The Final Reckoning

Chapter Thirty-Two: Draco's Obsession

Ron swallowed at the implications of Harry's statement.

Ginny crossed the room and took Harry's hand.

'What happened?' she asked. 'You had a vision?'

'Barely,' said Harry darkly, not rising from the sofa. 'Just a flash. Voldemort might be getting sick or whatever because of my blood, but he's still able to keep me out of his head.'

'What did you see, Harry?' Ginny asked, taking his hands in hers.

'Just Voldemort yelling at some Death Eaters,' said Harry. 'I couldn't see who they were. Voldemort just said "Find the Seer".'

'Bloody hell,' said Ron, sitting down heavily in the chair across from Harry.

'I don't think he knows it's you, Ron,' said Harry.

'But he could,' said Ginny.

'I don't see how,' said Harry. 'The only way he'd find out if is someone here in school knew and told him, or one of the Death Eaters. Nobody knows but us and McGonagall.'

'What about Nott?' said Ron.

'What about him?'

'We ran into him when we went to take Mum to McGonagall's office,' said Ron. 'Nott said, "lucky thing about your brother".'

'Ron, he would have known that from his father,' said Ginny.

'Are you sure about that?' said Ron. 'I had that vision at the Halloween ball, remember?'

'Nott didn't see that,' said Harry, and then his face darkened. 'But Malfoy and Pansy did.'

'That doesn't mean they knew what was going on,' said Hermione, but then she bit her lip. 'On the other hand...'

'He and Pansy saw us going to McGonagall's office right after I had that vision about Charlie,' said Ron.

'Malfoy doesn't know,' said Ginny firmly.

'Are you sure?' said Harry doubtfully.

'Positive,' said Ginny firmly. 'I would have sensed it. No way could Malfoy hide his feelings on something like that.'

'What about Pansy?' said Harry. 'Do you think she could have figured it out?'

'Pansy Parkinson?' said Hermione disbelievingly. 'That brainless twit? You must be joking.'

'If Malfoy knew he could have told Pansy--' Ron began.

'Malfoy doesn't know,' Ginny insisted.

'But if he did,' said Ron, 'he would have told her. She's his only friend now.'

Harry looked at her for a moment, and then swallowed. He seemed to be steeling himself to ask a difficult question.

'Ginny, are you really sure?' he said. 'Malfoy could be...playing with you.'

Ginny bristled. 'I'd know it if he were,' she said, in a tone that brooked no argument on the subject. 'Malfoy doesn't know anything.'

Harry let it drop, but Ron couldn't help but wonder.

Then again, something about Nott wouldn't let up...

'My money's still on Nott,' said Ron finally. 'He was way too cocky about what he said.'

'Ron, we don't even know if Voldemort is aware it could be a Hogwarts student,' said Ginny, but her voice sounded doubtful.

'Come on, Ginny,' said Harry gently. 'You know Voldemort's going to be looking around here.'

Ginny pursed her lips and nodded.

'So that means someone in this school has to be helping him,' said Ron.

'Nott,' said Harry. 'Or Malfoy.'

'Or someone else we haven't even considered,' said Hermione. 'We can't just assume it would be a Slytherin, even if they are the most likely candidates.'

'Who else could it be?' said Harry.

'I dunno,' said Hermione.

'What about Blaise and Daphne?' said Ginny. 'Do you think they might know something?'

'Possibly,' said Ron. 'The question is, can we trust them? They might not be Death Eaters in training, but they are Slytherins, they might want to protect their own regardless.'

'Not necessarily,' said Harry. He paused, and said, 'I suppose I could bring it up with Daphne. Not the specifics, but...you know, if she has any suspicions she's willing to share.'

'Why you?' said Ginny, in an even voice that nonetheless had an edge to it.

'Why not me?' said Harry, shrugging. 'I'm the only one of us who really knows her at all.'

Ginny gave him a look. 'Fine,' she said at last, and Ron sensed it at once. Ginny was none too pleased about Harry's suggestion. Ron glanced at Hermione, who gave him a significant look.

'Maybe I should be the one to talk to Daphne,' said Hermione gently. 'I could pull her aside after a prefect meeting. She might be more comfortable talking to me, anyway, seeing as I...well, never mind.'

'Never snogged her,' Ginny mumbled.

Harry snorted. 'You're not jealous?'

'Oh, please,' said Ginny, rolling her eyes. 'As I should ever be jealous of that silly, self-absorbed bubblehead.'

'Daphne isn't a bubblehead,' Harry protested.

'Harry, drop it,' Ron muttered through gritted teeth.

'But--'

Ron shook his head quickly and widened his eyes at Harry, who finally got the hint.

'You're right, Hermione,' he said. 'You should talk to Daphne. I never really liked her much, anyway.'

'Nice save,' Ron mumbled under his breath. Harry punched him in the arm. Ginny pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

'What about the other suspects?' said Hermione. 'Nott and Malfoy?'

'Well, I've got one more training session with Malfoy, on Thursday night,' said Ginny. Harry stiffened slightly at this, but said nothing. 'I could try and...manipulate him a little, get him to open up.'

'I don't like the sound of that,' said Harry.

'I don't like the idea of doing it,' said Ginny, sighing, 'but if there really is a student who's...spying for Voldemort--'

'I know,' said Harry glumly.

'I'm almost finished with him, Harry,' said Ginny reassuringly. 'Just another month or two.'

