Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.
Thank you so much to one of my faithful reviewers who says I'm an amazing author. As I said last time this story was posted, I just write what's in my heart. Your words really inspire me to write more!
A few chapters back, another of my reviewers asked what the eventual pairing will be for Harry. I did say this in the summary, but I'll say it again now: it will be Harry/Ginny. But unlike in the canon, I'm going to start them dating earlier. It'll start in the fifth year, not the sixth.
Also, another of my reviewers said back in like chapter 14 or so that Harry shouldn't have to tel his friends what happened to him. I agree that he should be able to keep it to himself if he wants to, but his mind works in the way that he thinks that if he doesn't tell them, they'll find out another way. He wants to avoid a scene like that; he wants them to know from his own mouth.
Please enjoy this chapter! It's another very emotional one.
Chapter 28: Truths
When Harry woke up Sunday morning, images of what had happened the night before flooded into his brain. It was the first time he'd ever gone to the Astronomy Tower just to think, and encountering Cedric and Cho up there was something he'd never forget. He couldn't fathom the reason why they both cared so much, but all he knew was that he was so grateful that they had. Now they both knew about his problems, and he knew it was now time to tell his other friends. He absolutely dreaded doing it, but maybe they'd be as understanding as Cho and Cedric. He decided he'd talk to Ginny, and see what she thought. If she wasn't ready to tell about Tom Riddle yet, he definitely wouldn't push her, but if she was, maybe they could both tell their friends together.
The next few days passed slowly for Harry. He saw Cedric and Cho a few times, their faces full of compassion every time they saw him. Cedric was the big brother Harry had never had, and by extension, Cho was like his big sister. Ron had still not grown up about the whole Slytherin thing, but he was fine if no one mentioned it to him. Harry still didn't trust him fully yet, and was doubly nervous about telling him his secret. But he knew that if he told Hermione and Neville, he couldn't possibly leave Ron out.
The group's next meeting with the Slytherins went surprisingly well. Nott didn't speak much, but did show up, and everyone could see he was really trying. He had a distant look in his eyes, and Harry couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to be told to enjoy someone's death. The group all told a little about themselves, and the Slytherins did the same. It was like a "getting to know you" session.
On Wednesday, Harry talked to Sirius and Remus. He talked with Ginny, and a decision was reached. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Neville, Hermione, Fred, George, Cedric, Cho, Sirius, Remus, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would all go to the Room of Requirement Saturday, and Harry and Ginny would tell everyone about the difficulties they had faced. They would use Ginny's therapy time to get everything out in the open, and during Harry's time, Kingsley Shacklebolt would come and discuss the trial with him and his two guardians. Harry had the jitters the rest of the week just thinking about it. He and Ginny were spending a lot of time together, discussing this upcoming event. Harry was terrified that his friends wouldn't understand, and was especially nervous for Ron's reaction. Ginny told Harry that she was okay with Cedric and Cho knowing about her. Since Cedric was so friendly with the Gryffindors now, and Cho was such a part of Cedric's life, she decided that she was fine with them both knowing.
When Harry informed his friends that they would all be coming to the therapy session, they knew something important was afoot. Ginny felt better when she found out her parents would be coming as well; she'd have their added support to get her through this difficult time.
Saturday came much too fast for Harry. After breakfast, he left the Great Hall with his group of friends. He said that he'd show them where the Room of Requirement was, and everyone was impressed. They were all very serious, though; Fred and George didn't sport their usual mischievous grins, even though Harry had just shown them a brand new place to wreak havoc.
The door to the room opened, and Sirius, Remus, and the Weasley parents beckoned them all inside. Mrs. Weasley hugged her children, and embraced Harry warmly as well. "Sit down, dears," she said, pointing to the couches. Everyone did.
"Wow, this is one amazing room," Cho said. "Perhaps you and I could study in here sometimes, Cedric."
"Yeah, that would be cool," said Cedric. "I never even knew this room existed."
Sirius chuckled. "It seems as though not many people do, Cedric. We were lucky to find it during our school days."
Cups of tea were passed to everyone, and Remus said, "Now, then. Harry, Ginny, we all know this is a very difficult time for both of you. But we appreciate the fact that you are willing to tell your friends. This is a very big move on your part, and we don't know how to express how proud we are of you."
Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes. "Both of you are so brave," she said. "If it were me, I don't know how I'd be able to handle this."
Harry and Ginny looked at each other, deciding which one of them should go first. Finally, Harry nodded his head and looked at the group of people, steeling himself to say the words. Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder, while Ron just looked at him impatiently. "What's going on?" he griped. "What's the deal here? You both drag us all down here, what is it you have to tell us? And what has my sister been hiding from me all this time?"
"Be patient, Ron," said Mr. Weasley. "They'll tell you in their own time."
"I figured I should tell you all," said Harry, "because it's only fair. Cedric and Cho accidentally found out last week, and since you're all my friends, you should all know."
"Me, too," said Ginny nervously. "Remus told me in my sessions that I shouldn't bottle things up, that I should tell people."
"You know we'll always support you, my darling," said Mrs. Weasley, putting her arms around her daughter again.
