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A/N: Alright, Scrappy8. I know you're out there, reading this with your mysterious eyes on your mysterious face…
I literally see you comment on every Harry/Ginny fic and I recently read an entire reddit post devoted to asking who you are.
So, I must ask: Who are you, oh mysterious one?
What does it mean when you post "Great Chapter" in the reviews?
Do you mean it literally? Or are you trying to tell us more?
Is it an allegory for the greatness a chapter can bring? The glory and revelation that can be revealed in a single section of a book?
Teach me your ways, oh Scrappy8!
I am but a humble student to your grand mastery!
Ode to Scrappy8. Blessed is he (she?) who will forever be there to read the great works of FanFiction and give us insight to the deeper meaning.
Whenever there is the darkness of lack of reviews, there you be with the light and a comment to lift my sorrows… as you write, "Great Chapter".
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ALSO, I really recommend that you listen to the music that is linked in my profile while you read to give you the feels. It is what I always listen to while writing this story.
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Chapter Sixty-One
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Harry didn't see himself as a prat.
Oh no. He was much, much more than that.
He was a complete and utter arse.
Harry wasn't blind. He could see that the way he was treating Ginny was hurting her. But, Merlin help him, he couldn't find any way to fix it. It was just that he didn't know how to act around her, knowing that he was deliberately keeping so much from her. Added onto the fact that Harry was still conflicted about his decision to stay together with Ginny…
Harry sighed and ran a rough hand through the mess he liked to call 'hair', but immediately winced at the action as it caused his muscles to ache.
He had started working out. A part of his training that he had started a week ago. He needed to be more physically fit in order to be able to better dodge any deadly curses that could be thrown his way. He needed to be able to get better at expecting the unexpected, which was why he had recruited Ron and Hermione to help him train. Late every evening, they would go in the the Room of Requirement, where Ron and Hermione would both cast stinging hexes at him as Harry trained in dodging and blocking them.
To say that he had a lot of angry-looking welts on his arms and legs from the curses, would be an understatement.
When Harry had told Ron and Hermione about his run-in with Death, they had been visibly shaken to their cores. But when Harry went on to tell them of Death's threat to take back Harry's family and then Harry's deal with Death to kill Voldemort instead, they had nearly lost it. But when Harry had managed to calm them down enough, they had both agreed to help him in any way that they could. They really were the greatest friends he could have.
So, Harry had started getting up early in the mornings, always before dawn. He would go out to the snow-covered grounds where he would do a workout that he learned was called, 'Suicides'. Then, he would eat a hearty breakfast, feeling both miserable and exhilarated as a result of the workout. He would go to classes and do his best at paying attention to them. Then, he would hold a short Quidditch practice in the late afternoon. Before supper, he would spend time in the library, reading up on defensive spells in exceeding difficulty. All of this before he would meet Ron and Hermione in the Room of Requirement for spellwork exercises.
The only time that he had to spend time with Ginny now was during Quidditch practice and meal times.
Their conversations were always light now, neither of them daring to get into any deeper topics that would cross the line which would lead to more pressing subject matters that had to do with the status of their relationship. So, they deliberately danced around one another. Talked about the weather. Classes. Ginny's O.W.L exams that were coming up…
In truth, it was all rather awkward. But Harry had no one to blame but himself. The way that Ginny looked at him sometimes, pleading with her gaze for him to open up to her, while simultaneously walking on eggshells around him.
She was quieter. More sheltered. It reminded him of how she used to act around him before his fifth year.
He hated that he brought this side out of her again. That he made her doubt the solidity of their relationship.
And the fact that they haven't kissed since Christmas Day spoke volumes.
He missed her. He missed her badly.
But then, he would look down to his wrist… to see the scar of the hourglass that already dropped a few grains of sand. The sight of it would always serve to remind him of his deal with Death, which was probably Death's intention when it brandished Harry with the scar.
The reminder of his deal would then lead his thoughts to his mission to kill Voldemort, which led to thoughts of the war in general, which would then turn to how much he wanted Ginny to stay out of it.
Because the honest truth of it all was that he couldn't tell her the truth and protect her at the same time. If he told her of his deal, how he plans to kill Voldemort, the Horcruxes, all of it… Ginny would demand that she fight right alongside him.
Harry didn't want that. He wanted her as far away from his side as possible when it came down to anything involving the war.
Harry shifted in his seat within the library as he harshly turned a page in the book he was reading.
