Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter
Harry and Ginny walked along the corridor of the Hogwarts Express trying to find an empty compartment. Even though they were two of the first people on the train, it still managed to somehow fill up before Harry and Ginny could find a compartment for themselves. They walked the length of the train before finding an empty compartment right at the end. Harry opened the door, sighing in gratitude as he carried in his and Ginny's trunk and easily lofted them up into the baggage compartment above the seats by wandlessly casting a feather-light charm on each.
"Let me help," Ginny said as she saw what Harry was doing, but was too late as Harry, with one hand on each, put them on the racks. "How did you do that? They weigh a ton."
"I cast a feather weight charm on them," Harry told her, sitting down and smiling at her, "so it was very easy."
"I never saw you with your wand out," Ginny said, sitting down opposite him.
Harry shifted uncomfortably. In truth, he hadn't taken it out. However, he wasn't sure if he was ready to tell Ginny that he could do wandless magic yet. Although he trusted Ginny with any secret, he just wasn't ready to tell her that part just yet.
"Never mind," Ginny said with a wave of her hand. "I probably just missed it. Been too distracted."
"With what?" Harry asked gently. "I mean I understand about the Chamber of Secrets, but what were you distracted with between the castle and sitting down here?"
Ginny didn't say anything first before breathing slowly and muttering one word, "You."
Harry wasn't expecting that. Not at all .Ginny very rarely talked about her feelings for him.
"Oh. And how were you distracted by me?" Harry asked curiously.
"Never mind." Ginny said smiling, looking up at him now. "Forget I said anything."
"Ginny if you want to say something…" Harry told her, wondering what could have changed between the summer and now. Harry knew that he and Ginny had gotten closer, but he was still confused by what Ginny had meant by what she said.
"I told you," Ginny said. "Forget it. It doesn't matter." All of a sudden, the train carriage lunged forward as the train started to take them back to London. Ginny wasn't expecting the train to move and was thrust forward into Harry. He had to wrap his arms around her to stop her from falling.
"Thanks," Ginny whispered as Harry helped her onto the seat next to him.
"Well I couldn't exactly let you fall could I?" Harry said, extending an arm around Ginny and letting her snuggle up to him.
"Well you could have," Ginny said gently resting her head on Harry's chest. "But it wouldn't have been very nice of you."
"So I'm a nice person?" Harry jokingly asked.
"Of course you are!" Ginny said straight away. "You're kind, considerate; you care for others just as much as you care for yourself, if not more. You always do what's right and always put others needs in front of your own. Which sometimes can be annoying, but I wouldn't choose anyone else to be my best friend. That's what makes you who you are Harry."
"Well thanks Ginny," Harry said, thinking back. That was one of many reasons Ginny had told him in the future for why she loved him. And here Ginny was, giving him the exact same reasons of why he was her best friend. Maybe he was wrong that the summer. Maybe, just maybe, Ginny could fall in love with him because of him just being himself, rather than him having to rescue her from an evil wizard. How could he have been so stupid to realise the truth?
Harry had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets, which of course made Ginny fall in love with him. However, he didn't rescue her the next year, or the year after that. It wasn't actually until Harry's fifth year did Ginny need rescuing again. And it wasn't him that rescued her that time. It was Dumbledore and the Order. He didn't need to rescue her in his sixth year or the summer afterwards. Nevertheless, it was that summer that she first admitted that she was in love with him.
It might have been the Chamber of Secrets that made her fall in love with him, but it wasn't why she loved him. Not in the future. If Harry played to his strengths and showed the characteristics that Ginny had loved in the future, the same characteristics that Ginny had just named, maybe there was a chance that Ginny could fall in love with him without the Chamber of Secrets. Maybe, just maybe, Ginny could fall in love with him for just being him. After that thought, Harry seriously realised just how stupid he had been. How stupid it was to let her have the diary.
As Harry looked down at Ginny with a smile, Ginny smiled back and snuggled even closer to him. Maybe it was already happening now. Maybe, just maybe, at the precise moment, Ginny was already falling in love with him.
-oOoOoOo-
After just relaxing and enjoying each other's company and talking about random things, Harry decided that they needed to get the Automated Essay Writer down and get their essays written before they got to London. The wind howled around the train as buckets of snow pelted against the window. The lanterns had to be lit in order for the students to be able to see what they were doing.
