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Everything I Do, I Do It For You

By The Silver Princess

She had wanted to be strong for him; this last night, she wanted to forget about everything else but him. She burrowed tighter into his embrace, clinging to him desperately. She loved his heartbeat. She could listen to the thump, thump of his life forever.

"Gin, look at me," he said gently.

She sniffed and looked up. His eyes were vividly bright, emerald jewels shimmering with contained tears. He may have been famous for his scar, but for Ginny, it had always been his eyes that had spellbound her more than anything else. He had never been very eloquent at expressing himself, but his eyes always spoke to her. Reassured, she formed a tremulous smile.

Look into my eyes – you will see

What you mean to me

"I love you, Gin," he said plainly. "I don't tell you that enough."

"Oh, Harry," she breathed. "I don't want to say goodbye," she whispered, not trusting her voice any further than that.

"We're not saying goodbye," he murmured. "I'm coming back."

She swallowed back a sob as his deep voice washed over her. She wanted every moment of this to be impressed into her brain. Look at how his green eyes flash. See how his black hair is tousled over his head. Feel his arms tight around you, a safe circle holding the terrors of the world at bay. "I love you," she sighed.

Search your heart – search your soul

And when you find me there you'll search no more

"I wish you didn't have to leave," she admitted, hating herself for it. They had already talked about it. She knew there was no alternative. She was only making it harder. But it was Harry. She couldn't help it.

"So do I."

"But—"

"But—" he agreed. He looked over her head for a moment, his eyes unfocused and thoughtful, before he shook his head and stared down at her again. "I have to do this."

"What if . . ." she couldn't bring herself to vocalize her fears as though by saying it, she would strengthen the possibility, ground in reality.

He did not pretend in order to reassure her. They both knew the chances of Harry's survival the next morning . . . when he left to face Voldemort. "I have to," he repeated unhappily. "It's not just about right and wrong anymore. It's about protecting those I love." His eyes were burning like green flames.

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for

She couldn't bear to speak anymore, afraid that she would lose her grip on her self-control. Her hands tangled in his messy hair as she brought his head down.

His lips brushed over hers, light and gentle and loving, like butterfly wings. She wanted to cry, remembering how soft and hesitant their first kiss had been. Then the kiss deepened passionately. His arms tightened their grip around her, holding her as tightly to him as he could, and Ginny wished it would last forever. Tears leaked over her cheeks, flavoring their kiss with salt. His lips were warm and insistent as he poured every bit of desperation and love, and she reciprocated. Their limbs tangled together, needing every touch.

You know it's true

Everything I do – I do it for you

* * *

Harry was supposed to meet Voldemort in the morning, somewhere he refused to tell anyone, not even her. He wanted protect them.

Ginny's heart was breaking at this exact moment; surely, the whole world could hear it shattering. Why, oh why, had they ever thought the Dark Lord would keep his word?

He had broken Hogwart's wards. They were in the Great Hall; only a few people were awake at this early hour. Just as Harry was saying goodbye to Dumbledore, the old wizard had doubled over, clutching at his chest and gasping.

"He has breached the wards," he wheezed.

Harry whirled around and began to run. Ginny caught a glimpse of his face as he shot through the rows of tables. His eyes were burning with fierce intensity; his jaw was clenched with determination. As he hurtled past her, she knew without a doubt, that this was Harry at his rawest. Everything had stripped away to his core—his love, his grief, his fury, his loyalty, his bravery was exposed in a way she had never witnessed before.

Look into my heart – you will find

There's nothing there to hide

She screamed when the doors of the Great Hall flew open, blasted outward by the figure shrouded in black. The cold laugh that had filled her nightmares shrieked through the hall.

She was only vaguely aware that someone had his arm around her waist, dragging her backward. She struggled frantically, desperate to reach Harry.

"Ginny! Ginny!" a voice yelled. "Stop it, Ginny! You can't help him!"

She looked into her brother's eyes. "Ron—" her voice cracked.

"Believe me, I want to help too. But I can't," he said forcefully. He was breathing hard, torn between his own desire to help his best friend and the need to calm his sister. "Do you want to be a distraction?" he asked bluntly.

Ginny shook her head.

"You will not kill any more people!" Harry's voice rang out.

Ginny closed her eyes. She did not want to witness this.

"I will not let you harm anyone I love!"

Take me as I am – take my life

I would give it all – I would sacrifice

The hall shook with blasts of magic. Ginny's hair stood on end as the air itself became charged with power. She could hear Harry yelling somewhere, as though through a thick fog, and Voldemort was hissing out spells, sounding snakelike even when speaking a human tongue.

"Please, live. Please, live. Please, live," Ginny chanted under her breath. Her mantra was beating in time to her heart, galloping along. "Please, live. Please, live."

"Why do you bother, Potter?" the Dark Lord laughed. "You can never know peace."

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for

I can't help it - there's nothing I want more

Ginny stared down at her hands as they shook. She balled them into fists but they refused to stop trembling. "Please, live. Please live."

