“Are you sure you want to do this?” Hermione asked Harry once again.
“Yes, ” Harry replied decisively as he stifled a yawn. He hadn’t slept very well the last week; his thoughts were always dwelling on Godric’s Hollow.
“Well, you know that we’re both behind you mate,” said Ron.
“I’m coming as well.” When Harry turned round to find the person who spoke and saw Ginny. Her long crimson hair was tied was back loosely and her face set with fierce determination. His stomach did a cartwheel when he saw her.
“Look, Ginny… we will be back later, tomorrow at the latest,” Harry said.
“There is no way I am changing my mind on this, you need my support when you go to your parents’ grave,”Ginny replied firmly. “And there’s no way you can stop me!”
“But-” Harry started but was cut off by Ginny.
“No buts, I am coming with you whether you like it or not!” Ginny declared, her eyes flashing warningly. Harry looked at Ginny and knew there was no use trying to stop her. He did not want to get the infamous Weasley temper started. Once she had her mind set on something, there was nothing he could do to change it. He glanced at Ron and Hermione and knew they were thinking the same thing.
“But what are you going to say to Mum and Dad?” Ron said finally.
“What about Mum and Dad?” Mr Weasley said as he came into the room.
“I’m going with Harry to Godric’s Hollow,” Ginny said assertively. Before Mr Weasley could reply, they heard Mrs Weasley enter.
“You’re what?” she shrieked. “You absolutely can’t, you’re too young and it’s far too dangerous!”
“Mum, I can look after myself and I need to be there. Plus its not like I’m going alone, it’s only to Godric’s Hollow, not a battlefield!” said Ginny through gritted teeth. It was not often that Mrs Weasley lost an argument, but this was one of those rare times.
Harry still wasn’t sure how he felt about going to his parents’ grave for the first time. He didn’t know what to expect, he had never visited it before. They had previously decided to travel using Floo powder as it was quick and easy. The Order had certain contacts that allowed it to be connected for just for that day.
Harry went first; he seized a pinch of Floo powder, stood in the flames and yelled ‘Godric’s Hollow’ clearly, remembering vividly his first trip using Floo powder and the consequences of not speaking clearly. He closed his eyes and pulled his elbows in as he felt the uncomfortable flames licking around him and the dizziness that swept through him. He prayed that he had spoke clearly enough and that he would end up in the right place.
Suddenly, the spinning stopped and he was standing in the remains of a burnt down house- My old house, Harry thought numbly. He looked around. Some things had survived the fire, but it looked like no one had been in the house for years. He glanced at the fireplace; it was black from age and dirt but was still standing and intact. Harry jumped when flames erupted and someone came through the fire. It was Ginny. As she stumbled out of the fireplace, her face slightly stained with soot, she tripped on something and fell forward. Harry automatically caught her. Even the black soot could not hide her beauty. She looked at him with her big brown eyes and smiled shyly.
“Thanks,” she whispered breathlessly, not taking her eyes off him and not moving from his arms either. Before he could reply, someone else came out of the fire. Swiftly, Ginny moved away from Harry’s arms to help her brother get the soot out of his eyes. Just then, Hermione appeared. She was coughing faintly but had managed to stop the soot from getting into her eyes. She quickly glanced around, checking that no one was around, and drew out her wand. She first pointed her at Ginny and said ‘Scourgify.’ Instantly, all traces of the soot were gone. She also did the same to Harry, then to Ron. Then Ron repeated the spell on Hermione.
Wordlessly, the group split up and looked around, looking for any signs of where the graves might be. As Harry wandered about, he tried to imagine himself living there. Most of the furniture was severely burnt, but it wasn’t too difficult to make out what each room was. The house was huge, bigger than Harry had expected it to be. He gasped as he found more and more rooms. It even looked like there were three floors, but Harry didn’t think the remains of the stairs would be able to support his weight. Suddenly, he heard faint calls coming from the right of him. Quickly, he strode off in that direction; he was full of both tension and dread about what he might see.
