Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

Chapter forty-two

Harry and Ginny walked down the corridors in silence. He knew she was still angry with him, but he still believed his intentions were good. He braved a glance sideways to her, seeing her set jaw and knew the time had come to distract her thoughts before she exploded all over the castle walls, and took him with her.

"Do you think Snape meant what he said?" he asked softly, watching as she shrugged her shoulders wordlessly. "It's hard to imagine him married. Can you imagine him as a father? What a horrible thought." Ginny again did not answer. She just continued to walk along beside him, her hands tucked into her robe pockets.

"Ginny, this is ridiculous," he told her with a sigh. "I know you're angry with me, but my reasons seemed logical at the time." Without warning Ginny turned to him, her hand striking his cheek in a bitter, painful slap. Harry stumbled backwards against the stonewalls, his hand holding his stinging face.

"What was that for?" he asked in a loud croaking voice.

"How dare you try and break up with me?" she snapped back. "Do you think I'm some sort of wimpy little girl who can't protect myself? Is that what you think?"

"No, but you have to admit, I know Voldemort better than you do. I know what he's capable of."

"Yeah, he's capable of causing you misery and pain every time he turns around. And you, I cannot believe you listened to him over Dumbledore. You are not that thick."

"You weren't there, you didn't hear him. What he said made sense. I thought I could rescue Sirius."

"I know you love him, but he's gone and you know that. You have to learn to trust Dumbledore. He's the greatest wizard alive, don't you know that?"

"Of course I know that, Virginia. But I thought I could rescue Sirius."

"Do you have any idea how angry I am with you? If I didn't love you so much, I'd..."

"Hex me into next week, I know." Ginny turned an angry glare to the young man, her hands on her hips.

"Don't be a smart arse," she warned him.

"Why? You're already ticked off with me, you've hit me and you're yelling at me. What more could happen?"

"Don't tempt me Harry Potter, or you may just find out." Harry stood there confronting her, the realization of just how beautiful she was suddenly struck him. Even angry she was more gorgeous than anyone he'd ever seen, with the exception of his mother.

"What are you staring at?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she saw the far off expression on his face. Harry smiled wickedly as he took a step forward, causing her to back up until she was pressed against the wall. "What are you doing?" she asked, her tone filled with a mixture of anger and curiosity. Harry continued to smile wordlessly. He reached out and took her by the shoulders, holding her prisoner against the wall. He leaned into her, capturing her eyes with his. Ginny gasped at the amused expression dancing in the emerald depths.

"I suppose since you're already mad at me, it wouldn't hurt to get you really pissed off, would it?" he asked as he leaned closer, his lips barely a breath away.

"What are you talking about?" Harry chuckled as he reached down, his hand cupping her breast through the jumper. She gasped again; frightened she looked around her for any onlookers.

"Harry Potter, don't you dare," she warned as he leaned down and began kissing her neck. "My brother or my father can come along at any moment." Harry didn't answer, he just continued his assault on her senses. "What about Snape, or McGonagall? They could show up any second." Her objections were weakening as his tongue slipped out and began licking a hot path along her jaw. "Harry, we can't."

"Wanna bet?" he asked, pulling her into the empty classroom beyond and locking the door with a sealing charm. Ginny smiled as he advanced toward her again, backing up until her legs hit the back of a chair, causing her to nearly fall.

"We'll get caught," she warned him as he began to disrobe, pulling his jumper over his head and unfastening his belt. Harry shrugged his shoulders uncaring.

"Haven't you ever wanted to be wicked, for just a little while?" he asked her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her to him.

"I will never again think rationally when I'm with you, do you know that?" Harry chuckled, kissing her neck again as his hands began to pull at her jumper. "Wait!" she exclaimed when he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her skirt and began pulling it up.

"Why?"

"We can't do this, not here."

"Why not? It's empty, we're alone."

"But its Binns class," Ginny said taking note of their surroundings. "He doesn't sleep, remember? He's a ghost. He can interrupt us any second." Harry looked around him and frowned. He hadn't thought about where he had taken them, only that it was an empty room.

"Well I'm not going to let you get away from me," he told her determinedly.

"The Room of Requirements isn't far from here," she whispered. "We can sneak in there, but we can't stay here. We'll get caught for sure." Harry narrowed his eyes at her as she pushed his hands away.

"I won't let you back out of this," he told her.

