The Final Reckoning

Chapter Nineteen: Answers and Questions

Harry left Dumbledore's office feeling confused and elated. The key he'd received was practically burning a hole in his robe pocket, and he was desperate to go into the Chamber and find this mysterious vault. Dumbledore had told him that though the Chamber had been sealed up after Harry had saved Ginny and destroyed the basilisk, Dumbledore himself had re-opened it in secret and had hidden the Potters' private effects down there. Harry only needed to use Parseltongue, as he had in second year, to open the Chamber once again. Part of him was itching to do just that right now, but he couldn't very well go into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom now, and he didn't really like the idea of going down into the Chamber alone.

Which means, if you want company on your little trip, you'll have to tell Ron and Hermione. Dumbledore said you could include them in, and you know you want their help, so...you have to tell them.

I will. Later. I want to fly first.

He met Ginny and Ron back in the common room and fetched his broom; Hermione clucked disapprovingly that they really shouldn't be out flying after dark.

'Technically you'll be breaking curfew,' she said, as her eyes moved over her Transfiguration homework.

'Hermione, we're flying in the courtyard, not out on the pitch, and if we get caught, I'll take the blame, okay?' said Ron, and before she could protest he kissed her quickly on the mouth.

She smiled, and Harry had to give Ron credit: she really had mellowed out a bit since they'd been dating.

'Don't forget--'

'The prefect schedules,' said Ron. 'And you're supposed to tell us about Professor Hopkirk. We'll be back in an hour or so.'

He kissed her quickly again; Harry exchanged a brief look with Ginny, and they both smiled before following Ron out of the common room.

In spite of everything, the moment Harry took to the air, he felt better. He'd missed this, hated not being able to fly every day. He, Ron and Ginny practiced some flying maneuvers but hadn't bothered with getting any Quaffles or Snitches to work with; neither did they speak much, preferring, it seemed, to focus fully on what they were doing.

An hour later, they reluctantly landed inside the courtyard and headed indoors. Ron grumbled a bit about the prefect schedules he had to prepare, not to mention the homework, as Harry resigned himself to a late night studying.

They reached the common room without incident and found Hermione sitting and reading quietly on the sofa; Neville occupied a chair nearby, working on his Transfiguration essay. Everyone else had either gone to bed or, perhaps, Harry wondered, had snuck out somewhere.

'Hey,' said Neville, looking up with wide eyes. 'How was your fly?'

'Good,' said Ron, taking a seat next to Hermione and pressing a quick kiss to her temple.

'So, Hermione,' Neville said, 'we're all here. What's this about Hopkirk?'

'I really think we should finish our homework first--'

'Come on, Hermione,' said Harry impatiently. 'What have you found out?'

'Fine,' said Hermione, trying to appear annoyed but not succeeding; Harry knew she relished expounding to others on her many brilliant and complicated theories. She sat up straighter and appeared to be arranging herself to give a speech.

'Well?' said Ron expectantly.

'Okay,' said Hermione, in her best Know It All voice, 'I think Professor Hopkirk might be...a vampire.'

Ron gave a low whistle, and Ginny shuddered. Harry blinked and Neville sat back in his chair.

Harry, whose only experience with vampires was in monster fiction, and not real life, sat up straighter.

'What makes you think she's a vampire?' he asked.

'Well, I'm not sure she is,' said Hermione. 'To be perfectly honest I...I could be wrong.'

'Wait,' said Ron, grinning. 'Wait. Everyone. Stop the presses. Hermione Jane Granger just admitted she might be wrong about something. Should I send an owl to The Daily Prophet, love?'

'Very funny,' said Hermione, rolling her eyes. But she was smiling. Ron really had lightened her up. Harry didn't really want to dwell on just what lightening Hermione up involved, so he quickly forced everyone back on subject.

'You were saying, Hermione?' he asked.

'Right,' said Hermione. 'Well, as I said, I'm not sure, but...it seems like the likeliest explanation for Professor Hopkirk's...effect on people is that she's a vampire.'

