The Awakening Power

* * *

As Harry opened his eyes, he noticed bright sunshine casting a glow on his curtains. He had been tossing and turning all night, dreading the onset of the morning. All he wanted to do was stay in bed and hide from the world. Why had he agreed to it? Horrible visions filled his head, but he knew it had to be done. He had given his word.

He would have to tune Malfoy's broom this morning.

Harry sighed as he rose up out of bed. Opening up his bed curtains, he noticed that Ron was waiting to go down with him. He felt a surge of gratitude; he really wanted someone with him when he went downstairs, although he wouldn't have admitted that out loud.

"Mornin', mate," Ron said, looking sympathetic. "Going to be a rough breakfast this morning."

"Yeah," Harry replied, nodding miserably.

He began getting dressed, feeling more and more anxious as the time approached. He pulled out his cleaning kit, wanting to make up some excuse for having lost it, but he knew Malfoy would never buy that. He took a deep breath, trying to build up his courage.

"Aw, it won't be so bad," Ron said supportively. "Maybe nobody will even notice that you're sitting over there."

A small kernel of hope grew in him... maybe he could put the hood of his robe over his head... no one would even know he was there... but then he remembered that part of the point was for everyone to see that he took his apology seriously. Harry groaned out loud. There was just no escape from the whole business, although diving out the Gryffindor Tower window was sounding very attractive about now.

He walked resignedly to the door with Ron, simultaneously wanting to run away and hide, and wanting to just get it over with. He plodded down the stairs with heavy feet and then saw something that brightened his morning considerably. Ginny was waiting with Hermione for him in the common room.

She smiled at him as he came into the room. It seemed like an eternity since she had smiled normally like that, and he barely held himself back from running over and embracing her tightly.

"Hi, Hermione... um... hi, Ginny," he said shyly, not completely certain that she was over her anger at him.

"Good morning, Harry. Hermione told me about what you're doing this morning," she said sympathetically. "It will be all right. We'll stand nearby so that you're not there all by yourself."

He wanted to tell her how much it meant to have her there with him, but couldn't find the words. "Thanks," he said, looking at her meaningfully.

She seemed to understand as she smiled at him again, and then reached over and gently stroked his arm, causing goose bumps to rise on Harry's skin, before pulling her hand back.

Harry swallowed, gazing into her eyes and feeling very emotional. He had missed her so much, and having her standing there in front of him was stirring some strong feelings that he wasn't quite certain what to do with. Harry then realized that Ron and Hermione were looking at them, and he turned away, embarrassed. Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice anything, or if they did, they decided not to show any reaction, to Harry's great relief.

They headed out the portrait hole, Harry's stomach dancing with nervousness. I'm just cleaning a broomstick, he thought, trying to pull himself together. What's the big deal anyway? I'll just tune the thing and leave. People will probably just look over and that'll be it.

Feeling a bit more emboldened, Harry entered the Great Hall with a confident expression, not wanting Malfoy to sense his nervousness. He had thought about eating breakfast first, but he really wasn't hungry, and just wanted to get the job over with as quickly as possible.

Spying Malfoy over at the Slytherin table, he approached with Ron, Hermione and Ginny following behind. He slowed as he got closer, a sinking feeling coming over him.

Malfoy had spread out a white, silk tablecloth on which he had placed his broom. A wide spot had been cleared in the middle of the table, from where the whole hall could get the best view. Most of the Slytherins were giving him identical smirks, as if they were part of some odd smirking cult.

"Ah, Potter. Good morning," Malfoy said, as he got up from the table with a giant smirk of his own. His eyes narrowed as he spotted Harry's friends behind him. "What are they doing here? I hope you don't think I or any other Slytherin is going to give permission for anyone else to sit with you at our table."

"I agreed to clean your broom, Malfoy," Harry said evenly. "If they decide to stand near me, it's none of your business."

Harry was already feeling irritation rising, but he forced it down, figuring that he just needed to bear it. Just get it over with, he thought grimly. Just get it over with...

"I can only imagine how much better my broom shall be when tuned by the great Harry Potter," Malfoy said loudly, causing several students at the other tables to turn their heads in curiosity. "Is there anything he can't do?"

Harry gritted his teeth as he sat at the table. He could see more and more students peering over as Malfoy stood behind him, crossing his arms. He opened up his tuning kit and spread the polish and tools neatly next to the broom. Most of the Slytherins at the table were laughing at him, although he noticed that Silsbee and Kelly, the two in his DA meetings, had carefully neutral expressions. Somehow even neutrality felt a little supportive to Harry.

"Now, Potter, I've noticed a bit of bristle drag. Make certain you do a proper job of trimming them," Malfoy said arrogantly, as if Harry was an incompetent slave that needed a good flogging.

Harry blew out a slow breath. It was going to be a long breakfast. He could see many students whispering in disbelief, and, glancing over at the teacher's table, he could see many of them having the same reaction.

He tried to ignore everything as he began tuning the broom. He noticed that Ron had started walking around to all the tables, talking to some of the students. Ron was gesturing toward him as he talked, so Harry figured he was explaining what was going on.

