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The Legacy of Regulus Black, the Story Continues | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Post-OotP, Alternate Universe 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: 32607; Chapter Total: 3747 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Friday, November 3rd, 1995 Harry glanced at his watch. Still 5 minutes till 10. The time didn't seem to pass. He reassured himself that the curtains of his bed were closed, kneaded his pillow into a lump and shoved it against the head of his bed. He leaned against the pillow, trying to find a comfortable position. Relieved that it was finally 10 o'clock, time to get in contact with Sirius, he drew his wand to put a silencing charm on the bed curtains, took his mirror out of its box…and waited. "Finally," he muttered as the mirror hummed and Sirius' face appeared. Moments later, the mirror hummed again, the mirror image split, and Ginny's face appeared in the right half. "Hi, Sirius. Hi, Harry." She waved in the mirror. "Hi, Ginny. Hi, Sirius," Harry replied. "I wish you a happy birthday, Sirius." "Happy birthday from me, too," Ginny piped in. "Did you find our birthday present?" "Hello, you two." Sirius grinned in the mirror. "Thank you so much for the congratulations. Yes, I found your parcel. It's now safely stored away in the cottage, only Bill and I have access to." "Good to hear," Harry said, relieved. Harry had taken a nice long walk with Ginny in the late afternoon. Just before dinner, they had walked down to Hagrid's hut to hide the Basilisk fangs between the musty leaves of Hagrid's pumpkin patch. In Hagrid's absence, Professor Grubbly-Plank had harvested the pumpkins for the Halloween feast last week and the rotting remnants of the plants seemed to be a good hiding place. Sirius had hidden in his Animagus form on the edge of the Forbidden Forest to watch Hagrid's hut. After Harry and Ginny had deposited the fangs, they'd briefly waved in the direction of the forest and went back to the castle. Sirius had fetched the fangs sometime later in the dark. "Are you back on the island?" Harry asked. "Yeah, after Molly's birthday party last weekend, I'm glad to be alone here for a few days." Sirius smiled. "The food was fabulous as always, but the endless arguments of a few of the Order members are getting tiresome after a while. I prefer the fresh air here on the island any time." "I suppose the stock of lamb stew will last for some time," Ginny chuckled. "Certainly." Sirius made a grumpy face. "But unfortunately, the Haggis has run out." "Not our fault," Ginny replied, making a grimace. "We didn't touch that stuff." "Haggis was Regulus's favourite dish at Hogwarts," Sirius said, a shadow suddenly crossing his face. "At least as long as we were in contact. James, however, never liked it." Taking a deep breath, he forced the corners of his mouth up to form a smile. "Anyway, I want to spend an hour reading before I hit the sack, and it's time for your eye-care as well. Good night, you two." "Yeah," Harry agreed. "I’ll better go to sleep. Tomorrow is our match against Slytherin." Suddenly, Harry remembered something. "Bugger," he called out. "I should have given you a phial of my blood." "It's okay, Harry. We said we wanted to wait till Christmas," Sirius replied. "As much as I like Poppy, I'd never send you to her to take blood from you. I'd have Dumbledore on my tail in no time. He'd almost certainly quiz me as to what I need your blood for." "Yeah, you're right," Harry replied hesitantly. Somehow, he couldn't fight the feeling that it was important to have everything needed to merge the soul pieces in the same place...just in case. "I'm getting tired," he said with a worried look. "Good night, you two." "Oh, okay. Good night." Sirius' mirror image waved briefly before the mirror went dark. Harry was just about to put his mirror back into the wooden box when it hummed again. Pleased, Harry grinned into Ginny's smiling face. "Good night, Harry, sleep well." Her face zoomed closer until only her lips were visible. Harry heard a smacking noise, and as Ginny leaned back, there was a large imprint of her lips on the mirror image. "Good night, Ginny. Have nice dreams of me," Harry chuckled. Leaning forward, he kissed Ginny's lip imprint. Ginny sniggered. "Meet you for breakfast in the common room." She waved