Disclaimer: I hate writing these things, but if I don't, I'll get sued. So
here
it goes… I own nothing except for the plot. Everything else
belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 13
"I've been waiting for you, Potter," said a cold voice, "And it's also so nice of you to join us, Black."
Harry looked at his godfather and new that he was thinking the same thing. This was their chance to avenge the deaths of James and Lily Potter.
"No one wants to talk to me before I kill them? What a shame. I always find it so funny when they do. People say the stupidest things when they know they're going to die. Just take your mother, Harry. She cried out, 'No! Not Harry!' If only she had just let me kill you. It was her own stupidity that forced me to get rid of her," the cold voice of Voldemort said.
"Shut up!" Harry yelled as he got his wand ready to attack as Sirius did the same.
"Oh phooey! You want to use wands? I like it better with the muggle weapons. The killing curse is just too comfortable. They don't feel any pain. Where's the fun in that?" Voldemort laughed.
"You're just sick, Riddle!" Voldemort shivered when Sirius called him this, " Just because no one ever loved you, you shouldn't take it out on everyone!"
"You shall call me by my proper name!" Voldemort bellowed, "You are to respect me!" Then before Harry and Sirius had time to realize what Voldemort was doing, they saw him throw two daggers at them, one for each.
Harry felt the dagger dig into his shoulder. "Too bad you throw like a girl!" he shouted while laughing at Voldemort.
"I bet you wish your godfather could say the same," Voldemort laughed back at him.
Harry didn't understand what he was talking about until he looked at Sirius. Sirius was on the floor clutching his heart, which was where the dagger hit him.
"Nooooo!!!!" Harry yelled. He then ripped the dagger out of his shoulder, not even noticing the pain that it caused him, and through it at Voldemort. It hit him in the stomach.
"Stop it! That tickles!" Voldemort said with a smirk on his face.
Harry then grabbed Sirius' wand from the floor, and, using that wand and his own, shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" He then watched as Voldemort fell to the floor having a shrunken body that was dead. Not caring how he managed to kill Voldemort, Harry rushed over to Sirius.
"Sirius?" Harry said as he lifted the body.
Slowly, Sirius opened his eyes. "You did it, Harry! You got him! Now you can live without fear," he said in a whisper.
"You can also, Sirius. We got Pettigrew's body a little further back. It'll prove that you're innocent!" Harry said joyfully.
"Yeah," Sirius said, but not happily, "If only it happened sooner."
"I know, but at least now you don't have to hide. Maybe I can come live with you now!"
"You're right, I won't have to hide anymore, but you're not going to be able to live with me."
"Why not, Sirius? You asked me in my 3rd year if I wanted to, so why not now?" Harry asked.
"Come on, Harry. You know that there's no way I'll even make it to the nearest hospital alive. I can feel it, Harry. I'm dying."
When hearing this, Harry's eyes welled up with tears. "No, Sirius. You're going to be fine. You have to be."
"I wish I could, Harry. You have no idea how much I want to get to know you better."
"But you can't leave me! With you around, I feel like my father is with me! I need that!"
"The same goes for me. When I see you, I see your father. I just realized; I'm going to get to see Lily and James. I'm finally going to get to hug them again and apologize to them," Sirius said smiling.
"What about me?!?" Harry practically yelled, "Who's going to hug me? Who am I going to have fun with? Sirius, please, don't die. You have to fight!"
"You know, Harry, you really are like your father. I'll tell him that when I see him," at this, Sirius began to take sharper breaths, "You take care of yourself now. And--- don't--- worry. You'll do--- just fine. I loved you--- like the son I--- never had. Always---- remember---- that."
"I loved you like you were my father, Sirius," Harry cried, but it was too late. Sirius was already gone.
Harry awoke in a cold sweat. He knew what had just happened. He once again had the nightmare when he relived Sirius' death. After looking at the clock, he rolled over and went back to sleep. He only had about 3 more hours before he would have to wake up to get ready for the Hogwarts reunion.
In the morning, Harry quickly packed all of the things that he would need for the week he would be at Hogwarts and then apparated onto the grounds. (For that day they had taken off the guards protecting Hogwarts so that all of the former students could apparate there.)
Hogwarts looked exactly how Harry remembered it. It felt good to be back there. To Harry, Hogwarts was always where his home was. As he stood just looking to see if all of the thing, all of the memories that were made there came back to him. He saw the Quidditch Pitch and remembered how exciting it had been to play a game. He hoped that he would get a chance to play some again, it had been five years since he last played. He saw the Whomping Willow and remembered when he and Ron crashed Mr. Weasley's car into in their 2nd year. Then his gaze fell upon another tree that had a special meaning. It was "Ginny and Harry's tree." His heart sank as he remembered what he lost with her.
"Harry!" someone exclaimed from a distance. Harry turned around and saw his best friend running at him. A short distance behind Ron was Hermione. When Harry saw them, he couldn't help but grin. He was happy that at least they were having a pretty good life.
"This is going to be so cool. We can explore the castle like we used to when we came here!" Ron shouted.
"Oh no you're not, Ron. Do you know how much trouble you can get into?" Hermione said sounding like she did when they were attending Hogwarts.
"Come on, hun. This could be our chance to find some more secret areas!" Ron pouted.
"Don't you remember that each time you two went exploring that you always got into trouble?" Hermione reminded them.
"But this time is different," Ron said.
"How?" Hermione asked raising her eyebrows challenging him to come up with an exceptional answer.
