Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling, Warner Brothers and its various publishers own Harry Potter. No money is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Thanks for reading my story. In addition to the usual characters from J.K.R., I borrowed a line everyone might recognize from The Prisoner of Azkaban. Notes to reviewers are at the end of the chapter. Thanks for writing them. I love reading them!
Chapter 31
A Doubtful Alliance
When Ginny arrived for breakfast, the crowd in the Great Hall was buzzing, first with the news that Harry Potter had somehow disappeared during the night, then with speculation about Professor Snape's mysterious arrival in the Hogwarts' infirmary.
Flanked by Alison and Colin, who had dithered about their Magical Creatures project all the way from Gryffindor Tower, Ginny tried to ignore the disquieting clamor. She took a seat and stared at the teapot. Most mornings, Harry fixed her a cup of tea, just the way she liked it, then let her have her morning Zen moment. Her stomach clenched as she pushed away the thought that this was the first of a lot of mornings without Harry to fix her tea.
"Coffee?" Colin asked with a sympathetic look. "You probably didn't get much sleep." He took a big bite of a jam-covered scone, keeping his eyes on her as he chewed.
"No thanks," Ginny answered, a little too brightly. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she put some food on her plate, then poured herself a cup of tea and stared into it, but it just wasn't the same.
Seamus and Dean sat down in the seats next to Alison. Ginny listened without comment while Alison told the boys the story about Harry for the third time. Even though she'd been the one who first raised the alarm about Harry's disappearance, Ginny just kept gazing at the caramel colored liquid in her cup.
Giving a knowing nod, Alison continued with the news. "…then Sophie Moon told Susan Bones who told Padma Patil who told her sister that Snape's come back to Hogwarts…and he's been muttering something about Harry."
Ginny's facial expression remained calm, but anyone bothering to look closer would realize she was now stirring her eggs. Inside, her thoughts churned. This news about Snape…Dumbledore must have known it last night. The fact he didn't tell her made it clear that he had no intention of allowing her to help rescue Harry. The old wizard must still think of her as that idiot eleven-year-old without enough sense to recognize that her diary was dangerous.
The moment the rescue party had arrived, Dumbledore had shuffled her brother, Hermione, and herself off to bed, with some rather condescending assurances. She'd tried to content herself with the fact that at least someone was trying to find him, but it wasn't good enough. Inside her a coil was tightening and it was going to explode at some point if she didn't find some way to help Harry.
Alison was still droning on about Snape.
Resisting the urge to hex her study partner for repeating herself, Ginny pushed away her uneaten breakfast and tried to think of what she could do.
A soft tap on her shoulder startled Ginny out of her dark thoughts. She turned around and saw Parvati and Lavender giving her identical pitying looks.
Clucking her tongue and shaking her head, Parvati asked, "What's Harry gotten himself into now?"
Knowing where this was probably headed, Ginny shuddered and said, "I really don't know." She usually tolerated their romantic advice fairly well. In fact, she often found it amusing, but not now.
The older girls must have misread her shudder. After exchanging knowing looks, Parvati and Lavender turned back to Ginny. In a tone usually reserved for the first years, Lavender said quietly, "We know you've been busy with your O.W.L.s lately, but the first rule of being a good girlfriend is to always know what your man is doing." She patted Ginny's shoulder gently as though she was trying to comfort her.
Ginny cringed. She hated it when these two got onto the subject of 'how to treat your man.' And Harry wasn't some pet puppy who'd slipped off his leash.
In an equally annoying sympathetic tone, Parvati added, "Otherwise, he could be running around with other girls behind your back."
Narrowing her eyes, Ginny said, "So your theory is that Harry has run off with another girl." She pretended to look around suspiciously, and asked, "Exactly who else is missing this morning?"
Lavender shrugged and Parvati had the grace to look uncomfortable.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see Dean and Seamus looking their way. Rising to her feet and fixing the girls with what she hoped was a dignified glare, Ginny said, "Only a girlfriend who can't trust her man would always need to know what he's doing…and Harry is completely trustworthy."
She didn't want to discuss it with them, but her own theory about what had happened to Harry was far more sinister than the one these two had conceived.
She brushed past Dean's attempt to speak with her, as her next move clicked into place inside her head. It was what any truly self-respecting girlfriend would do. With one eye out for professors and interfering housemates, Ginny snuck into the infirmary to confront Professor Snape. If he was saying Harry's name, then she figured that he was the man to talk to.
Strictly speaking, sneaking wasn't necessary. Although she wasn't scheduled to help this morning, she'd been working as one of Madam Pomfrey's student assistants for months.
Ginny needn't have worried about Madam Pomfrey's reaction. She showed no surprise as she hurried past, carrying a tray of potions and salves. "Plenty of new arrivals, Miss Weasley. Thank goodness, you're here."
