Chapter 17: The Half-Blood Prince

Harry could never say exactly how things happened. He remembered only when the love of his life took on that vacant stare and raspy voice he had once seen in Trelawney. He knew then that he was about to hear a prophecy, and Voldemort realized it too.

No one else knew, the battle around made only the two of them hear the inert words uttered by the last seer Weasley.

And as fate would have it, as soon as she finished uttering the words that disturbed both men, Ginny vanished to the floor, barely caught by Harry. That's when Dumbledore showed up and the fight continued until the Ministry workers showed up and saw Voldemort return.

And the battle was over.

Everything happened as if time passed slowly and at the same time quickly. He felt numb, the only real thing that was going on was the inert body that his arms were holding, he clung to her, trying to protect her with his own body, until Molly Weasley's gentle motherly hands and sweet words convinced him that she needed to be taken care of and that they were no longer in danger.

As soon as they could separate him from her, he only looked with little interest that Sirius was also wounded and looked for him with her eyes. But he couldn't comfort himself, much less comfort anyone else.

A parade of people passed by the infirmary, visiting him, who would not leave his girlfriend's bed. Some were well-intentioned, like Luna, whose sincere concern almost rivaled Harry's, others, like Colin, who was also sincerely worried, but whom the boy could not see without jealousy, so his presence brought him no comfort. After a line of classmates from every year came to ask for her on the last day of school, the returning Headmaster appeared, and after greeting and asking in a friendly way about Ginny he went straight to the point that concerned him.

"Mr. Potter, Harry, you must tell me, did you hear it? The prophecy?" Harry turned his gaze to the professor, the usual twinkle in his eyes no longer amusing but angering. "In the last explosion the new orb crashed and we couldn't hear it, it had the name of Miss Weasley, Lord Voldemort, and yours. You must tell me the content so I can analyze it..."

Harry ignored him, but inwardly he was grateful that the prophecy had been destroyed without anyone else hearing him. `Only Voldemort´, he thought bitterly, Ginny would be in danger from that day on, and it was his duty to protect her from any harm.

That included the Order itself.

o-o-o-o

She had lived every mother's worst nightmare and her nerves wouldn't let her sleep at night. Her daughter had been badly hurt from that disastrous tour of the Ministry. She spent the remaining days of classes in the Hogwarts infirmary, Professor Dumbledore had convinced her that it would be dangerous to take her daughter to St. Mungo's, where any could easily kidnap her.

So, Molly had to spend her days at school, taking care of Ginny and Ron, even though Harry hadn't allowed himself to be taken away from her daughter's side. It was something that touched her, but she had to admit that it caused her some discomfort, she did not like to be taken away from the natural right of a mother to be the one to take care of her daughter in the moment of greatest weakness.

She had been asleep, sedated by Madame Pomfrey, for every time she regained consciousness and opened her eyes, she had panic attacks and despair. The healer had already told them that in such a situation it was expected to pass and that everything would get better in a couple of weeks, when they would suspend the calming potion. It was something that destabilized her poor nerves.

And with Dumbledores pestering at every turn about that blissful prophecy, she was losing the little patience she had. Molly couldn't care less about that stupid prophecy that the professor was obsessed with, the only thing she cared about was her little girl being calm.

When the school year ended, Molly took her children home, much to Harry's despair, who Dumbledore forced to return to his aunt and uncle, even going so far as to order the members of the Order to watch that he did not escape.

Thus, they returned to the Burrow, where at Dumbledore's insistence on the possible kidnapping of Ginny, they put up special barriers that Bill made, so no one could pass to touch a hair of her daughter.

On the eighth night they spent at home, their daughter at last awoke from her long sleep, the effect of the last potion had worn off, and Madame Pomfrey had indicated its suspension. Her daughter was exceedingly thin, almost to the bone, for they had barely managed to get her to eat.

After that night, Ginny had never been the same, it was as if she had had a regression to the times of Pandora's death. Weeks passed until the holidays were far enough away for Harry to make his way to the Burrow.

When she saw him, it was as if she woke up from a long slumber. She went back to being the same girl of the last few years, cheerful, sarcastic, a bit belligerent, but lively and intelligent and brilliant. The light returned to the Burrow then. All the Weasleys were alive and well, the wizarding world already believed in Voldemort's return, and the end of that war was getting closer.

o-o-o-o

He barely tolerated the presence of his aunt and uncle, and for the first time in his life, they were afraid enough to leave him alone during the weeks he spent there. When Mr. Weasley appeared at the door to take him to the Burrow, Harry had his suitcase ready.

