Disclaimer: see 1st chapter
Chapter 8
The More Things Change
After explaining things to the professors it was decided to tell Author and Molly the secret. Harry and the others did this so that her parents could know what really happened to Ginny. Because Harry as well as Sirius knew to keep something from Molly was be about as smart as going to class tomorrow and calling Snape, Snivillus in front of everyone. Honestly, no one understood what happened, but Dumbledore had a theory. Harry and Ginny, being soul mates, had a connection that was stronger than fate. And if albus's theory was correct (and they usually were) there connection had reestablished itself when they saw each other again. But it had not completely manifested until Harry jogged Ginny's hearts memory with his tale. Which explains why Ginny looked to Harry for comfort, and why Harry was calmed by Ginny's presence.
Everyone knew the infamous Molly Weasley explosion was inevitable, all the males were baffled as to how to tell her without being the victim of a hand delivered Howler. So, Ginny was volunteered to tell Molly. This was because Ginny, being a Weasley woman herself, would know exactly how to handle her mother.
The next morning, after Ginny had been awake for a while, Author took Molly and the boys to get some food.. Because Harry didn't look much better than Ginny, Harry had slept in the bed next to her at Madam Pomfrey's insistence. She was worried about him, so she wanted to ensure he got a good nights sleep. Once the Weasleys were out of the room Harry asked Ginny to tell Molly, what was going on. He then said, he would send her up after he went down for breakfast. The two of them embraced and Harry wished her luck, he then left promising to return after giving her time with her mother. .
Molly reacted better than they'd thought she would. Molly listened as Ginny told the story of what happened in the future, and how she came to know these things. A few times they yelled at each other over Ginny's impetuous behavior of late. In fact, from the sounds the Weasley men heard as they warily crept up to the door of the hospital wing, it was not yet safe for them to enter. Molly was yelling something about Harry taking Ginny somewhere and Ginny was yelling at her mother to stop yelling.
After what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, all seemed quiet. In fact too quiet for the liking of the Weasley men. Author decided this might be the time to enquire if his wife was alright. He cracked the door open and poked his head in. But didn't have a chance to say a word before two shrill female voices told him in unison to, "GET OUT!"
The younger Weasley men decided that anywhere else would be a good place to be and decided to come back later. Author sat attentively in the waiting room and began reading the prophet he had brought, as Fred and George went to plan some pranks. Ron went to find Hermione and Harry hoping they were still at breakfast so he could get a little more to eat, and Percy went off most likely to find Penelope.
After some time passed Molly could be heard weeping, Author went in no longer able to sit outside and wait, he approached Molly and gently took her in his arms holding her. When she calmed down she began to ask questions. So many, in fact, that Ginny and Author eventually had to wait for Harry's return. He could answer the questions better, because she had started asking about the things that had happened after Ginny was killed. Harry tentatively returned and peeked inside, once he saw that it was safe, he came to Ginny's bedside to talk to them. Molly hugged him saying that it was terrible, him having to bury so many people that he loved. But that she understood his motivations. He had to do something to save the world, she honestly could not decide whether she would have made a different decision than Harry had. It was understandable for him to want to make his life happier by trying to save everyone else. Molly expressed how proud she was of the risk Harry was taking for all of them and told him she knew his parents would have been to. She expressed her sorrow over Aurora and asked how old her grand daughter had been and what it was that had killed her. Harry told her that Aurora was 4 when she died, and that they never discovered what it was that she had, all they really knew about it was that it slowly caused her heart to stop. One doctor believed it was a new strain of MS, but she had none of the other symptoms. The only organ effected was her heart, and somehow she managed to stay alive for 4 years. But they had been some of the happiest years of Harry and Ginny's lives.
Ron and Hermione were curious as to what was being discussed and why Harry was allowed to be in on all of the discussions and they weren't. Finally after asking one time to many they were told that Ginny asked for Harry because she was having problems with being at Hogwarts, and that it had something to do with last year. She had asked that nothing else be said about it, armed with that little tidbit of information Ron and his brothers set out to ensure that everyone understood Ginny was in a lot of emotional pain, and no one was to ask her about the chamber or last year in general. It created quite the rumor and the people that knew the truth did nothing to stop it from growing. Mainly because it distracted the others from the truth.
