Harry thought about that night for days to come after. He and Ginny discussed it and she suggested he come to the library, and while Ginny was studying with her friends, Harry could comb through books, looking for anything more on his family. He saw photos of his grandparents, proudly holding a newborn baby. His father! He found mention of the one he had probably been named for, Henry. The year was 1912. Harry remembered bits of Muggle history from primary school, and he was proud of his ancestor for trying to help the Muggles. He knew Ginny would tease him, saying that was where he got his noble streak from.
Night after night for a week he searched and found bit and pieces of family news. He started to make a timeline, adding names, dates and facts to it often. He found it fascinating.
"What are you doing?"
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. So much for constant vigilance. He had been so engrossed in finding his grandparent's wedding photos he hadn't heard Hermione come up behind him. "Er, nothing, really."
"We didn't get any homework today. Are you working on an assignment for extra credit?" she asked him suspiciously.
Harry scoffed. "No, that sounds more like you."
"Tell me, then," said Hermione.
Harry sighed. "I recently learned a lot of information about my family, so I've just been checking things out, seeing if I could find anything else. You know, old Daily Prophet issues, that sort of thing. Look, this is my grandparents on their wedding day," he said, uncovering the photo he'd just found.
"Wow, Fleamont? Interesting name," she laughed.
Harry chuckled. "I know. It was his mother's maiden name. From what I was told, he duelled a lot at Hogwarts because of that name. Ginny's Aunt Muriel called him Monty. I like that. Grandpa Monty," said Harry.
"Goodness, you didn't believe her, did you? Ron said she's an old biddy, known to hit the bottle," scoffed Hermione.
"She gave me a card that my mum sent to her. Aunt Muriel had sent my parents a present when I was born, and Mum replied with a thank you card. She knew them, Hermione," he said stiffly.
"Oh well, that was nice of her. I'm sure it meant a lot to you," said Hermione.
Harry nodded, looking back at the wedding photo. He smiled to see the look on his grandfather's face as he looked at his bride, like he couldn't believe his luck.
"-Harry? Honestly, are you listening?" sighed Hermione.
"Sorry, what?" asked Harry.
"I asked how everything was going. With You-Know-Who," said Hermione, looking anxiously around to see if anyone could overhear them.
"Why, what do you know?" asked Harry, suspiciously.
Hermione shrugged. "Not much. I've been reading the Prophet. They're talking about bringing in some Muggle-born Registration Commission. I'm worried it will stop me from coming back to Hogwarts after Christmas. I have to present myself to the Ministry sometime during our Christmas break."
"Have you told your parents what's going on?" asked Harry, as he started to put away the books and newspapers he'd used tonight.
Hermione shook her head. "I'd have to go back and explain everything from first year with Quirrel to now. I-ah, was thinking of sending them to Australia, actually."
"What do you mean, sending them to Australia? Wouldn't they want you to go with them, to be safe and away from all this,"said Harry.
"Well, I would have to Obliviate them. Just till it's all over," said Hermione hastily at Harry's shocked look.
"You'd do what?"
They both spun around to see Ginny staring at Hermione in horror. "You'd Obliviate your own parents and then send them to another country half way around the world?"
Hermione got defensive. "If I had to, yes. I know I've probably got a target on my back. I'm sure Draco has let certain people know my thoughts on You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters, not to mention my blood status."
"Where would you go? Where would you live?" asked Harry, stunned at what she had been thinking.
"Well, I mentioned it to Ron and he, ah..." she looked hesitantly at Ginny. "He said I could probably stay at the Burrow."
Ginny looked angry and hurt. "I see." She turned to walk back to her table.
"Ginny, please, it's not like I'm trying to take your place. I mean, Ron did say I could use your old bedroom, and your Mum said-"
Ginny held up her hand. "Just stop. You know what, do whatever you want. It's not my room anymore, anyway. Go ahead, wipe your parent's memories, Hermione. Keep them ignorant of the fact that our world, your world is at war. I'm sure, when it's all over and you restore their memories, they'll totally thank you for it. NOT!"