He just had to remind himself that everything he did, he did to protect Ginny. That was his ultimate goal, other than saving his family from Death's clutches and defeating Voldemort.
He had three goals. Though they weren't simple, to say the least, Harry was determined to see them through.
He was determined to kill Voldemort.
He was determined to save his family.
And damn it all to bloody hell, he was determined to see Ginevra Molly Weasley come out of this war alive.
She may be too stubborn to care about her own life when it came to the war, but Harry cared enough for the both of them.
"Do you think that you could get that book for me?" Ginny's sweet, feminine voice floated from the other side of the bookcase. Harry's ears perked up instantly at the sound of it. "I don't think that I'm quite tall enough to reach it."
"Of course," The voice of the person she was with replied lightly. Harry's eyes widened, and his stomach swooped in an unpleasant way as he recognized it to be the voice of Dean Thomas.
"You can use me for my height, anytime," Dean continued with a hint of teasing in his tone before he grunted as the sound of a book hitting him met Harry's ears.
"Don't make fun," He heard Ginny say pointedly, "I may be short, but that doesn't change the fact that I am a powerful witch."
"Oh. I remember," Dean stated, with a wince in his tone. He probably remembered her famous Bat-Bogey Hex.
It made Ginny laugh.
At the sound of her laughter, Harry's heart plummeted even more before the creature sparked to life within his chest and raged his jealous head.
Why, in the name of Merlin, was Ginny talking and laughing with her ex-boyfriend?!
Harry wasn't thinking straight when he harshly stood from his seat. The abrupt action of it caused the chair to tip over before it landed in a clatter on the floor.
The sound stopped Ginny's laughter.
But Harry didn't pay the chair any mind. He was already striding up one end of the bookcases and turning the corners before he finally came upon them. They stood together, with no one else in this aisle of the library.
Ginny was the first to notice him, as she turned her head to face him as Harry strode angrily towards them.
"What do you think you're doing hanging out with my girlfriend, Thomas?!" Harry snapped to Dean's back as he marched seethingly up to them.
Dean's eyes widened measurably before he turned on his heel, facing him. "Harry! I was just-"
He didn't get to finish. Harry had his wand out and pointed at the taller boy's nose. Dean's eyes widened fearfully as he held up his hands in surrender.
"Harry, stop it!" Ginny hissed, as she immediately stepped forward to grab at Harry's extended wand arm.
Harry didn't let it deter him. He pointed his wand even further until it touched Dean's nose. And with narrowed eyes, Harry managed to get out through clenched teeth, "Leave. Now."
Dean nodded shakily before he turned and ran out of the aisle.
A self-satisfied smirk found its way onto his lips as he watched Dean run away like a mutt with his scared, little tail between his legs. It served him right, trying to talk up his girlfriend like that.
"What's the matter with you?!" Ginny seethed angrily, as she turned to face him head-on. Her face was flushed with an attractive red that always managed to get Harry going. Only this time, along with his attraction came surprise at her anger towards him.
Harry's nostrils flared. "What are you talking about?! Dean had no right to-"
"You have no right!" Ginny interrupted, her hands waved about wildly as she told him off. "You barely treat me like I'm a human being, much less your girlfriend, all week long and you have the gall to get jealous over Dean Thomas?!"
Harry looked down at her warily, "Gin, he's your ex-boyfriend-"
"Yeah, so? He's apologised, and at least he actually talks to me. Unlike you. He's been the only person all week to treat me with respect."
Harry's expression became thunderous and his fists clenched so that his nails dug into his palms painfully. "Yeah? Like he treated you with respect when he shoved his tongue in your mouth without your consent? Respect like that?!"
Ginny's brown eyes narrowed dangerously as she stepped closer, right into his personal space, and jabbed a finger at his chest. "And what sort of respect have you been treating me with lately, hmm? I'm not daft, Harry. I know that you're shutting me out, keeping secrets from me as you run to tell everything to Ron and Hermione. You think that I don't notice the way that you are treating me like glass? That you look at me sometimes with that noble shite nonsense in your eyes?"
Harry's eyes widened with every word that she said. He swallowed visibly as panic started to swell in the pit of his stomach. "Gin, I-"
"No, Harry. I realise that you're allowed to have secrets. That there are some things you aren't allowed to tell me. What I have problems with is the way that you have been treating me, lately. So, either you let go of your noble saviour complex shite and we go back to how we were or you just break up with me and get it over with. Because you can't have both, Harry. I won't let you."
