When the World Seems Over
Chapter Two- The Boy Who Came Back
She pulled the rag from the sink, ringing out access water, watching each drop roll down the drain in deep concentration. Ginny was stalling and she was the first to admit it. Standing in the kitchen, the living room seemed so distant, like another world. Harry wasn't a ghost, he was never dead. She tried to tell herself that he was only missing for a little while (after the disappearance), one thousand four hundred and sixty days to be exact. The search, the funeral, the mourning, the years of crying to sleep, it was all erased, it shouldn't have happened. The months her brothers, father, and practically half the wizard world spent in hopeful attempts to find him (it eventually became desperate enough that they wanted to find him either alive or dead) there's somewhere they didn't look.
Where?
Ginny walked into the living room, standing behind the couch where Harry was sitting, resting his head in his hands.
" You should be lying down" she said softly.
" I've been laying down for too long" he sounded calm, despite what may have happened to him.
Ginny sat down next to him, guiding him to lean backwards on the back of the couch, placing the bunched up cloth upon the deep gash on his forehead, opposite side of the scar.
When her hand touched the front of his shirt, she saw the blood. " You're really bad".
Trying to raise his arms to remove the clothing, Ginny touched his wrist just barely. Harry winced, that's when she noticed the deep blue marking circling each wrist like a dark bracelet.
" Harry, what happened to you?" there was no point in continuing the guessing game.
" It's a long story" he replied.
She carefully rolled up the sleeves on his cloak, which he had already outgrown, " I think I'm prepared to know. I've been believing that you were dead for a long time now".
" I wanted to be" he leaned forward.
Ginny looked deep into his eyes, they hadn't changed, not a single shade or spark. " Uh- a lot of people were saying that..Voldemort killed you".
" He tried" Harry's voice was stable and strong, " but I think he found it more appealing to torture rather than kill".
" Where were you? We looked everywhere, anywhere you can be".
" The one place no one thought to look, because everyone thought it was over, but you've been there" he glared at her confused face, " I was in the chamber".
Ginny gaped, " the chamber? You mean you were at Hogwarts the entire time?". Harry simple nodded. " I can't believe this!" she yelled, " you were right there, right under our noses, we could have helped you!".
" Ginny, it wasn't possible to help me anymore then it was easy for me to escape".
She couldn't take her eyes off him, not for a second, like a dream, she'd wake up if she blinked. Wake up and find herself alone once again, and Harry dead, instead of sitting right next to her. Ginny leaned forward, holding him so tightly, she didn't care if he did nothing. His body was cold and stiff, she could feel every wound under her skin. Literally, strange as it was, it didn't matter.
It was more painful for him to hold in return, but managed to rest his arms around her. She ran a hand up his back, he drew in a sharp breath. " Sorry" she whispered, " h-how did you get out?".
" What?" he too was whispering.
" How did you get back here? The chamber was sealed years ago".
Harry leaned back, seeing the depths of wonder in her amber eyes. " It's rather complicated, but...".
" Ginny, where are you?" a voice came from the floor above them. The voice was familiar enough, Fred, who must have apperated from the tournament.
Harry jumped up, she pointed to the fireplace, the corner hidden by the dark, He ducked down just as Fred appeared in the staircase.
" Who are you talking to?".
" What are you doing here?" she could stall by answering a question, with a question.
Fred jumped over the banister. " Percy got mad at George and I, threw our galleons a top of the tent where we're sitting. Just came to get my broom". His broomstick, it was next to the fire, so was Harry. " Who were you talking to?" he asked again.
If this had been Ron or Hermione (or Percy now that she thought about it) she would lie until the sun rose to protect Harry, knowing how those three would react if finding out what she knew. But this was Fred, she couldn't lie to him, it didn't seem right. She could trust him, she had too.
" Harry".
Fred stopped solid between Ginny and newest arrival, " Gin, look, I know you must really miss him but...".
" He's here Fred" she said calmly.
" Ginny, come on, by doing this you're only going to make it harder on you. Harry can't hear you".
" Yes he can".
Before Fred could think anymore about his sister being insane, Harry stepped into a clear view.
