Chapter 11 The Verdict
Harry sat strait up, threw off the covers pulled his shoes on and grabbed his invisibility cloak and his wand, trying to be quiet as it was either really late or very early. He slipped out of the room and up to the third year boy's room.
"Accio Marauders Map," Harry whispered. The map zoomed from one of the trunks of the twins into Harry's hand. He slipped out of the room, and down to the common room, thankfully it was empty. Harry climbed out of the portrait hole and started down the castle, referencing the map, he successfully evaded detection and slipped down into the secret passage that led to Honeydukes, and into Hogsmead. Feeling like he was being squeezed through a rubber tube, he apparated to the edge of the Burrow, very quietly he managed to slip in the front door. Nearing the stairs he remembered all the squeaky ones like it was yesterday. He very carefully climbed the stairs missing the ones that would get him in major trouble.
Sighing a breath of relief as he reached the first floor where Ginny's room was, he slowly nudged forward the ajar door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. Taking off his cloak he looked a Ginny, she looked pale and almost lifeless, kneeling by her bed he grabbed her hand, it was ice cold.
"Ginny, no, you cant die, I am right here, I love you, I will never leave you, I promise. Just please stay with me Ginny, I cant live without you just as much as you cant live without me. Ginny if you can hear me please come back to me. Please Ginny," Harry said pleading her to stay alive, to live her life. Cupping her small fragile face in his hand he pressed a soft gentle kiss to her lips, pouring all the love and life as he could into her. Barely he felt her respond, anxiously he pressed harder, kissing her with ferocity, and passion. Ginny responded by kissing him back with the same ferocity and passion. With Ginny responding, Harry pulled away from the intense kiss, but Ginny stopped him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down to her.
"Ahem," Harry heard from the doorway, "Might I ask what exactly you are doing with my daughter, and why you are in my house?" Molly Weasley said in a cold menacing voice that Harry had never heard before.
Harry standing up against Ginny's wishes as she tried to pull him back down, still half asleep. Harry turned to face the consequences of his actions. Molly's eyes widened when she saw it was Harry, he knew it was because she thought he was supposed to be at Hogwarts.
"Mrs. Weasley, we need to talk." Harry said in an apologetic, remorseful sort of way.
"Out," She said, pointing down the stairs. With his head hung low he walked down the stairs, when he reached the kitchen, she said, "Sit." Leaving no room for arguments. She started a kettle and left the room. Harry just sat there, afraid of the small plump woman that he liked to think of as his second mother. She re-entered the room with Arthur just as the tea went off. She poured three mugs and set them down on the table.
"So Harry, would you like to explain how you broke into our home, into our daughter's room and proceeded to kiss her when you have not even met her once in your life? Is this some kind of sick joke? Or dare? And how on earth did you get out of the castle?" Molly asked in a calmer voice than before but still had that coldness in it. Both of them looked at him, appraising him.
"Well, actually I know almost everything there is to know about your daughter, you're whole family actually. I am from the future." Harry said trying to hide his face. Molly scoffed; Arthur just kept looking at him.
"And we are suppose to believe that lie?" Molly said harshly.
"Mrs. Weasley you have two brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, if I'm not mistaken, which you named the twins middle names after. They died in the war, did they not? And when you and Arthur are alone he calls you Mollywobbles. Arthur, you have a Ford Anglia that flies, you work in the Department of Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, and you think that Lucius Malfoy is just as much a fraud Voldemort himself."
They both looked shocked, but still skeptical, "That's all things the twins could have told you."
"Yes, it is, but how does it explain that I apparated here, or I know what is probably going to happen, for the next 150 years."
"Probably?"
"Things are different, I made different choices, said different things, it changes things, and I am not going to sit by and see the people I love die, especially Ginny."
"Why her? You probably could have had anyone, why our little girl?" Arthur asked him, his first question all morning.
"Because she was the one, she is smart, funny, fiery, she can make me laugh like no one else can, and I love her." Harry said in a small voice.
"That sounds like if its true, you talking about Ginny in your last life, she could be different as you said."
"She could, but I still have to try, she will be the only one for me, ever, even if she rejects me an hates me, I will still love her, forever." Molly's eyes widened, looking not at Harry, but the doorway behind him.
"Can I have a cup of tea mum? My throat really hurts-" Ginny asked looking around the tense room.
"Sure dear, just a minute, go back up to bed, I will bring it to you." Molly told her daughter, but Ginny didn't hear her, she was looking at the boy with messy raven hair and glasses, one that in her dreams was Harry Potter. He turned to look at her with piercing green eyes, looking at her with love. Ginny in a trance, just stood there, not knowing whether she should obey her mother or sit with the boy that had been plaguing her dreams for so long. Using what she needed to get into Gryffindor, she sat down, still looking at him.
"Ginny." Her mother warned, "Go back upstairs, now." Broken out of the trance, she stood, and walked out of the room, glancing over her shoulder to look at the eleven-year-old boy.
"Now, how did you get here? Did you fly?" Molly asked him accusingly once Ginny left.
