money from it, so please Mrs. 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 woke up early the day after he, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had gone to Diagon Alley to get their pictures taken. His scar was pricking lightly. Harry could already tell that Voldemort was happy about something. He was tempted to open the conduit a little to see what was causing such strong emotions in Voldemort, but decided against finding out. It was likely to be bad news for everyone else, and Harry just didn’t want to know. Instead, he concentrated on closing it tight. It took about twenty minutes for the pricking to finally stop.
The words of the prophecy played in Harry’s mind:
"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES….BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT… AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES….THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES….”
He didn’t like them very much. He had spent hours looking for a way out of it, and many more trying to decide if he should tell his friends.
Harry had learned to accept all of the things that had happened to him because of Voldemort. Some, because they were more recent, were just closer to the surface. He had even found one good thing the Dark Lord had caused to happen in his life. Hermione.
Before Professor Quirll let the troll in the school his first year, she had been horrible to be around. But he and Ron had gone to find Hermione. They had saved her life, and she had saved them from Professor McGonagall. Hermione had turned into one of his two - three now - best friends.
What Harry couldn’t adjust too was that either he or Voldemort would have to die by the other's hand in order to live. Harry knew Voldemort was more than willing to kill him. Harry however, didn’t think he could kill Voldemort. Not because he didn’t have the ability, but because he didn’t want to murder anyone. Even if they had killed his parents, or were trying to kill him.
I wonder what would happen if I just tried to hide? he asked himself silently.
Voldemort will hunt you, and anyone close to you until either you or he is dead, the voice in his head spoke up. We cannot hide.
Harry didn’t answer. He knew the voice was right. Harry made his decision; he was going to tell the others about the prophecy.
They deserve the chance to run while they can, he thought.
You severely underestimate them, said the voice.
Harry dressed and headed downstairs. No one else was up yet. He sat down at the table with a quill and parchment and began to write, tucking the parchment into his pocket when he had finished. He wasn’t sure when, but sometime today he would show it to Ron and Hermione. Harry looked up at a noise in the kitchen.
“Good morning, Dobby,” he said.
“Sir is up early today. Dobby is sorry not to have breakfast ready,” the elf apologized.
“It’s ok, Dobby. Can I help you?” Dobby was taken aback.
“Help Dobby, sir? Dobby is paid to help Harry Potter, not have his work done for him.”
“Dobby, sometimes everyone needs help, even a house elf,” Harry said with a sigh. Dobby’s eyes brimmed with tears.
“Dobby is honored by sir’s kind words. Dobby is truly blessed to serve such a great wizard….Sir, Dobby senses that Harry Potter is troubled. Perhaps Dobby can help,” he added brightening a little. Harry looked at the elf. Dobby looked back at him with his huge eyes.
“Please sir, Dobby knows many things.” The elf stepped timidly towards Harry. Harry regarded him a moment and pulled the parchment out of his pocket.
“Dobby, you are a free elf, so I cannot stop you from doing anything you want to do. But if you want to see this, you must promise that you will not scream, or run around breaking things over your head. And you must promise that you will not go off to fight Voldemort for me.”
Dobby had cowered down at the sound of the Dark Lord’s name. He looked around fearfully.
“Dobby?” he squeaked. “Why would Dobby want to fight the Dark Lord?” Harry set the parchment on the table.
“Promise?”
The elf climbed onto the bench next to him, he nodded at Harry. Harry slid the parchment to Dobby, watching closely to see what reaction the elf would have.
Dobby turned his head back to Harry after he finished reading the prophecy. He was trembling. Harry couldn’t tell if the elf was scared, mad or both. He was clearly struggling to maintain control of himself.
“Remember, you promised, Dobby.”
“Harry Potter must destroy the Dark Lord if he is to live, sir?” the elf squeaked in a voice softer than any Harry had heard from Dobby before.
