Chapter 13 – Leaving Here
He we go: chapter 13. This is the one that the whole story turns on. Things change rapidly from this point, and more of Harry's support structure crumbles into dust. He'll also learn that all actions have consequences to them, unfortunately.
Oh, a brief word about Muggle weapons. I know some people hate these being featured in Harry Potter stories, and generally I do too, if only for the reason that most authors who include them have quite obviously never fired a gun in their lives. Hopefully, I will be able to inject a bit of realism into their use here.
Huge thanks to Arnel, who for some reason seems enormously pleased that some strange team called the 'San Francisco Giants' have won something called the 'World Series'. Quite why the rest of the world wasn't invited to play in this 'World Series', I have no idea…
"Oh, what a busy day! I'm just about done in," Bathilda moaned, sinking gratefully into one of the kitchen chairs.
"Welcome back," Gellert smiled. "You've had a productive visit, I trust?"
"I most definitely have," she said resolutely, "but I simply must have a cup of tea before I tell you about it."
"I'll put the kettle on, Auntie," Harry declared and rushed over to the counter to prepare her drink.
"Bless you, my child," Bathilda smiled warmly. A few minutes later, she was sipping a cup of steaming tea with a look of ecstasy on her face.
"So, how was Hogwarts?" Gellert asked in an effort to get his great aunt talking.
"It hasn't changed much since my day," she admitted. "Albus was overjoyed to hear I was planning a book on the school, you'll be glad to hear. He was extremely helpful and gave me unlimited access to all of the school's records."
"How convenient," Gellert grinned.
"Indeed," Bathilda noted smugly.
"Did you find him?" he asked intently.
"Yes, within the first half-an-hour there," she confirmed. "Really, it wasn't difficult. Once we worked out his approximate age it was a simple matter to find him amongst the records. He was never going to be anything other than a Slytherin, was he?"
"I suppose not," Gellert admitted. "So, who are we dealing with?"
"His real name was Tom Marvolo Riddle and he was born on the 31st December 1926 to one Tom Riddle Senior and a witch named Merope Gaunt. Riddle Senior, would you believe, was a Muggle!"
"Lord Voldemort is a half-blood?" Harry gasped from where he'd been sitting on the other side of the table.
"Quite a shock, isn't it?" she smiled. "It appears he was equally a shock to his father, too, as the boy was raised in an orphanage virtually from birth. His mother appears to have died shortly after he was born."
"Interesting," Gellert noted. "This orphanage, it was a Muggle establishment, was it?"
"Of course, how many Magical orphanages have you ever heard of, Gellert? Really!" Bathilda said disapprovingly. "It does appear that the young Tom knew nothing of his magical heritage until he received his Hogwarts letter."
"What was he like at school?" Gellert asked.
"A most brilliant student" she confirmed. "In fact, he was Head Boy in his last year. Every report card I read described him in glowing terms, even that of Albus Dumbledore who taught him Transfiguration. I tried to question Albus about him under the pretence of wanting to interview notable Head Boys and Girls, but he claimed he could remember little about him and had no idea how to contact him. I must say, if you know what to look for, Dumbledore is a terrible liar."
"Oh, I remember," Gellert chuckled. "What else did you find?"
"Well, having found all I could at Hogwarts, I headed over to the Ministry and managed to get into their Records Department; being a famous author really does have its benefits, you know. From the tax and employment records, I found out that after graduation Riddle went to work at Borgin and Burkes. Interesting career choice for an aspiring Dark Lord, don't you think?" Bathilda grinned.
"Not what I would have picked, I must admit," Gellert chuckled. "I think that we can assume that as he chose to work at an establishment that specialised in rare magical items, he was already plotting to create his Horcruxes, if he hadn't already made one. He was certainly precocious."
"Not to mention insane!" Bathilda noted in disgust. "Didn't he ever read what happened to Herpo the Foul? Honestly, don't they teach children history anymore?"
"Apparently not," Gellert agreed mildly, "but his education is neither here nor there, for the moment. Did you find anything else that could help us?"
"I found both the addresses that his father and mother lived at," Bathilda stated, looking at a piece of parchment she had brought with her. "The father lived at a place called Riddle House in Little Hangleton, while his mother lived with her father and brother in a property nearby."
"Hmm, I think we will need to investigate both of those properties extensively," Gellert pondered. "Who knows what we might find in them?"
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Harry sat in the Slytherin common room with a book in his lap, awaiting Ginevra's return. The Christmas holidays were over and those students who had gone home for the break were due back today. He had to admit that he'd missed his friend and the holidays had been pretty dull here by himself. Very few students had remained in the castle and the few who did wanted nothing to do with him.
He'd been sitting there for nearly an hour, when the secret entrance slid open and the returning Slytherins all trooped in. Harry noticed Malfoy and his entourage coming in, but fortunately they ignored him. He really couldn't be bothered dealing with that idiot today.
Seconds later, a grinning redhead came striding over and threw herself on the couch next to him.
"Well, if it isn't the handsome and debonair Mr Potter himself," she announced with a smirk. "Fancy meeting you here."
"And I do believe it's the beautiful and mysterious Miss Weasley," Harry replied. "You seem in a good mood. The rest of the holidays go well, then?"
"No, they were utter shite," she said breezily. "Why do you think I'm so pleased to be back?"
Harry snorted. "Glad to be back here with this bunch? Merlin, it must have been bad at home. So, what happened after our wondrous Boxing Day dinner?"
