Chapter Ten
Truths Revealed
"I want to tell you about the prophecy."
I looked up, startled.
"But Neville said that it had broken! So then how can you know what it said?"
"That was only the copy of the real thing. It was just the record."
"Oh."
"Guess who gave it."
"Who?"
Harry gave a hollow laugh before answering.
"It was Professor Trelawney."
At my questioning look, Harry explained. I soon found out quite a lot more than I had ever really wanted to know.
"When Professor Dumbledore was looking for a Divination Professor seventeen years ago. They had had an appointment at the Hog's Head; you know where we had the first DA meeting. Well at the end of the meeting, she, I mean Professor Trelawney made this prophecy in Dumbledore's presence. Dumbledore keeps his own copy of the prophecy, inside of his pensive. That is why it was never truly lost."
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have trice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
"Oh Harry…"
I felt really bad. We all should have felt like that ages ago. Really, for letting him deal with that all on his own, without the comfort, which a friend could, have given him.
"It is nothing... at least it is not now…"
"Of course it has to mean something! Why did you not come to any of us about this sooner, Harry? Then you could have gotten that off you back much earlier than you actually did."
"Thanks Gin."
I looked up. Harry had never called me that before. I had always been telling people off for calling me that but now? For some reason, Harry calling me Gin did not feel like the insult it usually was. It felt almost like… almost like a complement. I shivered at the thought of it. I had not thought that I shivered as much as I had, but suddenly, I felt Harry slip something over my shoulders. Startled I looked up to see his cloak rapped around me.
"Thank you, Harry."
"No, thank you, Ginny."
At my puzzled look, Harry answered.
"I had not been able to talk about this to anyone. You were able to open me up. You were the first person I told about the prophecy."
"You mean to say that you never even told you friends?"
"Well I told you, didn't I?"
"You mean I am one of your friends? I thought that only my annoying brother and Hermione were…"
"They were, until last year, Gin. Now, Neville and you, and even Luna are my friends. After what we went through together, what else would we be?"
"Thank you. That was nice of you."
"Oh?"
"It was!"
We fell silent again. I found a twig and was twirling it between my fingers. Leaning my head back, I sighed. This could not get better than it already was. It would not get any better. I tossed my twig into the small stream in front of me. Lazily I followed its movement as it twirled around in the small currents that made up the flow of the bitter cold water. I almost felt like it, now and then. I float on down my life, sometimes getting caught on sharp edges, or by protruding dangers. My life seemed like that, just like the twigs. I stood up. I felt my hair move in the breeze. The cool scent of the small wood nearby came wafting over to me. The smells were of many different types of trees, several of which I did not believe should be able to grow here. I could have sworn that I smelled lemon, and cinnamon. I love cinnamon, with its spicy smell and taste. Their scents were weaving together to create a vast blanket of sensory delight.
Suddenly I noticed that Harry was standing near me, with a strange look on his face. This was a look, of which I had never seen before. I ignored it. Then, he was standing by my side.
I looked closely into his face. Into his wide green eyes behind his black wire framed glasses. There seemed to be a hidden message of significance deep within his eyes… a message, which I could not, or would not be able to decipher, not even if I tried. I looked away from those deep pools of brilliant green… my favorite color. I was unnerved. He made me feel shaky all over. I did not know what to make of it.
"Gin?"
"Yes, Harr…"
But before I could finish answering him, I found myself in his warm embrace. He had never really touched me like this. He had never hugged me, let alone him touching me when he did not need to do so. My breath caught in my throat. When I was younger I had dreamed about this happening… dreamed about his arms around myself. For years, that was what I had always wanted…but now, but now, for some reason, there was a bit of regret in me as well. I did not know why… I could not remember…
Suddenly, I felt Harry push me away from him.
"No…"
"What is it?"
There was a stricken expression on his face.
"No… I can't."
"Why?"
"I just can't."
With that he was gone. Gone back into the house. The gloom filled house.
"What have I done?" I puzzled to myself. "What have I done to make him run off like tha… Oh, Darn! Darn. Darn. Darn!"
Dean. I am going out with Dean.
"Harry will always be my friend… but I like Dean, plain and simple."
"But he is not Harry, now is he…" A little voice had spoken up in my mind. "You have always liked Harry."
"But I like Dean now!" I protested to myself, although it seemed to be a lost cause. "Not Harry. All right?"
I plopped back down again. And sighed. Now what would I have to do?
Harry had said that I was his friend. Good. He is my friend. Not my boyfriend… because that is what Dean is. I know we had never actually gone on a real date, but we had been owling quite a bit. That reminds me. I need to reply to his letter. I have been putting it off for a couple of days. And I really need to get myself a cloak.
Without another thought about what had just happened, I headed back to the stuffy atmosphere of Number twelve Grimmauld Place.