Main Characters/Ships: Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione
Spoilers: Books 1 through 6
AN: First hello to everyone, and I hope you have a good time reading my fic. It is my first to-be-novel-length HP fanfic, and though I have already completed chapter 5 at the time I upload this first one there may sometimes be one or two weeks between chapter releases. So please be patient with me.
I also ask all readers to excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes I make. Don't hesitate to point them out to me. English isn't my native language, but I do want to improve.
A few words about the story: It's settled after the events of HBP, picking up after Harry has gone back to the Dursleys. Things are going to happen in quick succession, and there won't be much time for him to collect himself and take a breath. He will meet interesting new people, be on the hunt for the remaining Horcruxes, and in that will need all the support he can get to finish his task. A familiar red-haired witch will also be very import, maybe in ways you didn't consider... but then, maybe you did.
Ah, and before I forget: please review!
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 1 - A Broken SpellIt was a softly warm summer night, and the moon painted silvery twinkles onto the trees and bushes in the garden of number 4, Privet Drive. Everything was quiet and dark, except a small flicker of light coming from one window. Sitting on his desk in the bedroom above the stairs was Harry Potter, dark rings around his eyes and, guessing by his pale face and messy hair, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Which was true.
Giving a small sigh, Harry stood to open the window. Turning to his snowy owl he softly said: "I think you might want to go for a little hunt, Hedwig." The owl hooted joyfully from its already opened cage and fluttered over to Harry's shoulder. After giving his earlobe an affectionate tug it spread its wings and glided out into the night. "I just wish I could do the same. Go out, hunting."
He couldn't stop the coldness from flowing through his body again. The events at the battle at Hogwarts were still fresh in his memories. He had tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes he saw the image of Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts and the closest thing to a grandfather he ever had experienced, crumbling to the ground, the cold green flash of the Avada Kedevara course blowing through his chest. Again the all too familiar feeling of desperation got a hold on him, and the faces of all those he had lost spun through his thoughts. His parents, killed by the hand of Voldemort, the Dark Lord and his enemy, himself. Cedric Diggory, killed on Voldemort's order after he had regained his body at the end of the Triwizard Turnament. Sirius Black, his godfather and friend, who was pushed through the veil of death inside the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries by the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the closest followers of Voldemort. And finally Dumbledore, murdered by Harry's Potion Teacher, Professor Snape.
Harry was unable to express the hatred he felt towards Snape, who was a known Death Eater, how the followers of Voldemort called themselves. Only Dumbledore had trusted in Snape to have left the dark side, defending him against the mistrust from all the people around him.
Suddenly, Harry noticed he was no longer sitting in his room. He looked around startled and found himself near the lake at Hogwarts, the place he always went to when he needed to think about something. Somehow, looking at the reflections of the sky on the water had a soothing effect on him. In the distance, a tentacle of the giant squid living in the lake shot out from the water for a second and vanished again. From the corner of his eyes he noticed that someone stood next to him. He turned his head a little and looked into the face of a young witch with curly red hair and speckles all over her face. Her eyes looked a little said, and questioning. A small smile begun to play on his lips, and a feeling of relieve washed away the worst of his fears.
"Ginny."
"Harry."
Nothing more needed to be said. If there was one person who could comfort him, it was her. He still wondered, how they had gotten so close to each other over this year, a year that had been loaded with fear, chaos and death. He saw her reach out for his hand and did the same, as a strong tugging grabbed his stomach and he was whirled through darkness. Before he could even take a glimpse of his new surroundings, a hissing voice bore through his head.
"There you are, Potter. Without the protection of Dumbledore now. That old fool should have known you would be his downfall."
A burning agony ran through the scar on Harry's forehead as the cruel, high pitched laughter of Voldemort filled his ears. The pain was so intense it blurred his sight, but he managed to notice that he, or rather Voldemort, through whose eyes he was looking at the moment, was standing outside of Riddle Manor.
"I see you recognize this place. It was a very nice encounter we had here, don't you think so too?"
Harry desperately tried to block out Voldemort from his mind, using all his Occlumency skills, but to no avail. New pain seared through his head as Voldemort gave another laugh.
"I would have liked it to end here in the first place. That would have spared both of us some trouble. But even in that little time the escape bought you, the only thing you accomplished was that you lead those really close to you to death."
"That's not true, you bastard!" Harry managed to scream, ignoring the pain that nearly rendered him unconcious.
