money from it, so please Ms. Rowling if you read this
don’t sue me. A comment or two would be welcome
though.
Please, if you read, take two minutes to review.
Harry trudged slowly up the steps headed for the Gryffindor common room. He could hardly believe that the Christmas holidays had ended two weeks ago already. He had more homework to do than he wanted to think about. There was a DA meeting scheduled for tonight, and he and Ron had not had much chance to work on creating new spells. Harry knew what he wanted to come up with, but he just couldn’t seem to find a way to do it. And last of all there was Snape, who seemed to have reached a new level of vindictiveness.
Ever since the incident where Ron and Hermione had managed to kill his wand, Snape had been as close to evil as Harry thought possible. The three of them had yet to get through a class without having points taken off. That was actually a good day now, because most days they were simply getting thrown out of class for no reason at all. Even Hermione had given up hope of getting a decent grade.
The three of them had simply taken to repeating lessons by themselves in Hermione and Ginny’s bathroom in hopes that they might pass their N.E.W.T.’s next year. They were relying on Ginny using her invisibility spell to nip ingredients from Snape’s office for them. Harry shuddered to think what would happen to her if she got caught.
What choice do we have? the voices asked. None of the rest of us can perform the invisibility charm yet, not even Hermione. Harry had to smile in spite of himself. Hermione was taking it as a personal affront that she had not mastered the spell yet. She had managed to make small objects invisible but not anything as large or complicated as a person.
Ginny did say it took her a year of practicing to master the spell, Harry told the voices.
Makes you wonder what else she has been working on that we don’t know about doesn’t it? they replied.
Well if she doesn’t want to tell us, we’ll never get it out of her, will we? Harry asked. The voices didn’t have an answer for him.
Bridgette sat down, sighing to herself, on the bench in the Apparation training room as the rest of the DA members filed out. She had talked to Harry only one time outside of DA meetings in the two weeks since returning to school. Luna had told her it would be difficult to get close to Harry, that he was insulating himself from pain by not letting new people into his life.
How is it that Loony Luna sees so easily what people are feeling? she asked herself silently. She and Luna were close, and she actually called her Loony once in a while. She had almost gotten herself hexed before Hermione had realized it was a term of affection from Bridgette.
It’s her greatest gift, the voice responded. She reads people, and simply tells the truth with no malice or contempt in her heart. Harry also gives her access to his feelings because she is not trying to get close to him. She helps him deal with his feelings, and he feels like he can protect her.
So what can I do? I already told him I would just like to get to know him better. If there is supposed to be more between us that can come later, Bridgette replied.
If you want anything with him at all, you’re going to have to be the one to push. You know he likes you, he is just afraid to let anyone else get too close to him, the voice said quietly.
He was willing to try with Hermione.
Luna told you he only took that chance because she was too close to begin with. Hermione was close to him before he knew the danger it would put her in. If you and her were switched, he probably would have asked you out and be keeping Hermione at arms length now.
What about Ginny? She scares me.
If Harry told her to leave you alone, she will, the voice responded.
Do you think there is something more between them other than this whole brother sister thing? Bridgette asked. The voice was quiet for a moment before responding.
I don’t believe that there is, but you would have to ask Ginny to know the truth of what her relationship with him is. Bridgette shuddered at the thought.
That is not something I want to ask Ginny, Bridgette replied.
“Bridgette?” Bridgette looked up to see Ginny; she looked like she was uncomfortable and slightly angry.
“Oh….hi, Ginny,” she replied, cautiously looking around to see if anyone else was near in case Ginny got really mad. Her heart shuddered when she realized they were alone. Bridgette had seen Ginny direct her anger at Cho over Ron’s diary; Cho had been ready to defend herself. Bridgette however, didn’t believe for a second that Ginny wouldn’t have simply overwhelmed Cho if it had come to it. And then there were all the times she got angry with Harry when he didn’t meet some expectation that only she and he seemed to understand. Bridgette felt justified in being afraid of her cousin.
“May I sit down?” Ginny asked curtly.
“We both know I can’t stop you from doing anything you want to, Ginny,” Bridgette replied softly. Ginny smiled slightly and then sat down. She didn’t say anything for a moment or two then she took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I scared you at my brothers wedding,” she said. Her tone much softer than Bridgette was used too. “I promised Harry that I would not do anything to harm you. I will keep that promise….Unless you turn him over to Tom,” she added a second later.
“Tom?” Bridgette asked confused. Ginny shook her head, sighing again.
