Like a Phoenix
Ch. 19- The Truth Cannot Be Avoided
A/N: I need a wall, so I can go bang my head up against it... AP classes suck... Cuz ya know, I'm ONLY taking THREE right now... Calculus, English, and Spanish... Although, Spanish is the only one I'm worried about, because we have a new teacher and all she does is speak in Spanish, and we've never had a real Spanish teacher before... so yeah... I was supposed to be in AP Physics but I dropped it to be in chorus so I could go to Disney World in March... Hehehe... Okay, well, maybe I should start writing and shut up, eh? Okay then!
Disclaimer: All I own of Harry Potter are two posters, two board games, two card games, QttA, FB, and 7 copies of the books (2 of SS, 1 of CoS, 2 of PoA, and 2 of GoF). Maybe I'll get a Spanish copy of one sometime soon....
***
"Professor Turner, how are you feeling today?" Dumbledore asked, walking into the hospital wing the following day. Harry shifted uneasily in his bed.
"Fine, sir," he replied. Dumbledore had a knowing kind of smile on his face, and there was a twinkle in his eye, brighter than usual.
"That's good to know. I assume you'll be returning to teaching on Monday?" he asked, making small talk for what reason Harry couldn't tell.
"Yes sir, I hope to. If Madame Pomfrey will let me out," Harry replied jokingly. Dumbledore laughed, making wrinkles of delight crease his face.
"I don't see any reason why she wouldn't. You seem to be in perfect health, besides having a nasty fall the other day," Dumbledore said. Harry started to blush slightly.
"Yeah..." he said, hoping his face wasn't too red. "I guess I did, didn't I," he said, looking down at his hands.
"You know, I had a student once who had a nasty fall from a broomstick. Any idea why you might have fallen?" Dumbledore asked, switching topics rapidly to try and catch Harry off-guard. Dumbledore knew he was hiding something.
"Uh, well, not really. I mean, I hadn't been sleeping too well, I guess I was just tired," Harry said, lying quickly. Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Dementors," Dumbledore said nonchalantly, brushing a piece of lint off of his dark blue robes.
"Huh? Dementors? What about them?" Harry asked, confused by the conversation Dumbledore was leading.
"Dementors. That was why the student fell off his broom. About a hundred of them. It was during a Quidditch match," Dumbledore replied.
"Oh. Okay," Harry said, not knowing what else to say. His brow was wrinkled in confusion as Dumbledore sat in his chair, smiling amiably back at him. "Was there something you wanted?" Harry finally asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Falling off your broomstick is a nasty business," Dumbledore replied. Harry just nodded his head. Dumbledore looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn't want to make Harry suspicious.
"Was that everything?" Harry asked, now feeling incredibly uncomfortable in the presence of the Headmaster.
"Can I ask you a question, James?" Dumbledore asked. Harry shifted a bit in his bed again.
"You just did, sir," he replied, trying to sound witty. "But you can ask another one if you want." Dumbledore smiled.
"Why did it take you so long to come back?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes serious, but his tone light-hearted. Harry gulped.
"Excuse me? What do you mean? Come back?" Harry asked nervously. He suddenly wished he was still unconscious.
"You know what I mean, Harry," Dumbledore replied.
***
A/N: The end! Haha, no....
***
Harry's eyes widened in shock. He stuttered for a minute before he could form a sentence. "How long have you known?"
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "I do believe it was the masquerade dance. No, the week after, when you went screaming down the hallway after Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle in his eye yet again.
"Oh... Yeah, I guess that could make anyone a bit suspicious," Harry replied, laughing a little. "I'm sorry. I mean, for not telling you. I just... I don't know..."
"Sometimes it is easier for those we care about not to know the truth. Other times, the truth cannot be avoided," Dumbledore replied. Harry wrinkled his brow in concentration once again, trying to figure out what he meant. After a moment or two, he gave up. "I believe it is time for me to leave," Dumbledore said, standing up from his chair.
