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SIYE Time:22:53 on 28th March 2024
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A Dream Unlocked
By sugarquills23

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Angst, Humor, Drama
Warnings: Sexual Situations, Violence, Extreme Language, Dark Fiction
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 131
Summary: This adventure begins post 6th year. Harry is suddenly having nightmare's again despite his Occlumency training. He is uncertain of who is haunting his dreams, but knows he must help her. What unforeseen dangers are awaiting Harry in his nightmares and how will he unlock the mystery of the girl trapped inside his mind... A/N: The first 5 chapters have been revised with the development of a new chapter. I'm working with a beta now to improve this story. I hope you like the changes.
Hitcount: Story Total: 68962; Chapter Total: 4749







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Chapter 17 Mrs. Weasley’s Secret

Several extremely lonely days passed at Grimmauld Place for Harry. Ginny had apparently decided that if he wasn’t going to be true to his feelings then she simply wasn’t going to speak to him at all. Harry knew she’d be angry with him for a little while, but he assumed she’d get over it eventually and they could go back to being friends. However, up to this point it appeared that he was quite mistaken for Ginny spent the better part of her time leaving rooms in a huff as he entered and completely ignoring him otherwise. He was beginning to feel a bit like he was back at Privet Drive when it came to Ginny. She acted as though he simply didn’t exist.

Although Ron appeared to be in a veritable fog as to what going on around him, Hermione had certainly noticed a change in the atmosphere. When she questioned Harry about it however, he had told her that nothing was wrong and that he and Ginny had just had a disagreement. He made it clear that he didn’t really want to talk about it and that she wasn’t to talk to Ginny about it either. Reluctantly she agreed to let it be, at least for now.

Making a difficult situation even more difficult for Harry was the fact that ever since Ron had ‘shown Hermione something’ in the lounge, they had begun disappearing at regular intervals. Perhaps this had been happening for some time, but Harry hadn’t noticed as much before because he was happy to spend time with Ginny. Now that option was definitely off the table. The times that he was able to tag along with them to do anything, they always seemed to end up snuggling and talking together in whispers. They weren’t really trying to be inconsiderate, but it was pretty clear that they needed time alone.

Harry wasn’t angry with them, just lonesome. It wasn’t like he wished he could be the one to be with Hermione instead of Ron or anything. He wanted Ginny, but he knew he couldn’t have her. That fact made him a bit jealous of what they had together. His best friends in the world now shared something that he’d never be a part of. He missed hanging out, just the three of them. As their threesome became a twosome plus Harry, he began to feel more and more alone. He tried very hard never to show that it bothered him. He saw no reason for them to be unhappy just because he was, and he certainly didn’t want them to feel guilty for finding that they actually loved each other. He would get used to the new state of normal in his life. It would just take a little time. For now, whenever they started to drift off into their own world, Harry would quietly sneak away from the couple and retreat to his room, not that they noticed usually. It was at those times that he’d allow himself to think of her.

It just about drove him out of his mind to replay that afternoon by the river in his mind. His heartbeat would quicken as he imagined pinning her beneath him and finally giving into his need for her. She had been right on one count; it did feel right to be with her. It was like it was the most natural thing in the world. Whether she knew it or not, he had given a part of himself to her that day, a part of himself that he’d never be able to reclaim. He felt like he’d never be whole again without her. There were times that he felt he needed her so much that he’d almost give in to his feelings. Whenever he began to falter in his decision though, he’d simply look in the mirror to remind himself of the reason he was alone. He hated that scar. He hated what it represented and he hated what it meant for his future. It meant, that he simply didn’t have one.

With the rest of the Order now back in their daily routines and the other Weasley’s back at their jobs, Harry had taken to haunting the kitchen when he wasn’t holed up in his room. He spent his time in there talking to Mrs. Weasley or helping her with things. At least one Weasley female was speaking to him. Apparently however, this had thrown up a red flag for her and she finally questioned him one day about his frequent visits with her.

“Harry dear, is there anything wrong?” She asked one afternoon when he offered to help her de-gnome the flower pots a little more enthusiastically than seemed normal.

