Disclaimer:
Nothing is mine. Harry Potter (the Weasley family and so on) belongs to JKR and those who publish her books. Damien is Kurinoone's and Harry's background is kind of hers, too. I am doing this for fun (and to sleep peacefully) and I earn no money for this story. There are parts of this story that have been written by JKR and parts that have been written by Kurinoone.
Chapter Twenty-Four – The Importance Of Understanding
Harry took a deep breath before entering the phone box. He fished a few coins from his pocket, silently counting them, before pushing a few in. He picked up the receiver and dialled the number Damien had told him.
As he waited his grip on the receiver instinctively tightened, until he heard a voice. "Hello, Potters Residence."
He slid more coins into the slot, taking another deep breath. He could do this. He had to do this. They deserved this. It didn't make it any easier. He opened his mouth but the words he had formed in his head beforehand were nowhere to be found. He closed his mouth.
"Hello? Hello?" asked James. Harry could clearly hear the confusion in his voice. He gripped the phone even more tightly and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the memory that came to his mind.
A cliff, Harry firing a curse at a bloodied and hurt James, James falling over the edge of the cliff, disappearing from view.
Harry blinked furiously, gripping the receiver so tight his knuckles turned white.
"Hello, is anybody there?" asked James again. "Don't know, there's no answer." He said more quietly, obviously talking to someone beside him.
"Dad," He finally said, forcing the word out. The Patronus had been so much easier than this. He just had to say something and off it was... now James could answer, could scream at him in return.
"Harry?" James whispered.
"Yeah, it's me." He closed his eyes, expecting the shouting to begin. It was what he deserved after all.
"Harry! Are you alright?"
He frowned and opened his eyes again. "I'm... I'm okay. I just wanted to say that…that I'm, I'm sorry!" He paused, giving James the chance to say anything but nothing came from the other end. "I should have given you a chance. I…I should have listened to you. I'm sorry that I never gave you a chance. I'm sorry for everything! Everything I said and did to you. I'm sorry, I had to leave yesterday. I-"
"Harry, listen to me. You don't have to be sorry. I don't blame you. You didn't know the truth." His voice was very quiet. "But you- you found out now, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I-" but his voice broke. He pressed his eyes shut.
"Where are you? Tell me where you are and I'll come to get you!" James said urgently.
His eyes snapped open, a sudden panic filling him. "No!"
"Harry, please you don't understand. You are in danger! You have to let me help you." James said, his voice laced with desperation.
"You can't help me. Not after... everything."
"Harry, if you are talking about Ginny- we will find a way. We can find one. We will work this out. I know you are feeling guilty but-"
"No, Dad, no. I don't want to get you into more trouble. I can't just come home and hope that everyone will leave me alone. It won't work like that! If I come home, the Ministry will take over and they will want you to hand me over to them." Harry said quietly.
"And you think I'll do that?" James asked.
"You won't have a choice. If you don't, they'll throw you into Azkaban as well. You can't get involved. Damien needs you. M-mum needs you!"
"Harry…" James started but Harry cut him off.
"I just called so that I could say sorry. If there was any other way, I would come home in a heartbeat. But I gave up my chance when I ran away from Hogwarts, with you and Sirius and Ginny and- No one will give me another chance. No matter what you or anyone else tells them."
"Harry! No! You misunderstand. You will get another chance! They can't just do that to you. Harry, please just tell me where you are. We will talk about everything when you are home- just- just let me help you!"
"Dad, you wouldn't understand. No one would. Least of all your Order or the Ministry."
"Of course I would understand, Harry. I've seen enough, been through enough to understand. I have seen Aurors kill as well and they had their reasons and they weren't punished and it was the same with you and they will have to understand that. They will see your reasons you just have to come home. Everything will be okay then."
"No, Dad. Nothing will be okay then. I can't come home."
"But you need to stay safe, Harry! Everyone is out looking for you. You can't beat the Death Eaters and the Aurors!"
"You don't have to worry. I'm very good at hiding."
"Harry, don't do this. Please!" James begged. "Let me get you home!"
Harry's heart broke. "Goodbye, Dad. Please, just stop looking for me. Don't get into even more trouble because of me."
"Harry, No! Don't-" But Harry hung up, leaning against the cold telephone, taking another deep breath.
xxx
Harry closed the door and gave himself a moment to lean against it. So much for staying calm and collected through it while telling them how very sorry he was. At least they knew he was sorry...
He shook his head, clearing the memories away. He walked over to the small chair in the corner and sat down, silently unshrinking the second box. He unpacked the second mobile phone. He had just plugged the charging cable in, when his own mobile phone rang.
"Yes?"
"It's Damy." came his brother's voice from the other side. Harry had given him his new number when he had called him to ask for the Potter's phone number.
"Hey Damy."
"Hi Harry. Are you okay?" His voice was lanced with concern.
Harry rolled his eyes, annoyed. What was it with everyone and that question? "I'm fine."
"I overheard your phone call with Dad."