him goodbye, and the mirror went dark again. Sunday, November 5th, 1995 This Sunday morning, some of the Gryffindors didn't look particularly happy on their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Gryffindor had defeated Slytherin the day before in the first Quidditch match of the season and taken the lead in the Inter-House-Cup. The victory party had lasted until the wee hours of the morning until Professor McGonagall had disbanded the party under the threat of dire consequences. Although Harry had held back when he realised that Fred and George had spiked the drinks, the unfamiliar alcohol had finally shown its effects. He glanced over at Ginny, noticing that she apparently was doing better than him. "Do you remember how we ended up sleeping on the sofa by the fireplace?" Harry asked curiously. McGonagall had found them arm in arm sleeping on the sofa when she’d chased her students into their beds. Ginny sniggered. "Sometime around midnight you suddenly stared at me with twisted eyes and when you mumbled something that sounded like...dinno bout'ya twin sissr, Gin... I thought it would be better if we sit down on the sofa." "Twin sister? You're kidding," Harry said suspiciously. Ginny snorted, "You need to learn to avoid George's spiked drinks, Harry. I only drank from bottles of Butterbeer I opened myself." "Damn twins," Harry muttered. "You could have warned me." Ginny gave him an impish grin. "There are things you need to learn by yourself." Squeezing his hand, she added, "After breakfast, you'll feel better." "Breakfast?" Harry choked. "Oh. Somehow I'm not hungry at all." "Do you want to get out into the fresh air for a few minutes?" Ginny looked at him worriedly. "Yes, I'd better..." Harry nodded. When their friends entered the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny headed to the Entrance Hall and stepped out into the schoolyard. Harry turned against the wind. Closing his eyes, he let the chilly morning wind blow into his face. Taking a deep breath, he looked around. Stormy gusts of wind shook the bare trees around the castle, whirling up the dried-up leaves on the ground. The air smelled of snow. When Harry began to shiver, Ginny walked up to him and took him in her arms. "Are you feeling better?" "Yeah," Harry said, returning the hug. "It's getting better, the fresh air helps." Closely entwined they braved the unfriendly autumn weather, silently watching the dance of the leaves. The chilly blows slowly cleared Harry's head. When he shivered again, Ginny released herself from his embrace and grabbed his hand. "We'd better go in. I could use a few bites." "Yes, we'd better...," Harry agreed. When they reached the Gryffindor table, they took their seats opposite Ron and Hermione. Hermione had pushed her plate aside, reading the Sunday edition of the Daily Prophet while she absentmindedly chewed a bite of toast. "Anything interesting?" Ginny asked, pointing to the newspaper. "Interesting is an understatement," Hermione replied without looking up. Not interested in the gossip and lies the Daily Prophet usually spread, Harry scanned the table for something that wouldn't turn his stomach. He filled a cup of tea and grabbed a piece of dry toast. Glancing enviously at Ginny's plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, he turned quickly when the smell of fried bacon attacked his nostrils. His eyes caught the headline of the article Hermione was reading. Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, Dolores Umbridge, arrested for using Dark objects on Hogwarts students "Erm, Hermione," Harry began. "What’s the Prophet writing about Umbridge?" The students sitting around him suddenly looked with interest at Hermione. Hermione looked up. "Oh, that's strange." Frowning, she pointed at the newspaper with the half-eaten piece of toast and shook her head contemplatively. As they all looked at her questioningly, she went on, "It looks like the Daily Prophet is writing the truth here. Apparently, they can't sweep Umbridge's arrest so easily under the carpet. They wrote that the Minister of Magic had sent Umbridge to Hogwarts to uphold educational standards. Well, that's what they'd already written earlier. But they also report that she'd been arrested for possessing a Blood Quill and applying it to Hogwarts students. Luna's name and the interview in The Quibbler aren’t mentioned, however. But