tumbling and somersaulting over and over through the incessant rain, her vivacious hair fluttering out around her face with ironic beauty. As she grew more and more distant, time appeared to slow to an almost complete halt, until, finally, she flumped lifelessly onto the mud.

Harry’s heart stopped. He couldn’t breathe. What was the point? In another world, he felt himself rise up, then fall unconscious…



*I can’t live if living is without you,
I can’t live,
I can’t give anymore.*

- I Can’t Live
Mariah Carey




A/N: please review with any thought/comments :-)

Not Giving Up

“Do you want to stay with her tonight?�

“I’m not going until she wakes up.�

“She could be in this state for days, maybe even weeks. You’ve got to get some sleep.�

“I’ll sleep here. You can go if you want.�

“You know I’ll stay as long as you want me to.�

A pause.

“Will you stay?�

“Of course.�

She opened her eyes and saw a blurry image of two shadows sitting beside her.

“You’re awake!� exclaimed Hermione, leaning forwards to hug Ginny as she sat up.

As wide grin stretched across a tired-looking Ron’s face.

“I told you she’d be alright, didn’t I, Hermione?� he said excitedly.

“W – what happened?� stuttered Ginny weakly, finding that her voice was hardly there.

“Well, to be honest,� said Hermione, her face dropping, “We’re not completely sure. We were hoping that you would remember enough to tell us.�

Ginny raced her brains, but her mind was blank, with no recollection of why she was lying in a Hospital Wing bed. Giving up, and hoping to change the subject, she turned to a lighter topic.

“Where’s Harry?�

Ron and Hermione looked at each other anxiously, then Hermione reached out and took Ginny’s hand.

“Er, Ginny, the thing is – “ she started carefully “ – that we don’t know the answer to that question either.�

Ginny’s other hand clenched around a fistful of bed sheets.

“After Bellatrix followed you up the marble staircase the other night, Ron and I were swept up in a rather fast-paced duel and couldn’t go after you. When I saw you falling, through the entrance doors, I tried to slow you down as much as possible to lessen the impact. Ron went to the top of the tower to help Harry while I ran outside to you, but when he got there, it was deserted.�

Images of the previous night began to flash through Ginny’s mind; the Dementors, the Death Eaters, Voldemort, then falling, falling for what must have been forever… She lurched involuntarily as the feeling came back to her, then started to scramble out of bed.

“Hey!� said Ron. “What are you doing?�

“I’ve got to find him,� muttered Ginny distractedly, pushing her bedcovers aside and standing up.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed into a heap on the floor.

“You’re not going anywhere,� said Hermione, taking her hand and pulling her back onto the bed. “Not until you’re better.�

“I’m fine!� replied Ginny, trying for a second time to get up, but being pushed back down again. “LEAVE ME ALONE!� she screamed. “I’ve got to go and find him! He could be in trouble!�

“You have no idea where he is!� said Ron, holding her down. “Trust me, Gin; if we knew where he was we’d have found him by now!�

“Ginny, there are a whole load of people out there looking for him,� added Hermione. “The best thing for you to do is to stay here and get some rest.�

Ginny couldn’t stand being told what to do by that annoyingly calm and reasonable voice, not when Harry was missing, maybe even… no, he wasn’t, he couldn’t be. He was a good fighter; he had done it before and he could do it again. She shot a reproachful look towards Hermione and pushed Ron’s hands away from her shoulders.

“Whatever,� she mumbled, settling down in her bed. “Blimey, I’m knackered,� she said, after an awkward silence.

“You should sleep,� said Hermione knowingly.

“Fine, bye then,� grumbled Ginny.

Ron and Hermione left the Hospital Wing, and Ginny checked that Madam Pomfrey was still in her office. Seeing that she was, Ginny put both hands on her bedside table and hauled herself up, so that she stood with all her weight was supported on it.

“Now all I need is a handy pair of crutches,� she said to herself.

She glanced around, and her gaze fell on a boy in bed on the other side of the room. He was fast asleep, and by his bed was an old wooden crutch. Ginny smiled and took one hand off the table. Her legs shook convulsively, and she willed them not to give way as she took a few wobbly steps forward to the boy’s bed frame. When she reached it, she was so worn out, that she had to sit down by his feet.

