Birthday Surprises Chapter 24
Usual disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Please. Wish it were mine though. Ah, if only… Lolly, xxx.
Back in her room, Ginny curled up on her bed, clinging to the last of her childhood as it slipped through her fingers. She wanted to turn back time and be a child again - things so much easier when she was five. But it was impossible. She was sixteen, and she would have to face the music - just like everyone else. She sobbed silently, tears streaming down her face as she looked around her room. It was a pale lilac, and was filled with odds and ends that she had collected since she was a child: her favourite teddy bear, a small ornament that her father had bought her when she started primary school, her books, her photos. She pulled the picture of Harry and the triplets from her drawer and stared at it. Yes, the headmaster had unwittingly given Harry the most perfect reason to stand up and fight, whether he was ready or not. On impulse, she pulled a spare piece of parchment from her stationary supplies, and began to write.
Dear Professor Dumbledore.
I'm sorry to bother you in the summer holidays and everything, but I really needed to talk to you. I can't say much in this, but I'm worried. Why Harry? He now has the perfect reason to go off, do you realise that? Was that the intention? If so, it was really cruel. If not, then…I don't know. I don't mean to be cheeky, or impertinent, but I'm scared for my friend.
Best regards,
Ginny Weasley.
Before she could reconsider, Ginny attached the letter to Pig's leg and watched him fly away into the evening. Hermione walked in moments later, watching as Ginny stared out of the window, her face streaked with tears.
"Why were you crying?" She asked. "Was it what Harry said?"
"Partly." Ginny mumbled. She turned to face her friend. "Did you see the look on his face?" She shuddered, remembering how his eyes were alight with hatred for Voldemort and determination to finish it once and for all. Hermione sat beside Ginny, tears forming in her eyes.
"Yeah. He's going to fight him. Not just because Voldemort's trapped him this time."
"He wants it over. He has to kill him Hermione - he has to, before Voldemort kills him. And if Voldemort kills him..…" Ginny trailed off, the consequences of Harry's death were too horrible to think of. "I wrote to Professor Dumbledore." She said, changing the subject abruptly.
"Why?"
"I wanted to know..…don't you think that Harry would protect the triplets with his life?"
"Yeah, I know he would, but I don't see..…"
"They're innocent, Hermione. They're just more motivation for him - he sees them and wants them to be able to grow up safely."
"They're like a catalyst." Hermione muttered, her eyes wide and full of tears.
"Exactly. I wanted to know whether that was the purpose."
"No, Dumbledore wouldn't. He cares for Harry too much. They're quite close."
"Yeah, but still..…I wanted to make sure."
"Maybe Harry was right - all of these things might be geared towards keeping him away from Voldemort."
"That's a possibility. But I can't see Harry staying at Hogwarts when the time comes, no matter what Dumbledore tries."
"No, neither can I. And he's going alone."
"It's better that way - he wouldn't want you there. Believe me. At best, you'd have to see him go through hell and murder someone - even if he is evil, and at worst, you get tortured and have to watch him die."
"I..…we used to do everything together - the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, finding out about Sirius, even in fourth and fifth year. Last year he was sort of distant. No wonder, really, but still, we did things together. Now…he's going to go alone, no matter what Ron and I say. This is his destiny, and he'll be alone to face it. It's horrible." Hermione said, the tears now coursing down her face.
"I know." Ginny said, hugging the older girl. "Let's wait and see what Dumbledore has to say."
The next few days passed quietly for everyone - there was an unspoken agreement between the four that meant no one mentioned the prophecy. They spent their time between Harry's room and the garden, and even took the triplets out into the garden on one particularly nice day. There had been no reply from Dumbledore, and Ginny was starting to get slightly anxious. It was four days after she sent the letter then she finally got her reply.
Dear Miss Weasley,
I was rather shocked when I received your letter concerning your friend. I hadn't looked at it from that point of view, and was rather hoping that it would have the opposite effect. Still, perhaps it will cause your friend to stop and think before rushing into anything. I will be visiting in a few days to speak with all of you. I hope we can talk more about it then.
Best regards,
Albus Dumbledore.
Ginny frowned as she read the letter again - he had hoped that it would have the opposite effect? Harry had been right. The headmaster was trying to keep him in the castle. She shook her head, knowing that either way, Harry would be facing the Dark Lord at some point in the future, and one of them would die. She just hoped that it was Voldemort. Hermione read the letter too, and looked slightly concerned.
"Don't you think that the more Dumbledore tries to hold him in, the more he'll want to get out?" She suggested.
"Probably. But as Dumbledore said, maybe he'll think about it before rushing into it - maybe he'll think about the triplets."
"Maybe, but they won't be there after the summer, he won't be looking after them. You know, I was sort of pleased when I thought that they were Harry's children."
"Why?"
"I thought that maybe if he was a dad, he'd not be so quick to want to be the hero."
"Harry never wanted to be the hero in the first place." Ginny replied. She wondered secretly if the headmaster had thought along the same lines as Hermione. "Anyway, it doesn't make any difference - he'd just be more determined than he is now - if that's possible. I don't know."
"I suppose. You know, I still wonder why they look so much like Harry."
"Maybe we can ask the headmaster when he gets here." Ginny suggested half-heartedly. She didn't really care about the babies looking like Harry - they had much bigger problems to face, as far as she was concerned, still, maybe something trivial like that was exactly what everyone needed.
