Harry Potter and the Last Horcrux

Chapter 1

It was a dark and quiet night in London. The street was not well lit because there were unusual things happening on this street every day. The Leaky Cauldron was on this street with a creaky sign over the door that was completely blank to any Muggle passersby. Inside, the bar was almost as deserted as the street outside. The only occupant was Tom, the owner and barman.

Harry Potter walked into the bar with a parcel in his arms. “Good evening, Mr. Potter,” Tom said as Harry walked in. “Can I get you anything?”

“I need a room for the night. If you’ve got one, of course,” Harry replied kindly.

“No problem, Harry. Ever since You-Know-Who came back to power, hardly anyone comes around anymore. I have almost decided to close my shop,” the barman said ruefully as he handed Harry a key. “Up the stairs, and it’s the first door on the left.”

“What do I owe you?” Harry asked, pulling money out of his pocket.

“You are just staying for one night?” Harry nodded. “Well, no charge. It’s not often I have celebrities staying here.”

“Thank you, Tom,” Harry replied as he started up the stairs. As he climbed, he began to here voices. That’s odd. Tom said he didn’t have anyone else here. Harry went to investigate.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he could tell that the voices were still far off, so he crept along the left side of the corridor until he was almost straight across from a door left partway open.

“No, Wormtail. We cannot afford to attempt such a feat, not yet. My followers still need to regain my trust before I would let anyone try something of such magnitude.” Harry recognized that voice immediately. He had lost count of the number of times he had heard that hissing dialect of English that came from Lord Voldemort’s mouth. Harry had been tracking him for a month, but that was the closest he had been to the Dark Lord in that time. Harry had already found and destroyed the six horcruxes that Voldemort had created. A horcrux was a part of a wizard’s soul left in an object. This object, while it remained a horcrux, kept the wizard from death, even if the wizard fell victim to the Avada Kedavra curse. However, the wizard that used a horcrux would be kept slightly alive, but without a body. Most wizard preferred death to a half-life as such.

“But my Lord, I could complete the task. You trust me, don’t you?” Wormtail squeaked.

“I do trust you, Wormtail, but I do not believe that you are gifted enough to complete this task. This task will require the greatest powers known to the wizarding world. Only I have those powers. I would not even have let Nagisha attempt this, for it must be completed successfully on the first attempt.” Nagisha was Voldemort’s pet snake, which had been killed by Harry just outside the building. Harry had killed her because she was the last Horcrux Voldemort had made. Voldemort possessed a rare talent: speaking Parseltongue, which meant he could talk to snakes.

“But my Lord—“ Wormtail started.

“Do not argue with me, Wormtail! My mind is made, and you will not change it!” This outburst caused Wormtail to cower before Voldemort. “Go now, and find Narcissa. We must talk about Draco’s service to me.”

At this, Harry jumped away from the door and raced to his own room. He had just entered his room and shut the door when Wormtail came barreling out of the door, followed ominously by a jet of purple light.

Chapter 2

When Harry woke the next morning, there was no sign of Voldemort or Wormtail. That was close. I am not ready for a fight with him yet. Nagisha had bitten Harry when he had killed her last night. Harry had been able to stop the poison from doing any harm, but his right arm, where the bite was, still was of no use to him. Harry was surprised that Voldemort would choose such a public place for his meetings.

Harry got dressed and went down to the pub. The room was as deserted as it was when he had come the previous night.

Tom stepped out from behind the bar and asked Harry, “Would you like some breakfast?”

“Yes, I would, Tom. By the way, are you sure that I was the only customer you had last night?” Harry replied as he chose a table.

“Yes, yes. You were most definitely the only person I saw. There wasn’t even anyone in Diagon Alley, either,” Tom responded stoically.

The way he answered was not lost on Harry. “Are you alright, Tom? You sound . . . different.”

“Of course I’m alright, Harry,” Tom replied as he sat Harry’s breakfast on the table. When Harry looked at Tom’s eyes, however, they were glazed over.

“Impedora!” Harry muttered. The jet of blue light hit Tom in the chest, and he went completely rigid. After a few moments, the barman started breathing and he almost fell over the chair he was leaning on.