they also published a statement from Fudge who immediately denied having anything to do with the Blood Quill." "Yes, of course," Harry snorted. "I hope he won't get away with it so easily. I wonder who managed to publish this article in the Daily Prophet." On their way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry steered Ginny away from their friends. When she looked up at him questioningly, he suggested, "Let's head to the Room of Requirements to get some rest." "Great idea." Ginny beamed at him. Monday, December 18th, 1995 Harry felt happy and satisfied. He sat comfortably on a sofa in the Room of Requirements, watching the flames dancing in the fireplace. Pleased with the world, he looked down at Ginny, cuddling in his arm with her head resting on his shoulder. With a content smile on his face, he pulled her closer. Today was one of those days they had managed to sneak away from the crowded common room to spend some alone time together in the Room of Requirements. Ever since Dobby had told them about this room, they had tried to meet here at least once a week. They’d learned to appreciate their alone time and used it to learn together, to talk, or to just sit comfortably together, sharing kisses. A dreamy smile crossed Harry's face. Ginny had been right. This room was much better than any broom cupboard. "What do you think about the new Potions Professor?" Harry asked. "I've learned more in the last three weeks with Slughorn than the whole term with Snape," Ginny snorted. "Me too," Harry admitted. "But with Snape being defence professor, my favourite subject is no fun any more." "Did you just say you enjoyed Defence with Umbridge more than with Snape?" Ginny gazed at him in disbelief. "That's not what I said," Harry complained. "I'm sure you did," Ginny insisted. "I did not." "You did." Harry turned slowly to Ginny, looking into her eyes. A mischievous smile crossed his face when he chuckled, "I did not," tickling her hips with his fingertips. "Harry!" Ginny squeaked. "Stop it! Now!" Laughing, Harry took Ginny in his arms. Pulling her closer so she couldn't escape, he whispered in her ear, "I did not," and gave her a noisy wet kiss on her ear. "Ooh, Haaarryy," Ginny groaned. Grinning, Harry leaned back. "See, I did not." Ginny nudged him in the ribs. "You're evil, you know that." "No, I'm not." Harry shook his head. "But you're bossy." "I'd call it affectionate," Ginny giggled. "Merlin. Affectionate?" Harry rolled his eyes and pulled Ginny back into his arm. "In two days we’re heading back home," Harry began but paused. "I often wonder if the soul merging stuff Regulus had discovered will really help us to defeat Voldemort. I'm glad we're going to see Sirius again on Wednesday. It’s not just to talk to him about the damn Horcruxes, I'll really be happy to see him again." He took Ginny's hand and squeezed it. "Are you looking forward to seeing your parents?" "Of course, but I'd rather spend Christmas at the Burrow," Ginny replied. "Yeah, me, too. I hope your mother still remembers that we are together," Harry said pensively. Ginny snorted. "What?" Harry asked, confused. "Silly," Ginny chuckled. "When Mum writes me a letter, the first thing she asks is if you're doing well, then she writes how the others are doing, and at the end she writes, I hope you're fine, Ginny dear, Love Mum. See, you're always the first." "Oh," Harry said in amazement. "You never told me about that." Ginny got up. Straddling his legs, she sat on Harry's lap. Resting her forehead against his and her arms around his neck, she looked him into the eyes. "I can't let your ego grow so big that you can’t walk through a door any more, can I?" she giggled, messing his hair. "Is this part of being affectionate?" Harry gave her a cheeky grin. "Exactly," Ginny confirmed. Biting her lower lip, she gave him a calculating look. Suddenly a mischievous smile crossed her face, and she leaned forward. "This is the last time we're alone for a while," she whispered in Harry's ear. "If you want to have some fun, we should take advantage of the situation." Harry stiffened briefly as Ginny's hand slipped under his shirt. It was not the first time their hands had wandered across the bare skin under their shirts. But somehow Harry had the feeling that this time Ginny was more determined, more passionate. Groaning, he drew a deep breath, as Ginny slid