It had been too easy. She had entered Hogwarts and made it to the Room of Requirement without meeting one person. When she walked through the door she gasped at how much junk was really packed into the room. Would she be able to find the Horcrux in time? In the trinket room she knew it was a statue…she didn’t know anything here, or if the Horcrux was actually even in the room. But she knew it was because she felt her feet moving without even thinking. She heard buzzing in her head and her heart was beating far to slow. The junk was arranged so that small aisles darted in every direction, and of course it wasn’t in a grid formation, but long curving alleys.
Her breathing was slow, her mind was racing. Then she felt a shiver down her spine, there was something else in the room. She turned around, but saw nothing but old shoes, trick wands, and a large pile of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. She closed her eyes. Bright colors exploded under her eyelids and she saw a form of a crown, beating as if it had its own heart, and then she heard it…a hissing. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she wasn’t imagining it, but by the time her eyes had opened, it was too late.
Nagini’s tail hit her stomach full force and she was catapulted down the aisle and fell into a pile of junk that tumbled down and around her. She saw the snake slithering quickly toward her, its fangs bearing. She picked up a book and threw it at the snake before scrambling up and sprinting down an aisle with particularly large towers. This was her dream. She struggled to breathe as she sprinted, hearing crashing behind her as the snake slithered up the tower, knocking things down on top of her.
When the snake lunged at her from above, she placed her hands above her head and braced her self for the impact. When the full weight of the snake fell on top of her, the wind was knocked out of her chest and she wheezed. She felt the snake wrapping itself around her, and suddenly she was becoming extremely hot. Her skin was searing and the snake was feeling it too, because it’s hissing was piercing the calm silence of the room.
It took a moment for Ginny to realize that the snake had disentangled itself from her. She was sprawled on the floor, trying to catch her breath, and she saw the snake turn out of the aisle she was in, and then her eye caught a sparkling silver crown, on top of a mannequin’s head.
She felt the presence of Nagini leave the room, but the presence of the crown had overtaken her senses. She approached it slowly, and when she reached out, the heat that had enveloped her when the snake touched her slowly prickled the tips of her fingers. She picked the crown up, and again, the familiar buzzing voice of Voldemort entered her awareness. She’s here Nagini? Now? Tell me where. Stay here and rest, my pet.
Ginny threw the crown into her backpack and sprinted for the door. She entered the hall and saw that some students were roaming around. She heard people gasping and pointing at her, she was sure she looked like a mess. Dusty from the library, sweaty from running from the snake, she even felt cuts and blood soaking her robes. She turned a corner and with her own momentum threw herself into a wall. She breathed a gasp of agony, her joints were stiff as if she had just played a month long game of Quidditch. She clawed herself away from the wall, jogging far away from the Room of Requirement, clutching her side as she went. She noticed the halls were becoming more and more littered with students, staring at her in awe, fear, or disgust. She ran away from them, until the halls became deserted, how was she going to get out? She came through the Hogs Head into the Room of Requirement. Voldemort was on his way there, and then who knows what he’d do to find where she was…he knew she was still in the castle, and soon all the Death Eater Professors would be looking for her. They’d just have to follow the points of students.
She stopped and leaned up against a wall, she had to catch her breath. She had to think, clear her head. McGonagall, she had to get to McGonagall’s office. Ginny took a deep breath, and when she quickly turned the corner, she ran into someone. She screamed as she took several steps back, raising her wand ready to fight.
Harry grabbed Ginny’s wrist, stopping her from moving away. “Harry!” she gasped. They’re eyes locked. “Harry, we have to get to McGonagall’s office! Voldemort is in the Room of Requirement; her office is the only way out!”
He nodded in understanding, not saying a word. He turned away from her and began running down the hall towards the office. Ginny followed, clutching her bag loosely at her side as she watched Harry closely. Then Harry turned suddenly, causing Ginny to scoot to a halt. He stared at her intently, and she returned his gaze, “Harry…he’s right behind us…” she whispered, but she was quickly silenced.