'The effect she has on people?' Ron asked, looking nervous and a bit embarrassed. 'You mean, er, the cold thing and...and the warm thing when she walks by?'

'Vampires create cold and heat when they go by?' said Neville. 'I thought--'

'They create cold, yes,' said Hermione at once. 'But not heat, which is just one wrinkle in my theory about her being a vampire. Vampires are generally known to be seductive, erotic creatures but they are the undead. Their bodies don't produce heat.'

Harry noticed Ron shifting uncomfortably on the couch, his eyes cast down at his hands.

'But you think she may be a vampire nonetheless,' said Harry.

'So far, yes,' said Hermione. 'The parts that fit the vampire profile are greater than those that don't. There's the skin, for one thing. Pale, almost translucent.'

'Yeah,' said Ron at once. 'You can sort of see her veins underneath everything.'

'But it's not ugly or gross,' said Neville. 'It's...

'Beautiful?' said Hermione.

Neville blushed. 'Yeah. But...eerie, too.'

'Her eyes aren't normal, either,' said Ginny. 'Too pale.'

'And they get brighter, not darker, when she's angry,' said Hermione. 'A classic vampire trait. Her movements are too smooth and unnatural to be human, too. She's flesh and blood, of course -- all vampires are, they're just undead -- and their feet touch the ground. But you wouldn't know it to see them move. And there's something else that suggests she's a vampire.'

'What's that?' Ron asked, looking nervous again.

'The arousal effect,' said Hermione, very primly.

Ron gave a choked laugh. 'What are you on about?' he asked, giving Harry a very embarrassed look; his ears were bright red.

'Ron, it's okay,' said Hermione at once. 'I saw what she did to you in class, and to the other boys.'

Harry felt his own neck get hot and the implications of this, and Neville had covered his face with his hands. Ginny, Harry noticed, looked slightly amused.

'I mean,' said Hermione quickly, 'I didn't actually see the...well, the evidence of...of what she did--'

'Hermione, just stop, okay?' said Harry at once, and Ginny bit her lip to keep from laughing.

'Anyway,' said Hermione, in a tone that suggested she was, indeed -- and to Harry's great relief -- moving on, 'that tipped me off, too, to the possibility that she could be a vampire.'

'What do you mean, arousal effect?' Ginny asked.

'Vampires are known for seducing their victims,' said Hermione. 'They're able to elicit sexual responses from their intended victims, to the point that the victim willingly surrenders to the vampire's...advances.'

'Whoa,' said Ron, shuddering. 'You mean...the victim actually lets the vampire bite him...or her?'

'Not always,' said Hermione, 'but yes, it does happen quite a bit. Vampires will attack if they are desperate to feed, but generally speaking they prefer a compliant victim. It's...cleaner that way, and more satisfying to the vampire.'

'Yuck,' said Ginny. 'Sounds like they get off on biting people.'

'That's about the gist of it,' said Hermione. 'Vampires can't reproduce and...well...there's debate in the literature as to whether they're actually capable of having sexual intercourse. Most scholars believe vampires are physically capable of intercourse but that they don't desire it at all. In fact, the desire for blood--taking blood from the vein or artery of a living human victim--takes the place of sexual desire. A good feed for a vampire can be...well, as satisfying as...as...'

She blushed furiously.

'...As orgasm,' she finished.

'Now I am officially disturbed,' said Ron, shuddering again.

'Me, too,' said Harry, grimacing.

'Me, three,' said Ginny and Neville together.

'So, does this mean us blokes should start wearing cloves of garlic to class?' Harry said, only half-joking.

'There's a thought,' said Ron, cottoning on to the idea at once. 'I'll be it if we asked Dobby--'

'Ron,' said Hermione, 'do you really think it would be wise to alert Professor Hopkirk to the fact that we're researching her behind her back? How do you think she'd react if the boys showed up to class with garlic all over themselves?'

