Disclaimer: See Prologue.
A/N- Massive thanks to Ami, who has taken the time to edit this and make gentle suggestions when I got carried away, as well as patiently waiting until I regained the internet. This has graphic character death and a multitude of pagan references, just as a warning to the squeamish of you.
I miss him. Goddess, do I miss him. The messy black hair, the sharp look in his eyes. I don't know what's happening out there. All I can hear is the screaming-there's so much of it. There is no way to distinguish one voice from a hundred others. I can't believe that the battle is here. Dungeons.
Why did I have to hide in the dungeons? I'm the most powerful witch in the school. No one can match my raw power. Hermione may know more, but not even she can put out the raw energy that I can. I need to go help. The screams are getting louder. I can't just sit here and wait for them to find us. It's only a matter of time before that scum invading our school and our lives finds their way down here, anyway.
We're putting too much on him-we always have. It seems to be in our nature since he never protests. There is no way that he can defeat the worst Dark wizard in a millennium by himself. Voldemort has gone through so many transformations, so many dangerous power moves. Harry will be defeated easily if they don't come get me. After all, he's an ordinary boy. He escaped once- escaped to here. Now that they've gotten here, where can he hide? There is nowhere left for any of us to run. Goddess! What's going on? I have to pull myself together. Someone is running down here. Could the fighters have been breached?
No, it's a girl. Probably a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff, since I don't recognize her. Although, she does look familiar. Wait a second- that's Hermione! She looks so different- there's something wild in her eyes. What's running down her face? Is that blood? It's almost savagely beautiful- a thin trickle of scarlet is pouring down from a small cut underneath her eye. She's heading towards me. I know what she's going to ask -the same thing that we all asked of Harry. The only reason she would possibly be down here instead of fighting would be because Harry sent her to fetch me. I can't. I'm not ready. For Merlin's sake, I'm only sixteen. I'm not an adult, even by wizard law. That's too young for anyone to die. We're all too young to die- but how many already have? I can't stay here being selfish. I found the spell. Now we need to use it. She doesn't need to ask. I stand, and those searching eyes measure me up. I nod once, answering her unspoken question and she squares her shoulders as a feral grin spreads across her face. I'm reminded of a cougar instead of my more then slightly bookish best friend.
She's talking in a fast voice that takes me back to her berating Ron and Harry right before a Potions test. The memory makes me smile, and she looks at me strangely.
"Wands out, naturally. They've hit most of the Hufflepuffs and over half of the Ravenclaws. We still have five Gryffindors, or did the last I saw. For all I know, everyone could be dead up there. Unforgivables are necessary. They won't hesitate to use them, and neither are we. It's fast and dirty up there. And we are definitely losing. Take them out quickly and cleanly and then move on.
I look at her in shock. Five Gryffindors? But there were eight. who's already dead? What person's death would drive Hermione to using unforgivable curses? Not Ron. Please, not Ron. No, she would have told me if it was Ron. Neville, then- it must have been Neville. Hermione always did have a bit of a soft spot for him. I feel horrible. I don't want anyone dead, but if someone has to be, I'm glad it isn't my brother. Please, Brighid, don't let it be my brother. Artemis will keep him safe for me.
We walk cautiously up the stairways, our wands out and ready. I follow Hermione. She knows these passageways better then most, and in no time we are near the great hall entrance.
I look around, not thinking about what a distinctive target my bright red hair must make. Hermione jerks me back out of the way just as a curse whizzes by. All I can think of is getting in there to help. The floor is littered with bodies- so many bodies.
"Are you crazy? I didn't leave the fight and stop watching Harry's back just to have you killed as soon as you got up the stairs. Honestly!" She muttered glamour, and my glory became a very unremarkable and inconspicuous brown. I smile at her, and receive that dangerous feral grin back.
"Shall we go rescue the men?" I ask gaily, attempting to cover my fear.
"I think so." She replies, and we wade into the fray.
You would think we were heading into nothing worse then Potions class, the way we are acting. Oops, no more Potions class. The body I just stepped over was Professor Snape. I think I'm hysterical, but I'm no longer shaking in fear. They will know that I'm here soon enough. The raw power of the stunning I'm putting out will keep them knocked out so deep that they may as well have taken the draught of living death. I can't bring myself to cast an unforgivable. No spell or potion will wake them, anyway. Why take a life? I fight my way up to Harry, my love and knight in shining armor. Right now that armor is being blood spattered, and it isn't fair. He shouldn't have had to grow up yet.