"When have I ever backed out of making love with you?" she snapped, watching as he quickly dressed again.

"You're still angry with me. I don't want to give you an excuse to run away."

"You were the one who wanted to run away from me, remember?" Harry blushed at the memory of his telling her they should break up. He knew now, he would never be able to leave her even if she asked him to.

Harry reached out his hand to her, allowing her the opportunity to refuse it, but smiled brightly when she took it and they slipped back out into the corridor. Within minutes they were once again securely locked behind a door, this time Ginny raised her wand to the closed barrier and whispered, "Schola Opus Circumago."

"What was that?" he asked.

"Just a distraction spell," she smiled. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"You've used distraction spells before and that was not one of them. What did you do?"

"I added a little suggestion, is all. Anyone who comes near the door will have a sudden desire to do their homework." Harry smiled as he reached out for her, pulling her into his embrace. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed that awaited them.

"You are a very wicked witch, Miss Weasley," he told her as he laid her on the thick blankets.

"You asked if I ever felt wicked, remember? I guess I have an evil streak occasionally."

"What else do you feel?" he asked, his hand slipping beneath the hem of her skirt and slowly moving up the inside of her thigh. Ginny gasped, raising her arms to him and holding him close as he leaned down across her.

"Give me a chance and I'll show you."

Outside in the corridor, Ron and Hermione were making their nightly rounds. They were worried about Harry and Ginny, but were reassured when Dobby arrived with a tray of sweets for them, as he often did, reassuring them both that he had seen them leaving Dumbledore's office. Now they were relaxed enough to concentrate on other things. Hermione was eager to learn what happened and where they had gone, while Ron was eager to just be alone with Hermione. They neared the Room of Requirements and Ron smiled. He knew by now that they would make use of the room's secrets and slipped his hand in Hermione's, winking at her. Hermione blushed, but smiled at the thought of how easy it was for the young man to predict her inner thoughts.

They reached the wall where the door to the Room of Requirements stood and Ron reached for the knob, pausing momentarily. He glanced to Hermione with a frown, his stomach feeling tight as guilt began to rise within him.

"Um, 'Mione," he began. "Would you mind if we did this later? I have a report for Potions that I still need to finish and McGonagall will murder me if I don't practice those transfigurations."

"That's fine, Ron," Hermione smiled. "I have to finish my own report for Arithmancy." Ron and Hermione walked back toward their dormitory, a frown on each of their faces. Ron couldn't believe he actually wanted to finish his homework, rather than being with the girl he loved, while Hermione recognized the spell on the room's door, wondering who was using it. There had to be a better way to distract people from interrupting, than to force them to do their homework. Especially on a Friday night.

Harry's head was beginning to pound again, his eyes throbbing in pain. He saw the familiar graveyard and found himself walking through the rows of headstones toward the concrete path that led to a large, weather beaten porch. The paint on the banisters was peeling, the wood beneath dry and rotten. He stepped up the three wooden steps to the front door and pushed it open. The door creaked softly, revealing the dark surroundings of the house's interior. He cautiously walked through the threshold, his feet silent on the worn carpet. To his left was a narrow hall and Harry could hear voices echoing from somewhere down it. He looked around as he slowly made his way toward the sound. A high-pitched voice echoed off the dirty walls with the peeling wallpaper and Harry knew immediately who it was.

"He was almost mine," Voldemort said as Harry poked his head around the corner of the open door. The thin, pale figure was draped in dark robes, pacing the floor back and forth. "I nearly had him this time, but that girl...that Weasley bitch stopped him. She has a strong hold over him. I'll have to dispose of her first. What do you know of their relationship?"

"All we can determine at this point is that they are dating," Lucius Malfoy said from the side of the room. "I have not been able to make contact with my son to learn more. I fear he has turned traitor as his mother did."

"For his sake, you had better hope he has not changed sides Malfoy," Voldemort hissed at the tall blond man.

"If he has master, he will die as his mother did. No son of mine will ever betray you My Lord. But I do know this much about Potter...things between him and the Weasley girl are new, only since the summer."

"She is the new Minister's daughter," the large bolder shaped image of the elder Goyle said.

"I know that you blundering idiot!" hissed Voldemort. "I'm not stupid!"