“Voldemort, Bridgette, Tom Riddle is his given name. I call him Tom, because he doesn’t want me too.” Bridgette blinked.
“Oh….You and the others are very brave to say his name,” she replied quietly. After listening to Harry, Ron, and Hermione say it all year, along with a few others in the DA who were starting to say the name, Bridgette was just getting to the point where she could hear it and not shudder.
“It is only a name, Bridgette. You come to the DA meetings saying you want to fight him, how will you stand in front of Tom and fight if you can’t even say his name?”
Bridgette stared at Ginny, and then turned away under the intensity of her gaze.
“If you want to be close to Harry you will have to be much stronger than you are Bridgette.” Bridgette turned back to Ginny.
“Ginny, I don’t have your abilities or powers. I am plenty smart, but your ability to fight does not exist in me,” she retorted angrily.
“I’m not talking about you being as powerful as me or Hermione, or Ron. Tom can kill any of us at his choosing. I’m talking about being willing to fight for yourself. You say you are, but I don’t see it. If you want Harry, it is not me you have to fear, it is Tom.
“He is hunting Harry, stalking him like a snake in the grass hunting some poor helpless rat. He will use anything, anyone who is close to Harry to get him. If you want Harry, you risk yourself, your mother, your father; no one you know is safe. So you must be willing to fight, to push yourself beyond whatever limits you thought you had. And you must be willing to deal with the pain if you lose one of them.
“You will also have to fight Harry because he is tired of being hurt. He lost his parents to Tom and his Godfather to him last spring in the fight at the Ministry of Magic. Harry knows all too well what it means if he lets you in. He is not letting new people get close to him because he can’t handle the pain that might come from having them hurt. Or the pain they may feel if someone they care about is hurt because they decided they wanted to be his friend.
“Luna told me something similar. Is it really true that his Godfather was Sirius Black, that he was innocent?” Bridgette asked.
“Yes and yes,” Ginny replied. “You’ve heard this before, but Harry thought Sirius had been taken by Tom last spring. He ran off trying to rescue him. A bunch of us went with him. It was a trap. Sirius and some other members of the Order had to come rescue us. Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange. The rest of us were lucky to make it out alive. Harry blames himself for what happened. You’re going to have to get through all of that for him to let you in. I don’t know if you can, I don’t know if anyone can,” Ginny finished, shaking her head sadly.
“What about you, Ginny, he lets you in?” Bridgette replied. Ginny smiled and shook her head again.
“A long time ago, I might have tried. But Harry has never thought of me as anything other than Ron’s little sister, and now I’m Harry’s little sister. I love Harry with all my heart. I’m closer to him than any of my other brothers or even my parents, but I’m past wanting anything more than that from him.” They both sat quietly for a while before Bridgette spoke again.
“Why do you push him so hard Ginny?” Ginny didn’t answer right away, but Bridgette saw her shiver. She appeared to be gathering her courage before responding to the question.
“Has anyone told you the stories of what happened at Hogwarts five years ago, the ones about the Chamber of Secrets?” Ginny asked.
“I’ve heard some things about Harry killing a basilisk,” Bridgette replied quietly. Ginny took a deep breath.
“It was my first year here. I found a diary that I started to write in. The diary had belonged to Tom Riddle when he was sixteen and went to school here….He was evil already, even at that young age. He had constructed the diary as a means of coming back to life should he die at some later time. All his memories were there, all he needed was a soul.”
Bridgette watched Ginny carefully as she told the story. Ginny’s body was trembling. She was staring straight ahead not looking at anything but the wall. It appeared that she was in a trance.
“As I wrote in the diary, Tom began to take over my mind. I was the one who opened the chamber and let the basilisk into the school. I fought him every day. I know I was harder for him to control than anyone else ever has been. But I lost. I was taken into the chamber. My soul was to become a new one for Tom, all he needed was Harry to come rescue me and die in the attempt. If that had happened, Tom would have risen four years ago. Harry would be dead. And I, at least my soul, would have become Voldemort.”
Ginny stopped; Bridgette could feel energy radiating from her. She could see that even with Ginny right next to her, she wasn’t really there. She seemed to be fighting the battle all over again as she talked about it. A moment later, Ginny seemed to deflate, a smile came over her face and she picked up her story again.