And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving him feeling boneless and numb. He watched her walk away until he got his last glimpse of her turning around the corner, away from his sight.
When she was gone, Harry slumped and leaned against the bookcase for support.
Merlin, he had really screwed up. He realised now that he had no right getting angry over Ginny talking to Dean when Harry really had been pushing her away.
Not only was he a terrible boyfriend to her all week long, but he had been a terrible friend, too.
It was no wonder she had turned to someone like Dean… Colin spent all of his spare time with his boyfriend, Sterling. Neville and Luna were always slipping into broom closets, lately. And Harry had taken away the only other people that Ginny regularly talked to thrust help Harry train in the Room of Requirement every evening...
Bloody hell. He was awful. Horrible.
He needed to fix this. He needed to make things right!
But how could he possibly do that?
…
After some time, while agonizing over thoughts of Ginny, Harry came to the conclusion that she needed some space away from him in order to calm down. And after the D.A. meeting tonight, Harry would skip his training session with Ron and Hermione while he found Ginny to try and work things out with her.
And he really did… want to work things out with her. After her words settled in his mind, about how she wouldn't let him have it both ways, Harry had spent a measurable amount of time wondering if she meant that she was going to break up with him if he didn't try to settle things with her. The thought of it honestly scared Harry more than he originally thought it would. Losing her in that way… it was too much to bear.
He was sure now. He wanted to be with Ginny. He wanted things back to the way that they were.
He was still terrified of what his still staying with her would mean, but he now knew that he was too weak to be without her. Harry needed her.
It made him selfish.
Staying with her could put her in danger. But he was willing to risk it. He was willing to work out a deal with Ginny.
Maybe they could be more discreet? Play things off in public in a way that said that they didn't actually care for one another as much as they actually did. While in private, they could still remain a couple.
The only trouble was, would Ginny even agree to such a deal?
Harry sighed heavily. Members of the D.A. were now walking through the open doors to the Great Hall. The meeting was going to start in about five minutes or so, and Harry was sure that Ginny probably wouldn't be coming to support him like she always did. He honestly couldn't blame her. It was all his fault. But it still didn't stop him from being completely miserable at the thought.
"Ah, Harry," A light voice called from behind him. Harry turned to see Professor Dumbledore coming towards him with a serene smile and his twinkling eyes. "This is quite the turnout, isn't it?"
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said surprised as the Headmaster approached and shook Harry's hand jovially. Harry hadn't talked to him personally since he had skipped the express and instead Flooed to Dumbledore's office to tell him all about his deal with Death. Harry had stressed to Dumbledore the importance of finding the Horcruxes sooner rather than later and had showed Dumbledore his new hourglass scar. Dumbledore had agreed gravely and said that he would need a bit of time, but he would start to look into what and where the Horcruxes could be. And then he proceeded to tell Harry that he should tell his family what had happened. Harry had refused. How in the name of Merlin did you tell your entire family that there was a chance they could be dead in little more than two years? "What are you doing here?"
Dumbledore disconnected their handshake before he folded his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the room with great interest. "Ah. That is a question, isn't it? The official reason I am here is that you needed a chaperone for tonight's lesson."
Harry quirked an eyebrow at his mentor. "And the unofficial reason?"
Dumbledore's eyes connected with Harry's once again and that spark of interest blaze within the old Headmaster's gaze. "Well, I must admit, that I've been rather curious about the duelling club that was named after me for quite some time. I've come to observe you teach, Harry."
For some reason, this set nerves blazing up in his stomach but Harry smiled at the man nonetheless. "Well, Professor, you're most welcome here."
Dumbledore smiled. "Thank you, dear boy."
Harry looked behind him to see that Hermione was motioning to him that it was time to start the meeting. With one last glance at Dumbledore, Harry left him and went up to the podium.
As he got up to the podium, the crowd quieted down and waited expectantly for him to speak.
Harry cast a Sonorus charm to amplify his voice.
"Hello everyone. As some of you may have noticed, Professor Dumbledore is here to be this evening's chaperone. So, let's make our Headmaster feel welcome and proud of all of the progress we have made with these meetings."
Harry cut off to allow time for the eruption of cheers that came from the crowd of students. Harry couldn't help but smile at the love all of the students had for the Headmaster, as was noticeable by the sudden chanting that broke out from the populous.
"DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY! DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY! DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!"
