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If You Can Help Her | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fluff, Humor Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 570 Summary: This story starts with an alternative ending to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry helps Ginny recover from her experience, unknowingly initiating a bond that affects the rest of their lives. Rating is for violence in the later chapters. **A French translation called "Si tu peux l'aider" is being written by the author Sined. It's posted on Fanfiction.Net. Hitcount: Story Total: 296417; Chapter Total: 10286 |
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Harry Potter and all characters, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. If You Can Help Her — Chapter 9 — Memories Starts in … …The Prisoner of Azkaban — Chapter 15 — The Quidditch Final Harry woke up the day after winning the Quidditch Cup elated. It was Sunday, so there were no classes, so he was looking forward to spending a glorious day with Ginny. He showered quickly and got dressed. He descended the stairs quickly, looked around the common room, and saw Ginny sitting by the fireplace with her back to him. He snuck up behind her and put his arms around her, only to have them shoved back down and hear her say, “Leave me alone!” With a puzzled look on his face, he racked his brain trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. When he couldn’t think of anything, He walked around to stand between Ginny and the fire. He looked at her eyes, and could see by how red they were that she’d been crying. He squatted down in front of her and slowly took her hand in his. He looked her in the eyes and asked, “What’s wrong, Ginny?” She took a deep breath and said, “It’s nothing, Harry. I’m sorry I snapped at you. It’s not your fault. It’s just…Never mind, it’s stupid!” She put on a fake smile and said in a cheerful tone, “Good morning love!” Harry wasn’t fooled. “Apparently, you don’t feel that it’s a good morning. I’ll ask you again, what’s wrong Ginny?” Her face fell back into a frown. “It’s stupid. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine.” Harry smiled and said, “Are you gonna make me stay like this all morning before you tell me the truth? Squatting down is actually uncomfortable after a few minutes. Whatever is bothering you is obviously important to you, so I don’t think it’s stupid. Please, let me help.” Ginny sighed and said, “Do you know what the date is?” “Yeah, it’s May 29th, why…Oh.” He straightened up and put his hands gently on her shoulders. “Do you want to talk about it here or outside?” She looked down at the floor and said, “What makes you think I want to talk about it? It’s been a year today since the Chamber and I’m a little, er, upset about it. I’m fine, really.” He gently lifted her head back up and looked into her eyes. “Do you honestly think you’re fooling me? I want to help you. I love you.” She smiled slightly and conceded defeat. “Outside.” She grabbed one of his hands, got up out of the chair, and they started walking silently toward their favorite spot near the lake. Once they’d sat down she began, “I had another nightmare about it. This time I dreamed of waking up in the chamber to find Riddle alive and you lying dead next to me. He said that since he killed you, he could keep me alive as his slave. I woke up at about 3 a.m. crying and decided to come downstairs.” She stared crying again and Harry pulled her into a hug that lasted several minutes while she cried on his shoulder. Harry allowed her as much time as she needed. When she finally pulled back, she looked him in the yes and said, “Er, I have a strange request I want to ask you.” “Anything.” She looked extremely nervous as she said, “Well, I’d like you to, er, come with me into the Chamber of Secrets. I think seeing that place again will help me find some closure.” Harry didn’t know what to do. “Er, do you really think that’s a good idea?” Ginny got the determined look in her eyes that Harry was so familiar with and said defiantly, “I’m going. If I have to, I’ll go alone, but I’d much rather go with you.” Harry knew there would be no changing her mind, and he definitely didn’t want her going down there alone, so he accepted the fact that she’d won. “When do you want to go?” “Now,” Ginny said, with a triumphant smile on her face. “We should first get my Firebolt so we can ride it out of there.” They went back to Gryffindor Tower, got Harry’s broom, and went to Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Fortunately, she apparently wasn’t there. Harry walked up to the appropriate faucet and asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Instead of answering, Ginny said, “Open up,” in Parseltongue, and the sink moved apart, revealing the entrance. Ginny immediately jumped into it, and Harry quickly followed, holding tightly to his Firebolt. After rushing down the slimy, dark slide, they both got up and Ginny grabbed his hand. Harry put his broom under his shoulder, pulled out his wand, and said, “Lumos,” causing it to light up. Ginny immediately did the same, doubling the light in the room. They proceeded forward, their footsteps slapping loudly on the wet floor. The tunnel they were in was just as dark as Harry remembered, and when the sound of their footsteps changed to crunching, Harry wasn’t surprised. Ginny said, “Ew. I forgot about the bones on the floor. Harry tightened his grip on her hand. “There’s nothing down here that can hurt you anymore.” Then he got an idea. “If you want Ginny, we can ride