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Harry Potter and the Lord of Immortality | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, All, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance Warnings: Death, Disturbing Imagery, Mild Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 69 Summary: The war is beginning, and Voldemort seeks to cast fear into the hearts of the wizarding world as reality hits: he is immortal. Harry Potter struggles to accept his new role in the war and find a way to destroy the man who can't die. AU 6th year. Canon ships, especially HG. Hitcount: Story Total: 49697; Chapter Total: 3013 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Thanks for the great reviews! I've already been making some changes over the next few chapters thanks to the feedback I've gotten--I hope for the better. This chapter is an important turning point for the story and a couple characters. Enjoy! |
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Harry Potter and the Lord of Immortality. Chapter 6: A Birthday Surprise “I believe now is the time.” “My Lord?” “Get me a Portkey to Azkaban.” “But my Lord, the Ministry tracks all Portkey activity.” “And that is why you work at the Ministry, Rodgers. Erase the record of it or steal a Portkey from an official, I don’t care. But I want to be in Azkaban by tomorrow.” -0-0-0- “Good morning, Ginny! And Happy Birthday!” Ginny glared at Harry as she shut her bedroom door behind her. “How can you be so chipper this early?” Harry grinned. “Getting to spend the morning with you? How could I not be happy? And what does that say about me?” “It says that you are not worth the morning wake-up call,” Ginny said flatly. Harry made a clicking noise with his tongue. “And here I was going to give you your first couple presents of the day…” Ginny suddenly looked excited. “What presents?” Harry paused, acting like he was considering not giving it to her. When her glare returned, Harry laughed and opened her door again. He stepped inside her room, which she lightly protested. “Harry, what are you…” But Ginny went silent, not wanting to wake Hermione. Harry tried not to look around her room too much, wanting to respect her privacy as much as he could while walking uninvited through her room. It was a small and simple room, but distinctly Ginny. It wasn’t messy, but certainly not clean. She had pictures of her family in the most important places, but a couple of small posters of the Harpies quidditch team as well. Hermione slumbered deeply on a cot similar to the one Harry had in Ron’s room. He pulled out his wand and waved it at the window, through which streamed the bright, morning sun. A thick and large curtain immediately appeared and the room grew dark. Harry turned around to find Ginny just inches away from him. It was a strange sensation, being this close to Ginny in a darkened room. He could feel her body heat and just make out her distinguishing features. His heart suddenly beat a little faster. He lowered his voice and spoke just above a whisper. “Birthday gift number one: you get some more sleep this morning. Number two: when you wake up, get your swimming suit.” He could just make out her lips turning upwards in a smile as she whispered back, “We’re finally going swimming for our workout?” “I wanted it to warm up a little before we get in a cold pond,” Harry said, nodding. “I’ll be downstairs when you wake up. Happy Birthday, Gin.” He led her over to her bed and pulled back the covers, wanting to ensure she got some extra sleep. He then made his way to the door and shut it tightly behind him. After another two hours, which Harry spent reading an Auror dueling techniques book that Tonks had given him to prep for her lessons, Ginny came down the stairs. She was clearly wearing her swimming suit underneath a light shirt and shorts. Harry smiled at her as he set his book down on the table. “Feeling extra rested for our extra intense workout?” Harry asked. Ginny chuckled. She had been trying to convince Harry that she could swim so intensely that it was a much better workout than running. Now, she was finally getting her chance to prove it. “I forgot how incredible it is to sleep in! Did you go back to bed, too?” “Nah,” Harry said. “I can never go back to sleep once I’m up.” The truth was that Harry hadn’t gone to sleep at all. Dumbledore had approved of the experiment that Harry had suggested to Tonks and Remus a few days earlier. The spell was complicated, and Dumbledore had been present the first time to make sure Harry cast it correctly. Today was the second day that Harry funneled some of his magical energy into physical energy. It was an odd feeling, as he cast the spell for nearly ten minutes, to literally feel his physical fatigue disappear as he simultaneously felt his magical energy fading. But Harry was excited to see if there were noticeable affects both physically and magically going forward. Ginny led Harry outside and they began the short walk to the pond. It wasn’t a big body of water, by any means, but it was sufficient for a nice swim. Harry was actually very surprised that he had not gone earlier in the summer. But then he remembered he was gone with Sirius or Dumbledore for the majority of the daytime. “I can’t believe you could’ve given me curtains this whole summer, and made me suffer the annoying six o’clock wakeup call of the sun anyway,” Ginny conversed as the pond came into view in the distance. “And take away the one thing that makes my mornings bearable?” Harry asked with a smile. He knew Ginny enjoyed the morning routine as much as he