the tip of her tongue into his ear. A tingling sensation ran down his spine as he felt her warm breath, causing him goosebumps all over his body. Mortified, Harry noticed that Ginny's activities had awakened body parts on him. Apparently, Ginny had also noticed it as she began wiggling her bum in Harry's lap, grinning at him mischievously. "Ginny," Harry groaned. "What are you doing?" Giggling, she straightened up. Standing on her knees, she grinned down at Harry and pressed his head into the fabric of her shirt. Slowly, she moved her upper body, brushing her breasts against Harry's face. "Come on, Harry, don't be a spoilsport. I doubt we'll get much alone time in the next weeks." "Ginny, please stop," Harry begged. "If you keep doing this, I can't promise I can stop with just kissing." Pulling back, Ginny stopped in her movements. Looking into Harrys eyes, she whispered, "I never asked you for such a promise, Harry." She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. "I don’t think I’m ready to go all the way, " she muttered, swallowing. "But… I’m really looking forward to having fun with you." Harry gulped and looked at Ginny. "Are you sure?" "Very sure," Ginny replied. "But there is no reason to rush things." She gave him a smug smile. "Unless you want to keep on dreaming about it." "Ginny," Harry groaned, blushing. How did she know what he dreamed of her? Or was she just teasing him? "Oh, Harry," Ginny chuckled. "You’re so easy to read. There's no reason to be embarrassed. Let's just cuddle a bit for now." Relieved, Harry leaned back and pulled Ginny back into his arms. "But this doesn't mean you can't kiss me, Harry." Ginny grinned at him. With a giggle she added, "And don't think you're off the hook." Wednesday, December 20th, 1995 Harry followed Ron down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express on the way to their compartment. They had already hoisted the girls' trunks up into the luggage racks and had just fetched their own trunks from the platform of the Hogsmeade station. "Leave some space in the racks," Ginny requested from her window seat. "Luna asked me if she can sit with us." "Ah, Luna," Harry replied, pushing Ginny's trunk a bit farther toward the window. Ever since their interview, he and Ginny had often sat with Luna in the library. Sitting down next to Ginny, Harry leaned back to recover a bit from carrying the heavy trunks, just in time to hear the rattling of the compartment door announcing the arrival of Luna. "Hullo, Gryffindors. It's nice of you to save me a seat," the blonde girl said, giving everyone a friendly smile. "Hi, Luna," Harry greeted her. "Let me help you." Taking a deep breath, he got up and lifted Luna's trunk next to Ginny's in the rack. "Thank you, Harry. That was very nice of you." Luna smiled. Pulling out a copy of the Quibbler from her bag, she sat down. Relieved that finally all the luggage was stowed, Harry sat down next to Ginny and put his arm around her. She snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Looking up from her Quibbler edition, Luna eyed Ginny. "Ginevra, you were going to tell me if the real Harry Potter is better than the Harry Potter doll." "It depends on what you need him for, Luna," Ginny deadpanned. "Oh, of course, how stupid of me," Luna said dreamily, turning back to her magazine. Confused, Ron stared from Luna to Ginny and back to Luna. "Ehmm," he began, "what exactly do you mean by that?" Luna gave Ron an amused look. "The Harry Potter doll can't put my trunk on the luggage rack, but I can go to bed with it." "Bed?" Ron stuttered. "Do you mean..." Frowning, Ron turned to his sister. "That's none of your business, Ron." Ginny glared at him. "But if you absolutely need to know...no, of course not." "Good," Ron mumbled, relieved. "... and you better never ask again," Ginny added conclusively. Harry was watching the exchange with amusement when the compartment door suddenly opened with a clattering noise. "Oh, noo..., "Harry groaned, turning towards the door, expecting to look into Malfoy's arrogant face. "I’m sorry, Harry." Neville poked his head through the crack of the door. "Have you got a free seat for me? Romilda and Lavender just came into my compartment to sit together with Seamus and Dean, and frankly, their giggles are getting on my nerves." "Of course, that's not a problem, Neville." Hermione beamed at the