Behind Emerald Eyes

"There's a hero, if you look inside your heart. You don't have to be afraid, I'm watching you. There's an answer if you reach into your soul. And the sorrow that you know will slowly melt away. Then a hero comes along, with the strength to carry on

And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive. So when you feel like hope is gone. Look inside you and be strong

Because you will finally see the truth. That a hero lies in you..." Hero by Mariah Carey." And no, I don't like Mariah Carey!

The Only One

It had been almost a whole day since Harry had left without a word on where he was going. It had been a day since she had looked into those eyes she had dreamed of for five years. Those eyes that made her weak at the knees and made her feel safe like no other could. It had been a day since she had touched him and kissed his tender lips. It had been a day since he left. And if felt like a year.

Over the years in which Harry had been missing, Ginny Weasley had been missing a part of herself. The last image she had of her dark-haired hero was on that fateful day nearly six years ago. She remembered walking out into the blood-soaked grounds and her breath had caught in her throat. There was so much death and destruction in place on what was once pure and alive.

She had walked out behind her brother and spotted their friend at the same time. He had been standing tall but broken, over the fallen body of their headmaster. His dark hair had framed his young face and his thin glasses had acted as a window into his defeated mind. She remembered thinking how powerful he looked from that point just out form the Great Doors. She remembered looking at him and realising how much she cared for him.

But then he looked over at her and she was still scared to this day, at what she saw. His eyes were dead. No longer sparkling green and containing that handsome charm; they were blank and only held pain and sadness. She could still feel the sorrow inside her at how he had looked. Covered in blood, both his and Voldemort's, he looked like he was on his last breath. The sword of Gryffindor was clamped in one hand, hanging by his side, covered in the dark blood of the Dark Lord.

And he looked out at her, with those cold eyes, and she understood the pain he was in.

But her own anger had risen and because of this, combined with the added fury of Ron and Hermione, Harry's eyes had flickered out. As she watched his bloodied head fall to the ground, where his mentor lay dead, she knew that he would never be the same again. Her heart had cracked as her hero had vanished, and that crack had deepened over the years, slowly becoming a break.

She had thought about that day over and over in her head for years. And finally, after months of dwelling on it, she had come to a decision. And she had acted on it.

Ginny had begun her search for Harry, going on basic instincts. She knew Harry would never travel out of London because that was the only home he had known. She also knew he would mask his magical signature and use as little magic as he could, so she had to track him down the muggle way.

Ginny had known Harry had wanted to be an Auror after Hogwarts, so she had checked all Auror branches for any knew recruitments, thinking he might have gained a new alias. After she discovered nothing, she looked through all the muggle police units in London and still coming across nothing, she was starting to give up. That was until she stumbled upon a small Security Agency, in charge of guarding buildings and such in London.

And as she had searched the lists, she had come across the name James Prongs. The name had stirred something in her, something she barely remembered. And as it had hit her, she immediately set out in search of her lost hero, determined to bring him home. And that was what she did.

So there Ginny sat, out the back of her life-long home, thinking about Harry Potter. The boy she had loved since the first time she had laid eyes on him. The boy who was capable of lifting any situation, good and bad, and turn into something worthwhile.

She felt arms wrap around her waist and a warm weight press into her back. She looked up into the glittering emerald eyes of the boy-who-lived. She smiled and noticed something in his eyes that was not there when he had left the day before. It was a familiar shimmer, one he had lost on that day five years ago, when he had lost all he cared for.

But it was back. She looked back a little further and spotted a man standing in the doorway, talking to her mother. She smiled and kissed her boyfriend passionately on the lips. She was glad the old Harry was back.

........................

Harry was sitting in the Weasley's Lounge Room, watching Remus Lupin chat to Mr Weasley. The man was still incredibly thin and looked like he had been ill for a long time. But the colour was returning to his cheeks and some of his worry lines had faded. But each time the aging man turned his eyes to Harry, he could see the deep pain inside them, a scar that would not fade. Each time Harry looked into his mentor's eyes, he would see the sorrow that was inside them and he would feel the guilt pressing down.