She set Ginny to work dosing a group of second year Hufflepuffs with Pepper-Up Potion. They were all complaining of a general feeling of malaise. Out the side of her mouth, Ginny asked, "So…is it Potions or Herbology?"
Swallowing the spoonful of medicine with a smirk, the boy in front of her answered, "Fire Thistles." He looked meaningfully at the patients occupying the beds, slathered in orange burn ointment and bandages.
Ginny nodded. "Bed rest, I should think, don't you?" Calling to the matron, who was muttering in the storeroom, she asked, "Would you say this group needs bed rest, Madam Pomfrey?"
Stepping back into the room with an armload of blankets, the matron looked over the sorry lot in front of her. Many of them were moving their lips as though uttering a quiet prayer. "Right, then. You heard, Miss Weasley. Mind you go straight to your dormitories and rest. I'll contact your Professor about your absence." She went in her office and closed the door as the 'flu' patients fled the infirmary.
Ignoring the curious stares of the burn patients, Ginny squared her shoulders and walked toward the screened in bed near the window. This had to be Professor Snape. The infirmary suddenly seemed very quiet. She could hear her footsteps echo as she slipped behind the divider.
A pile of grimy clothes occupied the chair next to his bed. Professor Snape seemed to be sleeping fitfully. His face was bruised and swollen. Healing lotion was slathered thickly over his forehead, presumably covering a laceration. Although the cut had probably healed instantly, the lotion would prevent any residual scarring. His skin was gray, probably due to enduring the Cruciatus Curse, according to what she'd read.
Madam Pomfrey came around the screen and made a small gasp. "Oh, it's you, Miss Weasley. I thought you'd gone. Don't you have classes this morning?"
Ginny answered carefully. "I…I do have History of Magic, but…shouldn't someone sit with him? That must've been a bad head wound…" She looked at the busy matron. "I could stay. My friend takes good notes."
With a kind smile, the matron said, "Of course, you can stay." Raising an eyebrow, she added, "I didn't know you were that fond of Professor Snape." She set about explaining to Ginny the regimen of potions and charms prescribed for him. The list was frighteningly long. "It's very important that nothing upsets him. If he wakes up, best come get me."
With that Madam Pomfrey left Ginny alone to stand her vigil over Snape. She put the filthy clothes in a bag under his bed and settled into the chair. For a long time, she just sat there, listening to the labored breathing of her Potions Professor and fingering the small necklace that Harry had given her for Christmas.
Harry's words came back to her. "…The question you should ask yourself is do you want a boyfriend that you could lose in this war…or worse…a boyfriend that could put you in danger."
Then he'd given her the necklace…to protect her.
Harry wanted to protect everyone. Hermione thought it was a weakness, his saving people thing. To Ginny that was one of the things she loved about Harry, his generous, protective spirit. He really was willing to put his life on the line, not just for those he cared about, but for everyone.
She loved that he could still be that way after the horrible things he'd been through, the awful way some people had treated him. And despite the fact that he knew he might die fighting for an ungrateful world, he fought anyway. The spirit within him refused to give up.
Closing her eyes, she conjured the image of Harry the night he had given her the necklace. He stood at twilight in the snowy garden of the Burrow, his face open and sincere, his eyes craving something he couldn't name, he'd offered to stop seeing her in order to keep her safer.
In her heart, she knew she'd never be safer without Harry. And someplace even deeper, she knew she'd never give up trying to find him.
Telling herself that she shouldn't dwell on memories, Ginny decided to read the book of tracking spells that Hermione had loaned her. She reached inside her rucksack to pull out the book and her hand brushed against her mirror. She took it out along with the book, although she knew it was useless.
She thought about Ron physically restraining her the night before. Aurora was the key. Clearly, the phoenix knew something.
Looking at the little mirror in her hand, she asked between clenched teeth, "Where are you, Harry?"
Snape stirred at her quiet words. His hands fisted as he murmured, "Hmm…Potter…help."
Ginny was suddenly alert. Did he mean Harry needed help? Had he left Harry somewhere suffering the Cruciatus…or worse? Her breath caught painfully in her throat at the thought. She felt like shaking the man, screaming at him to wake up and tell her.
Instead she sat back down on the edge of her seat and willed her heartbeat to slow down. Looking in the mirror, she smoothed her hair and cast another glamour charm on her red, puffy eyes. So far, she'd been able to do all her crying in private. If Dumbledore or Pomfrey — or even Ron — thought she was falling apart emotionally, they'd shove her into bed with a large dose of Tranquility Potion.
Lifting her chin a little higher, she tried to adopt a mask of calm. She wasn't going to let anyone kick her out of the infirmary. Not until she'd had a few words herself with Professor Snape. His mutterings were currently the best hope she had. She settled her book on her lap, and began reading.
Ron and Hermione showed up in the afternoon and pulled her away from Snape's cubicle.
"Are you mad? You missed lunch!" Ron asked in a hiss. "And we find you here…hanging around Snape's bedside…what are you thinking? Harry's gone missing!"