Ginny scolded herself for being so weak, then began to reach towards the crutch which was propped up by the window. Unfortunately, it was just out of her reach, and she slid right off the bed and crumpled on the floor once more. She let out a cry of frustration, and started to pummel the ground with her fists. Harry had been alright after falling from his broomstick – why was her body so unwilling to do what she wanted?

As she thought of Harry, her head throbbed unbearably and she clutched it with her hands. How could they have no idea where he was? He was still alive; she knew he was.

“Pull yourself together!� she imagined her mother saying to her.

“Good thing she can’t see me now,� thought Ginny.

She stretched her arm out and took a swipe at the crutch, and it clattered to the ground. She flinched and looked up to check that no one had woken up, but every child was still out cold; no one had even batted an eyelid at the sudden noise. Using the crutch to pull herself up, Ginny eventually got back onto her feet, and, slowly but surely, began to hobble her way through the school.

Although it was dusk and most people had retired to their common rooms, the hallways seemed unusually quiet and rather lonely. Ginny’s footsteps echoed around the sad stone walls, and she started to shiver against her will. If only Harry were here, then everything would be alright, but he wasn’t so she would have to carry on and find him. Her limbs twinged painfully and she winced, then, as she stumbled across the grounds, she had a sudden brainwave: the broom cupboard. She reached the Quidditch changing rooms and tried the door; locked.

“Alohomora,� she croaked.

She smiled to herself and went in.

Seven sets of red and gold robes hung from pegs around the walls, and Ginny’s gaze lingered pensively on the ones with ‘Captain’ written across the back. She shuddered, then opened the cupboard where the school brooms were kept. Shoddy old things, but they would fly, and that was all that mattered. She grabbed the nearest one and mounted it, taking off through the doorway and out into the humid twilight, leaving the borrowed crutch on the changing room floor.

The higher she flew, the more stars appeared out of the deep blue sky. How dare they look so dazzling and bright at such a dark time? She soared over the goalposts with a rush of summer air, then stopped, as an insurmountable quantity of pain bolted through her body. It felt as thought the blood inside her very veins was boiling her alive, and her muscles were being pounded with red-hot mallets. She could hear screaming, although it was possible to tell where her screams ended and the others began.

Ginny felt herself plummeting to the ground once again, but she really didn’t care any more. So what if she never walked, or breathed, or lived again, if it ended all this pain? Maybe Harry would die too, and they could spend all eternity together…

*I dreamed a dream in days gone by
When hope was high and life worth living.
I dreamed that love would never die.
I dreamed that life would be forgiving.*

As she hit the solid earth, the pain stopped…

* * *

The sound of scuttling brought him round. Hundreds of tiny claws scurrying about on the cold stone floor. Rats. Some the size of small cats. A particularly large one wandered across his face, and he batted it off with a lazy hand. He opened his eyes and sat up properly, peering into the darkness, but seeing nothing as usual. How long had it been? Hours? Days? A week? It was impossible to say. He stretched, and his hands brushed the walls on his left and his right. They were going to leave him here, dying, in two cubic metres of icy, unlit space. That is not what you might call ‘dying with dignity’.

There was a scraping sound from somewhere, and he curled up into the tightest ball that he could manage. The pain started, as he had expected it to. As always, he willed it to stop, thinking only one thing – he had to survive, for Ginny…

* * *

“Ginny? Ginny?�

Her eyes snapped open.

“Bloody hell, Gin. What are you trying to do to me?�

Ron was sitting in the same chair by her hospital bed, and morning sunlight was streaming in through the windows behind him. Ginny tried to sit up, but her body ached now more than ever. It suddenly occurred to her why she was here and she groaned inwardly.

“Sorry,� she mumbled, without meaning it.

“Yeah, you should be,� said Ron. “Nearly gave me a bloody heart attack when we got back here to find you gone. Do you realise what was running through my mind at that point?�

Ginny didn’t answer.

“I thought you’d been taken, Ginny!� he said, his voice rising. “Taken by those bloody Death Eaters, just like Harry – “

He stopped at the pained look on Ginny’s face.

“Sorry, I – I just don’t want to lose my best friend and my little sister in the same week.�

“So, he’s still… missing?� she asked, dreading the answer.

