Harry's POV Friday
Harry bounces on his toes while he waits for Ginny and Albus. They had excused themselves up to Albus's office quite a while ago, and Harry was getting impatient. He'd been getting prepared for their adventure all day. He'd studied ancient dark magic and tons of old light magic as well.
He had spent so much time trying to get into Voldemort's head, trying to figure out what kind of decisions he would make, that he needed to spend every second he wasn't studying him, doing things that made him happy. He would go out and fly on the quidditch pitch, he would hang out with Ron and Hermione-who had become quick friends-and he thought about Ginny.
Harry chuckles to himself as he thinks of his disaster explanation of why he liked her, the other night. He truly can't describe it all. She just, popped up out of nowhere, and ever since then, his eyes would search for her, his brain wouldn't stray from the thought of her, and he can't even begin to describe how light he feels when he's near her.
He reckons it would have been smarter if he tried to be her friend first, because he knows they have tons in common, strictly from things her brother has mentioned. They both love to fly, sneak out for a late night of fun, and they both have tempers.
Harry wishes he could help her see it. Harry doesn't only want her as a girlfriend or something that seems so childish, he wants to be the love of her life and her best friend. She doesn't know, but she's his best friend. She gets it.
"Are you quite all right?"
Harry startles and looks up to see Ginny and Albus in front of him.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sorry, I just got lost in thought for a minute there," Harry tells them.
Albus nods his head, but Ginny has her eyebrows raised. Harry raises his right back at her, wondering why she's looking at him like that.
"You're extremely oblivious for someone who needs to be extremely focused," Ginny says, turning to follow Albus.
Harry catches up with her, so they're walking side by side, "I was extremely focused, and then I was left to my own devices, for fifteen minutes."
Ginny snorts, and Harry smiles. It wasn't quite a laugh, but hearing any form of amusement from her makes his mouth involuntarily grin. He can't help it.
"Penny, for your thoughts?" Harry asks. He quickens his pace when he notices Albus had quite the lead on them.
"No, it's sickle for your thoughts," Ginny tells him.
Harry chuckles and shakes his head. He wonders who came up with the expression first, muggles or magic folk.
"Either would work, because they're practically the same thing. So, sickle for your thoughts, Gin?"
"Albus asked me to take care of the wards on the house. I've studied so many ancient runes books and read up on wards to prepare, so that should work pretty well," Ginny tells him.
Harry looks at their hands and debates whether he should try holding her hand again. What he really wants to do is give her a hug and just hold her, but she would hate that and well, she hates it when he holds her hand too. But she didn't pull away last time, so maybe he could get away with it.
"Harry? You alright?"
Harry looks up and sees Ginny looking at him with raised eyebrows. Busted.
"Yeah, of course, I was just thinking about stuff," Harry clears his throat and looks ahead at Albus. They'd made it to the main entrance in record time. It was like the stairs obeyed Albus and took him right to where he wanted to go. Harry will ask him about it later.
"I feel like you know me so well. Why is that?" Ginny asks him.
"I'm afraid I've become quite the stalker," Harry says with a chuckle. They pass through the doors and start the winding journey toward the train tracks.
"Oh really? I haven't noticed," Ginny says in a deadpan sort of way. Harry laughs loudly, and Ginny joins him. Her laugh makes her shoulders shake, and Harry watches her dip her chin, so she's looking at the ground, her hair falling to curtain her face.
She's so beautiful. Her laugh makes Harry's laughter last longer, and when they finish, he can't help but grin widely. He thinks it's the first time he'd heard her laugh like that. He likes her laugh.
"But really, even though you've been stalking me, you seem to understand me. Like, when I join a conversation with Ron and Hermione, and you're there, you seem to direct the conversation in a way that makes me talk about something I like," Ginny says.
Harry tries to keep his cheeks from widening any further but apparently fails when Ginny looks at him expectantly.
"Well, I know you like quidditch, dueling, and hanging out with friends. So, I just try and make the conversation about those things because I know you'll join in on the conversation," Harry says, shrugging her shoulders.
He didn't know Ginny had figured him out. He thought he wasn't being too obvious about it.
"Why, though?" Ginny asks.
Harry wants to tell her it's because he just likes to hear her voice, and learning more about her is an obvious plus, but would she think him overwhelming again? Should he tell her his intentions and risk her going back into her shell?
"Why not?" Harry says, shrugging his shoulders.
Ginny gives him a look, and Harry wonders how she seems to know he's not telling the full truth.
"I liked it better when you told me everything straight up," Ginny mutters, making a beeline for Albus, who had gotten quite the lead on them and was waiting patiently by the gate, that opens to two paths. One to the train station, and the other to Hogsmead. At least that's what the sign on the fence says.
"Ginny wait," Harry says. He grabs her hand and tugs until she's stopped, and Harry can really look at her without the risk of tripping.
"What?" Ginny asks, sounding exasperated.
Harry grabs her other hand in his and rubs his thumbs over her knuckles while he tries to understand what she meant by what she just told him.
"I thought I was overwhelming you by telling you everything straight up?" Harry asks, smiling. Maybe he was finally getting through to her.
"Yeah, well, it's better than making me question your intentions for everything," Ginny mutters angrily. Harry watches Ginny glance at Albus out of the corner of her eye, and Harry sighs. They should probably get going.