Her eyes stung with tears at his words. Looking anxiously at Madam Pomfrey's office, she grabbed the front of Ron's robes and dragged him further away from the open door toward a few empty beds. Hermione followed them.
"Sh…you'll ruin everything." Ginny felt her face flush as she spoke. "Madam Pomfrey thinks I want to watch over him out of concern for our dear Professor, but…" She looked toward the matron's office before she spoke again in a whisper. "It's true…Snape keeps saying Harry's name…Potter…help." She mimicked Snape's delirious words.
"Still you can't spend all your time here," Hermione said, handing her a sandwich wrapped in a napkin. "I'll…I'll take a turn."
Hermione's jaw was set into a determined square. She looked perfectly composed, making Ginny wonder if her friend might be wearing a couple of glamour charms herself.
Ron looked from one to other, incredulous. "It's Snape!"
Ignoring him, Ginny grabbed Hermione in a quick, relieved hug. Rubbing her face to wake up, Ginny said, "I've made a list of possible passwords, Ron. While Hermione watches over Snape, we can break into Dumbledore's office." She unrolled the parchment she'd been working on that morning.
"You're both off your nut!" Ron shouted, pulling his hair for emphasis. "What would we want to do that for!"
All three Gryffindors turned their heads toward Madam Pomfrey's office, but no one emerged. Both girls glared at Ron.
Sighing loudly, Ron repeated his question in a whisper, folding his arms in front of him defensively.
"Because…" Hermione whispered back. "That's where Harry's phoenix was last seen. It's obvious Aurora knows something about what's happened to him."
Nodding, Ginny added, "And we may not have much time. The Order is meeting this afternoon…Professor Dumbledore is bound to be out of his office for that." She didn't explain how she knew.
Hermione looked at her kindly and said, "I'm sure by now, Professor Dumbledore has figured out where Aurora wants the rescue party to look. He's probably already sent someone. What good will it do for us to get in the middle of things?"
"I'm not giving up. Dumbledore won't tell us anything," Ginny said, hiccuping softly as she tried to keep the sob in her throat from coming out. "Ha…Harry's always grumbling about it. He doesn't tell him anything either."
And if the Headmaster wouldn't tell Harry, what hope did a skinny fifth year have of gaining his trust?
"We'll have to find out on our own." She swallowed hard and lifted her face to her brother. "Harry would do the same for any one of us."
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Ginny was aware of some sort of silent agreement being reached over the top of her head.
"I'll stay with Professor Snape until dinner," Hermione said. "You'll have to show me his medicines so Madam Pomfrey doesn't get upset when she finds out we've switched."
In a resigned monotone, Ron said, "And I'll help you break into Dumbledore's office."
Ginny grinned and threw her arms around him. "I knew you would."
"Ah…that's all right then," Ron answered stiffly, patting her back lightly.
Half an hour later, Ginny suspected that Ron was only humoring her because he figured they didn't have a hope of actually breaking into the Headmaster's office. The password McGonagall used the night before had already been changed, and even after reaching the end of her rather comprehensive list of sweets, without any success getting past Dumbledore's gargoyle, Ron was still patient with her.
With a frustrated growl, Ginny threw the useless scroll of parchment at the statue. "Can't you think of anything, Ron?"
He picked up her list and read it slowly. "I think you've made a fairly complete listing of sweets here, Ginny."
Suddenly exhausted, she leaned her head against his arm. "What's next then?" she asked softly.
"I don't know…maybe it's a Muggle sweet. Professor Dumbledore can be a bit…er…off sometimes."
"Do you know any?" Ginny could never understand Harry's love of Muggle treats. They didn't do anything except taste good.
"There's those sherbet lemons the Headmaster's always offering. Then there's that one Harry always asks the trolley lady for…don't know why, she's never going to have anything Muggle."
"Mars Bars!" Ginny shouted. Sure enough the gargoyle stirred to life, opening the stairway to the Headmaster's office.
Ron held onto his sister's arm. "Do you really want to do this? Someone could be inside. How do we know Harry's phoenix is even still there?"
She jerked her arm out of his grasp and started up the stairs.
Ron followed, still objecting in whispered tones. "We…we could get expelled!"
"We won't," Ginny said as she moved up the stairs. "If we get caught, we'll pretend we came to ask if they had any word about Harry…we'll say we found the gargoyle already open."
She could see the Headmaster's door standing open at the top of the stairs. Hurrying in, she ignored the comments coming from the various portraits and walked straight toward the phoenix perch behind Dumbledore's desk. Looking magnificent side by side, Fawkes and Aurora sat there calmly, as if nothing had happened. Ginny walked over and stroked the gold and red feathers on Aurora's head. As always, it soothed her own ruffled feelings.
Calling back over her shoulder, she said, "Come on, Ron. We'll go together."
