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2000 Miles | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Tragedy, Drama Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 453 Summary: When Harry realises his need for Ginny he eventually finds a way to tell her how he feels, but their fairytale romance is interrupted by a battle with the Dark Lord, and Ginny is determined that she won't lose Harry and is prepared to go to any lengths to prevent it. H/G, R/Hr. Hitcount: Story Total: 164390; Chapter Total: 6444 |
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O that ‘twere possible, After long grief and pain, To find the arms of my true- love Round me once again!… A shadow flits before me- Not thou, but like to thee. Ah God! that it were possible For one short hour to see The souls we loved, that they might tell us What and where they be. ~By Alfred, Lord Tennyson Chapter XXVI: Breaking All the Rules It was late at night in Ottery St. Catchpole. In a crooked old house, set away from the village, a young woman was sneaking across the landing into the bedroom of a young man who was certainly not family. “That’s the alarm, Arthur,” said Molly Weasley sitting up in bed. “What alarm?” asked her husband, groggily. “The one I placed this afternoon to detect if either Harry or Ginny left their rooms,” she said. “Oh, Molly,” said Arthur. “Leave them be.” “They’re not getting up to any of their shenanigans, not under my roof!” “They’ve been through an awful lot, Molly,” said Arthur. “You know as well as I do that they love each other. Let them have some happiness for once.” Molly sighed. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “I know that you’re worried about her,” said Arthur. “She’s my little girl too, you know. But she’s already proved that she can look after herself, and you know that Harry would die before he let anything bad happen to her.” “I know,” said Molly lying back down. “And n a way that’s what I’m afraid of. Voldemort may be gone, but there’s still a lot of unrest, and both of them will have made enemies. It would crush Ginny to have finally found him only to lose him again. I don’t know if she’d ever recover from it.” “She’s not going to lose him,” said Arthur. “They’re going to be safe. Dumbledore will make sure of it.” “Why do I get the feeling that you know something that I don’t?” said Molly. “Don’t worry, love,” said Arthur. “I used to get that feeling all the time.” “Bye, everyone!” said Ginny as she stepped into the fireplace with her school trunk. Her belongings had been returned to her family after her disappearance at the end of the last year. Harry had already left and she would be joining him moments later in Dumbledore’s office to discuss their situation. “Good afternoon, Miss Weasley,” said Dumbledore cheerfully as she stepped out of the fireplace. “Good afternoon, Professor,” she said taking a seat next to Harry. She paused for a moment remembering the time, so many months ago when she had sat in that very spot learning that she would be the one to lead Hogwarts through its darkest hour. Neither Ginny, nor Harry could have had any idea what the next few months would bring for them, or that they would even survive. Ginny smiled at Harry. He took her hand and squeezed it. “First of all,” said Dumbledore. “I believe that congratulations are in order.” “Thank you, sir,” said Ginny. “Now,” continued Dumbledore. “You have a very unique situation. As you know it is against the rules for teachers and students to be together as you two are, but it does seem unfair as less than a year ago you could be together and nobody would bat an eyelid. Therefore, I have discussed this situation with the staff and we have decided that as long as you are discreet, i.e. you give the pupils no sign that you are in fact an item, we see no reason why you can’t be together. This means no kissing in corridors or any contact that may look suspicious. In school hours you are simply student and teacher nothing more. Now, I know there will be rumours, I do not doubt it, as many students will remember what went less than a year ago, but as long as there is nothing to confirm the rumours they will simply remain as rumours.” “Are you sure this is alright?” asked Harry. “I mean, won’t you get into trouble with the Ministry?” “I have cleared this with the Minister,” said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. “The entrance to the staff quarters is behind the portrait of Gladys the Gloomy on the fifth floor. The password is Jumping Jack.” Ginny caught Harry’s eye and both suppressed a giggle. “Harry will be in the first room on the right,” said Dumbledore. “This will cause as little disturbance as possible to the other staff. Each room is fitted with a permanent silencing charm, and a door that locks on which the Alohomora charm will not work. There is also a fireplace for warmth in the winter months as well as communications. Now, I think that is everything. You will be making your reappearance into public society tonight at supper, I assume?” “Yes, sir,” said Ginny. Dumbledore nodded. “One more thing, Miss Weasley,” said Dumbledore. “I have never been prouder of any one of my students as I am of you.” “Sir?” said Ginny, looking slightly red. “Not only did you unite the four houses of this school, which is something that the founders themselves could not do,” explained Dumbledore. “But you left here with nothing except the knowledge that somewhere, someone might be alive. You went to find them with no thought of your own wellbeing, and that is why you were cured. You are the most remarkable witch I’ve ever seen, but what I don’t understand is why you don’t want people to know it.” Ginny glanced at Harry. “I went to find the hostages