A/N: Just a warning, there are some stronger words and some mature subject
matter discussed.
Chapter 12 – Confessions
Harry nodded, and slowly slid his arm around her waist. He leaned forward and gently covered her lips with his own. What he didn't expect was for Ginny to shove him away, with all the strength she possessed.
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Harry jumped back, shocked. Getting over his shock, he started to apologize. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I shouldn't have done that. Really sorry. Won't do it again."
At the same time, Ginny spoke. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to do that. It was just a shock. But we shouldn't go out anyway. I'm sorry."
"Oh," said Harry dejectedly. "Oh. Why not? I thought you liked me?"
"I do, Harry. I do. I like you a lot. But you shouldn't like me. You deserve better than me. I'm tainted, broken," she mumbled, turning her face away from him.
"What? Ginny, that's not true, you're amazing. How could you say that!"
"You don't know. No one knows." Her voice broke.
"Gin?"
She stared at him for a long moment and finally said in a tiny voice, "I'm not a virgin."
"OH," said Harry surprised. "Okay, well that's good to know. Will you tell me who? Just out of curiosity. I don't mind if you don't. And what did you mean before?"
"I didn't save my self for you! I'm not special anymore. And I don't know who. All of them. The Death Eaters. When I was kidnapped. They raped me. That's why I pushed you away. I was too much contact, and I wasn't expecting it." Finally, a tear slid down her cheek.
"What? They did WHAT?" He took deep breath and calmed down. "Angel, you're still special. You're amazingly special. What they did doesn't make you any different. Why would you think I wouldn't want you if you weren't a virgin?"
"Mum said so. Ever since I was a child, she's been telling me that no one would want me if I had sex before I got married. Does that mean you do still want me?"
"Yes, Angel. I still want you. Have you told anyone else?"
"No!" she cried quickly. "NO! Please don't tell anyone. Please. I couldn't bare it getting back to Snape. I don't want him to know how much it hurt me. He...He was there..."
"Snape was there? Did he ...do anything to you?"
She nodded. "He did. And he almost seemed to enjoy it too. He's always hated me because I wasn't scared of him and did well in Potions. I can't go back, Harry. I can't take NEWT Potions. But I need them. What am I going to DO?" she cried.
"HE WHAT? That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill him."
Ginny launched herself at him, holding him down. "No! Then he'll know. Please, he can't know I told you. He doesn't know I recognized him." Suddenly Ginny realized she was holding him and pulled herself away looking scared. Harry watched this with confusion.
"Gin..." he said slowly. "Are you scared of me?" He looked hurt when she nodded.
"I'm sorry! I don't mean to be. I don't think you'd ever do that to me. I really don't. But I'm just scared. I'm always scared Harry. I can't sleep anymore. I have nightmares, and with Hermione sharing the room, I'm afraid she's going to find out."
"You haven't told anyone? Even your mother?"
"No. I can't. She won't understand. She's always on my case about something. Always wants to know if I'm okay. I don't want her to know this too. I can't stand her hovering over me anymore."
"I think you need to tell someone. A girl. Not your mother, if you don't want to, and not Hermione. Maybe Tonks? Or someone else you trust. Because I don't know what to do Gin. I'll be happy to be here and just listen, if that's what you want, but I really don't have any advice or anything. Think about it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Maybe," she muttered. However, before she could say anything else, Mrs. Weasley interrupted their conversation.
"Ginny! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. How are you feeling dear?"
Ginny shot Harry an 'I told you so,' look. Harry nodded sympathetically. Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry.
"Harry, dear. Do you mind leaving for a minute? I need to talk with Ginny."
"Sure, Mrs. Weasley." He stood up and exited the room. He hoped Ginny would be okay. In the meantime, he went to find Tonks.
He found her sitting at a table looking over some pieces of parchment.
"Hey Tonks," he said, taking a seat next to her.
"Hey, Harry," she said with a tired smile. "How are you so awake?!"
"Eh, you get used to it. So what are you doing?"
"Trying to find a pattern here. Want to help me?"
Harry noticed each parchment had a few names and a date. They were ordered by the date. "Sure, who are these people? They're not..."
Tonks nodded grimly. "Yes. Voldemort's latest victims."
Harry nodded sadly. He looked through the names and moved the ones he had seen slightly out of the line. "I saw these. Voldemort was present for them. The others could be random Death Eater killings, but these probably aren't."
He looked at the names he had picked out again. He showed Tonks a few and said, "These he asked to join him. The rest he didn't."
Tonks looked over the names that Harry indicated were asked to join Voldemort. She looked back up at him, amazement crossing her face. "They're all Order Members. He's trying to turn someone into a spy for him. The ones he didn't ask to join him, I don't know. I can't see anything about them."
"The Fawcetts were killed? I know Madeline Fawcett. She's the year above me. Ravenclaw. I guess she wasn't home?"
"No. She was staying with an aunt."
"Tonks, can I ask you something?" asked Harry, changing the subject.
