The Darkness

The Darkness

Chapter One ~ Awakening

"Ginny! Gin, are you up? We have to get ready." Harry rushed around their ranch, gathering up random items he did not want to leave behind. He hurried down the hall, looking left and right, searching for his shoe, when the door to the bathroom swung open and he looked up, just in time to smack into it. "Ouch!"

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny cried, as she shut the door to find her husband lying on the floor, holding his nose, his glasses askew and his eyes watering. "I'm so sorry." She felt a small chuckle bubble up to her lips as she knelt to help him. "Does it hurt, much?"

He tried to be a man and act like it didn't bother him, but his weeping eyes gave away the fact that it hurt like hell. Trying to stand, he let her assist him. "You know you're a menace?" He shot her a smile as he pulled his hand from his nose to see if it was bleeding.

She smiled brightly, "Of course I am. Six brothers, two of which are Fred and George, it scars a girl." She beamed at him, proud of having grown up in a 'Trial by Fire' household.

Harry shook his head and leaned in to kiss her lips, but she turned her head and he caught her cheek. He shrugged it off, wiggled his aching nose and grabbed his dropped belonging before hurrying down the hall. "Well, move along, the portkey goes off in fifteen minutes. Bill will be waiting for us." They were heading to Cairo on holiday and Bill was planning to take Harry around to tour his work. Harry was thrilled.

Ginny turned and headed off toward their room, dressing quickly before stuffing the rest of her things into her trunk. She cast her eyes out the window; a small smile curled her lips as she watched. The redhead was so engrossed in what she was looking at; she didn't hear Harry sneak up behind her. Grabbing her from behind, he pulled her into a hug. "Beautiful, isn't he?"

Ginny stiffened a bit, "Urm...yeah, quite."

"And look how he's taken to Lucas."

She sighed and relaxed into his embrace as it dawned on her just what he thought she was looking at. "Yes, Iago is a beautiful hippogriff. He'll bring in blue ribbons this year at the shows." She and Harry raised hippogriffs in New Zealand.

They lived on a lovely ranch in the wizarding city of Mawahape that situated off the river Rangitikei. It was peaceful and after the battle of '98, Harry needed to get away from the United Kingdom. He and Ginny were married shortly after she graduated and they moved to lead a quiet life. At first, Harry was concerned that this was not the life Ginny had expected to lead, but she seemed to have embraced it with fervor. She raised prize winning hippogriffs and worked closely with their farm hand, Lucas Montrose. Lucas was raised with the creatures and had a natural affinity for training them. Ginny had learned a lot from the man.

"Shouldn't we be going?" she asked, not too comfortable with this situation.

Harry, who had his face buried in her hair, sighed. "I s'pose. All ready?" He smiled and shrank her trunk to put in his pocket with his own. He headed out into the living room, double checking everything. He lifted the tattered teddy bear, holding it out for Ginny to touch. "Fifteen seconds, love. C'mon."

Ginny moved swiftly across the room and gently touched the disgusting stuffed toy. Soon, they felt a tugging feeling, and after an inordinate amount of time, they again felt ground beneath their feet. They appeared in the Cairo International Portkey Station. It was a cream colored room with halls that branched out in all directions, and it felt like it was underground. There were no windows and the torches on the walls gave the room a golden glow.

"Gin! Harry!" A burly red head grabbed them both into a hug.

"Oiy, Bill...let me puke." Harry still couldn't stand portkey travel; he leaned against a cold stone wall as he blindly headed off to find a bathroom.

Ginny pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Twenty-four years old and he still cannot travel without getting sick. I swear..."

"Back off, Gin. Everyone has a weakness and that's Harry's." Bill said, smiling. He had missed his baby sister and had been looking forward to this visit for months. He looked down the hall to see Harry heading back toward them, pale but stable. "Find the loo?"

Harry blushed, "No...but I wouldn't go down that hall if I were you." He then clapped the tall red head on the back as he was pulled into a hug. Harry pulled back and looked around. "Where're Fleur and the nipper?"

"Home, Will and Fleur are setting up a....urm...surprise." He gave them a look that was so like Ron's when he did something stupid. "I wasn't supposed to tell so act really surprised."

Harry smiled and Ginny rolled her eyes. "So, when are you two going to start repopulating the world with Potter's?" Bill shot them a cheeky smile.

Ginny smacked his arm, "Bill! That's none of your busine--"

Harry cut her off, "Soon, I hope." He beamed down at the tiny red haired woman who only rolled her eyes once again.

