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Requiem of the Phoenix | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley Genres: Drama, Tragedy Warnings: Death, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 22 Summary: It has been four and half years since Harry, Ron and Hermione set out to uncover the horcruxes. Now the final moments draw near. They are no longer children, and they must make their own paths. Harry and Ginny have settled on a desperate plan. However, as destiny is fulfilled, their friends and family can only watch as the final days unfold. Hitcount: Story Total: 36321; Chapter Total: 4966 |
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By Jonathan Avery Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. I am merely telling a story in her world for the fun of it. AN: Thanks to my beta team, Velvet Mouse and Sovran who have suffered endlessly in my quest for perfection. Without them, this project would not be possible. Atto Cinque Requiem del Dimenticato **-*-** The color drained from Molly’s face as Hermione spoke, and she collapsed onto the floor as Ron and Arthur stood gaping like stunned fish. “Who’s alive?” Molly asked tentatively, obviously afraid of the answer. “James,” Hermione responded, a genuine smile lighting up her tear-streaked face. “Harry saved him. He saved James and Ginny!” “My baby? My grandson?” Molly asked again. “They’re alive?” Hermione only nodded, and it was like the sun rose in Molly’s face. She shrieked in joy and leapt to her feet to grab Arthur in a bone crushing hug. “They're alive, Arthur! Our Ginny! Our grandson! They’re alive!” Whatever she said next was never heard as she buried her face into Arthur’s shoulder and sobbed in relief and joy. Arthur stumbled a bit, trying to keep his balance and hold up his wife despite his recovering legs. “We need to get the family over here,” Arthur said, using his cane to steady himself. “They all need to know. Merlin, this is wonderful news. This is . . .” He was silenced as Molly suddenly kissed him. The kiss dissolved as Molly began to hiccough from her tears, and then they both broke out in laughter. Molly spun out of Arthur's arms and started dancing around the kitchen as they both chanted, “They’re alive! They’re alive!” “What about Harry?” Ron asked suddenly, cutting through all the noise, silencing everyone, and bringing Molly and Arthur to a halt. Three sets of eyes fixed themselves on Hermione. They were so happy that she was reluctant to ruin it for them, but they would eventually find out. She shook her head. “Ginny doesn’t . . . well . . . she doesn’t say so much that Harry is dead, but the letter . . . well, it is short and doesn’t mention him. But we need to get the family together first. She wants us to be together. I think there is something else here that we have not found yet.” “Let me read that,” Ron demanded, snatching at the letter. “No,” Hermione pulled the letter away from Ron. “If I let it go, or if anyone touches it, it will burn up. She enchanted it to protect herself and James. She doesn’t want anyone to know they are alive.” “What do you mean?” Ron demanded. “Where are they?” Molly asked at the same time. “I want to see them!” “I've a right to know what happened to them!” Ron said. “Shut up!” Hermione shrieked. Silence descended once more. “Just sit down, and I’ll read you the letter.” “Wait,” Arthur said suddenly, “You said she wanted the family here?” Hermione nodded. Arthur straightened up and looked at his son. “We need to get the others. They should all be here to hear this, unless Ginny doesn’t want them to know?” Arthur glanced over at Hermione. “She says that everyone in the family can hear this," Hermione said, "but no one else. She's terrified that the Ministry might find her.” “I’ll go get them,” Ron said and then Disapparated before anyone could disagree. “I hope he is discreet about this,” Hermione sighed. “Well,” Molly stated with a cheerful smile before getting up and heading over to the pantry. “We will definitely need something to eat for this. Arthur, get out some dishes, and Hermione, don’t drop that letter.” Thirty minutes later, a platter of sandwiches was on the table as well as some very dusty bottles of Butterbeer and a half full bottle of Ogden’s Firewhiskey. As Hermione cast a warming charm on her Butterbeer, the fireplace flared, and Fred and George stepped out. “Oi, what’s going on?” Fred asked as both twins made their way towards the table and grabbed sandwiches. “Ron popped into our flat in a right panic and told us to get over here” George said. “Couldn't be bothered to explain it to us," Fred said with dramatic sigh. "First you lot run off on us at the service, and then you drag us over to this dump." Fred and George glanced around and then frowned. "What?" George said. "What's happened? Percy’s not . . .” George waved his hand vaguely. “No,” Molly said, handing them both Butterbeers. “It's