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Ginny Awoke | ||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Fluff Warnings: Death, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 14 Summary: Ginny awakens to a new world full of old feelings. One Shot. Hitcount: Story Total: 5481 |
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Ginny awoke. She had no idea where she was, or what she was doing there. She opened her eyes, but couldn’t see anything, so she focused on each part of her body instead. Nothing seemed to be wrong. In fact she felt tired but elated. She felt wonderful. She thought she’d never been this comfortable, or safe in her life. But where was she? She couldn’t be in bed at home, or resting peacefully in her Hogwarts four poster. She moved the middle finger on her left hand. It was touching damp grass. It didn’t make any sense; she was outside in the wet, yet she felt warm, and happy and sleepy. Suddenly she registered that a body was slumped upon hers. It all came flooding back. ****** “He’s going!” Ron’s voice had been high in panic. Hermione had frowned at her boyfriend in irritation, barely looking up from her extensive revision notes. “What do you mean, going?” “Who’s going where?” Ginny had broken in. Ron brandished a piece of parchment. “Harry! On the map, he’s going to Hogsmeade- down the tunnel,” Hermione’s head jerked up as she grabbed the map from Ron. She gazed at it for a second, and then up at Ron, her face suddenly pale, her eyes wide and fearful. Ginny snatched the map from her limp grasp, and saw the little dot labelled “Harry Potter” heading off the end of it. “We’ve got to get Dumbledore,” Hermione said urgently. Ron peered at the map, before groaning. “He’s down at Hagrid’s. We haven’t got time!” “Then what do we do?” Hermione sounded panicked. “We’re going after him of course,” Ginny said. It was obvious. She was already moving to the portrait hole. “What! No! Ginny, you stay and te-” “I’m going.” Ginny said flatly, not stopping for her brother. He leapt out of the portrait hole after her. “Ginny, we need you to-” “No Ron! We can’t just leave him to do it on his own. I’m going to help him.” “Ron and I will go, Ginny, Harry would want you to stay here and get help,” Hermione’s placatory tone was breathless as she hurried after the quarrelling Weasleys. “I don’t care!” Ginny stormed. “Ginny, I’m your brother, you listen to me…” Ron bellowed. “OI!” Ginny yelled over him at a passing first year, who stopped, looking terrified. “You- go to Professor Hagrid’s hut and tell Professor Dumbledore that Harry Potter has gone after Tom Riddle in Hogsmeade. Got it?” “Harry Potter, Tom Riddle, Hogsmeade,” piped the scared child. “Go NOW- run- it’s really important.” The boy had nodded, and fled. “Right.” Ginny turned briskly to the statue of the one eyed crone. Ron opened his mouth, but Hermione silenced him with a look. It had started the day before. Harry had received a letter at breakfast: “A Death a day, Mr Potter, until you face me wand to wand. I shall know when you are ready,” That morning’s Daily Prophet, had detailed the death of Arabella Figg, an elderly squib who had lived in Surrey, and had left a small fortune to a nearby Muggle cat sanctuary. Harry had known her as his old baby sitter and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione had argued that it could be coincidence. Dumbledore had closed his eyes briefly in resignation when Harry had presented him with the note. That morning at breakfast, however, Hermione had silently passed Harry the paper, open at the article on the murder of Hestia Jones. Hermione, Ron and Ginny had been watching Harry carefully all day, knowing that he would try to go. And he had succeeded in getting away Ginny was mad with fear. A part of her wanted to stay safe and oblivious in the Gryffindor common room, but she overrode that side of herself. She needed to get the better of Tom Riddle for once and for all. She had to help Harry. She knew now more than ever that there would be nothing left if he died. It had taken a mammoth effort and the acquisition of a boyfriend in her fourth year, but she had managed to throw aside her childish crush. He thought she was over him, but she had merely given up hope of him. And for the best part of three years that they’d been friends she had come to love him more than ever. This love, this desperation, this knowledge that their lives and deaths were