Title: More than Mrs. Potter
Author: Joy
PLEASE READ: If you didn't understand the 'kissing scar' reference from last chapter go back and read the last chapter of An Unwilling Damsel. For more of an explanation of what it is precisely it is read the 5th chapter of Summer of Discovery.
A/N: For all of you that wanted some grand romantic proposal...Sorry...it ain't gonna happen that way. Some times necessity is the mother of invention so you will have to deal with a lack of romance...Harry will make it up to her, I promise.
18. Reaching out and growing cold
The call of Draco's impending 'doom' came to Ginny in the wee hours of the morning through Professor McGonagall who was not very pleased to find the young Miss Weasley in bed with Head boy Harry Potter. All embarrassment aside Ginny was frustrated that she had not gotten to see Draco before he left and all she could do was wait.
Harry held Ginny's hand caressing her ring finger while waiting for news. Snape was at the 'ceremony' too...as sort of as back up. As the time of the ceremony had approached Snape had pulled Draco from his classes to privately make sure Draco's Occlumency was in order to prevent old Volde from getting wind of their plan accidentally. Snape had continued to show himself to be an honorable man by Draco. In private moments Draco would admit to Hope that Snape was becoming the father he never had. Snape went out of his way to ensure Draco's safety...things neither of his parents had ever bothered with.
Ginny leaned her head against Harry's shoulder concentrating as hard as she could on the residual magic she had with Voldemort. She was going to have to combat his magic soon and she needed to be prepared. All of her energy went into reaching out with her mind to her long dead 'friend'...unfortunately, he felt it.
Suddenly the whisper in her mind became focused. "Are you missing me Ginevra?" his snake voice hissed.
"Yes, Tom," she muttered back.
"You are keeping Potter cozy these days."
"I miss being close to someone so powerful," she answered him.
Gin felt his arrogance grow. "You have been reaching out to me little one."
"Yes...I miss you."
"As I told you that you always would... I have a new follower, pretty one," Tom teased. "You have been playing with him...I can feel it."
"Do you really mind?" Ginny was doing her best to keep her real thoughts at bay as she had been taught.
"No child I don't... He will be at school, totally mine. You can play with him as much as you want."
"Thank you Tom," she responded.
"I will talk to you soon...pretty one."
And then the connection was broken.
"GINNY!" Harry yelled at her prone body as her nose began to bleed again.
"Harry," she whispered looking up at her true love while surrounded by Madame Pomfry, Dumbledore, McGonagall and Hope.
"What happened, Potter?" Poppy asked.
"She was stretching her magic and suddenly she went slack in my arms. I couldn't wake her... that's when I called you."
"It was him," Gin whispered.
"Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.
"No...Tom," the youngest Weasley whispered. "I believe I convinced him that the reason he had been feeling me more was because I missed him. He's done with Draco. I should be able to touch the mark with little problem. Tom sort of gave Draco to me it seems."
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Poppy called Dumbledore to come quickly out of fear of the developments... The most obvious one was Ginny was steadily growing colder. Albus soon formulated that with an actual communication between Ginny and Riddle that he had reconnected with her some how. For Gin's part she felt the dark place inside her growing again, but this time Harry was there to anchor her. She knew Tom could not envelop her as long as her heart belonged to Harry.
As Ginny lay in a hospital wing bed, she caressed Harry's jaw with her cold fingers. Harry decided that there was too much at stake to wait any longer. He needed to know she was his...not as a jealous boyfriend but as a love.
It suddenly clicked in his mind what happened between he and Ginny in the Chamber all those years ago. There was a mystical bond between Gin and Tom...Tom was gaining strength and life from her. He owned her...body, mind, and soul. Tom always knew where Gin was, what she was doing, how she was feeling. Once Harry stabbed that bloody journal the connection was disrupted...but not severed. In light of their relationship it seemed the bond passed to Harry rather than be broken...now while it was true that as a living being Tom did have some connection with Ginny he no longer knew her as he had...as opposed to Gin who seemed to be able to feel Harry's pain at moments.
Harry clasped her hand in his and retrieved the tiny envelope from his pocket. "I have something I want to give you," he whispered to her
"You give me so much all the time...my birthday was..." she muttered as he interrupted her placing one elegant finger to her lips.
"Gin...let me do this," Harry insisted taking her hands in his.
"Alright Harry."
He unclasped the button on the sleeve and unfolded Ginny's hand. A diamond ring slid into Ginny's palm with no preamble at all. "It belonged to my mother," he whispered. "Remus kept it for me... I want you to wear it."
"Harry...you don't have..."
"Ginevra, I want you to be my wife. I know we're young. I know its probably foolish and selfish but I don't really care. I love you...completely. You make my life worth living. I don't want you to go anywhere without me anymore...I want you at my side always. I have asked your father's permission...he's granted it... I just need to know...do you want to be Mrs. Potter?"