good news for once.” “Ron is such a . . .” Fred began. “. . . git,” George finished and then turned to Fred. “We’ll have to thank him properly once we get this good news." Fred grinned. “I’ve been wanting to test out our latest Spider Strudel.” He held out a pastry with golden icing. “One bite of that," George said, "and he’ll be covered in very realistic. . .” “. . . But completely edible. . .” Fred continued. “. . . Chocolate spiders.” George grinned and then took a swig of his Butterbeer. Three loud cracks later, Bill, Charlie, and Ron were back in the kitchen. Ron walked over, sat down next to Hermione, and kissed her cheek before grabbing a sandwich. “Great, I’m starved.” “So is someone going to explain why we are all here?” Bill asked. “Fleur's waiting for me at her mother's, and I don't want to be late.” “This is worth it,” Hermione said, and then she launched into an explanation of meeting Winston Crane at the memorial and rushing over to headquarters and finding a letter on the table. “So what is so special about the letter,” Charlie asked. “It’s from Ginny,” Hermione said. “She wrote it two days ago.” The stunned silence lasted for a minute before the room erupted once more into shouted questions and jubilant exclamations. It took nearly ten minutes for Hermione to calm everyone down. “The letter will answer some of your questions. But it is short, so you’ll need to be patient and let me read it,” she said. Clearing her throat, Hermione began to read, “To Hermione and Ron, Mum and Dad, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Percy." "Why is she writing to that traitor?" Ron said. "Hush," Hermione said. "I don't know. It's just what she wrote. Now can I continue?" Ron bit his lip and nodded. "Before I begin this, I must tell you, Hermione, that this letter is charmed so only you can open it, and it will incinerate after you put it down or if anyone else touches it. I'm sorry for that, but I cannot take any chances. No one can know that James and I survived the fight with Voldemort. “I am writing this because the Ministry has finally declared James and me to be dead, and I expect you all to believe them and to have accepted that I have passed on. James and I escaped because of a Portkey Harry always made me carry. We are safe and alive, and that is all you need to know. "Remus, Tonks, and Alastor Moody are with me. They have sworn to protect James and me, and you must trust them to do that. I wish I could tell you more in this letter. Truly, I do, but charms can be broken. However, I can tell you this. Hermione, I'm following through on the plan Harry and I told you about. I love you all.” “Is that it?” Ron, Bill, and Fred shouted as Hermione stopped reading. Hermione nodded her head and then gasped as another line appeared on the paper. Messier Moony asks you to properly ask the Marauders for help. Quickly grabbing her wand, Hermione tapped the letter with it and stated clearly, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” “What’s going on?” Molly asked, moving to look over Hermione’s shoulder. Ron and the twins had wide grins on their faces. Bold letters began writing themselves along the bottom of the page: MESSIERS PADFOOT, MOONY, AND PRONGS WISH TO CONGRATULATE MS. GRANGER AND REWARD HER WITH THIS HINT. IN SNUFFLES’ WATER DISH WAS THIS RIDDLE’S PAST REVEALED. Hermione read the words out loud and then squeaked in fright as the letter burst into flame. “Brilliant!” Fred and George exclaimed. “Why is it so brilliant?” Ron muttered. “Because,” George explained, enunciating each word with exaggerated slowness, “Ginny would make a personal game out of something this important to make sure we knew it was really her and not some fake letter.” “I guess,” Ron agreed, “but we still don’t know where she is, and all we have is some stupid riddle from Lupin.” “How do you know Lupin wrote that?” Bill asked quickly. “Remus Lupin is Moony,” Hermione answered with a dismissive wave. “Really?” Fred exclaimed. “Lupin was one of the Marauders?” George chimed in, staring at his brother for a moment and then sighing. “It’s not fair, Fred.” “I know.” “We finally figure out who the Marauders are, and one of them's up and disappeared with our sister.” "She always said she'd prank us last," George said with a grin. “Will you two be quiet!” Hermione snapped. “I am trying to figure this out. Ginny obviously wants us to find something.” She began pacing the kitchen, muttering as she fumbled through the riddle. “Well, Snuffles obviously refers to Sirius, but I am not sure what his water dish could be or where it would be.” “Ginny wants us to find something,” Bill interrupted. “So, we need to know where to look for it, and maybe Snuffles’ water dish is meant to point us to a location?” “Snuffles never had a water dish,” Hermione stated emphatically. “Snuffles was just Sirius’ Animagus form.” “But everyone else thought Snuffles was a dog,” Ron