Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Chapter 13
Harry and Ginny waited impatiently for the other deatheaters to arrive so they could get the meeting started. They had just gotten through another round of sex when their marks started burning which meant that their presence was 'requested' for a meeting and the intensity of the burn meant that it was urgent. Harry looked around and snorted. Either it's not nearly as urgent as it was claimed and we forwent another round of sex for no reason, or a lot of people are about to get crucioed.
Ginny giggled out loud, earning her some strange looks which, in turn, earned them a hard glare from Harry. They turned back to the front, gulping in fear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the rest of the deatheaters showed up and a minute later, Voldemort walked in, Bellatrix Lestrange flanking one side while Lucius Malfoy flanked the other.
He looked around and smiled which sent shivers down the backs of the gathered deatheaters. "Ah, my friends. Thank you for coming although I must regretfully inform you that tardiness is not tolerated well." With that, he sent several crucios into the crowd of late comers, eliciting screams from whoever was hit. Suddenly, the Dark Lord's smile turned into an angry glare. "Now then, I have a question. Why is Albus Dumbledore still alive? Have I not told you that I wanted him dead? Are my commands so hard to follow? He has been on the most wanted list for eighteen years! I would think that my 'loyal' followers would have found him by now! I would have thought you all capable of dealing with a washed up old man! But I can see now that I was mistaken! You are all useless!"
Harry frowned at this. While he generally agreed with the Dark Lord, he didn't like the generalization that Voldemort often did by blaming everyone for the mistakes of the few. "I want him dead and dealt with immediately! I don't care what you have to do but get it done!" He had an angry look on his face as he looked around the room. "Now get out of my sight!" He turned and stalked off, Bellatrix and Lucius following behind. Harry and Ginny looked at each other before disapparating back to Potter Manor's outer perimeter to avoid the antiapparation wards.
As they walked in, Harry turned to see his wife had a worried look on her face. "What's on your mind love?"
She shook her head. "Are you sure about helping Dumbledore? Is it worth the risk?"
Harry smiled at his wife, gently kissing her before turning towards the sitting room. "I know I've said in the past that he's been good to us and that I don't regret what happened, and I don't, but this is about revenge. This is about the Dark Lord drawing blood on my house, I can't let that pass. How long until we displease him Ginny? You saw how he was today. How long until he decides that we're not doing enough? How long before he decides that we're not worth troubling with anymore? You've seen how he treats his people. They don't follow him out of loyalty. They follow him out of fear. Fear is important, but if you don't inspire loyalty, then the first time you show weakness, they will attack like sharks do when they smell blood."
Ginny thought hard about what her husband was saying, with one nagging thought. "What about mum?"
Harry turned to see the worry in her eyes and he had to admit, he wasn't sure whether or not Bellatrix would choose Ginny, or Voldemort. "I can't promise that she would choose us. I hope she does, but I can't be sure. I know you care about each other, but if it comes down to it-"
"I'd choose you, love. I hope that it doesn't come down to that, but if it does, then I'd choose you every time." Ginny smiled sadly at Harry as he took her gently into his arms, comforting her. She looked up at him. "So, do you have an idea about any of the other horcruxes?" They had discovered through some notes Harry had found in Voldemort's study that Voldemort had ensured his immortality through the use of horcruxes and had relayed the information to Albus, who then relayed it to Moody, who had been investigating.
Harry nodded. "Moody found out about the locket and they dealt with it. I took care of the diary myself as Malfoy had it hidden in a box full of junk. You took care of the cup thanks to you being privy to Bellatrix's vault. So that leaves the diadem of Ravenclaw that is hidden in the Room of Hidden things at Hogwarts, the Gaunt Ring in Little Hangleton, and of course, Nagini."
Three Weeks Later….
Harry walked through Hogwarts, a man on a mission. Ginny was with Dumbledore in Little Hangleton, taking care of the ring while he took care of the diadem. It had been a lot of work searching for. Harry had deduced that the ring would be in the very place Voldemort had found it originally, the Gaunt shack. Dumbledore had known about this horcrux because he had spoken with Morfin Gaunt, Voldemort's cousin, before his death in Azkaban. Morfin had lamented the loss of the ring and Dumbledore knew immediately that Voldemort had taken it. As for the diadem, Harry had simply spoken with the Bloody Baron ghost of Slytherin and the Grey Lady ghost of Ravenclaw. Dumbledore had spoken about Voldemort's attempt at getting what was then known as the Defense Against The Dark Arts job and figured that's where it would be. They hadn't even known about the Cup of Hufflepuff until Ginny had decided to check Bellatrix's vault just in case something was hidden. She quickly replaced it with a fake. She took a few old books for good measure as she often visited the vault when she needed a book that only Bellatrix had. Harry had found the dairy by accident. He had been looking through some of Lucius' old things when he stumbled upon the diary. He saw that it had belonged to Voldemort and a quick spell revealed what it was. He used the killing curse, the sure fire way of getting rid of the horcruxes, and left the diary in the box, continuing about his day.