"Ah, finally found your voice, Potter? But, what I saw from the short dream you were so grateful to show to me, I must admit you are for once correct. There is someone very, very close to you that isn't dead. Yet. But I daresay this will be taken care of."
An image of Ginny appeared before his eyes, her face written with terror and pain. With a cold crack a flash of green light exploded on her chest, and her eyes went empty. Harry's heart seemed to turn into stone as he watched the death of his loved one, and unbelievable pain surged through his head. "Noooooooooo!" he screamed, as the scene played over and over again for what seemed like an eternity.
Whe was only startled out of it by a loud bang next to him. The pain still searing through the scar on his forehead he noticed himself laying on the floor of his room. His chair was flipped over, and a lot of parchments from his desk cluttered the floor around him. In the door frame he saw the face of Vernon Dursley, his uncle, his face redder than he had ever seen it before, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"I HAVE ENOUGH OF YOUR SICK MENTAL BEHAVIOUR YOU UNGRATEFUL SMALL BASTARD! YOU WILL LEAVE THIS HOUSE THIS INSTANT, OR I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU UNTIL YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LEAVE ANYMORE!"
"I'm sorry," Harry only managed to mutter, when his uncle raised his voice again.
"DON'T EVEN TRY TO TELL ME ANYTHING OF YOUR BLOODY SHIT. GET! OUT! NOW!"
His uncle was now cowering above him, his massive fist raised as if ready to beat him. From the look in his eyes Harry could tell that this time his uncle had truely snapped. Words would do no good now. He shook his head to clear his vision and felt the side pocket of his robes which he hadn't put off since his arrival. His wand was there, and at least he had his glasses on.
"YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS!" Vernon Dursley's voice thundered again, and Harry did not want to wait to see if he really ment what he had said. Still drowsy from all the pain he managed to jump up and ran through the door and down the steps as fast as he could. Of course, he could probably defend himself with his wand, but as he was still underage and not allowed to do magic out of school, this might bring him even more trouble. As he ran to the front door he could see his Aunt Petunia in the kitchen, wearing a face that showed nothing like compassion. His Cousin Dudley watched him sprint by from the living room, a satisfied grin plastered across his face.
Uncle Vernon's enraged voice followed him through the house, "AND DARE YOU OR ONE OF YOUR SICK KIND NEVER AGAIN SET ANY FOOT ONTO MY GROUNDS AGAIN. NEVER!"
Harry tore open the door and stumbled into the moonlit night, not looking back as he sprinted down to the road and along it, until he was safely out of sight of house number 4, Privet Drive. Panting he stood there, not sure what really had happened. Then it came rushing back to him. Voldemort had threatened to kill Ginny, and the Dursleys had pushed him out of their house. And even if he hated the Dursleys and living with them, he knew all too well by now that their home had been the safest place for him. The ancient magic blood bond that Dumbledore had placed on them had been far too powerful even for Voldemort.
He looked around the dimly lit street, unsure where to go. Walking would bring him nowhere. Maybe he could get the Knight Bus and ride to Grimauld Place. No, Grimauld Place, which had previously been Sirius's home and now belonged to Harry, was no longer safe. For the last year it had been used as a head quarter for the Order of the Phoenix, protected by Dumbledore as its secret keeper. Now, with Dumbledore dead...
Just then, a somehow familiar looking cat jumped effortlessly from a stone pillar next to him. Eyeing him curiously, the cat slowly approached. When its unblinking eyes met his gaze, he recognized the feline form.
"Professor McGonagall! Thank Merlin!"
In an instant, his Transfiguration teacher and deputy head mistress stood at the spot where the cat had been. Her faced looked far from pleased.
"Mr. Potter! After all what has happened, do you still not have the smallest idea how dangerous it is to stroll around, especially at night and with no one here to protect you?"
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall. It's not by my own decision."
The Transfiguration professor raised her brow curiously. "Would you care to enlighten me about your reasons then? And please make it quick, this place is anything but safe."
"Sure. You see, Professor, I slept in and had another, ehm, vision of Voldemort. He threatened to kill Ginny and let the image of her dying play before my eyes over and over again." The desperation again grabbed his heart, and he had to draw in a deep breath of the cold night air before he could go on. "However, I must have been screaming aloud, as uncle Vernon came into my room and threw me out of his house. He threatened to beat me up if I ever dared to set foot in his house again."
McGonagall's face had now a truely worried look. "Did any of the other Dursleys say something?"