Ginny had a blanket covering her as she lay with her back against Harry, reading an old Quidditch magazine. Harry had cast the usual warming charm on her as the compartment wasn't very warm. Harry took his arm that was relaxed resting around Ginny's shoulders and put his hand on the page that Ginny was reading to get her attention.
"Hey," Ginny moaned out gently, smiling up at Harry. "I was reading that."
"I know." Harry said. "But I think we should get the essay writer down and get our essays sorted before we get to London. Then we can tell mum that we did our essays on the ride home." Harry, of course, meant Mrs. Weasley. He had been calling her mum since the last couple of weeks of the summer holidays.
"How many essays do you have?" Ginny asked, sitting up.
"I've got three," Harry answered.
"Lockhart, McGonagall and Snape?" Ginny asked curiously, stretching.
"They gave you homework, too, then?" Harry questioned, getting his trunk down and putting the key into the second lock.
"How did you guess?" Ginny said, getting a quill and parchment out of her own old trunk that Harry had gotten down for her.
Harry opened up the trunk to reveal his Nimbus Two Thousand, Marauders Map, Invisibility cloak, Harry's very own snitch, and amongst various other things, the Automated Essay Writer.
Harry put the Essay Writer on the chair and went to close his trunk. "Isn't that the Marauders Map?" Ginny asked, looking into Harry's trunk. "And where are your clothes?"
"No, it's just some spare parchment," Harry lied quickly. He didn't want her to know he had it, for her name still was written as Ginny Potter. If she ever found out before he was ready to tell her, he didn't know what he'd do. "But I should be able to find that during the holidays. My clothes are in a different section. I have three key holes. I put my clothes in one section that can be opened with this keyhole here," Harry explained, indicating the keyhole on the left.
"I keep my other stuff, like my broomstick and Invisibility cloak and my snitch and stuff like that in another section that is opened with the middle keyhole." Harry explained to her.
"And the third section?" Ginny asked.
"I've only got a couple of things in there at the moment," Harry said. "Like the family album Mum and Dad gave me for my birthday, my Dad's diary of pranks, the phial that has the memory of my parents. And this when I can't wear it, like during Quidditch practise," Harry said, putting his hand down his top and bringing up the necklace that Ginny had given him for his eleventh birthday. He also had the diary in that section, which he didn't want to let her know that he even had it. That would destroy any trust she had in him.
Ginny stared at it as Harry showed it to her before taking it gently in one of her hands and opened it up to reveal the picture of him and Ginny rolling on the grass of the Burrow having fun.
"You still wear this?" Ginny said, awed.
"I keep it on all the time," Harry answered. "Unless I physically can't. And then I put it in the third section of my trunk with the other items that are important to me."
"This is important to you?" Ginny asked, letting go of the necklace and looking up at Harry.
"Of course." Harry replied simply. "You gave it to me."
Ginny's face formed into a massive smile at those words and sat down next to the Essay Writer waiting for Harry to retrieve his essays from the machine..
After Harry and Ginny had sorted out their homework it was lunch time and they only had to wait for five minutes before the witch with the trolley came knocking on their door.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the witch said asking the two of them. Harry bought both him and Ginny some Pumpkin Pasties and some Chocolate Frogs,as well as some Liquorice Wands and a Cauldron Cake. He also bought them some Pumpkin Juice.
"You didn't have to buy me any of that," Ginny said. "We'll probably be having some tea when we get home to The Burrow."
"That's still a couple of hours away," Harry reminded her as he handed her a Pumpkin Pasty. "And I'm starving."
"But you're a boy," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "You're always hungry."
"At least I'm not as bad as Ron," Harry pointed out, trying to defend himself as he sat back down. Ginny snorted.
"I don't think anyone can be as bad as Ron," Ginny replied, returning to her position of leaning against Harry.
-oOoOoOo-
The rest of the journey was spent playing Exploding Snap and a few games of Wizard's Chess, both of which Harry won most. Harry didn't think Ginny was paying too much attention to the actual game. She was just too busy relaxing and being herself to care about the game, which was the whole point of going home for the holidays.
