The Seers Truth: Beyond the Darkness
By Lady Lestrange
Doors and Dreams Unlocked
Chapter 37
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infrigement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. Thanks JK.
--Lady Lestrange
Special thanks to my beta, ennui de mort who always does such a good job being my extra muse as well as proofreading, moral support and just plain fun. Be sure and visit the yahoo group, TheSeersTruth for more interesting discussion questions. Ennui de Morte created and maintains the site with great insights into the story. Invite your friends. Come and discuss.
15 reviews: I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 15 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to the reviews follow the story. You guys are catching up to me, so maybe I should make it 20 reviews…
(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down.)
Up to this Point: Alternate 5th year book. Voldemort was uncertain which was the prophecy child, Samara or Ginny so he kidnapped them both. Beatrice made a mad dash after them in her animagus form. She has been since crucioed and rescued and returned to Hogwarts still in her bunny animagus form.
Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to figure out how the prophecy might aid them. The trio travels to Hermione's house, Samara's house, the Riddle house and eventually the Snow Castle in search of the girls.
Ginny, who has a Dark Mark, is torn between the visions of Tom in her head and what to do to stay safe from Voldemort at the Snow Castle. Snape is an unexpected help to her.
Voldemort meanwhile has some unpleasant Christmas surprises in store for Harry and Neville. Neville's grandmother ends up in the hospital and the Dursley's are dead, leaving Snape as Harry's guardian.
Back at Hogwarts, the trio tries to ascertain how they will save the girls. They enlist Draco and Lauren's help.
Voldemort has some trouble within the ranks and sends Ethan to learn with Narcissa and Gloria. Meanwhile, the trio works out some differences with Draco, and miss a chance to save the girls. Now, Snape gives some timely advice and Harry invites Neville to their little planning gatherings, which ends in an altercation between Neville and Draco.
Voldemort sets his plans in motion by giving Samara the Dark Mark, but she is far from defeated by this. Ginny on the other hand is ready to give in to save her family. The plot continues as Volemort sets family members upon family members in a quest to destroy all who might thwart him.
Meanwhile, Harry considers the meaning of curcio and tries to puzzle out what Voldemort is doing by reading his scar pangs.
Ethan and Edward prove their worth to Voldemort and Beatrice is finally released from the bunny animagus.
Ginny, under polyjuice potion, is impersonating Madam Amelia Bones. She is following direct orders from Voldemort who is speaking to her in parseltongue from the small snake animagus she is carrying. She saves her father and her brother, but doesn't seem to be able to save herself.
However, Harry Potter and his trusty Gryffindor rescue squad is on the way. Unfortunately, they get waylaid. Ginny is unconscious and the girls are currently looking for the boys and wind up in Voldemort's dungeon with a slew of vampires and a three headed dragon. The boys, Harry, Ron and Draco are going to rescue the others from the veelas, but Valeriana and Narcissa get in the way--or not-- Luckily the twins are armed with puppy puffs and a sense of humor. Now, the intrepid trio have some difficulty determining a course of action. It's no wonder! Perhaps, they should put it to a vote there are so many people involved in the decision. Well, as Dumbledore says, "it is the decisions we make, that make us the witches and wizards we are!" Such is never more true than in the case of Ginny Weasley. Will her decisions save her or damn her?
Ginny appears to have placed her trust in Tom. Is if for good or ill? At first glance it seems as if Tom is helping them, but he is also mercurial in nature and one can never be sure.
For further discussion, visit: YAHOO GROUPS, TheSeersTruth
Chapter 37
Ginny was walking purposefully ahead and by some unspoken rule, the group had divided up sentry duty. Fred and George were flanking her now, and the others had dropped back to talk in hushed tones. The Muggles were following respectfully behind.
"Ginny can't possibly be trusted," said Hermione.
"She's my sister," hissed Ron.
'That is not your sister," Draco whispered.
For once, Harry had to agree with Malfoy. "But if there is any hope for Ginny," Harry added, "we have to take it."
"Ginny is there," Samara assured them.
"I don't believe it," said Melisande. "Did you see her Crucios? No one has that much power except the Dark Lord. I don't want to trade one captivity for another."
"You don't know her," hissed Ron, frowning at Melisande's comment.
"She isn't –You-Know-Who," said Neville. "Even this—Tom—I think we should give him--her a chance—"
"What?" snapped Hermione. "What are you saying Neville?"
"I don't know. I just don't think it's You Know Who. It's just—do you remember how Ginny freaked out when she learned about Salazar possessing him—"
"Salazar!" interrupted Draco, shocked that the Gryffindors knew anything about what was supposed to be one of the most sheltered Slytherin secrets.
"It's just a—feeling," whispered Neville. "We can't just give up on her."
Harry looked at Neville. He remembered Madam Pomfrey saying that if he hadn't been subjected to Valeriana's memory curse, he probably would have been a Seer, but now wasn't exactly the time to start having—feelings—like Frank Longbottom had had the night that they were tortured—feelings—like baby Neville had had that same night. No, thought Harry, he wasn't going to trust Neville's feelings, but he also wasn't going to give up on Ginny.
"I have no intention of giving up on her," said Harry miserably, "but the truth of the matter is: she activated the Dark Mark. We all have to face the fact that she has been at the Snow Castle for nearly a month now. Anything could have happened to her."
"This didn't happen at the Snow Castle," Draco muttered, "and you know it Potter."
Harry nodded, but didn't mention the diary or the Chamber. He felt overwhelmed. He no longer knew who was friend and who was foe. He knew everyone was looking to him for guidance and he just didn't know what to do. He wasn't Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake! The very thought of Dumbledore brought memories of the man laying dead at Voldemort's feet.
"We have to trust one another," said Samara. "It's the only way we are going to get out of here. It's the whole prophecy of bringing together the houses. Look at the group we have here—
"Trust?" said Lauren incredulously.
"That's right," said Samara.