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That was almost a month ago the only thing that had happened since was when Harry showed up for Care of Magical Creatures, the day after Ginny's collapse. He summoned Draco Malfoy away from Buckbeak just before the creature tried to rip him in two for insulting it. Since he wanted to get back to the Hospital wing with Ginny he volunteered to take Draco there, while Hagrid continued the lesson. Because when Harry sidestepped Draco's flying body and the boy collided with a tree behind Harry it broke the slytherin's arm in three places. Draco of course was milking it for all he was worth. Even getting the Quidditch match between the two houses moved. Meaning Gryffendor would be playing Hufflepuff like before. It gave Harry a both calming reassurance and a sense of worry that even though he was changing things left and right, some things happened no matter what you did about them.
So, when the match came Harry was actually nervous. Ginny reassured him and told him she had her wand handy and would try and summon his broom if something happened.
Harry smiled when she said this and responded, "love are you really gonna be able to concentrate on a broom, if I fall off from the same height I did last time?"
Ginny responded to this by elbowing him in the ribs and sticking her tongue out at him.
She then left his side to join Ron and Hermione in the Gryffendor stands. Harry went into the changing room to get ready and was meet by Oliver Wood.
"Harry we need a big win, we won't be facing Slytherin until the final match that means we will have to run up the score against Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw before, we go into that match. Get that Snitch Harry, Get it or die trying." Oliver said with a look of grim determination on his face, this was Woods last chance at the cup and he was determined to win this year. No matter what.
Harry gulped Oliver had said those words to him only twice before, both times Harry had painful almost deadly accidents on the pitch. He viewed them as a bad luck omen.
"No worries Wood, that Snitch is ours."
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Harry's eyes slowly opened he recognized the ceiling above him. Sighing he slowly sat himself up, or rather tried to. When he made the attempt he found that he didn't have the energy to move. His glasses were gone and he noticed his friends moving around the bed, barely remembering in time that he wasn't supposed to be able to see well yet he asked for his glasses. "Where.. glasses.." he croaked out.
As someone place the glasses, which were nothing more than two simple glass lense with no corrective properties, he pretended to just now be able to make out the people that were around his bed. Just like last time everyone minus Wood from the team was there plus Ron and Hermione, also this time Ginny was sitting nearby, Harry mouthed sorry at her to which she mouthed later.
"Glad you pulled through mate it was touch and go there for a while," Fred said as George left to fetch Madam Pomfrey.
"What... happened? Who...won? Where... broom?" the questions would barely come the last thing Harry remembered was feeling himself slip away and seeing a vision of a small white coffin being lowered into the ground.
As it was explained to him it began to play itself out in his mind, the game was going great. The chasers were flying spectacularly, they had managed to run the score up to 150, Wood was playing the game of his life saving everything thrown at him leaving the Hufflepuffes scoreless. Then the storm began, in the worsening conditions Hufflepuff somehow managed to score 6 times while Gryffendor only managed 5 more much of this was due to the fact the brooms Fred and George were on couldn't handle the strong winds well. Wood called a time out and Hermione had spelled his glasses to keep the rain away. Harry remembered cursing himself for not remembering that spell. While his glasses were useless he had to keep them on to maintain the illusion, and it was still hard to see through water covered glass. The teams had flown back up and the game lasted another 30 minutes each team scoring twice. Then he and Cedric saw it at the same time they were the same distance away, they both dove at it with everything they had, it would have been a spectacular catch and possible crash because neither seeker was about to flinch, and they would have reached the snitch at approximately the same moment.
But Harry never made it to the snitch, at the same moment Harry and Cedric saw the snitch the dementors descended upon the pitch, everyone felt the temperature drop. All of the cheering stopped suddenly, at the exact moment he realized he was just barely going to beat Cedric to the snitch something happened from there Harry was a little fuzzy and would have to rely on his friend to tell him what happened.