"He'll be fine, Ginny. I know he will," Hermione assured her.

She looked up at Hermione and Ron, their hands firmly clasped, their knuckles going white from the tightness of the grip. Hermione noticed what she was looking at and extended her other hand to Ginny.

She took Hermione's hand and her brother's when he offered his as well.

Harry was still shouting out spells.

You know it's true

Everything I do – I do it for you

Ginny was going to go mad. Her entire body was shivering as she listened to the cries and felt the shocks reverberate in her bones. She was grateful that her view of the battle was obstructed—she could scarcely stand the sound of it. How long had this lasted?

"Tsk, tsk, Potter. Tired already?" Voldemort sneered, his voice cutting through her.

Her blood was like ice; her limbs were deadened by the cold. He couldn't mean . . .

"Perhaps you shouldn't have stayed up late shagging your little whore," the Dark Lord spat.

"Don't you dare call her that!" Harry roared, and the following blast tossed the tables near the front of the hall as though they were mere kindling.

There's no love – like your love

And no other – could give more love

"Touchy, Potter?"

Ginny clutched Ron and Hermione's hands as though they were lifelines. They were the only thing keeping her in place, preventing her from running to Harry in spite of the dangers and consequences.

"Something as evil as you could never understand love!"

She could see him in her mind's eyes. He was standing tall and upright, unbending before the Dark Lord's wrath. His hair was blown back, revealing his lightning-bolt scar, the badge and proof that he would prevail over Voldemort. His eyes blazed so brightly she wondered that Voldemort was not burned simply by the power of that gaze.

She sifted through her mind, calling up the memory of the first time he had voiced his feelings. She remembered how he had said that she was his everything, and she remembered how she had felt wrapped in his love, protected and warm and loved. She clung to that memory, striving to regain that sensation.

There's nowhere – unless you're there

All the time – all the way

Voldemort's laugh slithered through the air. "Never?" he mocked. "Perhaps we should strike a deal, Potter?"

Was her face as white as Hermione's and Ron's? It had to be paler. There was no blood left in her body. How much longer could she wait like this?

"You give me your whore, and I will never bother the world again."

Ginny forgot how to breathe.

"Now, Potter, surely you can see the logic of—"

She could not hear if he or Harry said anything else because a sound like a thunderclap, strangely muffled at first then louder, resounded through the hall. She could see Ron crying something, his jaw working, his lips moving, but Ginny's ears were filled with the blast. Light so bright that it seemed to transcend whiteness flared, and then, as quickly as it had exploded, it retreated.

Then there was silence, stretching onward, deafening, and no one spoke.

Oh – you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for

I can't help it – there's nothing I want more

Ginny could not stand it any longer. She ripped her hands from Ron's and Hermione's and bolted towards the Great Hall's entrance.

Her feet slowed to a stop, and she froze, unable to move forward. "Harry?" she whispered. She could scarcely hear herself, but he heard her.

His head whipped around.

She gasped, half-sobbing, half-laughing, and ran into his arms. She ignored the blood; she ignored the bruises; she ignored everything except the fact that he was alive. His heartbeat pounded reassuringly loud next to her ear as she pressed herself into his embrace.

"I couldn't let him hurt you, Gin," he said plainly as he stroked her hair. She needed no further explanation.

I would fight for you

I'd lie for you

There was a rattling breath nearby, and she squeaked, jumping back inadvertently from Harry's embrace. She looked at the pile of robes that was Voldemort.

"He's . . ." She glanced at Harry in confusion.

"Dying," Harry finished for her. "He'll be gone in a few seconds."

"Potter's whore . . ." the fallen Dark Lord rasped.

Harry's statement hardened. "A few seconds too many."

Voldemort's voice murmured something, a mere ghost of the power he had held seconds earlier. She could not even decipher the words.

"NO!" Harry cried suddenly.

She cried out in confusion as he crashed into her, knocking her roughly to the floor. The green flash burst in her eyes, blinding her.

Walk the wire for you

Yeah, I'd die for you

When her vision cleared, she crawled to Harry's crumpled body. No, no, no, no. He was still breathing. She could see his chest moving. She gently turned him over, settling his head in her lap.

"Oh, God," Hermione's broken voice interjected. "He's dying."

No, he's not. No, he's not. It was a mocking mantra in her head. "No," she sobbed, her tears streaming over her cheeks and dripping onto his face.

"You-Know-Who cast it with his dying breath—"

"No!" Ginny shook her head vehemently. He had survived. He had defeated Voldemort. He couldn't die now. He couldn't be taken from her so suddenly and painfully. He had won.

"Ginny," Harry murmured softly. His hand reached up shakily to touch her face. She leaned into his touch, turning her head to softly kiss his palm. His fingers slipped and then dropped, and she bowed her head, keening as she gathered him into her arms.

You know it's true

Everything I do – I do it for you