Without Wand or Wire

With a cry of alarm, Ron followed after Hermione into the Mirror or Erised, Ginny and Draco following soon after. But when Snape, Minerva, and Poppy, who were closer to the Mirror of Raef, tried to follow suit with that Mirror, they found the surface to be hard glass. They rushed over to Erised, and found it to be likewise impassable. Fae seemed unconcerned as she dragged Petunia's unconscious form into a corner. Dumbledore seemed likewise worry-free as he watched all with keen interest.

"Did ... did they just walk into Potter's head??" Snape asked no one in particular.

"Looks like," Fae replied casually, as if such a happening were no more unusual than a stroll in the park. "Harry said earlier that Pansy's spirit had left her mind through the Mirror and came out here -- even touched Draco! Seems t' me that the effect ought to be two-way, 'ey?"

"Albus! How are we going to get them out again??" Minerva demanded.

"I dare say the Mirror will release them when their task is done. There's nothing for us to do but wait."

That wasn't good enough for Snape. He tried to reach into the miasma, but quickly withdrew his hand from the burning cold. "Potter!" he called out; of course there was no reply. "Dammit, Potter, I know you can hear me, you little drama queen! You've always got to be the center of attention, haven't you? Maybe we should just leave you here, wallowing in this cloud of self-pity you have going!"

A flash of red streaked through the cloud.

From within the Mirror, Harry's friends could hear Snape. Eyes flashing and a snarl on his lips, Ron moved to walk back through the Mirror and give the wizard what-for.

Hermione stayed him. "No, Ron -- I think I know what he's doing. Leave him be -- we need you here."

"And where is here?" Draco asked, licking his lips nervously. "Are we really in Harry's head? Have we been .. I dunno, shrunk down or something?"

"I don't see as it really matters how this works, so long as it does," Ginny pointed out as she walked up to the gray-tinged Harry of Erised.

She intended to pass him and open the cupboard, but the Erised-Harry swept his hand before him, and Ginny found herself sliding backwards towards her companions. Draco caught and steadied her.

"Now what do we do?" Draco asked his companions. "It's going to take a bit of force to get past this guy, but if we hurt this Harry, will we be hurting the real one?"

Outside the Mirrors, Snape was still trying to get a rise out of Harry, hoping The Boy would snap out of it on his own. "Don't worry, Potter, let the adults handle everything. We'll go take care of the Dark Lord for you, shall we?"

This time a green light lit the cloud for a moment. The armor in the room began to rattle ominously.

"Don't like that idea, do you? Well maybe you should just come out of there and show me what you're made of!"

A flash of green and red again, and again, still weak, but gaining momentum.

"Maybe that's what we should try in here?" Hermione suggested. "Talk to this Harry, try get him angry?"

"Oh, sure, and he'll give us a first-class ticket back out the Mirror," Ron replied.

"Harry!" Ginny called out, hoping the boy in the cupboard could hear her. "Oi, Harry! Your friends are here -- come out and play!"

Nothing happened.

"Harry, why don't you help us instead of pushing us away?" Ron demanded, exasperated. "Do you want to drive yourself starkers?"

They could hear the sound of Harry singing again, but it was coming from behind them, either from the cloud or Raef.

"Wake me up inside!
Call my name and save me from the dark!
Bid my blood to run,
Before I come undone!
Save me from the nothing I've become!

"Bring me to life!"

"We're trying to, dammit!" Ron called out.

"Oh! I get it!" Hermione told them, staring back the way they'd come.

"Wonderful!" Ron replied with his usual sarcasm. "Mind filling us in, then? No hurry, I just love it here inside Harry's noggin; it's so bloody cheery."

Hermione huffed. "The Mirrors represent desires and fears, right? And we're in the one for desire, which means this is the side of Harry that hopes that locking up his emotions will keep the rest of us safe, and keep him from feeling any more pain! The other Harry, in the Mirror of Raef, is the Harry that fears locking himself up is the wrong choice, that he'll stop caring what happens to everyone and become dead inside. He's the one that was singing just now; we need to go to him! He'll let us into the cupboard!"

