Harry Potter and the Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

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CHAPTER EIGHT

SHARING THE TRUTH

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The month of November brought with it freezing winds and sharply dropping temperatures. The castle and grounds were covered in a thick enveloping blanket of snow, and the torches had to be lit early inside the dank dark corridors and classrooms. Argus Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, his grumpy disposition considerably worse than usual due to his rheumatism, stalked the hallways with his skeletal gray cat, Mrs. Norris, at his side. He was currently muttering under his breath furiously as he mopped up puddles of melting snow that had just been tracked in by incoming students, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked by him cautiously, trying to avoid a confrontation.

Filch had been in a nastier mood than ever this year. Harry felt that this was most likely due to the fact that Dumbledore had ousted Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts the previous term. With backing from the ex-Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, Umbridge had established herself at Hogwarts as the so-called Hogwarts High Inquisitor. She had then forcefully taken over the Headmistress position, much to the chagrin and horror of the vast majority of the student body and teachers. Thankfully, Dumbledore had later come back, successfully reclaiming his rightful place at the school. Filch, however, had been exceedingly disappointed by Dumbledore's return. Umbridge had promised Filch free reign over student punishments, so that he could whip students raw for such major offenses as throwing fanged frisbees down the corridors or dropping dungbombs in the hall. Filch had evidently relished the idea, but shortly thereafter Umbridge was made to relinquish her post, and the caretaker was left unable to exact any revenge against the students he so despised.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione managed to sneak past Filch without attracting his attention, but it was only because of a lucky coincidence. Peeves, the school poltergeist, had chosen that precise moment to fling the full mop bucket Filch had just been using over a very unprepared Mrs. Norris. Harry, Ron, and Hermione scampered away quickly as a now soaking wet Mrs. Norris yowled loudly, and Filch screamed at Peeves in fury. As the three of them entered their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom a little bit later, Moody appeared to be in high spirits.

"Yes. Yes, have a seat, now, have a seat. Hurry up, now," Moody said, apparently anxious to begin the lesson. "Today we'll be beginning something new. You've already mastered the basics, so it's time to start learning elementary conjuring spells. A general conjuring spell can be used to conjure any number of inanimate objects, but we will be using it specifically for defense purposes in this class. Repeat the incantation after me, 'Conjurus.'"

"Conjurus," everyone chanted back at him.

"Good," Moody said, hobbling around to the front of his desk. "'Course, when using a conjuring spell, you must know what it is you wish to conjure. For example, say I want to conjure up something simple, like a piece of parchment. I say the incantation, 'Conjurus Parchment!' and," Moody held out the paper that had just appeared in his hand and showed it to the class, "so, here it is. You must picture very clearly in your mind what it is you want to appear. There are two basic rules for this particular spell. The first rule is that the object must be inanimate. You cannot conjure up living things, like a person or an animal, for instance. The second rule is that the object must be of relatively limited size. In other words, don't try to conjure a bus. A bus would simply be too large for this specific spell to work. A good rule of thumb is that if you can hold it in your hand, you'll be more likely to conjure it successfully."

Moody made the parchment he had conjured disappear into nothing as he eyed his pupils, sizing them up. This was quite a small class in comparison to the classes Harry had experienced before his O.W.L. year. The only students in this class were himself, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Dean, and Seamus from Gryffindor, and Justin Finch-Fletchley, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff. Apparently, the Ravenclaws had gotten stuck with the Slytherins for their N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Moody was casting an appraising glance at Ron.

"Mr. Weasley, if you please." Ron stepped closer to Moody, then swallowed nervously as he took out his wand. "I want you to picture a distinct object, keeping in mind the rules I spoke about earlier." Moody paused as Ron looked up at the ceiling, thinking. "Do you have an object in mind?" Moody asked him.

"Yes, sir," Ron answered.

"Okay then, give it a go."

"Conjurus Sock!" Ron said, and a dark formless sock, looking much like Hermione's hand-knitted elf socks from last year, materialized in Ron's hand. Ron had been excited at first when something had actually appeared, but upon inspecting it, he seemed rather disappointed.

"That's not really what I had in mind," Ron said dully, as he turned the shapeless mass of material over in his hand.