"Well, to make my intentions very clear to you, I want to be someone you can trust, your friend, your boyfriend, your lover, and I very much want to be the person you want around the most. So, now that I've made all my intentions very clear. Are you going to run away from me again?"
"I still don't understand why you're like this," Ginny tells him. She pulls her hands out of his and makes her way over to Albus.
Harry sighs as he watches her reach Albus. He wants nothing more than to kiss her. Every time she walks away from him, he wants to drag her back, and kiss her before she leaves. Honestly, he doesn't understand why he likes her so much, loves her as he does. He just knows it's real and that as soon as he saw her, he knew she was it.
Harry makes his way toward Albus and Ginny and nods his head at Albus, indicating he's ready.
"Harry, grab my arm and take Ginerva's hand. I'll be apparating to the general location of the Gaunt family home," Albus says, a twinkle in his eyes.
Harry grabs Albus's forearm and takes Ginny's hand. He holds on tightly and squeezes his eyes shut as they disappear in a whirl.
They reappear in a field full of weeds and wildflowers. Just to their left is a heavily wooded area, and about fifty yards in front of them is a small village. Harry lets go of Albus quickly and squeezes Ginny's hand before dropping hers as well.
He spins in a slow circle and casts a revealing charm in case anyone or anything is dangerous and disillusioned. Without having to say anything, the three of them spread out in different directions and start a small search for any hidden wards, enchantments, or signs.
The sky is grey, covered with clouds, and the evening air is crisp. There isn't any noise coming from the direction of the village, but the sounds of wild animals are prominent. There are crickets chirping in the distance, weeds rustling, birds flying, and other noises inflicted by animals.
Harry turns and finds Albus at the edge of the woods and GInny alarmingly close to the village.
How the hell did she get over there so fast?
Harry shoots green sparks in the air and starts walking toward the center point between Albus and Ginny.
They see his sparks and start walking back to him. Albus does so while waving his wand around, muttering so Harry can't read his lips and find out what he's doing. Ginny is jogging, and Harry appreciates her form. Everything she does is effortless. She looks like the hundred-yard jog did nothing to her even breathing, she isn't sweating if anything, she looks more awake than before.
"What's up?" Ginny asks, slowing to a walk.
Harry indicates to Albus and waits for them to join them.
"Did you find anything?" Albus asks.
"There don't seem to be any dangerous wards protecting anything further into this field. There's nothing divisible or disillusioned, and from my research, the Gaunts hated the Muggle village but were too poor to move to a magical village," Harry says, looking at the surrounding area once more.
"So their house is most likely in the woods then?" Ginny asks, turning so she faces the trees.
Harry looks at Albus, who nods his head.
"That seems like the most likely option," Albus says, nodding his head.
"Tom mentioned something about killing his grandparents and blaming his Uncle. Do you think the ministry took the bodies?" Ginny asks quietly.
Goosebumps rise on Harry's arms, and he shivers. The thought of possibly finding dead bodies in their search sets Harry on edge.
"Shall we split up?" Ginny asks, her voice quiet, her eyes never leaving the tree line. Harry hears a small tremor in her voice.
"I'll go. I'll search for the house in my animagus form," Harry says.
"We'll follow behind you, Harry. I won't let you go in alone. If you find anything or are attacked, I expect you to growl as loudly as you can," Albus says firmly.
Harry nods his head and checks Ginny to make sure she's alright. She meets his eyes and smiles, her eyes blazing.
Maybe she was trembling with excitement and not fear.
Harry winks and then transforms into his black panther animagus. He takes off at a slower pace, so he doesn't get too far ahead, but makes sure he's leading with enough distance that he can make sure everything is safe.
They searched for what felt like days but were really only two hours.
Harry stops when he feels like he shouldn't go any further. Harry growls loudly and changes back to himself. He groans with satisfaction and flicks his wrist, and starts searching forwards.
He smiles when he finds a repelling charm that expands for miles in both directions. He continues to try and detect other wards but pauses when he hears steps behind him.
Harry spins and casts a shield. He relaxes when he sees both Albus and Ginny duck under a tree and make their way toward him.
"Ah, a repelling charm. Good find, Harry. It's hard to detect wards like these," Albus says appreciatively.
Harry smiles at the praise and turns to Ginny.
"I'll just let you two do your thing. I'm almost positive there are more wards I just haven't detected them yet," Harry says, smiling at Ginny.
She smirks at him and steps up to him, and starts waving her wand around in complicated motions.
"Not going to help Harry?" Ginny asks
"I thought we'd already established that I like to watch you, Sugar?"
Ginny scoffs and mutters something about that being the worst endearment ever. Harry laughs softly and sits on the ground.
"What's your preference, because I kind of like calling you my love," Harry says teasingly.
"You can call me Ginny," She says. She points her wand over her shoulder and fires a stinging hex without looking.
Harry rolls out of the way quickly and laughs, deciding to keep his mouth shut.
Albus starts humming a song, and Harry turns to him with a tilted head.
He knows the tune and starts humming along, trying to figure out what song he's humming. He swears it's from a Disney movie, but which one?
Albus stops humming when he seems to find another ward. He starts getting rid of the ward in silence, his eyebrows pulled together in concentration.
While Harry won't complain about the view he has of Ginny's perfect ass, he wishes he could see her face too.
"I can't find any other wards," Ginny says, turning to Albus.
Albus nods his head and finishes with the ward he's working on.