"You are at home?" asked Harry, possible scenarios filling his head. "Are you sure they can't hear you? Or walk in on you? See you with the mobile phone?"
"Gosh, calm down. It's not like I have never sneaked around before."
"So you made sure they can't find you? In any way?"
"Stop being paranoid! You should see what is happening here. No one is interested in what I'm doing anyway."
Harry frowned. "What is happening?"
"Dad was whispering with Sirius and Remus and Mum was about to call Dumbledore when I left."
Harry cursed. "They still want to look for me?"
"What did you think? That one call from you and they would stop searching?" asked Damien, his voice filled with disbelief. "Dad is behaving even worse now. He is really desperate now, saying that he should have said something else and that he reacted wrong and that he should have forced you to tell him where you are or that he should have coaxed you... I think Mum said something about tracking the number but Sirius was going on about that not being necessary." Damien paused. "Dad said you were pretty shaken, so I wanted to check if you were okay."
"I said I'm fine, didn't I?" asked Harry irritated.
"I'm trying to find out if you only tell me you are fine and in reality you aren't."
"And your clever plan is to ask me as many times as you can to see if I crack?" questioned Harry, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Is it working?" asked Damien amused.
"Of course, I'm shaking in my boots, trying to form a plan in my head but I can't because I'm so very scared."
Damien sniggered on the other end. "So you will tell me the truth when I use my threatening voice now because then you will be even more scared?"
"Let's hear it. I could use something to laugh about."
Damien kept silent, before he sighed. "I walked in on that one, didn't I?"
Harry chuckled. "Yes, you did."
"But Harry, you should talk with someone if you aren't feeling fine, you know that, right?" Damien said his voice sounding serious.
"What is it with all of you? Had a talk with Dad about me?"
"Of course not. Mum always says when you are feeling down, talk to someone who might understand you. I was feeling down and I talked to Ginny and Mum was right: I felt a lot better afterwards." Damien took a deep breath. "You know you can talk to me, right?"
Harry gritted his teeth. "You wouldn't understand."
"I will try. And you can just explain it to me until I do."
"It's not that easy, Damien."
When Damien said nothing, Harry thought that he had convinced him and they could just change the topic now. But he was wrong. "Talk to Ginny then."
"Why would I talk to her about this? It's not like she would understand any better."
"You are in a similar situation." Harry opened his mouth to protest. "You know with you both not able to come home, on the run together, cut off from your family and friends. You could just... share that, can't you?"
"Damy..." Harry paused. "What is it you are trying here?"
Damien laughed but it sounded off. Harry narrowed his eyes. "Damien...!"
"It might help you both, you know? She didn't look so good either when I last saw her. She is my friend. I don't want her to suffer. And if you can help her..." He trailed off and took a deep breath. "Maybe you can sort out whatever is between you as well."
"'Whatever is between us'...? There is nothing between us!"
Damien snorted. "Just... talk to her and work it out."
"There is nothing to work out there." Harry paused. "Damien, are you trying to set us up?"
"What? No! Of course not!" He said quickly.
"So you are..." Harry chuckled, trying to ignore the weird feeling he suddenly got. "Not enough pictures in your head yet?"
"I'm not trying to set you up!" The younger boy denied.
"So... have you talked with her about this yet?" asked Harry, playing with the charging cable.
"Why? Interested?" he could picture the grin on Damien's face.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Just curious what she said... that's all."
Damien was silent, probably pondering over something.
"Damy?"
"Just let her in." He suddenly said. "Talk to her. Really talk to her. She doesn't know you and I know how you get all closed up and don't say a thing about anything."
Harry frowned. "She said she didn't know me?"
Damien sighed. "Please don't tell her I told you."
"I won't."
"Thanks. I shouldn't have told you in the first place." He sighed. "Just open up to her. Don't be with her like you were with me. She... she doesn't have a reason to try for you like I did." Damien paused. "She could just stop, you know that, right?"
Harry's heart sank. He rubbed his eyes. He had enough to worry about as it was. Why did he have to develop those feelings now? He just wanted to get rid of them, not do something about it. It was the wrong time for something like this. But her carless remarks through breakfast had stung more than he had expected. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine what it would feel like if she stopped. If she stopped asking if he was okay, if she stopped showing up to check on him, if she stopped squeezing his hand, if she stopped smiling at him, if she stopped joking and teasing, if she demanded to go home. But she hadn't stopped yet, had she?
"Just be nice to her, Harry."
"I don't do nice." He repeated automatically.
Damien laughed. "Maybe it's time to start, eh?"
xxx
Ginny was sitting on a chair in her room, staring out of the window. She looked up, when someone knocked three times on the door. There was a pause and he knocked again. She stood up and opened the door for Harry.
"I'm back."
She smiled up at him. "Thanks for letting me know."
"I've got the mobile phone for you."
"Great." She motioned for him to come in. He did. "You can even sit down." She teased.
"About that..." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Yes...?" she asked when he didn't continue. He smiled a bit... sheepishly. Ginny stared at him. "I should probably ask a security question." She joked. "Something wrong with you?"