As the train continued South, the snow got started to fall a bit lighter but not by much. Ginny was reading her magazine whilst leaning against Harry. Harry had his arms around Ginny's waist, just sitting there watching her read.
The train was now near the outskirts of London, a couple of miles away from King's Cross Station. The snow had lightened a bit compared to Scotland ,but it was still thick on the ground and it was still falling from the sky.
"Ginny," Harry said gently. "I hate to make you move but we're only five minutes from the station and I don't want you to fall of your chair again by a stop you're not expecting."
"Nearly home then?" Ginny said, closing the magazine.
"Yes," Harry answered, smiling.
"Great. I've missed mum and dad," Ginny said, stretching and yawning.
"So have I," Harry agreed. "And surprisingly enough, I miss Sirius, although I don't have a clue why."
"Hey don't be so mean," Ginny said, laughing.
"He would say the same," Harry retorted, defending himself.
"If Sirius jumped off a bridge would you do that too?" Ginny asked.
"Depends on whether he survived," Harry said shrugging ,causing Ginny to shake her head. "What?" Harry asked her, causing Ginny to giggle a little. The train came slowly to a stop as Ginny grabbed a hold of Harry this time to make sure she didn't fall.
It was a busy rush for students to get off the train so Harry and Ginny decided to wait a couple of minutes before moving along the corridor and to the door leading down onto the platform. Once Harry had lugged their trunks down onto the platform Ginny followed him and they walked off looking for Mrs. Weasley or Sirius.
"Where do you think they are?" Ginny asked. "Do you think they might be waiting on the other side of the barrier?" Harry looked around and still failed to see his godfather. And he couldn't see the red hair of Mrs. Weasley either.
"Looks like it," Harry said, leading Ginny over to the barrier where a conductor was letting students through. Together they walked through the barrier after a dark haired girl and as they came out on the other side, they saw Mrs Weasley with a trolley.
"Ginny! Harry!" Mrs Weasley shouted, rushing over and giving both massive hugs.
"Hey mum," both Harry and Ginny said at the same time.
"Haven't you two grown," Mrs Weasley commented, eyeing both Harry and Ginny. "How was term?"
Harry glanced quickly at Ginny before replying, "Great. I'm getting much better at magic now and Ginny is great. She had top marks in her latest essays."
"That's wonderful love." Mrs Weasley said. She obviously had long forgotten about the Essay Writer, for which Harry was thankful for. "So you had fun?"
"Yes," Ginny replied, smiling "But I missed home a bit."
Harry and Ginny had decided not to tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny was far too worried about what they may think of her. Although Harry reassured her that her brothers and her parents would still love her and know it wasn't her fault, they had decided to keep quiet about the term's events for now.
"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked, looking around.
"Oh, he decided to stay at home," Mrs Weasley said. "Remus is staying for the holidays, too, so Sirius decided to stay with him whilst I came to pick you up."
"Dad's at work, isn't he?" Harry asked her, confused.
"Yes. His holidays don't start for another couple of days," Mrs Weasley explained, starting to walk towards the car park.
"So who's driving us home?" Harry asked, frowning. However, Ginny answered for him.
"Bill!" Ginny shouted after seeing her brother by the Ford Anglia and rushed over to him to give him a hug.
"Alright squirt?" Bill said, returning the hug. "Where's your partner in crime?"
Harry laughed and Bill looked up to see him. "Alright little brother?" Bill asked Harry.
"I'm not little!" Harry retorted.
"Of course you are!" Bill said, laughing and clapping Harry around the shoulders.
"Come on," Mrs Weasley said heaving the trunks into the boot. "We don't have all day. I suspect you're both starving and can't wait to get home for tea."
She shut the boot and climbed in the front seat next to Bill as Ginny and Harry got into the back. Bill had to wait a minute whilst a Muggle man was opening the boot of the car in front of them and Bill didn't want to run him over.
"ARTHUR WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley raged upon seeing the size of the boot of the Muggle car in front of her. Ginny, Bill and Harry shared a nervous look. "When your father gets home from work tonight he is in trouble. Expanding the size of our boot without telling me, I mean to think he would get away with it. It's against the law to charm Muggle objects! He's the head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office. It's his job to stop people doing this! Not do it himself!"