He started paying closer attention to what was being said as George had taken over for Katie,
"Well I have a fairly close view of what happened because right then a updraft caught my broom bringing me up there. You and Ced were racing to the snitch, you were about 50 meters away when the biggest bloody dementor I have ever seen swooped out of nowhere and grabbed you. Then we think it tried to kiss you for some reason. The next thing that happened it a little weird there was this huge magical explosion, it nearly destroy the top half of the pitch, if the professors hadn't raised a shield in time, it would have. I got inside it just in time. Suddenly out of the bottom part of the smoke cloud made by the explosion you came falling we could tell you were out, we are not sure what happened to your broom we think it got destroyed by the blast, or it hit the Whomping Willow, some of the firsties found some wood near it that matched your broom."
"A dementor... tried...kiss?" Harry found he could say no more, it simply hurt to much.
Ron spoke up at this point, "Stop trying to talk mate it will only make it worse, part of the side effects of almost being kissed and suffering magical exhaustion, what ever you did to that dementor killed it, but it took a lot of magic, you have any idea what happened?"
Harry shook his head no, and made a scribbling sign in the air, Hermione produced handing him a quill and parchment Harry wrote one word,
Dumbledore
"I'll get him mate he wanted to know when you woke up, anyway." Ron said
The team began to leave Hermione and Ginny stayed, the two girls tried to make Harry feel better while they waiting for Ron and Dumbledore. When Ron came back with Dumbledore, the headmaster asked to speak with Harry alone, but Ginny saying she needed to be close to Harry because the fall scared her was allowed to stay. Ron looked indignant at this but he seemed understanding of Ginny, and he and Hermione said they would see her later and made to leave. Although, just as Ron was closing the door, Harry did receive a piercing glare from Ron that screamed 'We will discuss the amount of time you are spending with my little sister, later'
Once they were gone Harry began writing on the parchment, when he finished he turned the paper over so both Ginny and Dumbledore could read it.
What the effing hell was that, those bloody things didn't try to kiss me last time, that wasn't suppose to happen.
"Harry," Dumbledore began, "I don't have a answer for you yet, I want you to know that I was quite upset and have filed a formal protest with the Ministry, again, concerning the presence of the dementors on school grounds. I am afraid it is falling on deaf ears, but they have agreed to keep Aurors posted around the grounds to cast patronouses, if they get to close again. Our four legged friend is frantic for news about you and wanted to attack them himself but I dissuaded him, fear not," Dumbledore said raising a hand to calm Harry . "He has not yet been dicovered"
Harry nodded then pointed to the sentence about the kiss again and make a questioning gesture.
"I don't know what to tell you Harry perhaps they sensed something about you. Or perhaps in their crazed state, sense the pitch was like a buffet for them and had them in a frenzy, one of them lost control and tried to kiss you. We honestly don't know what happened. Oh by the way we are explaining your killing the dementor as accidental magic, sense it drained your magical reserves, this has not been contested. But I am afraid that it will take you a few weeks to heal." Dumbledore looked apologetic as he said this but Harry waved him off. "Well if there is nothing else I have matters that need attending I think Ms Weasley has been waiting her turn to speak with you."
Harry scowled at Dumbledore and mouthed the word coward as the old man rose chuckled and moved out of the room. Madam Pomfrey had come and gone while the team was there saying Harry was physically fine, but needed rest to replenish his magic. She also gave him the biggest chocolate bar he had ever seen and told him if he didn't each the whole thing she would force feed him.
Ginny waited until Dumbledore was out of the room then rose, walked over to Harry's bed and stood beside him. She had a calm serene look on her face now that she knew Harry was going to be ok. She lean over and hugged him close, and as she was letting him go from the embrace whacked him squarely on the back of the head as hard as she could.
"That's for scaring me out of ten years of my life which I can't spare." She planted her feet and crossed her arms Harry cringed knowing that he was in for it now that the danger was passed, a small part of him had missed this. A very small part.
"If you ever, scratch that, of course you are gonna do this again I remember too." flustered she paced a moment, "I can really hardly blame you for this one, even though you knew the dementors were coming, you were prepared for it and had tried to work out a way to avoid them. This one snuck up on you, Harry remember you have changed things, some times dramatically, some times subtly, things are different. Not everything is going to happen as you and I remember. Like you there are certain things I want to make sure happen again. Others that I am not so sure about." she let the last statement hang on the air for a moment as she looked down thinking about something.