“Ah, Harry! When did you come in?” Tom asked conversationally.

“I came in last night, but you wouldn’t know that because I just removed you from an Imperious Curse,” Harry replied. “How do you feel?”

“I feel like I’m gonna throw up, now that you mention it,” Tom responded. He had started to turn green.

“Here, drink this,” Harry said as he pulled a flask out of his bag.

“What is it?” Tom asked as Harry poured a small amount of the liquid into a glass.

“Just drink it. It’s a potion that I invented, but it has worked on several other people, so it’s quite safe.” Harry handed Tom the glass.

As he started to drink it, Tom asked, “What is that horrid smell?”

Harry replied, “It’s probably the liquefied bezoar, among other things. Drink up!”

As Tom forced the potion down, Harry took a look around. The Leaky Cauldron had not changed much since the last time Harry had been in it, but there were a few changes. For example, the room was darker and more ominous than Harry remembered it. It seemed as if there was evil embedded in the walls.

When Harry finished his breakfast, he walked out the back door and stopped in front of the wall.
Harry took out his wand and tapped a complicated sequence on the brick wall, which started to rearrange themselves to form an archway. What Harry saw as he walked through the opening astonished him to no end.

Chapter 3

The street was in ruins. There was glass all over the road from the broken windows of the shops. There was absolutely no one wandering about with bags and parcels of school supplies, as Harry once had seen. As Harry slowly strolled through the disaster zone, wizards and witches started to appear out of thin air.

The wizards and witches all wore the navy blue robes of the Ministry of Magic, and Harry recognized some of them. There was Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of the few Aurors Harry knew; Mad-Eye Moody, who had held the Defense Against the Dark Arts job at Hogwarts for a year, and Tonks, who was a startling sight. Harry could tell that Tonks had recovered from her emotional stress because, once again, she had bubble-gum pink hair.

“Harry, what are you doing here?” Tonks asked as she quickly scoured the area with her gaze.

“I just got here, and the street was already like this,” Harry replied.

“Well, Harry, I hate to say this, but procedures must be followed. I need your wand to make sure that you didn’t do this,” she replied.

“Oh, sure. I have nothing to hide. The last thing I did was release Tom from the Imperious Curse.”

“Tom, the barman in the Leaky Cauldron?” Mad-Eye Moody asked as he shambled over. “How do you know the releasing charm?”

“I heard someone use it on Madam Rosemerta when she was released. I thought it might come in handy, so I jotted it down,” Harry replied.

“Well, we shall see,” replied Moody as he took Harry’s wand from Tonks. “Previous Incantatum.” A single word floated into the air from Harry’s wand: Impedora.

“See, I told you,” Harry said defensively as he took back his wand.

“We believed you, Harry, but we must follow the rules. ‘Anyone in the vicinity of a crime scene is suspect and must be investigated,’” Tonks replied quickly.

“As to your question, I was here because I wanted to see all of my friends from Hogwarts. I haven’t seen most of them in six months, and I haven’t seen Ron or Hermione in three. I thought I would surprise them by showing up here,” Harry said while he followed Tonks around the street.

“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious that there’s no one left out here,” She said after a moment. “Who could have done this?”

“Who do you think? I saw Voldemort last night in the Leaky Cauldron. He was talking to Wormtail about some very important plan. The plan requires exceptional power, so not just anyone could do it. He also said that it couldn’t be screwed up,” Harry said. “I would have attacked him, but I had been bitten by Nagisha when I killed her.”

“Why did you have to kill that horrible snake?” Tonks asked with interest.

“Voldemort made six horcruxes, and she was the sixth one. He is now just as mortal as you and me; he just has a seventh of a soul,” Harry stated.

Tonks was so stunned that she just stopped in her tracks. “You-Know-Who used horcruxes? In the plural? How horrible! It takes a great deal of nerve to create one horcrux, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to create seven!” Tonks was astounded that Harry know this because the Ministry did not even know it.

“How do you know this?” Tonks barely choked out the words.