"At least she doesn't know it can fly," Harry whispered to Ginny and she giggled but was cut short by Mrs Weasley.
"FLY! What do you mean the car can fly?!" Mrs. Weasley said, rounding onto Harry.
"Fly? When did someone mention flying?" Harry quickly said trying to cover his mistake.
Mrs. Weasley turned back around fuming. "Arthur Weasley, when you get home…" Ginny, Harry and Bill shared another uneasy look, knowing full well that their father was going to be in a lot of trouble when he got home that evening.
-oOoOoOo-
The ride home lasted two hours. When the Ford Anglia finally turned up the cobble road which led to the Burrow, Harry was definitely in need of some food. The snow on the ground was extremely thick and more snow was still falling as the sky had turned dark. The lights were on in the downstairs of The Burrow and Harry could see four shadows in the kitchen window although there should have only been three:Sirius, Remus and Mr. Weasley.
When Bill brought the car to a stop, Harry and Ginny got out of the back seat and walked to the boot, waiting for Bill to open it so that they could get their trunks. Tired from the long journey, Harry and Ginny dragged the trunks from the car to the kitchen's back door.
Stepping into the blinding light, Harry had to squint and wait a couple of seconds before the kitchen came into view. Mr. Weasley, Sirius, Remus and a women Harry didn't know sat around the table drinking hot chocolate from steaming mugs.
"Harry, Ginny," Mr. Weasley said, greeting them before getting up and hugging them both.
"Hey dad," both Harry and Ginny said. Harry was still staring at the women sitting next to Sirius. She had long, brown hair and sparkling hazel eyes. Her face was thin and she was a little smaller than Sirius by about half a foot. She was smiling at Harry a little nervously. She wore a dark black silk top that had a small brooch of a dragon pinned to it.
"Harry this is Jo," Sirius said to Harry. "Short for Joanne."
"Pleased to meet you." Jo said nodding. "Sirius has told me a lot about you."
"Err…" Harry started not sure what to say. "Wish I could say the same."
"This is my girlfriend Harry," Sirius said to Harry.
"Girlfriend?" Remus asked, confused. "Since when do we meet your girlfriends?"
"How long have you two been dating?" Harry asked.
Jo smiled before answering. "Since the beginning of October." Everyone stared at both Sirius and Jo. "What?" Jo answered nervously.
"You've been dating Sirius for two and a half months?" Remus asked.
"Err yes," Jo said looking at Sirius.
"Alright, knock it off," Sirius said, putting his arm around Jo.
"My God Sirius, you are actually in a serious relationship?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Sirius replied. "Now if you would be so kind to stop making Jo nervous."
"Sorry," Harry said, sitting down at the table.
"Yes sorry," Ginny said also sitting down next to Harry. "It's just that we've never meet any girlfriends of Sirius'. Mostly because they don't last longer than a week."
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley scolded her. "Be nice." She then turned to Jo. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You and Sirius seem happy."
"We are," Jo said nodding. "I'm just a little nervous meeting the family. And especially Harry." Jo added, looking at him.
"Me, why me?" Harry asked confused.
"Because you're his godson. It's like meeting the son of the man you're dating," Jo said.
"Oh okay," Harry said nodding. "We'll I'm happy for Sirius. He deserves someone and you seem nice."
"Thank you," Jo said.
"So how did you two meet?" Mrs Weasley asked.
"Long story," Sirius said.
"Then let's go to the living room." Harry said. "I want to hear this." And Sirius shot Harry an ungrateful stare. Now Sirius would have to explain it all, which caused Harry to grin mischievously. Slowly they all made their way into the living room and settled down for Sirius to tell the story.
He and Jo sat on the sofa together holding hands and Ginny and Harry sat down in the opposite sofa. Harry sat at the end and Ginny leaned against him, her legs stretched out along the sofa and her head on Harry's shoulder. Harry dropped his arm around her shoulder.
"Sirius didn't tell me you two were dating," Jo said, looking at the way Harry and Ginny was sitting together.
"I didn't know they were," Sirius said smiling at Harry and Ginny. Bill, Remus, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley eyed both of them in curiosity.
"When did you two start dating?" Bill asked.
"We're not," Ginny said nervously, blushing slightly and sitting up so she was no longer leaning against Harry.