She shoved her books in her bag and stormed out, not even waiting for Harry. He was about to go find her when the librarian, Madame Pince came over to them to scold them for making so much noise. With only five minutes remaining till the library closed, Harry still had to put his books and things away.
Hermione bit her lip uncertainly. "Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing too, Harry?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I do. Family is what's important here. Look, if you want to leave with your parents, I could see if Sirius or Remus could help you. Mcgonagall could give you some lessons and stuff to go on with until it was safe for you to come back. Hermione, you're a high profile Muggleborn here at Hogwarts. You're one of the first ones they'll go after. If you're going to send your parents into hiding, go with them," implored Harry.
"But Ron said-"
"Bugger Ron. Is this what it's all about? You being with your boyfriend?" asked Harry, increduously.
Hermione shook her head. "Ron's not my boyfriend. He's my friend, my best friend. I like Ch-someone else. I can't leave. I need to stay in England."
The bell sounded and Harry cursed. It was the bell for them to return to their common rooms. Now he had no chance of seeing Ginny tonight. He leviatated the last book onto it's rightful shelf, and prepared to leave. He wanted to get back to his dorm and use the mirrors to talk to Ginny.
"If you change your mind, let me know. Otherwise, good luck," said Harry.
"It'll be fine, Harry. Everything has been so quiet lately, I doubt anything will happen for ages anyway,"said Hermione, tossing her head and walking ahead of him.
Harry raced up to the dorm and got out his mirror. "Ginny? Gin, you there?" There was no answer.
He waited for a bit then tried again. "Ginny, please love, talk to me." Still no answer.
He cursed, then decided to go for a shower and come back and try again. He left it in his trunk while he went to the bathroom, thus missing Ginny calling out to him.
"Harry, are you there? Harry?"
Ginny sighed. All the studying was getting to her, as well as the suspicions she had that someone was following her. All her talk to the younger students, and she had been foolish enough to storm out of the library alone tonight; leaving herself vulnerable. Still, she'd made it back to her common room safe and sound. She was so tired she just wanted to go to bed, but she really wanted to see Harry's face before she fell asleep. She decided to try again.
"Harry? Harry, are you there?" No reply came.
Bother! She undressed and climbed into bed. She snuggled under the covers, wishing Harry was with her right then. She decided to try the mirror one more time. Yawning, she called out, "Harry?"
She fell asleep with the compact open. She slept through Harry calling out her name, as he too got ready for bed, several flights up.
"I love you, Ginny," said a despondent Harry.
Ginny snored and rolled over, dreaming of her and Harry at Grimmauld Place.
She awoke early the next morning, refreshed and ready to go. As she got up and dressed, she could see that Tori had already dressed and left their dorm. When she got to the common room, she was surprised to see her scribbling madly away.
"Morning," said Ginny. "You're up early."
"Forgot about my Astronomy homework. Did you do it?" asked Tori.
Ginny nodded. "I got that one done first, you know I've struggled in Astronomy this year. Do you wanna see my notes?"
"Could I? Thanks, that's be great," sighed Tori in relief.
Ginny nodded, opening her bag. She rifled through her books. "That's strange, I can't find it. Hang on." She tipped her bag upside down so everything fell out. She went through all her books. "Damn, it's not here. I must have left it in the library."
Ginny checked the time. The library didn't open for half an hour yet. Ginny sighed. "I'll have to go and have an early breakfast so I can be there when the library opens. Hopefully Madame Pince found it last night."
Ginny went through her books again. Tori returned to her essay. "Can you do me a favour, Tori? Will you let Harry know I missed him last night, and I'll see him at lunch. Please?"
Tori laughed. "Sure. You two are just too cute for words."
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "We are? Damn, I was hoping we weren't turning into one of 'those' couples. Anyway, I just don't want him to worry."
"Oh, you are so one of 'those' couples," giggled Tori.
"How's things with you and Draco?" asked Ginny, to change the subject. She began to re-pack her bag.
Tori shrugged. "Hot and cold. Sometimes it's like he's not even here. He seems to disappear for hours. Other times I think, yes, I'm getting closer to him. I really don't know where I stand with him. He never talks about the future. He's staying at Hogwarts over the holidays, so I said I'd stay too. He acted like he didn't really care if I did or didn't." The girl looked so confused, Ginny couldn't help hugging her.