He sighed. "No, nothing wrong."
He sat down and she took the still vacant chair. "Made the phone call?"
"Huh?" He met her eyes. "Err... yeah... I called my dad."
"You did?" She asked surprised.
"Just telling him I'm okay, apologizing..." He trailed off and looked out of the window.
She frowned lightly and bit her lip, wondering why he suddenly told her something without her pleading him to share it. Not that she was complaining. "That's good." She paused. "What did he say?"
He met her eyes again. "He wants me to come home. Of course I told him I won't. Damy says he is really desperate."
"You spoke with Damy as well? How is he?"
Harry sunk lower into the chair. She watched as he stretched his legs. "We didn't really talk about that... but he sounded fine, way better than last time."
"Thank Merlin."
"He actually said it's because of you. Your talk really helped him."
Ginny smiled. "Good to hear it helped him. It helped me as well."
He nodded and looked back out the window. She did as well, imagining what Damien did... what her family did. The pang that was becoming way too familiar for her liking returned. Harry gained her attention again, when he pulled out the small thing that she guessed was a mobile phone. He handed her the thing silently. She took it and turned it around in her hands, looking at it from all angles. She inclined her head, checking if it looked different from this point of view. She looked up and caught him watching her, smiling softly. Her breath caught.
"Uh?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
She looked back down. "So... how does this thing work?"
"Mobile phone." he corrected while moving his chair nearer to hers. "You see the small red earphone?"
"This one?" She pointed towards the red weird symbol.
"Yes. Press it until the display-" He pointed towards the small greyish-green picture. "Glows."
She did and nearly dropped it when it indeed glowed bright before darkening. With fascinated eyes she stared at it, reading PIN. "What now?"
Harry pulled a piece of paper from his pocket, silently unfolding it. "Okay you have to press zero, five, two and seven." He held the paper next to the phone so that she could look at it. Ginny stared at the small number. This was some kind of joke, wasn't it? 0527... 05 and 27... 5 and 27...
"Ginny? Ginny?"
She shook her head, trying to forget what she connected with those numbers. She pressed them without looking at him but whenever she did there only appeared a small star. "Is that correct?" She asked frowning.
He leant closer to her. "Yes, everything is fine. Now press the button on the top left." She did and watched with wide eyes as the numbers disappeared and a sound came from the phone. There was a slogan before it too disappeared. There were only more strange symbols now. "You just finished turning it on. You can change the code if you can't remember it."
"I can remember it." She mumbled. "Do I always have to press these numbers?"
"When you turn the mobile phone on, yes. But you probably will have it turned on most of the time anyway."
"Okay... and how do I make a call?"
"Every phone has a special number. You just have to press the green earphone and the number of the phone you want to reach." He took out a piece of parchment and scribbled down some numbers. There were three lines of them. "The first one is my number." He added his name next to the numbers. "The second one is Damien's and with the last one you reach my parents." He added their names as well and handed her the parchment. She took it. "You probably shouldn't call them if you want to avoid heart attacks but in case of an emergency..."
She nodded silently and pocketed the piece of parchment.
"When the phone rings like this-" He took out another mobile phone and pressed some numbers. Her own vibrated and made a noise. She dropped it into her lap. With wide eyes she stared at it. Harry laughed. She glared up at him.
"It doesn't bite." He joked. She took it. "You have to press the green earpiece." She did. "Hold it onto your ear." She did and frowned. "No, you are holding it upside down." He reached towards it, still grinning, and turned it around. "You can speak into it now and I can hear you." He motioned towards his own phone and pressed another thing. There was another strange noise now coming from her phone. "That's the sound it makes when the one on the other end hung up. You have to press the red earpiece now to hang up as well."
She did. "Is there even more I need to know?" She asked, turning the mobile phone around in her hands once more. What a strange little thing... that Muggles had come up with something like that...
"You will get used to it after you made a few calls. But there is another thing you really need to know." He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a long cable with something attached to it.
"A plug." She said. He nodded and gave it to her. She ran her fingers over it. "My Dad is really fascinated by them." She smiled sadly, thinking about the way his whole face lit up whenever he got his hands on one.
"Are you okay?" She looked up and met Harry's green eyes. They were filled with concern.
She gave him a smile. "Yeah... just thinking of them."
"I-" He struggled for something.
"It's okay." At his still doubtful look she added: "really." She turned the mobile phone around, looking for the place where she had to plug it in. She found it. "Are you okay?" She asked casually.
"I..." She looked up and met his troubled eyes. "It's nothing I can't deal with."
"If-" She looked away and bit her lip, trying to work out the best way to say it. "If you need someone to talk to... I'm here."
She turned her head and watched as he looked up into her eyes. "No offence but... you wouldn't understand."
"Probably not." She stared at him, looking into his eyes, willing him to see her point. "But I would listen."
xxx
Damien, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the kitchen table in the Burrow, in the midst of a very awkward discussion of a Herbology question. It was more like Hermione talking, Damien scribbling down some notes as to avoid looking at someone and Ron was staring out of the window. His face was the palest it had ever been, his eyes bloodshot and his hair messier than ever.