Harry looked at her and smiled, and nodded. Then he took another breath.

'This stinks,' he said at last. 'I've been trying to get inside Voldemort's head directly, but it's no good. And...I don't get it. If he's really weakened because of my blood, how is it he's able to block me nearly all the time now? The only time he lets his guard down is when he's angry and even then...'

'Maybe he's got new blood by now,' said Hermione. 'Or figured out some way to at least hold off the debilitating effects of yours. Dammit. I really need to finish those codes, I just haven't had the time...'

'It's okay,' said Harry. 'We'll figure it out...somehow.'

'We need to tell McGonagall,' said Hermione.

'Shit,' said Ron suddenly. 'And Firenze. Damn, I meant to talk to him earlier tonight.'

'Harry, Ginny and I will go to McGonagall,' said Hermione. 'You go to Firenze, let him know what's going on.'

'Yeah,' said Ron. The four of them got up and left the common room. As Ron split off from the rest of them to head toward the Divination classroom, the image of Nott taunting him played over and over in his mind like an endless loop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'It is terribly late now, isn't it, Ronald?' said Professor Trelawney, ushering Ron into the Divination classroom. It had been changed so that half the space perfectly resembled Trelawney's old North Tower room, and the other half was a smaller version of the glade in the Forbidden Forest.

'Yeah, sorry about that,' said Ron. 'I really need to speak with Professor Firenze.'

'Oh, dear, he has surely retired for the evening,' said Trelawney, pushing her huge glasses up her nose. 'Perhaps I can assist you; Firenze is a fine teacher of Divination, but I dare say he lacks true Sight, which is a gift only humans can--'

'Mr. Weasley,' came Firenze's voice, sparing Ron from spending more uncomfortable time in Trelawney's company. 'May I ask why you're here?'

'Ah, Professor Firenze,' said Trelawney, sounding annoyed. 'You're keeping...late hours.'

'I rather enjoy gazing at the stars,' said Firenze. 'They tell me much.'

'Of course they do,' said Trelawney sweetly. She started to say something else but Ron quickly jumped in.

'I need to speak with you, sir,' he said, looking at Firenze.

'Of course, Ronald,' said Firenze, and he turned with a swish of his palomino tail. 'Follow me.'

Ron gave Trelawney a quick nod and followed the centaur into his make-believe glade. When they were quite alone, Firenze turned and looked down at Ron.

'What troubles you, Ronald?'

'Voldemort knows about me,' said Ron. 'Well, he doesn't know about me, but he knows there's a Seer who's working against him. He might know it's me, only I don't see how because nobody's said anything. But he's probably got someone inside the school trying to find out if there's a Seer here--'

Firenze put up a hand. 'You need say no more,' he said. 'It was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord figured out that a Seer was working against his...interests.'

'What if he finds out it's me?' said Ron nervously.

'Then he would want to find you and take you,' said Firenze, without preamble. 'A Seer is a powerful weapon, as you know by now. The Dark One would want such a weapon working for him.'

'I'd never work for him,' Ron growled.

'Not voluntarily,' said Firenze. 'Tell me, Ronald, how are you at throwing off the Imperius Curse?'

Ron gulped. 'Er...not so good.'

Firenze nodded. 'Then I suggest you work on improving your skills in that area. Even if you were not a Seer, the Dark One would see you as a valuable tool to use against Harry Potter.'

'Yeah, I know,' said Ron heavily.

'Something else is bothering you, Ronald, I can sense it,' said Firenze.

'It's just...' Ron said slowly. 'That last vision I had, about my brother...it was really close. I've never been that close before, having a vision like that. Usually there's more, I dunno, lead time before...before stuff happens. Why was that one such a close call?'

Firenze took a deep breath. 'Even the most gifted Seer cannot see everything.'

Gee, thanks. That helps.

'But,' Ron protested, 'I thought you said...I mean...if I, as a human, am more able to see stuff that happens to people, then...wouldn't it stand to reason that I'd be able to see stuff about my own brother? Sooner rather than later?'

'Not necessarily,' said Firenze. 'You have become very skilled and powerful, Ronald, but even the best Seers are caught off guard.'

'Yes, but--'

'No buts,' said Firenze. 'Ronald, know this. There will come a time when your gifts will not be enough to stop the evil that the Dark One and his minions do.'

'That's already happened,' said Ron glumly. 'Karkaroff...he's dead.'

'Yes,' said Firenze. 'I know. But before you go blaming yourself, Ronald, I would ask you to consider that there was nothing you could have done to prevent his dying. He was already marked for death. It was only a matter of time before his murderers caught up with him.'

Ron stared up at Firenze, crestfallen. 'Then what's the point of me doing all this stuff?' he said desperately. 'If I can't help people--'

'You've already helped countless people,' Firenze interrupted.

'But...' Ron said weakly, feeling as if something was slipping away from him.

'You cannot save everyone, Ronald,' said Firenze. 'Igor Karkaroff's death is tragic, but if you begin to carry the deaths of those whose possible futures you see inside your soul, you will go mad from the guilt and grief. And as for Karkaroff, his death might seem meaningless to you now, but who is to say his death won't serve a higher purpose? Much that happens in life is beyond our immediate understanding, and it is only in hindsight that we find true insight. Perhaps Karkaroff's death was necessary for the greater good.'

Ron scowled. 'That's a horrible thing to say.'