"We're just good friends," Harry said. "We've always been close."
"We know that." Mrs. Weasley said. "It's just, well never mind. So tell us," She said to Sirius. "How did you and Jo meet?"
"We first met in the Leaky Cauldron," Sirius explained. "It was the first day after the kids went to school. I wanted to have a couple of drinks and go out for a night on the town."
"I had just got back from holiday in the south of France and I was taking a portkey home from Paris." Jo explained. "Paris is the only place you can internationally take portkeys to and from places in France."
"Jo, Harry, is just as good as you with the Floo Powder," Sirius said, smirking and Jo hit him playfully.
"Why did you hit him?" Harry asked smirking. "You don't know how good I am."
"Sirius told me you weren't very good at it," Jo answered and the smirk fell from Harry's face causing, Ginny to laugh.
"Thanks," Harry muttered.
"You should never tell any lies Harry," Sirius said laughing.
"Anyway," Jo continued. "After I had taken a portkey to the Ministry, I Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron as I live in walking distance from it. And like Sirius said, I'm not very good at it. So I fell out right into Sirius."
"After she had apologised, I offered her a drink and we got talking. Jo works for the Ministry of Magic in the Broom Regulatory Division," Sirius explained.
"It's my job to test all new brooms to see if they fly alright and also make sure that all the safety charms that are on them are all up to standard," Jo clarified.
"Cool," both Ginny and Harry said together and Jo laughed.
"Not as cool as you might think," Jo replied, "The companies like Nimbus and the newest company, Blazing Sun, try to get away with anything. Take Blazing Sun and their new broomstick, The Firebolt, for example."
"That broom has got everything. Pinpoint precision, unbreakable braking charm. It flies so smooth and the balance…" Jo said smiling now. "That broom is international standard, I'm telling you. National teams will want this broom for years to come to play in the World and European competitions. Yet it accelerates up to two hundred miles per hour in less than ten seconds. Does a hundred and fifty in five seconds. Compare that to the new Nimbus Two Thousand and One where it does a hundred in ten seconds. And sixty in five. It's just too fast. We're trying to get Blazing Sun to take it down to a top speed of one hundred and fifty and an acceleration of only a hundred in five seconds.
"And I'm the one who has to push the Firebolt to its maximum," Jo continued. "And when it accelerates to as fast as that it can be very dangerous. In my time testing out the new brooms, I have broken at least every bone in my body."
"That's still a cool job!" Harry exclaimed, causing Jo to shake her head.
"So, after a while we went back to Potter Manor and she stayed the night." Sirius said. "But what happened next I wasn't expecting."
"My god, you got her pregnant and that's why you're with her!" Harry exclaimed jokingly.
"NO!" Sirius said. "Anymore of those remarks Harry and you're in deep trouble. Say a prank maybe?" Harry gulped as he thought of a prank from a marauder heading his way.
"No," Jo said, smiling. "I'm not pregnant. I pranked Sirius." The whole room looked at her in awe.
"You pranked a marauder?" Remus asked for clarification.
"Yes," Jo said laughing. "It wasn't exactly that hard. And Sirius has been trying to prank me back ever since. He hasn't succeeded yet."
"This I have to hear!" Harry said. "Tell us how you did it."
"In my defence it was very early in the morning," Sirius muttered now sulkily.
"I put a potion in Sirius' coffee," Jo said. "It causes the drinker to take on the appearance of the opposite sex. And not just clothes but in appearance too. You should of heard Sirius voice! He was in hysterics because he couldn't do the counter charm. His long black hair was actually quite nice."
"I always thought you were odd," Sirius muttered. "Now I know you prefer females rather than males."
"I. Am. Not. Gay. Sirius Black!" Jo said, hitting Sirius around the head whilst the others laughed. "And if I was what would that say about you." And Sirius stopped baiting her.
"That wasn't the worst though," Sirius said and Harry wandered what could be worse than suddenly having a sex change. "The spell lasted all morning and I had an interview for a job at the Ministry at eleven. So whilst Jo went off to work I had to worry about what would happen if I turned up to the interview as a woman!"
"I take it that it didn't last then," Mrs. Weasley said sipping her tea that she got from the kitchen.