Hermione brought him some toast, which he nibbled on while he cleaned. Although he still wasn't all that hungry, it had come from the Gryffindor table, and so it felt like Gryffindor toast and was at least something a little more comfortable and familiar.

Many of the Slytherin girls appeared determined to make him as uncomfortable as possible as they winked at him or made air kisses. That seemed to end when he saw Ginny glaring at them, tapping her wand threateningly.

Harry finally finished tuning the broom and began the polishing. Ron peered over his shoulder and frowned. "It never looked that good when it was new," he said, shooting a look at Malfoy, as if he didn't deserve it.

Harry shrugged. "Might as well do the job right," he said.

As Harry was polishing the broom, Malfoy watched over his shoulder, making various snide comments. "You missed a spot there, Potter," he said haughtily, pointing at the broom. Harry sighed, trying not to listen.

Just then, a paper airplane landed in front of him with his name on it. Curious, he opened it up and read a short note. "Harry, see you at the next DA meeting, mate. Seamus and Dean." Harry glanced over and saw the two of them nodding at him with grins on their faces. Harry made a small wave back, feeling pleased by the gesture, which subtly implied they were at least still behind him.

While he was looking over, he saw Parvati waving her wand. A folded, paper bird flapped its wings and flew across the Great Hall, lightly landing in front of him. He opened it up and read the note. "Dear Harry, Malfoy is a git. Love, Parvati." He smiled over at her as well.

Two more airplanes took off from the Gryffindor table and landed in front of him, and then he saw another piece of paper scurrying along the ground, spider-like, toward him. It jumped up on the table and joined the other notes. He glanced over at Malfoy, who appeared extremely irritated with the charmed notes.

More and more paper airplanes, birds, spiders and various other magical ways of sending Harry notes were coming over. He then noticed that notes began traveling from the other tables... Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were sending support as well. Harry felt a bit stunned at all the gestures, although he suspected that many of the notes were primarily designed to annoy Malfoy, who was livid as he glared about the room.

To Harry's surprise, he noticed that a number of the Slytherins at the table gave him tiny nods when they thought Malfoy wasn't looking.

Finally Harry completed his task and rose from the table. He noticed Malfoy didn't appear particularly pleased with having his broom tuned and polished so well. Harry took the broom and thrust it into Malfoy's hands with a derisive expression.

"There. We're even, Malfoy," Harry said, feeling that the debt was paid and he didn't particularly need to be polite anymore.

"I hope you're planning on cleaning up this rubbish, Potter," Malfoy sneered scornfully at the large pile of notes, which had spilled onto the floor.

Harry said nothing as he conjured a bag and began packing away all his notes, wanting to read them all later. As he was reaching for one of the spider notes, however, it suddenly crawled across the table and stood up in front of Malfoy. Harry stopped, his hand still outstretched. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were standing behind him.

As they watched, large letters appeared on the paper, spelling out a variety of phrases. The note also spoke them in a loud, squeaky voice:

"Malfoy's face looks like the wrong end of a Blast-Ended Skrewt!

"Malfoy wears off-the-rack robes!

"Malfoy has the best position on the Quidditch team money can buy!

"Malfoy sleeps with a picture of Umbridge under his pillow!

"Malfoy goes to remedial Death Eater training!"

Loud laughter rose up from the students in the vicinity as more rude phrases appeared on the note, causing Malfoy to grow more and more angry. Finally he appeared to snap. He took his perfectly tuned, polished broom and began violently whacking the table, trying to hit the note. The paper successfully dodged several times, before finally succumbing to one mighty blow. Malfoy breathed heavily as he flashed a triumphant smile. Looking around, he noticed that many students were staring at him with stunned, amused expressions... and then he noticed that they weren't staring at him, they were staring at his broom...

Malfoy looked at his broom in horror, which now had bristles sticking out in many directions, appearing far worse than it had when Harry had started. Ron and Ginny were laughing hilariously, while Hermione was giggling uncontrollably. Harry just stared in shock, extremely amused, but trying to hide it. He somehow felt he shouldn't gloat too much, remembering why he was there in the first place.

Trying not to look too closely at Malfoy lest he start laughing with everyone else, Harry reached over and picked up the now dead note. There was no signature on it, so he wasn't certain who had sent it. He walked away from Malfoy over to his friends, a bit away from the Slytherin table.

"I wonder who sent this one?" he asked Ron. "That was a fair bit of magic."

Ron smirked, chuckles still escaping. "I do have the most brilliant girlfriend in the world, don't I?"

Harry looked at Hermione with shock, who was simultaneously snickering and blushing at the praise.

"Well, it was Ginny's idea and Ron did the phrases..." Hermione said, grinning. Harry laughed quietly, then did his best to paste a neutral expression on his face.

For once, Malfoy was silent as they all walked away, Harry carrying his bag of notes. He glanced over at the teacher's table and saw Dumbledore nod to him, giving him a very proud look.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Harry asked in a concerned voice.

