Harry Potter and the Secret Horcrux

Harry entered the room feeling the weight of his gripping fear. His memory from earlier that evening played on a continuous loop. He could see the golden shimmer as she opened her book satchel, but all he could do was pray she hadn't done anything stupid. Didn't she realize how dangerous of an object she had taken? Harry shook his head viciously. Of course she didn't know how dangerous the locket was. He had kept it from her intentionally. She wasn't supposed to be involved; she wasn't supposed to be in danger.

He didn't even knock before he forced the door open. Ginny gave an audible start and Harry's glare seemed to freeze her. Her surprise quickly passed and she seemed to collect herself in preparation for a defense.

"Where is it?" Harry demanded. He already had all the proof he needed in his mind. Ginny had taken the locket and foolishly placed herself in grave danger.

Ginny blinked hard before snapping a silver book shut and narrowing her eyes to glare right back at him.

"You don't know what it is, what you're doing!" Harry snapped.

Ginny's cheeks grew slightly red as she clenched her hands against her sides. "Don't you dare take that tone with me, Potter."

Harry momentarily found himself at a loss for words. Whatever he had expected her response to be, it certainly was not to be addressed by his surname.

"Ginny, give it back before you do something stupid," Harry said in a forced voice after the shock passed.

Ginny gave a sneer that could rival Malfoy's before responding, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do!" Harry retorted, his voice growing a little louder again.

Ginny snatched the silver book off the table where she had set it down just moments before. "Do you want this book? Is that what you're talking about?"

Harry raised his eyebrows but before he could tell her he was looking for the locket, she tossed the book across the room and towards his head. His quick seeker's reflexes allowed him to duck out of the flying book's path and it crashed into the wall behind him.

"WHY DID YOU JUST THROW A BLOODY BOOK AT ME?" Harry ranted as Ginny glowered at him with her hands firmly on her hips.

"Because you deserved it," Ginny spat viciously.

"I just want back what you stole! I don't think I deserve to have my head severed by a flying book!" Harry replied.

Ginny looked like a Norwegian Ridgeback ready to spew fire as her red hair fell in uneven strands from her ponytail. "I just gave it back to you, so take it! Little good it will do you since you don't know how to use it."

Harry glanced down at the silver book lying open near the wall behind him. "I'm not talking about the book. I'm talking about the locket."

Ginny cringed, but quickly recovered. "Why would I have the locket?"

"How should I know?" Harry yelled.

"You just assumed I figured out a way to nick it, but I'm not clever enough to destroy it?" Ginny fumed. "Little Ginny Weasley. I'm completely incapable of doing anything important."

Harry paused. "Who said I wanted to destroy it?"

Ginny's mouth fell open as if Harry's question had revealed something she hadn't wanted him to know. "Oh come off it," she recovered. "You, Ron and Hermione have been whispering around since you arrived with the cursed thing. What else would you want to do with it?"

"Who said I wanted to destroy it?" Harry repeated in a firmer voice.

"So you don't want it destroyed?" Ginny asked angrily.

Harry shook his head. "I didn't say if I did or didn't."

Ginny bit her bottom lip and then glanced nervously at her cauldron as some of the fight drained from her eyes. "Potter, I don't time for this. I have to finish this potion."

"What potion is it?" Harry asked sharply. This time, hearing his surname didn't take him aback.

Ginny, on the other hand, seemed rather surprised that Harry was figuring things out. She seemed to search the room randomly with her eyes as if she hoped an excuse would jump out at her. "It's just a potion for Slughorn."

"Which one?" Harry demanded.

"Why does it matter?" Ginny spat viciously, suddenly looking very defensive against Harry's line of questioning.

Harry glanced into the cauldron. "I don't recognize it."

"Do you honestly think you can remember every potion you did last year?" Ginny accused.

Harry raised his eyebrow. "You weren't using your Advanced Potions Making book."

"How do you reach that conclusion?" Ginny questioned tensely.

Harry raised his finger and pointed at her book satchel where a corner of her potion's book was peeking out of the corner. "Which begs the question, what are you brewing?"