"Right, then." Ron moved to go back through the Mirror -- and found glass blocking his way. "It won't let us out!"

"Because this was our way in to this realm," Hermione guessed. "Our desire is to help Harry, and our fear is that we can't -- I think we wouldn't have been able to walk through Raef!"

"And has that all-knowing brain of yours figured out how we're going to get over there?" Draco asked through gritted teeth, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb to the other Mirror.

Hermione bit her lip. "...No."

Ginny had been scouting their surroundings a bit as the others discussed the situation. She would have lit her wand, but when she'd reached for it, she'd found it broken, probably from one of the times Harry had thrown them about. Going by feel, she found a wall, then followed it till she found a wall sconce with a torch. Remembering how the sconce had lit for her in the attic, she waved her hand by it, imagining it lit. Her new necklace and ring grew warm, the peridots within them shining brightly. The torch sprang to life -- and so did the torch in the next sconce, and the one after that, revealing a brick hallway, with a suit of armor on one side, and a tapesty on the other. It could have passed for a hall in Hogwarts. The jewelry cooled, and the gems lost their glow.

"Uh, guys? Let's give this way a shot, shall we?" Ginny suggested, gesturing to the hall she'd discovered.

Her other companions glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed. It seemed like the right thing to do. Frankly, they couldn't see how anything would surprise them anymore. New music came to them from the wireless, echoing down the hall.

I live at the end
of a five and a half-minute hallway,
but as far as I can see
you are still miles from me
in your doorway ...

The hall twisted and turned a lot, with a new suit of armor and a tapestry at each bend. Sometimes they reached a fork in their path; Ginny didn't even halt, but always took the way on the left. She didn't question why; it just felt right. It didn't take them long to notice that the tapestries were scenes from Harry's life, with large pieces missing from the fabric. The first tapestries seemed to be happy moments, but the scenes grew darker -- and also less cut-up -- as they went.

Then Ron had the presence of mind to take a good look at one of the suits of armor. Rather than seeing his own face reflected back at him, he could see a black cloud and, beyond it, the adults they had left outside of the world of the Mirrors. They were looking out through the suits of armor in the Room of Requirement! Excited, he showed his discovery to the others. Hermione gave a whoop and threw her arms around him. Laughing, he swung her in a circle, then set her down gently. Their eyes lingered on each other for a long moment, before Draco's voice brought them back to the situation at hand.

"So we're more than halfway there!" Draco remarked, still peering into the armor.

As if it simply liked being contrary, the wireless said,

But there's only so far I can go,
when you're living in a hallway that keeps growing
I think to myself
five more minutes and
I'll be there
inside your door,
but there's more to this story
than I'm letting on ...

Ignoring the silly thing, Ginny peaked around his shoulder and nodded, satisfied with her navigation skills. Not wasting another second, she led the way. It wasn't long, though, before she started to question her sense of direction. She found herself checking the armor more and more often, to make sure they were going the right way.

"We'll go looking for Pansy after this, won't we?" Draco asked, seeming edgy. "I mean, it's been so long already; do you ... do you think she's still alive?" he stopped, raising a hand to his brow, getting more agitated by the second. "What if ... what if the Dark Lord ... Oh, Merlin!" He fell back against one wall and slid to the floor, eyes wild and breathing erratic.

"Draco?" Hermione knelt beside him. "Draco, calm down! You're having a panic attack!"

"Of course I'm having a bloody panic attack! Aren't you scared?!"

"Hermione ..." Ron called her name weakly

"Hold on a minute Ron," she replied, her focus on Draco, "Of course I am, we all are, Draco, but we have to--"

"Gods, is it any wonder Potter's ended up like this?" Draco asked. "You haven't seen the Dark Lord first hand, have you? You've never had to look him in the eye!"

"No, I haven't, but I believe you and Harry when you say he's scary, Draco! I'm not questioning whether we should be afraid of You-Know-Who! The fact of the matter is, I am afraid of him, terrified even, but this isn't the time to be worrying--"

"H-Hermioneee!" Ron's voice cracked.

