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Author: KEDme Story: Home Alone: Shadow Rising Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 21 Words: 85,731
Harry watched Hermione drag a spluttering Ron into the kitchen. He could imagine her verbal assault on Ron started the minute they left the room. Getting up from the circle, he snuck over to the door to eavesdrop, just to make sure everything was all right and to give Ron reinforcements if necessary. Ginny and the twins followed quietly while everyone else continued to socialise. They all jostled for positions as quietly as they could, having a hard time keeping from laughing as Hermione’s voice drifted through the door. George pulled out a pair of Extendable Ears for each of them. As they all put them on, they were extra cautious to hide the unusual devices from the view of the Muggles. “How dare they!” they heard Hermione screech, suddenly much louder. Harry thought she sounded very much like Ron’s mother when she was in a tirade about the twins’ latest escapade. “Who do your brothers think they are? To think, I even agreed to allow them to continue on with this charade!” she ranted loudly. “I knew better than to trust a Weasley boy - especially those Weasley boys!” “Hold on one minute there, Hermione!” Harry heard Ron say. Hermione was starting to wind him up, from the sound of it. “What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked her indignantly. Harry could just imagine her pacing in front of Ron and pausing every once in awhile to point her finger at him. He had seen this enough over the years to know exactly how it went. “A simple little game, ha! Look at what’s happened already! Harry just about had a complete breakdown in there, in case you hadn’t noticed!” Harry felt his own hackles rise at the mention of his name but he kept himself in check. “Why in the world they chose a glass orb, of all things, after what happened in June, I’ll never understand!” Hermione continued on loudly. “Surely someone told them! And all this snogging business – what do you think that’s all about?” There was a definite pause. Then Harry heard an “ooaf” sound and knew she had smacked Ron in the chest with the back of her hand as she paced. “Well?” she asked, sounding very irritated. “Am I supposed to talk now?” Ron asked, making Ginny cover her mouth to keep from laughing. “What was the question again?” he spluttered. “The game, Ron,” Hermione said. “The Orb of Truth, my foot! What are they playing at?” “How should I know?” Harry heard Ron say. “Well, they’re your brothers, aren’t they?” “You know how Fred and George are, ‘Mione,” Ron shot back, causing the two in question to snicker. “Who even wants to know what goes through their minds? You’re the one who said it would be okay, remember?” “Yes, I remember.” She said this more calmly, apparently trying to regain her composure. “I was upset about Harry and just thought that we could lighten the mood a bit. Probably too much Butterbeer going to my head!” “Well, now what are we going to do?” he asked angrily. “You got us in this mess, agreeing to this lousy game and then guessing wrong! What are we going to do about it?” “I’ll tell you what we’re going to do, Ronald Weasley!” she said suddenly. “The first thing we’re going to do is this!" Harry and the others listened to silence broken only by a small moan from one or the other. They could hear some smacking noises and Harry, feeling like he was invading their privacy, quietly rolled up his Extendable Ears and motioned for the others to do the same. Fred gestured towards the orb, which had turned a bright shade of blue. “There’s your proof,” he said casually. “Oi! Ron… Hermione!” George yelled towards the kitchen. “That’s enough! Break up the snogging already, you two lovebirds! We know you did the deed. Now it’s time to get back to the game! Give someone else a turn, will you?” When the two returned to the circle, they were both beet red, but grinning from ear to ear. Harry was actually happy for his two best friends. He knew that it had been a long time in the making - there had been signs of this back in fourth year, but nothing since. He had a feeling that if it weren’t for him and his problems, the two would have admitted their feelings for each other sooner. ‘Then again,’ he thought as he looked at Ginny who was also grinning happily, ‘maybe things turn out exactly like they’re supposed to….’ Fred and George were at it again. They commanded everyone’s attention away from congratulating and ribbing Ron and Hermione and back on the game. “All right, Hermione,” George told her. “You’re turn to pick someone to go next.” “Hmm…. Let’s see,” she said, eyeing the circle carefully. “If my theory is correct, then who do I know that needs a good snog?” Her eyes fell on Harry, who was looking much happier at the moment. “I think I’ll choose Harry.” At her words, Harry immediately found himself put out that Hermione thought he would be in need of something like that. After all, up until a few minutes ago he was the only one of his friends who had admitted to snogging anyone! And, even though they didn’t know it, he had just spent the better part of an hour snogging Ginny upstairs. Annoyed, he took the glass ball from her. “You know what?” Harry said defiantly, taking the glass orb that was handed to him, “I think you may be right.” Ginny looked at him curiously, but did not comment. Hermione held out the orb to him reluctantly, biting her lip nervously. She was most likely regretting her words right now and trying to determine if she had upset him. In fact, everyone was looking at him warily. He knew they were most likely trying to discern if he was going to explode or pass out again and that really hacked him off. Going in there with Ginny might not be a smart decision, but right now he didn’t really care. Even though he and Ginny had agreed to keep their relationship a secret for now, he could think of nothing more pleasant at the moment than snogging his brains out with her while the others watched that little glass ball turn blue. Need a good snog, my arse! Just you wait, Hermione… you’ll see. Harry took the orb with only a twinge of apprehension. As clearly as he could he said, “Reveal… “Who is the one whose first kiss was at the top of the Eiffel Tower?” he read. He grinned broadly; luckily, he didn’t have a clue. Looking around, he wondered, who did he know that had never been to Paris, never kissed anyone, and definitely never kissed on top of the Eiffel Tower? Several names came to mind, but he didn’t want to take chances, after all. Of course, he couldn’t make it too obvious, either… “Dudley, you ever kissed a girl at the top of the Eiffel Tower?” he asked cheekily. The orb glowed red. “Oh man! That’s right - you prefer boys, don’t you?” His words had the desired effect; Dudley looked ready to murder him. Harry smiled a big, genuine smile. “I guess you get your wish, Hermione,” he said gleefully, holding up the orb for all to see. “Imagine that! I have to pick someone to snog!” “You... you did that on purpose!” Dudley sputtered, pointing an accusing finger at him. “Honestly, Dudley! Why would I do that?” Harry said innocently. “According to you and everyone here, I’m just a pathetic loser.” He knew his voice was dripping with sarcasm, but he didn’t care. He also didn’t care that Hermione was just about ready to chew her bottom lip off at the moment, and looked in danger of crying. “Well,” he said, as nonchalantly as possible, “I suppose I have to pick someone. Who do I know that’s in need of a good snog?” Pretending to look around the circle and contemplate, his eyes fell on Ginny, who was trying not to laugh. “Ginny… You seem to be a good sport. You wouldn’t be game for a good snog from this pathetic loser, would you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in what he hoped was a cheeky way. Pretending to be surprised, Ginny raised her eyebrow and gave him a cheeky look of her own. “Me?” she asked in a pretend surprised tone. She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, Harry… I am a Gryffindor, aren’t I? I think I can handle a pathetic loser like you. Why not?” Harry faintly heard Mary whisper to Malcolm, “What’s a Gryffindor?” Luckily it seemed that they were just making trivial conversation. Harry pulled himself up and grabbed Ginny’s hand to help her up as well. As they passed Dudley, his cousin said in a nasty voice to Ginny, “Too bad for you, luv… Don’t be disappointed… I’m sure my dear cousin would prefer one of his boyfriends. But if you wait a moment, I could show you how a real man kisses.” Harry was just about ready to pound Dudley again for his cheek, when Ginny stepped between them. Turning to Dudley, she said smoothly, “Thanks for that really tempting offer, but I already know what a real man’s kisses are like.” Then, turning she sauntered towards the kitchen, looking back briefly to ask a dumb-founded Harry, “Are you coming, luv?” Harry trotted after Ginny, still shocked at her bravado. He really didn’t know what to make of her. Was she talking about him or some other boy? Maybe Michael Corner, or maybe Dean Thomas? Harry vaguely remembered a conversation on the Hogwarts Express about her choosing Dean Thomas as her boyfriend. He needn’t have worried. The moment the door swung shut, Ginny grabbed his shirt. “I’ve wanted to do this for the past