"Shoot."
"Okay, well I know many people think sex before marriage is a terrible thing, but is that common belief here? Or do only some people think that?"
"It's pretty common, Harry. Especially with the older generation. The ones that started school in the 70's or so, after Voldemort's reign started, don't really think that way. Why?"
"Just wondering. Molly made some sort of comment." Harry desperately wanted to tell Tonks so she could help Ginny, but knew betraying her trust would hurt her more. Suddenly, a name at the end of the row caught his eye. 'Gabrielle Delacour. July 31. France.' "Gabrielle's gone too?"
"Yes. We don't know why, but she was the only death in France. We found out because her sister Fleur works for Gringotts here. You knew her?"
"Yeah." Both heads snapped up when the door opened. They relaxed when they realized it was Ginny.
"Hey Angel," said Harry with a tentative smile. Tonks looked between the two and grinned.
"Finally got things worked out, you two?"
Ginny looked nervous. "When you have a minute, can I talk to you?" she asked, ignoring Tonks' question.
"Sure, I'm pretty much done here. Let me just put these away. Where do you want to go?"
"Can we borrow your trunk Harry?" Ginny asked, without looking at him. "Actually, can you come too?"
Harry nodded, and the three trooped upstairs. On the way, they met Ron and Hermione who were apparently, taking a break from their usual activity.
"Harry, can we talk to you?" Hermione's voice had a disapproving tone. No doubt, they found out about that rumour.
"In a minute, Hermione. I need to go upstairs for something."
"Okay."
Upon reaching Harry and Ron's room, Harry opened the trunk, and the three went in. Sitting down, Harry and Tonks both turned to look at Ginny. Ginny, however, resembled a deer caught in the headlights.
"I thought about what you said, Harry. But can you tell her?"
"Uh...okay...are you sure you don't want to do it?"
"No."
Harry nodded and started to tell Tonks what Ginny had told him just a few minutes earlier. When he finished Ginny was crying, and Tonks was staring at him in shock. Finally, Tonks reached over and hugged the crying girl.
Ginny buried her face in Tonks' shoulder, and cried, "It hurt, Tonks, but it was even worse because I'd always wanted my first time to be with Harry. But it was so disgusting. I don't ever want to do that again. And Snape. I knew it was him. His voice, even through the mask. It was horrible. I can't face him again."
Harry blushed bright red. After a while, he said, "I'm going to see what Ron and Hermione wanted. You know how to get out right?"
Tonks nodded and waved him away.
Harry climbed out of the trunk and started his search for Ron and Hermione. He found them in the kitchen eating the lunch Molly had set out for everyone. Thankfully, they were alone.
"Harry! It's been half an hour!" cried Hermione when she saw him.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just talking to someone. What did you want to talk to me about?" He picked up a sandwich to eat.
"THIS!" snapped Ron. "We're your best friends; you're supposed to talk to us! Not HER. We need to talk to you, and you just go off and snog her."
"Oh?" said Harry coldly. "Funny. That reminds me of ALL LAST YEAR. I rarely spoke to either of you all year, because you were either fighting or snogging."
"Oh, Harry. You don't mean that. We spoke all the time last year. Ron and I didn't go off by ourselves that much. But it's not that we mind if you have a girlfriend. It's just we don't think you should go out with Tonks."
Harry laughed sarcastically. "What's the matter with your memory Hermione? You and Ron were always off by yourselves. But I was happy for you. You were my best friends, and you were happy. And you don't MIND if I have a girlfriend? What the hell does that mean? That I can't be happy unless I'm with you two?"
"Harry!" snapped Ron. "Why the hell would Tonks want you? She's seven years older than you are. Open your eyes, she's just a slut."
Harry glared at Ron. "First of all, she is not a slut. And I'd advise you never to say that again, Weasley. Second, we aren't dating. Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley think we are, and have spread it around. You know, I'd always thought adults don't spread rumours around." He turned and faced Hermione belligerently. "What else did you want?"
"Don't lie to us, Harry!"
Harry's eyes narrowed and he stared at her for a moment. Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen. 'How dare they!' he thought. 'Those narrow-minded, stupid, childish PRATS!' He was so angry he almost walked straight into an impromptu Order Meeting. Dumbledore and a few others were gathered in the hall. Harry shrank back into the shadows to listen.
Dumbledore clapped his hands to quiet everyone down. Finally he spoke. "There was a major attack last night. The entire village of Godric's Hollow has been destroyed. There are no survivors and the village was completely levelled. All except one property. Lily and James' house. The strange thing is, it was never rebuilt after Voldemort's first downfall. We don't know what happened, but we feel it was connected to Harry." Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley spotted Harry.
"Harry! What are you doing here? I thought you were in the kitchen with Ron and Hermione. Well anyway, you shouldn't be here. This doesn't concern you. Why don't you run off and play or something?"
"Actually, Dumbledore just said it had something to do with me. How was my parent's house rebuilt? Did Voldemort himself do this? Or was it just his Death Eaters?"
