Ginny Weasley:

The Lion-Snake Prophecy

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; I only worship JKR!

Chapter Seventeen

Ginny ran between the lots of number eleven and thirteen. She concentrated with all her might on the slip of paper she had read last year. The paper that had been written specifically for her by Dumbledore: The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix is located at number twelve …

There! Ginny increased her pace as a weary and battered door was birthed between lots eleven and thirteen, each house squeezing to one side of the newly visible building. Without pause, Ginny ran up the worn stone steps. Her blood was pounding in her ears, and her chest heaved with every forced breath. Her head was still spinning from the harrowing trip, and she was quickly developing a splitting headache. But Ginny pushed these minor pains to the back of her mind. Hiss was still convulsing in her hand, and Ginny focused on getting him to safety.

The door, told to recognize her, opened. Ginny dashed up the last steps, seeing nothing in front of her but sanctuary. Her left foot crossed the doorway …

… and a whip-lashing pain seared up her spine.

Ginny writhed as a lightening-force tore into her. She had stuck some invisible barrier, and it held her between the doorway of Grimmauld Place like a strung marionette, striking at her with fury.

Ginny tried to scream but couldn't, the pain stole all sounds from her throat, sucked all the air from her lungs. In her hands, Hiss writhed.

Nooo! Ginny shouted, but only in her mind. The charm wasn't going to let them in; Dumbledore didn't trust her after all …

No, Ginny declared, gathering herself together despite the pain. The charm lashed at her, but she struggled to beat past it. If she could just move her foot, she could make it inside. She could protect Hiss, like she had promised. Just a little bit further …

The pain increased ten-fold – pulling, twisting at her muscles until Ginny was forced to stop pushing herself forwards. Her back arched as her muscles contracted in forced spasms. Ginny's hands loosened their grip, but she managed to keep a hold on her friend. She protected him from the frying blasts by the strength of her love. The force field lightening tore at her, but Ginny held onto consciousness with purpose. She could beat this, she had too; he was a friend, he was safe …

TRAITOR! The force field thundered at her, its magic pounding with a physical force that somehow left the impression of sound on her mind. YOU HAVE BROUGHT AN UNKNOWN!

No! Ginny shouted back at the magic, trying desperately to think around the pain. A friend – he's a friend!

TRAITOR! The magic shouted again. It pounded at her mercilessly.

Ginny became aware that she was being pushed backwards, away from the doorway. She struggled towards it again, but the magic would have none of it. YOU WERE ADMITTED ENTRANCE, YET YOU HAVE BETRAYED US! The voice now had a Dumbledore-edge to it. If that was what Dumbledore sounded like in a rage ...

Yet the change in tone of voice only spurred Ginny on. This was the voice she had trusted, the voice she had believed in. She had risked expulsion for this voice, had cried in its office, had been comforted by its melodious sound. And yet this was the voice that had named her an enemy. The voice that had betrayed her. She would show him – would show them all what and who she was, and who Hiss was too.

HE IS A FRIEND! She shouted back at the magic. The pain increased again, but Ginny fought against it. I can beat this, she told herself as her mind grew dim. It would be so much easier to give up … No! Tom did worse, didn't he? He practiced Crucio on me, he practiced without a wand, in my own head … that was far worse that this. I can beat this …

She was still guarding Hiss. The magic seemed to sense this, or simply realized that it couldn't break her without doing permanent nervous damage to her spine. Instead the force field turned its semi-awareness towards Hiss.

NO! Ginny shouted again as she felt the magical energies coalesce in a directed attack against her friend. I won't let you hurt him – he's innocent, he's only here because of me – I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!