said hesitantly. “And where would you put a dog’s water dish?” Bill asked, smiling. “In the kitchen,” Molly said, starting to look around the kitchen for something. “No,” Hermione said. “Ginny would not have put whatever it is we are looking for in the same room as the letter. Besides, if I had a dog, I would put its food and water next to his bed like I do with Crookshanks.” “To Sirius’ bedroom, then!” George announced with a smile, and then he headed for the kitchen door at a trot. They all followed George as he scrambled up the stairs to Sirius’ old room and walked in. Hermione was one of the last ones into the room, and she found that Bill was holding a ceramic dish with the name 'Snuffles' engraved in it. He handed the dish to Hermione and shrugged his shoulders. “There's nothing in it.” “No, there wouldn’t be anything in it,” Hermione answered as she turned the dish over in her hands. It was a lot heavier than it looked. “The riddle said that in Snuffles’ water dish was this riddle’s past revealed. Something is just wrong with that statement. It seems to indicate that we have already been shown what the riddle is and how to answer it. But what kind of riddle has a past?” “Riddles don’t have pasts,” Arthur said. “People do.” “That’s it,” Hermione crowed in triumph. All the pieces had clicked in her mind, and she pulled out her wand. “She didn’t mean a riddle, she meant Tom Riddle. And Harry showed us Tom’s past in Dumbledore’s pensieve. The water dish is a pensieve.” Hermione placed the water dish on the end table next to Sirius’ bed and pointed her wand at it. “Finite Incantatum.” The water dish shimmered, and suddenly, Dumbledore’s pensieve was resting on the end table. There was no mist in the pensieve, but as Hermione stepped closer she saw a small pile of tiny glass vials arranged in the basin. Hermione took the vials out and placed them carefully on the bed. There were fourteen of them, each labeled with a piece of paper tied with a ribbon around the cork stopper. Except for two vials that were marked in Harry's messy scrawl, all of them were labeled in Ginny’s neat handwriting. Each was addressed to an individual except for the top two. One of those read, ‘view me first,’ and the other was labeled 'The Cottage.' “She left us a message in these memories,” Hermione said. “I'm certain of it.” Hermione picked up the 'view me first' vial, and then she pulled the pensieve out into the room so that they could all stand around it. She was a little nervous about going into the memory since she was not sure what Ginny had left them. She trusted her friend, though, and it was obviously important. Ginny would not have hidden it so well otherwise. Uncapping the vial, Hermione poured the silvery memory into the pensieve and then looked expectantly at the others. “I know up to four people can go into the memory. So why don’t Ron, Arthur, Molly, and I go first and then you four can go second.” She indicated Bill, Charlie, and the twins. It looked as if the twins were going to argue, but Molly stepped forward and stopped any disagreement before it started. “That's fine. Let’s see what Ginny left for us.” Hermione nodded and prodded the silvery mist in the pensieve. It became clear, and she could see the library of Grimmauld Place. Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and touched the smooth surface. After a moment of disorientation, she found herself standing in the image. Ginny was sitting in Harry’s favorite chair facing the fireplace. James was asleep in her arms, his unruly black hair sticking up and a stuffed dragon clutched in one hand. She was singing a soft lullaby to her son, rocking him in her arms as she stared into the fire. Remus was sitting on the couch next to the chair. Tonks was stretched out on the couch, apparently fast asleep, her head cradled in Remus’ lap. She had thick bandages wrapped around her abdomen and a burn salve covering the left side of her face and neck. Mad-Eye Moody paced around the room, his magical eye spinning wildly in his head. Harry was nowhere to be seen. Hermione walked around the furniture so she could see Ginny’s face. The battle with Voldemort was evident on her. There were a few bruises on her neck and cheeks. A nasty cut crossed her right cheek, but it appeared to be healing well. Despite the injuries, a small smile played across Ginny’s lips as she rocked her child, but the smile never reached her eyes. Her normally vibrant chocolate eyes were weary and held a deep pain that tugged at Hermione’s heart. Those were the eyes of someone who had seen too much pain and loss. “Ginny,” Lupin said, breaking the silence and halting Ginny’s humming. “Do you want me to do this? They just need to see that you're here and alive. You don’t need to talk to them. You've already left other messages for them.” Ginny remained silent for a moment, her head cocked to the side as if listening to a distant voice, and then