Drawing in a breath after a moment she continued, "I need you Harry, like you need me, I think fate decided that since you went through all this trouble for the ones you love it decided to give you just that. Someone you can talk to and knows where you are coming from has seen what you have seen, why it chose me I don't know, maybe its because of how deeply we loved each other like Dumbledore said. All I know is that now more than ever I need you."
Harry nodded and opened his arms Ginny collapsed into them, the two of them shared a warm embrace as Harry held her for a long moment. The two of them had been doing a lot of this since Ginny had "remembered." That night in the hospital wing once everyone had left or gone to sleep Harry was awakened by sobbing. He crawled from bed and took Ginny in his arms she collapsed against him and simply cried herself to sleep no words were spoken or needed. Harry understood she was reliving a life of pain in a single day, at the tender age of 12 it was a lot to take in, thank God Ginny had always been strong. He had watched her for weeks afterwards as she was sullen and withdrawn from everyone except him, Dumbledore and Sirrius, strangely it was Sirrius that finally brought Ginny around, reminding her that she and Harry had been given second chance, and that Harry had risked everything for that chance. Despite what she had said to him the last time they were together. Even though she had died years before Harry had finally come back in time, he still loved her enough to risk it. Sirius said he had a similar revelation about himself, Harry had come back this far for one reason, to ensure that Sirius' name was cleared before Pettigrew was allowed to return to his master. Which meant Harry wanted to be able to spend time with him. Something Sirius was going to take full advantage of once he was freed. All they really had to do was help Harry hold up the illusion of being a 13 year old kid.
To say Harry and Remus were shocked to hear such things had come from Sirius would be an understatement. The man was not known for being either understanding or deep, but Harry supposed that learning your godson had risked everything to come back in time to save you was a sobering experience.
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As Harry lay in the hospital wing through out the last day of his stay one thought kept bothering him. Cedric had caught the snitch just like last time Hufflepuff had won, just like last time. Despite being aware and ready for the dementors, fate had intervened and stopped him from catching the snitch. Harry was no longer certain about his choice, could he really change things the way he wanted to. Did he have a choice at all. Was he doomed to make the same mistakes again and again only in different ways. To watch the ones he loved fall one by one.
No, it would not happen he wouldn't allow fate be damned. He was Harry fucking Potter, the boy that could do the impossible. No other wizard could defeat Voldemort, no other wizard in four centuries had mastered wandless magic to the extent he had. No other wizard in the world knew as much about dueling as Harry. He would make this work the way he wanted or die trying. That is what he did, that is who he was.
Harry rose from the bed feeling more powerful than he had in years. Confidence poured off him as he made his way through the classes that day. Each time he would finish the task right behind Hermione. In potions as he had been doing before he ignored Snape and his endless attempts to get a rise from him. Always being one step ahead never banishing a potion until it was marked, poorly usually, but at least he wasn't getting zero's this time. When the day was done Harry told Ginny he was going someplace to think. She nodded and went back to her homework. When Ron noticed Harry's absence he began asking questions.
"Oy where's Harry?"
Ginny said nothing but kept her nose in her book.
"Come on Gin I know you know where he is ever since... well for most of the year you two have been joined at the hip. I need to talk to him so where is he?"
"I don't know Ron" she said without looking up.
"Come off it Gin you know Mum and I am the only ones you can't lie to."
As she looked up she did her best impression of Mrs Weasley' s glare at him, "Ron I told you I don't know where he is. He mentioned wanting to think, I suppose he is somewhere private."
Flustered Ron gave up he started to go back to Hermione to ask if she knew again but was stopped by his brothers, "Oy Ronniekins, Comere." Fred called.
Ron joined his brothers in the corner they were in where they usually thought up their new pranks.
"We got something for ya Ron"
"It'll help you keep track of Harry it will."
"Gin too no doubt,"
"See are a little busy with OWLS and pranks to watch out for our poor sister, and big head boy is to busy, being a git."
"So the brotherly duties fall to you Ron,"
"We nicked this from Ffilch back in our second year."
