Harry Potter and the Sacrifice of the Traitor

Chapter 17

'Ginny!' Harry howled in horror, and sent his Firebolt streaking downwards through the air, as fast as it would go, though he knew it was going to be useless. As if in a dream or nightmare, he saw Ron and the other Gryffindor players hurtling at full speed upwards towards Ginny, to try to save her before she hit the ground. But none of them was close enough to catch her, or even near enough to use magic to stop her. He saw Professor McGonagall, her face a frozen mask of terror, frantically struggling to pull her wand from her robes, to utter some sort of charm to slow her fall, but he knew with a dreadful certainty that it was all going to be too late.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a figure zoomed low across the pitch, skimming the grass dangerously with his feet, and snatched the falling girl from the air. As Harry dived towards the pair, his heart hammering in his chest, he realised with a shock, that the player was wearing green and silver Slytherin robes - Ginny's life had been saved by none other than Theodore Nott.

Professor McGonagall sank weakly back onto the nearest seat, clutching at her chest and gasping for breath, as the rest of the school shouted out in relief. As the Gryffindor players all landed together and surrounded the figures of Nott and Ginny, Professor McGonagall staggered up again and ran onto the pitch to join them.

'Never have I seen such an act of courage, Nott!' she said to the boy, who was now lowering Ginny to the grass, where Ron and the others were waiting. 'One hundred points to Slytherin!'

Normally this sort of award would have produced outrage in much of the rest of the school, but Harry could only feel deep gratitude and relief. Judging by the cheers that greeted her announcement, the rest of the school felt much the same. Ginny was now stirring weakly, as Ron grabbed her in a desperate hug, and Harry could hardly believe she was unharmed. At that moment, he decided that whatever the danger in becoming involved with a girl, that if Ginny returned his feelings, he could not stand the thought of not being with her any longer.

Harry walked up to Theodore Nott, who looked warily back at him, still panting from his efforts. Harry couldn't find the words, so he just grabbed the other boy's hand and wrung it silently, grinning. Then he turned to Ginny, who was now sitting up, telling Ron that she was feeling alright now.

'Ginny,' Harry began, and then stopped again. He gazed at her, still white faced with the shock he had had when he saw her falling to the ground like that. Her hair was wild and sweat streaked, and her robes were dishevelled and dusty, but Harry thought that she had never looked more beautiful. She smiled a little wanly up at him, saying 'It's alright Harry, I'm fine.' Suddenly he found that the words just poured out of him in an unstoppable flood.

'Oh Ginny, I thought you were dead. All I could think of when I saw you falling was how I'd wasted all the time I could have been spending with you. I don't know if you might feel the same about me, but I love you Ginny. I never realised how much until I thought I'd lost you. Please say you'll be my girlfriend,' he said, ignoring the shocked gasps from Ron and anyone else still within earshot.

Ginny gaped back at him. Her face flushed suddenly with colour, and she opened and shut her mouth a few times, but no words came out. Suddenly she struggled free of Ron's arms, and got to her feet and stared at him, amazed.

'Harry, what took you so long! I've been longing for you to ask me out for years!' she gasped, and threw herself into his arms.

Harry hugged her, marvelling at the feel of her soft warm body against his. He ignored the cheers and whistles from the crowd at this very public embrace, and buried his face in her hair. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid as to ignore her for so long, and that it had taken nearly losing her forever to make him realise how he felt.

Then he was pulled roughly away from Ginny, and Ron was thumping him on the back, grinning madly.

'Way to go, Harry', he cried, as Harry caught sight of Hermione running onto the pitch to join them. 'Mum'll be thrilled, she's always wanted you in the family!' His face changed. 'Mind you, if you ever break her heart, I will have to kill you.'

Harry and Ginny both laughed, still holding hands tightly. 'Not much chance of that Ron,' said Harry, who couldn't believe how relaxed he felt, and how right this all felt. 'I'm never letting her go again!'

A drawling voice broke through his delighted feelings. It was like a shock of cold water on a hot day.

'Well, isn't this cosy?' It was of course, Draco Malfoy, with Crabbe and Goyle as always lurking on either side of him. They sniggered stupidly, then kept quiet as Malfoy shot an irritated glare at them.

'Sod off Malfoy,' Harry replied automatically. He couldn't really be bothered with Malfoy and his stupid taunts now, with Ginny snuggling into the crook of his arm and smiling up at him, her eyes soft and loving.

'It's Potty and the Weaslette now, I suppose', Malfoy sneered. 'Well, I suppose after hanging around with the Weasel here for so long, you know what sort of family you're getting into. They're all a disgrace to the good name of wizarding. Does she know what she's taking on though? That's what I'd like to know. You're hardly a good catch in spite of all the money - or perhaps that's why she's doing it. I expect all the money in their vault wouldn't fill a tiny corner of your fortune. She'll dump you once she's got your money, you know.'