But she couldn't stop the magic. She wasn't powerful enough. It was building into a slamming force. It would as good as kill Hiss – it would throw him back outside where Tom would reach him. Ginny watched in helpless fury, struggling to stay conscious, as it dove towards her friend. She would give anything, anything to save him …

Ginny opened her heart, opened her mind completely in a last, desperate attempt to help her best friend. She would take everything, every last ounce of magic she had, and she would push that force back for as long as she could. Dumbledore must have been aware of her attempt to bring something else into Headquarters by now. He would come and save them, or so she hoped …

But she could hold nothing back. With conscious effort, Ginny released that hope, released everything she had to fight for her friend. She relaxed into the pain, released her fury and her desperate fear. She felt her magic gathering at the base of her spine. She felt the last air in her lungs, the last strength in her body, join that emotional power. But it wouldn't be enough, she knew, there had to be more. There had to be more power here somewhere …

Suddenly Ginny had a mental image of her dream bridge, as frayed and dangerous as ever, swinging across the chasm of unmeasured depths. And yet this time Ginny threw herself across the bridge without a moment's hesitation, not even bothering to look down. The fire was there, bright and furious, and it was calling to her. She had released all the inhibitions that had kept her from that flame. She had dimmed its cry in her mind, but it was always there. Had always been there. And now it called to her with frightening power, and Ginny gave herself to it completely. She ran across the fraying bridge, and as she approached, the hungry wall of flame transformed from fiery red to a sudden, depthless green. Its call was stronger than ever, and Ginny hurled herself towards it with a cry of released tension, heedless of any danger. Heedless of anything except her desire to protect her friend, and the sweet, cold embrace as the fire took her.

She was past rational thought, and yet still she recognized she should have been burning by now, should have been thrashing in agony. But there was only the pervasive cold, and then something far below her rumbled to life. In her mind Ginny could hear a low and hissing yyyyYYYYEEEEEESSSsssssssss!

It was something half-remembered, as if from a dream. Or a nightmare. Ginny, hanging in the cold, had a sudden flashback of a shiny black floor, of Tom letting the basilisk loose on her. He had known that in her moment of death, her body would be his. She had been past fighting at that point, and so she had looked up into the basilisk's red eyes, and she had not died …

… and now as Ginny felt the power rise and flood from her, a power that warmed her as it left her, she realized with astonishment that she no longer felt any pain …

Am I dying? She wondered, unsure if she wanted to know the answer. If this was dying, it wasn't so bad. She couldn't see what Tom had been afraid of. The cold had faded, and she hung now in only a comfortable darkness. There was a peaceful feeling in her heart. She felt as if she could hang here forever, submerged in a depthless darkness that comforted her. In this place there would be no more betrayal, no more Tom, no more Harry ...

Harry.

… there was a low rumble from somewhere beneath her. Ginny could feel a presence emerging from that depthless dark. It rose with majesty and power, climbing from the abyss until it sounded from all around her. Ginny felt the powerful something embrace her, it coiled around her trunk in a terrible yet comforting embrace. It was unbelievably strong, and felt vaguely reptilian. Were those scales scratching against her skin?

Hiss? Ginny called out, but with faltering strength. The pain had left her, but a tremendous exhaustion had quickly taken its place. The darkness was no longer comforting, but instead seemed to collapse in onto her. Hiss … Ginny fought her hold on consciousness. She was barely aware of her friend held tightly in her hands, but aware of him she was. He was no longer shaking, no longer afraid; but somehow she knew he was sad, terribly terribly sad, and yet also so very proud …

She could fight the darkness of unconsciousness no longer. It called out to her, promising rest and relief. Ginny felt Hiss again in her hands, he's okay …

The darkness took her, took her and smothered her. And Ginny let herself be smothered.

-

She was standing on a stone path, looking up at her Mansion House. The gates, inscribed with life-like snakes whose eyes glittered at her as she winked at them, parted before her uplifted hand. The lock that had held them tight had been released, and Ginny stepped into the yard filled with dead plants and broken pottery. She breathed in the free air and smiled as a vision of her father appeared beside her. Ginny didn't bother turning to look at him, but kept her eyes fastened on her Home. There was some major cleaning duty ahead, but at last she was back …

… the vision of her father smiled at her. 'Welcome home, Ginny …'

-

"Ginny … Ginny …!"

A voice called to her. The sound was harsh and unwelcome against her ears. She tried to ignore it, but there were several people around her, all shouting to be heard.

"What the hell what that!" and then, "What happened? Someone else beside her ear shouted, "Where's Dumbledore? – someone get Dumbledore!"

Ginny felt hands reached out to her. Their touch was frightening; it brought a painful rush of memories to her mind. Too much … too fast!

