Echo in My Mind

Chapter 13: Sacrifices Must Be Made in War

"Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power-"

Shirley MacLaine

~*~

January passed as a snowy blur for Harry. There had been a breathtaking snogging session waiting for him on New Years, which in his eyes was a good way to end the holiday. Quidditch practices had resumed with a full schedule to prepare them for their game in three weeks. Much to Ginny's delight, a Valentine's ball had been announced. Harry, of course, was taking her.

He'd had numerous talks with Dumbledore about his training and had started a rigorous course. The instructor from France had come in, a very caring woman who was deadly with a wand. Harry still remembered their first meeting with startling clarity.

"Ah, Bonjour, prof. Dumbledore. Comment ça-va?"

"Bon, bon. Est-ce que tu as arrivé sain et sauf?"

"Oui, merci. Maintenant, ou est-ce que Monsieur Potter?"

"I'm over here," Harry said, trying to scrape together his poor knowledge of French.

"Oh la la! Bonjour, Harry. Est-ce que tu parles Français?"

Harry gave her a blank look.

"I suppose you don't then," she continued in English with a heavy French accent. "Not to worry, I know English well enough. You are sixteen, correct?"

"Yes. Excuse me, madam, but what is your name?" Harry said politely.

"This boy is so well mannered, Albus. My name is Mademoiselle Corelli; you may call me Nathalie. Is it okay if I call you Harry?"

"Yes," Harry said, feeling that this woman was being overly polite.

Nathalie clapped her hands together. "Let us get started now. Before I can teach you I must gather about where you are with your abilities. Albus, would you mind showing us to the training room?"

Dumbledore nodded, leading them to the Room of Requirements, which was already set up for the purpose of Harry's training. Nathalie shed her robes and folded them neatly on the ground. She unsheathed her wand from its holster around her waist.

"Let us duel, Harry."

Harry now trained with her four days a week, or five if she truly felt he needed the extra work. His weekend training sessions were often brutal three hour-long sessions that made him long for a warm shower and his four-poster in the Gryffindor Tower. Nathalie had been quite impressed by his newest powers and his ability to control them in battle. Controlling them in life was another story entirely.

Under Dumbledore's insisting, Harry resumed Occlumency with Snape. The Potions Master was as crabby as normal, never giving Harry a chance. He ravaged the teenager's mind to pieces and left. That was how it went, session after session.

Surprisingly, he felt no anger towards the Potions Master. He was basically indifferent to most things these days. Emotions didn't register with him until well after the fact. Harry's feeling of detachment from his own body was growing. Somewhere inside he knew what everyone had been doing for the past month but it never really became clear to him. Everything was trapped in a mist that separated two parts of him, the part that controlled his movements and thoughts, and the part that just sat back and watched everything unfold. He felt as if he'd been running on automaton all month.

Needless to say this worried his professors, Dumbledore included. There were times when Harry was utterly unresponsive to the world around him. He would have to be asked questions at least twice before even showing signs that he had heard a voice. When meeting Harry for training, both Nathalie and Dumbledore found him to be staring out a window, or just staring into space. He was completely silent around his friends, looking over their heads as they spoke. In fact, the only time he seemed alive was when Ginny had him cornered into a wall.

In the past month his powers had skyrocketed to new heights. The dueling tournament had started in Defense class and Harry had to tone down his abilities so much he thought he would crack under the pressure of keeping it in. He'd get on what he deemed "magical highs" where he'd be on such an adrenaline rush he felt as if he wasn't himself. During these "highs" even his actions were different. According to Ginny he was much more devilish, sexier, and daring.

Currently, he was on one of those "highs". He'd skipped dinner to come to the Room of Requirements to set things up for the D.A. meeting that was to happen later that night. Harry had just come off a duel in defense, which he'd won, naturally, and was on such an adrenaline rush he was actually afraid he'd do something he'd regret if he went to dinner.