"You must speak the incantation with great authority - you must have complete confidence and conviction," Moody explained, turning again to face the class. "These advanced level classes are focused upon spells and charms that have to have powerful emotion behind them. If someone is attacking you, you must know what you need to conjure in order to protect yourself - it must become second nature. A large part of Defense Against the Dark Arts is intuitive, instinctual. Following your own good instincts can save your life. Some of you know that already," Moody said, as both of his eyes latched solidly onto Harry's. Harry peered back at Moody, giving him a grim nod. Harry knew better than any other student in the room how important those instincts could be.

Moody continued, looking back at Ron. "Feel in your gut that that object is something that you absolutely need, Mr. Weasley. Let's see you try it again." Ron closed his eyes, concentrating hard.

"Conjurus Sock!" he said, much more firmly this time. A clearly defined crisp black argyle sock then successfully appeared in his hand. Ron smiled up at everyone enthusiastically as Moody clapped him on the back with a gnarled hand.

"Yes. Yes, laddie, much better. Now everyone choose an object and conjure it!" Moody instructed in his gravelly voice.

Everyone was able to successfully conjure an item before the end of the class. Hermione like Ron had succeeded in conjuring an object; in her case, a quill, on her second try. Harry, surprising himself, had been successful on his very first attempt, conjuring a Beater's Quidditch bat easily before any of the others had even started. Ron and Hermione didn't seem surprised at all, however. They knew that their best friend was quite exceptional when it came to defense and said so, beaming at him. Harry tried to smile back, but he was plagued by a nagging feeling of doubt. He knew that even if things came easily to him in a classroom, it was still no guarantee that he would be able to succeed when he went face to face with Voldemort again. Ron and Hermione frowned anxiously at his reaction, but said nothing.

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That evening after dinner Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat by the fire in the common room, once more working hard on their piles of schoolwork. As the hour grew later, one by one the other Gryffindor students went to bed. Eventually, only the four of them remained. Ron was just completing his last long essay for Transfiguration. He sat exhaustedly back in his chair, tiredly rubbing his eyes. Hermione had fallen asleep in the chair next to his, her bushy brown hair flowing softly down the armrest. Crookshanks had curled up tightly in her lap, his whiskers twitching slightly as he dreamt. As Ron put away his quill, parchment, and ink, he noticed that Hermione was gently dozing. He looked at her sleeping face with a rather sappy-looking expression for a moment before he realized that Harry and Ginny were watching him.

"Oy, Hermione," Ron said a bit too loudly, nudging her abruptly awake.

"Oh," Hermione said drowsily, slightly annoyed, "I didn't mean to fall asleep." She yawned and got up, knocking a disgruntled Crookshanks to the floor by accident. Hermione then gave Ron an irritated look, and thankfully he had the good grace to whisper an apology to her. Hermione's face softened again as she gave him a forgiving smile, and Ron squeezed her hand briefly before turning to leave. As Ron and Hermione left, Harry and Ginny turned back to their homework. Harry was trying to study his Charms notes, but his eyes were refusing to focus anymore. Ginny was attempting to memorize a star chart for Astronomy, but she wasn't getting any further than Harry was.

"I give up," Ginny said, finally closing her schoolbooks wearily. "How did you get through this mass of work last year, Harry? I feel like I can barely keep on top of it all."

"Hermione's note-taking ability, mostly," Harry answered, with a tired grin. "Well, I guess we'd better get upstairs, too. It's nearly one o'clock," Harry said, looking at his watch. He was surprised at how late it had gotten.

Ginny started to get up, but before she headed for her dormitory, she turned to Harry and said, "I really had a great time on Halloween, Harry."

"I had a great time, too... thanks to you," Harry replied, and Ginny's face brightened as she gave him a dazzling smile. As she continued to smile over at him fondly, Harry swallowed rather self-consciously. For some reason, those smiles of hers always made his heart beat much more rapidly than it usually did.

Ginny turned away and was quickly halfway up the stairs. Harry bent to load his own supplies into his bag when Ginny suddenly came rushing back down the stairs towards him. Harry didn't realize what she was doing until she'd already done it. Ginny ran straight into Harry's arms, nearly bowling him over. As she did, she stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she smiled at him once more.

