DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Harry's eyes were closed, but he could see the sunlight shining through his eyelids. It must be morning. His back and neck were terribly stiff. And he was cold. Where was he?
Harry sat up violently as he pulled out his wand. His eyes darted around the bright room, straining to make out his surroundings. There was a dark shape looming over him. Harry held his wand between himself and whatever the shape was.
"Hold on there, killer," a soft voice said from his right. "Why don't' you put these on? Then you can really hex the bloody hell out of that chair."
A pair of soft hands placed his glasses on his face. In front of him was the large chair he'd been sitting in last night. It still had his robes draped over it.
With some amount of embarrassment, Harry pocketed his wand. He was sitting on the floor between Ron's bed, and the bed Ginny was sitting on. His clothes were wrinkled and his back really was sore.
"Right, then," Harry said as he stood up and put his arms through his robes.
"You're certain we shouldn't at least throw a Full-Body Bind on that chair? You know, 'Constant vigilance' and all?" Ginny's impression of Moody was impressive.
"Er... I think I'll risk it, thanks," Harry replied with a glare. Ginny just stared back.
"No need to feel all awkward, Harry," Ginny said as she fought back a smile. "It is a very threatening looking chair. The other chairs have said that it just wasn't raised properly, and unless I'm mistaken, I do believe it was trying to seduce me earlier this morning. Maybe a quick Stunner will make it show some respect."
"Are you done?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Any more jokes about my eyesight?" Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak. "On second thought, just save them," Harry interrupted. He was certain she probably did hear quite a few more jokes than he did.
Harry tried to tame his hair, but it was beyond its normal state of messiness. "My back is killing me. Why did I have to fall asleep on the floor?"
"Because you wanted to," Ginny said with a smile. Harry gave her a puzzled look. "You fell asleep in the chair while talking to me. Pomfrey only made up one bed, and when I told you to take it, you refused and said I should. When I offered to share it, you turned red and mumbled something about my brother. So you took a pillow and fell asleep on the floor a minute later."
"Oh. Right," Harry said as the memories of the previous night came back to him. He felt a slight blush in his face again with the memory of Ginny asking him to sleep next to her. Why had she done that? It had been her decision that they not be together any more. She was the one who'd gone walking with Neville. And then she did that. Harry shook his head. He'd never understand girls.
"Did you want breakfast?" Ginny asked. Harry shrugged. He'd be hungrier if Ron were doing better. When he looked at Ron's bed, though, his thoughts skipped. Something was different.
"He moved," Ginny announced, confirming Harry's suspicions.
Harry looked at Ginny, then back at Ron. She was right. He really had moved. He wasn't in the same position he'd been in since he fell unconscious the day they brought him in. He looked almost normal, as if he were simply asleep.
"He isn't... He didn't wake up, did he?"
"No," Ginny said with a slight frown. "He just moved. Pomfrey says its a good sign though. He's apparently coming out of it. She said he should be awake sometime tonight or tomorrow morning, but we're not allowed to be here if that happens."
"Why not?"
"Pomfrey thinks we're troublemakers," Ginny said with a faint scowl. "Well, she knows I'm a troublemaker, and she doesn't think you're much better."
"Maybe she's right," Harry said with a shrug. "He might be safer if we weren't around." Ginny seemed to be studying her unconscious brother.
"He wasn't marked, was he?" she said, sounding a little surprised.
"No."
"I'd never thought to check," she mumbled. She turned back to Harry. "They won't attack anyone else until he is?"
"I think they do whatever they want," Harry said bitterly, "but yeah, I think that's how it'll work. It's like it's part of some game, except no one tells me when it's time to play and I never get to win."
"But... You stopped them," Ginny replied in confusion.
Harry stared at the floor. "I haven't stopped Voldemort or the Death Eaters from doing anything since last year," he said with audible bitterness. "They've manipulated me, and I've tripped over every obstacle they laid out. I can't help but think they wanted this to happen."
"Why?"
"I don't know," Harry replied. "Maybe they needed him to be in some specific location. Maybe this isn't about Ron at all, and was an attempt to scare Hermione. Or maybe they needed to separate her from him. I just don't know. The sooner everything gets back to normal the better. I don't think that will happen, though."
Ginny looked alarmed. "What do you mean, Harry? Did you ... see something?"
"No," Harry answered. He'd wished he had. If something horrible were coming, he'd prefer to at least know to be prepared for it. "It just makes sense, doesn't it? Some Death Eater did this for a purpose. If everything returns to normal, then what was that purpose?"
"So whatever it is, it's going to happen pretty soon."
"Yeah, it looks that way."
"It's not going to stop, is it?"
"No."
Harry and Ginny sat silently for a while. It was long enough that Harry lost track of just how long it had been. He was looking at the floor, but he could feel Ginny looking at him. He was afraid to turn and see her face. He didn't know what he was afraid of seeing, but he knew that he'd rather not find out.
"We should tell Hermione about Ron's improvement," said Harry, finally breaking the silence.
"I already told her."
"You— When did you leave?"
"I didn't," Ginny said calmly as she moved the book she'd been reading back to her bag. "I sent a message with Pigwidgeon. I thought he'd wake you up for certain."
Harry sat silently staring at Ron. His chest was rising and falling rhythmically. He was breathing normally, and looked relaxed and peaceful. Harry turned away to look at Ginny instead. She calmly looked back at him.
"You've been here all night?"
"Yes."