"I agree," Neville added and Draco looked at him searchingly.
"She's still my sister," said Ron hopelessly, and Hermione put her arm around him.
"Oh Ron—" she said softly.
Harry stopped. They had come to the end of the corridor. Beyond this door lay Voldemort's private chambers and the floo to freedom if they could get into the room.
The Muggles began chattering in their own language.
Tom turned to them speaking sharply. "If you lot can quit your conspiring long enough to notice, perhaps you can watch for unanticipated visitors."
"Visitors?" said Neville.
"Death Eaters," Tom clarified dryly.
They all looked at the locked door of Voldemort's private chambers. Three stone snakes guarded it, but unlike the stone of the Chamber, they did not move aside when Tom laid Ginny's hands on the door and hissed, " Recognize your master.>"
The snakes stirred, but the door didn't open. Tom ran Ginny's wand around the perimeter of the door, but the door still didn't open.
"Ginny, you can't think you can actually open this," said Ron.
"Don't interrupt her. Let her finish," said Samara.
Tom frowned in concentration. "Yes, let her finish," said Tom, turning back to the ward.
"Tom, don't talk about me in third person," said Ginny. "You'll have them hexing you."
"They won't hex you, Ginny," Tom said silently. "They're Gryffindors."
When several minutes passed, and Tom did not get the ward open, Draco spoke. "Can you sense anything around it, Samara?"
"I know Samara shattered the wards at Hogwarts," said Hermione. "But you Draco—"
"No," said Tom. "Salazar broke Hogwarts wards with his summons."
"You mean Voldemort," Harry clarified, but Tom kept talking to Hermione.
"Samara merely kept Snape from being ripped apart by the magical backlash of power. Tell them Samara. You are an empath: skilled in healing and building not breaking."
"He's right," said Samara. "Draco and I might have the power together, but not the control or the knowledge."
"But I just thought—" said Hermione.
"Think? No one asked you to think," interrupted Tom. "You're a Gryffindor. You might hurt something." Tom rolled his eyes.
Hermione clenched her fists and her face flushed with anger.
"He's a Founder of the school for Merlin's sake," Tom continued without acknowledging Hermione's reaction. "Did you really think that Hogwarts' wards do not recognize his magic?" Without taking a breath, Tom held out his hand behind him. "Harry, give me your wand," he said without looking at Harry.
"No bloody way, Riddle," said Harry in a terse voice.
Tom stopped and turned, sizing up this little hero that had defeated the great Voldemort. "Harry," said Tom softly. "If I can borrow Ginny's body, surely I can borrow your wand."
"No," said Harry.
"Tom," suggested Ginny, "Talk to him. He needs to believe I am here too. He's had too many experiences with Voldemort to trust you."
"Oh, don't worry. I've always been able to charm the people I need," thought Tom.
"I don't know, Tom—"Tom frowned. "Let me explain this to you, Harry, in a manner than you can understand, and then perhaps you can stop the plotting behind my back." He smiled grimly. "You have forgotten Visha is mine, bonded to this body and loyal beyond all reason to me. Whatever you, Harry, or Samara thinks is automatically transferred to your own familiars and therefore to Visha. I am not so stupid as to ignore such a useful gift. I have not cursed your sorry ass because Ginny fancies herself in love with you, Harry. My opinion, you aren't good enough for her."
"I-- " began Harry, but Tom continued undaunted.
"You never were good enough for her, but you two can debate that at your leisure after we escape from Salazar's fortress."
"That wasn't what I meant," hissed Ginny silently.
"What!" snapped Draco.
Tom smirked at Draco's outrage. "Yes, Draco, but I was not the one to give the mighty secret of Salazar's resurrection to the Gryffindors. In fact, it was Longbottom who told me. My possession by Salazar was not some horrible accident. It was a planned event, an event that each and every one of those responsible will come to loath their part in, but as Longbottom so graciously pointed out, now is not the time, and believe me, I want to take my time with the lot of them."
Tom's mind quickly ran through several curses that made Ginny want to retch, but he continued calmly, ignoring her.
"Right now, we need to escape and find the emerald that Salazar thinks is his. To do that, Harry, I need your wand." He paused, hand extended toward Harry but Harry said nothing, so Tom sighed and continued.
"You see, my magic is particularly like this Lord Voldemort fellow's, but not exactly. That is only the name that Salazar has given the two of us together. Your wand is particularly like mine, the wand that he is sometimes forced to use. Perhaps the combination of similar wand and magic may allow us to open this door and floo out of here." Tom pulled Ginny's wand from his pocket and turned it butt first to Harry. "A gesture of good faith," he said. "You can hold Ginny's wand on me the whole time I'm working. Is that satisfactory?"
Harry still said nothing.
"Bloody hell, it's not like I'm Salazar!" spat Tom, loosing his patience.
"You Crucioed a person a few minutes ago and wanted to kill her," said Harry dryly. "You activated the Dark Mark."
"Carman deserved it and one of your own agrees with me," said Tom gesturing to Neville. "Look, I'm trying my damnedest to get us out of here. Have a little faith."
"I don't see a lot of difference between you and Voldemort," said Harry. "You both obviously enjoy killing and torturing and you take what isn't yours." He glanced at Ginny.
Tom took a step towards Harry and Ginny screamed in his head. "Tom! No!"
Harry's wand was instantly out, pointed at Ginny, and Tom stopped but didn't seem overly concerned. He didn't even bother to reverse the direction of his own wand in his hand. His voice was soft and melodious. "I don't think you would use that, looking into your best friend's sister's face. Neither does she. She trusts you, you know."
"Harry," said George. "You-Know-Who would not have given me a busted nose and a split lip. He would have killed me. I believe Ginny has some control yet."
Tom didn't contradict him.
Harry looked at the wand in Tom's hand for a moment and without letting go of his own wand, he finally reached out and took Ginny's wand from Tom's hand.
