A/N: This chapter was a bit hard to write... As you read it, I hope that everyone can understand the decision I made, namely that I chose not to write out every scene that Harry put into the pensieve and detail the reactions to it. I felt that it would take too much time, and that the story didn't really call for it. If that's what you wanted, I'm sorry, and please try to enjoy the chapter anyway.

Three days after he'd been rescued, Harry woke up in the Hospital Wing for the first time without feeling any pain. The small knife wounds on his chest, back, and thighs no longer throbbed when he stretched. His hands, which had developed the annoying habit of falling into tremors that only grew worse when he tried to control it, actually responded when he tried to flex them, and all of the muscles in his body felt loose and relaxed, restored to normal after the damage that Bellatrix had wrought. Best of all, there was a weight and warmth on his chest that went a long way towards explaining why he felt as rested as he did.

"Morning," Ginny murmured, seeing his eyes flutter. She was lying beside him in the bed, her head on his shoulder, and one hand on his chest. Her fiery hair streamed across the pillow. "I thought you'd be waking up soon."

"I feel better than I have in days," Harry admitted, leaning down to give her a quick kiss in greeting. Ginny had been his constant companion during the past few days, as she had flatly refused to leave. Madame Pomfrey hadn't been too happy about that, but not even she could overthrow Professor Dumbledore, much to Harry's joy. He rather enjoyed having the petite redhead around, and spent most of his conscious time learning more about her, allowing them to become closer. "I guess... I can't put it off any longer."

Ginny sighed and sat up, her long golden red hair sweeping across his chest as she moved. Harry suppressed a shiver as she said, "I guess not. Dumbledore was in here yesterday dropping less than subtle hints."

He smirked and sat up as well. Though he was clad only in a pair of pyjama bottoms that Lily had brought to him, he didn't feel self conscious in the least. "I don't mind, I guess," he said, picking up his glasses and sliding them onto his face. "It's not like I have to watch them. The hardest part will be deciding which memories to show them, and I've been thinking about that a lot already."

"What have you decided?"

Harry got off of the bed and, after a quick check to make sure that Pomfrey was not around, picked up the pensieve that his father had brought him two days ago. He sat down beside Ginny and rested the pensieve on the bed between them, gazing at the silvery liquid. She reached out and picked up her wand from the nightstand, handing it to him without a word. The wand, different from the one she had wielded in the old world, vibrated gently against his fingertips. It wasn't his wand, but for the spell that Remus had taught to him the day before, he supposed it would do.

"I've considered what you showed them," he said, thoughtfully spinning the wand between his fingers. "I only want to show them what matters most, or else we could be here all day. My first year wasn't really that important, so I thought that the encounter with Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets would be a decent start. I know you showed them some of your memories from that time, but they'll have the full story this way. Riddle actually admitted to me that he was Lord Voldemort. And my third year, with Sirius and Remus and Wormtail in the shack. I think it will have more impact if they can really see what Pettigrew did." He hadn't had the nerve to ask his family about Pettigrew and what his father and godfathers had thought of seeing Ginny's memories, mostly because he didn't know how to tell them that he didn't want them around the rat.

"That makes sense," she said, nodding. "What else?"

"The graveyard," he said quietly, unconsciously rubbing his arm, where the scar no longer existed. It still felt odd to touch his skin and feel only smoothness.

"Oh, Harry." Ginny's face twisted in sympathy.

"I think... some of Umbridge, and the Department of Mysteries, too, and Sirius, well, you know..." He couldn't bring himself to say it and instead looked into her eyes. It gave him the confidence to say, "The prophecy, too."

"The prophecy? What prophecy?"

It was time that she know, even though a part of him rebelled at ever having to tell her the hated words. Harry licked his lips and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently as he recited, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

For a long moment, Ginny didn't say anything. She just stared at him, lips pinched into a thin line as she silently absorbed what he'd just said. Then her golden eyes widened and her free hand flew to her mouth. "That's..."

"About me and Voldemort, yeah." Harry sighed deeply and turned his gaze out the window, unwilling to see the pity in her eyes. "Dumbledore – the one from our world – said that it's the whole reason Voldemort came after me in the first place. He only heard the first part of it, where it said I would be born, and he went after my parents, hoping to kill me before I ever became a threat." He decided not to tell her that the prophecy could have also referred to Neville. "That's what the whole situation at the Department of Mysteries was about... Bastard decided he wanted to hear the full prophecy, but he never did get the chance to hear the whole thing. I expect that's why he changed time... he was thinking that if Tom Riddle never openly became Lord Voldemort, Lily and James Potter wouldn't have defied him three times, thus rendering the prophecy null and void."