did, but she liked to complain about it in jest. “I’m far too selfish for that.” Before long, they arrived at the pond, and Harry pulled off his shirt. He walked forward and tested the water. Just as he feared, it was quite cold. He turned around to complain to Ginny, but he immediately forgot what he was going to say the moment he saw her. She was in the process of pulling off her own shirt to strip down to her swimming suit, and Harry felt some heat rise within him. If Harry had been surprised how much she had grown up earlier in the summer, now that there was only a very thin layer of clothing covering just select areas of her, Harry was in shock. The covering left almost nothing to the imagination, which ironically got Harry’s imagination going immediately. She was beautiful, and Harry felt his hormones getting the best of him. “What?” Ginny said, bringing him out of his fog. He realized at that moment that he must have been staring at her quite creepily. She looked a little confused and he saw a faint blush sneaking up her face. Throughout the summer, Harry had grown very comfortable with Ginny. They saw each other at their worst–sweaty, red-faced, out of breath, and in Harry’s case stinky. As a result, Harry found he could do or say most anything around Ginny that he would with Ron or Hermione. When coupled with spending hours with a very honest and blunt Sirius and a flirtatious Tonks, Harry found that he didn’t have much of a filter anymore. “Sorry for ogling,” Harry said, chuckling a bit to ease the situation. “Just realizing you aren’t anybody’s little sister anymore. The teenage boy in me…you understand.” The faint blush in Ginny’s cheeks turned into a full-blown flush. She tried to shake her head and laugh at what Harry had said, but he sensed she was feeling uncomfortable, or some other emotion akin to it. She wouldn’t meet his eyes. He tried to play it off and act like nothing was the matter. “Come on, let’s get swimming.” Harry now had only positive things to say about the water being cold. He turned and dove into the water, his breath momentarily leaving him as he was encompassed by the cool liquid. It felt good after he began swimming and pumping his arms quickly. After a lap, he checked to make sure Ginny had gotten in and wasn’t still thinking about what he had said. What had he said, exactly? That he was staring at her body and was turned on by it? It was strange to think of Ginny like that, after so many years of her just being Ron’s little sister. But he had to admit–now that the notion had so unexpectedly and forcefully entered his mind–that Ginny was a beautiful girl. Unfortunately, this train of thought coincided with Harry’s search for Ginny in the water. And while he was thinking these things, his eyes roamed her body as she stroked through the water. Harry quietly cursed at himself for being such a creeper and thanked Merlin that she had her head in the water while swimming and didn’t catch him eying her a second time. Harry decided he needed to get back to swimming, and put his head down immediately and started another lap. It didn’t take long for Harry to come up with another reason he preferred running to swimming. The mornings had been a nice time to chat with Ginny as they jogged. He learned all about her upbringing, found out some dirt on Ron (to add to the already large pile he had), and even gossiped a little, which Harry found to be quite the guilty pleasure. After just ten minutes of swimming, Harry was quite tired, and quite bored, missing that conversation and companionship. Even though she was in the pond with him, they might as well have been in two different pools. Wanting to change this, Harry dove deep into the water and swam in Ginny’s path. When she passed over him, he reached up and grabbed one of her ankles–hoping to scare her. Instead, he got her other foot right to the jaw as she reacted quickly to get away from whatever creature had grabbed her. Harry came up out of the water, half laughing, and half moaning. Ginny’s initial look of fear was replaced by relief, and then a smug look crossed her face. She was breathing heavily and Harry was reminded that she was a very pretty girl, even when–or perhaps especially when–soaking wet. A frightening thought then crossed his mind that he might never be able to look at Ginny without commenting to himself on her beauty. “Serves you right,” Ginny said. “Grabbing my leg like that!” Harry chuckled and moved his jaw to make sure nothing was permanently injured. “I’m fine, by the way. Thank you for your concern.” “You are getting the exact amount of concern you deserve.” Harry narrowed his eyes at her. “Well, then, I think you deserve a little something as well.” Harry lunged forward, grabbing a squealing Ginny, and dragging her down into the water. For a few exhausting minutes they wrestled in the water, each trying to force the other down. Ginny knew a couple of impressive moves to get him under water. Combined with the fact that he had to watch very closely where he put his hands, and he was nearly evenly matched. Soon, they were both panting and crawled back onto dry land. “And…you said…we wouldn’t…get a proper workout,” Ginny managed between huge gasps of air. “I didn’t count on you being such a scrappy fighter…” Harry responded, equally spent. He reached his wand and summoned two towels. The two teenagers dried off quickly while Ginny explained that one learns a few things about fighting people bigger than you when growing up the youngest of seven. They set the towels down and lay down in the sun, feeling its warm rays heat their cooled