"We should be safe to go through without getting decapitated or having the blood drained out of us," Albus says with a smile.
Ginny laughs, and Harry chuckles nervously. Blood drained?
Harry waits for Albus to cross forward first and follows after him when everything seems safe.
"What a pussycat," Ginny whispers, so only Harry can hear her.
He scowls at her and switches into his black panther animagus. He shakes his muscles loose, preparing for another long search, but he nuzzles Ginny's thigh with his head as he passes.
He sets off at a trot and hums Albus's tune in his head while he searches.
The woods are super creepy. Something straight out of a horror movie. Most of the trees are dead and without leaves. The tree roots are breaking the surface of the ground, giving Harry ample opportunities to slip and fall to the ground. He likes to think of himself as graceful while he's in his animagus form, but in reality, he hasn't spent enough time in his form to not trip on the uneven ground.
Harry spots something that looks like a beat-up path and heads in that direction. He growls loudly and happily hops onto the dirt path. Harry feels the air ripple, and he curses under his breath. He just slipped past a ward.
Harry quickly changes back into himself and shoots red sparks into the air. After a few seconds, he hears footsteps running toward him. Harry pulls out his wand and points it in the direction of the noise. It could be friend or foe, considering he went through a ward accidentally.
Idiot.
Albus and Ginny come running into his view, and if Harry wasn't panicked about himself passing through an unknown ward, he'd laugh at the way Albus runs.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asks, scanning the woods.
"Stop where you are. I think I passed through a ward," Harry says, holding his hand out, so they stop walking toward him.
They stop instantly, and both start muttering under their breath. Harry doesn't dare move. He does notice that he doesn't feel like he's dying, so he considers that a plus.
"It looks like you passed through a detecters ward," Albus mutters.
"A bloody complicated one at that," Ginny says.
Harry watches Ginny seemingly get frustrated with the ward and growl. Who knew growling was a turn-on?
"Come here, Ginerva," Albus says.
Ginny steps beside Albus, and Harry can suddenly see the ward, which has an orange tint to it. There are runes all over the place, and while Harry did pretty well in Ancient Runes, the sets of runes in front of him make his head spin.
"That's one hell of a detection ward," Harry breathes.
Albus goes into a lengthy explanation of the runes and their patterns. He explains their functions and purpose and then goes into another lengthy discussion of how to cancel the other runes out without setting off the ward.
It mostly makes sense to Harry, but then again, looking at the set of runes in front of him, he feels a bit out of depth. He knows his runes. He's been told he's fairly advanced in the subject. But this here, this is over his head. He's impressed with the understanding Ginny shows and knows for a fact that if she wants to be a curse breaker, she'll be one.
"Alright, Harry, we don't think there's much else to this ward, just the detecting ward. Tom's followers and maybe even himself will be on their way soon. I'm going to stay with Ginerva, and you need to get into the Gaunt shack and find the ring. If there is danger or wards you don't understand, send out red sparks," Albus says.
Harry nods his head slowly but looks at Ginny. He's reluctant to leave her here; most powerful wizard or not, he's allowed to worry about her, right?
"Get going, Harry. We can handle a duel or two," Ginny says, noticing his reluctance.
"Okay, if you need help, send up red sparks. I'll try and leave the door open and keep my back to the walls."
Harry turns and swivels his head until his eyes rest on a wooden shack that looks like it will crumble if he leans against the brittle wood.
What did they build this thing out of? Drift Wood?
Harry jogs over to the building, mindful of his step. He doesn't want to roll his ankle on an upended root, or step on a snake or other wild animal.
The house, or the more accurate description of, shack, has a small porch with two small steps leading up to it. The first step has a massive crack straight through the middle, and not wanting to get his foot stuck, Harry jumps past both steps and lands on the porch with a creak that has Harry wincing.
Sirius would never let him live it down if he gets his foot stuck. Ginny will think he's an idiot, and Albus will never bring him on a Horcrux hunt again.
That's his motivation to pay attention to his step. That and he really wants to leave with no injuries.
According to his track record, that is highly unlikely, though.
Harry finds the front door and slowly pushes it open. The door falls off its hinges and crashes to the floor, causing Harry to yelp and jump back. His right foot falls through the porch, and suddenly he's felt on his back with a bump on his head and blurry vision.
Good one.
Harry groans and lifts himself on his forearms so he can look at his legs. His right leg has all but disappeared under splintered wood, and his left leg is bent in an awkward position. Harry looks behind him and breathes out, relieved when both Ginny and Albus are none the wiser to his predicament.
He straightens his left leg and starts pulling his right leg out of the splintered wood. Luckily he created such a hole, that getting his leg out is a piece of cake.
When he's extracted himself, Harry looks over his leg, and besides the tear in his jeans, and a little bit of blood from some minor scratches, he thinks he's okay. Nothing is broken, and he didn't get impaled, so major wins all around.
Harry gets up, and, feeling petty, flips the bird at the porch.
He goes to the door of the shack and peeks inside. As far as he can tell, the shack only seems to be three rooms. There's the opening room that he's looking into and two doors on opposite walls.
Harry levitates the front door and leans it against the wall, so he can get inside.
A yelp from behind him has him spinning around and trying to find Ginny and Albus.
The scene in front of him makes him want to jump the porch stairs again and start firing curses.
At least fifteen Death Eaters have apparated into the woods, and while Albus is showing off an impressive amount of agility, Harry doesn't like the odds of fifteen to two.