Harry sat back and stared at the ceiling. She'd been watching him for a few weeks now. Maybe this the only way she could keep an eye on him. But wouldn't everyone else think they were friends again? Were they friends again?
"Whatever happened to the idea of staying away from me for my own protection?" he asked in a steady voice. He wasn't sure if he should sound angry or hopeful.
"It was a stupid idea."
Ginny's voice had been equally steady. She'd said it as casually as she might have told him what book she'd been reading. Harry struggled to understand what she'd meant.
"What part of it was stupid? Staying away from me, or doing it for my protection."
"Both," Ginny answered with finality. "I've had a quite a few painfully stupid ideas lately."
"Like that demonstration at the D.A. meeting?"
"No," Ginny said firmly. "No, I think that's been one of the few good ideas I've had for a while."
Harry turned to look at her, but she was staring down at her hands. He strained to see what it was in her hands, and was surprised to catch the distinctive glint of one of the Obscuring Orbs.
"You know, your dad said those weren't reliable for more than a few months."
"I know," Ginny said with a faint smile. "I don't use it. It's just nice to have around. It's... comforting, you know? A souvenir of happier times."
"Yeah, I know." Those had been happier times. Harry hadn't imagined that he'd ever think that, but it was true.
"I felt so in control then," Ginny continued. Her voice sounded almost as if she were about to cry, but her face was an emotionless mask. "I did what felt right, and things always turned out okay. But somewhere along the way, I got confused, and I forgot things I had been certain of."
"Things change," Harry replied, "and there's nothing we can do to change them back."
"Isn't there?" Ginny asked weakly. "This summer, I made a promise that I wouldn't let you face this alone."
"Right, then things changed," Harry said, desperately trying to control his anger, "and you didn't even want to be my friend."
"I— What?" Ginny said as she jumped off the bed. Harry could see a flicker of anger in her eyes. He shouldn't have said that. Last night had been almost pleasant. It seemed that they couldn't talk for any period of time without fighting.
"What in bloody hell made you think that?" Ginny shouted, not caring who might hear her. "Do you think I wanted to stop being with you?"
"Well, having things thrown at my head does seem to suggest that." A second after he said it, Harry felt a sharp pain in his chest followed by something heavy falling into his lap. He looked down to find Ginny's Obscuring Orb.
"See!" Harry said holding it up for Ginny. "That usually only happens when someone doesn't like me!"
"No," Ginny growled, "that's what happens when you say something mind-achingly stupid!" Harry ducked as an apple flew over his head.
"Hey! Quit that!"
"What did you expect me to do? I had to sit there at that table and watch the one person I cared for more than anyone else feel miserable while everyone in the school was making up all sorts of reasons why we weren't sitting together. All I wanted to do was drag you away from all of it and make you remember what it was like to be happy. And then you go and tell half of Gryffindor house that I left you because you'd beaten me?"
"Well—"
"I love you, Harry!" Ginny shouted at him, making his jaw drop in shock. "I have for a long time. I can't stand the idea of losing you, but I gave that up, hoping that it might give you a chance to live through this. I hoped that without me holding you back, you'd be able to stop trying to protect everyone around you and fight. I sacrificed the only thing I had to give, but you didn't even care about that. You went and told everyone that I gave up on you because you're a horrible person! What should I have done?"
"I didn't... Why didn't you..."
"What? Tell you?" Ginny asked with a sharp laugh. "Right, that would have made it easier. Did you think it's easy for me to just stand by and watch you give up? I gave up the best thing I had in my life to give you a chance, and you're just throwing it away."
Harry listened silently, unable to think of anything to say. Ginny continued talking, ignoring the confused look on his face.
"I can... feel how you feel sometimes. When you're thinking about... about Tom. When we saw you after Ron was attacked..."
Ginny didn't need to say it. Harry remembered how he felt. He'd often wondered during the late nights he spent next to Ron what he might have done if the Aurors hadn't shown up immediately. If Ron would've been dead, there would have been nothing to stop him from hunting down the Death Eaters. He already had his broom, his wand, and a nice set of robes for flying. The thought was still with him as he waited outside the Hospital Wing to hear how Ron was, and Ginny had felt it.
"...I realized my mistake. I felt so horrible. So ashamed. I felt like such a coward. I did exactly what Tom wanted. I could hear his voice in my head, telling me how I'd behaved just as he'd expected a silly little girl to act, but it was too late to fix it." Ginny's head dropped. Harry watched as a single tear dropped to the floor.
"I begged her to keep you company. I didn't want you to be alone for a second, but I knew I couldn't do it. I'd wait for her every night, and each night she'd walk back into the common room, looking comforted, and happier than when she'd left. I used to feel like that, too. I thought... I accused her of..." Ginny's voice broke and she took a deep breath.
"I've made so many stupid mistakes. I said something I— I wasn't thinking. She got very angry and refused to help me anymore." Ginny stared into Harry's eyes. "I made a promise. I won't let you do this alone."
"I can't keep you safe, Ginny," Harry said quietly. "Voldemort won't stop. Not while I'm alive."
"And he won't stop if you're dead, either," Ginny said, finally showing a little more confidence. "If you fail, then we're all dead, Harry. He won't ignore me because I'm a Pure-blood. It'll be the same with Ron. And Neville. And you know what will happen to Hermione."
"You don't know what he's like," Harry replied. "He's too powerful. It's hopeless. We can't win."