"Voldemort is dead," Harry said. He knew that this was what Ron meant. When Ron and Hermione heard him speak, they jumped. They were so absorbed in their argument that they forgot he was there.
Hermione, seeing that Harry didn't look up to a discussion on Voldemort, quickly changed the subject. "I hear that they are going to have a ball while we're here. Won't that be splendid?"
"Especially since I'll have the prettiest girl on my arm!" Ron said blushing slightly.
Just then Dumbledore walked out. He still looked his lively self and had that twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle that told you that he knew everything. "Welcome all of you. It's so nice to see you again. It's hard to believe that it's already been five years since you graduated."
"I know, Professor. Time goes by so fast these days," Hermione said.
"Yes, it does. Hopefully, this next week doesn't. Why don't you go inside. The Great Hall is decorated beautifully," Dumbledore said motioning for them to walk into Hogwarts. As Harry passed Dumbledore, he felt a hand be placed on his shoulder. "Come with me to my office, Harry. We have a lot to talk about." Harry just nodded in agreement and followed Dumbledore.
When he reached Dumbledore's office, he saw that it looked exactly the same way it did when he was in it in his 2nd year. Fawkes, was on her perch looking magnificent. Harry remembered the first time he saw her and she burst into flames. He laughed inwardly at his reaction to it.
"Firstly, I would like to offer my condolences. It was a great loss to the wizarding world when Sirius died. However, it was a greater loss to you. You two always seemed to have a special connection, almost like father and son."
Harry shivered at these words, remembering his last conversation with Sirius when they said they felt as if they were father and son to each other. Realizing that he needed to say something, he said, "Yeah, it was."
"Harry, I must say that I am slightly worried about you. You don't seem to be yourself anymore. If you need to talk..."
"I know, Professor, but I just don't feel like talking about it."
"Very well, but know that I'm always willing to talk with you. Now, on a happier note, I was wondering if you would be willing to play in the Quidditch game we will be holding. I'm asking all of the people who used to be on the house teams to play," Dumbledore said.
Harry was ecstatic. He nearly shouted, "Of course I'll play, Professor! If you don't mind me asking, how are there going too be enough people to play on the teams?"
"Excellent question, Harry. The answer is, we will be asking other students who were good on brooms to play. Do you think Ron Weasley would be willing to play?" Dumbledore asked with a smile on his face, which told you that he already knew the answer.
"Of course he will! He always wanted to be on the team, but was to nervous to try out. He'll be so happy."
"I thought so," Dumbledore said, "Now, why don't we get to the Great Hall. You still haven't had a chance to see how wonderful of looks. Of course, it's my fault that you haven't."
Harry agreed with Professor Dumbledore, the Great Hall really did look magnificent. They had banners for each house hanging in the air. The ceiling showed a clear day, which fit in perfectly with the floral decorations in the hall. Even though the decorations looked splendid, Harry didn't notice them half as much as he noticed Ginny. She was standing with Michael talking to Ron and Hermione. Harry must have been staring because Dumbledore said, "Never give up hope on the ones you love."
Harry looked at him with a questioning look on his face. He always wondered how Dumbledore seemed to know so many things. Dumbledore, just gave him a wide grin and walked off to talk with other former students. Harry decided that he should greet Ginny.
As he walked up to her, his hands became sweaty and his stomach turned into knots. 'I wonder if this is how Ginny felt all those years when she liked me,' Harry thought.
When he was right in front of her, he felt as if he wouldn't be able to speak. He just stood there for awhile saying nothing, with them all staring at him.
"Is there something you wanted to say, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Ummm… yeah… Professor Dumbledore has to ask you something, Ron," Harry said. Ok, so it wasn't what he meant to say, but it was the first thing that came to his mind so he just said it.
"Ok, I'll go find him now," said Ron. Hermione mentioned something about going to find Professor McGonagall and Michael had went to say hello to his Ravenclaw friends, so it was just Harry and Ginny. Harry felt more awkward than he ever had before. Thankfully, the awkward silence was ended by Ron when they heard Ron shout, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? This has to be a joke! You actually want me to play???"
"I wonder what has Ron so excited," Ginny said.
"Dumbledore wants him to play in the Quidditch match that is going to take place," Harry replied.
"Oh, no wonder why he's hugging Hermione like there's no tomorrow," Ginny said as motioning over to the back wall where Ron had his arms tightly wrapped around Hermione as he picked her up.
Harry couldn't help but laugh, "You would think he had just been told that he was going to be a father."
"I know. I mean, I always knew he wanted to play Quidditch, but I didn't know he wanted to play that much."
"Me either. Then again, he was so involved with Hermione, that I guess Quidditch was pushed aside for a while."
"Yeah, probably."
"So, how's the reunion been for you so far, Gin?" Harry asked. He felt so good having a conversation with her. It felt as if they were still a couple.
"It's been ok. I mean, it's a little weird for me because I don't know too many people here. Besides Ron, Hermione, and you, I know now one."
"You forgot about Michael," Harry pointed out.
"No I didn't. I said his name."
"No, you said, 'Ron, Hermione, and you.' You never mentioned Michael."
"Honesty, Harry, do you really think I would forget about someone I love?" Ginny said with a tint of pink on her cheeks showing Harry that she was getting annoyed.
Harry didn't care about the pink on her cheeks. 'She said love. She loves him!' Then another voice in his head said, 'What did you think?? She's engaged to the guy!' Harry didn't know what to say. He felt as if someone was stabbing him in the heart. He knew he had to get away.