"What is it, Ro--"

Hermione Granger hadn't screamed so loudly and earnestly since facing Fluffy, back in her first year.

Ron would have liked to have screamed as loudly, even if he did sound like a girl while doing so. As it was, he was so terrified, nothing more was coming out of his throat. He couldn't move, either.

The acromantula staring at them with its eight beady eyes was easily as big as Aragog -- Ron thought it might even be bigger.

It might have been a small comfort that his companions were as petrified as Ron was -- if it hadn't mean that they, being closer, would simply be eaten first. The sight of its dripping mandibles hovering over his baby sister broke Ron free of his fear. He didn't even try for his wand, as he cried -- no, sang, in a voice so booming it made himself jump,

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

The golden light burst forth from him again, this time looking for all the world like his very soul was leaving his body. But the essence of light that stood before him now wasn't human-shaped at all: it was a lion -- and very large for its breed, at that!

Awed, Hermione stole a moment to look at Ron. The power still surrounded him, like a gust of warm air, lifting his hair into a fiery-looking mane. His head was bowed as if to charge, his shoulders back and legs firmly planted. His eyes smoldered under his brows, his teeth bared in a snarl. His bent fingers were curled like claws; he raised his right arm and made a slashing motion with it, roaring as he did so. His lion-Patronus copied the motion, its roar filling the hall, the echo deafening. As its claw passed through the acromantula, the creature shredded into tendrils of green smoke, which quickly evaporated. The lion, now that it was no longer needed, quickly followed suit.

No one moved for long seconds; each breath made, by anyone, was a shaky one.

"It's the Mirror of Raef that's doing this to us," Hermione finally offered, breaking the silence. Ron helped her to her feet, and they both lent a hand to Draco, who was so pale he seemed to glow, like a ghost.

"So is You-Know-Who going to jump out at us next?" Draco asked, laughing weakly.

"Let's not give him a chance to, 'ey?" Ron suggested, grabbing Hermione by the arm and resuming their quest, Ginny and Draco following close behind.

Finally, the hall opened into another vast room, a stair with a cupboard and the Raef-Harry waiting for them in the center, sitting on the floor, his back against the cupboard. Ginny brushed past her brother, hurrying to Harry's side and kneeling beside him. With the only light coming from the hall several feet away, it was hard to see him. The scars on his pale skin were dark, as if the wounds were fresh. His eyes seemed to be closed, and he was still as death. She reached out to touch him, and he slid sideways. It was then she noticed the dark substance glistening on the floor. Hand shaking, she touched it. It was sticky and cold, and smelled faintly of copper.

With a sob, she gathered him up into her ambrace, rocking his cold form, crying "No!" over and over.

"Ginny, remember where we are!" Hermione pleaded from beside her. "This is the place of our fears! What would we fear most right now but finding Harry dead? This isn't real!"

And suddenly Ginny could hear the wireless again, but not with her ears. It was the memory of the words the Mirrors had sung, just before she had stepped through the frame of Erised:

... leading you down into his core,
where he's become so numb ...
Without a soul ...
his spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,
until you find it there
and lead
it
back
home!

She looked at the cupboard door, remembering the little boy that had been locked inside. Was that what the Mirrors had meant? And then she remembered the song this Harry, the one lying in her arms now, had sung to them, calling from across the Mirrors ...

Wake me up inside!
Call my name and save me from the dark!
Bid my blood to run,
Before I come undone!
Save me from the nothing I've become!

Bring me to life!

Heart pounding, she got an idea. As if to tell her she was on the right track, her ring and necklace began to glow and burn. "Ron, hold him so I can get the cupboard open!" Ron didn't question, but quickly obliged.

Sure enough, inside the dark cupboard lie a young Harry, just as unmoving as his gray counterpart. She lifted the boy out, and lay him down over the other Harry. The small form sank into the larger, absorbed; the gray-Harry immediately seemed to get a bit of colour in his cheeks. But he still didn't wake up, and a look out the mirror showed that the black cloud around the real Harry was still occupying a great deal of the Room.