boy. "Do you know Luna?" Ginny asked, pointing at the blonde Ravenclaw girl. Neville blushed slightly. "Of course, we sat together on our last ride in September." "Hello, Neville Longbottom." Luna smiled at the newcomer. "I'm glad to meet you again." "Ehmm…," stuttered Neville. "You’re always watching me from afar," Luna said to a dumbfounded Neville. "If your Nargle infection has improved, you're welcome to join me for a nice chat at the Ravenclaw table for dinner. In the mornings you always look a bit sleepy." "Ehmm ... yes," Neville stuttered embarrassed. "I'll think about it." "I'm looking forward to it, Neville." Giving the boy a dreamy smile, Luna turned back to her magazine. Pulling Ginny closer, Harry leaned his head against the back of his seat. He was about to doze off when he heard Ginny’s voice. "Luna, … any news about Umbridge's trial? You've been summoned to testify as a witness, haven't you?" Luna looked up, the dreamy smile gone from her face. "The trial is on February 12. Minister Fudge insists on interrogating me personally." Harry grimaced when he heard that. "Don't let Fudge intimidate you, Luna. He'll accuse you of lying. He tried the same with me." "That's what I thought, too." Luna nodded. "That's why Dad asked the lawyer of the Quibbler to accompany me." "Good idea," agreed Harry, leaning back in his seat again. A few minutes later, he was sound asleep with his arm wrapped around Ginny’s shoulders, who was also sleeping with a content smile on her face. After arriving at Kings Cross Station, Harry and the Weasleys made their way to the local floo network connection point on Platform 9 ¾. Hermione had joined the group as she would spend Christmas with her friends, because her parents had already left London to attend a dentist congress in Cape Town. Harry and Ginny had lined up at the end of the queue, holding their trunks in one hand, the fingers of their other hands intertwined. When it was their turn, Harry smiled at Ginny, nodding toward the fireplace. "Ladies first." "See you," Ginny replied. Throwing a pinch of floo powder into the fire, she called 'Number 12, Grimmauld Place' and stepped into the fire. Harry waited a few seconds to give Ginny the chance to step aside before he followed her. When Harry stumbled out of the fire, he smiled at the ruckus surrounding him. Everyone seemed to shout at the same time. "Heya, we're back! ... Oh, Ron, you've grown! ... Mum, let me breathe!" Rolling his eyes, he gave Ginny an amused smile. His eyes widened when Mrs Weasley approached him, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you again." Harry returned the hug hesitantly. "Hello, Mrs Weasley, it's nice to be back." Glancing over her shoulder, Harry saw Ginny beaming at him. Grinning, she shook her head, mouthing, "See, you're always the first." Releasing Harry from her embrace, Mrs Weasley turned to Ginny. After giving her a heartfelt hug, she gave her daughter a closer look. "You look wonderful, Ginny. You've grown." Ginny beamed at her mother. Giving her neck a scrutinizing look, Mrs Weasley added, "It seems you have Doxies in your dorm room, Ginny. Go, have a look in the cupboard above the sink. There you'll find a tincture for the Doxie bites on your neck. I'm sure Hermione would be happy to help you to apply the tincture." Harry blushed and noticed how Ginny became as red as a lobster, stuttering, "Mum, it's ..." When Mrs Weasley raised her eyebrows, Ginny nodded shortly. "Thank you, Mum!" Giving Harry an accusing look, she marched to the kitchen. In order to escape the ruckus, Harry grabbed Ginny's trunk and headed up the stairs. He placed the trunk next to her door and headed to his room to put his own trunk away. He was wondering about Sirius' absence. He'd expected him to be present for their arrival. After putting his trunk on his bed, Harry knocked at Sirius' door. Puzzled that he didn't get an answer, he cautiously opened the door and took a peek inside. The room was empty. That was odd. Sirius had said he would be back from the island the night before. Worried, Harry headed up to the next floor to search for Sirius in Buckbeak’s former room. As he found the room empty, he slowly walked over to the window. Leaning on the windowsill, he looked pensively out into the darkness. Harry frowned when suddenly an idea struck him. Hesitantly, he walked down the hallway to Regulus' room. He