"Where are you thinking of going, Miss Weasley?" Professor Dumbledore said, straightening up from the fireplace and brushing soot off his shoulders with a wave of his fingers.
A dark figure followed him through the fireplace. Ginny recognized him as Harry's fencing instructor, Rhys. He stood calmly behind Dumbledore, without saying anything.
"I…I wanted to see if Aurora was still…er…that is, I thought…" Ginny struggled to explain.
Dumbledore walked over to the phoenix perch and stroked the feathers on Fawkes' head. "Harry's phoenix is still here, Miss Weasley. As you see, there is no longer any reason to grab her tail." He looked at her knowingly.
Ginny relaxed. The headmaster seemed to know why she'd been so anxious to return to his office so why make excuses. He didn't seem too worried about her rule breaking.
Continuing in the same kindly tone, Dumbledore said, "We must take this as a good sign. Harry is a powerful and resourceful wizard. It's entirely possible that he'll return to us under his own power."
Rhys cleared his throat, drawing Ginny's notice. Seeming pale and tired, he averted his eyes. It occurred to her that he might have been a part of last night's rescue attempt, or maybe they were planning on going today. Perhaps she could persuade him to tell her. She smiled at him encouragingly, but she couldn't catch his eye.
For a moment, he seemed about to say something to Dumbledore, but Aurora interrupted. The phoenix jumped from the perch onto Ginny's shoulder and trilled a high, sweet tune.
Heartened by the sound and the Headmaster's reassurance, Ginny turned back to Ron. He was still hanging around the entrance to the office as though barred from the room. "Thank you, Professor," Ginny said, moving back toward her brother. She hoped to quietly walk out with Harry's phoenix, but when she reached the door, Aurora fluttered back to rejoin Fawkes on his perch.
Whether it was disappointment at the loss of that warm press of feathers or panic at facing an uncertain future, Ginny felt frozen to the carpet.
Ron put his arm around his sister. Before she had a chance to resist, he gently led her down the stairs.
They were just humoring her, Professor Dumbledore and Ron. It was sweet of them, but incredibly annoying all the same. They expected her to take the fact that Harry's phoenix had calmed down to mean that Harry was out of danger, when it might mean that any number of things.
Aurora had always been a bit unpredictable. Maybe she'd just forgotten Harry was missing, or maybe she was distracted by Fawkes. She could have simply decided she liked Dumbledore's bird treats and Fawkes' perch too much to leave. It didn't matter. Harry's bird may have given up looking for him, but Ginny wouldn't.
"I promise not to tell Mum you skived off your lessons today," Ron said, still draping an arm around her shoulders reassuringly. "But at least eat some dinner before you go back to the infirmary."
Ginny utterly refused, insisting that Snape could wake up any minute.
But it was several days before Professor Snape finally recovered enough to wake up and several more before he could answer anyone's questions coherently. Then he swore he had no knowledge of Harry's disappearance.
By then, Ginny was out of her mind. Even in the daylight, wild thoughts about Harry's fate traipsed through her mind unbidden. Torture, blood and cruelty…this wasn't how Harry's life was supposed to be. He was a normal sixteen-year-old boy. He should be worried about Quidditch, and well…her.
But when had Harry's life ever been normal? She went through the motions of her own routine. She went to class, helped in the infirmary and let Ron and Hermione take turns comforting her. She tried to keep her inner turmoil to herself, but it wasn't easy.
Harry ran as fast as he could over the rough ground of the Forbidden Forest. Above him, dark branches groaned and swayed. Beneath his feet, thick, half buried tree roots came alive, grabbing at him as he passed by, willing his feet to maintain a breakneck pace. Dozens of black robed figures trailed effortlessly behind, laughing.
Unaccountably, one of them appeared in the path in front of him. Harry tried to stop, but couldn't. In a blast of smoke and ash, he was surrounded. Faceless Death Eaters pressed against him on all sides, without any sign of hesitation or fear. Soon he was gasping for air. He called out, but no sound came. He reached for his sword, but it had vanished. He couldn't breathe. They were smothering him.
When the scene stopped spinning, he was looking down from above, as if he'd climbed a tree and was only an observer now. The hooded figures were crowding around something — a white light of some sort. They slowly backed away. Thinking he must be dead, Harry steeled himself to look down on his lifeless body, but as his attackers stepped away, he saw the pale figure of Ginny, her red hair hidden by the hood of her gray sweatshirt, her brown eyes staring sightless at the night sky.
Harry woke up, soaked with sweat, and out of breath. It was the same every time he slept. Whether he dreamt something wonderful or had a nightmare, his sleep was as vivid as if he'd really lived it. "I hate it here!" he shouted at the white, empty walls of the cave. The only answer was the hollow echo of his own voice.
Pulling his blanket close around him, he tried to gather the strength to conjure breakfast and face his morning routine. At least he hoped it was morning. He had no way of really knowing since the cave was always lit with a soft ambient light.