hour,” she said in a low growl, very close to his face. He replied by smashing her to him roughly and kissing her full on the lips, all the time backing her up to the countertop where he lifted her in order to get a better angle. The moment their lips touched, he forgot about everything that was happening outside of the kitchen, even the people sitting in the circle watching the glass ball turn a bright blue. All he could think about was losing himself in her, and kissing her so thoroughly that his head spun from lack of air. Fortunately, the lack of oxygen to his brain only made the kiss sweeter and he revelled in the feelings their tongues made as they danced and played with one another. It was better even than upstairs, made even more exciting by the fact that for all intents and purposes, they had an audience. In the other room the orb glowed bright blue - brighter even than when Ron and Hermione had kissed. What’s more, it stayed that way for a long time. At first, the crowd was shocked at how quickly it had changed. They had expected some delay related to the awkwardness of the situation. The almost immediate change to bright blue was shocking, even for Fred and George who had invented it to show the intensity of the kiss. The three Weasley males thought it was funny at first, and made some jokes about their little sister’s long time crush on The-Boy-Who-Lived and her dream come true. Then, as the group watched the small glass ball with fascination, instead of growing fainter it grew brighter, never flickering even once. The only ones who truly knew what this meant were the twins, who began to get slightly worried. Fred looked at George hopefully. “Do you think it malfunctioned, you suppose?” “Umm, Ginny... Harry!” George called out tentatively. “That’s quite enough, you two!” No answer from the kitchen. The orb still glowed, bright as ever. “Enough is enough, Gin-Gin,” Fred called out, a little more desperately. “Harry, come on! Quit kidding around you two!” he yelled out. Ron - finally catching on to the gravity of the situation as only an older brother can - got up and banged on the kitchen door. He didn’t dare open it because he wasn’t sure he wanted to see what was happening on the other side between his sister and best friend. “Oi! Harry! Ginny! Get your arses in here right this minute or I’m telling Mum!” he bellowed. A few seconds later a very breathless and dishevelled couple emerged from the kitchen, looking as though they wanted to sink through the floor. Harry was kicking himself for forgetting about the crowd and that damn orb. He remembered how it had glowed when Ron and Hermione had been in the kitchen, and now he was embarrassed at what it must have done while he and Ginny had been in the other room. His face flushed even more and he looked at the floor instead of the Weasleys. He was never going to hear the end of this…. Ginny, on the other hand, held her head up high, grabbed Harry’s hand, and looked each one of her brothers defiantly in the eye. Her cheeks were just as flushed as Harry’s, but she had a wild, untamed look about her with her curly red hair flying every which way, and a brightness in her eyes that had not been there before. Looking at Ron in particular, she challenged him, pointing her finger in turn at each of her brothers. “And what exactly do you plan to tell Mum, dear brother? Anything you say, I can match. Might I remind you, I have plenty on all of you, and you’d do well not to forget it!” With that, she made her way back to her seat in the circle, dragging a slightly embarrassed, slightly amused Harry with her. To his horror, though she stopped briefly in front of Dudley and glared at him triumphantly. “I hope you enjoyed the show,” she said triumphantly. “Your cousin is an excellent kisser. He must get his talent from the Potter side of the family.” “Maybe we’ll have to test that theory before the night is over, luv,” Dudley replied. Harry did not like the leering look that Dudley gave her one bit, and he tightened his grip on her hand. He’d seen that look before on Dudley’s face that very afternoon while they watched that horrible video. It was disconcerting to see it as he looked at Ginny. Troubled, he pulled Ginny away quickly before she could retort. “All right, Lover-boy,” George teased Harry once everyone was seated around the circle again, “it’s your turn to pick someone to answer the next question.” Still very red and embarrassed but in a much better mood, Harry looked around the circle and carefully considered whom he might choose. Seeing that everyone chosen so far had been one of his friends from Hogwarts, Harry decided that it was time for one of the Muggles to get in