One of the other times he noticed his magic spiking was when he was emotional. His emotions still triggered reactions but over the course of the past month he'd managed to control it enough to stop other people from affecting him. However, when Ginny happened to be in the same room as him, his magic seemed to convert itself into raging hormones. Many of their recent snogging sessions had gone quite far as a result.

"Harry, you're all tense," said a voice from the doorway.

Harry didn't even hear her. It was until Ginny came over and sucked the back of his neck that he realized there was someone else there. With that recognition, he turned around and suddenly found himself pressed up against Ginny. He was so hard at that point that he turned her around and shoved her into the wall, grinding against her with a rough force that drove her crazy. They didn't break apart until fifteen minutes before the D.A. meeting, leaving them in a scramble to set up.

"All right, everyone," Hermione said, as she stood on a dueling stage in front of the group. "Tonight is a very special night, so it was good of you all to show up. Harry will be taking over the club again starting now, and he'll be doing a change-up with the way it's run. So, here he is."

Harry stepped up on the platform and was met with a round of applause. He cut them off with a sharp blast of his whistle.

"From now on the D.A. isn't going to be fun and games. Excuse the language but I'm going to be working your sorry arses off. In the beginning it was sheer luck that I got through every encounter with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but now, luck isn't a factor. All year I've been training to fight, been fighting, and have lived to tell the tale because I knew what I was doing. Facing Death Eaters is something you will undoubtedly have to do, and do it soon. Voldemort - for Merlin's sake stop flinching!" he yelled. "VOLDEMORT, VOLDEMORT, VOLDEMORT. IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE NAME GET OUT!" he roared, and was met with silence in which no one moved. "Good. Voldemort will be making a move soon, and obviously, he'll be coming after me, for reasons that you won't understand and won't know until the time is right. He will be attacking this castle, and you will be defending it. First of all, you need to know how.

"Today we will be dueling. We will be dueling for almost every meeting after this. And no, these won't be your ordinary wizarding duels, with formalities and such. They'll be more like this," he pointed his hand into the crowd and yelled, Stupefy."

Ginny stood to meet the spell, deflecting it back towards him with astounding accuracy as she laced another stunner under it. He sent a barrage of different curses and hexes at her. She dodged them all with grace, just as he had wanted her to, because his stunner flew over her head, into a magical shield that covered the wall, and right back at her. She hadn't a clue what hit her as she fell.

"That is only a taste of what duels will be like. They will not be evenly matched, and they will not be fair at all. Get used to it, it's life. Enervate."

Ginny got up slowly, blinking rapidly to bring the world back into focus.

"Right now we will be starting a tournament. First up, Terry Boot and Blaise Zabini."

Terry was eliminated after only three minutes of dueling. Harry was surprised he'd even lasted that long, and suspected that Blaise had been going at it slightly under her level. He set up Neville and Hannah Abbot next, and the night went on like that.

~*~

Voldemort was still relishing over his victory over the winter break, Harry concluded as he tossed and turned in bed that night. The duels brought back old memories of the Diagon Alley battle, causing the nearly forgotten voices to plague him once more. Screams vibrated off the hollow walls of his dreams.

The Diagon Alley scene blurred and for a moment all Harry could hear was screams dying against the crashing of waves. As the mist cleared from around his eyes, he saw where he was. It was the jagged cliff that he had last been on back in December. He knew he was seeing this through Voldemort's eyes. The chalk-white hand that was being waved in front of his face was unmistakable.

A dark, insane laugh tore itself from Voldemort's mouth. In a language that Harry couldn't understand, the dark wizard bellowed a spell. The waves froze as if ice and the wind's howl ceased to exist. Voldemort had frozen the world around him.

With a crack, he was gone and had reappeared back at the beach near the water. There was a huge crack in the ice, big enough for Voldemort to fit through. The Dark Lord followed it down into the depths of the ocean.