"Thank you," Harry said, a small smile on his face. Dumbledore smiled back, the knowing glint once again in his eyes as he left the Hospital Wing, leaving Harry alone once more.
Harry got out of his bed and went over to the window. It was snowing, and from the looks of it, it had been snowing for quite some time. The grounds were covered in white, and the lake was indecipherable, the snow piled up on the ice. The Whomping Willow had icicles hanging off it's limbs. The greenhouses looked several feet shorter with snow drifts all along their sides. Harry sighed.
His breath collected on the cold window, clouding his view of the grounds. He felt old and worn out. He knew his time was drawing close. In his heart, he wished he could stay with his friends, but he knew there was no way it could be possible. He mentally cursed himself for not having come back sooner. As he stood there, he didn't hear Ginny come in behind him.
"Hey Harry, feeling better?" she asked. Harry turned around in surprise. Ginny looked concerned.
"Yeah, I guess," he replied, sighing again. The look didn't leave Ginny's face. "Really, Ginny, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"I do worry about you though, Harry. I have since the first time I saw you. I remember that day. Mum and I were going to see Ron and the others off at the train station. Mum was completely unorganized, as usual. I still haven't figured out how she got us all to the station on time every year. I guess practice makes perfect," Ginny said, making both of them laugh. "And then, there you were. You had all your things on your cart, and you were just standing there. When Fred came back and said who you were, I felt my heart flutter, and my stomach flop. I knew, from that very moment, that you would be a part of my life for a very long time," Ginny said, blushing slightly.
Harry felt his own heart flutter at that instant. Even from the first time Ginny had seen him, she had been in love with him. He remembered the way he used to just think of her as Ron's kid sister. She had practically been his own little sister. Then the summer after fourth year came and there she was, every day, writing letters to him. She didn't have to. That's when Harry had started to realize how he really felt about her. She was how he survived after everything that had happened to him.
"Thank you," Harry said quietly. He could feel the tears building up in his eyes as a lump grew in his throat. Not having the energy to hold them back, the tears slid down his cheeks. He turned away from Ginny so she wouldn't see him crying, but she already had. In an instant, she was at his side, her arm wrapped around his shoulder.
They stood like that for a few minutes before Harry had finally stopped crying. "Thank you, Ginny, for everything. I don't think I could have made it as far as I did without you," Harry said.
"I didn't do anything. I was your friend. That's all. There wasn't anything special about that," Ginny replied.
"No. You weren't just my friend. You were the only thing keeping me going for a long time. All during fifth year and most of sixth year. Then at the end of seventh year. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there for me when you were. You meant the world to me. You still do. I don't want you to think you weren't something special, because you were the most special thing to me," Harry said back to her, taking her hand in his. They stood in silence for a few minutes longer.
"You're leaving soon, aren't you?" Ginny asked, but it was more of a statement. Harry saw a tear trickle down her cheek. He leaned over and wiped it away.
"If I could have one wish in the entire world, it would be to stay here with you forever," Harry replied, pulling Ginny into a hug. As she cried on his shoulder, he let his own tears fall.
"Do you know when?" Ginny managed to ask through her tears. Harry was silent for a moment, unable to speak through the emotions.
"Soon," he said softly. He heard Ginny sniffle. "Don't worry. Please. I'm happy. I lived a good life. There's still lots more for you to do. Do them for me, please?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded, her voice not working.
"I love you, Harry," she whispered through her tears.
"I love you too, Ginny," Harry replied.
***
A/N: EEEEEH... I'm sorry this is short!!! School is evil. Being sick is evil. Work is evil. Life is evil. Too much to do, not enough time. And plus I want the next chapter (which, I'm 99.9999999999% sure at this point, will be the last...) to be special. But it will be SAD. I'm going to warn you now!! Okay, I'm going to thank all my lovely reviewers and get this posted!
HURRAY FOR ME!!!! 100 REVIEWS!!! COUNT THEM!!! BIG 1-0-0!!!!! THANKS TO EVERYONE SO MUCH!!!