she shook her head. “No, Moony. I need to do this. They deserve to hear it from me.” “Okay,” Remus replied, a gentle note in his voice. “But you need to do it soon. We have to leave before the sun rises.” Ginny nodded, took a deep breath, and looked around. Apparently she decided to just stare at a spot a few feet behind Hermione. “I was going to put all of this in a letter to you all,” Ginny began, her voice soft but determined, “but the pensieve needs to be returned to Hogwarts, and I think that Mum will get more comfort from a personal message from me than from a letter that just burns up after Hermione reads it, or pensieve messages that were left before the battle.” Hermione felt Ron’s hand settling on her shoulder, and she leaned back against him. Looking to the side, she saw that Molly was encircled in Arthur’s arms, tears glistening on her cheeks as her hands unconsciously reached out toward Ginny. “I know there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about what happened at the cottage. I’m sorry. I can’t give those to you. It's . . . “ her voice cracked, and Ginny turned away from them to stare down at the sleeping face of James. For a few minutes she just watched him, gently caressing his cheek. Finally, she looked back up at the spot behind Hermione. “I’m sorry. I just can’t re-live it right now. I left my memory of it with the pensieve in case you want to see what happened, but Remus says that it's . . . well, incomplete.” “It breaks down just before Voldemort dies,” Remus interrupted. Ginny threw him a grateful look as Remus continued. “Something happened to Harry and Ginny that we haven’t figured out. Ginny is okay, but Harry . . .” “No!” Ginny suddenly exclaimed, turning to face Remus. In the instant Ginny turned to Remus, Hermione saw a flash of green in Ginny’s eyes, and for a moment it was like Hermione was staring into Harry’s eyes. Then it passed as Ginny completely faced Remus. “Harry sacrificed himself to save James, Tonks, and me,” Ginny stated in a hard voice. “That is all they need to know. None of the rest of it matters. I am not going to play that game, Remus. And neither are you.” As Ginny spoke, Hermione walked over to stare at her, but Ginny’s eyes were brown like always. It must have been the light or a trick of the pensieve. She quickly forgot about it as Remus asked the question that Hermione wanted answered. “Then why are we leaving, Ginny?” Remus demanded. “Why run away and hide and hurt your family even more? They're at home right now grieving because they've been told you are dead! They deserve to know, and Harry deserves to have the truth known. If you don’t tell them, then I . . .” Remus suddenly went silent as Ginny pulled out her wand and cast a Silencing Charm on him. “Harry is dead to everyone but me, Remus, and they need to accept that, as do you,” Ginny hissed as she glared at Remus . “You promised Harry, and then you gave me your Unbreakable Vow.” Hermione was utterly confused. Something extraordinary had obviously occurred during the final battle with Voldemort, but whatever it could be was beyond her. Glancing around, she saw the same befuddled expressions on the others’ faces that probably adorned hers. Ginny was still talking to Remus, but her voice had lost its edge. “Remus, I respect you, and I love you like an uncle. I need you and Tonks and Moody beside me for this. I can’t do it alone. I can’t raise James, protect him, and figure out what happened without your help. Harry trusted you with my life and the life of his son, your godson.” Ginny turned away from Remus and raised her wand, releasing the Silencing Charm. “This is your second chance, Moony. You didn’t get it with Harry. You can have that chance with James. With me.” Remus started to speak, but Ginny waved him off. “I know I’m not Lily. I know that this can never replace what you had at school, what you lost. But everything was put on hold when they died. This is our chance to fix everything. To make the world better, like it would have been.” Wiping tears from her eyes, Ginny turned back to Remus. “I promise, Moony. I swear to you, and to my family that is watching. If we can’t make this work, then we will go home before James is old enough to go to Hogwarts.” Silence fell between Remus and Ginny. Hermione took the chance to return to Ron, who had a puzzled expression on his face. “What's going on?” he demanded. “I don’t know,” Hermione admitted. “I really don’t know, and I wish I did.” Ron wrapped her tightly in his arms as Ginny watched Remus. “I’m sorry, Ginny,” Remus replied after a few moments. “I know why we're doing this. I know why we're following through with Harry's plans and leaving. But I'm also looking out for you. You're carrying too large of a burden for a young woman with a small child.” “Harry had the fate of the Wizarding world on his shoulders for his entire life,” Ginny stated. “I can do this for him.” “Ginny . . .” “No, Remus. I've already told them too much, and I'm too tired and hurt and lost to try to start over. I just hope Hermione will forgive me for leaving her an unsolvable mystery.” The ghost of a smile crossed her face before she turned back to look over Hermione’s shoulder as Hermione cursed silently. She was fascinated by whatever mysterious quest awaited Ginny and her companions, but it was obvious that this was all she would get. Of course, maybe there was something else in the memory that could throw more light on this enigma. She would have to review the conversation several times to be sure she understood as much as possible. Lost in her own thoughts, Hermione barely noticed when Ginny started speaking again. Shelving her curiosity, Hermione focused on her friend. “I'm sorry about that,” Ginny apologized. “We're still coming to terms with everything, and it's very difficult at times.” Her eyes flickered briefly to Tonks' still form, but she continued her thoughts without a pause. “I don’t have a lot of time, and I need to clear up a few things.” Ginny swallowed and licked her lips, as if tasting the words she would use next. “There is a great deal I should tell you. I wish I had time to tell you everything because I know how angry you'll be when I tell you what I need to. Hermione, can you please explain some of the things I'm going to say?" Hermione shook her head as she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Ginny shifted James and then said, "Harry and I lied to all of you. We've been lying to you for years. Ever since Harry escaped from Voldemort, we've known how to end this war. We knew that Harry was a Horcrux, and that as long as he lived, Voldemort could come back again." "What's a Horcrux?" Molly asked. Shocked, Hermione waved away the question and absently said, "Later." Harry had never spoken about the three months when Voldemort had held him captive. His reluctance to talk about it, and the fact that he refused to fight Voldemort in front of the Ministry during his escape, had fueled the speculation that Harry had turned dark. However, knowing that he was a Horcrux explained his lack of desire to confront or do anything about Voldemort until after Wormtail had handed over Hufflepuff''s Cup five months ago. "But it didn't matter at the time," Ginny continued, and Hermione filed away her thoughts, "because we still hadn't found the others. I was pregnant with James, and we were both so scared. So we just continued as if nothing had changed." Ginny sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "You don't know how hard it was to do that. Every lead that Hermione brought to us, every chance we had at finding another one, just felt like I was taking another shovelful of dirt out of his grave. "Every time you came to us, Hermione, and told us that you'd hit a dead end, I'd thank God because I had more time with him and because he'd get to see his son born and watch him grow up." Ginny scrubbed at her eyes again, but it made little difference as new tears replaced the old ones. "After James was born, I begged him to just disappear. I wanted to just take you all and go somewhere else, some other country where no one had ever heard of Voldemort or magic. But we'd forgotten about that damn register at Hogwarts. We'd not even thought of it. Because of it, Voldemort knew about James, and the Ministry knew about James, and they all wanted him. We didn't have a choice anymore. "Even if we ran, the Ministry would find us and take James, or Voldemort would come and kill him." Ginny pulled James tight against her bosom and buried her face in his hair. "Mum, you understand. You'd do anything for us. We just wanted James to have a life and not be hunted or used. He deserves what Harry didn't have, what I did have. And we would have done anything for that. Even if it meant dying for him." "I know, sweetheart," Molly said in an anguished whisper. "I don't blame you. No matter what." Although the memory of Ginny could never have heard Molly, she smiled and cocked her head to the side. She squared her shoulders, and a bloom of color shaded Ginny's cheeks as if she had gained some strength after her mother spoke. Ginny took a deep breath and sniffed a few times before returning to look at the wall. Although now, Hermione was directly in her line of sight, and it felt as if Ginny were talking only to her. "After the Ministry tried to steal James from Grimmauld Place . . ." "What?" Molly shouted, but Hermione focused on Ginny, having already heard the story the night before the Battle of Hogwarts. "We knew that James would only be safe if everyone thought he was dead and that we were dead as well. It was a crazy plan. We had no clue how we would pull it off, but we had to be hidden for it to work, and so we approached Percy to be our secret keeper. "He agreed quickly. He so wanted to atone for what he had done. He wanted to be useful to