"Any word on his mum? Maybe he's still worried about her?" suggested Ginny.
"I don't think that's it. He barely mentions her, and the one time I asked, he bit my head off," said Tori.
"I think you're doing all you can for him. Maybe with the both of you staying here for the holidays, you can ask him about it then. There's not many students staying this year. You'll have plenty of chances to get him alone," said Ginny, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I have to go. We'll talk more about this in Binn's class. Don't forget to tell Harry," she called over her shoulder, as she left the common room.
There were only half a dozen people already eating their breakfast when she got there. She pulled over a bowl of porridge and began to eat. Someone had left a copy of yesterdays Prophet on the table and she pulled it closer to read while she ate.
i'Scrimgeour approves Muggle-born Registration Commission,',i/ screamed the headline. Ginny scanned the article and thought of Hermione. There was no way Ginny agreed with her Obliviating her parents, and she really thought she should leave with her parents. Maybe she could talk to Emmy and Tonks, see if they could help the Grangers.
Ginny finished her breakfast and headed up to the library. She had hoped she might see Harry as he came down for breakfast, but she didn't. She shuffled impatiently, waiting for the library to open. When it finally did, she raced inside to the table she was working at the night before. There was no sign of her book.
"Looking for this?" Madame Pince held up her Astronomy book.
"Yes, thank you," sighed Ginny, going to her desk to claim it.
"You really should be more careful, dear," admonished the librarian as she handed it over.
"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you," said Ginny, stuffing it in her bag.
She quickly left the library, wondering if she had time to make it down to the Great Hall and see Harry.
She walked quickly, trying to pull the compact out of her bag. It was all mixed up with the book she had just stuffed in there. She pulled the book out, and the compact fell to the ground. Ginny sighed in frustration, shoving the book back in her bag. She bent over to pick up the compact, but as she straightened, someone grabbed her from behind. An arm went around her waist and a hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to bite it, and someone cursed and slapped her across her face.
"You'll pay for that, Weasley," said a voice in her ear. "Stupefy!"
Ginny's world went black.
Harry hurried into the Great Hall, scanning their table, then the Slytherin table for Ginny. There was no sign of her. He sighed. He'd wanted to come down earlier, but he'd slept in. Dreams of him and Ginny in their bed at Grimmauld Place made it 'hard' for him to fall asleep. He tried to contact her again on the mirror, but with no luck.
"Hi Harry. I have a message from Ginny for you."
Harry looked up eagerly to see Tori standing next to the Gryffindor table. "Hi Tori. Where's Ginny?"
"She left her Astronomy book in the library last night, so she came and had an early breakfast so she could be at the library when it opened. She said she'd see you at lunch, and that she missed you last night," said Tori.
"Was she okay last night?" asked Harry worriedly, although he felt relieved with her message.
Tori shrugged. "She went to bed as soon as she got back from the library. We're all pretty tired, all the OWL study, you know."
"Yeah, I remember what it was like. Anyway, thanks for the message. When you see Gin, tell her I missed her too and I can't wait for lunch."
"Geez, what am I, an owl?" Tori winked to let Harry know she was kidding. "Sure, I'll tell her. I'll see her soon, we've got Astronomy now. Bye."
Harry watched her go back to the Slytherin table and pick up her bag. Strange, there was no sign of Malfoy at breakfast today, or Crabbe and Goyle. A prickle of unease ran up his spine. Could they be in the Room of Requirement? Thinking about them, he realised he didn't have lessons with the Slytherins till after lunch. Damn! He wondered where they were. He decided to get to Herbology early, so he could check the Marauder's Map.
He just picked up his bag when Neville sat next to him. "Morning. Seen the paper? Scrimgeour has brought in the Muggle-born Registration Commission. It's official."
Harry grabbed a paper and started to read. He wondered what would happen to the Muggleborns. Neville shrugged when he asked it aloud. "I don't know about the adults, but it sounds like they won't let the kids return to Hogwarts."