"Open warfare, basically," Ginevra started to explain. "Ron and the twins basically took every opportunity to slag you off and even demanded that I return your Christmas gift to you. Fat chance of that happening; I look great in emeralds. Anyway, they're all convinced now that you're feeding me a Love Potion, or I'm under the Imperius Curse, or something. Fred even went so far as to cast a Finite Incantatem Spell on me."
"I bet that went down well. What did you do to him?" Harry asked in amusement.
"Blasted him out of a second floor window," she admitted calmly. "Still, Mum managed to heal most of his broken bones immediately."
"Oh, shame. What about the rest of your clan?" Harry asked.
"Charlie buggered off back to Romania almost immediately, without even saying goodbye to me in fact, so sod him. Fleur and, strangely, Percy actually thought I'd been feeding YOU a Love Potion, not the other way round. Needless to say, me and the French tart had some great cat-fights. I even managed to burn a couple of inches of her hair off, which sent her absolutely mental. I was a bit disappointed she didn't turn into a fireball spitting bird, though. She mustn't have enough Veela in her to do that. Bill wisely kept out of it. In fact, the coward spent most of the break in Dad's shed out the back."
"I don't know, he sounds about the most sensible of all your brothers," Harry noted.
"Oh, definitely, but he's still a spineless coward. Fleur's got him by the balls, and he's too much of a wimp to do anything about it. He's terrified she'll stop him getting his leg over," she shrugged.
"She didn't do a lot for me," Harry admitted. "She just looked like some porcelain doll; perfect, but completely without character. I prefer my women with a bit more life to them. Having red hair helps, too."
"Good answer, Potter," she smirked. "You should be happy, then. My parents have pretty much decided that you're the only hope I have of a decent life and that I should do everything in my power to keep hold of you. Shows what faith they have in me, eh?"
"Should I be contacting your father to discuss a betrothal contract, then?" Harry asked wiggling his eyebrows.
"You couldn't afford me, Potter," she teased. "Still, it's comforting to know that my beloved parents are happy to throw me at the first half-decent bloke that comes along. You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think that they WANT to get rid of me."
"What? Get rid of such a sweet-natured and entirely non-evil girl, such as yourself? Unthinkable!" Harry exclaimed.
"Sarcastic git," she said, grinning at him.
"Vicious cow," he retorted, still smiling.
"I've missed you," she said simply.
"I've missed you, too," he confirmed.
And suddenly, everything was right with the world again.
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"Okay, Potter, what are we doing today that's so different to our normal routine, then?" Ginevra asked with her hands on her hips and an amused look in her eyes.
"Well, as the regular duelling training has been going so well, I thought we'd expand out and cover some of the other nasty tricks I have up my sleeve," Harry told her smugly. "Besides, I've got you a present."
"A present? You know I never turn down a present. What have you got me?" she demanded.
Harry reached into his robes and pulled out a small object made of wood and metal. He handed it to Ginevra reverently.
"What the hell is this?" she asked in confusion.
"That, my sweet, is a Skorpion submachine gun. It's a Muggle weapon that spits out bullets at a rate of seven hundred rounds a minute, and it's all yours," he told her with a smile.
"A Muggle weapon? What use is that? Surely this thing won't work around magic," she pointed out.
"A common belief amongst the Wizarding community, but one that is complete bollocks," he replied smugly. "It's electricity that reacts badly with magic, so that's why Muggle devices like televisions and digital watches don't work when exposed to a witch or wizard for any length of time. This is purely mechanical, and the bullet is propelled by a chemical reaction, so it works fine. Didn't you say your father ran a Muggle car? Again, that's mainly mechanical, although he would have needed to have replaced all the electrical elements, such as in the starter motor."
"You know, I never thought about that stupid car. I assumed Dad just ripped all the Muggle stuff out of it and the whole thing worked by magic, but now I remember, the engine actually does work," she pondered.
"Exactly, he probably used a mix of Muggle mechanics and magic. Actually, this gun does, too. Normally, that little magazine attached to the weapon would only hold ten bullets. Once those were fired, you would need to change the magazine. This one, however, has an Expansion Charm on it, and now holds a little over three hundred bullets. It's an awesome bit of kit," Harry explained.
"Okay, so the thing will work, but is it any actual use? I mean, most people can cast a Shield Charm. That would stop a bullet, wouldn't it?" she pointed out.
"Probably," he agreed, "but, remember, this thing doesn't just fire one bullet at a time; it spits them out like hellfire. A couple of bursts of three or four rounds apiece will soon overwhelm the strongest shield. The bullets from this gun travel at a comparatively low velocity, but they still move at over nine hundred and sixty feet a second. That's about two or three times the speed your average spell travels at. Dump that sort of kinetic energy into a Shield and it will soon crumble."
"How the hell do you know all this stuff about Muggle weapons, anyway?" she demanded.
"Oh, Gellert became quite proficient with German Army equipment during World War Two, and he realised how useful it would be to fight with both magic and Muggle armaments. He made a bit of a hobby of collecting this stuff," Harry explained.
"Right, well, I guess I should have a go then," Ginevra said, gingerly holding the weapon.
Harry smiled and walked behind her. He then gently turned her so she was facing the man-sized dummies that the Room of Requirement had created for them. They were situated about twenty yards away, and all bore a strange likeness to Draco Malfoy.
"Okay, the first thing to remember is not to be afraid of the gun. It's going to make a hell of a noise and kick like a Hippogriff, but you'll have to keep a firm grip on it. Never point it at anyone you don't intend to kill, either. These things can be temperamental and accidents do happen," he explained.
"Just hurry up and teach me how to shoot the bloody thing," Ginevra said impatiently.
Smirking, Harry threaded his arms around Ginevra's slim body, and placed his hands over hers. He amended her grip until she was holding the gun correctly, and got her pointed in the general direction of the dummies.
