6
Dreams
Chapter 6
~ Sometimes Dreams are all you have ~
SBM
Harry, Ginny and Fawkes reappeared in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As Harry and Ginny dropped the short distance to the floor, Fawkes circled above them a couple of times before alighting on the door to one of the stalls.
"Thank you for such a wonderful adventure," he trilled.
"It's we who need to thank you," Harry replied with a smile.
"Yes, Fawkes, Thank you so much for your help," Ginny concurred.
Fawkes trilled again but all Ginny and Harry understood was laughter.
Harry glanced down at Gryffindor's sword which he held in one hand. With a sad smile he offered it up towards Fawkes.
Fawkes' eyes flashed with amusement. "Keep it," he trilled. "You'll need it to destroy the Horcruxes."
Harry looked at him in surprise. "Won't Dumbledore miss it?" he asked, perplexed.
Fawkes trilled in laughter again. "Perhaps, but it is not his to keep or give. Rightly it belongs to you."
Harry and Ginny looked at him in shock but it was Harry who voiced the question. "Does . . . does that mean I'm Gryffindor's heir?" he asked shakily.
Fawkes' laughter rang out once again. "In a sense but I will tell you that at least seventy-five percent of Wizarding England and Scotland are descended from him. So in effect you aren't really special in that respect. Though that's not to say you and Ginevra aren't special in other respects," the Phoenix trilled, his eyes alight with amusement.
Harry contemplated what Fawkes had said, not sure if he was relieved or not. Then with a shrug, he decided it really didn't matter.
He then glanced at Ginny who was frowning as she started at the magnificent Phoenix.
Fawkes' eyes once more looked highly amused. "Ginny then," he trilled. "But Ginevra is a beautiful name and I think you should embrace it a bit more than you do. It suits you, oh beautiful child," he trilled softly.
Harry watched as Ginny's mouth twitched as she fought a smile. The smile eventually won and she blushed prettily.
Fawkes trilled another low laugh before launching himself into flight. He circled above their heads once. Trilling, "Be well, young Lovers," before he vanished in a flash of flame.
Harry and Ginny glanced at one another, blushing at Fawkes' farewell.
Getting themselves back under control they joined hands and left Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and headed back towards the Gryffindor common room. They hadn't gotten very far when they heard someone behind them calling for them to halt.
They stopped and turned around and spotted Professor McGonagall who was accompanied by Kingsley Shacklebolt. As she climbed the last few stairs up to where Harry and Ginny waited, her eyes fell upon the sword that Harry had tucked into his belt.
Though she thought it looked familiar, she couldn't place it. As she drew level with him, she frowned. "Mr. Potter, you do realize that the carrying of weapons by students is strictly forbidden," she said disapprovingly.
Harry shook his head in disbelief. His lips parted several times as he tried to voice his opinion. Finely one of this efforts took hold, "Excuse me Professor," he said respectfully, "but with my sword, I could attack someone standing how far from me?" Then answering his own Question, he said "What four maybe five feet, tops?"
When McGonagall looked at him and slowly nodded, wondering where he was going with his line of reasoning.
"And how far would you say I could attack someone with my wand?" he asked with a small smug look.
First of all, Ginny couldn't believe Harry's audacity but what was even better in her opinion was the look that enveloped Kingsley Shacklebolt's face. She could see he was trying desperately not to laugh.
McGonagall's face was almost comical as she tried to come up with a reasonable response to Harry. Ginny thought she was doing pretty well in fighting off her own laughter until she locked eyes with the large black Auror. She ended up having to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from losing it totally.
Harry and Ginny were quite amused by the flustered Professor as she sputtered as she tried to come up with a response to Harry. Finally she took a deep breath as she shook a little as she settled herself.
"That being what it is, carrying of weapons is strictly prohibited so please find somewhere appropriate for your . . . sword," she said tersely.