When he came to what looked like the garden, he saw Ginny and saw that her face was pale. In front of her were two gravestones. They were simple and elegant, with two angels carved around it. He distantly heard Hermione and Ron come up from behind him, but he didn’t take any notice. It was as though they were hundreds of miles away from him and the graves. On them were two names:
‘HERE LIES LILY POTTER AND JAMES POTTER. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE.’
Harry knelt at the graves and lightly traced the indented letters with his finger. No one was making a sound. He had never felt so close to his parents, but yet so far from them. He felt overwhelming guilt about never visiting it before. Images started popping up in his head. The ghostly figures of his parents at the graveyard with Voldemort…The picture of the old Order of the Phoenix with his parents forever smiling at the camera … Snape’s memory of them in the Pensieve after their O.W.Ls… Their voices just seconds before their death, a flash of green light. The only memories he had of his parents. The only ones. He felt a single, warm tear run down his ice-cold cheek.
After all those years, he had lead himself to dream that maybe his parents didn’t really die, that they were hiding and one day they would come back to him. Now even that glimmer of a wish was gone, if it was actually there before. It was a silly little dream. They would never come back. Harry just wished he could have known them they were like strangers to him. It’s not fair, why does everything have to happen to me? He thought angrily, even though he knew the answer. The anger was replaced by overwhelming sorrow. He lost all sense of time, tears started to fall from his eyes again. The next thing he knew, someone embracing him. He instantly recognised the flowery smell and realised it was Ginny was comforting him, the warmth of her body and the softness of her touch calmed Harry a little, but he was still crying. Ginny knelt next to him, still hugging him. Harry could feel Ginny shaking slightly. He glanced over her shoulder through his tear-filled eyes and saw Hermione wrapped in Ron’s arms as she leaned on him for support. Ron was patting her back tenderly, a tear rolling down his face too.
Harry didn’t know how long he lay there, weeping into Ginny’s arms, still staring at the graves. All of a sudden, he felt unbelievingly angry again. Angry at Voldemort for doing this to his family, for doing it to hundreds of other families, ripping them apart. Dumbledore died trying to stop him. Now there was only Harry left. He was the only person who would be able to destroy him. If he doesn’t then the world would be taken over by Voldemort again, like had happened all those years ago. Harry couldn’t fail. He wouldn’t fail. I need to find the Horcruxes, before it’s too late. Harry thought.
Nevertheless, he had no idea where to begin. The prophecy was echoing in his head for the hundredth time. ‘Neither can live while the other survives.’ So it comes down to the fact that either I will be murdered or I will be a murderer, he thought miserably. It was all up to him. Even though he was told about it over a year ago, he was still trying to get his head around it. However, one thing he was sure of was that he would avenge his parents’ death, and all the other people and their families that Voldemort shattered. Even if it kills me, Harry resolved. He gripped some of the loose soil with one hand and let it fall again. I love you mum and dad. I miss you. He properly mourned the parents he never knew, for the first time. He thought about his horrible childhood and the life his parents should have had, deserved to have.
Finally, Harry felt it was time to go. He stood up, still holding onto Ginny, and walked over to Ron, who still had Hermione clinging on to him. As they walked towards the fireplace, he felt someone speak from behind him.“Are you sure you’re ready to go?” asked Ginny gently.
“Yes, I think that I’m ready to go back now,” replied Harry, his voice hoarse from not speaking for so long and the endless tears.
Harry went in his pocket and took out the small bag of Floo powder. Bracing himself, he took one last look at Ginny and then threw some powder onto the fire and yelled “The Burrow!” Then he quickly shut his eyes, tucked in his elbows, and waited for the spinning to stop. When he arrived back at the Burrow, at first, he felt disorientated and suddenly he felt himself being brought into a fierce hug by Mrs Weasley.
