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The Legacy of Regulus Black, the Story Continues | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-OotP, Pre-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 64 Summary: What happened to Harry and Ginny after their mysterious Portkey journey and how did the legacy of Regulus Black change their lives, up to the defeat of Tom Riddle? Becomes more and more AU during the story. Sequel to The Legacy of Regulus Black Hitcount: Story Total: 60110; Chapter Total: 4779 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Saturday, February 17th, 1996 (Harry POV) Harry closed his Transfiguration textbook and glanced over at Ginny, who was sitting at her favourite spot by the window, leafing through a Quidditch magazine. When she looked up, he gave her a short nod. It was about time to leave. They wanted to meet with Sirius at the gate to the Hogwarts grounds in half an hour. Ginny put the magazine aside and walked up to Harry. "Let's take a walk about the castle, Harry." "Great idea," Harry agreed. "We've been sitting here all day, studying." He waved to Ron. "I leave my books here. I'll pick them up when we come back." Ron gave him a suspicious look. "Okay. I take it you two will be back before curfew?" "Sure, Ron," Harry replied nodding to Hermione who was sitting at the nearby table, half hidden behind a pile of books. "See you later." Harry followed Ginny through the portrait hole. He took her hand, and together they hurried down to the Entrance Hall. Relieved that they had met no one on their way downstairs, they slipped through the door out to the school yard. An icy wind blew in their faces as they sought shelter in the wind shadow of the entry portal. Pressed against the wall to escape the wind, Harry looked at Ginny. "Are you sure you want to come with me?" With chattering teeth, she returned his gaze. "Come on, call Dobby." "As you wish," Harry replied. Cocking his head, he listened into the darkness. When he was sure they were alone, he called out, "Dobby!" Turning up in front of them, the house-elf looked around, frightened. Visibly uncomfortable in the cold, he was shaking like a leaf. "Sorry, Dobby," Harry apologized. "Can you please bring us the winter robes we'd put on our beds?" The elf answered with something he couldn't understand because of his chattering teeth. "Oh, and please take care..." Harry started, but the elf was already gone. "...that nobody notices you." "Hmm, it'll turn out all right." Ginny shrugged. Moments later, Dobby turned up again with two winter robes over his shoulders. "Thank you, Dobby," Harry said, taking the robes. He chuckled as the elf disappeared the moment he got rid of the clothes. Handing Ginny her robe, he donned his own. "Oh, gloves," Harry said as Ginny pulled hers out of her bag and put it on. "You have a memory like a sieve, Potter." Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "It's winter." "Real men don't need gloves," Harry replied, reaching for Ginny's gloved hand. "Real men. My arse," Ginny sniggered, putting up the hood of her robe. Silently, they made their way down to the Hogwarts gate, the thin layer of snow crunching underfoot as soon as they left the school yard. Twice, Harry paused, listening into the darkness because he had the feeling someone was following them. But there was nothing. As they reached the gate to the Hogwarts grounds, Harry pulled his wand. "Lumos." He looked around. "Sirius? Are you there?" A bark sounded somewhere in the darkness, and a black dog broke through the snow and jumped up on the gate. Harry opened the gate and the two teenagers slipped out. "Hi, Sirius," they greeted the dog, patting his back. Suddenly a voice came out of the darkness. "What are you doing out here?" Startled, Harry turned around and looked into the angry eyes of Hermione. "Yeah, mate," Ron demanded, standing next to Hermione. "What made you sneak out of the castle in this lousy weather? Do you know what time it is?" "Erm..." Harry began, visibly nervous. "Not here," Ginny demanded, while Sirius barked his approval. "Let's find a safer place." They followed Sirius the way down to Hogsmeade until the lights of the village came into view. Just off the road, behind a hedge, Sirius turned back into his human form. "So, where are you going?" demanded Hermione. Harry glanced at Sirius, who shrugged. Then he glanced at Ginny, who did the same, but at least she mumbled, "Well, tell them." Harry let his gaze wander from Hermione to Ron, and shrugged, too. "We are on the way to the Ministry to steal the prophecy." "What?" Hermione yelled. "The Ministry? That's too dangerous ... and it's forbidden. They’ll expel you." "Not to mention that we may end up in Azkaban." Harry rolled his eyes…, then found himself taken aback to realise that he was only now aware of this possibility. He should have insisted that Ginny had to stay behind. He looked up and cringed when he saw the expression on her face. "Forget it," she hissed. Obviously, she already knew his train of thoughts. "We need to prevent Voldemort from getting a hold of the prophecy," Harry explained. "The prophecy is guarded by the Order," Ron replied. "How do you plan to get it?" "Bill is standing guard tonight," Ginny said. "He is waiting for us." "Sirius, how can you let this happen?" Hermione reproached the Animagus. "If Voldemort gets the prophecy, Harry's in mortal danger," Sirius replied. "Damn," Hermione cursed, quite un-Hermione-like. "That's insane." She glared at Harry, wide-eyed. "I'll come with you." "Of course, I'm going, too," Ron said before Harry could complain. "It's too dangerous." Harry shook his head. "I won't allow you to come with me." "Who said we’d ask for permission?" Hermione replied. "Enough," Sirius cut in. "We need to hurry. Bill is waiting for us. I’d just expected Harry; he needs to be there because he’s the only one who can take the prophecy." He looked around and sighed. "But, it shouldn't be too dangerous. We will go in there, Harry will take the prophecy, and then we’ll disappear again." "How do we get there?" Hermione asked. Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled out the figurine of a black dog. When Harry recognized the figurine, he rolled his eyes. "Is this a portkey?" Hermione asked. "It is." Sirius nodded. "You can't portkey into the Ministry," Hermione declared. "Dumbledore can, and Bill can as well," Sirius said. "He's been making the portkeys for the Order members who’ve been guarding the prophecy." "The use of unauthorised portkeys is forbidden," Hermione huffed. "Come on." Sirius beckoned. "We need to hurry. Touch the dog. All of you." Moments later, the five of them appeared in the corridor leading up to the entry of the Department of Mysteries. Harry stumbled a bit and grabbed Ginny's arm to steady himself. Looking around, he saw a big black wooden door at the end of the corridor. Out of nowhere, Ginny's brother, Bill, suddenly appeared in front of them. He looked at the teenagers in surprise. "Ginny, what are you doing here ... and Ron?" Ginny gave her brother a defiant look. "I'm not going to let Harry walk around here alone in the middle of the night." "Harry is perfectly safe with Sirius and me," Bill replied. "... and he is even safer with us." Ginny gave her brother a challenging look. "Besides, according to Sirius, it shouldn't be dangerous. We will go in, Harry will take the prophecy and we will go out again in no time." Sirius looked at Bill apologetically. "If I hadn't brought them all, they'd still be arguing with me." "Okay." Bill shrugged, rolling his eyes. "I can't send you back, and standing around here, wearing holes in the floor, won't help us either." He pointed in the direction of the wooden door. "Follow me." He turned and walked up to the door with long strides. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and led her toward the doorway. A quick glance confirmed him that the others were following as well. "I didn't waste my time and already removed the locking charms from the door," Bill explained, pulling the door open. They entered a round room with a dark marble floor and twelve doors with evidently no door handle. As the entry door closed behind them, the walls suddenly began to rotate. "Where are we going," Harry asked, confused when the walls stopped rotating. "Hall of Prophecy," Bill said with a loud and clear voice. The walls rotated again. When they came to a halt, the door in front of Bill opened. He motioned them to follow him and stepped through the door. They entered an enormous hall. The corridor in front of them led through endless rows of shelves, occasionally crossed at right angles by other corridors. "Harry, you must walk ahead now." Bill stepped aside and let Harry pass. "If everything works well, you should find the prophecy without any problems. The others follow me. Sirius, make sure, you're the last." Harry went ahead. On the shelves on either side of the corridor stood glass orbs on labelled wooden bases. The labels had names on it. Harry turned left at the second cross and stopped after a few steps. In front of him sat a glass orb on a wooden base with a label right beneath a prophecy, stating S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D. Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter The words 'Harry Potter', written in red letters, obviously had replaced the question mark at some point in time. Probably on that Halloween night when Voldemort had decided to make Harry his equal. Harry took the glass orb from its wooden base and stared at it. This damned thing was the reason his parents had died. It was the reason Voldemort was hunting him. Harry shook his head in disbelief. Then, from behind, came a familiar drawling voice. "Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me." "What makes you think I'd do that, Malfoy?" Harry asked, slowly turning in the direction of the voice. Five Death Eaters with silver masks slowly walked up to them, blocking their way back. Their leader, whom Harry had recognized by his voice, removed his mask and held out his left hand, palm up. "Don't you want to introduce us to your friends, Lucius?" Sirius said. "Are they shy, or are they cowards? They're hiding behind such ugly masks." "Shut up, Black," Malfoy replied, icily. "I'm talking to Potter." "There’s nothing to talk about," Harry returned. "For the last time, Potter, give-this-prophecy-to-me," Malfoy said, emphasizing every word. Harry felt Ginny walk to his side, brushing her shoulder against his. The others also closed the ranks, as far as the narrow corridor allowed it, ready to fight back. "My dear cousin has summoned up a whole kindergarten." A mocking female voice taunted from behind Malfoy. "Is this all the Order has to offer?" "Give me the prophecy, and you can all go home unharmed." With his wand, Malfoy gestured to his outstretched hand. "Okay. Then take it." Harry said suddenly. Grinning mischievously, he slowly extended the hand with the glass orb and let it clumsily slide through his fingers. Startled, Malfoy jumped forward. Forgetting his wand in his confusion, he tried in vain to catch the orb before it