"We'll concentrate on aiming properly later, but let's get you confident with the weapon first," he stated, pressing himself against her more than was strictly necessary. "To make the Skorpion fire, you first need to cock it, so a bullet is pulled into the firing chamber. Just pull this knob back firmly, okay? You next need to slide that metal catch near your thumb forward, see? That's it, you've got it. Okay, gorgeous, you're ready to rock and roll. Just pull the trigger and hold it back for a split second. Ready?"
"I'm ready," she said in a determined voice.
"Fire at will," Harry told her.
A second later, the room exploded with noise. Ginevra squealed as the small weapon bucked in her hands and she would probably have dropped it if Harry hadn't been holding her firmly. She fired off about a dozen rounds before she remember to let go of the trigger. None of the bullets went anywhere close to the dummies.
"SHIT!" she bellowed. "I never expected anything like that! How can something so small make that much noise?"
"I think the same thing about you," he joked. "Okay, now you know what to expect, let's try again. Try and fire a few short bursts, and try hitting one of the dummies this time."
"I'll be bloody aiming at you, in a minute," she snapped, but shifted her aim slightly so the gun was once again pointing at the targets. Harry felt her body tense, and once again she pulled the trigger.
This time she was more accurate, and several bullets from her first burst hit one of the dummies, blowing large chunks out of it.
"OH, YEAH!" she screamed in excitement, before opening fire again.
Pretty soon, Ginevra started getting the hang of the submachine gun, and was sending short, controlled bursts into her intended targets with ease. Moreover, she seemed to be having the time of her life doing it. Harry removed his hands from hers, and let her fire on her own. He did let his hands come to rest on her hips, however, and let himself enjoy the feeling of her body vibrating up against his.
"This is the best thing ever!" she declared, before sending a long burst into three dummies at once. "You're like a one-man army with this!"
"Just remember Muggle army and police carry guns like this, too, and in many cases more powerful ones with longer range. This should be used as a back-up to your wand, not as your primary weapon," he lectured.
"It would be really useful if you caught a group of Death Eaters together," she pointed out.
"Yeah, but I have a few other toys to use in those situations," Harry informed her.
"Oh, more presents for me?" she giggled. "I really like this one, perhaps more than that jewellery you gave me. What else have you got for me to play with?"
"Merlin, what have I unleashed on the world?" Harry laughed, before showing Ginevra how to make the Skorpion safe. He then went over to a nearby table and started laying items that he withdrew from his robes onto it. Ginevra came over and looked on in fascination at the strange objects. Harry picked up a metal tube and showed it to her.
"Let's start with the fun stuff. This, my dear Ginevra, is a disposable rocket launcher," he explained.
It was all he could do to stop himself laughing at the look of glee that came onto her face.
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Next morning at breakfast, both Harry and Ginevra were in a good mood. They had played with Harry's toys most of the previous evening, and had a great time doing it. He'd been impressed at just how quickly Ginevra had taken to Muggle weaponry, in particular the submachine gun and the hand grenades. She'd admitted that she was a very useful Chaser in Quidditch, and clearly throwing objects about came second-nature to her. Harry did vow never to let her near a rocket launcher again, though. She was just a bit too casual with the damn thing, as his singed eyebrows would confirm.
They were just tucking into seconds, when a worried-looking Albus Dumbledore, who had been strangely absent during the meal, came striding into the hall. He walked up to the teacher's table, and faced the assembled pupils. A hush fell on the room almost immediately.
"Can I have your attention, please," Dumbledore called out gravelly. "It is with great regret that I must inform you of the tragic events that occurred last night. I have just come from an emergency meeting at the Ministry of Magic, which was called following a vicious and cowardly attack on the house belonging to the Minister himself, in the early hours of the morning. The attack was undertaken by a group believed to be loyal to the Dark Lord. It is with great sadness that I must report that Rufus Scrimgeour was killed in the attack."
Gasps of horror filled the room.
"Quiet how the Death Eaters managed to circumnavigate the lavish protections placed around the Minister's property, we have yet to establish, but it goes without saying that this is a bitter blow to the Wizarding community," he continued.
"Sir, who will lead us now?" a voice called out from somewhere in the vicinity of the Ravenclaw table.
"A good question," the Headmaster agreed. "During the meeting I attended, an emergency vote was cast, and Amelia Bones was elected as the interim Minister for Magic, subject to ratification by a full vote by the Wizengamot. As many of you know, Madam Bones was previously head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and, in my opinion, the perfect person to lead us in these dark and dangerous times. I'm sure you will join me in wishing her luck in her new role."
Polite applause rang around the Great Hall.
"Now, please continue with your breakfast. Miss Bones? If you would please report to my office as soon as you're finished eating, we need to discuss some additional steps to ensure your safety. Professor Sprout, if you could escort the young lady, I would very much appreciate it," Dumbledore concluded, and, without another word, strode back out of the hall.
"Shit!" Harry cursed quietly.
"I take it this is bad news for us?" Ginevra noted quietly.
"Damn right. Scrimgeour was my main contact within the Ministry, and all the deals I cut when I returned to the Wizarding world were done directly with him. More to the point, I've managed to make Bones heartily dislike me, and there's no saying what she'll do now," Harry muttered.
"What can she do? You're legally an adult and just a pupil here at Hogwarts. What could she use against you?" she asked.
"Bones may try and reopen investigations as to what happened to my aunt and uncle, for one. Once that starts, I'm going to be faced with a lot of questions that I really don't want to answer," he admitted.
"I thought you said your aunt and uncle died in a house fire, or was there more to it than that?" Ginevra asked suspiciously.