Harry stands in the doorway, debating finding the ring or kicking Death Eater's butt. He looks into the shack and, when nothing pops out at him, decides that helping Ginny and Albus is the better idea.
Harry jumps the porch steps, and using his elemental magic, he focuses on the ground in front of Ginny and causes the ground to roll, creating waves that trip the Death Eaters and make it easier to disarm and capture them.
"Harry, if I find out that you stopped searching for that ring to help us, I will kill you!" Ginny exclaims.
Albus turns around, and Harry stops in his tracks.
"Harry Potter, listen to Ginerva, or I will put you on a full schedule when we get back to Hogwarts," Albus threatens, casting incendio, without looking back.
Harry rolls his eyes, not at all threatened by Albus's threat of adding more classes to his schedule, but turns around and runs back to the shack.
Harry jumps the porch steps and disappears inside the shack. He turns in a circle at the center of the room and looks for any obvious signs of hiding places.
If this were a movie and I was the bad guy, where would I hide a ring?
Harry looks for any small holes in the walls or loose floor boards when he stops. He shakes his head at himself and pulls out his wand.
"Accio Gaunt Ring," Harry says, waiting for the ring to come zooming at him.
He hears a click to his left and turns in the nick of time. A sword comes flying at him, and Harry is completely unprepared to see the gleaming tip of the blade.
Harry dives to the ground, narrowly avoiding the flying sword.
He skids to the ground and rolls in case other pointy objects decide to become airborne.
His shoulder throbs, and so does his head. Harry looks at the wall where the sword came from and notices an opening in the wall.
Harry climbs to his feet and slowly makes his way to the opening. Inside is a glass case surrounding a ring. Harry waves his wand over the glass case, and the wards protecting the ring come to life. Harry starts messing around with the runes but stops when he realizes what the wards really are. There are simple repelling wards and a few that poison you.
It's too easy.
Harry turns away from the opening and looks out the door to see Ginny and Albus still fighting off death eaters that seem to be slowly dwindling in numbers.
Harry looks back at the opening and then promptly scans the area surrounding it.
If Harry ever used a decoy, he would put the real object somewhere close by in hopes that whoever was looking for, said object, would think it is in a completely different place.
The wood that makes up the shack is old and well worn, but the plank that Harry eyes, fits in too perfectly. It follows the exact same pattern as the one to its left and to its right. It sits closer to the floor, making it harder to spot when you're standing.
Every other piece of wood looks like it came from a different place, completing the look of, 'we put a whole bunch of driftwood together and made a shack,' kind of look.
Harry prods the plank with his wand, and when nothing happens, Harry sits down and waves his wand to see if there are any wards.
When nothing happens, Harry puts his wand in his lap and studies the plank of wood more closely. It seems completely ordinary besides the fact it resembles its siding planks too much.
Harry runs his fingers over it and then presses his hand into the middle of it. When nothing happens, once again, Harry wonders if he actually has the right spot.
Harry peeks over his shoulder and looks outside. Ginny and Albus haven't let anyone pass into the shack, but obviously, it hasn't been without effort. People have torn robes and blood stains all over them, and they all look like they're running out of steam.
Harry turns back to the wood and conjures a hammer with his wand. He better just hurry and see if he actually has the right spot before they all run out of time and something bad happens.
Harry pulls his arm back and hits the wood with all of his strength.
He missed.
Harry stares at the crumbled plank in front of him. He had been aiming for the plank beneath it, but if the wood was going to shatter like that, then it was probably a good thing he missed. A stray piece of wood could have taken his eye out.
Harry shifts his body until he's not directly in front of the plank he wants to hit, and pulls his arm back again. He swings forward and hits the plank, but instead of shattering the wood, the hammer bounces back, and his arm literally vibrates with pain.
Harry curses and notices the small dent he made.
Screw this.
Harry tosses the hammer behind him and stands a few yards away from the wall. He originally didn't want to use magic and potentially bring the shack down on top of him with a blasting curse, but he doesn't have many other options. As soon as he had sat down earlier, a sense of urgency washed over him, and Harry trusts his gut. He needs to get to that ring and get out of there.
Now.
Harry casts Duro at the plank, turning it into stone, and then fires a blasting curse at it. The stone explodes, making dust and rubble fly everywhere.
Harry turns away and shields his head. When he turns back around, he notices that while the stone took most of the impact, he still created quite the hole in the wall.
Harry vanishes the rubble with a quick wave of his wand and then approaches the hole. Something shiny lays among a pile of splintered wood, and suddenly the need to get to the ring is all he can focus on.
Harry takes three quick strides and crouches down.
He starts to grab it but pauses. What is he forgetting? Harry stares at the ring, and a million thoughts race through his head.
The ring is literally radiating power. A power so strong that Harry's almost positive; not even the great Albus Dumbledore has felt so much raw power.
There's so much power that Harry knows if he wore it, he could kill anyone standing in his way. He could probably even bring back Remus, and his parents.
He can imagine it now. He could take the ring, bring his parents and Remus back from the dead, kill Voldemort, and be done with it. All he would need to do is put it on.
Harry's hand is halfway to the ring when he stops. The ring is powerful, but Voldemort wouldn't want anyone getting their hands on that much power. Wouldn't he ward it?
Harry takes a few seconds to think about it. If Voldemort warded the ring, then he would have found the ring when he searched forwards. He must have left it unwarded then.