"Certainly, Professor," Harry replied calmly. "In fact I was just heading back to my dorm to find an appropriate place for it."
They could see McGonagall breath a sigh of relief before she gathered herself and refocus on the reason she had been looking for him.
"Mr. Potter, Auror Shacklebolt is here to speak with you. Please come to my office after you have taken care of your sword," she said, glancing once more at the weapon.
Harry could help but wonder if it had to do with Sirius and he had to fight to keep calm, feeling both excited and apprehensive about what he would hear.
"Certainly, Professor," he replied. "Ginny and I will be there promptly."
McGonagall gave him a curt nod before she and the Auror proceeded past the young couple.
Ginny looked at Harry expectantly, her face looking quite hopeful. "Do you think he's here about Sirius?" she asked.
Harry nodded and Ginny could see just how nervous he had become. She reached out and gave his arm a supportive squeeze. "I'm sure everything will be alright," she said softly.
Harry gave her a weak smile. "I certainly hope so," he replied quietly. With a sigh, he wrapped one arm around Ginny's waist and together they hurried off to Gryffindor Tower so he could stow the sword.
In no time at all they found themselves outside of McGonagall's office. Harry took a deep steadying breath before he knocked on the door.
"Enter," they heard called out.
Ginny gave Harry one last reassuring smile before they entered. They found McGonagall sitting at her desk with Kingsley seated before it. There were two empty chairs next to his and the Professor motioned them to sit down.
It was Ginny who noticed the tea service as the Professor poured two additional cups of tea, pushing them across her desk in hers and Harry's direction.
Ginny took one and handed it to Harry before taking the second for herself, giving their head-of-house a small smile as she did so.
Kingsley finished the biscuit he was munching on before taking a sip of his tea. He then turned his full attention to Harry.
"Harry, I made you a promise the last time we met and I always keep my promises," he said seriously.
Harry couldn't help but smile. "So Professor McGonagall told me," he replied.
The Auror shared a smile with McGonagall before he turned back to Harry. "It's gratifying to know that my reputation is so well known." he said warmly. "As I promised I set about looking into the circumstances concerning Mr. Black's incarceration and as loathed as I am to admit it, I found what had taken place and how the Ministry handled the incident shall we say, lacking in professionalism. In fact I find myself appalled at how things were done," he said indignantly.
"Because of those circumstances I reopened the case and conducted my own investigation, going so far as to administer Veritaserum to Mr. Pettigrew, over the objections of many to get to the truth. As a result of my investigation, I'm happy to say that I found Mr. Black completely innocent of any wrong doing. I have arranged his release and he is at the moment being treated at St. Mungo's for long term expose to Dementors."
When Harry looked fearful, he quickly spoke again. "Please rest assured that he will make a full recovery and not suffer any permanent disability from that. He is responding well to treatment and I can confidently say that he should be released before the end of the year, if not sooner," he reassured the concerned Harry.
Harry slumped back into his seat, obviously relieved at what he heard.
"Oh, Harry!" Ginny said breathlessly, obviously happy for him. She saw him blinking his eyes rapidly as he fought the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks.
Professor McGonagall also smiled at him. "Harry, since he is your Godfather, would you like for me to make arrangements for you to go and meet him?" she said warmly.
It took a moment but they saw a smile creep onto his face. "I'd like that very much," he said softly.
"Alright, Mr. Potter," she said resuming her more stoic persona," I'll make the arrangements for you to see him, though it might be a short while before he is ready to receive visitors," she said officiously, though she retained her smile.
She then settled herself, looking once more like their stern head-of-house. "Well now that that's settled, why don't you and Miss Weasley resume your prior activities," she said in dismissal.
Harry rose and extended his hand to Kingsley. "I can't thank you enough,' he said with a smile, shaking the man's hand.
"I'm just glad I could help," the Auror said with a smile. "I'm also glad that I could help free an innocent man. No one should be subject to Azkaban needlessly."