"But it's not true anymore, anyway," she pointed out, placing her hand on his cheek and forcing him to look at her. She smiled sadly, looking sympathetic but not piteous like he had feared. "I mean, in this world, you don't have a scar on your forehead. Voldemort never marked you as an equal."

"I know that Tom Riddle didn't, but... Riddle told me that when the effects of time caught up with Voldemort and he literally fell apart, Riddle absorbed what remained of his soul," he explained, shuddering at the thought. "That means... the connection that existed between Voldemort and I is still there to some degree. And..." Merlin, he hated to tell her this. "There's a connection between you and him... that's... that's there too."

He hadn't been quite sure what he expected when he divulged that bit of information. If it had been Ron, there would have been an explosion for certain. Hermione probably would've gone quite pale and made a dash for the library. Draco would've gone silent and stoic, waiting until he was alone to have any sort of reaction. Ginny stiffened and slowly slid her hand out of Harry's grip as she stood up. Without saying a word, she walked over to the window and gazed out, her eyes focused on something Harry couldn't see. Feeling awful, he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned towards her, wanting to give comfort but unsure of how to do so. And then she said something that froze him where he was.

"I know."

"You... you know?" he repeated, utterly gobsmacked.

Ginny sighed deeply and turned around to face him. "When Tom Riddle attacked me in the Chamber, he cast a spell so that he could use my life force for his." The fingers of her left hand clasped weakly at her right shoulder, and Harry had the feeling he knew where Riddle's curse had struck her. "When it was all over... afterwards... I felt a bit... different. Thank Godric, it was never as strong as your connection to Voldemort, because it was originally forged to Riddle, whom you killed in the Chamber. But it was there, and when you were kidnapped, I got to thinking... It didn't take a genius to figure out what we both had in common that no one else does." Her face crumpled and she sucked in a deep breath, twisting her hands. "That's why we remember, isn't it?"

Because he didn't think he could speak, Harry just nodded. He stood up and went to her, wrapping his arms around her in a movement that felt natural. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her ear. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"My parents wanted me to forget about the Chamber and what happened down there," Ginny said quietly. She hadn't returned the hug, but she didn't try to pull away, either. Her cheek was cushioned against his shoulder, and Harry thought he could feel a bit of dampness on his skin. "They thought the best way for me to cope with it was to pretend that it hadn't happened. Then there was the news about Sirius Black and the Dementors were coming to Hogwarts and... Before I knew it, the year was over and the Quidditch World Cup was all anyone could talk about. It was too late, then."

Harry tightened his hold, hating himself. He'd never given a thought to Ginny and how she was feeling after the Chamber. Not once had he asked her how she was doing, having been too caught up in his own life to care. He opened his mouth, intending to apologize again, and felt the touch of cool fingers against his lips. Ginny looked up into his eyes and smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but he understood and kissed her instead, pressing their bodies together. This time, she wound her hands around his shoulders as she pulled away just enough to allow them both the chance to breathe.

"It was a long time ago, and we have to focus on Riddle," she said, her mouth so close that their lips brushed when she spoke. "Fill the pensieve and take it to your parents, Harry. The sooner that Riddle is gone, the sooner that we'll both be free."

"I wonder if we ever will be," he muttered, but he kissed her one last time before he reluctantly let go and returned to the bed. He took Ginny's wand in hand and closed his eyes, thinking only about the memories he wanted to show. Pressing the wand to his temple, he uttered the spell in a low voice. Gleaming silvery strands pulled away when he removed the tip of the wand, and he lowered them into the pensieve. The liquid churned as the strands sank inside.

"They're probably in Dumbledore's office," Ginny said, looking at the pensieve curiously.

"Yeah, I'll just get dressed, and then we'll take it up." He drew the curtain across and shucked off the pyjama bottoms, then dressed quickly in a pair of pants and a t-shirt that Lily had brought him. "You can... look, if you want."

"I trust that you've told me what's important. I hardly have the desire to see Sirius dying."