Niniane came and went as she pleased, most often lost in some mournful fantasy of her own.
At first Harry had spent every waking moment looking for a way to escape. He barely took the time to eat or sleep. Breaking out drove his every action until one day, in a fit of despondency, he had dropped to the floor, and let the cold stone leech the last bits of resistance from his body. He'd forced himself to admit--even if it was just to himself--that he couldn't get out. The exit was sealed from the outside, and boring through the stone simply wasn't possible.
His many escape attempts had utterly consumed him. He felt horrible. Hungry. Cold. Filthy. But what did it matter? He stared blankly at the cave ceiling high above him, trying not to think of the endless years of nothing that stretched in front of him like a dark bottomless pit.
Then Niniane had floated into the cave and hovered over him. Looking down at his disheveled and despairing figure, she said serenely, "Ah…there he is. The man born to be with me forever."
Harry had burst out laughing, and once he'd started he couldn't stop.
Niniane had floated away in disgust, leaving him alone, but Harry didn't care.
This was never meant to be his life. He wasn't born to do this and he knew it with every fiber of his being. Whatever was written in the stars for Harry James Potter, it didn't involve being forever hidden from the world with an insane ghost. The prophecy, his parents' sacrifice, the Potter box opening for him, they hadn't all happened so he could be shut away.
Right then, he knew that this wasn't the end. Something more was bound to happen. He'd make his way back to his life…his real destiny…all of his friends…to Ginny. In the meantime, if he was going to get out of the cave, and escape any Death Eaters left to stand watch, then he'd have to start preparing.
For the next few days, Harry began to take better care of himself. He'd been conjuring food and water since last summer so that wasn't a problem. Now he took the time to transfigure some things into comfortable furnishings, and dug through his rucksack for supplies. The cave's strange energy helped. As though the white walls around him conducted magic, Harry found conjuring and transfiguring surprisingly easy.
Soon he was living in reasonable accommodations. He'd even given himself an illusionary view of Hagrid's hut and the forest beyond. He put himself on a schedule, although he had no sense of night or day. Each day, he did a physical workout, then trained with his sword. He even studied the course books he'd brought with him, telling himself that when he found his way out of the cave, he'd be ready.
All of these preparations kept his mind off the despair that threatened to swallow him whole if he would let it. Instead he kept his mind on the future…a future beyond the cave.
Gryffindor Tower was fairly busting with bodies for a Saturday afternoon. With Hogsmeade visits still banned, older and younger Gryffindors were jammed into every available corner. Not that everyone was studying. A noisy Exploding Snap tournament was contending for space with three serious looking second years intent on making their toads race across the carpet.
As soon as Ginny walked down the stairs, the room seemed to close in around her. The loud indistinguishable chatter and the acrid smell of smoking cards seemed to take away all the oxygen. She would have left, but she'd promised to meet Ron and Hermione here, and they were nowhere in sight.
Crossing to the window, Ginny halted while the toad racers passed. After some fumbling, she released the latch and threw open the window. Dark-blue clouds gathered in the distance. The air hung heavy and still, but Ginny was relieved to feel the coolness on her face as she leaned over the ledge.
If they didn't have any news about Harry soon, she was going after Tom herself. Memories from her first year haunted her still…his twisted ideas and his cruel laugh…making her do things…those poor roosters. And that had been his sixteen year old self. What might he be doing to Harry now? She felt the wind begin to move over her cheeks, stirring her hair.
Keeping her focus on the Forbidden Forest, she heard someone walk up behind her. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Ron and Hermione.
"Ginny…" Hermione began, then broke off. A frown of concern overcast her face.
A brief flicker of light warned of the violence of the approaching storm. The light caught Ginny's attention. She leaned further out to get a better look. Another bright spidery bolt of lightening was answered by a distant crackle of thunder.
Ginny heard Ron take a deep breath, clap his hands together and say, "Well…er…looks like it's going to be too wet for Quidditch. We'll have to practice tomorrow instead." He continued in a self-satisfied tone. "I reckon this is a good day for the library."
Those dark-blue clouds began to shroud the forest like a Concealment Charm. Keeping her eyes on the darkening sky, Ginny willed the storm to come closer and break the gathering tension. She wasn't sure how much longer she could just wait.
In an understanding tone, Hermione said, "Forget about coming to the library with us, Ginny. It's Saturday. You…you could use some extra rest."
Ron and Hermione sounded nervous.Their voices seemed to be coming from a distance. Ginny knew they were worried about Harry, just as much as she was, but right now, that wasn't much of a comfort.
Ginny pulled her head inside and looked from one to the other. "Anything could be happening to him," she said. "I can't just…take a nap."
Confusion flashed across Ron's face, then he protested, "You can't spend all your time worrying either."
Hermione added, "Ron's right. We've done everything we can think of…there's nothing more any of us can do."
