Title: Looking in Dad's Pensieve

Author: dragonriderhp

Summary: What would happen if Harry came across his Dad's old Pensieve? He would be able to see his Dad's life, that's what, and how he, Harry, came to live. Some romance with L/J, mostly General or Humor. HBP Spoilers!

A/N: Heyyy again! I know it's been sort of a long wait, and I'm really sorry! I've been loaded with tests, projects, and homework this week though. But I'm trying to keep them coming fast, and not make you all have to suffer, like I know you are! Just kidding! Don't forget to R & R please!

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

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IMPORTANT

This chapter when you see ---------------------------------------- then italics its one of Harry's memories that he's thinking of. Also, some of the memories are actually from the book, the others are based off it but aren't word for word.

And now on with the show…

Looking In Dad's Pensieve

Chapter 6: The Strength of Love

Harry leaned against the dusty couch and ran his hands through his untidy hair.

Dad was finally getting Mum's trust…and he had to ruin it! How on earth would they get married this way? I wonder if when people say I'm like my dad, they mean that I act before I think. It's probably true; I mean, look at what happened in 5th year, with the Department of Mysteries. Hermione was right…I like to play hero. I don't think realistically, but I just jump at things and don't think them through.

Harry sighed, and rubbed his face. He was getting quite tired; imagine traveling into memories repeatedly, and landing on a stone floor each time.

He stood up and pulled out his wand. Pointing it at the table, he conjured a cup of steaming coffee. Harry slowly sipped it, thinking of how lucky he was to have Ginny the way he did. She had always liked him and he didn't need to worry about ruining it like his Dad just did…

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"Ginny's been asking about you again. All summer, all that came out of her mouth was "When's Harry coming?" Quite annoying, really. I mean, she's only 11 and she's already obsessed with you!" Ron told Harry.

Harry grinned. He heard a noise from upstairs and he glanced up. Standing in the stairwell was Ginny, her face flushed, her hair blending with the color of her face…

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"Ginny's dating someone else," Hermione told the boys. Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he stopped.

"Who?" Ron asked angrily, echoing Harry's thoughts.

"Michael Corner," she said simply before walking off.


The whole while during Transfiguration Harry and Ron were figuring out ways that Michael could die. Ron was doing it in protection of his sister, as he thought Harry was too. But Harry was doing it because he was furiously jealous of him…

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He kept up a relentless flow of encouragement all the way back to the castle, and by the time they reached the second floor, Ron was looking marginally more cheerful. When Harry pushed open the tapestry to take their usual shortcut up to Gryffindor Tower, however, they found themselves looking at Dean and Ginny, who were locked in a close embrace and kissing fiercely as though glued together.

It was as though something large and scaly erupted into life in Harry's stomach, clawing at his insides: Hot blood seemed to flood his brain, so that all thought was extinguished, replaced by a savage urge to jinx Dean into a jelly. Wrestling with this sudden madness, he heard Ron's voice as though from a great distance away.

"Oi!"

Dean and Ginny broke apart and looked around.

"What?" said Ginny.

"I don't want to find my own sister snogging people in public!"

"This was a deserted corridor till you came butting in!" said Ginny.

Dean was looking embarrassed. He gave Harry a shift grin that Harry did not return, as the newborn monster inside him was roaring for Dean's instant dismissal from the team…

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As he was ducking toward the drinks table, he walked straight into Ginny, Arnold the Pygmy puff riding on her shoulder and Crookshanks mewing hopefully at her heels.

"Looking for Ron?" she asked, smirking. "He's over there, the filthy hypocrite."

Harry looked into the corner she was indicating. There, in full view of the whole room, stood Ron wrapped so closely around Lavender Brown it was hard to tell whose hands were whose.

"It looks like he's eating her face, doesn't it?" said Ginny dispassionately. "But I suppose he's got to refine his technique somehow. Good game, Harry."

She patted him on the arm; Harry felt a swooping sensation in his stomach…

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Ginny did not seem at all upset about the breakup with Dean; on the contrary, she was the life and soul of the team. Her imitations of Ron anxiously bobbing up and down in front of the goal posts as the Quaffle sped toward him, or of Harry bellowing orders at McLaggen before being knocked out cold, kept them all highly amused. Harry, laughing with the others, was glad to have an innocent reason to look at Ginny; he had received several more Bludger injuries during practice because he had not been keeping his eyes on the Snitch…

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"We won!" yelled Ron, bounding into sight and brandishing the silver Cup at Harry. "We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty! We won!"

Harry looked around; there was Ginny running toward him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fat that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her…

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"Ginny, listen…" Harry said very quietly, as the buzz of conversation grew louder around them and people began to get to their feet, "I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."

She said, with an oddly twisted smile, "It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"

"It's been like…like something out of someone else's life, these last few weeks with you," said Harry. "But I can't…we can't…I've got things to do alone now."

She did not cry, she simply looked at him.

"Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used you as bait once, and that was just because you're my best friend's sister. Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you."

"What if I don't care?" said Ginny fiercely.

"I care," said Harry. "How do you think I'd feel if this was your funeral…and it was my fault…."

She looked away from him, over the lake.

"I never really gave up on you," she said. "Not really. I always hoped…. Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more – myself."