'The truth is often horrible,' said Firenze, his voice hard. 'Many will die before Harry Potter faces his destiny. Wars are never fought, or won, without spilling the blood of the innocent. But if the deaths of the innocent are not to be in vain, Ronald, you yourself cannot afford to wallow in the despair of loss. It is written in the stars that Harry Potter will face the Dark One alone, but he cannot get there without help. You are no help to him if you take on greater burdens than you can realistically bear.'

Ron swallowed and nodded. It made his heart hurt to think of it, but he knew Firenze was right. Ron couldn't save everyone. Not even Harry could do that. People were going to die. People had already died.

'Sir,' Ron asked, 'what will Voldemort do, now he knows there's a Seer? I mean, apart from trying to find out who it is and get him, er, me? Hermione said...he'd try to get around me.'

'Miss Granger is correct,' said Firenze. 'Voldemort's options are limited; he knows he cannot fully defeat the powers of a True Seer. But he will try to distract you. He will increase the number and frequency of his attacks. He will attempt to create diversions. The more attacks that happen at once, the greater his chances of successfully completing at least a few at a time. And the number of his minions grows every day. He can plan multiple attacks and diversions. It is perhaps not the ideal situation for him, but if he can keep the various governments occupied with trying to stop his forces, he will tax their resources even as he manages to wear down his enemy's resistance, little by little. This will not be a war of countries or armies, at least not for now.'

'What should I do?' said Ron. 'In the meantime?'

Firenze looked at Ron thoughtfully for a long moment. 'Do not give anyone you do not know or trust any reason to suspect what you are. Keep up with your meditations and your journals.'

'That's...that's it?' said Ron, disappointed, although if he were honest with himself, he couldn't imagine what else he could do.

'That's it,' said Firenze. 'That...and keep your family, your friends, the people you love...very close. The danger for all of them is far greater now. Especially for Miss Granger and her parents.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Ron, I already told you I have to spend the holidays with my parents,' said Hermione.

They were sitting in his room, on his bed, waiting for Harry and Ginny; two days had passed, and Hermione had worked out nearly all the rest of the codes, save one, and had wanted to go over them. Ron, however, didn't want to go over anything at all until Hermione agreed that she and her parents should be spending the holidays at Order headquarters, or even the Burrow, which had three times as many wards on it now as it had over the summer. There was no doubt in Ron's mind that either place was safer than the Granger residence.

'Hermione, please,' Ron begged. 'Firenze said--'

'I know what he said,' said Hermione, sounding tired. 'You've told me a million times over the past two days. Ron...my parents never get to see me much anymore. They miss me. And...and they feel so left out of the wizarding world.'

'But my parents--'

'It's nobody's fault,' said Hermione quickly. 'Ron...you're not Muggle-born, you can't possibly understand...'

Ron bristled. 'Try me,' he said, feeling slightly offended.

'It's just...' said Hermione, 'sometimes I think that they think they don't know me anymore. And in a way they're right. They don't know me. They've tried so hard all these years to be supportive and accepting and they are, they really are, but...look, you yourself don't understand much about the Muggle world, right? And you try, but it's still a bit...beyond you, isn't it?'

Ron shrugged. He had to concede she had a point. 'I guess so.'

'Well, it's the same with my parents,' she said. 'Magic is this weird and frightening thing to them, it's not...normal for them. I'm not saying they think it's bad, it's just that it's so different from what they're used to. I just...I wanted to be able to spend time in their world, for their sake. Do you understand?'

Ron let out a breath. 'Yeah,' he admitted, but he took her hands in his. 'But...Hermione, you said it yourself. When Voldemort finds out about a Seer, he'll try to work around it. Firenze said the same thing. I dunno if I'll be able to...to protect you now, if you're somewhere else.'

'Ron, my parents' house has a million wards on it, Aurors are watching over them all the time--'

'That's not the point,' said Ron, 'and you know it. Those Aurors don't...if something happened to you...they're not...they don't love you, and I do and...'

His voice broke against a lump that had formed in his throat. He got up and started to pace, blinking his eyes against the burning in them.

'You don't know what it's like,' he said finally. 'I mean, I'm sure you've imagined it, Hermione, but imagining it's not the same as being there. Twice I've nearly lost you. The first time I was too stupid to appreciate just how much that meant, but the second time I did know and...Christ, if something happened to you I...I wouldn't want to...be getting on...'

'Ron,' said Hermione, standing up. 'Don't you dare say that.'

'It's true,' said Ron fiercely, taking her hands in his again. 'I mean...I'd get on with it, Hermione, okay? Because I have to, because...because Harry has to do his thing and save the bloody world and I figure he can use all the help he can get.'

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. 'I'd...I'd do the same...if something happened to you.'

'I know you would,' said Ron. 'It's just...Hermione, if something happened to you and I wasn't there...' He tried to tell her, but the lump in his throat was pressing on his voice. 'Do you know what I mean?' he finally managed.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. 'I do,' she said, and suddenly they were embracing, and he was burying his face in her hair. For a long time they didn't speak.

'I need to go with my parents,' she said finally, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his chest. 'I need to. They need me.'

'Hermione...' Ron began.

'I'll ask them to invite you,' she said, leaning back and looking up at him. 'You can spend Christmas with me.'

Ron blinked, taken aback. 'R-really?' he said. 'You think they'd go for that?'

