==*Racing Time*==

(A/N) Well here it is another chapter to the infamous Racing Time fanfic by me! I know you're going to try and scroll down to the end of this chapter in a minute to see if I'm lying or not, but either way I'm going to say it. Even thought this title of this chap. is "The Heroine of Darkness" that doesn't mean you are actually going to find out who she is on this chapter. I'm serious! Now, seriously, would I lie to you? Okay so maybe I would be you got to trust me. But if you want to waste your time go ahead, but for you people who believe me you made the right choice. Good for you. Cheers!

~Lizzie

(Disclaimer) Well no they aren't for me. Besides if they were Ron and Hermione would have got together a LONG time ago!

Chapter 12: The Heroine of Darkness

Harry woke up dripping in sweat and shaking with fear. He had her! Voldemort had Ginny! It won't be long. It made since now. He had been reading Harry's dreams all along. He had been planning it from the first time Harry dreamed about her. He had finally found the best way to bring Harry to himself, through his one true love, Ginny.

Harry threw the covers off of himself and ran over to the trunk that with held his old school clothes and his wand. He rummaged through it noisily, throwing books, clothes, and even his Firebolt, aside to find it. Why hadn't he just left it on his bedside table? Why'd he have to make things so complicated for himself?

Ron snorted awake beside him from the noise Harry had created in his rush. He stared at him curiously rubbing his eyes vigorously as to be sure he wasn't only seeing things.

"Harry?" he muttered his voice cracking with sleepiness. Ron watched Harry curiously as he threw on one of his robes and grabbed his wand from the mess. "Where are you going? Is it morning already?" Ron asked still finding no solution to the darkness that filled the room and Harry's frantic behaviour.

"It's Voldemort. He has Ginny." Harry said hastily. This seemed to wake Ron up. As Harry bolted for the door, he found himself barricaded by Ron's face in his own.

"Ron get out my way," Harry growled through clenched jaws.

"Hold up. Where is this coming from? How could Voldemort have Ginny?" Ron said sounding terribly frightened by the look on Harry's face.

"Ron, get out of my way." Harry repeated a little more sternly and tried to shove Ron out of the way. But he wasn't planning on moving just yet, and Ron wasn't going to move unless Ron wanted to move. Ron in turn shoved him back and to his great surprise got another in return. Bad mistake. Ron grabbed Harry up by his shoulders and slammed him, hard, against the wall.

"Bloody hell!" Harry said looking deeply affronted. "What are you doing Ron?!"

"I care about Ginny too, but, Harry, right now is NOT a good time to be messing around! I need to know exactly how you found this out or I'm not letting you away from this wall!" Harry nodded his head hastily and Ron slowly lowered him back down to the floor.

"I had another dream," Harry whispered sounding almost out of breath from the shock.

"Oh a dream was it?" Ron said rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"Look Ron I'm not kidding. I know what I'm talking about. If you let me show you I'll prove I'm right."

"I'm not letting you out this room until you-''

"Fine! Then you'll just let her die if I AM right?" Harry yelled growing very impatient.

"FINE HARRY! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SMART! WE'LL GO TO GINNY'S ROOM AND IF SHE'S NOT THERE I'LL HELP YOU FIND HER!" Ron yelled spit flying onto Harry's face. He threw his hands off of Ron's shoulders and backed away giving his room to go to the door again.

After throwing on a cloak Ron ran after Harry, down the hall thinking to himself. What if what Harry said was true? What if Voldemort did have Ginny? What would happen to her? And what would he do if something did? He'd never be able to live with himself again.

Just as they reached the door, Harry threw it open and started to yell out Ginny's name. Hermione woke up screaming in the bed beside Ginny's bare one.

Ron could feel himself turn deathly pale and his blood turned to ice. She was gone. She really was gone.

"Ron." Hermione squeaked as Harry searched through Ginny's bed-sheets for some type of answer. Ron shakily stumbled over to Hermione's bed as Harry darted back towards the door.