bodies. “I think I’d have beaten Ron easier than you.” “Yes, well my dear brother would be daydreaming about Hermione so much that a six year-old girl could wrestle him underwater.” They spread out their towels onto the grassy edge of the pond and lay on their backs. “Strange, isn’t it? To have his head so far in the clouds and not even know it?” Ginny laughed. “I’m sure he’s caught on by now. What about you?” “Oh, I’ve known for ages. A couple years, maybe.” Ginny laughed again, this time at Harry. “No…not about Ron. Is there anybody you fancy?” Harry gave a short laugh before responding. “Not currently. My last attempt was a bit of a fiasco…and I just haven’t cared much lately. You know, there are bigger things in my life to worry about than whether or not a girl likes me and what my feelings are for her.” Ginny frowned. “You can’t mean you just intend not to be with anyone until the war is over? That’s a pretty sad thought…what if it lasts years, like last time?” Harry shook his head. “No, I just mean I’m not concerned with it. If something happens, then great…but I’m not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it.” Harry paused for a moment before asking Ginny, “What about you?” Ginny looked a little embarrassed briefly before responding. “Yea, I’ve been dating Dean since the last month of last term… “ Confusion and surprise filled Harry before a vague memory of the last train ride home from Hogwarts came back to him. In this memory, Harry recalled Ginny telling Ron that she had begun dating Dean. He didn’t think much of it then, and not much since then obviously. However, now that he had developed a much stronger friendship with Ginny, he felt horrible for not knowing this detail of her life. “Oh, Merlin…I am so sorry Gin, I completely forgot. Of course you are with Dean. I feel like an arse right now.” Ginny shrugged it off. “It’s no problem, it’s not as though we’ve talked about it.” Harry leaned up on his elbow from on his towel to get a better view of Ginny as he questioned her. “Yea…and why hasn’t this come up before? We’ve talked about a lot of things, and–granted I don’t have much experience in this matter–this seems like one that should come up often.” Ginny wouldn’t meet Harry’s eyes as she responded. “I guess it just hasn’t…” When Harry raised his eyebrows, Ginny continued carefully. “It’s not like it’s very serious. I haven’t even seen him in two months, after all. We write back and forth a couple times a week. Though…it’s been nearly two weeks since he’s written,” Ginny added, almost as an afterthought. Harry was about to interrogate Ginny further when he was interrupted by a voice from behind him. “So this is what you guys do on your ‘morning runs’ every day. Laying out and getting some sun. I should have known…” Harry grinned up as his best friend approached with Hermione in tow. He had left a note asking Ron to join them as soon as he and Hermione were awake. “Now you know our dirty secret,” Harry said jokingly. “I told Ginny swimming would just turn into fun instead of a workout.” Ginny glowered at him. “I seem to recall it was you who put a quick end to our workouts.” “I never said it would be your fault, now did I?” Ginny opened her mouth to retaliate, but had nothing to refute with, so she shut it quickly. Ron and Hermione chuckled as they laid out their towels to join Harry and Ginny on the grass. They wished Ginny a happy birthday, chatted amiably about the morning, and Harry found it very difficult to steer the conversation back to Dean. He was also confused as to why he cared so much. Perhaps it was the gossip in him, or a desire to know she was being treated well. Whatever the case, Harry shook his head and decided it wasn’t his business and if Ginny didn’t want to discuss it, then he wouldn’t make her. As their conversation turned to their pending trip to Diagon Alley later that day, Ron and Hermione shed their outer clothing to enjoy the sun and water better. Harry noted Ron sneaking glances at Hermione, and it made him cringe at letting his hormones get the better of him earlier. He had to laugh though, looking at Ron as he seemed to have an internal struggle of wanting to check his friend out while not wanting to be gross about it. Harry decided to help his best mate out a little, so he stood up, and picked up a very surprised Hermione. She starting screaming when she realized where Harry was taking her, but Harry threw her into the pond before she could fight back. He turned back to Ron who had a very strange expression on his face. Anger. Shrugging it off, Harry got a grin on his face and grabbed Ron’s arm. Again, the surprise gave Harry the edge he needed, as it took all of his strength to hoist Ron to his feet and shove him in after Hermione. Harry laughed loudly when Hermione screamed a second time–this time because Ron was falling down on top of her. They emerged from under the water coughing, sputtering, and cursing Harry’s name. Harry simply laughed in response. His laugh was short-lived, however, because of a forceful push from behind that sent him hurtling forward. Luckily, his Seeker reflexes kicked in, and he contorted his body to grab the arm of Ginny and drag her in with him. They landed in the water and Harry pulled her close to him to keep her under the water with him. She struggled against him, trying to get free, as Harry simply laughed, bubbles escaping his mouth and floating to the surface. Harry opened his eyes, ignoring the irritation from the water, to find her looking right back at him. His laughter stopped as they caught each other’s blurry gaze. It was an odd feeling, holding her close to him underwater. He felt the curves of her body very intimately against his own. Her hair floated angelically behind her and her face had grown serious, just inches from his own. Harry decided he liked the odd feeling very, very much. But unfortunately, the need to breathe was a more urgent feeling, and he pushed them up to the surface, where they took deep breaths, and he released Ginny reluctantly. Ron and Hermione cheered her on for pushing Harry in while Harry swam for his life to avoid the fury of his friends. He couldn’t help but notice Ginny hanging back a bit, though, seemingly lost in thought. 