"See, that wasn't so bad," said Tom, holding out his hand for Harry's wand.
Still Harry hesitated.
"You know," Tom said, "I don't think that Ginny ever got up the nerve to properly thank you for your assistance in the Chamber of Secrets. Of course, in my opinion, that last minute rescue didn't even begin to make up for your inexcusable actions earlier in the year."
"What?" said Harry. "I didn't do anything—"
"Exactly," said Tom dryly, and bored with negotiation, he turned and looked directly into Harry's eyes.
Immediately, Harry redirected his eyes to Tom's chest and Tom smiled. "Too late," Tom said, his voice smooth as hot syrup in his mind. It was unnerving and uncomfortable to have alien thoughts oozing into his head, but Tom was not hurting him. It occurred to Harry that Tom was being exceptionally gentle.
"Yes, he is," agreed another voice that Harry recognized as Ginny.
Harry leaped forward and grasped Tom's lapels, but Tom's invasion into his mind did not stop. Ginny, however, seemed to sink away from him. The control with which Tom perused the outer layers of Harry's mind was impeccable. It was obvious that Tom could have hurt him if he wanted to, and Harry felt his own Occlumency wards tighten in reaction and fear.
"Where's Ginny?" he demand aloud.
"Too late for you to make demands," repeated Tom in Harry's head. "Too late for you to avert your eyes from mine and too late for you to decide you want Ginny now. She's mine." Tom paused, listening to Harry's pitiful thoughts of rescuing Ginny from him once before. Harry's outrage of being told that he wasn't good enough, by Tom, Ginny's captor and would be murderer, made him clench and try to shut Tom out. "If I had wanted to hurt you, Harry, you would have been screaming by now. You know how easy it would be. And you know I am not lying to you. Tut, tut," Tom admonished. "You can't shut the Occlumency wards now, Harry. It's too late. I should know. I spent five years trying to shut the wards in my own mind to thrust Salazar out. Well, probably more than that, after all I only have memories to my sixteen-year-old self. Of course, Salazar was never so gentle as this."
There was another moment as the warm oozing stickiness seemed to drip into the private places in Harry's mind and then Tom withdrew, and spoke aloud. "I don't need to hurt you, Harry. You know that now, don't you, and you know if you hurt this body, you hurt Ginny. I don't want that to happen, and neither do you. We are on the same side. You make a better friend than an enemy." Tom paused, and smirked, again holding his hand out for Harry's wand. "Your wand," he said, and then continued. "A bit of advice: Never look a Legilimens in the eye, and never allow them to touch your bare skin. Your pathways to the Elementals are awfully tempting which by the way, is the only way you could have pushed me out."
"Elementals?" repeated Harry.
"But Ginny isn't—" said Ron.
Tom just smiled at them, that damned superior smile.
With a grudging trust, Harry placed his wand in Tom Riddle's hand.
"Good boy," said Tom as if he were talking to a dog.
"Harry!" said Hermione jumping forward and grabbing the wand. "What are you doing? You can't just give him your wand! That's crazy!"
"In case you haven't noticed, Hermione, we've exhausted all the sane methods of getting the hell out of here," Harry snapped.
"Hey, mate," said Ron. "She's just being cautious."
"We don't have the time to be cautious," growled Harry. He rubbed a hand over his face and then looked at Ginny. "I don't know who to believe any more," he muttered. "I almost thought I could trust Professor Snape. He's a snarky arse, but he taught us. He really taught us, and he said to be here at a specific time and then he shows up with Dumbledore's dead body and gives it to fucking Voldemort!" Harry railed. "The madman whose been trying to kill me all of my life Voldemort. Voldemort was always Tom Riddle in my mind," Harry said, calming himself a bit. "I always thought of him as Tom Riddle. He was just a wizard, not He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or the Dark Lord—Just Lord of Nothing!" Harry shouted.
"I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of calling him that hyped up Lord Voldemort. I didn't want to give him any more power than he already had and then I find out, he already has more power. More power than I can hope to combat. He's Salazar Slytherin himself." Harry covered his face and muttered into his hands. "… and I keep thinking, why? Why does he want me dead? Why this whole prophecy? But before I figure out that riddle, another one shows up in the form a Prophecy Child that he wants more than me, and to protect her, I find myself allied with Draco Malfoy of all people, and..." He turned his eyes to Draco. "…and I trust him, and I trust Ginny too. I felt her when—I felt her presence—with him." Harry's eyes went back to Tom, the flash of green in Harry's eyes, hard and determined.
"I guess I just realized that if Parseltongue opened that door to the floo, I'd use it. Or if some other power that bastard gave me in this scar opened that door, I'd use it, or if there were some dark spell using one of your Dark Marks…I'd use it if we could. We should use him," Harry said in a furious whisper. "If Ginny can help us do that…If some knowledge or…or presence she brought from the Chamber of Secrets can do that for us, then I don't give a damn who is in Ginny's body. If we get back to Hogwarts, we can worry about it then." Harry slapped his wand into Tom's hand, his eyes intense. Ginny was smirking at him. It made him shudder. "But if you betray us," said Harry…he paused, leaving the line dangling, wondering if he suddenly knew what it would take to bring him to kill someone.
Tom said nothing about Harry's little speech. Harry was right. They had no time.
Tom turned and ran the wand around the perimeter of the doorway. It glowed with a green light, and Tom smiled. "Now let's see if we can ascertain what we are dealing with. Elements: animal, vegetable, mineral, ether; Runes. That's easy." Tom began naming bizarre combinations of things: "Types of clouds, the Corners of the world. Ah yes, there's the Elementals, I expected that one." Suddenly, Tom began to laugh, "That sly devil. What a scoundrel! This isn't his. It's Helga's."
"What is it?" asked Ginny in his head and Samara echoed the thought to his face.
