Chapter 16: The French Blue

Harry was standing on the edge of a field covered with daisies. He saw Ginny standing on the other side wearing a flowing white dress, her flaming red hair blowing in the breeze. They ran toward each other, their arms outstretched.

Their hands were just an inch from touching when they both ran into an invisible wall that separated them. Harry watched in horror, his hands firmly planted against the wall, as they were slowly pushed apart. He fought against the force, but to no avail. He watched Ginny cry out to him and move farther and farther away as a high-pitched laugh rang through the air.

"Ginny!" he yelled. "Ginny!"

"GINNY!"

Harry sat up in a cold sweat in his bed in the hospital wing. The second he threw himself forward though, a searing pain shot through his back. He cried out and fell back into the bed, his eyes screwed shut against the pain. He had no shirt on, and a bandage wrapped around his chest, holding a soft pad against his back.

"HARRY!" Harry turned his head in the direction of Ginny's voice and opened his eyes again. She tore herself away from Ron and Hermione and threw her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably. Harry wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay, it's okay," he whispered, more to himself than to her.

Ron and Hermione walked up behind Ginny. Both looked very pale. "How're you feeling, mate?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry smiled. "Like I just got hit by the Knight Bus," he answered. Ron and Hermione chuckled a little, but their mood was still very somber.

"Harry! Thank goodness!" Remus and Dumbledore were on the other side of the bed, looking very shaken. Remus hurried to Harry's side and squeezed Harry's shoulder. Harry reached up and squeezed Remus' arm in response.

Ginny was still crying, but she had calmed down enough to talk. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."

Harry turned back to her in surprise. "Why?" he asked as he found his glasses on his nightstand and put them on.

"Because you were right! If we weren't together he wouldn't have thought to use me as bait! Oh Harry, you were almost killed and it was all because of me!"

"Ginny no..." Harry reached up to touch Ginny's cheek, but she pulled away.

"Harry I'm a weakness! If you're compromised again because of me I don't know what I'd do!" As she bowed her head and continued to sob, the blue diamond Harry gave her slid out from under her collar and dangled from her neck.

Harry stared at the diamond and then looked up at Ginny's distraught face. He had been fighting this relationship since it started. Now that it looked like it would finally end, Harry suddenly realized he didn't want it to.

Just then Tonks walked into the hospital wing. "All the Death Eaters are secured, Professor Dumbledore," she said. "But You-Know-Who got away. We can't find him anywhere. He--" she froze when she saw the diamond. "Wotcher," she breathed. "Is that what I think it is?"

"I was about to ask the same thing," Dumbledore said. He stepped toward the bed and gently put his hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Miss Weasley, could we see that necklace please?"

Ginny looked up in surprise as she wiped her eyes. "This?" she asked, pointing at the diamond. Dumbledore nodded. Ginny glanced in puzzlement at Harry before reaching behind her neck to undo the clasp. She took off the necklace and handed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore grasped the necklace and held it between himself and Tonks for inspection. Tonks did a funny wave with her wand and pointed it at the diamond. Suddenly, a red flash burst from the center of the stone. Everyone gasped.

"The French Blue," Tonks whispered as she took the diamond. "It makes sense now...what Severus said happened in the Chamber...Ginny, where did you get this?"

Ginny glanced at Harry. "I bought it at Tavernier's," Harry answered. "Why? What's going on?"

Tonks gently laid the diamond in Ginny's hand. "The French Blue," she began, "is a lovers' talisman. A merchant found it in India and sold it to the King of France. After the Revolution, it disappeared. Muggles believe the Hope diamond in America is actually the French Blue, but wizards inspected it a long time ago and confirmed that it's not. Everyone thought the stone was gone forever.

"The French Blue identifies its giver's one true love and protects the couple from whatever dangers they might face together." Tonks smiled wistfully. "Harry, when you gave Ginny that necklace, you gave her a greater protection than all the spells in the world."

"So what exactly happened in the Chamber? How did it protect us?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore turned to Ginny. "Do you remember what happened when you were taken?" he asked.

Ginny thought for a moment. "Well I was walking past the lavatory that the entrance to the Chamber was in when a Death Eater ran out and grabbed me. I screamed and tried to push him away when a red spark flashed between us and the man quickly let go of me as if he had been burned. I tried to run, but another man came out and stunned me. Then the next thing I knew I was in the Chamber." She shuddered. Harry reached out and squeezed her hand supportively.

Dumbledore pondered this for a moment. "The strength of the diamond must have magnified when both of your lives were in danger," he said. "When Lucius Malfoy hit you with the Killing Curse, a ring of red fire erupted from the diamond, encircled you, and then spread through the Chamber. Anyone who was still standing was killed instantly."

Harry's eyes widened. "So that means--"

"--that every Death Eater who was not stunned by then was killed." Dumbledore finished.

"And Voldemort? Is he--?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Voldemort was lying unconscious when the fire swept the Chamber and regained consciousness when we arrived a few minutes later. He scrambled to grab a candle that must have been used as a Portkey to break into the castle. He's gone."

"And what about Professor Snape? Is he alright?"

Surprise flickered in Dumbledore's eyes. He smiled. "Severus is fine. He's helping the Aurors take the remaining Death Eaters into custody." His brow furrowed. "If you don't mind my asking Harry, what brought you back to us? By all accounts you had actually died in the Chamber."

Harry stared at Dumbledore and thought. Then he glanced at Ginny. "I heard Ginny calling me back," he whispered. Ginny's eyes softened when she heard this and blinked away a few tears.

Dumbledore gazed at Harry and Ginny for a moment. "It's amazing what love can do, isn't it?" he said. "It sparks a full range of emotions and has never ceased to confound many of the greatest minds in history. It can provoke rage, jealousy, and happiness and make people do things they would never dream of doing otherwise. But ultimately, love is what makes life worth living, especially during dark times." He laid one hand on Harry's shoulder and the other on Ginny's shoulder. "It's something worth fighting for."

Dumbledore straightened up and headed for the door. "I think I'll check on our prisoners. The Aurors might need some help," he said with a meaningful glance toward Ron, Hermione, Tonks, and Remus.

"I'll come with you," Remus said and, after saying goodbye to Harry, followed Dumbledore out.

"Wait for me!" Tonks called. She gave Ginny a big hug and touched Harry's hand before leaving.

"Well we'd better get back to the Tower," Hermione added. She stood up and took Ron's hand, pulling him up with her.

"Oh, yeah, it's probably getting rowdy in the common room with finals over," Ron said. Hermione hugged Ginny and Harry and then she and Ron left.

Harry and Ginny stared silently at each other for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Then Ginny glanced down at the French Blue in her hand.

"Oh, let me put that on you again," Harry said as he sat up in the bed. Ginny handed the necklace to him and moved closer, turning her back to him and pulling her hair up.

Harry slipped the necklace around Ginny's neck and fastened the clasp. He let his hands slide down her back and wrapped them around her waist, pulling her next to him and burying his face in her hair.

"Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"What is that scent in your hair?" Harry took another whiff. "It's really nice."

Ginny turned around to look at him and smiled. "Do you like it? It's lilies."

Harry blinked in surprise and smiled. Ginny snuggled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder as he gently squeezed her and kissed her forehead. Dumbledore was right, Harry thought. Love, tender moments, a future together--they were definitely worth fighting for.