And when he saw her again, alive and awake, it was as if his soul returned to his body. He hugged her, initiating contact for the first time in their relationship, and kissed her, too happy to see her to worry about being in front of her parents.

They didn't care, in fact, oddly enough, they looked on with joy when that happened. Happy to see their daughter finally reacting, but Harry couldn't have known that.

That night, when they went to sleep, he finally told another human being about the prophecy she had uttered, and Ginny didn't seem too surprised by it, but it seemed as if she had finally found the answer to something that was tormenting her. She just nodded and stared into space, thinking without even looking at him. Finally, she seemed to conclude herself and just nodded towards him and kissed him tenderly.

"Don't worry my love, as soon as we get to Hogwarts, we'll be safe, you and I will be fine no matter what." Ginny took him by the hand, and her confidence lifted a huge weight off Harry's shoulders. If she could say such a thing, he could only believe her. "Now, let's not think about that anymore, you mustn't tell anyone the prophecy love, well I wouldn't mind if you shared it with Ron, Hermione, or even your godfather, how's Sirius, by the way?"

"Yes, I promise. Sirius is fine from what Remus has told me, but he is very affected, in the battle those brains that hurt Ron also hurt him, only Sirius got them on his face and neck and he is full of indelible scars he can't walk." Harry said as he stroked her hands. "I've sent him letters, but he hasn't been able to answer, Madame Pomfrey says that his recovery so that he can walk again and fend for himself will take a couple of years, Ron was very lucky that the brain only touched one leg for less than 1 minute, Sirius spent almost an hour with that thing stuck before they noticed."

"The important thing is that he's alive, you know that his destiny was to die that day, don't you?" Ginny said as she raised an eyebrow in his direction and Harry blushed, embarrassed as he remembered that day and his attitude and rudeness towards everyone. In those moments, he wondered what was in his head to even question whether Ginny was worth it because she was worth it all.

The rest of the holiday was one of the happiest periods of their lives, it seemed as if nothing but them and the Weasley family existed those weeks. Bill soon wore a familiar and esteemed face when he showed up to a family dinner with Fleur Delacourt by his side. It was quite a sight to see Mrs. Weasley be so inconsiderate with the girl.

Harry was inwardly grateful that he hadn't gone through everything they put Fleur through, he couldn't have had the fortitude and serenity she had if Ginny was put in front of suitors and tried to get her to leave him.

She was so lonely that Harry talked to her whenever he could, but he didn't interfere, as the one time he tried to defend her, Ginny became so jealous and somewhat aggressive that he preferred not to do it again.

When Hermione arrived at the Burrow, she was extremely distraught about who would take Umbridge's place.

"No one can be worse than Umbridge," Ron said as he nodded confidently.

"I know someone worse than her," said a voice from the doorway. Ginny shuffled in, looking annoyed, "Hello, Hermione!

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked.

"It's her," Ginny said, slumping into bed.

"What did you do this time?" Harry asked, trying to be sympathetic.

"It's just that he talks to me in a way—as if I were three years old!"

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Can't you leave her alone for five seconds?" Ron said angrily.

"That's it, defend her," Ginny snapped. "We know you never get tired of her."

Harry wasn't surprised that Hermione joined Mrs. Weasley and Ginny in their dislike of Fleur, he didn't know why, but every woman who came in contact with the half-veel girl had a tremendous hatred for her.

Actually, women were very strange.

In the following days, everyone was on edge over the OWL's results

"Are you sure that no owls have arrived this morning, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione asked again.

"Yes, my dear. I would have noticed," she replied patiently, "but it's only nine o'clock, there's still plenty of time to—"

"I know I failed at Ancient Runes," Hermione grumbled anxiously. "At the very least, I made a serious mistake in translation. And the Defence Against the Dark Arts road test didn't go as I expected either. In Transformations I thought I had done well, but now that I think about it..."

"Will you please shut up, Hermione? You're not the only one who's nervous!" Ron growled, "Besides, when you see your ten Outstanding—"

"No, no, no!" Hermione shrieked, waving both hands, hysterical.

"And what happens if we fail?" Harry asked no one in particular, but once again it was Hermione who answered:

"We discussed our options with the head of our household. I asked Professor McGonagall at the end of the course."

Harry's stomach twisted and he regretted eating so much breakfast.

"In Beauxbatons," Fleur explained smugly, "we did it in a digerent way. Think is betteg. We took six years of study instead of five years, and then..."