As he reached a certain point, he could feel a force that prevented him from going on. A magical shield was blocking his way. Not being deterred from his mission, a jet of light flew out of his hand and smashed into the shield. It was, of course, not strong enough to break the protection, and was rebounded back upon the Dark Lord. With an unearthly scream he was thrown back, expelled, and he kept screaming, even as the spell that froze the waves was undone and the water flooded him. He screamed...

Harry screamed and screamed. He couldn't breathe at all; his lungs were constricted completely. Why couldn't anyone hear him? He grasped blindly for the hangings of his bed but couldn't find them. He toppled off the four-poster as he groped, hitting the ground with a thud. He coughed, thinking he was coughing up the water that had filled his mouth, but instead it was blood. Harry finally managed to fall back through the hangings, hacking and choking. He'd never been more relieved to see Ron's wand over his head, the tip illuminated with a bright light.

~*~

When Harry and Ron didn't show up for breakfast that morning, Hermione was worried to say the least. Though she knew Ron tended to be a late riser, Harry normally had him up and down here by this time. What worried her further was that Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape weren't present at the staff table. As she looked across at Ginny she saw that the younger girl held a similar look upon her face.

At that moment Snape came charging into the Great Hall, striding over to the Slytherin table, and grabbing both Draco and Blaise by their uniform collars. They stood up hastily and were pushed out of the hall by their Head of House. Ginny and Hermione exchanged a dark look.

Professor McGonagall entered the hall at a brisk walk only seconds later. She beckoned the two girls to stand and they followed her out of the hall, very much aware of the eyes of many students upon them.

When Professor McGonagall opened the door and ushered them into the Headmaster's office, the color drained out of her face. Beside her, she heard Ginny's gasp of astonishment.

Harry lay on a red couch, very much asleep, muttering unintelligible things as his head lolled back and forth. His scar was pulsing red and dried blood caked his nightshirt and face. His eyes flew back and forth under closed lids. Professors Snape and Dumbledore, along with Ron, Draco, and Blaise, sat near the sleeping boy in a circle.

"He asked me to research it for him..." Blaise was saying. "I couldn't pinpoint where he was. Possibly between Italy and Turkey, maybe the Aegean Sea."

Dumbledore looked up during those words.

"Ginny, Miss Granger, welcome. Minerva, draw up a few more chairs, would you?"

Ginny and Hermione sat in the newly conjured chairs. Hermione noticed that Ginny's eyes rarely left Harry's prostrate form.

"What happened?" the brunette asked.

"Harry had a vision," Ron said simply. "He woke me up with his retching and I brought him here."

"What was it about?" Ginny spoke quietly.

"From what we could gather," Dumbledore responded, "Voldemort is after something in a chain of islands. We're not sure of what he seeks and we have no true leads to go with except whatever this is, it resides under water."

"The blood?"

Ron fielded this one. "When I got to him, he was hacking up blood. I think he said something along the lines of there was water in his lungs, I couldn't underst-"

"SHUT UP!"

The room fell silent at Harry's cry. He was very much awake now, jumping up to stand rigidly in front of them. He brandished a dagger before him, wielding it like a sword.

"Harry-"

"DON'T SPEAK," he thundered. "HE CAN HEAR YOU. HE KNOWS. EVERYTHING."

His gaze leveled with Dumbledore's, his eyes blazing with an inextinguishable fire. Dumbledore, gravely, locked his eyes with the younger man.

"This is no longer their place," Harry said evenly, harshly. "You know what must be done and you know who to keep out of the process. He knows, and now we have no other choice."

Dumbledore's face grew hard, the twinkle vanishing from his eyes. A look of understanding flashed quickly across his face. He nodded once and Harry threw the dagger, with stunning accuracy, at the old man. As the Headmaster reached up his hand, the knife connected with it, blade first.

"Go, Harry. You have my consent. Look for the seal when you find it is the time to use it."

Harry turned away towards the door. Without a glance back, he left with an air of finality. Dumbledore banished the bloody dagger.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Ron exclaimed, and for once no one corrected him for his language use.

"I am afraid," Dumbledore stated solemnly, "That this is no longer your battle to fight in."