shattered on the floor. Taking advantage of the disorder among the Death Eaters, Harry fired a Stupefy at Malfoy. Realizing that his friends were following his example and all but one Death Eaters were laying on the floor, he stormed forward. He slammed his shoulder into the chest of the last standing Death Eater and ran, followed by the others, to the door of the Hall of Prophecy. When he reached the round room with a dark marble floor, he looked around in panic. Without thinking, he shook the next door and ran into the room as it opened. "Harry, wait." He heard Bill's voice. "That's the wrong way." When he turned around, he saw that all his friends had followed him. He looked about and noticed a round podium in the middle of the room with a stone staircase leading up to the platform. In the centre of the podium stood a stone arch whose opening was covered with a weird veil, seemingly made of milky air. "We must take the other door," Bill called, pointing back to the door they had just crossed. At that moment, four of their pursuers hastened through the door, forming a semicircle blocking the exit. "You are outnumbered," Sirius called. "The prophecy is destroyed. Leave us alone and we'll let you go unharmed." "You let the kids fight for you, Black?" laughed Malfoy. "We will bring Potter to the Dark Lord instead of the prophecy. And if I let you disappear here in the Chamber of Death, I'll get the Black Inheritance as a reward." "Leave the dog to me, Lucius." Bellatrix’s diabolic laugh echoed through the room. With a devilish grin, Malfoy threw a Stupefy at Harry, shouting, "Remember, we need the boy alive." Harry tried to dodge the spell. He lost his balance and stumbled, crashing into the steps of the podium, banging his tailbone on the steps. Pushing past the pain, he leapt to his feet. Turning back to Malfoy, he caught a glimpse of Ginny launching a blazing Reducto curse on the floor in front of their opponent. The Death Eater cried out in pain as stone splinters hit him. Encouraged by Ginny’s powerful reaction, Harry attacked the Death Eater with another series of Stupefies, forcing Malfoy into the defensive. Taking advantage of the brief second Malfoy needed to erect a shield, Harry surveyed the room. Sirius was duelling with his cousin, while Ron and Hermione were concentrating on a stouter Death Eater. Bill had turned to the fourth Death Eater, keeping him in check with a curse Harry didn't recognize. As Malfoy cancelled his shield to attack again, Harry sent a Diffindo in his direction, his opponent barely managed to dodge. Distracted by a trickle of cold sweat running down his cheek, Harry ran his hand over his face, staring at Malfoy. Malfoy had lost his superior grin. Harry increased the pressure on the Death Eater with another series of Reducto spells. Suddenly hearing the smack of a Stunner deflect away, mere inches from his head, Harry turned in astonishment to find Ginny shielding them both from errant spells. Flashing her a grin of thanks, he dared another look about the room. Bill had pushed his opponent back to the door. He followed him in his escape through the door. Hermione fell to the ground with a scream. She held her bleeding arm. "Bastard," Ron shouted. With three angry Stunners, he pushed the Death Eater onto the defensive. Bill, who returned at this moment, bound the thug with a wave of his wand. Suddenly a sense of horror crept over Harry. He stared in the direction of his godfather, watching the man stumble the last step up to the podium and fall to the floor. "No, Sirius!" Harry yelled when Bellatrix Lestrange leaned over his godfather, her wand pointing at his chest. "If you'd stayed in your cell in Azkaban, my dear cousin, you wouldn't die today." Confident of victory, she looked over at Harry, teasing him. "Potty baby, say goodbye to your dogfather." Then three things happened at the same time. Lying on the floor, Sirius managed to send a Stupefy towards Bellatrix. Although he didn’t hit her properly, its impact made the grinning witch stumble backward. At the same time, Ginny had fired a Blasting Hex at Bellatrix but was hit by Lucius Malfoy with a Cutting Curse. Ginny’s Hex missed its target and hit the floor behind Bellatrix. The chunks of stone blown off the floor made the stumbling witch fall backwards and vanish through the veils of the odd archway. Unfazed by her bleeding arm, Ginny returned to attack. Grimacing in pain, she threw a curse at Malfoy narrowly missing her opponent. Desperately, she watched her wand slipping out of her trembling fingers and rolling down the stairs. Harry gave Malfoy a hateful glare. The older man looked around. Realizing that he was outnumbered, he turned and headed hastily to the doorway. Enraged, Harry ran after the fleeing Death Eater. "Stay, you coward!" he yelled. "Like father, like son. You’re all cowards." Undeterred, Malfoy hurried on. He avoided the elevators and ran up the stairs to the atrium. On the way up, Harry had almost caught up with Malfoy when the blond man suddenly halted and bent to one knee, bowing his head. "My Lord." Harry stopped in his tracks. Next to the Fountain of Magical Brethren stood Voldemort. In his pale face, the red slits of his eyes were glowing. The serpentine nostrils sucked in air as if they wanted to smell Harry. His grimace twisted into something that was supposed to be a smug smile. "Harry Potter, I'm pleased we meet again." Harry's eyes darted about, looking for a way out. His heart was pounding. Was it the right time to face Voldemort? Had the monster created more Horcruxes? Did he even stand a chance