Rage Chapter 11: Harry's Ascension, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: A lot of this chapter was based on the episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled, "Grave".

Chapter Eleven: Harry's Ascension

Icy terror surged through Ginny. This was it. This was really it. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide… they were all going to die. All their attempts to save Harry were for nothing.

The Death Eaters pulled out their wands, ready to strike. Voldemort smirked, his eyes glowing even brighter. "You don't have to just stand there," he taunted. "The paralysis spell that Potter and I put on you was only temporary. What fun would it be to just kill you all if you didn't put up a good fight?"

This was true; all of the Order members found that they could move. They pulled out their wands, and charged at the Death Eaters, who attacked.

The Weasleys and Hermione ducked under the kitchen table to avoid the curses that were being shot at them. "You get out of here now!" Mr. Weasley hissed. "Get as far away from here as you can!"

"No way!" Fred said, digging into his pocket for his own wand. "We're not leaving!"

"Get out of here right now!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. Her face was a mixture of horror and anger. "I won't let the rest of my children get killed!"

"We're staying here," George said vehemently, also drawing out his wand.

"We're going to fight too," Ron agreed. "We fought the Death Eaters a few months ago!"

"And you nearly got killed!" Mr. Weasley shot back. He reached out and took a teacup from the table. He tapped it with his wand and muttered, "Portus." Then he held it out to Fred.

"This will take all of you to Grimmauld Place," he instructed. "You stay there until we there."

Red and green lights were flashing all around them. Dumbledore was shouting instructions to the Order members, but it was impossible to make out what exactly he was saying over all the chaos. Ginny was glad that she couldn't see what was going on; she didn't want to find out if anyone was killed just yet. In spite of her fear, she wasn't about to abandon her parents or the Order.

"No way!" she said fiercely to her father. "We aren't going to leave you here!"

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine! For God's sake, just leave!" Mrs. Weasley pleaded

"What about Harry?" Hermione whispered.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley exchanged dark looks with each other. "I… don't know if there's anything we can do about that," Mr. Weasley said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded. "You are going to get Harry back, aren't you?"

Neither of them said anything. "Aren't you?" Ron repeated, his voice shaking.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Ron, I'm so sorry, dear," she whispered. "They've tried everything… but it looks like the only way to end all this is to… end Harry's misery."

In the midst of the chaos surrounding them, time seemed to freeze for Ginny. Did she hear them right? They were going to kill Harry?

"No," she said at once, shaking her head. "No, you can't!"

"We have to," Mr. Weasley said grimly. "Dumbledore said that there was nothing they could do. You-Know-Who's hold on Harry is too strong. No counterspell can undo it…"

"You're going to kill him?" Ron asked in horror.

"It's the only way," Mr. Weasley said sadly. "If we don't, we're all going to die --- including Harry. If we do it, at least it will be quick and painless. He probably won't feel a thing…"

It was so unreal. Ginny's parents loved Harry as though he were one of their own. They'd never kill him, not even in the most desperate of circumstances. Surely, there had to be some way, some miraculous plan that would save him…

But the grave faces of their parents spoke the truth; there was no other way. Harry was going to die.

He can't! Ginny thought desperately, tears filling her eyes. He can't die like this!

She considered Harry a part of her life, just as her family and friends were. He had been in her life for nearly six years --- or more, if you counted how she had heard his story in her early childhood. And without him, a piece of her would be missing. Without him, life wouldn't be the same…

Perhaps it's better this way, a voice in her head said. An end to pain is better than pain, after all.

But I don't want him to die! she cried silently.

Why? the voice asked carelessly. What's it to you?

He's my friend…

No, he's not just your friend. The feelings you have for him are more than just friendly feelings. You can deny it all you want, but it doesn't erase the truth ---

Ginny tried to block out these thoughts. There has to be some way, she thought desperately. Something --- anything --- that will help Harry…

Suddenly, she remembered what Harry had told her the other night: "He drained all my emotions so I couldn't force him out. I can't feel anything anymore… only fear and rage."

The only reason Voldemort could stay in Harry's body as long as he wanted was because Harry rejected all his emotions but two: fear and anger. Fear and anger made Voldemort strong. But happiness and sorrow…

She was no longer aware of the shouts and curses being fired all around her. She knew what she had to do.