Mrs. Weasley cast Sirius a pleading glance. Sirius looked uncomfortable but said, "Harry, we'll tell you if you need to know anything. You should go back to Ron and Hermione."
"Now why would I want to do that?"
"Harry..." said Sirius in a warning tone.
"Why do you always think you know what's best for me? You're not my father," hissed Harry, before going up the stairs. Sirius looked like he had been punched in the face. Harry knew he'd feel guilty later, but right now, he was too angry to care.
He stormed up to his room, and pushed open the door. Opening the trunk lid, he dropped inside. Ginny and Tonks were sitting there drinking pumpkin juice. They both looked up when he entered. Harry smiled wanly. "Half the house is mad at me. Ron and Hermione won't believe I'm not going out with Tonks, and the Order was having some meeting right in the hall and started yelling at me when I eavesdropped. So, you alright?" he asked, directing the last question at Ginny.
She nodded hesitantly. Harry smiled, but still looked worried. "So," he said, trying to be cheerful, "either of you want to help me make some food?"
"I will!" cried Tonks eagerly.
While Harry gave Tonks her first cooking lesson, ('No, you DON'T use half a cup of salt.' 'Don't beat the shells into the eggs!!'), he thought about the day. Ron and Hermione were going to be mad at him, and although he thought they were the ones being stupid and thinking he would lie, he decided to apologize. It certainly was easier than having them glare at him everyday. It's not as if he talked to them often anyway. Sirius was a little more complicated than that. He was still angry that the Order still left him out of things that concerned him, but that wasn't Sirius' fault. The reason he had lashed out at Sirius was because he was incredibly hurt. Even now that he knew Sirius was his father, Sirius acted like he didn't really want him.
Finally, without too many major mishaps, lunch was finished. Harry, Ginny and Tonks sat down to eat. After they finished, Harry stacked the dishes in the self-cleaning sink. He really loved this sink, especially after years of being forced to wash dishes at the Dursleys. And with Dudley living there, that was no small amount of dishes.
After lunch, Ginny stood up and smiled wanly. "I'm going back out there, or Mum's going to think I've died."
"I think I'll go too," decided Tonks. "I want to find out what that Order meeting you mentioned was about."
Harry smiled at them. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit then, I want to stay down here for a bit."
After the two girls had left, Harry dug out his mother's diary. He had a short conversation with her, telling her about everyone thinking he was dating Tonks, and about his fight with Ron and Hermione. He left out any mention of Sirius, not wanting to discuss that.
Finally, he put the diary back in his drawer, and exited the trunk. Ron and Hermione were both in the room, looking annoyed.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, when he exited. "Where have you been?"
"In my trunk."
"What?"
"It's a big trunk. Got living space and everything."
"Why didn't you tell us about it, mate?" interjected Ron.
"Never had time," shrugged Harry. "Why were you waiting for me?"
"Uh...well..." said Ron uncomfortably, "we wanted you to help us calm Ginny down. She's a little mad, and I don't know why. We just asked her to talk to you about Tonks..."
"Right" snapped Harry. "First you try to decide who I should and should not date, then you accuse me of lying, and then you ask my friend to break up me and the girl I'm not even dating. Now you want me to help you because your little plan to destroy any happiness in my life failed?"
"Uh...Well...If you put it that way..." stammered Ron.
"Save it," snapped Harry, and left the room. On his way out, he could hear Hermione berating Ron for not having any tact.
Slowly walking down the stairs, Harry sighed. That hadn't gone as planned. But currently, Sirius was more important. Harry entered the kitchen searching for Sirius. 'No use drawing this out,' he thought. He saw Sirius standing on the far side of the kitchen. However, as soon as he saw Harry, he quickly turned and left. Sighing, Harry followed. When Sirius realized Harry had followed him, he turned around angrily.
"What?" he snapped. "Come to hurt me some more?"
"ME?" screamed Harry. "What about you? You had never even planned to tell me. I never even found out my father is still alive until after I don't need one."
Sirius looked devastated at that. He started to reply but Harry cut him off.
"No. NO. Sirius, that didn't come out right. I'm sorry I said what I did. It was just the first thing that came to mind. It's no excuse, I know. I'm sorry. I'm pushing everyone away today. Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, you... I'm so sorry."
Sirius looked uncertain. Finally, he appeared to come to a decision, and enveloping Harry in a hug. "Harry," he whispered. "Oh my little Prongslet. I thought you didn't want me anymore. I'm sorry for keeping things from you, but I just wanted to protect you. I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Harry froze. This was the first time anyone had ever told him they loved him. "Oh," he whispered thickly. "Oh." They stood like that for a moment until Harry broke the silence. "Why did you call me Prongslet?"
"I...I guess to remind you that James was the one who took you and looked after you, but that was my name for you, and it was special. Something between us. I always loved you Harry. Since the moment you were born. You, and your mother. But I couldn't hurt James like that. I just couldn't. But if things had been different, I would have taken you in a heartbeat."