“Uh…no Mrs. Weasley, I’m fine. What could possibly be wrong?” he answered trying to sound sincere but not too desperate for her to allow him to help her.

“Well, it’s not that I don’t appreciate the help…or the company, but wouldn’t you much rather spend your time with Ron and Hermione or perhaps Ginny? You’ve been on your own an awful lot lately this week. I was just wondering if perhaps you lot have had a quarrel or something.” She was looking concernedly into his eyes as she spoke. She had the look of a mother consoling her son, which in some ways, she felt she was.

Harry looked back at her marveling at her instincts. She knew him well enough to know when he wasn’t acting himself. It comforted him to know that she could see into him as a real mother would. After looking back at her for a few seconds, he quietly sat down with a sigh at the table. He decided that if the only person he could talk to was Mrs. Weasley, so be it. He watched as she sat down across from him and handed him a cup of tea. She regarded him silently with an encouraging smile on her face and waited patiently for him to begin.

“Mrs. Weasley, there’s something you should know.” Pausing briefly, he asked himself if he really wanted to tell her, Ginny’s mum, what was going on, but seeing no other outlet for his feelings, he gave in to the temptation to vent to her.

“It’s just that…er…Ginny, well…that is to say that I…Oh I don’t know what to say.” He ended with a huff.

Mrs. Weasley looked him with a bit of a smile then quietly spoke. “Harry, if you’re trying to tell me that Ginny has feelings for you, you needn’t bother. I already know. My daughter has told me that she’s in love with you. She told me while you were trapped in her dream. Apparently sometime between now and then, she’s obviously told you as well.”

Harry could feel his cheeks flushing as the heat of his embarrassment overcame him. It was one thing for him to tell her now, but to find out she’s known all this time, kind of made he feel uncomfortable for some reason.

“I’m really sorry Mrs. Weasley. I want you to know I didn’t do anything about it. I don’t want to hurt Ginny. I would never do anything that would hurt her ever.” He offered as he felt suddenly like he needed to beg her forgiveness, but he wasn’t quite certain why.

She continued to smile warmly as she looked at the flustered teenage boy in front of her. “Harry, after everything you have done for our daughter in the past, everything you’ve done for our family, how could you ever think that I would feel you untrustworthy where she was concerned? I know you are not my son, but you should know that I am proud to be here for you. Arthur and I both love you as family. You do know that don’t you?”

Harry looked a bit sheepishly into his teacup as he quietly nodded avoiding her gaze.

“Well, then,” she continued, “you should also know that if your mum was here, she’d be asking you the very same questions. As I said, I know I’m not your mum and I would never try to replace Lily, but if you need me, if you have questions…”

She watched as Harry’s face turned a brighter shade of red.

“I’m so sorry Harry. It was not my intention to embarrass you or intrude on your personal feelings, but I guess I’m safe in assuming you don’t return her feelings then?”

Harry finally looked up from his tea and straight into her eyes as he began to nervously let it all out, “Actually, that’s not really the case. I care very much for Ginny, Mrs. Weasley. I do care for her and that’s why I can’t…er…go out with her.” He finished, choosing his words carefully. He seriously doubted that her motherly instincts towards him would extend to the fact that he wanted to tear off her daughter’s blouse and then see where it took them.

“Oh…um…I’m not quite sure I understand. If it’s my blessing your concerned about Harry, you needn’t be. I couldn’t imagine Ginny ever choosing someone more worthy of her love than you. Nor could I ever imagine her finding anyone who would take better care of her than you. I’ve known you long enough to know that family and friends are your priority, even above yourself. I can’t ask for more for my only daughter than a caring, giving, generous, young man who cares for her now can I?” She finished with a broad smile and glistening eyes.

He looked back at her with a warmed heart. “Thank you Mrs. Weasley. That really means a lot to me, but I only wish it were that simple.” In response to the curious look on her face, he began to explain his argument to her.

