Chapter 13
Through a Glass, Darkly
Harry and Luna were sitting in comfortable armchairs in front of a sparkling fire in his office. Luna had conjured up two steaming mugs of tea and some scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam.
'I'm sorry,' said Harry, 'I didn't mean to break down like that.'
'Oh, that's quite all right,' said Luna. 'I often have that effect on people.'
Harry smiled. 'It wasn't because of you, you know. It's just that ...' Harry hesitated. When he walked into his office he had wanted, more than anything, to be alone. He had wanted to deal with the knowledge about Ginny, he had wanted to sit in the darkness, brooding – to lick his wounds. But once he had seen Luna, it had been such a relief to see someone his own age, someone friendly, someone who had been at school with him and shared the pain of loosing so many close friends. And also, Luna had been the first person to know that he was back.
'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,' said Luna.
'I don't mind,' Harry said calmly. 'It's all about that Death Eater attack, you know, the one when Ron and Hermione died.'
Luna nodded. 'I know, the one where Ginny was injured.'
'Yes. I wasn't there – as you know – but I spent the next three weeks or so at Ginny's side in St Mungo's.'
'Yes,' Luna said in her misty voice, 'and then, all of a sudden, you were killed by Lucius Malfoy. Or so everyone thought ...'
'It wasn't all of a sudden,' Harry said quickly. 'I mean, there was a reason I went after Malfoy. One day I left Ginny's room for a while, and when I got back ... when I got back she was dead.'
'I see,' said Luna. She was staring dreamily into the fireplace, but Harry was sure that she was paying close attention to every word he was saying.
'She was dead,' Harry went on, 'and the Healer told me that they had done everything in their power to save her, but that it had all been in vain. I stayed at Ginny's side for ... it felt like hours. I couldn't believe she was gone. I'd already lost Ron and Hermione, my best friends, and now my girlfriend was gone too ... And it was all their fault – Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange and Snape's. They were the ones who had killed her. Well, Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange had been caught and taken to Azkaban, of course, but Malfoy had escaped, and I swore to myself, then and there, that I would go after him and wouldn't rest until I had killed him. It didn't take me more than a few hours to find him.'
'Yes,' Luna said thoughtfully. 'And then you faked your own death.'
'Not really – not intentionally. I hadn't planned to do it or anything, it just happened that way.' Harry paused. 'I had no idea that Ginny was still alive. I didn't find out until I met her son in class today.'
'I can understand you're upset, then,' said Luna.
'Have you ... have you seen her a lot these past fifteen years?' Harry said, his voice choking with emotion.
'We see each other from time to time,' Luna said somewhat evasively. 'She works at the Ministry now – she is Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. You can imagine what it was like for her to wake up from her coma only to find out that you, Ron and Hermione were all dead. She's quite different from what she used to be like; she's less cheerful, not so light-hearted.'
Harry sighed, looking into the fire. 'If only I had known. I'd never have left, of course. Tonks thinks that the Death Eaters had probably planned it all. And their plan was quite a success – except that Malfoy didn't manage to kill me: I killed him instead. And then I went into hiding in the Muggle world. I didn't think I'd ever return ... until my son, John, got his letter from Hogwarts.'
'I knew you'd return some day,' said Luna.
'Yes.' Harry looked at her properly for the first time. 'How did you know that? Are you really a Seer?'
'The term Seer is frequently misunderstood, or overestimated,' Luna said softly, 'but yes, I am what most people would call a Seer.'
'But you never mentioned this at school.'
'I didn't realise that I had the Inner Eye until I had already left Hogwarts,' said Luna. 'Professor Trelawney didn't exactly promote my interest in Divination.'
'Well, you'll be able to do things differently now, won't you?' said Harry with a smile. 'I'm sure you'll be a much better teacher than Trelawney was.'
'Divination is a very imprecise branch of magic,' said Luna. 'I agreed to take this position merely as a favour to Hagrid, but even I won't be able to teach those who don't possess the Gift how to See. I will attempt to teach them how to distinguish between true and false prophecies, however. The Ministry of Magic insists on keeping the subject on the curriculum, or so Hagrid told me. If it were up to me, I would remove it.'