irrevocably bound, kept her running down the tunnel, bursting out of Honeydukes with Ron and Hermione puffing at her heels. “You looking for your friend dear?” Asked an elderly witch tottering down the main street. “A lad in Hogwart’s robes passed this way about 5 minutes ago.” Ginny sprinted on… ***** Harry was lying across her chest. Her eyes allowed her to make out that much. She craned her neck, and took in the messy black hair that was flopped on her shoulder. His glasses lay shattered, within reach of her right hand. So this was what it was like to be so close to Harry. No wonder she felt content, lying on her back in the wet grass. She was with Harry; it was right. She could see his back rise as her chest moved up and down in breath. And agony wrenched her soul. Harry. He couldn’t be…could he? Was he breathing? She couldn’t breath anymore; something was blocking her throat. Desperately she tried to move herself, but the weight of the body on top of hers and the strange heaviness pinning her limbs, was preventing her from getting up. She tried to call, but her voice was little more than a rasping whisper. Besides, she remembered. No one would come. ****** “This is hopeless, where would he be?” Ron grunted. They had come to a halt at the end of the street. “He and You kn-hem- Voldemort aren’t going to have it out in the middle of Hogsmeade.” Hermione sighed helplessly. “We can’t know where he is, he probably came to Hogsmeade to be able to apparate somewhere else.” “Isn’t there any way we can tell where he’s gone?” Ginny asked “Well some wizards can occasionally trace the apparation of someone they know, even if they don’t know the place they’re going to, but it’s very difficult, and you have to have a really strong bond with them.” Hermione said uncertainly. “Hang on a minute, Ginny, you can’t even apparate,” Ron said in exasperation. “Oh can’t I?” Ginny said, and was gone. Living with the twins had its pay-offs. Ron and Hermione looked at each other. “Just concentrate on either Harry OR Ginny, in case they’re in different places, otherwise you’ll get splinched,” Hermione instructed nervously. “Let’s just cross our fingers and hope for the best,” Ron muttered darkly, before vanishing. Hermione took a deep breath and followed suit. Harry was standing calmly in a circle of hooded figures, as Ginny, Ron and finally Hermione apparated onto a barren plateau. They crouched behind an obliging rocky turret, unsure as to what to do next. “You are not afraid, Potter?” All three of them cringed at Voldemort’s high, mocking voice. “No,” Harry said evenly. “I’m not scared of you anymore Riddle,” “Indeed, perhaps you wish to die. You long, maybe, to be with your dear parents and godfather, who foolishly gave their pathetic lives to save yours. What a waste; their sacrifice will not prevent your death,” Voldemort produced his wand with a menacing flourish. Harry was gripping his tightly. Ginny couldn’t stay hiding behind the rock, watching. Voldemort raised his wand. Harry raised his. “Stupefy!” Ginny, Ron and Hermione all yelled. The spell took Voldemort by surprise, but bounced off him, forcing Harry to duck to avoid the ray of shooting red light. Three Death Eaters fell to the ground. Voldemort laughed, and with a flick of his wand the rock Ginny, Hermione and Ron were huddled behind fell to rubble at their feet. Harry turned to them, and for the first time the mask of calm on his face slipped to an expression of utter anguish. ****** It was all her fault, Ginny wept. They should have gone and got Dumbledore. Why had she been so stupid? Four Hogwarts students couldn’t take on Voldemort and a group of Death Eaters. And now Harry was so lifeless. He couldn’t just be unconscious. She couldn’t hear any sounds of battle; Voldemort and his followers must have left, leaving her for dead. Why wasn’t she dead? She should have died! She deserved to die. She couldn’t remember what had happened, but if Voldemort had killed Harry, it was unlikely that Ron and Hermione were alive. She’d caused the deaths of her brother and her best friend. And Harry was dead, her Harry, without whom she had decided that life was worthless. She wished she could close her eyes and sink down into endless oblivion, to be away from her thoughts, her pain, her guilt. “Ginny!” Harry had looked in horror from Ginny, who had sprung up from her crouched position, to his two best friends, emerging by her side. Voldemort smiled gleefully. “Is