the family, and Harry and I used him for our own purposes." Ginny paused and set her face. "I've read the papers. I know what they're saying about Percy. Don't believe them. Don't take it out on him. Yes, he was giving information to Voldemort, and he gave up our location to the Ministry and to Voldemort. But he did it because Harry and I told him to." “Oh, dear God!” Hermione whimpered. “I didn’t know, Ron. I was so mean to him.” Ron simply pulled her tightly against him before he spoke, his voice rough with grief, “We all turned our backs on him, ‘Mione. But he's alive. We can fix it. I promise.” Hermione nodded as Ginny turned away from them and stared fixedly at James’ sleeping face. Her voice was thick with emotion when she continued. “Percy, I don't know if you will ever hear this. We asked too much of you. We forced you to betray your family again, and it's because of Harry and I that you were tortured and beaten and forced to tell Voldemort all of our secrets. I wish I could say that I wouldn't do it all again, but I cannot." Ginny sobbed, her eyes glazed with tears as she looked up directly into Hermione’s face. “All I can say is thank you, Percy. You are the true hero. You're the reason James and I are alive and Voldemort is dead. I just hope that you can forgive me.” Ginny dissolved into tears and buried her head into James' hair. Surprisingly, Mad Eye Moody came across the room and placed a gruff hand on her shoulder. "My poor baby," Molly sobbed. "I tried not to doubt him, Arthur, but I did. My poor baby." "Shh, Molly," Arthur said, and Hermione glanced backwards to see Molly wrapped tightly in her husband's arms, sobbing softly into his robes. "He made his choice," Mad Eye said. "He did his duty, and he did it like a true Gryffindor. He's a good man, and mark my words, child. He'll make it through." Hermione turned back around and saw Ginny nod and clasp her delicate hand over Moody's gnarled one. "Thanks. I know." Moody grunted and then retreated to the far side of the room again, obviously uncomfortable with the affection he had displayed. Ginny sat up straighter. "Alastor is right. Percy was very brave, and it was his choice in the end. He fought us for a long time, but we explained that we were laying a trap for Voldemort. That we had to face him alone and that would guarantee our victory. We even had to get Remus and Tonks in on it, to a point," Ginny said. "I'm sorry, Hermione and Ron. We had to exclude you because you had to think James was dead. You couldn't just disappear the day he did. It would have been too suspicious. But Tonks is a fugitive, and Remus is a werewolf. No one has seen either of them for almost four years." Part of her understood, but it still hurt to hear why her best friends had cut her out of their lives over the past months. Still, they had intended to entrust their greatest possession to her and Ron, and that thought eased the twinge of betrayal and jealousy that reared up at Ginny's words. "Besides, Tonks was always with us, and we couldn't hide anything from her. Remus needed to know as the leader of the Order. But neither of them knew what was going to happen. For Merlin's sake," Ginny said, "Harry and I weren't even sure." "Ginny," Remus said suddenly, "time is running out. You need to wrap this up." Ginny glanced at Remus and sighed. "You're right. I really wanted to explain everything. I know Hermione will kill me when she sees me again, and I'm sure my Mum will as well. But, to be blunt, everything went pear-shaped on Halloween. Harry and I were supposed to face Voldemort alone in the cottage, but Voldemort was able to drag part of the plan out of Percy. He came much earlier than we intended, and he came through the Headmistress's Office. I was caught by surprise, and Harry hadn't arrived yet. He had Lucius and Bellatrix there, and before we could even cast a spell, Dobby appeared and handed James to Voldemort. "I couldn't do anything. Voldemort had his wand at James' throat, and Tonks, Minerva, and I just sat and waited until Harry appeared while Voldemort mocked us." Hermione was biting her lip as Ginny talked. She had only asked Dumbledore about the end of the fight, and the Ministry had not released any information on the final duel between Voldemort and Harry other than to declare them both dead. Ron's arms tightened about her as Ginny continued to talk, telling them about Harry's arrival and the resulting battle. "I could tell you every detail," Ginny said, "but I left my memory of the battle for you. Truthfully, I wish I could tell you how Voldemort was defeated, but I don't know. Only Harry knows that, and he . . ." Ginny swallowed and looked away. "He didn't survive. He died for all of us, and I can't let that go to waste. I can't let our son be caught up in the legacy they are creating for Harry." Ginny paused and then took a deep breath. "I sometimes wish he were a Squib. Then he wouldn't have