Bill watched the exchange with curiosity. "Well good, because Mum is starting to fret that she'll never get a chance to dote on her only daughter while she's pregnant."

"Well it's not like she didn't help with Fleur," she said, shooting him a dirty look. "Besides, I'm not too keen on sitting thru her birthing classes. I remember Ron passing out and Charlie throwing up when she taught us sex education. I mean, where the hell did she get those books? It's a wonder any of us didn't swear off sex altogether."

Bill looked at Harry, "She's right, ya know. I'm still scarred by her explanations of birth control." He shook his head and leaned against the wall. "Did you know that in ancient times women used half of an orange peel and camel dung? I mean, who'd bed a girl that reeked of camel shit?" He continued on his way, leading them to the city above. Harry was right in thinking that they were underground.

They would have apparated, but having never been to Bill's new flat, no one wanted to take the chance of splinching, so they walked. The buildings were light and the people were dark, Harry thought it was brilliant. He smiled so brightly his cheeks looked as though they would pop. "I can see why you love it here, Bill. It's wonderful. What do you think, Gin?"

She only shrugged and followed her brother, wrinkling her nose now and then when someone who came too close to her personal space.

"Here we are," said Bill, with a flourish. "Casa del Weasley."

"Sorry Bill, but that sounds like a sick Mexican eatery that I'd personally avoid." Harry teased as he lightly punched the eldest Weasley brother in the shoulder.

"Fine, remind me to have Charlie make you his curry. You'll think twice about knocking the name of this fine establishment." He said, smiling at Harry as he led them up the stairs to the flat.

"Bill that's horrible, Charlie doesn't make bad curry." Ginny said with a straight face. She quickly burst into gales of laughter. "He makes awful curry. So awful he killed mum's cat Rufus with the stuff."

Harry's eyes went wide, "He killed the cat with curry? What did he do, give the beast food poisoning?"

Bill looked at his baby sister and the pair laughed even harder. "Food poisoning would have been humane." They held onto the banister for support for fear they'd roll down the stairs from laughing so hard.

"No..." Ginny said, trying to hold her stomach as she attempted some control, "...no, he overcooked it and...and when we teased him about how it stuck to the pot he...he threw it out the window and....and it hit Rufus."

"The pot hit the cat?" Harry asked, his own laughter starting to bubble up.

"No..." Bill cried, "...the curry." He was doubled over, "When the pot went out the window the curry flew out in a large chunk hit the cat. He died instantly, or so we all hoped."

"Death by curry, brilliant!" Harry was rolling.

They were still giggling madly, when they approached a door that was painted deep red. Knocking, Bill gently called, "Wil, Fleur...I'm back with some special visitors." On the other side they could hear Fleur's soft voice and the voice of an energetic four year old in hushed whispers. He shot the couple a wink before slowly opening the door.

"Surprise!" The pair shouted as small arms grabbed Harry around the knees. "Uncle Harry's here. Look mummy, Uncle Harry!" Behind the mother and child was a banner that was obviously painted by Wil. It had a picture of two stick people, one with green eyes and the other with red hair. There was a hippogriff; actually there were many hippogriffs, and a broomstick. Harry didn't even need an explanation, he knew it said, 'Welcome, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry!'

Harry scooped the young boy up into his arms and hugged him tightly. "How have you been, Wil?" He took in the boy's small features. He was quite beautiful with his mothers fine bone structure and skin tone. Though he had the trademark red hair, it was not as bright as the rest of his family's. It was almost strawberry blonde.

"Uncle Harry, did you bring me a hippogriff?" Wil asked, bouncing in Harry's arms.

"Tut, tut, William. Zat iz rude and you know 'ow I dislike rudeness." She kissed Harry on the cheek. " 'Ello 'Arry." She glided over to Ginny and kissed her cheek as well. "Ginevra, you look as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you, Fleur. You are looking well." Ginny didn't care for Fleur; she believed that her brother only married the part-veela because he was under her thrall. Though, anyone else could see that the pair truly were in love.

Bill pulled his wife into his embrace and kissed her softly. "Yes, you are looking well." He gave her a wink.

"Should we tell zem, Bill?" Fleur actually blushed but held her husband's gaze.

Bill nodded and turned to face his sister and brother-in-law. "Harry, Gin...we're going to have another baby."

Harry was ecstatic. "Bill, Fleur, this is fantastic!" He rushed over and pulled them both into a hug, which was interesting since he was still holding Wil. He glanced over his shoulder, "Ginny, can you believe this? It's wonderful!"