'They'll have to,' said Hermione. 'I'll convince them. Can you convince your parents?'

'Dad's no problem,' said Ron. 'But Mum...well, I'll beg and plead if I have to. She'll have her hands full with Charlie, anyway. I'll owl Mum and Dad tomorrow morning.'

At that moment there was a soft knock on the door.

'It's us,' came Harry's muffled voice.

Ron pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes and opened the door.

'Hey,' said Ginny, as Ron and Hermione extricated themselves from each other's embrace.

'Are we interrupting?' Harry asked.

'No,' said Hermione, wiping at her eyes. 'It's fine, we were just talking about something.'

'I'm going to spend Christmas with Hermione,' said Ron. 'That is, if I can convince Mum to let me out of her sight. And...as long as you don't mind, Harry.'

Harry shrugged and smiled. 'I don't mind,' he said. 'In fact, the idea sounds kind of brilliant. Ron fully immersed in the Muggle world...'

'A recipe for disaster,' Ginny muttered.

'You know, Gin, you could help me, seeing as you spent last Christmas with Dean,' said Ron pointedly.

'No talk of exes, thank you,' said Ginny, grabbing Harry's hand. Harry smiled at her.

'If you want to give him a few pointers, I don't mind,' said Harry.

'Later,' said Ginny firmly. 'We're here about those other codes, remember?'

'Right,' said Ron at once, and the four of them took up their usual places in Ron's room.

'Okay, let's hear it,' said Harry, as Hermione extracted several pieces of parchment from her overstuffed school bag.

'First of all, I spoke with Daphne,' said Hermione. 'And Blaise. We met in the kitchens, of all places. Well, it's safe there, anyway. Neither of them could tell me much, except that they are positive Nott is a Death Eater in training, and of course so are Crabbe and Goyle. I asked about Malfoy, too, but Daphne and Blaise definitely think Malfoy's completely out of the loop. He spends all his time with Pansy Parkinson, the two of them are inseparable. She's pretty much his only friend now. They couldn't really tell me anything else, but I did get them to agree to keep an eye of Malfoy and Nott.'

'Are you sure we can really trust them?'

At this Hermione went pink. 'Well, yes. We can trust what they told me because I might have...asked one of the house elves to put a little Veritaserum in the tea they brought us.'

'Hermione!' said Ron.

'What?' said Hermione indignantly. 'I had to find out if they were being honest.'

'Since when do you let house elves wait on you?' said Ginny.

'And when did you have time to brew Veritaserum?' said Harry, and then he held up his hands. 'Never mind, don't tell us. And you got them to agree to keep an eye out how?'

'I got them to sign a piece of parchment,' said Hermione.

'Let me guess,' said Harry. 'The parchment had a jinx on it?'

'Not a jinx,' said Hermione. 'A Truthfulness Spell. By signing the document they're magically bound to tell me the truth whenever I ask them a question. That way I don't have to slip them Veritaserum anymore.'

'How did you get them to agree to sign the parchment?' Ron asked, amazed at Hermione's nerve.

'I sort of...told them it was a proposal I had for Hogsmeade visits next term,' said Hermione, her cheeks going still pinker. 'I said I needed all the prefects' signatures and theirs were the only ones left. I even had the signatures to, well, not prove it, but you know what I mean.'

'You forged the prefects' signatures?' said Ginny, in awe.

'No!' said Hermione. 'Dean Thomas did it for me.'

Ron gawped at his girlfriend. 'Hermione!' he said, unable to disguise the admiration in his voice.

'What?' said Hermione. 'He's good with signatures and anyway, I put a Memory Charm on him afterward.'

Harry shook his head, and Ron grinned.

'But that's not the important thing,' said Hermione. 'The codes, those are what I wanted to talk about. I'll spare you all the details of what I went through to get these done--'

'Thanks,' said Harry, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

'So,' she went on, 'basically these messages are details on Hopkirk's research with your mum, Harry. Remember how Hopkirk was trying to find a way for your mum to protect you without having to resort to Sanguen generare?'

'The blood sacrifice, yeah,' said Harry.

'It looks like Hopkirk might have come close to finding a way,' said Hermione.

'Might have come close?' Ginny repeated. 'Meaning, she didn't get there.'

'No,' said Hermione. 'But it's obvious to me why she gave me this stuff. I spoke to her this morning--'

'You did?' said Ron. 'When?'

'While you two were out playing in the snow,' said Hermione, smiling briefly. 'Anyway, she wouldn't tell me all the details, but right after your mum was killed, Harry, Hopkirk went into hiding, and her research sort of died out. But your mum had given her back all those runic notes they'd sent to one another for safekeeping.'

'Why not just put everything in the vault?' Harry asked.

'It's safer to spread things out,' said Hermione. 'If someone had found that vault--not that they could have, nothing can break a Fidelius Charm except the person under it. Or, well, of course the Book of Morgan Le Fey could do that, but Luna destroyed it--'

'Hermione,' said Ginny gently.

'Right,' said Hermione, without missing a beat. 'Hopkirk held onto this stuff and went underground, as it were. Like I said, she wouldn't tell me much of the details but I got the sense that something must have happened, maybe someone in the Ministry found out about her being, you know--'

'A mad sex demon?' said Harry dryly.

'A succubus,' Hermione corrected. 'The point is, Hopkirk disappeared for a while, but she held onto this stuff.'

'What's in it?' said Harry impatiently.