Ginny shared a frustrated look with her companions. They looked to Hermione, who gave them a "Why me?" sort of look back before she set to pacing, trying to think of an answer. There were no books here to help her, which, she reflected, was probably one of her worst fears. She stumbled at the thought. "We have to go back!"

Draco's glance said she'd clearly lost her marbles. "I thought that was a given?"

"No, no, not back out there," she tried to explain, pointing to the gathered adults waiting for them on the other side of the glass. "Back over there. To Erised. Don't you get it? I can't come up with an answer on how to help him because my fear is not being able to solve problems! Remember what the Mirrors said: 'Face your fears, and then leave them behind.' I think that partly means we have leave here before we can do any more! And we know we might lose Harry some day, so we've faced that possibility, that fear -- but we also refuse to lose him right now, so we need to leave here, and therefore leave the possibility of him dying here as well. We have to go back to where our desire -- Harry, alive -- will win out over our fears! When we get there, we'll know what to do to make him well again!"

Ginny nodded eagerly. "And the Mirrors also said 'his spirit's sleeping somewhere cold, until you find it there and lead it back home'! We found where Harry's soul was sleeping -- or part of it, anyway -- and now we have to join it with the rest of him!"

As if to verify the theory, another song started. Ginny thought it sounded like Harry singing -- not the one in the other Mirror, but the one right beside them, despite the fact that he seemed dead to the world.

If only I don't bend and break
I'll meet you on the other side
I'll meet you in the light
If only I don't suffocate
I'll meet you in the morning, when we wake...

Hermione smiled, her eyes lit with a fiery determination that both frightened the daylights out of Ron and made him love her all the more. He didn't need Erised to give him hope, when she smiled like that. As he gathered Harry's seemingly-lifeless form in his arms, he held on to the image of that smile in his mind, refusing to acknowlege how much Harry's death-like state terrified him. He just carried his best friend as if The Boy was the most precious thing in all existence -- well, next to Hermione.

It didn't seem to take as long, the trip back to Erised, and they found themselves more hopeful about their chances the further they got. Ron thought that the Raef-Harry was getting lass gray-tinged all the time, and even seemed to be breathing slightly.

And then they were back where they'd started.

Just as before, the Erised-Harry refused to allow them to approach, using his wandless magic to keep them away. But this time he spoke.

"Why are you all doing this?" he asked tiredly. "You know what I have to do -- how do you expect me to do it, if I'm made to feel? Do you think me a murderer? That I can take a life, just like that?" He snapped his fingers in emphasis. "If you do this, then nothing will stand in Voldemort's way! I'm the only one that can vanquish him, he must die by my hand, else he will kill me -- and then he'll kill everyone else or make them his slaves! Weren't you paying attention?"

Of course everyone looked to Hermione. She ignored their expectant gazes as she pondered Harry's words, remembering the whole of the prophecy. Finally she said, "Harry, have you noticed that the prophecy doesn't say you will murder V-Voldemort?"

He stared at her like she'd grown another head; so did her companions, for that matter. "Of course it does!" he snapped. Outside the Mirror, the black cloud crackled with red and green.

"No, it doesn't," she repeated firmly. "It only says that either he must die at your hand, or you must at his -- it doesn't say the nature of the death. Harry, for all you know, his death could end up being a complete accident -- and we just have to make sure that he doesn't kill you before that happens!"

He looked mildly amused. "That seems a bit far-fetched for you, Hermione."

She raise a brow. "Does it now? Tell me, you intend to burn Professor Quirrell, Harry?"

"...No?" he said, unsure of what she was getting at.

"And you certainly weren't trying to kill Voldemort as a baby, were you? But you pretty much did -- kill his body, anyway."

"Well, killing his body wasn't exactly good enough, now was it?" Harry pointed out.

"Well, the prophecy doesn't say you'll destroy him indefinitely, now does it?" she echoed, sounding more sure of herself than she felt and praying he couldn't see through her bravado. "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She paused a moment, as if remembering something, and shot Draco a curious glance, but then shook her head and continued. "For now, what I'm saying is that when the prophecy says he must die by your hand; for all we know, he could trip and impale himself on a sword you just happen to be holding!"