Harry didn't understand why she was asking that. "No, they just watched me run out of the house." he answer, somewhat puzzled.
The professor gave a sad sigh. "Then you can't go back. Oh Merlin!"
Harry looked at her curiously. "I'm sorry, Professor, but with your last question..."
McGonagall thought for a second. "You see, Harry, the spell Professor Dumbledore put on the Dursleys' home relied on them to willingly take you in. Even if one of them threw you out this wouldn't make it fail, if one of the others had opposed this decission just a little bit. But how things look, the spell is broken now and there is no one I know who is powerful enough to reapply it."
"Where can I go then?"
McGonagall didn't answer for some seconds, before the determination came back to her. "I think you can go to the secret safe place for a short time. While you are there, someone can fetch your things while we decide what to do next." With the hint of smile playing on her lips she added, "I think you might even enjoy being there a little."
Harry was curious, but another thought came to his mind. "Professor, about Voldemort, and - Ginny..."
"I asure you that there is no need to worry, at least not now."
She quickly took a small, quadratic box from one of her pockets and muttered something, swinging her wand above it. When she finished with the word "Portus", the box glowed very shortly in a dim blue light.
McGonagall nodded to him, and he grabbed onto one corner of the newly created portkey. Almost instantly a tingling sensation caught his stomach and he felt being pulled forward and away. He closed his eyes for a moment. Soon his feet stumbled on the floor again, and reopening his eyes he saw something that made him forget the last hour.
Just a few feet away from him stood Ginny, a look of complete surprise and joy plastered across her face.
"Harry!"
"Ginny!"
Within an instant she had run over to him and was now hugging him as if she would never let go again. He hugged her back as well, a lone tear of relief running down his cheek.
He softly kissed her forehead. "I love you, Ginny."
He felt her body stiffen a little, but in an instant she went soft againt and pressed herself to his chest. "Me too." She lifted her head and a little worry was shining through her smiling eyes. "What has happened?"
"Ahem." Professor McGonagall coughed next to Harry. "As much as I understand your desire, to, ehm, talk with each other now, there are matters that are more urgent. You will both find enough time a little later. Please come with me, both of you"
"Sure, Professor." they said almost synchronuously, both blushing under the amused look of their teacher. Just as he was about to say something to Ginny she seemed to have read his mind. "It's OK. Let's talk later."
Reliefed, Harry nodded his head and took a look around. They were inside a building, and the way the walls and doors were painted looked rather familiar to him. Without thinking he took Ginny's hand in his and they strolled after McGonagall through a door. When he saw who was sitting inside it hit home.
"Ah, quite unexpected. Nonetheless I'm happy to meet you again so soon. Welcome, Mr. Potter. Good evening, Minerva."
"Thanks, glad to meet you again, too, Minister. Hello as well, Mr. Weasley."
They were in the Ministry of magic. Yet this room wasn't one of the offices Harry had been in before. It held a big, round meeting table and was void of portraits that used to line the walls in other Ministry rooms.
"I see you wonder about the surroundings," the Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, said. "This is a part of the Ministry that is normally unknown to the public. It holds a few bedrooms and a kitchen, intended to be used by Ministry officials who don't want to go home every day. As those rooms haven't been used in years, I have agreed to lend it to the..." Harry could almost hear the Minister think "Order", but he thought for a moment, "to your friends. But tell me, what brought us the pleasure this evening?"
Harry only hesitated briefly. "The Dursleys broke the protective spell that had been placed on their house, and luckily I met Professor McGonagall, who brought me here."
Mr. Weasley's face grew worried. "Is that true, Minerva?"
"It seems, Arthur. They threw him out without one of them objecting."
"That complicates things. But I'm glad Harry is here and safe for the time being."
"Ehm, Minister, do you still need me here?" Harry asked, anxious to be able to talk to Ginny.
"I think you can go if you like, I do believe there are some people you will want to meet."
"Thank you. Goodbye Minister. See you later, Professor, Mr. Weasley."
Having said that, he was already pulled out of the door by Ginny. He didn't notice the puzzled look Mr. Weasly gave him. After the door was shut they hugged again. "I'm so glad you are here. I couldn't have stood another day without you!" She nearly cried.
"Same with me. I missed you."
They kissed again, softly. After a minute, they withdrew, both panting.
Ginny smiled at him. "I could do that for hours. But let's see Ron and Hermione first."
"They are both here?" Now this was another thing to cheer up his mood. "What are we waiting for?"