Chapter Nine: Inside a Memory

They said the incantation at the same time, and gripped the wand tight. The others watched in silence and hope. Ron and Hermione held each other's hands tight. Ron reached out his free hand toward Ginny, but when she didn't take it he let his hand drop. Lupin's eyes were fixed on the same point as Ginny's.

From Harry's mouth suddenly burst a cloud, and all around them, the hospital room vanished and was replaced by a dark place and nineteen people. They were seeing as Harry saw. Outside the circle Lupin and the others stood quiet. Sirius could feel Dumbledore's wrinkled hand tighten on the wand.

Dumbledore felt the power flying into him, and Sirius tried to draw the power too. They watched as they passed Wormtail, and Sirius seethed and sucked more of the spell's power.

They stood for a long time in the silent center of the circle. As time passed, Sirius drank at more and more of the power, feeling it fill him. Ginny's voice, and Harry's, revebrated in his skull. It began to hurt, holding so much power, and hearing his godson's voice. I have to save Harry, he reminded himself, and drank on more.

The bowl was passed around the circle. The chant began. Dumbledore felt how much power Sirius was drinking. .the blood of seventeen.Sirius, forgive me. He shoved Sirius aside and felt Harry's godfather's fingers slip off the wand. The power rebounded, and Dumbledore wanted to stagger backwards as it hit him. He didn't. The images around him flickered and rippled like disturbed water.

Harry growled suddenly and knocked the bowl aside. A splatter of silver and blood landed on Harry's hand, and drops spilled onto his shirt. He screamed, and began to knock the Death Eaters backward, Stun them, Disarm them. Voldemort was smiling; his purpose was achieved. Dumbledore felt a surge of pain as he drew the last of the power. He dropped his wand. The image faded, and blackness came to Dumbledore. He was falling.

***

Suddenly, when the pain escalated to agony, Sirius felt Dumbledore push him. His fingers slipped from the wand, and he stifled a cry. The power and pain vanished. He watched Dumbledore's expression contort in concentration. He watched Harry's actions, heard the bloodcurdling scream from his godson's mouth. Then he watch the wand clatter to the floor. The picture faded, and he was back in the hospital room. He climbed to his feet and watched Dumbledore collapse. Lupin caught the old headmaster and eased him onto a cot.

Dumbledore woke about ten minutes later. He let out a shaky breath and stood quickly. His expression darkened as he turned to Sirius.

"I warned you," he sighed. "You tried to take too much; more than you could hold. I couldn't siphon it from you. If it overflowed, it wouldn't feed to me, it would go to Harry." His face became sharp and severe. "You could have killed him, and possibly me as well."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly. "I just.seeing Voldemort, with Harry.I couldn't stand it."

"It's over," Dumbledore said, and sighed. "You couldn't have changed it. Blood of seventeen, though." He turned to Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, who still stood, motionless. None of them had seen this Voldemort before. "Miss Weasley. I may need your memories in a Pensieve. I need to see more of the making of the potion. I'm beginning to put the pieces together, but I'm still not sure if there is an antidote. I may need the blood of the seventeen again to do anything, and that is impossible."

***

"Do you think he'll find a cure?"

"I don't know." Ron's voice was dull.

"Do you want to talk about something else?"

"Like what? Quidditch? Schoolwork?" Ron laughed harshly. Hermione agreed silently. It would be impossible to carry on any other conversation. After a moment he continued. "I want to talk about Harry."

"What about him?"

"I don't know," said Ron quietly. "I feel so terrible about what I was like after the Goblet spat out his name. I think I knew that he hadn't put his name in, but.I don't know what it was. I feel awful about it. I know I was being cruel, and I missed his company. But.the night he talked to Sirius, when I came down, I was going to apologize. But he was so angry, I couldn't. My stupid pride." Tears of pain and shame swelled in his eyes. "And when he threw the badge at my head. 'Something for you to wear on Tuesday. If you're lucky, you might even have a scar.that's what you want, isn't it?' That hurt, and I didn't know how to apologize. I was afraid he wouldn't listen."