Hermione is right behind me. I still haven't seen Ron. I look around frantically as this thought hits my synapses. Where could he be, that he isn't at Harry's side? Why didn't he come and fetch me? Wait a minute, he doesn't know! I never had the chance to tell him we will win. I start to scan the ground, fear of finding him in the gruesome carpet of corpses lodged in my heart. There he is! He's locked in a battle with Lucius Malfoy. Draco's motionless body is on the ground between them. I lose my second innocence right there, the one I worked so hard to regain after the chamber. I raise my wand and kill my family's mortal enemy.
"Avada Kedavra," I scream, and the flash of green light hits him squarely between the eyes. He crumples, never knowing that the little girl he tried to kill finally bested him. Ron stumbles a bit, and comes running over to us.
"Ginny? What in Hades do you think that you're doing? You should be staying safe!"
" Farathoom, Ron, do you really think that I can stay safe while my friends are all dying?" I scream back. I look up in horror, and throw a curse at the pale faced ex-Slytherin that had been feigning death. He's started to stand up, and his wand is pointed at my brother. The expression on his face is sickening, of hatred and glee as the death shoots out of his wand.
I was too late. He had already muttered the fateful words.
"Duck, Ron! Duck!" I scream, knowing it was futile. My favourite brother crumples to the ground in front of me. Hermione starts wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought it was a lament, a horrible cry at watching her love die, but then I realize that she is being tortured. I try to block it, but once again, I am too late. Another flash of sickly light, and she is gone too. My brother and my almost sister are dead, in front of my horrified eyes, in less then a minute. I know that I will soon be joining them. At least they are together, I think, and then my own world erupts into fiery hell. I curse my distraction. Can't let that happen again, no matter who dies in front of me. Using a trick Dumbledore had hoped I'd never need, I throw it off. (Hey, I'm not the most powerful witch of my generation for nothing.) Harry looks at me with misery and amazement in his eyes. I shoot him a grin, but it doesn't calm me down. Anger blazes, and starts to roll like a firestorm in dry brush. I can feel my power building. Harry is also heading into a berserker rage after watching his two best friends fall. He turns to me, and I can see sheer, raw power snapping in his eyes. Mine reflect his. I walk over to him, and take his hand. A curse is being shot from somewhere. I'm not aware if it hits us or not. Our power melds, and starts to flow though both of us. I can feel it travelling, tingling. Some vague part of my mind knows that I won't get out of this alive. I also don't care. I look over at Harry. The misery in his eyes isn't allowed
"I love you, Harry. I'll see you in the Summerlands. ," I say, not recognizing my own voice through the focussed power. No regrets, no longing for might-have-been. There isn't the time or the need. But still.
"Love you too, Ginny. We'll meet up with Ron and Hermione soon." I can tell by the steadiness in his voice that he, too knows the only outcome of what we are about to do. Still, the reassurance steadies me.
The hall goes deathly silent as we begin to glow. All activity stops. I recognize several familiar bodies on the ground. Neville. Dean. Ron, his red hair drying with coagulated blood, lying in a puddle. I will see them all soon. Voldemort, that foul slime, is walking up the space between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. He has no place here. We stand there, glowing. I think we're making him nervous.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" He screams at us. Why am I not afraid? That is bright, speeding death. As if one mind Harry and I utter the spell that will kill him. The same spell that will kill us with it, for it requires so much raw power that we will burn out. We no longer care. This is our destiny.
"REVERSI DESTRUCTO," we shout together. United. The raw outlet shoves me into his arms. I can feel the strength burning out of me, but I keep my wand held high. The glamour had died with Hermione, and my hair is blazing as bright as the blood red sunset that this battle began with. The last sunset of so many lives, I reflect grimly as I hold on. The silver light fights with the green. We concentrate, and fire even more power into the stream. I can hear my brothers, Bill and Charlie yell as they enter the battlefield. They are too late. Goodbye! My heart cries to them. It's almost as if they answer back. Their horrified faces seem to speak more eloquently then anything as they realize what has happened. Things are starting to fade, even as they get brighter. Harry is not slackening. I can feel him starting to burn out in the back of my mind. We are both too far gone to save. A hideous high pitched wail echoes as our spell starts to do its job. I give one last shot of power, just to make sure. That's all I have left.
My body falls to the floor, intertwined with Harry's. He falls with me. I'm floating.
Bright. And pale. What is that tunnel? Is that Ron? And Hermione. And so many others. Harry takes my hand, and speaks to me. We walk over to our friends. We've arrived then. Goodbye. I love you all. I'll meet you in the Summerlands. We won. We finally won.