He looked a little dubious, but at least willing to listen now.

"And even if you do have to take a more active role in his demise ... Harry, would you call all the soldiers who fought the Nazis murderers? No. They killed to defend the lives of the innocent! If you don't kill Voldemort, Harry, you might as well kill me yourself, because you know that as a Muggle-born, I'll be on his hit list. You didn't have a problem killing the basilisk, or Tom Riddle via the diary, and I promise you that what Voldemort has become is no more human than they were! I know your desire is to have the strength of will you need to do what's right, but you don't need to lock your heart away to have that! Let your love for us be your strength! Let it give you drive, purpose! All things are two-sided, Harry. Love is a strength even as it's a weakness. Hope and fear go hand-in-hand; if you don't have fear, you don't have hope. You have nothing."

Understanding flooded the Erised-Harry's eyes, and as it did, the Raef-Harry in Ron's arms disappeared. The Erised-Harry was no longer entirely gray, but still seemed a bit washed-out. He turned to the cupboard behind him, and tried to open it.

The door didn't budge.

He turned back to his friends, looking nothing more than puzzled. "I don't remember how ..."

"How to what, Harry?" Ginny asked him, stepping closer. To her annoyance, the wireless started another tune. Oh bloody hell, not now!

"How to ... feel. I ... don't think there's anything left in there," he added, glancing back at the cupboard.

Ginny felt the ring and the pendant grew warm again, almost hot, as they began to glow. The light spread along her entire body, no longer seeming to come from the necklace, but from within her own skin! She itched all over, especially between her shoulder blades. When she looked down, she discovered that clothes had vanished, and found what resembled a strapless leotard covered in crimson and gold feathers in their place, leaving her legs, arms, and shoulder bare. The pendant had disappeared as well -- though the gem remained, embedded in her breastbone. The ring remained on her finger. She brought a hand to her face and found that her mouth and nose had remained "normal". The freckles on her arms had become spots of glittering gold, and she rightly assumed the freckles on the rest of her had changed similarly. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a wing, which she discovered would stretch and flex to her will, along with its twin. And she had tail-feathers! All her pinions flickered with an inner glow, giving the illusion that she was on fire, though she didn't feel any warmer than she might after lying in a sunbeam on a nice summer day.

When she looked back at the Erised-Harry, the wireless high-jacked her still-human mouth, not allowing her more than a moment to ponder her new state of being.

"There comes a time
when you face
the toughest of fights
Searchin' for a sign,
lost in the darkest of nights ..."

She continued to step closer. He backed away, as if part of him was still unwilling to give up protecting his memories from his own consciousness. And yet there was an odd yearning in his eyes too, as if another part of him were begging her to catch him.

"The wind blows so cold
Standing alone,
before the battle's begun,
deep in your soul
the future unfolds
as bright as the rays of the sun!"

Finally, he was backed against the wall of the cupboard door. She was only inches away.

"You've got to believe
in the power of love!
It gives meaning to each moment!
It's what our hearts--"

--she touched her left hand to her chest, and her right to his; light burst forth from where she lay her hands--

"--are all made of!
You've got to believe
in the power of love ...

And she kissed him.

Every joy and every grief he'd ever felt came rushing to the fore, as the mental dam he'd created in his mind finally broke. He staggered, as if the weight of flooding emotions were physical; Ginny kept him on his feet, her lips still pressed against his. His skin burned, tingled, every nerve dancing with electricity. It was like his first ride on a broom, like fighting the Horntail, like catching the Snitch, or winning the house cup -- everything that had ever made him feel alive! Her kiss was wine to a man dying of thirst; as he kissed her back, he wondered if he could ever drink his fill. And yet even as his body burned, waves of heat caressing him like the first rays of morning, he also felt as though he were being bathed in a soothing pool of moonlight, a sense of water sliding across his skin and washing away nearly his scars -- maybe even the ones under the surface as well. When the kiss ended, the only scar left visible to the eye was the one on his brow.