SiriusBPadfoot- Of course I forgive you. Thank you for your reviews. Well, Jenny was SUPPOSED to come back... Not too sure now... She might make an appearance next chapter, but I'm not promising anything. But I CAN guarantee that Sirius will be in the next chapter. The Lion King... Gah... Sorry, we watched that as part of our health final last year... One question was "Do you think Simba is suicidal?". Kinda ruined the movie from then on... Lol... Oh well, I think fanfiction is the only thing that can make me cry at this point... Lol... Okay, well, thanks again SO much for all your wonderful reviews!!!
Phoenixheart- That's a mouthful of a name for a town! Well, Sirius WASN'T the last to find out! Dumbledore was! Lol... Hehee... And technically, Dumbledore doesn't even know he's going to die at all... hehehehe... I'm evil, aren't I? Oh well, yes, camp is definitely better than school ANY day! Thanks for your review!!!
NightSpell- *grins evilly*... No, he hasn't died _yet_... hehehe... I'm sorry, I'm the kind of author who wants to cry as they write their story.. I love sad stories. I'm a sucker for them. Thank you for your wonderful review. Glad I'm making you happy!
Lady Avalon- MY 100TH REVIEWER!!!!!! *Gives Lady Avalon a huge hug and a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates and a pretty poster saying 'I was the 100th Reviewer!*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's okay that you haven't been reading, you made my ENTIRE DAY!! I was so excited when I saw that I had 100 reviews!!! Yes, I am evil. But I'm not completely evil. That would be Satan, a girl in my Calculus class. Lol... Oh I know, if Harry dies I think not only my family would kill me, but my entire senior class at school, lol!! Thanks again for the two wonderful reviews!!!
And that's everyone for now! Again, thanks to all of you, and thank you for getting me to the 100 mark!! Maybe on the next story I post we'll get at least 150??? Come on, tell your friends! Blackmail your family! Torture your enemies! Help me get reviews! Lol, just kidding. I love you all for all your wonderful feedback and I'll see ya next chapter!!!!
Ch. 19- The Truth Cannot Be Avoided
A/N: I need a wall, so I can go bang my head up against it... AP classes suck... Cuz ya know, I'm ONLY taking THREE right now... Calculus, English, and Spanish... Although, Spanish is the only one I'm worried about, because we have a new teacher and all she does is speak in Spanish, and we've never had a real Spanish teacher before... so yeah... I was supposed to be in AP Physics but I dropped it to be in chorus so I could go to Disney World in March... Hehehe... Okay, well, maybe I should start writing and shut up, eh? Okay then!
Disclaimer: All I own of Harry Potter are two posters, two board games, two card games, QttA, FB, and 7 copies of the books (2 of SS, 1 of CoS, 2 of PoA, and 2 of GoF). Maybe I'll get a Spanish copy of one sometime soon....
***
"Professor Turner, how are you feeling today?" Dumbledore asked, walking into the hospital wing the following day. Harry shifted uneasily in his bed.
"Fine, sir," he replied. Dumbledore had a knowing kind of smile on his face, and there was a twinkle in his eye, brighter than usual.
"That's good to know. I assume you'll be returning to teaching on Monday?" he asked, making small talk for what reason Harry couldn't tell.
"Yes sir, I hope to. If Madame Pomfrey will let me out," Harry replied jokingly. Dumbledore laughed, making wrinkles of delight crease his face.
"I don't see any reason why she wouldn't. You seem to be in perfect health, besides having a nasty fall the other day," Dumbledore said. Harry started to blush slightly.
"Yeah..." he said, hoping his face wasn't too red. "I guess I did, didn't I," he said, looking down at his hands.
"You know, I had a student once who had a nasty fall from a broomstick. Any idea why you might have fallen?" Dumbledore asked, switching topics rapidly to try and catch Harry off-guard. Dumbledore knew he was hiding something.
"Uh, well, not really. I mean, I hadn't been sleeping too well, I guess I was just tired," Harry said, lying quickly. Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Dementors," Dumbledore said nonchalantly, brushing a piece of lint off of his dark blue robes.