"bloody useful its' been but we have it memorized know,"
"Well let you figure out the finer points of its workings,"
"But we will let you know how to turn it on."
Fred took out a piece of blank parchment and laid it on the table. He then looked around and took out his wand pointing it at the parchment after ensuring no one was watching, he muttered the words, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"
"Buggar" was all Ron managed as the Marauder's Map revealed itself.
"And to turn it back off, which you must do when ever you are done with it, simply say, Mischief Managed" which Fred said while pointing his wand at the parchment again.
"Off ya go now, sure you have lots of things to do." George said dismissing his brother.
Unknown to the three boys they had been watched and heard. Not that she was proud of it, but Hermione was quite good at watching something happen and picking up on what was going on, without being noticed. She was very observant and could be very sneaky about observing someone when they didn't want people to know what they were up to. Sometime she wondered why she wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but then she would remember her adventures with Ron and Harry, and know she was where she belonged. Ron and Harry were the only people, until Ginny came to Hogwarts last year, who accepted her for who she was, and didn't judge her for being smart. They did tease her occasionally, but it was good natured, and they let her tease them about sports and rule breaking. Like Ron she was worried about Harry, so a short time after he had left the common room Hermione got up and followed him.
Ginny sighed as she watched Hermione leave, she finished the sentence she was writing and gathered up her books, then followed.
On the seventh floor in front of a painting of some weird man he didn't recognize, stood a confused Ron. According to the map Harry was on the other side of the painting but there was no door there he could find. And the map showed no secret password. Beside, the man in the painting had not responded to Ron at all and he thought It might not be a magical painting. Suddenly Ron noticed something odd despite the fact he was standing still the Ron figure on the map was moving in fact in paced three times in front of the painting then the painting on the map swung open. A small thought bubble appeared over The Ron figure's head as he paced, it read I want ...
It took Ron a while to figure this out when he did, about 2 hours later, he paced in front of the door three times. It swung open and he stepped in, only to be followed by a bushy brown haired girl that had been hiding down the hall way a little.
A small red haired girl appeared around the corner as the brown haired girl disappeared behind the closing painting. As it shut she heard a faint scream, shaking her head she began to pace.
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Harry had been deep in concentration, he was practicing a form of martial arts that employed his wandless magic. Wearing only the lower half to a karate gi, his body was glistening with sweat. When he was about half way through his exercise he heard the sharp intake of breath to his left and instinctually cast a stunner at it. He next heard a loud scream and the sound of someone fainting, he turned to look in that direction in time to see Ginny come in the door snickering. He then noticed what is was she was laughing at.
Ron was laying slumped against the wall near the door apparently blasted there by Harry's stunner. Hermione lay next to him it seemed that she was the one that screamed when Ron's body missed her by inches and collided with the wall. While Ginny found the situation humerus, Harry only had one thing to say, "Well fuck it all."
"Language, Harry" Ginny retorted between giggles. Harry responded by making a rude gesture which cause more giggles from Ginny.
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Authors Note: Sorry about the double posting, I realized after I posted this chapter I forgot to write my authors note. Sorry about this taking so long. I went through several drafts of this chapter before I was satisfied with it, and I am still not 100 pleased with the final product. I hope you guys like it though. I wanted to address some of the things you guys asked me about in your reviews. Which I love reading, thanks for the support guys I am glad that you find my little fic entertaining.
Reighost: Thanks and I ll try and work on that.
Monia: Hey I thanks for all the great reviews Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Silver Warrior: I felt the same way thats why I put that in here lol.
Digi Bonds: After reading your review I read that story, I am counting on you to keep me honest.
Phoenix2500: Yes she remembers everything, even how she died and who done it. Well will be adressing that later, but hear is a tid bit for you, Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, The infamous Weasley Temper. Draco hurts Harry. use your imagination (insert evil laugh here)
FYI to all I hate Draco Malfoy, while I enjoy writing the pompous spoiled brat, he will not be redeemed in my story. The same can be said for Snape only instead of a pompous spoiled brat, he is a Snarky greasy git of a potions master.
serious-writer: Thanks!
whimsy007: hmmmm good point.