"Hurry up and take the Portkey!" Mr. Weasley hissed. "Don't waste any time!"

"No," Ginny heard herself say. She stood up from under the table.

"Ginny!" Hermione screamed. "What are you doing?"

"Get --- down!" Ron shouted, trying to pull her back under the table, but Ginny wrenched herself out of his grip and calmly walked towards Voldemort…

One of the Death Eaters spotted her and raised his wand, but Voldemort held up his hand to stop him. "No," he hissed. "Leave her to me… I want to kill her myself…"

"Don't you dare touch my daughter!" Mr. Weasley bellowed, emerging from the table and pointing his wand at Voldemort.

Ginny stepped in front of him. "Dad, don't!" she yelled. "It's all right, I know what I'm doing!"

Voldemort smirked. "You seem to have a rather strong death wish, Ginny."

Ginny took a deep breath and faced Voldemort. "Harry, I know you're in there," she said in as steady a voice she could muster. "It isn't too late… you can still stop this."

"Potter can't hear you anymore," Voldemort sneered. "He'll be dead as soon as I finish my business here… and in a second, you will be too…" Another ball of light was forming in his hand.

"I love you, Harry!" she cried out at once.

Voldemort lowered his hand. "This is your big plan?" he asked coldly. "To tell Potter that you love him? What a joke…"

"It's true," Ginny confessed. She started speaking very quickly, in case Voldemort attacked in the next second. "I did have some stupid little crush on you when you first showed up at The Burrow, and even though I didn't want to admit it, I think I still have feelings for you. And it isn't just because you're famous! It's because you're one of the bravest people I've ever known.

"Think about everything you've done; you've saved Hogwarts so many times. You even took on Voldemort when you were eleven! I don't know anyone else who would be willing to do that. And you always try and help people. You saved so many lives… including mine! I know that you feel bad that you fell for Voldemort's trick last year, but doesn't matter! What matters is that you were willing to risk everything if it meant saving Sirius! That shows how much you care about others!

"I know you miss Sirius… I know that you've gone through nothing but hell lately… and I know that I can't know exactly how you feel, but I'll try to help you through it as much as I can!" Ginny swallowed, tears spilling down her cheeks. "There are still people who love you, Harry, in spite of how much you've changed…

"When I first met you, you just this skinny, shy, sweet boy. Now, you've got a temper, and you are a bit of a prat at times… it doesn't matter to me. You're still the same brave person I've known. I love shy, sweet Harry, and I love angry Harry! Are you listening to what I'm saying, Harry James Potter? I love you."

No sooner had she finished, she pinned Harry's body against the wall. She closed her eyes, leaned forward, and kissed him on the lips.

When she pulled back, Voldemort's eyes were glaring at her, twisting Harry's face into an expression of revulsion.

And yet the redness was beginning to fade from his eyes. Harry's face was softening in confusion and shock…

***

Harry was only aware of the cold darkness. He heard sounds that seemed to be coming from a thousand miles away. Though distant they were, he could tell that they were screams. Screams of pain, torment, and anger…

He was causing this. Everyone he cared about was suffering, because of him. Because of his own stupid mistake, he had doomed all of them.

Just kill me already, Voldemort, he thought. It's what I deserve…

The voices were becoming louder every second. Vaguely, he recognized one of them as Ginny's voice. She was talking to him --- pleading with him…

"It isn't too late…. you can still stop this!"

No, I can't. It's too late. I can't fight him, he's too strong…

"I love you, Harry!"

What? What had she just said? Was he hearing things?

Ginny's voice was becoming clearer and louder by the minute. She was talking about all the good things he had done in his life… and how he shouldn't blame himself for Sirius's death…

He had been told all this more times than he could stand. "It's not your fault, Harry." "There's nothing you could have done, Harry." And worst of all, "We know how you feel, Harry."

Rubbish. It was pure rubbish. Nobody knew how he felt; they had never experienced this kind of pain themselves…

"I know you miss Sirius," she went on. "I know that you've gone through nothing but hell lately… and I know that I can't know exactly how you feel, but I'll try to help you through it as much as I can! There are still people who love you, Harry, in spite of how much you've changed…"

Have I? Harry wondered bitterly. After all, I'm not the same person I used to be. I used to take crap from everyone --- Dumbledore, Snape, the Dursleys… every single one of them. Was that supposed to be a good thing?