~*~

Not hide nor hair of Harry was seen outside of classes after that incident. He would disappear for hours at a time, never telling anyone where he was going. This was very discouraging to Ginny who, try as she may, could never corner Harry alone anymore. For the first few days of the fortnight that had passed since Harry's declaration Ginny had waited up for him at nights in the common room. Every morning she'd woken up with an ache in her neck from the arm of the couch. However, it was worth it when she noticed the blanket that had been tucked over her, obviously by Harry.

At least he still cares a tad bit, Ginny thought bitterly.

She exited the portrait hole for another night of long and tiring prefect's patrols. To take her mind off of Harry she'd signed up for extra rounds and now regretted that decision. She'd had quite enough of scolding other students for being out snogging after curfew when all she wanted to do was lock herself in a room with Harry and never leave.

Sighing she turned down another corridor on the fourth floor. Ten minutes had passed without a sound or sight of her rule-breaking peers. She'd lost herself in her own thoughts at that point and a sudden scuffling sound broke her out of them. Only vaguely wondering whom she'd find tonight, Ginny turned towards the room.

Without warning she was pulled in by a hand on her arm, the door shutting behind her. She was slammed up against a wall, a boy's body pinning her there. For a moment she panicked, blinded by darkness, and unable to identify the person holding her down.

When he kissed her, a connection, only a short while buried, sprung back to life. Buried emotions jumped to the surface and flowed through her body, making her tingle with excitement. Ginny gave a pleasurable sigh as she felt Harry's all too familiar touch on her cheeks, smoothing the hair from her face. She kissed him with loads of intensity and feelings that had been longing to escape were let out as they tangled together in the dark room.

She threw her head back, allowing him more exposure of her skin. Quietly she said his name and her murmured hers in response.

"I can't do this anymore," Harry said around kisses. "I can't do this alone."

"What-" she gasped. "What happened - two weeks ago?"

"Voldemort's after something," he muttered, pulling back. "I can't have certain people involved in something this major. Dumbledore understood that. 'He knows', it was all an act. I needed Hermione, Ron, Snape, and McGonagall out of this."

Ginny bent her forehead forward to meet his. "Then you're a damn convincing actor." She kissed him. "You still don't know what he's after?"

"No," Harry said breathlessly. "Blaise and Draco are looking in to it. Dumbledore's aiding where he can but he's busy. When he said that it was no longer your battle to fight, he was right. I don't want you in this, Gin. I want you safe and I don't want you anywhere near the fighting."

"Harry, you know I-"

"Yes, I know, and I know now that I can't do this without you. This connection we have is so strong that if I'm estranged from you in some way it weakens me. You have a part of me now, Ginny, and in order for this to work you have to stay by me no matter how much I want you far, far away. I'm trying to keep as many people out of this as possible. It's still my battle and I don't want people to die for our cause if I can't bring about the final defeat."

Ginny hugged him, fighting back tears. She'd been waiting to hear something like this for two weeks and to hear it now, finally, was somewhat emotional to her. To be needed was something she'd always wanted.

"What have you been doing that takes up so much of your time?" she pushed.

Harry tightened his possessive grip around her. "I've started working on spells and such on my own. Nathalie is moving too slow for me and she's not focusing on the physicality of it so much as the spell-work. I can't spend any more time preparing, Ginny. I need to get this over with."

Ginny shuddered at his words. She still didn't believe at times that Harry was expected to face off with one of the most powerful wizards in the world and come out with an amazing victory. It didn't seem real that all this could be placed on the shoulders of a sixteen-year-old boy.

"I've missed you so much. You have me whipped, Ginny," he chuckled lightly. "You drive me crazy, did you know that? I can't go for a minute without thinking about you anymore."

"I like it that way," Ginny smiled, and captured his lips once more.