“But Harry stopped him. He killed the basilisk, and then by stabbing the diary with the fang from the basilisk that was embedded in his arm he was able to poison Tom and prevent him from taking me. I woke in time to see Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix land next to Harry and drip tears into the wound on his arm. The tears stopped the poison from killing Harry and healed the bite. Look at his arm, there is a scar where the fang pierced him. Every day I look at that scar and see my failure.
“I have accepted what Tom did to me, but that does not change the fact that he must die for the rest of us to live. When Tom came back at the end of my third year, I swore that I would kill him for what he did to me, to Harry, so he couldn’t do it to anyone else, and as a way to thank Harry for saving my life.” Ginny stopped and looked at Bridgette. She may have deflated a little, but her eyes were still burning, alive with power.
“There are only five people in the world who know what you ask. I won’t tell you the exact wording because it could tell Tom how to defeat Harry….But you will pledge your life and accept that if you revel even this little bit that I will hunt you Bridgette….You will never be safe from me….I will kill you in the slowest, most painful manner you could possibly imagine. I will do it with no remorse or pity in my heart….If you want to know why I push Harry, you must decide now how strong you are Bridgette. You must decide if you have the strength to truly fight Tom. Not play at, as you have been for the past four months.”
Bridgette stared at Ginny. All color had drained from her face at Ginny’s threat. Ginny glared back at her, as she waited for a response. How brown eyes could be colder than ice Bridgette couldn’t fathom.
“Tom will come for all of us at some time, Bridgette. You could stand on the side if you would like. I will let you. Harry would let you, he would prefer it, but Tom will not. He will come some day and offer you the choice I am now. If you refuse him, he will take your mind as he did to me and force you to do his bidding. You would kill your own parents. You would torture your own infant child to death if he told you to….Or, he will simply kill you. Pray that is what he decides to do with you when you refuse him….If you want to know more, come to me when you are ready to fight, Bridgette.” Ginny stood up and walked away. Bridgette watched her disappear through the door.
The issue right now isn’t what might or might not happen between us and Harry, the voice said silently in her head. Ginny has shown you what the future is. She is giving you the chance to decide what your path in life will be. If you are going to fight Voldemort then do it. If not, go find a hole to hide in and pray he doesn’t find you.
Bridgette jumped up from the bench and ran after Ginny, catching her just before she gave the password to the Fat Lady. She grabbed Ginny by the arm and turned her around.
“Tell me why you push him,” Bridgette demanded. Ginny studied her, looked into her eyes, searching to see if Bridgette was truly ready to fight. There was a fire in them that had not been there before. She recognized it because she saw it in the mirror every day. Ginny reached into her bag and pulled out the Marauders Map. Harry had given it to her to make it easier for her to steal potions ingredients from Snape.
“What’s that?” Bridgette asked.
“Just watch, you’ll figure it out. And no, you cannot borrow it, so don’t ask,” Ginny replied, as she looked for somewhere she could take Bridgette where they would not be overheard.
“Looks like we’re going back to the Room of Requirement,” she sighed leading the way.
Ginny locked the door, casting every secrecy and anti snooping spell she could think of before she turned to Bridgette.
“Who are you fighting against, Bridgette?” she demanded. Bridgette knew she was being tested.
“I am fighting against Voldemort,” she responded firmly, surprising herself with how strong her voice was.
“Why?”
“Because I believe in what you fight for, Ginny. I believe that Voldemort is the greatest evil to ever walk on this planet. If giving my life is necessary to stop him, then I will.”
“I will hold you to that, Bridgette. This is your last chance to walk away. I meant what I said. I will hunt you down and kill you if you betray me,” Ginny replied, in a deathly calm voice.
“I know you did, Ginny. I have made my choice - I want to fight Voldemort,” Bridgette replied flatly. Ginny took a deep breath.
“The first prophecy, the one about Harry and Tom, Harry mentioned there is more to it than what you know,” Ginny stopped and her eyes pierced into Bridgette again.
“Go on, Ginny,” Bridgette said firmly.
“The prophecy goes on to say that Harry cannot continue to live while Tom is still alive. Also that Tom cannot live if Harry does.” Bridgette gasped.
“It also says that only they are capable of defeating each other. I swore I would kill Tom so he could not hurt anyone else the way he hurt me. But I can’t.
“I push Harry because he is the only one who can. I’ve seen him do it before, and I know he is capable. But Harry sometimes forgets what he is fighting. I make sure he remembers. I understand more than anyone alive, more even than Harry, what it will take to defeat Tom. I fought him for almost a year before falling. I could fight him longer now, but I would still fall.