"Huh? Dementors? What about them?" Harry asked, confused by the conversation Dumbledore was leading.
"Dementors. That was why the student fell off his broom. About a hundred of them. It was during a Quidditch match," Dumbledore replied.
"Oh. Okay," Harry said, not knowing what else to say. His brow was wrinkled in confusion as Dumbledore sat in his chair, smiling amiably back at him. "Was there something you wanted?" Harry finally asked.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Falling off your broomstick is a nasty business," Dumbledore replied. Harry just nodded his head. Dumbledore looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn't want to make Harry suspicious.
"Was that everything?" Harry asked, now feeling incredibly uncomfortable in the presence of the Headmaster.
"Can I ask you a question, James?" Dumbledore asked. Harry shifted a bit in his bed again.
"You just did, sir," he replied, trying to sound witty. "But you can ask another one if you want." Dumbledore smiled.
"Why did it take you so long to come back?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes serious, but his tone light-hearted. Harry gulped.
"Excuse me? What do you mean? Come back?" Harry asked nervously. He suddenly wished he was still unconscious.
"You know what I mean, Harry," Dumbledore replied.
***
A/N: The end! Haha, no....
***
Harry's eyes widened in shock. He stuttered for a minute before he could form a sentence. "How long have you known?"
Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "I do believe it was the masquerade dance. No, the week after, when you went screaming down the hallway after Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore smiled, the twinkle in his eye yet again.
"Oh... Yeah, I guess that could make anyone a bit suspicious," Harry replied, laughing a little. "I'm sorry. I mean, for not telling you. I just... I don't know..."
"Sometimes it is easier for those we care about not to know the truth. Other times, the truth cannot be avoided," Dumbledore replied. Harry wrinkled his brow in concentration once again, trying to figure out what he meant. After a moment or two, he gave up. "I believe it is time for me to leave," Dumbledore said, standing up from his chair.
"Thank you," Harry said, a small smile on his face. Dumbledore smiled back, the knowing glint once again in his eyes as he left the Hospital Wing, leaving Harry alone once more.
Harry got out of his bed and went over to the window. It was snowing, and from the looks of it, it had been snowing for quite some time. The grounds were covered in white, and the lake was indecipherable, the snow piled up on the ice. The Whomping Willow had icicles hanging off it's limbs. The greenhouses looked several feet shorter with snow drifts all along their sides. Harry sighed.
His breath collected on the cold window, clouding his view of the grounds. He felt old and worn out. He knew his time was drawing close. In his heart, he wished he could stay with his friends, but he knew there was no way it could be possible. He mentally cursed himself for not having come back sooner. As he stood there, he didn't hear Ginny come in behind him.
"Hey Harry, feeling better?" she asked. Harry turned around in surprise. Ginny looked concerned.
"Yeah, I guess," he replied, sighing again. The look didn't leave Ginny's face. "Really, Ginny, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"I do worry about you though, Harry. I have since the first time I saw you. I remember that day. Mum and I were going to see Ron and the others off at the train station. Mum was completely unorganized, as usual. I still haven't figured out how she got us all to the station on time every year. I guess practice makes perfect," Ginny said, making both of them laugh. "And then, there you were. You had all your things on your cart, and you were just standing there. When Fred came back and said who you were, I felt my heart flutter, and my stomach flop. I knew, from that very moment, that you would be a part of my life for a very long time," Ginny said, blushing slightly.
Harry felt his own heart flutter at that instant. Even from the first time Ginny had seen him, she had been in love with him. He remembered the way he used to just think of her as Ron's kid sister. She had practically been his own little sister. Then the summer after fourth year came and there she was, every day, writing letters to him. She didn't have to. That's when Harry had started to realize how he really felt about her. She was how he survived after everything that had happened to him.
"Thank you," Harry said quietly. He could feel the tears building up in his eyes as a lump grew in his throat. Not having the energy to hold them back, the tears slid down his cheeks. He turned away from Ginny so she wouldn't see him crying, but she already had. In an instant, she was at his side, her arm wrapped around his shoulder.