0-0-0- Harry strode purposefully down Diagon Alley. He was having a great day with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. They got their books together, ate some lunch, and visited Fred and George’s new shop. The twins had updated him on their progress with the mirrors, but after just a few days, didn’t have much to report on. All in all, it had just been a very good day. Harry made a mental note to thank Sirius for taking the day off, later. But it was also Ginny’s birthday–and because of this, Harry made an excuse to leave his group of friends and made his way quickly to the broom store. He had done his research, of course. He read through several magazines and ads to find out what broom would best fit Ginny’s skill set and needs. At the same time, he knew he could not get her a very new broom–she would be very hesitant to accept a costly broom. It would be tough enough to get her to accept any gift that cost more than a few galleons. When he arrived, he strode quickly over to the Nimbus line. Harry never knew that the Nimbus brand was actually aimed at Chasers–he had always assumed it was perfect for a Seeker because he loved his first broom so much. But careful study had shown that the Nimbus line was second only to the Firebolt, which was still leagues ahead of everyone else, despite it being three years old. The Numbus 2002 was brand new. That meant that the 2001 had dropped significantly in price. Even so, it was perhaps more costly than Ginny would feel comfortable with. Fortunately, Harry had a soft spot in his heart for the Nimbus 2000. That, coupled with its diminished price, would hopefully be enough to convince Ginny to accept the gift. She deserved a broom of her own, and a good one at that. Harry made a couple of purchases, and walked outside. He looked up at the sky and found Hedwig circling above, as he had asked her to do. He couldn’t trust the shop’s owls to deliver the broom because they might deliver it in front of everyone and ruin the surprise. Harry could tell Hedwig, however, to deliver it straight to his room, where Ginny rarely visited. He waved to his owl, and the brilliant bird flew down and landed on his outstretched arm. He quickly tied the package to her leg and gave her a small snack. He thanked her and reminded her to deliver it straight to his room. She hooted and glared at Harry, clearly offended that he thought he had to repeat his instructions. “Sorry, girl,” Harry smiled. “Better safe than sorry, right?” He lifted his arm and she took off into the air. He watched her fly off for a short while. Then Harry frowned when he realized the sky suddenly seemed a shade or two dimmer. A chill went down his spine. Immediately, Harry pulled out his wand, scanning the heavens for more clues. But the sky simply got a little dimmer, and Harry got a little colder. They’re close, Harry thought to himself. But where? Harry started moving through Diagon Alley. Other people seemed to be noticing the same thing as him as they stared up at the sky and held themselves tightly, trying to warm up. Soon, parents were seen ushering their children to the nearest floo ports, older witches and wizards began disapparating, and most everyone had out their wands. Harry quickened his pace as he ran towards the Leaky Cauldron, listening closely to conversations as he passed by different groups of people. “Must be Dementors,” said one older man. A small girl asked, “Mum, why is it so cold?” Further down, Harry noticed a member of the DMLE. “…not in Diagon Alley. They’re in muggle London, just outside the Leaky…” Harry’s eyes widened. Attacking muggles! From what Harry understood, Dementors didn’t care much for muggles. Their souls lacked magic and therefore true sustenance. That meant that they were acting on orders. And that meant Azkaban had been cleared… Harry began sprinting towards the Leaky Cauldron, trying to clear his mind of all the negative thoughts and emotions and just focus on happiness. Given the nature of his summer, these memories were not hard to come by. Harry opened the secret passage into the Leaky Cauldron, rushed through the bustling bar, and dashed out into muggle London. He was dressed in robes, and would likely look a bit foolish in front of the muggles. However, the odds were that there would be an enormous memory erasing later this afternoon, so Harry didn’t worry too much. As he opened the door, what he saw terrified him. Dementors roamed the streets, hunting muggles. Harry saw young families huddled together, tears streaming down their faces. He saw more than a few bodies lying motionless in the streets, and Harry feared their state. He wasn’t sure what would happen to a muggle when they received a Dementor’s Kiss. If it killed them, Harry hoped that it was a quick and painless death, for their sake. How terrifying this experience must be for them–able to feel the misery and despair of a Dementor, but have absolutely no idea of its cause. If they could