Harry nodded. "I need to go find Ginny. I'll talk to you later, Sirius. I'm sorry."
Sirius smiled and Harry left the room. Once outside, he slumped against the wall. He wasn't good at emotional confrontations. During his years at the Dursleys, they had ridiculed him for any emotion, and once he reached Hogwarts', he had suppressed the emotions further.
Straightening his shoulders, Harry looked around. Judging from the amount of light outside, it was nearly dinnertime. He hadn't realized how long he had spent in the trunk. He was wandering around aimlessly, when he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice. Wondering if the Order was holding another meeting, he stopped to listen. Another person spoke, and he realized it was Ginny.
"Mum! I'm fine. I really am. Honestly. Stop worrying," she said, clearly exasperated. Harry moved away, not wanting to eavesdrop on their privet conversation. However, he did hear Mrs. Weasley's next words.
"Ginny, you are not fine. You throw up a lot, you're pale, you barley eat, and you nearly fainted before. Maybe I should stay in your room in case you get sick during the night?"
"No!" cried Ginny, horrified. "I'm fine! Really."
Harry abandoned the idea of leaving, and went in to help Ginny. When he opened the door, both Mrs. Weasley and Ginny turned to look at him. Harry smiled at them. "Hey Gin, Hi Mrs. Weasley. Sorry to barge in, but I was just looking for Ginny to tell her that I can help her with her Defence is she wants. Uh...come find me when you have time." He moved to exit the room
"Wait! Harry. I can come now. Me and Mum were just finished talking," she said, shooting a look at her mother.
"Alright. We can go to the library. It has some pretty useful books." Ginny smiled and the two exited the room. Behind them, Mrs. Weasley sighed.
Once they were out of earshot, Ginny giggled. "Thanks for rescuing me. She's worried about me, and won't leave me alone. It gets somewhat annoying. I mean I know she's worried and all, but still."
"Not a problem, Angel. Anyway, I think you need sleep. And food. Why don't you eat?"
"I do eat. Just not as much as I used to. I think I'm getting kinda fat," she mumbled.
"Not you're not!"
"Right, so how do you propose I get some sleep? I can't sleep now because Mum will get worried again, and I can't sleep during the night..."
"My trunk of course. Come on, I'll show you."
"Okay..."
They returned to Harry's room, which Ron and Hermione had thankfully left. "You can slow down time here," he told her. "If I slow it down you could sleep for hours and have only a few seconds pass."
"Wow. Really? This is an amazing trunk!"
"Yeah, it is. The only thing is I have to be inside. I can't allow someone to go into this part alone, because they won't be able to get out."
"Oh, well that's okay, I guess." Ginny looked uncertain.
Harry smiled and opened the trunk. He went inside, and then helped Ginny in. "You can sleep in that room, if you want. I'll be in my room if you need me. I think I need sleep too."
Ginny nodded her thanks, and turned away. Suddenly, she turned back around gently kissed Harry, and darted into the room. Harry stood for a moment, stunned, then turned and walked into his room, smiling slightly.
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A/N: Wow, long chapter. Sorry about the delay! And okay, I know Ginny makes it sound like she loves Harry, but what she really means is 'someone who cares about me'. She's just blurting things out because she's upset.
Thanks to all the reviewers. Athenakitty, Dee, Rhinemjr, Ian, RavenPotterBlack, dolphingirl79, FeelingHotHHotHot, Fan-Of-HP, nita, MidnightJustice, KaLeigh1, Silvercrystal77, Wytil, SugarGirl, FroBoy. Thank you so much for rewiewing, you guys. Sorry I'm not responding to each individual review, but I didn't want to list everyone out, just to say thanks. I know it gets annoying when you print something out and there is a long list of thank yous at the end. If you have any questions I'll definitely answer those. But I'm really glad all of you reviewed. Please keep doing it! =)
Ian – Yes, I did skip his entire sixth year. This is set the summer after sixth year, so he is 16, going on 17. Aww, give poor Harry a break. He's young and inexperienced. I mean, look at his relationship with Cho!
RavenPotterBlack – Don't worry, there'll be more between Harry and Sirius. I'm keeping it coming in bits and pieces, because Harry doesn't seem to be able to deal with his emotions too well.
FeelingHotHHotHot – He doesn't look exactly like Sirius, because he had some of his mothers features, but he looks more like Sirius than he did before. Harry wasn't 'up front' with Sirius, because I don't think he knows how. He's always been told to hide his emotions.
Wytil – Well not really. Because the protection worked because of Lily, not James. So it would still work. And the prophesy is still good, because Sirius also escaped Voldemort three times. (yeah, we don't know that, but I'm saying he did.)
FroBoy – Yes, the time thing will become pretty important. Training, sex, and other things. (okay, I'm just joking about the sex part. Mostly. ;))
So please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top?