Harry's eyes met Hermione and Dean's worried ones. Even Ron looked solemn at the news. Hermione glanced around, as if looking for someone. Ron leaned over to whisper in her ear, and she nodded in agreement to whatever he was saying.
The bell sounded for the end of breakfast. "Damn," said Harry, knowing he had lost any opportunity to look for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle on the map.
"Come on, Harry. Herbology," said Neville, happily.
Harry had never been so glad to have Neville for his Herbology partner. He let Neville tell him what to do, as all his thoughts were on Malfoy and his goons, sure they were in the Room of Requirement.
"Harry, shove it in the pot," called Neville, holding his plant high as it squirmed to get away.
"Huh? Oh, right. Here," said Harry, holding the pot with both hands. Neville shoved the plant in, and Harry began to shovel dirt over it. It squealed as if in agony.
"Now, water it," ordered Neville, patting the dirt tight around it. Harry held his hand over the plant and said "Aguamenti."
"Well done, well done," said Madame Sprout, ticking their names off her chart. "You may clean up and head to your next lesson."
Harry removed his gloves and washed his hands. With a nod to Neville, he picked up his bag and began to head back to the castle. He fumbled in his bag, looking for the map. He felt a vibration and frowned. He pulled out his wallet, which was his disguised mirror. His heart leaped, hoping it was Ginny.
He opened it up and saw...he didn't know what he saw. The view was a strange angle, as if the mirror was askew.
"Harry!"
It was Ginny. She sounded as if she was in trouble. "Ginny? Where are you?"
There was sounds of a scuffle and he heard Ginny cry out. "Ginny! Ginny, tell me where you are," yelled Harry.
There was a bang, and a whimper, then silence. Harry was about to call out when someone picked up Ginny's compact. He recoiled when he saw a familiar pair of ice blue eyes look into the compact and make eye contact with Harry.
Then the compact was snapped shut and the connection lost.
"Hey Harry, what's the-"
Harry shoved his bag at Neville and grabbed the Marauder's map out. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. Come on, come on," he muttered, while the lines started to appear.
He quickly scanned the map, desperate to see Ginny's name. He finally found it, but his heart almost stopped. She was in a bathroom, and she wasn't alone. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were with her; surrounding her.
"Fuck no," yelled Harry, racing off.
"Harry, what is it?" asked Neville, shoving his and Harry's bag onto Seamus and Dean. He ran to try and catch up with Harry.
Harry didn't know how fast he ran to get to the bathroom. It seemed to take forever. He raced inside, wand out. There was no sign of Ginny, Crabbe and Goyle. Just Malfoy, leaning against a sink, his head down.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Draco raised his head, and his gaze met Harry's in the mirror. His voice was emotionless. "Gone."
"What have you done to her?" yelled Harry. When Draco didn't answer, Harry felt afraid. "Tell me!" he demanded, his wand pointing at Draco's heart.
Draco said nothing. Harry's frustrations got the better of him. "Tell me now!"
"Or what?" sneered Draco. "You going to curse me? You haven't got the balls, Potter." He sent a trip hex Harry's way. Harry jumped out of the way just in time.
Harry sent a stinging hex towards Draco. It hit him, causing the hex he was about to send to Harry to hit the plumbing on the wall behind Harry. Water gushed out from the pipes.
"Levicorpus," shouted Harry, but Draco blocked it, and sent the curse back at Harry. He put his Shield charm up, and the spell ricocheted back to Draco. He moved to avoid it, slipping over as the water quickly flooded the floor.
"Where is she?" yelled Harry, his face red. He felt himself getting desperate. He had to find Ginny.
Harry sent a sztunning curse at the downed Malfoy, slipping as he sent it. It smashed a mirror, sending shards of glass into the water.
Draco snarled. "Cru-"
"SECTUMSEMPRA!" yelled Harry, his wand waving.
To his horror, Draco clutched his chest. Harry stared, stunned to see the gushing water turn red.
"No," he cried, shaking his head. He ran towards Draco, who was staring at his chest like he couldn't understand what was happening. "Shit. Help! Somebody help!"
He sent off his Patronus to Madame Pomfrey. He knelt next to Draco. "Episkey," he said.