'A recipe,' said Hermione. 'For a potion. And what appear to be several attempts at the working of a new kind of protection spell.'

'Hopkirk was inventing another spell?' said Ginny, sounding impressed.

'Yes,' said Hermione, unable to disguise the admiration in her voice. 'Not only did she create a shielding spell that can block the Killing Curse, but she was on her way to creating another protection spell...for Harry, and his parents. Only...she never got to finish and...well, we all know what happened.'

'Blimey,' said Ron. 'Where does the potion fit in?'

'Believe it or not,' said Hermione, 'it's not unlike what was in Luna's book. Well, except that the potion isn't a deadly poison, of course. But the concept is the same. The potion is made, there's a spell said over the potion, and then the potion works as a protection for the drinker and strengthens the drinker's power.'

'Hopkirk came up with this stuff,' said Harry slowly, 'just to...to save my mum's life?'

'And yours,' said Hermione, 'and your dad's. The formula for the potion is incomplete, and the spell...Hopkirk never got a chance to truly test it. And it looks like she sort of...gave up after your parents were killed, Harry. But now...well, after I spoke to her we agreed to work together on--'

'Wait, wait,' said Ron at once. 'Back up. You and she "agreed" to work together?'

'Yes,' said Hermione.

'You,' said Harry, 'and Hopkirk.'

'Yes,' said Hermione again, impatiently. 'Look, I don't necessarily like her--'

Ginny snorted. 'There's an understatement.'

'--but she has all this valuable information and I can help her with that,' Hermione finished. 'That's why she gave those codes to me. She said that. Not just because she knew I could translate them but also because she...she figured I would be the best person to help her finish what she started. We're going to start up after the holidays.' As she finished talking, Hermione's cheeks went pink.

'I'm not sure I like the idea of you working with her alone,' said Ron.

'Ron, this is for Harry,' said Hermione.

'I don't like it, either,' said Harry.

'Hopkirk won't hurt me,' said Hermione. 'I know she won't. Not if we're both trying to help Harry.'

'You sound pretty sure of yourself,' said Ron.

Hermione nodded, and looked at Harry. 'I think Hopkirk feels guilty that she couldn't save your parents. She hid herself; I'm not sure why, maybe she was really torn up about your parents dying. But she's back now. Dumbledore must have convinced her to come out of hiding, and now she's asked me to help her finish what she started. Here, look at these, look at the one on top.'

Harry took the parchment, and Ron and Ginny read over his shoulder. The piece of parchment was covered in odd, swirling symbols, and beneath, Hermione had carefully written out the corresponding word and meaning.

'This doesn't make any sense--' Harry began.

'Read the line at the bottom, that's the code message,' said Hermione.

They did.

'"Powder of bezoar, ashwinder yolk, mandrake leaf, leech juice"...' Harry read. '"Diamond dust". That's it? We can get all that stuff here, can't we?'

'There's more,' said Hermione, peeling the top piece of parchment away. 'Look.'

The next piece of parchment had no runes on it at all; rather, it appeared to be a page full of hastily scrawled notes; several passages were crossed out.

'What am I looking at?' Harry asked.

'Bottom of the page,' said Hermione, pointing to a sentence that ended in a question mark.

'"Use blood in potion",' Harry read, '"protection nearly as good as S.G."?'

'You mean, Hopkirk thought a potion containing the Potters' blood could protect Harry,' said Ginny.

'That's right,' said Hermione. 'Nearly as well as the blood sacrifice itself.'

'Nearly as well?' said Ron.

'Well, yes, that's where the spell comes in, or so Hopkirk says,' said Hermione.

Harry looked up and let out a frustrated sigh. 'My parents' blood,' he said. 'Hermione, they've been dead for sixteen years, where am I supposed to get a hold of their blood?'

'Yes, well,' said Hermione, 'I asked Hopkirk that, and she thinks other blood can be used.' She paused and looked at Ron and Ginny. 'Our blood.'

Harry gaped at her, and Ron and Ginny both looked at her with wide eyes.

'Are you serious?' said Harry. 'I have to...to drink your blood?'

'I'll do it,' said Ginny. 'How much blood is needed?'

'Ginny!' said Harry.

'What?' said Ginny. 'This might be the solution, Harry. This potion. If we can't use your parents' blood, why not the blood of your best friends? If it can save you?'

'But...' Harry protested weakly.

'I'll do it, too,' Ron blurted, figuring that if all he had to do was give a little blood in the cause of defeating Voldemort, that was hardly anything to fret about.

'And I would, too,' said Hermione.

Harry swallowed. 'You really think this potion and this spell could work?' he said finally.

Hermione let out a breath. 'I don't know,' she admitted. 'Hopkirk is...well, she's brilliant, and a lot more powerful than I gave her credit for. If anyone can come up with spell that's as strong as the magic that saved you, Harry, but without having to resort to a blood sacrifice, then it's Hopkirk.'

'So if Hopkirk and you are successful, Harry can defeat Voldemort without...somebody doing what his mum did,' said Ron.

'If we're successful,' said Hermione, and suddenly she began to worry her hands. 'It's either that, or...or another blood sacrifice.'

'You mean...you mean that--' said Ron slowly.

'Someone would have to willingly submit to Sanguen generare,' said Hermione, not looking at him. 'It could be the only way to defeat Voldemort.'