Harry gave him a nod, thinking that his face would probably hurt by that evening from smiling so much.
As soon as he and Ginny were in the hall and the door closed, Ginny wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. He looked down into her warm, brown eyes and just took in all the warmth, love and support she was giving him.
He then wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she wrapped one of hers around his waist. He glanced at her with a smile. "Let's head back to the common room and snuggle on the couch. I'm knackered," he said tiredly.
Ginny couldn't help but giggle. "I don't know why, we haven't been doing anything strenuous," she said a bit cheekily.
Harry couldn't help but look at her, chuckling. His smile widened as his eyes sparkled. "Godric I love you," he exclaimed.
Ginny actually jerked to a halt, her eyes wide as she stared at Harry.
Harry looked at her questioningly, wondering what had caused her reaction. "What? Do I have something on my face or something?" he asked with a concerned look.
Ginny's looked changed and she gave a soft giggle as her eyes swept over Harry. Though they had cast cleaning charms before returning to the common room for their meeting with McGonagall and Kingsley, they were far from pristine. Their cloaks still showed the after effects of their journey deep into the bowels of the castle.
"Not so much on your face, but your robes do need a thorough cleaning," she said, wrinkling her nose at the odour and she wondered why McGonagall and Kingsley hadn't mentioned it.
She then looked at Harry shyly. "The thing is you just said you loved me," she sated just above a whisper.
Harry stared back at her in surprise. He certainly hadn't mean to say that out loud, not that he didn't mean it. He did Love her, with all his heart. From the first moment that they had started to go out in the old time-line, he knew he had loved her with all his heart.
It was one of the things that made subsequent action so devastating.
Now, here he was with a "different" Ginny and he hadn't been able or want to not have her in his life. All he wanted was to find that peace that had eluded him for so long. To have a family but most of all to have that dear sweet girl, or as he saw her, young woman, love him for himself. To join him in the marvellous adventure called life.
He just hoped he hadn't scared her away. To lose her again would devastate him so much he didn't think he'd be able to survive.
Ginny watched Harry carefully, seeing all the emotions that were running through his mind flash across his face. She was stunned when she saw the fear enter his eyes and at first it confused her. But then slowly the pieces began to fall into place with all she had learned about him.
She understood what he was afraid of, that she wouldn't love him back. It broke her heart to see him in such a state. She, along with every wizarding child of her generation knew his story but they didn't know the real him, not the way she did now after hearing his true story.
Orphaned at fifteen months, raised by relatives that not only didn't like him, but despised him and everything about him. Growing up not only without love, but even just a close friend who would be there for him.
She felt tears begin to leak out of her eyes and trail hotly down her cheeks. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like to never know or remember a mother comforting him when he was afraid or hurt. A loving hug to drive away all that a young boy had to suffer through while growing up.
Things as simple as a skinned knee or being awoken by a thunder storm in the middle of the night. Someone to offer a hug, a kiss, or just loving support to dispel life's little disappointments, like she had while growing up.
She couldn't fathom how he had grown up to be the wonderful, loving person he had turned out to be. She looked deep into his hesitant, uncertain, tortured emerald eyes and she knew, without a doubt that she loved him in return.
And it wasn't any silly school girl crush or the love of a child, it was a love that came from the depths of her soul. There was no trace of pity for what he had suffered. No there was only love for the strength he showed, the depth of character that he possessed as he fought for what he knew to be right.
Tenderly she reached out to caress his cheek. She saw as his eyes fixated on her hand as it approached him, saw the fear leave him, saw the light of understanding filled him, saw him smile as he realized that she loved him in return.
"I Love you too," she whispered.
Ginny felt the breath being forced out of her by the power of Harry's embrace. Ten times harder than her mother ever had, but it didn't hurt at all. It filled her with such a sense of how right it actually was. It filled her with a warmth and sense of security that she had never even dreamed existed.