“I love Harry with all my heart. I know what Tom could do to him. The only way I can protect him is to train him. So, I set impossible standards for him, and when he reaches them, I raise them higher. Harry knows I’m using him and he still loves me, treats me better than any of my brothers ever have. He doesn’t fight for himself. He fights for me.
“I hurt him every day when I tell him he fell short of what I wanted. That is why at Charlie’s wedding I told you I would curse you if you hurt him. I will not let anyone hurt him more than I do.
“But then Harry finds out and tells me I’m wrong, that I must apologize to you. He turns the love we have around and tells me to live up to his standards. He won’t let me protect him. I refuse to fail him, so I apologized to you.” By the time Ginny finished, tears of frustration and anger were in her eyes.
“Is there more to the prophecy, Ginny?”
“Yes there is, but I won’t tell you. Tom knows about the first couple of lines. That someone would be born at the end of July to parents who had defied him three times. This child would have the power to defeat the Dark Lord. That is all he knows, and is why he tried to kill Harry as a baby.
“You know a little more, but not the exact wording. It is too dangerous if it falls into Tom’s hands. Only Harry has the right to reveal any more to you.” Exhausted, Ginny sat down heavily on the floor. Bridgette walked over and put her arm around her.
“I will help you train him, Ginny.” Ginny sighed deeply.
“Thank you Bridgette, but I’m not sure you can.”
“Then I will train myself. So that I can defend him until you have him ready to fight Voldemort.” Ginny didn’t say anything, but just sat there letting Bridgette hold her.
“I never thought I would need to give you strength, Ginny,” Bridgette said quietly.
“I’m not afraid for myself, Bridgette. I have been dead before, only what might happen to Harry scares me,” Ginny said quietly.
“Ginny, I would like to try and make something happen with Harry. Maybe I can get in, and maybe I can’t. I might even get past the walls he has up and decide he is not the one for me, but I am going to find out. Harry will hold you to your promise not to harm me.” Ginny nodded her head in reply. Bridgette stood up and looked around the room.
“Is there any chance you’re going to let me out of here?” she asked. Ginny waved her wand haphazardly in the air.
“The door is open.”
“Thank you, Ginny.” Bridgette started to leave.
“Bridgette,” Ginny called to her. Bridgette stopped and turned around again. “My friends call me Gin.” Bridgette smiled and turned to go again.
“Good luck Bridgette,” Ginny called over her shoulder.
“Thanks, Gin,” Bridgette replied softly, as she walked out the door. Ginny stood up and looked around the room she wiped the tears from her eyes and picked up her bag.
“Let her in, Harry,” she whispered as she left the room.
Harry knocked on the door of Hermione and Ginny’s room before entering. Ron looked up at him.
“Alright Harry?” he asked, turning back to the chess board he was studying.
“I thought you were staying up in the dorm last night?”
“I did, I only came down here an hour or so ago. Ginny must have come in pretty late last night for them to still be sleeping,” Ron indicated towards the bed where Hermione and his sister were lying.
“It wipes us out to sit with her Harry. I don’t know what it gives her, but she must drain something from us. I’m starting to figure out how to deal with it though,” he added.
“I noticed you did a lot better in the DA last night than you have recently,” Harry commented. He then nodded at the chessboard.
“Who are you playing anyways?” Ron moved a piece before looking up again.
“The voices, I figured out that I could shut them out, divide myself into two players. I have no idea what they are going to do, they don’t have a clue what my plan is.” Harry looked down at the board, there were a lot more black than white pieces left.
“What side are you?”
“I’m white, they’re killing me. This is the second time I’ve played this morning, they checkmated me in eleven moves the first game….I’m not doing much better this time,” Ron added, shaking his head in disgust.
Harry was surprised. He had given up playing against Ron for the most part, it was no fun to play him when the game was over in five minutes. He easily beat Harry, Ginny and Hermione together when they did play. He seemed to have an endless supply of counter moves planned, never taking more than a few seconds to respond to a move that the three of them had debated for half an hour or more. Harry looked on as Ron moved one of the black pieces.
“Damn, got me again,” Ron said, shaking his head. “Checkmate in five more plays. I gave it a little better go that time. I’m going to go shower. Meet you in the common room in half before we go to breakfast?”
“Sure Ron, you want me to pick this up for you?” Harry asked.
“No, mate I want to study it before I take it down,” Ron replied. “You should take a look at it too. See if you can figure it out,” he added on his way out the door.