"Ginny! Oh Merlin, Ginny dear! Ginny honey …" The voice was shrill and filled with fear. With it came the memory of a homely woman with red hair and a tendency to nag … her mind convulsed at the image. The picture had led to other pictures, which lead to visions and feelings and sounds. A lifetime of memory's of the woman with red hair filled her, and some of them were sad and some of them were not … Ginny felt herself flinch as one particular image assaulted her, 'But Ginny? What's our Ginny got to do with – with – him?' …

"What the bloody hell? … Ginny! Merlin! What …?" This voice, too, was raised in fear. But with it came the image of an ungodly orange coloured jersey, and pain … too many years worth of pain …

"On the couch, the couch! Back off, boy … put her down there …" There was no fear in this voice, only sharp authority and an accompanying colour of electric blue. Did she think in colour now? If the mind hadn't been so concerned with organizing itself, it might have laughed.

Twinned voice rose in protest, "Not there – here! In front of the fire … she looks cold …"

There was a distinctive feel of movement, and then the oily smell of hair … "She is regaining consciousness," the voice was dry, supremely uncaring, and unsettlingly close. "If you want me to get her to the couch, and I move were I you."

A jarring shift of location and the sudden sense of rough texture launched Ginny's mind into a flurry of memories. This cloth, this couch was uniquely familiar to her. She remembered a once-handsome man staring at a fire with haunted eyes …

"What happened to her?"

Simple words, spoken quietly, but their effect on her mind was terrible. Like the puff of a butterfly's wings causing a hurricane in China, the words stirred a furious storm of memories and thoughts and feelings. There were sounds / pictures / daydreams / nightmares / and sometimes, just sometimes, the soft touch of contact ….

Each of these memories pounced at once on her mind, each on the heels of the other, leaving no room for reason or cohesion or logical thought … she liked him she missed him she hated him she loved him …

The mind – the girl, the girl named Ginny – thrashed violently. The throat – there was a throat … there was in fact an entire body! – opened to hurl away a sharp scream.

A vase shattered somewhere to her right. A window off to her left. Several slaps could be heard as hands quickly covered eardrums. There was more than sound in that voice, there was terror and fear and power …

Ginny trailed off as blood filled her mouth. She was coughing before she realized she had moved, and rolled over to keep the dark liquid from choking her. The sounds around her, which had paused momentary, began again; even increasing – if it were possible – in intensity. Ginny felt something, someone, grab at her. She fought them off instinctively.

She was confused. Who was she – where was she? A vision of a stone-hewn chamber filled her mind. Words rose in her mouth, blood fell from her lips but she couldn't feel it, couldn't taste it, so lost was she in the memories …

"Get away from me, Tom!" She spat, the words sounding harsh and slippery in her mouth. Yet her tongue rolled over the unique syllables with natural grace. There was a sharp intake of breath from the people gathered round her.

Another hand reached out to grasp her. Ginny, adrift in a world only she could see, back away frantically from the touch. She was again on her feet and moving, but her legs were weak, and gave out from under her as she tried to step sideways. She expected to fall on a cold stone floor, but instead felt the rough texture of the familiar couch against her outstretched arms – couch? There was never a couch in the Chamber … Hands reached at her once more, but again she fought them off. "Get away, get away! No more! I won't – no more, Tom! I won't do anythingand you can't make me!"

The couch had thrown her off balance, and she was weaker than her mind remembered. Suddenly she was pitching forwards. Strong hands caught her; a strong voice spoke back to her in hissing concern.

"He's gone, you're safe Ginny – you're safe."

That voice, the same voice as before. But her mind had quieted now. The panic of the chamber had forced it back into a pseudo-remembered state. New memories fought for their place in her ontogeny, and even as the strong arms pushed her back onto the familiar couch, her mind worked to re-organized itself. It was slightly different than before – just slightly – but the voice that spoke to her now had an accompanying name, a picture even.

Harry …

There were too many pictures associated with this voice, too many memories for her to understand them all. But they were there, in her mind, just as he was here now …

And with this one organized memory came many more.

"Hiss …?"