Ginny nodded silently as they stood outside the door to the bathroom that housed the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. There was still a large sign on the door which said, "OUT OF ORDER."

They had met early Saturday morning for breakfast; Harry had felt very nervous about the whole thing, and watching her, she had seemed very guarded and silent. He could only imagine what was going through her head. He had picked up his Pensieve beforehand, retrieving it from Dumbledore's library and carrying it in a backpack. They also both had their brooms, so they would be able to fly back up the pipe.

Harry pushed open the door to the bathroom, and they moved inside. The bathroom looked about the same; cracked mirrors with cracked sinks to match. The doors to the stalls seemed even more damaged than they'd been last time. He walked around a little bit surveying the room for no particular reason, mostly to give themselves a little time to settle.

As Harry was about to walk over to the sink with the Chamber entrance, Moaning Myrtle suddenly burst out of her toilet, splashing water into the air and flooding the floor.

"Harry!" she said, tears streaming down her face. "You never come and visit me. And you promised to visit me, but you probably don't remember. Nobody ever remembers Myrtle. 'Oh, she's so awful, that Myrtle.' 'Why doesn't she go haunt somewhere else?' They think I don't hear it but I do," she said with a great sob.

Harry blinked at her, feeling a little guilty. "Erm, well, you know how it is... busy with schoolwork and such..."

Myrtle blubbered even louder. "I know how it is? You're just mocking me! The dead don't study schoolwork anymore... we just study death."

"Erm, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way... Um, how have you been?" Harry said, glancing at Ginny, who was fighting not to laugh.

"Oh, you don't really care," Myrtle said, more tears streaming down her face.

"No, no, I really want to know," Harry lied.

"Well," Myrtle said, sniffling. "Today, I was thinking about death. And yesterday, I was thinking about in what way I would die if I wasn't already dead."

"That's great," Harry said, blinking. "Well, we have a little, erm, business here... I'm certain you have some, erm, haunting to do..."

Myrtle howled in response, tears streaming down her face. "You're just like all the others! All the time, it's 'Go away, Myrtle,' and 'I hate you, Myrtle'... Just admit it! You hate me just like all the others. And to think I wanted to share my toilet with you!" She turned away, sobbing into her hands.

Ginny put her fist into her mouth, desperately trying to cover her snickers.

"I don't hate you!" Harry said desperately, feeling as if the situation was getting way out of hand. "In fact, erm, I was thinking that if I were to, erm, die today, this might be a good place to... haunt."

"Really?" Myrtle said, turning back around and looking hopeful. She continued in an excited voice. "Do you think you might die today?"

"Erm, one never knows, you know..." Harry said nervously. "I mean, I don't have firm plans or anything..."

"Oh," said Myrtle mournfully. "Well, I suppose I'll wait in my toilet for you, just in case. Good luck with your death." She sighed heavily and then oozed sadly into the bowl.

"My, you have admirers everywhere, don't you, Harry?" Ginny said teasingly.

Harry gave her a sour look, but then chuckled. Myrtle visiting had taken away some of the tension temporarily, but he could feel it growing again as he moved over to the sink.

He saw the snake symbol on the side of the copper tap. Harry took a deep breath and glanced at Ginny, who was biting her lip. He looked back at the tap and concentrated on it, imagining the serpent moving... "Open," he heard himself hiss in Parseltongue. The tap seemed to burn with a white fire as it spun around, and then the sink dropped out of sight, revealing a large pipe - the entrance to the Chamber.

Ginny shivered. "I'll never get used to you speaking Parseltongue. It's really... creepy."

They both peered down the hole, which faded away into darkness, then glanced up at each other, simultaneously swallowing.

"Well, I guess we're ready," Harry said nervously. "Hold tight to your broom. I'll go first."

Ginny nodded as he looked back to the hole. Harry took a deep breath, sat down on the edge, and then slid in. He fell down the pipe for seemingly miles, occasionally seeing smaller pipes fly past. He finally landed on the floor of a large, dark stone tunnel. He quickly moved out of the way, and seconds later, he heard Ginny join him as well.

"Lumos!" Harry said, casting light about the space. Ginny lit up her wand as well.

Looking over at her, he noticed she was covered in slime. "Nice look," Harry said, smiling, trying to lighten the mood.

She gave him a mock scowl, then chuckled. "You're looking a bit grungy yourself."

She pointed her wand at him and cast, "Scourgify!"

Harry felt the slime disappear from his body, leaving him feeling much better. She then cast it on herself.

"Thanks," he said. "I wish I'd known cleaning spells last time."

They left their brooms next to the pipe exit and began traveling down the corridor. Glancing over, he noticed that Ginny appeared extremely nervous. He reached over and took her hand, causing her to smile at him gratefully. Harry felt pleased that he'd managed to do something to make her feel a little better.

They reached the wall of broken rock from the cave-in four years ago. Harry could see the hole that Ron had made, but then figured he might as well open it up a little more. He took out his wand and levitated some stones, making the hole larger and easier for them to get through.

