Thanks for all of the kind reviews! I love to read them! Please be kind and keep them coming!
Please note, a few lines of dialogue was taken from HBP again from the famous Common Room kiss scene. Those lines belong to the great JK Rowling.
I actually was able to fit in one bonus phrase! Can you find it...
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The Gift of Love | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Girl Talk Challenge (2010-3), Girl Talk Challenge (2010-3) Characters:Harry/Ginny, Lily Potter Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 42 Summary: Ginny Weasley never thought Harry could ever have feelings for her. With Lily Potter’s help, Ginny learns that anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve. And that is what makes all the difference. Hitcount: Story Total: 13731; Chapter Total: 3685 Author's Notes: |
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A week later, Ginny’s life seemed to be looking up. Her dream visit with Lily really helped her to understand what she really wanted out of life. She realized she didn’t want to pretend she was happy with the status quo any longer. She wanted Harry, and she was a woman with a wicked plan. The first obstacle was taken care of, as she was no longer dating Dean. She planned on letting him down gently, but the chivalrous git pushed her while trying to help her through the portrait door. As if she was so weak that she couldn’t open the door and enter successfully all by herself! Even without her heart to heart with Lily, she would have broken up with him, or at least hexed him. Harry also continued to look at her as if he was a lost puppy. Everything Lily said really clicked when she saw him. It was now obvious to her that he was pining for her. And when he learned that she broke up with Dean, he looked like a little kid on Christmas. But still, he hadn’t made any moves. Lily must have been right. He was worried about Ron’s reaction. Ginny didn’t worry too much because she had a full proof plan to enact… She just needed to find the perfect moment. The only damper to the whole week was when Harry got in trouble for attacking Draco Malfoy. Harry wouldn’t be able to play in that last Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Ginny would have to play seeker for him instead. She was afraid this would be a setback, but she soon realized that this actually might be the perfect moment for her plan. Ginny was more determined to win the match than ever. So much more was riding on the outcome this time than the Quidditch Cup. In no time, the match was upon them. Ravenclaw proved to be a formidable foe. At the end of the match, Ginny was elated. She did it! She actually caught the snitch. She was positively beaming as she dismounted from her broom. On the pitch, she looked around for Harry, but he was nowhere to be found. Her demeanor changed as she sighed in disappointment. “What’s wrong? You just caught the snitch, won us the Cup, and you look like you just lost your pygmy puff?” Ron asked. “I was just thinking that the greasy git must still have Harry in detention. He would have made it to the pitch by now,” she said to Ron, as he shook his head in acknowledgement. Hopefully, Harry would make it soon… The party started in the Common Room. Everyone was in a festive mood, drinking Butterbeer, and eating food brought to them by Dobby. Not Ginny. She was very preoccupied at the moment, and couldn’t eat or drink even if she wanted to. Her gaze kept returning to the door while she was halfheartedly participating in the conversations around her. Her mind was spinning in anticipation. A roar of celebration erupted as the portrait door swung open. Ginny could see a mop of messy black hair over the crowd while people were screaming excitedly at the new arrival. Soon people pushed Harry forward; some were pulling him into the room. “We won!” yelled Ron, bounding into sight and brandishing the silver cup at Harry. “We won! Four hundred and fifty to a hundred and forty! We won!” Harry looked around and caught Ginny’s eye. Ginny realized that this was now or never. She was determined to make sure it was now. She started to run towards him, her heart beating faster and faster every second. She threw her arms around him. And with intent, and with enough nerve, and without a care that fifty people were watching, Ginny kissed him. And he kissed her back. **** Life was good for Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. They were a young couple in love. It was that lovely stage of a new, young love where they thought about each other almost every moment of every day. They would try to see each other as much as humanly possible, even though Ginny did have her OWLS to prepare for. When they were together, they would make any excuse to touch each other, whether they were holding hands, or leaning on one another. They would stay up late into the night in the Common Room talking and stealing kisses when others weren’t looking. They would have stolen moments under the Invisibility Cloak, afternoons under the shady weeping willow tree by the Black Lake, and one particularly wicked excursion in a broom closet. During the past weeks since she kissed Harry, Ginny frequently thought about her evening with Lily. That was the only time that she appeared in Ginny’s dreams. She had so much to thank Lily for, and she hoped she would get that chance soon. On one of those late nights, Ginny and Harry fell asleep on the Common Room couch. After the younger students went to bed, they did have some great snogging moments in a secluded corner, thankfully unbeknownst to Ron. They ended up holding each other on the couch in front of the fireplace. Since Ginny was tired from studying and Harry was mentally exhausted over his latest private session with Dumbledore, they fell asleep unintentionally in each other’s arms. Ginny started to rouse from her sleep. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She was surprised to realize she never made it off the couch. She noticed that Harry wasn’t there at the moment. He must have gone up to bed, Ginny thought. Ginny sat up. Her eyes began to focus in the dim light. She looked over to the chair next to the sofa, and noticed that Lily was sitting there reading an ancient-looking book. “Let me guess, I am asleep right now,” Ginny stated, stifling a yawn. “Yes, you are. It’s nice to see you again, Ginny,” Lily responded sweetly. “It’s nice to see you, too, Mrs. Potter. So, did I ever make it up to my dorm?” Ginny wondered, glancing at the girls’ staircase. Lily smirked, “Actually, you and Harry are sleeping together on the couch this very moment.” Ginny’s eyes widened with embarrassment. Her face flushed. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Potter. We had no idea we fell asleep. We didn’t do anything, really.” Lily chuckled, “It’s okay, Ginny. I know. Why don’t we make a deal. I promise not to look down on you two when you are having ‘private time’, if you promise not to take things too far too quickly. I’ll even promise to prevent James and Sirius from cheering Harry on.” Ginny blushed. “It’s a deal.” “Anyway, I’m sure I can trust you two, as you both have good sense. Though it certainly makes me feel better that Molly Weasley is your mum. I don’t think anything would get past her or your brothers for that matter. Just how many boys is that? “Umm, I have six older brothers.” “Merlin, my poor son! He is really in for it now.” “Don’t worry about Harry. I can take care of the lot. They can be rather frightened of me at times,” Ginny reassured. “Mrs. Potter, I am so happy you visited me in my dreams again. I wanted to get the chance to thank you.” “Oh, honey. You don’t have to thank me. You and Harry were meant to be,” Lily stated, smiling. “Yeah, but you gave me the little push I needed. For so long I buried my feelings for Harry, never thinking he’d ever feel the same way. You made me realize that what I wanted most was within my grasp.” Ginny replied. “Ginny, I am so happy for you two. We all are.” Lily became a little more serious, subtly glancing at the book in her lap. “Ginny, this may sound like a silly question, but how do you really feel about Harry?” Ginny was a little surprised, to say the least. She started slowly and thoughtfully. “How do I put into words how I feel about Harry? Well, I feel like I can do anything when we are together. It’s like everything is right in the world, and I feel complete joy and peace. But I feel a little empty when we are apart. I am kind of scared of how attached I am getting to him. I always had feelings for Harry, but they have intensified so much since we got together. I never really felt this way before.” “Would you say that you are in love with him?” Lily asked warmly. Ginny took a few moments. She was deep in thought. “I’ve never been in love before. I’m not sure how to know. It’s all so new how I am feeling… But I can’t imagine my life without him. I can’t ever think about making a life for myself with someone else. I know I would do anything and everything for him. Is that love?” “Yes, Ginny.” Lily beamed at her. She stole another glance at the worn book on her lap. “Ginny, I think it’s time I shared something with you. First, I need to know how much you know about the night Harry received his scar.” Where was she going with this? “Well, I know the basic story that all the young wizarding children were told. I know that Voldemort killed you and Mr. Potter, but couldn’t kill Harry. Voldemort lost his body, while Harry got the scar. I heard it had something to do with love. It’s odd, but I never learned much more. Up to now, I haven’t been in Harry’s inner circle. Ron and Hermione must know more than I do. It hasn’t come up these past weeks.” “That’s what I thought. Ginny, I am going to tell you how Harry survived that night. It was definitely no accident.” Lily sighed softly, “And yes, love was the key. It all started when I found out that my baby was going to be targeted by Voldemort. Do you know about the Prophecy?” “I know there is a Prophecy, and that it caused Voldemort to go after Harry. I worked that much out for myself at the Department of Mysteries.” “Okay, well, I wasn’t about to sit and hide while my baby was in danger. I loved Harry more than anything else in the world, and I was relentless with finding a way to save him.” Lily walked over to Ginny, and sat with her on the couch. She handed Ginny the ancient book. “Ginny, I found the way to save him in this book.” Ginny looked thoughtfully through the book. It was very old. The pages were creased, yellowed, and the corners were slightly torn. The binding was starting to come apart. Ginny