think clearly, most of them would probably assume they were contracting mental and psychological illnesses. Harry spotted a couple of witches and wizards, who tried their best to fend off the Dementors. Harry was proud to see several of them standing between muggles and Dementors, even if all they could form was a tiny silver wisp. Harry closed his eyes for a moment, and envisioned Sirius, surprisingly alive in Grimmauld Place. He thought of their long conversations about his life, future, and hopes, feeling the loving support of a parental figure that was his own for the first time in his memory. Opening his eyes, Harry shouted, “Expecto Patronum!” Larger and brighter than Harry had ever before seen it, the silver stag emerged from Harry’s wand and charged into action. Harry directed the stag immediately towards a family cowering near a restaurant. A Dementor was closing in on the terrified muggles, but the stag arrived just in time and bowled the Dementor over. The monster cried out in pain and immediately took to the skies and retreated. As the silver Prongs dashed to Harry’s right to chase off a small group of Dementors, Harry looked left and found a Dementor closing in on a man who was laying prostrate on the ground, shivering. Harry thought to call out to Prongs, but noticed he was busy protecting another family. So Harry did what he always did: he was stupidly heroic. He burst into a sprint and headed right to the man as the Dementor leaned over him. The closer he got, the harder it was to think happy thoughts. It was getting colder and colder with each step. He decided to hold on to one very fresh memory–his morning at the lake with his friends–and dove at the Dementor. Harry’s stupid heroics prevented him from thinking clearly quite often. Case in point, Voldemort had been able to trick him with ease just months previous to go to the Department of Mysteries. Once again, his bravery had gotten in the way of smart, rational thought. Had he gone through this action in his head, it would have been obvious that it wouldn’t work too well. Yet, Harry’s stupid heroics often saved lives. Harry collided with the Dementor, his shoulder hitting a very thin and skeletal structure beneath the billowing cloak. Immediately, his solitary happy memory vanished as despair filled him. His mother’s screaming, Cedric’s body falling limp to the ground, Sirius’ body flying through the veil–it filled Harry’s mind and he could sense his consciousness fading. But, amidst this internal pain, Harry glanced up and found the Dementor he struck writhing on the ground in equivalent pain. His mind too muddled to wonder why, Harry instead tried to latch on to a memory once more. After watching Sirius fall through the veil once more in his mind’s eye, Harry kept the vision in place until Sirius emerged from that same veil, a mischievous look on his face. Relief flooded through Harry. It wasn’t happiness, per say, but it was a truth that the Dementor could not take away from him. Sirius came back out of that veil. His death was not the end. With this thought, Harry fended off the black that was pervading his senses and clarity began to come back. After a few moments in this state, Harry felt happiness coming back into his soul and lifted himself up to look for the source. Prongs was charging towards them. Just as Harry had lost happiness with each step he had taken towards the Dementor, now it was filling him with each gallop of the silver stag. The patronus dipped its head as it arrived and thrust its antlers into the Dementor. A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as the Dementor was knocked back some twenty feet, cloak billowing in the air. The Dementor struggled to stand up, but faltered. Prongs moved to strike again, but not before another Dementor arrived and aided the first to its feet. Together, they glided into the air, retreating. The man lying next to Harry stopped shaking and was able to sit up. He was in his forties, his dark hair receding. He looked around, trying to understand what was happening. Unfortunately, looking around only seemed to make him more confused. Harry knew he had to get this man out of the main street, so he just started talking. “It’s a terrorist attack,” Harry started, realizing at least that was the truth. “Some sort of neurotoxin that affects emotions.” Harry scanned the street, determining where the safest place to hide would be. “Get in the shops to the east–I don’t think the toxin has spread over there.” The man looked confusedly at the sixteen year old boy telling him how to keep safe. But, his gratitude ultimately topped his logic. “I don’t know what you did, son, but thank you.” The man stood and ran towards a music shop. Harry sighed in relief, but determined to learn from his near-death encounter. Prongs seemed satisfied that Harry was safe and started off again, fending Dementors away. Harry wasn’t entirely certain what a Dementor went through when in the presence of a patronus. But as he watched his stag chase after and charge into several of the Dementors, it was clear that it did lasting damage. The dark creatures didn’t simply run away and then come back when the patronus went in a different direction. They needed time to recuperate. As Harry tried to stay close to his own patronus to avoid the negative effects of the Dementors, he found that other witches and wizards were having more luck with their own patronuses now that his was present and alleviating some of the Dementors’ depression. In addition, other wizards were soon arriving on the scene. Harry recognized many as Ministry