"It's safe. It has to be safe," Harry mutters, reaching for the ring again.
His world goes momentarily black as he's tackled sideways. Someone casts immobulus and Harry literally freezes. His world stays dark, not because he's fainted, but because he had shut his eyes and he was now frozen that way.
He feels dizzy.
Harry wishes he could understand what all the noise above him is about, but his dizziness and sudden lack of air have him unfocused.
The dizziness slowly fades and he's suddenly aware that the noises above him are really someone yelling at him.
Very loudly.
"What the bloody hell were you doing Potter! Albus tells me to check on you when he hears an explosion and the next thing I know I see you shaking, crouched on the floor, in the middle of shattered wood, glazed eyes, reaching for a Horcrux! If I had known you would have been so stupid I would have had you stay with Albus and I would have taken care of the ring!"
If Harry could wince, he would have.
It's Ginny who is yelling at him, and she sounds royally pissed.
"Now, I'm going to unfreeze you. If you so much as inch toward that ring, I will freeze you, illegally create a portkey, and send you back to Hogwarts!"
She unfreezes him and Harry quickly opens his eyes and takes in his surroundings. He's laying flat on his back a few feet from the hole he created.
Harry silently appreciates the distance between him and the hole. It was a nice tackle.
Harry sits up and winces when his head throbs in protest to his movements. Not only does his head throb, but the rest of his body aches as well.
"What the hell happened?" Harry asks, rubbing his head.
"I just told you what happened," Ginny says, glaring at him.
Harry smiles sheepishly. He'd accidentally made her angry again.
Oh well.
Maybe one day he can go more than eight hours without making her angry.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Harry asks, eyeing the blood on her clothes. She's wearing jeans and a sweater with a 'W' on it. Her jeans are covered in mud and clumps of wet grass, and her sweater is torn and has blood on it where her shoulder is.
Ginny rolls her eyes at him and turns to the hole in the wall. She takes a step toward it and Harry jumps up in an instant, reaching out and grabbing her arm.
"I wasn't going to touch it, you dolt," Ginny says.
She conjures a pouch, hands it to him, and tells him to open it.
Harry does as she asks and watches as she carefully levitates the ring into the open pouch. When the ring is safely in the pouch, Harry closes it, and to be extra safe, he conjures a string and ties it over the top.
"Let's find Albus and get out of here before Tom gets here," Ginny says, taking the pouch from him and heading out the front door.
Harry stares after her, watching as she struts away like the badass Harry is coming to find out, she is.
Harry follows her obediently and keeps his mouth shut. She just possibly saved his life.
When they reach Albus, Harry watches as he finishes tying Death Eaters up with ropes.
"Did you get the ring?" He asks, glancing at them.
Ginny nods and hands him the pouch. Albus opens the pouch, and Harry watches as his eyes glaze over. He starts to reach into it, and Harry panics.
Before he can do anything, however, Ginny slaps Albus's hand and takes the pouch.
"What is wrong with you boys?" Ginny asks, throwing her hands on her hips.
Albus looks startled and Harry is sure he looks the same.
"You know what? Let's get to Hogwarts before you two do anything else that's stupid. I'll get Minerva to help me destroy it."
Ginny's POV Saturday Morning (Like 1 a.m.)
"So explain to me one more time. What enchantments were on the ring?"
Ginny rubs her head in exasperation and closes her eyes.
When they had made it back to Hogwarts, Ginny had grabbed Minerva and explained the situation. The girls had demanded the boys head up to Albus's office and wait for them there.
After five minutes of arguing Ginny had given up on playing nice and had threatened to hex off their bits. They both left after that, and Ginny and Minerva started making their way up to the Room of Requirement.
Ginny had explained what she had noticed from both Harry and Albus to Minerva. After a small debate, they decided it would be best if they left the ring in the bag and destroyed the Horcrux using Fiendfyre.
They had come to the conclusion that the ring had a strong compulsion enchantment on it and would have probably killed whoever put it on.
Ginny impatiently waits for Minerva to explain it all again to Harry. Harry was visibly upset not only with himself, it would seem, but also with Ginny.
He had always stared at her, but now it seemed like his eyes wouldn't leave her. Even now as he was listening to Minerva's explanation, she could feel his eyes on her.
"Alright that explains why I wanted to put it on so bad, but why did the ring feel so powerful?"
Ginny opens her eyes and is instantly met with a set of blazing green eyes. Beautiful eyes that make Ginny's chest restrict almost painfully.
"What did you see Harry?" Albus says.
Ginny breaks eye contact with Harry and turns to Albus.
"I feel like that's a bit private," Harry says, chuckling nervously.
Albus sighs and shakes his head. Ginny looks at Fawkes only to see the phoenix looking at them all with what Ginny can only guess, is worry.
"My sister was killed when I was younger. It's sad in its own right, but what makes it worse is that I was the one who killed her," Albus says. Ginny stares at the man she considered a grandfather in shock. He did what?
The room seems to lose its ability to make noise. The silver whimsical instruments on his shelves stop whirling and making noise. Ginny can't even hear Harry or Minerva breathing and she wonders if they had both stopped breathing from shock.
"You see, my sister's magic was, how do I say it? Uncontrollable. Grindlewald under circumstances I wish to not explain, attacked my family and my sister who was scared, started literally pulsing with uncontrollable magic. In her bout of fear, she killed my father, and when I tried to stop her, using a spell I won't entail to you, accidentally killed her."