"She's not here. We'll have to go get her back." Harry said to himself before he left out the room slamming the door behind himself. Ron went to follow and then Hermione's soft voice called him back.

"Ron where are you going? What's going on?" she asked him in a whisper even though there was no one around to hear her. Ron looked at her eyes and sighed.

"It's Ginny. She's gone and me and Harry have to go after her. We think Voldemort might have her." Ron said quickly not looking away from her eyes. "I have to go. Harry's the only one who knows where she's at." He stood to leave and then was turned back around by Hermione's strong grasp.

"Ron, no, don't leave me. Take me with you," She begged looking up pleadingly in his eyes. Ron bit his lip and looked down at her lovingly. As he stared into those chocolate brown eyes he could see the love in them that always seemed to make them smile even if they were brimmed with tears. It had only so recently returned. He couldn't let it go again, not just yet, not now that he had finally got it back. He couldn't bare to see her hurt again. He loved her too much to let that happen to her again, when she was so close to returning to normal completely again.

"No, 'Mione. Just stay here. I lost you once and I'm not going to lose you again. Just whatever you do don't leave this room. Please? I love you too much." He bent down slowly and placed his lips softly on her hand, which was still holding on tightly to his own. "I'll come back to you soon. I promise."

Inside his head he wondered how true that really was, and if he'd ever actually make it back again…alive.

~*~

Hermione watched Ron run out the door, but knew that even if she had promised, she'd never be able to fall asleep again. She grabbed her robe off the chair next to her bookshelf and slid outside the door to the banister outside her room. She watched Ron along with Harry disappear down the staircase that lead the basement kitchen. In her mind she prayed with all her heart that her would make it back to her. She didn't know what she'd do without him.

Besides who was Voldemort anyway? The name had some type of comprehension on her and it was at the tip of her tongue but she just couldn't grasp it.

Hermione finally comprehending that Ron was gone from her sight and that she had a promise to him to keep she slowly drifted back inside her room. She just sat down on her bed and didn't even put her head down on the pillow to attempt to sleep knowing it would never come, at least not while she knew Ron wasn't okay.

Looking over at Ginny's bed she could practically feel the emptiness. She could sense it in the air that Ginny was no longer there. It actually was quite creepy not to look over the headboard of her bed and not see Ginny's cheerful face smiling back her shining red hair falling in her face and her soft brown eyes that seemed to laugh with glee. It was just so different and she had noticed she had been gone for no more than five minutes. It wasn't until she had started pacing the floor that she realised that Ginny's bed wasn't entirely empty. Sitting on the head of the bed was a book.

Hermione gazed curiously at it for a moment then walked over to Ginny's bed and picked up the small book. It turned out to be a journal of some sort. It was blackened with ash along with the outer part of the pages but on the middle of the cover read, plain as day, in bright gold letters, the name Regulus Black. Somehow it sounded so very familiar but she just couldn't remember who it was. Damn the retched memory loss! She sat down on Ginny's flowery bedspread and placed the book in her lap. She felt like she was doing something wrong by looking at it, but if it somehow helped them to find Ginny she'd have to. Was there really any other choice?

She flipped open the cover and read the first words that caught her eyes

She is called the Heroine of Darkness and when the time is right, she will be woken and will lead us to defeat the boy and all of the unworthy Mudbloods and Muggles. That is why I must write this. To awaken the Heroine!

Oh might Heroine of Darkness, beseech your rightful place on the thrown of evil. You are our only hope at grasping the power that we deserve. Awaken and find the power that so belongs to you! Diminish the boy who stands in our way to victory for it is you and you alone who can stop him. Without you, we shall fail. Awake Heroine of Darkness and guide us to our victory!

Images flashed through her head at the speed of light. Voices of unseen faces streamed through her mind like steadily running water through her brain. Her head was spinning so fast she was beginning to feel sick. The room came to a sudden halt and Hermione collapsed on the floor after falling off of the bed. She had to steady her head with both of her hands to ward off or at least lower the pain pulsating through her brain. She could remember. She could remember again. Everything that had happened all of a sudden just clicked itself back into place in her mind. She could remember…everything!