'But wait,' said Harry. 'When my mum did the blood sacrifice thing and Voldemort tried to kill me, the curse didn't kill him. His soul was still there and he...it escaped.'

'I know,' said Hermione. 'Voldemort's soul was strong enough to survive the blood sacrifice. Anyone else would was hit with a rebounded curse would have died, and his or her soul would have...gone away, or faded.'

'So even if someone...someone were to do what my mum did,' said Harry, 'it would be useless, wouldn't it?'

'But Voldemort is weaker, isn't he?' said Ginny. 'Your blood is hurting him. Maybe in a weakened state, his soul wouldn't be strong enough.'

'Except that he might have new blood, remember?' said Harry heavily. 'This is hopeless.'

'It's not hopeless,' said Ron at once, with more confidence than he actually felt. 'Hermione's brilliant, and so is Hopkirk and if anyone can do this they can. They can...finish that potion and work the spell and...and--'

'And nobody else will have to die for me to beat him,' Harry said. He looked long and hard at Hermione. 'When can you start on the potion?'

'I told you, after the holidays,' she said. 'Hopkirk is...well, she said she was going somewhere on some sort of business, it was very vague. But as soon as we all get back after the New Year, we'll start.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next evening, Harry and Ginny sat on his bed, with the curtains drawn and faintly glowing with a Silencing Charm.

It had taken some doing, but Ron and Hermione both managed to convince their parents to allow Ron to spend the holidays with the Grangers. The fact that they resided in London, within easy distance of Order headquarters, proved to be the saving point. Harry had taken the news with no small amount of disappointment; from the time he'd met Ron, they'd never spent a Christmas apart, and it meant spending Christmas himself at Grimmauld Place, which was hardly his first choice.

And yet, he couldn't begrudge Ron wanting to stay close to Hermione, or Hermione wanting to be near her parents. For all his complaints about the Dursleys, Harry had to admit it was much easier not having Muggle relatives he cared to contend with. In any case, Ron and Hermione would spend New Year's Eve with him, and Harry had Ginny.

He smiled to himself; it still struck him as a bit odd, them being together now. Much as he tried, he couldn't fully erase the image of her as Ron's little sister. But at the same time, she was so much more than that, a strong, intelligent young woman who challenged him and supported him, who wasn't afraid of his darker moods or his burdens.

She was leaning up against him and his arm was draped loosely over her shoulder. They didn't speak for a time; in the few months since they'd started dating, they had reached a kind of comfort zone. Harry had to admit that with all the noise in his life, the silences he shared with Ginny, where he could feel the gentle waves of emotion flowing from her into him and back out again, were a kind of godsend. That, and their talks, and any time they kissed and touched. It hadn't gone all that far, to Harry's disappointment, but he kept that to himself, knowing that Ginny was nervous about going too far, too fast. Her powers were still an uncertain part of their relationship.

They were reading one of Lily's letters to James; Lily was eight months pregnant and judging from her writing, she was more than ready to give birth.

'Your poor mum,' said Ginny, smiling fondly. 'You were kicking her somewhat awful.'

'Anxious to get out, I guess,' said Harry, grinning. 'Oh, this is good. "The little bugger is also responsible for what I am sure is permanent damage to my spine, which feels like a herd of elephants have stomped on it". Ouch. Being pregnant doesn't sound like much fun.'

'Ask my mum about it,' said Ginny. 'Nine times she went through it.'

'Nine?' said Harry. 'There are only seven of you.'

'Oh, "only" seven,' said Ginny, rolling her eyes affectionately at him. 'There were two miscarriages.'

'Oh,' said Harry. 'Sorry.'

'Don't apologize,' said Ginny. 'A woman gets pregnant that often, she's bound to have a miscarriage. Anyway, they both happened after the twins were born, mum said. Mum got pregnant only a few months after they were born, can you imagine? They wanted a girl really badly. You'd think after Fred and George they would have decided to quit, but...anyway. They got Ron eventually, and then there was me. So basically my mum was pregnant for over a decade.'

Harry laughed.

'Typical man,' said Ginny, shaking her head. 'Laughing about pregnancy like it's nothing. You have no idea what we girls go through, you know.'

'Actually, I do,' said Harry. 'We did those gender changing spells in Transfiguration, remember?'

'And?'

'One class period as a girl was more than enough,' said Harry. 'Although having breasts was pretty cool.'

Ginny punched him in the arm.

'Ow!' said Harry, laughing, and suddenly they were wrestling on the bed, and he was tickling her, and she was tickling him (she was quite strong for being so small), but in the end Harry pinned her to the bed with his body and she groaned.

'I give up,' she finally said. 'You win.'

'Naturally,' said Harry, grinning, and before she could protest, he kissed her. She groaned in her throat and struggled just a bit, but almost at once, she was kissing him back.

'You're a prat,' she said, when they came up for air.

'I know,' said Harry, brushing a stray lock of red hair from her eyes. For a long moment they just looked at one another; Harry could feel the strength of her emotions in his very blood, her protectiveness, her warmth, her...

Love.

Ginny bit her lip and looked away, her face going pink, and Harry felt a rush of embarrassment from her.

'It's okay, Ginny,' he said, wanting to reassure her.

She looked at him, and smiled weakly. 'You're not freaked out?'

Harry shook his head. 'No,' he said. 'How long have you...have you, you know?'