"Hogwarts' goals," said Tom aloud. "Courage, wisdom, love, ambition." He took his hand from the wall. "I can't do this alone," he said. "Helga's influence."
"I can help you, Tom," thought Ginny. "We have to be able to do this. There's no other way out."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Helga did everything in groups. If Salazar doesn't open this himself then it needs a group loyal to him to do it."
"Then we are finished," said Ron.
"What does it need?" asked Hermione, throwing a glance at Harry. "Do we have any of the parts?"
"Well, one way to open it would be with four speakers of Parseltongue," said Tom.
"That would be all of us, together," said Samara.
"Yes, that's pretty much what he was looking for—all the Parselmouths"
"We have three," said Harry. "What about—you and Ginny?"
"No," said Tom. "We have only one voice."
"Well, I doubt Voldemort is going to volunteer to be our forth," said Samara. "Any other possibilities?"
"I've never seen something quite like this. It's based on Salazar's line, pureblood and family and—relationship."
"Why don't you just say love, Tom," said Ginny. "That's what it is, isn't it?"
"Well, we have four Weasleys," said Fred. "We're related. Will that help?"
"Helping is not what we need," said Tom. "What we need is powerful, intentional shared magic."
"We can try, can't we?" snapped Hermione. "It isn't doing any good to just stand here and look at it."
"Do you want me to do this Tom?" said Ginny gently. "I know you aren't used to trusting anyone."
"I trusted you, didn't I?" said Tom
"That's different."
"I can do it."
"I'm sure you can," said Ginny. "I was just hoping to get my body back. You did promise."
"When we are out of here," said Tom. "If we are surprised by Death Eaters, I'm faster and you know it."
"And you would kill someone."
"You say that like it's a fault," said Tom.
"It is Tom."
"Not if they are trying to kill you."
"Tom—""This conversation is ended."
"You can't mute me! Ha!" snapped Ginny, and although he did his best to ignore her, she kept chattering on, adding her suggestions about the ward.
"Anything else you need?" asked Harry.
"Yeah. A good dose of Gryffindor Luck." Tom paused. "Someone could see us doing this. One of you needs to stand guard.
"How about an illusion?" suggested Hermione. "Disillusionment charm?"
"Good," said Tom. "Can you take care of that?"
Hermione nodded. "I won't let anyone see what we are doing here. It's not like they'd ever guess we're here anyway."
"Good," said Tom. "Neville, Lauren, Harry and Draco, why don't all of you help Hermione with the illusion," Tom said, trying to shoo them all away from him and the Weasleys. Then he paused. "Samara, you stay clear. I'm quite certain this door is hex protected as well as warded. We might need your help. You others, go!"
"Wait a minute," said Harry. "I think I'd rather watch you."
"Okay," said Tom, giving in graciously. He had gotten rid of most of the gawkers. "This is a strong ward. We're going to see how close the Weasley family really is."
"Voldemort has never been up against four Weasleys," said Fred, nodding at his twin.
"Wouldn't this work better if Ginny is in control of her own body?" asked Ron hopefully.
"No," said Tom. "I need to control this spell. It's beyond Ginny."
"Is not," Ginny said.
"It is!" he spat aloud. "Do you want to be unconscious again? You have to keep a tighter control on the magic than you are used to."
They all stared at him. He clenched his fists in displeasure. He had not meant to say that aloud. It took some practice to keep his conversation with Ginny silent. He wondered how Ginny managed it.
"Are you talking to—Ginny?" asked Ron, giving voice to the confusion that filled all of them.
Tom sighed. "Yes. We have a difference of opinion," Tom admitted.
"I want to know what my sister has to say," said George tightly.
"If she's really there," said Fred.
"She is," Harry confirmed and they all looked at him with confusion. "She is," he repeated.
Tom took a deep breath, and shook his head. "She's worried about you—her brothers. I think we have the best chance of breaking it, together. Familial bonds are strong. We just don't know if they are strong enough. She wants to take the risk herself and keep you out of danger. Typical Gryffindor."
"You liar!" Ginny spat and she attempted to take back her body. Tom seemed to expect it, and didn't react at all to the flash of pain. "Damn you. Why did you say that?" demanded Ginny. "Why did you lie?"
"Did you expect me to tell them I wouldn't let you have your body back? Think, Ginny."
"You keep telling me that I can't think, now you want me to take up the pastime!?" She attempted to take over her body again, but Tom just grimaced.
Tom kept his face expressionless as he spoke to Ginny, saying, "You know you are not able to do this. My magic is more compatible with Voldemort's and you know it. If you try to open this ward, you will kill all of us, but I don't want to have to try to explain all that to the Gryffindors. Use your head. You know this is the only way."
Samara asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to help?"
"No, Samara. I want you to stay back—far back," Tom continued aloud, answering Samara's questions and ignoring Ginny's seething. "We will need your empathic healing abilities when we are done. We know what the ward is, but not what hexes he has in it. My guess is at least one of us is going to come out of this looking pretty nasty." He paused. "Or worse."
"Worse?" echoed Neville.
"Voldemort could have set it to kill any unauthorized intruders," said Draco. "In fact I think he would do exactly that."
Samara shook her head. "He wouldn't want to miss their demise. Anyway, some ambitious Death Eater might try to unravel the ward to impress Him. I think they'll just be set to maim, not kill."
"You're the one who sees His aura," said Draco. "You might be right about them being set to maim instead of kill, but I'm not sure which would be preferable."
"Tom," said Ginny gently. "I think you need Samara. Your magic is almost as drained as mine after that little fiasco with Carman.
"It wasn't a fiasco," snapped Tom. "I told you before, Ginny, we will hunt them down and kill them. We will kill them like the vermin they are. I won't let them go unpunished."
"That's not for you to say, Tom""Then who's going to say it—who's going to do it?"
"If we don't get out of here, it's isn't going to happen at all, is it?" Ginny asked. "Samara can help you—help us"
"I know the gifts of an empath," said Tom harshly.