Ginny watches as tears come to Albus's eyes, and fall unrestricted.
"That ring made me think that if I put it on, I would be able to bring her back and resolve that guilt that has resided in me since then. Tom thrives on making us relive our mistakes. He tries to take away everything we love and then make us relive it so we won't have the strength to fight back. I'm sure that ring would have killed whoever put it on, but even without us wearing it, it has beaten your spirit," Albus says.
Ginny turns to Harry and is amazed to see that he too is crying.
"My parents," Harry chokes out.
"And Remus too. All three of them were my fault," Harry says. Ginny watches powerless as Harry struggles to keep his composure. He seems to lose that battle as a strangled sob leaves his mouth.
"I thought I could bring them back and then use the power from the ring to kill Voldemort. If my parents could meet me at that halfway point between life and death then surely I could bring them back somehow. They didn't deserve to die because of me. I'm not worth it," Harry says fighting through his tears.
Ginny's surprised to feel her own eyes water at Harry's show of weakness.
"At the time the risk was worth it. Even with death, I would be with them again. I tried apologizing when I'd died, but they wouldn't hear it. They let my apology go right over their heads and I let them do it. But Albus," Harry sobs again and Ginny puts a hand over her mouth and nose to silence her own sniffles.
"Albus it hurts. I lost them again! Remus didn't even want to see me. And with that stupid ring, I had a chance. I only want the chance to make it right!"
Ginny turns away from him and looks at Minerva. Minerva meets her eyes and her own tears spring forth. Ginny watches Minerva put her hands over the chair and onto Harry's shoulders as he breaks down in front of them.
Ginny hates the powerless feeling that rushes through her as she watches Harry try to unsuccessfully reign in his tears, and choke down his sobs.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispers, looking up at Ginny, through his tears.
And that breaks her.
Ginny gets up from her seat kneels down in front of Harry and tugs his arm until he willingly gets out of the chair and falls right into her waiting arms.
She holds him as he sobs and fights her own tears until she isn't crying anymore.
"The only thing you can do is kill him, Harry. Kill Tom and bring peace to everyone who died because of him. Hopefully, it will bring you peace too," Ginny says fiercely.
They stay like that until Harry's breathing goes back to normal, and she can only hear small sniffles.
She risks looking at Minerva only to find her gone. Ginny pulls away from Harry and looks around for Albus but finds that he's gone too.
Of course, they'd leave her alone to deal with the sobbing Harry.
"Let's get to bed," Ginny says, standing up and tugging at Harry's arm until he joins her.
"Thank you," he whispers brokenly.
His eyes are puffy and red, his lips are cracked, and his nose is inflamed. He looks exhausted.
Ginny imagines that this is what she had looked like that first night they'd met.
She might have even looked worse, considering she had to tell her experience twice, but that didn't stop him.
For some reason, the boy in front of her looks at her like she's the only thing lighting the room. He looks at her like no matter the circumstances, she is beautiful. When she tackled him earlier, frozen him, and yelled at him, she had expected some kind of retaliation after she unfroze him, but instead, he'd stared at her like he couldn't believe she was real.
He'd been looking at her like that all night. He's looking at her like that right now.
"You don't need to thank me," Ginny tells him seriously. While he's been a royal pain in her ass, he's healed her wounds, taken away all sorts of physical aches and pains. The least she can do is try and help with his emotional pains.
"You give me more than I'm worthy of. I really do need to thank you, and I'll leave you alone if that's what you want. Anything to thank you properly," Harry breathes. He brings his hand up and caresses her cheek. Ginny flinches away but ultimately gives in to his gentle touch.
"It's okay," she tells him. She steps away and gestures to the office door with her head. She needs to sleep. She isn't thinking straight anymore. She doesn't know how she feels about anything, and it doesn't help that her body is numb.
Harry nods his head at her and then grabs her hand and starts to leave.
Ginny follows but keeps her eyes on their hands.
She doesn't know what to do with him.
Ginny's POV Monday Morning
Ginny rests her head in her hands as she leans sleepily over her porridge. She hadn't slept well all weekend. She'd taken a potion to help her sleep last night, and the drowsiness had not left her when she woke up.
"You doing alright, Ginny?"
Ginny blinks her eyes open, looks up, and stares at her brother. Did he just ask her if she was doing okay? Her tactless brother?
"Is that you, Ron?" Ginny asks, squinting to make sure it isn't Percy or literally any other brother.
Ron rolls his eyes and pouts. Hermione laughs, and it makes Ginny smile.
"I'm fine, Ron, the effects of my dreamless sleep potion haven't worn off yet, so I'm just drowsy."
"Harry was telling me about Friday," Ron says suddenly.
Ginny raises her eyebrows at her brother. She hopes Harry didn't discuss anything he wasn't allowed to.
"Actually, Professor Dumbledore specifically asked me to talk to him about things," Ron grabs Hermione's hand and places their hands on the table. Ginny looks at their interlaced fingers, and her heart warms at the thoughts of their relationship. She's happy for them.
"When I told this to Harry, everything came spilling out," Ron says.
"Everything?" Ginny asks carefully.
"Well, I didn't get any details on why you guys went on a special mission or what you guys were doing, but I get the gist that it was something evil, and Harry had a tough time with it after. So, basically, I wanted to say thank you."