~*~

The night before the Valentine's Ball was the first night Harry spent back in the common room. Ginny was curled up in his lap as they sat by the fire, occasionally kissing. When Hermione had walked in the room, she'd dropped what she was holding upon seeing her best friend sitting in the chair. She was ignored, however, as Harry showed Ginny a neat trick with thought magic he'd developed as his new powers came more under his control.

"Harry?" she let his name slip in disbelief.

The magic spheres of light dissolved into nothing as Harry looked around Ginny to see Hermione. He cursed quietly. Ginny sensed he needed to get out and slid off him quickly. He gave her a look of thanks and gave Hermione one that confused the hell out of her. In a swift few steps he was outside the portrait hole.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked.

Ginny gave her a hard look. "Nothing you'd understand."

Then she turned and fled up the stairs to the girls' dorms. Hermione huffed. If she wasn't going to get an answer from Ginny she'd track down Harry and get it straight from him.

She found her target three minutes later, walking back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. He started his third turn as she called out his name from the end of the hall. He ignored her and opened the door. It clicked shut behind him as she made a run for it.

A chant stopped her short. Harry's deep voice sounded foreign as he chanted out the Latin incantation. Shaking off the disturbed sense that had settled over her, she reached for the door handle, only to have the door dissolve in front of her. She let out a surprised cry as the wood faded back to stone. Hermione pounded her fists against the wall, screaming Harry's name. She didn't like this new side of her best friend, not at all.

Inside of the room, Harry couldn't hear Hermione's desperate yells. The ancient spell to make the room disappear had spurred his magical pools that lay deep inside of him. He felt the familiar power surge take root in his veins and relished in the feel of absolute power for a few moments. With a deep breath he required up his first target, Bellatrix Lestrange.

He'd gotten an exact replica of the woman, powers and all. Her dueling skills were quite good, Harry hated to admit, and she was matched by very few.

Not quite good enough for me, though, he laughed inwardly.

Without warning the dummy-Bellatrix began to throw Dark hexes at him. Harry put up an invisible shield, an act of deceiving the opponent into thinking he was a clear shot. At first he just dodged the spells, getting his reflexes fired up. When his magic began to itch at his fingertips and burn his body, he let it out. Flames sparked to life from each of his ten fingers and he held them together. The sky-high flames molded together to form a giant fireball that he hurled at Sirius's killer. He watched with a grim satisfaction as she was engulfed with the fire and began to scream.

His fingers burned with a welcoming sensation of power. Harry didn't understand why he felt this way and he didn't really care. The feeling made him invincible and he'd keep it around as long as he could.

Fire was quickly becoming his favorite way to rid himself of a dueling dummy. It never really worried him though, no matter how much of a pyromaniac he knew he was becoming. Fire always worked its way into his spells now, even in classes. Once in Transfiguration when they'd had to dispose of a wig they'd been working on lengthening and shortening the hair of, most of the class banished it to a trash bin. The bell had wrung and the class emptied it out. Harry waited until the last one was gone before levitating the wig into the air and holding it there with a thought before extending two of his fingers and incinerating it. Professor McGonagall had been shocked, needless to say.

He wondered sometimes when he'd become so cold and numb. As he stood watching Bellatrix burn and char from the fire he didn't feel a thing. No remorse, no anger, only the incredible feel that he needed to do it again. He wondered if he appeared this way to his classmates, higher than them, powerful, arrogant, cold and cruel. He sure as hell felt that way sometimes.

He closed his eyes and requested the smoldering remains gone. Thinking had allowed his raging magic to die down and he no longer felt the need for a fight. He knew at times he was no better than Voldemort, killing these dummies just for the sheer pleasure of feeling like he was in control of the world. He wondered what his parents would have thought if they could see him like this. They probably would have disowned him at this point, he figured. They'd be so ashamed that he'd let all his powers get to his head. At the rate he was going, Harry felt he might as well just usurp Voldemort of power and become the next Dark Lord himself.

No, you can't do that. It's your destiny to fight for the side of the Light, no matter how much you want to give up; a voice in Harry's head reminded him. He knew it was some part of him that was buried deep inside and he found once more that he didn't really care. He was an emotionless, cynical shell, and he let out a dark laugh as if to prove it.

