The dust cleared away and Ginny saw Sirius and Lucy standing in the living room. They'd been here the whole time.
"Good God," Sirius gasped. "Is everyone all right?" Ginny nodded shakily.
"Lord, I knew Harry's relatives were bad, but I never knew"
"I know," Sirius said wrapping an arm around her. Ginny looked over at Lucy who had yet to say anything. What she saw made her gasp. Lucy was staring down at her hands which were cut and bloody. "Lucy!" Ginny cried as Lucy's eyes rolled back in her head and she crumbled to the floor. They were at her side in a second.
"Lucy," Sirius said patting her cheeks trying to rouse her.
"She has a pulse," Ginny said holding Lucy's bloody wrist. "It's faint." "Come on Lucy!" Sirius shouted. "Don't give up on us now." Neither of them saw Lucy's talisman lying amongst the debree of the broken table.
Against all odds they had triumphed over the Death Eaters. Those that still lived had been stupefied and tied up. McGonagall, Snape, Arthur, Percy, Bill, Charlie and Tonks had gone to the Ministry to assess the damage. Everyone else had brought Harry, Lucy, Ginny, and Sirius back upstairs to the living room. Oliver had been shaky ever since Lucy had been put under the cruciatus curse. What were they going through? What was happening to them? Were they any closer to finding Harry? He held her hand in his running his thumb over the diamond ring on her finger. He felt a strong hand grip his shoulder. He looked up into the face of Dumbledore.
"There's nothing more you can do Oliver. You must trust in Lucy." Oliver nodded. He suddenly felt something hot and wet cover his hand. He looked down and saw Lucy's hands covered in blood. "Oh Merlin," Oliver gasped as blood dripped from Lucy's nose and mouth. Dumbledore knelt by Lucy and checked her pulse.
"She's dying. Remus!" Dumbledore yelled. "Bring that healing potion." Remus hurried into the room followed by Hermione, Ron, Molly, and the twins. Oliver held up Lucy's head as Remus poured the potion down her throat. They waited for the injuries to disappear but nothing happened.
"Albus why isn't it working?" Oliver demanded his heart thudding in his chest.
"The talisman," Dumbledore said. "She must not be wearing it"
"What can we do?" Ron asked.
"There may be a way," Hermione said squatting down on the floor next to Sirius. She leaned close to Sirius's ear.
"Sirius," she said into his ear. "Lucy isn't wearing her talisman. She needs her talisman or she'll die. The talisman, the talisman, the talisman..."
Sirius jumped as he heard a soft female voice in his head. He looked over at Ginny. She was still trying to revive Lucy. She hadn't heard the voice. "The talisman," it said.
"Her talisman," Sirius said. He glanced around and saw it lying amongst the broken glass. He hurried over and grabbed it. He slipped it around Lucy's neck. Ginny gave him an odd look.
"The cruciatus curse just stopped when her father had her. There's only one way that could have happened." The potion she had given him. Dumbledore or someone on the other side must have given it to her. Sure enough he felt for Lucy's wrist and felt the pulse getting stronger. He breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes began to flutter. She gasped a deep breath as they helped her to sit up.
"Lucy," Ginny said pushing Lucy's hair away from her face. Lucy looked at them for a moment and then broke down in sobs. She covered her face with her bloody hands. Sirius wrapped her in his arms and held her. "I knew they were awful," Lucy said between sobs. "But I had no idea...No idea." Sirius hugged her close. Ginny moved to them and hugged Lucy from behind. They sat there for a short time until Lucy had stopped crying.
"Where do we go from here?" Lucy asked wiping her eyes. "Harry's got to be in this house," Sirius said. "I saw a light upstairs when I was outside," Ginny said. "So did I," Lucy said.
"Me too," said Sirius. "Let's go," Lucy said.
"Are you sure, Lucy," Sirius said. "Yes," Lucy said. "We've come too far to hesitate now"
"Wands out, you think?" Ginny said. "Wands out." They went to the hall and made their way up the stairs. "Which room do you think is Harry's?" Ginny asked. Lucy glanced around and saw a door with several locks on it. "It's this one," she said with absolute certainty. She lifted her wand and the locks slid open. She pushed the door open and together they went inside the room. It was very large and very empty. Across the dark empty space they saw him.
"Harry!" Ginny yelled running toward him. She fell backwards as she hit a barrier. Sirius hurried to her side with Lucy following close behind. "Harry!" Ginny screamed. "NO! HARRY!" Lucy stared at her brother. He didn't know they were here. He was sitting with his hands wrapped around his knees rocking back and forth. He seemed to be watching what looked like a television set. She stepped forward and placed her hand against the barrier. The moment her bloody hand touched it she felt it dissolving. She moved through the barrier and rushed to her brothers side. "How?" Ginny said.