against Voldemort? "The pleasure is all mine, Tom." Dumbledore slowly walked from a dim-lit corner of the atrium towards Voldemort. Harry’s heart almost skipped a beat. Giving him a spiteful smile, Voldemort slowly turned to Dumbledore. "Dumbledore, you old fool. I knew you couldn't resist protecting Potter. I'm afraid it's the last thing you'll do." Grinning he continued, "I am very pleased to get rid of two nuisances at the same time today." Voldemort threw a killing curse at Dumbledore but missed him. Instead, he hit the Wizard in the Fountain of Magical Brethren, blowing his head off. Dumbledore answered with a barrage of curses that Voldemort blocked effortlessly. "You don't want to kill me, Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked snootily. "You know that I do not enjoy taking lives, Tom." Dumbledore continued to approach him. "There's nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" Voldemort hissed. 'You are quite wrong,' said Dumbledore. "You know that you can’t kill me." Voldemort sneered. "I know that you’ve discovered my secret, Dumbledore. But you don't know where I’ve hidden my new treasures," boasted Voldemort. "I am immortal." "Are you so sure? Is it worth the risk of dying, Tom?” Dumbledore asked. Infuriated, Voldemort raised his wand and threw another jet of green light at Dumbledore, who turned and disappeared seemingly without effort. Moments later, he reappeared a few feet behind Voldemort, waving his wand towards the Fountain of Magical Brethren. To Harry's amazement, the statues of the fountain came to life. As the centaur attacked Voldemort, the evil man waved his wand towards Harry. "Avada Kedavra!" Terrified, Harry stared motionlessly at the green beam of light spurting out of Voldemort’s wand. The distance was too short to respond to. There was nowhere to seek shelter. Leaping from his place on the pedestal in front of Harry, the golden house-elf statue took the killing curse and shattered into thousand pieces. The goblin statue crashed into Harry, effectively knocking him out of the way of the deadly curse. Gasping for air, Harry grappled about him in search of his wand but couldn't find it anywhere. A scratching sound made him look up. Hidden behind a pillar, he saw Ginny's huddled figure on the floor. Her pained face very pale, she was holding her injured arm. With a grimace, she reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out her spare wand. When Harry nodded encouragingly at her, she placed the wand on the floor and slid it over to him. Harry grabbed the wand and peered cautiously past the goblin. Open mouthed, he watched Dumbledore flicking his wand to lift the water of the fountain into the air. With another flick of his wand, the water transformed into a 30 feet wide maelstrom unloading over Voldemort. "Protego!" With a pitched laughter Voldemort let the water bounce off his protective shield. Harry quickly sought shelter behind the goblin to avoid being swept away by the flood. Slowly peering over the goblin's shoulder, Harry’s blood ran cold when he heard Voldemort’s devilish laughter. Flinching, he watched in awe the atrium's glass dome detonating. It burst into billions of shards and, with a flick of Voldemort’s wand, smashed down at Dumbledore as a swarm of deadly vitreous arrowheads. Harry stepped out from behind the goblin. He raised his wand, yelling, "Expelliarmus!" Dumbfounded, Voldemort turned to Harry. His wand slipped out of his fingers and landed in Harry's outstretched hand. Still Saturday, February 17th, 1996 (Ginny POV) Grimacing with pain, Ginny had dragged herself up the stairs to the atrium. Her left hand held her bleeding wand arm in a vain attempt to stop the pain. Horrified, she froze on the last step as she saw Tom's killing curse flying towards Harry. A deep breath escaped her as the statue of the house-elf of the Fountain of Magical Brethren threw himself protectively in front of Harry, shattering into thousands of pieces. She sought shelter behind a pillar and let herself sink to the floor. She peered around the pillar and saw Harry frantically searching for his wand. With her uninjured left hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her spare wand. As she laid it on the floor, Harry looked over at her. He nodded to her when he noticed the wand. Ginny pushed the wand the few feet over to Harry. Exhausted, she leaned back against the pillar. She hoped that Harry was safe behind the goblin statue guarding him. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a movement on the stairs she had just come up. Her brother, Bill, came creeping up the stairs. He reached into the bag that hung around his shoulder and took out something that looked like... Astonished, Ginny recognized the Basilisk fang they'd collected in the Chamber of Secrets a few weeks ago! Behind Bill, Sirius crept up the stairs, followed by Ron and Hermione. Ron supported Hermione, who was limping and evidently had an injured arm as well. They stopped and crouched down as Bill shook his head. Startled, Ginny pressed herself against the pillar as a flood of cold water drenched her. Intrigued she watched Bill stabbing the Basilisk fang into something silvery...probably Slytherin's locket. Black smoke rose from the locket as a massive detonation shook the atrium. "Harry!" Ginny shouted, peering desperately around the pillar. Her heart stopped when she saw Harry stepping out of the shelter of the goblin statue, throwing an Expelliarmus at Tom. Terrified, she tried to get up. With the last of her strength, she stumbled forward. "Harry!" She threw