He arrived at where the Room of Requirement was and asked for the room where things are hidden. When the door appeared, he went in and began his search. There seemed to be endless piles of junk. Old wands, broomsticks, schoolbooks, even potions were thrown in there. There were several dark objects in there as well. He almost got himself bitten by a doxy when he uncovered a nest, quickly dealing with them. He continued on until he ran into a cabinet of sorts and next to it, some sort of twisted statue and on its head, sat the diadem of Ravenclaw. Carefully, he got it down and set it on a nearby table. He pulled his wand and pointed it at the artefact. "Avada Kedavra!" A loud scream emitted from the object before it was silenced. A quick spell revealed it was no longer a horcrux. He quickly set it back where it was, he'd come back for it later, and hurriedly left. Four down, two to go.
Little Hangleton, Gaunt Shack…..
Ginny decided that bringing her curse breaker brother Bill along had proven to be a wonderful idea. Dumbledore had shown up with him and Ginny was furious. But the old man said that Bill would be useful, which he had been. As soon as they approached, Ginny could feel the wards and the underlying curses, waiting to be tripped by some fool. After a few minutes, Bill had the wards down and the curses disabled and the three entered the rundown shack. After a quick search, they found a corner that was untouched by age. Quickly dismantling the curses and wards, Bill reached in and pulled a box out. As soon as they opened it and revealed the ring, they felt the strong compulsion to wear it. Ginny quickly recognized the trap. "Avada Kedavra!" The ring was engulfed and an ear piercing scream erupted, dying out after a moment. "That would have been quite the painful way to die had you worn that ring." With the horcrux and the compulsion charm gone, Dumbledore safely picked up the box and examined the ring. Ginny gasped at the sight of the stone. "It's the stone of resurrection!"
Dumbledore looked at her sharply. "How do you know about the Hallows?"
With a smile, Ginny nodded toward the ring. "Mum used to read us that story when we were children. Harry and I figured that his invisibility cloak was one as well.
The old man smiled sadly before handing the ring to her. "Very well then, you should hold on to this. It would be far better off in your hands than in mine."
Ginny nodded and took the ring. She then heard Harry in her mind. Four down, two to go.
She chuckled inwardly as the three split up to go their separate ways. Make that five down, one to go love.
Potter Manor….
Ginny sat on the love seat in the sitting room while Harry paced in front of her, a look of concentration on his handsome face that she couldn't help but admire. Harry was muttering to himself, something she found amusing and, oddly enough, arousing. "How in the bloody hell do we kill Nagini without attracting attention? We could lead an attack….no that wouldn't work."
"Maybe we could avoid killing her all together, I'm quite fond of Nagini."
Harry stopped pacing and looked at her incredulously. "I know how you feel, but the moment we go after him, she'll attack us. She's loyal to him all the way."
"But what if that's the horcrux making her act that way?"
Harry's mouth hung open a moment as a look of understanding came upon his face, he grinned. "Bloody hell Gin, you're a genius!"
She flashed him a smile. "I know."
Before Harry could act on his sudden urge to take his wife, she got up and walked towards the floo. "I'm heading to Diagon Ally to pick up some potion ingredients, do you need anything?"
Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes. "No, just watch yourself."
She flashed him another dazzling smile. "Always."
She tossed the floo powder and in a flash of green flames, she was gone.
Diagon Ally….
Ginny weaved her way in and out of different shops, pondering her situation. Harry's birthday was coming up and she still needed to get him something. She was surprised that he had let her go without a fight, paranoid as he was, he usually liked to go with her. But she could take care of herself, as she had often pointed out to him, she had been the one that had defeated Nymphadora Tonks in the streets of Hogsmeade. Had the metamorphmagus not apparated away, Ginny would have had her. Which, in retrospect, Ginny figured it was a good thing she had forgotten to establish antiapparation wards, even if it had earned her some time under the cruciatus curse. Harry had been furious at the Dark Lord for that. Ginny couldn't help but smile at Harry's protective nature, even if it annoyed her to high Heaven sometimes. But Merlin he is sexy when he's angry!
She had run into Tonks later on, who thanked her for allowing her to escape. For Ginny it hadn't been a problem. She had met Remus, the werewolf, and she rather liked him. She would have hated to kill his new wife. She congratulated them on their marriage, even if her mum had been furious over the wedding. 'Bloody halfbreed!' She had yelled. But Ginny couldn't bring herself to share her mum's prejudices. Remus Lupin was too nice of a man. Harry had found a reason to kill Fenrir Greyback after Remus had informed him that it had been Greyback that had turned him when he was a child. Ginny figured that Harry had enjoyed killing the werewolf. Ginny had been indifferent to the beast herself. He had stopped leering at her when she had gotten older. Of course it helped that Harry had threatened to eviscerate him if he so much as glanced at her again, Greyback had taken the threat seriously.