Ron nodded.

“Great,� said Ginny.

The Hospital Wing doors burst open suddenly, and Hermione ran clumsily towards them, a newspaper clutched in her white-knuckled fist.

“Ron!� she yelled, her voice choked and her face drained. “The Prophet – says Harry – Voldemort – “

“Hermione, calm down!� said Ron, getting her a chair. “What’s happened?�

Hermione shoved the paper into his hand, and the colour leaked from his face as he read.

“Hey, what is it?� asked Ginny. “Have they found him? Is he alright?�

“Er, Ginny – “ muttered Ron.

“Give it here,� she snapped, snatching the newspaper from him.

‘THE PRICE TO PAY FOR FREEDOM,’ read the headline. ‘The Ministry of Magic is still on high alert after last week’s attack on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which several students were killed.’

“People were killed?� yelled Ginny. “You never told me that!�

“You never gave us much chance,� mumbled Hermione.

‘One student, a Mr Harry Potter – the remarkable Boy-Who-Lived – was declared missing, thought to have been taken by the Death Eaters. This morning, the Ministry was sent a demand: either we hand the Ministry over to the Dark Side in return for the hostage, or we never see Harry Potter again…’

Ginny’s whole body seemed to fail. A life in darkness with Harry, or a free world without him? She had a feeling she knew which they would choose…

*Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted.
There was no ransom to be paid,
No song unsung no wine untasted.*

* * *

“Ginny, Dumbledore wants to see us in his office right away,� said Hermione’s head, peering around the Hospital Wing doors.

It was a little later that same day, and Ginny had spent the morning drifting in and out of consciousness, her head spinning from the mind numbing pain and the pain in her mind. Ron lifted her into his chair, and she charmed it to act as a wheelchair.

A few minutes later they arrived outside Dumbledore’s office. Ginny could hear voices coming from inside, and when Ron opened the door, they found several familiar faces looking back at them.

“Ginny, darling,� said Mrs Weasley, running over to her daughter and embracing her lovingly.

“Mum,� said Ginny, “how come you’re here?�

“We needed to sort a few things out,� answered Mrs Weasley.

Remus Lupin, Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt were also there, speaking with Dumbledore, and all looking rather solemn. Mrs Weasley greeted Ron and Hermione similarly, and they all sat down.

“So, why are we here?� asked Ron. “Is it about Harry?�

Ginny flinched and saw Hermione’s eyes dart towards hers, then flicker back.

“Yes,� said Dumbledore simply.

“And?� asked Hermione.

Praying that it would be good news, Ginny shut her eyes tight.

“There’s no easy way to say this,� said Lupin quietly.

“Just say it then,� muttered Ginny, her eyes still closed.

“The thing is,� said Mrs Weasley, “that the Ministry is never going to give in the Dark Side, no matter what ransom is proposed. In which case, Harry – “

Her voice wobbled and she stopped. Ginny felt her eyes grow hot with tears. They snapped open.

“So that’s it, is it?� she whispered. “You’re going to give up? Just like that?�

“We’re not giving up, Ginny,� said Lupin. “There’s nothing we can do.�

“Nothing you can do? Nothing you can do?� Ginny sat up and stared around at them all reproachfully. “Of course there are things that you can do! You could think about Harry for a start! Stuck Merlin-knows-where with Death Eaters guarding him day in, day out, probably without food or water, but thinking all the while that it will be okay because we’re going to get him out of there, and now you’ve decided that it’s too much trouble? That’s what you call NOT GIVING UP?�

She stood up, and suddenly found that she could walk, or run, or do anything that she desired in order to find Harry.

“Ginny, come on. Just sit down – “

She shook Hermione off and marched over to the door.

“If that’s the best you can so, then you’re a pretty lousy headmaster,� she said, addressing Dumbledore through narrowed eyes.

*But the tigers come at night,
With their voices soft as thunder.
As they tear your hope apart,
As they turn your dream to shame.*

* * *

He rolled onto his back, trying to ignore the persistent headache that was banging away inside his brain. Would this ever end? He felt like giving up all hope that anyone would ever save him from this living-hell, but he knew that it would be unrealistic. Dumbledore would save the day, and if he didn’t, Ginny would make him. Harry was depending on her. That was if she was well enough after falling all that way, or even alive…

No, it did not help to think that way at a point like this. He had to find some way to tell Ginny that he was still alive. He remembered how their minds had connected just before she fell, maybe he could do the same now.