"Then we'll fail together," Ginny said, as the corners of her mouth twitched. She walked over to Harry and kneeled in front of him. "If we can't succeed, then no one could have, and at least we tried." She stared into Harry's eyes, and he stared back. "He's afraid of what you can do, Harry. He's afraid of love. It's completely foreign to him. He can't see the power it gives people. He's trying to take that from you."
Harry sat silently looking into Ginny's face as she seemed to beg him to agree to whatever pact she was proposing. Was that what Voldemort had been doing? Was he trying to take away whatever power Harry had to defeat him? It was the first explanation that might have made sense.
"I don't see how it's possible to defeat him," Harry said as he kept his eyes on Ginny, but in his mind, every one of the bizarre conversations he'd had with Voldemort was flashing through his mind. Voldemort had the upper hand. He always had. "We've fallen into every trap, and made every mistake he could hope for. I don't see how to stop that. I don't know how to fight him."
Ginny's eyes seemed to flash briefly with excitement. "Neither do I. It seems foolish to even try. He's anticipated everything we've done." Harry didn't say anything in response. Ginny seemed to be waiting for him to say something, and finally Harry sat back in his chair with his arms crossed.
"You're wrong."
"About what?" Ginny asked curiously.
"It's not too late to fix it," Harry said in a clear voice. Ginny's eyes narrowed.
"Fix what?" she asked in a shaky voice.
He gently took her hand and placed her Obscuring Orb in it. A single tear traveled down Ginny's cheek, and along her jaw.
"This is probably a huge mistake," she said quietly.
"It might be the worst thing we can do."
"It's still hopeless," she added.
"Downright impossible. I don't even know how to start."
"It'll be a lot easier to keep secret this time..." Ginny said as Harry stood up and pulled her up with him.
"No," Harry said firmly. He looked intently into Ginny's eyes. "It won't be a secret. Not this time. It may not help at all. In fact, it's just as likely to make things worse, but I want Voldemort to be uncertain of something. Even if it's only for a moment, I want him to taste same doubt I've lived with for months."
Ginny slowly smiled and nodded with grim intensity. Without warning, she jumped forward and threw her arms around him. For a moment, Harry thought his spine had melted. The world didn't seem to matter as much as it had. It was as if they had leapt from the Astronomy Tower. There was no hope of survival, but at least they'd have each other on the way down.
Suddenly Harry found his lips pressing against Ginny's and the world dissolved away. Who cared what tomorrow brought? He couldn't stop the inevitable, so instead of running from it, he'd fly toward it. He felt the same heedless euphoria from Ginny. They were hurtling toward the ground, but that was tomorrow, and today they were together.
Harry and Ginny walked into the Great Hall side by side. Together, they strode the length of the Gryffindor table nonchalantly as pairs of heads bent toward each other around the other tables, eager to point out the two of them together and not arguing.
There was similar behavior all along the Gryffindor table as the students whispered back and forth. Harry caught some of the questions and glances. They were wondering if they'd missed something, or if something much more serious had caused them to stop avoiding each other.
The day had seemed fairly normal to the rest of the students. Harry and Ginny had both been at their classes, and disappeared before dinner. Now they suddenly reappeared, together and looking as if they'd always been friends.
Some of the students were staring at them suspiciously, as if they must be hiding something from everyone. Some of them were suppressing laughs, some were staring in wonder and waiting for the fighting to begin and some seemed relieved to see them acting civilly toward each other. Colin was one of the first lot. Katie was one of the last. Hermione's reaction, however, was unique.
She'd stopped eating and was giving them the same look she gave Crookshanks when he would sit on her books and demand attention. As they got closer, her expression deteriorated to almost a scowl before she looked back to her food, stabbing at it violently with her fork without making any real commitment to eating it.
As Harry and Ginny sat down next to each other, the students around them tried to act as if they weren't paying close attention to what was going on, but they failed. Harry noticed a number of them turning one ear toward them, hoping to overhear whatever might be said.
It was a disappointing thing for all of them when no one seemed to say anything. Harry and Ginny both silently added food to their plates, while those immediately around them waited for some sign to tell them how they should react. Many of them looked to Hermione, but she had not taken her eyes off her plate, and was still poking purposelessly at her meal.
Katie stared at them with a confused smile on her face. She looked as if she were about to speak, but Harry finally broke the silence.
"Ginny," he said with a trace of annoyance. "You took the last of the chicken." A dozen faces turned to stare at Ginny, waiting to see if she'd snap back at him.
"Well, you've got two choices, Harry: starve or have some beef," she replied as she slid a platter toward him. Harry stared back at her for a moment, noticing a couple Gryffindors inching away from the two of them.
"Fine," Harry said dejectedly as he placed a pair of slices onto his plate, "but you have to pour me some pumpkin juice." Ginny smiled and reached for the nearby pitcher and Katie watched in awe as Ginny filled Harry's glass with juice before filling her own.
There was a sharp metallic clatter as Hermione's fork dropped to her plate. When Harry looked over at her, Hermione's lips were pursed and she was giving him a cold stare.
"What do you think the two of you are doing?" she asked while barely moving her lips.
"Eating, I hope," Harry replied with a bewildered look. "I'm famished. I didn't really get much for breakfast or lunch."
"And you're— You're going to eat with— with her?"
"Yeah," Harry answered. He stared back at Hermione, trying to see if he could find some clue to explain why she was acting so oddly. "What's the problem—"
"What's the—" Hermione blurted out before catching herself. Her outburst caught the attention of many of the Gryffindors. She lowered her voice to a loud whisper. "After everything you said... Is this some kind of joke?"