He heard a bang and looked up. Snape and Slughorn raced into the bathroom, looking horrified at the bloody water on the floor.
"Merlin's beard," gasped Slughorn. Meanwhile, Snape knelt down, pushing Harry aside. He started to wave his wand over Draco's chest. To Harry's relief, the wounds seemed to be pulling back together.
"Harry?"
Harry turned to see Ginny staring in horror at the events in the bathroom. He staggered to his feet, and she raced inside to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked desperately, pulling away to look at him.
He nodded. "You?"
She nodded, hugging him again. He held her tight, looking over her shoulder at Draco, who lay too still as Snape worked on him.
Madame Pomfrey rushed inside. She conjured a stretcher. "Is he all right to move?" she asked Snape.
Snape nodded. She turned to Harry. "Potter. Are you injured?"
Harry shook his head. "Then move out of the bathroom," she ordered. She turned her attention back to Draco, who was beginning to stir. "We need to get him to the hospital wing, he needs Dittany...there may still be scarring...
"Come on Harry," said Ginny gently, guiding him out of the bathroom. "Give them room to help Draco."
Harry moved automatically. He wasn't really aware of what he was doing. He felt sickened by what he had done.
"Harry? Harry, you're worrying me. Harry, are you okay?" asked Ginny, grabbing his forearms.
He didn't get the chance to answer. A stretcher with Draco on it floated out, guided by Madame Pomfrey. Professor Slughorn followed, babbling potions to help.
"Miss Weasley, you shall return to your lessons," said Professor Snape quietly. Too quietly.
"No, I-"
"GO! Now! I shall speak to you soon."
Ginny shot Harry an apologetic look and left him with Snape.
"I didn't mean it to happen. I've never used that spell before,"said Harry quickly. "Will he be all right?"
Snape ignored his concerns for Draco. "Who taught you that spell?"
"I think I read it somewhere," bluffed Harry.
"Where?" demanded Snape. "And don't lie to me."
Harry felt Snape invade him mind. He was too worked up to get his Occlumency shields up in time. He tried not to think about his Potions book, but he saw the page in his mind, with the word written across the page.
"Bring me your Potion book immediately." Snape's cold, quiet voice was worse than if he had yelled at him. Harry turned and fled, heading for the Gryffindor Tower and hoping Neville was there.
He didn't need to go there. For Ginny was just down the corridor, talking to Neville, who had Harry's bag. He ran up to them, grabbing his bag and rifling through it.
"Geez Harry, are you okay?" gasped Neville.
"I need your Potions book...right now...quick," said a desperate Harry.
Neville didn't ask questions, he just opened his bag and took out his book. He handed it to Harry, who took it and raced back to Snape. He handed it over. Snape snatched it out of his hand, and flicked through the book.
"This is your book, is it, Potter?"
Harry nodded.
"This is your copy of Advanced Potion Making that you purchased from Flourish and Blotts?" he sneered.
"Yes, sir," said Harry.
"I think you're lying, Potter. I think you're a liar and a cheat and that you should serve detention with me every Friday night and Saturday until the Easter break. What do you think of that, Potter?"
"Easter? But it's not even Christmas!" said Harry, defiantly. "He-"
"Enough. I'm not Dumbledore, turning a blind eye while you think you run the school. I'll see you at six o'clock Friday night, and ten o'clock Saturday morning. My office," snapped Snape.
"But Sir, I have the Quidditch match this Saturday," begged Harry, just remembering.
"Ten o'clock, Potter. No Quidditch for you," he sneered. He threw the Potions book back at him.
He left Harry in the bathroom without another word. Harry leaned weakly against the bathroom wall.
"Harry, mate, are you okay?" asked Neville, peering in.
Harry slid down the wall, uncaring that he was sitting in water. "I nearly killed him. It was that damn spell of the Half Blood Prince, Sectumsempra. I nearly bloody killed him," said Harry, still stunned by what had just happened.
"You need to get rid of it," said Ginny quietly, from the door.
Harry nodded. Ginny walked over to him and knelt down. "Come on, Harry. We need to get rid of it now." She spoke gently, as she could see that Harry was still spooked by what he had done.