knocked and opened the door without waiting for an answer. In the half-dimness of the room, he saw Sirius sitting in the chair at the desk. He stared at a picture of his brother standing on the desk in front of him. "Hello, Sirius," Harry said hesitantly. Torn from his thoughts, the man looked up in surprise. "Oh, Harry." Smiling, he got up and gave Harry a hug. "You're already here!" Visibly pleased about Harry’s return, Sirius looked Harry into the eye. "It's good to see you again. Seems I’ve lost track of time up here." "You're often up here," Harry said, and it wasn't a question. "Yes," Sirius replied. "I still can’t believe I was so wrong about my brother. I have the feeling I should’ve fought more for him." "Sirius, you can't change the past," Harry said insistently. "We should honour his legacy and finish his mission. It’ll help you to make peace with him." "You're probably right." Sirius nodded pensively. With a sad smile, he patted Harry's shoulder. "Let's head down to my room. We need to talk about our plans for the next few days." Back in Sirius' room, Harry sat down on the bed, waiting for his godfather to take a seat. After silently watching him pace the room for a while, he asked, "What did you plan?" "I'll leave for the island tomorrow morning. Bill will follow me as soon as he is done at Gringotts. I will prepare everything so we can perform the ritual as soon as Bill arrives." "Good luck," Harry replied. "I hope, you'll be back for Christmas." "I hope so. Bill wants to be back the day after tomorrow. Ever since he has a new girlfriend, he barely comes to the island any more." Sirius smirked. "Bill has a new girlfriend? I doubt Ginny knows about that." The thought that he could tell Ginny news about her family somehow amused Harry. "You know her." Sirius grinned. "How should I know her? I don't really know any girls." "Ginny will be pleased to hear that," Sirius snorted. "It's the girl from France who participated in the tournament. She’s working together with Bill for Gringotts now." "Fleur?" Harry asked incredulously. "Yes, that's her name," the older man confirmed. Harry laughed. "Ron will be jealous. He tried to ask her to the Yule Ball last year. I can't wait to tell Ginny." "But it's Bill's story to tell his family," Sirius exclaimed, raising his finger. "Yes," Harry replied, "and it's my business to tell Ginny." When Sirius looked at him questioningly, he rolled his eyes. "Seems it's been a while since you had a girlfriend." "Oh, I didn't realise you've already become henpecked." Sirius grinned teasingly. "Henpecked, my arse." Harry shook his head. "I just want to have a happy Christmas once in a lifetime, and to hide something like this from Ginny isn't worth the risk." Sirius looked at him sheepishly. "Yeah. You do deserve a happy Christmas." Harry grinned at his godfather. "So, hurry up, so that you're back in time." "Yeah, but first we need to take some of your blood," Sirius reminded him. "Oh. I almost forgot." Harry grimaced. "Bill's coming for dinner tonight. We'll meet after dinner in my room to make the final preparations. Bill knows the best how to take blood for rituals like that. He’d learned it in Egypt." Harry got up and ran his hands through his hair. "I'll go look for Ginny to tell her about Bill's girlfriend." Raising his hand, he bid his farewell. "See you later." Sirius shook his head in disbelieve. "What am I going to do with you? I can't believe it…my godson is a gossip." "Hypocrite." Harry grinned back. Half an hour after dinner, Harry had awkwardly excused himself from a lively family discussion, so he could sneak up to Sirius' room. On his way out the door, he had whispered to Ginny that she should also come if she had time. When Harry entered, Ginny's brother, Bill, was already there. "Harry, there you are, finally," Sirius welcomed him. "I had to get rid of Ron and Hermione first." Harry defended himself. "I think we should tell them soon. I always feel bad for lying to them." "Let’s just wait a bit longer," Sirius replied. "You can tell them when we're done with the ritual. It's too important. I don't want anyone to interfere. And besides, it's not a lie, you just forgot to mention a detail." "Okay, Harry." Bill looked at him. "Are you ready? " "Let's get it over with," Harry groaned, shrugging. "Okay, please roll up your left sleeve," Bill instructed him while Sirius