"I think I'm going to say hi to some of my old teachers. I'll see you later," Harry said as he walked away. He really meant to go speak with some of his teachers, but then he saw someone else he wanted to speak to.
"Draco!" he called to him. Draco Malfoy saw him and walked right over.
"How are you doing, Harry?" he asked.
"Pretty good. And you?"
"I've never been better. Did you hear? I got married a year ago," Draco said with a proud smile on his face. Harry noticed it wasn't the same type of proud smile that Draco used to have. In the past, the smile would be one of supremacy, but now, it was one that said he was truly happy.
"Who's the lucky wife?" Harry asked.
"Parvati Patil. We got together about two years ago. It was actually accidental. We happened to be in the Three Broomsticks at the same time and began to talk with each other. One thing led to another and now we've been married for a year."
"Congratulations!" Harry said.
"Thanks. In a way, you're one of the reasons that I proposed."
Harry was bewildered. He hadn't seen Draco for five years, so how could he have been a reason for the proposal. "How am I a reason?" Harry said putting his thoughts into words.
"Well, I heard about how you finally killed Voldemort. When you did that, you freed me. I had nothing to worry about. There was no longer a reason for me to worry about the safety of Parvati if we got married. So, thanks," Draco said.
Harry couldn't believe what he heard. He didn't think that he would have such a big effect on someone's life. "No problem. If you'll excuse me, I'm a bit tired and I want to go to sleep. I'll see you around," Harry said before leaving the Great Hall and trudging to his room. He couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of Draco. He had everything that he wanted in life and Harry lost everything that he wanted. It just didn't seem fair. He thought about this until he finally fell asleep.
The next evening was the ball. Harry remembered the last one he went to, the one in his 6th year. It was kind of ironic that he was dreading this ball as much as he did the last.
"You ready yet, Harry? I want to see what Hermione is wearing!" wined Ron.
"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," groaned Harry. He had tried to get out of going, but Hermione insisted that he went. ("It would be very rude of you not to go!")
Ron practically ran to the door so that he could go meet Hermione. Hermione and Ginny were getting ready in Ron and her room, so Ron got ready in Harry's room. By the time they reached Hermione's room, Ron was out of breath and his robes were in disarray because he had run the whole way. After quickly fixing himself, he knocked on the door. Hermione answered the door.
"Wow, Hermione, you look great!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione blushed when he said this and looked at the ground muttering thanks.
Just then Ginny came out and said, "Is Michael here yet?" She was still putting on her necklace, which she seemed to be having a struggle with.
"No," Harry said in reply," he's not here yet. Do you need help with the necklace?"
"If you don't mind. I just can't seem to get the clasp," she said before handing it to him.
Harry almost gasped when he saw the necklace. It was the same one that he had given to her when they were a couple, a diamond heart. Realizing that she had turned her back to him and was waiting for him to put the necklace on her, he quickly put it on.
"Thanks," she said smiling.
"You still where that?" Harry said, but never meant to. He was afraid that she would think he was mad that she still wore it.
"Yea," she said sounding slightly surprised that he asked her this, "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. I just didn't think you would wear it anymore."
"I always loved the necklace. Even though we broke up a long time ago, I could never get rid of it. It's a beautiful necklace."
"Yeah, I know."
Just then, someone put his arms around Ginny and said, "You look beautiful, love." Harry looked at Michael with what he hoped was a non-contemptuous looking expression.
"Thank you, Michael. You look very nice yourself. Why don't we get to the ball?" Ginny said smiling. Harry watched with disgust as she then kissed him.
"Ok. I'll see you later, Harry," Michael said as he walked away with Ginny.
"Yeah, later," Harry said before also going to the Great Hall.
If it wasn't for Harry's sour mood, he would've have thought that the Great Hall looked even better than it had when they arrived for the reunion. Fairies were flying around and the other decorations were enchanted to do certain things. Everyone seemed to be having a splendid time. The sound of laughter filled the air. (A/N Ok, that's a really corny line, but you get what I mean.)
"Harry, where did you go?" called Ron from the entrance of the Great Hall.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Didn't you hear us tell you that we had to go back into our room for a second, but that we'd be back out? Why did you leave?" Hermione asked.
Now that Harry thought about it, he realized that Hermione and Ron had gone somewhere because they were no longer with him when he made his way to the Great Hall. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."
Ron frowned, "Too wrapped up in Ginny?"
"I guess," Harry admitted, "I just can't seem to let her go."
"Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you have to realize that Ginny has moved on. She's engaged and is planning her wedding," Hermione said.
"My head knows that, but my heart doesn't. I can't help it."
"You have to make your heart let her go. Why don't you date other girls?" Hermione said.
"I've tried. I just need time," Harry said.
"Time? Harry, it's been 6 years since you broke up with Ginny!" Ron said a little louder than he meant to.
"Listen, I don't need this right now, ok? I'm going to talk with everyone. I'll see you later," Harry said before walking off.
"Ron, I'm worried about him. You've noticed the change in him, haven't you? There's something he's not telling us," Hermione said.
"I know, love. That's Harry, though. He's not going to tell us anything until he's ready. And who knows, maybe this reunion is just what he needs. If he sees that Ginny is happy, he might just let her go," Ron suggested.
"That's just the thing. I'm not sure if Ginny is really happy with Michael. I don't think she ever let go of Harry."