'But you just said--'

'She's still our teacher, Ron,' said Hermione. 'She makes me uneasy, yes, but...well, she's rather a bit like Professor Moody.'

'Hermione,' said Harry, 'that wasn't the real Mad-Eye Moody and I seem recall that he sort of tried to kill me.'

'I know,' said Hermione hastily, worrying her hands, 'but you have to admit, Harry, he was helpful...in his way.'

Ron and Harry both snorted, but Harry nodded. 'Yeah, he was...helpful.'

'And Dumbledore did hire her--' Hermione began.

'I can't believe you're going to defend the hiring habits of Dumbledore again,' said Ron.

'Why not? He hired Bill, and Professor Lupin!' said Hermione indignantly.

'Oh, okay,' said Ron. 'Two good ones out of seven? Not very good statistics, love.'

'Ron, Dumbledore wouldn't hire somebody truly dangerous now, not in Harry's last year--'

'Hello!' said Harry, throwing up his hands. 'Before the two of you go off into Ron and Hermione BickerLand, can we please get back to the subject at hand here?'

Ginny smiled again, and Harry couldn't help but smile back.

'Sorry,' Ron and Hermione both mumbled.

'The point is,' Hermione went on, 'we can't afford to...alienate Professor Hopkirk. Term has just started and...maybe she does have something valuable to offer.'

'You're the one whose knickers were in a twist about the books she's using!' Ron said incredulously.

'That was before we met with Dumbledore and he explained everything!' Hermione shot back, and Harry groaned and shook his head. Some things never changed.

'Yeah, so,' said Ginny loudly, 'we agree that wearing garlic to lessons is a bad idea. Moving on...'

'Right,' said Hermione, breaking off yet another argument before it got too involved (Harry had to admit she and Ron were at least better at letting things go now), 'as I was saying...what was I saying?'

'Vampires get off on biting people,' Neville blurted, and then he blushed.

Ginny put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing; Harry wished she'd stop doing that, because her smile was infectious. Not to mention cute. And she made him want to laugh, but laughing now didn't seem all that appropriate.

'Right, that,' said Hermione. 'Well...so...Professor Hopkirk seems to have the ability to entice...boys, just by looking at them, really.'

'Maybe that's why we felt...hot?' Neville said, looking very embarrassed.

'No,' said Hermione, 'there's the wrinkle. Vampires don't create heat, as I said. She might have caused the boys in class to...well...you know. But that warm, sticky feeling...that's not something typically associated with vampires.'

'Could she do it to girls, too?' Ron asked, and then he blushed. 'Er, I mean...you know...the arousal thing?'

'Technically, yes,' said Hermione. 'Vampires aren't bisexual, per se, but they can certainly affect people of the same sex if they want that person's blood. It all comes down to blood for them.'

'But...she didn't do that to...to you, Hermione?' Neville asked hesitantly.

Ron gave Neville a sharp look, and Neville shrank into his chair a bit.

'Sorry,' he said quickly. 'None of my business--'

But Hermione answered the question.

'N-no,' said Hermione. 'I mean, I felt the temperature changes, definitely, but not...not...that.'

'So...she has some traits associated with being a vampire,' Ginny said. 'But others...'

'Are off, yes,' said Hermione. 'Well, at least the part about producing heat. Definitely not characteristic of a vampire. And then there's the fact that she was eating her meal at dinner.'

'Vampires don't eat any regular food?' said Ron. 'None at all?'

'They will if it means that or starving to death,' said Hermione. 'But that almost never happens--they'll almost always find blood somewhere. And if they have to eat regular food, they have to practically force it down. They don't relish it the way Professor Hopkirk was.'

'But...well, she was eating...meat,' said Harry. 'That's...bloody.'

'Bloody, maybe,' said Hermione. 'But not fresh. Food is revolting to vampires. They want blood. Not only can a vampire not survive without a regular quantity of blood, a vampire craves blood above all else. A vampire will drain the blood of a rat before it will seek out human cuisine. But Professor Hopkirk was...was...'