"You need her help," Ginny insisted.
"I don't," said Tom stubbornly.
"Stop being such a bloody prat—You know, you can't lie to me," said Ginny. "You're exhausted."
He stood staring at the ward. It was so intricate, so powerful. A flash of fear pulsed through him. We may all die here, he thought. I made them believe I could do this, but—
"But you can't. Not alone. You've already exhausted yourself," said Ginny. "So ask Samara for help."
"No. I don't need her help," said Tom as the contingent of Muggle women began to get anxious and thus louder in their nervousness. Tom frowned at them.
"Do try to keep your Muggles quiet," snapped Draco, but the sound grew.
"They are people, Draco," said Harry. "They're afraid."
Tom solved the problem in the most expedient manner he could think of. He transfigured the lot of them into a handful of pebbles. "There you go, Harry. Neat, quiet and unobtrusive."
Harry stared at them.
"Put them in your pocket," said Tom as he turned back to the ward. "You do want to take them with you, don't you?"
Draco burst out laughing as Harry scrambled on the floor, picking up the pebbles, but Draco cleared his throat nervously as the Gryffindors glared at him.
"You have to admit, they are quieter, that way," said Lauren. "And they are not afraid anymore."
"They're people!" Hermione objected. "You can't just turn them into stones." She looked horror struck at Ginny,
"It doesn't solve the problem of getting this door open," said Neville.
"No, it doesn't," agreed Tom.
"Tom, you have to ask Samara for help. Stop being stubborn. It's the only way."
"No. I am not asking Samara for help. Samara needs to stay safe. It's almost guaranteed that one of us is going to get hexed. I have a better idea, Ginny Love"
"What?"
The answer came first without words. It came with only a sense of intimacy and a slight smirk. "You and I. We are much stronger together than either of us alone. You know our shared magic is strong. It warded out Salazar once before—"
"Tom?" She paused gathering her wits. 'Did she want to do this? Would she get her body back now to do this?'
"No," Tom answered her unasked question. "I will control the spell."
"But we have the twins," thought Ginny. "Twin magic is stronger—""No--it isn't," Tom interrupted. "Not stronger than ours—"
"Ginny?" Samara's hand was on her shoulder. "Are you ready to begin? We don't know how long we have. We should hurry."
"This can't be hurried," Tom said sharply, pushing Samara away, and focusing his attention on Ginny.
"Tom, a sibling or blood shared spell is strong, twin magic is stronger. The only thing stronger is magic shared by a bonded pair—I'm not—I won't—Samara and Draco—"
"No, no, no," said Tom. "You are related by blood to the twins and Ron. Only you can form the forth corner, not Samara and Draco, because they are not of Weasley blood, but Ginny, we can do a strong shared spell. It only needs to be consensually shared magic. We need your connection to your brothers and my strength in this spell. You can do this—"
"You're doing it again," Ginny complained. "Just like first year. You are trying to get me to say, 'Yes'."
"Of course I'm trying to get you to say 'Yes' you stupid girl, I'm trying to get us out of here!"
"No," snapped Ginny. "The answer is no."
"No, you won't share magic with me?" said Tom with equal parts amazement and annoyance. "You won't share a spell? It's fine for me to share your body, day after day, night after night, but you won't share a simple spell to get us out of here. How ridiculous is that?"
"I never said it was fine for you to share my body," Ginny snapped. "Never!""Yes you did!"
"I was eleven, and you tricked me."
"You were twelve, and I didn't trick you a few minutes ago, when I Apparated us and Samara. You shared that bloody spell of your own free will. It was perfectly clear what your intent was. Why is this different?"
"Because—I—" She hesitated, trying to keep her thoughts from him wondering herself, why she felt ill at ease. "My brothers," she whispered. "My brothers will be involved in this spell. I don't want them to know."
"You shouldn't feel like you should have to hide me from your family."
"Uh—Gin," said Ron, turning her face to look at his.
Ginny noticed that his ears were red, and the expression on his face was somewhere between horror and disbelief. "Ginny," he said again. "Cat's out of the caldron, already."
"Oh Merlin!" muttered Ginny. "How much of that did we say aloud? Tom you aren't supposed to let that happen. Everyone's going to think I'm nuts. Tom! Dementors damn you! How much did they hear?"
Tom didn't answer, but Ginny knew he was smirking. She could feel his self-satisfied arrogance. Ginny could tell he had planned what to say aloud. It wasn't a mistake. It was deliberate.
"Enough," said Neville softly.
Ginny was seething with anger. She knew a blush would be coloring her face if she were in control of her body, but she didn't know how her body was reacting under Tom's control. She tried to be very nonchalant as she asked, "Just what did they hear?"
"So how much did you hear?" Tom repeated dutifully.
None of the Gryffindors would meet her eyes.
At last Lauren said, "Something about 'sharing your body, day after day, night after night, but you won't share a simple spell—'" Her lips twitched trying to suppress her laughter, but the Gryffindors were totally sober.
Ginny gasped and wanted to Disapparate on the spot, she was so embarrassed. "Oh Merlin," she thought, and her anger evaporated into hurt, as she continued. "Tom, how could you? I trusted you."
"Well, that was stupid," thought Tom, automatically pushing her away.
And for once Ginny agreed. "Yes, it was stupid," she spat. "Are you even going to give me back my body?" she wondered, the hurt pouring through her.
Tom tried to hide his thoughts from her. Probably I will have to. "Yes, of course," he answered.
"We aren't everyone, Ginny," said Hermione quietly. "We're your friends."
"At least we know you are still there, Ginny," said Harry uncomfortably.
Ginny felt Tom's eyes appraising Harry. "It's Harry," she realized suddenly. "You manipulative bastard! You said that for his benefit, about—about—sharing magic and—and—you're jealous," she realized, all of her anger and hurt melting away as she sensed Tom's insecurity. "Oh Tom, it was just a silly little girl's crush. I'm over Harry. You know that. If you look at my thoughts you know I'm over him."
