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...