'Making love to her dinner?' said Harry.

'Ew,' said Ron and Ginny together.

'Yes,' said Hermione. 'On both counts.'

'So, she creates heat and she eats real food,' said Neville. 'But...well...we haven't seen any vampire teeth, have we?'

'No, we wouldn't see those unless she was about to bite the flesh of a living victim,' said Hermione.

'Has anyone noticed if she's passed by a mirror?' Ginny asked. 'Vampires can't see their reflections, can they?'

'No,' said Hermione. 'And no, I haven't noticed if she's passed a mirror, but I'll definitely be looking now.'

There was general agreement about this, and some nodding.

'Vampires can't be in the sun, can they?' said Ron.

'They can if they're very careful--the sun only hurts them if the light touches their skin,' Hermione replied. 'But if they cover up very carefully, they're okay.'

'So I guess we'll have to wait and see what Professor Hopkirk does when she goes outside,' said Neville. 'If she goes outside.'

'Even if she can't abide the sun,' said Hermione, 'that doesn't mean she's definitely a vampire.'

'But you just said--' Ron began.

'I know,' said Hermione, 'but...I can't help but think we're dealing with something completely different and...and foreign in Professor Hopkirk. If she's a vampire, then she's unlike any vampire I've ever read about, any vampire in recorded history. She may just be...a freak.'

'She's definitely that,' said Ron fervently. 'You could look up the word "freak" and find her picture next to it--'

'I mean, a freak of nature,' said Hermione. 'If you could call vampires something natural. No, I mean...some new dark creature nobody's heard of. Yet.'

'Let me guess,' said Ron. 'You're not going to rest until you find out.'

'Actually,' said Hermione. 'No. I don't think I will bother with this.'

'You won't?' said Harry, shocked. 'You'll pass up an opportunity to do more research? You could discover a whole new species, Hermione. You're passing that up?'

'Yes,' said Hermione. 'Harry, if I'm going to be doing any research at all, it's going to be find a way for you to kill Voldemort, all right?'

This was met with a short silence.

'Oh,' said Harry at last, not looking at her.

Oh, yeah, I'm supposed to kill that bastard. I forgot. For just over an hour, I forgot about that. Damn.

'The rest of it -- if Professor Hopkirk or anything related to her can help you, I'll look into it,' Hermione said. 'As it is we're all going to be stuck studying the theories and practices of Dark Magic, which is complex enough--'

'Don't remind us,' said Ron.

There was another silence; the fire was crackling, and Harry marvelled that even on a relatively balmy night like this one, there should be a perfectly merry fire in the hearth. The flames mesmerized him for a moment, and then Neville rose from the sofa and announced he was turning in. The others stayed seated, watching him go upstairs. It was a full minute before Ron spoke.

'About...about that meeting with Dumbledore,' he said.

'Do we have to talk about it tonight?' said Ginny. 'We know what he wants us to do.'

'Ginny...' said Ron. 'Why...why didn't you tell us...you were having trouble with...with your powers?'

'Because it's my problem to deal with, not yours,' said Ginny, a bit sharply.

'But--'

'I don't want to talk about this, Ron,' she said firmly. 'Not now, okay?'

Ron nodded and gave up; Harry, for his part, said nothing. He was intensely curious about Ginny's situation, but he wasn't going to pry.

'I suppose I'd better...get going on the prefect schedules and homework,' said Ron reluctantly, getting up from the sofa.

'We've got patrols at midnight tonight,' said Hermione, standing up herself and smoothing her robes.

'Again?' Ron groaned. 'Is this going to happen every night?'

'No,' said Hermione, 'once you get the prefect schedules done we can all rotate patrolling shifts.'

'Right,' said Ron. 'I get it. Let's go.'

Harry watched as Ron and Hermione exited the common room, and then turned to go up to his room to fetch his books.