Harry felt an invisible hand squeeze his heart. “Dumbledore showed me memories that showed Voldemort was interested in horcruxes, and he had objects available. Anytime he killed an important person, he would take a trophy, and make it into a horcrux. That is why there were objects that could not be found at certain places where he killed. Dumbledore led me in speculation that there were seven pieces of Voldemort’s soul, one of which is still in his body. The night Dumbledore was murdered; he and I had just returned from a place where he thought a horcrux was hidden, but someone with the initials R.A.B had already destroyed it.

“Dumbledore weakened himself by drinking a potion to get the fake horcrux for nothing. We didn’t need the fake one, not when the real one was already destroyed. He had died because he was weak,” Harry spilled out all that information with tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Tonks replied in a soft voice. “I know you were close to him, and I know it is hard for you to accept that he’s gone. It’s still not easy for me to accept that Sirius is gone—“

“Listen, Tonks. I know you’re trying to help, but you are just making me feel worse. I appreciate your help, though,” Harry interrupted her with a tear rolling down his cheek.

“If you ever need to talk, I’m here,” Tonks offered.

“Thanks, Tonks. I just might take you up on that offer after I kill Voldemort.” Harry turned where he stood and Apparated to Hogsmeade.

Chapter 4

Harry appeared outside The Three Broomsticks to find many other students Apparating around him. This is the first time I have ever seen this happening. They were all seventh year students at Hogwarts, and Harry was surprised that the school had remained open.

As he started to walk up to the school, someone Apparated right in front of him, and Harry walked right into her. Wait a minute! I know that girl!

“Harry! What are you doing here? I thought that you weren’t going to come back to school this year!” Hermione shouted as she turned and hugged him.

“I thought I would surprise you and Ron by showing up for start-of-term feast. I received an invitation from Professor McGonagall. Do you know where Ron is?” Harry asked.

“No, the Ministry sent letters to all the seventh-years telling us to Apparate to school. I came here from my house. I never went to the Burrow,” she replied.

At that very moment, Ron and Ginny both appeared out of thin air. Ginny said, “I hate that feeling! I don’t know how you people can stand it.”

“You get used to it after a few times. I don’t even notice it anymore,” Harry replied.

“Oh, hi Harry. Harry!” It took Ginny a second to realize that the boy she loved, the boy she had not seen in three months, was standing before her completely intact. She jumped on him and kissed him. “Ron told me that you weren’t coming back to school for your last year! What are you doing here?”

While he held her, he said, “You know, Ginny, I thought I told you that we had to break up. As to your question, though, I’m not coming back to school, I just showed up for the start-of-term feast that Professor McGonagall invited me to.”

“I don’t care. I know that you will kill him, and you will come back to me. I will wait for a lifetime if I must, but you are the one I love!” she replied.

Ron had to look away, and he and Hermione went on up to the school. “I can’t stand it when Ginny goes around snogging everyone in public,” Ron said to no one in particular.

“She can’t help it, Ron. Ginny loves Harry, and, quite frankly, you should be glad that she loves Harry and not some worthless loser,” Hermione replied.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It just seems so weird when my best friend is dating my sister. It just doesn’t seem right,” Ron said with a disgusted look on his face. “At least he’s not coming back to school this year.”

“Ron!” Hermione shouted as she came to a complete halt. “I wish Harry was coming back to school because then, he would be in less danger. Harry wouldn’t be going out, trying to find Voldemort.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Ron said apologetically. Harry and Ginny came walking up, holding hands.

“Is everything alright?” Ginny asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I’m hungry, let’s go up to the feast,” Ron replied, embarrassed about his thoughts. They all walked into the Great Hall, and moved to take their usual seats when Professor McGonagall came up to Harry with an ominous expression. “Harry, can I have a word?”

Chapter 5

“Harry, what have you decided to do throughout the school year? I know that you intend not to attend Hogwarts this year,” Professor McGonagall asked when they were out of the Great Hall.

“I intend to do what I must, Professor. I must kill Voldemort before he kills me. I must rid the wizarding world of him. Why do you ask?” Harry responded immediately.