the broom instead of step on these bones. “I’d like that.” They mounted the Firebolt with Harry behind Ginny, his arms wrapped around her waist. She was holding both lit wands in front of her like headlights. They quickly came across the remains of the snakeskin and the cave in Professor Lockhart had caused. There was just enough room for them to fly past the rocks on the ground that Ron had cleared out a year earlier. Ginny said, “You never told me what caused the cave-in.” After Harry explained what Lockhart had done, she said, “That fraud! That bloody coward! That evil git! I hope he never gets out of St. Mungo’s!” “St. Mungo’s?” asked Harry. “Yes. That’s the hospital they sent him to,” said Ginny. “I thought he was hurt trying to help me. I even sent him a get-well card.” Harry chuckled at that, and soon she joined in. They were still laughing when they reached the solid wall on which two entwined serpents were carved. Ginny hissed, “Open,” in the language only she, Harry, and Voldemort could speak. The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry and Ginny, still on a broomstick, flew inside. They quickly flew past the pillars and came to the spot where Harry had found Ginny a year ago. They dismounted the broom, and Ginny handed Harry his wand. Ginny knelt on the floor, putting her hands where she had awoken the year before, and started trembling slightly. “This, this is the spot where you found me.” Tears were now starting to fall from her eyes. “There’s the remains of the basilisk,” she said pointing at a smelly, decomposing snake.” “Uh-huh. Here’s the tooth I stuck through the diary,” said Harry, picking up the object he had discarded long ago. “Tooth?” asked Ginny. She had stopped crying, and was now curious. “Yes,” asked Harry, looking confused, “Didn’t you know?” “I don’t know anything that happened down here until I woke up. If you wouldn’t mind, would you please tell me what happened when you got here?” Harry shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I never did tell you about it, did I? I guess it’s about time. You may be disappointed in your hero after I tell you, though.” He then told her the whole story, starting with finding her lying face down on the floor, ending with her waking up. He left nothing out. Ginny remained silent, listening intently to the ordeal Harry had gone through for her. Finally, she spoke. “How could I be disappointed in you after that? You really were the brave hero slaying the monster to save the damsel in distress!” “I was just lucky Fawkes came to help. I don’t even know how to fight with a sword. I was just lucky to get the basilisk. And even then I would’ve died if Fawkes didn’t heal me with her tears.” Ginny started crying again. “I know I put you in terrible danger, and I’m so sorry about it, but you were brilliant! Don’t let anyone tell you differently. How many second-years would’ve even tried to save me while the defense teacher was cowering in fear? Can you picture Colin slaying the basilisk? You like to think you’re an average kid, but you’re not. If you hadn’t come to Hogwarts, I would’ve died here, and V,Voldemort would have returned that day.” Harry hugged her yet again. “Well anyway, Voldemort did not return, and thankfully, nobody died.” When she’d stopped crying again, Harry said, “Do you think we’ve been here long enough, or do you want to stay for a little while longer.” She smiled slightly. “I guess I’ve seen enough of this place, but I want to keep the tooth.” “Why?” asked Harry, clearly confused. “I want to keep it on my nightstand as a reminder that Riddle is dead, and this is the weapon that killed him.” She took the tooth from Harry, and put it in her pocket. They then mounted Harry’s Firebolt and flew out of the Chamber, only dismounting when they came out in the bathroom, where they found Hermione, looking depressed, talking with Moaning Myrtle about death. Hermione’s face lit up immediately when she saw them, and Myrtle left in frustration. Ginny said, “Hermione, what are you doing here?” Hermione frowned and said, “When I couldn’t find you two anywhere else, and realized the date, I had a feeling you went to the Chamber. I’m just not entirely sure why you would want to go down there. I’d think you’d want to avoid this place at all costs.” “Avoiding it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it, but facing it stops me from fearing it. I think this helped me. I told Harry I was going down there with or without him, so naturally, being the hero that he is, he came with me. I even got him to tell me how he bravely slew the basilisk…” “I never said…” “…in his own humble way, I’m sure. He seems obsessed with proving he’s not a hero,” said Hermione. Both girls giggled as Harry’s face went red. Hermione then looked them over and performed a cleaning charm on both of them before they left the bathroom. They found Ron in the common room, playing chess with a frustrated-looking Neville. Ron said, “There you guys are. Where’ve you been all day, hiding in a broom closet snogging? Harry, what’ve you got your Firebolt for? If you were going flying, why didn’t you invite me?” Hermione rolled her eyes and said, “They just wanted a little time together, considering what day this is.” Ron said, “Oh yeah. Today’s the day after we won the Quidditch Cup! I guess you two wanted to celebrate privately.” “That’s it, Ron,” said Ginny, walking up to her dorm to put the basilisk tooth away. “Can’t get anything past you,” said Harry. “I’ve got to put my broom away.” - Please review. |
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