“Hey you two,” Harry said, shaking the bed. “Ron and I are going to breakfast in half if you want to come.”
“Leave us alone, or we’ll turn you into bubotuber puss,” Ginny moaned.”
“Fine, I just thought I would ask,” Harry said quietly, as he sat down at the table to study the chess board.
“Oh, Harry we’re not trying to be mean,” Hermione apologized, groaning as she sat up. “Come on, Gin. I have too much to do today to sleep all morning.”
“Ok, ok, I’m coming,” Ginny said, following Hermione into the bathroom and closing the door behind them.
“I’m surprised you’re having so much trouble with the chess game, Ron,” Harry remarked as he bit into a piece of toast.
“Why, I’m playing against three players who are as good as I am at the same time,” Ron replied. “I wish I had figured out how to do this first year. I would have been able to get all of us across that chess board without having to sacrifice myself.” Hermione dropped her fork and stared at him. Harry recovering from his own shock at Ron’s pronouncement managed to close his mouth in time for Hermione’s response.
“You’ve improved that much?” she asked.
“Yeah, I have. I learned more in those two games this morning than I have in the past year playing against you guys.” Harry’s mouth dropped open again.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say you guys aren’t any good. You three are probably the top three players in the school after me,” Ron said softly, trying to apologize for the insult he felt he had thrown at his friends.
“It’s ok, Ronald we’re not mad at you. You’re allowed to be the best at something,” Hermione replied taking his hand.
“Yeah, Ron, I know you’re good at it, I just didn’t realize how good,” Harry added.
“Well obviously, he can be better if someone is beating him can’t he?” Ginny said evenly. Harry turned to glare at her.
“Do you even know what he is doing?” he asked angrily. Ginny shook her head unconcernedly.
“Nope.”
“He is playing the voices, three against one,” Harry hissed under his breath at her so no one else could hear.
“Good for you, Ron. Let me know when you beat them,” Ginny replied lightly. Ron and Hermione looked at Ginny with their mouths flapping.
“Honestly, Gin you’re impossible,” Harry said shaking his head.
“I see you’ve added Ron to your target list now too, Ginny.” Harry looked up to see Bridgette had joined them along with Luna.
“Hi Bridge, how are you doing this morning?” Ginny replied kindly, but Harry could see something in her eyes that worried him.
“Be nice, Ginny,” Harry growled at her.
“It’s ok, Harry. Ginny and I talked for a long time last night. I think we understand each other just fine now,” Bridgette said returning Ginny’s look.
“You apologized to her then?” Harry asked Ginny.
“Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t, what are you going to do about it, Harry?” Ginny snapped at him, but her eyes had changed again.
“Thank you, Ginny.” She stuck her tongue out at him and then took a bite out of her toast smiling broadly.
“Harry,” Bridgette started. Harry turned to look at her again. “I was wondering if you would go for a walk with me later, down by the lake maybe?” Harry was amazed at how confidently she managed to ask him that in front of all the people around them. He was sure he couldn’t have done the same.
“Erm…”
“Ouch!” Ginny and Hermione had kicked him under the table.
“Yeah….ok, when did you want to go?” Harry asked, rubbing his leg.
“How about we meet at the front door, after lunch today? Say about 1:00?”
“Ok, I guess that will work,” Harry replied
“Good I’ll see you then, Harry,” Bridgette replied, she flashed him a smile before she walked off followed by Luna. Harry sat there, shaken for a second by her boldness, snapping out of it when he realized his leg was still throbbing.
“Which one of you kicked me?” he asked angrily, as he turned back to the table. Ginny and Hermione both raised their hands smiling brightly at him.
“What for? That hurt!”
“Honestly, Harry you’re almost as bad as Ron,” Hermione replied. She shook her head and went back to reading the paper.
“Really, Harry if you were going to say no, why did I have to apologize to her?” Ginny asked.
“What did you do to her, Ginny?” Ron asked cautiously. Ginny ignored him.
“Harry, if you still need a date for the Valentines Day dance, you shouldn’t wait for her to ask you,” Ginny commented, her eyes dancing brilliantly as she teased him.
“We’re just going for a walk, Ginny,” Harry stammered.
“If you say so, Harry,” she replied lightly.
“Will someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Ron asked in exasperation. Hermione reached across the table and put her hand on his.
“Later, Love.”