Ginny cried softly and nodded her head, "More than anything."
Harry nodded swallowing slowly before taking the ring and slipping it on her finger and kissing her lightly. "Good...no one else should have the job."
"Well that's a relief," she teased even as heat began to once again infuse her body.
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Draco returned to the castle in extreme pain and a foul mood. He had pledged himself to a complete wanker he hated in order to save his own neck...he supposed that was true of all those that served Tommy Boy in one way form or fashion.
Snape ushered Draco to the hospital wing quickly to have the spell preformed as soon as possible. The blond didn't care at the moment one way or another. At least he didn't, until he saw Hope. She went to hug him and physically couldn't make it into his arms. The closer she came to him the louder the voice in her head became until all she could hear was screaming. Out of nowhere she dropped to her knees as items flew off of the shelves and counters of their own accord.
"Hope," Draco whispered his heart breaking.
"Do the spell...call me when its done...I...won't...be able...to stay..." she groaned clutching her head. Draco felt a wave of despair wash over him until she spoke again. "I...love you...Draco Malfoy... Come back...to me...soon."
"I love you too," he answered and watched her scramble from the room.
"Lets get this done," he muttered to Snape.
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An hour later, the hospital wing was in shambles...broken potion bottles on the floor, books strewn, and furniture on its side. House elves busied themselves cleaning the area merrily. Harry clutched his fiancé's hand as she lay unconscious in the hospital bed while Hope stroked Draco's brow whispered to him to wake up. Poppy was not pleased at all. She disliked this turn of events greatly.
Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall spoke animatedly about the proper course of action. Poppy believed the proper course of action was having the three Professors heads examined. Two students unconscious because of a spell was not good...even if it was He-who-must-not-be-named's fault.
It had started simply. Ginny deliberately avoided the whole engagement thing (which meant taking off the ring) once she saw Draco so it wouldn't enter her mind while performing the spell...as a result she started to freeze again. The spell itself wasn't the problem. Ginny had no power shortage. She performed the spell to perfection... It was Tommy Boy's mind screw that was the problem.
Riddle took the spell not as a sign of affection for him but for Draco on Ginny's part. A strange rage bled into Ginny, Draco, and Harry from Voldemort... It seemed that Tom was jealous of Draco. Ginny had belonged to him and now she didn't. Ginny wasn't running to Tom but to Draco. Tom punished Draco for being 'close' to Gin, Gin was punished for being 'close' to Draco and Harry was just along for the ride.
Once the connection was successfully severed Harry put the ring back on Gin's finger and she began to warm up again...but it didn't wake her.
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Eventually Hope looked to Harry and said in a flat voice, "I know how we can beat him... Draco showed be accidentally...but its highly likely we will be back in this positions again."
Harry tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
Hope cleared her throat, "What does Riddle do best?"
"Be the bane of my existence," he answered off hand.
She shook her head, "No...he messes with people's minds."
"Right...so..."
"He felt me through the link to Draco...I slipped right into him without thought. It drove him nuts. He was clawing at his own mind to get me out... His worst fear is to be controlled the way he controls others."
"I don't think I can withstand a physical battle and also a mental one."
"I know... That's why you will attack him in a duel with Hermione and Ron guarding your back. Ginny will attack his mind with me feeding her power and Draco guarding our backs."
Harry shook his head animatedly, "No...I am not risking her like that."
Hope stared at her friend, "Like what? You would prefer she be out in the battlefield with wand drawn?"
"I would prefer her in a tower away from the violence."
The blond approached Harry in a very serious manner, "This is why the three of us were put together Harry. We can do this. We can survive this... Everything we have gone through together has been leading up to the war. We finally have something that can really cripple him on a grand scale. Ginny doesn't particularly want you to walk up to old snake eyes wand ready but she knows this is your destiny. Well this is Gin's destiny...to be a conduit. Let her do this. She knows him better than any person alive. She can press all the right buttons and he won't be able to stop her...because she's his Ginny... Don't take revenge for her; let her take it herself. What an amazing sense of retribution...to screw with his head after the way he screwed with hers?"
Harry gazed at his bride and knew Hope was not only right, but had the plan they had been looking for.
"I want to talk to Gin before I agree to anything."
"Wise decision...that will serve you well in marriage."
Harry smiled softly, "Yeah...I noticed you are wearing Draco's family crest their on your finger."
Hope blushed, "We're not as far along as you and Gin, but we're getting there."
"That's as it should be."
A/N: I promise to give you your big romance / smut soon...very soon.
Now you know what I want...REVIEW, please. REVIEW, please. Thank you and have a nice day.