Disclaimer:They are NOT MY characters well Anna and Jamie are but they are JK's so no attacking me
Chapter Six: A New Light
Petunia sat staring idly at her kitchen wall. She looked up when Harry came stumbling into the kitchen. He took in his aunt's attitude in one glance. "What's wrong?"
"I need to plan for Vernon's funeral and figure out what I will be doing now that he is gone. I don't have any money to pay for the funeral let alone to keep the house. We never planned we never thought it was possible."
Harry sat staring at his aunt. He didn't open his mouth at all. His mind was working quickly. "Don't worry about it, I've got it covered."
"What? How?"
"You'll see, now is time to mourn Petunia. I would stay longer but I have business to attend to."
It was the fifth day after Vernon's death. Harry had managed in two days to set up the entire funeral and a way to keep the house.
Harry stood gazing down at the tombstone before him. He read the tombstone before him: Here lies Vernon Dursley. Loving husband and father. The more he stared at it the more he felt it was incomplete. Carefully he knelt in front of the stone and placed his hand on it. He mumbled a few words and pulled his hand away.
"As well as a caring Uncle," Ginny mumbled quietly as she wrapped her arm around his waist. Harry moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder.
"As it should be." Harry said as he kissed her forehead.
"He was anything but caring towards you Harry."
"And I understand that, but I believe he should be forgiven."
"Why?"
"If it hadn't been for his treatment of me I would never have turned out like I am. I don't fear Voldemort because I know he is nothing to fear. I feared Vernon because he was something to fear. It was his own form of telling me he cared even if it was a little bit. As I stood there protecting him in the middle of the street he told me he was sorry. He said he doubted I could ever forgive him for his treatment of me but, he was apologizing none the less.
"I watched as he hit the ground, his eyes lifeless and devoid of all emotion. When he saw his life was about to end he knew he had done wrong. As I got to him I saw the look in his eyes. The thought of his death wasn't something he could take lightly. Shock was evident when he saw me protecting him, something that he never thought would possibly happen.
"In a way I feel sorry for him. His life ended without being able to see his son grow up, marry, have children. Despite everything he was a loving husband and father. He loved his family a lot. He worked extra to make sure they had what they wanted and even that they would have enough to feed us when we came. This is my way of showing my appreciation for him. I appreciate what he did for me, making me the man I am today."
"How did he?" Ginny questioned softly. She knew the answer herself but she knew Dudley and Petunia were listening.
"He made me realize that I didn't want to be like that. I still wanted to be the loving, caring husband and father that did anything and everything for his family. I could never, will never be able to willingly strike down another human. Voldemort and his Death Eaters aren't human, they shouldn't even be alive. No matter what happened during my time at that house I realized that he always took care of his family. No one knew this besides Vernon and I but when I came back from school he took me to see Lily and Karen.
"Petunia and Dudley were at Marge's, he couldn't get off work. I had been cooking when he came into the kitchen. Once I sat the plate down in front of him he told me to sit and eat. Surprised, I did what he asked of me. We sat in silence as we ate. When we were done he told me to get some decent clothes on and be down in five minutes. Confused I did what I was supposed to and we headed into the car. I had no idea where we were going but I waited to figure it out anyway.
"After about an hour we pulled up to a small house. He led me inside the house and talked to a small woman at a desk. She pointed us in the direction and I followed along behind him. He carefully opened the door and we went inside. Inside lying in two cribs were the girls. I asked him who they were and he told me. 'They are your cousins. This one is Karen and this one is Lily.' I was shocked to say the least but nodded my head anyway. 'We don't like magic and that's what the girls are. I think…I think it was the worst decision I have ever made.'
"I watched him, wondering why he was doing this. 'They are still my children, despite what they can do. It was stupid and I hated it but Petunia hated it more.' I remember asking him why he brought me here. 'I wanted you to know the truth. Whatever happens to you in your world you still live in ours. Something will one day happen to me, it's inevitable. I've made my choices and this is what I regret. I want you to know that if anything happens to Petunia and I, we want you to take care of the girls.'
"I just stared at him. I was eleven and this just didn't seem right to me. If anyone had a bigger chance of death it was going to be me. I promised him that if something happened to him I would be there to protect not only Karen and Lily but Petunia and Dudley. Remus bought the house and transferred it into Petunia's name. It was my money that bought the house for her. If anything happened to her it moved to Dudley, myself last of all. I did it because they are family. If mum can forgive Petunia I can forgive Vernon.
"We are in the middle of a war. Why are we pushing away people who can help us in the war? Why are we avoiding those that are possible enemies? We shouldn't be pushing people away. Like Percy. He can help us but pride stands in our way. In keeping that anger bottled up inside and keeping allies away from each other we give Voldemort what he wants. We give him our weakness. He's placing a rift in not only the wizarding world but the muggle world as well. Think about it love. He harbors all his power and strength off human's faults.