Chapter 12 – Confessions
Harry nodded, and slowly slid his arm around her waist. He leaned forward and gently covered her lips with his own. What he didn't expect was for Ginny to shove him away, with all the strength she possessed.
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Harry jumped back, shocked. Getting over his shock, he started to apologize. "I'm sorry, Ginny, I shouldn't have done that. Really sorry. Won't do it again."
At the same time, Ginny spoke. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to do that. It was just a shock. But we shouldn't go out anyway. I'm sorry."
"Oh," said Harry dejectedly. "Oh. Why not? I thought you liked me?"
"I do, Harry. I do. I like you a lot. But you shouldn't like me. You deserve better than me. I'm tainted, broken," she mumbled, turning her face away from him.
"What? Ginny, that's not true, you're amazing. How could you say that!"
"You don't know. No one knows." Her voice broke.
"Gin?"
She stared at him for a long moment and finally said in a tiny voice, "I'm not a virgin."
"OH," said Harry surprised. "Okay, well that's good to know. Will you tell me who? Just out of curiosity. I don't mind if you don't. And what did you mean before?"
"I didn't save my self for you! I'm not special anymore. And I don't know who. All of them. The Death Eaters. When I was kidnapped. They raped me. That's why I pushed you away. I was too much contact, and I wasn't expecting it." Finally, a tear slid down her cheek.
"What? They did WHAT?" He took deep breath and calmed down. "Angel, you're still special. You're amazingly special. What they did doesn't make you any different. Why would you think I wouldn't want you if you weren't a virgin?"
"Mum said so. Ever since I was a child, she's been telling me that no one would want me if I had sex before I got married. Does that mean you do still want me?"
"Yes, Angel. I still want you. Have you told anyone else?"
"No!" she cried quickly. "NO! Please don't tell anyone. Please. I couldn't bare it getting back to Snape. I don't want him to know how much it hurt me. He...He was there..."
"Snape was there? Did he ...do anything to you?"
She nodded. "He did. And he almost seemed to enjoy it too. He's always hated me because I wasn't scared of him and did well in Potions. I can't go back, Harry. I can't take NEWT Potions. But I need them. What am I going to DO?" she cried.
"HE WHAT? That fucking bastard! I'm going to kill him."
Ginny launched herself at him, holding him down. "No! Then he'll know. Please, he can't know I told you. He doesn't know I recognized him." Suddenly Ginny realized she was holding him and pulled herself away looking scared. Harry watched this with confusion.
"Gin..." he said slowly. "Are you scared of me?" He looked hurt when she nodded.
"I'm sorry! I don't mean to be. I don't think you'd ever do that to me. I really don't. But I'm just scared. I'm always scared Harry. I can't sleep anymore. I have nightmares, and with Hermione sharing the room, I'm afraid she's going to find out."
"You haven't told anyone? Even your mother?"
"No. I can't. She won't understand. She's always on my case about something. Always wants to know if I'm okay. I don't want her to know this too. I can't stand her hovering over me anymore."
"I think you need to tell someone. A girl. Not your mother, if you don't want to, and not Hermione. Maybe Tonks? Or someone else you trust. Because I don't know what to do Gin. I'll be happy to be here and just listen, if that's what you want, but I really don't have any advice or anything. Think about it. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Maybe," she muttered. However, before she could say anything else, Mrs. Weasley interrupted their conversation.
"Ginny! There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. How are you feeling dear?"
Ginny shot Harry an 'I told you so,' look. Harry nodded sympathetically. Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry.
"Harry, dear. Do you mind leaving for a minute? I need to talk with Ginny."
"Sure, Mrs. Weasley." He stood up and exited the room. He hoped Ginny would be okay. In the meantime, he went to find Tonks.
He found her sitting at a table looking over some pieces of parchment.
"Hey Tonks," he said, taking a seat next to her.
"Hey, Harry," she said with a tired smile. "How are you so awake?!"
"Eh, you get used to it. So what are you doing?"
"Trying to find a pattern here. Want to help me?"
Harry noticed each parchment had a few names and a date. They were ordered by the date. "Sure, who are these people? They're not..."
Tonks nodded grimly. "Yes. Voldemort's latest victims."
Harry nodded sadly. He looked through the names and moved the ones he had seen slightly out of the line. "I saw these. Voldemort was present for them. The others could be random Death Eater killings, but these probably aren't."
He looked at the names he had picked out again. He showed Tonks a few and said, "These he asked to join him. The rest he didn't."
Tonks looked over the names that Harry indicated were asked to join Voldemort. She looked back up at him, amazement crossing her face. "They're all Order Members. He's trying to turn someone into a spy for him. The ones he didn't ask to join him, I don't know. I can't see anything about them."
"The Fawcetts were killed? I know Madeline Fawcett. She's the year above me. Ravenclaw. I guess she wasn't home?"
"No. She was staying with an aunt."
"Tonks, can I ask you something?" asked Harry, changing the subject.
"Shoot."
"Okay, well I know many people think sex before marriage is a terrible thing, but is that common belief here? Or do only some people think that?"