Fleur's words were drowned out by a scream. Hermione was pointing out the kitchen window. In the sky were three black specks that were increasing in size. Soon the owls handed their results to each one and everyone fell silent, Ginny peeking out behind him to read her results.

Harry reread the sheet of parchment several times, and gradually his breathing became more and more rhythmic. It wasn't bad: he'd always known he'd fail Divination, and he couldn't have passed History of Magic, since he'd fainted in the middle of the exam; But he had passed the other matters! He swiped his finger over the notes... He'd gotten Acceptable in Transfiguration and Herbology, and he'd even Exceeds Expectations in Potions! And the best part was that he had gotten an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts!

Ron and Hermione also shared their results, and the only one who was disappointed was Hermione, despite having rolled 9 Outstanding and only one Exceeds Expectation in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry went over his notes again and realized they couldn't have been better. He only regretted one small detail: these results put an end to his ambition to become an Auror, since he had not achieved the required grade in Potions. He knew he wasn't going to get it, but he still felt an emptiness in his stomach as he looked at the little black "E" again.

It was strange, indeed, for it had been a Death Eater in disguise who had first told him that he would be a good Auror; but the idea had taken hold of him, and he was not attracted to any other profession. Besides, having heard the prophecy, he believed that this might be a suitable fate for him: "And the old world will end when the maiden is taken." Wouldn't she prevent Ginny from being harmed if she joined those well-prepared wizards whose mission was to find and kill Voldemort?

o-o-o-o

For Ginny, the life that had taken its epicenter in Harry was over. Soon she would no longer be able to protect him from what was to come, but she would not allow what she had seen in his future to happen to him.

It didn't matter if she had to hurt him in the process, and hurt herself.

The time to choose had come, all her doubts were over, and she had begun to act. Before returning to school, she met with Colin and Luna and told them her general plan, without giving specific details. She only told them what she needed from both of them.

First, she managed to steal the twins' prototype of an engraving sphere, she would need it very soon. She also encouraged them to continue researching those joke robes and hats that repelled spells, she only made a suggestion and it was enough, `what if they repelled physical attacks? It would be hilarious if someone tried to kick you and ended up falling. ´

Then she started researching runes... ancient and powerful runes, and what activated them. A part of her regretted having been carried away by resentment for Hermione, she would have been an excellent help in that area, a better help (she had to admit) than Luna was.

They returned to Hogwarts and she only smiled at the sight of Slughorn. It was obvious that seeing that Dumbledore hadn't sought him out to find out about the Horcruxes, he had too much to do with Voldemort looking for him. And he had decided to take refuge in Hogwarts.

She didn't dislike him, the teacher helped create social connections after all. Intelligence and hard work were important, but nothing beat meeting the right people. So, along with Harry, she went to the parties they were invited to (which her boyfriend hated) and smiled at her classmates and the professor's former students. Some of them are important people and useful connections.

It was there that she met Arif Sikander, the wizard who knew the most about the Muggle world, someone who knew both worlds extensively. Ginny walked over and greeted him, beginning a friendly relationship that would soon serve her well.

All of them... all of them would be useful in the future.

o-o-o-o

Percival Weasley barely survived the change of regime in the Ministry, if he had retained the post of Junior Assistant to the Minister now that Rufus Scrimgeour was the new Minister for Magic, it was because he had given no reasons to justify the dismissal. But he was given less and less work and felt that he was only being watched and distrusted.

Maybe... He should never have listened to his siste... No, he mentally reprimanded himself as he finished making coffee for the minister. He shouldn't distrust his sister, she would never put him in a bad position if it wasn't strictly necessary, he had to trust that.

That afternoon he was especially depressed, as he walked to the lonely apartment after work and watched as families gathered for the start of Yule. He sighed longingly, as he wished he was in the burrow for the start of the season, Ron and Ginny should have started their vacation that day.

He walked into his apartment, which was neatly arranged and clean, went into the kitchen, and was just waving his wand to start preparing his dinner when the fireplace caught fire and the flu network was activated. He was quickly put on guard, only his sister and Audrey knew his flu network address, but he couldn't be trusted.

His sister came out of the fireplace and threw herself at him calling to him and smiling with joy, Percy hugged her and kissed her head, happy to see Ginny.

"Brother, I'm so happy to see you." She said as she hugged him tighter and kissed him on the cheek. "I came quickly because I need to talk to you, sorry for not notifying you, I must have scared you."

She sent him to bathe while she was preparing dinner for him so that they could eat together before she had to return to Luna's house, from which she had escaped since she had been permitted to spend the night there. They had a really pleasant evening, Ginny had prepared his favorite meal for him, and she had a seasoning so much like her mother's that Percy ate in silence with his throat constricted.