Ginny! She had attacked her! And now she was pretty sure she knew why. But…hold up a second…

Her eyes filled wide with shock as realisation hit her hard. She breathed an utter cry before she slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Voldemort…"

~*~

Ron stood beside Harry in the kitchen bent over in exhaustion. He had never realised Harry could move that fast. He had pretty much jumped down the 3 flights of stairs taking them three steps at a time.

A loud squeaking sounded along with a big bang of wood on stone made Ron whip his head up to see before him a heavy door opened to reveal a cold dark room. Ron stared into the darkness as horrible pictures flashed through his mind of exactly what he might find looming in the darkness before him. Beginning to feel shaken at the very thought, Ron began to wonder if he actually had enough courage to save Ginny and get out alive. But he had to do it; he knew that now. He had to do it for his family, for Ginny, and… for Hermione. He had to be sure with all his heart they were safe weither he made back…or not.

Ron gave a quick glance over at Harry and could tell that the same burdening thoughts were squeezing the bravery from his own head, then his emerald green eyes met his own. For a second they looked each other dead in the eye and each in turn bowed their heads in a silent agreement, the silent bond they had made without saying a word; no one would get left behind.

Together Harry and Ron stepped out into the never-ending darkness the room withheld. The only light that showed them the dark stone walls surrounding them was the light they had left on in the kitchen they had just left.

"What is this place?" Ron asked thinking aloud. The sudden noise echoed loudly against the walls making Harry jump beside him and he himself couldn't help but feel a bit shaky, not expecting it to come from his mouth so loudly.

As soon as he caught his breath again, Harry shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Looks like a cellar or some kind of a storage room."

Ron had to agree. The large stone blocks on the wall and the pebbles lain on the ground reminded him of his own cellar back at the Burrow. But why would it be hidden behind a kitchen cupboard? Why would anyone want to hide the entrance to a storage room? Unless, of course, it held more than the average cellar would hold, something someone didn't want anyone to find.

"Hey, look over there!" Harry whispered pointing a finger out into the darkness. Ron squinted on the direction Harry was pointing but could only see the same thing he saw when he looked anywhere else, darkness. But then he saw it. The tiniest speck of light flickered out through the pitch-black surroundings and only Harry with his great Seeker eyes could have spotted it.

"What is it?" Ron asked staring at the tiny sparkle of light in bewilderment.

"I dunno." Harry muttered his eyes scrunched I concentration. "But I know I've seen it before; well at least Ginny's seen it. Before…"

"Before what?" Ron said with growing impatience of his sister's whereabouts.

"I…I can't remember. She saw the light and ran towards it, then all I can remember seeing after that was that she standing before Voldemort without her wand. He wanted her to meet someone called the Heroine of Darkness."

"Who?"

"I-I don't know." Harry shook his head violently trying to see past the darkness that filled in the blank places. Why couldn't he see what had happened? What was that light? How did Voldemort get to her, or how did she get to him? And why I the world couldn't he fill in these missing blanks in his head? He was beginning to grow frustrated with his own self when Ron spoke up again.

"Well come on then. Maybe if we follow the light we'll find Ginny." Ron said then, together, they began to run forward towards the small speck of light in the far off distance.

Once they stared to get farther from the door and the dark enclosed on them greater than ever before they came to find that the light they had been chasing wasn't very distant it was just very small. As they approached the mysterious being of the light they found it to be a glow of bright green light trapped inside a small glass ball. It was small enough to fit in the palm of their hand. Harry and Ron both stared down at the tiny ball of light appearing overwhelmingly disappointed then up at each other in the same manner.

"Well…what now, Harry?" Ron shouted a little louder than he intended with his growing frustration.

"I don't know, Ron! I don't know! Okay?" Harry yelled furiously. "Do you understand me clearly now! I-DO-NOT- KNOW!"