"I tried to convince him to tell you what he'd told me, and to talk to you, but he wouldn't. He was mad, Ron. He was so hurt you wouldn't believe him.but then he was so happy after you two started talking again. You know, I wonder what would've happened if you didn't believe him even then, and then you found out you were the thing he'd miss most in the Second Task."

Ron shook his head. "I don't know," he sighed. "But the thing that really got me was how readily he forgave me. He forgives so easily, it's amazing."

"He loves Ginny, you know," Hermione said quietly. "He really does. You can tell. And she loves him."

Ron nodded. "I don't know what'll happen to her if he doesn't.she won't be able to.I mean, you've seen what this whole thing has done to her.she won't want to live. And Voldemort.he.no one can stop him."

"I know," Hermione said softly, and rested her head against Ron's shoulder. "And I.I feel like I was in a car, and it crashed, and no one came and helped me. I'm just stuck there.I can't get out.oh, God, Ron, is it even possible? For him to die? He's always been - I don't know. He can't. He always makes it, no matter what happens. He recovers, and he hurts for a while, and then he opens up and talks. And eventually he'll smile again, and things will be different but they'll be all right because he made it again."

"Did Dumbledore take Ginny to use the Pensieve?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed. "Yes.I don't know what good it will do. She said she couldn't see what Pettigrew was doing."

"That silver hand." Ron said suddenly. "I saw in the bowl, when they passed it around, it was silvery and reddish with blood. Do you think."

Hermione's mind raced. "I don't know." she said quietly. "The hand, though. It wasn't that. But.Ron, do you think.no. Wait.I need to talk to Dumbledore."

She stood quickly and hurried out of the room, leaving Ron to stare after her and wonder.

Chapter Ten: The Moon Rises Again

".essence of Demiguise hair. It's fatal when it enters the bloodstream. A second defense precaution, to make certain that nothing will eat it."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "The blood." he said quietly.

Hermione's eyes glinted. "It mixed with the powdered Runespoor spine. It's like a lock on the poison and made it completely unrecongnizable. It was seventeen people who hated Harry. I think that's why Pettigrew didn't, because he doesn't fully hate Harry.I think.that we'd need the Demiguise antidote and powdered Roonspoor spine mixed with the blood of seventeen people who love him, or fifty-one drops of blood from someone who loves him, or.something like that."

"Brilliant," Dumbledore breathed. "Simply brilliant. Exactly like Voldemort, of course. And exactly like you, Hermione, to find it. Who else would have thought of it? Naturally, the blood was all different, so it was like seventeen different ingredients. No wonder they couldn't recognize it."

"What is the antidote for Demiguise poisoning?"

"It's rare, and difficult to make, but I'm sure Professor Snape could."

"So.he's not going to."

Dumbledore smiled, and the twinkle returned to his eyes.

***

Ginny sat alone now by Harry's bedside.

"When I was eleven," she whispered, "I found out that I was being taken over by a boy who was a memory.I boy I thought I loved. And then I realized that he had tricked me and used me all along. I tried to tell you, but I couldn't say it, not in front of Percy.and then he took me. I can't imagine what Ron went through that day, when you all thought I was dead.But you came and saved me, even though you still weren't sure if I was alive, because you're Harry. That's why I love you so much, why I have for these years. Because you're Harry, and you're good and strong and you always know what you have to do, and you aren't afraid to do it. Because you're Harry, and you can't die, because your work isn't done. Because I love you." She stared at his still, swollen face. "Listen to me, Harry Potter. You can't die. Do you hear me? You can't die. Don't even think about it." The door opened behind her, and Hermione flew in.

"Ginny," she gasped. It was obvious she'd run all the way here. "We've.found.a way.to save him.Demiguise hair.blood of seventeen.not going to die."

Ginny rose slowly to her feet, not believing what she was hearing.

"He's going to be all right?"

