Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all other characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this version of the Mask belongs to New Line Cinemas; I'm just using them for this story. Oh, and 'Song 4 Lovers' was released recently by Liberty X, so that's not mine either
Feedback: I'd appreciate it, believe me
AN: I know this chapter's a bit short, but don't worry; it mainly serves as a warm-up for the next chapter, where I'll return to my normal length
Harry Potter and the Mask of Loki
Lying in her room, Ginny stared blankly up at the ceiling, turning over her thoughts of the last couple of weeks in her head as she tried to come to a decision.
She still couldn't quite understand what was wrong with her. It had been over a week since Bill and Fleur's wedding, over a week since she'd last seen Harry (And even that had been only a couple of brief glances before he'd vanished up to his room for reasons unknown), over a week since he'd gone from her life and only left her a note…
Over a week since she'd met Mark Tiller, a remarkable, passionate young man who cared for her just as much, if not more, than Harry had appeared to…
And yet, whatever he did for her, wherever they went together, she couldn't stop herself thinking about Harry.
Why? she mentally scolded herself. He left me… he didn't even say goodbye to me… he's a stupid self-sacrificing git who's go the emotional awareness of a teaspoon... he's a noble idiot who saved me when I didn't mean anything more to him than his best friend's little sister… he's the only person who knows what it's like to have Voldemort pretty much dominate your life… he needs someone to save the world for…
At that thought, Ginny sat up rapidly, looking ahead of her with a light of revelation in her eyes.
"He needs someone to save the world for…" she whispered to herself, as she looked over at Hedwig. Once again, she had the sense that the owl knew what she was talking about; Hedwig appeared to nod in agreement at Ginny's statement, although it could just as easily have been Hedwig ruffling her feathers at just that moment.
Whatever the reason for Hedwig's actions, Ginny's mind was made up.
The next time she saw Mark, she'd have to tell him the two of them couldn't continue to see each other like they had been any more. Maybe it wasn't the most sensible option- after all, she had no way of knowing how long Harry would need to spend tracking down the remaining horcruxes Voldemort had made- but, right now, she didn't care.
She'd wait for him.
Even if it took years… she'd wait for him.
He needed a reason to save the world, and she was going to be that reason.
"Uh… hello?" a voice said from outside her window.
Ginny sighed slightly in relief; at least she wouldn't have to worry about when she'd next have the chance totell Markwhat she'd just decided.
"Hi, Mark," she said, as she walked over to open the window, as her… friend… hovered outside; a quick glance down confirmed that he was using a magic carpet, although now he was sitting on it rather than standing, and he was dressed in his usual shirt, jeans and jacket rather than the silk affair he'd been wearing earlier.
"Hi Ginny," Mark replied, looking at her with a slightly anxious expression on his face. "Look, I've got something I need to tell you-"
"Me too," Ginny interrupted, raising her hand. "And, in all fairness, I think I should say my bit first; it'll probably change whatever you have to say to me."
"Uh… OK," Mark said, nodding in agreement as he clasped hands before his face. "So… what do you want to say?"
"Mark…" Ginny began, and then sighed before continuing. "We can't see each other any more."
Mark just blinked in surprise at that, he almost didn't look all that bothered by her statement.
"Really," he said, noncommittally. "So… if you don't mind my asking, why not?"
"Look, it's nothing to do with you; it's me," Ginny said, wishing she could come up with something a bit less cliché, but at the same time knowing that it was true. "I… I do care for you, Mark, but…"
"But?" Mark asked, looking curiously at her.
"But…" Ginny sighed. "I feel like I'm just… using you, I guess."
"Ginny-" Mark began.
"No; I am," Ginny said, raising a hand to stop Mark talking. "It's not your fault, but, well…"
She sighed. "Look, the simple fact is, every time I'm kissing you I feel like I'm kissing Harry."
Mark's eyes widening slightly, and Ginny sighed.
"Yeah, I know; odd, isn't it?" she said, sighing slightly. "But… well, that's not it- at least, that's not just it."
"Then… what else is there?" Mark asked, looking at her promptingly.
"It's…" Ginny sighed. "Look, have you ever met someone, and, somehow, even though they've never shown it- maybe they don't even know about it themselves-you know that there's more to them than what they show to the public?" Mark nodded, and Ginny continued. "Well, you see, it's like…"
For a moment she paused, as though uncertain how to precisely say what she wanted to say, and then she sighed and continued to speak. "It's like… you're everything I saw in Harry that he didn't show to the world."
She looked down for a moment, as though ashamed at what she'd just admitted, and then sighed and turned back to look at him. "And, well… it feels like I'm just using you to replace him as a result. You know, I'm not seeing you as you; I'm seeing as what Harry could be if he allowed himself to be more relaxed and emotionally available."
"Oh," Mark said, after a moment's pause. "I… see."
"Look, I'm sorry for…" Ginny began, but Mark just smiled at her.
"It's cool," he said, smiling at her reassuringly. "I guess… well, I guess that I always knew our… whatever… couldn't last. I'll always treasure the time we spent together, but, when you get down to it…"
He sighed slightly. "I guess I always knew Harry would hold the place of honour in your heart; I could only ever hope to live in the neighbourhood for a time."
Leaning into the open window, Mark briefly kissed Ginny on the cheek, and smiled at her as he sat back on the carpet.
"See you around," he said simply, before turning around and flying off into the night sky.
It was only after Ginny had shut the window that she realised he'd never told her what he'd come there to tell her in the first place.
In a distant location, in an abandoned house haunted by death since that terrible night when a young man killed his father and grandparents simply for being what they were, framing his uncle for the deed because the uncle abandoneda mother the man hadn't cared much for either, Voldemort swore and cursed as he paced his throne room.
How? he asked himself. How could anyone know of them?
He couldn't understand it. He'd taken every precaution to conceal his means of survival from even his closest followers, the locations of most of them were in places that only had any relevance if you knew something about his past, the defences protecting three of them were so difficult even he would have had trouble dealing with them on his own…
And yet, according to all information he had available to him, the defences had been penetrated, and the horcruxes destroyed, by one man?
"How is that POSSIBLE?" Voldemort roared, a blast of random magic bursting from his wand- clasped tightly in one hand as it waved- and punching a hole in a nearby wall. It was the sound of that damage, more than anything, that forced Voldemort to calm down slightly; he would achieve nothing by tearing his headquarters apart in a blind rage, and may even just attract too many questions.
As he stared around himself, trying to come to a decision, Voldemort nodded grimly as one fact struck him.
If someone was targeting his horcruxes, than it was inevitable that they would come after Nagini; after all, how else were they going to succeed in killing him? Therefore, given how his normal security measures were proving ineffective, his best method of ensuring his survival was to relocate himself, his remaining horcrux, and his strongest Death Eaters, to the most secure location he had available to him now.
Specifically, a building that was now totally abandoned following the recent blow his followers had delivered to the side of Light following the death of Albus Dumbledore.
Hogwarts…