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Katie asked. "I thought you'd be happy they weren't fighting anymore."
Hermione gave Katie a bitter smile. "Oh, I would be," she said with false cheer. "I would have loved that weeks ago, but that's not everything is it? It's a bit more than just a truce, isn't it Harry Potter."
"Yes," Harry responded flatly.
Hermione stared at him in surprise. "You're not even going to try to hide it?"
"No. Not anymore."
"Of course not," Hermione added acidly. "I'm sure that wasn't her idea, was it?"
"What are you on about?" Ginny asked as she looked imploringly at her friend. Hermione's head snapped stare at her. Her eyes were wild with anger.
"How dare you... You know—"
Harry looked from Ginny to Hermione and back. "Does this have something to do with Ron?" As soon as he saw the look in Hermione's eyes, he knew he'd said something wrong. With a quickness he didn't know she had, Hermione had snatched his cup from the table and launched it at his head. Harry ducked, but it glanced off his temple, making his vision sparkle and splashing pumpkin juice over him and the Ravenclaws behind him.
"Bloody Hell, Hermione!" he shouted as he stared at his hand, trying to focus and figure out if he was bleeding. As soon as he could focus his eyes he saw Hermione already standing and tossing her bag over her shoulder.
"SOD OFF!" she shouted. "Both of you!"
Harry blinked and tried to clear his head as Hermione strode away from him, toward the door. He looked down to see Ginny watching her as well.
"Well, at least she didn't make a scene." Ginny said with a frown.
Harry grabbed his bag. "Come on," he told her and a moment later they were racing after Hermione.
"Hermione, stop!" Harry called out as she turned down another hallway. Ginny followed close after him as he ran after her. They turned the corner to find her standing right in front of them, fuming.
"I'm going to the Hospital Wing," she said through her teeth. "I hear that's out of bounds for you two, now."
This caught Harry off guard. Why wasn't he allowed to go back to the Hospital Wing? He'd spent all last night there, and Pomfrey didn't have any problem with it. Ginny had said they were free to stay there until...
"Hermione," Harry said in a pacifying voice, "is Ron awake?"
Hermione gave him the same bitter smile she'd shown before. "He woke up an hour ago. Pomfrey said she didn't know if she'd be letting him out tonight. Isn't it quite the coincidence that you got back together this afternoon?"
"What are you saying?" Harry asked.
"What happened to trying to protect your friends?" she snapped at Harry, then turned on Ginny. "What about not wanting to be used as a weapon against Harry?"
"We're not afraid anymore, Hermione," Ginny said as she stepped forward.
"Well, I'm terribly happy for you," Hermione snapped. "What about Ron? You know what he'll think about the two of you being together again." Hermione paced in front of Harry and Ginny for a moment. Harry thought he could almost hear the thoughts going through Hermione's head. Finally, she stopped and stared at Harry.
"He wasn't marked, was he, Harry?"
Harry frowned and shook his head.
"Brilliant. So Pomfrey will let him out of the Hospital Wing just in time to discover that little Ginny has decided that she's in the mood to date Harry again this week. I'm sure he'll be ecstatic. I wonder what would happen next? He'll get hacked off at Harry and by the end of next week he'll have his mark and he'll be back in the Hospital Wing... or worse."
"We don't know that—" Ginny interjected.
Hermione walked right to Ginny's face. "Do you think the Death Eaters just wanted to break his leg and make him sleep for a week? What do you think they would have done if Harry hadn't come back?"
"I didn't stop them from doing anything," Harry tried to tell her. "There was plenty of time. They want us to think that he barely escaped. They wanted Ron in the Hospital Wing. They wanted him away from us. There has to be some reason for him to be there and I doubt he's going to leave without us figuring it out."
"You knew he was in danger," said Hermione in an accusing voice, "...and you still... how—" Hermione started backing away from both of them, shaking her head.
"It doesn't change anything, Hermione," Harry told her. "They'll be back for him sooner or later."
Hermione's eyes opened wide and stared at Harry. "You're giving up..."
"We're not giving up," Ginny said firmly.
"It's just like the D.A. meeting, is it?" Hermione said with a flicker of new anger in her eyes. "We'll fight while everyone around us falls. We'll just wait our turn until no one is left. Ron's next, is he?" Hermione was getting angry again, and she advanced on Harry. "You're just going to stand aside and let it happen?"
"I don't know to fight it!" Harry shouted, surprising all of them. "Do you? Have you found some book that tells me how I'm supposed to fix this?" Hermione looked too surprised to answer. Harry walked closer to her. "I don't know when it will happen. I don't know how it will happen, or even if it will happen to him at all. Every time I try to protect someone, I make it worse!"
"Oh, well then giving up must be the right answer," Hermione scoffed.
"What am I supposed to do, Hermione? Nothing works! I tried to warn Dean. I tried to keep Susan a secret. I tried to stop Neville, and I tried to protect Ginny. It didn't help any of them."
"Well then, I have a smashing idea. Why don't you run back to the Great Hall and start snogging Ron's sister in front of everyone. Maybe Voldemort will take notice and attack her instead of Ron."
"What's gotten into you?" Ginny asked as she eyed Hermione.