“Are you okay dear? You’re not hurt are you?” she asked frantically. Before Harry could answer, he heard someone else come out of the fire. Ginny appeared from the fire and Mrs Weasley instantly rushed over and hugged her daughter, asking her the same questions. Before either of them was able to reply, Hermione came out of the fire, closely followed by Ron. Mrs Weasley hugged them all again.
“Why don’t you all go upstairs and get changed, I’ll make you all something to eat,” Mrs Weasley said, gestured for them to go upstairs. Slowly, they went. After Ron and Hermione went into the rooms, Harry grabbed Ginny’s arm as she went to leave.
“Thanks for the support; I really appreciated it. I don’t think I would have been able to go through it without you,” Harry mumbled to Ginny.
“No problem, that’s what friends are for,” replied Ginny, smiling weakly. He let go of her arm and watched her go into her bedroom. He had virtually seen the pain in her eyes. The pain he had caused. When Harry got into the room, he felt a wave of tiredness wash through him. He sat on the bed; his tiredness was overwhelming and without meaning to, he fell asleep.
It seemed only minutes later when Ron was calling him to wake up. As he started to wake up, he felt extremely hungry. So he went downstairs for some breakfast. In the kitchen, Ginny and Hermione were eating breakfast. There was no sign of Mr Weasley, he was probably still at work. After eating his breakfast, Harry went outside. As the cool breeze hit his face, he started to think of yesterday’s events. The image of the graves was imprinted in his mind. He remembered Ginny holding him as he wept. Then thoughts of Voldemort came into his mind. Harry sat on the floor, his mind flooded with hatred of Voldemort. Innocent people had been murdered for no reason, just because Voldemort felt like killing them, families ripped apart because of him.
Harry felt that there was someone coming up behind him. He reckoned it would be Ron, seeing if he was all right. But the person who sat next to him was not Ron, it was Ginny. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Ginny broke the silence. “Hermione to me that you are going back to Hogwarts?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I’ve got a few things to sort out,” replied Harry. Then his mind travelled back to the conversation he had with Ron and Hermione about Hogwarts on the train ride back.
“I think we should go back to Hogwarts next year,” said Ron. “We’ve been there so long, we should go there and figure out a plan; we don’t even know where to start looking for the Horcruxes and maybe we would find some clues or something at Hogwarts.”
“I agree with Ron, we should go back, plus we could learn some more defence spells while we are there and I could look in the library for anyone with initials R.A.B. I might even be able to find where the cup is or something of Ravenclaw,” Hermione added.
Harry didn’t reply. He understood what they were talking about, but going back to Hogwarts would bring back so many painful memories. Harry finally came to a decision. They would go back to Hogwarts, at least for a while. Harry knew that hiding from those memories wouldn’t take them away, he would have to face them. At least he knew he wasn’t alone, he would have Hermione and Ron to support him, maybe even Ginny.
Harry came back out of that train of thought when Ginny started to talk again. “I’m really glad you’re coming; even though we are not going out anymore, I still want us to be friends. It wouldn’t be the same without you lot.” She reached out her hand and took hold of Harry’s. His entire arm tingled at her touch. Harry automatically looked up into her chocolate brown eyes. “Once you’ve destroyed Voldemort, you will be able to have a normal life and I’ll see, maybe I would consider going out with you again,” Ginny said teasingly.
“Look Ginny, I don’t know whether I can destroy Voldemort, I’m only seventeen, even Dumbledore couldn’t kill him, how can I do it?” said Harry hopelessly, voicing his fears that he had kept secret for over a year.
“Nonsense, Harry you are a brilliant wizard; the best wizard I know, you are brave and strong. You can defeat him, I know you can,” she said encouragingly. “Just believe in yourself.” Ginny gave him a quick, reassuring hug and then she stood up, had one last look at Harry and went back to the house. Harry watched her as she walked away. Harry knew, as he watched her walk away, her long red hair dancing behind her, that he was in love with Ginny Weasley.
Changing History by A_Pink_lady
Chapter Notes: Ok, heres the next chapter, i hope you like it. Please leave a review and tell me what you think