A/N- Massive thanks to Ami, who has taken the time to edit this and make gentle suggestions when I got carried away, as well as patiently waiting until I regained the internet. This has graphic character death and a multitude of pagan references, just as a warning to the squeamish of you.
I miss him. Goddess, do I miss him. The messy black hair, the sharp look in his eyes. I don't know what's happening out there. All I can hear is the screaming-there's so much of it. There is no way to distinguish one voice from a hundred others. I can't believe that the battle is here. Dungeons.
Why did I have to hide in the dungeons? I'm the most powerful witch in the school. No one can match my raw power. Hermione may know more, but not even she can put out the raw energy that I can. I need to go help. The screams are getting louder. I can't just sit here and wait for them to find us. It's only a matter of time before that scum invading our school and our lives finds their way down here, anyway.
We're putting too much on him-we always have. It seems to be in our nature since he never protests. There is no way that he can defeat the worst Dark wizard in a millennium by himself. Voldemort has gone through so many transformations, so many dangerous power moves. Harry will be defeated easily if they don't come get me. After all, he's an ordinary boy. He escaped once- escaped to here. Now that they've gotten here, where can he hide? There is nowhere left for any of us to run. Goddess! What's going on? I have to pull myself together. Someone is running down here. Could the fighters have been breached?
No, it's a girl. Probably a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff, since I don't recognize her. Although, she does look familiar. Wait a second- that's Hermione! She looks so different- there's something wild in her eyes. What's running down her face? Is that blood? It's almost savagely beautiful- a thin trickle of scarlet is pouring down from a small cut underneath her eye. She's heading towards me. I know what she's going to ask -the same thing that we all asked of Harry. The only reason she would possibly be down here instead of fighting would be because Harry sent her to fetch me. I can't. I'm not ready. For Merlin's sake, I'm only sixteen. I'm not an adult, even by wizard law. That's too young for anyone to die. We're all too young to die- but how many already have? I can't stay here being selfish. I found the spell. Now we need to use it. She doesn't need to ask. I stand, and those searching eyes measure me up. I nod once, answering her unspoken question and she squares her shoulders as a feral grin spreads across her face. I'm reminded of a cougar instead of my more then slightly bookish best friend.
She's talking in a fast voice that takes me back to her berating Ron and Harry right before a Potions test. The memory makes me smile, and she looks at me strangely.
"Wands out, naturally. They've hit most of the Hufflepuffs and over half of the Ravenclaws. We still have five Gryffindors, or did the last I saw. For all I know, everyone could be dead up there. Unforgivables are necessary. They won't hesitate to use them, and neither are we. It's fast and dirty up there. And we are definitely losing. Take them out quickly and cleanly and then move on.
I look at her in shock. Five Gryffindors? But there were eight. who's already dead? What person's death would drive Hermione to using unforgivable curses? Not Ron. Please, not Ron. No, she would have told me if it was Ron. Neville, then- it must have been Neville. Hermione always did have a bit of a soft spot for him. I feel horrible. I don't want anyone dead, but if someone has to be, I'm glad it isn't my brother. Please, Brighid, don't let it be my brother. Artemis will keep him safe for me.
We walk cautiously up the stairways, our wands out and ready. I follow Hermione. She knows these passageways better then most, and in no time we are near the great hall entrance.
I look around, not thinking about what a distinctive target my bright red hair must make. Hermione jerks me back out of the way just as a curse whizzes by. All I can think of is getting in there to help. The floor is littered with bodies- so many bodies.
"Are you crazy? I didn't leave the fight and stop watching Harry's back just to have you killed as soon as you got up the stairs. Honestly!" She muttered glamour, and my glory became a very unremarkable and inconspicuous brown. I smile at her, and receive that dangerous feral grin back.
"Shall we go rescue the men?" I ask gaily, attempting to cover my fear.
"I think so." She replies, and we wade into the fray.
You would think we were heading into nothing worse then Potions class, the way we are acting. Oops, no more Potions class. The body I just stepped over was Professor Snape. I think I'm hysterical, but I'm no longer shaking in fear. They will know that I'm here soon enough. The raw power of the stunning I'm putting out will keep them knocked out so deep that they may as well have taken the draught of living death. I can't bring myself to cast an unforgivable. No spell or potion will wake them, anyway. Why take a life? I fight my way up to Harry, my love and knight in shining armor. Right now that armor is being blood spattered, and it isn't fair. He shouldn't have had to grow up yet.