in the hope that maybe Harry or Charlie or Tonks was alive,” she said. “I didn’t go for glory or for money, I went because of the people who I love. I just hoped that I could save a few more people from going through even more pain.” “And that is why you are the greatest witch of all time,” said Dumbledore quietly. “Thank you, Ginny.” Ginny nodded. “We’ll see you in an hour, sir,” said Harry. He took Ginny’s hand and the two left the office. It was suppertime. The school was assembled in the Great Hall as usual. The five tables were groaning under the weight of all the food. Students were chattering happily when a loud crash brought them to silence. The huge doors burst open and two figures walked through. They stopped. Whispers began filling the hall. Questions with no answers were relayed to friends. The buzzing was reaching an almighty level, when a small, blonde, Gryffindor first year stood up, and began to walk towards the strangers. Ginny and Harry looked around them. The whispering was deafening. The Ginny noticed a little girl making her way towards them. “Joanne,” whispered Ginny with a slight groan. “She’s not supposed to know me.” Joanne was walking faster. She had almost reached the intruders. “Harry,” whispered Ginny, frantically. “Crouch down to meet her. I’ll tell her to hug you.” Harry did as he was told. “Go to Harry,” Ginny mouthed. “Go to Harry.” Joanne reached them and threw her arms around Harry. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey,” whispered Ginny bending down. “I’ll talk to you later in the common room, ok?” “Ok,” Joanne nodded. The students were starting to applaud. Dumbledore had risen from his seat and was clapping also. “Please welcome your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr Harry Potter, and your former Headmistress, Miss Ginny Weasley!” he said. Ginny grinned as students rose from their seats, climbed on tables and stamped their feet. She looked at Harry who was now giving Joanne a piggy-back. “Here goes,” he said. Ginny smiled. “Yeah,” she said. “Here goes.” “It’s good to see you, Ginny,” said Joanne later, in the seventh year girls dormitory. “Mum wrote to me last week and said you’d be arriving soon. I couldn’t wait for you to get here.” “I went home first,” said Ginny. “To see my family and let them know that I’m ok. I flooed your mum and dad too.” “I’m glad you found Harry,” said Joanne. “I know how much you love him.” “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t have found him. Part of me thinks I would have been ok, that I would have carried on. But there’s another part of me that insists that I wouldn’t have had the courage to come back.” “You’d have been ok, Ginny, because that’s who you are. I know that because that’s what I’ve seen and that’s what I’ve been told. Everyone here loves you and they’re all so glad that you’re home. Are you going to tell them what you did?” “No. I’m not. I don’t want them to know, although I’m not sure that I trust Harry or my brother Charlie to keep it a secret. There’s another thing that I want you to keep secret for me now.” “Anything.” &# 8220;I know that you’ve been very good at keeping my secret of being alive, so will you be able to keep my engagement to Harry a secret too?” “You don’t want people to know that you’re in love?” “It’s breaking the rules,” explained Ginny. “Students and teachers aren’t allowed to be together, so no one can know. But I’m trusting you, because you are one of my best friends.” “I am?” “Of course you are.” “Then you can count on me.” “I knew I could. Just make sure that you refer to Harry as Professor Potter from now on. I know it’s difficult, but will you do your best?” Joanne nodded. “Ok. I have to go now. I’ve got a meeting with McGonagall about all the work I’ve missed, but I’ll talk to you soon, ok?” “Ok. Bye.” & #8220;Ginny will kill you, you know,” said Charlie Weasley to the head of Harry Potter that was sitting in the fireplace at the Burrow. “I know, but what else am I supposed to do,” said Harry. “I can’t keep this a secret. She’s done a wonderful thing and I want people to know that.” “So do I, Harry, but don’t you think that Ginny should decide whether or not she wants people to know?” said Charlie. “But that’s the point,” said Harry. “Ginny won’t tell anyone. And I can’t let other people take the credit for what she did.” “There’ll be someone out there who’d love the glory,” said Charlie. “Look, I’ll help you out, but once Ginny finds out you’re on your own. OWL me half the names in that notebook of hers, and we’ll send letters to them all, inviting them to a conference at Hogwarts. You can talk to the press.” “I knew I could count on you, Charlie,” said Harry. “And don’t worry, the only one that Ginny will blame is going to be me. We’re getting pretty good at plotting aren’t we?” Charlie nodded and chuckled slightly. “Trouble is,” he said. “We always get caught.” Harry smiled. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “Anyway, I’ve got to get going. I’ll talk to you soon.” “See you, Harry,” said Charlie. Harry’s head disappeared with a small pop. A/N Apologies to everyone for the enormously long wait for this chapter. You wouldn’t believe the amount of work that I’ve had since I went back to school, and a little bit of writer’s block as well. I will try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can. I’ve got a week off in two weeks, so I might get something done then. After that, you’re looking at Christmas. That is a slight exaggeration, although maybe not. Just to let you know though, I’m not giving up now, not when this story is so close to being finished. Please review, your comments mean an awful lot to me. Thanks. |
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