The name itself was a question. Harry's voice paused before answering, and Ginny felt fear rush into her, giving her strength. She reached up to grasp the hands that held her, but Harry's voice quickly replied, "He's fine, he's okay. You're both going to be okay …"

Ginny believed him. She had too. She had nothing left with which to fight …

You always were weak, Ginevra …

The silky tones were the last thing she heard as unconsciousness gripped her.

-

Ginny awoke some unknown time later. Her head was pounding a staccato beat, but through the pain she could still feel the quick one-two pulse on her ankle.

Relief swept through her. Ginny tried to reach down and feel her friend, but pain stopped her. Her arm felt as if it had been chewed off and then sewn back together by a trainee Healer without numbing potion. Her legs hurt too, come to think of it. In fact, every part of her hurt …

Ginny groaned. There was a rustling of cloth beside her. She tried to open her eyes, but the lids felt heavier than lead. There was a movement of air, a quiet swish of black cloth, and then the sound of a door creaking open, from somewhere down and to her right. Footsteps faded out into the hall.

The pulse on her ankle came again. Though it sent shivers of pain through her, Ginny's face cracked in a ghostly smile.

"Hiss?"

There was a weight sliding up her leg. Ginny shivered suddenly, caught in a half-remembered memory. Something had wrapped around her, had made the pain go away …

"Hiss?" There was worry in her voice now.

"Sssssshh. Little sssnake," the voice of her friend soothed her. "My dearessst friend, ssssshhh. Ressst."

"Wha…" her voice croaked, her mouth tasted terrible – as if she had drunk a half liter of disgusting potion – and her throat was sore. But it was still useable. She wet her lips as best she could with a dry tongue and tried again, "Whaaa happen'd?"

Hiss paused. Ginny tried again to open her eyes and look at him. "We are in Headquarterssss," he told her finally. Ginny managed to crack open her eyelids and see a blurry, yet familiar, green-hued shape, "You got usss through the barrier. You did very well, little sssnake."

She got them through. Ginny smiled again, but then stopped. And not because of the pain. Something was wrong. Hiss sounded upset, like some great sadness possessed him. Ginny blinked a few more times, and his shape came better into view. "Whazz .. whazz wrong?"

The Hiss-shape flicked its tongue thrice in quick succession, a clear indication he was stalling. "Hiss?" Her voice was clearer now.

The door opened again. Ginny turned weakly to see a large mass of white hair. She felt herself pale. Hiss didn't move from her side.

"Professor? Professor Dumbledore?"

-

-

-

Hey All,

It took me two weeks to update this time. School pounced like a tiger in heat. Still, I've gotten through the worst of it. Only one exam left this week, and then it's Reading Week! Yea! So I needed to post this now, and hopefully (though I promise nothing) I will have the next chapter up before I leave on Thursday. We'll see.

Comet Moon: hehe … yes, the mouse got away; the rat can't hide much longer, though. And 'Snapey'? LOL

Witch of Darkness: hope you liked the update …I know, I know – I'm bad for leaving at cliff-hangers. All part of my inherent evilness. snicker

Weselan: Lol, I know – even more waiting after this one. Tell me what you think though. How'd you like this chapter? Even with the mean cliffie ..

Mindy: (lol, easier to write than sic-a … yeah … reach for the skies though … v. cool) glad you like the detail. I've actually been told that I write too much detail, which may be true, but I just enjoy it! Sure makes the story slower though. But it feels more real to me .. shrug

Nymph: I know, I keep getting author alert's that you've updated, but I never have time to check out your new chapters! 

Sleepyhead: Hey cool – you a new reader? I'm on a favourite list! YAY! pumps fist in air and runs around room … I actually just did that. Honestly. Ask my roommate. She's convinced I'm crazy. Lol

Paige: I will explain the Tom-calling-Hiss-thing in later chapters. For now everyone is safe though ... well ... from Tom at least, so it won't be coming back up for a bit. And yes, the portkey bit required a bit of power, but also just a lot of focused willpower. Did it make sense? I was worried about that bit.

Okay, that's everyone who reviewed. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter … review me back and tell me allllll about it!

Review review review! Feed the button! Bug me until I post again! (it works surprisingly well!)

Life love laughter

raiin