"Oh it did," Sirius said grimly. "I had to take the job interview as a lady. I got the job though."
"How?" Ginny remarked.
"I was the interviewee," Jo said, laughing her head off.
"I didn't know what the job actually was for," Sirius explained. "All I knew was it was a desk job at the Ministry. I mean anything is better than nothing isn't it? So imagine my surprise when I walked into the office I was having the interview in and Jo was sitting there behind the desk waiting to start."
The whole room burst out laughing. "We've been dating ever since," Jo said.
"Yes," Sirius said grimly. "I've been making my own coffee in the morning and not letting Jo anywhere near it."
"Ah come on," Jo said. "You can't deny it wasn't funny. And your face when you saw me in the office was priceless."
"Well it's nice to meet you," Mrs. Weasley said, "but it's time for tea." With that, they returned to the kitchen to have a nice helping of scrambled egg and bacon.
-oOoOoOoOo-
After tea Harry and Sirius were set to return to Potter manor and Ginny stood in the kitchen doorway watching.
"How long will you be?" Ginny asked. "I mean you're staying here tonight right?"
"Not long," Sirius said. "Harry just needs to get some clean clothes and repack. We will be back within the hour."
"Can I please not travel by Floo?" Harry moaned out.
"How else do you expect to get back?" Sirius said, grabbing the pot of Floo Powder from above the kitchen fire.
"Estelle," Harry said. "Or you could Apparate me there."
"I haven't done side-long Apparation in ages," Sirius said. "Now stop moaning and take the Floo Powder."
"See ya' Ginny," Harry said sulkily, throwing the powder into the fire and stepping into the warm whirlwind of hot ash sucking him towards Potter Manor.
As he arrived, Harry felt his feet crash into the floor and he bent his legs to absorb the impact. And miraculously, Harry didn't fall over. Gob smacked, Harry stood up out of the fire and looked around. He landed on his feet? He had never landed on his feet before. He was lucky if he landed on something soft to keep the impact from killing him!
Suddenly there was a loud crack as Sirius Apparated into the kitchen. "Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "I landed on my feet!" Sirius snorted.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Nice joke Harry," Sirius said. "Now go get some new clothes."
"I really did land on my feet," Harry insisted, annoyed that Sirius didn't believe him.
"Yeah right," Sirius said in a disbelieving tone. "Harry we don't have much time. It's late."
Harry walked out of the kitchen and into the lobby of Potter Manor to go up the steps to his bedroom. At least Ginny would believe him. She always did, and for that he was grateful.
Once he got to his bedroom, he closed the door and turned around to see a portrait watching him, smiling.
"Greetings Harry," the portrait said. "And a Merry Christmas. I would have thought you would have stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas."
"Erm," Harry said. "I wanted to bring Ginny home for the holidays."
"Oh, is she not feeling very well or not liking it at Hogwarts?" the portrait of the man asked.
"Well this term…" Harry started. How was he meant to admit to his ancestor what happened this term? What he let happen, he'd be lucky if Godric ever spoke to him again.
"Harry?" the portrait of Godric Gryffindor asked. "Is everything okay?"
Harry's first impulse was to lie to Godric.. To say everything was fine and nothing was wrong. But he couldn't bring himself to lie to a good friend, so Harry silently walked over to his bed, sat down at the end and looked at Godric.
"No," Harry said silently. "Everything is not okay. Ginny…" Harry was lost for words to what to say to Godric. He had never told him about his decision about the Chamber of Secrets. Or even that it was opened this year.
Harry took in a breath before explaining. Godric was looking at him, worry etched into his face.
"What's wrong?" Godric prodded. "Is Ginny alright?"
"No," Harry responded.
"Why?" Godric said, sounding shocked. "What's the matter?"
Harry still couldn't bring himself to explain about letting Voldemort posses her. So he bid his time, trying to delay the inevitable.
"What do you know about The Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked Godric.
Godric facial expression changed to astonishment. "The Chamber of Secrets?" Godric whispered. "That rumour is still going around today?"
"What do you know about it?" Harry repeated, ignoring his question.