Whatever he tried to do, he couldn't take his eyes off the field where they played Quidditch. Where they used to play Quidditch. Without Ginny- they had tried once. The twins against Charlie and him. They had thought it would be a change, it would be nice. That they could have some fun after what had happened... but it had ended in them screaming at each other, blaming each other. Some very hurtful words were said that day and they couldn't take them back. Charlie had tried to apologize to Ron but it hadn't felt right and Ron knew he was still angry. The apology was nothing worth if it wasn't real. It would have meant nothing to Ron anyway. He was blaming himself anyway. Every day. Every hour. Every minute.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was so very young and she had done nothing wrong. She was just a little girl. His little sister who just wanted everyone to be happy, who could make others laugh and brighten their days. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. No one did... but that didn't change it. Ginny-
His eyes snapped open when suddenly a funny sound was heard around them. It was coming from Damien.
"What is that?" He asked a bit more harshly than he wanted. It was so very hard to even look at his very best friend. He tried to grab the thing from Damien.
"Nothing, it's nothing." Damien tried to hide the thing but it kept making beeping noises.
"Is it something from Fred and George? Let me have a look. I could use something to- to-"
"No, it's not. It's nothing." The sound stopped. "I'll just-" Damien made some strange gestures. "Toilette." He finally said and hurried off.
Ron looked at Hermione confused. She leant closer to him and whispered: "It's a mobile phone."
At his still puzzled expression she added: "A thing Muggles use to communicate."
"Why does he have something like that?"
Hermione bowed her head, thinking about something before she spoke again. "I don't know. It can't be from his mother that would be pointless. She can just reach him through the fireplace or their phone-"
Ron made out Damien's footsteps on the stairs. You could hear everything going on in the house these days. "We will keep an eye on him." He decided finally. He could use something else to think about.
Hermione nodded and leant back hastily, trying to look occupied by her book. It was obvious she was trying to divert from something. In the past the sight would have made him smile.
"I'm not feeling well." Damien said when he reached them. "I think I'm going home."
They both nodded and Damien packed his things. From the corner of his eyes Ron saw Hermione wave her wand. He wasn't good enough at these things to say what she was doing but it was Hermione. Of course she had a plan already.
Damien activated his Portkey and vanished.
"What did you do?" asked Ron Hermione.
"Tracking spell." She said, smiling slightly.
"Clever." Ron took a look around. There was no one there that could stop or follow them. "Let's follow him now."
Hermione glanced at him worriedly but he just looked away and stood up. She mumbled an incantation and tapped an empty piece of parchment. Lines and colours suddenly appeared, filling the whole scroll of parchment. She took an intense look at it. Ron just leant over to have a look as well when she gasped.
"It's near my house. What is he doing there?"
Ron shrugged. "Let's find out. We can use your Portkey."
"Are you sure we should do this?" She asked.
"Don't you want to know what he is doing?"
"We could just ask him-"
"Yeah, he really looked like he would share it with us. Come on, Hermione, I could really use an adventure, something to forget." But he didn't want to forget. He opened his mouth, ready to correct himself but Hermione's eyes softened and she nodded.
"Okay, come on." She pulled her own Portkey out of her bag. Ron grabbed it as well and she whispered the password. They were yanked away.
They landed in Hermione's room. Silently they made their way out of the house and followed the small dot that was Damien. Soon they didn't need the map anymore. They had spotted the dark haired boy making his way purposefully towards a small building.
Hermione pocketed the map quickly and they followed him in, too afraid that if they took their eyes away for a second, they might lose Damien. They watched Damien stop before a door and knock four times. Quickly they hid around the next corner. What was Damien doing here and why hadn't he told them-
Ron's eyes nearly popped out when he saw who opened the door. Harry – Ginny's murderer – motioned for Damien to enter. And he did. He didn't look surprised in the last. Ron gritted his teeth and balled his hands to fists. Damien had lied to him. He hadn't told him. He knew where he was and he hadn't told anyone or he would be rotting in a cell in Azkaban without his soul.
"Was that really... was that really Harry?" whispered Hermione beside him. "We should-"
Ron grabbed the wand in his pocket tighter. "I'm going in. You go back. Call the Order. No, call the Ministry."
"Ron- if Damy is in there-"
"I'm going in. He's going to pay, Hermione. Ginny- She-"
"I'm coming as well." She said firmly.
"It's too dangerous! I can't see him hurt you! You have to go back-"
"No! I'm going in as well." She pulled out her own wand, a determined expression on her face and before Ron could stop her, she had walked down the corridor towards the door and opened it. He run after her and followed her in.
His eyes landed on him instantly. "YOU-" He yelled, his wand shaking. Ron barley blinked but he was already on his feet. He had to- spell- curse- but there was nothing. He just wanted to make him pay. He screamed and suddenly his arms were jerked backwards and his wand fell to the floor cluttering. Something sharp was definitively too near to his throat. He gasped and struggled but in vain.