“The problem isn’t how I feel about her, well in way it is actually, but the real problem is that if Volde…sorry…You-Know-Who ever realized my feelings for her, it would in essence be like placing a target squarely on her back.” Mrs. Weasley gasped at this revelation. It apparently had not occurred to her up until now. After that he continued to explain how he felt that loving him would place her in unnecessary danger. Danger that he simply would not be a party to and that he had told her as much.

“I can tell you see my point.” He said watching her expression fade from a loving smile to one of worry.

“The issue is however, Ginny does not. I told her that she needed to move on and find someone else. Someone who has a better chance of, well, surviving to see his next birthday, but she’s so stubborn! She just won’t see to reason. She says that her feelings aren’t going to change. She basically called me a coward and said that I might as well be dead if this is how I was going to live. Can you believe her? She’s so infuriating and…and…well, you know how she can be.” He finished a little indignantly feeling as though he finally had someone whom would agree with him.

With genuine sympathy in her voice Mrs. Weasley began to speak. “Forgive me dear if I’m out of line, but regardless of how ‘infuriating’ she can be it sounds to me like you miss her. She’ll come around. She loves you too much to stay away completely.”

“No, I’m afraid she’s pretty, well, excuse me but, she’s more than hacked off at me now. She won’t even speak to me. If she could only see that I’m doing this to protect her then maybe she’d understand. I miss her terribly. I miss her friendship. I’d give anything for it to just go back to the way it was before she told me how she felt.” He responded regretfully.

“Harry I’m so sorry that you’ve had to add this to your list of worries. Finding out that someone is in love with you, someone whom you care for as well, should be a happy time. I’m sorry that it’s only brought you misery. The way you’ve been skulking around here for the last week makes complete sense now. I know you think you’re angry at her for being unreasonable, but perhaps being angry with her is only your way of convincing yourself that you should just stay away from her.”

He looked at her in disbelief, “I would think you’d want me to stay away from her given the circumstances. I thought I could at least count on you to support my decision.”

“I’m sorry Harry, but I know my daughter well enough to know that once she sets her mind to something, that what I think will have very little effect on her. When she told me that she loved you, it came from her heart. It wasn’t a little school girl’s crush. She believes that you are the only one for her. You also must ask yourself how you would feel if in fact she did go on and find someone else. Could you live with the fact that she would be with another man instead of you? Have you considered how you’d feel if she actually takes your advice, finds someone else and perhaps one day marries that person?”

In response to that question Harry looked up at her with an expression of revulsion. The thought of any other man touching her, kissing her, or doing anything of the kind wasn’t an image he wanted to dwell on. It seemed that Mrs. Weasley read his body language and responded, “I thought not. You know, true love is a powerful force Harry. Have you considered that?”

“What do you mean?” he asked still trying to wipe the image of Riddle’s hands all over Ginny body from his mind.

“It was your mother’s love that saved you the first time from Voldemort, wasn’t it?” she responded firmly.

A bit startled by her use of his name he looked up then said, “Yes, but she died in saving me. She sacrificed herself so that I could live. If you are saying that I should allow myself to care for…to love her so that it will protect me, I’m not sure I can do that. I couldn’t live with myself if another person I care for dies because of me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

Mrs. Weasley got up from the table with tears forming in her eyes. She walked to the window and began looking out over the garden. “Actually Harry, yes; I do.”

For a few seconds he just sat in stunned silence then he responded, “What? What do you mean you know what that feels like?”

“Harry if I tell you something, something about my past, do you promise to keep this between us? My children don’t know about this and I’d prefer that it stay that way.” She said turning to look at him.

He didn’t know if it was fair for him to agree to such a promise. After all Ron was his best friend. What if it was something he deserved to know? His curiosity got the better of him however as he answered. “Um…Yeah… of course Mrs. Weasley. What is it?”

“Well, you may be aware that the majority of my family was killed in the first war by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. My parents were members of the original Order of the Phoenix. They were working to gain information about Voldemort for the Order and moving in secret to do so. When they were discovered, he sent a band of Death Eaters to destroy them. He wanted them to die, them and their heirs to be more precise actually.” She began shakily.