It changed her very existence. She now felt like an adult and she knew she was one, even at the tender age of eleven. She could see now the same qualities in her parent's relationship and those of other adult couples she knew.
It that instant her total perception of the world shifted and she knew that her heart would belong to Harry for all eternity.
"Come on, Love. Let's go back to the common room," she said softly.
She saw Harry looking at her in wonder and she realized that he could see the change that she had undertaken. Slowly a smile spread across his face and he nodded at her.
Arm in arm they walked slowly back to the common room where they settled down onto the couch in front of the fire where they snuggled together, oblivious to everything else around them.
Harry and Ginny
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Grand Sorcerer, recipient of the Order of Merlin, First class was in a quandary, several of them in fact.
First and foremost in his mind was the change that had come over one small wizard by the name of Harry James Potter. As the year progressed the boy had come on magically in leaps and bounds. "No, that's not quite correct," he thought. "There were no leaps and bounds. It was as if a completely different person had appeared this year at school."
Gone was the hesitant, reticent, somewhat mediocre wizard and in his place there was this boy who was confident, knowledgeable and dare he say it, a bothersome mystery.
He had gone from being firmly in the lower quarter of his class to now being not only the top of his year, but so far above any one else as to throw the curve straight out the window.
Next was the peculiar way in which his Phoenix, Fawkes had been acting as of late. Having been his familiar for many years, Albus thought he knew the bird quite well but lately it was if he didn't really know him at all.
He had gone missing for extended periods of time on a number of occasions, something that had never happened before. Plus he had been, how did he want to put it, more forceful than in the past. Going so far as to refuse to come immediately when summoned and fail to account for what he had been doing.
When he had questioned him, Fawkes had simply stated that he'd been "busy" and refused to elaborate further.
Now this very morning the Sword of Gryffindor that had been in his possession for many years had suddenly disappeared. What surprised him the most was that he'd been in his office the whole time.
He had clearly seen the bloody thing hanging in its case mounted on the wall behind his desk when he had sat down to tackle some of the mountain of paperwork that tended to accumulate on his desk and by the time he had risen to head off to the Great Hall for lunch, it had disappeared.
He hadn't heard or felt anything that could have taken the sword from its resting place. Whatever or whomever that had done the deed didn't even set off any of the wards that he had in place to protect it and for the life of him he couldn't think of anything that was capable of that.
The only thing he had come up with, as preposterous as it seemed, was that being a powerful magical artefact created by one of the most powerful and knowledgeable Wizards to have ever lived, the sword had simply left on its own.
That did nothing to comfort him and or help him discover where it was. All in all it had given him a headache of monstrous proportions, that even his usual remedy of consuming numerous Sherbet Lemons had been unable to assuage.
He felt that Merlin himself would have been overwhelmed by the events that he was having to contend with.
He was so distracted that he actually jumped when Fawkes flamed into the room and came to rest on his perch.
"Where have you been?" he asked his familiar irritably.
"Out," was all that Fawkes trilled back, sounding with what Albus could only perceive as a smug tone.
Albus glanced at his familiar and saw the bird looking back at him, swearing the thing was smiling at him, like a bloody bird's beak was actually capable of forming a smile.
Fawkes had merely blinked at him several times before tucking his head under his wing and settled in for a nap. Albus had frowned mournfully, wishing that he could so indulge.
The "venerable" Wizard rubbed his aching temples tiredly, just wishing that the long arduous day would end before anything else could happen. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day, though he doubted it. He hadn't had what he considered a good day since the start of term.
With a sigh he picked up the next roll of parchment from his desk and scowled as he read it. It was a request from the crotchety care-taker, Filch, wanting more of Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover.
"Good Godric! Does the man drink the stuff?" he asked himself. He certainly seemed to go through enough of the damn stuff.
Shaking his head, he signed the aforementioned request but he vowed to sit down at the end of the school year and demand an accounting on the vast quantity of the stuff that the man used. Surely he'd never seen anything in the school that warranted such an amount.