Ron began to back away slowly as Harry began to pull at his hair and kick the table on which the ball of light lay. "I don't know how Ginny got to Voldemort! I don't know where she is now! I haven't the slightest in bloody hell where we are or where we are going! I don't know how we are going to find her! And to top it all off, I have no idea what this damn ball has to do with anything either, okay?! So just lay off of me right now! I'm not in a mood right now to mess with your criticising arse right now! I already feel worthless enough without you pointing out every little thing I've done wrong!"

Without fail Ron's red hair kicked into action and brought out the anger that had been steadily rising in his own self.

"Damn it, Harry! Can't you see what I'm going through?! Can't you think for one bloody second about someone beside yourself?! I have just got back my girlfriend after a week of her not even knowing who I was! She had even forgotten my name, Harry! Do you know how bad that hurts?! And now, I've lost the only sister I've ever had! She's the most precious thing in this world to me besides Hermione! Don't you think that I might care for her as much as you?! Oh wait nothing is as ever as good when it doesn't come from you though, isn't that right?! So you know what Harry I'm not in one of the happiest sort of moods right now either. So can you at least for once not yell at me for something I couldn't control! 'Cause if I could, I damn well; wouldn't have let it!"

Harry couldn't bare to even look at Ron's face. Everything he had just said was so true he almost slapped himself across the face for not noticing it before. They had to wok together to get Ginny now. If he wanted her back, alive, he'd have to stop snapping at every little thing anyone said or did. He had to stop pitying his own self and worry about what was important instead of himself; he had to concentrate on getting Ginny back home.

That was how he had lost her to begin with, thinking only of himself. He had never once stopped to consider what Ginny felt; instead he decided to do it all himself. And maybe, just maybe, if he had let her in on the decision they could have stopped this from ever happening. Maybe if they had stayed together Voldemort wouldn't have been able to get to her. But he couldn't change that now. What's happened has happened and there was no turning back. The only possible to get to her was to keep going forward. And if he didn't make it in time, if he was too late to save her, he'd never be able to live with himself again. If anything happened to her, it would be all his fault…because he didn't listen.

Harry lifted his head and looked at the little sphere of light resting on the wooden stool. Something in his head seemed to be remembering something. It was if he had seen it before somehow. Something about that simple ball of light meant something more to him yet he couldn't understand what it was even if it was resting on the tip of his tongue. Wanting to know the meaning to his strange desires impede all of his other thoughts of Ginny and Voldemort, and instead all of his attention rested on this strange urge. No it was more than an urge it was an impulse; he HAD to know.

Harry squinted down at the ball questioningly as Ron paced back and forth beside him muttering to himself. The without even thinking of the consequences, Harry threw his hand out and grabbed the light up off of the stool and clutched it impulsively. It wasn't as he had expected. He had figured it to be warm from the flames of green within it but instead it was ice cold and fairly light, almost as if he weren't holding anything at all. He stared at it for a while as it lay n his hands. Ron had suddenly stopped pacing and stared at the orb in Harry's hands.

"Harry, what are you-"

He stopped suddenly when a loud bang of a door crashed in the distance; the door in which he and Ron had come in from just slammed shut. Harry heard Ron gasp at the sudden noise and Harry's own heart began to race. He fumbled at putting the ball back down but found the stool to be gone. All at once a brilliant green light emanated from the glass ball in his very grip and shot from the gaps in Harry's fingers.

Through the green light, Harry could see the terrified look on Ron's face he was absolutely sure matched his own. The ball in his hands began to vibrate uncontrollably and he couldn't seem to let go of it.. He could feel the hair rustling and air whistling in his ear as if he were flying through the sky on a broomstick, yet he could feel no wind at all. By looking over at Ron he could tell his was experiencing the same thing by the way his hair was rustling like wild fire on his head. A loud shrill laugh rang out in the distance. Then streaks of white light started to stream forward from all around. Then, from the corners of the room where the light shone, walked forward, tall cloaked figures. They were completely surrounded by Death Eaters.