Harry's grin froze on his lips as he saw her slip in quietly into the room. She did so discreetly and any other person may not have noticed her sudden appearance. But Harry did. He would always notice her when she was in the same room as him.
His heart swelled at the sight of her red hair, pulled up in a high ponytail. She had decided to come, after all! Perhaps he would be able to make things right with her after all.
But then, she wasn't looking up at him. She immediately went to the back wall and leaned against it, staring hard at the floor.
He stared hard at her, willing her to look up at him and meet his gaze.
But she didn't. And going by the distinct frown on her lips and the focused look in her gaze, she was deliberately trying not to look at him.
Harry's stomach twisted uneasily and his heart plummeted.
….
Ginny had avoided him for the entire meeting. Whenever she had seen him coming even remotely close, she would start to move away to the opposite end of the room from him.
He let her run away from him for now. But as soon as the D.A. meeting was over, Harry was determined to talk to her. He needed to know where they stood together, and he wanted to propose his idea of pretending to not be a couple in public.
She said that she understood that he had secrets to keep from her, and now that he knew that she understood that about him, Harry had no doubt that he could start acting normal around her again without feeling exceptionally guilty.
He really did hate lying to her but now that she knew that he had secrets and was alright with the fact that he couldn't tell her the details of those secrets, he wouldn't be lying to her anymore, which would be a huge burden off of his shoulders.
The longer the meeting dragged on, the more anxious Harry would get. He honestly couldn't wait for the meeting to be over. He missed his Ginger Firecracker more than had ever expected.
So, when it was time for the meeting to finally come to a close, Harry had practically ran to the podium to thank everyone for coming.
"Great job, everyone," Harry congratulated in a breathy, rushed voice. He wanted to get this over with. "Thanks again for coming, and as always, I offer the chance for anyone who wants to challenge me to a duel."
Harry offered this every time. The only person who had challenged him had been Dean Thomas, but Harry hadn't the chance to actually duel him because Ginny had intervened. Since then, no one has taken him up on his offer, so he had no qualms in thinking that no one would take him up on the offer and in just mere moments, he would have Ginny alone to talk to.
"I'd be delighted to challenge you to a duel," A calm voice called over the silence of the crowd.
Everyone gasped and whispered gossip erupted immediately.
Harry's eyes widened measurably as Professor Dumbledore stepped forward, acting as though his proclamation didn't just visibly shake Harry to his core. Dumbledore was known as one of the most powerful wizards alive. He had defeated the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, and many feared him because of it. Including Voldemort.
Immediately, Harry's eyes automatically snapped to Ginny's. She was finally meeting his gaze head on, her brown eyes wide and worried. For him.
For some reason, this gave him hope, though it was small.
Harry had yet to say anything, let alone accept the challenge to the duel. But already, the crowd was getting excited and moved out of the way to make room. Dumbledore walked into the middle of the open space, facing Harry in a calm and relaxed manner. He looked as though he could have been discussing the weather with Harry for how harmonious and serene he looked.
Harry swallowed heavily at the nervous lump that had formed at the base of his throat. But then - unexpectedly - surprising everyone, including himself, Harry nodded. "I accept."
A bombardment of whispers broke out at Harry's acceptance as he took off his sweater vest, leaving him in his grey button-down shirt, and stepped down off the podium. Harry took slow and measured steps towards Dumbledore, trying to look as put together as the Headmaster looked when really, Harry felt as though he were tearing at the bits.
Dumbledore looked pleased as Harry walked forward, the twinkle in his eyes noticeable from the short distance from where Harry stopped in front of him.
This was it. This would be the moment where everyone would see that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived - the Chosen One - was nothing more than an image that had been thrust upon him. They would see that he wasn't as skillful in magic as they once believed. That it was all something that they had made up in their heads.
"Miss. Granger?" Dumbledore suddenly called, startling Harry who had been too immersed within his tumultuous thoughts. Hermione looked up from where she was directing students further to the sidelines. "Would you care to moderate the duel?"
Surprise briefly overcame Hermione for a moment before she nodded in a staggered manner and stepped forward.
The crowd was going wild with anticipation but Harry had to force himself not to pay them any attention. They said things such as, "How quick do you suppose Dumbledore will claim Harry's wand?" or "I bet you five sickles that Dumbledore will land Harry in the hospital wing!"