to deal this world at all." James began to struggle in his sleep. He whimpered in fright, and he began to cry. Startled, Ginny spent several minutes calming him back into slumber. “He’s been having nightmares,” Ginny finally said. “So I had best make this quick before he wakes up. Even though we are dead to the world, the spells hiding us will eventually wear off. Once James turns eleven, Minerva's spell will fail and his name will reappear on the Hogwart's registry. But we are all still leaving the Wizarding world for the time being. Tom is dead, but James and I would be a symbol if we were known to be alive. “Percy informed us that the Ministry already had plans to use James as a way to control Harry or bribe Voldemort. Even with Harry gone, they would probably be more than willing to take him from me and raise him as a symbol of some new order, just as they used polyjuice potion to impersonate Harry and raise an army. I refuse to let anyone use my son. He is going to grow up normally and blissfully ignorant of the war and his father’s fame and infamy until he is old enough to understand. “If that were the only reason we were leaving,” she continued, “I would find a way for you all to come along. The plans we had for Ron and Hermione would have allowed you all to disappear eventually, but you need to understand something. I should not be alive." Molly gasped, and Hermione almost shouted a question at Ginny before she remembered that this was a memory. Why should Ginny be dead? She wanted to ponder the question, but Ginny was plowing on with her explanation. ". . . should have died that night with Harry. But because I'm alive, I have certain things that I must do. No one else can do this. I would love all of you to come with me and support me. I don’t want to leave, but I, as well as the rest of the Wizarding world, have a debt to repay to Harry, and this is the only way to do it. He sacrificed everything for me and his child. He endangered his eternal existence to destroy Voldemort and to end the oppression and hate that divides us.” Ginny’s eyes were suddenly full of life and vigor, and purpose seemed to suffuse her. “Please understand that I am leaving not to hurt you or to anger you, but because Harry and I are bound so that not even death can separate us. Harry wanted you all to be free to live your lives once he defeated Voldemort. He was never concerned with how the world saw him or remembered him. He wanted you, his family, to live for him and represent everything that he embodied in his life. I am his wife, his lover, the mother of his child, and his soul mate. It is my place to carry on his burden and destiny. When I have finished, then I will come home.” For a brief moment, Hermione saw her eyes once more flash an emerald green. But it was there and gone like a dream, and then Ginny was saying her goodbyes. “Mum and Dad, I love you. I'm sorry that you will not be able to see me for a long time. It tears my heart that I cannot say goodbye properly, but remember that you will always be with me because you raised me as I will raise James.” Ginny blew a kiss before she continued speaking. “My brothers. You can no longer protect me. You need to let go and live your own lives. Find wives and raise children. Enjoy life for the sake of being alive. Do not try to find me. You won't be able to, and you'll endanger me if people figure out that I am alive.” A mischievous grin crossed Ginny’s face. “Fred and George, make life hell for that idiot Rufus.” “Hermione.” Hermione started at the sound of her name. “Be happy with Ron. You were mine and Harry’s dearest friend, and we want you to enjoy the life we have sacrificed to give you. I know you and Ron both want to be with me and to help me. Your part is done. You were there to be Harry's family and the rock he stood on while he faced his destiny. He wants you to be happy. I want you to be happy. Hopefully you will be able to receive letters from your youngest sister. I will make sure she sends them at least yearly.” Hermione frowned at this, and then she smiled as she realized that Ginny would keep them informed through letters to her. “Ron, Harry can’t tell you this now, but he wanted you to know that your friendship was the most important thing in the world to him. Without you, he would never have found a family, never have found me, never have survived through his time at Hogwarts. You gave him a life when he had none and gave him more strength than you will ever know. And, always, you did it standing in his shadow. Harry hated that fact. He hated that you always were seen as second to him when he always saw you as the one to envy. Get out of his shadow, Ron. Live your life.” "He’s wrong,” Ron stated in a thick voice, “I stopped envying him sixth year. But he was the best mate a bloke could ever have.” Hermione squeezed his hand in sympathy. “Lastly,” Ginny continued, “now that we are dead, you all