“You’re all insane, and I have potions homework to do before I go for a walk with Bridgette,” Harry said glaring at Ginny. “Hermione, is there any chance you could give me a hand?”
“Sure, Harry I’ll meet you in mine and Ginny’s room ok?”
“Thank you, Hermione,” Harry replied, before getting up and leaving.
“See you later, Big Brother,” Ginny called after him. Harry just kept walking shaking his head on his way out the door.
“Well Gin, this has been a pleasant morning,” Ron snapped at her. “I don’t know what you did to Bridgette, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why Harry puts up with you.”
“Come on Ronald,” Hermione said, as she stood up, “I know you still have the potions essay to do too. I’ll explain it to you on the way up. See you later, Ginny,” she added dragging Ron along behind her.
Harry walked through the snow with Bridgette next to him as they headed for the lake. He was struggling for something to talk about with her. Anything at all would have been good.
“Is there anyone over there?” Bridgette asked quietly, waving a hand in front of his face.
“Oh….yeah, I’m sorry, I’m not trying to ignore you, Bridgette,” Harry replied. They had reached a small clearing in the woods near the lake. Harry stopped and watched the giant squid swimming in the shallows under the ice. They stood there for a while before either one of them said anything.
“I spent an hour underwater in there my fourth year and never even saw that thing once,” Harry commented.
“Oh, goodness…You can talk then,” Bridgette teased giving him a shove. Harry smiled back at her then looked at the ground again.
“Tell me about it, Harry.”
“It’s all in the school records,” he replied, closing down again.
“I would really kind of like to hear it from you, Harry.” Harry looked at Bridgette again then turned back to the lake.
“You really don’t like to talk about yourself do you?” she asked. Harry sighed.
“No, I don’t. My whole life, from the day I came to Hogwarts, has been one newspaper headline after another.”
“You don’t always get the truth in the newspapers, Harry.” Harry turned and smiled at her.
“So you don’t think I’m a nutter then?” Bridgette returned his smile. She waited a moment before replying.
“I do know quite a few things about you that are true.” Harry looked down again.
“I know that you are brave, that you are intensely loyal to your friends. I know that Ron, Hermione, and Ginny would carry the burden of the first prophecy for you if they could. Do you have any idea why they would do that for you?” she asked softly. Harry scowled at her.
“What did Ginny tell you last night, Bridgette?” he asked coldly. “She was supposed to apologize to you, not terrify you.”
“She only told me a little more than you told the rest of the people in the DA. She wouldn’t even tell me the exact wording, she said it was to protect me….and you.” Harry closed his eyes.
“At least she has some sense,” he said under his breath, but not quiet enough that Bridgette didn’t hear it. “What do you know, Bridgette?” he continued.
“I know that you and Voldemort…” Harry’s eyes snapped open as she said the name.
“Yes, I am not afraid of his name anymore, Harry.” Harry nodded his head. “I know that the prophecy says it is impossible for you to both live at the same time, that one of you will kill the other. And that you are the only one capable of killing him and that only he is capable of killing you.”
“She told you too much….Do you know how much danger that puts you in?” Harry asked angrily, he was close to exploding.
“Ginny is very frightening, but she has a way of making a person see the truth. I am hardly in more danger now than I was before. Voldemort will come for all of us some day if you fail to defeat him, Harry.”
“Yes, but now he has a reason to seek you out,” Harry snapped, kicking the rocks in front of him. “This is exactly why I don’t want to be here with you.”
“And I have a reason to fight, Harry,” Bridgette said firmly, trying to match his anger but keep him from storming off at the same time.
“Last night Ginny told me I was too weak to be close to you. She wanted to know, when Voldemort was standing in front of me, how I intended to fight if I was too scared to even say his name. She said I had been playing for the last four months in the DA meetings.”
“Ginny is very hard to please,” Harry replied more calmly, his anger only just receding.
“She was right, Harry. I was just playing, it was great fun. Whoo hoo, look at all the stuff I can do now,” she paused. “Too bad I wasn’t prepared to use it,” she added angrily.
“Ginny did apologize to me. Then I asked her why she pushed you so hard. I got a lot more than I bargained for in her answer. Do you even know why she pushes you so much, Harry?”
“I know exactly what she is doing,” Harry replied quietly.
“Tell me, Harry because I want to make sure I have it right.” Harry glared at Bridgette. This was not what he had expected when she asked him to go for a walk today. Though he didn’t really know what he had expected in the first place.