"Fear, anger, hatred, pride, deceit, even lieing can help him. As humans we are naturally born with our faults and he exploits them. He gets a thrill out of hurting others and drinking in their fear. He is filled with anger and hate. The one flaw in his plan is that he overlooks the human's ability to love. Love is a powerful thing. Hope is powerful as well. No matter how dark and dreary things become as long as we are able to hope, believe, love, and care then he will never win. Pain can be overcome, slowly, but it can heal. Vernon showed me that. Despite all the physical pain I was put in it healed. Emotionally it healed but that is more of a thanks to you that to anyone else."
"Why me?" Ginny said through tears she hadn't realized were falling down her face.
"Because you are you." He mumbled as he turned to look at her. "Because you showed me what it was like to love and to be loved. To feel what it was like to want to do everything in my power to make sure you had a bright smile on your face. To know that there was a reason to believe, a reason to hope. That my life meant something more than just to protect and save the wizarding and muggle worlds. To see there was a future before me, past the final battle." His hands brushed away the tears streaking down her cheeks.
"I am more than thankful for getting the chance to live my life with you. When I first saw you that day in the train station I thought it would be great to get to know you better. Things were different when you came and I didn't even see it. When I found you that day in the chamber I vowed never to let something like that happen to you or to anyone but I knew that I could never always protect everyone. Then there you were when I got to your house. You fell right into my arms and when I looked at you I realized how much I had over looked the last two years while you were with us at school.
"I made no complaint to carrying you all that way. You were light and warmed my back. It felt nice and it felt right just carrying you like that. Then I got to see who you were that summer. You weren't as quiet then, you were more talkative. I like that, I liked being able to talk to you. When we came across those Death Eaters I wasn't about to let you out of my sight and I didn't. I carried you all the way back to your house. Your Mum thought something had happened to you. Hermione was pointing out to me what I would be missing out on if I didn't do something. I was confused about my feelings.
"In a few short days my view of you changed from the shy little girl I had met to a sweet girl who was worried for me."
"You never thought I was Ron's shy little sister?"
"To me you were never 'Ron's little sister' or 'Fred's younger sister' or anything like that. You were Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only girl of the Weasley family. There you were at the kitchen table that day begging me to be careful. I saw it in your eyes that day and I was slightly scared even then at what I saw. I'm not really sure what it was then but I can still remember it. So I did what you asked and I became cautious. Then again you were there right after the first task."
Ginny smiled at him, placing her own hand on his cheek. "I was so worried then. The dreams were so fuzzy and I had no idea what to expect then. They kept me up late at night and I was so worried that I was going to lose you just after we started to become friends. I talked to Hermione in those days about it and she could only tell me to wait and see what was going to happen between us. I tried not to hope too much but it was hard not to. There you were talking to me like we had known each other from the start. I was ecstatic when I realized you were taking care of me. You carried me that whole way there and back without complaint, knowing I was tired.
"Then the first task came and I literally was on edge the whole time. I was screaming my joy like the rest of the audience when you got the egg but I thought my heart stopped when you slammed into that wall. Then you kissed me afterwards. I seriously thought the whole world had melted away when we kissed. Nothing seemed to matter beyond the fact that you were kissing me and holding me in your arms. I was smiling for three days after that. Hermione guessed what had happened."
"She came and talked to me about it. Saying I shouldn't let someone else snatch you away from me after I had kissed you. She told me that you didn't tell her, but that she just guessed. Hermione was always one to understand what I was feeling even if I tried to hide it. I'm like an open book to that girl. So I asked you. You were just…amazing that night. You looked like an angel. Of course we kissed again that night."
"More than once if I remember correctly. Then you left me standing there, in a daze, in the middle of the common room."
"You looked really cute with that dazed look on your face." She glared at him but still continued to smile. "I was still confused as to what my feelings were towards you. However, I didn't want that to stop our talking. When I saw you at the bottom of the lake I knew that I could never lose you and that I cared a lot about you. So I just sat in the room, holding you close to me. I probably should have asked you sooner but I couldn't be sure of my feelings. You had made it quite clear and I think it was cute how you fended off my fan club before the Yule Ball."
"You saw that?" She said sheepishly.
"I did and it was cute. You were so protective and possessive, you still are and I am thankful for that. I thank whatever high spirit that brought you into my life." He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her towards him. "I fell in love with you the day you landed on my chest. I continue to fall in love with you more and more each day. Without you I would be nothing."
"I love you so much Harry. I fell in love with 'Harry Potter The-Boy-Who-Lived' when I was a girl but then I fell in love with 'Harry James Potter son of Lily and James Potter'. I wake up every morning thinking of your smiling face and beautiful eyes. Every night I fall asleep thinking about how much I love you and how my life wouldn't be complete without you. When you hold me it feels like nothing can go wrong. You make me feel like the most important woman in the world when you kiss me or look at me with that amazing look in your eyes."