"Let's not worry about this right now. We'll talk to him later. Right now, why don't we dance like the other couples are," Ron said as he led Hermione onto the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Harry was off to the side, sitting at a table eating. He knew that what Ron and Hermione told him was right, but he didn't want to let go of Ginny. That was the one part of him that he liked. He watched as Ron and Hermione began to dance. They really did make a cute couple. Then he saw Draco and Parvati. They were laughing together. Harry was happy that Draco finally had happiness in his life. Finally, his eyes laid on Ginny and Michael. It hurt him to see Ginny so happy with another man.
As the song ended, Ginny and Michael walked off the dance floor. Harry knew that this was his chance. He approached them.
"Gin, if Michael doesn't mind, may I have this dance?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked at Michael and saw that he did not mind and replied, "Ok."
Harry held his hand out and when she took hold of it, it felt as if electricity went through his whole body. It felt good, though. He felt as if he was alive again. Harry was happy when the next song began. It was a slow, romantic song, so he would get a chance to talk with her and be close.
"So, Gin, are you really happy with Michael?" Harry asked.
"Of course I am!" Ginny said sounding slightly appalled at the question.
"That's good," was all Harry could say. He felt Ginny move in closer to him.
"Harry, are you happy with your life?" she said gazing into his eyes.
Harry gazed back into her eyes and could not lie. "No."
"Oh," Ginny said taking her gaze away. She still got weak in the knees when she looked into those pools of emerald green.
"You ever wish you could take things back that you've said? Or change the way you could do things?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. There are a lot of times that I've felt that way," Ginny replied.
"I hate it. I mean, you know you can't change things that have already happen, but you still wish that you could," Harry said as Ginny moved in closer.
"I know," Ginny said. That ended the conversation. They just danced together in silence, both feeling as if this should've been the way things turned out. Without realizing it, they somehow managed to get as close to each other as possible. Ginny had her head rested on Harry and had her eyes closed. Harry just stared at her, taking in her beauty. To Harry's disappointment, the song ended. It was as if Ginny was snapped back into reality when it did.
"Thanks for the dance," Ginny said.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry said while reluctantly letting go of Ginny. He then walked off the dance floor to fin Ron and Hermione looking at him. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Harry, why were you dancing with Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Because I wanted to," Harry said.
"How are you going to get over her if you ask her to dance at the ball?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. I just wanted to dance with her."
"But, Harry, it's the wrong thing to do," Ron insisted.
"How is wrong? Do you know that for the first time in months I felt alive just because I was with her. I felt so happy and loved," Harry said getting annoyed.
"The thing is, Harry, she doesn't love you anymore. Or, at least, she only loves you as a friend," Hermione said, "You have to get used to that."
"How do you know she doesn't love me anymore?" Harry said now with a slight note of panic in his voice.
"She's engaged to another man!" Ron quickly said.
"So?" Harry asked. He knew that was a really stupid thing to say, but when you love someone as much as he loved Ginny, you just say really stupid things.
"Harry, you have to let her go. Things change. You have to get used to it. Why don't you talk to Sirius about this? I'm sure he'll understand," Hermione suggested since she and Ron did not know that Sirius had been killed.
When Harry heard her mention Sirius, his felt nauseous. He didn't want to talk about what happened so he tried to get out of this by saying, "I can't."
"He'll understand what you're going through. He's had bad stuff happen to him, too. I think it would be good for you to talk to him about this," Ron said.
"I just can't," Harry said once again.
"Harry, why do you have to be so stubborn?!?" Ron said getting louder, "We're your friends and we're trying to help you! Why are you being such a bloody git?!?"
"Ron, calm down. You're causing a scene," Hermione said while looking at all the pairs of eyes on them.
"No! I'm sick and tired of Harry trying to act all brave and tough in front of everyone. He's going to get himself killed one day because he's not going to ask for help!! Why the hell do you always have to be like this, Harry? Do you have any idea how annoying it is?!?" Ron yelled. Now everyone was looking at them. The musicians had stopped so it was all quiet in the room.
"I'm sorry Ron if I don't want other people to get hurt!! I guess I shouldn't care about friends!" Harry yelled back, now getting frustrated with Ron.
"Just go and talk to Sirius for God's sake!!" Ron yelled.
"I can't. How many times do I have to tell you that?!?" Harry
"Why the bloody hell not?!?" Ron screamed getting red in the face. The Weasley temper was taking hold of him.
"Because the man is dead!" Harry blurted out, "You happy? Now you know why!"
Ron stared at him in disbelief and guiltiness, "He's… dead?"
"Yeah. That's why I can't talk to him. Now excuse me. I want to get out of here!" Harry screamed pushing past Ron. If he had been able to, Harry would've cried, but he couldn't.
"I didn't know," Ron said looking at an angry Hermione.
"Why couldn't you just shut up, Ron? Now everyone here knows about it. You can be such a git!" she said before whirling around and leaving the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Harry left the building. He had to go somewhere, somewhere that would make him feel good. He had to go to "His and Ginny's spot." He knew he would feel safe and loved there. Unbeknownst to him, someone was already there.
A/N - Finally, I've finished chapter 13. This is like a really long chapter, but I like it. You find out a lot of stuff in it. BTW, Michael is a good guy. He's now bad. Well, I hope you liked it. Please review! My goal is still to get 100 reviews. BYE! I'll get chapter 14 up as soon as possible.
it goes… I own nothing except for the plot. Everything else
belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 13
"I've been waiting for you, Potter," said a cold voice, "And it's also so nice of you to join us, Black."