'Harry?'

Harry turned to see Ginny looking at him. Or rather, looking over his shoulder. Her cheeks were pink and she looked nervous.

'What's up?' he asked stupidly, knowing full well what was up.

'About...last night...' Ginny said slowly. 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?' said Harry.

'I shouldn't have...kissed you like that,' she said, looking down at her shoes.

Harry flushed. 'I...I sort of kissed you, too.'

'I know,' she said. 'But...it...it was a mistake, wasn't it?'

'Was it?' said Harry.

'I think so,' said Ginny.

'Oh,' said Harry, feeling very...deflated all of a sudden. 'Why?'

'Why what?' said Ginny, blinking.

'Why was...us kissing a mistake?'

'Oh,' said Ginny. 'Well...we're friends and I don't want to mess that up.'

'Neither do I,' said Harry.

'And...and...'

'And what?' Harry persisted.

Ginny sighed and sat back down on the sofa, putting her head in her hands.

'Ginny, what's wrong?' Harry asked, sitting next to her. 'This...this is about the meeting tonight, isn't it? What did Dumbledore mean when he said...what he said about your powers?'

'Harry,' she said, looking up, and Harry was stunned to find her eyes shiny with tears. 'It's complicated,' she went on. 'I...I can't always control my powers. Sometimes...they get away from me.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean, sometimes I...I feel things so intensely that...that it hurts me,' she said. 'I mean, physically, it hurts me. The emotions hit me so hard that...that it manifests itself in physical pain. And...when that happens I lose control and I wind up...hurting the other person.'

Harry stared at her for moment, trying to process what she was saying.

'But...' he said slowly, 'you've used your powers on me before and...I never got hurt.'

'That's because I was focused, I was able to concentrate on what I was doing,' she said. 'Physical contact is necessary for an Empath to do her form of healing. But...but with me, sometimes, if I have physical contact with a person and...and I feel something really powerful, I lose control and...and that's when I hurt myself and the other person.'

'That's what happened last night, isn't it?' said Harry, feeling his stomach twist (he made a mental note to seek out a spell that could untwist his stomach, because at the rate he was going he'd be one big knot by the end of term).

'Yes,' she said. 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I...I just...'

'Ginny, you...do you still...shit, how do I say this--'

'Have feelings for you?' she said.

Harry flushed and looked down.

'Yes,' she said.

'Oh,' he said, trying to process this.

Is that so bad? You have feelings for her, too, don't you?

I'm not in love with her. Am I?

No. Well, maybe not now, anyway. But...you like her, don't you?

Yeah, I like her, but what about Daphne? What about Susan? I'm not totally over that. Do I want a serious relationship with a girl right now? I don't think I could handle it.

'I'm sorry,' said Ginny again. 'Look, Harry, it's not like it was before, okay? I'm not some stupid little girl with a crush on you--'

'I know you're not,' said Harry at once.

'I care about you,' she said. 'I count you as a friend, a good friend. I just...I also happen to be attracted to you, that's all. But,' she added quickly, 'I don't expect anything from you, nothing at all. I know you're still working out things about Susan and...and I know you're interested in Daphne. I don't expect you to be interested in me.'

'Ginny--'

'Please let me finish,' she said, her voice pleading. 'I shouldn't have kissed you because I was taking advantage of you. And I shouldn't have kissed you because...because a part of me knew what would happen. I just...I wanted to kiss you, only...that's not all of it. I just wanted to see if...if maybe I could finally kiss someone without hurting him.'

Harry blinked. 'What are you saying, Ginny?'

Ginny bit her lip and wiped impatiently at the tears that were now falling on her cheeks.

'I lied to you,' she said. 'About...about why Dean broke up with me. He didn't break up with me because I wouldn't sleep with him. I did sleep with him, once. Only...only...when it happened my stupid powers got so out of control and...and he freaked out. I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to lose control and...and grab all his thoughts and memories and mess with his head like that but...it happened, because...because I really loved him and I wanted so badly to be with him. I just wanted to be close to him. You know...what I mean?'