"Nothing, I'm sure." Hermione said coldly. Her face was twisted in disgust as she stared at Ginny. "Go. Run off with Harry. You got what you wanted. I'm sure you'd be even happier if we were all so mindless as to run off an try to be attacked." Hermione turned and started walking toward the Hospital Wing. Harry and Ginny stood where they were, watching her walk away. When she reached the next corner, she stopped and turned around.
"I won't do it," she called back to them. "I'm going to fight, even if you two won't and even if you're the ones I have to fight."
Harry and Ginny watched silently as Hermione turned and walked off to the Hospital Wing. As the echoes of her footsteps faded, they turned to look at each other. Harry sighed and walked the other direction. He needed to think, and he needed someplace quiet to do it. The common room wouldn't work. All of the fifth-years were busy preparing for the O.W.L.s, taking breaks only to complain about about how much time they were spending preparing for them. There was one place that always worked, though.
Ginny was right behind him, and followed him as if she'd already knew where he was headed. They walked purposefully and quietly toward the Hogwarts Library. As they neared the Library, Ginny veered off into the abandoned office, while Harry waited a moment to make sure no one had seen them. It sounded as if a number of students were busy with revision for the O.W.L.s in the library, but no one else was in sight. A moment later, he turned and disappeared into the office, silently closing the door behind him.
Ginny was sitting at the window seat, watching Harry walk toward her and looking noticeably uncomfortable. As Harry stopped before sitting next to her, he understood her reaction. He remembered the last time they'd both been here. That seemed like another life. Harry looked down at Ginny, and gave her a weak smile.
He raised his arm and a chair slid toward him, stopping just in front of him. Harry flopped down into the chair. Ginny seemed both relieved and a little sad. She slowly stretched her legs along the seat and stared out into the night.
Harry could barely handle everything that had happened that day. In just one day, he'd regained his relationship with Ginny, but seriously angered one of his closest friends. Ron had recovered, but now they knew that danger was near. Was that better? Harry felt the guilt poking at his stomach. He tried to convince himself that he really wouldn't prefer to have it back the way it was.
His head hurt. He leaned forward to rub his temples as he tried to find some way of working through everything. Something was going to happen, and soon. Ron was in danger. Or was he? What if it wasn't Ron. What if it was Hermione who was next? Was Ron just the tool Voldemort was using to separate him from Hermione?
Or was it Ginny? Was Voldemort just waiting for Ginny to get close to him again? Could he have something worse planned?
"They aren't here for me."
Ginny's voice tore him from his thoughts. When he looked up he saw her still staring out the window.
"They're out there, somewhere," she continued. "I don't know why I know it, but I do. And they aren't here for me."
Harry didn't say anything, but somehow he knew she was right. "I was convinced it was Ron they were after. But now..." Harry trailed off as he rubbed his eyes with his palms. "I've always guessed wrong. So is it Hermione? Or is she the wrong guess, and it really is Ron?" His head hurt and talking about it only made everything more confusing.
"He couldn't know about Hermione, Harry."
"He could now," Harry countered. "Everyone saw her. Even Crabbe and Goyle are smart enough to see that she was hacked off at me. He isn't far away, and owls travel fast."
"But he couldn't have planned it," she argued. "You said it yourself, he wouldn't expect us to get together, and that's what upset her."
"Maybe that wasn't part of the plan at all. Susan wasn't angry with me, neither were you, and I was the one who was angry with Ron." Harry scowled and stood up as his mind started filling in answers to all of his questions.
"You were right, you know," he said with a touch of bitterness. "Voldemort won't stop, and none of my friends are safe. He's been planning this for some time, now. Bellatrix could've marked Ron easily. She could have killed him —she should have." Harry paused as he heard Ginny's breath catch. "She had plenty of time. She was waiting for me to show up. I'd almost started to believe everyone else. I'd almost convinced myself I'd saved him."
Harry started pacing and talking faster. "Voldemort wanted him to live. He didn't want to separate the three of us, he wanted us to be closer. He knew Hermione and I wouldn't fight with Ron hurt. He wanted us to get closer, to make it hurt more when it ended."
"And just how close did the two of you get?" Ginny asked. Harry could hear a hint of suspicion in her voice. Was that what Ginny and Hermione had fought about? Did Ginny think that Hermione was trying to steal him from her?
Harry ignored the comment and faced Ginny with an empty stare. "He'll take Ron before we can protect him, and Hermione will never forgive me. That was what was supposed to happen. She'll be next. And then you, when he learns that his first attempt failed."
Ginny still looked a little wary. "Why not attack Hermione? Ron would be just as upset. Why not get the two of you—" Ginny paused and forced herself to continue "—closer, and then attack Hermione?"
Harry turned and kicked the chair across the room with a frustrated shout. Ginny was unfazed. Fuming, Harry stared at the floor as he walked about.
"Why not attack you?" he almost shouted. "Why not attack your family, or Dumbledore, or Colin, or the Giant Squid? What if this is all just some diversion, and tomorrow I'll wake up at the end of some Death Eater's wand?"
"You know why—" Ginny started to say, but Harry stopped her.
"No I don't!" he shouted. "I don't know why any of this is happening. Why doesn't he just come after me? He's had his chances. We both know that it won't end until we face each other. What's the point of continuing this?"
"He wants you to doubt yourself," Ginny answered.
Harry stopped pacing and stared out the window. "All of my instincts have been wrong. He's been anticipating everything I've done. He knows I'll worry about Hermione. He wants me to worry about her first." His eyes met Ginny's.