"It was a rumour that started after the argument with me, Helga and Rowena about letting Muggleborns to attend Hogwarts. The rumour goes that before he left, Salazar built a Chamber of Secrets and hid a monster,which only he and his heirs could control, inside it and locked it," Godric said, eyeing Harry with curiosity. "It was said that only he or his true heir could ever open it and unleash the monster within. Complete rumour though." Godric added. "I mean I, along with Rowena and Helga, searched the whole school for the hidden chamber. We did not find it. And if we couldn't find it, then it obviously doesn't exist."
"The entrance is in Moaning Myrtles bathroom," Harry said quietly.
"Moaning Myrtle…" Godric said, confused.
"Oh right," Harry said suddenly remembering that Godric wouldn't know who that was. Moaning Myrtle was after his time. "The girls' bathroom on the second floor."
"So it exists?" Godric whispered, terrified.
"Yes," Harry replied. "And it was opened fifty years ago, and again this term."
"Opened…" Godric said faintly. "But when it is opened the monster is meant to kill Muggleborns…"
"Yes I know." Harry whispered.
"So…Wait. Voldemort is Slytherins heir…" Godric said. "Does that mean he is back at Hogwarts again this year?"
"In some sort of way, yes," Harry said vaguely.
"Harry. You're not making sense," Godric said. "Obviously when it was opened fifty years ago he was a student. How is he doing it now?"
"Fifty years ago the school was being threatened with closure. Therefore, Voldemort stopped attacking people and set up Hagrid to take the blame for the attacks," Harry explained.
"That's why Hagrid was expelled", Godric said.
"Yes," Harry answered, nodding his head.. "Voldemort was known then as Tom Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Named after his Muggle father."
"Salazar must be turning in his grave," Godric muttered. "His line being contaminated with Muggles. In his words, of course, not mine. But that was fifty years ago. Voldemort doesn't have a body. So he's possessing someone else this term?"
"Yes," Harry said. "In the lesser content yes. But not as his barely alive self that he is now."
"Harry, you're not making sense again," Godric said.
"Well when he was forced to stop opening the chamber fifty years ago he left behind a diary with a sixteen year old version of himself in it. So whoever wrote in the diary gave Voldemort strength and allowed him to posses them and force that person who wrote in the diary to open the Chamber of Secrets," Harry explained.
"My lord." Godric said. "That's the diary. The Horcrux diary isn't it?"
"Yes," Harry said nodding.
"Who has the diary Harry?" Godric asked. "Who's being possessed by Voldemort?" Harry stayed quiet, not having the guts to tell him.
"Ginny isn't having a good term…" Godric muttered to himself, thinking and then it hit him. Godric looked at Harry with wide eyes. "No," Godric simply said, shaking his head. "No. you wouldn't. You…you…you wouldn't make her go through that," Godric stammered looking at Harry, hoping that he would say that his conclusion was wrong.
"She's your wife," Godric stated. "You…you love her. You wouldn't let her go through that. Would you?" Harry didn't say anything but just looked down at the floor.
Godric looked at Harry in disgust. "YOU LET YOUR OWN WIFE GET POSSESED BY VOLDEMORT!" Godric screamed.
"It's not that simple," Harry said quickly.
"NOT THAT SIMPLE!" Godric roared. "OF COURSE IT IS! YOU LOVE GINNY. SHE WAS GOING TO GET POSSESED BY VOLDEMORT. SO YOU STOP IT. HOW IS THAT NOT SIMPLE?!"
"I wanted her to love me," Harry said, quickly trying to explain. "I didn't want to ruin her life by being in a loveless marriage."
"SO YOU LET HER GET POSSESED," Godric roared. "HOW IS THAT LOGICAL?"
"On our wedding night…" Harry said. "We… We told each other when we fell in love with each other. I told her that I fell in love with her during the summer between my sixth and seventh year. Ginny said it was when I rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets. I did it so she wouldn't be in a loveless marriage. I didn't want to ruin her life by forcing her to be married to someone she didn't love. I know I was wrong to let this happen. That's why I've taken the diary away from her. I just… I just didn't want to lose her Godric. Losing her to death is one thing. Losing her because she doesn't love me… I don't think I can handle that."
"Oh Harry," Godric said now gently shaking his head. "You didn't think that once you tell Ginny that you're from the future and about all of this that she wasn't going to hate you after learning that you let her go through all of this? If anything Harry, you have literally made sure she would hate you. And she would be in a loveless marriage."