Harry moved towards her suddenly, slipping his hand around her neck he pulled her towards him while pushing her into the stone wall behind them. At first startled, her body tensed and Harry held his mouth over hers, without touching. Ginny’s hand squeezed the strap of her bag as she looked at Harry’s face, inches from her own. She looked at his eyes, closed lightly, at his mouth, slightly parted. Her mind raced, telling her to push him away…she had to push him away, but then his body swayed closer. She felt his chest press against her own as his hand slid around her waist, pulling her towards him slowly. His forehead touched hers, his hand shook as it rested on her lower back; his lips grazed her own, but only for a moment. Her eyes fluttered shut, breathing in how close he was, she let out her only sense of control in one shuddering breath. Her bag dropped to the ground and her arms flew around his neck. They both shook in excitement. Ginny ran her fingers through the mat of messy black hair on Harry’s head as his hands roamed her hips. Harry deepened the kiss and chills erupted down Ginny’s spine…it brought her back to reality.
“Mmhmm,” she pushed him away, “We have to go, Voldemort is…”
“I thought I’d lost you,” he moaned, interrupting her. Ginny looked into his eyes, saw the pain, and bit her cheek hard. She had to tell him…everything…soon. “If everything has gone to plan, Hermione and Ron will be there waiting for us.”
“What?” Ginny gasped, chasing after Harry as he began running again. She prayed everything had gone to plan, prayed that they had expected Tom Riddle to be at Hogwarts.
When Harry and Ginny entered the office it was to see a frazzled Hermione and a resolute Ron. “Ron, it would put them in such danger!”
“We don’t have much more choice right now, we know there are already protections there…it will give us more time to figure things out!”
Hermione ignored Ron’s argument when she saw Harry and Ginny. “Oh thank god! Grimmauld has been compromised, McGonagall just got word from Lupin…she just left. Ron thinks we should go to the Burrow.”
“We don’t have time to argue…we must go now.” Ginny said, grabbing some powder. “We won’t stay there long; just to make a new plan. The Burrow!”
“How the bloody hell do the pair of you get out of these situations?!” Ron asked, the last to storm out of the fireplace into the Burrow’s kitchen.
“How do you get into the situations in the first place,” Hermione corrected, plopping into a chair. She glanced up at the clock; no one was home but them.
Harry was leaning up against the sink, his left arm across his abdomen, supporting the elbow of his right arm; his head was buried within his hand. “Ginny…tell me whatever the hell just happened is the worse thing you have planned. Tell me that this is what you’ve been keeping from us…the dream Hermione knew about. Tell me that you dreamt you went to Hogwarts to get a Horcrux out from under Voldemort’s nose. Tell me what you thought would end tragically, is ending here…in this kitchen.”
Ginny stood rooted to the floor with her backpack slung over one shoulder. She saw Hermione and Ron perk up, neither knowing the Horcrux had been attained. Instead of answering Harry, she unzipped the pack, picked up the tiara, blocked the horrible yells of anger coming from Tom’s voice in her head, and placed it on the table near where Hermione sat.
“Well, this is great! We’ve only to find two more Horcruxes! And one is surely Nagini…:” Hermione whispered to herself more than anyone. “We need to destroy this, and start coming up with where we’re going to go next.” Hermione looked for agreement from Harry, but he stared only at Ginny.
Ron cleared his throat, caught Hermione’s eye, and both left the kitchen mumbling about taking care of the Horcrux and starting to brainstorm in Ron’s room. When Ginny heard the very last creak of a stair creep down from the top floor, she took a step forward. “Harry…I need to tell you…” She had expected him to interrupt her, but he hadn’t, he stared at her calmly. “How do I tell you this?” she whispered.
“You tell me outside.” Harry responded. “By the pond you like…in the back woods. Let’s go.” He walked swiftly to the door, grabbing a broom as he did.
Ginny knew it took 5 minutes flying time to get to the spot, but it felt like they were there within seconds. Harry allowed her to dismount the broom first before getting off himself. He placed the broom against a tree and followed Ginny as she had already started towards the water’s edge. It was still light out, and the sun sparkled on the gently rippling water of the pond.
“My Prophecy says that I can lead the way to the Horcruxes. I’m drawn to them. Why?” Harry shrugged, watching Ginny closely; no words could describe what he was feeling. He sat on a large boulder facing Ginny, watching her hair fly softly in the breeze. She picked at the rock, standing very close to him, without making eye contact. “I dream about them. When I’m in the same room I walk towards them without knowing why. When I hold one, I can hear Tom’s voice and they feel warm, searing hot sometimes.”
Harry looked away from her, and she saw it out of the corner of her eye, so she dared a peak at him. He was in pain…was it because he knew what was coming? Or had he no idea and that was what pained him? She shook her head. “When I…when I hold a Horcrux it feels like it’s mine. Like I have owned it in another life, like I have found what belonged to me…and…and that in finding it…I have become whole again.”