“Oh my! I was afraid of that. Do you need help? I could—“

“No, Professor. I have already destroyed, with the help of others, six parts of his soul. Now, I must face the last, and most dangerous, part. This job is meant for me and me alone,” Harry replied solemnly.

“Well, as a friend of Hogwarts, you are always welcome here. If you ever need aid in any way, just ask. However, since you are no longer a student here, the rules suggest that it is unfitting that you should sit at a students’ table.”

“But Professor, these are my friends. I have very little time to spend with them now, and I would prefer to spend as much of that time with them--“ Harry rambled.

“Harry,” Professor McGonnagal interrupted, “As a rare exception to the rules, while you are here, you shall still sleep in the Gryffindor dormitory and eat at the Gryffindor table. I am not an unreasonable woman. I must take my place as Headmistress at the staff table. Have a good visit, and I wish you luck.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Harry went back to the Gryffindor table with a smile on his face.

* * * * *

Harry stayed at Hogwarts for a few days after the start-of-term feast. Madam Pomphrey, the nurse at the school, had given Harry a potion for his snake bite, which had not healed at all. Madam Pomphrey demanded that he go to the infirmary every day so that she could check the progress of the bite.

“Harry!” Ginny yelled. “I need to talk to you about who will be Captain of the Quiditch team, among other things.”

“Oh, I forgot that I’m still Captain!” Harry said with a surprised expression. “I don’t know who should be Captain. I assumed that McGonagall would appoint someone else.”

“She hasn’t. Actually, I talked to her earlier, and she said that you should choose the next Captain. That’s how you got Captain, Wood appointed you.”

“I didn’t know that,” Harry replied.

“Most people don’t. Who are you going to appoint, Harry? I was thinking you would pick Ron,” Ginny said as she put her arms around him.

“I thought the Captain was supposed to be the best player on the team. Don’t look at me like that, Ron’s not the best,” Harry said when Ginny gave him a don’t-insult-my-brother look. “Actually, if being Captain is based on skill, you should be Captain.”

“That won’t look right, Harry. People will think that I got Captain because I’m going out with you,” Ginny said with a hurt voice. “Thanks for the compliment, though.”

“You will be Captain, and people will know that you got it because of talent. You are the best player on the team, just don’t let it go to your head,” Harry said. With his last sentence, she hit him playfully in the chest.

“I would never let it go to my head.” Together, they walked back to the common room, holding hands.

Chapter 6

When Harry started to leave, the entire school was in the Great Hall to see him off.

“I have to go, Hermione. This is my destiny,” Harry said to Hermione, who was crying silently. “I’m going to be alright. This isn’t goodbye forever.”

“For all we know, it could be,” she said through her tears as she grabbed Harry in a hug. “Good luck, Harry.”

Harry moved on to Ron and said, “I’ll see you later, Ron. I don’t know when it will be, but I will come back,” Harry said forcefully.

Ron shook Harry’s hand as he said, “Make sure of that, Harry. Make sure you come back to us in one piece.”

“I will.” Harry turned and looked for Ginny, but he couldn’t see her. {It must have been too hard for her to say goodbye again.} He turned toward the huge, oak front doors, and walked out of the school without another look back.

As he walked down to Hogsmeade, Harry thought, What if I don’t kill him? What if he kills me? What if Hermione was right? These thoughts occupied him until Harry walked through the black iron gates of the school’s grounds. Then, Harry had to push any thoughts out of his mind to Apparate. He thought of the cemetery where Cedric had been killed, turned on the spot, and disappeared from view.

* * * * *

When Harry arrived at the cemetery, he was standing face-to-face with Tom Riddle’s grave. The statue that stood over the grave had once held him in a grip that he could not escape. That was the night Cedric had died, and Voldemort had come back to power.

“Hello, Harry,” hissed a snake-like voice. Harry immediately hid behind another gravestone. “I know that you have been destroying my horcruxes. I have looked for all of them, and I can find none. I really thought I was safe when I made Nagisha a horcrux. She was the only one who could fight against anyone who threatened her. She’s gone, though, and soon, you will be gone, too,” Voldemort ended his monologue by blowing up the stone Harry was hiding behind.