Harry was quite surprised, but he smiled too, continuing to hold her loosely in his arms. As their eyes met, however, their grins faded gently away. Harry had never held a girl face to face like this for so long before - at least not without a mask on - and before he had any time to genuinely think about what he was doing, he was leaning down and kissing Ginny on the lips warmly. Luckily, unlike the teary-eyed Cho Chang, Ginny responded in kind, kissing him back just as intensely. Still holding one another they smiled softly again, gazing into each other's eyes in the dim flickering light of the dying hearth fire. Harry began to feel a powerful surge of emotion as he continued to look down at her; it was a safe feeling, and he didn't want to let her go. Eventually, though, after a few endlessly breathless moments, Harry and Ginny broke apart. As Ginny eased her way towards her own staircase again, she turned back and favored Harry with a look that was somehow both serious and playful at the same time before continuing to slowly ascend to her dormitory.

Later Harry lay awake in his four-poster, blissfully reliving what had just happened. He'd never experienced anything like this before - the extraordinary new emotion that Harry was now feeling for Ginny was amazingly strong. Her glowing face was permanently imprinted on his mind, and he felt happier than he could ever remember feeling in his life. For the first time in months, Harry's heart was not aching at the loss of Sirius; it was currently filled with a much more joyful emotion. As Harry began to fall asleep, he felt so wonderful that he didn't even think to build the Occlumency barrier in his mind as he had carefully been doing every night....

Harry entered a somewhat familiar, large and very dark room. The room was curtained and was extremely cold and drafty, with the only light coming from the fire sputtering sporadically in the fireplace. The room had a chair upholstered in a dark velvet, but it was extremely worn and threadbare; it appeared quite old as he glanced at it. Harry thought he heard the soft creak of a door opening behind him and he shivered slightly as he turned around - the sight that met his eyes was too horrible for Harry to fully accept.

Harry's scar lit up in pain as Voldemort walked quickly into the room, his abnormally long white fingers wrapped around his wand as he pushed an utterly white-faced Ginny in front of him. Before Harry could do or say anything, Voldemort shoved Ginny roughly away from him down onto the floor and pointed his wand directly at Harry's heart.

Just as Voldemort opened his mouth, however, Ginny jumped to her feet again and grabbed at his sleeve, deflecting the spell at the last moment. Harry was on the other side of the room and as Ginny succeeded in ruining Voldemort's aim, Harry began to race towards them, slamming past the dusty old velvet chair and knocking it to the floor with a violent crash as he went. Harry couldn't think of anything else, all he knew was that he had to get to Ginny; but before he could reach them Voldemort had rounded on her, his snakelike visage twisted in fury.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" he snarled fiercely, as a green light shot out of his wand and hit Ginny squarely in the face. Harry reached her just a split-second too late -- and as he then looked down into Ginny's cold lifeless eyes, he felt every good feeling and happy memory of his life evaporate so completely that it was as if he had never honestly experienced them in the first place...... Suddenly, though, a harsh realization struck Harry's conscious mind, he realized that he was dreaming - that Voldemort was trying break into his mind, that Voldemort was again attempting to control him. "This isn't real," Harry told himself as he abruptly threw the powerful barriers up in his mind, blocking the horrific scene and stopping it from infiltrating further into his consciousness.

Harry woke with a start. He had broken out into an icy sweat and was trembling despite the warmth of the hearth fire. Harry felt a deep penetrating cold that seemed to go to the pit of his very being as he sat up in bed, gasping for breath. He felt so stupid, how could he have forgotten to build the barrier? How could he have let Voldemort back into his mind again? How could he have made such an idiotic mistake? As Harry continued to berate himself mentally, Ron stirred in the next bed.

"You all right, Harry?" Ron asked thickly, noticing that Harry was awake.

"Sure," Harry lied, "I'm fine. Just woke up, that's all." Ron stared at him curiously for a minute, but apparently decided to take him at his word.

"All right, then... 'night," Ron said, as he turned back over and was soon snoring lightly once more.

As Ron went back to sleep, Harry turned on his side facing away from Ron's four-poster. Voldemort was attacking his mind again, but that wasn't the worst of it. Because of this foolish lapse, Harry realized that Voldemort had been able to pump his mind for more information; information that he would undoubtedly attempt to use against him. Harry couldn't help but feel horribly shaken and worried as he continued to lie there in the darkness wide awake. He was almost certain that Voldemort already knew about Ron and Hermione being his best friends; and now, frighteningly, he knew how Harry felt about Ginny, as well.