Harry Potter really so famous that he can go nowhere without his little fan club?” He mocked. He suddenly spat a curse at Hermione. “Imperio!” Her face went oddly blank. She tried to take a step forwards. Ron roared and tried to hold her back. Two Death Eaters grabbed Ron, who managed to punch one hard in the face before his hands were seized, whilst another four closed ranks around Harry, who had tried to lunge at Voldemort. Slowly, very slowly, as if she was forcing every step, Hermione walked to Voldemort’s side. “Wormtail!” A small figure stepped forward nervously, sparking renewed efforts on Ron and Harry’s behalves to get free. At a sign from Voldemort, the wizard who had been Peter Pettigrew removed his Death Eater hood, and handed it to Hermione, who gradually pulled it over her own curly head. Ron fought even harder, until he was knocked out by a curse, and sank to the ground. They seemed to have overlooked Ginny, who was able to stun two of Harry’s bodyguards, before ropes binding her wrists and feet were cast upon her by a Death Eater with the cold, pale eyes of Lucius Malfoy. “How touching, Harry Potter, that your friends come to try and save you. And how very amusing for me to be able to kill them.” ***** Had they killed Ron and Hermione before they killed Harry? Had he seen them die? Another wash of memories… She was floating towards Voldemort, she heard a hiss “The girl first…” She heard Harry shouting her name. She was standing next to him, he was gazing desperately at her. Ron’s unconscious body came slamming to her feet, making her knees buckle. High, cold laughter, yells, screams- her own. The ropes vanished. “Imperio” Suddenly all was warm, all quiet. It was over, she was safe. “Kill the boy.” She looked dispassionately down at the tangled mass of limbs and red hair that was Ron, her brother. “Kill the boy.” She felt her wand in her hand. Why though? Why kill Ron? She loved Ron, she didn’t want to kill him! “Kill the boy,” the voice was insistent, “Feel the power, you have the power to kill…” And she was back in the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing the monster, surging with power that was not her own, possessed by Tom Riddle. But she wasn’t an insecure little girl anymore. She was not a vessel for Voldemort. She was herself, and she was NOT going to kill her own brother. Spinning, she brought down another of the Death Eaters holding Harry. “Run!” she screamed. Harry was free, and had grabbed his wand, but he was not fleeing. No, he would not run while they were in danger, she thought dully. "PETRIFICUS TOTALLUS, IMPEDIMENTA!" she yelled, flooring several of her attackers. “STUPEFY!” But then she saw Voldemort call the Death Eaters to order. “Who are you?” he asked Ginny, his red eyes boring into hers. “She’s not important, she’s no one special,” Harry answered, not looking at Ginny. Ginny stood straight backed and flame eyed. She was a nobody no more. “I’m Ginny Weasley.” Recognition flared in Voldemort’s eyes. “Ah, you are… acquainted with what I was, I believe.” “Yes Tom,” she answered quietly. He chuckled softly. “I see the experience did not leave you unscathed. You share my strengths, my thirsts. Do you not yearn to feel power like mine again?” “No.” He smiled. “A pity.” He snapped his fingers at the Death Eaters. “Kill them, and let our honorary member share in the fun.” With that the Death Eaters and Hermione advanced upon Ginny and the lifeless Ron. “But now, Potter, I think we shall end this. Wand to wand.” Harry turned his back on Voldemort, and began to fend off the attack Ginny. “That is an unwise thing to do, boy. You shall fight me. NOW.” Harry was spun round, and vanished with Voldemort. **** But then how was she alive? And with Harry? **** Ginny was going to die. There were many robed bodies on the ground, but still half a dozen or so remained. And Hermione was leading them towards Ron. Ginny ducked a ray of green light, as though it were a Bludger, and returned with a curse of her own. Reflex honing Quidditch and three years of DA lessons had certainly helped, but she could never defeat them all. Resolving to do all she could, Ginny cast the strongest shield she could muster, thought of her father, and hurled a hex that sent Lucius Malfoy flying back into the mound of rubble. She did not have time to feel the surge of triumph and pleasure that tingled through her though; Hermione had reached Ron’s body and was pointing her wand