"It's not pleasant, I'll give you that much." Harry emerged from behind the curtain and picked up the pensieve carefully. He wasn't quite sure what would happen to the liquid or to his memories if he dropped it, but he wasn't anxious to find out. Stepping carefully, with Ginny at his side, he left the Hospital Wing and travelled further into the heart of Hogwarts. The headmaster's office was exactly where he remembered it to be, though surprisingly, the gargoyle did not ask for a password, but merely leapt aside as soon as the two of them approached. Once the stairs had brought them to the top, Ginny knocked, and then took the pensieve from his hands as the door was opened from the inside.

"What are you – oof!" His question was cut off abruptly when Lia shot across the room and threw herself at him as soon as she saw Harry. He gasped, short of breath from an accidental elbow in the stomach, and saw Ginny hide a grin as she carried the pensieve into the room and set it on Professor Dumbledore's desk.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Lia asked frantically. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Harry said, pushing her away a bit so that she could see. He spread his arms and offered her a smile. "Look, no harm done that Madame Pomfrey couldn't fix."

Lia looked him over anxiously, but eventually nodded, conceding that he did look to be in reasonable health. "I'm glad. When Mum wouldn't let me in to see you, I thought maybe you'd been tortured or something like that."

The words – the notion that anyone could be innocent enough to not know what Tom Riddle would do to any enemy – were a shock of cold water after three days with Ginny, and Harry didn't need James' frantic hand motions or Lily's warning eye to know that Lia shouldn't be told otherwise. He just said, "It wasn't that bad," and put a hand under her elbow to steer her back into the room so that he could close the door.

"I trust these are these your memories, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, sir." He crossed the room to stand next to Ginny and slipped his hands into hers. "The ones that I think are most important, anyway."

"Very well. Have you any protests against anyone in the room seeing them?"

Harry looked around, taking in who was in the room for the first time. James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, Dumbledore, Lia, Draco and Hermione, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Tonks and Shacklebolt. The last two gave him pause to see, but he shook his head. "No, sir. I'm okay."

"Excellent. One after another, please."

Hermione came close enough to Harry to give him an anxious look and a squeeze on the arm, while Draco clapped him on the shoulder as the two of them were waiting their turn. No words were exchanged between them because there were so many people around, but it was comforting to know that they cared nevertheless. Harry stood back with an arm around Ginny and watched as the small group disappeared into his memories. He felt strange not being in there with them, even though he'd given them permission to go. It struck him for the first time how private memories really were, and he suddenly understood just why the Snape in his world had been so enraged after Harry had peeked into his pensieve. At least Dumbledore had had the courtesy to ask if it was alright for everyone to go.

"Merlin, this world really has changed me," he muttered to himself, too low for Ginny to hear. Hardly able to believe that he was actually feeling guilty for intruding on that git's privacy, Harry wandered over to the window of Dumbledore's office. Fawkes, who could usually be found on the perch next to the window, was missing. But the window itself was quite large, with a spectacular view of the lake and a large part of the Hogwarts grounds and the Forbidden Forest. He sat down on the sill and wedged his back against the wall, with one leg on the outside and one leg on the inside. Ginny stood up from where she had sat down in the seat Hermione had vacated and glanced at him.

"Room for two?" she asked.

"Sure." It took a bit of manoeuvring, but eventually, Ginny curled up in front of him, her side pressed up against his front, and tucked her knees up under her body. Harry wound his arms around her waist as a precaution and gazed out over the grounds. He could make out Hagrid and Fang coming out of the Forbidden Forest, and a black-cloaked figure striding to meet them. At one point, Fawkes appeared, soaring through the air and chirping and cooing like he was putting on a show just for the two of them. They sat in silence for a long time, watching as the sun gradually began to set. At last, wondering if Ginny was even awake, Harry spoke. "When I look out... it's still so hard to believe that it's not the same place."

"I know," she answered quietly after a slight pause. "Sometimes... when I wake up in the morning... Before I open my eyes, I forget that everything has changed. Even when I go downstairs, I can almost make myself believe that things are the same. But then something will happen... and it's the little things that make the biggest difference, you know?"

"I do," Harry said, resting his cheek on her hair. He wondered how much longer the people in the pensieve would take. It had been at least an hour and a half. "Gin, do you... do you miss your family?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Harry. You didn't ask for Voldemort to go back in time and change things. It's just... Once in a while, I look at everyone, and I can't help but think how much easier it would be if I didn't remember the other world. If I didn't know how things could be different. But..." Tilting her head, she looked up into Harry's eyes. "That would mean you'd be all alone here, and I wouldn't want that."