They stood like that for a few minutes before Harry had finally stopped crying. "Thank you, Ginny, for everything. I don't think I could have made it as far as I did without you," Harry said.
"I didn't do anything. I was your friend. That's all. There wasn't anything special about that," Ginny replied.
"No. You weren't just my friend. You were the only thing keeping me going for a long time. All during fifth year and most of sixth year. Then at the end of seventh year. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there for me when you were. You meant the world to me. You still do. I don't want you to think you weren't something special, because you were the most special thing to me," Harry said back to her, taking her hand in his. They stood in silence for a few minutes longer.
"You're leaving soon, aren't you?" Ginny asked, but it was more of a statement. Harry saw a tear trickle down her cheek. He leaned over and wiped it away.
"If I could have one wish in the entire world, it would be to stay here with you forever," Harry replied, pulling Ginny into a hug. As she cried on his shoulder, he let his own tears fall.
"Do you know when?" Ginny managed to ask through her tears. Harry was silent for a moment, unable to speak through the emotions.
"Soon," he said softly. He heard Ginny sniffle. "Don't worry. Please. I'm happy. I lived a good life. There's still lots more for you to do. Do them for me, please?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded, her voice not working.
"I love you, Harry," she whispered through her tears.
"I love you too, Ginny," Harry replied.
***
A/N: EEEEEH... I'm sorry this is short!!! School is evil. Being sick is evil. Work is evil. Life is evil. Too much to do, not enough time. And plus I want the next chapter (which, I'm 99.9999999999% sure at this point, will be the last...) to be special. But it will be SAD. I'm going to warn you now!! Okay, I'm going to thank all my lovely reviewers and get this posted!
HURRAY FOR ME!!!! 100 REVIEWS!!! COUNT THEM!!! BIG 1-0-0!!!!! THANKS TO EVERYONE SO MUCH!!!
SiriusBPadfoot- Of course I forgive you. Thank you for your reviews. Well, Jenny was SUPPOSED to come back... Not too sure now... She might make an appearance next chapter, but I'm not promising anything. But I CAN guarantee that Sirius will be in the next chapter. The Lion King... Gah... Sorry, we watched that as part of our health final last year... One question was "Do you think Simba is suicidal?". Kinda ruined the movie from then on... Lol... Oh well, I think fanfiction is the only thing that can make me cry at this point... Lol... Okay, well, thanks again SO much for all your wonderful reviews!!!
Phoenixheart- That's a mouthful of a name for a town! Well, Sirius WASN'T the last to find out! Dumbledore was! Lol... Hehee... And technically, Dumbledore doesn't even know he's going to die at all... hehehehe... I'm evil, aren't I? Oh well, yes, camp is definitely better than school ANY day! Thanks for your review!!!
NightSpell- *grins evilly*... No, he hasn't died _yet_... hehehe... I'm sorry, I'm the kind of author who wants to cry as they write their story.. I love sad stories. I'm a sucker for them. Thank you for your wonderful review. Glad I'm making you happy!
Lady Avalon- MY 100TH REVIEWER!!!!!! *Gives Lady Avalon a huge hug and a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates and a pretty poster saying 'I was the 100th Reviewer!*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's okay that you haven't been reading, you made my ENTIRE DAY!! I was so excited when I saw that I had 100 reviews!!! Yes, I am evil. But I'm not completely evil. That would be Satan, a girl in my Calculus class. Lol... Oh I know, if Harry dies I think not only my family would kill me, but my entire senior class at school, lol!! Thanks again for the two wonderful reviews!!!
And that's everyone for now! Again, thanks to all of you, and thank you for getting me to the 100 mark!! Maybe on the next story I post we'll get at least 150??? Come on, tell your friends! Blackmail your family! Torture your enemies! Help me get reviews! Lol, just kidding. I love you all for all your wonderful feedback and I'll see ya next chapter!!!!