"They're going to attack Ron, Ginny. He knows I can protect Hermione."
Ginny nodded solemnly. "What do we do?"
Harry rubbed his eyes again. His head was really starting to hurt. "I don't know, yet."
Harry barely got any sleep that night. The dorm was empty, and like many previous nights, Harry was preoccupied with the knowledge of exactly why his dorm was empty. It seemed almost certain that he'd lose his last roommate soon. Harry laid in bed wondering if he was foolish for thinking there was even the slightest chance that Ron would be sleeping in their dormitory the next night.
The next day was the final Hogsmeade visit of the term. Most of the students would be leaving. Most of the first and second year students would be out enjoying what would probably be a fine day. The Great Hall was going to host a number of groups of fifth and seventh years who were preparing for the O.W.Ls and N.E.W.Ts.
Overall, Harry viewed this as a good thing. Aurors would be spread out throughout the Castle and grounds. He should never have to look far to find help. In his mind, he tried to work out a plan for the day.
He'd try to stick close to the Main Doors. That seemed to be the place where Aurors met and exchanged news. It also wasn't far from the hallway that led to the Hospital Wing. If he heard anything suspicious, he could find Ron almost immediately.
Ginny would probably be with him. After everything that had happened that day, he doubted she'd let him do this alone. It was then that it hit him. He knew the Death Eaters were going to attack. The only way he could protect anyone would be to force them to fight him. He was setting up a battle with at least one dark wizard.
The nervousness and anticipation didn't help him fall asleep any faster. Eventually, however, his exhaustion overwhelmed him, and as the first glow of the coming dawn peeked over the treetops, Harry finally fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning, after hours of restless, haunted sleep to the sound of footsteps in his room. His arm shot out and snatched his wand from the bed stand as he tore open the bed curtains.
"Morning, Harry," Ginny said with a smirk. Harry put down his wand. Ginny tossed some clothes to him. "Go clean up. The rest of the students are getting ready to leave for Hogsmeade."
Harry looked out the window to the bright, but hazy sky. It must be late morning already. He took the clothes, and grabbed a set of robes on his way to the bathrooms. He returned a few minutes later, to find Ginny laying on his bed with a funny look on her face.
"It's going to happen, isn't it?"
"What's going to happen?" Harry asked as he quickly laced his shoes.
"They're going to attack, and we're going to fight them," Ginny explained. "That's the plan, isn't it?"
"It may not come to that," Harry replied. "They won't attack me. As long as I don't give them any other choice, they may just leave."
"And if they don't?"
"Then we'll fight."
"I'm not looking forward to this," Ginny said as she sat up and got out of Harry's bed.
"Neither am I," Harry agreed. "We'd better go."
"Do you want me to fetch the Map? I think I still have it in my trunk." Ginny asked as Harry opened the door.
"No," answered Harry as he waited for Ginny to pass him. "I don't think we'll be needing it, and I don't want anyone else to get a hold of it."
Ginny nodded and said nothing more. The two of them walked down to the Great Hall and sat at the end of the Gryffindor table farthest from the Head Table. They ate early, and their meal was surprisingly light considering Harry hadn't had a meal in a day.
They listened into the conversations of their house-mates enough to hear that Ron was supposed to be out of the Hospital Wing before supper. They gave each other a grim nod and stood up from the table. Few people had even realized they were there, and fewer realized they had left.
Harry led them to the Trophy Room. It was close to the main entrance, and they'd be able to hear anything interesting that was happening. To stop students and Aurors from hearing them, Harry cast a quick Silencing Charm. There weren't any chairs or tables, so they simply sat against the walls and waited.
They both knew that whatever was going to happen could happen at any moment, or it might be hours before it happened. After a few minutes of silence, Ginny pulled out her wand and began practicing charms and transfigurations on some of the few normal objects around the room.
She'd been managing quite well at turning a set of candles into scrolls of empty parchment, so she turned to some more interesting tasks. At one end of the room, on an simply stone pedestal, stood the Triwizard Tournament Cup. Harry stayed well away from it, as if being close to it might somehow trigger stronger memories of the horrible night he first touched it. Ginny, however, studied it for some time, then picked up another candle, and poked it with her wand. In a second it grew larger, into a nearly identical copy of the cup. The only noticeable differences were the complete lack of writing and an extra handle.
She moved on to other trophies, making copies of each of them. She had caught on fairly quickly and had even gotten a few of them to have the inscriptions rewritten to include her name. She was about to try a large crystal obelisk, when she paused to listen to some voices outside the room. The Aurors were talking. Ginny put down the last of the candles and gave Harry a questioning look.
"How are we supposed to know when its going to happen?"
Harry stopped to think. He didn't really know. "I guess I'll just know when it happens," he said lamely. "I mean, it's never been a problem, has it?"
Ginny's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Harry! You knew when they were already happening. We need to know before then."
She was right. They might not have time to stop someone from attacking Ron if he only saw it once it started. Maybe they should find someplace nearer the Hospital Wing to hide. His plan didn't seem quite so good anymore.
"It doesn't work that way," he tried to explain to her. "I see things once they start. I've always seen them before anyone gets hurt. If we were closer to Ron, we'd be able to protect him better, but I don't know how I could know before it would happen. I don't really control the visions."
"You did the night you brought back my memory."