her uninjured arm around his neck, sobbing. "Potter, your time is up." She heard Tom's sneering voice. Turning towards the hated voice, she saw huge gold chunks from the statue of the house-elf flying in her direction. Trying to protect them from the deadly barrage, the Goblin took a step forward. Absorbing the impact of the blast, the goblin statue broke into pieces. Ginny saw Voldemort's eyes widen in horror as the deadly swarm of broken glass shards bounced off Dumbledore's shield. Bereft of his wand, he was unable to build his own shield quickly enough. Pierced by thousands of tiny, needle-sharp missiles, he collapsed, his mouth opened in a last mute cry. There was nothing left of the Dark Lord other than blood and broken bones. Noises from the row of the floo network fireplaces made Ginny look up. She noticed a rapidly growing, wildly gesticulating, group of ministry staff. She frowned when she noticed Lucius Malfoy sneaking past the group to flee the crime scene. "Come on, you need to get out of here." Startled out of her thoughts, Ginny turned and met Dumbledore's worried gaze. Putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder, he pointed to the stairs down to the Department of Mysteries. Ginny broke away from Harry and looked at him scrutinizing. "Are you alright?" "Yes." He nodded. Taking her by her uninjured hand, Harry asked worriedly, "How's your arm?" "It hurts a lot, and it's still bleeding," Ginny replied truthfully. "But it's bearable, nothing serious." "Let's get out of here." Harry gave her a crooked smile. With a last glance back at the remains of Tom, they turned and headed down the stairs where they met Sirius, Bill, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione held her injured arm bent in front of her. Ron had her other arm over his shoulders, still supporting her. "Sirius, you'll bring the four of them back to Hogwarts." Dumbledore's grave voice didn't accept any objections. "Make sure Poppy is examining them." Turning to Bill, Dumbledore went on, "Are there more injured down there?" Bill nodded. "We captured a few Death Eaters." "You'll watch them until Tonks or Kingsley show up," Dumbledore instructed Bill. "Don't let anyone else see you. As soon as you're ready, you'll go to Hogwarts. An examination won't hurt you either." "Where is Malfoy," Harry asked suddenly. "He fled when his Dark Lord died," growled Bill. "Hurry," urged Dumbledore. "It will become quite crowded here at any moment." "Come on." Sirius hissed and scurried further down the stairs. Ginny squeezed Harry's hand. She gave Dumbledore one last look and together they followed Sirius down the stairs. In the corridor leading up to the black wooden door to the Department of Mysteries, the others were already waiting for them. Bill gave Sirius a questioning look. "Do you have your portkey?" Sirius searched his pockets and pulled out the figurine of the black dog. Bill took the figurine, tapped it several times with his wand, mumbling something incomprehensible. "Here." Bill finally returned the portkey. "It only works in this corridor. I've modified it so you're going back directly to the Hospital Wing." Sirius took the Portkey and held it out to the four teenagers. As the five looked at each other in confusion when nothing happened, Bill explained, "It activates in 30 seconds." Ginny looked Harry in the eye, trying to give him a reassuring smile, as she felt the familiar sharp yank behind her navel, and the corridor in the Ministry suddenly disappeared. A few seconds later they found themselves in the familiar surroundings of the Hospital Wing. As they'd become accustomed to travelling by portkey lately, their landing was not the usual mess of entangled limbs. Ginny looked about. They were standing in front of the large window outside Madam Pomfrey's office. Peering through the window, Ginny noticed the hands of the office clock were pointing at ten to eleven. To her amazement, the matron sat at her desk even at this late hour. The sudden movements in her ward made her looked up. She stared wide-eyed at the arrivals, got up, and hurried out of her office. "Apparently, Albus was right again," she scolded. "It is reckless to leave Hogwarts in the middle of the night." "Dumbledore has sent us here," Harry stated, unfazed. "Come along!" the matron commanded, leading them all to a corner of the ward where spare beds had been prepared. "I'll go to Dumbledore's office and wait for his return," Sirius said, waving his goodbye. "You’ll stay here." Madam Pomfrey's gaze did not accept any protest. "You can go search for Albus after I've examined you." Sirius rolled his eyes but stayed. The matron gave the girls an assessing look. "Miss Granger, you’re first. Come over here." She led Hermione to a spare bed. Waving her wand, she made a room divider slide over to give some privacy. After removing their winter robes and putting them on a nearby table, Ginny pulled Harry to her side and they sat down on the edge of a spare bed. Ron sat down opposite them on another bed as Sirius began to pace the room. "What about Voldemort now?" Harry asked cautiously. "Is he gone?" He looked about, uncertain. "Did he create another Horcrux?" "I think Bill destroyed the last Horcrux," Ginny said. "I saw him stabbing something silvery with the Basilisk fang." She looked at Harry. "But to know for sure, we need to wait for Bill." "He should be here any moment." Sirius stopped pacing, sitting down on a chair next to their bed. "I'm pretty sure Dumbledore called the Order to clean up and to keep their ears open to prevent false rumours