"She was rescued by Potter in her first year," Bellatrix started. "She was lead into the Chamber of Secrets by an old diary of Tom Riddle's. He saved her from the Basilisk, since then they have had a deep connection that neither of them recognized until late July. Our spy at the Ministry of Magic tells us that Weasley has bragged about how proud he is of his daughter and how happy he is that she is with Potter. Whimple said Weasley claims the two are soul mates."

"Let us hope that is not the case," Voldemort hissed again.

"Why?" asked the stocky image of the elder Crabbe.

"Because," Voldemort began, a sigh of irritation escaping his thin lips as he sat in the old leather chair, scratching the head of his enormous snake, Nagini. "If they are soul mates, it makes her hold on him stronger than anyone predicted. He will not be easy to get hold of."

"Have we managed to get the secrets of Hogwart's yet?" Walden Macnair asked.

"Only one of over a hundred," Avery answered.

"It was enough to allow us to lure Potter into the Forbidden Forest," Malfoy said.

"But it is not enough!" hissed Voldemort. "I want them all. I am tired of waiting."

"Please master," Bellatrix said, leaning down on the floor next to his chair. "Do not upset yourself so. We will get the charms and spells that protect the school and Dumbledore will have no choice but to bow to your greatness."

"I no longer care about the old man," Voldemort said, his hand smoothing the dark hair of his mistress. "It's Potter I want. I must join with him. Together we will rule the world."

"But if he does not comply, My Lord?" asked Macnair.

"Then he will die, but not before his little whore does. She is our key to him. She will bring him to me and he will watch as she is destroyed before his eyes. Only then will he know of my power and he will know he is on the wrong side."

"But how do we get her to bring him here, master?" Bellatrix asked.

"By taking her from under Dumbledore's very nose," hissed Voldemort as he began to laugh. Harry could feel himself being pulled back through the darkness and tried to fight it. They were planning on capturing Ginny and he had to know how, he had to know their plans, but he couldn't stop from feeling himself being pulled away. His head began pounding violently, his stomach jerking in nauseous spasms. He groaned at the pain, his hand reaching up to his scar instinctively. He knew this pain all too well, but he could never seem to get used to it. It was searing, making him feel as if his head were splitting in two. He was wet with sweat; his heart beating so fiercely within his chest, he felt certain it would explode. The pain didn't want to ease and his head wouldn't stop screaming for mercy.

"Harry?" a voice called to him, but he couldn't answer. He tried to open his eyes, but moaned in the effort, closing them again. "Harry, try and wake up," the voice said again, this time Harry could determine it was somewhere close.

"Ginny," he whispered, his throat hoarse with the effort.

"Harry, try and focus." The woman's voice was familiar to him, forcing Harry to struggle to regain control. He fought to focus his gaze on the tall yellow and pink haired woman standing next to him.

"Tonks?" he asked again, the pain easily a very small degree.

"It's me Harry," Tonks said, stroking his hair gently. "Wake up Harry and talk to us."

"Where am I?" he asked, his surroundings becoming clearer to him. He felt the mattress beneath him, the covers tightly holding him to it. The room was cool and dark, sounds echoing off the stonewalls. This wasn't where he had fallen asleep, he thought briefly. One moment he was in the warm embrace of Ginny and the next he was...

"You're in the hospital wing." He heard Ginny's voice and immediately turning his head to see her standing on the other side of him. There were other people around him as well. Dumbledore stood next to Tonks, Mr. Weasley and Charlie at the foot of the bed, Ron and Hermione next to Ginny and McGonagall and Snape near the elder Weasleys.

"What am I doing here?" he asked, the pain nearly gone, his eyes focusing on the faces that stared at him.

"You were having a nightmare and I couldn't wake you," Ginny said, her tone filled with fear.

"Nightmare?" he asked with a frown creasing his dark brows. He tried to concentrate on what he had dreamed, then realization began filtering through and he remembered what he had heard and saw.

"Voldemort," he whispered. "It wasn't a dream. I was there. It was Voldemort. He was talking with Bellatrix and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle were there, so were Macnair and Avery. He was planning on capturing Ginny. He wants me; he wants me to join him, but in order to do it he needs Ginny to lure me to him. Ginny, you're in danger. You have to hide, you can't let him find you."

"Calm yourself Harry," Dumbledore said. "She is safe here. He won't be able to get in."

"But he will, I saw it. He said he was going to steal her right under your nose. He wants me and he'll stop at nothing to get me. She's in danger, Professor. She has to go into hiding, please."