will be inheriting my estate. A portion has been given to Remus so that we can live in hiding. The rest will be split among all of you. It will not make you wealthy, but it will give you enough to survive until the dust settles and you can build a life without the stigma of being the family of the Dark Lord Potter.” Ginny stood up from the chair and carried James over to Remus. He put a steadying hand on her arm as she stood in front of him. “I love you all. We love you all. Goodbye.” Hermione was startled as she was suddenly pulled out of the memory and deposited on the floor of Sirius’ room. It was still for a moment before the questions began filling the air. Sitting on the floor, Hermione tuned the Weasley family out and played through Ginny’s message to them all. Around her, she could hear the anxious worry in Molly’s voice. Arthur’s firm tones were trying to keep everyone calm. Bill and Charlie were demanding to know what was going on. The twins were pushing people aside so they could use the pensieve. Not wishing to get trampled, Hermione pulled herself across the floor until she was leaning against the door frame. She did not notice Ron until he sat down beside her. “How are we going to find her?” he asked quickly. The question startled Hermione so much that she was a few moments in answering. “We are not going to find her.” “What?!” Ron shouted, silencing the room. “That's my baby sister, Hermione! She needs us. This isn’t like us going after the damn Horcruxes. She has a baby. She's grieving.” “She is doing what she wants to do, Ronald Bilius Weasley!” Hermione snapped in anger. “She is not a child. She is a married woman and has a child of her own. She has just lost her husband and is doing what she thinks is necessary.” The words tumbled out her mouth before she even thought about them. But as she said them, Hermione realized that Ginny was right. Their part was done. Tom was dead, and they now needed to live their lives. “But . . .” “Ron,” Hermione said as she turned and knelt in front of him. There was a wild fervor about his face and a set in his jaw that meant he was readying himself for an argument. With a gentle hand, she cupped his cheek and brushed his cheek with her thumb, “Ginny doesn’t need us right now. I know you love her, but don’t assume that I love her any less. Or that Remus and Tonks don’t love her and want to keep her safe. She chose to do this. You know your sister. Has she ever been forced into anything by anyone she loves?” “No, but . . .” “No more buts, Ron.” Hermione kissed him, holding him in place until he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss with equal fervor. They broke apart after a few moments, and Hermione placed her forehead against his. “Harry died so that we can love each other and have a life together. “Please,” she pleaded, including the rest of her fiancée's family in a glance, “we can’t honor him out there." Hermione motioned towards the window. "Out there he is the Dark Lord Potter. The Ministry hates him and most of us because we stood by him. Ginny knows that, and Harry knew that would happen. If we want to honor his memory and his sacrifice, we need to do what Ginny told us to do. We need to live. Have children, enjoy life, and never forget him. He won’t get a memorial or any respect. We are his legacy. We are the requiem for the forgotten hero who was our friend, Harry Potter.” There was a rumble of agreement from the Weasley family. Molly wandered over and gave Hermione a hug and a kiss. “I miss her, but at least she's alive. And that means Harry is alive as well, in her and in James. I am going to go make some dinner.” Molly straightened up and opened the door. She glanced back at her sons and added, with a smile, “Why don’t you boys go listen to your sister? Then we can eat and go home.” Bill, Charlie, and the twins approached the pensieve and entered the memory, but Hermione was still looking at Ron, watching his face to see what he would say. His eyes were distant in thought for a while before his brow set as he came to a decision. For a moment, Hermione thought he would continue to argue with her, but instead he gave her a hug and then said, “He was - well, always will be - my best mate, ‘Mione. These last few years have been so hard. But, you’re right. He never let us down.” He paused, and Hermione leaned into his hand as his rough thumb brushed away her tears. “Ginny’s right. We owe it to him, but I don’t have to like her being out there with those three hooligans.” “I don’t like it either, love.” “She always was too much like him. Besides,” Ron added with a grin, “they were going to disappear if they survived, anyway. He never wanted to be famous.” “Yes,” Hermione agreed, burying her face in his chest, simply enjoying the warmth and contentment of being alive and in love. “He always hated that bloody scar.” |
| Reviews 22 |
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