As they crossed over to the other side of the rock wall, Harry saw the remnants of the snake skin, but a lot of it had decomposed away. They continued walking, going around seemingly endless turns, finally reaching the entrance to the Chamber. Harry glanced over at Ginny, who was gazing with a sort of horrified fascination at the carved serpents with the huge emeralds for eyes.

She looked over at him, took a deep breath, and nodded. Harry gave her hand a squeeze, and then walked over to the doors.

"Open," Harry said in Parseltongue, a hissing emitting from his throat.

The stone doors slid open, disappearing into the walls and revealing the Chamber, not opened in nearly four years. A foul stench came flooding at them through the entrance, causing Harry to wrinkle his nose in disgust. The room was bathed in a greenish glow as they cautiously walked in, the light from their wands casting strange shadows from the columns.

Harry noticed that there were torches along the walls that he hadn't noticed last time. He decided that firelight would be better than the weird green glow.

"Wait here, I'll go and light the torches," Harry said. Ginny nodded nervously.

Harry walked around the room, casting a fire spell at each of the torches. Finally the room was lit much brighter, and they could see the entire space. It hadn't changed much; it still had the stone columns, covered with carved serpents, and an arched ceiling. At the end opposite the doors stood the tall, stone wizard statute. If anything, the room resembled a serpent cathedral. Harry was very grateful for the torches; the whole place seemed much less creepy without the odd, green shadows.

The biggest difference from last time was the enormous basilisk skeleton that stood in the center of the room. Ginny stared at it, as if it might still move. Harry tore his eyes away from the skeleton and looked about the room. He thought he should say something to help set Ginny's mind at ease, but no brilliant words came to him.

"All right, Ginny?" he asked, concerned.

Ginny swallowed and nodded. She walked over to the base of the wizard statue and looked down. "This is where I woke up."

She walked about the room for a long time, taking in the scene. Harry stood and watched, giving her space and privacy in her thoughts. Looking for something to do, he started casting fresh air spells, clearing out the musty, decomposed odors and replacing them with a clean smell. He chose a spot in the room for them to sit where the light was best, although still a bit dim, and then cleaned the dust and cobwebs.

"I-I think I'm ready to see it, Harry. If you're ready," she said shakily, coming up to him.

Harry turned to her and noticed that she was looking very unsteady. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Ginny. It's not too late to stop," he said.

"No, I want to. I need to. I need to see him die," she said, her voice a little stronger.

Harry nodded and put down his backpack. He conjured a thick blanket for them to sit on, spreading it out on the stone floor where he had cleaned. He pulled the Pensieve out and placed it carefully in the middle of the blanket. He sat down, and Ginny sat down beside him.

He had been trying to avoid thinking back on the whole events, but terrible memories started to fill his head. His hand shook a bit as he put the wand up to his forehead.

"Harry, wait - have you looked at this memory before, you know, at the Burrow? Any time before?" Ginny asked, with a concerned expression.

Harry shook his head slowly.

"Do you want to do this? If you're not up to it, we don't have to," said Ginny.

Harry glanced away. "I - I can do it. I want to do it. I want to help you - be at peace with this."

Ginny looked down and whispered, "Thank you."

Harry took a deep breath and again put the wand up to his forehead, more steadily. He extracted the memory and placed it into the Pensieve. They both watched the strange substance swirl about the basin for several long seconds. Harry touched his wand to the surface, and it spun around, forming the window into the memory.

They both glanced up and looked each other in the eye. Harry reached out and gripped Ginny's hands tightly. "I'll be with you, Ginny. It's just a memory. Are you ready?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. They both entered the window. Harry felt himself flipping head over heels through the icy coldness, and then landed on his feet beside Ginny.

Harry had started the memory off at the point right after the rock slide, figuring that it would give Ginny a little time to get settled, but skipped Lockhart, deciding that neither one of them needed to see him again, particularly with him wanting to leave her behind.

He saw himself standing in front of the rocks, yelling to Ron through the slide wall. Ginny looked between the memory-Harry and the real Harry, blinking at them. She appeared very nervous.

"I was pretty puny, huh?" Harry said with a small smile, hoping to ease the tension a little bit.

Ginny gave a weak smile in return, but didn't say anything. Harry reached over and took her hand. She gripped back tightly as they began following the memory-Harry, moving along the passage. They wound through the long, twisting tunnel, finally coming upon the Chamber doors.

Memory-Harry hissed the opening command in Parseltongue, causing the doors to slide into the wall, then crept slowly into the Chamber. He made his way to the end, then suddenly saw memory-Ginny, face down in front of the statue. He ran over and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Ginny!" memory-Harry said. "Ginny - don't be dead - please don't be dead -" Dropping his wand, he turned over memory-Ginny and began shaking her desperately. "Ginny, please wake up."

"She won't wake," said Tom Riddle.

The real Ginny's hand gripped Harry's hand tightly, and then she reached over and clutched at his arm with her other hand.