"Blood," Sirius said. "Lily's blood." Ginny jumped to her feet and pounded against the barrier. "No," Ginny said. "There has to be a way in. The Powers wouldn't have chosen us if there wasn't a way for us to get through." She banged against it again and again until she collapsed to her knees. Tears streamed down her face.
"How can we have come so far to be held back now"
"I don't know," Sirius said staring though the barrier. "It's gonna be up to Lucy."
Lucy knelt beside Harry and touched his shoulder. Harry made no move that indicated that he even knew she was there. He just stared blankly at the screen mumbling something to himself over and over. "Harry," Lucy said gently shaking his shoulder. "Harry." "It was me, it was me, it was me..." Harry just kept mumbling it over and over. She turned to look at the screen. For awhile all it showed was static. Lucy was confused.
"Harry," Lucy said. "What are we looking at? I don't understand." The screen blinked and became clear. Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at the image of Harry on the screen. The image changed to show James and Lily being killed. It changed again to show Ron being knocked down by a giant chess piece. It changed again to show Hermione being petrified by a snake controlled by Tom Riddle. Ginny's life force being drained away as Tom Riddle grew stronger. Hermione and Sirius getting attacked by Dementors, herself throwing herself in front of Harry and being hit by the killing curse. "Oh Harry," Lucy said taking his hand. "You are not responsible for these things. You did not kill mom and James. You didn't. It was him. You have done so much good, Harry. You are good Harry. You love so many people, and so many love you." She looked around for Sirius and Ginny. She couldn't see them but she knew without a doubt that they were here and trying to get in. "Harry, Sirius and Ginny are here. They're here because they love you. I'm here because I love you. Do you hear me?" She siezed his shoulders and made him look at her. "I love you. I love you Harry Potter. I love you." Harry was staring at her blankly but he seemed to register something in what she said.
"No," he said. "Can't love me"
"Why not!" Lucy demanded hope surging in her heart. She was getting through. "Why don't you think you can be loved"
"Dangerous," Harry muttered. "Bad things"
"Oh Harry!" Lucy cried hugging him tightly.
On the other side of the barrier Ginny and Sirius watched helplessly as Lucy tried to get through to Harry.
"I hate this," Ginny said sobbing into her hands. The man she loved was suffering and she was trapped behind this invisible wall. She weakly lifted her hand against the barrier and to her surprise felt it start to give. She stood up and moved through the barrier. The second she was through she ran to Harry and Lucy.
"Harry," she said kneeling beside him. He turned slowly to look at her. She cupped his face in her hands and looked deep into the deep green caverns.
"You told me the day you said you loved me that danger would always be apart of our lives if we were together. Do you remember that? Do you remember what I said?" She saw confusion but a hint of remembrance in Harry's eyes.
"Loved me, would take risks," Harry muttered.
"That's right Harry. I told you I love you and no matter what the danger I would always be there to face it with you. Look at me. I came all the way to purgatory to get you back. You think I'd do that for just anybody"
"Harry," Lucy said. "You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders for so long now. Longer than anyone should have to. But it's time to put it down Harry. Not just for yourself, but for everyone who loves you."
The girls were getting to him. He was starting to remember. But Sirius couldn't help feeling agitated. He'd been brought here for a reason, so why was he stuck on the outside of the barrier. How did he get inside? Lucy's blood, Ginny's tears, what did this place want from him? Think Padfoot, he ordered himself. Why were you selected? All those people who took those disks. All of them willing to risk their lives for Harry, because they loved him. But they did not all love Harry the same way. Lucy loved him as a sister, Ginny as a girlfriend, and he Sirius as a...father. His heart thudded in his chest. When had he stopped looking at Harry as James's son and started to look at him as his own son? "You've always thought about him that way," a voice said in his head. "You couldn't admit it to yourself because you thought it would be a betrayal of your best friend"
"He's my son," Sirius said. He felt the barrier give way beneath his hands and charge through without a seconds hesitation.
"Harry," Sirius said kneeling down in front of his godson.
"Sirius?" Harry said looking at him as though he weren't real. "You're here"
"Of course I'm here kiddo," Sirius said. "How could I be anywhere else when you were in trouble"
"James' son," Harry said.
"No Harry," Sirius said. "Not because you're James' son. Because I love you. Do you understand that Harry? I love you." He grabbed Harry and hugged him tight. "I love you Harry," Sirius said. "I love you Harry," Lucy said hugging Harry from behind.
"I love you Harry," Ginny said throwing her arms around all of them.
"I love you, Harry" they said it together over and over again. Around them the walls were crumbling and the wind was blowing hard. This place did not want them to beat it and they had found the way. LOVE. It was that simple. It had always been that simple. "I love you Harry!" they shouted it even as pain like a hundred spears wracked their bodies. They would not let go and they would not give up.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!" they heard the horrible sounds of hell losing the war. "I love you Harry!" they shouted one final time before they felt as though their stomachs were being ripped out and then nothing...