Revelations.
Harry turned and ran
after Dudley. Hedwig mournfully watched him go. Her eyes dulled as Harry faded
from her vision into the rain. Hedwig thought about who else could save Ginny
and flew off to find her next saviour.
Ginny stopped crying at looked
up at the crystal ball. It was black. Harry was gone. He had chosen to return
to his family rather than save her. She chastised herself, muttering "Don't be
silly Ginny, he has no idea why Hedwig was there. He hasn't given up on you."
"Interesting…" purred a
deep voice behind her. Ginny span around to see an enormous red dragon
squatting down behind her. She fell to her knees in terror.
"Ginny, you're seeing
things…" she breathed hoarsely.
"…interesting how
someone starts to talk in third person whenever they are starting to lose their
mind." Ginny sat there whilst the dragon gave her a cursory inspection. After a
moment it sighed and said "Get up girl. Go home."
"H-how? What are you?"
"Haven't you been
studying your 'Fantastic Beasts'? Come on, I'll repair your broom and you can
fly away home." The dragon muttered a few quiet, grumbling words and the broom
gleamed as if new. "Here. It is done."
Ginny looked into the
dragon's eyes fearfully, but saw only tenderness. "Were you expecting a beast?"
he sighed. Ginny smiled in relief at the warmth the dragon displayed and picked
up her broom.
Hedwig tapped furiously
on Draco's window. He was not asleep. The night had tormented him with his own
foolish actions – why had he tried to bewitch Ginny into loving him? She
obviously was drawn to him, but surely their families would have gotten in the
way. Surely? Draco sat up and stared blearily at Harry's famous owl.
"Curious," he muttered,
and got up and let in the owl from the rain outside. Hedwig hopped inside and
screeched at Draco. Hedwig was holding two pieces of wand, which Draco
recognised as Harry's: they had duelled enough to know such things of each
other.
"Okay. So Harry's in
trouble, and you need me to help? I don't think so!" Hedwig sprang up, swooped
at Draco's head and settled down again with a quiet squawk of disapproval yet
resignation. "Okay, calm down birdie! I'll get dressed," sighed Draco a little
shaken – it is not wise to upset an owl when standing in-front of one naked he
realised!
Draco got dressed, grabbed
his broomstick and set out into the thundering night with Hedwig as his guide.
Harry caught up with
Dudley. Dudley was crying and panicky. "Calm down! Calm down! Hey, it'll be
alright!" comforted Harry. "Let's go home, eh?"
"How can I? Dad threw us
out!" bellowed Dudley.
"Why?"
Dudley stopped and
glared at Harry. Harry had had enough of this and slapped Dudley across the
face. Whilst Dudley was reeling in shock, Harry felt Jasmine's spirit of
rebellion surge through him. "Look. I'm freezing, wet and have made damn sure
that 'precious little Dudders' has never had to a day's work in his bloody
ungrateful life! You will tell me what this is all about! So your dad's snapped
at you – I get that day in and day out…"
"Yeah, but he's my dad!"
"Oh thanks a lot! I
never asked to be an orphan! To be stuck with a bunch of self-centred bastards…"
Dudley caught Harry
squarely on the jaw with his fist and Harry staggered back. The thunder roared
above them. "This isn't about the fucking housework Harry! I'm gay!" Dudley
paused, his rage passed. "I think."
Harry stood there
nursing his jaw, letting blood drool from his split gum over his chin.
Eventually he said "What do you want, a medal?"
Dudley smiled back.
Jasmine sat in bed with
the duvet up around her head. She hated thunderstorms. Her brother Daniel had
died on a night like tonight. Jasmine mum and dad had waited next door as
doctors spent six hours trying to save him. It was a night like tonight. As she
pulled up her duvet, it revealed Harry's broomstick half-hidden under her bed.
Ginny looked up into the
night sky. "So, what are you doing with Harry?"
The dragon gave her a
look. "Exactly whatever he wants me to do, Ginny."
Ginny stared at him
cautiously. "What the hell does that mean?"
The dragon smiled. "How
long have you wanted to be a wizard Ginny?"
Ginny was a little
puzzled, but decided to play along. "Ever since I was small. Why?"
"And when you were
small, did you know of Harry Potter?"
"Yeah. Of course! What
are you getting at?"
The dragon shifted
closer. "Harry never asked to be a wizard. He has asked me to help him get out
of it."
Ginny cocked her head at
him. "Really? I find that difficult to believe."
The dragon moved closer
to Ginny, it's appearance seeming ever more menacing closer to. "Oh, and you
find this impossible? A girl who almost gave her life up to escape her
infatuation with Harry? How is your Snaggle nowadays?* How comfortable knowing
that you once summoned a creature to help you commit suicide? How comfortable
are you knowing that you once helped the beast that Tom Riddle became almost
kill Harry?"
The dragon closed in.
Ginny stepped away fearfully. "Ginny – how is it that you love Harry so much
and yet cannot bear to share him with this world! If you truly loved him, you'd
let him get out! Have his own life! Live with those who could love him for what
he is and not what he had become: an idol! A salvation for a crumbling network
of lies and institutions!"
"Get away from me!"
screamed Ginny.
The dragon slipped away
and stood upright on its hind legs. The menace had disappeared from its voice. "But
I am not keeping you here. I have even helped you leave. If you see, attached
to the broom is a map. Waterproof for this country's fine climate, of course.
The only thing keeping you here is your curiosity!"
Ginny stood there
limply. "Please don't take Harry away… he's all I've got…" she mumbled weakly.
The dragon laughed
thunderously. "And to you I say, 'please leave Harry alone, he's all he's got.'
Okay?"
Suddenly a shadow past
over them. "Ginny!" screamed Draco from up high.
Ginny and the dragon
turned to see Draco bearing down from above. Lightning crackled from his
fingers and arced into the dragon. The dragon thrashed around in agony as the
spell smashed into it's side. The crystal ball nearby shattered and Ginny
instinctively leapt on her broom.
"Come on Ginny! Let's
get out of here!" barked Draco and the dragon roared below. It leapt up into
the air and began to give chase. Draco and Ginny flew at speed from the dragon
until it suddenly veered off.
"Where did it go?"
yelled Ginny through the rain.
Draco realised too late.
"Hedwig," he whispered as a large gout of flame erupted from the dragon's mouth
far behind them and to their right. Hedwig was a mere speck of white in the
rainy night sky being chased closely by the monstrous dragon.
"Come on Ginny! Now's
our chance!" yelled Draco and urged his broom away at speed, but Ginny held
back.
"If Hedwig dies, we'll
never hear from Harry again!" she screamed back. Draco hovered nearby as the
dragon closed on the owl.
"Better the owl than us
Ginny! Come on!" he barked. Ginny sat
there hovering as the roaring wind and rain buffeted her, lost in her own indecision.
Hedwig did her best to
avoid the searing attacks but was starting to tire. "Come now. You must succumb
to release poor Harry," grinned the dragon behind her.
"I don't think so!
Harry! I'm coming for you!" panted Hedwig, and the pair disappeared into the
stormy night.
TO BE CONTINUED…
* see 'Ginny and the
Snaggle' for details… sorry, very egocentric, but I hoped to tie in all my
stories… J