If Ginny's eyebrows could have gone any higher, they would have.
"Why are you thanking me?" Ginny asks, completely bewildered.
"Harry has this thing about asking questions about our childhoods. I think at first it was just to get more information about you, but after like thirty minutes, we both genuinely got curious about each other's lives, and now he feels like another brother. One that doesn't smack me around," Ron jokes lightly.
I watch as Hermione squeezes Ron's hand in comfort, and Ron takes a deep breath before continuing.
"Ever since you were in the hospital, you've been getting better. You've been smiling at people more, and you've even given a few people hugs," Ron laughs and shakes his head. He looks at Hermione and then back to Ginny.
Ginny blinks, surprised to see Ron with teary eyes.
"You're doing so much better than my fourth year, and I couldn't be more proud of you and who you've become. It was when I was talking to Harry that I realized, he's shown more outward worry, care, and love for you than I have, and I'm your brother! He told me that you still flinch when he touches you," Ron says.
Ginny's chest had felt so warm, and now it was gone. She still flinched, she's still paranoid, and she still has trouble sleeping.
"He's the only one you've been flinching around, though," Ron comments, raising his eyebrows with the silent question. Why does she only flinch when she's around Harry now?
"I must not trust him completely yet," Ginny says, shrugging.
Ginny's glad Harry had eaten a quick breakfast now that she realizes where this conversation has headed and will continue going.
"No. That's not it."
"Excuse me?"
"I would all but agree with you, but when I mentioned my theory to Hermione yesterday, we spent all day trying to prove it right or wrong, and well, I was right! It's not that you don't trust him. It's the fact that you trust him so much that you flinch. You let him see you as the tortured girl. But you've also shown him how strong you are. When we all hang out, you unconsciously face him.
"It's funny. Hermione pointed out to me that whenever he laughs, you smile at him. I don't even think you realize it, but you both smile at each other all the time. If he catches you, he smiles back, and if you catch him, you roll your eyes and look away only to smile! It's almost like watching a quidditch game," Ron says.
"You guys would make a handsome couple," Hermione adds.
Ginny tries to process everything they're saying, but it doesn't add up. She hasn't been smiling at him. Sure they spent more time around each other this weekend, but to make those kinds of assumptions.
"You guys are barmy!" Ginny exclaims.
She huffs and starts eating her porridge.
No longer than five minutes go by when owls start swooping in. Ginny waits for the post owl to bring the Daily Prophet Hermione gets every morning. Hermione always lets Ginny read it after she's done.
When Hermione gasps loudly, Ginny looks up, alarmed. Hermione is muttering under her breath as her eyes scan the Prophet quickly.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asks.
"Read this," Hermione says, flipping the paper so Ginny can read the article. Ron protests something about not finishing, but Ginny grabs the paper and starts reading.
Death Eaters Attacking Everyone?
Death Eaters have taken their efforts to the muggles in Little Hangleton. Late Friday evening and early Saturday morning, Death Eaters took to the streets in this muggle village. By the time Aurors from the ministry arrived at the scene, nothing could be done. Not a single life was left, including the Death Eaters. The Auror reports include over one-hundred-and-seventy-five muggles died, and twenty-five Death Eaters as well.
The Death Eaters were killed with magic, but the question is, who killed them? They think someone took the situation into their own hands to protect the muggles. The ministry is asking the wizard or witch who killed these Death Eaters to come forward. The wizard or witch responsible will not be punished.
Word on the underground is that He Who Must Not Be Named himself was the cause of these deaths, and this reporter can only agree with them. The Death Eaters were killed in a gruesome show of spellwork.
If word on the underground is true, then why is He Who Must Not Be Named killing his own followers? Were they spies? We might never know, but we do know that the massacre at Little Hangleton is a tragedy, and those muggles will be remembered.
-Sarah life
Ginny puts the paper down and slumps in her seat. Ginny can only guess that Tom found out about the ring and sent a message to his followers and also the Ministry.
He has the influence to kill hundreds without any guilt. He'll reward and punish his followers accordingly.
"Bloody hell," Ron breathes, setting the paper down and looking at them worriedly.
Ginny looks to the Head Table and tries to catch Albus's eye, but he's caught in a hushed conversation with Minerva.
This is bad. She knew Tom would find out about the Horcrux being gone, but she thought he'd try and attack Hogwarts again, or maybe even the ministry. She can only assume there will be other attacks before he comes for them, and she knows they won't be on muggles. He'll be after wizarding families so he can gain more followers. Killings will turn into kidnappings, and soon there won't be any trust among neighbors and friends.
"Do either of you have a class with Harry?" Ginny asks.
Both Ron and Hermione nod their heads. Ginny gestures to the paper.
"Make sure he gets a look at that article. I'm going to go talk to Dumbledore," Ginny says, getting off the bench.
"Do you know why he did this?" Ron asks before she can turn away.
"I can't be sure, but I think he's unhappy that our mission was successful," ginny tells him vaguely.
"Be careful then. He's bound to know you and Harry were both there."
Ginny nods her head and walks up to the head table.
"Sir?" Ginny asks, interrupting his and Minerva's conversation.
"I'll send for you to talk about Little Hangleton tomorrow morning," Albus says, turning away.
"Why not today, sir?" Ginny asks. The longer they wait, the more time Tom has to act. They don't have time.