Maybe it was time to replace the Squib with someone who had at least a smidgeon of magical talent to take care of the school. It would decrease his expenditures for cleaning supplies considerably from the looks of it. Though of course he'd have to pay the person more. Something he was loathed to do. He had to have some way to pay for all the Sherbet Lemons he consumed.
Trying to ignore his pounding head, he picked up the next parchment wondering idly if he could sneak off and convince his brother Aberforth to go ten pin bowling with him sometime soon. Anything to get a few hours respite form the bothersome goings on at the damn school.
Though he wondered if he could afford it. He was already rather far in the arrears with his younger brother. He was sure that he was somehow cheating but he'd be damned if he could catch him at it or figure out how he was doing it.
Harry and Ginny
Ron and Hermione were ensconced on one of the couches in front of the huge fireplace that dominated the Gryffindor common room, silently hoping that none of the upper years came and kicked them out of such a prime location.
It was one of those unwritten rules that they had learned about early in their first year. As far as they could tell it had always been that way and even Hermione knew that complaining to McGonagall wouldn't help.
You could attempt to stand up for yourself but when the person demanding you get up knew way more magic than you did, you were really tempting fate.
Hermione peered across the gloomy common room trying to see if the people entering were Harry and Ginny. Thought it was only mid-morning, it was a very overcast day, threatening rain and with the only light being provided by candles and a few torches in wall sconces, the lighting was hardly ideal. There was many a time she had cursed the backwardness of the Wizarding world. What she wouldn't give for just one decent 100 watt lamp when she was studying.
She sighed in disappointment when she could make out that the people entering weren't who she was looking for. She turned her attention back to her companion who she found stuffing his face with another Chocolate Frog, leaving a rather large smear on his chin.
"Really, Ron, must you look like a five year old?" she said disdainfully.
"Wha?" he asked, his mouth still full as he chewed the frog.
Hermione rolled her eyes as she fought her annoyance. "You have chocolate, smeared on your chin," she said tightly.
Ron looked rather surprised, took a couple of fingers and rubbed then once across his chin. He looked at his fingers after he was done, smiling as he found some chocolate there. He gleefully licked his fingers to get as mich of the confection as possible.
Hermione just recoiled in disgust. Yes he had managed to remove some of the chocolate, but he had smeared what remained even further across his face.
She smiled as she looked once more at the portrait hole because she could see Harry entering. Her smile fell a little when she noticed his companion, though not because of who it was. Lately wherever Harry was, there you'd find Ginny, at least when they weren't in class.
No, what caused her frown was what they were doing. Harry had his one arm tightly draped across Ginny's shoulders, that in itself not being that rare of an occurrence any more, it was more the fact that he was kissing her.
And it wasn't any normal childish kiss either. I reminded her more of the kisses her parents shared when they thought she was asleep in bed. Even in the dim gloom of the low light of the common room and at the distance she was from them, she could see and feel the intensity of the kiss.
To say she was shocked would have been a huge understatement. She suddenly found herself with tunnel vision as everything else happening around her fell away. There was no noise, no other people that impinged on her awareness. No, for several brief moments her world shrunk down to the pair across the common room and what they were sharing.
She shivered as she felt like she was intruding on something wonderful and intimate.
Then as the kiss ended she felt the rest of the world come flooding back. She found herself blushing deeply feeling rather ashamed. Not that she thought that what she had witnessed was bad in any way, it was more that she felt it had been such an intimate, private act that no one should have witnessed what had transpired between the two.
He inaction must have drawn Ron's attention because she heard him say "What is it, Hermione?"
"No-nothing," she stammered, knowing that there was no way she could ever share what she had seen with him. That would never end well and she wasn't sure who would be the one who suffered most.
Ron's temper was legendary, even here at Hogwarts and she knew that the "new" Harry would never give up Ginny or let Ron affect their relationship in any way. No, nothing good could ever come of Ron finding out about what she had just seen.