Harry looked at his godfather and new that he was thinking the same thing. This was their chance to avenge the deaths of James and Lily Potter.
"No one wants to talk to me before I kill them? What a shame. I always find it so funny when they do. People say the stupidest things when they know they're going to die. Just take your mother, Harry. She cried out, 'No! Not Harry!' If only she had just let me kill you. It was her own stupidity that forced me to get rid of her," the cold voice of Voldemort said.
"Shut up!" Harry yelled as he got his wand ready to attack as Sirius did the same.
"Oh phooey! You want to use wands? I like it better with the muggle weapons. The killing curse is just too comfortable. They don't feel any pain. Where's the fun in that?" Voldemort laughed.
"You're just sick, Riddle!" Voldemort shivered when Sirius called him this, " Just because no one ever loved you, you shouldn't take it out on everyone!"
"You shall call me by my proper name!" Voldemort bellowed, "You are to respect me!" Then before Harry and Sirius had time to realize what Voldemort was doing, they saw him throw two daggers at them, one for each.
Harry felt the dagger dig into his shoulder. "Too bad you throw like a girl!" he shouted while laughing at Voldemort.
"I bet you wish your godfather could say the same," Voldemort laughed back at him.
Harry didn't understand what he was talking about until he looked at Sirius. Sirius was on the floor clutching his heart, which was where the dagger hit him.
"Nooooo!!!!" Harry yelled. He then ripped the dagger out of his shoulder, not even noticing the pain that it caused him, and through it at Voldemort. It hit him in the stomach.
"Stop it! That tickles!" Voldemort said with a smirk on his face.
Harry then grabbed Sirius' wand from the floor, and, using that wand and his own, shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" He then watched as Voldemort fell to the floor having a shrunken body that was dead. Not caring how he managed to kill Voldemort, Harry rushed over to Sirius.
"Sirius?" Harry said as he lifted the body.
Slowly, Sirius opened his eyes. "You did it, Harry! You got him! Now you can live without fear," he said in a whisper.
"You can also, Sirius. We got Pettigrew's body a little further back. It'll prove that you're innocent!" Harry said joyfully.
"Yeah," Sirius said, but not happily, "If only it happened sooner."
"I know, but at least now you don't have to hide. Maybe I can come live with you now!"
"You're right, I won't have to hide anymore, but you're not going to be able to live with me."
"Why not, Sirius? You asked me in my 3rd year if I wanted to, so why not now?" Harry asked.
"Come on, Harry. You know that there's no way I'll even make it to the nearest hospital alive. I can feel it, Harry. I'm dying."
When hearing this, Harry's eyes welled up with tears. "No, Sirius. You're going to be fine. You have to be."
"I wish I could, Harry. You have no idea how much I want to get to know you better."
"But you can't leave me! With you around, I feel like my father is with me! I need that!"
"The same goes for me. When I see you, I see your father. I just realized; I'm going to get to see Lily and James. I'm finally going to get to hug them again and apologize to them," Sirius said smiling.
"What about me?!?" Harry practically yelled, "Who's going to hug me? Who am I going to have fun with? Sirius, please, don't die. You have to fight!"
"You know, Harry, you really are like your father. I'll tell him that when I see him," at this, Sirius began to take sharper breaths, "You take care of yourself now. And--- don't--- worry. You'll do--- just fine. I loved you--- like the son I--- never had. Always---- remember---- that."
"I loved you like you were my father, Sirius," Harry cried, but it was too late. Sirius was already gone.
Harry awoke in a cold sweat. He knew what had just happened. He once again had the nightmare when he relived Sirius' death. After looking at the clock, he rolled over and went back to sleep. He only had about 3 more hours before he would have to wake up to get ready for the Hogwarts reunion.
In the morning, Harry quickly packed all of the things that he would need for the week he would be at Hogwarts and then apparated onto the grounds. (For that day they had taken off the guards protecting Hogwarts so that all of the former students could apparate there.)
Hogwarts looked exactly how Harry remembered it. It felt good to be back there. To Harry, Hogwarts was always where his home was. As he stood just looking to see if all of the thing, all of the memories that were made there came back to him. He saw the Quidditch Pitch and remembered how exciting it had been to play a game. He hoped that he would get a chance to play some again, it had been five years since he last played. He saw the Whomping Willow and remembered when he and Ron crashed Mr. Weasley's car into in their 2nd year. Then his gaze fell upon another tree that had a special meaning. It was "Ginny and Harry's tree." His heart sank as he remembered what he lost with her.
"Harry!" someone exclaimed from a distance. Harry turned around and saw his best friend running at him. A short distance behind Ron was Hermione. When Harry saw them, he couldn't help but grin. He was happy that at least they were having a pretty good life.
"This is going to be so cool. We can explore the castle like we used to when we came here!" Ron shouted.
"Oh no you're not, Ron. Do you know how much trouble you can get into?" Hermione said sounding like she did when they were attending Hogwarts.
"Come on, hun. This could be our chance to find some more secret areas!" Ron pouted.
"Don't you remember that each time you two went exploring that you always got into trouble?" Hermione reminded them.
"But this time is different," Ron said.
"How?" Hermione asked raising her eyebrows challenging him to come up with an exceptional answer.
