Power of the Prophecy Chapter 33, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter 33: A Resolution

Harry disappeared the two weeks after the battle before the rest of the school would take exams and then be dismissed for summer holiday. No one knew where he went except for Ginny, and she wasn't talking. Many thought Harry had gone on a mission to avenge the headmaster's death, but Hermione and Ron knew better. For one, his invisibility cloak remained in his trunk at all times, not to mention the Marauders' Map. Clean clothes disappeared at random, only to be replaced by dirty ones neatly stacked at the foot of Harry's four-poster. Although classes were still attended in the rest of the castle by a zombie-like student body, Harry was nowhere to be found. His assignments showed up completed on teachers' desks, sometimes a few days in advance, and were proven to be authentically Harry's.

Hermione Granger had always loved a mystery, and many years after she had left Hogwarts she had tried to solve where Harry had went during those weeks, but even with access to Harry's Pensieve an answer could not be found. Hermione was sure that Ginny knew, but Ginevra Potter was nothing if not an excellent secret keeper- no Fidelius Charm required. Harry did eventually return to the castle from wherever he was, indeed it was never proven that he left the castle at all. One Tuesday morning, the beginning of exam week, he just strolled into the Great Hall for breakfast and sat down in his usual place at the table (which all of Gryffindor had kept empty, just in case he should return) and asked Ron to pass the eggs, just as cool as you please. Ron did so, asked no questions, and life continued as usual, much to Hermione's intellectual disquiet.

Headmistress McGonagall seemed to think that the best way to deal with the school's loss was to go on as if all was normal and, for the most part, her plan was successful. The sixth year students still spent their allotted two hours a week with their mentees (Hermione had to swear a wizard's oath that she would write to Maddelein Roseworth over the holidays), and studies for examinations seemed to be progressing as scheduled. Aurelia Formosus was being tutored by Draco Malfoy almost ruthlessly- not that she needed it. She spent most of her time staring at her mentor with a confused, worried expression on her face, but when Draco would drill her on the practice exam sheets he had drawn up she would answer every question perfectly. This bothered Hermione as well, considering she spent much of her time in the library with Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna, studying with one another and quizzing their own respective mentees.

As for Harry… Harry never studied. It was true that sometimes he would bring his Pensieve and join them in the school's library but most of the time Hermione would find him poring over said Pensieve in the headmaster's library when she would go there to cross-reference a certain fact. Years later, Hermione would often think of the library, and in her mind it was always "The Headmaster's Library", or sometimes "Albus' Archives". She completely understood why Harry would spend the majority of his time there- it was as if the headmaster's omnipotent presence was still looming in the background.

Hermione may have believed that Harry wasn't studying, and she may have bugged him mercilessly about it, but in fact, Harry was studying harder than he ever had in his life. Not only had he gone over every memory in his own Pensieve, he had carefully examined those in Albus' as well. In the hours that Harry spent reviewing his own thoughts, he often kept one hand on his chest, absently tracing the outlines of his crescent-shaped silver brand. The words of his own prophecy rang through his head, taunting him with crucial knowledge that he believed could result in his success or failure in the final altercation with Lord Voldemort.

"Separate the signs to end the war, now are divided, but together once more… Two in the now, and two in the beyond is how it shall be for the world to go on… Bound by a force that no one can break, finding a way for his life to take."

Harry had virtually memorized the contents of Debello. With the words of the prophecy ringing in his ears, his mind began making connections. He reached for his Pensieve and began frantically swimming through his own thoughts.

…"By power of the Equinox, we unite this love.

In light of the moon in an eclipse by the sun,

We proclaim the rarity of a binding so pure,

Witnessed by eternal stars, ever shining above."

As if on cue, the moon suddenly disappeared in a complete lunar eclipse. Harry grabbed Ginny's hands and grinned at her- he couldn't believe it. They were getting married! After tonight he could call her his own for the rest of his life. Ginny grinned back at him as they felt Ron and Hermione place their hands on their shoulders and continue reading from the binding spell.

"We acknowledge one divine and single truth,

With essence drawn from both our spirits,

That love so true can be only found

In the hearts of pure and untainted youth."

At the end of this verse, Harry saw Ginny begin to glow. He watched in awe as a brilliant light seemed to radiate right from her heart. From the look on her face as she watched him he could tell that the same thing must have been happening to himself. The glow rapidly spread down the rest of Harry's body, filling him with unearthly warmth and then passing up through his shoulder and into Ron just as the glow from Ginny passed into Hermione. When the radiance had encompassed them all, they raised off the ground together, levitated inside a ball of pure, translucent light. Bidden by their hearts desire, Harry and Ginny began to speak their vows.

"With all my soul I pledge you my heart

I give myself, my love, freely to you

Knowing that what I offer, I gain in return

Bound by power of Equinox's arc."