workers–some aurors, some magical law enforcement. Harry also saw many members of the Order arrive, and soon, they had developed a perimeter and were pushing further into London. It didn’t take long to realize the Dementors had been concentrated in the area just outside of Diagon Alley. Harry was relieved to see the attack had not done terrible damage, though there were several bodies, dead in the streets and shops. Harry felt sick to his stomach as he looked on them. Lupin and Tonks managed to find Harry after the last of the Dementors had been scared away. “Hey Harry. I thought I saw your stag,” Remus said. “Why am I not surprised you’re here?” He was winded, and looked much older than he usually did. Harry realized the full moon was just a few days away. “Hey Moony,” Harry responded. “Tonks.” Tonks, recently bright and flirtatious around Harry, looked grim and confused. “Wotcher, Harry. Why attack muggles so close to people who can fight them?” Remus also looked confused. It didn’t seem like that wise of an attack. Harry thought for a moment before responding. “He’s not attacking muggles, really.” Both Tonks and Lupin looked at him confusedly. “The bodies on the ground would suggest otherwise, Harry,” Lupin said sadly. “Of course,” Harry said, backpedaling. “I don’t mean to diminish how terrible this is…it’s just, there’s something bigger going on here.” Sirius seemed to appear out of nowhere as he joined the conversation from behind Harry. “Harry’s right, Moony. Voldemort may not care for muggles and be fine with killing them, but this was a message to the wizarding world. Voldemort is growing in power, and does not have any rules.” Tonks nodded. “A fear tactic.” Harry jumped back in. “Dumbledore always said that fear was his greatest weapon. Not knowing what to expect from him, thinking he could strike anywhere at any time with many different weapons. He’s splitting the wizarding world apart–that’s what he’s doing.” Moony seemed to draw the same conclusion. “He’s simultaneously attracting followers who think he will come out victorious and sending would-be opponents to the ‘safety’ of inactivity. But why not just attack Diagon Alley if he’s looking to make us afraid?” Harry thought about this for a moment. “Well, what’s his end goal here? Destruction or a takeover?” When no one responded, Harry continued. “If it’s about destruction, I have no answer for you Moony. But if what Voldemort wants to do is take over society, then I’m sure he wants to keep it intact. I wouldn’t want to take over a mess.” Sirius looked thoughtful. “Yes, which means step one is fear and uncertainty and step two is offering us a choice.” Tonks continued. “A choice between a world with terror and uncertainty or his rule.” Lupin shook his head. “He plans to ransom our safety, asking for the country in return.” “And he’s using the muggles right now as a taste of the ransom, hoping that we give in before he has to turn on his own kind.” Harry didn’t think it would be so easy. The wizarding world wouldn’t just bend over because of a few terrorist attacks. In fact, it may just unite the wizarding population and give them cause to fight back. As if following his own train of thought, Tonks spoke worriedly. “It won’t work…unless he weakens the ministry so much that the people don’t find any hope from them.” “Even then,” Harry spoke optimistically, “Would people really trust him to keep them safe? The one who has just been killing muggles and plans to wipe out those without pure blood?” Moony chuckled darkly. “Harry, I admire your faith in humanity…but most people are much more prejudiced than you and me. Just look at how I’m treated by the majority of our society.” “Moony’s right, Harry,” Sirius added, glaring at the destruction around them. “Many of the wizarding world would gladly give up the werewolves and muggleborns of society to have peace. What we need to do is stand as fearless opponents to Voldemort–show people that we don’t have to give in.” Memory specialists and other ministry officials involved in the statute of secrecy soon arrived to do damage control. Sirius ushered Harry away before they could question him. However, he noticed a flash of a camera before he made it back into the Leaky Cauldron. He cursed his stupidity of being out in the open like that–now he would certainly be part of the story tomorrow. And he just now realized that the supposedly deceased and evil Sirius Black was walking along with him. Looks like the cat is out of the bag, Harry thought. Or the dog out of the kennel, I guess. Sirius sent him through the floo quickly and Harry was surprised to find Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waiting impatiently on the other side of the network. He was immediately caught up in a hug by the women while Ron looked on in relief. “Where did you run off to, Harry Potter?” Mrs. Weasley said in a very disapproving but motherly way. Harry felt a strange joy at being berated by her. “Well, I was off to do a little personal shopping, as I told these three,” Harry responded, motioning to his friends, “when I felt the Dementors closing in. I knew I had to help…” “Oh no you did not!” Mrs. Weasley interrupted. “You are too young to be rushing off to fight, Harry. Let the Order worry about that.” Harry fought down the urge to snap at Mrs. Weasley. He knew she was only trying to protect him and that this was a demonstration of her care for him, not a lack of trust. This helped him stay calm, but his anger was still boiling up. “Mrs. Weasley…do you know what I saw when I walked out of the Leaky Cauldron? I saw a young muggle family