Impossible… no one had ever loved him. At least, no one had ever said that they loved him. His parents had undoubtedly loved him, and they were dead. And while Sirius had cared for him, he had never outright said that he loved him. Either way, he was gone too.

All he ever gave people was misery, and he had received it in turn. Even now he was doing this… and she said that she loved him?

"Are you listening to what I'm saying, Harry James Potter? I love you."

Suddenly, Harry regained the feeling in his body. He felt himself being pushed against a hard wall. Something warm and soft pressed against his mouth. It was a familiar sensation, and yet this time it didn't feel so… wet.

Then, all at once, his sight returned. Everything was blurry at first, but he could tell he was in the Weasleys' kitchen. Red and green lights were flashing all about… hooded people were chasing after the familiar forms of the Order members…

And right in front of him was Ginny. She was staring at him intently, tears streaming out of her eyes.

For a moment, Harry stood there, stunned. She'd meant what she said. If the sincerity of her words wasn't evident in her voice, it had certainly been evident in the kiss she had just given him.

She loved him --- they all did. Even after everything that had happened, they loved him.

He felt something hot and wet slide down his cheek. And another. And another…

"What is this?" Voldemort hissed in outrage, using Harry's mouth. He turned his head towards Ginny, who looked shocked. "You!" He forced Harry to lunge towards Ginny. "I will kill you for this, girl!"

"No!" Harry shouted. He froze, surprised. Voldemort was still inside him, and yet he could use his own voice. He also could move his own body. With that in mind, he willed his own legs to stop moving. They did.

Harry suddenly felt warm, as though a beacon had been lit inside of his mind. An aura of energy seemed to surround him. Unaware of what he was doing, he waved his arms in the air.

The Death Eaters suddenly stopped shooting curses, unable to move. They were frozen in place, just as the Weasleys, Hermione, and the Order had been. And this time, the hold wouldn't last just a few seconds.

As though he'd been planning to do it all along, Harry extended both of his arms towards the walls. "Get out of my body!" he roared in a deep, harsh voice unlike his own.

"No!" Voldemort shrieked, still using Harry's mouth.

"You've lost, Voldemort!" Harry bellowed. "You can't stay in my body for long --- I can feel again!"

"I will not be thwarted so easily this time, Potter!" Voldemort laughed cruelly. "Even if you force me out, you'll still lose! You'll die the minute I leave you!"

"I don't care," Harry replied serenely. "If that's the way it has to be… then so be it."

He then concentrated his thoughts and emotions on memories of Sirius. Sirius, whom at one point in his life he had thought to be a murderer. Sirius walking up to a mountainside cave, disguised as the shaggy black dog with a newspaper in his mouth, walking. Sirius, his hand on Harry's shoulder as he told Dumbledore what had happened the night Voldemort returned; Sirius merrily decorating Grimmauld Place for Christmas; Sirius falling through the veil in the Department of Mysteries…

Images of Ginny flashed through his mind as well. Ginny, who used to blush every time Harry was nearby. Ginny, lying unconscious in the Chamber of Secrets. Ginny flying around the Quidditch field as the Seeker. Ginny, giving him a chocolate egg sent by her mother for Easter…

She had been the only one he felt he could really talk to during this entire, miserable summer. She was no longer Ron's little sister in his eyes, but a friend of almost equal age…

All the sorrow, anger, pains, happiness, and excitement that he had ever felt was drawn up from inside of him. He heard Voldemort screaming, unable to bear all this. Yes, Harry thought maliciously. Get out of my body, you bastard!

He felt a tearing sensation in his body. Voldemort was leaving --- he was free!

No sooner had he had he been freed, he collapsed to the floor. All of his strength was gone. Everything grew hazy around him; he knew he was dying.

And yet Harry felt glad. He had won. Whatever happened to him now didn't matter.

His body was growing numb. He was falling back into the cold darkness…

For you, Ginny. I'm sorry for everything. And for you, Sirius. I'll be seeing you soon…

To be continued…