"I told you, I apparated." Harry said.
"Don't lie to us, we weren't born yesterday, I bore the twins, and I have heard about your father and his friends at Hogwarts. Now, lets hear the truth, who put you up to this." Molly said in a angry voice, losing the pretense.
"I told you, I wasn't put up to anything, I thought Ginny was dying, and she was, I brought her back, don't you see?"
"No, I don't see and I don't believe you, now, tell the truth." She screeched at him.
"He is telling the truth Molly, I believe him." Said the old man walking through the doorway, "Had you looked at your daughter's vitals before Harry's arrival, you would have believed her dead, and no hope of recovery. Yet you didn't, and here is this boy, saying the truth and you don't believe him, it reminds me of another morning much like this one, if I am not mistaken." Mrs. Weasley looked like she had been slapped across the face with life.
"You-you," Mrs. Weasley stuttered, "are really from the future?" She asked Harry.
"Yes," turning to the old man he asked, "How did you know?"
"There are other ways to monitor the school than your father's old map Harry." He said with a twinkle in his eye. "What proved most difficult was following you here, I had no idea where you had gone, and then I remembered you and Miss Weasley."
Arthur, having been quiet all this time, finally spoke up, "You and Miss Weasley? That sounds like a couple." He said in a concerned but beaten down voice.
"Well, I hadn't finished the whole story yet, its actually Mrs. Potter." Harry said his head hanging low.
Arthur choked on his tea, Molly paled quite considerably. Then, Harry had a stroke of brilliance, not that he wasn't always brilliant, just more brilliant that usual.
Turning to the old man he asked, "Do you think I could borrow your pensive?"
"Of course, I shall go get it as it is an awfully long trip for a summoning charm." He said, and departed.
"Am I going to marry Harry?" Ginny said expectantly, with a tinge of fear. All three lost in thought they had missed the small girl re-enter the room. Molly jumped, Arthur just looked mentally and physically drained as well as exhausted. But it was Harry that answered her.
"When you are older, its your choice if you want to marry me." It tore Harry apart saying that, he wanted to say yes, she was going to marry him, but he couldn't, he wanted her to choose him, not push her away by forcing her.
The old man came back with his pensive, setting the stone basin on the table. Harry chose the memories he wanted them to see and put them in. With some hesitancy Molly and Arthur entered, leaving Harry with Ginny and the old man.
"Harry I'm sure you're wondering what happened with the trial." The man said. In truth Harry had completely forgotten in the midst of this morning.
"Perhaps not," the man said wisely, "in any case, Pettigrew was sentenced to the Dementor's kiss, and Sirius has been released." Harry was shocked that they had given him the Dementor's kiss; he thought it would just be a full life sentence at Azkaban. And the thought of Sirius now out of Azkaban made him happy, he was free, and no restrictions unlike last time.
Molly and Arthur emerged from the pensive, Molly with tears in her eyes, and Arthur looking sad.
"Harry I am so sorry," Molly sobbed as she looked at Harry, like all she wanted was to pull him into a bone-crushing hug, but was unsure if he was ok with that.
Harry looked down, his face reddening. He stood up put his arms up for her, indicating she could in fact crush him, he new it was a small price he was happy to pay for her love.
"Out of curiosity, what did you show them?" the man said, as Molly finally released her death grip.
"Albus, you of all people know the value in family and what that means, I simply showed them that I was their son, and no amount of travel, whatever kind it may be, will break the bonds of love and family." Harry said regarding him as an equal for the first time.
Dumbledore looked at Harry, his eyes getting wet, "Harry, Merlin himself could not have said it better."
Well, I am related to him, thought Harry, but he decided to keep that tidbit to himself for now.
"Merlin, look at the time," Arthur said, jumping in his chair. He rushed off preparing himself for work.
"Harry, its time." Dumbledore said softly, Harry nodded, casting a glance in Ginny's direction, unsure of what to do. Ginny being Ginny, walked up to him and hugged him, quite quickly, her face getting quite a lovely shade of red because of her embarrassment before she raced upstairs.
"Harry, I am truly sorry, I should have believed you, but it isn't something too far off that the twins couldn't think of it-" Molly said, gushing to make up for her mistake.
"Mrs. Weasley, I forgive you, it was a honest mistake, if someone had tried this on me, he would have been out my door before he could say 'don't'." Harry said, assuring her.
She smiled at him, "Go, don't be late for class, and say hello for me!" she called to him as he walked down the lane with Dumbledore.
"Harry, take my arm, then we can apparate right into Hogwarts?" Dumbledore said offering his arm.
"Well, being me has some advantages." Harry said with a mischievous grin, before apparating away. Dumbledore followed him quickly to ask the meaning of that, expecting him to be outside the castle gates, but he was not, Dumbledore sighed, disappearing into the early morning fog.
Sorry it took so long to get this up, school is a hard thing to deal with when you hate it, anyways hope you like my newest installation and are having more fun than me currently. Please review! The Jedi Wizard