"And dog boy?" said Tom referring to Edward.
"He was never anything but—fun—""Fun?" questioned Tom.
"Well, adventure, I guess."
Tom shuddered. "Must be a Gryffindor thing," he thought. "Not to be scared—"
"I was," thought Ginny, and then she realized that Tom was practically paralyzed with fear of trying to open this ward. In his mind fear was to be avoided, not faced.
"I can't do this without you," he thought. "And even then, it's dangerous. There's no way to anticipate the hexes. If one of your brothers die, you will never forgive me. And within the spell, your brothers will know we are—are sharing magic. It could distract them, and they cannot be distracted—or they will surely be hurt."
"Then tell them," Ginny thought. She looked at the twins. "Do you think I should—we should—use shared magic," she wondered, and Tom repeated her words verbatim.
"Merlin, Ginny!" said Fred, eyes wide.
"You can't ask us that!" snapped George. "You're our baby sister!"
The unsaid words hung in the air like a shroud. "—to share magic with the Dark Lord—" but Ginny knew that wasn't the truth. That was only what they thought. What they all thought. She could see it in their eyes. They were horrified.
"No," said Harry, taking Ginny's hand. "We'll find another way."
Tom looked at him intently. "You care for her," he said. "I like you." Then, since Harry so foolishly allowed him the opportunity by holding Ginny's hand, Tom poured his own thoughts into Harry's mind, allowing them to slither into the cracks of his consciousness. "Just remember, she is mine, and she will always be mine."
Harry yanked his hand free of Ginny's as if he was burnt, breaking the tenuous connection. He took a deep breath. "I can't say the feeling is mutual," he said aloud. His hand went automatically to his scar and he rubbed his hand across it, but he felt no pain from Tom's contact.
"You-Know-Who getting restless?" asked Ron.
"Huh?"
"Your scar," clarified Ron. "Is it hurting?"
"No," said Harry. "No," he looked at Ginny with a puzzled expression on his face. "It's not hurting at all."
Tom glanced at Samara and Draco who had retreated slightly, and were talking softly with each other. If he wasn't mistaken, Samara was trying to get Draco to understand that their strange relationship wasn't totally perverted.
"Like we give a damn about what Malfoy thinks," said Tom and Ginny had to laugh with him. The soft chuckle seemed to completely undo the Gryffindor group.
"I'll do it," she thought, "I'll do the spell." And a sparkle of excitement built inside of her, the same giddy feeling of elation that she felt in the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, he had used her; yes, she had feared him but still she found herself irrevocably drawn to him, even yet. She found herself looking forward to the spell—to be present in it—to be able to truly share magic with Tom, not Tom and then her, but she and Tom together, as they hadn't been since first year. First year...was anything good about first year? She wondered, and yet, the thought brought feelings to the surface, feelings that were too deep for speech. The feeling of elation filled her and took away her breath. "Tom," she whispered. "I feel—I feel—just thinking about this makes me feel like I am soaring!" Soaring or falling off of a cliff? She asked herself. There was something hidden here. Something Tom had hidden from her, and yet, he had said they could no longer hide things from one another.
"Tom, I know the rules. The hierarchy of magic is clear. The only thing stronger than twin magic is a bonded pair." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "So, I know you wouldn't use our magic as the focal point instead of the twins unless our magic was stronger than theirs. Isn't that right?"
Tom didn't answer. He shrank inside of himself, trying to decide what thoughts to let her see.
"When?" snapped Ginny. "And how did you keep this from me?"
"Ah, Ginny Love, I didn't. I mean not recently. It wasn't too hard when it happened," said Tom. "You were concerned with . . . other things at the time." He seemed very quiet, very soft. "You were twelve—the end of first year." He paused again. "You would have never warded Salazar out alone. Our Bonding was the only way to strengthen our power. I had no choice."
"There—are—always—choices."
"You consented," argued Tom.
"That's why it hurt so much, at St. Mungo's," said Ginny. She remembered how appalled the medi-wizards were that there was consent. Multiple consents to everything he did. It was impossible to unravel, and impossible to break without risking her life or at least her sanity. "That's what they were trying so hard to break," she said.
"Yes."
She remembered the pain, the medi-witches' efforts, frustration, and finally, their resignation, that what was there, would not change. "But they never severed that bond. It felt like they were trying to tear me apart," Ginny shuddered with the memory. How had she forgotten what he did to her?
"It felt the same to me."
"How could it? You didn't have a body!"
"I felt the Crucios Salazar cast on you. You know I did. Ours is not a physical bonding. It's a magical one. It's not tied to the body. It's tied to the magic, thus, I felt the same distress you did."
"But, all this time you knew and you didn't tell me?"
"Tell you?" sighed Tom. "it has always been in your memories. You could have seen it anytime you really looked. You shut the memory away just like the medi witches did. Why should I bring it to your attention? You just didn't want to look."
"I'm looking now," Ginny said softly.
"And now," persisted Tom. "What do you choose?"
Ginny's thoughts softened. "I'll do the spell," she said resigned to what must be done. "She said nothing else about the Bonding."
"Ginny?"
"I can't talk about this now," she said. "We have to get out of here. And if we get out of here, then I will deal with this."
"We are probably going to get severely hexed for our trouble anyway, Ginny Love," said Tom
"I just hope we can get everyone out," replied Ginny.
"How noble," stated Tom.
Tom began arranging the others as he wanted them on each side of the door: the twins on a diagonal with each other and Ginny and Ron on a diagonal. "Have the four of you done a spell together before?" Tom asked.
All of the Weasleys shook their head in the negative.
"You never shared magic with your family?" questioned Draco amazed, but none of the Weasleys answered him. They were listening to Tom's instructions.
"Ginny Love," he teased aloud. "Am I the only one you've shared magic with?"