unable to protect themselves. They were all sobbing, and they didn’t understand why. Cold and shivering for seemingly no reason. The father and mother held their two children tightly as a Dementor closed in on them.” Mrs. Weasley’s face softened as worry was replaced by fear and grief. Harry continued. “I may not be the most qualified or powerful wizard, Mrs. Weasley. But I could do something to help them. I could make sure that family got home today. Together, in one piece. “Maybe you don’t think it’s safe–and it isn’t! But that’s exactly why I’ve got to do everything I can to help those who can’t help themselves.” Harry thought of the prophecy and his words rang even more true to him. For the first time in a while, the magnitude of Trelawny’s prognostication hit Harry. “Sometimes, I’m the only one that can help–and if I don’t step up in that moment, who will?” -0-0-0- “We really don’t need to celebrate,” Ginny said softly. “Not after what happened today.” Her mother made an annoyed sound as she brought the cake in and set it on the kitchen table. “Nonsense, Ginny. Of course we are going to celebrate. It’s your birthday!” Ginny knew this, naturally. But she still felt terrible preparing to blow out candles when families had been torn apart in a terrorist attack just hours earlier. She felt a hand on her own. She looked up to find its owner looking deeply at her–almost as if he saw through her. She suspected sometimes that Harry could see right into her soul. He smiled sadly at her and squeezed her hand. “Ginny, if we don’t keep living our lives, he’s winning. We have no way of striking back right now other than being happy and continuing strong.” Ginny gave him a small smile and nodded. She tried not to let her disappointment show when his hand left her own. She thought this an odd statement to come from the brood master himself–then again, Harry was more qualified to make that comment than anyone she knew, and it meant a lot to her. As she looked around the table, Hermione, Ron, Fred, and George all nodded their heads in agreement. “Harry’s right, sis.” Fred said. “Old Moldy-Warts wins when we stop having fun,” George continued. Molly made an outraged noise at the irreverent nickname given to their greatest enemy. “Yup,” Ron agreed. “So let’s have some cake to spite the monster.” Everyone chuckled and began to eat. Ginny did her best to forget the afternoon’s events and enjoy the evening. It was made much easier by her family’s good nature and her memories of that morning. To start the great morning had been her first real sleep-in for weeks. Few things made Ginny happier than sleep. As it happened, one of those few things was waiting for her when she woke up–Harry. She felt so at ease around him, like she could be herself one hundred percent of the time. Perhaps that’s why she had never brought up Dean around him before today. She didn’t want anything to change the friendship she had with him. Although, if she was being honest with herself, she knew it had a lot more to do with not wanting to hinder any feelings Harry might develop for her. She felt terrible about having so little faith in her future with Dean and determined not to let her feelings for Harry get in the way of developing feelings for people who actually reciprocated them. But, a voice in her head interrupted, he did look at you today. I mean…really looked at you. Ginny sighed, which got her a couple of strange looks at the dinner table. It was tough having a conversation in one’s head while also trying to take part in what was going on around you. Shrugging off their weird looks, Ginny continued to eat her cake while glancing at Harry, who was engaged in a deep conversation with George about one of their products he had seen earlier that day. She had to mentally tell herself to look away. She could stare at him for hours if no one was watching. Ginny repressed another sigh–one that was aimed at her own foolishness and love-sick attitude. But, the voice said again, seemingly unable to make a statement that wasn’t contradictory. He’s certainly noticing you now… Yes, Harry was a teenage boy. And Ginny had grown up enough for Harry to take notice. Ginny would be very surprised if Harry (or any other boy) didn’t stare a little at most girls. The little voice in her head went on to highlight the fun they had together, the look he gave her when they were underwater together, the way he held her so close to his unfairly and irresistibly toned body. A body that she had gawked at as much as Harry ever did at hers. But for every argument the voice in her head had that Harry might like her, Ginny was able to refute it with some excuse. Ultimately, Ginny and the voice in her head decided to call it a stalemate until further evidence presented itself. “Oi, Ginny!” Ginny startled out of her thoughts and looked at Ron, who was waving his hand in front of her face. “What, Ronald?” Ginny responded hotly, quite embarrassed to once again be caught in her head. She chanced another look at Harry, who had a very amused look on his face. She merely narrowed her eyes at him. “We asked if you wanted to open your presents.” This changed her attitude immediately and she nodded enthusiastically. Everyone present retrieved their gifts to give to her. Harry was the last to arrive back at the table. One by one they gave gifts–none of which surprised Ginny really. Candy, clothes, prank items, and books–nothing out of the ordinary, but wonderful nonetheless. Harry pulled out his gift, which she unwrapped excitedly. It was a broom tuning kit, which Ginny was grateful for. Upon closer