"Crucio!" Harry thought as he pointed his wand at Voldemort. Harry put so much force into the spell that he opponent screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

“You have finally learned how to do two things: use non-verbal spells and Unforgivable Curses. If anyone from the Ministry saw that, you could land in Azkaban,” Voldemort replied as he picked himself up off of the ground.

Harry gave in to his anger, “Let me help you, murderer!” "Levicorpus", he thought with all his might. The Dark Lord was hung in the air by his ankle.

“Very amusing, Harry, but I can still hex you,” Voldemort replied. “Crucio!”

"Protego!" Harry thought forcefully. A thin, opaque shield formed in front of Harry just before the jet of orange light reached him. The spell bounced off and hit a statue behind the Dark Lord.

“I have played around with you long enough, Harry,” Voldemort said lightly. “It’s time to die! Avada Kedavra!”

“Protego!” Harry yelled again. The green light did not bounce off like the other spell did, but instead sunk in and turned the shield a transparent green. After a moment, Harry’s shield disappeared, and the spell went on to hit him in the abdomen. Harry went down, screaming, but was not killed. Usually, that spell would kill anyone it hit instantly. Harry thought of the Three Broomsticks, and Apparated before Voldemort could hit him again.

Chapter 7

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were going down the street to the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer when Harry appeared ten steps away.

“Harry!” Ginny yelled as she ran to him. “What are you doing here?” Harry didn’t reply, but he fell to his knees in the middle of the street.

The three of them ran to Harry’s side and helped him to his feet. As they passed through the iron gates on their way back to the school, Professor McGonagall came out of the castle. When she saw Harry’s limp form between Ron and Hermione, she took out her wand, and Harry went flying through the air toward the headmistress. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny san up to the castle, and followed Professor McGonagall to the infirmary.

McGonagall placed Harry in a bed near the door when Madam Pomphrey hurried out of her office.

“What happened, Minerva?” Madam Pomphrey asked the headmistress.

“I don’t know. I just saw these three students carrying him up here, and I accelerated his transportation,” McGonagall replied in a tense voice. She turned to the students. “Explain yourselves. What happened to Harry?”

“I don’t know exactly what happened, Minerva, but I can tell that he was hit with a weak Killing Curse,” Madam Pomphrey said as she bustled to her potion cabinet. “I don’t have any left. Minerva, I need Horace Slughorn here at once.”

Professor McGonagall conjured a Patronus, gave it a message, and it went flying through the closed doors of the infirmary.

A few seconds later, the doors burst open, and a short, yet very round, wizard barreled into the room. “Yes, Minerva?”

“Madam Pomphrey needs a potion brewed immediately for Harry,” the headmistress replied.

“Harry Potter?” Slughorn asked as he moved to Harry’s bedside. Professor Slughorn took one look at Harry, turned, and called ingredients to him for a special potion.

Hermione had heard all the ingredients Slughorn had called for and had a confused expression. “What potion are you brewing, Professor?” Hermione asked with curiosity.

“It’s a nameless potion that I invented. It will bring someone from near death back to perfect health. There must be some life left in the body for this potion to work, which is why it’s not used often,” Slughorn replied distractedly. “What I would like to know is how Harry cam across a Killing Curse so weak that Harry isn’t dead.”

“Perhaps, Professors, Harry fought Voldemort earlier today. The Dark Lord probably tried to kill Harry, and he conjured a strong Shield Charm. That would cause the Killing Curse to lose most of its potency, wouldn’t it?” Hermione piped up, pleased to have a chance to show off her knowledge.

“Perhaps,” Professor Slughorn replied, “but it would take the strongest Shield Charm I have ever seen to dilute the Killing Curse that much.”

“Everyone has always said that Harry is the most powerful seventeen year old wizard the world has ever seen,” Ginny said quietly.

“How long does the potion take to bring the patient back to life, Horace?” Madam Pomphrey asked. She had never encountered a malady such as that. Madam Pomphrey did not know how to begin to treat it.