Harry nodded thoughtfully.
'So, will you be up in North Tower, just like Trelawney?' he said, remembering the long walk he and his class mates had always had to make in order to get to their Divination classes.
'Yes,' Luna said grimly. 'In fact, I think I'd better go and take a look at my quarters before dinner. If they're anything like I remember, I'll have a lot of work to do. Do you want to come with me?'
'No thanks,' said Harry. 'I've got a few things to do myself. But let me know if you need any help.'
Luna gave him a dreamy smile and left.
Harry leaned back in his armchair and sighed. What a day this had been. He wondered what Ginny was doing right now. Was she sitting in some office at the Ministry? When would she go home? What would she do? Maybe she and Colin had more children. Were they ... happy? He closed his eyes and immediately saw Ginny, the way she had looked in the photograph, smiling and waving. She looked very much like the Ginny he had known all those years ago ... Known and loved.
'Oh, Ginny,' Harry said quietly. 'If only I had known.'
Slowly, Ginny opened her mouth and spoke to him. 'I've never lied to you, Harry ... and I never will. Whatever happens, you must believe me.'
'It doesn't matter,' Harry said. 'We'll never see each other again ... we mustn't, because I ... it would be too painful. You can never find out I am alive ... I can't hurt you again, not when I've hurt you so much already.'
Ginny was about to answer when, suddenly, the photograph was whisked away, and Harry was back in the room he had seen once before, in another dream; that cold, dungeon-like room with walls of stone. His vision was blurred – where were his glasses? If only he could find his glasses, perhaps he would know where he was. He could hear muffled voices somewhere above, but what were they saying? And why couldn't he move his arms or legs? He struggled to get free, but he was too weak. He was weak ... and tired ... He only wanted to sleep. Suddenly, Harry heard a laugh ... a cruel, cold laugh, which seemed horribly familiar. He woke with a start.
Author's Note: I am so sorry there is nothing about Snape in this chapter either, but I promise I will bring him back into the story as soon as I possibly can! Have patience!
Through a Glass, Darkly
Harry and Luna were sitting in comfortable armchairs in front of a sparkling fire in his office. Luna had conjured up two steaming mugs of tea and some scones, clotted cream and raspberry jam.
'I'm sorry,' said Harry, 'I didn't mean to break down like that.'
'Oh, that's quite all right,' said Luna. 'I often have that effect on people.'
Harry smiled. 'It wasn't because of you, you know. It's just that ...' Harry hesitated. When he walked into his office he had wanted, more than anything, to be alone. He had wanted to deal with the knowledge about Ginny, he had wanted to sit in the darkness, brooding – to lick his wounds. But once he had seen Luna, it had been such a relief to see someone his own age, someone friendly, someone who had been at school with him and shared the pain of loosing so many close friends. And also, Luna had been the first person to know that he was back.
'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,' said Luna.
'I don't mind,' Harry said calmly. 'It's all about that Death Eater attack, you know, the one when Ron and Hermione died.'
Luna nodded. 'I know, the one where Ginny was injured.'
'Yes. I wasn't there – as you know – but I spent the next three weeks or so at Ginny's side in St Mungo's.'
'Yes,' Luna said in her misty voice, 'and then, all of a sudden, you were killed by Lucius Malfoy. Or so everyone thought ...'
'It wasn't all of a sudden,' Harry said quickly. 'I mean, there was a reason I went after Malfoy. One day I left Ginny's room for a while, and when I got back ... when I got back she was dead.'
'I see,' said Luna. She was staring dreamily into the fireplace, but Harry was sure that she was paying close attention to every word he was saying.
'She was dead,' Harry went on, 'and the Healer told me that they had done everything in their power to save her, but that it had all been in vain. I stayed at Ginny's side for ... it felt like hours. I couldn't believe she was gone. I'd already lost Ron and Hermione, my best friends, and now my girlfriend was gone too ... And it was all their fault – Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange and Snape's. They were the ones who had killed her. Well, Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange had been caught and taken to Azkaban, of course, but Malfoy had escaped, and I swore to myself, then and there, that I would go after him and wouldn't rest until I had killed him. It didn't take me more than a few hours to find him.'