inspection, however, she found that the kit was designed for a Nimbus broom. It would work just fine on her dated Cleansweep, but Ginny was a little disheartened that Harry didn’t even remember what broom she used. They had talked about it a few times over the summer and flown together often. She let none of these negative emotions cross her face, of course. She was very grateful for the gift and it would still be very useful. “Thank you, Harry!” she exclaimed, giving him a quick hug. She thought he had a bit of a smirk on his face, which she found to be an odd expression for the situation. The evening wore on, and after a few games and another round of cake, Fred and George left for their flat in Diagon Alley. Ron yawned widely (and very unattractively, Ginny noted) and exclaimed he was also ready to turn in. He wished Ginny a happy birthday one last time before heading up the stairs. Hermione buried herself in one of the books that she had given Ginny–one that Ginny suspected she had already read twice over. Why not a third time, though? Glancing at Harry, she found him smiling at Hermione, likely thinking the same thing. When Ginny made to get up and go to her room, Harry immediately stood and followed her. Secretly, Ginny was very flattered and pleased that he wanted to do something so small as walk up the stairs with her. But, she told herself not to dwell on it as Harry began to speak to her. “So, excluding an awful middle, how was your birthday, Ginny?” Ginny thought about it for a moment. “Well, a sleep-in, a fun morning at the pond with you, a trip to Diagon Alley, an attack on London that we are excluding from this list, a great dinner, cake, and presents. I’d say it was pretty great.” They arrived at Ginny’s door, where she expected him to say goodbye. Instead he stopped and smiled at her. “You never commented on my bad present.” Ginny frowned. “Bad? It wasn’t bad!” “You ride a Cleansweep, Ginny. That tuner will do an average job at best.” While Ginny felt immediately better that Harry had been listening and paying attention during their talking and flying, she felt quite confused now as to why he would have bought a “bad” present for her. “Better that nothing,” Ginny commented, uncertainly. “Well, I think you deserve much better than that,” Harry said and pushed her bedroom door open for the second time that day. Ginny looked inside, as confused as ever, until her eyes landed on a beautiful broom, sitting on her bed. Ginny felt excitement run through her. Her jaw dropped involuntarily and she rushed into her room, giving a very light squeal. She picked up the broom in her hands–a Nimbus 2000! It felt so perfect in her small hands. She had read recently that Nimbus was the best line for Chasers, and now she owned one! But just as sudden as the elation had come, so did it vanish. She turned around sharply and opened her mouth to explain why she was extremely grateful, but could not accept this very expensive gift. She was surprised to find that Harry had stepped into her room and was standing right behind her when she turned around. Before any words left her mouth, Harry had a finger against her lips–motioning for her to keep quiet. She did, but not so much because he was telling her to as the fact that Harry was touching her lips and she momentarily forgot how to speak. “Don’t you dare say you can’t accept this. It is my gift to you.” “But–“ Ginny began, speaking over Harry’s finger. But he cut her off. “But nothing. It’s two models old now, and is a fraction of the cost.” “But–“ she said again, to the same end. “This is the same as my very first broom, Ginny. Nothing would make me happier than to see you riding it during our matches.” “But–“ she attempted a third time. “Ginny,” Harry interrupted, but his voice was patient. “Don’t tell Sirius this, but he hasn’t been undeclared dead yet, and his will left everything to me. That means I still have all of his money. I’m loaded!” Harry grinned, and Ginny herself let out a laugh. Harry dropped his finger, which was somewhat disappointing. After a pregnant pause, Ginny conceded and threw herself into Harry’s arms, causing him to stumble backwards a bit before he hugged her tightly in return. What an odd thing. Harry Potter had just given her one of the–if not the–best and most thoughtful gifts she had ever received. Harry Potter. Not only that, but he was currently hugging her tightly in her own bedroom. If told three months ago that this would happen on her birthday, Ginny would have laughed. If told this a year ago, she would have had the predictor committed to the mental ward at St. Mungo’s. Hermione had recently told her about when she had become friends with Ron and Harry. All it took was for the three of them to share a traumatic experience together and they had been nearly inseparable since. Ginny wondered if the same had happened with her and the encounter with Death Eaters at the Ministry. Whatever the case, as she released Harry from the hug, Ginny was very grateful. “Thank you, Harry,” she whispered fiercely up at him. He looked down at her with those beautiful green eyes that could peer right into her soul. “Happy Birthday, Ginny,” Harry whispered back. Ginny’s breath caught as he winked at her and turned to leave. Ginny went to bed that night having completely forgotten about the attack on London. The next morning she would feel slightly guilty about it–but then again, Harry had that calming effect on people. He made her feel safe, like everything was okay. It had been a very happy birthday, indeed. |
| Reviews 69 |
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