"It's pretty common, Harry. Especially with the older generation. The ones that started school in the 70's or so, after Voldemort's reign started, don't really think that way. Why?"
"Just wondering. Molly made some sort of comment." Harry desperately wanted to tell Tonks so she could help Ginny, but knew betraying her trust would hurt her more. Suddenly, a name at the end of the row caught his eye. 'Gabrielle Delacour. July 31. France.' "Gabrielle's gone too?"
"Yes. We don't know why, but she was the only death in France. We found out because her sister Fleur works for Gringotts here. You knew her?"
"Yeah." Both heads snapped up when the door opened. They relaxed when they realized it was Ginny.
"Hey Angel," said Harry with a tentative smile. Tonks looked between the two and grinned.
"Finally got things worked out, you two?"
Ginny looked nervous. "When you have a minute, can I talk to you?" she asked, ignoring Tonks' question.
"Sure, I'm pretty much done here. Let me just put these away. Where do you want to go?"
"Can we borrow your trunk Harry?" Ginny asked, without looking at him. "Actually, can you come too?"
Harry nodded, and the three trooped upstairs. On the way, they met Ron and Hermione who were apparently, taking a break from their usual activity.
"Harry, can we talk to you?" Hermione's voice had a disapproving tone. No doubt, they found out about that rumour.
"In a minute, Hermione. I need to go upstairs for something."
"Okay."
Upon reaching Harry and Ron's room, Harry opened the trunk, and the three went in. Sitting down, Harry and Tonks both turned to look at Ginny. Ginny, however, resembled a deer caught in the headlights.
"I thought about what you said, Harry. But can you tell her?"
"Uh...okay...are you sure you don't want to do it?"
"No."
Harry nodded and started to tell Tonks what Ginny had told him just a few minutes earlier. When he finished Ginny was crying, and Tonks was staring at him in shock. Finally, Tonks reached over and hugged the crying girl.
Ginny buried her face in Tonks' shoulder, and cried, "It hurt, Tonks, but it was even worse because I'd always wanted my first time to be with Harry. But it was so disgusting. I don't ever want to do that again. And Snape. I knew it was him. His voice, even through the mask. It was horrible. I can't face him again."
Harry blushed bright red. After a while, he said, "I'm going to see what Ron and Hermione wanted. You know how to get out right?"
Tonks nodded and waved him away.
Harry climbed out of the trunk and started his search for Ron and Hermione. He found them in the kitchen eating the lunch Molly had set out for everyone. Thankfully, they were alone.
"Harry! It's been half an hour!" cried Hermione when she saw him.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just talking to someone. What did you want to talk to me about?" He picked up a sandwich to eat.
"THIS!" snapped Ron. "We're your best friends; you're supposed to talk to us! Not HER. We need to talk to you, and you just go off and snog her."
"Oh?" said Harry coldly. "Funny. That reminds me of ALL LAST YEAR. I rarely spoke to either of you all year, because you were either fighting or snogging."
"Oh, Harry. You don't mean that. We spoke all the time last year. Ron and I didn't go off by ourselves that much. But it's not that we mind if you have a girlfriend. It's just we don't think you should go out with Tonks."
Harry laughed sarcastically. "What's the matter with your memory Hermione? You and Ron were always off by yourselves. But I was happy for you. You were my best friends, and you were happy. And you don't MIND if I have a girlfriend? What the hell does that mean? That I can't be happy unless I'm with you two?"
"Harry!" snapped Ron. "Why the hell would Tonks want you? She's seven years older than you are. Open your eyes, she's just a slut."
Harry glared at Ron. "First of all, she is not a slut. And I'd advise you never to say that again, Weasley. Second, we aren't dating. Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley think we are, and have spread it around. You know, I'd always thought adults don't spread rumours around." He turned and faced Hermione belligerently. "What else did you want?"
"Don't lie to us, Harry!"
Harry's eyes narrowed and he stared at her for a moment. Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen. 'How dare they!' he thought. 'Those narrow-minded, stupid, childish PRATS!' He was so angry he almost walked straight into an impromptu Order Meeting. Dumbledore and a few others were gathered in the hall. Harry shrank back into the shadows to listen.
Dumbledore clapped his hands to quiet everyone down. Finally he spoke. "There was a major attack last night. The entire village of Godric's Hollow has been destroyed. There are no survivors and the village was completely levelled. All except one property. Lily and James' house. The strange thing is, it was never rebuilt after Voldemort's first downfall. We don't know what happened, but we feel it was connected to Harry." Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley spotted Harry.
"Harry! What are you doing here? I thought you were in the kitchen with Ron and Hermione. Well anyway, you shouldn't be here. This doesn't concern you. Why don't you run off and play or something?"
"Actually, Dumbledore just said it had something to do with me. How was my parent's house rebuilt? Did Voldemort himself do this? Or was it just his Death Eaters?"