Ginny tensed as Tom continued to study Harry, but Harry was simply watching her thoughtfully. "Edward," Ginny said remembering earlier this year.
"Ack! Edward! Oh bugger," thought Tom. "Just when I thought I was special." He didn't wait for Ginny's answer, but went right on with the preparation for the spell, speaking aloud to Ron and the twins. "I want the magic to flow through us in a counterclockwise direction," he coached. "We are going to work on unraveling a little hole to get through," he explained to the twins. "We don't have to shatter the whole ward. That would take too much energy and we want to be able to re-ward the doorway anyway, and slow down his bloody Death Eaters. You will need to repeat the casting for each of the corners after me, and I will say the binding word, since it is in Parseltongue. At the end, I will continue to need your power, so don't pull out of the spell. Hold tight with me. Just saying the Parseltongue will not be enough without the relationship magic. Now, we need a lot of relationship magic, caring for one another."
"Love," Ginny said.
"Ginny?" Tom spoke softly in her thoughts. "Are you with me for this spell?"
"My consent was never in question," she said.
Tom didn't answer her. Instead he spoke aloud. "Ginny reminds me that the correct emotion would be love." Said Tom. "But you have to remember, this idea may have come from Helga, but it was Salazar who actually set it.
"Love, from Salazar?" interrupted Harry.
"Well, that's what I told Ginny," said Tom with a shrug. "A small dose of 'I don't really want you dead right now' would probably do it.
Melisande sniggered.
"I don't think this is very funny," snapped Hermione.
"Let's do it," suggested Fred.
Before they joined hands closing the circle, Tom said almost casually, as if it was just a formality and not a life changing fact, "Oh--and Ginny and I need to do the spell together. We need her relationship with you, and my power."
"If Ginny's ok with it, we're ok with it," said George. "If not, we'll just kill you when we get out of here."
"No," said Tom softly. "If you're not ok with every aspect of this spell, we won't get out of here."
George nodded but kept his hands solidly in his pockets.
"It's Ginny's choice," said Fred.
"Ron?" said Tom.
"Are you forcing her?" Ron asked eyes narrowed.
"No," spat Tom. "It has to be consensual magic."
"If Ginny is willing, I guess I am too." Ron put out his hand towards Tom.
"If it were just Ginny," interrupted George, shaking his head.
"But it is Ginny," said Tom. "You need to support her decision. She isn't a little girl anymore, George."
George looked up as if surprised at the use of his name.
"That's what families do," Fred said encouraging his twin. "They support one another no matter what."
"They love each other even through the stupid choices," said George tightly, "But they don't have to like the choices."
Tom paced away, leaving Ron to put his hand back into his robe pocket, after a moment Tom turned back to George. "I know you love your sister," said Tom, "But you can't hold back on this spell. We are the family unit that can possibly do this, but not if you exclude me. Even if I gave Ginny control of this spell and she sacrificed herself for you, it would not take me away from the spell or away from Ginny. I have to be with her." Tom paused. "And she did consent."
"I don't have to—"
"No," said Tom. "George, you have to completely give up your animosity. It will destroy us. We must all be--" Tom paused, the word unfamiliar on his lips. "family—"
"George," said Fred, looking into his twin's eyes. "Remember what you said when Percy left?"
George nodded silently.
"That no matter what our allegiance to Dumbledore or the Ministry might be, it had nothing to do with family?"
"Yeah," George agreed. With a sigh, he reached out for his twin's hand and Ginny's.
When they joined hands Tom felt an immediate jolt of energy course through him. Rather than sapping his energy, the spell was invigorating. The twins had a rather tight leash on their magic, but it was still powerful. It was, as Tom expected, adult magic, and as expected, they had an adult's control. Tom realized that they were testing the waters. They had a lot in reserve, which was a good thing since he was knackered after the repeated Crucios, and Ginny was depleted from warding the dragon in the dungeon. He let the twins' magic flow through him for a moment, examining it and testing it, saying,
"Hold that reserve. You will need it shortly." Then he turned to Ron. Ron's magic was not as powerful, but it had a depth to it that was surprising. He had been with his sister in the Chamber of Secrets and the fact that he had nearly lost her, changed him. He pushed his power to the limit attempting to cradle Ginny in its rather reckless brand of security. It was more Gryffindor that Tom was comfortable with, but he had to deal with it. It bowled over him with its exuberance, much less reserved than the twins. It was warm and comforting, but rather domineering. The intent was clear, if anyone is going to die in this encounter, it will be me. The magic, minus the Gryffindor bravado, reminded him of something—someone elses' magic. He couldn't quite remember who—
"Your mother," Ginny supplied, and Tom sucked in his breath.
He realized that she was right. He also realized that in some way, not in words but through the spell, the Weasley boys understood what he was feeling. He would have drawn back from the very thought, but at that moment he felt Ginny put her magic into the spell. The first taste of her magic always astounded him. Like the first time he had waded into the ocean, the gentle undulations of the sea had pulled him off balance, but only when he immersed himself fully could he appreciate the power that threatened to drag him out beyond the boundaries he had set for himself. He added his own magic, like firing a sunset on the shimmering waves, the power beneath it severely contained, and for a moment he just basked in the sensations: feeling her presence. When he was ready, he looked for her brothers. All of their magics had become fiercely protective of Ginny, warring for the right to protect her, and adding most of the needed power. They seemed to inquire into the connection between himself and Ginny and once they realized that she was not being hurt, and not protesting, they withdrew to focus on their own part of the spell.
He smiled. "This isn't just going to just work, Ginny Love—this is going to be fun. Just be ready to combat the hexes when it falls." He began to say the words to untangle the ward. It was only when he was completely finished and the magic between them released that he realized he had said the words out loud. He had called her Ginny Love in front of the whole group of them—twice in fact.