In a softer tone, Ron continued, "You look like hell, Ginny. What would Mum and Dad say…or Bill? They'd be all over me for not looking out for you." Pity poured out of every syllable as he pleaded with his sister. "Please…try to put it out of your mind…he'll probably come back on his own."
"Don't look at me like that." Ginny said, taking a step away from her brother.
Catching her arm, Ron said, "I can't stand to see you like this."
In the distance, another flare of light was followed by a drum roll of thunder. Ginny pulled her arm loose and said, "It…it isn't just me. You've both been working full stop on finding a way to help." She paused as a couple of her dorm mates passed by, giggling at something.
"Harry would want you to take care of yourself," Hermione said as a clap of thunder sounded closer.
Ginny's voice shook as she answered, "Harry…wouldn't sit back and wait for Dumbledore to handle things." She folded her arms in front of her defensively. "When you were petrified and I was trapped in the Chamber, Harry didn't wait around to see what someone else could do."
A blast of wind, made the window sash bang against the building and Ginny's hair fly around her face. She tucked it impatiently behind her ears without breaking her tirade. "He took action. And may I remind you, Ron, you helped him…any way that you could. I just think we need to do the same."
Despite the cool rush of air and the fresh splatter of rain finally beginning to fall through the open window behind her, Ginny suddenly felt like she'd suffocate if she stayed there. She needed to do something…anything…even if it was the wrong thing.
As she turned on her heel and fled, she heard Hermione say, "Let her go, Ron. She just needs some time alone."
Taking the stairs two at a time, Ginny resisted the impulse to run out of the castle and into the rain. Instead, she raced herself to the infirmary. The thunderstorm had arrived, relentless and implacable, by the time she walked through the entryway. Thankfully, the beds were empty, except for the screened in bed, furthest from the door.
In defiance of the storm's rolling drumbeat, Ginny slowed her steps and arranged her face into a mask of calm. She'd have to appear composed or she'd have no chance of talking to Professor Snape. Ginny knew he claimed to have no information about Harry's disappearance, but she also knew he'd spent hours speaking with Professor Dumbledore when he first regained consciousness. He must know something.
Rain pounded the glass windowpanes overhead in thick, punishing drops amidst splinters of white bolts of lightning. It felt oddly satisfying. The crashes of thunder hid her footsteps, as she walked deliberately toward Professor Snape's enclosure, prepared to confront him about what he knew, no matter how many points that cost Gryffindor. She'd rouse him from his sleep if necessary.
Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw as she rounded the screen. The Potions Master slept soundly, as expected, probably under the influence of a variety of potions, but he wasn't alone. Rhys, Harry's fencing instructor, stood at the foot of the bed, wand in hand. His face was a portrait of misery as he took aim at Snape's sleeping frame. Flashes of lightning flickered on his frozen form.
Thankful for the cover of the storm, Ginny drew her wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" A clap of thunder hit almost directly outside the window, swallowing up the noise of Rhys' wand skittering across the polished floor.
The fencing instructor staggered backward and turned to face her. Then covered his face with his hands.
Neither of them spoke as another branch of white lit the glass overhead, followed instantly by a thunderous roll.
"Take your hands off your face, Mister…um…" Ginny couldn't think of his last name. Harry always called him Rhys. She kept her wand trained on him.
"Powell," he answered softly, dropping his hands to his side. "But you can call me Rhys…Harry always did."
Ginny waved her wand slightly to remind him that she was the one holding a weapon. "What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing at the figure still fast asleep in the bed. "Why did you have your wand pointed at Professor Snape?"
Rhys closed his eyes and pressed his lips together for a moment, then he said, "I was performing a healing charm." He put his hands out toward her, palms up, in a placating gesture. "I…I thought it might speed his recovery. Why…what could you possibly be thinking?" His tone became incredulous.
Holding her wand even more deliberately, Ginny said, "You must think everyone around you is blind." She arched an eyebrow slowly, for emphasis. "I know what I saw and you couldn't possibly have meant it to be a healing charm."
"Please…lower your wand," Rhys pleaded, giving Snape a nervous look. In a whisper he said, "I'll deny it. No one will believe you."
"Oh…they'll believe me." With a small smile, she pressed her advantage. "Maybe you'd like to find out which one of us they'll believe. Ever taken Veritaserum?"
Some of the desperation Ginny had seen on Rhys' face when she first arrived was back. But it didn't soften her resolve. She nodded toward the array of potion bottles on Snape's bedside table. "And I've been helping administer Snape's potions and healing charms ever since he arrived…you wouldn't be helping him by adding another one of your own. Everyone knows that." She paused to see what effect this had on him.
Rhys didn't argue. He just looked lost.
Sighing, Ginny said, "Where shall we start?"
"I'm not answering your questions." His voice sounded flat.
Whether it was her own distress or the mad noise from the storm, Ginny acted with reckless abandon. She uttered a spell that instantly held Rhys immobile in the nearest chair.