She shrugged. 'Probably always,' she said, and she looked away again, and Harry felt another surge of emotion that wept out of her very skin and into his. He wanted to tell her...something. What?

That he loved her? Did he love her? Sometimes he thought he did. And sometimes he wondered if he even knew what love was. He thought he'd had it with Susan, but she hadn't stayed with him. But Ginny was here, and she loved him and Susan was far away now, she was a series of memories and feelings that seemed almost to be in a different life. What Harry had with Ginny was right, and true, and yet...

He wanted to tell her.

'Ginny,' he said, steeling himself. 'I...I...' His voice wouldn't work. Why was saying it so bloody hard?

'Don't say anything,' she whispered. 'Not unless you mean it.'

Harry swallowed, and let out a breath; he placed a hand against her cheek and pressed his lips to hers, and felt and thought with all his might.

I love you.

Ginny gave a kind of muffled laugh against his lips, and he pulled back.

'That's a bit of a cheat,' she whispered.

Harry started to protest, but Ginny shushed him. 'It's okay.' They didn't need to say it, not now. Neither one of them could. But they could feel it and know it, all the same. They looked at one another for a long time without speaking; Harry had never done this with anyone, not even with Susan. He wondered if he could literally drown in Ginny's gaze, and he wondered how it was that he could feel so naked, so exposed, though they were both fully clothed, though he had never even felt her skin against his. He wondered, not for the first time since he and Ginny had come together, if he could ever be as close to anyone as he was with her. It was thrilling...and frightening. And unbidden, the image of the Riddle House came to him, only this time he wasn't thinking of himself, or Susan, but of Ginny, and of the way Voldemort taunted her.

'Harry?' Ginny whispered, brushing a bit of his fringe back off his forehead.

Harry said nothing for several moments; he sat up and tried to gather his thoughts, which were suddenly fearful and heavy with the memory of his mother's sacrifice.

'Do you think they can do it?' he finally asked. 'Hermione and Hopkirk, I mean? Can they really find an alternative?'

'If anyone can do it, they can,' said Ginny.

Harry swallowed and nodded; his stomach was roiling again.

'Harry?' Ginny asked, lifting up her head. 'What's wrong?'

Harry looked at her. 'They have to,' he said thickly. 'They have to find a way. I can't...I don't want anyone else making...making that kind of sacrifice for me.'

Ginny looked at him and brushed a hand through his messy hair.

'Harry, it's not just about you,' she said gently. 'This is bigger than all of us.'

'I know that,' said Harry, through gritted teeth. 'I know.' He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. His heart was hurting inside his chest when he opened his eyes to look at Ginny.

'Promise me,' said Harry, 'you won't do anything like that.'

'Harry,' said Ginny slowly, and she started to shake her head. 'I--'

'Promise me,' he said, a bit desperately, as he took her hands in his and squeezed them. 'I mean it, Gin. I don't want you to do that. I don't think I could stand it.'

'Harry, that's selfish and you know it,' said Ginny, but her tone was sad, not rebuking.

'I don't care,' said Harry stubbornly. 'I...please, Ginny. Say you won't--'

'I won't, said Ginny, pressing a finger to his lips. 'I understand.' She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes, letting her power flow into him; he let out a breath and relaxed into the pillows, breathing in the scent of vanilla that clung to her skin.

And then her lips were against his, kissing him slowly, making him forget everything else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a while, Harry felt himself collapse against Ginny, and he buried his face in her neck.

For a long moment they just lay there, catching their breaths. Harry finally lifted his head and rolled off her, staring up at the ceiling.

Bloody hell.

'Harry, are you okay?' Ginny asked.

Harry took a deep breath and turned to her. 'What just happened?'

Ginny flushed. 'I think...you know what happened.'

'I mean,' said Harry quickly, 'that was...holy shit. You...and then I...it was like I felt you doing it and then I was...and we weren't even doing all that much...'

Ginny nodded. 'Are you okay?' she asked again.

Harry nodded. 'Yeah,' he said. 'That was...that was your power? You were using your power?'

'No,' said Ginny. 'I mean, it was my power, but...I wasn't trying to use it on you. It just happened. That's what I meant when I told you before. I just...feel things really strongly and it transferred onto you. You're sure you're--'

Harry put a finger to her lips and then took her hand. 'That was bloody brilliant,' he said. 'I've never felt anything like that before. It was like I was inside you, even though I wasn't.'

Ginny grinned. 'If you think that's intense, wait until we have actual sex.'

Harry made a choked sound. 'Er...right. Actual sex.' He coughed.

'Harry,' said Ginny slowly, 'I do want...to be with you like that. But, it might not happen for a while. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but I was sorting of testing myself just now, to see if I could...and, well, we could, and I'm really glad. And it was really nice. But...well, it could be a long time before--'

'Shut up,' said Harry gently. 'Take all the time you need. I'm not in a hurry, and I'm not going anywhere.'

He kissed her lips, and her forehead, and pulled her close; the feel of her skin on his was beyond intoxicating. She'd let him see part of her tonight, and touch her, and it was beyond brilliant, she was beautiful and covered in soft freckles and softer skin. Then he felt her emotions flowing into him. She was content. No, she was happy, and he felt it, too. For the first time in a long time, he actually felt happy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione left Hogwarts on the morning of Christmas Eve; the school was emptying out quickly of the remaining students. Harry had packed his things early, for once, and did a quick cleaning of Hedwig's cage. She fluttered into her cage and tucked her beak under her wing and settled in for a nap. Harry ate breakfast with his friends before taking starting back to Gryffindor Tower to collect his trunk; they would all, unfortunately, be taking the Knight Bus into London Ron and Hermione, meanwhile, stayed behind to supervise the various scheduled departures of the younger students, most of who would be travelling by Portkeys. Ginny, for her part, was in a last minute meeting with Andromeda Tonks to discuss their training schedule for the following term.