Ginny lowered her head but didn't answer Harry's question. She gave a soft sniffling noise and Harry felt as though he had been flogged with a broomstick. He had made her cry, again. He felt only slightly better when she looked up and he noticed her eyes were dry.

"Ginny, you have to understand," Harry said in a dull whisper. "I don't want to keep you out of the loop; I don't want you to think I'm treating you like you're not important. It's just--it's just, if you're out there..."

"What if I'm out there?" Ginny asked in a weak, almost vulnerable voice.

"I won't be able to fight," Harry said quietly, as if he hadn't meant to actually tell her that.

Ginny glanced up, looking completely confused by Harry's confession. "What?"

"If you're out there, I'd be so worried about keeping you safe that I wouldn't be able to do what has to be done. If anything happened to you... if Voldemort used you..."

"And what about me?" Ginny asked. "How am I supposed to live with myself knowing I did nothing? It doesn't matter how safe you keep me. If you end up killed in this quest of yours then I'll have to live with it. I'll have to move on and remember everyday for the rest of my life how I did nothing to help. There are things worse than death, Harry. I'd rather die than live with that."

Harry felt his body give an involuntary shudder.

Ginny continued. "You didn't even ask me how I felt? You just assumed you knew what was best for us--for me."

"Ginny," Harry said quietly.

Ginny's eyes started to brim with tears before she hastily wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"I know it's a Horcrux," she revealed, looking quite determined to change the subject. "I know what you're planning on facing."

"Did Hermione?" Harry began.

"No," Ginny interrupted. "He told me."

Harry wondered briefly if he should know who 'he' was? Was she talking about Ron? Surely Ron wouldn't have told her. Was she talking about Dumbledore? Did Dumbledore tell her about the Horcruxes?

Ginny pointed to the book she had thrown at him just moments before. "Regulus Black."

"Regulus Black is dead," Harry said without even really thinking. His mind juggled the idea that Regulus Black might be visiting Ginny as a ghost for a brief second since nothing Ginny was saying was making sense.

Ginny pointed behind Harry. "The book, it belonged to Regulus Black. It's charmed so not just anybody can read it. If you open it all you'll see is blank pages. It's charmed not to reveal itself and look blank, just like the Marauder's Map."

"How did you figure that out? How did you figure out the password?" Harry asked as he picked the book up and thumbed through it.

Ginny grinned in spite of herself as she approached Harry with her wand in her hand. "I'm Fred and George's little sister...Toujours Pur."

As Ginny touched her wand tip to the blank pages, the book filled with so much writing there was hardly a white margin, which caused Harry to nearly drop the book in surprise.

Ginny continued, "Regulus Black suspected a ring Voldemort once wore might be another Horcrux."

"Dumbledore destroyed it," Harry said without thinking.

It was like a piece of lead had been dropped on his chest, making it much more difficult to breathe properly. Ginny turned a few pages of Regulus Black's diary and held the book up for Harry to read.

I feel I'm getting closer to what I'm looking for. Antonin mentioned to me again that the Dark Lord had taken measures to prevent his own death. He is one of the Dark Lord's oldest and most faithful followers, but I do not think even he knows what is meant by 'measures to prevent his own death.' The only way the Dark Lord could prevent, not just delay, his own death would be to create a Horcrux. What kind of fiend would choose to divide his soul? What have I sworn my allegiances to? A cloud of secrecy surrounds the Dark Lord and no one knows anything of his past. It was once suggested that he might be Tom Riddle who was once Head Boy at Hogwarts. The suggestion was used as a reason to perform six of the most unjust executions I've ever witnessed. I didn't dare speak out on the accused behalves; they were foolish enough to ask questions. I will not even mention their names in this journal, for fear that it will someday fall into the Dark Lord's hands. If he knew of my suspicious, if he knew of my fear he would waste no time in striking me dead. My dear brother will spend a lifetime opposing what my master stands for, but it will be I who makes him mortal again. The playing field must be level; the Dark Lord's Horcrux must be destroyed.I>