"We'll listen," Neville promised.
"Yes, we will," said Fred, looking at his sister with a worried expression. George's face matched it perfectly.
"Well, last summer," Harry said slowly, sipping his tea and taking deep breaths, "I was hurt by my uncle."
"How?" interrupted Ron. "What do you mean?"
"Ron, let him finish!" whispered Hermione fiercely.
"I mean, he beat me up and stuff," said Harry unhappily. "He thought I had done some kind of magic to get him unemployed from his drilling company."
"What's a drilling company?" asked Mr. Weasley.
"Not now, Arthur!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. Her husband looked properly chastized.
"No, it's okay," said Harry. "A drilling company is one that makes drills; a drill is a tool that can make a hole in something else. Like when you go to the Muggle dentist, a drill can fix your teeth."
"Oh," said Mr. Weasley. "I understand."
"Well, as I was saying," said Harry, squeezing Sirius's hand to release some of the tension inside him, "Uncle Vernon really hurt me. He's got a trial coming up in about ten days' time."
"Trial?" said George, looking shocked. "In what way did he hurt you, Harry? How serious was it?"
Harry looked at his friends, begging them not to make him say the words. He especially looked at Hermione, hoping she'd get it. "Was it physically?" she asked. Harry nodded. "Verbally?" He nodded again. Looking at him with dawning comprehension, she said softly, "Hedwig?"
"Yeah," Harry muttered sadly. "He strangled her. There was nothing ... nothing I could do."
"No!" shouted Ron, pounding his fist on the couch. "You've got to be joking."
Harry buried his face in his hands, not wanting to see the shock on all their faces. Hermione burst into tears, and Ron started swearing. "damn that bastard! He should burn in hell!" he snarled. "Ronald Bilius Weasley!" exclaimed his mother, and his father said, "Ron!" very sternly, but Ron wouldn't stop. He jumped out of his seat and spoke directly to Harry. "How come you didn't tell us? We're your friends! How could you keep this from us?"
"Maybe because he's afraid you'd have the kind of reaction you're having now!" snapped Ginny, glaring at her brother.
Fred and George even looked dangerously angry; they hadn't been able to escape the gene of the legendary Weasley temper. "I hope that jackass goes behind bars," Fred snarled.
"He deserves the Dementor's Kiss!" yelled George.
"No, he doesn't," said Harry softly, lifting his head from his trembling hands. "No one deserves that."
"Bullshit!" screamed Ron. "How could you say he doesn't deserve it after what he did, Harry? He's a monster!"
Neville's face was white, and he was shaking. "Why are there such horrible people in the world?" he whispered.
"We don't know, Neville," Remus whispered. Cedric went over to Harry and laid a hand on his shoulder. Cho joined him, doing their best to make Harry feel better. He felt exposed and vulnerable, having an audience like this. Ron still looked furious and was still causing a commotion. "Ron, would you SHUT UP!" Ginny roared at him. "Don't you see he's going through enough without the bull you're pulling?"
Ron snapped his mouth shut immediately, not wanting to face Ginny's wrath; his little sister was dangerous when she got angry. Hermione was still crying, and Fred and George had their hands balled into fists. Sirius and Remus were trying to calm everybody down, and the Weasley parents were looking stricken; Mrs. Weasley was crying too.
"And what happened to you, Ginny?" Ron said, his voice soft now, but still dangerous with fury. "You said something about Tom Riddle hurting you down in the chamber at the end of your first year-"
"Wait a minute, the Chamber of Secrets?" asked Cho, looking shocked.
"Yeah," said Ginny tremulously. "You know that whole fiasco a few years ago? W-well, that was me. Tom Riddle possessed me, and made me open the chamber."
"What do you mean, he possessed you? Who's Tom Riddle? How did he do it?" asked Cedric, his face creased with confusion.
Ginny sighed and took a deep breath. "A diary was dropped in my cauldron at the beginning of my first year," she began explaining. "When I started writing in it, it wrote back." She continued to explain the story of Tom Riddle, how she'd been ensnared and enflamed by him, how he'd showed up in her dreams, her falling in love with him, the attacks, their fight, her throwing the diary in the toilet, her getting it back, and then what happened in the chamber itself.
Ron stood up again, looking angrier than he ever had in his life. "WHAT?" he screamed, his voice reverberating around the whole room. "YOU HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU-KNOW-WHO?" He didn't even seem to care that his parents were in the room, so beside himself was he.
Ginny was crying now, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wrapped her up in an embrace. "Ron, please calm down," Harry tried.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN? I'm not going to calm down!" Ron shouted. "You knew this about my little sister, and you said nothing? I-I can't handle this!" He immediately fled the room, slamming the door behind him. Ginny started crying even harder, and Sirius made to go after Ron.
"No, don't, Sirius, please," said the wailing Ginny. "There's n-no point! When he gets like this you have to leave him alone."
Cho also embraced the younger girl, Cedric telling her everything was going to be okay now. "I always wondered why Dumbledore hushed that whole chamber thing up," he whispered. He looked shocked at the revelations and truths that had come forth this day. He couldn't believe he had been let in on Ginny's secret; he hardly knew her. But he now definitely understood why both she and Harry looked much older than they should at this age.