locked the door. Puzzled, Harry looked at Ginny's brother. "I thought the blood was taken from the palm or the thumb?" "We can do that if you really want." Bill rolled his eyes. "But you'll get an uncomfortable stinging in your hand if you're touching something in the next few days, even if the cut is healed properly." "Okay," Harry said unconvinced. "Then I'll take off my shirt." Harry pulled his shirt over his head and sat down on the chair. Bill drew his wand and mumbled a spell Harry didn't understand. With an uncomfortable feeling, Harry watched as a cut formed below his elbow and Bill held an empty phial under his arm to let the blood drip in. A knock on the door made Harry look up from his bleeding arm. "It's me, Ginny." He heard his girlfriend's voice from the other side of the door. Sirius let Ginny into the room and locked the door again. In the meantime, Bill had closed the phial of blood and healed the cut on his arm. Amused, Ginny glanced at the half-naked Harry. "What kind of games are you playing here?" "Haha, that's not funny," Harry groaned, but he still flashed a grin at Ginny as he pulled his shirt back on. Ginny sat down on the foot of Sirius' bed, looking around expectantly. "What's next?" "Next step involves Sirius and me," Bill began, pointing to Harry's godfather. "We'll meet tomorrow night on the island and perform the ritual." "But you can’t destroy the locket Horcrux yet," Harry interjected. "No, of course not," replied Ginny's brother. "We just want to make sure there are no other Horcruxes out there." "What do we do if Tom notices something?" Ginny asked. "Tom?" Bill looked at her questioningly. "Tom Riddle is Voldemort's real name," Harry explained. "It's the name Ginny knows him as from his diary." "I knew him as Tom for almost a year," Ginny said softly. "I... I don't know why, but I’ve never called him Voldemort. I’ve learned to hate him as Tom ... and although I know that Tom has become Voldemort, he'll always be Tom to me. Tom has been following me for too long in my nightmares." Amazed that she had just explained something so personal, Ginny blushed slightly. Harry got up and sat next to her, putting his hand over hers. "Okay, what do we do if Tom notices something?" Harry repeated Ginny's question. "I don’t know yet. Let’s first just wait and see if he'll notice," Sirius explained. "Yeah, right," Bill agreed. "Snape will notify the Order if anything unusual happens." "Do you trust Snape?" Harry asked astonished. "Yes. Even if I don't like him, I think we should trust him," Sirius declared. "At least with everything he reports about Voldemort." Harry raised his brows at his godfather but said nothing. "And if we get the news that Voldemort made new Horcruxes, we'll repeat the ritual," Sirius added. "Until there's nothing left of his evil soul," snorted Harry. "I wish we could summon all soul pieces, and he would just drop dead," Ginny said. "Unfortunately, this option isn't mentioned in the journal," Sirius replied. "It would be the best Christmas present ever," Harry said, lost in thought. "Anything else?" Sirius asked, looking around. "Yeah, there is one more thing." Bill looked at them pensively. "A few weeks ago, I told you that the Order is guarding something in the Ministry.” "I remember." Harry nodded. "Well," Bill continued. "Last week I was in the Department of Mysteries to guard something for the Order. I was instructed to particularly pay attention that no one enters the Hall of Prophecy." Bill looked each person in the eyes and continued when he was sure that everyone was listening attentively. "That's why I suspect the Order is guarding a prophecy. However, I have no idea what the prophecy is about. As of tomorrow, Dad is assigned to stand guard. When I’m back from the island I'll ask him if he knows more about the prophecy, or what the Order is guarding in the Ministry." "If the Order is guarding something, it must have something to do with Voldemort," Sirius said. "That sounds plausible to me," Harry agreed. A strange feeling suddenly came over him. This didn't sound good at all. Ginny seemed to notice his reaction. Squeezing his hand, she asked, "What is it, Harry?" "I don’t know," Harry began. "It's all so weird, a prophecy Voldemort is interested in. Voldemort, who's after me all the time...and I don't know why. Dumbledore, who's been avoiding me for months… I just