"Maybe..." Harry never got the chance to voice the rest of his thought. At that moment, the pensieve shuddered and expelled a group of people into the room. He blinked in astonishment at his family, friends, and professors, and had all of two seconds before Lily leapt to her feet.

"Harry..." she whispered, face ashen.

Immediately, Ginny squirmed out of his arms and stood against the wall as Harry hopped off of the sill and looked at his family nervously. Lily and James were beside him in an instant, wrapping him into an embrace so tight that it hurt. Sirius and Remus stood nearby with unusually serious expressions, waiting for their chance. Draco stood with an arm around Hermione's shoulders, and Lia leaning heavily against his other side. All three of them looked pale, and Hermione and Lia had been crying. Snape sank into a chair, looking sourer than ever. McGonagall summoned a house elf and began requesting tea. Tonks and Kingsley began a heated, whispered conversation, and Dumbledore stood silently, keen blue eyes locked onto Harry.

"Do you believe me now?" Harry asked him, glancing up over his father's shoulder.

"I never disbelieved you, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "However, now that we know what Riddle is capable of, I believe we need to proceed with more caution than ever."

"But... is it true? That we can't change things back to the way they used to be?" he persisted as Sirius and Remus caught him up in a hug. Even though Hermione and Draco had confirmed that as the truth, he needed to see if it was true. The misery in Ginny's voice when she spoke of her family still haunted him. It didn't seem fair that she had lost hers when he had gained his.

"I'm afraid not. Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy were correct."

Harry sighed and disentangled himself from Remus reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Gin," he said, feeling awful.

"You're so stupid, Harry."

"What?" A bit insulted, he frowned in her direction.

"You heard me." Ginny flipped her hair over her shoulder and put one slender hand on her hip. When she spoke, she looked him straight in the eyes, forcing him to acknowledge her words as the truth. "I would have given anything for Sirius to come back to you, Harry, after he... died." She spoke the word with some difficulty. "Voldemort unintentionally granted us a miracle. How could I live with myself if I, if anyone, took that away from you?"

"Ginny..." Harry wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He just stood there and stared at her. It had occurred to him, quite suddenly, that he was probably in love with Ginny Weasley... and that she just might be in love with him. "I... Thank you."

Even though he very much wanted to, Harry didn't get much chance to say anything to her after that. Lily put an arm around his shoulders and insisted on taking him down to the Potter quarters so that the three of them could have a proper talk about just what she and James had seen in the pensieve. He went without much protest after Sirius and Remus promised that the two of them would be down before long. The house elf popped back into the room with trays of tea and cookies, breaking up the fight between Tonks and Kingsley and snapping Snape out of the daze he'd fallen into. Remus snagged a bit of chocolate as Sirius glanced at Ginny, clearly wanting to approach the girl... but he'd been beaten.

"Hey." Lia glanced curiously at Ginny as she sipped from her cup of tea. "You... really love my brother, don't you?"

Ginny folded her arms across her chest and smiled. "I've loved Harry for most of my life," she said simply, closing her eyes. "All I've ever wanted is for him to be happy. Right now, right here, he is, and that is most important to me. For myself... I can live with this world." She looked at Lia and winked. "Besides, I can console myself with imagining how Voldemort must be utterly disgusted right now."

Lia chuckled. "I guess there is that."

"Sirius..." Ginny stepped past Lia and gazed at the man sheepishly. "I'm sorry. That time, when I randomly hugged you before the party... I didn't mean to disturb you. At least now you know why."

Sirius snorted and reached out, jerking her into a hug. She came quite willingly. "Considering how much you've been helping my godson since he woke up, I think I can forgive you," he said.

Laughing, Ginny slipped out of his embrace. "Go on," she said, pointing to the door. "Harry's waiting for you, and I know he won't begin until you're both there."

As the two of them left, she turned back to the window and the dark night beyond. It was hard to reconcile herself with the idea that she would never see her family or any of their friends, like Hermione, again. This world might have been mostly the same, but a few tiny differences could change a lot, and even after Hermione and Draco had warned them, she'd still held onto some small hope that they would be able to change things back. Now she had to come to terms with the fact that that would never happen. Ginny sighed and leaned against the window. At least every word that she had spoken to Harry and Lia was completely true, and she took some comfort in that. Seeing the joy in Harry's eyes as his small family gathered around him was worth every loss.

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