Harry, with his arm still firmly around Ginny's shoulders, began to lead her deeper into the the common room. To Hermione it looked like they were headed towards one of the small sitting areas further back in the common room.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she took note of Harry and the way his eyes casually scanned the room. She had only ever seen something like that once before. It was at a family reunion and a gentleman who entered had done the exact same thing. She had learned that the man was a member of the SAS and what he had done in that brief instant was scan the room for any and all threats, perceived or real.
The fact that Harry had just done so scared her more than she wanted to admit and she wondered, not for the first time this year, just who was this Harry. He certainly wasn't the Harry she had seen leaving King's Cross at the end of last year.
When the pair was at the point in the room where it was logical to do so, Harry gave Ginny a quick kiss and a small shove towards the sitting area before he headed off towards the stairs to the boy's dormitories.
It was as he turned that she noticed he had something hanging off the belt to his robes and for the life of her the only thing she could conceive it to be was a sword, but she couldn't for the life of her think of why he'd have one at all.
When Harry returned shortly, whatever it had been was missing and she could only assume that his trip to his dorm had been to divest himself of whatever ir was.
She took a quick glance at Ron to see if he had noticed anything and tried to hide her disappointment. Not only was it unlikely he had seen the sword, she doubted by his actions that he was even aware that Harry and his sister had returned to the common room. He was just sitting there stuffing another Chocolate Frog into his mouth.
She gave a rueful chuckle as she took in the pile of wrappers on the table before Ron. She gave him a not so gentle elbow to the ribs, causing him to look at her with a frown.
"What'd you do that for?" he asked indignantly.
"In case you didn't notice, Harry and Ginny have returned," she said, glaring at her friend.
Ron looked at her in surprise. "When did they do that?" he asked lowly.
"Sometime between your fourth and seventh Chocolate Frog," she replied derisively.
Ron scowled at her questioningly, not understanding her tone.
Hermione just huffed as she rolled her eyes. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, thrusting it at Ron. "Wipe your face. You've got chocolate all over it," she muttered darkly.
Harry descended the stairs from the boy's dorms and headed directly for Ginny. He did take a quick notice of Ron and Hermione by the fire and he chuckled as he watched Hermione hand Ron a handkerchief, obviously for the chocolate that covered a large portion of his face.
The thought flew from his mind in an instant as his eyes fell once more on Ginny, his beloved Ginny. He knew he must be smiling like an idiot, not only because of the sweet, warm, wonderful witch who was waiting for him, but also because of all that they had learned and accomplished that morning.
Not only had they "dealt" with the Basilisk, though not in the way he had planned, he had also gotten a hold of Gryffindor's Sword and the real kicker was that he had found out that his Godfather had been clear and was now a free man. That, and McGonagall had said she would make arrangements for him to go see him.
Harry knew he'd never been happier in his life than he was at that very moment. Looking at Ginny and seeing the look on her face, he knew that she understood just what he was feeling.
He flopped down into the chair next to hers and wasn't surprised when she quickly rose and curled up in his lap. Not being able to help himself, he leaned down and capture her lips in a short but intense kiss.
He sighed contentedly and heard Ginny echo his. He didn't think anything could spoil that moment.
How wrong he was.
"Oi! Potter! What are you doing to my sister!" he heard shouted at him.
Harry's shoulders sagged and he glanced at Ginny with a sad smile. It was as if he knew it had been too good to be true.
The only saving grace was Ginny's appearance. Gone was the shy, hesitant, little girl he had first talked to. In her place was a veritable hurricane that looked ready to explode.
She stood in an instant, turning to face her approaching brother, her wand drawn and hanging by her side. Her face was a mask but you could see the fury that rested just below the surface. Harry almost felt sorry for Ron, almost.
To the uninitiated it appeared that Ginny was unprepared to confront her brother but Harry could tell that she could have her wand up and casting spells in less than half a second.