He thought with all his might, of Ginny, and where he was, and how much he missed her, and loved her…

*I can’t live if living is without you,
I can’t live,
I can’t give anymore.*

* * *

She jumped and looked around. Having no idea how she had got there, she realised that she was lying on the floor by the moving staircase up to Dumbledore’s office. What had that dream been about? It had been dark and freezing cold, and there had been someone sitting by her. Ginny leapt up off the ground and sprinted up the staircase, bursting in through the oak door at the top. The same people as before were there, but Ron and Hermione were now standing with their backs to Ginny.

“We’ll go and talk to her,� said Ron, turning to leave. “Ginny!�

She didn’t understand. Apparently, only moments had passed since she had been up here with them before.

“I – I saw him,� she stuttered.

“What?�

“Harry, I saw him,� she told them “Just now.�

“Gin, you’re not making any sense,� said Ron. “Where did you see him?�

“It was pitch black – freezing – and he was there with me, telling me he missed me, and that – and that…�

She broke off and the whole room stared at her. Most looked puzzled, but Dumbledore seemed undaunted by her strange proclamation.

“Where is he?� he asked softly.

“I don’t know,� she answered. “But he’s lonely and hopeless and he wants to come home.�

Dumbledore nodded.

“We’ll see.�



A/N: That was the penultimate chapter guys. One left! Man I'm gonna miss it... Please review with any comments - I always reply.

Disclaimer: Sections in this chapter in *stars* were from "I dreamed a dream" from Les Miserables, written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. Also "I can't live", originally written by William Peter Ham and Tom Evans and performed by Shirley Bassey. I didn't write these songs - I am merely using them in my story (which uses characters and ideas from JKRowling). And that's that.

The Last Night of the World

*The greatest thing you’ll ever learn,
Is just to love, and be loved in return…*

A day had passed, the only thing keeping Ginny going being Dumbledore’s half-promise to try and bring Harry back from wherever he was. That morning, the Daily Prophet had published an article stating that the Ministry and the Order were still arguing over how to handle the situation, but that was all she knew. She wished that they would just hurry up and decide, so that she could either sink deeper into self-pity, or see Harry again… finally.

*And still I dreamed he’d come to me,
That we would live the years together.
But there are dreams that can not be,
And there are storms we can not weather.*

At last, as she, Ron and Hermione sat together in the common room that evening, there came word from the Ministry. An owl delivered a letter to them from Professor Dumbledore:

‘After much discussion and many untidy arguments, I have finally managed to get the Ministry to decide what they are to do. Unfortunately, this meant disclosing the Prophecy, but when they heard it, it swayed them to their decision. After all, we have no chance at all without Harry, so you will be pleased to hear that he will be coming back, but at a terrible risk. If everything goes as planned, Harry will be handed back to us at midnight tonight, and we will strive to keep the Ministry under our control. However, this is not keeping our end of the bargain, so another battle is inevitable.
I would be lying if I said that this plan was foolproof, and you must understand that anything could happen.
Albus Dumbledore.’

Ginny didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“He’s coming back,� she breathed.

Her face broke into a smile with the slow realisation of what they had just read.

“HE’S COMING BACK!� she cried, and she jumped onto her chair and over the back, landing heavily on the floor behind it.

Ron did the same, and they started to dance around the common room together, much to the surprise of the other Gryffindors.

“He’s coming back, he’s coming back, he’s coming back!� they sang raucously.

“Come on, Hermione!� said Ron. “Harry’s coming home!�

Hermione had not got up, and was looking anxious.

“Why aren’t you celebrating?� asked Ginny.

“Oh – I am, it’s really great, it’s just – “

She paused, biting down on her lip, as if trying to stop herself from saying something.

“It’s just what?� asked Ron.