from spreading. Moody or Tonks will soon take over for Bill." Ginny gave Sirius a searching glance. "Do you know if Bill has been on the island to perform the ritual? I mean, before he went to the Ministry?" "All I know is that he considered it. He said he wanted to perform the ritual if he makes it in time to the island." Sirius shrugged. "I'm sorry, that's all I know. He didn't say anything when we arrived in the Ministry, did he?" Ginny watched as Harry frowned, annoyed. She gave him an encouraging smile. She knew how he felt. After all, she would also like be certain that Tom was finally gone for good. "Miss Weasley, you're next," called Madam Pomfrey from behind the room divider. Hermione stepped out from behind the partition, wearing a wide, white hospital blouse instead of her bloodied shirt. Looking tired but with a relieved smile on his face, she took a seat next to Ron, while Ginny strode over to get examined. Looking questioningly at Madam Pomfrey, Ginny sat down on the edge of the bed. "Stay seated. I need to remove your shirt," the matron ordered. The woman muttered, "Depulso!" and with a sweep of her wand Ginny's shirt disappeared. "Lie down." Pomfrey waved her wand in an intricate pattern over Ginny's body, starting from the head downwards to her feet. After a while, she nodded satisfied. "You're lucky, Miss Weasley. You've lost a lot of blood due to the deep cut on the wrist. Fortunately, the injury is not too complicated, and I will be able to heal it quickly. You need to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion twice. One phial now, and the other tomorrow morning. Well, at first you need to take this pain relief potion." She handed Ginny a phial of blue liquid. Holding the vial with her uninjured hand, Ginny put it to her lips and gulped it down in one go. Moving her wand over the cut on Ginny’s right wrist, Madam Pomfrey murmured a healing charm. When she was satisfied with the result, she bandaged Ginny's hand. "You can remove the bandage in two days. It's only needed to keep the wound clean." After Ginny had gulped down a phial of Blood-Replenishing Potion, Madam Pomfrey called for Ron. Ginny went back to take her seat next to Harry, who gave her a worried look. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Ginny nodded. A noise from the entrance to the ward made her look up. Bill walked through the door into the room. He paused to look about and then strode over to them with a satisfied smile on his face. Giving Sirius a bone-crushing hug, Bill called, "We did it." Looking from one to the other, he asked concerned, "How are you? Is someone injured?" "Everything is fine," Ron replied. "Pomfrey has cured Hermione and Ginny's injuries." "Good," Bill answered with a relieved smile. Giving her brother an enquiring look, Ginny asked, "What do you mean 'we did it'? Have you been on the island? You know ... to perform the ritual?" "Yep." Bill grinned. "The Horcruxes are destroyed. Just in time. I thought I'd take the last Horcrux with me to the Ministry, together with the Basilisk fang. Just in case. And when Voldemort showed up..." Bill shook his head in disbelief. "... when Voldemort showed up, I destroyed the Locket Horcrux." There was no jubilation, as they were all still under the shock after what had happened in the Ministry, but they all had a relieved smile plastered on their faces. Relieved, Ginny flung herself around Harry's neck, hugging him. "You're free, Harry." With tears in her eyes, she sobbed, "He's ...He's gone." Closely engulfed in each other, they stood in silence. Thousands of thoughts were running through Ginny's mind at the same time. She could hardly believe it. Tom was finally gone forever. She would be able to hold Harry in her arms like this forever. A sudden intense yawn made her realise how tired she was. The excitement of the past hours demanded its toll. She turned to her brother. "Bill, do you know if Dumbledore wants to see us? I'm getting tired." "No." Bill shook his head. "I think he'll be busy for a while in the Ministry. There are certainly many things to be clarified before they'll let him go. I was quite surprised that he didn't say anything about the four of you having been there." "Okay, then let's go to bed," Harry suggested. "Actually, we have a reason to celebrate," Ron interjected. "I don't feel like celebrating," Harry replied, and Ginny could only agree. "Maybe sometime in the next few days. I still can't believe that he's gone." Sunday, February 18th, 1996 (still Ginny POV) It had been long past midnight when they’d returned to the common room last night. Madam Pomfrey had insisted that no one leave the hospital wing before she'd examined them all. Ginny was glad that Madam Pomfrey had given everyone a small phial of sleeping potion and she'd gotten a few hours of much-needed sleep. Nevertheless, Ginny woke up a little earlier than usual and decided to take a hot shower. She had just finished showering and dressing for breakfast when the door to her dorm opened and Hermione peered in. "Ginny, are you still there?" "I'm ready. I just wanted to head down for breakfast." Ginny replied. "Then let's go together. Ron and Harry are already waiting in the common room," Hermione said smiling. "We still have five minutes before we wanted to meet." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I suppose Harry wants to talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible. Let’s hope, he's already back." She went to the door, giving Hermione an examining glance. "You look as if you are almost bursting with curiosity, whether there's already something in the Daily Prophet about last night." "Come on, Ginny. Everyone's just waiting for you," Hermione urged her. Arriving at the foot of the stairs to the common room, they were received by the boys. "Good Morning, Ginny." Walking up to her, Harry gave her a heartfelt hug and kissed her on the lips. Much to Ginny's surprise, Ron didn't comment on it. "Did you sleep well?" Ginny asked Harry. "It's probably going to be a long day. "Yeah." Harry smiled. "I'm glad Pomfrey gave us the sleeping potion." He took Ginny by the hand and together they followed Ron and Hermione down to the Great Hall. "I'm curious if Dumbledore is already back," Harry said. "And if he's going to tell us what happened in the Ministry after we left." "I don't think Dumbledore is the only one who wants to talk to you," Ginny pointed out. "We were seen in the Ministry, and the damage in the atrium was enormous. I'm pretty sure they're going to interrogate us." "I thought so, too," Harry agreed. "That's why I want to know what Dumbledore has to say." As they entered the Great Hall, McGonagall rose from the staff table and headed in their direction. "Good morning, Mr Potter, Mr and Miss Weasley, Miss Granger." She gave the students a stern gaze. "You are expected to meet the Headmaster at nine o'clock sharp in his office." "Do you have any news from the Ministry?" Harry asked, grimacing. Their Head of House raised her eyebrows. "The Headmaster will tell you what you need to know. Make sure you're in time, and don’t forget that the Headmaster likes Butterscotch." With that, she turned on her heel and headed back to the staff table. Hermione impatiently grabbed the copy of the Daily Prophet while Ginny fed the post owl a strip of her bacon. "Oh," she cried out agitatedly, pointing to the front page. “That was fast.” Excited, she let her eyes jump from one headline to the other, reading them aloud. Minister Fudge: Lies or Blissful Ignorance - You-Know-Who has obviously returned last year - as Potter had claimed Eyewitnesses testify, You-Know-Who died last night at the Ministry - defeated by Potter and Dumbledore Is he really dead this time? Lucius Malfoy on the run Ginny glanced over at the Slytherin table. "Draco is nowhere to be seen. Seems, he already knows about it." "Yeah, probably." Harry nodded in agreement. "Let's hurry with breakfast, Dumbledore certainly knows more." After breakfast, they headed straight for Dumbledore's office. As they reached the gargoyle at the bottom of the stairs, Harry said the password, Butterscotch. The statue moved to the side, and the four of them entered the stairs to be transported up to the office. Dumbledore called them in before they even reached the door. When they entered the office, they found the Headmaster sitting in his chair behind his desk, his gaze wandering thoughtfully from one to the other. Pointing to four chairs that stood in a semicircle in front of his desk, he said, "Make yourself comfortable." Ginny sat down in the chair to the right of Harry and looked expectantly at Dumbledore. She had the uneasy feeling that Dumbledore was going to punish them for leaving the castle unauthorized. His long silence didn't help to calm her nerves. Waiting for the Headmaster to open the conversation, she looked in surprise at Harry when he asked, "How did you know we were in the Ministry?" To Ginny's astonishment, Dumbledore gave them a relaxed smile before answering the question. He looked up at the portrait of a former Headmaster. Ginny noticed a small bronze plaque on the picture frame with 'Professor Everard' written on it. "One of the advantages of being the Headmaster of Hogwarts are informants you can rely on." During his last words he let his gaze wander back to Harry. Ginny tried in vain to remember if she'd seen a portrait of this mysterious Professor Everard in the Ministry. Dumbledore would always have his secrets. "Are we being punished for leaving Hogwarts?" Hermione leaned forward, staring wide-eyed at the Headmaster. "I hope we won't get expelled." "Don't be afraid," Dumbledore replied. "While under normal circumstances I would be obligated to punish you, it certainly won't be necessary under the given circumstances." Relieved, Hermione closed her eyes and leaned back again. "What happened last night after we left the Ministry? And what will happen next?" Harry looked questioningly at Dumbledore. "I assume that Voldemort is really dead." "Ah, slow down, Harry," Dumbledore began. "Let's begin with the most important news. As Bill Weasley confirmed, the last Horcrux was already destroyed when Tom died. That's why I am assuming he's truly gone this time." "Yes!" Ginny exclaimed, flinging herself into Harry's arms. She smiled at Ron and Hermione, who, in an unfamiliar gesture, were also hugging each other. "You asked how it will go on from here." Dumbledore interrupted the scene of happiness. "Harry and you, Miss Weasley, were observed inside the Ministry by eyewitnesses. Both of you will be interrogated by Aurors about the events, probably this afternoon. The presence of Mr Weasley and Miss Granger has not been noticed so far." "We won't leave Harry alone," Ron interrupted the Headmaster. Hermione nodded vehemently at his statement. "No, you don't have to..." Harry began. "I don't care," interrupted Ron. "We were there together, and we will go through this together." Ginny squeezed Harry's hand and nodded, smiling as he turned to face her. "If you really want," Harry reluctantly relented. "Bill Weasley and Sirius also said they will be standing by your side, Harry," Dumbledore announced. "But ..." Harry looked horrified at the Headmaster. "Sirius can't ... he must not ..." "One of the captured Death Eaters was Peter Pettigrew." Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Your godfather is seriously considering to surrender to the Aurors to be acquitted in a trial. That's the reason he's not here at the moment." Dumbfounded, Harry looked at his Headmaster. "Sirius is going to be released?" Dumbledore raised his hands. "Of course, we have to wait for the hearing and the trial. But now that Peter is obviously alive and a Death Eater, Sirius’s chances are pretty good to be acquitted." Harry grinned happily at Ginny. "That's fantastic. Then, I could live with him and wouldn't have to ..." For the second time in a few minutes, Ginny flung her arms around Harry's neck and squeezed the air out of him. Ron and Hermione happily joined in the embrace. "Harry, I'm so happy," Hermione said. Ron patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, mate. I really hope we'll see each you more often at the Burrow this the summer. " "When the excitement is over, we can resume talking about last night's events," Dumbledore said with an amused smile. As everyone had taken their seats again, Harry spoke first. "What happened to Malfoy?" "Lucius Malfoy disappeared after he left the Ministry last night," Dumbledore explained. "And Draco?" Ginny asked. "He wasn't at breakfast in the morning." "We have evidence that he left the castle tonight. To be more precise, the entire Malfoy family has apparently disappeared," admitted Dumbledore. "I can live without him being around," Harry said. "The school will surely be a nicer place without him." "How do the events of the last night fit with the prophecy?" Hermione interjected. Ginny smirked. "I’d bet that question kept you awake all night." Dumbledore chortled. "That's a good question, Miss Granger. As you probably remember, we already discussed that prophecies are not always easy to understand, and sometimes ... well, sometimes they are a bit vague. I think we've already clarified the point 'neither can live while the other survives' a few weeks ago. As long as Harry was a Horcrux, Voldemort could not die. However, the prophecy obviously didn't consider the possibility of merging soul pieces." "But what's the power the Dark Lord knows not?" Ron asked. "I believe it's you all, Harry's friends," Dumbledore explained. "Tom Riddle never had friends. The concept of friendship and love was foreign to him. He never understood why anyone would help Harry, putting themselves in danger in the process." Dumbledore let his gaze wander from one to the others. "Another point the prophecy is a bit vague about is 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord'. While in the end, it was Harry who disarmed Voldemort, as the prophecy predicted, yet his defeat was the result of a collective effort." Dumbledore looked at Harry, smiling encouragingly. "I think Mr Potter is glad that he doesn't have to carry the fame of defeating Voldemort alone." "Merlin no," Harry exclaimed. "I don't want to have anything to do with the fame. I just want to be Harry." With a smile at Ginny, he added, "Your Harry." Returning his smile, Ginny squeezed his hand. "I don't think it'll be easy, because the public will always associate you with the defeat of Voldemort. So, let’s hope your wishes come true, Harry." Dumbledore stood up to end the meeting. "There's one last thing," Dumbledore announced. "I ask you all to never mention the Horcruxes to anyone, except, of course, in your interrogations with the Aurors. We want to prevent it from becoming common knowledge that Voldemort had created Horcruxes so that no one will come up with dangerous ideas." When they left the office, Ginny stopped at the foot of the stairs. "What are you going to do now?" she asked, looking around. "I need to go to the library," Hermione explained. When Ron rolled his eyes, she raised her arms apologetically. "I still have to finish the Runes homework I couldn't finish when we headed to the Ministry last night." Ron turned to Harry, giving him a questioning look. "Are you up to a game of chess?" Harry grimaced. Obviously, he had something else in his mind. He gave Ginny a thoughtful look. Then he turned to Ron, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. What about tonight? After dinner?" Ron threw Ginny an annoyed glance. "Okay, okay, as long as you don't hang around in the common room, snogging all day." "No, certainly not," chuckled Harry. As Ron turned, heading for Gryffindor Tower, Harry grinned at Ginny. He took her in his arms with a happy smile on his face. After giving her a gentle kiss, he looked her into the eyes. "Do you want to go to the Burrow with me?" "Now?" Ginny asked. "Now!" Harry confirmed. "Go swimming at the pond, or in my room?" Ginny grinned mischievously. "Exactly in that order." Harry grinned back. "Any time, Harry." AN: Thanks to all who read this story, especially to those who left some nice words in a review. If you've read this far, I suppose you had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it. My special thanks go to my fabulous beta GHL for his continuous support and his insightful comments. It is he who we all have to thank for the better readability of this story. I really appreciate his support. Within the next 2-3 days, I will post a short epilogue where I will outline the future life of Harry and Ginny. More or less, it will be the summary of the sequel to this story I will never write. |
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