His eyes focused on Hermione who was standing near the door, panic clearly visible on her face. She raised her wand which was shaking as well.
"You really don't want to do that, Granger." growled he from behind Ron.
Damien was at the door by now but instead of running or screaming he closed and locked it.
"You traitor!" Ron spat at him.
There was a door opening. "What the hell is going on here- oh-" He knew that voice. But it couldn't be. That couldn't be. He was going insane. "Ron?" she asked. The sharp thing from his throat disappeared and suddenly he could move his arms again. He turned around and there she was. But she wasn't. Her hair was wrong. It couldn't be-
"G-Gi-Ginny?" He asked stuttering. "But-but-"
Another wand hit the floor and she was running towards him, throwing herself at him. "Oh Merlin, Ron." She sobbed and his jumper was getting wet but he didn't dare to even move an inch. This had to be a dream. A desperate, cruel nightmare. If he touched her, she would disappear and he would wake up and- he moved his arms slowly but she was still there. He pulled her closer, hugging her. Blinking, he noticed that he was crying as well, mumbling her name over and over again.
He moved his head and saw Hermione who was staring at the two of them with wide eyes, her hands clapped over her mouth, her own wand lying forgotten at her feet as well. "How-how...?"
Ginny pulled back from him, wiping her tears aside. "Hey Ron."
He stared at her, reaching out to touch her. She was solid. "You are... you are alive?"
She nodded. New tears were pouring from her eyes which she hastily wiped away as well. "I'm- yeah- I'm alive."
"But-how... how is that possible?" Ron stared at her before his eyes searched Hermione, looking at her questioningly. She would know the answer. She always knew everything.
"I..." Ginny shut her mouth and turned around. Ron followed her eyes and they landed on Harry who was standing at the door Ginny had come from, holding three wands. One of them was clearly Ron's.
"My wand." He demanded, reaching towards it.
Harry's eyes narrowed. "You can get it when I'm sure you are not going to try that stunt again."
"Stop being paranoid." snapped Ginny and walked over to him. Ron wanted to grip her, wanted to pull her behind himself to protect her, wanted to- but she just took hold of Harry's hands and looked up at him. He loosened his grip and she grabbed the wands from him. She turned around and handed one Ron and the other one Hermione. She pocketed the last one.
"What the hell! What are you guys doing here?" exclaimed Damien, waking from his stupor.
Ron tore his eyes away from Ginny and looked at his friend. "We can ask you the same thing! What are you doing here? And how-" He gestured towards Ginny.
"How did you know he is here?" asked Harry, glaring angrily at Damien.
"We followed him." said Hermione quietly. Damien looked terrified from her to Harry.
"That's not possible!" yelled Damy.
"Great, Damien, brilliantly done! You don't even notice two schoolchildren following you. How do you think you can possible manage Death Eaters? Aurors? Our parents?"
Damien bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Harry! I just- I-"
"Spare me your lame excuses." spat Harry. "I really don't want to do this..." Suddenly he held his own wand. Ron took a step back and raised his own. "Ginny, pack your things." Harry said calmly.
"Excuse me?" She asked incredulously.
"You heard me. Pack. Your. Things." He glared at her.
She crossed her arms. "What are you doing?"
"I will modify their memories." Hermione gasped and Ron's wand shook. He had to disarm him somehow. "All three's memories."
"Harry...!" pleaded Damien. "You can't- not after- after everything- you can't-"
Harry raised his wand higher. At least they weren't going to die, thought Ron grimly.
"You so won't do that." snapped Ginny. Disbelieving, Ron watched as she stepped in front of Harry's wand, glaring at him.
"Ginny- come here- get away-"
"Shut up, Ron." She glared at him over her shoulder, before turning back to Harry.
"Step aside." Harry glowered at her.
"What are you going to do, hm? Modify my memory as well?" She asked irritated.
"If I have to." He said quietly, staring at her.
"Ginny, come here. Now!" tried Ron again but she didn't even react this time.
"Sorry to say but that's not possible." She fumbled with her collar, the others watching her confused. She pulled out a long chain. "Familiar with this?"
"Oh, fuck it." cursed Harry. For a moment he looked like he was about to demand it from Ginny and Ron was ready to do whatever necessary but Harry didn't. Instead he lowered his wand. "They can't know." He said quietly.
"Why not?" she asked just as quietly.
"They could tell."
"They won't." He opened his mouth, but she added: "Let me talk with them, okay?" They stared at each other. Ron traded a look with Damien and Hermione. Hermione seemed nearly as confused as he was, before her eyes brightened, while Damien smiled. He had just turned his head back to watch Harry and Ginny when Harry nodded.
"If there is one tiny bit of doubt left-"
Ginny nodded. "Okay but give them a chance."
Ginny turned around to face them fully, while Harry still held onto his wand tightly. "Whatever happens, you can't tell anybody where we are." She looked at them all, one after the other, her eyes boring into theirs. "Because like you should all have noticed: I should be dead but I'm not."
"How...?" asked Ron again, the disbelief still there.