Neville held out his hand and Harry grasped it to pull himself up. Neville handed him the Potions book. "I'll take your bag back to our dorms. I'll see you there...after."
Harry nodded and followed Ginny out of the bathroom. She slipped her arm around his waist.
He barely took note of where she was taking him, but he soon found himself standing outside the Room of Requirement. "We need somewhere to hide something. We need somewhere to hide something," Ginny murmured.
A door appeared a bit further down than normal. "Come on, Harry. Take my hand."
Together they entered the Room of Hidden Things. There was so much stuff in there. Tables and trunks, a cabinet that Harry thought he had seen before and even old Quidditch brooms.
"Do you want to hide it, or do you want me to?" asked Ginny, quietly.
Harry bucked up. It was his problem, so he should be the one to hide it. "I'll do it." He took the book from her.
"I'll wait here," said Ginny. She wandered over to look at the Quidditch brooms.
Harry wandered further into the room. He thought about hiding it in the old trunks, but then decided to keep walking and see what else was in there. He wandered past broken furniture and stacks of books that were threatening to topple over.
He paused briefly to look at several old portraits. He came to another cabinet, not unlike Slughorn's Potions cabinet. He opened it, letting something fly out that had been trapped in there for who knows how long. He shoved the book in there, slammed it shut, then turned to leave.
He hesitated. Maybe he should come back and get it just before he left for the holidays. Then he could take it to Grimmauld Place and make sure it was destroyed properly. He decided he needed to mark the place, so he could find it again.
He found a chipped bust of an ugly old warlock, and put it on top of the cabinet. He added a bright hat box, but the lid fell off as he took it down from where it had been. He glanced in to see a tarnished old tiara nestled in a sea of silk. He shoved the lid back on and hurriedly went back to Ginny.
"All done?" asked Ginny. Harry nodded.
"Let's go, then," said Ginny. She turned to go and Harry started to follow.
Something was nagging in Harry's memory. He bypassed the cabinet they saw at the start, trying to recall where he had seen it before. All of a sudden, Great Great Aunt Muriel's voice came to his mind.
i"It's no Ravenclaw's diadem, but it is a beautiful piece."i/
Harry stopped, his mouth open. Ginny turned back, worried when she saw his face. She hurried back to him. "Harry, what is it?"
"Wait here," he said, turning and running back. His heart pounded as he ran back to the cabinet. Could it be...was it possible?
He grabbed the hat box and threw the lid off. He took out the tarnished tiara, and immediately felt it's darkness. "I found it. I found the diadem," he breathed. iThank you Aunt Muriel!i/
He placed it back in the hat box and put the lid back on. He returned to Ginny in almost a daze.
"Found something you like?" asked Ginny, curiously.
Harry nodded. "Ravenclaw's diadem."
Ginny's jaw dropped open. "You did not!" Her eyes dropped to the box, then back to Harry. "Can I...?"
Harry nodded. She reverently took off the lid and peeked inside. "Oh Harry," she said.
"I need to get it to Dumbledore," he said, urgently.
"I'll walk you there," said Ginny.
They quickly lef the Room of Hidden Things and headed to Dumbledore's office.
Before they got there, they were confronted by the Grey Lady. "Is it true? Did you find the diadem?" she asked urgently.
Harry hesitated, then nodded. "What do you know of it?"
"It was my mother's. My name is Helena. Helena Ravenclaw," said the Grey Lady.
"Then this belongs to you," said Ginny, indicating the box.
The Grey Lady shrunk back. "It is full of dark magic and it is my fault. I was jealous, and I stole it. I hid it in Albania. My mother became deathly ill soon after. She sent my estranged fiance to bring me home. I had too much pride and I refused. We fought. He lost his temper and killed me. In his remorse, he then killed himself. The diadem has brought me nothing but tragedy. I never saw my mother alive again. I only told one other of this. He was so kind, so sympathetic. How was I to know he would go to Albania and steal the diadem? He then turned my mother's precious diadem into the darkest of all objects. And now you have it. What do you intend to do with it?"