She was right. He had forced Voldemort to talk with him, but that was different, wasn't it? Maybe it wasn't. Harry thought back to the visions. They'd always felt the same. He felt trapped, or held. Except for that night. That night he'd felt like the world was little more than a thin veil flapping in the breeze, but he'd been free. Was that the key? Could he use the link just as Voldemort did? Would he know what Harry was doing?
"I'll give it a try," Harry announced as he straightened and forced himself to relax.
"Good luck," Ginny said with a weak smile. She stopped her practice and simply looked at him with anxious hope. Harry ignored her eyes watching him and closed his, trying to focus on the thought of the nearby Death Eaters. He didn't want to end up talking to Voldemort like he had last time, he just wanted to know how much time he had. It wasn't easy, and after a few minutes, he opened his eyes again.
Ginny was sitting quietly, making an obvious effort to not watch Harry, without moving or turning away from him. With a frown, Harry closed his eyes again and tried to relax. The darkness swam before his eyes, but even after another few minutes there was still nothing. He could hear the echoes of students talking loudly in the Great Hall, and even fainter, the sound of Ginny breathing. He could almost feel her staring at him.
"There's nothing," Harry said, breaking the silence. "It's not working. I don't think it works this way."
"It worked before," Ginny said insistently.
"Well it's not working now, is it?" Harry shot back at her. When Ginny remained silent, Harry reluctantly opened his eyes to see if something was wrong. Something wasn't right, but Harry couldn't tell what it was. Ginny was just looking at him oddly. Her lips were pursed, and her eyes were narrowed like they got when she was really annoyed, but her head was tilted curiously, as if she were trying to hear some faraway noise. Her eyes closed and her head dropped a little.
"Maybe it's not working because you don't want it to," she said in a controlled voice. "Maybe you aren't even really trying. No one would ever really know." Ginny's eyes seemed to look everywhere but into Harry's eyes. "You could just say you tried your best and didn't see anything until they killed him, and no one would think twice, would they?"
Harry's mind reeled at what Ginny was saying. "What are you trying to say?" he asked her, though he already knew. Harry watched as she took a deep breath and then forced herself to look into his eyes.
"Maybe you want Ron to die," she said in a shaky voice. Harry felt his jaw drop. How could she say that? She ignored his expression, and after a couple breaths, continued. "You didn't have to leave him, and you kept telling everyone that the Death Eaters should have had plenty of time to kill him."
"Are you saying that after all that time in the Hospital Wing that I—"
"Right—" Ginny interrupted, "—all that time waiting for him to wake up. Or die. And now you have your opportunity to save him again, or to arrive just a little too late."
Harry felt numb. If he weren't sitting against the wall, he might have been dizzy. Was this some nightmare? Had he fallen asleep? He stared back into Ginny's bloodshot eyes. Her cheeks were covered in red splotches of color and she was breathing in short, shallow gasps.
"Why..."
"He's always been in the way!" she shouted back at him. "He's been keeping us apart! Hermione doesn't spend any time with you. He took your prefect badge, and he'll be the Quidditch Captain next year."
"No," Harry said through his teeth. "That's not how it is—"
"It isn't? What is it then? Did you lie to me? Did you tell me that you were going to fight only to get me back? Or did you realize that the only way you'll live is to join Voldemort? How many more of your friends do you have to kill? Will Ron be enough to make Tom happy, or are you going to take Hermione just in case?"
"That's not true!" Harry yelled back at her as he jumped to his feet. "I'll never join him. If I have to die to save Ron then I'll do it. I won't let him kill another person, and I won't let him hurt my friends! If he wants to attack Ron, he'll have to face me first!"
Harry had yelled loud enough that his throat hurt. The sudden stand hadn't felt good after sitting for so long, either. The room spun about him for a moment, then stopped, only to be replaced by an ache in his head.
Ginny said nothing. She just sat on the floor staring at him. This seemed to anger Harry even more. "How dare you say that I want my best friend to die! He's the only brother I've ever had. He's the closest family I've ever had. I won't—"
Harry blinked and stopped for a moment as his balance faltered. He'd forgotten to breathe. He felt lightheaded and disoriented. The room seemed to dim around him. He was about to faint.
Harry's back hit the wall hard, but it kept him from hitting the floor even harder. The pain was jarring, and helped him stay awake, but it wasn't enough to mask the twinge of pain from his scar. He slid down and finally hit the floor of the room, causing a flock of lights and shapes to dance in front of his eyes.
Despite the pain and dizziness, Harry's eyes flew open as he sat up again immediately. He'd recognized some of the shapes. Ginny looked genuinely concerned about him, but Harry didn't have time to think about that. He closed his eyes and strained to see anything more.
He saw the faint outline of an arched doorway, and rows of suits of armor. He knew that doorway. He'd passed it many times on his way to the abandoned office he and Ginny had used when they needed to talk in private. As the shapes faded, they were replaced by a few dull throbs of pain in his forehead. A moment later, they too were gone, leaving Harry sitting awkwardly against the wall.
Ginny was still watching him, but she also had tears running down her face. When she saw him looking back at her, more tears started rolling down her face and she shook her head weakly.
"I'm so sorry, Harry. I'm so sorry..."
"What is going on, Ginny? Why— How could you say—"
"Please understand," she pleaded. "I didn't believe any of it. But... Something is happening, Harry. I can feel it. I needed you to see something, and the last time you did that was when you were furious. I had to say— I had to make you terribly angry. Please forgive me..."
Harry could see the remorse in her eyes. She'd been right. It had worked. He steadied himself and pushed himself back on his feet. He nodded and held out a hand to Ginny who was wiping her cheeks on her robes. Harry pulled her to her feet and she gave him an urgent look.