"It's all right, Ginny," Harry whispered to her. "Remember, it's only a memory. He can't hurt you anymore."

Ginny swallowed and nodded, looking at Riddle wide-eyed with fear as the memory-Harry and Riddle began talking. Riddle told him he was a memory, then memory-Harry asked him for help in getting them out of the Chamber. Ginny watched with horror as the scene played out.

"How did Ginny get like this?" Memory-Harry asked.

"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" said Memory-Harry.

"The diary," said Riddle. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes - how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her..."

Harry noticed that Ginny blushed crimson at this. Riddle continued telling the story, explaining how he had used Ginny to grow stronger, and how Ginny began to suspect that Tom was using her for the attacks. Tears began to stream down Ginny's face as she listened to him. Harry squeezed her hand. "It's all right, Ginny," he whispered to her.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," Riddle continued. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it..."

Riddle explained his desire to meet Harry, and how he had framed Hagrid. As he began this part of the scene, Ginny loosened her grip on Harry's arm, but kept holding his hand.

"Please don't let go, Harry, please done let go... I need to do this... I promised myself I would..." she said desperately, tears coursing down her face. She appeared terrified as she squeezed Harry's hand in a death grip and slowly moved away from him - toward Riddle.

Riddle began talking about Dumbledore's suspicions as Ginny inched closer, moving incredibly slowly. She was five feet away, squeezing Harry's hand even tighter, when she took a deep breath and walked the rest of the way, right up to him.

"...She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked," Riddle continued. "What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back..."

Ginny looked extremely angry as she faced him, looking him straight in the eye. "Bastard," she whispered.

As Riddle asked about Harry and Voldemort, Ginny moved around him, still holding Harry's hand tightly. Riddle began writing his name into the air with Harry's wand, Ginny watching him closely. Harry could see her growing stronger, conquering her fear, as her anger seemed to grow. She listened to memory-Harry and Riddle argue about Dumbledore.

Suddenly they heard the Phoenix music filling the Chamber, everyone looking around the room. The music grew in pitch, then Fawkes appeared in the chamber, dropping the hat at memory-Harry's feet, then landing on his shoulder. Ginny looked on with fascination, seeming to grow more interested in the events unfolding.

"...Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," memory-Harry said, extremely angry. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul..."

The real Harry noticed with embarrassment that Ginny was giving memory-Harry a very proud look at this.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..."

Riddle began walking toward the stone statue, causing Harry to abruptly remember what came out of that. A thought hit him. "Erm, Ginny, do you think a memory basilisk can hurt us?" he said, a chill going down his spine.

Ginny looked at him, her eyes growing wide. "I - I don't know."

"Maybe we better not take any chances," Harry said slowly, as he led her away from the main action. "Let's wait for Fawkes to blind it."

They moved against the wall, turning their eyes away. Harry heard the giant snake beginning to slither out of the statue. Ginny squeezed his hand tighter. He heard Riddle hissing at the snake to kill Harry in Parseltongue, then heard Fawkes fighting it. The basilisk made a loud hissing scream.

"No!" Riddle screamed. "Leave the bird! Leave the bird! The boy is behind you. You can still smell him. Kill him!"

Harry turned back around, Ginny following a second later. She audibly gasped seeing memory-Harry next to the enormous basilisk, which was thrashing about wildly. She gripped Harry's arm again.

The tail swept the sorting hat into the air, falling into memory-Harry's arms. He put the hat on his head, and a moment later staggered as if something hit him. Memory-Harry pulled the sword out of the hat...

Riddle was still screaming at the serpent as memory-Harry dodged several times. He raised the sword in both hands as the basilisk lunged at him... the real Ginny gave an involuntary scream... and memory-Harry extended his entire body and drove the sword into the basilisk's mouth. The serpent seemed to shudder for a few seconds, then fell over onto the floor with a huge thud. Memory-Harry slid down the wall, pulling the fang from his arm.

Ginny slowly turned to the real Harry, her jaw hanging open as she stared at him in awed disbelief. Harry glanced away, very embarrassed, feeling as if the whole thing had been pretty lucky.

They turned back to the scene, watching Fawkes give Harry the healing tears. Ginny walked back closer, still holding Harry's hand. As Riddle realized that the bird was curing Harry, he looked at him grimly.

"But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter... you and me..."

As Riddle raised the wand, Fawkes dropped the diary into memory-Harry's lap. After a split second pause, memory-Harry stabbed the fang into the center of the book. Ink began flooding out of the pages, causing Riddle to twist and scream, flailing his arms. Harry felt Ginny squeeze his hand tightly and heard her suck in an angry breath.

"DIE YOU BLOODY BASTARD!" Ginny screamed, her entire body taught with tension as years of pent up emotion burst out of her. She continued to scream until her voice grew hoarse, as she watched Riddle fade away.

Harry decided to end the memory at this point. He felt the icy, flipping sensation as they left the Pensieve, and then found himself sitting next to Ginny, back in the Chamber.