There was an abrupt flash, and for a moment Harry thought the spell had failed. The light was blinding! Soon, though, it subsided and encircled them in a ring of lightning. As the lightning circled faster, the ball seemed to glow impossibly brighter.

The ring split itself in half, and began to encase the sphere, one arc encasing the northern part, and the other encasing the southern. Each half circle began to pulse and rotate, stretching as it did so, one spinning vertically and the other horizontally until they turned into two complete circles of lightning. Spiraling faster than an atom's nucleus the protective ball glowed with a brilliant white light. As the sphere pulsed with the power of Equinox's Arc, all was still inside. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione floated into a circle and joined hands. The power of the spell radiating through them was intense, but almost erotically so. Where two circles had been made from one they now collided into a thousand other rings, circling and spiraling around the sphere, sheathing it in their pure brilliance.

Harry could see the sphere finally drawing to a close around them and his heart shouted with joy as he felt the culmination of the spell taking place. His entire body went rigid, his hand gripping tightly to Ron and Hermione on either side of him as his toes curled in ecstasy. It was mind-blowing. Four jets of red light shot straight from their chests to the outside of the ball and combined into a brilliant red firework above them. Slowly, as the shimmers from the explosion dissipated back to the ground, Harry felt the his body slowly release the tension as they lowered to the ground…

There was another brilliant flash of light as dozens more of the red fireworks exploded randomly above their heads…

"What about the mark, though?" asked Ginny, her face flushed in the moonlight as she examined her body for any signs of proof that her marriage was legitimate. "Hermione, didn't it say—"

Harry looked down at his own body, feeling his hands and face for signs of any change. He was beginning to grow frantic- what if the spell hadn't worked? He looked to Ginny. How could she be so calm? She looked beautiful, with her face glowing in the moonlight, and the necklace she was wearing shimmered prettily.

But Harry didn't remember Ginny wearing a necklace. He reached an unsteady hand forward and carefully lowered the sweetheart neckline of Ginny's wedding dress, exposing the branding mark they had all been searching for.

"Here it is, you guys. Right over her heart."

Ron and Hermione excitedly opened their robes to examine their own brands as Ginny opened Harry's to see her love's matching silver marking.

"Ours are different from yours, Harry," noticed Ron. "See, look- Hermione and I have stars."

Harry and Ginny looked towards their friends and smiled.

"The witness of eternal stars," said Ginny, as she looked over toward the book.

Hermione smiled and ran her finger down the text. "That would be it. Stars mark us because we witnessed the ceremony, Ron. Ginny and Harry have crescent moons because it represents the sun bonding with the moon to make a lunar eclipse."…

…

"He's INNOCENT!" Harry screamed, though he knew it was useless.

Sirius rushed forward to where James was sitting, and pulled up his left sleeve.

"Do you see a Dark Mark, Prongs? Lily, I was there by your side in the delivery room for 7 hours helping you to deliver Harry after James fainted! I thought Peter was the perfect bluff—who would suspect him? I would NEVER betray you- you know that! Peter was the one that sided with the Dark Tosser!

"Fudge sent me to Azkaban WITHOUT A TRAIL! I was there for 12 years! The only thing that kept me sane was knowing I was innocent! I broke out and swam to shore as Padfoot, hunted down Harry and took care of him ever since he was 13. He'll be 16 next month! I already bought his birthday present!"

James and Lily looked horrorstruck.

"12 years in Azkaban? You did that?" Lily whispered. "For US?"

"Yes!" Sirius cried, exasperatedly.

"Twelve years? The last trial we've had was Andrawlson, and that was the first after we got here…Cedric arrived just before that, but of course, he wouldn't have known about Padfoot…

"The lack of time-space continuum… …I believe you, friend" James said, nodding slowly.

"We must let the Heliopaths decide," interjected the old wizard. "They will be able to see the complete truth."

Harry cringed- he knew what was coming and didn't like it one bit. He knew Sirius was innocent, but that didn't make him want to sit through another round of Fire Demons to prove it.

The Heliopaths swept through the Deceasengamot and surrounded Sirius, their flames attempting to lick his body, but never coming in contact. In a flash they were gone, and suddenly there was a burst of brilliant golden light. Harry squinted his eyes, and when he opened them Sirius was still standing in the center of the Semi-Circle, only this time he was robed in gold, just like the other witches and wizards in the Deceascengamot, and looked as healthy as he did at James and Lily's wedding.

The old wizard nodded his approval. "Only the righteous may pass through the veil and survive the wrath of the Heliopaths."

Lily smiled and began to wind her way down the steps towards Sirius, embracing him. "Only the untainted may judge in this courtroom."

She and James embraced their friend as the old Wizard spoke once more.

"Sirius Black, do you acknowledge your death and departure from the physical plane of existence and accept your appointment into the High Court of the Deceasengamot?"

Sirius grinned, "You bet I do! Now when do we get to set those fire things on The Dark Sodder?"

The court laughed and many nodded vigorously in agreed anticipation.