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Saturday morning as Harry woke up, sleet was pounding ferociously against the castle windows. Harry was restless and distracted as the images from last night's dream and its repercussions kept stubbornly resurfacing in his mind. Harry was unable to keep his dark brooding thoughts entirely hidden, and as he joined Ginny at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione a short while later, Ginny asked him what was wrong.

"Wrong?" Harry asked, trying harder to conceal how he really felt. "Nothing's wrong."

Ron and Hermione had chosen seats across from Harry and Ginny. Hermione, too, had noticed Harry's abrupt change in mood. She turned inquisitively to look at Ron, but he just shrugged. Ron was not one to push unless there was no other way around it. Ginny, however, was quite another matter.

"Harry, we all know you better than that," Ginny said, with her usual directness. "You're upset about something, I can tell. What is it? Maybe we can help."

Harry sat there silently for a moment, watching numbly as the other students ate their breakfast and chatted unconcernedly with their friends. He wished wistfully that he could feel as carefree as they. Ginny was still staring at him obstinately, not to be easily thwarted. Ron and Hermione were watching him, too.

"It's nothing, I said. I've got to go - I've got a lot of studying to do," Harry said tersely, as he jerked away from Ginny and stalked towards the huge double doors. Harry could hear Ginny huffing irritably as he walked away, but he didn't turn or look back at her. Harry hid in the library, feeling cold and ill at ease, but unwilling to let anyone close to him know what was going on.

Over the next three weeks, Harry tried to behave normally, but he was so tense that he wasn't quite successful. Ever since the dream, Harry had decided that it wasn't safe for him to drop the barrier in his mind again, so he worked hard to maintain it at all times. Unfortunately, this was making him appear detached and distant, and Harry was unable to ignore the suspiciously worried glances emanating from Ginny, Ron, and Hermione on an increasingly frequent basis. Ginny in particular seemed especially watchful, her gaze deeply searching - almost as if trying to read his thoughts. Each time he noticed these anxious looks coming from his friends, Harry tried to block them out and endeavored to look very busy, either with schoolwork or some other readily available excuse.

Harry was only able to fully concentrate on one thing at the moment, and that was defense. When Professor Moody announced one morning that they would next be conjuring items specifically concerned with physically defending oneself, Harry focused solely on the task at hand. In fact, he was focused so intently on what he was doing that when Moody used a Stunning spell on him as an example to the class, Harry quickly ducked and conjured a gleaming red metal shield with such remarkable speed that Moody hadn't even had the chance to finish saying the incantation. The bright beam of the Stunning spell then impacted the shield and fizzled into nothing.

Everyone in the class gave an audible gasp. Even though they had been in the D.A. meetings with Harry last year, none of them had ever seen him do something like that before. When Moody had turned both his real and his magical eye upon Harry, the professor looked taken aback and also rather alarmed. As he registered the concern evident on Moody's face, Harry finally gazed down at what he had actually conjured. He hadn't really thought about it; it had been spontaneous, almost a knee-jerk reaction. Harry then noticed that he had just conjured the same kind of shield that Voldemort had when he'd dueled with Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic last June. Harry was at first stunned by what he had done, but then his expression became bleak as a terrifying realization hit him. If I'm doing the same kind of magic that Voldemort does, then what does that make me? Harry wondered, fretfully.

Feeling somewhat nettled and tightly-strung, Harry didn't even look back as Ron and Hermione followed him out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom that day. If he had, Harry wouldn't have been able to miss the stricken looks of fear and apprehension on their faces. It was now mid-December and as Harry entered the library with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, most students were making plans for the upcoming Christmas holidays. Harry glanced over his shoulder at Ginny. She appeared to be going out of her way to be close to Harry whenever possible, almost protectively hovering over him. Ginny was presently standing by the nearest bookshelf, watching cautiously as Madam Pince, the school librarian, stood lurking near the Restricted Section a few rows down. She had just told off a couple of petrified-looking first years for daring to speak too loudly nearby, displaying her usual nasty temperament for everyone to see.