Ron was scowling as he approached but it turned into a patronizing smile when he looked at his sister.
"What are you going to do with that," he said disdainfully.
Harry's eyes flitted to Ron, taking in Hermione's shocked look as she stood just behind him. His eyes then went back to Ginny and he watched as her eyes widened imperceptibly before her fury exploded out of her.
"This!" she cried. "Chiroptera Mucosa!" she screamed.
Hermione looked on in shock which quickly turned into horror as she watched as bogies crawled out of Ron's nose and turned into Bats the size of large vultures which attacked Ron's face with teeth and claws.
Fuelled by Ginny's fury, the hex was more powerful than she had ever cast before.
Ron tried to fight them off but he didn't stand a chance. He finally wrapped his arms tightly across his face to prevent further damage. Blocked from their intended target, the Bat-Bogies turned to attacking the arms covering Ron's face, quickly shredding his robes and tearing into his unprotected arms with great intensity.
"Stop! Please Stop!" Ron pleaded piteously.
"Please Ginny," Hermione entreated, her eyes full of her fear.
Harry looked at Ginny, her face a mask once again, her lips drawn into t thin line as she stared at her brother, her look filled with nothing but contempt.
Harry slowly rose and took Ginny into his arms. "Enough," he said softly.
Ginny's look softened as she stared into Harry's caring eyes. She finally gave him a wan smile and with a casual flick of her wand she cancelled her spell.
She cuddled closer into Harry but turned her head towards her brother. He lay right where he had been, his arms still wrapped tightly across his face. He was crying and moaning softly.
She looked dispassionately at his torn and shredded arms, blood dripping off, making small pools on the floor.
Never! And I mean never interfere in Harry's and my relationship ever again," she said icily.
When Ron didn't react, she said "Did you hear me, Ron?"
"Yes," he mewed pitifully.
She then turned her attention to Hermione. "You'd better take him to Pomfrey," she said coolly.
Hermione nodded jerkily, her face still full of her shock and fear. She reached down and helped Ron to his feet, quickly leading him away and out the portrait hole.
Everyone who had been standing around watching suddenly found something else to occupy their attention, not wanting to be on the receiving end of anything the young Gryffindor might think to send their way.
Ginny sagged further into Harry and he could tell she was fighting tears. "Why can't he just be happy for me, . . . for us?" she cried softly.
Harry felt his heart breaking for her. "I don't know. I just don't know," he replied softly, cuddling her closer into his body.
Harry and Ginny
It was after lunch, that had done a lot to dispel their melancholy, when Harry looked at Ginny. He gave her a smile, having reached a decision.
"Wait right here," he said with a small smile as he rose and headed towards his dorm.
"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, wondering what Harry had planned now.
"You'll see," Harry replied as he ran up to his dorm.
He returned quickly and Ginny could see he had Gryffindor's sword with him. "What's that for?" she asked curiously.
"You'll see," Harry said again, reaching for her hand.
Ginny let him pull her to her feet and lead her out of the common room. It didn't take her long to figure out he was taking her to the Room of Requirement.
She raised an eyebrow ar him questioningly but he just smiled at her, saying nothing.
In no time at all she found them back in her training room, the only difference was that there was now a small stone pedestal in the centre.
Harry led her right over to it and in a move that surprised her, he withdrew the Diary from inside his robes.
She looked at it apprehensively but Harry just gave her an encouraging smile.
I figured we should cap off the day with something fitting," he said softly.
He then took the Diary and placed it in a slot that ran across the top of the pedestal, making the book stand upright.
He then drew Gryffindor's Sword, hefted it in his hands a couple of times as if he were assessing its weight and balance.
Smiling, he turned and offer Ginny the Sword by its hilt. "I think you should do the honours," he said encouragingly.
"Me?" she asked in surprise.