“It should only take a few minutes on Harry because he has a very strong will. It will take longer to brew than it will to take effect,” Slughorn replied. “Hermione, could you go down to my cabinet and retrieve a vial of unicorn blood?”

“Of course, Professor, but won’t that make Harry dependent on unicorn blood for the rest of his life?” Hermione asked concernedly.

“No, my dear, but thank you for reminding me about that. I almost forgot to put in the vampire blood,” Slughorn replied as Hermione turned to leave.

“What does vampire blood do?” Ron asked, not understanding what was going on.

“It will keep Harry from being dependent on unicorn blood for the rest of his life,” Professor McGonagall replied as if it was common knowledge. Hermione then came back with a vial of thick, blue liquid.

“Thank you, Hermione. I appreciate that you could find it. I doubt I could have found this that fast,” Slughorn said as he took the vial from her.

“I’ve seen unicorn blood before, so I knew what I was looking for,” Hermione replied smugly. When Professor Slughorn added the unicorn blood, the potion turned from a dark green to a pale yellow.

“Ah, here we are. Madam Pomphrey, if you will bring me a glass?” Slughorn said politely.

“Here you are, Horace.” Slughorn filled the glass half full of the yellow liquid. “Alright, Harry. Open up,” Madam Pomphrey said as she moved to the bedside. Harry’s mouth opened slightly, and Madam Pomphrey poured the liquid down his throat. Time seemed to crawl by for those in the infirmary while they waited for Harry to come back. After ten minutes, Harry took a deep breath and tried to sit up.

“No, Harry. Lie still. You are still very weak,” Slughorn said as he stepped up. A bell rang, telling the students that the period was over, and they were to go to their next class.

“You three may stay here if you wish,” Professor McGonagall said as they reluctantly stood up and started out of the room. “I will send news to your teachers.”

“Thank you, Professor,” Ginny replied as she sat back down in her chair. Ron and Hermione followed suit.

“Ginny,” Harry said weakly.

“I’m here, Harry,” she replied as she stood and moved to his side.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this. I almost got him, you know,” Harry said as he sat up.

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny said as she hugged him. “It’s alright. Everything is OK. I’m here for you, and I will never leave your side, even if you are the worst sight I have ever seen. I love you, and nothing can change that.” Ginny started to cry because she had realized just how close she had come to not having Harry in her arms at that moment. Knowing that he was safe with Ginny next to him, he fell asleep.

Chapter 8

Harry spent the next two weeks in Hogwarts, enjoying the company of his friends. Harry was spending most of his time in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom; sometimes Professor Cornell even let Harry teach the class. The seventh year of the class was entirely devoted to Dark curses. They were learning about the Unforgivable Curses when Harry was there, and he knew all about those.

“Now,” Harry started one day. “Who can tell me about the Cruciatus Curse?” Hermoine’s hand shot into the air, but so did a few others. “Neville, tell me about it.”

“Well, everyone knows that it’s a curse made to torture. If the person getting tortured is tortured too severely, they—they go insane,” Neville concluded with a look full of meaning.

“Very good, Neville. That is all that most people know about it; however, having been put under the curse myself, I know a few more things. For example, the normal Shield Charm doesn’t work on any of the Unforgivable Curses unless they are exceptionally strong. The only way to block any of the Curses is to intercept the spell with a Disarming Charm. Professor, shall we demonstrate?” The class gave a collective gasp as Professor Cornell nodded.

“You try to hex me, Professor, because I’ve already done this,” Harry said as the professor conjured a mat behind Harry.

“Very well,” he said stoically. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Professor,” Harry replied as he raised his wand.

“Crucio!”

”Expelliarmus!” The jet of orange light met the jet of blue light, and both just disappeared. There was a murmur of excitement from the entire class. Hermione was beaming at him because she had, of course, been the only student who knew what Harry had just demonstrated.

“Now, as most Death Eaters know, it takes more than the simple incantation to perform an Unforgivable Curse. The wizard performing the curse must put real emotion into the curse. For example, I will say the incantation without feeling, and nothing will happen to this spider. Crucio,” Harry said. The small spider did not screech in pain; in fact, it did not do anything at all.