Ginny only stood and watched with a detached indifference. "Yes, wonderful. Mum will be pleased." She walked over to the sofa and threw herself down.

Handing Wil over to his father, Harry walked over and sat beside his wife, holding her hand. "Don't worry, love. We'll start a family and you'll be able to surprise your mother with the news too."

She gave him a half-hearted smile and promptly changed the subject. "So when can we go shopping, Bill? I really want to visit the market." She began to examine her nails.

Smiling at his wife, Bill responded. "Well, we can go as soon as you want." He suddenly turned to Harry. "I've arranged to take you and Gin on an excavation tomorrow. It's an unplottable tomb and it has some really tricky curses on it. The crew and I have been working on it for a month and tomorrow the last curse will be broken." He looked like a kid in a candy store. He scooped up his son, "Right Wil? What do we say on tomb opening days?"

The little boy smiled and chimed in with his father. "Finders keeper's loser's weepers."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Bill and his son; he also couldn't help the pang of jealousy. How he wanted nothing more then to have a child of his own. He felt that Ginny just wasn't ready, and he respected that, but it didn't help the longing he felt. The emptiness he had in his heart. He loved Ginny, but he knew that something wasn't there. He assumed it was the lack of children.

Bill put his son down and with a swat to his rear he sent him off to play. Fleur had disappeared into the kitchen to get drinks and snacks. When she returned to the living room and placed a tray with tea and biscuits on the small table, Bill pulled her into his lap. She giggled and kissed his cheek. Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry, feeling the distance between him and his wife, took her hand and caressed it softly.

"So have you heard from any of the gang?" Bill inquired, lacing his own hands with those of his wife.

Ginny pulled her hand free from Harry and began to pour herself some tea. "Well I heard that Luna is off in the Amazon doing research for her father's magazine. She's still as nutty as ever." She sneered. Harry caught the look and thought to himself, she's beginning to look like Malfoy when she does that. "And you know that Hermione and Ron are still working on breaking the record for the longest engagement in the history of the world." She smiled at her brother shook his head.

"It's going on five years, right?" Bill said, his voice full of mirth and amazement at his youngest brother's lack of commitment. Actually, all his brothers were quite pathetic in the marriage department. "And the twins, what is with them? Angelina told Fleur that Fred is waiting for George and George is waiting for Fred. I mean, come on. And what is with Charlie? He's the big bad Dragon Handler, which gives him the right to become the biggest male whore in the known universe. At least Percy is committed to his relationship, even if they aren't married."

Ginny shot her brother a dark look. "Committed? He should be committed; I mean he's with Oliver Wood. What the hell is that?"

"Come off it, Gin. They're happy and that's all that matters. Blaise doesn't seem to upset you and he flames. At least Percy isn't in your face gay." Harry said, preparing his own tea. He looked up at Bill, "Oh, did you hear about Neville? He was commissioned to write a book about our time in Hogwarts. He may do it under a pseudonym, only because he's such a main part of the plot. I'm quite excited about it."

Ginny sighed, "Of course you are, Harry. You are the hero."

A dark shadow briefly crossed over Harry's emerald eyes. "I wouldn't say that, Gin."

Bill, seeing the tension building, announced that it was time for dinner and he and Fleur grabbed their things and collected their son. "We're going out. You'll love this place; they make anything you want, except beef." He sighed, obviously missing the red meat.

They all left, silently.

~*~

That night, Harry had a rather vivid dream. He was walking through Hogwarts, down a rather dark hallway. He couldn't see much, but he could hear footsteps approaching him from behind. His heart was racing as tried to be as quiet as he could, in hopes that whoever it was would just pass by. The footsteps got louder and he suddenly felt his body being slammed up against the stone castle wall, the damp cold of the granite seeping thru his thin shirt. He tried to struggle but found that his assailant was strong and held him in place. Suddenly, his lips were assaulted by those of his captor and he stopped struggling. The mouth against his was warm and inviting and he parted his own lips, welcoming the other. A soft tongue moved along his lips and plunged into his mouth. He gasped and could feel himself getting hard as he involuntarily pushed himself against the restricting hands. In the dream, he realized that his eyes were closed and that at such close proximity he should be able to make out the face of his assailant. As he did, he could feel reality creeping in and the last thing he saw in his dream, before consciousness claimed him, was a streak of sugary blonde hair.

Well that was odd, he thought as he rolled over and felt Ginny's warm body beside him. He deduced that it must be the veela in Fleur that was making him have such odd dreams.