When they finished the meal Percy looked at her carefully, he had never seen her so calm since she was a child, and that calmed him down too, although all calm was lost when she told him her version of the journey in the ministry, of course, no one did not know about it. In those moments, Harry fell out of his grace and would never be on his good side again. Ginny also told him part of the prophecy and to his horror asked him to do something that would put her in danger, in a danger that would never have crossed his mind. Despite adamantly refusing, she insisted so much and made him promise that he couldn't help but promise.

She also made him promise something else and handed him a recording sphere, she was asking him to commit a crime, but he promised it with relief, the other promise was the worrying one.

When the night was over, she returned to Lovegood house through the network.

The next day, he was unsure whether to comply or not to comply, to do so would be to put her in direct danger, he knew what it meant to reveal that family secret to strangers. When he arrived at the ministry in the morning, he immediately found himself with the opportunity to do what he promised.

Corban Yaxley, assistant to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had made a habit of following him everywhere, something that puzzled him until the night before, when Ginny told him that he, too, had been in the ministry battle. It was clear that he was spying on him, and they considered him so stupid as not to notice.

They were in the cafeteria, making coffee for their bosses when one of their acquaintances with whom they had a better relationship appeared and took advantage of the moment. He began to complain about his family about the big feast they had organized for Yule, and about the stupid pure-blood customs they kept despite being labeled as blood traitors.

Erasmus, the assistant in the Administrative Service Department of the Wizengamot, laughed at his jokes, he was one of his Hogwarts classmates, from Hufflepuff, with whom he was still on friendly terms. He told some funny anecdotes of his own family's customs.

"Oh, I thought my family was the only one who had those behaviors." He said with a calm smile. "You should look at the things my mother does, for example, my family's runes, (I assume your family has it too), she hides it religiously, she follows those customs of never talking about them as if it were a taboo, but at the same time she despises those customs.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Yaxley was watching them surreptitiously, listening to the whole conversation, and when he saw Erasmus laughing while nodding that his mother did the same, he went on with what he had been asked: "And the craziest thing is the place, she has a clock in the kitchen, where she spends most of his time. You know how the witches of their time do, there the hands are the names of my family and they mark where we are, in that clock hides our runes."

Then they laughed together again.

And Percy fulfilled the first promise he had made to his sister

o-o-o-o

Harry was ecstatic to have Ginny back at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had forbidden him to leave school on his winter break, so he hadn't been able to see her for weeks. That night they slept together again, comforting each other, cuddling as they talked about what they'd done on vacation, Ginny laughed happily when he told her about Hedwig's snub when she saw him petting another owl.

"It's identical to you." He smiled at her as he kissed her nose affectionately. Ginny gave him a crooked smile.

"Are you complaining?"

"Of course not, honey." He told her with real sincerity, he loved that part of her, so fiercely protective of her.

"Good boy." She whispered to him as she kissed his lips gently. Harry reciprocated with emotion, sticking his tongue into her mouth. Soon, he left her lips and began to lower his mouth down her sharp jaw, kissing her chin delicately and eliciting a laugh from her.

He placed himself on top of her and lowered his mouth while licking her neck and reaching the cleavage while caressing her bare legs with his hands, he felt his erection grow and moaned with desire. Ginny's pleading voice made him feel weak and strong at the same time, he felt like he was in a golden haze, unable to think clearly.

He raised his hand until he reached her underwear, barely daring to touch the edge of it, where the hairs erotically scraped his fingers, she sought his mouth and kissed him passionately while clinging to his hair. Harry slipped a trembling finger into her panties, and before he could even touch her pubis without the protection of her clothes, he felt the pain.

An infernal pain, pain so intense, so devastating, that he forgot where he was: it was as if red-hot knives pierced every inch of his skin, and his head exploded with pain, his eyes were spinning like mad. He wished it would end... losing consciousness... die... And then it stopped. His body was left hanging, limp, lying on the bed.

"Voldermort is in Hogwarts" was the last agonizing thought he had as he saw the horrified face of the love of his life before everything went black.

Thanks for the comment :D I really appreciated it

About Colin, maybe I didn't make it clear, but he really knows everything Ginny is doing, at least until now, and she really sees him as a friend and ally, not as someone to use like the others.

Some parts are taken directly from the books, with some modifications, such as the speech about Cedric. Maybe I didn't say it before, but I'm not using anything from the movies, just the books.