"She'll understand," Harry whispered tears streaming down his cheek. "Or she would have. But I didn't know it affected her this badly. I didn't know. I don't know how she will react when I tell her."
"So how is she? Really?" Godric asked.
"I've only seen her this bad once before," Harry said. "And that was when her whole family died, apart from Ron."
"My lord," Godric said.
"I'm helping her though," Harry said. "I'm helping her get better. She's terrified but I'm trying to help her get past it. I know its going to take sometime but I'm trying to help her get better."
"Well at least that's something," Godric said. "Why didn't you talk to me about this? I would have told you how stupid this was. And what about Dumbledore and Sirius? They let you go through with this?"
"They didn't like it." Harry said. "Both Dumbledore and Sirius said I shouldn't go through with it."
"And they were right," Godric said.
"I know, I know," Harry said. "If I could go back and change my decision…"
"Why can't you?" Godric asked. "I mean. You went back in time before."
"It was a one off spell," Harry said. "I can't do it again."
"So what now?" Godric asked.
"Now?" Harry said. "Now I clean up. Get the clothes I came for. Go back to The Burrow where Ginny is waiting for me. And continue helping her so she can get better."
"And what about Ginny being your wife?" Godric asked. "And Ginny being in a loveless marriage?"
"I'll do what I should have done in the first place," Harry said. "I'll leave it alone. Ginny fell in love with me because I rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets. However, it wasn't why she loved me. I should have worked that out in the summer, instead of on the train ride home.
"She married me because she loved me, Harry Potter. Not some hero that rescued her in the Chamber of Secrets." Harry continued.. "If I be that Harry, that Harry she married, that Harry she loved, then there's a great chance that she could still fall in love with me."
"That Harry," Godric said. "I could have told you this summer."
"I know," Harry said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'd better get my clothes and back to Ginny. She'll get worried if I'm too long."
"Take care of her," Godric said. "I know I've never met her, but she is family. I want her happy. I want both of you happy."
"I will," Harry said nodding. "Don't worry, I will."
-oOoOoOoOo-
That evening Harry lay awake in Ron's bedroom at The Burrow, thinking about how now that he was home he could cheer up Ginny. Looking across Ron's room towards the window, he saw the snowy sky outside. There was loads of things he and Ginny could do this break. And he didn't care what they did as long as it made Ginny better.
There was a creak as Ron's bedroom door opened and shut and Harry looked up to see the outline of Ginny creeping into the room.
"What you doing in here Ginny?" Harry asked, causing her to start slightly.
"I didn't know you were still awake," Ginny whispered.
"I was thinking what we could do this break," Harry whispered. "But what are you doing here Ginny?"
"I couldn't sleep," Ginny replied.
"Ginny this is home!" Harry said. "Nothing is going to hurt you here. No one is going to make you do anything!"
"But what if I hurt them," Ginny whispered.
"You won't," Harry told her, but he could see Ginny was worried. Sighing, Harry got out of bed.
"You can't do this for the rest of your life Ginny," Harry told her. "You need to learn to sleep on your own again."
"I know Harry," Ginny said looking up at him. "I know. But please. Just for tonight?"
Harry looked at her in her night dress shivering in the cold. "Just for tonight." Harry said. "And only for tonight."
"Thank you," Ginny whispered.
"Just for tonight though," Harry repeated, leading her over to the bed. "Get in."
"But…" Ginny whispered. "Can't you just conjure up a bed like you did in the hospital wing?"
"We're not at Hogwarts anymore Ginny," Harry explained to her. "If I did magic I would be expelled."
"Okay," Ginny said uneasily as she got under the covers. Harry threw the covers around her and then lay down on top of them. Therefore, Ginny was under the covers whilst Harry was on top.
Ginny watched him for a minute and Harry smiled at her. Ginny closed her eyes to go to sleep and Harry did the same, both falling into the blackness where dreams ruled their minds and even the wildest thoughts becomes reality.
A/N: Well I must say I know not a lot happens this chapter. Because mainly it was planned for the whole holidays to be just this one chapter. But it is getting to big so I cut It into two different chapters. hope you had fun reading. C yah.