Harry was halfway back to Gryffindor when the sound of two familiar voices stopped him in his tracks.

'You have to let me,' said the male voice, and Harry recognized it at once. It was Draco Malfoy.

Harry saw Draco and Pansy Parkinson conversing heatedly in an empty classroom. The door was slightly ajar, but they didn't seem to notice. He knew he should just keep walking, but curiosity overtook him and he moved closer to the door, peeking in to see and hear them.

'Draco, I can't,' said Pansy Parkinson. 'You know I can't.'

'I am not spending the bloody holidays with--' Draco began.

'With whom?' said Pansy.

'By myself,' Draco finished. 'You can't just leave me here.'

'Draco...' said Pansy, and her voice wavered slightly. 'I can't. My parents, they...if you go to their house it would mean trouble for them. They're trying to maintain appearances, remember?'

Draco snorted. 'Oh, right, appearances,' he snapped. 'So, they're letting their daughter stay engaged to me, but I'm not allowed in my future in-laws' house.'

'It's dangerous for them!' said Pansy. 'You of all people should know...after what happened to your mother--'

'Don't you dare talk about her to me,' Draco snarled.

'Draco, please,' Pansy whined. 'I would if I could, you know that, but it's out of my hands.'

There was a long pause, and Harry wondered if the conversation was over, but then he heard Draco take a breath.

'You leave me here,' said Draco, 'and it's over, Pansy. I'm done with you.'

'Don't say that,' said Pansy, and her voice was tearful.

'I'll go spend Christmas with Potty and the Weasels,' said Draco. 'Spending the summer with them wasn't so bad, after all.'

Harry clenched his fists.

That bastard. He's talking about Ginny.

'Don't you bring her into this,' said Pansy, her voice suddenly fierce.

'Jealous, Pans?' Draco mocked. 'You just can't stand it, can you? That I think about her when I'm doing you.'

Harry saw Pansy suck in her breath; for a brief instant, her face flashed with hurt, but then her features went cold.

'You son of a bitch,' she hissed.

'What's the matter, Pansy?' said Draco. 'Does the truth hurt?'

At this, Pansy snorted. 'The truth?' she snapped. 'The truth is you can't have Ginny Weasley. You'll never have Ginny Weasley. Because Potter has her, doesn't he? Potter always beats you at everything.'

Draco's eyes became furious and icy.

'Shut up,' he said.

'Does the truth hurt, Draco?' said Pansy, and her voice was triumphant as she threw his insult back in his face. 'She doesn't care about you. She's Potter's girl, and she worships him and you know it, and she thinks you're lower than scum.'

'Shut up!' Draco yelled, and he grabbed Pansy by the upper arms and shook her, but she started to laugh.

'She hates you, Draco!' Pansy sneered. 'You pine after her like some pathetic loser while she's sticking her tongue in Potter's mouth!'

'You stupid bitch,' Draco growled, and he raised his hand up as though to strike her. Pansy let out a little cry and shrank in on herself, cowering. Draco's hand froze in mid-air, and he was shaking with anger and breathing heavily.

'Don't,' said Draco, in a deadly voice, 'ever say those things again.'

Pansy looked up at him with tearful eyes. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered. Draco gave Pansy a furious look, but his jaw was set, and he turned away from her.

'I hate them,' he said. 'I hate both of them.'

'I know,' said Pansy, and a tear fell down her cheek as she reached for Draco. He flinched, but then he allowed her to turn him and face her. He looked at her with a barely disguised mixture of love and revulsion; it was a look that made Harry's stomach turn.

'I'll bring you to my parents' house,' said Pansy, her voice soft and placating now, as she pressed a hand to Draco's pale cheek. He closed his eyes, and looked torn between wanting to lean into her tender gesture, or shove her hand away in disgust.

'You can stay with me,' Pansy went on, either failing to notice Draco's reactions to her words and touches, or noticing and choosing not to care. 'I'll find a way. Just...don't...don't talk about her anymore.'

Draco looked at Pansy for a long moment; Harry realized he was clenching his fists so hard his knuckles were white, and he relaxed his hands, but his whole body was otherwise tense, wondering what would happen next.

What happened next made Harry's turning stomach drop. Draco made a low growl and pulled Pansy to him, kissing her brutally. Pansy gave a small shriek in her throat and struggled, and Harry was just about to step into the room, wand drawn, and hex the crap out of Draco. However much he hated Pansy Parkinson, the girl didn't deserve to be assaulted.

But before Harry could even consider coming to Pansy's aid, she was wrapping her arms around Draco's neck and crushing her body to his; she moaned as he yanked up her skirt and shoved her against the wall.

'Draco,' Pansy whimpered. 'Please...please, yes...'

Harry stumbled back from the doorway, his mind spinning. Without realizing it, he began to run, and he didn't stop running until he was back in the Gryffindor common room. His stomach was past the roiling stage and he had to fight down the bile that had risen up in his throat. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.