"Very complicated. The short version: Harry didn't kill me but saved my life that day. He left You-Know-Who and now we are on the run, fighting him."
"But why... why are you not coming home? Why didn't we know...?" asked Ron. Everything had been a lie. Emptiness suddenly filled him up. Ginny had lied to him, had lied to them as well. She hadn't come home.
"Nobody can find out that I'm still alive because that would get Harry into lots of trouble and everyone would start looking for me as well which would probably end up with me being dead for real. You don't want that, do you?"
Ron shook his head automatically, his head turning from Harry to Ginny.
"Harry's not going to attack you." said Ginny finally. "Right?"
Harry's eyebrow rose. "He's the one pointing his wand at me!"
Ginny looked from one to the other and sighed. "Just stow your wands." She looked at Hermione. "All of you." Hermione did, Harry followed her very reluctantly as did Ron. "Thanks. Ron... I-" She turned towards him alone, tears glittering in her eyes again. "I'm so sorry. Don't believe that I didn't want to come home for one second... I just- I-" She bit her lip which was trembling. Ron knew what that meant. She was about to cry. Like really, really cry. She hadn't done that in ages.
He took a step forward, ready to embrace her, to try what their mother did when that had happened but he looked up and noticed that he wasn't the only one. They had all stepped forward. His eyes focused on Harry who was reaching for her. He lowered his arm again and Ron stepped over and pulled her close. She burrowed her head in his jumper, wetting it even more.
"It's okay, Ginny. I- just- stop- just- I-" He tried to find the right words but there was nothing right to say.
"Yeah, Weasley, pull yourself together."
Ginny stiffened in his arms.
"Harry!" said Damien horrified. "You can't say something like that!"
But Ginny pulled back from Ron and wiped her tears away. "It's okay Damien." Ron stared at her. What had happened to her? She would never-
"What? It's not okay-"
"It's not but just- stop. I'll scream at him later." She glared at Harry. "That's a promise."
"Can't wait." He said dryly. They stared at each other before Ginny turned around again, giving them a smile.
"Can you promise not to say anything? It must be a secret."
"I already swore an oath on it." said Damien quietly. Ron's eyes snapped to Damien.
"You...?"
"Yeah, look Ron, I'm sorry. I couldn't say a thing. It would risk them and I- I can't." He gestured towards Ginny and Harry. "I just want them to be safe."
Ron stared at him, trying to wrap his mind around everything. Ginny was alive and well and they were just standing here, discussing not telling. Could he do that? Could he keep it from everyone? But what was the other option? Forgetting this even happened? Sinking into the misery of blaming himself for her death again?
"I'm going to swear an oath as well." said Hermione, stepping forward. "But on one condition."
"Yeah? What is it?" asked Ginny.
"I want to help."
They all stared at her. It was Harry who spoke. "What? You want to help?" He looked at her disbelievingly.
Hermione stood her ground, staring at him. "Yes, I want to help. You may think that we can't keep it a secret but I'll swear an oath. I won't betray the both of you. I won't tell anyone. Consider it a payback for saving our lives."
Harry seemed a little taken aback but it disappeared and he sneered at her. "I don't need your help. You can't give me any help anyway. What makes you even think that you have the ability to help me? Merlin! You, all of you, think that this is some kind of game, a stupid school project! This is real life! You don't stand a chance against the stupidest Death Eater, how on earth can you expect to help me fight against Voldemort?" The four teens flinched as Harry shouted the word 'Voldemort' but remained silent. "You can't help me! There is nothing you can do that would help me. In fact, you would only get me in trouble, if someone was, for instance, following you." Harry continued.
"You're wrong, Harry. I can help you. I told you once before, it's the simple things that can help, you just have to be ready to accept it." She took a deep breath. "You are right. None of us are very good at duelling. We won't stand a chance against the Death Eaters let alone V-Voldemort."
Ron gasped, as did Damien and Ginny but Hermione stared at Harry. It was the very first time she had said his name. Ron's thoughts spun around and around, trying to understand what was happening here. In one moment they hated him, the next they were trying to help him? He could understand where Hermione was coming from and with Ginny being alive- He wanted to protect her, he wanted to be there for her... but could he?
"But, there are other ways in which you may need my help. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm going to help you in any possible way. You're going to need some sort of contact, a link to the wizarding world. I can be that. We all can help with that. Whatever it is you are going to be doing, I'm sure we can help you with it. I'm not saying that we will stand with you on the battlefield. I'm just saying that we can help with the simple things, even if it's just to be here for you."