Ginny sobbed, her whole body shaking with tears. Harry watched her, feeling stricken and pained, wanting to comfort her, but not certain what to do. Finally he opened his arms tentatively. "Ginny, can I...?"

Ginny looked up and threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his shoulder. Harry embraced her back tightly, rocking her slightly. "It's all right, Ginny. He's gone."

He rocked her for some time, trying to say things he thought would be soothing. Finally she started to calm down, as she relaxed and let Harry support her weight on his shoulder.

"Oh, Harry, I knew what you went through was bad, but I... never thought it was that bad," she said, sniffling. After a long pause, she said, "He's really gone, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's gone," said Harry quietly.

They sat silently for a long time, Harry holding her closely, gently stroking her back. His feelings for her had been a jumbled mess lately, but sitting and comforting her felt so natural to him.

Ginny turned her face up to his and looked into his eyes. She whispered, "Thank you so much for this, Harry. It's helped me more than you can know." Her face was very close.

Harry gazed into her soft, brown eyes, the drying tears giving them a gleam in the low light of the Chamber. His breathing grew labored and heart began thudding. Her lips parted slightly, and he could feel her breath on his face.

He slowly leaned in and touched his lips to hers.

The world fell away as he grew a bit dizzy; his whole concentration was focused on the pleasure of feeling her soft lips moving on his. His fingers pushed and slid across her back as he pulled her tighter, a well of passion rising up in him. The pressure seemed to trigger something in her as well as she pushed back fervently.

They broke away for a second, looking into each other's eyes, and then both came back together, kissing more urgently. He felt Ginny's tongue on his lips; feeling incredibly sensual as the kiss deepened. Harry hands explored her back, amazed at how soft she felt; she seemed almost boneless in his arms.

Ginny bumped into his glasses; she pulled back slightly with a smile and gently pulled them off his head, placing them to the side. The simple gesture felt very personal to Harry, as if something that only she should be allowed to do.

They continued kissing for several minutes, her hands roaming across his back. Harry's brain was frozen, all of his senses were attuned only to her.

They finally broke away breathlessly, looking at each other as if they couldn't quite believe what was happening. Harry felt a sudden stab of shyness; he felt very confused as to why after all the kissing they had just done.

He had an urge to touch her hair... he started to reach out, but stopped, not certain if he should. Ginny smiled at him, and then gently took his hand, closed her eyes, and cradled it against her head.

Harry stroked her hair, feeling how soft it was. "Your hair is... pretty," he whispered awkwardly. He felt her head and ear under his hand.

Ginny opened her eyes, swallowing emotionally. She reached up and felt Harry's face, gently running her fingers along his head, his nose, his mouth, tracing the contours. It was one of the most wonderful things Harry had ever felt in his life, stirring deep feelings in him.

"You've been touched so little in your life, haven't you?" Ginny whispered.

Harry turned away a little, embarrassed by how much he was enjoying being touched, but Ginny turned his head back to her, smiling.

"It's all right, Harry. You shouldn't have to live like that anymore," Ginny said, and pulled Harry closer to her, embracing him tightly. Harry buried his head into her shoulder, embracing her back, while Ginny stroked his hair. As they held each other, images of battling Riddle and the basilisk started ringing through his head, reminding him of all the fighting he had done and all the fighting still to come.

"I... I wish..." Harry started.

"Tell me..." Ginny whispered.

"I wish we could just stay here, and never have to go back, and... and... I wouldn't have to fight anymore..." Harry whispered.

"I know," Ginny said soothingly.

"I mean... I want to do the right thing... I want to defeat him... but..." Harry said.

"You'll come through it, Harry. You always do," she said, her words somehow giving him strength.

"What if I'm not good enough?" Harry said, barely audible.

"You will be. You're so strong," she whispered back.

They continued to hold each other, gently rocking back and forth. Harry wasn't certain anymore who was comforting whom; they both seemed to draw from each other as they sat on the thick blanket.

Harry had never felt as connected to someone as he felt sitting with her, time seeming to slow down and stop. He had always been alone; he had never had anything to compare this to, but at that moment it all felt... right. As foreign as it was to hold someone and be held, he felt whole and complete.

For a long time they just held each other, Harry cherishing the moment. Finally Ginny reached over and took his hand in hers. Harry felt goose pimples rise on his skin as she began stroking the top of his hand with her other hand, drawing patterns with her finger tip. After several minutes, she picked up his hand and began slowly kissing his palm. Harry closed his eyes, a shiver going down his spine...

Ginny moved away slightly, then began kissing his cheek. Harry's breath caught as she planted small, slow kisses across his face, moving toward his ear. He felt himself growing very heated as she slowly kissed his ear... Harry involuntarily pulled her closer, one hand moving to her head, her hair feeling very silky. He could feel and hear her breathing, she was so excitingly close... then she suddenly she bit his ear, causing him to gasp.

"Url... Ginny..." Harry breathed, making a guttural noise. He could feel her chest vibrate as she let out a rather wicked snicker.

His reaction spurred her on as she began kissing his ear again. She then whispered, "Please... Harry... say my name like that..."