Harry realized that his feelings for Ginny had grown beyond any simple childhood friendship or innocent flirtation; they were much more powerful and permanent than that. But Harry felt that caring for Ginny in the way that he did meant that he might be putting her in danger, and that was something that he was unwilling to do. Even though Ginny had placed herself at the same table and was sitting very close to him, Harry appeared withdrawn and remote. His bright green eyes seemed almost haunted as he pondered these things over and over again within the troubled boundaries of his own mind. Harry continued to stare unseeingly at the dusty volumes on the shelf in front of him as other students shuffled by, their arms laden with Madam Pince's meticulously cared-for and possessively protected books. Suddenly there was a small fair hand right in front of Harry's face, waving as if to get his attention.

Harry blinked and looked up at Ginny as she said, "Harry.... Earth to Harry.... Are you that preoccupied or are you ignoring me on purpose?"

"Sorry," he muttered numbly, "were you saying something?"

Ginny let out a sigh of frustration, "Only for the last five minutes, Harry. You've been acting so odd over the past few weeks, it's like you're not even here with us."

"Sorry," Harry said again, sincerely this time.

"I don't want an apology, Harry, I want to know what's going on. We all do," Ginny said, glimpsing at Ron and Hermione across the table. The three of them were presently peering at him, their expressions clearly nervous and on edge. As Harry glanced at each of them in turn, he understood that he wasn't really being fair to any of them. He looked at Ginny last and as he gazed into her concerned brown eyes, Harry realized that he was going to have to be honest with her - with all of them. "Okay," Harry whispered, finally giving in, "but not here."

Harry took Ginny's hand and quickly led her out of the library, Ron and Hermione right on their heels. Harry took them to a secret passageway on the third floor that was hidden behind a huge woven tapestry depicting a large and complicated-looking battle, knowing that that part of the castle would likely be almost abandoned at that time of the day. As the four of them sat on the cold stone floor, Harry tried to work out how he was going to express what was happening and what he had at last decided to do about it without actually frightening or upsetting them - he knew that this was going to be difficult. As Harry continued to sit there trying to figure out what to say, Ginny took his hand in hers and looked up into his shadowed face.

"We're worried about you, Harry, please tell us what's wrong," Ginny said, imploringly. Harry sighed resignedly and took a deep breath.

"I've told Ron and Hermione about some of this already, Ginny, but I think you have the right to know now as well." And with that, Harry proceeded to tell her about the prophecy.

"You and You-Know-Who are going to have to try to... to destroy one another?" Ginny cried, her expression distressed and disbelieving. She then glanced over at Ron and Hermione - even though they had known about the prophecy for several months, they still appeared to be nearly as upset by it as she was. After a moment, however, Ginny seemed to gather herself together again. She looked almost calmly back into Harry's eyes as she whispered, "There's more, isn't there, Harry?"

Harry nodded silently. At Harry's nod, Ron and Hermione subtly leaned forward, even more attentive than they had been. Harry hadn't originally planned to tell anyone, not even them, what he was about to say, but he now felt that they had the right to know what was happening. Harry pulled away from Ginny and began to pace in the small confines of the hidden passage. After a little more time had passed, he spoke up once again. "I realize that you don't know this because I haven't told any of you, but Voldemort did possess me last June while we were all down in the Ministry of Magic." Hermione gasped suddenly, putting her hands over her mouth, while Ron and Ginny wore identical looks of blank shock and alarm on their faces. Harry turned away from them and stared at the cold gray wall.

"It was... it was horrible, I was sure I was dead. The problem is that ever since that night, Voldemort has been attempting to break into my mind; he's even succeeded a few times." Harry paused, he couldn't look at them. "I've gotten a bit better at keeping him out, but you should know that Voldemort has had access to my mind. He knows who is close to me; he knows who I care about the most. That means that it may not be safe for the three of you to be around me anymore..." Harry kept facing the wall. It was killing him to tell them these things, but he knew that he had to.

"All that really means, Harry, is that you need us even more than ever," said a soft voice, it was Ginny's.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Harry roared as he rounded on her, his frantic feelings nearly undoing him. Harry then closed his eyes and clenched his hands tightly, trying to settle down; the last thing he wanted to do was to yell at Ginny. As he opened his eyes again he said, "Listen to me, I know what Voldemort's going to do, all right, and I don't want you to be involved. He's coming after me to kill me, and the only way I might have a chance is if I fight the same way that he does." Harry peered at Ron and Hermione. "Remember that shield I conjured in class the other day? Voldemort conjured one just like it when he dueled with Dumbledore last year. I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing, it just seemed to happen automatically. It's almost as if I'm turning into him or something - it's like I'm becoming the same kind of monster that he is," Harry said apprehensively before looking back at Ginny. "That's why you can't be around me anymore. That's why I have to do this alone."