When Hermione finished her approach, she stopped in between them, looking back and forth between the two. Harry noticed the concern in her eyes. He could feel her pointed look piercing him, no matter how hard he tried not to meet her gaze.
"Gentlemen, wands at the ready," Hermione finally said. It was clear that she had been giving them both time to change their minds. But neither of them did. Out of pride, Harry guessed.
Harry slowly lifted his wand out in front of him, staring at Dumbledore with wide eyes. All the while, he couldn't help thinking that this was all going much too fast.
"Bow to your opponent."
They bowed. Harry suddenly found that his back was stiff.
"Now, gentlemen, take your five paces." She said as she started to back away, herself.
Dumbledore and Harry turned on their heels before they marched their five paces in opposite directions. Once they took their five paces, they both turned on their heels to face one another once again.
Dumbledore's gaze met Harry's evenly. They lost the twinkle within the blue orbs. Instead, Dumbledore looked at him with unbridled confidence that carried a competitive edge to it.
Harry had to resist the shiver that ran up his spine.
"Now, on my count of three," Hermione said, with another nervous glance over at Harry as she backed away even more.
"One."
His heart started to pound at twice the speed.
"Two."
His adrenaline pumped through his veins, causing a jolt of energy to course through him and an unpleasant twist in his stomach.
"Three."
Harry hadn't even had the time to react before Dumbledore silently sent the first curse, and a burst of pure, magical energy came hurtling towards Harry. It was easily distinguishable by the purple, smoky cloud it created as it charged towards him.
Snapping to attention and moving on pure instinct alone, Harry jumped out of the way and threw himself on the ground as he rolled a couple of feet away from the spot that he once stood. His elbow jabbed into the hard ground as he rolled and knocked against the bone painfully.
But Dumbledore didn't rest. He immediately sent another curse Harry's way, a levitation spell. It caught Harry by his ankle before he was thrust up five feet in the air, hanging upside-down. His glasses started slipping down his face, threatening to fall off.
He should have used a spell to temporarily glue his glasses to his face before the duel even started...
Dumbledore used Harry's immobility to wordlessly send another blast of magical energy hurtling towards Harry.
"PROTEGO MAXIMA!" Harry cried out just in time to block the curse. The blast hit the invisible barrier and shot outward. A few students that lingered too close only just managed to jump out of the way. Distantly, he heard Hermione cast a protective barrier spell with the help of Ron before urging students to get behind it. They must have realised how dangerous this duel could be for the onlookers if they happened to get in the way. And it seemed that Dumbledore wasn't holding back. Not in the slightest.
Harry sent the tripping jinx Dumbledore's way, hoping to distract Dumbledore so that he would drop Harry from the levitation spell, only for the Headmaster to side-step it expertly.
Harry gritted his teeth as he felt the blood start to rush towards his head, making it even more difficult to think clearly.
Before, suddenly, his eyes caught it.
"ACCIO TABLE!" Harry cried out as he summoned one of the long dining tables that had been pushed against the wall from behind Dumbledore.
The table immediately came to life and started zipping across the floor, the legs scraped against the floor in a horribly unpleasant sound.
Dumbledore's head swung to look behind him, finally snapping his attention away from Harry as the long table came hurtling towards him.
Harry unceremoniously dropped to the floor as Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fast-moving table. In an instant, the table was turned to dust that puffed up high into the air before settling softly onto the floor.
"AHHugh!" Harry cried out as he landed heavily onto the shoulder of his wand arm. A sickening pop resounded in his ears but Harry ignored the pain, knowing that he could deal with any injuries and broken bones later.
In an instant, he was on his feet, pointing his wand at Dumbledore just as the Headmaster was turning to face him, once again.
Harry needed to try another tactic. It was clear that a direct attack on Dumbledore was not the way to go… He needed to distract the old wizard by attacking his surroundings, instead.
"CONFRINGO!" Harry cried as he pointed to the dust particles that surrounded Dumbledore on the floor.
The dust immediately burst into flame.
Some surrounding students cried out at the explosive appearance of the flames. Even Dumbledore had managed to look surprised.
"AGUAMENTI MAXIMA!" Dumbledore cried as jets of water shot out from his wand at the flames, and Harry couldn't help but notice that the Headmaster had finally resorted to verbal magic.
But Harry didn't allow him a moment of rest, somehow knowing that this duel was much more than the friendly guise that it was initially expected to be at the beginning of the duel. No... Dumbledore wanted Harry to fight. Really fight.
