CHAPTER 6: THE SCARS REMAIN
Harry looked at Dumbledore in shock, again he was astonished by how old Dumbledore looked and also, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit frightened of him, for every line on his face was lined with cold unmasked fury. Harry was reminded of the only other time he had seen Dumbledore like this and that was when he had found out about Crouch Jr. as Alastor Moody's imposter.
"Professor," Harry asked, "what did he do to her, what…?"
Dumbledore raised a hand to silence Harry. "I still don't understand this myself," he sighed, "I need to talk to Ginny, I had no idea that she had gone through something as appalling as that," he leaned back wearily in his chair and Harry heard him sofly whisper, "Cruciatus… at eleven…"
Harry knew what it was like to have been under the Cruciatus. He had experienced it himself twice two months ago. He remembered the pain was unbearble and to think anyone having to undergo it was shocking.
"Harry," his head jerked up at the mention of his name, and saw Dumbledore looking at him, "Harry," he repeated, "It's late and the feast is probably over, I think you should go. I'll see you and Ginny in the morning but see if you can try and talk to her before that."
Harry nodded and left the office. As he made his way to the portrait of the Fat Lady, he saw that only Ron and Hermione were waiting outside for him as the rest of the Gryffindors were already inside the common room.
On seeing his approach both Hermione and Ron rushed foreward to meet him, "Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "What's wrong? why did you run out like that?"
"I forgot to tell Dumbledore what happened on the train," he replied, then asked, "Where's Ginny?'
"Oh," said Hermione, "She went up to her dormitory,"
"Been acting weird," chimed in Ron, "Wouldn't say a word to us."
Harry sighed, now that she had already gone upstairs there was no hope of talking to her. when Hermione asked for Dumbledore's explaination on the recent events Harry just shook his head, "He told me to come up to his office tomorrow morning with Ginny, said he'll tell us then."
With that he trudged to the portrait. The Fat Lady looked at Harry, "Password, dear?"
"Flubbermush." Said Hermione and together they entered the common room.
Later that night Harry couldn't sleep, the events in the chamber reeled through his mind, fusing his own experience with that of Ginny's. Finally after much tossing and turning, he decided that it would be better for him to get some fresh air. Grabbing his Ivisibility cloak, and making sure Ron was sound asleep, Harry quietly slipped out of his dorm.
As he crossed the common room, he noticed a figure curled up in an armchair staring at the fire. Moving closer he saw it was Ginny, taking off his cloak he flopped down next to her.
Startled Ginny looked up, her face pale. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence Harry spoke,"The Pensive, it-it was horrible, I didn't know that Tom had…"
"Don't say it Harry…" Ginny hugged ger knees to her chest, her gaze never leaving the fire, then to break the heavy silence she said, "so why are you down here?"
"The same reason as you probably," Harry replied, "Anyway I was going to sneak up to the astronomy tower to get a breath of fresh air," he looked at the frail figure of the little girl crouched up next to him, her hair a play of red and gold as it reflected the fire, highlighting her pale face. Then on impulse he added, "Coming?"
He saw her look up in surprise. "Me?" she asked. "If you want to," he said, "I could use company."
"But won't Filch catch us?"
Harry grinned and held up his invisibilty cloak, Ginny's mouth dropped open, "Where did you get that", she asked in an amazed voice. "It belonged to my dad," he said draping the cloak over them both.
As they made their way to the tower Harry felt as if someone had hung a weight around his neck, unconciously his mind drifted off to his various problems…
Cedric's death.
Voldemort's resurrection.
Why did he force Cedric to take the cup with him? Couldn't he have been selfish for once and taken the bloody cup? Why? He couldn't help it but Harry felt responsible for Cedric's death. He felt as if the tragedy could have been averted. If only…
"Harry," a soft voice jerked him out of his thoughts. He looked at Ginny standing next to him, "we're here."
"Huh? Oh yeah, right…" Harry said as he pushed open the door to the tower, closing it once they were inside. Dropping the cloak on the ground they stood looking out of the window. It was a beautiful view, they could see the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid's hut and the lake which shimmered softly in the moonlight.
"Why can't it be simple?"
Ginny looked at Harry, "What?"
"Why can't it be simple?" Harry repeated leaning his head against the window frame his gaze unwavering as he looked outside, "Everything's so complicated. Look outside now, it so beautiful, the world's at peace, it's perfect. But then again it's not. Voldemort's back, Cedric's dead, we're on the verge of what could possibly end up as a war, and it's all my fault."
He looked at Ginny who was staring at him, her face white in the moon light. "Harry it's not your fault," she said, "it it's anyone's it's Tom's, he's responsible."