“Well, Harry might be coming back, but what if we don’t manage to hold the Ministry?� answered Hermione. “It will be even worse than the last time Voldemort had power! The Dark Side will actually rule the wizarding world! Do you not see how terrible that would be?�

Ginny didn’t want to think about that possibility. She wanted to stay on the high that she had just got, to keep that happy feeling which she hadn’t felt in weeks.

“But – it’s quite unlikely that we’ll lose,� said Ron, hesitantly.

“Not really,� said Hermione. “I bet the Death Eaters have been planning this for months. They’ll have it all worked out.�

Ginny slumped back into her chair.

“Oh God, sorry Gin,� Hermione continued. “I shouldn’t be so pessimistic.�

“No, you’re right,� replied Ginny. “I shouldn’t get my hopes up too high. We’ll probably never see Harry again, and be ruled by Voldemort for the rest of our lives.�

She stared into the dancing flames of the fire unblinkingly, her eyes stinging from the heat, until she heard a strange, stifled sound, and turned to see Hermione with tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Hermione!� said Ginny, getting up to put her arm around her. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to – “

Ginny gave Ron a pleading look as Hermione broke down into sobs, shaking manically with tides of anguish.

“No, I’m just being silly,� she wailed. “I’m fine – really I am. Harry will be – will be – “

But she didn’t seem to be able to say the words, and instead she shuddered violently again. Ginny signalled to Ron for some help.

“What am I supposed to do?� he hissed in Ginny’s ear.

“Just – hold her,� she replied, and he took her place.

The sobbing turned to weeping, and Ginny began to feel awful for bringing it on in the first place.

“He’ll come back, Hermione,� she told her. “We’ll see him tomorrow, and everything will go back to normal.�

“And what if he doesn’t?� Hermione stuttered. “I don’t think I could cope if the Ministry was taken.�

Ginny sighed and sank back into her chair, having run dry of things to say. She could tell that this was going to be a long night…

* * *

He could feel the sun burning the back of his neck as he walked down the quiet lane. When he reached the ivy-covered cottage, he knocked heartily on the door and waited for an answer.

“Coming!� he heard a cheery, still familiar voice cry from inside the house.

The door opened, and a young woman with a lot of brown hair stood grinning on the threshold.

“Harry!� she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. “We knew you’d be here some time soon!�

She pulled away, but now she was no longer a young woman, but a red-headed man of around the same age.

“Good to see you,� he said, also smiling. “Come in, she’s inside.�

Harry stepped through the little door, and found himself in a room he knew only too well. It was the kitchen of The Burrow, and a beautiful woman of about twenty-five was sitting in her normal seat at the table. The man had disappeared now, so they were alone together, just as Harry had always imagined they would be for this meeting. The woman looked up, and, saying nothing, she got up, walked over to him, then embraced him lovingly.

“I had no idea it would be so long until I saw you again,� whispered Harry through her velvety red hair, breathing her in. “I had started to think that I would never escape.�

She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye, her expression suddenly pitiful.

“Harry, you didn’t escape,� she explained sympathetically, “you’re dead.�

The room faded fast, then she started to disappear with it, the last thing to go being those sorrowful brown eyes…

He woke suddenly, and found that his heart was beating madly in his throat and his body was hot and clammy. He could still see Ginny’s eyes in the darkness in front of him, and her last words were ringing around his head, haunting him.

“You’re dead.�

Was that really how all this would end? Surviving pointlessly here for ten, agonising years, then dying – completely alone, completely helpless?

*I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.*

A familiar scraping sound brought him out of his reverie, but this time, there was no pain, just a voice:

“Out,� it said. “Now.�

* * *

It was almost midnight, and the common room clock seemed to be ticking at five times its usual volume. Ron and Hermione were still sitting together in the armchair, and Ginny was curled up at the end of the sofa, her body begging for sleep but her mind wide awake. Five minutes until midnight… four… three… She shut her eyes and listened to the seconds pass… two minutes… one minute… tick… tick…

Midnight was about to strike, and Ginny watched as the second hand reached twelve. Three… two… one… BANG. The whole castle seemed to shake, and all three of them sat up with a jolt.

“What the hell was that?� asked Ron.

Ginny ran to the window and looked out over the dark grounds. There were people running about at the edge of the forest, and she could hear their shouts echoing around the castle walls. She flung the window open and her eagle-eyes searched the black grass, until she saw… Harry.