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
The disarming spell shot out and easily traveled the expanse of the room, aimed at Dumbledore's chest. But Dumbledore heard Harry's shout of the disarming spell and quickly put up a silent Protego shield with his blackened, wandless hand. Then, in an unexpected move, Dumbledore turned his wand arm towards Harry and pointed the jet of water straight at him.
The force of the water hit him straight on before it plowed Harry over and onto the floor. The water kept coming. He couldn't breathe. Harry craned his neck desperately, as far to the side as he could, in order to find air to breathe. But once he finally got a lung-full, Harry cried out in a hoarse voice the drought charm, immediately putting a stop to the blasting water as it evaporated in a cloud of mist.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Dumbledore cried.
With his wet hair covering his eyes, Harry blindly rolled out of the way of Dumbledore's disarming spell and onto one knee. He raised his wand and pointed. But just as Harry was about to cast another curse at him, Dumbledore had already shot that purple, magical energy out of his wand again, which was barrelling right for Harry.
"HARRY!" He heard Ginny's sweet voice cry out from the side, her voice sounded terrified.
But Harry couldn't think on it. He had to act before it hit him.
"PROTEGO MAXIMA!" Harry bellowed out loudly, a mere second before the energy blast hit him. Again, the invisible barrier caused the energy to blast off to the sides, shooting out towards the protective barrier.
"Ginny, no!" He heard Ron cry out. Harry's attention immediately snapped over to side, eyes searching. It was difficult to see as his glasses were blurry from the water that was still dripping from the lenses.
But his eyes immediately connected to her form - her red hair as striking and noticeable as always - to see her running. Towards him.
Ginny was no longer protected behind the magical barrier.
"GINNY, NO!" Harry screamed.
Everything was now moving in slow motion. She was about to get hit! Dumbledore's curse was too strong! He was wrong to push Harry in this duel when they had the crowd of innocent students that surrounded them. Because now, she would going to get hurt! Or worse!
The inside of Harry's chest was expanding, swelling to a great degree. The need to save her, to protect her, was too strong. It was constricting at his heart. His very being.
And all of a sudden, something inside of Harry Potter snapped.
The barrier inside of him was broken.
The lock on his magical core had been unlocked.
He was being set free.
But he didn't even acknowledge what was happening to him. His desperate eyes were busy staring at Ginny in horror as she just suddenly realised what was hurtling towards her.
Everything in his being willed himself to protect her. To save her.
Because he loved her.
He loved her.
A burst of pulsating magic erupted out from within him. A bright light surged out from his fingers, reaching the great length that separated them. A strong gust of wind ruptured the stillness of the room.
Then, a ripple of magic exploded out from him, striking out faster than any curse that Harry had ever seen travel any measure of distance.
Ginny, who had been standing frozen in fear, only just found her bearings and was about to reach for her wand. But she would be too late to cast up a shield. Too late to stop Dumbledore's exceedingly strong curse.
The wave of magic that Harry had subconsciously sent caught up with Dumbledore's curse in an instant. And that was when something happened that Harry had never seen before. The light of his magic absorbed the murky cloud that was the curse.
Harry immediately felt the dimmed effects of the curse on himself as soon as his magic touched it. He gritted his teeth in pain but doubled his efforts and focused his energy in absorbing all of the curse that was still hurtling towards Ginny.
The moment the curse was gone, his magic snapped back into him as though it were nothing more than an elastic rubber band.
A loud gasp resounded the hall from the student spectators.
Harry ignored them and stood onto his two solid feet. Intense anger started swelling in his chest. The creature within him that loved and wanted to protect Ginny - no matter the cost - reared its ugly head.
Harry turned cold eyes towards Dumbledore, who was staring at him with an unmeasurable amount of shock.
When Harry looked back at this moment later, he would realise that his mind had been irrational - drunk off of the unexpected amount of power that he had just used for the first time.
But in this moment of time, Harry wasn't capable of any rational thought. All that he knew was that Dumbledore had cast a curse in this duel of theirs, and that curse had almost hit the love of his life.
He wanted the duel to end. Now.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry shouted as he pointed his wand at the Headmaster.
The single word of the disarming spell broke Dumbledore out of his trance, and with a swish and flick of his own wand, Dumbledore shouted, "PROTEGO!"
Harry's disarming spell met with Dumbledore's shield head-on. Only this time, the Protego shield did not deter Harry's spell.