"Ginny..." he said, his voice quavering as she kissed him harder each time he said her name. She moved to his neck, kissing behind his ear and moving down to the base of his neck and his shoulder. Harry closed his eyes again... everything she was doing was driving him mad...

Harry felt a need to give back some of what he was getting, so he pushed her away, and firmly pulled her neck to him, and began kissing it as well, as she tilted her head back, giving him better access. He heard her suck in short breaths as he experimented with planting kisses in different spots, while he stroked the other side of her face with his hand. Remembering how it felt when she bit his ear, he bit her neck gently, causing her to shudder.

"Oh... Harry..." she said breathlessly, clutching at his back and pulling him closer. He could feel her fingernails of one hand tracing a line down his spine, as her other hand traveled to his head, her fingers running through his hair and drawing his head closer to her neck.

Harry barely noticed as they fell back onto the blanket on the floor of the chamber, Ginny's head resting on Harry's arm. He kissed a line back to her mouth, and she met him readily, as an almost desperate need seemed to fill them both.

Ginny stretched her body alongside him, raking her fingers across his back, pulling him to her tightly, as they kissed harder... Harry stroked her arm and shoulder with his free hand, trying vaguely to keep it in safe places...

Suddenly Ginny rolled him over, her face over his as she gazed at him with a very intense look, sending a chill down Harry's spine. She started kissing his neck again, stroking his chest with her hand as Harry held her head, his hands burying themselves in her hair. Her entire body was pressed along his side...

Ginny ran her hand from his chest to his stomach and back again, sending an electric thrill through his body. Harry moved his hand down her back and over her hip, causing Ginny to make a low moan and kiss him even more fervently. The sound triggered some primal, indecent part of Harry's brain as he pulled her to him more tightly... his hand moved to her lower back, shock filling him as he felt soft skin where her shirt had pulled up... a desperate, physical need filled him as his body yearned for more...

Harry was starting to feel swept away by all the intense, new feelings... a vague thought rose in his mind... if things didn't slow down, he wasn't quite certain where it was all going to end up...

"Ginny," he breathlessly whispered in her ear. "Ginny... we... er, I need to stop."

Ginny slowed down, her breathing ragged. "Um... yes... m-maybe that would be best." She rested her head on his chest, letting herself calm down. "Er... wow. Just... wow."

"Yeah," Harry said, breathing heavily and his heart racing. There didn't seem to be words for what had just happened.

A few minutes later, she slowly rolled off, propping her head up on her hand as she smiled at him. She began tracing his face with her fingers again; Harry didn't think he'd ever get tired of her doing that. He felt her slowly trace the outline of his scar, the touch feeling incredibly personal and intimate, stirring the deepest emotion yet.

She looked at him slyly. "Well, Mr. Potter, I must say that this was quite worth the wait, although you certainly created some... anticipation, as you may have noticed."

Harry felt embarrassed, but grinned sheepishly. "Erm, sorry for... taking so long."

Ginny smiled at him, her gaze lingering as she looked into his eyes. Harry felt if she looked at him like that much longer, he might lose control again. Ginny's breath caught as if she had the same thought, and tore her eyes away. She glanced around the room and abruptly started laughing.

"What's funny?" Harry asked.

"Look at where we are, Harry. We're snogging in a secret chamber created by Salazar Slytherin with a decomposed basilisk that you killed with the Sword of Gryffindor. Who else but you can show a girl a time like this? Is anything ever simple for you?"

Harry laughed despite himself. "Guess not."

Ginny smiled at him mirthfully. "I wouldn't have it any other way," she said and gave him another passionate kiss. "I have to say, you've managed to purge the memories of this place nicely. But next time I think a different place might be in order."

Hearing her say 'next time' somehow made the full impact of what had just happened hit him. What was their relationship now? It had just appeared to reach a whole new scary level. He felt deeply tied to her emotionally now; he wasn't certain he could bear it if she wasn't as serious as he was.

He must have had a look on his face because Ginny suddenly appeared stricken. "Oh God, Harry. I guess I shouldn't assume... you weren't thinking this was a mistake just now... were you?"

Harry felt shocked as he rose and sat up. "No!" he said, almost shouting. "No... I was just... I guess..." His shyness seemed to come back of its own accord. "I guess I was wondering what we were now. I... I... Ginny... erm... this meant... a lot to me. I was just hoping that... it meant... a lot to you, too."

Ginny sat up as well as she looked at him like he'd lost his mind, a combination of anger and pity. "Great Merlin, Harry, you really are a clueless prat."

Harry blinked his eyes. "What?"

"I had a crush on you when I was ten bloody years old! I gave up when I thought you'd never return my feelings. You seemed to show some interest over the summer, and, against my better judgment, I actually let myself have feelings again. And then I waited another nine bloody months! And you think this might be some casual thing to me? If this is some casual thing to you, I'll hunt you down and rip the bloody head off your body!" she said, her eyes flashing frighteningly.

"No... no..." Harry said quickly, looking downright panicky. He then smiled shyly and chuckled. "And then I suppose your brothers would carve up what was left."