"Voldemort is dead," Harry said. He knew that this was what Ron meant. When Ron and Hermione heard him speak, they jumped. They were so absorbed in their argument that they forgot he was there.
Hermione, seeing that Harry didn't look up to a discussion on Voldemort, quickly changed the subject. "I hear that they are going to have a ball while we're here. Won't that be splendid?"
"Especially since I'll have the prettiest girl on my arm!" Ron said blushing slightly.
Just then Dumbledore walked out. He still looked his lively self and had that twinkle in his eyes, the twinkle that told you that he knew everything. "Welcome all of you. It's so nice to see you again. It's hard to believe that it's already been five years since you graduated."
"I know, Professor. Time goes by so fast these days," Hermione said.
"Yes, it does. Hopefully, this next week doesn't. Why don't you go inside. The Great Hall is decorated beautifully," Dumbledore said motioning for them to walk into Hogwarts. As Harry passed Dumbledore, he felt a hand be placed on his shoulder. "Come with me to my office, Harry. We have a lot to talk about." Harry just nodded in agreement and followed Dumbledore.
When he reached Dumbledore's office, he saw that it looked exactly the same way it did when he was in it in his 2nd year. Fawkes, was on her perch looking magnificent. Harry remembered the first time he saw her and she burst into flames. He laughed inwardly at his reaction to it.
"Firstly, I would like to offer my condolences. It was a great loss to the wizarding world when Sirius died. However, it was a greater loss to you. You two always seemed to have a special connection, almost like father and son."
Harry shivered at these words, remembering his last conversation with Sirius when they said they felt as if they were father and son to each other. Realizing that he needed to say something, he said, "Yeah, it was."
"Harry, I must say that I am slightly worried about you. You don't seem to be yourself anymore. If you need to talk..."
"I know, Professor, but I just don't feel like talking about it."
"Very well, but know that I'm always willing to talk with you. Now, on a happier note, I was wondering if you would be willing to play in the Quidditch game we will be holding. I'm asking all of the people who used to be on the house teams to play," Dumbledore said.
Harry was ecstatic. He nearly shouted, "Of course I'll play, Professor! If you don't mind me asking, how are there going too be enough people to play on the teams?"
"Excellent question, Harry. The answer is, we will be asking other students who were good on brooms to play. Do you think Ron Weasley would be willing to play?" Dumbledore asked with a smile on his face, which told you that he already knew the answer.
"Of course he will! He always wanted to be on the team, but was to nervous to try out. He'll be so happy."
"I thought so," Dumbledore said, "Now, why don't we get to the Great Hall. You still haven't had a chance to see how wonderful of looks. Of course, it's my fault that you haven't."
Harry agreed with Professor Dumbledore, the Great Hall really did look magnificent. They had banners for each house hanging in the air. The ceiling showed a clear day, which fit in perfectly with the floral decorations in the hall. Even though the decorations looked splendid, Harry didn't notice them half as much as he noticed Ginny. She was standing with Michael talking to Ron and Hermione. Harry must have been staring because Dumbledore said, "Never give up hope on the ones you love."
Harry looked at him with a questioning look on his face. He always wondered how Dumbledore seemed to know so many things. Dumbledore, just gave him a wide grin and walked off to talk with other former students. Harry decided that he should greet Ginny.
As he walked up to her, his hands became sweaty and his stomach turned into knots. 'I wonder if this is how Ginny felt all those years when she liked me,' Harry thought.
When he was right in front of her, he felt as if he wouldn't be able to speak. He just stood there for awhile saying nothing, with them all staring at him.
"Is there something you wanted to say, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Ummm… yeah… Professor Dumbledore has to ask you something, Ron," Harry said. Ok, so it wasn't what he meant to say, but it was the first thing that came to his mind so he just said it.
"Ok, I'll go find him now," said Ron. Hermione mentioned something about going to find Professor McGonagall and Michael had went to say hello to his Ravenclaw friends, so it was just Harry and Ginny. Harry felt more awkward than he ever had before. Thankfully, the awkward silence was ended by Ron when they heard Ron shout, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!? This has to be a joke! You actually want me to play???"
"I wonder what has Ron so excited," Ginny said.
"Dumbledore wants him to play in the Quidditch match that is going to take place," Harry replied.
"Oh, no wonder why he's hugging Hermione like there's no tomorrow," Ginny said as motioning over to the back wall where Ron had his arms tightly wrapped around Hermione as he picked her up.
Harry couldn't help but laugh, "You would think he had just been told that he was going to be a father."
"I know. I mean, I always knew he wanted to play Quidditch, but I didn't know he wanted to play that much."
"Me either. Then again, he was so involved with Hermione, that I guess Quidditch was pushed aside for a while."
"Yeah, probably."
"So, how's the reunion been for you so far, Gin?" Harry asked. He felt so good having a conversation with her. It felt as if they were still a couple.
"It's been ok. I mean, it's a little weird for me because I don't know too many people here. Besides Ron, Hermione, and you, I know now one."
"You forgot about Michael," Harry pointed out.
"No I didn't. I said his name."
"No, you said, 'Ron, Hermione, and you.' You never mentioned Michael."
"Honesty, Harry, do you really think I would forget about someone I love?" Ginny said with a tint of pink on her cheeks showing Harry that she was getting annoyed.
Harry didn't care about the pink on her cheeks. 'She said love. She loves him!' Then another voice in his head said, 'What did you think?? She's engaged to the guy!' Harry didn't know what to say. He felt as if someone was stabbing him in the heart. He knew he had to get away.