Harry's disarming spell went right through Dumbledore's shield, hitting the Headmaster straight in the chest.
Everyone gaped as they watched Dumbledore's wand whip out of his good hand before it was hurtling in the air until it hit Harry's hand, who caught the Elder Wand in his tight fist. The creature within him swelled in triumph that it was finally over. That his love was safe and well.
He had protected her and she was safe.
Suddenly the doors leading out to the only ways out of the Great Hall were slammed shut and a distinct snap of a lock being put into place echoed through the room.
Harry's eyes snapped up to the Headmaster to see that he had just performed the act with wandless magic. The loud sound had managed to knock a little bit of Harry's bearing back into him as he realised in horror the amount of magic he had just displayed in front of the entire student body.
A quick sweep of his eyes over the crowd told him that they looked terrified and weary of what had just happened - which only heightened when they saw that the Headmaster had locked them in the room.
"Miss. Weasley, Miss. Granger, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore called out to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, "Please go next to Harry. And Harry, please, give me my wand."
The shock still hadn't quite worn off yet, as it took them all a moment for them to comply.
Until finally, Harry gave Dumbledore a firm nod before he set his Holly and Phoenix feather wand on the ground.
The moment he had set his own wand down, Dumbledore pulled out a spare wand from his cloak and cried, "EXPELLIARMUS!"
Harry had to resist the urge to put up a shield as the curse hit him square in the chest. The elder wand flew from his hand and hurtled towards Dumbledore, who managed to catch it in his good hand.
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny seemed to suddenly come back to themselves and immediately rushed forward towards Harry. Ginny reached him first and threw her arms around his neck, tight.
"Oh, Harry!"
He could still feel his muscles twitch with pulsating magic that flowed within them, and he could tell that Ginny could feel it, too. She was shaking just as badly as he was as she clutched tightly to him. It was not a moment later where Ron and Hermione joined them, wrapping their arms around both of them.
Panic started to swell within the student body as the shock of the situation started to melt away from them. And a nervous murmuring flowed through the crowd.
"P-Professor…?" One terrified fourth-year student called out as he looked from the locked doors then back to the Professor. Ginny pulled away from Harry to see what was going on. "W-What's happening?"
Dumbledore sighed, his shoulders slumping in regret as he looked around at the faces of his beloved students, his blackened fingers stroked the polished wood of the powerful wand within his grasp. "I'm most terribly sorry, children. But what you have just witnessed today has to remain a secret for the good of Wizarding kind, everywhere. I do hope that you understand."
His words did nothing to reassure the children, who started to back away fearfully.
Dumbledore turned to Harry then and stated in a firm voice. "Harry, I need you to cast the strongest shield you can. Can you do that?"
Harry could only nod blankly, not quite able to really take in all that had happened. Hermione reached down to grab Harry's Holly and Phoenix feather wand and shoved it into his open hands. Harry took it from her blindly before he wrapped his fingers around the smooth wood, feeling measurably more calm now that he had his wand back in his hand where it belonged.
Dumbledore gave a single, definitive nod back before he flourished the Elder Wand. "OBLIVIATE MAXIMA!"
Harry's eyes widened for a mere moment before he scrambled to flourish his own wand.
"PROTEGO MAXIMA!" Harry cried, and a magical shield was produced to protect him as well as Ron, Hermione and Ginny just a moment before the white mist of the memory wiping charm hit them. There were a few students that had tried to produce their own shields, but their magic was no match for Dumbledore's. Especially given the fact that Dumbledore was using the Elder Wand.
Ginny hid her face in Harry's exposed neck, hiding her expression of how she really felt away from the world. But her touch… made Harry feel strong.
He kept the shield up longer than he needed to. The white mist had entirely evaporated from the room but he still kept the shield up with gritted teeth, exerting himself to the fullest. The need to protect them too strong.
"Harry, mate," Ron urged quietly as he touched Harry's shoulder.
Harry made no move and continued holding up the shield.
"Harry…" That soft voice beside him urged. His eyes snapped down to look at her face. Her brown eyes were full of concern as she gazed up at him, before she whispered, "Let go…"
His shield evaporated in an instant. His wand arm dropped heavily to his side as he gazed deeply at her expressive face.
'Merlin, I love her,' Was what he thought before his eyes rolled up into his head and everything went black.
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A/N: Please leave me a review to let me know your thoughts of this chapter. Thanks again for all of your support throughout this story!
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