"That's true, although Gellert may have had a bit of a hand in the fire starting," he admitted. "Still, it served the evil bastards right. No, Rufus agreed to ignore a lot about my past in return for my public support, and that just might come back to bite me on the bum."
Harry and Ginevra glanced over to the Hufflepuff table, where Susan Bones and her friends were sitting looking extremely smug.
"You think we shouldn't have given Bones's pals such a kicking?" Ginevra asked bitterly.
"Too late to worry about that now. We did what we thought was right at the time. We'll just have to see how this plays out," he growled angrily. "I might have known things were going too well."
Ginevra nodded, and returned her attention back to her breakfast. As Harry said, they'd know what this all meant soon enough.
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Harry got his answer several days later, when Madam Bones decided to make a surprise visit to Hogwarts. Susan Bones took enormous delight in acting as a guide for her aunt as they swanned around the school, peering into classrooms and asking inane questions of nervous pupils.
It was with very little surprise that Harry received a summons in the early afternoon to go to the Headmaster's office. With a little trepidation, he packed up his books and left the Charms class he had been attending. When he reached his destination, he was somewhat surprised to find Dumbledore waiting for him at the foot of the stairs.
"Ah, Mr Potter," the old man smiled. "Minister Bones has requested a few brief words with you while she's here, and I have volunteered my office for her use. If you would just head straight up, I'm sure this won't take long."
Harry just nodded and stepped onto the moving staircase. He entered the office to find Madam Bone sitting regally behind the Headmaster's desk. She didn't seem especially pleased to see him.
"Well, it's our little schoolboy vigilante," Bones noted coolly.
"And the Minister who could only get the job over the previous one's dead body," Harry retorted.
Bones looked at him like he was something her cat had just thrown up. "Spare me the cheek, Potter, and remember just whom you are addressing," she snapped.
"If I'm not mistaken, I'm addressing someone who until recently was going out of her way to ruin my reputation for her own political gains," Harry shot back. "It's a shame that fat cow you call a niece couldn't even get that right, eh?"
"Don't make me your enemy, Potter," Bones advised angrily. "I'm already sorely tempted to launch an investigation into your activities here at Hogwarts. I could easily widen that to include all your activities in recent years. That idiot Scrimgeour might have been happy to take you at your word in return for your favours, but I'm not so easily swayed."
"What do you want, Minister?" Harry asked, tiring of trading insults.
"Oh, I'm just here to give you some friendly advice," she practically purred. "I'm going to be watching you like a hawk from now on, and if you make any attempt to threaten my niece or any of her friends, then you'll be in Azkaban before you can blink."
"Is Susan going to stop spreading lies about me, then?" Harry asked in a harsh voice.
"Lies? From what I understand, not much of what's been said about you lately is very far from the truth! I've seen the after-action reports of what happened to those Death Eaters you tangled with, and they make very disturbing reading. The idea that someone that is capable of that level of violence is attending this school is of great concern to me," Bones said haughtily.
"Are there any Death Eaters attending this school?" Harry asked innocently. "I would have thought that by now that I'd proved that my aggression is directed at them."
"Susan's poor friends Hannah and Ernie would say otherwise," Bones growled. "More to the point, who gave you authority to start a one-man war against the Dark Lord? Protection of the population is the responsibility of the Ministry, not some jumped-up teenager with delusions of grandeur."
"Maybe it's my destiny to fight Voldemort," Harry pointed out.
"Ah, I was wondering if you were going to bring up that stupid prophecy," Bones practically sneered. "Yes, I've already had Dumbledore wittering on about how you're the only one capable of defeating You-Know-Who. Complete claptrap, I say! I have very little faith in any prophecy I've ever heard. It's funny how those things always seem to be twisted to appear to have some actual meaning after the event. Besides, I'm also aware of who made the prophecy and that alone is enough to convince me to ignore it."
"I'm not sure I'd argue with you on that point," Harry admitted. "Even so, I would point out that I've defeated Voldemort once, and that carries a lot of weight in the public's eyes. I've also proved my value in fighting his forces. Are you going to punish me just because I took a stand against the forces of evil?"
"Don't make me laugh," Bones snorted. "As far as I'm concerned, you're little better than those misguided idiots who follow the Dark Lord. I don't believe for one second that you're fighting some moral crusade. You, Potter, have your own agenda and, if I'm not mistaken, it involves replacing Voldemort and becoming the next Dark Lord, yourself."
"Would you accept a Magical Oath that I'm not?" Harry offered.
"No, but I might accept an Unbreakable Vow swearing complete loyalty to my office," she retorted.
"Only a complete idiot would give that sort of undertaking," Harry said in disbelief. "A vow like that could be twisted in a million ways."
"Then, Mr Potter, we are done here. Before you go, however, I will make a few things clear. I will not stand for your reckless vigilante activities or your blatant disregard for the law. You will be watched very carefully from this point, and if you put a toe out of line, I will make you wish you'd never been born," Bones told him intently.
"Fair enough, just don't come crying to me when you find Voldemort won't roll over and die for you," Harry snarled, before turning and stomping out of the office. He ignored Dumbledore when he tried to speak to him, and stomped back to his class at a fearsome pace.
From this point, it seemed, he couldn't rely on the Ministry's support any longer. That greatly complicated things, and made his task a hundred times more difficult. Why the hell did Scrimgeour have to go and get himself killed? Actually, now he thought about it, how had he managed to be killed?
With a sinking heart, Harry wondered just how far Madam Bone's political ambitions went, and what it would mean for him.
