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At the Edge of Hope | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:All, Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Fluff Warnings: Dark Fiction Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 6 Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated since 2004 *** As time goes by, you have to wonder: Is there any hope left for Harry? (Set in Harry's last year.) Hitcount: Story Total: 5383; Chapter Total: 1816 |
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A/N: Well I’m evil, I’ll give you that. Thanks to Anne for beta reading this and for giving me a lesson in: “How to write evil things.” ;) Also thanks to Yolanda for beta- reading this as well. You two rox. :D Also thanks to Liz, who did not kill me when she realised what I’d do in this chapter. Thanks to Kat, who kept listening to my ramblings. Another thanks goes to Carissa for keeping asking for this. I hope you like what you see. A big thanks to those of you who read the first chapter and left a review. You made my day. :D I’d really love to get more feedback, soooo: review please? I promise, if you keep the reviews coming, I’ll keep writing on a very regular basis. J . Chapter Two It's the heart, afraid of breaking That never learns to dance It's the dream, afraid of waking That never takes the chance It's the one who won't be taken Who cannot seem to give And the soul, afraid of dying That never learns to live (Bette Midler- The Rose) You need friends to achieve your goals. They’ll stay by your side, keep you company, won’t leave you alone. When times get so dark that you think they can’t get worse, your friends will be the ones one guiding you through, showing you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. They’ll guide you through it all… “They are attacking Hogwarts!” “But how?” Hermione looked sheet white. “The wards! Hogwarts is the most secure place there is.” Ron placed his index finger over her lips shaking his head sadly. “Anything special about them?” Harry asked trying to sound casual but Ginny just knew he wanted to know something. She just wasn’t sure what. “Well they’re hooded,” Dean Thomas answered looking disgusted. “Special enough?” “No… is there anything else?” “Harry, why don’t you get up from your lovely spot and look yourself?!” Dean answered. Ginny could feel Harry’s arm loosen around her waist and suddenly she was even more scared. She didn’t want him to go over there. She didn’t want to come along with him-- the images of war were so fresh in her mind. She didn’t want to lose anybody. Her hold tightened on him. “Harry, please… don’t.” She knew, that he’d only walk over to the window, where the others were already watching the events… Still… She didn’t think he’d listen. She was sure he’d get up, leaving her behind… Her heart beat fast against her ribcage. “Ginny, I need to see… but I’ll be back… I’ll be right back.” He sounded so sincere and she looked into his eyes seeing the truth. He wouldn’t leave her here on the sofa. She nodded slowly, watching Harry carefully. He seemed to be concentrating, and Ginny wondered briefly what he was looking for… Then his features became set, and it was as if realization just hit him. Whatever he saw made him look scared to death. “No! Get him away from them!!!” His voice was filled with agony, stress. “Remus! Don’t get any closer! The SILVER…. Somebody hold him back… Oh please…” Ginny couldn’t take it anymore. She jumped up from her spot hearing Ron whisper, “Wormtail,” as all three of them raced forward to the window. She looked, questioning, at her brother and her friend, but they just signalled her that they’d explain later. For what she saw next Ginny didn’t need an explanation though. Remus… werewolf… silver hand... She grabbed Harry’s arm when she realized he was about to storm out to help Remus. “Harry, did you tell Dumbledore about the hand?” Ginny asked, shivering. It couldn’t be… not after Sirius. Harry would never let anybody get close to him again. Please, oh please let Remus survive. Let Dumbledore come up with something ingenious. Let Snape get between them… Somebody DO something… “Let me go, Ginny!” His attempts to free himself were becoming frantic. “He needs me!” Harry fought her, but she couldn’t let go. “He needs you to stay safe… Please, Harry… trust Dumbledore… He wouldn’t let him close to that man if it wasn’t safe.” “He might have forgotten… I told him so much…” “But Remus wouldn’t go further, now would he?” Ginny desperately hoped she was right… Harry gave a shallow laugh. “He wants to protect me… He’d die for me just like everybody else did!“ Remus was within arm’s reach of Wormtail now… Ginny caught her breath, wishing she could get Harry’s attention somewhere else. “Why isn’t Snape pulling him away?! He can’t watch him die… Where’s McGonagall?!” Harry sounded like he’d explode any second. “If he dies, I’ll kill him!” “Kill who?” Ginny asked, knowing the answer already. “Snape!” “Now, no need to kill anybody, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall said, her voice, to Ginny’s surprise, calm. It seemed as if the professor wasn’t at all bothered… Not one single student had heard her enter the Tower, though, leaving them with an uneasy feeling. “You need to help Re- I mean Professor Lupin… the silver…” Hermione was silenced by the look the Professor gave her. “There is no time for discussion… Hogwarts isn’t safe at the moment. We need to abandon it. Please fol-” “Professor! You can’t be serious! NO!” Harry’s eyes never left the scene unfolding in front of him. Wormtail reached out for Remus, a look of triumph in his eyes. He knew what was about to happen. Ginny caught her breath, fearing what would come next, but nothing happened. Remus didn’t buckle, didn’t look shocked. Instead, a shot of light came from Remus’ wand, driving the other man to his knees… In the same second all the fighting professors vanished, leaving the Death Eaters with an astonished look. “How’s that possible?” Ron asked looking just as shaken as Ginny felt. “Where did they go?” “Later… We need to leave Hogwarts now. Please follow me without discussion.” “Where is Re-“ Harry tried to find out, earning another look from the older woman. “Later!” *** Ginny knew that there were secret passages in Hogwarts, but she had never imagined one there… From the astonished looks of her brother and his friends, she hadn’t been the only one. When McGonagall had led them to