Sirius and James watched the scene unfold from the window. Sirius had a look of deep concern and worry etched in his face and James looked on with a look of wonder.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself that I'm watching my son," he said softly. "I never imagined he could be like this."

"You don't know half of what he's going through with this war and that damned prophecy," Sirius commented. "He's working with incredibly ancient magic, most of it dark, and he needs all of it if he's going to go against Voldemort. Being surrounded by Dark Magic tends to leave you just a bit cynical."

James glanced at his best friend, knowing that Sirius had quite an insight to what Harry was going through, having grown up in a family of Dark wizards and witches.

"He needs someone to keep him from falling to the darkness."

Sirius turned away from the window. "That's why he has Ginny."

~*~

Valentine's Day was a very lazy day for many couples. Quite a few sought out the Room of Requirement but Harry and Ginny were smarter. Harry's bed with a few silencing charms and a few to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed suited them just fine. By the time they were done, clothes were strewn and rumpled all over the bed and the surrounding floor. They'd spent the whole day playing silly love and lust filled games with each other, teasing before getting too deeply into it.

Ginny looked up with heavy-lidded eyes. "I need to go get ready now."

"You have hours," Harry said in a low tone, moving to kiss her.

"I need hours," she commented before kissing him back.

"Go the way you are now, you're beautiful."

Ginny blushed and it spread quite a ways around her body. She looked abashed and she swatted playfully at Harry.

"I think I'd get quite a few detentions if I walked in the way I am right now."

"I wouldn't mind," Harry said.

"Once every other guy starts staring at me, I bet you would. I'm sorry, Harry, but showing up naked is out of the question."

"You're still not leaving," he said, pinning her down.

Ginny closed her eyes and allowed Harry a few minutes to do whatever he wanted to her. She didn't have to leave right now but she knew that if she stayed that she wouldn't leave for the rest of the night.

"Harry, later. If we start now, we won't stop, and I'll have no time to get ready."

"Your point?"

Ginny shook her head and laughed. He was so demanding sometimes but was so handsome that she'd let it slide. Gently she nudged him off of her.

"Help me find my clothes so I can get back to my dorm."

Harry let out a low groan and rolled his eyes but complied. She found her bra and shirt while he retrieved her snug Muggle pants. He tossed them at her and sat down on the bed, watching her with a bundle of clothes in her arms searching for her other undergarments. An amused grin spread over his face as she threw the clothes down in frustration. After a few more minutes' digging she retrieved the undergarment and pulled it on. The jeans went on after.

"You really don't have to leave. We don't even have to go," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny paused, seeming to contemplate. "No."

Harry glanced at the clock. "We have five hours, Gin. Give me just a little bit longer?"

Ginny's resolve started to break. She didn't really need all five hours to get ready. She could set herself back an hour. Four was good enough.

"Lie down and close your eyes," she said quietly.

She waited until he did so before unzipping her jeans and sliding them off, her undergarments following quickly. Slowly she climbed atop him, taking her time to tease him. Ginny knew it worked when she met his lips in an almost angry kiss.

"You have fifty-seven minutes left, Harry," she murmured.

With four hours and five minutes left until the ball, Ginny ran giggling into the girl's dorms. Most of the girls were already applying their makeup.

"Where have you been?" Hermione asked upon her arrival. "I would have expected you to be the first one up here."

Ginny blushed despite herself. "Doesn't matter, I'm here now. What did you want to do with your hair?"

~*~

Harry and Neville stood in front of the mirror hours later, putting finishing touches on their appearance for the ball.

"I think it's a lost cause, mate," Neville commented.

Harry pulled the comb roughly through his hair. Today, of all days, it had chosen to go crazy on him.

"Ginny had better like it messy then," he said.

He threw the comb on the bed and shook his head back and forth a few times. Neville laughed as Harry's hair settled itself nicely on his head.