"But Harry...." Ginny began, appearing horrified, but Harry was already taking another deep breath.

"If anything ever happened to any of you, it'd be all my fault! And I - I just couldn't take that..." Harry's voice was full of anguish and pain as he turned towards the wall again, breathing hard. The strong barrier that he had struggled to maintain was beginning to falter as his very worst fears began to overwhelm him.

Ron and Hermione had their backs pressed against the opposite wall. Ron's expression was completely lost and fearful as he sat there helplessly; he didn't know what to say or do. Hermione was looking down as she leaned against Ron for support, shaking her head, sadly. Ginny on the other hand was slowly getting to her feet. She walked over to Harry and put a small hand on his trembling shoulder.

"Harry...." Ginny whispered, turning him around once more. "Harry, listen to me. I know you've been going through hell lately, we all do, but what makes you think that we would be in danger just because we're close to you? Why would V-Voldemort come specifically after us?" Harry jerked his head up quickly to look at her; she had just said Voldemort's name.

"Because I've seen it in his mind! I saw Voldemort kill all of you. It was in images and nightmares that Voldemort's been forcing into my head. It was just like that vision I had at the end of last year. He'll come after you to get to me.... I know he will. I can see it in his mind," Harry said desperately, his voice catching.

"But Harry," Ginny argued, "don't you see, if you can look into his mind, that means that you might be able to sense him. Maybe you'll have some kind of warning, maybe this is something that you can use against him ..."

"IT MIGHT NOT BE ENOUGH.... I STILL MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO STOP HIM," Harry interrupted, raising his voice again. "I have to fight Voldemort, but there's no guarantee that I'll win! In fact, there's a damn good chance that I'll lose, that I'll ultimately fail..... " Harry trailed off, thinking hard. He had to make them see, he had to make them understand that he must protect them somehow, even if it meant that he was going to have to separate himself from them forever.

"Harry," said a voice of forced calm, it was Ron. "There's no bloody way that we're letting you go through all of this by yourself. You've got to defeat Vol...." Ron swallowed. "You've got to defeat V-Voldemort and we're going to help you to do it." Though Ron was pale, he remained solidly resolute and unwavering. He had said the name for the first time, too, just as Ginny had.

"Ron and Ginny are both right, Harry," Hermione spoke up for the first time since they had left the Great Hall. She began to stand and determinedly crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not going to be able to do this alone. We've been with you in this since the beginning, and we're not about to desert you now - no matter what Voldemort may do. It's time you realize that you've got to win this battle, Harry. Voldemort will continue to torture and kill people if you don't. Besides, we couldn't bear losing you any more than you could bear losing us. We'll just be there to make sure that somehow you can win - whatever it takes," Hermione paused, and everyone became utterly still and silent. Suddenly, apparently realizing something, she looked sharply back at Harry and asked him, "Harry, in the prophecy, what is the power you have that Voldemort doesn't?"

Harry blinked, trying to think. "I'm not sure. Dumbledore only said that Voldemort didn't have any of it at all.... And that I, well, that that was the power that led me to the Department of Mysteries that night.... " Harry stopped, wondering. He realized that he honestly had no idea what Dumbledore had meant by that.

"I know what it is," Ginny said quietly, glancing up at Harry. He, Ron, and Hermione each stared at her. As Harry gazed into her eyes, he was amazed that she could look both extremely strong and terribly vulnerable at the very same time. "There's only one thing that it could be... Why do you think it is that when someone's in trouble, you're always the one who goes to try and save them? Anyone who knows anything about you knows that you've got more than enough bravery and courage in you, but it's more than that. It's because you care, Harry. You truly care about other people -- you care so much that you're willing to risk your life for them and oftentimes have. That has to be what the prophecy means - it's the one thing that makes sense."

"But.... but that's not going to help. That's exactly what got Siri.... Sirius killed in the first place....." Harry stammered, his voice full of guilt as a painfully hard lump began to rise in his throat.