the staircase of the boys’ dormitory instead of the Portrait Hole, Ginny had got rather curious. Where were they going? Then the Professor had tapped her wand on the fourth step in the left corner, muttered something under her breath, and the staircase opened, another set of steps slowly starting to wind itself downwards. “ Two students together… Go down there to the end of the staircase then turn than turn right into the hall and wait,” the professor had ordered, making them cautious. The first two had been Dean Thomas and Lavender Brown, followed by a few first and second years, then than another pair of seventh years. Harry had insisted of going last and Ron and Hermione had refused to leave without him. Ginny didn’t like the idea of being pulled apart from Ron and so she had asked Neville to go with the girl she had been supposed to accompany. Neville had just nodded before disappearing down the dark tunnel. Soon they were the only ones left besides two fifth year students and Professor McGonagall. Although they were almost done, the atmosphere changed with every minute that passed. Death Eaters could be heard in the castle, and it was only a matter of seconds before they would burst into the room. “Hurry,” the professor whispered sending Hermione and Ron next, closely followed by Harry and Ginny. They had started walking without hesitation, but Ginny had turned back looking the professor straight in the eyes. She wasn’t making any attempts to follow them, and Ginny’s heart clenched. “Professor?” “Go on, Miss Weasley.” The opening closed and to Ginny’s horror the first steps started to disappear. She heard the Portrait Hole burst open, heard the Death Eaters enter the room… and suddenly all she wanted to do was scream. She’d have probably done exactly that if it hadn’t been for Harry. He had stopped walking when he had realised that she had not moved, and had returned to her side. And she didn’t know how he knew, but before one single utterance was able to escape her throat his hand was pressed against her lips, more forceful than she’d thought him capable. She knew he was protecting them. Knew that the Death Eaters would find a way to open the passage… They already had Professor McGonagall… didn’t they? Her eyes were getting teary, and she started to shake violently. No, she needed to follow the staircase downwards now; she couldn’t let anybody see her distress. Couldn’t bother anybody with it. As soon as they started to walk again, the steps behind them kept disappearing… there was no way back…. No way at all. *** Minutes passed in total silence. None of the four students had dared to speak up while they kept walking. Hermione was holding onto Ron, and it was as if they were able to communicate through touch. Ginny felt some kind of longing. She wished to have somebody to comfort her just like that. She should have gone with Colin or Neville, or some other of her friends. Somebody who would sense her need and let her be weak. But whenever she glanced at Harry, she just saw control… Penning it all up in tiny, beautiful bottles, are we? It was as if he was asking her to do the same… It was as if he expected her to stay in control. To stay calm. Harry, no offence but you can be such a brat, and I’d really love to knock you down right now. “Why are…” he began, but stopped abruptly. “Hmm?” Harry had said something but it had been so whisper-soft she didn’t hear it. “Never mind.” “Harry, you wanted to know something–just ask,” she snapped as quietly as possible. It still must have been very forceful, for Harry flinched. “I thought so… Why are you upset?” he muttered, obviously unable to look her in the eyes. Ginny was almost speechless. How could she not have been? She decided to tell him exactly that. Whatever reaction she was expecting, it was not the one she got. He just shrugged and then he said something she’d never be able to forget, even if she lived to be a thousand years old: “I’m getting used to it. Being me is a curse–it means that bad things happen around me. . .and they will happen until the day I die.” She almost let out another cry. “Harry… no, that’s not true!” She bit her lip, realizing that she had spoken a bit too loudly, getting Ron and Hermione’s attention. “What’s not true?” Ron whispered curiously. Damn. Harry looked uncomfortable, and she wished she knew what to say to ease the situation. The awkward silence stretched out, and she was just about to make up something to tell Ron, when they reached the bottom of the staircase…When turning right, she found herself in a large hall, crowded with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students, but where were the teachers? *** They were doing as they had been told, but not because anybody had any other plans. In fact the door to the hall had closed with a big bang as soon as Harry and she had stepped into it… as soon as everyone from both houses had arrived. Now students were sitting everywhere, talking quietly, wondering what would happen next. From Luna, Ginny had heard that Professor Flitwick had stayed in their common room just as Professor McGonagall had. And the last pairs of students had also heard Death Eaters entering the room. If the Death Eaters had taken both Professors, who would get them out of this “prison”? Ever since the doors had closed, Ginny had tried to avoid Harry. She didn’t know why he thought he was a magnet for those things, but she knew that she didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t want to hurt him, but as long as she couldn’t tell him exactly what she thought, it would be better to stay away from not only Harry but Ron and Hermione as well. “Ginny?” “Yes?” She looked up, meeting Colin Creevey’s green eyes. He was a sixth-year prefect, along with her, and last time that she had checked he had been standing with Hermione, Ron and the other prefects, arguing about something. Ginny hadn’t really cared about. “We should do something. The younger students are getting nervous, and some seem to have serious problem with being this crowded.” “It’s not that crowded,” Ginny intervened, when she realized that Colin too, looked rather sick. “Well maybe it is. Did you try some illusion charms?” Colin nodded. “Alohomora?” Again Colin nodded. “Anything else?” “Gin, we’ve tried everything. There is not one single spell that works in here…” “What exactly are you trying to tell me?” “We’re doomed!” |
| Reviews 6 |
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