have a bad feeling." "Maybe I'll find something out," Bill put in. "I need to go to work this weekend, but I'll be here at Christmas Eve. I'll get in touch with Sirius if I hear anything important." "You know, Bill," Ginny mischievously grinned at her brother, "you don't have to hide Fleur in Gringotts from us, you can just bring her with you." Bill's ears went red. "Ginny, you ..." "Don't worry, dear brother, your secrets are safe with me. I owe you that much, for your support for Harry and Sirius." "You owe me nothing, Ginny," Bill told her. "The Horcruxes are far too important, I’d never refuse to help you." "You're right," Ginny replied, hugging her brother. With a mischievous smile, she added, "I'm looking forward to seeing Mum's face when you lead Fleur through the door. Not to mentions Ron's." She sniggered. Bill grinned. "Yeah, Fleur told me he'd asked her out for the Yule Ball last year." Thursday, December 21st, 1995 "Dinner is ready." Mrs Weasley's voice echoed through the stairwell. Scowling at the chessboard in front of him, Harry was wondering why in Merlin's name he'd agreed to play another hopeless game of chess when Ron had challenged him. He looked up and gave Ron a questioning look. "Let's continue the game after dinner?" "Yeah, I'm starving," his friend agreed. Harry had said goodbye to Sirius after breakfast and then moved to the drawing room with his friends. The girls had spent the day reading after Hermione had offered Ginny one of her Muggle novels. Harry got up and glanced over at the sofa. The girls had already put their books aside and were walking to the door. Harry took Ginny's hand and together the four of them made their way down to the kitchen. As they entered, Mr Weasley was just putting on his winter robes and grabbed the pack of food Ginny's mother had prepared for him. "What's up, Dad?" Ron asked astonished. "Do you need to go to the Ministry at this time?" "Yes." Mr Weasley nodded, explaining apologetically, "Urgent Order business, unfortunately." Kissing his wife on the cheek, he bid farewell. "See you tomorrow, luv. I think I'll be back by breakfast." "Take care of yourself, Arthur," she replied. "And don't forget to eat something. I've put a warming charm on the tea; it'll be cold there." "Don't worry, Molly," Mr Weasley replied, reaching to the glass of Floo powder. Waving his goodbye, he threw a pinch of Floo powder into the fire and disappeared. Trampling noises in the stairwell announced the arrival of the twins, who'd left their room only during meal times since their arrival at Grimmauld Place. They sat down in their seats and looked around. "Dad's not home yet?" Fred asked. "He needed to head out on urgent Order business," Ginny explained. "Our Marauder is missing today as well?" George pointed to Sirius' deserted seat. "He's back to the island, looking for something," Harry explained. The conversation was interrupted when Mrs Weasley put the platters of roast beef and vegetables on the table. Everyone raced to secure his share of the delicious dinner and put it on their plates. "Calm down everyone, you won't die from hunger," cried Mrs Weasley. "There's still a Shepherd pie in the oven." "Oh, great," exclaimed Harry. "I'll wait for the Shepherd pie." Ginny grinned at him. "You better watch out that Ron doesn't snatch it away it for dessert." "Oi, Ginny," Ron complained. "A growing boy needs his food." The next half hour was a loud and entertaining affair. The ruckus slowly faded with the amount of food left on the plates. The twins left and said their goodbyes for the evening, claiming they still had some urgent business to do. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and squeezed it. "Let's help your mother with the dishes." When Ginny squeezed his hand in return, he called, "Mrs Weasley, thank you for dinner. I'll do the dishes with Ginny." Ron groaned, "Harry, our chess game is waiting." "It can wait a few more minutes," Harry replied. He stood up and was giving Ginny an impish grin when suddenly several things seemed to happen at the same time. Ginny was laughing about something. Harry felt a bit dizzy. Ginny's laughter suddenly turned into a horrified scream. Harry felt a terrible pain in his forehead. Blood spread over Ginny's face and shirt…and slowly everything went black around Harry. |
| Reviews 64 |
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