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The next few days were trying ones for Harry and Ginevra. Their fellow students, who had been cowered by the devastating punishment dished out to Abbott and Macmillan, seemed to get their courage back following the appointment of Madam Bones as Minister, no doubt directly inspired by Susan Bones's emergence as the self-proclaimed queen of Hogwarts.
Bones, who now had an Auror assigned to her permanently for protection, had resumed her role as a mouthpiece for her aunt with a vengeance. She constantly harped on about how things were going to change in Wizarding society, and how Amelia was going to stamp out the curse of the Death Eaters, once and for all. The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors all flocked to her banner, as did most of the Ravenclaws. Soon, Harry began to hear dark rumours about him being spread once more.
The sea change in attitudes within Hogwarts was amply demonstrated by an encounter he and Ginevra had with a group of Gryffindors one day. They were walking along a second floor corridor when they saw five students, all in Gryffindor uniform, idly lounging against a wall. Harry saw that most of them were friends of Ginevra's brother, Ronald, and he hoped they didn't start shooting their mouths off. It was a forlorn hope.
"Hey, look out, guys, it's the next Dark Lord approaching," cackled a boy with a thick Irish accent as he noticed them approaching. "Do you think we'd better hide?"
"Nah, that git knows better than to try anything now," a dark skinned boy scoffed. "He knows that Madam Bones won't put up with any of his shit."
"I don't know why he's still allowed to attend Hogwarts. He should have been expelled months ago," an attractive blond girl groused.
"Just ignore them. They're a bunch of idiots, and not worth getting into trouble over," Ginevra hissed as they walked by. Harry nodded and kept a firm grip on his temper.
"Hey, Ginny," the dark skinned boy yelled as they went passed. "Why are you hanging around with that evil git? Why don't you ditch that loser, and come and hang out with me?"
Harry stopped and was about to confront the boy when he felt a calming hand on his chest. Ginevra looked up at him and smiled, as if to say 'let me handle this'.
"Hmm, what a tempting offer, Thomas," Ginevra replied calmly as she turned back towards the Gryffindors, "but I'm a bit confused as to why you think Harry is a loser. I mean, what makes you so much better? Are you richer than him, for instance? As I recall, your daddy buggered off leaving you to be raised by your Muggle mum in near poverty. Harry, on the other hand, is the head of an Ancient and extremely wealthy House. He has more gold than he knows what to do with. So, you're not better than him in that way, are you?"
The boy called Dean Thomas glared at her, clearly upset by her comment about his parents.
"Perhaps you think you're more intelligent than Harry? Nope, sorry, I don't think so. Harry passed all his O.W.L.s with flying colours and could probably take and pass his N.E.W.T. s tomorrow if he needed to. You, if I remember what my brother said correctly, barely scraped a handful of O.W.L.s in useless subjects," she said smugly.
"I did alright," Thomas protested angrily.
"Possibly you think you're more handsome than Harry?" Ginevra continued. "I hardly think so. You have that stubby hair and those ridiculous ears, while Harry has those long, luscious locks and eyes to die for. You are a scrawny little wimp while he, underneath those robes, has the body of a Greek god."
"I bet you've seen under those robes, too," a dark skinned girl taunted.
"Oh, I have indeed, Patil, and, trust me, if you had any idea what a body he has, you'd be prepared to pay a hatful of Galleons just for a peek," Ginevra smirked back at the girl. "So, all in all, I'm struggling to see why you think Harry is a loser. I mean, he defeated the Dark Lord when he was a toddler, captured Lucius Malfoy earlier this year, and is generally feared by Death Eaters in general. What have you achieved, Thomas? Blown up a few cauldrons in Potions Class? Fallen off your broom at Quidditch practice occasionally? Sat and played with yourself in class? No, if Harry is a loser, I dread to think what you are. Don't even think of talking to me again, you're beneath my contempt."
With that, Ginevra turned and began to walk away. Harry resisted smirking at the furious expression on the Gryffindor's face, and fell into step beside her. They walked away without looking back.
"Nice take down," Harry said quietly once they were sufficient distance away.
"Hardly a challenge," she sniffed. "Honestly, those bloody arrogant Gryffindors! They think they only have to look in a girl's direction and they'll come running. What a slime ball."
"Still, it's nice to know I'm appreciated," Harry noted with a slight smile.
"Don't let it go to your head, Potter," she growled. "I was just making a point. I wouldn't want to see your ego grow any bigger."
"Of course not, I'm Mr Humility, me," he grinned.
"You keep telling yourself that," she replied, shaking her head.
On a whim, Harry reached down and took her left hand in his right. She looked up at him in surprise for a second, before a neutral expression returned to her face. She didn't make any attempt to remove her hand, however.
Together, they returned to the Slytherin common room.
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Harry stared at the twisted lump of metal that a short while before had been Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. After all these months hunting for it, he could barely believe that he had found and destroyed it.
He'd been hunting through the Room of Requirement as he often did, and stumbled on the diadem almost by accident. A quick splash of the corrosive potion Gellert had mixed up several years previously, and the main objective for him coming to Hogwarts was achieved.
Of course, he now knew that a second Horcrux lay in the Headmaster's office, and he had a rough plan for dealing with that. The only trouble was, once he took that step there would be no going back. His time at Hogwarts was rapidly coming to an end, he realised, and that presented him with a massive dilemma.
Ginevra.
He knew he would have to leave the school soon; he couldn't fight Voldemort's Death Eaters from this place and, besides, he still had one more Horcrux to deal with. He needed freedom of movement and the ability to strike without warning. He needed to be away from Hogwarts.