"Why would you want to do that? It's not as if we're friends, hell, I was horrible to you. Why are you offering to help me? You should feel no loyalty towards me!" Harry asked truly confused. "I can understand if you want to keep Ginny's situation a secret but-"
Hermione smiled sadly at Harry. "Tell me, Harry if Voldemort wins, what do you think will happen to the wizarding world? What would happen to people like me? Like my parents? We will be the first to be wiped out. Muggles and Muggle-Borns will be targeted first, followed by families like Ron's. Families that have been labelled 'Blood traitors'. We will be hunted and killed, all of us. That is what his aim is, isn't it? 'All magic to be possessed by Purebloods only'. That's why I'm doing this, Harry. I don't want to sit back and leave my fate and the fate of my family in someone else's hands. I don't want to stand back and watch the war being lost by our side and not being able to do anything about it. I want to participate in securing my future. The Ministry and the Order won't let us help. If I can help in defeating Voldemort, help in any way at all, then I'm ready to do anything. That includes helping you. You're right, I have no loyalties towards you, but I'm ready to give you a second chance, if you'll give me a chance as well."
Harry seemed to struggle and Ron saw that Ginny opened her mouth but Harry spoke first:
"You realise what would happen if you got caught? You would serve in Azkaban for helping a known criminal. You would be punished for not turning me in."
Ron shuddered. Azkaban. Hermione was very pale but she cleared her throat. Her voice was still trembling when she spoke. "We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. If I can secure the fate of my parents and other Muggle-Borns, then it's a price I'm willing to pay."
Ron had never seen Hermione this brave. Sometimes in quiet times he had wondered why she wasn't a Ravenclaw. Of course he had never complained. Who would have made his homework then? But now- he stared at her in awe. How she could just see everything and think of everything and- and face him like that and-
"Do you have the same opinion as her?" Harry asked. Ron turned his head and saw Harry looking at him. He swallowed. Helping the one he wanted to murder only this morning? The only thing that kept him going? He stared at Ginny. Azkaban. Ginny.
"Yes." Ginny smiled brightly at him and he smiled back. He wasn't so sure about Harry but he was sure about Ginny. And Hermione. And Damien. And the war. He couldn't go on, staring out of the window all the time. Here was something to do and hadn't he said he needed something to do?
"I'm still in as well of course." said Ginny, turning towards Harry again. "Nothing to do around here anyway."
Harry rolled his eyes but she smiled. "You all have to do what I say, and you have to follow my every order. Agreed?"
"Agreed!" came the answer in unison from Hermione, Damien and Ron. Ginny frowned and stared at him.
"Absolutely not! I'm so not going to do whatever you tell me!" She crossed her arms. They all stared at her.
"Ginny-" started Damien but Harry sighed.
"What?" asked Ginny irritated. "You don't know how he is! I wouldn't even be able to sit down for Merlin's sake!" Ron frowned as did Hermione and Damien but Ginny's serious face suddenly changed and she chuckled. She smiled at Harry and, Ron caught his breath, he smiled back shortly before he rolled his eyes again.
xxx
"Sneaky, very sneaky." Harry said after she closed the door behind Ron, Hermione and Damien.
"What?" She asked, turning around.
"The way you handled your bother: very sneaky." He leant against the doorframe to the bathroom.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
He raised an eyebrow. "Your 'oh please, you have to protect me.'" He imitated her voice – at least she thought that was what he was doing because it sounded ridiculous.
"I didn't say that." She frowned at him, her happy mood slowly disappearing.
"You could as well have said it. Your whole body language screamed it!"
"I didn't! It was not like that-"
"Oh come on, you can stop pretending."
"Pretending what? I'm not! And it wasn't like that! I don't need to be protected!" She snapped at him. "And what was that about 'pull yourself together'? Did I tell you this once? I could have done it as well! I can see there is something wrong with you and you just don't talk about it! At least I am showing my emotions, not hiding from them like a bloody coward!"
Harry stared at her. "What- what did you just say?" His voice was dangerous low, his eyes growing darker.
"I-" She struggled and took a deep breath. "I didn't mean it like that- I just-" She bit her lip frustrated. That wasn't what she wanted to say but... he and his stupidity-
"And stop doing that!" He shouted.
She was about to scream back when confusion settled. She looked up and met his eyes. They were brighter again. "Stop doing what?"
"That!" He gestured to her. "Biting your lip! Just- stop that."
"What? I should stop biting my lip? Why?"
"I-" He ran a hand through his hair, looking at her frustrated. "I just-" He struggled. "I hate it."
Ginny stared at him. "You hate me biting my lip?" She crossed her arms. "Well I hate the way you treat me sometimes, how you can be such a jerk... and the way you threatened them just then! How you threatened me! Modifying our memories? Really?" she yelled.
"I-" He looked lost for a second before his whole expression turned into anger. "Tell me what I should have done then? Hm? Just letting them walk away, telling everyone about you? Have you seen the way your brother looked at me? He was ready to murder me! What would it be for him to just tell his father? Your father? This place would be full with Aurors searching for you to bring you home and looking for me to bring me to the next Dementor! And as soon as someone in the Ministry knows you are alive, there would be Death Eaters looking for you as well. Do you know what my father will do to me should he ever find out you are alive?"
"Firstly: Ron wouldn't do that. And even if he did, my father wouldn't do that."
"Of course they would! They are out for my soul, Ginny. Dementor's kiss on sight! Five thousand galleons to the one who can give the Ministry a clue about me!"
"I- I would just tell them the truth then!"