Mrs. Weasley cast Sirius a pleading glance. Sirius looked uncomfortable but said, "Harry, we'll tell you if you need to know anything. You should go back to Ron and Hermione."
"Now why would I want to do that?"
"Harry..." said Sirius in a warning tone.
"Why do you always think you know what's best for me? You're not my father," hissed Harry, before going up the stairs. Sirius looked like he had been punched in the face. Harry knew he'd feel guilty later, but right now, he was too angry to care.
He stormed up to his room, and pushed open the door. Opening the trunk lid, he dropped inside. Ginny and Tonks were sitting there drinking pumpkin juice. They both looked up when he entered. Harry smiled wanly. "Half the house is mad at me. Ron and Hermione won't believe I'm not going out with Tonks, and the Order was having some meeting right in the hall and started yelling at me when I eavesdropped. So, you alright?" he asked, directing the last question at Ginny.
She nodded hesitantly. Harry smiled, but still looked worried. "So," he said, trying to be cheerful, "either of you want to help me make some food?"
"I will!" cried Tonks eagerly.
While Harry gave Tonks her first cooking lesson, ('No, you DON'T use half a cup of salt.' 'Don't beat the shells into the eggs!!'), he thought about the day. Ron and Hermione were going to be mad at him, and although he thought they were the ones being stupid and thinking he would lie, he decided to apologize. It certainly was easier than having them glare at him everyday. It's not as if he talked to them often anyway. Sirius was a little more complicated than that. He was still angry that the Order still left him out of things that concerned him, but that wasn't Sirius' fault. The reason he had lashed out at Sirius was because he was incredibly hurt. Even now that he knew Sirius was his father, Sirius acted like he didn't really want him.
Finally, without too many major mishaps, lunch was finished. Harry, Ginny and Tonks sat down to eat. After they finished, Harry stacked the dishes in the self-cleaning sink. He really loved this sink, especially after years of being forced to wash dishes at the Dursleys. And with Dudley living there, that was no small amount of dishes.
After lunch, Ginny stood up and smiled wanly. "I'm going back out there, or Mum's going to think I've died."
"I think I'll go too," decided Tonks. "I want to find out what that Order meeting you mentioned was about."
Harry smiled at them. "Alright, I'll see you in a bit then, I want to stay down here for a bit."
After the two girls had left, Harry dug out his mother's diary. He had a short conversation with her, telling her about everyone thinking he was dating Tonks, and about his fight with Ron and Hermione. He left out any mention of Sirius, not wanting to discuss that.
Finally, he put the diary back in his drawer, and exited the trunk. Ron and Hermione were both in the room, looking annoyed.
"Harry!" exclaimed Hermione, when he exited. "Where have you been?"
"In my trunk."
"What?"
"It's a big trunk. Got living space and everything."
"Why didn't you tell us about it, mate?" interjected Ron.
"Never had time," shrugged Harry. "Why were you waiting for me?"
"Uh...well..." said Ron uncomfortably, "we wanted you to help us calm Ginny down. She's a little mad, and I don't know why. We just asked her to talk to you about Tonks..."
"Right" snapped Harry. "First you try to decide who I should and should not date, then you accuse me of lying, and then you ask my friend to break up me and the girl I'm not even dating. Now you want me to help you because your little plan to destroy any happiness in my life failed?"
"Uh...Well...If you put it that way..." stammered Ron.
"Save it," snapped Harry, and left the room. On his way out, he could hear Hermione berating Ron for not having any tact.
Slowly walking down the stairs, Harry sighed. That hadn't gone as planned. But currently, Sirius was more important. Harry entered the kitchen searching for Sirius. 'No use drawing this out,' he thought. He saw Sirius standing on the far side of the kitchen. However, as soon as he saw Harry, he quickly turned and left. Sighing, Harry followed. When Sirius realized Harry had followed him, he turned around angrily.
"What?" he snapped. "Come to hurt me some more?"
"ME?" screamed Harry. "What about you? You had never even planned to tell me. I never even found out my father is still alive until after I don't need one."
Sirius looked devastated at that. He started to reply but Harry cut him off.
"No. NO. Sirius, that didn't come out right. I'm sorry I said what I did. It was just the first thing that came to mind. It's no excuse, I know. I'm sorry. I'm pushing everyone away today. Ron, Hermione, Mrs. Weasley, you... I'm so sorry."
Sirius looked uncertain. Finally, he appeared to come to a decision, and enveloping Harry in a hug. "Harry," he whispered. "Oh my little Prongslet. I thought you didn't want me anymore. I'm sorry for keeping things from you, but I just wanted to protect you. I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Harry froze. This was the first time anyone had ever told him they loved him. "Oh," he whispered thickly. "Oh." They stood like that for a moment until Harry broke the silence. "Why did you call me Prongslet?"
"I...I guess to remind you that James was the one who took you and looked after you, but that was my name for you, and it was special. Something between us. I always loved you Harry. Since the moment you were born. You, and your mother. But I couldn't hurt James like that. I just couldn't. But if things had been different, I would have taken you in a heartbeat."