“To perform the Cruciatus Curse correctly, the wizard must put hatred into the spell. The wizard must long to see the victim in severe pain. Yes, Seamus?” Harry said when he saw Mr. Finnigan raise his hand.

“Have you ever used an Unforgivable Curse?” Seamus asked, clearly putting a voice to everyone’s thoughts.

“Yes, twice. Once on Severus Snape and once on Lord Voldemort himself,” Harry replied after a moment. “Yes, I have performed the Cruciatus Curse. I have only used one Curse, and only in life-or-death situations.”

“You have never killed anyone, though?” Dean Thomas asked.

“No, I have not. However, I have been told many times that there are things much worse than death.” At that moment, the bell rang. “I want all of you to read about the Imperious Curse for homework, and there will be a quiz!”

As the last student left, Harry said goodbye to Professor Cornell, and went to the Gryffindor common room to find Ginny. As much as he loved her, he knew that they could never be together until Voldemort was dead. Ginny could not understand that, or she refused to. At any rate, she was making it harder for Harry because he was going to have to leave again, and Harry could not stand the thought of dying on Ginny. She would never recover.

Harry came to the portrait hole just as it was opening to let the Gryffindor Quiditch team out.

“Going to the pitch for practice?” Harry asked Ginny.

“Yeah, why don’t you come, too? I’m still a little nervous about being Captain. You could help me,” Ginny replied as Harry put his arm around her.

“Can Hermione come, too?” Harry asked lightly.

“I’m already coming,” Hermione replied as she stepped through the portrait hole. They all walked side by side down to the pitch in the best weather Harry had ever seen.

Chapter 9

Quiditch practice went very well. The team was so inspired to have Harry there that Rom saved everything thrown at him, and the Chasers were putting up extremely difficult shots. Harry was so amazed at the team that he just sat in the stands, completely speechless.

When practice was over, Ginny came up to him and asked, “So, how did we do?”

“I think you have put together the best Quiditch team this school has seen in ages!” Harry replied. “You really have a first-class team.”

“Do you really think so?” Ginny asked him. “I thought there could be a better Keeper than Ron, but I would never have heard the end of it if I took Ron off the team. He sure performed well today, though.”

“Yeah, Ron was remarkable!” Harry replied as they took a walk around the lake. It had been so long since they had been together that it felt good to be alone.

“What’s it feel like to have the weight of the world resting on your shoulders?” Ginny asked him after a few moments.

“I can’t explain it because that’s what I’ve faced all my life,” Harry replied truthfully. “I can’t imagine what it would be like not to have to face Voldemort.”

“I just wish you didn’t have to kill him, though. Why can’t you just pretend that he doesn’t exist?” Ginny pleaded with Harry through a shower of tears.

“I can’t, Ginny. If I didn’t go after Voldemort, he would come after me, and we would have to fight anyway. Besides, someone has to be the hero for the Wizarding community. I will be alright, Ginny,” Harry added when Ginny turned to cry on his shoulder. “It’s my destiny, and I will succeed.”

“I’m just so afraid that when you leave again, it will be the last time I ever see you,” Ginny replied. “I can’t stand the thought of it, but I can’t stop thinking about it, either. I just wish I could go with you, so if you die, I would too.”

Harry, the one power you have and Voldemort doesn’t is the power to love, Harry heard Dumbledore say to him. Did Dumbledore know something that I don’t?

“Ginny,” Harry started, “I think you might be able to go with me, but it will be very dangerous, and we will definitely have to tell your parents.”

“Oh, I’m sure they will understand,” Ginny replied enthusiastically. “Dad’s in the Ministry, and Mom’s in the Order. They both have put their life on the line, and besides, I could repay you for saving my life.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure that your mom will agree so easily,” Harry warned as they walked to the dungeons. Ginny had to get to her Potions class, and Harry needed to talk to Slughorn. They both were immersed in their own thoughts as they walked up to the door. A horrific smell hit them as they walked in.