Ginny laughed. "Yes, they would, so I suggest you not break my heart."

"And if you break mine... who will defend my honor?" Harry asked, feeling silly.

Ginny smirked. "Perhaps Professor Melanadray..."

Harry's smile fell as he felt a lot of heat rising up in his face. "Uh... she's just... you... heard about that?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Heard about what, exactly?"

Harry tried to fight it down, but even more of a betraying blush was coming to his face.

Ginny looked at Harry, suspicious at his silence. "Let's just say I've heard that someone gets a lot of attention in that class, and that someone has been very helpful to the Professor. And the way she was looking at you while you were both dancing was very... odd. I don't have anything to worry about there, do I, Mr. Potter?"

"No! Of course not... she's..."

Ginny looked at him with a mock scowl. "She's what!? Exactly what do you think of the Professor?"

"She's... she's... she's really... ugly?" Harry said tentatively.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him. "And...?"

"An awful personality, really," Harry said, hoping he was on the right track.

"And...?"

"Old. Terribly old. Far too old," he said.

Ginny nodded. "Right. Exactly right," she said, and then burst out laughing, Harry joining her.

They continued to chuckle as a reflective silence fell between them. Harry began wondering what his feelings were... The last week or so since the Ball had been one of the worst weeks of his life, but it had somehow ended with one of the best days of his life. He felt so much emotion at the moment... now that things were out in the open, he realized that it had all been building for a long time.

Harry glanced at Ginny, who also looked lost in thought. Do I love her? he wondered to himself. How can anyone know that? All he knew was that she was extremely important to him.

His thoughts drifted elsewhere... Ginny bringing up Melanadray made him wonder about his future again. He had a thought... it felt so personal, but he found that he wanted to share it with her.

"Ginny?" he asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" she replied.

"Have you ever wanted to... travel?" he asked.

She looked at him curiously, but then oddly appeared a little guarded. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason... well, I guess I was thinking a while back... that... I'd like to travel someday. I guess that sounds a little silly," he said, gazing down and poking at the blanket nervously.

"No, I don't think it's silly at all," she said, and then paused, glancing away shyly. "In fact... er, I've never told anyone this before, but..." She trailed off.

"Tell me, please," Harry said eagerly, wanting to know something personal about her, too.

"Well, after our trip to Egypt, I had been thinking that after Hogwarts... I would get a job and save up some money... and maybe do some traveling. I suppose I was afraid that people would laugh, since we've always been so tight on money..." she said, embarrassed.

"Where do you want to go?" Harry asked excitedly.

Ginny smiled, looking encouraged. "Well, I definitely want to visit Charlie in Romania, and Bill again in Egypt... maybe that big wizard village in Salem, in the States... and supposedly there's this fantastic wizard village in Greece."

Harry nodded. All those places sounded wonderful to him, although her mentioning Greece made him a bit nervous.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked.

"I-I'm not certain. I know that makes no sense," Harry said. "But... I guess I just want to see other things, to be able to do what I want."

Ginny nodded with a compassionate smile. "That makes perfect sense."

"But... the whole idea seems so... far away," Harry said, thoughts of the prophecy rising in his head.

Ginny reached over and squeezed Harry's hand. "You will go someday, Harry. You'll have your whole life to do whatever you want."

Harry nodded, her assurance making him feel a little better. He looked at her, meeting her eyes. An image rose in his head as he wondered if... someday...

He swallowed, wanting to ask her, but unable to voice the thought directly. He glanced down again at the blanket again nervously, some heat rising in his face. "Maybe... someday... you and I will be traveling... and we'll, er, meet somewhere..."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you asking me to travel with you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry blushed even deeper. "Erm... I mean, well, someday, we, erm..."

Ginny crossed her arms, looking at him appraisingly. "And exactly what sort of... accommodations did you have in mind?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "N-not like that... I mean, whatever you think is... erm, appropriate... separate rooms, of course..."

Ginny snickered, then started laughing loudly. Harry realized that she was teasing him. Impulsively, he decided to tease back a little bit. "Of course, single rooms are less expensive," he said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Harry!" Ginny said, shocked, and then laughed again, realizing that he was teasing her, too. She smiled at him mischievously. "Well, we'll just have to see what's available at the inn, won't we?"

Harry's heart began thudding nervously at that thrilling thought... that there might be some possibility of... He swallowed, putting the thought aside and locking it away somewhere safe.

A feeling rose up within him, one that he hadn't felt very much recently. A feeling of hope... that maybe, one day, there really was a life after all this... perhaps... someday, he wouldn't have death hanging over his head, and he would enjoy life like any normal person.

He looked at Ginny again, her eyes bright and full of laughter from their teasing. Memories of the past year floated into his head... laughing with her over the summer, her support of him with Sirius, chasing her on his broom... his heart felt full when he was with her. Ginny gave him hope.

Harry decided that, whatever it was that he felt, love was a good word for it. He slowly leaned over and kissed her again.