“They’re down there!� she cried. “Come on!�

“Ginny, wait!� called Ron as Ginny ran to the portrait hole. “It’s dangerous down there! There could be Death Eaters, or – !�

Ginny ignored him and kept running all the way to the stone steps leading up to the castle, where she stopped to watch what was happening. She heard Dumbledore yell something, then a piercing, deadly voice shriek out over the lake:

“It’s too late, Albus,� said Voldemort. “Your trusty helpers may have rescued the boy, but I have won the battle. The Ministry of Magic is mine, and you shall all suffer consequently.�

Another bang , and he was gone.

* * *

Harry stumbled and fell to the ground. He felt weak and nauseous. They were under the rule of Voldemort, the darkest wizard to exist in over a hundred years.

“Harry, we must get inside the castle,� said Dumbledore’s voice gently. “There are people who want to see you.�

After days of loneliness, he was finally going to see his friends again, and… Ginny.

“Harry!�

He heard her cry ring across the grounds to him. It sounded like phoenix song. He looked up and saw her running towards him, her brilliant long hair flying out behind her. Ron and Hermione were silhouetted against the light of the Entrance Hall, and Harry smiled; always there. He got to his feet just in time, and Ginny flung her arms around him. Harry suddenly felt strength pulse through his limbs; his body felt alive, his heart awoken once more from its tedious sleep.

“Oh, Ginny,� he stuttered. “I’m so sorry. I tried to get out, I tried to reach you, but it was impossible – “

He was cut short as Ginny pressed her finger to his lips.

“You’re here now,� she whispered. “That’s all that matters.�

She took her finger away and replaced it with her lips. Harry wanted to vanish inside her kiss, to disappear within her love and never return to the harsh reality which now faced the world…

*In a place that won’t let us feel.
In a life where nothing seems real
I have found you,
I have found you.

In a world that’s moving too fast.
In a world where nothing can last
I will hold you,
I will hold you.

Our lives will change when tomorrow comes.
Tonight our hearts drown the distant drums
And we have music alright
Tearing the night.
A song played on a solo saxophone.
A crazy sound,
A lonely sound,
A cry that tells us love goes on and on.

Played on a solo saxophone
It’s telling me to hold you tight and dance
like it’s the last night of the world.*

Harry pulled her in close, ignoring the voices telling them that everyone else was heading inside.

“I love you,� he whispered.

“I love you too,� she replied, wanting to smile at this moment but not finding the strength knowing what was ahead.

*On the other side of the earth
There’s a place where life still has worth.
I will take you,
I’ll go with you.

You won’t believe all the things you’ll see.
I know ‘cause you’ll see them all with me.
If we’re together well then we’ll hear it again,
A song played on a solo saxophone.
A crazy sound,
A lonely sound,
A cry that tells us love goes on and on.

Played on a solo saxophone
It’s telling me to hold you tight and dance
like it’s the last night of the world.

Dreams were all I ever knew.
Dreams you won’t need when I’m through.
Anywhere we may be,
I will sing with you our song.*

As they stood there in each other’s arms, both knew that they would remember this moment forever, because life from now on was going to be very different…

*So stay with me, and hold me tight, and dance
like it’s the last night of the world…*




A/N: Oh my god, I can't believe that's it... withdrawal symptoms already kicking in...

If the same thing is happening to you, read the sequel! It's called 'I'll Always Be With You...'

Thank you so much to all the reviewers and people who have stuck with this story right from the very beginning. Arrabella Weasley, Huskers, muggle4ever... the list goes on and I can not name you all, but I thank you til the end of time! You have kept me writing and stopped me thinking that I am crap! Thanks also to my best friend Rachel, who read my first chapter like the day that I wrote it (her birthday actually) and to Alice who is also very lovely. I love you all!

Disclaimer: The quote at the start of this chapter is from "Nature Boy" by Eden Ahbez, originally sung by Nat King Cole. I have also used "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables (see disclaimer on Chapter 12). The song at the end of this chapter is "Last Night of the World" from Miss Saigon, written by Alain Boublil. I did not write these songs - I am merely using them in my story. Oh yes, and Harry Potter belongs to JKRowling... and that's that... oh my god...