"Smart girl, that Hermione," said Harry, trying to smile. "I just wish I'd asked you sooner. We could've had ages…months…years maybe…."

"But you've been too busy saving the Wizarding world," said Ginny, half laughing. "Well…I can't say I'm surprised. I knew this would happen in the end. I knew you wouldn't be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort. Maybe that's why I like you so much."…

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"Ginny, the thing that kept me going during the war…with Voldemort. It was thinking that when I got home, if I survived, you would be there. For me," said Harry softly, pushing a lock of red hair out of Ginny's brown eyes.

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes watering. "I was always waiting. And I always will be…for you."

Harry felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted out of his stomach as he wrapped his arms around Ginny and kissed her.

Harry pulled away and leaned to Ginny's ear.

"I love you. Even if I was to stupid to realize it at first."

"Well that's okay, because I knew you were that stupid," Ginny said laughing. "That's why I always waited, always loving you."…

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Harry smiled, his head in his hands. Sighing, he stood up.

My dad died for my mum. And she died for me. That has to say something about their love for each other. Plus, if Ginny's and mine can survive Voldemort's war, then I'm sure Dad fixed it somehow.

Smiling grimly, Harry stood and walked slowly over to the Pensieve. He poked the surface with his wand and watched as the Gryffindor Common Room came into view.

"Here goes. Let's hope Dad didn't mess up too bad."

And with that comment, Harry leaned forward and broke the surface with his head, sending him tumbling forward into the memory.

(In the Burrow)

"Gin, please sit down! You're making us nervous!" Fred Weasley told his sister as he flopped into a chair. His long, blond-red hair fell into his face as he closed is eyes to get the image of his youngest sibling out of his head.

Ginny ran a nervous hand through her long red hair. She closed her hazel eyes and sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Fred," she said, jumping onto the couch. Her older brother, Ron, hopped into the air slightly at the other end.

Ginny sat up. "Where could Harry be?" she cried out loudly.

Bill and George came over and sat next to Ginny. They each put an arm around her, and Bill pulled her head onto his shoulder.

"Thanks," she sniffed quietly. She had been crying and screaming on and off for the past hour.

"Where is he? I'm so nervous that he's hurt or upset or doing something irrational! Sirius should have never said that!" Ginny said angrily.

George rubbed her back soothingly. They were seated in the Burrow living room, and the fire was crackling, warming the five red heads in the room. Their Mom was cooking cinnamon bread in the kitchen and the smell wafted into the room, filling the Weasley's noses with its delicious aroma.

"Ginny, Sirius didn't mean it," Fred said softly, watching the flames dance with a glazed expression on his face.

"Yes he did!"

Ginny stood up quickly, pushing away her brothers, her face flushed and her fists clenched.

"Sirius has been like this ever since Harry found him again. Something happened to him that he's not telling us. And he just takes it out on Harry! He's rude to him, he snaps at him, he bosses him around – he's so touchy that if you walk into the room he yells at you! And what he told Harry was completely out of hand. But Sirius is too stubborn to tell us why he's so mad, so instead he's in this mood! He has no right at all to be treating us like this and now he's made Harry disappear all because of his stupid temper!"

The boys in the room looked at Ginny blankly after her rant. She glared at them all and sat down in a huff, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Ginny calm – "

"Bill, she's right!" the Weasley's looked at Ron in surprise. He had been quiet throughout the whole conversation, and when they turned to him he was sitting straight up with a hard look on his face.

"Sirius has been different since he came back from the veil. He's changed, and I'm wondering what happened when he was in there. I've been curious since he came back…he's never been this way to Harry before either. She's right," Ron continued quietly.

They fell back in silent agreement. Ginny let her brothers put their arms around her again and she leaned into George.

Suddenly Fred jumped out of the chair and leaped onto Ginny, George, and Bill, sprawling along then. Ginny screamed and George and Bill laughed, before all of them began tickling Fred. He squealed (A/N: Haha, yes, squealed!) and laughed and kicked until they finally stopped. He sat up and squeezed himself between Fred and Ron.

They sat silently, listening to the pots and pans clank together, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Rain began pounding on the windows and the fire flickered softly.

Ginny leaned back into the couch and started into the scarlet, orange, yellow, and white flames licking the wood. Her brothers were all looking around, thinking about what had happened to a black-haired boy – however, a different one then Ginny.

Harry, please be safe.

A/N: Yes! I finally finished this chapter. And I know you're all going to kill me because of the long wait and the pathetic chapter, and I'm soooo sorry! I've had a really…emotionally disturbed week so far, and that's why I've not been able to update. That and being sick. This chapter was sort of dry, but it explained something about Ginny and Harry's relationship. I hope to update the next chapter soon (honestly!) and I'm really going to try! I already have the idea. But I'm extremely sorry for the wait, but I hope this can satisfy you until next time. And I'm going to ask for…13 reviews before I update! I know, I'm evil, but that way I have a reason for not updating! I'm kidding : ) you guys are actually fabulous at reviewing. But anywho, so very sorry for the wait and the dry chapter. Also I DO NOT OWN THE EXCERPTS FROM HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE! THAT'S J.K. ROWLING'S! So now…

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