But what would happen to Ginevra if he just left? Ignoring their growing relationship for a moment, Voldemort knew that she had helped him escape from Malfoy Manor and lately she had been completely open in her support of him. Without him to watch her back, he feared for her safety, especially as she didn't have her friend Tracey Davis to back her up anymore.
On the other hand, did he dare ask her to come with him? The Magical Trace on her wasn't a problem, Harry was certain he could remove it from her just as Gellert had removed it from him years ago, but the second they left the protective umbrella of Hogwarts they would become wanted criminals. Madam Bones had made it pretty clear that she would use any excuse to throw him in Azkaban; could he subject Ginevra to that risk? Could he ask her to give up everything for him? Frankly, he didn't know.
Numbly, he turned and walked out of the Room of Requirement. Normally, he liked to think of himself as a decisive young man, but today he simply didn't know what to do for the best. His personal desires battled with his sense of honour, and left him feeling completely muddled.
Realising he needed advice, he turned and walked backward and forwards three times. He re-entered the Room of Requirement, but rather than the jumbled mass of misplaced objects it was before, the room was now a large empty space. Just what he needed.
He withdrew his wand and carefully drew a protective circle on the floor, which he then stepped into. Reaching inside his shirt, Harry withdrew a beautiful golden locket that had once belonging to his mother. Opening the clasp with his thumb, Harry removed a small, black stone which had a strange triangular marking on it. He and Gellert had removed this stone from the ring that had been hidden in the home of Marvolo Gaunt. The ring, of course, had been a Horcrux, but they had been shocked to find that one of the legendary Deathly Hallows was embedded in it. The stone had proved to be a godsend, and had enabled them to recall the spirts of the dead who, under the right circumstances, could be forced to reveal their secrets. He and Gellert had learnt much hidden knowledge by this method.
Today, however, Harry wasn't in need of knowledge, but advice. He knew who he needed to talk to as well. He placed the locket gently on the floor. They had discovered long ago that summoning the dead was much easier if an object that belonged to that person could be placed within a summoning circle or, in the case of the Death Eaters, a body part would do. He turned the stone over in his hand three times, and suddenly felt the presence of another person there with him. He turned, and saw the ghostly form of his father smiling at him.
"Hello, Dad," Harry said warmly.
"Hello, son," James Potter replied. "It's good to see you."
"Yeah, I'm sorry it's been so long since I spoke with you, but I've had rather a lot on. Where's Mum?" he asked, frowning.
"Harry… your mother has passed on. The midnight hour has struck, and she has passed beyond recall," James replied sadly.
"WHAT?" Harry yelled. "She's gone? But I… I never said goodbye. How could she leave without saying goodbye?" he cried in distress.
"It was her time to move on, my son, as it is my time, too. I have only lingered here on this plane of existence in the hope of speaking to you one last time," James said, his eyes brimming with tears.
"But most people are recallable decades after their deaths," Harry protested. "Why do you have to go so soon?"
"Because it is the way of things. We have little choice in the matter, Harry; when your time to move on comes, you have to go. It's different for each person, too. Some souls may linger for hundreds of years, while others pass on after just a few hours. Besides, it's been sixteen years since we died. That's quite a while," the ghostly figure pointed out.
"I'm not sure I can do this without you," Harry admitted sadly. "Gellert made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be brought back, and with you gone, I just don't know what to do."
"Yes, you do, Harry. You're stronger than you think you are. While your mother and I didn't always agree with some of the things you've done, we recognised the necessity for them. You've grown into a strong, powerful young man with a good head on your shoulders. You've nearly managed to destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and then you can defeat him for good," James said encouragingly, before grinning cheekily. "Besides, if I'm not mistaken you've found a certain young lady to draw strength from."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Dad," Harry said. "I really like Ginevra, and I'm pretty sure she likes me, and she's been an incredible help so far. Let's face it, I'd be dead without her, wouldn't I? But do I dare ask her to come with me? If we leave Hogwarts together, we'll become wanted criminals overnight. She'll lose her family and friends, and be in danger every day of her life. I'm not sure I can do that to her, even assuming she'll agree to come."
"Harry, Ginevra lost her family the day she was made a Slytherin, and as for friends, the only friend she had was poisoned by that disgusting piece of filth, Zabini. You know that if you leave her behind she'll be dead within a month," James pointed out.
"She may not even want to come," Harry responded lamely.
"She loves you, Harry. You may not believe it, and she does a good job of hiding it sometimes, I'll grant you, but that girl would die for you. As you said, she walked into Malfoy Manor to rescue you, didn't she? It would break her heart into a million pieces if you left without giving her the option to come with you. Besides, if you don't take her, I fear for what you'll become," James told him grimly.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked sharply.
"You're in a very dangerous place right now, and I don't mean because of Voldemort or those idiots at the Ministry. By necessity, you've become quite ruthless in dealing with the Death Eaters, and I don't blame you for that. You're fighting a war, my son, and in a war the object is to kill your enemies. But, equally, you're walking a slippery tightrope. You have tremendous power, and I'm worried that power, combined with your merciless approach to dealing with Voldemort's followers, might turn you Dark," James said sternly.
"But I…" Harry began to protest, but James waved him down.
"As much as you want to deny it, it's a real possibility, Harry," he continued. "But one thing keeps you apart from Voldemort and his twisted, evil hordes, my son, and that's your ability to love. Take that feisty little redhead in your arms, Harry, and never let her go. As long as you have love in your heart for her, you will never fall into darkness as Tom Riddle did. Ginevra will keep you on the right path, and probably Hex you into the middle of next week if you stray off it."
"I guess she would," Harry smiled.