Chapter Two- The Boy Who Came Back
She pulled the rag from the sink, ringing out access water, watching each drop roll down the drain in deep concentration. Ginny was stalling and she was the first to admit it. Standing in the kitchen, the living room seemed so distant, like another world. Harry wasn't a ghost, he was never dead. She tried to tell herself that he was only missing for a little while (after the disappearance), one thousand four hundred and sixty days to be exact. The search, the funeral, the mourning, the years of crying to sleep, it was all erased, it shouldn't have happened. The months her brothers, father, and practically half the wizard world spent in hopeful attempts to find him (it eventually became desperate enough that they wanted to find him either alive or dead) there's somewhere they didn't look.
Where?
Ginny walked into the living room, standing behind the couch where Harry was sitting, resting his head in his hands.
" You should be lying down" she said softly.
" I've been laying down for too long" he sounded calm, despite what may have happened to him.
Ginny sat down next to him, guiding him to lean backwards on the back of the couch, placing the bunched up cloth upon the deep gash on his forehead, opposite side of the scar.
When her hand touched the front of his shirt, she saw the blood. " You're really bad".
Trying to raise his arms to remove the clothing, Ginny touched his wrist just barely. Harry winced, that's when she noticed the deep blue marking circling each wrist like a dark bracelet.
" Harry, what happened to you?" there was no point in continuing the guessing game.
" It's a long story" he replied.
She carefully rolled up the sleeves on his cloak, which he had already outgrown, " I think I'm prepared to know. I've been believing that you were dead for a long time now".
" I wanted to be" he leaned forward.
Ginny looked deep into his eyes, they hadn't changed, not a single shade or spark. " Uh- a lot of people were saying that..Voldemort killed you".
" He tried" Harry's voice was stable and strong, " but I think he found it more appealing to torture rather than kill".
" Where were you? We looked everywhere, anywhere you can be".
" The one place no one thought to look, because everyone thought it was over, but you've been there" he glared at her confused face, " I was in the chamber".
Ginny gaped, " the chamber? You mean you were at Hogwarts the entire time?". Harry simple nodded. " I can't believe this!" she yelled, " you were right there, right under our noses, we could have helped you!".
" Ginny, it wasn't possible to help me anymore then it was easy for me to escape".
She couldn't take her eyes off him, not for a second, like a dream, she'd wake up if she blinked. Wake up and find herself alone once again, and Harry dead, instead of sitting right next to her. Ginny leaned forward, holding him so tightly, she didn't care if he did nothing. His body was cold and stiff, she could feel every wound under her skin. Literally, strange as it was, it didn't matter.
It was more painful for him to hold in return, but managed to rest his arms around her. She ran a hand up his back, he drew in a sharp breath. " Sorry" she whispered, " h-how did you get out?".
" What?" he too was whispering.
" How did you get back here? The chamber was sealed years ago".
Harry leaned back, seeing the depths of wonder in her amber eyes. " It's rather complicated, but...".
" Ginny, where are you?" a voice came from the floor above them. The voice was familiar enough, Fred, who must have apperated from the tournament.
Harry jumped up, she pointed to the fireplace, the corner hidden by the dark, He ducked down just as Fred appeared in the staircase.
" Who are you talking to?".
" What are you doing here?" she could stall by answering a question, with a question.
Fred jumped over the banister. " Percy got mad at George and I, threw our galleons a top of the tent where we're sitting. Just came to get my broom". His broomstick, it was next to the fire, so was Harry. " Who were you talking to?" he asked again.
If this had been Ron or Hermione (or Percy now that she thought about it) she would lie until the sun rose to protect Harry, knowing how those three would react if finding out what she knew. But this was Fred, she couldn't lie to him, it didn't seem right. She could trust him, she had too.
" Harry".
Fred stopped solid between Ginny and newest arrival, " Gin, look, I know you must really miss him but...".
" He's here Fred" she said calmly.
" Ginny, come on, by doing this you're only going to make it harder on you. Harry can't hear you".
" Yes he can".
Before Fred could think anymore about his sister being insane, Harry stepped into a clear view.