One of A Kind

Chapter 15: Promises

Ginny tensed at the sound of the voice.

He found us Harry.

Gin, it will be ok, I promise. We’re going to get out of here.

“Well done, Severus. Had you not led them to me, they may have escaped. We couldn’t have that, now could we?”

“No, my Lord,” Snape said.

 Voldemort turned to Harry. “My dear, dear Harry. I have been expecting you. I expect that you will want to say goodbye to the lovely Virginia.”

Harry pulled back his hood and glared at him. “Leave her out of this. It’s me you want.”

“Oh, I would gladly let her go. But, you see, I made a promise. You were led to me, and in turn, I kill her.”

“Why would anyone want Ginny dead?”

Voldemort laughed. “Young Miss Nicholson was quite enamored of you. When she learned of your relationship with Virginia, she was upset, to say the least. And once I linked with her, I offered her the opportunity to have you all to herself.”

“I refuse to believe that she connected to you voluntarily,” Harry hissed.

“Maybe not at first, but she quickly realized that it worked to her benefit. Do you realize that she was monitoring your thoughts? That is how she discovered the power hidden in the necklace you had given Virginia.”

“Why did you kill her?”

“She was no longer of any use to me,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Now, what shall I do with you?”

 Harry dropped his head. “Please, I’m begging you, let Ginny go. I’ll do anything you ask, just let her go.”

Harry, you can’t do that! Don’t give in to him.

He can do whatever he wants with me, as long as you’re ok.

That Gryffindor chivalry is going to get you killed.

He didn’t respond to her, but looked at Voldemort, waiting for an answer.

“Anything, you say?”

Harry nodded slowly.

“Well, then . . . Crucio!”

 Ginny crumpled to the floor, writhing in pain. Harry saw Snape’s eyes widen, but the man said nothing. White hot pain rushed through Harry, Ginny’s screams echoing in his mind.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Harry cried.

Voldemort laughed and muttered, “Finite Incantatum.”

Ginny’s screams faded to low whimpers. Harry knelt beside her, stroking her hair. Her brown eyes were shimmering with tears. Neither saw Voldemort point his wand at Harry. Neither heard the spell muttered.

Harry felt his pain fade, then disappear entirely. He was as light as a feather, floating above everything. This could only be described as true bliss.

Kill her, a vicious voice ordered.

He felt himself raise his arm, wand in hand. Ginny’s eyes widened in terror.

Harry, don’t. You don’t want to do this.

Her voice was distant, but it shattered his state of peace. Now he was questioning his orders.

KILL HER!

No! Harry, I love you. Please . . .

The voices continued to battle. He felt his head spinning. He wasn’t sure who to listen to.

KILL! Kill her you stupid boy! KILL HER!

He lowered his arm, then raised it again. His hand was shaking. He heard soft sobs. He felt his heart drop. The harsh voice was less clear now, fuzzy. It reminded him of the static on a Muggle radio. He felt dizzy and weak. His limbs were heavy. His eyes were stinging. His palms hit the floor. The whole room was spinning around him, his stomach turning.

Get up! Get up and finish your job! Kill her!

He opened his mouth and choked out one word before he closed his eyes.

“No.”

~*~

He was surrounded by white. Brilliant, dazzling white. It seemed as if he was in the middle of a blizzard. Except that he was not cold. On the contrary, it seemed as if heat was flowing through his veins. A face entered his blurred line of vision. Wide, sparkling brown eyes. Full, soft looking pink lips. Ivory skin, the nose and cheeks lightly sprinkled with freckles. And glorious, ruby red hair cascading around her. He was sure he was in heaven, and found it not at all surprising that the angel hovering above him looked exactly like Ginny. What would heaven be without her? She leaned in closer and he closed his eyes expectantly.

            But her lips did not meet his, and when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that he was not in heaven. He was in the hospital wing. His vision was now perfectly in focus, and he saw that Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were at his bedside, accompanied by Dumbledore and a very sour looking Snape.

“Good morning sunshine,” Ginny said quietly, giving him a small smile. Her red eyes were rimmed with dark circles, telling him that she had probably been up all night. And that she had been crying. Ron and Hermione looked only slightly better. He noted that Ron’s hand was covering Hermione’s and smiled inwardly.

“Hi guys. Hey, Gin.” He reached out to take her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

The next few moments were filled with tense silence.

“Um, would someone mind telling me what I’m doing here?” he asked finally.

Dumbledore stepped forward. “Harry, what do you remember?”

He frowned at the unpleasant memories now flooding his mind. “Well, I remember Snape–er–Professor Snape and I going to get Ginny back. When we got there, he stunned a Death Eaters and I used the cloak as a disguise. I found Ginny,” he paused and glanced at her, feeling his heart plummet at the sight of tears rolling down her cheeks. “I woke her up and we were almost out when Voldemort found us. He said that Avril wanted him to kill Ginny.” he closed his eyes as he recalled the cold voice taunting him. “I begged him to let her go. But he performed the Cruciatus curse on her. Then it all got kind of fuzzy.” He realized that he was shaking.

“Harry, you were put under the Imperius curse. Can you recall what Voldemort ordered you to do?”

Harry’s eyes met Ginny’s and he nodded mutely.

Dumbledore sighed. “ The strain of battling the curse left you unconscious. Voldemort left both you and Ginny to die, and Severus transported you back here.”

Harry looked to Snape for confirmation. The professor nodded almost imperceptibly.

He drew in a sharp breath, releasing it with a hiss. At that moment, Madame Pomfrey came bustling into the room. She glanced at him.

“Oh, you’re awake I see.” She turned to the others. “Out with you all, Mr Potter needs his rest.”

“Please, can they stay? I’ve only just woken up,” he pleaded.

She shot him an annoyed glance. “I assure you that, no matter what you may think, your energy is not restored. You need more rest.”

“Rest assured, Poppy. We were just leaving,” Dumbledore said, standing. Ron and Hermione followed suit.

"We’ll be back to see you tomorrow," Ron said, looking between Ginny and Harry. He leaned down to give Ginny a small hug. "I’m so glad that you’re ok," he whispered, before pulling back. Waving, he and Hermione left, followed by Dumbledore and Snape.

Harry looked at Ginny. "Don’t you have to go?"

"No, Madame Pomfrey insists that I stay, at least until tomorrow."

"Oh."

Ginny sighed and tightened her grip on his hand. He closed his eyes, relaxing under her touch. The last thing he heard before he slipped into a peaceful sleep was the quiet whisper of Ginny’s soft breathing.