Head rigid, Rhys asked, "Where'd you learn that one?"
Deciding quickly not to tell him that her Mum had used the spell whenever she'd wanted to give one of her children a haircut, Ginny moved around behind him. It wouldn't do for him to see how nervous she was. Deepening her voice to sound more impressive, Ginny said, "Never mind where I learned it. You'll answer my questions or you'll answer Professor Dumbledore's." She thought for a moment, then she added, "…maybe we should just see if the Headmaster is available now."
Reluctantly, Rhys asked, "What do you want to know?"
Trying to ignore her heart's rapid pounding and the storm crashing outside the window, Ginny's thoughts flashed on the driving force behind all her actions. "What I really want to know is what happened to Harry…."
She noticed Rhys' shoulders tensing and a flush spreading up his neck as she continued, "but you aren't likely to have the answer to that…or are you? Were you in the search party?" She moved to face him so she could watch his expressions as he answered her. "Let's start with why you would aim your wand at Professor Snape while he's asleep."
Rhys dropped his gaze to the floor and was quiet for a long time.
The thunder had become a distant mumbling. Ginny listened to the rain on the windows and waited.
Finally, Rhys lifted his eyes to her. They were dark and desperate. "You don't need to know anything about me. It will only put you in danger."
"So…now you want me to believe that you only have my best interests at heart." She tapped her wand impatiently in her hand.
"Your parents, Arthur and Molly, wouldn't want you to be involved…I can't bring you into any of this."
"But…" Ginny prompted.
"But nothing."
"I have to know!" Ginny shouted, her voice an octave higher.
"Harry's gone. You should just accept it." Rhys frowned at her. "We're all caught up in something bigger than ourselves and we're powerless to stop it." Dropping his eyes again, his voice became deathly quiet as he continued. "I…I didn't mean to."
"Didn't mean to what?" Ginny asked impatiently, her voice still an octave higher than usual. Everything Rhys had said was so confusing. What made him so sure that Harry was really gone? Even Dumbledore admitted there was still hope…and she was pretty sure that Aurora was still in the Headmaster's office.
With a light coming into his eyes, Rhys looked at Ginny and said, "Let me go…keep quiet about seeing me with Snape…and I'll help you look for Harry."
Ginny put her wand right under his chin and asked, "Why would I trust you…to even tell me the truth?"
Suddenly Rhys' eyes opened wide and he said, "I was in the search party…we looked everywhere for Harry, but we found no trace." His face looked strained with effort as if he was struggling to escape. "Let me go…say nothing to anyone…and I'll take you there."
Ginny stared him down. "You must have been a Slytherin." Without stopping to consider that she might not be thinking too clearly, she tried to calculate the risks involved if she went with him. She rationalized that if he'd really meant to hurt Snape, he could have done it a hundred times over…same with Harry. They'd worked alone together for months. Dumbledore obviously trusted him — even her parents trusted him for that matter.
But she'd definitely seen him with his wand pointed at Snape and a grim expression in his eyes. Still…he was the only one who'd offered to help her. Everyone else just wanted her to…keep safe. She couldn't go on doing nothing.
"You want to know where he went…and I can show you." Rhys bit his lower lip and then continued, "It's only fair to tell you…there isn't anything there…but I'll show it to you anyway."
Ginny considered his offer. He would make an unlikely ally, but at this point, he was her only choice. "All right," she said finally. "I'll go with you…but I need a few things from my dorm first." At least she could take Harry's Invisibility Cloak and the Portkey he'd made for her.
For the first time, Rhys smiled. "I'm not going anywhere." With a questioning look, he added, "Unless you'd like to turn me loose."
"I…I would…" Ginny smirked at him. "But then you'd be gone when I came back."
Rhys smirked back at her, and asked, "Don't you trust me?"
The storm had settled into a quiet chatter of rain on the glass. The sky remained a relentless gray. Keeping her eyes on the design it made across the glass, Ginny said, almost to herself, "It seems I don't have any other choice."
Professor Snape gave a snort, drawing attention to his pale, drawn face. Even under the influence of all his potions, he seemed in pain. Those Death Eaters must have really worked him over. Although it had already been a couple of weeks, he hadn't finished healing.
That gave Ginny an idea. She rounded on Rhys, releasing him from the haircut spell. "Let me see your arm," she demanded, her wand trained on his face.
Rhys stretched as though he'd held still for a long time instead of just a few minutes. In a lame gesture, he held his right arm forward.
Ginny's lips drew into a firm line. "Your left arm…and roll up your sleeve."
Undoing his cuff button, he sighed heavily. Holding out his arm, he asked, "You don't honestly think I'm a Death Eater, do you?"
Without answering him, Ginny ran her wand over Rhys' unmarked forearm with a muttered, "Finite Incantatum!" Then she looked at him carefully. The deep circles under his eyes were just as pronounced as her own would be without the glamour charms covering them. He looked miserable.