"Welcome home, Padfoot," James whispered…

…

Harry grinned, stood, and reached his hands out to her. Pulling her swiftly from her seat, he lifted her into the air and carried her to the bedroom they had first shared the night together- Eternal Sunset. Lying her down on the bed, Harry carefully removed her shoes and socks, kissing each of her toes and his heart warmed at her giggles. He softly kicked of his own boots and crawled into bed next to her. Snuggling in beside her, he lay his head on her chest and listened to her heart beating.

"It seems different this time, doesn't it?" Ginny asked softly.

"Yes, love, it does. It makes it even more special."…

Carefully, as if Ginny were the most fragile thing in the universe (and she was about to be, as far as he was concerned) he kissed her cheek. He traced his fingers down her throat, past her collarbone, down her breastbone to her bellybutton and his lips followed suit. With each kiss he unbuttoned her shirt further down, kissing every part of accessible flesh. Her blouse was soon discarded, and Harry slowly unbuttoned and unzipped her skirt, sliding it carefully past her hips to her thighs, kissing every inch of skin it revealed. Down it went, until her was once again kissing her toes, only this time she let out a sigh instead of a giggle.

Here was bliss. Here was happiness. Here was love. Here was… here was GINNY. Harry looked into her eyes, and it was as if he could see into her soul. The world was in his lover's eyes- everything that meant anything to him was there, swimming in lipid pools of chocolate brown. Each thought was a breath, each breath was a kiss, and each kiss was a touch, bringing them closer together, closer to fine.

Ginny…

Ginny had given up so much for him by offering to do this. Harry took a laborious breath as he pressed forward, staring into her eyes as he kissed her lips. She was willing to raise another savior, should he be unable to fulfill his duty. She was willing to give up her own idea of life to make sure that evil would perish.

Harry…

Harry looked into her eyes, and felt himself pushing deeper than he had ever felt himself go before, all the while feeling her rise up to meet him. And Ginny, his wife, was gazing at him with the utmost trust, adoration and LOVE in her eyes.

And Harry knew.

Ginny was the first person to ever love him. Granted, Harry knew people loved him- he had the rest of the Weasleys, Ron and Hermione, but Ginny was different. She was the first to ever love him unconditionally. All his faults, all his trials, all his expectations, the weight of the prophecy and the wizarding world that rested on his shoulders- she accepted them all.

Harry knew he loved her. He loved her more than anything else in the entire world—magic, his friends, even his own life. He was going to be a father, and in doing so he was going to make her a mother. His head was swimming- he had never felt so euphoric in his life. His body glistened with sweat and it mingled with Ginny's, who was panting with pleasure beneath him. He was nearing the edge and oh, how he wanted to just jump right off and FLY.

The final moment was upon him, he didn't think he could hold out much longer and he knew she was right along the edge with him. Harry looked into her eyes and realization dawned on him. He would die for this girl. And he would do it willingly. He would do anything, and everything, in his power if only he could keep her and their child safe. Understanding crashed into his brain as his body hit the final tidal wave. He and Ginny crashed into shore together, panting in rhythm, their bodies fused like they had never felt before. And Harry understood like he never had before.

In a way, Hermione had been right. Through an ultimate act of love, Harry unlocked his power. He knew what love was. And when he realized it, he understood that he had known all along.

True love was to willingly die for someone else. Like how he would willingly die to save Ginny if he needed to. How he would gladly throw himself in front of her if it meant she would live and so would their baby.

To give your life for someone else. The ultimate sacrifice. THAT was love. And Harry knew what he had to do- there could be no greater love…

Harry pulled himself out of the memory with a lurch. His mind raced over what he would do for Ginny without a second thought, what Dumbledore had done for him without a second thought. The words of the two prophecies ran through his head and a world of possibilities unfolded before his very eyes.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…

And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives.

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

Without another thought, Harry smiled and dove into the memory of Miss Amanda's shop that last summer…

…"Well, Mr. Potter," continued Amanda, interrupting his thoughts, "I know that Divination isn't exactly the most precise art, but in my family there has long since been an ability to detect certain Auras. From the moment you walked into my shop, not only could I feel something about you, I could see it as well. Even if you weren't already special for being "The Boy Who Lived", I would be able to tell you that you are most certainly going to be a powerful wizard and do very great things."

Harry began to protest that he 'wasn't that special, really,' but Ms. Amanda stemmed his flow of arguments with the raise of her hand.

"No offense, Mr. Potter, but I must confess that I quite often wondered whether or not the so-called "Boy Who Lived" was all that he was talked up to be."

She smiled, "Now I know. Mr. Potter, you will defeat Voldemort."

The sharp intake of breath from Ron signaled to Harry that he was, in fact paying attention to Ms. Amanda's every word and his conversation with Kingsley seemed to have been put on the back burner.

"I know you can," she continued, "and if I cared to wager, this Pensieve just might help you unlock how."