“Professor Dumbledore interprets the prophecy that way. I can’t find any other meaning either,” Harry replied. "Dobby, I can’t kill anyone, not even Voldemort. Dobby, I don’t want to commit murder.” Harry couldn’t believe he had said it. He felt a huge sense of relief just telling someone, anyone.
“Harry Potter is a great wizard. He will find the strength to do what he must,” the elf said firmly.
“You don’t understand, Dobby. I’m not like Voldemort. I can’t kill him just to save myself,” Harry answered, his anger rising.
“If sir cannot destroy the Dark Lord for himself, then he must do it for his Weezey, for young Miss, for Dobby, because if he does not then the Dark Lord will rule….” Dobby replied, his own anger rising. Harry was caught off guard. He had been so focused on the part of the prophecy that said if he wanted to live, he would have to kill Voldemort that he had forgotten he was the only one who could.
If I don’t, Voldemort will hunt down and kill everyone I care about. All my friends, Molly, Arthur, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, he said to himself.
I won’t let him hurt them! I don’t care what it does to us, the voice spat vehemently at him.
“Dobby understands the great burden sir must carry. But sir is a great wizard, and all great wizards must do things they would rather not. It is what makes them great.”
Harry looked at Dobby with a newfound respect. He didn’t understand the magic that bound house elves to their families. He had no idea what it had cost Dobby to betray the Malfoys during his second year at Hogwarts. He only knew that Dobby was ostracized by other house elves, and for that matter by most of the magical world. Dobby was as alone in the world as Harry had been growing up with the Dursleys, all because he had helped Harry.
“You sound a lot like Dumbledore, Dobby. Thank you,” Harry said.
“Harry Potter tells Dobby, that sometimes even house elves need help, sir. Sometimes sir, so does great wizards.”
“Dobby, if I am a great wizard….Then you must be the greatest of house elves.” Harry smiled at him. Dobby beamed at him his great orb like eyes shining brightly.
“Now will you let me help with breakfast?”
“Sir may set the table,” answered the elf.
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were lying on their backs under the large oak tree watching the clouds float by. Harry was trying to decide if he was going to tell Ginny about the prophecy. She was his friend, but she was also his little sister now. For some reason, he felt more need to protect her than he did with Ron and Hermione, and he knew that by telling others he placed them and himself at greater risk.
She is our friend, close enough to know the whole truth, we betray her if we don’t tell her too, the voice said.
Argh! Why are you always right? Harry asked. The voice didn’t answer. Harry sat up, reaching into his pocket for the parchment with the prophecy.
“Have any of you ever wondered why Voldemort wants to kill me?....Why he killed my parents when I was a baby?....Why he tried to kill me too?....Why he lured me to the Ministry last spring?” he asked quietly. The others were startled out of their daydreams.
“Bloody Hell, Harry! You could at least give a little warning before dropping a question like that,” Ron said after coughing up the candy he had been sucking on. Hermione smacked his arm.
“Grow up, Ronald. It’s just a name.” Ginny just glared at Ron.
“Of course we have, Harry. Why are you asking?” Hermione reached out to touch his arm. Harry stood up and held the parchment out to her.
“After the fight at the Ministry, Dumbledore sent me to his office to wait for him. We talked for a long time. I was mad at him, at myself. I destroyed a lot of his things that night while he tried to help me. Finally, he calmed me down enough to apologize to me. He said he had failed me by trying to protect me from the truth. This is what he wanted to protect me from,” Harry finished. Hermione reached up slowly to take the parchment.
“You won’t like what it says,” Harry said holding on to it.
“I want to know. I don’t care what it says,” Hermione replied, and with a slight tug pulled the parchment away from him. Harry turned and started to wander away.
“Where are you going?” Ginny asked.
“Nowhere, I just thought I would let you read it,” Harry called back over his shoulder.
“Give me that,” Ginny said, snatching the parchment out of Hermione’s hand.
“Hey!” Ginny ignored her. Ron and Hermione moved to either side of her reading over her shoulder.
“THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES….BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT… AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES….THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES….”
Hermione finished reading. She turned to look for Harry.
He’s over there, by the big boulder, the voice said.
“Is this what I think it is?” Ron asked.
“It’s a prophecy, Ronald,” Hermione answered. “And Dumbledore must think it’s a real prophecy, or he wouldn’t have given it to Harry,” she added, seeing the incredulous look on his face.
“Ginny?” Ron looked at his sister. She had wandered away, and turned to look at him when he said her name. Ron was startled; her eyes seemed to be on fire, she was frightening to look at.
“We better go find him. He probably thinks we won’t want to be his friends after we see this,” she said storming off in the direction Harry had gone. Ron and Hermione hurried to catch up. Harry looked up at what he hoped were still his friends.
“Anyone in their right mind would get as far away from me as they could,” he said quietly into the emptiness that surrounded him.
I already told you, you severely underestimate them, the voice said to him.
“It’s time to start the DA again,” Ginny said, sinking down on her knees in front of him. “If you have to fight Tom, then I’m going to make sure you’re ready.” Harry looked at Ron and Hermione. They were as shocked as he was.
“Tom?” Ron asked.
“Tom Marvolo Riddle,” Ginny hissed, the name rolling off her tongue venomously, “Voldemort, that is his real name. If Harry has to fight that bastard, then I am going to make sure he is ready. You two can either help me, or Get Out Of My Way!”
“Whoa Ginny, calm down,” Ron snapped at her.
“Ronald and I have been helping Harry fight against Voldemort since our first year. Of course we're going to help you,” Hermione retorted, her temper rising with Ginny’s. Ron pulled Harry to his feet, lifting him off the ground in a bear hug.
“I always thought something like this was the deal between you two. He’s got a lot to worry about Harry, because you’re going to be the greatest wizard in the world, better even than Dumbledore,” he said as he let Harry go.
“We'll always be your friends, Harry,” Ginny and Hermione added, hugging him at the same time.
I told you, you underestimated them, the voice said.
“Thanks guys,” Harry answered, relief washing over him. “So when do you want to start?” he asked after a moment.
“Start what Harry?” Hermione and Ron asked together.
“The DA.”
“Now, Harry,” Ginny said firmly, her eyes still flaming. “We start now.”
They were in Ron and Harry’s room. It had taken two days to find Remus Lupin. He had listened quietly to what they were planning and agreed that if they hoped to defend themselves against it, they needed to practice. Finally they managed to convince him to teach them how to perform the Imperius Curse.
“You’re sure about this, Harry?” Hermione asked nervously. Harry nodded his head.
“Voldemort uses it all the time. We need to be able to fight it.” Hermione raised her wand at him.
“Imperio!”
Harry hadn’t felt it since the imposter Mad-Eye had demonstrated it on all the students in his 4th year Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The floating sensation came back, every thought and worry wiped out of his head. He was just relaxed and happy.
Jump on the bed Harry…. the voice said, a voice that was not his own.
Why? another voice said to him. It was Harry’s own voice. He recognized it, but it was different than the one that normally talked to him.
Jump on the bed Harry….
I don’t want to. Tell her to jump on the bed herself, the voice said to him.
I SAID JUMP ON THE BED HARRY!
NO! the voice thundered in his mind. Harry felt his senses rush back in on him. He blinked his eyes and looked around.
Where did you go? Harry asked the voice in his head silently.
I’m right here, just like always, answered the first voice, the one that was always with him.
No. Not you, the other voice, the one who told me not to jump on the bed? Harry thought.
That would be me, the second voice said.
Where did he come from? asked the first voice.
He’s been there ever since 4th year when the imposter Mad-Eye demonstrated the ‘Imperious Curse’ on us, Harry answered. Why haven’t you showed up since then?
Wasn’t needed, said the second voice.
Well from now on you speak up whether I need you or not, Harry said.