He pulled Ginny close, seeing as he was still feeling the after effect of his fantasy. He softly kissed her neck and shoulder, trying to wake her slowly. His hands ran over her gentle curves and as he went to brush gently over her breast, a hand seized his. "Not now, Harry."

He was startled and disappointed, but he understood. "Right, Fleur and Bill being next door and Wil across the hall, it wouldn't be proper. Sorry, Gin."

She didn't respond and he rolled over, willing his body back into submission as he stared out the window. The moonlight shining on his green eyes made them glow and for some odd reason he realized that, earlier, no one had asked about Draco.

~*~

The next morning, Bill, Harry and Ginny woke at the break of dawn. They ate a quiet and simple breakfast and left before Wil and Fleur even woke. Bill led them through the streets and into an alley between two buildings near the edge of the market. Ducking behind what looked like a pile of garbage, they walked through a brick wall. On the other side was a large room with many doors, each marked with a different location. In the middle of the large room were two goblins, sitting at a desk. Bill pulled out what resembled a key card and handed it to the pair. "Manghold, Jesup..how are you gentlemen this fine morning."

One of the goblins, Harry didn't know which, sniffed and handed Bill back his card. "They with you?"

Bill nodded, beaming. "Why yes, this is my beautiful sister Ginevra and her husband, Harry."

Manghold, or Jesup, glared at the pair. "They will be searched when they return."

Bill nodded again. "As per regulation." He smiled again and led them to a door that had a brass plate that read, Karnak ~ Tomb of Ammut. Harry couldn't help but feel a curl of excitement as they opened the door and walked directly into the ancient city. They walked along the Sacred Lake and followed Bill into what looked like a hole in the ground.

Harry's eyes were wide as he climbed down the rickety ladder, jumping off the last few rungs. It was dimly lit, but the orange-yellow sand gave everything a golden cast. There were about ten men of varying nationalities working at the end of a short tunnel. They looked up when the three entered and one man waved Bill over.

"We're just about ready. Just a few more well aimed counter curses and we should be in this baby by lunch," a man with wispy white hair and dark leathery skin said. Bill smiled, his eyes glittered with glee. He was in his element.

Ginny wandered over to a wall and looked at the Hieroglyphs, while Harry pulled out some parchment and a charcoal stick. He walked over to Ginny and began to do some etchings. "What are you doing?" Ginny said, giving him an odd look.

"Well, when I spoke with 'Mione, I told her we were going to visit Bill and that he was taking us into a tomb. She asked me to take some etching for her, since she can't get away from Hogwarts and visit them herself." He smiled his dopey, 'Aren't I a good friend' smile. Ginny only sighed and turned to follow her brother.

After rubbing the raised Hieroglyphs onto the paper, Harry joined Ginny as she watched Bill work.

After a few hours, Ginny was sitting on the ground drawing pictures into the sandy floor, while Harry sat tossing small pebbles into a paper cup. They jumped when Bill yelled, "Got it!"

Scrambling over to him, they watched the last of the curses protecting the door, was finally cracked. "Stand back, now. Not sure what uglies will be on the other side," the older man said.

Harry backed up and tried to put himself between the doorway and Ginny, but she wanted to see and pushed herself in front of her husband. As the door opened, there was a gush of wind, as Bill had explained to them; air was being sucked into the vacuum that had developed in the old tomb.

The air around them felt oppressive and suddenly very cold. It was as though there were Dementors lurking in the darkness on the other side. Harry held tightly to his wife as the torches around them flickered and went out. They were plunged into almost total blackness and Harry felt something brush his arm. "Bill?" he queried, but never got to ask his question as screams broke the inky air around them.

He was thrown back and he lost his grip on Ginny. His body went numb and it felt as though small animals with cold feet were crawling under his skin. He heard a woman scream and the world went black.

~*~

He woke up in his bed at Bill's flat. It was night outside and the moon shone onto his pillow. He sat up and stretched, "Ow!" He rubbed the bump on the back of his head. Then he heard the soft sound of a woman crying, it sounded like...

Harry's eyes shot wide and he bolted from the room. In the living room sat the whole Weasley clan, Hermione and Fleur. "Harry!" Hermione ran and pulled him into a hug, her face wet with tears. "I-I'm so sorry." She broke into sobs.

"Sorry? What...what's going on?" He looked around the room, meeting the gaze of Mrs. Weasley. She looked like her world had been destroyed and the sadness in her eyes broke his heart. He walked over to her, "Mrs. Weasley? What happened?" She only shook her head and buried her head in Arthur's shoulder and sobbed.

Arthur placed a steadying hand on Harry's shoulder, "Son...Ginny's dead."