"One of the reasons your mother was content to pass on was that you had found Ginevra. As soon as she saw her, Lily knew that she was the right girl for you. You need a strong woman like that, Harry, you need Ginevra's persistence and determination. You wanted my advice on what to do about that girl and this is it: ask her to come with you. Beg her, if need be. I very much doubt she'll say no, but if she does, I would even advise waiting for her. You need her that much, Harry, believe me," James said passionately.
"I think I just needed to hear someone I trust say it," Harry admitted. "I'll ask her, I promise."
"Good lad," James beamed.
"Is this the last time I'll see you?" Harry asked reluctantly.
"Yes, son, it is. I have no idea what awaits me in the great beyond, but I feel it calling to me strongly. As soon as my spirit leaves this place, I will journey onward," he confirmed.
"I'm going to miss you," Harry said, fighting back the tears.
"And I'll miss you, Harry, more than I can say. But I thank the gods that Lily and I got a chance to spend some time with you, even if it was in this ghostly form. I wouldn't have given up that opportunity for the world," his father said.
"I…" Harry mumbled, but he just couldn't bring himself to finally say goodbye.
"My time is short, Harry, and I have one final piece of advice for you. Remember, the world isn't a perfect place and sometimes you have to cut your losses. You can't save everyone, and occasionally sacrifices have to be made. You didn't start this war and, heaven forbid, there are a lot of people putting obstacles in your way. Don't try and play the hero, son, not for those that don't deserve it," James said intently.
"Okay, I'll remember that," Harry confirmed.
"Goodbye, Harry, your mother and I both love you," James said simply.
"I love you both, too," Harry replied.
And with that, James vanished from sight. Harry collapsed to the ground and let out a huge howl of anguish and loss.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
It was sometime later before Harry composed himself enough to return to the Slytherin common room. He found Ginevra sitting in her favourite chair leafing through a book. She smiled at him as she noticed him approach.
"Hey, Harry," she greeted him. "What's up?"
"I need to speak to you immediately. Come up to my room, please," he asked her quietly.
"Up to your room?" she smirked. "Are you sure you're not just feeling a bit frisky?"
"Ginevra, please," he asked plaintively.
His unusual seriousness must have alerted her to something being wrong, as she leapt to her feet and followed him without further protest. Once they had entered his small room, Harry locked the door and followed that up with a series of complex Security and Privacy Spells. Ginevra just looked at him with a faint expression of concern.
"I have something to tell you," Harry began as he turned to face her, "and I'd really appreciate if you let me say my piece before you ask questions."
"Okay," she agreed slowly.
"As you might have gathered, my real reason for coming to Hogwarts wasn't to get my N.E.W.T.s, or even to act as a spy for the Ministry. Simply put, I learned there was an object hidden in the school that was of vital importance to Voldemort, and I've been hunting for it ever since I arrived. Well, about half-an-hour ago, I found the object and destroyed it," he explained.
Ginevra just nodded for him to continue, although she didn't look happy.
"The thing is, while I've been here, I discovered a second such object was here, too, one that you are extremely familiar with," he continued.
"The diary," Ginevra interrupted. "You were obsessed by that bloody thing."
"There's no fooling you, is there?" he grinned. "Yes, the diary is another of the objects I've been hunting for. I won't go into detail now but, suffice to say, unless the diary is destroyed, Voldemort can't be killed."
"Okay, I'm going to want more details about that later, but I'm willing to accept that at face value for now," she agreed. "So, you need to break into Dumbledore's office and destroy the diary, right?"
"Yes, and once I do so, I suspect that I'm going to have to make a rapid exit from Hogwarts," Harry told her flatly.
For a second, Ginevra looked at him in confusion, before her face clouded with anger. Harry held up his hands defensively.
"I have to leave, Ginevra. Dumbledore knows full well the significance of the diary, and he'll be livid once it's destroyed. I'm not sure why he hasn't tried to get rid of it himself, but I don't think that bodes well for me. Besides, there's another of these objects to find, and I can't do that if I'm stuck in a Charms classroom, can I? I need to start whittling down Voldemort's forces, too. The war is hotting up and I need to be out there," he explained quickly. "The thing is, Ginevra, when I leave, I'd like you to come with me."
The look of anger on the girl's face changed to one of shock, instantly.
"I want you by my side, Ginevra," Harry said earnestly. "I thought I could do this alone, but I can't. I need your strength and passion to see me through. Before you answer, however, I want you to think about this thoroughly. You'll be giving up everything if you leave now. Once we step through those doors, we will become outlaws, wanted by the Ministry and with no friends. We'll be hiding from Aurors as well as Death Eaters. You'll be estranged from your family, possibly forever. On the other hand, Voldemort already knows you helped me escape from Malfoy Manor, thanks to Draco and his goons. He's going to come after you with everything he's got. In fact, I'm surprised there hasn't been an attempt to get you here in school already."
"Well, actually there has," she shrugged. "Malfoy and his little gang tried to Stun me after an Ancient Runes class last month. I spotted him on the Marauder's Map just as he was about to attack and managed to get away."
"Why didn't you mention this?" Harry asked in outrage.
"I can fight my own battles, Potter," she snapped.
Harry shook his head. He knew now was not the time to get into any argument about this.
"Okay, but this just proves my point. There's been one attempt to get to you, and there are bound to be others. I think you'll actually be safer with me than remaining here at school," he pointed out.
"If I did come with you, what would be my role in all this?" she asked hesitantly. "Would we be equals, sharing all the information you had? Would I be fighting by your side or would you be intent on just hiding me away, in some stupid attempt to keep me safe?" she demanded.