couldn’t make heads or tails from the text because it was written in Latin. Ginny looked up at her, waiting for an explanation. “While I was searching for a way, I read more books that I could count. I finally found this book when Harry was about six months old. It is an ancient spell book. I needed Remus to help me with the translations, but the section on love and blood rituals sparked my interest. There is a ritual that will protect the one you love from mortal danger. I used it on Harry when he was six months old. It saved his life.” “What did the ritual entail?” Ginny wondered. “In the ritual, I had to make two blood sacrifices; both from myself and Harry. Basically, I pricked both of our fingers. We had to join our fingers together, and I had to recite this incantation: Per meus diligo , Ego mos servo vos. Per meus vitualamen , Ego mos servo vos.” “What does that mean?” “Roughly, it can be translated as: With my love, I will protect you. With my sacrifice, I will save you.” Ginny scrunched up her brow. “Mrs. Potter, forgive me if I’m wrong, but that seems too easy. How did that little ritual protect Harry from Voldemort?” “It may sound easy, but it is not in the least. Think of the words, Ginny. During the incantation, I created a blood sacrifice. I declared that I would protect Harry at all costs. If need be, I would sacrifice my life for him. I put his life above my own. My intent made all the difference. Remember, intent is the most important part of this ritual,” Lily stated. “I have a feeling, Mrs. Potter, that there is a reason why you asked me if I loved Harry.” Ginny seriously inferred. “Yes, Ginny. As you know, Harry is still protected by my blood sacrifice. Voldemort couldn’t touch him when he was a baby, and Harry has successfully evaded mortal danger every time since. That was no stroke of luck. It was designed by my blood sacrifice. However, it is weakening and it won’t last for much longer. Even the blood wards on Privet Drive will go down on Harry’s seventeenth birthday. My protection for Harry should still be active after he’s of age, but I fear there is a chance it may be too weakened to save him if he would go against Voldemort once more. We all know that day is coming, Ginny. I don’t want to leave Harry’s fate to chance.” “Neither do I, Mrs. Potter. I meant it when I said I would do anything for Harry. So, if the protection is weakened, I reckon I somehow have the ability to strengthen it,” Ginny stated. “Yes, Ginny.” Ginny had a determined, blazing look. “What must I do?” “You and Harry need to perform this ritual.” “I would do it in a heartbeat. But why in the world would Harry agree to that? He wouldn’t knowingly allow me to sacrifice myself for him.” “Ginny, this ritual has a loophole. Remember, I said what was most important in this ritual was intent. Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself is much different from you are going to sacrifice yourself. Personally, I do not want you sacrificing yourself at all. I wouldn’t even be here suggesting this if I thought so. Your sacrifice would not necessarily have to come to pass. If I know my son, he will put you as far away from harm as possible.” “So, I just have to be willing,” Ginny understood. “Exactly, Ginny.” “But Harry still wouldn’t go for that. How am I supposed to get him to cooperate? I doubt holding him at wand point would work.” “Ginny, you are right in that Harry wouldn’t allow this. I guess this is one case when you are going to have to tell Harry a half truth. You can’t tell him that the ritual’s protection is one-sided. He doesn’t need to know it’s only for his protection. I usually wouldn’t advocate you lying to my son, but in this case I see no other choice. To think, I had been so angry with Dumbledore for leaving Harry out of the loop. But now I understand that Harry cannot always have all of the information. I’m sorry Ginny, but it was much easier for me when Harry was six months old.” “I understand. I don’t like the circumstances, but it is worth a try. Should we start practicing the incantation now?” “I think you can work that out on your own. It seems that Harry is stirring, and will be waking you up momentarily. Remember Ginny, you have the power to protect our Harry. You can ensure his safety.” “Ginny, Ginny… wake up. We fell asleep,” Harry was gently nudging Ginny. “Thanks, Mrs. Potter. I’ll try my best,” Ginny whispered, slurring her words. “Ginny, it’s time to wake up. We need to go to our dorms,” Harry repeated. Ginny slowly opened her eyes. “Harry, what happened?” “We fell asleep. Why did you just call me Mrs. Potter?” Harry asked, bemused. “Oh, I guess I’m a little out of it. You go up. I’ll be up in a minute.” Harry nodded, kissed her temple gently, and trudged up the steps to the boys’ dormitory. Ginny watched him go up, and sighed. Yes, she would do anything for him in a heartbeat. She would lay down her life if it meant he could be saved. If her sacrifice would come to pass, so be it. He was worth it, and she certainly had enough nerve to do what was needed. And if she was never put in the situation to step in front of Harry, she could still protect him. She stood up and stretched, dropping something on the floor. She bent down and noticed that a very old, familiar book had fallen to the floor. |
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