Harry nodded. "I need to go find Ginny. I'll talk to you later, Sirius. I'm sorry."
Sirius smiled and Harry left the room. Once outside, he slumped against the wall. He wasn't good at emotional confrontations. During his years at the Dursleys, they had ridiculed him for any emotion, and once he reached Hogwarts', he had suppressed the emotions further.
Straightening his shoulders, Harry looked around. Judging from the amount of light outside, it was nearly dinnertime. He hadn't realized how long he had spent in the trunk. He was wandering around aimlessly, when he heard Mrs. Weasley's voice. Wondering if the Order was holding another meeting, he stopped to listen. Another person spoke, and he realized it was Ginny.
"Mum! I'm fine. I really am. Honestly. Stop worrying," she said, clearly exasperated. Harry moved away, not wanting to eavesdrop on their privet conversation. However, he did hear Mrs. Weasley's next words.
"Ginny, you are not fine. You throw up a lot, you're pale, you barley eat, and you nearly fainted before. Maybe I should stay in your room in case you get sick during the night?"
"No!" cried Ginny, horrified. "I'm fine! Really."
Harry abandoned the idea of leaving, and went in to help Ginny. When he opened the door, both Mrs. Weasley and Ginny turned to look at him. Harry smiled at them. "Hey Gin, Hi Mrs. Weasley. Sorry to barge in, but I was just looking for Ginny to tell her that I can help her with her Defence is she wants. Uh...come find me when you have time." He moved to exit the room
"Wait! Harry. I can come now. Me and Mum were just finished talking," she said, shooting a look at her mother.
"Alright. We can go to the library. It has some pretty useful books." Ginny smiled and the two exited the room. Behind them, Mrs. Weasley sighed.
Once they were out of earshot, Ginny giggled. "Thanks for rescuing me. She's worried about me, and won't leave me alone. It gets somewhat annoying. I mean I know she's worried and all, but still."
"Not a problem, Angel. Anyway, I think you need sleep. And food. Why don't you eat?"
"I do eat. Just not as much as I used to. I think I'm getting kinda fat," she mumbled.
"Not you're not!"
"Right, so how do you propose I get some sleep? I can't sleep now because Mum will get worried again, and I can't sleep during the night..."
"My trunk of course. Come on, I'll show you."
"Okay..."
They returned to Harry's room, which Ron and Hermione had thankfully left. "You can slow down time here," he told her. "If I slow it down you could sleep for hours and have only a few seconds pass."
"Wow. Really? This is an amazing trunk!"
"Yeah, it is. The only thing is I have to be inside. I can't allow someone to go into this part alone, because they won't be able to get out."
"Oh, well that's okay, I guess." Ginny looked uncertain.
Harry smiled and opened the trunk. He went inside, and then helped Ginny in. "You can sleep in that room, if you want. I'll be in my room if you need me. I think I need sleep too."
Ginny nodded her thanks, and turned away. Suddenly, she turned back around gently kissed Harry, and darted into the room. Harry stood for a moment, stunned, then turned and walked into his room, smiling slightly.
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A/N: Wow, long chapter. Sorry about the delay! And okay, I know Ginny makes it sound like she loves Harry, but what she really means is 'someone who cares about me'. She's just blurting things out because she's upset.
Thanks to all the reviewers. Athenakitty, Dee, Rhinemjr, Ian, RavenPotterBlack, dolphingirl79, FeelingHotHHotHot, Fan-Of-HP, nita, MidnightJustice, KaLeigh1, Silvercrystal77, Wytil, SugarGirl, FroBoy. Thank you so much for rewiewing, you guys. Sorry I'm not responding to each individual review, but I didn't want to list everyone out, just to say thanks. I know it gets annoying when you print something out and there is a long list of thank yous at the end. If you have any questions I'll definitely answer those. But I'm really glad all of you reviewed. Please keep doing it! =)
Ian – Yes, I did skip his entire sixth year. This is set the summer after sixth year, so he is 16, going on 17. Aww, give poor Harry a break. He's young and inexperienced. I mean, look at his relationship with Cho!
RavenPotterBlack – Don't worry, there'll be more between Harry and Sirius. I'm keeping it coming in bits and pieces, because Harry doesn't seem to be able to deal with his emotions too well.
FeelingHotHHotHot – He doesn't look exactly like Sirius, because he had some of his mothers features, but he looks more like Sirius than he did before. Harry wasn't 'up front' with Sirius, because I don't think he knows how. He's always been told to hide his emotions.
Wytil – Well not really. Because the protection worked because of Lily, not James. So it would still work. And the prophesy is still good, because Sirius also escaped Voldemort three times. (yeah, we don't know that, but I'm saying he did.)
FroBoy – Yes, the time thing will become pretty important. Training, sex, and other things. (okay, I'm just joking about the sex part. Mostly. ;))
So please review! Pretty please with a cherry on top?