A loud voice hollered out a spell from the crowd and cords began to wrap themselves around Harry and Ron's legs creeping all the way around their bodies. The glass sphere fell from Harry's hands and rolled across the floor, stopping at one of the figure's feet. Harry followed the glass balls path and then watched as the figure bent low and picked up the ball with long white fingers clasping them around it tightly. The figure pocketed the ball nice and gently in his robes and stepped forward into the middle of the circle. With one look at Harry he burst out laughing in a high pitched cackle Harry heard every night in his sleep. It was Voldemort. He knew that, even if he couldn't see his taunting face beneath the dark hood, those two blood red eyes were staring back at him.

Voldemort ceased laughing at once then the room around them went deathly quiet all of a sudden. He glided over to where Harry and Ron lay and looked down at them from Harry's side with invisible eyes.

"Mr. Potter, we meet yet again," Voldemort's voice echoed out of the quiet.

"What did you do with Ginny?! Where is she?!" Harry called out at once feeling the hatred rising so rapidly in his chest. Voldemort paused then another one of his blood-chilling laughs rang through the air again.

"Impatient one, aren't we?" Voldemort said still laughing evermore. "Well, Mr. Potter, I can't tell you that just yet. No that would ruin the surprise. But rest assure, she is most certainly not dead. No, we wouldn't like want that, now would we? That would just ruin all of the fun."

Harry gazed at him evilly. If only looks could kill.

"Besides, I had a little job for her before I killed her. But more with that later. First I have to let you in on a little story of mine, a little story about you, me, and a good friend of mine, one who calls herself the Heroine of Darkness. She in the back right now, getting herself ready. Don't worry yourself though, you'll have your chance to meet her soon enough."

Harry gazed at him curiously. What in the world was Voldemort talking about? From the lost stare on Ron's face, he was pondering the same thing right about now.

"You see, Potter, almost eighteen years ago to this very day, I was given a prophecy that promised me a second opportunity to kill you if I had failed the first attempt. You see the prophecy clearly stated that there would be awakened a woman like no other, one who would be able to defeat the only person who stood in my pathway to power, one who could defeat you, Harry Potter. And now, with the most useful help of your beloved Virginia Weasley along with many others including the brother of the wretched Sirius Black, Regulus, I have been able to awaken her. By the power of Regulus Black's journal Ms. Weasley has most successfully helped the Heroine awaken at long last and has finally joined me on the thrown of evil after all these years. And tonight you shall have the greatest honour to welcome her into power."

The circle of Death Eaters broke apart to reveal a midnight black veil that seemed to be hiding a pathway or doorway of some similar sort.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I'd like for you to meet…the Heroine of Darkness."

Two Death Eaters pulled apart the veil to reveal a long mirror that reminded Harry very much of the Mirror of Erised back at Hogwarts. From where he lay he could see himself and Ron laying next to him a confused expression on his face. Harry watched in horror though as another figure came into view just behind them. He whipped his head around but saw nothing there behind them yet in the mirror it clearly showed a shadow of an image standing right behind him. He gazed at it for a moment and saw the shadow grow nearer and nearer and he realised that if he reached behind him he could probably feel its cloak, but when he tried he found nothing but air.

Harry started to tremble with fear watching the figure grow more and more clear with every passing second. He was shaking repulsively knowing that the outline of that body was that of the very person who could bring him to his doom. He squinted at it closely through the darkness trying desperately to see its face, but couldn't… until… she stepped out of the mirror.

~*~

(A/N) well what are you waiting for? Push that button and tell me what you think!

(Thankz)

~cristen- Sorry if it was a bit confusing but I'm glad you got it anyway. I hope this one wasn't as…well…confusing as the last one. Perhaps it was tho? Oh well any questions just ask.J

~lindybindy-Awww. Thanx! You're so nice and stuff. I wish you had some stories too that way I could see if I thought the same for yours. Maybe

~ickleronniekins- I love your sign in name. Very cute. Thanx for taking the time to submit a review for my fic. I need all I can get. ;)

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