Harry shook his head, "but I could have stopped it,"
"No you couldn't," she said, "Listen Harry, in that case I'm fully responsible for what took place in my first year."
Harry looked at her in shock, "No you're not!" he said, "It was Riddle! You can't blame yourself Ginny, he used you, you weren't the cause, don't blame yourself."
"I don't," said Ginny, "See Harry, it's the same way for you, it wasn't your fault, it was Tom, why was the cup a portkey, it was Tom, why did Cedric die, it was Tom, who cursed you with the Cruciatus twice? Tom."
Harry was stunned, not by her speech, but her last words, "How did you know?" he croaked. Ginny looked at Harry in puzzlement. "How ddi you know I suffered the Cruciatus twice?"
Ginny's eye's widened realising her slip, she looked away. Harry had only told them that he had suffered the cruciatus and nothing more, definitely not the number of times he had suffered it.
"How?" he asked Ginny again.
"I saw," she whispered, "I don't know how but I saw,"
Harry looked at her dumbfounded, incapable of understanding what she was saying, a thousand questions forming in his mind.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked finally.
"I wasn't sure Harry," she said, "I really didn't know if it was true, I've always had nightmares. I wasn't in the stands during the task, I was in the hospital wing, sleeping."
"What did he do to you?" Harry asked, "how many lives must he ruin?"
"Leave it Harry," Ginny said not meeting his eyes, "I'll tell Dumbledore tomorrow."
They stood like that for several minutes, gazing outside, none of them saying a word.
"You know Ginny, you're a lot different than I thought," Harry finally said.
"how?"
"Well for one thing I thought you'd be more… I don't know …lively, I always figured you had your mother's temper…"
Ginny smiled sadly, "You're right Harry,"
"I am?" he asked perplexed.
"That was how I used to be," she replied, "before starting Hogwarts, before the diary. But Riddle changed it . he took away a part of me that can never be replaced, a part of my personality, who I am. For a while after that I really couldn't come to terms with who I had eventually become,' she sighed, "I was forced to grow up fast Harry, I was made to see and do things a lot more quickly."
"Like me," Harry said softly. She looked up, "Like you, I guess the cruciatus was what really changed me, pain often makes you see things in a whole new light."
Scenes of what he had seen in the pensive flitted across his mind, how Riddle cursed her, all that he said, what he did, Ginny's screams, blood on her robes after the last curse…
Suddenly something struck Harry, something Riddle had said. Turning to Ginny he asked, "Ginny, the last curse he hit you with, I don't think it was the curse. What was it?"
"How do you know that?" she asked in shock.
'Blood Ginny, blood, the cruciatus doesn't cause physical harm. What did he give give you, he said you'd carry it forever. What was it Gin?"
Ginny had gone completely pale. "Please Gin, what did he do?" Harry pleaded. He realised how hard it was for her to open up to someone she hardly knew after keeping all her secrets bottled up inside her for three years. "Please Ginny, let it out, tell me please,"
"can't you guess what it is from what he said?" Ginny asked, Harry thought back to the Pensive, but he still couldn't understand. He shook his head feeling slightly frustrated.
With one swift movement, Ginny tugged the collar of her robed baring her shoulder. Harry looked in shock at what was clearly marked on it in the moonlight. It lay there clearly marked out in the moonlight.
His scar.
Ignore the following dialogue if you don't understand it. It's the mere fulfillment of a promise of a payback.it's insane. Anu, you asked for it.
White wolf: Finally finished with that chapter. I wasn't getting on with it any way.
Anu: I want my Ollie! In the story!
Ww: For christ's sake! There's a whole story to go girl, have patience. Ishuldn't have promised you that.
Anu: OLIVER WOOD! I WANT OLIVER!!
Ww: You're pissing me off…
Anu:OLLIE!! OLLIE!! OLLIE!!
Ww: I swear I'll make him shirtless when I introduce him if you keep this up.
Anu: (Slightly dazed and horrified) Don't I'll go catatonic!
Ww: Shut up then.
5 mins. Later…
Anu: Wolf?
Ww:Hmmm…?
Anu:Ollie?
Ww:(Wearily) Somebody throw her an Oliver Wood.
THUD
Anu: OLLIE!!!
Oliver:Huh? What happened to the Quidditch match?!?
Anu: Anyone got soap suds?
Ww: Eeewww! ANU!
Anu: I want soap suds!!
Ww:(groans) this is gonna be a long day, maybe I should go and talk to she.
Thanx to the new reviewers Ivory Tower, David305 and Fiddy and also my regular ones. Please review.