"You did see something, didn't you?"
Harry nodded. "A stone arch. A doorway, and rows of suits of armor. I recognized it. They're already inside the castle."
"Are you sure, Harry?" Ginny asked. She seemed to be pleading with him to say he wasn't. "Maybe it was someplace else."
Harry frowned and shook his head. "No. I know what I saw. It felt close. And it..." Harry trailed off, and stared out the door.
"What, Harry?"
"It... hurt," he said as he rubbed his scar. "It means Voldemort didn't want me to see it. It's happening. Right now." Harry paced back and forth in front of a large rack of awards. "Where is Hermione?"
"I haven't seen her, but she couldn't have left the castle."
Harry tried to think clearly. He had exactly what he needed: a warning. Now what was he supposed to do about it? He'd thought it would be simpler than this. Someone was inside Hogwarts. A Death Eater, probably, but it'd felt different, somehow. He'd expected it to feel stronger, and instead he couldn't even really see anyone. He'd expected to see someone walking toward the castle, or even toward the Hospital Wing, but instead whoever was here was simply walking around the halls. He knew he was missing something. There was something important he wasn't seeing.
"Something is happening," he said finally. "I could really use Hermione about now. I wasn't prepared for this." He looked at Ginny and frowned. This wasn't going as he'd expected. What if he was wrong after all and they weren't planning on attacking Ron? "What am I supposed to do? Do I protect Ron or try to find Hermione?
"Neither," Ginny said firmly. Harry gave her a curious look. "Tell the Aurors."
Could it be that simple? Harry thought about it briefly. It couldn't turn out worse than any of his ideas, could it? The Aurors could watch Ron while he found Hermione. With Ginny trailing behind him, he ran to the door and explained what he'd seen to the Auror who was always stationed there.
"Not bad, Potter," the Auror said with a grim smile, "but it's still old news to us. The detectors caught someone on the Astronomy Tower. Didn't get in, of course, and didn't seem to happy about it either, I'd say." The old gave a wheezing laugh. "Set off half a dozen other detectors when the door wouldn't budge. It was sealed tight when we got there. Took 'em a bit of time before they got them all reset. I kept telling Shacklebolt they were too sensitive. We've reset the one in the library once a week since we came here. Keeps getting set off by all those nasty books in the back corner. What students need with those, I'll never know."
"But they didn't get in?" Harry asked.
"No, sir," the Auror said with a smile. "We've been searching the forest for the last hour."
"The last hour?" Ginny said with a meaningful look at Harry.
"Well, maybe a bit less than that. Felt like an hour, but this doorman work is dull stuff. Maybe only forty minutes or so."
"No," Harry said urgently, "I... felt someone inside not five minutes ago."
"No offense, Potter, but I'll trust my Dark Detectors over the twinges in that old cut, thank you."
"But I—"
Harry was cut off as the door swung open. A second Auror strode in, completely ignoring Harry and Ginny.
"We found something in the forest. No one gets out or in," he said roughly. "Not even Potter," he added with a sharp look toward Harry.
The Auror disappeared, and a moment later, the Auror at the door was waving his wand over the door. It glowed faintly, and then there was a metallic clang that echoed through the Entrance Hall.
"Told you, didn't I?" the Auror said dismissively. "Whoever it was, they're out there, now." Harry started to protest but the Auror cut him off. "Aye, We'll be searching the castle, too. Shacklebolt's always got us searching the castle. Waste of time, though. We should be spending our time catching whoever's slinking around in those trees."
Harry frowned and looked at Ginny. She seemed annoyed as well. She nodded her head toward the stairs and Harry said a respectful goodbye to the Auror who wished them a good afternoon in a thoroughly bored voice.
"Do you think that was what you saw?" Ginny whispered as they climbed the stairs.
"No," Harry whispered back. "I've seen strange things in the Forbidden Forest, but I've never seen a stone doorway with suits of armor around it." Ginny nodded and kept walking up the stairs. "Where are we going?" Harry asked.
"To find Hermione."
"What about Ron?" Harry said. In a flash, panic struck him. "With the Aurors looking about in the forest, there are less of them here to protect him."
"I know, Harry," Ginny's voice was calm, but he noticed her pace increase. "We'll do better if we have Hermione with us, or at least the Marauder's Map. Pomfrey never lets anyone out early. He'll be safer where he is now, than he would be with us."
"What if Hermione doesn't want to help us?" Harry forced himself to ask. The last thing he needed was to get into another row with Hermione.
"She'll keep her mouth shut and help if she cares what happens to Ron," Ginny replied quickly. Harry nodded and took a moment to tighten the laces on his shoes.
Author's Notes:
Well, that seems like a great place to stop for today. I'll just leave you all hanging for a bit, alright?
How about another teaser for Chapter 46:
"Don't worry about that," Hermione interrupted him. "The Dark Lord would never allow any of his servants to kill you."
"That's not what I'm worried about and you know it. What if they're here for Ron?" Harry was getting very upset with Hermione's apathetic attitude toward Ron's safety, especially after yelling at Ginny and him the previous night.
"You can't save us all, Potter," Hermione said. The corners of her mouth twitched as if caught in a battle between a frown and a smile.
I think that is plenty of information to make everyone happy for now. Chapter 46 is loads of fun, so read quick, and I'll hope to release it tomorrow morning.