at his chest. “Hermione, NO” Ginny screamed. One of the Death Eaters actually had his wand pointed at Hermione- they would kill her once she had killed Ron. “Ava-” Hermione choked. Her wand fell from her grasp, and she slid to the floor. Ginny, avoiding a Stunning Spell, aimed her wand at the tall Death Eater nearest to her friend. But he had turned. Instead of pointing his wand at Hermione, it had now sent a fellow Death Eater crumpling on to the grass. “Oh Severus, how very disappointing,” came a familiar mocking voice, as a robed figure sent a curse in his direction. The tall Death Eater crouched low, and the curse whizzed over his head, the force of it skewing his hood, which he wrenched off to be able to see. Ginny only had time to gasp ‘Professor Snape,’ before throwing herself to the ground, as green light whizzed over her head. From the ground she saw Hermione scramble to her feet beside Ron, and raise her wand to shoot a spell at two burly figures advancing on Ginny, who did the same. “STUPEFY!” they screamed together, and the last of their opponents were lifted into the air, before hitting the ground. “Enervate,” Hermione muttered, pointing her wand at Ron. Ginny looked around. Ron was stirring. Hermione was trembling, but unhurt, and the blankness had left her face. Snape was duelling the one remaining Death Eater. But she suddenly realised that Wormtail had disappeared. With courage and authority born in that second, Ginny turned to her friend. “Hermione, look after Ron, put body binds on the stunned Death Eaters before they wake up, help Professor Snape if he needs it.” “Ginny, where are you g…?” Hermione gasped. But Ginny was gone. ****** Ginny remembered how her mother had told her stories when she was little. Even better was when her father, or even Bill, would tell her scary stories about the defeat of Grindelwald. She felt as though she were in one of those stories, she was lying here, still feeling safe and warm, while these horror scenes were played out in her mind. But they didn’t have a happy ending, they couldn’t have. Because even if by some chance he had defeated Voldemort, Harry was… A new scene appeared in front of her. Almost without realising, she had Apparated to a different location. Hermione, Ron, Snape and his opponent were nowhere to be seen. Nearby she made out two figures, and sped towards them. She didn’t know what she was running to do. Harry had told her about the prophecy. He’d told her and Ron and Hermione at the end of the year before, following yet another attempt on his life. She had known then that he had to shoulder the burden of responsibility; that he alone could free the wizarding world. But she knew too that her life was entangled with his. Her only chance of happiness, she felt, was if Harry was still alive. Even, she thought, if he didn’t love her, as long as he was alive and happy…So Voldemort had to be defeated for her as well as him. He would have to do it, but she would not let him do it alone. Voldemort was laughing, holding two wands; Harry was on his knees. She was almost there. “NO!” she cried, flinging herself in front of Harry, every nerve ablaze, knowing with every fibre that she was doing the right thing. Both Harry and Voldemort tore their eyes from each other and stared at her. Nearby a rat was gazing at her intently. ‘Not Harry! Not Harry! Please- I’ll do anything-’ Just then a man seemed to grow out of thin air. “Expelliarmus!” a thin voice shouted. Voldemort’s guard was down; the wands flew from his hand and into Peter Pettigrew’s. All eyes locked onto Wormtail. The small man was shaking, as he held the wands out to Harry. Harry took his own. With trembling hands, Pettigrew snapped the remaining wand. Voldemort snarled at Peter. “Fool. That will cause nothing but your own death, traitor!” However at the word traitor, Voldemort’s eyes widened in shock and the sneer was wiped from his face. He clenched and unclenched his fists. Harry was white and shaking. Seizing his hand, Ginny helped him up from the ground. He didn’t let her hand go, and Ginny concentrated on sending him every ounce of her strength, as Harry pointed his wand at Voldemort’s chest. ‘Lily, take Harry and go! It’s Him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off-‘ ‘Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!’ ‘Stand aside, you silly girl…stand aside, now…’ ‘Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-’ ‘Not Harry! Please…have mercy…have mercy…’ “AVADA KEDAVRA.” Harry yelled, gripping ever tighter to Ginny’s hand. A huge burst of bright green light- pure energy- erupted from Harry’s wand, and enveloped Voldemort, leaving him sprawled with a shocked expression on his face. Something smoky drifted up from his body, but was smothered by the green light. There was a whirl of greenish mist, as though the two forces were doing battle. Then ashes began to float down from the cloud, which diminished, until there was nothing left. Wormtail vanished; Ginny didn’t notice the flick of the rat’s tail that brushed her leg as it scurried away. Ginny felt as though all the energy had been sucked out of her. Still holding on to Harry’s hand, she collapsed. Harry stumbled, his whole body seemed to droop, and Ginny’s hand dropped to her side. His legs buckled. ****** But? What about Harry? Was he alive? What had happened? She had heard the cries, the screams of Harry’s parents. In the seconds before Harry had killed Voldemort she had heard his mother’s begging sounding in her ears. “Ginny?” She felt cold, and realised that it was because Harry had sat up. Inside she rejoiced. He was alive. She pulled herself into a seated position, and heard him exhale in relief. “Thank goodness,” his voice was shaky. “For a second there I thought you were dead.” He looked very vulnerable without his glasses, was her first coherent thought. “I must admit, that for a little while, so did I,” came a quiet voice. They both looked up to see Albus Dumbledore gazing thoughtfully down upon them. “Professor, how long have we been here?” “What are we doing here?” Both Ginny and Harry had spoken at once. “You were both in a very deep sleep, following the defeat of Lord Voldemort.” “Defeat?” Harry was frowning, and Ginny could tell he was remembering, just as she had done. “Yes Harry, Voldemort has been defeated, for good, this time, I think.” “How long were we asleep?” she asked, and then felt awful for not asking sooner: “What about Ron and Hermione? And Professor Snape?” “You have been asleep for several hours. To cast such a powerful spell took a lot of energy, and it was impossible to awaken you while your bodies worked to replenish it. Mr Weasley and Miss Granger are both well, and extremely anxious about both of you.” Suddenly Dumbledore looked incredibly old and tired. “I regret to inform you that Professor Snape, however, was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.” Harry was looking very confused. He began to ask something, but Dumbledore talked over him. “Now, I suggest we get back to Hogwarts, where I would like you to tell me exactly what happened.” ***** The portkey brought them into Dumbledore’s pleasant office, where Harry and Ginny were snatched into extremely tight hugs by both Hermione and Mrs Weasley, while Ron, Mr Weasley, Fred, George and Bill looked heartily pleased and relieved to see them. Harry had just begun to tell his side of the story when Remus Lupin burst in, having obviously been frantic with worry. When Harry had finished recounting what had happened, Dumbledore asked Ginny to fill in her version. By the time she had finished, Mrs Weasley had a worried frown on her face. “Why could Ginny hear Lily and James…?” she asked tentatively. Ginny blushed embarrassedly. She had meant to leave that part out. To her surprise, Harry spoke up. “I heard them too,” he said. Dumbledore smiled slightly. “Ginny’s actions repeated those of Harry’s parents. Like them she was prepared to sacrifice herself for Harry, and it was this willingness that forged a bond of love allowing her to transfer to Harry the power he needed to defeat Lord Voldemort. Without that love, Harry’s curse would not have been enough to damage him.” Ginny’s cheeks were bright pink, but thankfully even Fred and George were too aghast to tease her. At the moment, anyway. “Incidentally it was also this bond that enabled Ginny to apparate so easily to Harry, even though she does not have a licence.” Thankfully Dumbledore was still smiling benignly. “How did Peter get there then?” Remus asked quietly. “Curiously Peter had a bond with both Harry and Voldemort.” Dumbledore said. “He was indebted to Harry, who saved his life four years ago, and he had helped Voldemort back into his body three years ago. It is my belief that when he willingly gave his flesh to enable Voldemort to take human form, he became linked to him. The flesh of the servant had to be willingly given. Once Peter defied him, Voldemort became much weaker.” Remus breathed deeply, and Harry could see that he was starting to allow himself to forgive his school friend ever so slightly. ****** The visitors had departed for the guest rooms. The news would be worldwide the next morning that Harry Potter had vanquished You Know Who. Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione wearily traipsed back to the common room. “What happened to Snape?” Harry asked, as soon as they were through the portrait hole. “Well,” said Hermione. “He knocked out Avery, and then started to duel with Bellatrix. “They were at it for ages,” Ron carried on. “And some of the curses they used were very unusual,” Hermione added. “Yeah, I would’ve taken Snape a bit more seriously if I’d had known he could do all that.” “We couldn’t really help, we were just in the way,” Hermione said. “Anyway, Bellatrix was lagging a bit, he’d got her all the way down her left side, and he finally managed to get a full body bind on her.” “But she had frozen with her wand in her hand. He thought the fight was over when she managed to curse him with his back turned. We stunned her before she could free herself.” “I wanted to kill her,” Ron admitted. “But Hermione wouldn’t let me.” He looked proudly at his girlfriend and squeezed her hand. She blushed. “A few minutes later Dumbledore arrived.” There was a silence. “Right. Well I’m er going to go to bed,” Ron said finally. “Me too,” Hermione got up. She gave them each another hug. “I can’t believe you did it, you defeated him.” Harry and Ginny sat in the common room. Maybe their sleep earlier had affected them, for neither felt like going to bed. “How do you feel?” Ginny asked Harry, who had been gazing at the fire. He thought for a while before answering. “I don’t know. Odd. I feel sort of empty, yet really full at the same time.” “That does sound odd.” He smiled. “I suppose it’s because for ages I just thought about how I either had to kill him or be killed by him. Whenever I thought about the future that was all I saw, as if I never really believed I’d get past that.” “And now?” “And now there are other things to think about, like getting jobs and everything. Things I never really thought I’d have. It’s weird though, I know I’ve killed him, and yet…” “It doesn’t really feel like he’s gone. You can’t quite believe that it’s all over.” Ginny finished for him. He nodded. “Exactly.” He turned to her suddenly. “You were brilliant back then. And, I…erm, well.... You know when I told Voldemort that you were nothing?” “Yes…” “I didn’t mean it.” He said in a rush. “I just didn’t want him to hurt you. I thought he might not bother with you if he didn’t think you were special.” He pushed his newly mended glasses up his nose. “When I knew I was going to have to fight him again, it was something I tried not to think about, but the thing is, Ginny…” Shivers started skating up and down her spine. She forced herself to look up. He was examining his hands. “I, well, I, I…really like you.” His eyes left his hands and met hers. “I really like you.” “You know how I feel.” She was startled by the sound of her own voice. “Yes, but I didn’t before,” It was strange how his eyes could be that colour, and yet have such warmth. He gave a slightly lopsided smile. “I thought you’d given up on me ages ago.” “Well I had, but not really. I never stopped, you know, being in love.” She was sure she was blushing madly. She was reassured by his grin. “When we were asleep together, when I woke up, that was the happiest I think I’ve ever felt.” His expression became serious. “But then I thought you were dead, and that was awful. Like there was no point being alive anymore. That’s when I realised for certain.” She stared up at him, barely believing that he, Harry was saying this to her, Ginny, his best friend’s sister. Her heart was hammering, as she reached out a hand. She needed to touch him, to prove that this was real. He leant towards her. Their noses bumped. She giggled softly, and then his lips brushed against hers. Her hand found its way to his hair, as the kiss deepened. They broke apart. “I love you,” he said. Ginny answered with her eyes, and then with another kiss. Her world up till then had been in shadows, now a great expanse of life was opening up to her, one that she had only seen heady glimpses of in dreams. Ginny awoke. |
| Reviews 14 |
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