No one commented. They were too busy dodging the hexes that Salazar put on his door. Ron was hit with yet another Sectum spell, this time the spell was aimed for his neck but it was deflected by Neville's diving tackle and only nicked the side of his face. Unfortunately, Neville's wand arm was nearly severed in the process. He shrieked with pain and both Lauren and Melisande dashed to help. The twins were not so lucky, being hit with some sort of acid in the face; they were both clawing their eyes and screaming. Samara and Harry stepped forward with pain relieving spells, for both of them, but their sight was still in question. Tom and her brothers had managed to keep Ginny's body unscathed.
They were in! They had done it! Satisfaction washed over Tom even as he surveyed the damage. Ginny's relief was tempered by the fact that nearly everyone in the little group was hurt in some way, the twins and Ron, rather severely. It was a good thing they were only a few steps from the floo that would take them away from here.
No sooner had the group stepped over the threshold than a pop of a single apparition sounded half-way down the corridor. Tom turned in time to see a man with long white hair and a blue robe with shimmering half moons striding purposefully down the corridor towards them, the blue robes billowing behind him.
Hermione's eyes widened, although she continued to hold the illusion of a plain shut door as the wizard approached.
Harry pulled his wand and stepped forward, but Hermione latched onto his sleeve with her left hand, and Tom noticed for the first time how badly she had been burned by the dragon in the dungeon. "Harry! It's not Dumbledore," she said in a frantic whisper.
"I know," he said shortly.
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(A/N: I am considering how to put up the end. I hate to break the continuity of it. I may post several chapters at once, but only if you prove worthy…Incidentally, the end is not for several more chapters. I have a number of loose ends to clean up, and I always clean up…Thanks for your gracious reviews. Please visit the yahoo group. TheSeersTruth --Lady Lestrange)
ANSWERS TO REVIEWERS.
Wormtail Sorry I killed off Wormtail, but he was just such a tasty morsel, Voldemort couldn't resist. Anyway, glad you are enjoying.
Riddled-Slytherin So glad you are back and reading! Thanks for the review and as far as the dates, I looked them up, but JK made some mistakes, so I think your fic is fine to use 1945, and math is not my subject either. Just ask ennui! As far as Neville is concerned, I think the Longbottoms are passionate about whatever they decide, and Neville of course has reason to hate Valeriana. I don't think he's fond of Carman or Malfoy either.
damnthatcat Here's your update, one review before it is supposed to be here. Be Happy.
LifeIsOrange Glad you are enjoying. As far as Samara telling Ginny's secrets, it is not the first time. I am surprised that Volde didn't have a lot of fun with her, because she generally isn't good at secret keeping, but Volde really never tried to get her to tell much. She's not really untrustworthy so much as careless as far as secrets are concerned. She's rather a blabbermouth.
Persian Kitten Yes. I will keep writing. I am even considering another story after this, but it might have to wait a while. I like to stay a bit ahead of my readers.
kaili Glad you like
cronenus Yes, Carman may have some problems with her memory.
kittybro Your groveling has paid off. Update arrives at 14 reviews instead of 15. Send this link to your friends and maybe the updates will come more quickly.
Little Red Rabbit Yes, Poor Ginny has been through a lot.
Elbereth Glad you enjoyed.
raptors galore Sorry you think the rescue isn't on track. It is. They will be--um--er-- leaving shortly. Don't want to give things away. Is there going to be a big battle? Yes, but there will be a slight wait for that. After all they just had the bid to do at the Ministry. Let's give them a breather. You might want to re-read the rescue chapters. I think posting them one at a time messes with the continuity. Maybe that is why you feel that it is not going along the original plot line. Rest assured, it is. Love your reviews--usually.
Jager Glad you think this is the best chapter.
Chernobyl: "Harry blocked out the basilisk speech or thoughts or whatnot?" He's Occuding; who wouldn't with the Dark Lord around? But then he thinks about the basilisk's talent he wonders if maybe he shouldn't occlude unless Volde is actually there. The reason for that is that Harry wasn't really expecting the basilisk's telepathy, so he wasn't open to it. He was shutting thoughts out. Now in this chapter you see, his deciding to forgo the occuding unless Volde was nearby, opens him up to Tom in this chapter. Last chapter was preparation for this chapter, among other things. I'm glad you like Neville. I have never seen him as a bumbling idiot and I always thought his memory problems were part of a memory charm. As far as the basilisk speech, Yes, Draco did consider that they would have to kill Ginny because he isn't sure she is Ginny. He is worried she/Tom can communicate with Volde which would be devastating for Draco. After all he did to help the Gryffs, Volde would kill him.
Silverfox1:You said: "You know Tom, sometimes it can be worse punishment to let someone live. After all once they're dead, it's over." Believe me Tom knows that. Carman will have some definite problems. Smirks.
Question about Volde recognizing Tom's magic. We have known from the beginning when Samara cast her spell on Ethan and Snape saw it, (TST:TBB) that most Slytherins and others, Aurors and most adult wizards can tell one wizard from the other from the magical signature. This is in every spell, except when a spell is done with someone elses' wand it would mask the magic somewhat. Yes, Volde could find traces of Tom in any of Ginny's spells, but he knew she was possessed by the diary, so he doesn't know Tom is an actual thinking entity. Also, Ginny's wand blocks some of the signature and makes it look like hers. If you note, Ginny has not used wandless magic since Tom took her over. (except when he forgets) He apparated with the wand. That's why he almost got caught. You do think Tom could equal Draco's finesse at Apparition Tag, don't you? About Carman seeing Draco: Carman was very close to Tom in her younger days. The shock of feeling Tom's magic pushed all thoughts of any one else out of her mind. She will think of it later though. Will it be too late, or not? You will have to read and see.
Now, go and review before you forget. Be a responsible reader. You didn't have to pay for this fic. Reviews are my payment. After you review, visit TheSeersTruth yahoo group on groups/yahoo. com/group/TheSeersTruth --Lady Lestrange