Ginny flushed again, this time with rage. 'How dare you, Malfoy', she snapped. 'Just because you can't find a girlfriend at all, or anyone except these two goons to go around with.' Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles threateningly, but she ignored them. Her hair crackled angrily as she stared defiantly at the Slytherins.

Malfoy leaned forward, and Harry flinched in spite of himself. But Malfoy just grabbed at Harry's fringe, and he felt a sharp tug. Malfoy had pulled a few of Harry's hairs out. He angrily knocked Malfoy's hand aside and glared back at him.

'Just look at him, filthy, sweaty, and that stupid hairstyle - if you can call it that,' sneered Malfoy. 'Still, I suppose if you want to slum it with Potter it's your loss. Just remember me when he dumps you and you want a real man to show you things.' He made a big show of wiping his hands, and turned to stalk off.

'You, a man? That's the funniest thing I've heard all year', snarled Ron, trying to leap after Malfoy. This was made difficult by Hermione pulling on his arm and saying 'He's not worth it Ron, just ignore him.'

Harry looked after Malfoy, puzzled. Then Ginny tapped him on the shoulder, and said 'I think our victory feast will be ready by now, Harry', and smiled shyly up at him. As he gazed into her warm brown eyes, he forgot Malfoy and everything else in a rush of love for her. The world disappeared, and he bent and kissed her mouth, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He was only brought back to earth when Ron started making gagging noises, in spite of Hermione glaring at him.

'Alright Ron, you were just as bad when we started going out,' snapped Hermione. 'Come on though Harry, it's getting cold out here, and aren't you hungry?'

Harry smiled at Ginny, who smiled happily back, her eyes shining. 'Ok then, let's get some food,' he said. The four of them walked back to the castle, with Ginny still clinging tightly to Harry's side as if she never wanted to let him go.

Over the next few days, Harry felt as if he were walking on clouds. The mock NEWTs had started and were as hard and exhausting as they had expected. Even Ron had been seen revising hard in the common room. Their Polyjuice potion had been marked as Exceeds Expectations, although Professor Richards had been a bit distracted, and had been counting and recounting the bottles of potion for most of the lesson, muttering to himself. Gryffindor had been awarded with the Quidditch Cup, causing the Slytherins to glare furiously at the Gryffindor team and try to trip them up wherever they went. Harry felt he owed a huge debt to Theodore Nott, and made a point of being polite and friendly to him and the other Slytherins (except Malfoy, of course) when he could. Hermione was pleased about this, as the tension between the Houses seemed greater than ever.

But Harry hardly felt any of this. He was too busy being constantly amazed at how he had ever managed without Ginny by his side. They met up as often as possible, before and after school started, at lunchtime and at break, and even between lessons if it was at all possible. Harry suspected he was walking around with a stupid smile on his face much of the time, and Ron and Hermione spent a lot of time rolling their eyes at the pair of them. They held hands and kissed whenever they met, utterly ignoring the revolted looks on the younger students' faces when they came across them, and ignoring several warnings from teachers about kissing in the corridors. Harry knew that he still had to face Voldemort, and he knew Ginny might be in extra danger because she was with him, but whenever he saw her long red hair standing out from the crowds of students his heart turned over and he was unable to think of anything but how beautiful she was.

At last the mock NEWTs had been finished, and classes came to an end, as the Sixth Years waited anxiously for their results. Hermione drove everyone mad as usual, going over all the papers and constantly going to the staff room to ask the professors whether they thought she had done alright. Harry was eager to get his results, and appreciated the break from lessons, but he was mainly pleased because without any lessons to go to, he was able to wait for Ginny after every class and walk with her to the next one.

Malfoy, after his outburst on the Quidditch pitch, seemed to have gone very quiet. Sometimes they saw him at mealtimes, smirking malevolently at the four of them, but he seemed to be restraining himself from making any further comments.

It was a hot sunny afternoon a few days before the end of term, and Harry, Ron and Hermione were lying outside near the lake. An owl fluttered through the air, and landed just in front of Harry, looking at him expectantly as it held out its leg. Harry took the note and thanked the owl, which flew off again.

'It's from Ginny,' he said, feeling a foolish smile spreading over his face. 'Her last class of the day has been cancelled and she wants to meet up early. I'll see you two at supper!'

He got up and hurried up to the castle to change, as they had been flying earlier. Ron and Hermione looked after him tolerantly, then lay down again, holding hands.