"Harry I'm not leaving Hogwart's," Ginny insisted, soothing his creased brows with a gentle finger. "He won't get me. I'm safer here than anywhere on the planet."

"But Ginny..."

"No," she insisted. "You're not getting rid of me, I've already told you that."

"I'll arrange for security to surround the school grounds," Mr. Weasley said. "Tonks, you need to work on those new charms. We'll need to reinforce the spells already in place."

"But Voldemort said he already had one of the charms," Harry said, struggling to sit up. "That was how he was able to get me into the Forbidden Forest. Bellatrix said that someone named Whimple told him about Ginny and I."

"Gilbert Whimple?" Charlie asked, turning to his father who didn't look very surprised.

"Are you sure of that name Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry nodded, noticing how Mr. Weasley and Dumbledore exchanged glances.

"What is it? Who is this Whimple anyway?" Ron asked.

"He's in charge of Experimental Charms," Mr. Weasley said.

"He's part of the Ministry?" Hermione asked in alarm.

"He is indeed Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, turning to look to Snape and McGonagall. Snape looked at the Headmaster then nodded, leaving the room.

"Where's he going?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing to concern you about Harry," the old wizard said. "I think you've been through enough for one night. You need your sleep."

"I won't let him get her," Harry told the old man. "I won't let them hurt Ginny."

"Of course you won't," Dumbledore smiled, laying a warm hand on the young man's shoulder. "But you can't do anything to protect her, if you don't get enough sleep."

Mr. Weasley patted Harry's shoulder, Charlie smiled, McGonagall nodded and finally all the adults left, allowing Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione to speak in private.

"Do you think it wise to allow the others to remain with him, Albus?" McGonagall asked, once they were all in the corridor.

"They are part of the five that will save our world," the old wizard said. "They need to be together. They will be fine."

"Harry, what happened?" Ron asked once the others were gone. He leaned up on the end of the bed, pulling his leg to a bent position in front of him.

"I had another premonition," he answered, reaching for Ginny's hand and holding it tightly. "I saw Voldemort, I heard him. He said he nearly had me, but Ginny stopped me. He said she was powerful and that in order to get to me, they would first take Ginny. I can't let that happen."

"You won't," Ginny said confidently. "You would never allow anyone to get close enough to harm me."

"Don't make fun, Ginny," he scolded. "He knows about us. You're not safe."

"Of course I am. I'm at Hogwart's, it's the safest place in the world and I have you. I am not worried."

"Look Harry," Hermione interrupted. "So far, you've been able to save Percy and Ginny because you've recognized your premonitions. This will be no different. Because you have warned Dumbledore and the others, you've changed the outcome of the premonitions."

"I hope so Hermione," he said, pulling Ginny onto the bed with him and wrapping his arms around her.

"Did you see my dad and Dumbledore's faces when you told them about Gilbert Whimple?" Ron asked, a frown creasing his forehead. "They didn't look all that surprised, did they?"

"They said they thought they knew who Voldemort's spy was at the Ministry," Hermione said. "Its only logical that they recognized the name, once Harry gave it to them."

"How do you think they got the charm for the Forbidden Forest?" Ginny asked, reclining next to Harry on the bed.

"I thought Dumbledore said there were no written records of the charms and spells that protected the school?" Ron asked.

"There has to be somewhere," Hermione commented. "What if he died or was injured? Who would know what to do to protect the school and the students?"

"But how did he get hold of them?" Ginny asked again. "Something like that would have to be locked up under heavy guard and very complicated spells."

"I don't care how he got it, the point is he's coming after Ginny," Harry said angrily. "Its up to us to protect her, since obviously the others don't think she needs it."

"It would help if we could find out who the fifth point of this star thing was," Ron grumbled. "Maybe we could join forces and defeat Voldemort before anything happens."

"Who do you think it is Harry?" Ginny asked, looking at the serious expression on his face.

"I was hoping it would be Neville, or even Luna," he said absently. "But after hearing Malfoy say he hadn't heard from his son and that he feared he had turned traitor like his mother, I know who it is."

"Harry, please don't tell me it's who I think you're thinking," Ron pleaded with a disgusted look on his face. Harry turned to his best friend, staring at him square in the eye. He knew his friend's feelings, he too felt similar, but there was no denying it now as he told the others, "the fifth point is Draco Malfoy."