"I think the dog-shake agrees with you," he chuckled.

Harry growled lowly. "So, who are you going with?"

Neville smiled. "You'll see."

"You've been hiding this from us for weeks! It's the night of the ball, tell me."

"Luna," Neville said quietly after a moment of hesitation. "We're trying it out for a while."

Harry's eyes widened as the words registered in his brain. He clapped Neville on the shoulder with a genuine smile.

"That's great, mate! Luna's quite the girl."

Neville smiled sheepishly in response. Ron, Seamus, and Dean came up behind them.

"Ready?" Ron asked.

The two boys nodded and the group of sixth years started down the stairs to meet their girls. Neville was going to meet Luna at the Entrance Hall. A group of fourth through seventh year blokes had already congregated at the bottom of the stairs to get their respective girls.

After five minutes had passed, the girls started to make their way down the stairs. Lavender and Parvati went first, naturally to make the biggest scene. The ball had been a Muggle one, so all the girls were in dresses and all the boys in tuxes. As the number of people near the stairs dwindled, Hermione came down in a stunning blue dress. Harry saw Ron's mouth drop and laughed lightly. Though he wasn't on the best of terms with Hermione, he commented on her dress.

"You look stunning, Hermione," he said, giving Ron time to gain his composure.

"Thank you, Harry," she said curtly, lacing her arm with Ron's.

Ginny came down the stairs next, in a stunning black dress. It was strapless with a beautiful jeweled design on the front and emerald green trim. It was very form fitting at the top and waist, then flowing out over her legs in a flurry of waves of black fabric. Harry felt his lips curve into a small smile. Ginny really was beautiful.

"Ginny, go upstairs and put on something less revealing!" Ron said quickly.

Ginny laughed. "Stop acting like Mum, Ron. Hello, Harry."

"Hi, Gin," he said, kissing her softly. "You look beautiful."

Ginny blushed faintly and nodded. "You're looking quite good yourself."

Harry smiled and nodded in return. Ginny linked her arm with his and he led her out of the portrait hole.

They were one of the last ones in the Great Hall and therefore felt many students' eyes on them as the walked in and over to their table with Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Seamus and Dean were already sitting with Lavender and Parvati. It wasn't long after they joined the table that Dumbledore stood to address the crowd of students.

"Well, I believe this has been quite the pleasant Valentine's Day for you all. What better way to end the night then with food, drink, and dancing. Dig in!"

Food appeared on the tables as the Headmaster took his seat. Harry watched Ginny dig in greedily. They'd kept themselves quite busy during the day and no doubt would be hungry. Oddly enough, Harry wasn't hungry. He never was anymore, and rarely ate an entire meal, which was another thing that worried him. He picked at a piece of steak and listened to the conversation that started around the table.

"I heard there was a Ministry Gala tonight," Neville was saying.

"What do they have to celebrate?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I'm sick of Fudge trying to cover up the fact that there's a war going on," Ron said, pointedly looking at Harry.

Harry merely shrugged and continued to push his steak around his plate. The soft music that had been playing in the background started to become a faster beat as the Weird Sisters struck up a new tune. Immediately Lavender and Parvati pulled Seamus and Dean up to dance. As soon as they were out of earshot, Neville leaned forward.

"So, Harry, what's been going on with you lately? Why do you keep disappearing?"

Harry looked up. "Voldemort's at large and gaining power."

"But what do you have to do with it?" Neville prodded.

Harry hesitated. He knew Neville had more of a right than anyone to know what had happened and about the prophecy. Harry remembered the beginning of the school year and what Dumbledore had shown him in the alternate universe. Neville truly deserved to know.

I won't endanger anyone else, Harry thought. But he has a right to know...

"I'm just training a little. I tend to run in to Voldemort quite a bit so it's best to be prepared."

Neville looked for a moment as if he didn't believe a word of what Harry was saying and suspected more. After a while he nodded.

"All right then, Harry."