'Of course I do,' said Harry, remembering his first time with Susan, how it had been almost...sacred to him at the time. The memory still was, really. Something about that basic, primal connection with another person...

'But when it happened...,' Ginny went on, 'I lost control and...I hurt him, and myself. So he dropped me.'

'Ginny,' Harry said, feeling appalled and anguished for her.

'I don't blame him,' she said. 'He'd been a bit freaked out by my powers before. I only found out about them because of dating him, isn't that ironic? I thought, in the beginning, that I didn't need to train. But Dean knew. Whenever we had a snog there'd be this...twinge, at the beginning, but he said he'd ignore it because he wanted to be with me. Only, as time went on I started to care for him more and more and my stupid powers got stronger and I couldn't control them, and he got scared, and he told me I had to do something, so...so I started training, with Madam Pomfrey, and things were okay for a while, they got better, and...and then I agreed to have sex with him; he'd wanted to for a while but I told him I had to make sure I could control my emotions, but...but I loved him and I wanted to be with him so badly, so...so I said yes. And it all went wrong. Dean...offered to keep quiet for my sake, and he has, so...I can't blame him.'

Harry didn't know what to say. It was...horrible to think about. Not the part about Ginny sleeping with Dean--although Harry certainly didn't love the idea--but the notion that Ginny wanted so badly to get close to someone, and literally couldn't because of her overwhelming Empathic powers.

And then Harry remembered Malfoy. Where did he fit in?

'Ginny...' Harry said slowly. 'What about...Malfoy?'

She bristled. 'I didn't sleep with him, okay?' she said sharply. 'Not for a lack of trying on his part.'

'I wasn't--' Harry said weakly.

'You were thinking it,' she said, her voice softening. 'You've been wondering about it since you figured out what I was.'

Harry looked down guiltily at his hands. 'I'm sorry,' he mumbled. 'I shouldn't have...I wasn't judging you.'

'I know you weren't,' said Ginny. She paused and looked at him. 'I was...treating him.'

'What?' said Harry, appalled. 'You mean...he was...your patient or something?'

'Something like that,' said Ginny. 'I won't defend him, Harry, for all the things he's done and he's right prat, but nobody could have grown up with Lucius Malfoy as a father and not wound up messed up.'

Harry snorted. 'My relatives locked me in a cupboard for ten years and never fed me and treated me like dirt and I didn't sign up to be a Death Eater.'

'Not everyone is as strong as you, Harry,' said Ginny pointedly.

'What happened to him?' Harry asked, curious. 'That made him become your...patient?'

'I can't tell you that,' said Ginny. 'I don't like him but the things he told me I swore to keep to myself. Look, I was only supposed to help him for a bit, as part of my training. I didn't want any part of it but Pomfrey seemed to think if I could help a person I otherwise couldn't stand that it would mean my powers were getting stronger. So I helped him. It was only supposed to be that one time, but...but he kept trying to see me again and he kept asking me to help him. It was like he was addicted. He started following me after lessons, trying to corner me when he could. He was desperate but when I put him off he got nasty and that's when he tried to blackmail me.'

She took a deep breath and continued.

'He said he'd tell his dad all about my powers if I didn't give him what he wanted. Not just my power, of course, he decided to throw sex into it. That's what you have to understand about Draco. He doesn't believe in physically forcing a girl into something when coercing her with threats is so much more satisfying.' Her face went into a scowl for a moment, but then it softened and she gave Harry a bemused smile.

'So I told him I would help him again, and shag him, and I told him to meet me in the Astronomy Tower one night, and when he made a move I pretty much erased any desire on his part to attempt to have sex with me ever again. But I guess he's still not over...having me use my power on him. If anything he's worse now, with his mum dead and his dad out of prison.'