She didn’t think he’d look at her quite so soon, so when his eyes molded into hers she didn’t have time to prepare. “What does that mean? You’ve become whole again?”
“It means I am a part…only one part…of a whole…” Ginny said slowly.
“Stop it.” Harry said shortly. Ginny took his hand immediately, tears rising faster than she could handle.
“I’m sorry, Harry.” He pulled his hand from hers and looked at her incredulously.
“You’re kidding. You actually believe…no, you wouldn’t fall for such a foolish idea.”
Ginny shook her head. “Harry, we know Voldemort’s been collecting his Horcruxes, unsuccessfully so far. This is the reason the Death Eaters have been trying to collect me.”
“Kidnap you…not collect…” Harry corrected instantly.
“Collect Harry. When I was getting the tiara, Nagini attacked me. When she wrapped around me, it felt like all the others. She is the sixth. We’ll need to figure out a way to destroy her…then we’ll be ready to set up the final battle, which involves that dream Hermione has been so worried about.”
Harry was still shaking his head. “You’re getting ahead of yourself. Even if Nagini is the sixth…”
“She is Harry, trust me I know,”
“We still need to find the seventh.”
“Harry…don’t make me say it.” Silence, he stared resolutely out into the pond. “Fine.”
“Don’t,” he whispered…but she had already spoken.
“I am the seventh Horcrux. And just like the others, I need to be destroyed. Listen…I’ve dreamt it…and it’ll work. I’ll give myself up to Voldemort, he won’t kill me because he’d only be weakening himself…I’m his last hope of life. He’ll use me to lure you in. He’ll think he’s killing two birds with one stone…but he’s only setting up himself…because you’ll be able to…”
“Ginny, I swear to god if you say I’ll be able to kill you then kill him…”
“I know it’ll be hard…” Ginny spoke softly.
“I am not going to kill you, nor am I going to let anyone else kill you!” Harry yelled.
“What choice do you have in the matter!?” Ginny responded just as angrily. “I’m a Horcrux Harry, and all of the Horcruxes must be destroyed before you can kill Voldemort…”
“There must be a way to destroy the Horcrux without harming you…”
“There isn’t time, Harry…and you know it.”
“We would have had time if you had told me about this sooner!”
“Oh, you want to go there do you?”
“No…” Harry shook his head, pushing himself off the rock.
“Listen to me Harry. I’m the last Horcrux and Voldemort knows that. If he captures me, he won’t be able to kill me, but he’ll use me to lure you in. We will have the upper hand because he’ll never expect you to…” Ginny stared at the ground.
“Kill you before killing him?” Harry spat.
“Yes.” She held out her hand, placing it gingerly on his arm.
Harry shrugged her off, then threw a small pebble as far as he could across the pond, “Forget it.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
He spun to face her wildly, shouting, “Like hell I don’t!”
“I’m giving myself up the first chance I get…then you’ll have to follow the plan whether you want to or not.” Ginny remained calm as Harry felt the heat rise up his neck.
“You’re not giving yourself up.”
“Watch me. You can’t stop me from doing this Harry.”
“Watch me.” He pulled his wand out from his robes and pointed it at Ginny, who had sensed his intentions before he even spoke the words. What resulted was the two of them, standing a yard from one another, wand arms outstretched. They stared daggers at each other, cursing the stubbornness they both possessed.
“Are we going to duel, Harry?” Ginny taunted, breathing heavily. For a moment, she thought he was going to curse her. Stun her, drag her into a broom closet, and keep her there until the end of time.
She glared harder when she saw him shake his head ever so slightly before dropping his arm to his side. “I can’t do it.”
“Come on!” Ginny yelled; she wanted to fight him. She wanted to have a duel; she had too much stress and anger built up; too much anxiety and anguish. She could walk away from him; she could turn herself in, knowing she was walking to her death, if she was angry with him. If he tried to control her, tell her what to do…she could capture whatever feistiness she was known for and use that to do what she knew had to be done. But he wasn’t going to do it, he had dropped his wand to the ground and it rolled toward her feet.
“I can’t do it. I can’t force you to change your mind…” he stared between Ginny and her wand she still had pointed at him. Tears brimmed her eyes and her hand shook.
She tossed her head from side to side, “No! Come on!” she tensed her arm, holding her wand so tightly she was afraid it would snap. “Pick up your wand!” and she kicked it back towards him.