You’re the boss. You want me to stick around, I’ll stick around.
“Harry, you ok?” Hermione asked. He looked very confused to her.
“What?...Oh yeah, hey I did it. You wanted me to jump on the bed, but I didn’t,” Harry replied. “It wasn’t very hard to beat, were you putting much into the curse, Hermione?”
“No, we agreed to start low and build as we got better at fighting it. I probably should have put more into it with you. You fought it better than anyone when that imposter did it to us.”
“I want to try next, we never did it at school. I guess they must have thought it was too much for students below 4th year,” Ginny interjected.
“Ok then,” Hermione raised her wand towards Ginny, “ready?” Ginny nodded her head.
“Imperio!”
Ginny felt happiness wash over her. It felt the same as it did her first year, when Voldemort had used the diary of Tom Riddle, his sixteen year old self to possess her. He had used her to open the Chamber of Secrets. To release the basilisk, hurt all those students. Ginny had fought him, been more of a challenge for him to control than any other person he had tried to possess. She was eleven at the time.
Ginny had developed two new selves to help her fight. Combined with her first voice and conscious self the four of them had won. Ginny had thrown the diary away, saved herself. But then Harry had found the diary. Ginny was to weak to fight anymore when she tried to save him by stealing it back. Tom Riddle had finally been able to take full control of her.
Ginny had not let the voices fade after Harry rescued her. She had developed her gift, used her ability daily.
Jump on the bed Ginny….
And they remembered what happened the last time.
Jump on the bed Ginny….
The voices flew to her aid now.
NO GINNY! the first voice thundered in her head, breaking Hermione’s spell.
PROTEGO!....PERTRIFICUS TOTALUS! two different voices roared in her mind a millisecond later. Hermione was hit with the second spell, her wand pointed at Ginny, her mouth open in surprise, she was frozen solid.
“Ginny!” Harry yelled, jumping between her and Hermione. Ron grabbed his sister in a bear hug wrestling her onto the bed with Harry’s help.
“Get off me!” Ginny screamed, fighting them wildly. Harry grabbed her head.
“Look at me!” Ginny’s eyes darted to Harry. “It’s ok, Ginny!” A flicker of recognition flashed in her mind and her struggles slowed enough for Ron to wretch her wand away but she was still fighting them firecly.
“Ginny! Ginny! Look at me!” Harry yelled, holding her face so she had to look at him. Harry could see her eyes blazing with fear….and power! The fury subsided slightly as she focused on Harry.
“Ginny, it’s me, Ron.” Her eyes darted to Ron. “It’s ok Ginny, calm down. You're ok, no one is going to hurt you.” The fire continued to decrease in her eyes and Harry could feel her relax - she wasn’t fighting any more. He let his grip loosen.
“You’re ok Ginny, no one is going to hurt you… ok?” Ron asked. Ginny nodded her head at him. Harry and Ron let her go. Helping her sit up, she started to shake violently. Ron sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her.
“It’s ok Ginny….just relax. I’ve got you now….I won’t let any one hurt you,” he said rocking her back and forth. “Harry I’ve got her, why don’t you help Hermione.” Harry nodded his head at him and got up off the bed, walking to Hermione.
“It’s ok Ginny….just calm down.”
“Finite!” Harry waved his wand at Hermione. He caught her as she fell forward.
“Harry?” Hermione looked at him confused and then at Ron rocking Ginny in his arms on the bed. She could hear him whispering at her, telling her to calm down. Every few seconds, a shudder would rip through her body.
“What happened? Did I hurt her?”
“No, you didn’t hurt her. Are you ok, Hermione? She didn’t hit you with anything else?”
“No, I’m fine, tell me what happened, Harry.”
“In a minute, first let Ginny know you’re ok,” Harry told her. Hermione looked at Harry quizzically.