Harry smiled down at her. "I love you Ginevra Molly Weasley. You are my world, my life, my love and my best friend. This is the first death of many and all we can do is hold out hope for the future to come. As long as we remember to believe, to hope, to love then Voldemort will never win." With that he lowered his head to give Ginny a long, heart stopping kiss. Each poured their hearts into this kiss and unknowing to either of them, they sent Voldemort to his knees. The air around them began to shift and change. A gold aura began to surround the two of them, growing brighter as they continued their kiss. Everyone who was within view could see the color surrounding them.
Molly had tears slipping down her cheeks as she watched the two. Arthur hugged his wife's shoulders as they watched the young couple. The rest of the Weasleys watched on with mixed feelings. Hermione was smiling sadly as she watched them. Petunia broke into a fresh wave of happy and guilty tears. Dudley smiled happily at his cousin.
To Harry and Ginny it felt like nothing in the world existed beyond the person before them. It felt as if their magic surrounded them, mingling with each other. They would never be able to say exactly how it happened, but they finally felt as if they were complete. Like their souls had finally found their other half and nothing beyond that mattered. Little did they know that they were in fact 'soul mates' in every aspect of the word.
They slowly pulled apart, resting their foreheads against the others. "I love you."
"I love you too," Ginny mumbled to him.
Harry smiled and looked up at his aunt. "The house is yours."
"Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you so much Harry. You didn't have to do any of this. You could have left us to fix our mistakes. You could have left my husband to die, my son to die, even myself. That's what makes you different. It doesn't matter what happens to you as long as you can protect others. I can never put into words how sorry I am for what we did to you all those years. You really are Lily's son. I hope she can forgive me after all that I have let happen to you. You organized my husband's funeral, got my house back for me."
"You are my family, the last of what I have of my parents. I will do everything to take care of you despite what has happened to me."
Ginny had rotated in his arms, her back pressed into his chest. "You are family and that is what is important to him. Family is forever and that's what really matters." Harry kissed the top of her head and she smiled. "I'm sorry though."
"Sorry? Why?"
Ginny looked at the older woman seriously. Her brown eyes held pity and sadness. "The original blood protection has been warped. With Voldemorts return he used Harry's blood to return. Neither of you are protected by each other. You are a target, even more so now. Your only protection is the wards around the house and aurors."
"We can now do magic outside of school but we are still limited. I can't be with you all the time and you could get hurt during all of this."
Petunia smiled slightly at them. "It was going to happen sooner or later. I am just glad things have been brought out into the open and hopefully things will get better."
"If you are all willing we are as well." Harry said with a slight smile.
"You should see your grandparent's grave." She told him. Dudley, Ginny, Harry, and Petunia walked further into the cemetery where she stopped by two tombstones. Harry moved away and knelt by them. "Marquis Samuel Evans: Brilliant father and loving husband. Susan Magie Evans: Wonderful mother and loving wife." He looked down at the small plaque that sat in between them. "They were taken to early on but will always be remembered and are always watching over their beloved children Petunia and Lily." Harry smiled slightly as he ran his hand across the two stones. "She put a permanent resistance charm. They will never fade or be damaged. Mum wanted their memory to last no matter what."
"As they should be. No one should fade from time," Ginny said in a sad voice.
"I never knew what charm she actually put on them but I knew she put something on them." Petunia said.
"She was always great at charms..." Harry smiled slightly.
Suddenly a series of loud pops met their ears. They were surrounded by a hoard of Death Eaters. "Kill them all!" One of them yelled and it sounded almost like Lucius Malfoy.
Hexes began flying around the cemetary. Harry, Hermione, Luna, Pansy, Jamie, Sirius, Anna, Fleur, and the Weasleys all jumped into action. Petunia ducked behind one of the tombstones. Ginny and Jamie flanked her on either side to keep the Death Eaters away from her.
No one saw Draco creep up behind Petunia, except for Pansy. She ran straight at Draco and cast a full body bind curse just as he shot the killing curse. "NO!" Pansy screamed as she watched her hex hit Draco seconds after his hit Petunia. Jamie and Ginny turned and saw what had happened. Pansy kicked Draco hard in the side before she knelt beside Petunia's lifeless frame.
"Retreat!" The leader called and they all disappeared, leaving Draco behind. Harry and Dudley ran over to where she lay.
"No! This can't be happening!" Dudley cried.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Harry added in a strangled voice.
A/N: I know you all have probably missed me terribly and trust me I have missed you all as well. See what happened was the day after I posted my fifth chapter behold a nice thunderstormcomes rushing by and we get struck with lighthing! The horrors really it was HORRIBLE. Our Tivo was fried along with our dvd player, my dad's alarm clock, and THE INTERNET networking system that is. It also fried the boards in our computers as well and my parents were SO SLOW about the whole thing can u believe it! I also got grounded two days BEFORE we got it back and I am ungrounded now and to all those I have written 13 full chapters for the story and I am at six now. So expect a nice update on my birthday (It's saturday, 17!) then I will be off getting a job before my school starts up but I will still keep up the story. So sorry for the delay and hopeto get some chaps to my betas and get this thing back flowing sorry all!