The Erised-Harry was no longer gray, but in full, living-colour.

And he knew Ginny now. He didnÂ’t just feel his own emotions again, he could feel hers, too! He felt her anger over what he'd done to himself. He felt her laughter, her confidence, her shyness, and, yes, even her arrogance. He knew her every sorrow and every joy. He felt her love for him, and finally realised it was far deeper than the simple childhood crush he'd always believed her feelings for him to be. He felt a wave of guilt for ever having brought her misery, and a fierce need to make amends. The seed of affection he'd always carried for her blossomed in a brilliance that matched what she felt for him -- though he didn't quite yet recognise it for what it was.

When they finally drew apart, Ginny's face glistened once again with the pearly tears that had saved him from his sword-wound. He took in her sparkling red and gold plumage and pinions with wonder-filled eyes; she was like an angel painted in Gryffindor colours.

"You're so beautiful!" he said, unknowingly speaking his thoughts aloud as he absently caressed her cheek. If it were biologically possible, he'd kick himself a thousand times for not having taken the time to get to know her beyond being "Ron's little sister" sooner.

Ginny blushed for a moment, then smiled wryly. "You say that now, but will you still love me when I'm an ordinary girl again?" As if on cue, the glow began to fade, her wings rapidly shrinking, and feathers quickly molting, while her shirt and jeans, as well as the gold phoenix pendant, re-materialised.

He laughed, a real laugh, and swept her into his arms, swinging her in a circle. "I'll always love you," he said into her hair, without even thinking about it. But as the words left his lips, he realised they were true -- and that his love for her hadn't started just now, when she'd kissed him. That seed had been there for a long time, lying dormant, just waiting for the cloud of his perpetual despair to disperse enough to let some of her light in.

Self-absorbed prat! he chastised himself. Just look what you've been missing all this time!

He set her down, gently, and found her staring at him in surprise, uncertain if she had heard him right. He stared back at her, and thought she really was every bit as beautiful to him now as she had been the moment before, when she'd had wings. Tears that he'd been waiting months to shed finally flowed freely down his face, changed from grief to joy.

He looked over her shoulder. Beyond the glass, he saw Snape holding the still form of his body, the other adults gathering around. The cloud was gone -- and so were all of the Flesh-And-Blood-Harry's scars, save the lightning one.

The music changed for him, as he turned back to her, beaming.

"I see the path
from this dark place!
I see my future!
Your forgiveness has set me free!
And I can see another way!
I can face another day!"

And as he kissed her again, it occurred to Ginny where they were: in Erised, the Mirror of Desire. She suddenly wondered if Harry's confession of love was born of his own heart -- or hers.

Embarrassed by the display, Draco turned away and poked his finger at the glass experimentally. It slid through with little resistance. "I think this means we can go now," Draco pointed out, curling his lip in disgust at the couple. Truth of the matter was, he was anxious to go find his own lady-love.

"So let's get the little Harry out of the cupboard and get going already!" Ron said, grinning, clearly pleased by the sudden turn of events -- and not, Hermione suspected, just because it meant Harry would be back among the "living".

She remembered his furtive glance towards Harry back during their most recent ride on the Hogwarts express, when Ron had told his sister to "choose better" when it came to selecting her next beau. ...

Harry laughed. "Don't need to," he informed them. The cupboard door swung open, revealing nothing inside. He tapped his noggin. "Everything's back where it belongs. See you all on the other side, then!"

Still grinning, Ron flashed him a thumbs-up and stepped through the glass, following Draco. Hermione followed quickly after, but Ginny lingered a moment, giving Harry one last, almost sad look, before stepping through as well, half wishing she could stay there forever.

Kreacher had tried several times to raise Narcissa Malfoy on his Communication Glass, but to no avail. He was about to give up, when he remembered a name the red-haired blood-traitor girl had spoken. He tried hailing that name, and this time, he was rewarded for his trouble.

"Hello?" came a raspy, wary voice, the haggard features of an otherwise-beautiful woman filling the small frame.

"This is Kreacher, loyal house-elf to the Black family!" he informed Bellatrix Lestrange.