Harry nodded, not sure where this was going, but urging her to continue.

“Have you ever wondered why I alone survived?” she asked.

“Er…actually, no, it never occurred to me. I guess I just thought you weren’t at home when they came or something.” He responded.

“No Harry, I was very much at home at the time. I was 10 years old. I was the youngest of my siblings. My mother had taken me and hidden me as they entered our home. I could hear the screams and the explosions happening all around me. I knew that my family was being slaughtered. All six of my brothers, my father, and I assumed my mother. As the sounds came closer to where I was hidden I heard my mother trying to fight them off. I couldn’t stand it any longer and I burst from my hiding spot. She jumped in front of me and shielded me just as he cast the Avada Kadarva curse at me. The last thing I remember her saying was ‘Not my daughter!’ Then she was gone.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks now as her voice faltered again slightly.

“Mrs. Weasley, I’m so sorry. I never knew. It must have been horrible to be old enough to fully understand what was happening and feel helpless to do anything about it. How did you get out of there?”

“Well, they tried to curse me after she fell to the floor, but a strange glow erupted all around me. It was like a force field of love you could say I guess. They were unable to curse me or even touch me. Then Professor Dumbledore came with the other Order members. He took me to Hogwarts. I stayed there until the next fall when I started school. The rest, as they say, is history.” She finished as if on automatic pilot.

He stood in awe of her before asking, “How do you do it? How do you forget about all of it and just go on as if nothing has happened. I never would have believed it had you not just told me yourself.”

“Well Harry, it wasn’t easy. I’ve had a few more years to deal with it than you have of course. You never forget, but it does get easier. I never would have made it if it weren’t for Arthur though. He showed me that it was not only possible to love again, but crucial that I do so. It was the only way I could ever go on living.” She paused, and then quietly continued, “There was a time when I felt guilty, guilty for living. I suspect you’ve felt that too, haven’t you?”

Harry simply couldn’t believe that they were having this conversation. There was someone in the world who knew how it felt to be him. Quietly he answered, “Yeah, there have been times that I wish that I would have died with them. My need to avenge them however, wins out over my wish to join them.”

“Good. You continue to fight Harry. Life is so worth living. When I look at my husband and my children, I know that I made the right choice choosing life; choosing love. It would have been an insult to my mother’s memory to go through life not really living it. It would have made my mother’s sacrifice all for naught. There’s something else Harry, something that may change your mind about Ginny.” She said now turning back to the window.

“What’s that?” He couldn’t imagine what else she could possible say that would be more astonishing that what she had already shared.

“Well, the protection that’s inside of me because of my mother, the same protection that lives in you, it doesn’t stop there.” She said quietly.

“What do you mean, it doesn’t stop there?” he asked curiously.

“It is passed on to future generations through the bloodline. What I’m trying to say is that it was passed to my children as well. It lives inside of all of them, Ginny included.” She said.

Turning to face him she said, “I know your worried Harry, and each of us needs to make our own choices. We all need to find our own path, but if someday you choose to have children I suspect the same protection will guard them as well. Without being too forward or assuming too much, if Ginny were their mother, they would inherit the charm from both of your blood lines. I suspect they would be better protected than any other child on Earth, perhaps any living creature on Earth. There would be virtually nothing in the world of dark magic that could touch them.” Harry looked shocked at both the mention of children by her but also the implication that she would be supportive of him having children with her only daughter. Only as an afterthought did he truly comprehend what she was saying. If he in fact survived to have children of his own they’d be practically untouchable by Voldemort and his followers.

Before he could respond she continued, “The point is Harry that Ginny can help you because she has the same shield of love that you have. She doesn’t know that of course. She only knows she loves you, which is really all it takes to extend that shield around you.” Mrs. Weasley finished.

“But Mrs. Weasley, if all of this is true, then why was ‘He’ able to take her, twice? What about all the times your sons have been injured in battle over the years?” he asked.