'But I still don't get why he didn't say anything,' said Harry. 'This is Malfoy we're talking about.'

'I might have threatened him with a well-placed Severing Charm,' said Ginny, grinning in spite of herself. 'He doesn't much like the idea of confronting me when I have a wand in my hand.'

Harry smiled. 'I wouldn't mess with you either way.' He paused. 'That's why Dumbledore gave you the Pensieve, isn't it? To help you deal with...with the memories you're getting?'

'Yes,' she said. 'Maybe if I can just...clear out the clutter in brain I won't be such an emotional wreck.' She shuddered, and her bleak mood returned, so strongly that Harry could feel it in his own mind.

'But...I don't know how much good it will do. Not with...him inside me.'

Harry stared at her. 'What do you mean?'

'Riddle,' said Ginny miserably. 'He's inside me, Harry. He's always been there. He left a part of himself, a part of his soul and his memories inside my head. I didn't think about it too much before because...I hadn't discovered my powers yet. But now...he's why I can't get close to anyone. All Empaths have trouble getting close to people, physically close, at first but me...I can't even kiss you without hurting myself and you. I couldn't be with...with someone I loved because...of him. And it's getting worse...'

She broke down, and Harry reached for her, and for a few minutes, she sank against him, and let him stroke her hair, but after those few minutes, she winced and he felt her back tense, and she pushed away from him. He felt a sting in his scar and winced.

Ginny laughed bitterly. 'You see? You can't even hug me now without it happening.'

'Ginny,' said Harry, resisting the urge to reach for her again, 'Tom Riddle doesn't even exist anymore. The spirit in that diary...he was never real when I talked to him in the Chamber. He was just a memory.'

'No, Harry,' said Ginny. 'He's never been "just" anything. He cheated death. His soul is alive, it's always been alive. He feeds off misery. That's why he goes after you so hard, apart from everything else. He knows you're going to destroy him sooner or later--'

'That remains to be seen,' said Harry darkly.

'--because you're powerful, because you have that power he doesn't,' she went on, as if he hadn't spoken. 'The only way he can sap that power out of you is to take away your will to live.'

'But what does this have to do with...you...' Harry said, realization dawning on him. 'He knows...you're an Empath. But...that's impossible. He can't know, you said nobody, not even Malfoy--'

'He doesn't know,' said Ginny. 'At least, Dumbledore doesn't think so. Voldemort isn't in my head, but Tom Riddle is. It's not the same thing. But don't you see, Harry? It doesn't matter if Voldemort knows or not if I'm an Empath. Tom Riddle is...interfering with me, and as long as he's inside me I don't know if I can use my powers effectively.'

She bit her lip and looked away.

Harry sank back onto the sofa, the weight of this new knowledge pressing on his chest.

'It all comes down to me killing him,' Harry said heavily. 'That's the only way you can get Riddle out of your mind.'

'I don't know,' said Ginny tearfully. 'There's the rub. Even if you kill Voldemort, a piece of Tom could stay inside me forever.'

'That can't be,' said Harry forcefully. 'There has to be a way for you to...to get rid of him.'

'I'm going to try,' said Ginny, wiping her face again. 'That's why Dumbledore wants me to train with a real Empath now. Maybe if I train with her and I use the Pensieve I'll be useful to you.'

'Don't say that,' said Harry. 'I...you're not just "useful" to me, you're my friend.'

'A friend who can't even hug you without hurting you,' she said sadly. 'If I can't touch you, I can't help you.'

'Ginny--'

'Harry, I want to help you,' she said. 'Because I care about you, because you can't do this alone, because...because I want you around for a good long time. Even if...we stay just friends.'

Harry bit his lip, feeling torn. He looked at her for a moment. 'I'd be lying if I said I...I wasn't attracted to you, Ginny. And not just because of the lonely, horny thing.'

She smiled. 'Harry, you and me...I just don't think...I'm not what...what you need...right now.'