Hermione is right behind me. I still haven't seen Ron. I look around frantically as this thought hits my synapses. Where could he be, that he isn't at Harry's side? Why didn't he come and fetch me? Wait a minute, he doesn't know! I never had the chance to tell him we will win. I start to scan the ground, fear of finding him in the gruesome carpet of corpses lodged in my heart. There he is! He's locked in a battle with Lucius Malfoy. Draco's motionless body is on the ground between them. I lose my second innocence right there, the one I worked so hard to regain after the chamber. I raise my wand and kill my family's mortal enemy.
"Avada Kedavra," I scream, and the flash of green light hits him squarely between the eyes. He crumples, never knowing that the little girl he tried to kill finally bested him. Ron stumbles a bit, and comes running over to us.
"Ginny? What in Hades do you think that you're doing? You should be staying safe!"
" Farathoom, Ron, do you really think that I can stay safe while my friends are all dying?" I scream back. I look up in horror, and throw a curse at the pale faced ex-Slytherin that had been feigning death. He's started to stand up, and his wand is pointed at my brother. The expression on his face is sickening, of hatred and glee as the death shoots out of his wand.
I was too late. He had already muttered the fateful words.
"Duck, Ron! Duck!" I scream, knowing it was futile. My favourite brother crumples to the ground in front of me. Hermione starts wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought it was a lament, a horrible cry at watching her love die, but then I realize that she is being tortured. I try to block it, but once again, I am too late. Another flash of sickly light, and she is gone too. My brother and my almost sister are dead, in front of my horrified eyes, in less then a minute. I know that I will soon be joining them. At least they are together, I think, and then my own world erupts into fiery hell. I curse my distraction. Can't let that happen again, no matter who dies in front of me. Using a trick Dumbledore had hoped I'd never need, I throw it off. (Hey, I'm not the most powerful witch of my generation for nothing.) Harry looks at me with misery and amazement in his eyes. I shoot him a grin, but it doesn't calm me down. Anger blazes, and starts to roll like a firestorm in dry brush. I can feel my power building. Harry is also heading into a berserker rage after watching his two best friends fall. He turns to me, and I can see sheer, raw power snapping in his eyes. Mine reflect his. I walk over to him, and take his hand. A curse is being shot from somewhere. I'm not aware if it hits us or not. Our power melds, and starts to flow though both of us. I can feel it travelling, tingling. Some vague part of my mind knows that I won't get out of this alive. I also don't care. I look over at Harry. The misery in his eyes isn't allowed
"I love you, Harry. I'll see you in the Summerlands. ," I say, not recognizing my own voice through the focussed power. No regrets, no longing for might-have-been. There isn't the time or the need. But still.
"Love you too, Ginny. We'll meet up with Ron and Hermione soon." I can tell by the steadiness in his voice that he, too knows the only outcome of what we are about to do. Still, the reassurance steadies me.
The hall goes deathly silent as we begin to glow. All activity stops. I recognize several familiar bodies on the ground. Neville. Dean. Ron, his red hair drying with coagulated blood, lying in a puddle. I will see them all soon. Voldemort, that foul slime, is walking up the space between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. He has no place here. We stand there, glowing. I think we're making him nervous.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" He screams at us. Why am I not afraid? That is bright, speeding death. As if one mind Harry and I utter the spell that will kill him. The same spell that will kill us with it, for it requires so much raw power that we will burn out. We no longer care. This is our destiny.
"REVERSI DESTRUCTO," we shout together. United. The raw outlet shoves me into his arms. I can feel the strength burning out of me, but I keep my wand held high. The glamour had died with Hermione, and my hair is blazing as bright as the blood red sunset that this battle began with. The last sunset of so many lives, I reflect grimly as I hold on. The silver light fights with the green. We concentrate, and fire even more power into the stream. I can hear my brothers, Bill and Charlie yell as they enter the battlefield. They are too late. Goodbye! My heart cries to them. It's almost as if they answer back. Their horrified faces seem to speak more eloquently then anything as they realize what has happened. Things are starting to fade, even as they get brighter. Harry is not slackening. I can feel him starting to burn out in the back of my mind. We are both too far gone to save. A hideous high pitched wail echoes as our spell starts to do its job. I give one last shot of power, just to make sure. That's all I have left.
My body falls to the floor, intertwined with Harry's. He falls with me. I'm floating.
Bright. And pale. What is that tunnel? Is that Ron? And Hermione. And so many others. Harry takes my hand, and speaks to me. We walk over to our friends. We've arrived then. Goodbye. I love you all. I'll meet you in the Summerlands. We won. We finally won.