"I think I'm going to say hi to some of my old teachers. I'll see you later," Harry said as he walked away. He really meant to go speak with some of his teachers, but then he saw someone else he wanted to speak to.
"Draco!" he called to him. Draco Malfoy saw him and walked right over.
"How are you doing, Harry?" he asked.
"Pretty good. And you?"
"I've never been better. Did you hear? I got married a year ago," Draco said with a proud smile on his face. Harry noticed it wasn't the same type of proud smile that Draco used to have. In the past, the smile would be one of supremacy, but now, it was one that said he was truly happy.
"Who's the lucky wife?" Harry asked.
"Parvati Patil. We got together about two years ago. It was actually accidental. We happened to be in the Three Broomsticks at the same time and began to talk with each other. One thing led to another and now we've been married for a year."
"Congratulations!" Harry said.
"Thanks. In a way, you're one of the reasons that I proposed."
Harry was bewildered. He hadn't seen Draco for five years, so how could he have been a reason for the proposal. "How am I a reason?" Harry said putting his thoughts into words.
"Well, I heard about how you finally killed Voldemort. When you did that, you freed me. I had nothing to worry about. There was no longer a reason for me to worry about the safety of Parvati if we got married. So, thanks," Draco said.
Harry couldn't believe what he heard. He didn't think that he would have such a big effect on someone's life. "No problem. If you'll excuse me, I'm a bit tired and I want to go to sleep. I'll see you around," Harry said before leaving the Great Hall and trudging to his room. He couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of Draco. He had everything that he wanted in life and Harry lost everything that he wanted. It just didn't seem fair. He thought about this until he finally fell asleep.
The next evening was the ball. Harry remembered the last one he went to, the one in his 6th year. It was kind of ironic that he was dreading this ball as much as he did the last.
"You ready yet, Harry? I want to see what Hermione is wearing!" wined Ron.
"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be," groaned Harry. He had tried to get out of going, but Hermione insisted that he went. ("It would be very rude of you not to go!")
Ron practically ran to the door so that he could go meet Hermione. Hermione and Ginny were getting ready in Ron and her room, so Ron got ready in Harry's room. By the time they reached Hermione's room, Ron was out of breath and his robes were in disarray because he had run the whole way. After quickly fixing himself, he knocked on the door. Hermione answered the door.
"Wow, Hermione, you look great!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione blushed when he said this and looked at the ground muttering thanks.
Just then Ginny came out and said, "Is Michael here yet?" She was still putting on her necklace, which she seemed to be having a struggle with.
"No," Harry said in reply," he's not here yet. Do you need help with the necklace?"
"If you don't mind. I just can't seem to get the clasp," she said before handing it to him.
Harry almost gasped when he saw the necklace. It was the same one that he had given to her when they were a couple, a diamond heart. Realizing that she had turned her back to him and was waiting for him to put the necklace on her, he quickly put it on.
"Thanks," she said smiling.
"You still where that?" Harry said, but never meant to. He was afraid that she would think he was mad that she still wore it.
"Yea," she said sounding slightly surprised that he asked her this, "You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not. I just didn't think you would wear it anymore."
"I always loved the necklace. Even though we broke up a long time ago, I could never get rid of it. It's a beautiful necklace."
"Yeah, I know."
Just then, someone put his arms around Ginny and said, "You look beautiful, love." Harry looked at Michael with what he hoped was a non-contemptuous looking expression.
"Thank you, Michael. You look very nice yourself. Why don't we get to the ball?" Ginny said smiling. Harry watched with disgust as she then kissed him.
"Ok. I'll see you later, Harry," Michael said as he walked away with Ginny.
"Yeah, later," Harry said before also going to the Great Hall.
If it wasn't for Harry's sour mood, he would've have thought that the Great Hall looked even better than it had when they arrived for the reunion. Fairies were flying around and the other decorations were enchanted to do certain things. Everyone seemed to be having a splendid time. The sound of laughter filled the air. (A/N Ok, that's a really corny line, but you get what I mean.)
"Harry, where did you go?" called Ron from the entrance of the Great Hall.
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.
"Didn't you hear us tell you that we had to go back into our room for a second, but that we'd be back out? Why did you leave?" Hermione asked.
Now that Harry thought about it, he realized that Hermione and Ron had gone somewhere because they were no longer with him when he made his way to the Great Hall. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."
Ron frowned, "Too wrapped up in Ginny?"
"I guess," Harry admitted, "I just can't seem to let her go."
"Harry, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you have to realize that Ginny has moved on. She's engaged and is planning her wedding," Hermione said.
"My head knows that, but my heart doesn't. I can't help it."
"You have to make your heart let her go. Why don't you date other girls?" Hermione said.
"I've tried. I just need time," Harry said.
"Time? Harry, it's been 6 years since you broke up with Ginny!" Ron said a little louder than he meant to.
"Listen, I don't need this right now, ok? I'm going to talk with everyone. I'll see you later," Harry said before walking off.
"Ron, I'm worried about him. You've noticed the change in him, haven't you? There's something he's not telling us," Hermione said.
"I know, love. That's Harry, though. He's not going to tell us anything until he's ready. And who knows, maybe this reunion is just what he needs. If he sees that Ginny is happy, he might just let her go," Ron suggested.
"That's just the thing. I'm not sure if Ginny is really happy with Michael. I don't think she ever let go of Harry."