Harry nodded, once more offering the hilt to her. "Yes, after all it was aimed at you so you should be the one who destroys it," he said firmly.
Ginny stared at the Diary for a moment before looking back at Harry. A small smile grew on her face as she took the offered Sword.
For as large as it was she found it felt remarkably light in her hands and she marvelled at its balance. She moved it about and was surprised at how easy it was. It really was a superb weapon.
She looked back at Harry, her smile growing as her confidence did.
"How should I do this," she asked, never having used a sword before.
Harry gave her a small shrug. "If you feel comfortable enough, you could take a large cut at it, aiming for the centre."
When Ginny looked at him a little unsurely he said "Or you could just stab straight through it."
Ginny nodded, deciding the second suggestion was her better choice.
She glanced at Harry one more time before turning her attention to the Diary before her. She tested the heft of the sword one last time before she tensed, drew her arms back and then thrusted forward with all her might, putting her body behind the thrust.
She was surprised with how easily the sword pierced thought the book. She barely felt any resistance at all.
She recoiled in surprise when she heard a loud wailing scream and a smudgy black smoke-like figure rose from where she had stabbed.
She was just beginning to be concerned when as if a gentle breeze was present, the smokey figure dissipated, disappearing like it had never been there.
She was startled when Harry appeared at her side, gently taking the sword from her hands. He set it aside before taking her into his arms.
"Well done," he whispered warmly.
Ginny snuggled into his embrace, closing her eyes for a moment as she let his love fill her. She then looked up into his eyes, smiling at what she saw there.
Harry's emerald eyes shone with an inner fire, and she was awed by the love and pride she saw there.
She wasn't surprised when he leaned down and capture her lips. She let her eyes drift shut as she let the kiss overtake her. She knew in her heart that this was what she wanted and where she wanted to be.
They spent the remainder of the day in the Room of Requirement, cuddle together on a couch the room provided for them. They even went so far as to have dinner delivered so they didn't have to leave.
It wasn't until the Clock Tower was tolling out nine and curfew was taking effect that they entered the portrait hole to return to the common room.
They were fortunate enough to find a free spot on one of the couches in front of the fire so they cuddled up there until it was time to head off to bed.
Harry escorted Ginny to the bottom of the stairs to the girls dorms. He gave her a long, loving kiss.
"Good night," he whispered. "See you in the morning."
Ginny felt like she was floating, a dreamy smile on her face. "Good night, my love," she whispered. "Till morning."
She then sighed deeply, never having felt so contented, loved and cherished in her entire life. She was barely aware of anything as she made her way up to her room, changed and snuggled into her bed. Her final thoughts as she drifted off to sleep were of Harry and how much she loved him, and surprisingly enough, how much he loved her.
Harry watched Ginny until she was out of sight before he bounded up the stairs to his dorm, taking them two at a time, barely noticing that it took virtually no effort on his part. He was so pumped up, filled with the feeling that filled him from having kissed Ginny.
He did pause outside the door to his dorm, hoping that Ron was at least in bed, of not having to stay in the hospital wing.
He smiled as he entered the dimly lit room. All the curtains for his dorm-mates bed were firmly closed. He changed quickly but decided to use the loo before getting into bed.
He had just opened the door to the loo when he caught out of the corner of his eye something coming fast at his face. He tried to duck out of the way but couldn't. He saw the thing, which he finally perceived as a fist, slammed into the side of his face. He went flying, smashed into the wall before falling to the floor in a heap.
"Not so great now are you Potter," he heard Ron's voice, right before he saw the toe of Ron's boot strike him in the face. He felt his nose shatter and his cheek cave in as blackness took him.
Harry and Ginny
A/N: Well, what a thrilling end to an exciting chapter, don't you think? Don't worry, all I'll say is things aren't always what they seem to be.
To find out what and why, you'll have to stay tuned and read the next thrilling chapter. Any guesses as to what will happen next? And no, you can't tell Sharon.
As always, please review.