Harry laughed sarcastically. "Wake up! They would never listen to you. They wouldn't even take the time to listen to you." He started pacing. "And even if you somehow, against all circumstances, managed to tell someone: they want me gone, they want me soulless. It doesn't matter what really happened."
"That's not true." She said stubbornly, watching him.
He came to a standstill, staring at her. "Of course! That's the way the Ministry works."
She took a step closer to him. "But that still doesn't give you the right not to even try to talk with them!"
"Yeah, well, that's the way I was brought up!" He said, gesturing widely. "That's the way I was taught to react. That's the way I am. If you can't deal with that, it's your problem not mine!"
"Just because you were taught that, doesn't mean you always have to be that way! That's. Pure. Rubbish!" She said, poking her finger into his chest with every word.
They stared furiously at each other before Ginny looked down at their shoes, trying to sort her thoughts and trying to calm down. It didn't help if they only screamed at each other. "Would you really have done it? Would you have modified my memory? Damien's?" she asked lowly.
"I would have tried." She looked up and met his troubled eyes. "I- it would have been difficult- I mean after- after everything-" He groaned and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he rubbed his eyes.
"Harry...?"
His eyes opened. "I- they-" He struggled. "I don't think I could have done it. Your brother: most likely yes. Granger: Probably. But you... and Damy-"
"Why does it make a difference?"
He stared at her a long moment before he took a step back and turned around, walking towards the window. He stared outside. "Voldemort modified my memories as well."
Ginny's eyes widened. "Oh... I... I didn't-"
"Whenever they did something wrong, they just wiped it from my mind. Whenever I came close to finding out the truth they did as well. Voldemort, he just- he made sure I could never find out, made sure I would never leave him."
"The truth? Find out what?" She asked softly.
"They... do you know how I 'came' to them?" He asked, just as quietly.
"You were taken, weren't you?"
"By Peter Pettigrew, yes, but that's not how I remember it." He leant his head against the window. Ginny wasn't sure if she should step over to him, if she should do something- she just remained where she was. "They... they created 'my life' on lies. They took their places. They-," He struggled. "With illusions they made me believe I was still in Godric's Hallow, that I spent much more time there than I really did. They paraded around as my family- Lucius was Sirius, Bella my Mum and Voldemort my Dad. They- let's just say they didn't treat me very nice. They showed me a side of the 'Light side' that made me hate everything about it. I remember running away when I was four and finding them and- Voldemort made me believe he saved my life, made me grateful I was with them. It's how they manipulated me to do whatever they wanted. I just- It's-" He broke off.
"That's horrible. I had no idea-" Ginny broke off as well. What was there to say to that? "I'm so sorry."
He turned around slowly and for a moment she thought she saw tears glittering in his eyes. "For what? It's not your fault-"
"I know, I just-" She followed her sudden impulse and crossed the room, hugging him tightly. He stiffened in her arms and tried to step back but she didn't let him go.
"Ginny..." He said weakly.
"Just hug me back." She mumbled against his chest.
"What is that supposed to achieve?"
She tightened her grip on him even more and slowly he gave in, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer. She smiled when he raised his chin slightly and rested it on her head. "I wouldn't have liked to do the same with them, with you, but sometimes..." he mumbled.
"It's okay, nothing happened." She whispered back. "They swore they won't tell about us. It won't come to this." She listened to his still racing heart. "Thank you for telling me." She said even more quietly.
He pulled back and she let him go. He wasn't meeting her eyes and stepped around her, walking to his bag. She watched as he searched for something.
"What are you...?" She asked confused.
"Charms, right?" He asked without looking up.
"Uh?"
"Your favourite subject: Charms, right?"
"Yes but what...?" she asked still confused. That he remembered that...
"It seemed as if you were bored earlier." He pulled out several books. "And you are missing out some important parts of your education because of me."
"Yeah, well..." She stepped closer to him and he handed her a book.
"It's the only Charms book I took-"
"Something about Defence would probably be better anyway."
He nodded and handed her two more books. "Better read this one first." He pointed at the one with the darkest cover. "And if you have a question... just ask me."
She hugged the books close. "Harry...?" He finally looked up and met her eyes. "Thank you."
"It's- it's the least I can do."
xxx
James took a deep breath and looked at his best friends. Sirius nodded at him while Remus gave him an encouraging smile. Lily squeezed his arm.
"Just do it, James." She mumbled softly. He nodded and gripped the piece of parchment even more tightly. His hand shaking, he pressed the numbers, checking countless times if he got them right. He then pressed the receiver to his ear, listening to the tone, his heart beating so fast in his chest, he thought it might burst. Maybe he should have let Lily make the call. But he wanted to do it. He had messed up the last phone call, he wanted to show that he could do it right. It was his task to bring his son home. It was his fault he wasn't there yet after all. And they had waited long enough. They had talked about how he would do this, what he would say, how he would convince him...
'Come on, Harry, pick up.' He prayed silently. 'Let it be the right number.'
"Is that you, Harry? The number is different-"
James nearly dropped the receiver. "Damien?"