Hermione was embracing Neville, who was shaking all over. "That monster You-Know-Who," he mumbled into her shirt.
"What were you thinking, Gin?" said Fred gently, joining the embrace, with George on his other side. "Why were you talking to someone you barely knew?"
"Why didn't you talk to us, sis?" said George. "You know we joke around a lot, but we never meant for you to construe it in a way that you thought you couldn't talk to us!"
"I thought T-Tom was the only one who could understand me," hiccuped Ginny.
"Well, we're going to do better by you now," said Fred, his hands once again balling into fists. "And we'll get that creature You-Know-Who, and we'll destroy him!"
"Damn straight," said George furiously. "There won't be anything left of him by the time we're done. If anyone hurts our sister, we hurt them. That's our rule."
Over the next few minutes, everyone tried to calm down. Ginny embraced Harry, who held her close. Both of them had a good cry, not being able to believe it was finally over. They had told their friends. Harry was very upset at Ron's reaction, and so was Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley tried to convince them that he was just angry right now, that he'd come around. Harry felt terrible for not telling Ron about his little sister, but at the same time, felt that he had done the right thing. If Ginny hadn't wanted Ron to know, it wasn't Harry's place to tell him. Sirius and Remus told him that in no way had he done anything wrong by keeping it a secret.
Finally, Neville cleared his throat. "I just want to say this for all of us," he said quietly, looking very seriously at the group. "This goes from us to both of you: we'll support you, whatever happens. None of this was your fault in any way."
"Exactly," said Cedric, giving Neville a kind smile. "We're not going to abandon you, or tell anyone else. If you want to inform others, then it's your choice."
"I wish I could be at the trial to support you, Harry," said Hermione, tearstains still on her face. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. And Ginny, I don't blame you for what happened in the chamber at all. It was Tom's fault, not yours."
"You don't blame me at all for having to spend months in the hospital wing, petrified?" Ginny said in a small voice.
"Of course not!" Hermione cried. "You can't hold yourself accountable for that."
Neville then said, "Listen, since we're all sharing secrets today, I might as well share mine too. The reason why I live with my gran is because my parents were tortured into insanity at the end of the First War by a few of You-Know-Who's followers. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, and her brother-in-law, and Barty Crouch, Jr. were responsible. Unfortunately, they're all out of Azkaban now."
"We'll get 'em, Neville," promised Fred.
"I'm sure your parents would be really proud of you," said Hermione. Neville flushed with embarrassment and gave her a tiny, grateful smile.
Throughout that session, it felt like everyone had become a lot closer. It was almost time for Shacklebolt to show up, so everyone began to leave. All Harry's friends embraced him before they departed, and Hermione promised him that she'd talk Ron around. The Weasley adults were also going to try to find him. Fred and George whispered conspiratorially that they had a few jokes to cheer Harry and Ginny up with after they came back to the common room. Arthur just smiled, and Molly didn't even chastise them; now was definitely not the time. Harry and Ginny deserved a laugh, anyway.
"You've been so brave," she said as she hugged Harry. "Everything's going to be fine now. We'll all make sure you never get hurt again."
"Thank you," said Harry, choked with emotion. Arthur patted his shoulder, and Cedric and Cho ruffled his hair. Neville put out his hand, and Harry shook it. "I won't tell anyone," he said as he got up from the couch.
"Thanks, Nev," said Harry.
Once everyone was gone, Harry was left with Sirius and Remus. He felt exhausted, but knew there was still more to come. "How are you holding up, kiddo?" Sirius asked softly.
"All right," said Harry. "But Ron-"
"Never mind what Ron says," said Remus. "Molly and Arthur were afraid he'd react like that. See, she told us Ron's very protective of the ones he loves, rather like you. But he shows it by how angry he gets. You have to look at it this way: the fact that he was so furious shows how much he cares."
"I know," Harry sighed. "But it just didn't help."
"I know," said Sirius. "But he's got a temper rather like mine. We're very alike."
At that moment, Kingsley knocked on the door. The rest of the session was spent going over the trial once more, with Kingsley telling them again exactly what would happen. Harry and his guardians decided that the day of the trial, the rumor mill around the school would say that Harry was sick. He hoped his friends could spread that around so that people wouldn't start wondering where he was when he didn't show up for class.
xxx
As Harry went to bed that night, he couldn't help feeling relieved that now everything was out in the open, and all his friends knew. Unfortunately, though, Ron had not talked to him for the rest of the day. Hermione couldn't find him anywhere, but Harry did find him on the Marauders' Map, sitting in an empty classroom. Harry had wanted to go to him, but Ginny told him to let Ron come to them. Since Ron was Ginny's brother, Harry decided it was best to listen to what she said.
He was grateful for how supportive the rest of his friends had been, however, and he knew he was extremely lucky to have them in his life. The trial would be a hard and terrible experience, he knew, and he couldn't even imagine what it would be like to see his uncle's twisted face again. But he knew deep in his heart that with his friends and supporters by his side, he'd be all right. He could hear the comforting snores of his dormmates around him, and the noises sent him into sleep.