At least Remus's words of forgiveness had lessened the weight pressing upon him, it didn't make the guilt fade. It was still there haunting him, like an ever present symbol for the mistakes he had made.

But Harry loved being here with the people he cared for. He did not know how he had survived all those years by himself, without anyone to care for him or anyone to take him from the dark. He was left to his memories and the visions that flashed through his mind, scarring him eternally.

Harry as sitting in an armchair by the fire, just enjoying the soothing warmth from the flames and listening to the familiar talk of his friends. He spotted Ginny enter from upstairs and she made a beeline for him. Harry smiled and shifted over slightly to make room for her. She squeezed in next to him and placed her head beneath his chin while Harry idly ran his hand through her vibrant locks.

They spent the night in each other's company, loving the feeling of their bodies pressed together and remembering days that were so carefree. Ron and Hermione were sitting together on a couch opposite their own. Harry was watching them talk quietly and could not remember a time when they both looked so happy. Hermione was laughing softly, her brown curls bouncing and catching the firelight. Her dark eyes were glittering with a familiar shine, a thing Harry had almost forgotten.

Ron was smiling broadly, looking at the woman before him with utter devotion. His blue eyes were only set on the person beside him, as was his heart. Harry wondered about Luna, remembering Ginny saying that she and Ron had been together for almost a year.

"Hey, Ginny, I thought Ron and Luna were together?" Harry whispered into Ginny's ear. The red head was watching the two across from them as well, and she tilted her head up to meet with Harry's eyes.

"They broke up just before you arrived. It was a mutual decision," she said, smiling at the knowing look in Harry's emerald eyes. "Five Galleons they will be together by Thursday morning!" he said. Ginny's eyes flashed with certain glee and a sly smile spread across her lips.

"Deal!" she said, taking his hand and kissing it, while still smiling that sly grin. Harry was smiling goofily as he turned to his two best friends, to find they were watching him. He smiled broadly at them and drew Ginny closer. Hermione was smiling warmly, her brown eyes sparkling. Ron was smiling sternly but nodded in agreement, a blue twinkle in his loyal eyes.

............

"Hey, guys, you never told me what Draco Malfoy was doing, you got too caught up in explaining about the Death Eaters and such," Harry said the next morning. Ron looked at him blearily, yawning loudly. Ginny was helping her mother with breakfast while Hermione was reading a thick novel but looked up when he mentioned it.

"Oh, well," Ron looked around, as if looking for a hidden camera or microphone. "We told you about the Death Eaters, right?" When Harry nodded, he continued. "Well, he's gone under cover as a Death Eater for the Order and is slowly edging his way up the rank. He has been reporting to us what the new Dark Lord's plans are, but every time he meets with him, he keeps his hood pulled. Nobody has ever seen his face, except his most loyal servants."

"There's another Dark Lord?" Harry said mouth-hanging open. Ron nodded grimly. "It seems that way. We haven't had attacks like these and so much Death Eater activity since Voldemort. But his attacks are always quiet and never in the same place. It's as if he was looking for something or someone. It's really strange!" Ron said, eying Harry cautiously. This new news was quite terrible. Harry didn't think the attacks were that bad and now that he thought about it, the patterns of attacks and disappearances were just like Voldemort's in his second reign. He did not want to think about the possibility that Tom Riddle didn't really die. But it was impossible for him to be still alive. Harry had been the one to drive Gryffindor's sword through his cold heart and watched the monster's eyes flicker out.

No. There was no way that Voldemort was still alive. It must be a copycat or another wizard searching for power. "So, there still is an Order then?" Harry asked. He did not think that the Order would have continued after both Voldemort and Dumbledore died.

"Yes, there is. We've only hade a handful of meetings so far, just to catch up on news from Malfoy. There was going to be one tomorrow night, but Alastor was put in St Mungo's last week. He had heart troubles," Ginny said, seating herself beside Harry.