"Auror Black needs to be a part of this meeting, and he's dealing with the Muggle police force and their ministry. He can't get away until tomorrow," Albus says.
Ginny decides to not throw a fit like she kind of wants to and nods her head. She heads back to the Gryffindor table, says goodbye to her brother and friends, grabs her bag, and then leaves for class.
It's on her way to potions that she hears the pounding feet behind her. Ginny turns and gets a weird sense of deja vu as Harry practically skids to a stop in front of her.
"Can I walk you to your class?" Harry asks brightly.
Ginny wipes the smile she - was now conscious of - off her face and rolls her eyes.
"Be my guest," Ginny says.
Harry smiles at her brightly and waits for her to start walking before he falls into step at her side.
"How is your morning going?" Harry asks.
Ginny looks at him from the corner of her eye and rolls her eyes again when she sees that he's practically bouncing as he walks.
"Considering I just read about over two-hundred people dying in the newspaper, not fantastic," Ginny tells him.
"Oof! Yeah, I caught Ron and Hermione at the tail end of breakfast and read the paper. That Voldemort boyo is quite sadistic. My condolences to their families," Harry says, shaking his head.
Ginny watches him touch his forehead, and then the left side of his chest, then the right side of his chest, and then point upwards. She's seen a few muggles make the same gesture, and she's almost positive it has something to do with religion.
"Are you religious?" Ginny asks. Not very many wizarding families are very religious.
"Nah, but I've been to all sorts of churches, and I read that Little Hangleton was a small catholic town, so, yeah, it felt appropriate."
Ginny nods her head.
"Would you let me hold your hand? The amount of electric potential is staggering," Harry says after a few moments of silence.
Ginny stops walking and looks at him. He stops as well and gives her a pleading look.
"Oh, come on! Ginny, that would have had a girl on her knees if I were back home!" Harry exclaims.
"Excuse me? Are you offended because I'm not a scarlet woman?" Ginny asks, offended.
"What? No, I didn't mean-," Harry laughs suddenly, and Ginny can feel her cheeks go red.
"I meant it would have made a girl weak in the knees. Not that she would go down on me. Am I sensing that you have a dirty mind?" Harry asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
Ginny scoffs and starts walking, hoping he doesn't take note of the red heat that's spreading from her cheeks down to her neck. Harry quickly catches up and then moves in front of her and starts walking backward so he can see her face. She hopes he trips, or better yet, she hopes Snap comes out of his classroom, and Harry runs into him.
"Oh ho ho! Darling, don't let anyone else make you scream. I won't accept anyone else torturing you," Harry says, winking.
Ginny tries glaring at him, but the sudden image of writhing under a very naked Harry - in a good way - has her blushing what she can only imagine is tomato red.
"Will you quit?" Ginny asks.
"Last one, I promise," Harry says.
Ginny smiles as they reach the potions classroom door. Ginny goes to walk through the classroom and leave Harry behind, but she should have known that Harry would grab her arm and tug her until she's standing close enough to smell him.
She scolds herself for flinching.
He smells like he's been flying with a hint of what she thinks is pine needle and broom polish. It's intoxicating, and Ginny wishes it would stop overwhelming her senses. She feels light and she does not appreciate the feeling.
Before she can step away, Harry has his arms wrapped around her, and her hands are on his chest to keep some distance.
"Please?" Harry asks with a pout.
Ginny sighs, "Fine."
Harry smiles triumphantly and swiftly kisses her cheek.
"None of that. You're not my boyfriend, Potter," Ginny reminds him.
Harry sighs exaggeratingly but nods his head.
"Unless it's me, never let a man call in a favor to polish his broom."
Ginny can't help but laugh and push him away.
"Merlin, that's disgusting, Harry!"
He laughs at her and pulls her back to him.
"Don't you have a class?" Ginny asks him. She's standing right next to the door of her classroom, and she still might be late.
"Minnie and I are tight. You don't have to worry about me," Harry says with a wink.
Ginny snorts.
"Don't let her catch you saying that," Ginny tells him.
"Actually, please call her that. Make sure I'm in the room, though."
"I'll wait for that time then."
"Hmm, speaking of that time, did Albus tell you about a meeting tomorrow morning?" Ginny asks.
Harry nods his head, "Yeah, Sirius told me in his letter this morning."
"Alright, get to class Harry," Ginny says.
"I'll make up for my inappropriate innuendos with cute little pickup lines," Harry says, pulling away from her. He squeezes her waist, which causes a tingling feeling to crawl up her spine.
"Whatever."
Ginny turns away and walks into the classroom. She sits down next to Colin and gets her things out of her bag.
"Now that you and Harry are really close, do you think you can get me an autograph?" Colin asks, using his famous puppy dog eyes. His crystal blue eyes widen, and Ginny can see why Demelza is putty in his fingers. The blond hair and blue eyes really work for him. It's too bad he's taken, and she has a thing for tall, dark, and handsome men.
The memory of Harry winking at her while he walks backward plays through her mind, and she quickly vanishes it.
She needs to make a list of more important things like potions, dueling, and rune work.
"First of all, we're not close, and second of all, why don't you ask him yourself? You sit next to my brother and me at almost every meal!"
Colin rolls his eyes and mutters something that sounds like, 'could have fooled me,' but Ginny lets it slide, considering Snape just walked into the classroom.
"Turn your books open to the page, three-ninety-four."
-Ace