'Don't you think I should be the one to decide what I need?' said Harry brusquely.

'Yes,' said Ginny, 'and I think deep down, you're not ready to deal with...me.'

Harry started to protest, but she put a finger to his lips. Just that brief contact sent a sizzle of electricity through him, and he felt the warring emotions pouring off her like water.

'It's okay,' she said, her eyes sad. 'I have to figure this out before I can be close to anyone, and I don't expect you to sit tight and wait around for me.'

'Ginny--'

'You should be happy, Harry,' she said. 'Happy as you can possibly be. You should go out with Daphne or whoever else and let yourself have a good time. Ron was right, you need someone cheerful, not a basket case like me. I'd remind you of him.'

Harry shook his head. How could she even think that? He looked at her for a moment, again struck by how beautiful she really was; her brown eyes were red-rimmed and puffy from crying, but it didn't matter. Part of him wanted to protest, but the protest died on his lips. She was right. A part of him wanted to be with her, but...it would be so complicated. And his life was already so complicated anyway. And even if she didn't remind him of Voldemort or Tom Riddle...there was that connection they shared, a connection that was so close to home for both of them. The timing, and the circumstances, were just plain bad.

'You're right,' Harry said. 'Friends, then.' He forced a grin and held out his hand.

'I'd better not,' she said, her own grin looking forced. 'Not until I get this Empath stuff under control.'

'Right,' said Harry, feeling bereft and already missing touching her, even if it was only in a friendly way. 'Who's training you, anyway?' he added.

'Don't know, actually,' said Ginny, shrugging. 'Hopefully she's not a flake like Trelawney, and at least I don't get stuck with Firenze.'

'Oh yeah, Ron's got to do his Seer thing with Firenze,' said Harry, grateful for the smooth change on subject from Ginny. 'That should be entertaining.'

'For us,' said Ginny. 'I predict whinging from Ron to reach epic proportions. But it won't be fun for him.'

'This year doesn't seem like it'll be fun at all,' said Harry glumly. 'I mean, Voldemort aside, all these stupid exams and extra work...'

'There's always Quidditch,' she said. 'I had a good time flying tonight.'

'Me, too,' said Harry.

They didn't speak for a long moment; Harry felt himself drawn to her like a magnet, and again he felt the depth, the strength of her feelings, but just as he was about to ignore his better judgment and reach for her, she backed away.

'I'm turning in,' she said. 'G'night.'

She hurried up the girls' staircase, leaving Harry alone in the common room. It was a good few minutes before he remembered he had homework to do, and Quidditch schedules to prepare, but as he fetched his books and returned to the common room to settle down to work, all he could think about was his own jumbled feelings, and Ginny. The kiss he'd shared with Daphne hardly registered now.

And he hated Voldemort even more.

He takes everything from me. Everything. Susan left me, because of him. I can't be close to Ginny, because of him. My friends have nearly died because of him. He took my parents, he took Sirius...he takes and takes and takes.

Your friends are alive. You're back at school, at your home. You're healthy, you're strong, you've got friends and people on your side and you've got a beautiful girl - Daphne -- who's interested in you. And you've survived this long.

Yeah, I've survived. I'm sick of just surviving. I've been doing it since I was a year old.

'Neither can live while the other survives.'

How on earth was Harry supposed to be happy, to live, when Voldemort was alive?

Absently Harry reached into his robe pockets and his right hand and his fingers brushed the metal of the key.

The vault...

He'd forgotten all about it. It had seemed so important right after leaving Dumbledore's office, but he'd forgotten it.

I meant to tell Ron and Hermione...

Part of him was so tempted to just go now, go down to the Chamber and find that secret vault or whatever it was and open it. But he knew if he did, he'd never get any sleep, much less complete his homework.

Tomorrow, I'll tell them tomorrow, he vowed, and he turned his attention to his Dark Arts homework, and his mind drifted to Professor Hopkirk, and he shivered, but he knew it wasn't because he was cold.