Harry looked at his wand, laying useless on the ground before turning back to her. He knew what was happening. She was desperate for him to understand, but didn’t want him to approve. She knew what he wanted wouldn’t matter in the end, but that it was needed in order to drive her to what she thought was the only way. She wanted to fight him, but only because she loved him. Nothing made sense, absolutely nothing.
Harry stepped over his wand and in one smooth motion he had overtaken Ginny. With his right hand he pushed her wand arm forcefully out of his way, knowing it would do him no harm; at the same time he reached out with his left hand, curving it around her neck and pulling her into him.
She received his kiss with surprise, and didn’t have time to switch her emotion from anger, not that it mattered, because she knew that Harry was kissing her with every ounce of resentment he had in him. So they stood holding each other, kissing with angry resentment. Nothing made sense, absolutely nothing.
“Ron?” Hermione whispered. Ron grunted, signifying he was listening. “Ron, I…I didn’t clean up the kitchen…”
“I guess I can forgive you this one time,” Ron said sarcastically, turning a page in the book he was researching.
Hermione shook her head aggressively, standing up, “No! At Grimmauld, the Death Eaters…all of our research papers! They’ll know what Horcruxes we’ve found…where we were thinking of looking next!”
Ron finally looked up. “Damn…we’ve got to tell Harry.” Ron rushed downstairs, Hermione close on his heals. They saw Harry and Ginny, walking towards the Burrow from the edge of the forest. “Harry! Hurry!” Ron called out the window.
They watched as Harry and Ginny jogged to the house. “What’s wrong?” Ginny breathed heavily. Ron explained what Hermione had just confessed. Harry and Ginny glanced at each other. They knew the papers would compromise little in their search for the Horcruxes. “Oh. Well, actually,” Ginny mumbled. “I don’t think it’s going to be a problem…”
Harry walked across the room and sat heavily in a kitchen chair. Hermione stared between the two. “What? Why? Ginny what is going on…tell us already!”
“Nagini is the sixth Horcrux.” Ginny stated, Ron nodded in agreement, Hermione shifted her weight impatiently. “I’m the seventh.”
“Way to put it bluntly Gin.” Harry said, “Of course, it isn’t true.”
Ron took two steps backwards as Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times. Ginny glared at Harry, “Believe it Harry.”
“What…what does this mean?” Hermione’s voice was two octaves higher than it should be.
“It means that we make a plan that will give us the upper hand when…” Ginny began, but Harry talked over her.
“It means we keep looking for the real seventh Horcrux.”
“Damn it Harry!” Ginny stomped the ground and shouted. “This is hard for me too! Do you think it’s going to be easy for me? Giving myself up? Leaving you? Knowing it will all lead to me dieing?”
Hermione had moved to where Ron stood stunned. She wrapped her hand around his and squeezed. Harry stood quickly, so quickly Ginny moved back a half step, but quickly rooted herself in a show of strength. “It’s going to be hard for me to do all those things. Me. Not you. This whole year I’ve been preparing for the final battle, for fighting Voldemort and I’ve always known I won’t be able to do it if you were around and now you’re trying to tell me not only will you be there but I’m going to have to murder you!?”
“What?!” Ron exclaimed, dropping Hermione’s hand. “Why would Harry murder you?!”
“I’m a Horcrux Ronald! I need to be destroyed!”
“There has to be another way!” Hermione joined in the escalating shouting.
“Oh, but we have no time!” Harry mocked Ginny’s voice.
Suddenly, the fireplace in the kitchen erupted in green flames and Molly stepped forward. “Harry! Oh thank goodness! The battle has moved from Grimmauld. Death Eaters have attacked Diagon Alley! They are claiming not to stop innocent killings until you show to give them what they want. Minerva said you’d be here…I’m supposed to come and ask you what…but…”
Silence settled in the kitchen. “We have no time…” Ginny whispered softly. Harry’s eyes snapped at hers.
“You’re not going.” He said before moving toward the fireplace and taking a chunk of floo powder.
Ginny laughed, marched forward grabbed some powder before Harry could lunge at her, sprinted into the fireplace, threw down the powder and shouted, “Diagon Alley.” She was swallowed in green flames; Harry almost didn’t wait for them to disappear before following her to the battle.
A Second Prophecy by wilbur
Chapter Notes: PLEASE review. I love reading the comments...we're getting close to the end here...