Harry felt a momentary pang of guilt. Ginny finished her food and looked up at him.

"Come on, Gin, let's dance."

He stood up and took Ginny's hand, letting her stand before leading her out to the dance floor that was already full of students. A slower song started up and Harry and Ginny began to dance.

"Where'd you learn to dance like this?" she asked quietly.

"A few people taught me," he laughed. "Some might have broken toes."

Ginny giggled and laid her head on his chest. She marveled at how much Harry had grown in the few months she'd been going out with him. She used to only be four inches shorter than him and was now at least eight. He'd grown into his frame quite nicely, and even though he was still thin and wiry his shoulders were broader and he walked with more confidence. Ginny smiled at the thought of the scrawny boy she had once been star struck with growing into the young man she knew now.

They danced a few more songs then sat down for dessert. Harry picked up his favorite tart and munched on it slowly. After a while Ginny leaned her head on Harry's shoulder.

"I want to go," she said.

"Why?" Harry asked, "You were the one who wanted to come!"

"Because," she leaned up and kissed his lips, "I want to spend tonight with you. Not you and a bunch of other people."

Harry raised an eyebrow as she kissed him again. He ran his tongue along her lips.

"Ahem," a cool voice sounded from above them. "I believe that public displays of affection are not allowed. Stop it, Potter, or I give you a detention. Five points from Gryffindor for inappropriate behavior, Miss Weasley."

Harry pulled back and stared up at his Potions Professor. His magic was bubbling happily through his veins and he felt power surge through him. He flexed the fingers in his right hand in anticipation.

"Loosen up, Professor Snape. This is a dance for a holiday."

Snape growled. "Ten points for your cheek, Potter. Now get out of my sight."

"Gladly, sir," Harry laughed. "Let's go, Gin."

He grabbed Ginny's hand and led her out of the Great Hall. After they got through the doors, she started to pull back. Sensing her opposition, he stopped and turned to her.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

Ginny stared at him. "You just back-talked Snape like it was the easiest thing ever."

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I did." He flexed his fingers again.

They started to walk again, on their way up to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry's fingers were itching like crazy with his magical buildup. He longed to shoot off a fiery spell.

"I worry about you, Harry," Ginny said softly, catching his attention.

"There's nothing to worry about."

"But there is!" she exclaimed. "I can feel it, Harry, I can feel your magic building up. You're so powerful that it scares me. Do you really have enough control over it?"

Harry stopped short. "Don't worry about it. Everything's fine."

He needed to get rid of the feeling in his body. As if seeing Ginny for the first time, he grabbed her and started kissing her. They backed into a wall and Harry found his release for his magic as it switched over to hormones. He snogged her roughly, grinding against her, and if her moan was anything to go by, she liked it very much.

He started to lead her away from the wall, guiding her up the few flights of stairs left to the common room. He was so caught up in her he didn't know how he had made it up to the Tower. Hearing the noise of the younger students from outside the portrait hole, they stopped and attempted to fix their disheveled appearance.

They went through the common room quickly, ignoring the lower years. In a chivalrous manner, Harry swept Ginny off her feet and carried her up the stairs. She giggled all the way.

When the two reached Harry's bed, he set her down. She stretched out with a sigh, her legs rubbing together, and Harry stared. She sat up to take off her sandals and then lay back down. She arranged her dress so as much skin of her legs was showing as possible. She looked at Harry imploringly.

He hurriedly shed his own shoes and tuxedo coat. As he melted into Ginny, he knew it would be a great night...

"We are ready, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed. "Excellent. Oh how I have waited for this night."

"The ministry will soon be ours, my Lord."

An evil grin spread over Voldemort's face. "Yes, it will. Start the procession. First the ministry building, then into the Gala. Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without a little bloodshed. Be as gory as you wish, Nott, you have served me well."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Now go, I will be bringing up the rear."

"Yes, my Lord." Nott said, turning to leave.

Voldemort's cold, hard laugh filled the room.

~~**~~