It occurred to her that Rhys was every bit as upset about Harry's disappearance as she was. Somehow that made her feel better about trusting him now. But why was he so affected? Had the time spent teaching Harry made him a friend? Not sure how to phrase her question, she began, "What…"
Then a frightened shout announced Remus Lupin's arrival in the infirmary. Ginny and Rhys stuck their heads around the screen. Both gasped at the sight of Lupin, soaked to the skin, rushing toward a bed. Clasped tightly in his arms, unconscious, bleeding and just as wet, was Harry Potter.
Ginny's heart caught in her throat at the sight, whether from exultation or anguish, she couldn't tell. Even from this distance, Harry looked a mess. She took off running and reached the bed just as Lupin laid Harry down.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Notes to reviewers. Thanks!
Nimbirosa: Rhys has had plenty to be nervous about so thanks for saying that. Niniane's definitely not thinking straight. I don't know how you keep up with writing all of your extraordinary stories and reading, too, but I am glad that you do. Thanks for writing a review!
SillyGillie: Thanks!
totallystellar: Thanks for saying that. I wouldn't leave Harry locked up, would I? Ginny definitely wants to be in the search party. Thanks for writing!
Sabine Strohem-Moss: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you love cliffhangers because this chapter had another one. I know the misinterpretation of the prophecy was a real stretch from canon, but I think we might see something like it in the next book. (Of course, it won't be the misinterpretation I used.) Otherwise, why doesn't JKR just let everyone know the real prophecy? Or it could be nothing since the prophecy itself isn't hard to figure out. Anyway, we'll find out July 16th.
johnmenefee21: I liked the betrayal and deception part, too. The illusions aren't finished. Thanks for your review!
Lady of Masbolle: Hope you enjoyed visiting your grandparents. I loved reading all your ideas about the cave. It does have magical properties that Harry's just begun to notice. You won't have to wait long to find out more. Thanks for writing!
KandiG: Thanks for your reviews. Locking Harry up felt a little evil, now that you mention it. The Snape thing should be cleared up in the next chapter. I'm glad that Rhys took you by surprise.
Nostalgic Hangover: Thanks for saying all those nice things. I appreciate it.
spike blade: Thanks for reviewing!
sarah: Thanks. I'll try to update soon.
Lourdes: Thanks for reviewing! Dumbledore was too late to rescue Harry this time. Thanks for saying that you're hoping to see my story finished. I am working toward that goal. Unfortunately, I have many deadlines this time of year. Summer is better in so many ways.
mysticruby: Thanks for writing! You're nice to say that!
Lady of the Dragon: I'm glad you saw through the fake Ginny. And I like Snape, too. I wonder what JKR will do with him. She keeps repeating that Dumbledore trusts him, but he's so awful to Harry.
wyadra: Thanks! I'll try.
moodyboy66: Thanks for writing! I'm glad you liked the fight scene.
Kelly: I'm pleased you saw through fake Ginny. Harry often acts first, thinks later. I'm sorry the updates are slow. Thanks for reviewing!
Javonne: That was a very kind thing to say. As I'm sure you've found out by now, there must be thousands of great stories on for writing!
MsMissProngs: If Aurora could get in there, she would have already. But there is hope for Harry yet. Would I just leave him there? Thanks for your review!
angieGS: Thanks for your encouragement! A lot of people suspected Rhys.
Harry9970: You couldn't have known, not really. Anyway, it was supposed to be a surprise. There's more about Rhys in this story. Thanks for writing!
krissygurl: Thanks, I will!
SuzanneN: I'm sorry to take so long to update. I'm trying to go faster. Thanks for reviewing!
Nathalie-z: Thanks for saying that!
Silver Warrior: I just hope JKR isn't one of those people. I want to point out that Harry had a big fight with a lot of Death Eaters and came out of it with a scraped arm. I think that speaks for itself. Thanks for your review and for the image of Ginny, armed with curses and hexes, facing that Inner Circle of Death Eaters. She could take them!
B19: Thanks for all the nice things you wrote! I think Ginny is a great character, too. I hope we see more of her in the Half Blood Prince.
Bono-Rules: Diolch yn fawr. I love Welsh stuff, too. Thanks for writing!
JakeTheSheepy: I appreciate you letting me know. Thanks for writing a review!
Foxfur: You could write this stuff. Those were all really good guesses. I enjoyed reading them. Thanks for writing!
BrittSchrick: Sorry. Ginny is about to snap and do something rash. Thanks for reviewing!FirePhoenix: Thanks, I will!
Kaleena Mason: You're not wrong. If fact, I'm glad to hear you picked up the clues. Thanks for writing a review!
HeartofGryffindor: Thanks for all your kind comments. I appreciate it!
Jastul: Thanks! I'll try to hurry the next update.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!