“Ginny is the only person to have faced Voldemort besides myself and Dumbldore, who has defied him and is still alive or not completely insane. What he did to her is burned into her soul. Voldemort has possessed me for brief instances, but I don’t really know what she felt. Ginny is the one person who truly knows the evil that I have to destroy. She doesn’t care about what will happen to her. She is terrified about what could happen to me if I fail, so she has taken it upon herself to make sure I will be ready when the time comes….I don’t even care what happens to me. I only want her to be safe. I want all the people I care about to be safe.”
“That is exactly why your friends would take your place if they could. Because you won’t let them, Harry. I would take you place if I could,” Bridgette said.
“You’re all insane to even be seen with me,” Harry said quietly, he was deflating, unable to stay angry.
“No we’re not. Ginny explained my options in this war. I can wait on the side for Voldemort to come if you happen to lose. When he finds me, I will either join him willingly, be possessed by him as Ginny was, or I will die. Ginny told me that I should pray he just kills me if I refuse him. My last option is to fight for myself with you. I choose like them to fight with you. After talking to Ginny last night, I would choose to fight him without you, because it is what I believe in.”
“That doesn’t change that it rests on me. There are lots of people fighting Voldemort for the same reasons you are. There might even be one dying right now. The only thing that keeps me sane is that I don’t know them. I don’t even let myself read the paper because of the guilt it causes.
“I know what you want from me Bridgette. I like you. You are one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. It would be easy for me to make the attempt you want if things were different. I want you to know that I would trade my life to save yours if I had too. I care about you that much.”
“But?” Bridgette asked
“But as cold as it sounds, the truth is I could stand the guilt if something were to happen to you right now. I’m sorry if that hurts you, Bridgette,” Harry said quietly and started to walk away. Bridgette grabbed his arm.
“I’m not done yet, Harry.” Harry stopped and looked at her.
“You’re right, that is very cold. But the truth is I feel the same way. I could live with my failure if something were to happen to you right now.” Harry started to move away again, but she held his arm firmly.
“I would like the chance to change that Harry. I’m even willing to go beyond halfway if you will give me an honest effort.” Harry sighed. He stood there with his eyes closed, her hand on his arm, near tears.
Why are women so strong? the voices asked him.
“It was the second task in the Tri Wizard Tournament during my fourth year,” Harry began.
“That was a long walk,” Ginny said to him when Harry walked into hers and Hermione’s room. Ron was playing chess again while Hermione looked to be writing a letter. Harry dropped heavily onto the couch.
“What did you do?” she asked.
“We talked,” Harry replied looking at the floor. “I’m not very happy with you, Ginny. I’m not sure you should talk to me right now.” Ron and Hermione looked up at him.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Ginny said softly, her lip beginning to tremble. “I thought giving you a push to start living again was the right thing to do.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then why are you mad at me?” Harry looked at her; he could tell that she didn’t understand why he was mad.
“Because you pushed her into thinking she needs to pick up the torch and run off into the war against Voldemort. She thinks she needs to be willing to sacrifice herself for me. Why did you tell her about kill or be killed, about only the two of us being able to kill each other?” Harry asked quietly, he was too drained to raise his voice.
“Because she asked, Harry I didn’t tell her any of that until after she had already decided to fight,” Ginny’s answer was given in a calm even tone.
“She didn’t need to make that choice yet, Ginny.”
“Harry, what is the point of the DA meetings then?” Hermione asked. Harry looked at her and then Ron.
“Help me out here, Ron?” he asked. Ron shook his head.
“I’m sorry Harry, but Ginny has told us exactly what she said to Bridgette last night. And she was right. The four of us go in there and teach the others. Granted you do most of it, but how can they expect to fight if they are afraid to say Voldemort’s name?”
“We’re playing with their lives,” Harry whispered, tears forming in his eyes. Hermione stood up and walked over to him.
“You know that’s not true, Harry. We tell them the truth, and offer them the best we can to defend themselves. What they do with that is their choice.”
“Harry, the war is not like a chess game where you take the king, and the other side simply stops fighting. There are hundreds of Death Eaters that will try to carry on without Voldemort once you have defeated him. We all train so that we can take them down after he falls,” Ron said, walking over to join Hermione in front of him
“And you’re all so sure that I am going to win?” Harry asked quietly.
“I seem to remember standing outside one night this fall, safely wrapped in your arms, Harry. I seem to remember that you forced your way into Voldemort’s mind and told him you were coming for him,” Hermione said angrily. “You tell me, Harry. Are you going to defeat him?” Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. They could both see the fire well up in his eyes.