"Let's not worry about this right now. We'll talk to him later. Right now, why don't we dance like the other couples are," Ron said as he led Hermione onto the dance floor.
Meanwhile, Harry was off to the side, sitting at a table eating. He knew that what Ron and Hermione told him was right, but he didn't want to let go of Ginny. That was the one part of him that he liked. He watched as Ron and Hermione began to dance. They really did make a cute couple. Then he saw Draco and Parvati. They were laughing together. Harry was happy that Draco finally had happiness in his life. Finally, his eyes laid on Ginny and Michael. It hurt him to see Ginny so happy with another man.
As the song ended, Ginny and Michael walked off the dance floor. Harry knew that this was his chance. He approached them.
"Gin, if Michael doesn't mind, may I have this dance?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked at Michael and saw that he did not mind and replied, "Ok."
Harry held his hand out and when she took hold of it, it felt as if electricity went through his whole body. It felt good, though. He felt as if he was alive again. Harry was happy when the next song began. It was a slow, romantic song, so he would get a chance to talk with her and be close.
"So, Gin, are you really happy with Michael?" Harry asked.
"Of course I am!" Ginny said sounding slightly appalled at the question.
"That's good," was all Harry could say. He felt Ginny move in closer to him.
"Harry, are you happy with your life?" she said gazing into his eyes.
Harry gazed back into her eyes and could not lie. "No."
"Oh," Ginny said taking her gaze away. She still got weak in the knees when she looked into those pools of emerald green.
"You ever wish you could take things back that you've said? Or change the way you could do things?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. There are a lot of times that I've felt that way," Ginny replied.
"I hate it. I mean, you know you can't change things that have already happen, but you still wish that you could," Harry said as Ginny moved in closer.
"I know," Ginny said. That ended the conversation. They just danced together in silence, both feeling as if this should've been the way things turned out. Without realizing it, they somehow managed to get as close to each other as possible. Ginny had her head rested on Harry and had her eyes closed. Harry just stared at her, taking in her beauty. To Harry's disappointment, the song ended. It was as if Ginny was snapped back into reality when it did.
"Thanks for the dance," Ginny said.
"Yeah, thanks," Harry said while reluctantly letting go of Ginny. He then walked off the dance floor to fin Ron and Hermione looking at him. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Harry, why were you dancing with Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Because I wanted to," Harry said.
"How are you going to get over her if you ask her to dance at the ball?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know. I just wanted to dance with her."
"But, Harry, it's the wrong thing to do," Ron insisted.
"How is wrong? Do you know that for the first time in months I felt alive just because I was with her. I felt so happy and loved," Harry said getting annoyed.
"The thing is, Harry, she doesn't love you anymore. Or, at least, she only loves you as a friend," Hermione said, "You have to get used to that."
"How do you know she doesn't love me anymore?" Harry said now with a slight note of panic in his voice.
"She's engaged to another man!" Ron quickly said.
"So?" Harry asked. He knew that was a really stupid thing to say, but when you love someone as much as he loved Ginny, you just say really stupid things.
"Harry, you have to let her go. Things change. You have to get used to it. Why don't you talk to Sirius about this? I'm sure he'll understand," Hermione suggested since she and Ron did not know that Sirius had been killed.
When Harry heard her mention Sirius, his felt nauseous. He didn't want to talk about what happened so he tried to get out of this by saying, "I can't."
"He'll understand what you're going through. He's had bad stuff happen to him, too. I think it would be good for you to talk to him about this," Ron said.
"I just can't," Harry said once again.
"Harry, why do you have to be so stubborn?!?" Ron said getting louder, "We're your friends and we're trying to help you! Why are you being such a bloody git?!?"
"Ron, calm down. You're causing a scene," Hermione said while looking at all the pairs of eyes on them.
"No! I'm sick and tired of Harry trying to act all brave and tough in front of everyone. He's going to get himself killed one day because he's not going to ask for help!! Why the hell do you always have to be like this, Harry? Do you have any idea how annoying it is?!?" Ron yelled. Now everyone was looking at them. The musicians had stopped so it was all quiet in the room.
"I'm sorry Ron if I don't want other people to get hurt!! I guess I shouldn't care about friends!" Harry yelled back, now getting frustrated with Ron.
"Just go and talk to Sirius for God's sake!!" Ron yelled.
"I can't. How many times do I have to tell you that?!?" Harry
"Why the bloody hell not?!?" Ron screamed getting red in the face. The Weasley temper was taking hold of him.
"Because the man is dead!" Harry blurted out, "You happy? Now you know why!"
Ron stared at him in disbelief and guiltiness, "He's… dead?"
"Yeah. That's why I can't talk to him. Now excuse me. I want to get out of here!" Harry screamed pushing past Ron. If he had been able to, Harry would've cried, but he couldn't.
"I didn't know," Ron said looking at an angry Hermione.
"Why couldn't you just shut up, Ron? Now everyone here knows about it. You can be such a git!" she said before whirling around and leaving the Great Hall.
Meanwhile, Harry left the building. He had to go somewhere, somewhere that would make him feel good. He had to go to "His and Ginny's spot." He knew he would feel safe and loved there. Unbeknownst to him, someone was already there.
A/N - Finally, I've finished chapter 13. This is like a really long chapter, but I like it. You find out a lot of stuff in it. BTW, Michael is a good guy. He's now bad. Well, I hope you liked it. Please review! My goal is still to get 100 reviews. BYE! I'll get chapter 14 up as soon as possible.