Ginny frowned. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with her mum. She loved her dearly but she knew how much Bellatrix worshipped the Dark Lord. When she and Harry went in for the final kill, what would she do? Ginny worried her lower lip at the thought.
Suddenly, a flash of red made her eyes snap up, widening. Speaking of mothers. There stood, gaping like a fish, Molly Weasley. Ginny's hand twitched, but she was determined not to be the one to start the fight. "Ginevra."
"Molly."
The woman flinched before glaring at her but before she could speak, Ginny interrupted. "What do you want? I have a birthday to shop for so I don't have time to dilly dally with you." The venom in Ginny's voice was strong.
Molly Weasley glared at her former daughter with such intensity, that if looks could kill, then Ginny would be dead many times over. As it was, Ginny stood and glared right back with the same intensity. "That Lestrange woman has changed you, turned you into the same sort of monster that she is!" Ginny felt her control over her temper beginning to slip. "No daughter of mine would act the way that you do."
Ginny took a breath. "You lost the right to scold me when you gave me away. Don't you dare criticize my mother. She's been a far better mum to me than you ever have." Ginny kept her voice in check, trying not to scream at her former mother, who was at the moment, seething.
Before Ginny could think, Molly had her wand out and had sent a blasting curse her way and it was only because of her reflexes that she was able to dodge out of the way and level a cutting curse at the Weasley matriarch. Molly was able to dodge and the duel was on. The two women exchanged curses at a rapid pace, and insults at an even faster rate. "You were a horrible child, always wanting things that I had no time to give you."
"Well it is your mothering abilities that have been called into question so that makes sense!" Ginny fired another blasting curse, impacting the ground in front of Molly making it explode in her face. With a yelp, she fell backwards only to jump back up with enough time to avoid the cruciatus curse that passed her by.
Gritting her teeth, Molly fired several curse in quick succession, never hitting Ginny, who seemed to dance out of the way. "Stand still bitch!"
Ginny fought to stay calm as she fired curses at her former mother, forcing her to keep a constant shield up. It didn't take much longer for the constant barrage to dispense with the shield and Molly Weasley knew she was beaten. A cold fear crawled its way into her gut. But not wanting to go out quietly, she decided to make her exit worth it. "You think you've won don't you? I'll never let you win. Do you want to know something? I'm glad that I didn't have to raise you! You were a horrible baby so I can imagine how horrible you would have been to raise. You probably would have turned out an evil little minx anyway! So go ahead and kill me you horrible little whore, you'll never really be rid of me!"
With a scream that almost seemed inhuman, Ginny fired off the strongest killing curse she had ever fired, blasting a hole clear through the Weasley matriarch. As the body fell, Ginny saw the smirk that adorned the dead woman's face, an image that burned into her mind. As she nearly collapsed, she fell into the arms of the only mother she had ever known. "Shhh my dear." Bellatrix hugged her daughter, apparating away from the crowd as the aurors made their way to the body to remove it.
At Lestrange Manor, Bellatrix lay Ginny onto the bed of her old bedroom, lying next to her and pulled her close, stroking her hair. Ginny cried on her mother's shoulders, clinging to her. A single thought ran through the head of Bellatrix. Where is Harry?
Harry sat gazing at the Daily Prophet. Ginny had been gone for about an hour and he was beginning to worry. Suddenly, a house elf popped in front of him. "Mistress Bellatrix sent me to tell you that mistress Ginny is in distress. The Weezy woman attacked her and she's at Lestrange Manor now."
Harry cursed loudly. "Thank you Milly." The elf bowed and popped away as Harry got up to leave. The elf could have waited and taken me to her. Harry growled as he left to the apparition point where a surprise waited. Just outside the wards stood Arthur Weasley.
"Ahh Harry Potter, I've been waiting for you."
"So I can see. How did you know where the house was located?"
"Oh I don't know the exact location but I was able to eavesdrop on Sirius to find out the general location."
"Hn. What do you want?"
Arthur smiled and drew his wand. "Molly and I decided to end this. You and that wife of yours have become too dark to turn back. Better to be safe than sorry."
Harry drew his own wand. "Very well then Mr. Weasley. Let's not waste any more time." They took their stances and began to circle each other. With a flick, Harry fired the first curse and the game was on.
Oh hell I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this out but I've been really busy. Between the flu, family time, school work, and plain old work, I've been unable to get anything done with my stories. That's why this chapter is as short as it is. That, and I'm not sure how I want the duel between Harry and Arthur to go. Anyway, I hope you guys aren't to pissed at me and enjoy this chapter. As I've said, I can't promise regular updates but I'll try not to go so long in between updates.