“That’s the key word isn’t it Harry? They were injured. Ginny was hurt, but managed to survive everything that happened with no lasting effects. A normal wizard wouldn’t be likely to survive half of the things that my children have. For that matter, I suspect Fred and George would have met their fates at their own hands on several occasions with their experimental magic had it not been for the charm that protects them.” She said quite seriously.

“So, why don’t you tell them? Why do you keep it a secret? Surely, it would be good for them to know.” He offered quizzically.

“I don’t think so Harry. They might think they were invincible or something. I don’t want my children taking unnecessary risks. Risks that I believe they’d take if they knew about the charm, risks that could lead to their downfall if they weren’t careful. No one is completely invincible. Please Harry; promise me you won’t tell them, any of them.”

“If you wish this to remain secret, of course, I won’t tell them”

After a brief pause Harry added, “Thank you for sharing this with me. It must be difficult to talk about it after all this time and I appreciate you trusting me with this.” He said gratefully.

“Mrs. Weasley? May I ask who does know?” he added as an afterthought.

“Well, the list is rather a short one; Dumbledore knows of course, Minerva McGonagalll, who looked after me at Hogwarts, Arthur, and now you.” She said quietly.

She sighed deeply before adding, “Harry, if there’s one thing that you take from what I have shared with you today, let it be this. We are the guides of our own journey. My advice, from someone who knows a bit about this, is don’t ever let someone else, no matter how powerful they are, choose which road you take.”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I’m not letting him choose my road. At least I don’t see it that way. I’m trying to protect your daughter, Mrs. Weasley. Why can’t anyone understand that? Shielding Charm or not, she deserves better. She deserves a life with someone who isn’t marked for death.”

“There’s something else you should know as well, my shield, as you call it, is weakened now because he was able to take some of my blood at the end of the Tri-Wizard tournament. Dumbledore said that in some ways, I passed the protection of my mother onto Voldemort on that night. That has decreased its potency for me as well albeit not completely.”

“Having my blood running through his body does have one vital advantage for us though that Dumbledore is betting Voldemort hasn’t thought of my blood in essence makes him human again. He’s no longer immortal. It has therefore made him just as vulnerable to a human death as I am. The fact is, none of us know what he’s capable of or how capable I am of actually defeating him. Herein lies my dilemma. If I follow my feelings and go to Ginny, I put her at risk for his attacks now and I also run the risk of abandoning her in death if I can’t defeat him. She should have someone who at least has a chance of someday marrying her, giving her children and growing old with her. I’m doing what’s best for her. I guess in a sense I’m hurting her a little now, so I don’t hurt her even more later.” He finished resolutely.

Mrs. Weasley sighed and slowly walked over to Harry placing her hand on his shoulder. “If that’s your decision, then that’s your decision dear. I will never presume to tell you how you should live your life. Only you can decide that, but just know that we love you, Harry.” As she crossed the kitchen and opened the back garden door she turned and added, “If you should ever choose to follow your heart instead of your head, you have my support.”

Harry sat for a long time alone in the kitchen thinking over her words. It was growing dark and he was tired. He slowly climbed the stairs and entered his already darkening room. In the dim light flowing in from his window he could make out a small package positioned on his pillow. He moved to the bed and sat down on the edge of it picking up the parcel and turning it over in his hands. As he untied the ribbon and opened the parchment that concealed the object he could scarcely believe what he was holding. There inside the wrappings was the dream amulet. Attached was a note.

Dear Harry,

Thank you for sharing your heart with me today. I know it wasn’t easy for you to open yourself up in that way. I also know that you will keep my secret safe. Always remember that you are not alone. Now that you know that I am capable of understanding how you feel more than most realize, I hope that it brings you some small measure of comfort

Please consider your options very carefully before casting your lot. In light of the circumstances, I am giving this back to you. Please don’t be hasty. Take your time and be sure that you are making the right decision for you. I will always be here to support you, even if you and Ginny aren’t meant to be.

Finally Harry, you will always be family, please remember that. I think you know what to do. Pleasant dreams Harry.

With Love,
Molly
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