Just Because

by: Serena-chan



A/N: Hey peeps! I'm back! Here's the final part to my story! *sob!* I really enjoyed writing this, and if I get some good reviews on this last chapter, I'm going to write a sequel. So please, if you liked this story, r/r!!!! I managed to work the title in once more in this chapter. See if you can spot it.

Also, you may notice that the spell Ginny casts is a lot like the one Alanna performs in Tamora Pierce's wonderful book. That's where I got the idea. I don't own any of her work or that of J.K. Rowling.

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She raced up into her room, taking the steps two at a time. Swinging the door wide open, she plunged into the darkness of her room and turned the light on. On her bed lay a tattered black book, crumbling with age.

She fell to her knees before her bed. Carefully, she opened the book. She scanned the page. It was a spell to cure a sickness put upon someone by a powerful wizard. The directions were very clear, but she still was puzzled. This magic was far beyond anything she had ever learned. It was so old, that it didn't even use a wand. How was she, who was just going into her fourth year of Hogwarts, going to manage a spell like this?

At the bottom of the page she found a warning written out in faded ink: To those who try this spell-This is a highly dangerous spell. It requires so much energy that the caster of the spell almost always dies. Only perform if you are willing to risk everything, including your life, for the person you love.

Ginny gasped as the realization hit her. She was going to die. She was a very inexperienced witch. She might not even have enough energy to perform the spell all the way through, let alone survive it. Was she willing to die so that Harry could live?

Yes! She answered herself immediately. She loved him more than her own life. If he were to die, she would never forgive herself. He could go on without her. She would perform the spell.

Ginny carried the book downstairs to where Harry lay, reading the spell over and over again as she went. The spell called for only two things: fire, a real fire made from a muggle match and wood, and dried vervain leaves. This last ingredient worried Ginny because she wasn't sure that they had any. Just as she was beginning to panic, some dry, crumbly leaves fell out of the pages of the book. She inspected them closely and, if the illustrations in the book were correct, these were vervain leaves.

Ginny rushed into the shed where her father kept all his muggle things that he liked to experiment with. Finding a box of matches on one of the shelves, she rushed back and built the fire.

Ginny looked at Harry to discover that he had a sick grayish tint underneath all the red, his heartbeat was very slow and irregular, and he was barely breathing at all.

Taking the vervain leaves firmly in her hand, she took one last look around the room. It would probably be the last time she would ever see it. She spun slowly, taking in every detail. Her father's books on muggles, her mother's knitting basket in the corner, some of the twin's joke wands laying around in hopes that some unfortunate person would pick one up, Percy's letter of acceptance to work in the ministry was framed on the wall, letter's from Bill and Charley lay scattered upon the table alongside Ron's quiditch magazines.

At last her eyes fell on Harry. Harry...she would never be able to tell him how she felt. She had lost her chance. She went carefully over to him and bent down, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, Harry Potter."

She turned back to the fire, a determined gleam in her eyes. She knelt and flung the vervain leaves into the flames. Then, slowly, she lowered her hands into the fire. Her essence spilled from her palms into the flames turning them pink. She closed her eyes and whispered the words that she had read from the book.

Magic rose around her. Old magic. Older than time itself. Suddenly, power rammed into her palms and up her arms making her squeak in surprise. Raw, hot magic streamed into her. Filling her until she didn't think she could hold anymore. Still, it kept coming, pouring into her, filling her veins. It penetrated her physical form and went down deep inside of her. Down where her own magic lay, down into her soul. It merged with her soul, became one with it.

Pain worse than the crusiatus curse filled her. She could barely see with the fire that burned in her eyes. Tears of pain ran down her cheeks. She wasn't going to make it. All she could think of was Harry, lying there, dying, while she was helpless.

She could feel her love for him grow. She could feel it deep down in her soul. It was a very comforting feeling, so she concentrated on that. It seemed to spread throughout her entire body. It fought the pain back until it was just an unpleasant little twinge in the back of her mind.

She looked down at her hands. Her skin was burning with a pink shimmering fire. She stood and made her way over to Harry. Sitting down beside him, she took his hand in hers and she pushed her energy into him. Binding them to each other, making them one.

She could feel herself leaving her body. She was going to the place where Harry was. It was dark all around. All she could see was Harry, standing beaten and hurt, before a man that she knew instantly was Voldemort.

"Well," said Voldemort in a voice that sounded more like a snake than human, "little Miss Weasley has arrived at last."

"Ginny!" Harry ran towards her, "You have to get out of here! He'll kill you too!"

"I'm not going anywhere." she said firmly.

"Why don't you listen to him, Ginny." Purred Voldemort, "You could save him, but are you really willing to do that? Are you really willing to die to save him? Why don't you leave now, and save yourself...it would be much easier."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, very confused.

"That little girl," Voldemort said, "has the power to break my spell right now. She has the power to rid me from your body and save you from the disease. However, if she does this, she will certainly die. It's really a rather fair trade if you ask me, one life for another."

"No, Ginny!" Harry cried, "You can't do this! I won't let you!"

"I'm going to go through with this, Harry!" she said determindly, stepping in between him and Voldemort, "I won't let him hurt you."

Harry was crying now. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered through his tears.

"Just because..." she murmured, "...because I love you." Turning away from Harry before she could see his reaction, she aimed all her energy at Voldemort. She poured all the power from her body, she used all of her strength, all of her life energy, in one swift blow.

Then, it was all over....

Everything went black.....

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Harry awoke some hours later. The clock was just chiming 8:00am and sunlight was pouring into the room. His fever was gone. He didn't feel any pain anymore. Other than the fact that he felt weak and tired, he had no other symptoms of ever having had the fever.

His first thought as he opened his eyes was of Ginny. Where was she?! He looked around in alarm. She was laying on the floor beside the couch. Harry pulled her up onto the couch with him. She wasn't breathing.

"No!" Harry whispered, "No! This can't be happening!" Hot tears spilled down his cheeks as he buried his face in her hair and sobbed. It had happened again. Someone he loved had died again to save him. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I never got to tell you anything! I never told you how I felt!"

As he wept, he didn't notice that a white light had spread from him to her and was now radiating around them. The light vanished just as Ginny moaned and opened her eyes.

"Harry?" she whispered.

"Ginny?! You're alive!" Harry flung his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him.

"How?" she asked in a strangled voice.

"I dunno." Harry whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "Dumbledoor once told me that love was the most powerful magic of all...I reckon he was right."

"Harry," Ginny said, surprised that she was daring enough to ask him, "do you-"

"I love you, Ginny." Harry said firmly, cutting her off.

Ginny smiled, "I love you, too!"

"I know." Harry leaned foreword, and gently pressed his lips against hers.

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A/N: Well, what do you think?!?! I'm really anxious to know whether you liked the ending or not! If I get enough good reviews, I'll write a sequel. Thanx for reading!

~Serena-chan~