"Oh, so Moody was running it then?" he asked casually, though his insides were squirming with the familiar pangs of guilt. She nodded slowly. "Yeah, he has just been standing in until another, better leader can be found. Moody is too jumpy and cautious. We need someone like Dumbledore who can lead people and understands the danger, and knows what has to be done." She said her hazel eyes boring into him. But Harry was staring blankly at the wall, not really hearing what she said.

His mind was back on that day. He was watching the green lightning shoot from Voldemort's wand, heading for his heart. But then there was a sudden flash of white as Dumbledore pushed him out of the way. Harry watched Dumbledore be struck in the chest by the Killing Curse. He stared into the eyes of his mentor as the familiar twinkle vanished and the life fled from the man's frail body. Albus Dumbledore fell to the ground; his wand rolling from his hand to come to a stop at Voldemort's shining black shoes. With a quick stomp, the wand was snapped in two.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Harry looked across to Ginny who was staring at him with concerned eyes. He faked a smile. "Yes, I'm fine, Ginny." She didn't look convinced but didn't press the matter.

"So where is headquarters now?" he asked. "Same place," answered Ron, watching him cautiously. Harry nodded, thoughts flickering to number Twelve Grimmauld Place where he had spent most of his summer after fifth and sixth year. The house had been mostly cleaned and looked very different from its previous dark state. Harry briefly wondered who had been looking after it since his departure.

In Sirius' will, it had stated that until Harry was of age, Grimmauld Place would be used as Order Headquarters, but when Harry of age, it would fall to him. All his godfather's gold and possessions were left to him, even though he didn't want any of it. Almost all the gold was still hidden in a vault beneath Gringotts. That included his own Trust Fund and Family Vaults. It sat there collecting dust, until Harry found a use for it.

"You said the Order meeting was this Thursday?" he asked. When Ron nodded, he continued. "Would you mind if I tagged along, it's just, I want to know what's happening?" Harry asked, looking up at his friends. Hermione was smiling warmly, watching him with her bright brown eyes.

"Sure, Harry, that's fine. The reason we were holding this meeting was to make plans to stop the Death Eaters and find out who this new Dark Lord was. Maybe, with you there, it will give the members hope and something to look to. Because, Dumbledore was that person in the second and first war. He was always there to make the plans and comfort everyone if they needed it. And he was the one to bring hope and fight the evil. And with him gone, we have no one. Until now." She said, looking at him with that clever gaze.

Harry drew his eyebrows down and stared at her with an emerald fury. "I am not Dumbledore. I will never be Dumbledore-!" Ginny cut him off.

"We know you're not Dumbledore. You're Harry Potter. And you're all we have." She said, her hazel eyes shining with hope. Harry shook his head his bad mood dwindling away as he looked into Ginny's loving eyes. "But I don't know what to do!" he said truthfully. He was never good at making large plans and sending people out like army soldiers. He never wanted to be the one people looked for when evil made an appearance. All he wanted was to be a normal person. And when he finally got that chance, there was one other thing standing in his way of his dreams. One thing threatening to take away the ones he loved.

"But you do. You said you didn't know what you were going to do when you defeated Voldemort, but you did it. It's like second nature to you." Ron said, smiling slightly. Harry sighed. He didn't like the thought of being able to kill someone was second nature to him.

"But-!" he began, before Ginny once more cut him off, taking his hands in her own. "No, Harry. You're the only one who can help us. The only one who can lead the Wizarding world and defeat this Voldemort-copycat person. The only one we have." She said, pleading with her eyes. Harry sighed and nodded once. "Okay."

..............................

Hey everyone, another chapter done! Yay! Well, please review and tell me what you think. The next chapter is the order meeting and one thing that will change Harry's life around. Well, not really, but it's still something big!

Thanks to all my reviewers, you're all the best! Well, I'm going to go start the fifth chapter of Shattered Memories. Then maybe Fulfilment of the Prophecy, but I'm not sure.

DW