"But that wasn't your fault, Harry... Besides... that's also why you once saved me..." Ginny whispered, staring piercingly into his face.

Harry looked at Ginny and to his horror he felt the sting of tears in his eyes, but he couldn't help it. A heavy horrible weight was pressing down on him, the all-consuming responsibility of it was just too great. Harry felt woefully unprepared for what he had to do, for what was expected of him. What kind of person would he be if he finally did succeed? Did he really want to know?

"Harry," Ginny said imploringly, her voice now full of emotion as well. "You are the one who is destined to defeat Voldemort for a reason. I think you're going to be able to do this because somehow you are his exact opposite. You're everything he's not... That's why, someday, you're going to defeat him - that's why when the time comes, you will win."

Harry continued to stare at Ginny. He wasn't sure what to think or believe at that moment, but he knew one thing for certain. Harry knew that no matter what he said, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were going to insist on staying with him; that they would insist on facing all of this at his side - and the thought both terrified and reassured him at the same time. Harry knew that the only thing he could do in the meantime was try to prepare himself as best he could.

A moment later, the four of them carefully slipped out from behind the tapestry, once again standing in the vacant corridor. Ginny then turned to Ron and Hermione. "We'll catch up later, okay," Ginny said, pointedly. They nodded. Ron's face was set as he wrapped a protective arm around Hermione's shoulders, and they gave Harry one last look before they began to wander back up the hallway.

"Harry," Ginny said softly, once they were alone. "I think I'm finally beginning to understand just how heavy your burdens are, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about your parents, about Sirius, about what Voldemort has been doing to you all along. I don't know where you've found the strength to keep going. This shows me how strong a person you really are."

As Harry lifted his eyes to Ginny's face, he was uncertain of how he should respond. Coming from someone else what she was saying might have sounded like pity, which he couldn't stand, but for some reason it didn't sound like that coming from her. Harry had been so tense and agitated ever since Voldemort had sent that last dream three weeks before that he was now right at the point of absolute exhaustion. Even so, Harry could tell that Ginny was trying to say something important to him, he just wasn't sure what it was.

"I dunno. I don't feel strong," he admitted sadly, and then slowly turned away from her.

Unexpectedly though, Ginny abruptly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him snugly to her. Harry felt a strong sense of security coming from her, and as they held each other he realized that something very significant was taking place between them. He wasn't sure why it was happening at that particular moment, but despite all the strain he was under, Harry at last understood precisely what it was that he was feeling towards Ginny. They held one another closely for a few more minutes, and then she started to whisper in his ear.

"I have to tell you something, Harry," Ginny began, with a noticeable tremor in her voice.

"What is it?" Harry asked worriedly. "Is something wrong, Ginny?"

"Well, not actually wrong, I hope. It's just that... you honestly don't know, do you?" Ginny asked him.

"Don't know," Harry echoed, feeling confused. "Don't know what?" But Ginny had begun to look away from him almost nervously, lapsing into a long and unbroken silence. Harry was beginning to feel truly anxious when Ginny finally gazed back up at him. When she spoke, her voice caught ever so slightly.

"You don't know that I've fallen in love with you, Harry Potter."

It was as if time itself had ground to a complete halt. Harry dared not believe what she had just said. His eyes searched her face and he saw the powerful truth of it in her eyes. Out of fear and worry, Harry had pushed her away again and again, he had kept his feelings for her buried deep down inside of himself, but Ginny had still fallen in love with him, just as he had with her. Harry had been totally honest and open with her just now; Ginny had seen all of his flaws and weaknesses and yet, miraculously, she loved him anyway. Harry's heart was filling with intense emotion as he pulled her closer to him once more. He was speechless for a moment as he held her tightly in his arms; at last, he gave her a slow and very gentle kiss.

"I love you, too," Harry said, softly.

Harry knew that he would always remember that amazing moment. A profound connection had been forged between them, strong and enduring. Something deeply embedded in Harry's mind - something that he had never fully allowed himself to even consider before - realized that this would change his life forever. That day Harry knew he had experienced the purest, the most magical, the most powerful emotion in existence. And future events, no matter how horrible they might be, would never be able to destroy that one perfect memory of true happiness.