"I'm not daft enough to try and do that," he snorted. "Ginevra, you are a skilful and powerful witch. We might need to ease you into things, as you haven't really got much experience in actual combat situations, but I promise this will be an equal partnership," he agreed.
"Okay, I'm in," she said decisively.
"Really? Don't you want a little while to think about it?" he asked in surprise.
"What is there to think about?" she asked. "As you said, I'm a massive target here at Hogwarts and, with you gone, Malfoy will be able to concentrate on me. Besides, what is there here for me? Tracey's gone, and I have no other real friends. My family largely hate me and will be glad to see me gone. My best hope is with you."
Harry walked over to her and took her hands in his. "Thank you, Ginevra," he said with a smile. "You can't know how pleased I am to have you by my side. I promise to do everything in my power to make sure you never regret this decision."
"You'd better, or there'll be trouble," she smirked. "So, what's the plan from this point?"
"Well, I do have some ideas for getting into the Headmaster's office, but I think there's another matter we need to attend to first," he said.
"What's that?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"We need to take our revenge on Draco Malfoy," Harry said fiercely.
Ginevra's smile was almost feral.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP
Trudging up the final flight of steps, Draco Malfoy silently cursed. Why on earth had Pansy elected to meet him in the Astronomy Tower of all places? He knew she liked doing it in strange places, but the Astronomy Tower, for Merlin's sake? So many of the commoners used it as a trysting place.
She was definitely up to something, Draco thought. First, the simple written note passed to him by a nervous first year, and now this strange meeting place. He had a perfectly good bed in his room, why the hell couldn't they use that? Unless she had something… interesting planned. He grinned; Pansy really was a dirty little slut.
By the time he reached the top of the tower, Draco was breathing heavily. Whatever Pansy had in mind, it better be bloody worth it, he grumbled. As he opened the door out onto the viewing platform, he caught sight of her leaning against the parapet.
"So, why have you dragged me all the way up here?" he drawled. "Got something special planned, have you?"
Pansy turned and looked at him blankly. Her face was completely expressionless, which, for a girl who was generally so emotional, was quite rare. Draco regarded her suspiciously.
"Pansy, what's all this about?" he demanded harshly.
"I know that you're betrothed to that Greengrass whore," she said in a dead voice.
Draco cursed. He'd been hoping to keep that bit of information quiet for a while longer, but no doubt Astoria had been boasting again.
"It wasn't my choice, you understand," Draco explained firmly. "Simply put, the Greengrass's have more money and political influence than your family. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. Still, it doesn't have to change anything. I'm happy to keep you as my mistress."
Without warning, Pansy pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. "Incarcerous!" she cried.
Draco instantly found himself restrained by thick ropes wrapped around his body. He looked up at the dark-haired girl with a mix of bemusement and anger.
"What the hell are you doing, you dopy cow? Release me this instant!" he demanded loudly.
"Now, why would she want to do a thing like that?" a smooth voice asked from somewhere behind him. Draco froze as he recognised whose voice it was. Sure enough, a second later, Potter and his little red-haired whore walked into sight.
"Potter!" he spat. "What the hell are you doing here? Pansy, why are you just standing there staring at me? Let me go, damn you!"
"Oh, she can't," Weasley smirked. "She's under our control. Harry cast the Imperius Curse on her."
"The Imperius Curse?" Draco repeated gleefully. "You'll go to Azkaban for this!"
"And who's going to tell anyone we did it?" Harry asked in amusement. "Pansy, Levitate him up to the edge of the parapet, would you, my dear?"
Draco felt himself rise into the air, only to be gently lowered onto the stone parapet a few seconds later. He could feel the chill night wind blowing through his hair and a gnawing terror began to grip him.
"It's all so tragic," Weasley sighed. "A beautiful young witch finds out that she's been betrayed by her one true love, and decides that if she can't have him, no one will. I've always thought that a murder/suicide is a very romantic way to go, don't you agree, Harry?"
"Why, yes, Ginevra," he agreed. "That suicide note that Pansy left in her room was particularly touching."
"You're bluffing," Draco cried desperately. "You wouldn't do something like this! I know you, Potter; you couldn't bring yourself to kill my father, and you won't kill me. This isn't the way the Light side operates."
"Who on earth ever said that I was on the Light side?" Harry asked in amazement. "The only reason I didn't kill Lucius was that I was interrupted by those bloody Aurors. Next time I'll gut your father like a fish. Anyway, Zabini found out to his cost that we're not above eliminating our enemies in messy ways."
"I knew it! You killed Blaise, you murdering bastards!" Draco raged.
"You filthy hypocrite," Weasley snapped. "You paid that poisoning shit to try and kill Harry! Tracey is dead because of you!"
"Davis was an accident," Draco protested angrily. "If the silly bitch hadn't taken a drink out of Potter's goblet, she'd still be here today. As for Potter, I was ordered to take him out by the Dark Lord. I had no choice in the matter."
"There's always a choice, Draco," Harry said coldly, "and my choice is to kill you. I think the world will be a better place once the Malfoy line is extinct, which should happen in… oh, I don't know. How long do you think it will take him to hit the ground, Ginevra?"
"I'm really not sure, Harry," she pondered. "It is such a very long drop."
"You bastards!" Draco wept. "You murdering, bloody bastards! I hate you both."
"Pansy, dear, I think it's time. Give your darling Draco a big hug and tell him how much you love him," Harry purred.
Pansy ran forward with her arms wide open and launched herself at Draco. With a sickening lurch in his stomach, Draco felt himself toppling backwards with Pansy wrapped tightly around him.
Despite his screams, the last thing he ever heard was Pansy repeatedly crooning in his ear…
I love you…
I love you…