Hermione nodded. "If they can make the potion in time."

Ginny's breathing became quicker, and like a drumroll against her ribs her heart pounded. "Where are Ron and Lupin and Sirius?" she asked finally. Hermione smiled.

***

Dumbledore watched Severus Snape add the final ingredient to the potion and stir it. It became a clear, watery bluegreen and splashed against the sides of the cauldron in little waves.

"Is it finished?"

"Yes, Headmaster. I must admit I am quite relieved.I thought it would be all but impossible to find out what this poison was. The Granger girl figured out what I could not."

"Hermione is quite the student. I would hazard that she rivals Riddle himself in her brilliance. But it's different. She is wise and perceptive and remembers everything she sees and hears and reads. Riddle was.is cunning and can foresee the move and understand the mind of his opponent. He's almost a Seer. And then the situation with Mindweaving, of course. something will have to be done about that."

"Yes, Headmaster. I'm already looking into it. I'm not very optimistic about finding anything, however."

"That's all right, Severus. I already have some ideas myself. Give me a proper draught of that antidote, please."

Snape did as was requested of him, and also handed Dumbledore the jar of powdered Runespoor spine. He looked back to the cauldron.

"Do you intend to be one of the seventeen?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered simply. "The boy is special. I know you disliked his father, Severus."

"Disliked.that's a bit of an understatement, Headmaster."

"If you say so. In any case, I would very much appreciate an effort on your part not to see Harry as James. Harry is very different from his father, and you need to treat him equally.it isn't his choice who his parents were, although I am sure he wouldn't change them.if you would give him a chance."

"I'll keep it in mind, Headmaster."

"Thank you, Severus."

"You're welcome."

***

The cluster of people talked in quiet tones. The Weasleys were all there, of course, all nine of them, and Hermione. Sirius and Remus. Fleur and Krum, and Cho Chang. Oliver Wood, who was talking animatedly with Viktor Krum.

Dumbledore's arrival silenced them, and they all turned to him quietly. In his gnarled hands he held a bowl with a bright blue liquid in it - the green had faded with the addition of the essence of Runespoor spine.

Dumbledore took out a small knife and made a tiny cut on his palm. Three drops of blood dripped into the bowl. The liquid shimmered.

He passed the knife and the bowl then to Ginny, who did the same thing he had done. She passed to bowl to Ron. Then it went to Hermione. Slowly, silently, it made its way around the room. When Cho handed it to Dumbledore, the antidote was a deep, rich purple.

All seventeen of them walked slowly up the stairs to Harry's room. His face was more swollen than ever. Cho's breath caught in her throat. Wood's eyes became haunted and hollow.

Dumbledore opened Harry's mouth and tipped the contents of the bowl into it. He helped the boy swallow, stroking his throat gently. In his sleep, Harry sighed and relaxed.

It was that night that he woke, that night after most of them had left, after Remus had gone home, and the moon was full. Ginny hadn't left, and she stared out the window again.

***

Harry laughed. "No I didn't!" he cried in protest. "Hermione, you're twisting it!"

"You did too," Ron agreed. "You said it, you did, don't lie -"

"I didn't," Harry laughed, looking to Ginny for support. "You don't believe them, do you?"

"Of course you did," she said quietly. "It's just like you to deny it, too." She let him brush aside a strand of fiery hair and tuck it behind her ear. He smiled as it fell back into place by her eye.

"All right, I did," Harry sighed resignedly. "And if you ever, ever tell anyone, I'll turn you all into squirrels."

"You wouldn't," Ron said.

Harry looked at the ceiling innocently. Ginny saw him wrap his fingers around his wand behind his back and tried not to laugh. Then he pointed his wand at Ron and with a loud BANG they were staring at a red-haired squirrel.

Ginny and Harry and Hermione cracked up. Ron the squirrel looked utterly ridiculous. He bit Hermione on the ankle sharply, and, still laughing, she Transfigured him back. He joined them in laughing, and the sun shone gladly though the stained glass of the window.