Harry looked again at the note. It seemed to have been written in a hurry, and hardly looked like Ginny's handwriting. But it was clear enough, she had asked him to meet her behind Hagrid's hut, near the Forbidden Forest. A tingle of pleasure ran down Harry's spine. Perhaps they would be able to find a quiet spot to sit and kiss for a bit without any sniggering from Ron or the other students.

He was a bit surprised, when he arrived there, to find no Ginny. Perhaps her class hadn't finished, he thought, and sat down to wait, as Hagrid appeared to be out for the moment. Alex the Thestral wandered out of the Forest, sniffing hopefully at Harry's pockets.

'Sorry Alex, I haven't brought anything with me,' said Harry, feeling a bit guilty. He hadn't had much time to spend with the animal lately, what with meeting Ginny at every possible moment. 'Have you seen Ginny?' he asked hopefully. He wasn't sure how much Alex understood, but he seemed more intelligent than an ordinary horse would be.

The Thestral tossed his head, then trotted over to a patch of bushes at the edge of the Forest, nosing around the leaves, before neighing, and cantering away into the Forest. Harry sighed in disappointment. Perhaps they weren't as clever as he had thought. Then something caught his eye, and he looked closer. A thread or two of black material had got caught on the bushes. Harry looked at it, wondering. Had Ginny gone right into the Forest? But why would she do that when she had told him to wait there for her.

Harry stood and looked round uncertainly. Perhaps he ought to go back to the Castle and ask Ron and Hermione to help him look for Ginny. But if she had gone into the Forest, perhaps in search of a quiet spot like he had been hoping they would find, then all chance of some time alone with her would be gone, and she wouldn't be pleased if he dragged everyone around looking for her. His mind made up, Harry parted the bushes and saw a faint path leading into the Forest. He would just follow it a short way, then turn back if he didn't find her.

'Ginny!' he called, but there was no answer. He left the clearing and plunged into the Forest, and was soon following the twisty little path deeper into the trees. He called out a few times, but didn't hear any reply. He was just thinking he should give up and go back to Hagrid's hut when he saw another few threads of black, and continued onwards. For some reason he felt sure they were from Ginny's cloak, and that she had gone on ahead of him.

He continued on into the dim cool Forest. He knew that he was being stupid, that he should turn back and get help, but every time he thought of doing so, he spotted another black thread to show him someone, if not Ginny, had passed this way.

Suddenly he heard a noise from ahead of him. A sharp slap, as if someone had been hit, and a shriek of outrage, followed by a cry of pain. Harry shouted 'Ginny? Is that you?' and bolted towards the noise. He broke out of the trees into a small clearing, and saw an astonishing sight before him. Ginny was standing in the clearing, looking as furious as her mother could on occasion, and scarlet with rage and embarrassment. As he burst into the clearing she whipped round to face him, and her mouth opened in utter amazement.

'Harry? How can...? Then who's that?' she stammered, pointing. Harry looked, and saw a figure standing back, his hand clapped to his cheek, which showed a fiery red print from the slap he had heard. As the figure dropped his hand and looked back at Harry, he felt his mouth drop open. In the clearing with himself and Ginny stood ... Harry Potter. The same messy black hair, the same green eyes, looked back at him, from a face livid with triumph in spite of the red handprint.

'I don't understand,' gasped Ginny. 'You came to meet up after my Herbology class and said you had to show me something. You insisted we walked all this way through the Forest, then you just grabbed me and tried to kiss me. Then I find that, well, it wasn't you at all. Who on earth is it then?'

Harry felt a hot spurt of rage. Someone was masquerading as him, and had tried to kiss his girlfriend! He sprinted across the clearing and grabbed the other Harry Potter. The figure looked up at his furious face, and seemed to grow paler. In fact, even the hair was growing paler. In a very few minutes, all the colour had bleached away from the hair and eyes, and Harry found himself looking into the smirking face of ... Draco Malfoy.

'Told you I could show you a few things, Weaslette,' he grinned at Ginny, then felt his cheek again. 'You didn't seem to appreciate it much though.'

Harry was too angry for words. He drew back his fist, ready to pulverise the grinning face in front of him, but to his surprise Ginny stopped him.

'Wait a minute, Harry,' she said. 'I might join in and help you, but first I want to know what on earth he was doing, luring us both into the middle of the Forbidden Forest.'

A shiver ran through Harry as she said this. She was right, and in fact the most important thing was to get out of the Forest again before anything found them here. He grabbed her hand, letting go of Malfoy, who prudently dodged backwards, looking around him.

'Come on,' said Harry. 'Let's get out of here first, then we can pulverise him and get some answers. He turned towards the path they had entered on, but the way was blocked.

Three figures stood there. Three figures Harry knew all too well, and had never wanted to see again in his life.

'Oh no, Potter', came a vicious whisper. 'You aren't going to be going anywhere.'