“The strength of both,” Harry said firmly. Hermione and Ron both reached out and pulled Harry into their arms.
“Thanks, both of you.” Harry pulled away from them. He walked over to Ginny who was still sitting on the bed. She wouldn’t look at him.
“You were right to challenge her, Ginny. I’m shouldn’t be mad at you for making her stand on her own feet. I should thank you. I’m sorry for being weak. Will you forgive me?” Ginny looked up at him her arms crossed in defiance.
“Please, Ginny?”
“Only if you sit with me tonight,” she replied curtly.
“Hermione and I could both use a break, Harry,” Ron urged him.
“You know I’m not comfortable in here,” Harry replied, looking at him, desperately pleading for help.
“So go in the common room, take a book or two. Make it look like you just happened to fall asleep on the couch. That’s what happened the day before Halloween. No one said anything then,” Ron replied.
“Please, Harry I could really use a good nights sleep. Dumbledore did say that it was going to take all three of us to help her,” Hermione added. Harry looked around the room at them.
“Where is my transfiguration book? I’ve got like ten chapters to read in it before Monday. I guess you better go see if the couch is available, Ginny.” Ginny jumped up and ran out of the room.
“Thanks Harry,” Ron said. Harry smiled at him.
“You had definitely better sleep upstairs tonight. I know Dumbledore will not appreciate you staying in here while Ginny is not in the room,” Harry said, giving Ron a shove towards the door.
“Hey don’t I even get to give him a good night kiss?” Hermione yelped from behind Harry. Harry picked up his book and Ginny’s charms book on his way out the door.
“If I don’t see Ron head upstairs in five minutes, I’ll make him belch slugs for a week. Kissing him will be the last thing you want to do, Hermione.”
Harry walked into the common room and dropped Ginny’s book on the couch before sitting down next to her.
“At least make it look good,” he hissed under his breath while opening his book and starting to read. Ginny read for a while next to him before leaning up against him.
“Are you going to see her again, Harry?” she whispered.
“We’re going for a walk again tomorrow.”
“I know why you were able to ask Hermione. And why it is hard for you to let someone new get close. But you need to live life, Harry.”
“I’m trying, Ginny. Please don’t push me on this.”
“I won’t promise, but I’ll try not to push too hard.” Harry didn’t answer. He watched Ron leave Hermione’s room, and then began to slowly read through the chapters of his book, the common room emptying as he turned the pages. He heard Ginny’s book fall to the floor, and an hour later when he fell asleep, the common room was empty.
Author's note:
I told you last chapter, it is not my fault. It is not Bridgette's fault either. It is all Ginny's fault.
I received an e-mail from a dedicated reader with a question on the multiple voices concept in my story. She had become confused as to who had them and who did not. Apparently, I have become to accustomed as the writer to functioning in that manner, and with my writing style had confused her into thinking Bridgette has multiple voices in the chapter titled Bridgette.
To clarify: In chapter one, I state that there are three wizards and two witches with multiple voices. They are.
Dumbledore: Developed who knows when and used extensively.
Voldemort: Developed who knows when and used extensively. We find out about Voldemort having the voices from Harry in the chapter titled, Ginny.
Harry: First developed forth year while the imposter Mad-Eye has him under the imperious curse. The voice lies dormant until chapter four of this story.
Hermione: First developed, third year while using the time turner. The voice went dormant during her fourth and fifth years and resurfaced in chapter five of this story.
Ginny: First developed her first year while fighting against Tom Riddle’s diary. She has used her ability and developed it ever since.
At the time the voices are introduced in chapter one, the three wizards and two witches statement is true. Ron first develops his ability with multiple voices in chapter five, of this story. He becomes the fourth wizard with the ability alive in the world today.
These six sorcerers will be the only ones to have the multiple voices in this story, and in my version of year seven. At times, there will be other witches or wizards who have a conversation between themselves, and the one voice that lives in their mind like Bridgette does in chapter fifteen. You can tell the difference in the speaker tags. Bridgette’s conversation with the voice will look like this.
What can I do? Bridgette silently asked the voice.
Luna told you what to do, the voice responded.
For Harry or any of the others with multiple voices, the conversation would look like this.
What can I do? Harry silently asked the voice.
Luna told you what to do, the voices responded. Or
Luna told you what to do, the second voice responded.
I hope this clarifies things for people.