'Yes,' Luna said thoughtfully. 'And then you faked your own death.'
'Not really – not intentionally. I hadn't planned to do it or anything, it just happened that way.' Harry paused. 'I had no idea that Ginny was still alive. I didn't find out until I met her son in class today.'
'I can understand you're upset, then,' said Luna.
'Have you ... have you seen her a lot these past fifteen years?' Harry said, his voice choking with emotion.
'We see each other from time to time,' Luna said somewhat evasively. 'She works at the Ministry now – she is Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. You can imagine what it was like for her to wake up from her coma only to find out that you, Ron and Hermione were all dead. She's quite different from what she used to be like; she's less cheerful, not so light-hearted.'
Harry sighed, looking into the fire. 'If only I had known. I'd never have left, of course. Tonks thinks that the Death Eaters had probably planned it all. And their plan was quite a success – except that Malfoy didn't manage to kill me: I killed him instead. And then I went into hiding in the Muggle world. I didn't think I'd ever return ... until my son, John, got his letter from Hogwarts.'
'I knew you'd return some day,' said Luna.
'Yes.' Harry looked at her properly for the first time. 'How did you know that? Are you really a Seer?'
'The term Seer is frequently misunderstood, or overestimated,' Luna said softly, 'but yes, I am what most people would call a Seer.'
'But you never mentioned this at school.'
'I didn't realise that I had the Inner Eye until I had already left Hogwarts,' said Luna. 'Professor Trelawney didn't exactly promote my interest in Divination.'
'Well, you'll be able to do things differently now, won't you?' said Harry with a smile. 'I'm sure you'll be a much better teacher than Trelawney was.'
'Divination is a very imprecise branch of magic,' said Luna. 'I agreed to take this position merely as a favour to Hagrid, but even I won't be able to teach those who don't possess the Gift how to See. I will attempt to teach them how to distinguish between true and false prophecies, however. The Ministry of Magic insists on keeping the subject on the curriculum, or so Hagrid told me. If it were up to me, I would remove it.'
Harry nodded thoughtfully.
'So, will you be up in North Tower, just like Trelawney?' he said, remembering the long walk he and his class mates had always had to make in order to get to their Divination classes.
'Yes,' Luna said grimly. 'In fact, I think I'd better go and take a look at my quarters before dinner. If they're anything like I remember, I'll have a lot of work to do. Do you want to come with me?'
'No thanks,' said Harry. 'I've got a few things to do myself. But let me know if you need any help.'
Luna gave him a dreamy smile and left.
Harry leaned back in his armchair and sighed. What a day this had been. He wondered what Ginny was doing right now. Was she sitting in some office at the Ministry? When would she go home? What would she do? Maybe she and Colin had more children. Were they ... happy? He closed his eyes and immediately saw Ginny, the way she had looked in the photograph, smiling and waving. She looked very much like the Ginny he had known all those years ago ... Known and loved.
'Oh, Ginny,' Harry said quietly. 'If only I had known.'
Slowly, Ginny opened her mouth and spoke to him. 'I've never lied to you, Harry ... and I never will. Whatever happens, you must believe me.'
'It doesn't matter,' Harry said. 'We'll never see each other again ... we mustn't, because I ... it would be too painful. You can never find out I am alive ... I can't hurt you again, not when I've hurt you so much already.'
Ginny was about to answer when, suddenly, the photograph was whisked away, and Harry was back in the room he had seen once before, in another dream; that cold, dungeon-like room with walls of stone. His vision was blurred – where were his glasses? If only he could find his glasses, perhaps he would know where he was. He could hear muffled voices somewhere above, but what were they saying? And why couldn't he move his arms or legs? He struggled to get free, but he was too weak. He was weak ... and tired ... He only wanted to sleep. Suddenly, Harry heard a laugh ... a cruel, cold laugh, which seemed horribly familiar. He woke with a start.
Author's Note: I am so sorry there is nothing about Snape in this chapter either, but I promise I will bring him back into the story as soon as I possibly can! Have patience!