The Grey Lady seemed in obvious distress. Harry hurried to reassure her.
"I want to take this to Professor Dumbledore. He has the Sword of Gryffindor in his office, and he can remove the dark magic from it. Hopefully, the diadem will be restored to its full glory," said Harry.
"Perhaps you'd like to go with Harry. See for yourself," suggested Ginny.
The Grey Lady looked at Harry. "You promise you can remove the dark magic?"
Harry nodded. "And then I will return it to you, I swear on all my magic."
The Grey Lady stared at him, then nodded. "Luna has told me of her belief in you, Harry Potter. I will go with you to the headmaster's office."
Harry sighed in relief. Ginny patted his arm. "I'll wait here for you. Good luck."
The Grey Lady disappeared, and Harry gave the password. "Sugarplums." The door opened and Harry went up.
Just over half an hour later, Harry came out of Dumbledore's office. Ginny had conjured a bench and was sitting on it, waiting.
"Hey," she greeted quietly.
"Hey," said Harry shakily.
She put her arm around his waist and led him away. "Come on, we're going to the Room of Requirement."
Harry nodded and they walked away. When they got there, Ginny led him inside. The room was set up like Grimmauld Place at Christmas, without the festive tree.
Harry almost fell on the couch. He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands. "I could have killed him, Gin." He was still stunned by what had happened.
"Tori checked on him and came and told me he's going to be all right. He'll just need to stay in the Infirmary for a couple of days," said Ginny gently.
Harry let out a huge sigh. "I just lost it. I saw you on the Marauder's Map, surrounded by Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. I just knew I needed to get to you." He ran his hands through his hair.
"Crabbe and Goyle grabbed me after I left the library. I tried to get away but they stunned me. When I woke, I was in the bathroom. They were fighting each other. I tried to get to my bag and call you on the mirror. They thought I was escaping, and when they summoned me back, the mirror fell on the ground. I don't know what they had planned for me. I was on the ground, and they were standing over me. Goyle was about to do some curse, when..." Ginny took a breath.
"What is it? What did they do?" demanded Harry.
"Draco came in and used Petrificas Totalis on both of them. He then ordered them away from me, saying Voldemort wouldn't want me harmed, not yet anyway. He then broke the spell and told them to get out. They ran, like the snivelling cowards they are," said Ginny, contemptously.
"What?" asked Harry, harshly.
"Draco saved me, Harry. He told me to go to Snape, to tell him what they'd done. It's how Snape got there so quick when..." Ginny looked away as Harry cringed.
"When I nearly killed him? It's true. When I thought he had you, I just lost it. Why didn't he tell me all that when I asked him? If he'd only said something..." Harry shook his head in disbelief. "Hermione's right. I'm too emotional. I just rushed straight in, wand blazing. I made it worse."
"No Harry. You'r right, Draco could have told you what happened. What did he do? Be his usual snarky self?" asked Ginny.
Harry nodded. "He even goaded me, saying I didn't have the balls to curse him. He sent the first hex, Gin, but I retaliated."
Ginny took his hand. "I know you feel bad, but if it hadn't have happened, you wouldn't have found the diadem. Did you destroy the Horcrux?"
Harry nodded. "Dumbledore did. Then he spoke to me about what happened. I felt terrible. I really felt like I had let him down, especially after he told me about my family."
"Did you get punished?" asked Ginny.
Harry nodded. "Detention with Snape, every Friday night and Saturday from now until the Easter holidays. It means I miss the Quidditch game this week, too."
"Oh Harry," sighed Ginny. She herself hadn't gone out for Quidditch this year, deciding to concentrate on her OWLs.
"I deserve it, and worse. I should have let Draco use the Cruciatus on me," he said bitterly.
"He tried to use an Unforgiveable curse on you?" shrieked Ginny.
Harry nodded. Ginny put an arm around him, wincing slightly. "We missed lunch. Are you hungry?"
Harry shook his head. "I couldn't eat a thing."
"Then we'll stay here for awhile," said Ginny. She settled back on the couch and pulled Harry to her. "I'm here for you, Harry."
He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. She truly was his best source of comfort. They stayed there for the rest of the afternoon.