“I have an idea, but it will be better for Ginny if she tells us. Let her know you’re ok.” Hermione nodded at him and crossed to the bed, kneeling down in front of Ginny, she reached up to take her hand.
“Ginny…“ Ginny looked down, startled to see her.
“It’s ok, Ginny, I’m not hurt. I promise…” Ginny sank down on the floor hugging Hermione close to her.
“I’m sorry, Hermione. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she was crying in big sobs. “It was just so much like before….like when he possessed me….I just lashed out. I’m sorry.”
Hermione let Ginny hold her, letting her cry until she began to calm down again. When she had, Hermione pushed Ginny away putting her hands on Ginny’s shoulders.
“Look at me, Ginny.” Ginny hesitated, afraid to look in Hermione’s eyes. “Look at me!” Hermione demanded. She lifted Ginny’s head with her hand. “I’m ok. I’m not hurt.” Ginny nodded. “I’m not hurt, and I’m not mad at you….ok?” Ginny nodded again. “What happened when Voldemort did this to you is why we are practicing how to fight against it. Do you understand me?” Ginny nodded her head again. “No, answer me Ginny.”
“I understand, Hermione, I’ll be ok now,” Ginny said quietly while wiping her face.
“Good. Come on now, stand up.” Hermione stood up pulling Ginny with her she hugged her again. “Now, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No, it was just Tom,” Ginny said, shaking her head on Hermione’s shoulder. “It was just Tom.”
“Ginny….Why don’t you sit down and tell us exactly what happened to you, when You-Know-Who possessed you. Tell us how it compared with the Imperious Curse,” Ron said. He sat down on the bed, pulling Ginny up next to him so she could lay her head on his lap. Hermione sat on the floor reaching up to hold her hand, while Harry sat down behind her resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Tell us, Ginny,” Ron said.
They listened quietly. Harry had been briefly possessed by Voldemort too, but not like Ginny had. He understood only vaguely how much Voldemort had hurt her. By the time she had finished, he understood that she had lost more to Voldemort than he had. He also found it was becoming much easier to think about killing the Dark Lord.
They sat there for a long time after Ginny had finished. Hermione and Ron both looked a little pale to Harry. Ginny however, had seemed to grow stronger as she talked, finally she sat up. Harry could see a flicker of flame in her eyes again. He understood what it was that made her so volatile. He understood that Ginny was probably the most prepared of any of them to fight again if she had to.
“I’m ready to try again,” Ginny said firmly. “I think this time you better take away my wand,” she added holding it out to Hermione. Ron and Hermione tried to protest.
“Ginny, not today, we….“
“Yes today! Tom could come for us tomorrow,” Ginny hissed, her anger flaring again.
“Ok, Ginny, you want to keep going, fine… but wait your turn. I want to try next,” Hermione snapped, matching Ginny’s anger. She stood up and tossed her wand to Ron.
“Ok Ginny, I’m ready.” She nodded at her. Ginny raised her wand at Hermione.
“Imperio!”
Authors note:
Ok, so the voices come from GoF. Look up where Mad-Eye has Harry under the imperious curse, and he starts to fight it off. I took it as a voice different than the one that normally talks to Harry, a second voice. From there I figured if you could have two, you could have more and it might make sense that Dumbledore has a bunch. I mean he seems distracted half the time someone talks to him, yet still comes back with the right response, it is just a little slow. If he was having an internal discussion with four different voices, that might explain why. Oh and how did you like Ginny here? I’m sure some people wondered where she had defied Voldemort, not only did she defy him, she beat him. Not bad for an eleven year old girl, wouldn’t you say? Oh and would she call him Tom? This was an issue for my Beta reader. She felt it was too familiar, like a friend, and there was no way Ginny would use it. I say she would, it is an act of defiance. Tom Riddle wants to be known as Voldemort, and even then he punishes you for saying the name. Ginny is some kind of mad at the Dark Lord, and if he wants people to forget about Tom Riddle, well, she is going to remind him and everyone of the truth.