on the fun. Remembering how nice the twins, Andrea and Audra had been to him back when they were in the same school, he rolled the orb over to one of them (he wasn’t sure which). It turned out to be Audra. Audra picked up the ball and, flushing slightly, said “Reveal.” The orb, now back to its original pink colour, formed words, which Audra read out loud. “Who is the one who would like to snog their biology teacher?” Looking very relieved, she grinned. “That’s easy! Claire!” The orb glowed green. “Can I help it if he’s totally good-looking?” Claire said casually, examining her fingernails. “All right, my dear,” Fred told her, “your turn to pick someone.” “Andrea,” she said, giving her twin an evil smile. Andrea took the orb from her sister with a sarcastic, thank-you-very-much smirk. “Reveal,” she told the orb. “Who is the one who likes to snog under the stars?” She gave a frustrated laugh. “Just about everybody, in my experience!” “That sounds promising,” Fred piped up. “Oops! Did I say that out loud?” he asked, covering his mouth in mock-surprise. Everyone laughed, including Andrea. “Is Fred the one who likes to snog under the stars?” she asked. The orb turned red. “Not that I mind the stars, I’ll have you know,” he grinned. “Now that you mention it, I actually like the stars!” “So how do you like the kitchen?” she asked, nodding towards the door. “I thought you’d never ask!” he said quickly, jumping to his feet and sprinting over to her to help her to her feet. They were gone in a rush. Although it didn’t happen quite as fast as Harry and Ginny’s trip to the kitchen, the orb did not waste time turning blue. After about five minutes or so, the pair returned looking very satisfied. Harry noticed neither looked the least embarrassed. “Okay Andrea, you choose someone now,” George told her. “Claire,” she said, handing it over to her friend. “This is really fun!” Andrea commented, as Claire prepared to read the next question. “Who is the one whose first kiss was under the mistletoe?” she read in a bored voice. “Hmm… who could it be?” Harry felt his face grow hot and he saw Ron glance at him nervously. He was sure Ron was thinking the same thing as him. His first kiss had been under the mistletoe last Christmas with Cho. Harry held his breath, as Claire seemed to survey the group. He was sure he saw her eyes rest on him for more than a second and he couldn’t help himself – he began to squirm slightly. What if she guessed right? What would Ginny say? To his great relief, Claire did not say his name. Instead, she said, “Oh… I don’t know! Is it Mary?” The orb turned red. “Darn! I guess I was wrong,” she said, actually sounding happy about it. “You know that I—” Mary began but shut up with a significant glare from the blond. “Who to choose? Who to choose?” Claire mused, looking around the circle. Her steely blue eyes settled on Harry, who was definitely evading her gaze. “I choose… Harry Potter.” Ginny looked ready to kill. “No!” she yelled. “I don’t think so!” Claire looked at her directly and gave a small smile. “Those are the rules, correct? If you guess wrong, then you have to pick someone to snog. I choose Harry.” “But Harry doesn’t want to snog you, you nasty Bi—” Ginny snarled. Ginny was cut off abruptly by Hermione’s appalled admonition of, “Ginny! Language!” “You don’t understand, Hermione! Tell her, Harry, how badly Claire treated you in school… tell them how she teased and tormented you and made your life miserable! She has no right—” Ginny protested. Harry remained quiet, not wanting to appear to the other boys that he was a whiner or that he needed a girl to fight his battles for him. If looks could kill, Dudley had already murdered him ten times over. As much as Harry did not want to snog Claire, he also did not want to appear weak. “Ginny...” he attempted to say apologetically. Seeing that he was not going to back her up on this, Ginny gave a frustrated huff, crossed her arms, and turned away. Harry immediately felt like one of Hagrid’s flobberworms. “Ginny, it’s all part of the game,” Fred attempted to say. “Yeah, little sister… it’s not personal,” George said, casting Claire a doubtful look. Claire was sitting across from him with a satisfied smirk. “Fine,” Ginny said, throwing up her hands in defeat. “Go ahead, Harry. Snog to your heart’s content!” She looked at him defiantly, an ice-cold glare that sent shivers right to Harry’s heart. “I hope you enjoy yourself.” At the moment, Harry was not enjoying himself. His emotions – so high only moments ago – had just taken another nose-dive. Going into the kitchen with Claire Smith was the last thing he wanted. But neither did he want to lose face with Dudley and his gang. He knew Dudley was already boiling mad, but it would give him too much ammunition if he refused. “Harry?” Claire asked innocently as she got up. “Are you coming?” Harry didn’t say anything or look at anyone as he got to his feet. He couldn’t bear to see the look of hurt on Ginny’s face as he obediently trudged after Claire into the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, Harry threw Claire an angry, irritated look. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he raged. “What do you think?” Claire asked, nonplussed. She stepped closer and stroked one of his arms, which were crossed. “I—I don’t know….” he said, knocked completely off-guard. “Stop doing that!” he told her, backing away. Unfortunately, she had backed him into the counter. Claire moved closer to Harry – so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek. “It’s simple, really… I want you to kiss me,” she purred. He felt his equilibrium give way. She was too close. “Why me?” “Because, Harry, you intrigue me. There’s something different about you. I don’t know what it is, but it fascinates me,” she said silkily, running a long manicured fingernail down his cheek. Harry shivered from her touch. Even though he didn’t want to, he felt a small part of himself responding to her. The fact that she was incredibly sexy was not lost on him. The problem was that he did not particularly like her. “Ginny-” Harry attempted to protest. “-is not here right now,” Claire finished for him. “There’s no one here except for you and me, Harry, and I really want to kiss you now.” She moved in even closer and Harry felt her soft lips on his cheek, drawing him closer to her. “It’s all part of the game, remember?” she whispered seductively. The male part of his brain didn’t think that was such a bad idea. Almost against his will he leaned in to give her a quick kiss and then escape, but the moment their lips touched, he felt something rise up in him. Claire had unleashed something inside him that was needy and hungry. For an instant Harry Potter was gone and the thing inside of him took control. He felt Claire push against him eagerly and he pushed back, returning the kiss with aggression and an enthusiasm he did not understand. He couldn’t comprehend what he was even doing; it didn’t make sense. Claire was not someone he would normally even be attracted to. It was like he was not in command of himself… Roughly and with great effort, he pushed the blond away. “There you go, you got what you wanted,” he said angrily. His sudden loss of control had unnerved him greatly. “Don’t expect it to ever happen again.” He stormed out of the kitchen, only to find everyone staring at him strangely. Quietly he made his way back to the circle, careful not to look at anyone directly. Technically he knew he had done nothing wrong. It was all part of the game, wasn’t it? Even Claire had said so. But for some reason he felt as if he had done something terrible, and the way they were all looking at him only reinforced that feeling. Harry sat down beside Ginny and tried to catch her eye, but she refused to look at him. All the Weasleys were glaring at him and even Hermione looked like she wanted to tell him off. And then there was Dudley who looked livid. To Harry’s chagrin, Claire came sauntering back from the kitchen looking very pleased with herself. Harry wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off her face. At the moment he had never disliked anyone as much as he disliked her. Claire sat down in the circle, looked directly at Ginny, and smiled sweetly. “You were right,” she told her. “He is an excellent kisser. That was, without a doubt, one of the most satisfying kisses I’ve ever had.” Harry’s jaw dropped at her words. He might have felt pleased with himself if Ginny hadn’t looked so hurt. He noticed even Ron looked torn between anger and grudging admiration for him. Harry had never felt so confused in his whole life. Fred cleared his throat. “It’s your turn to choose someone,” he told Claire, indicating for her to pass the ball, which was still in front of her, to another person. Lazily, Claire picked up the glowing orb. “Here Dudders,” she said casually, thrusting it in his stiff hands. “You take it.” Looking between Claire and Harry, Dudley’s face suddenly became a mask of resolve, making Harry’s stomach do a flip. He knew that look. Dudley was really hacked off now and he was out for revenge. “Fine,” he said tightly. Harry knew he must be really angry to willingly put himself in contact with anything magical. He saw Dudley grit his teeth tightly then say, “Reveal! Who once snogged their best friend’s brother?” Narrowing his eyes, he said, “Piers Polkiss… I choose her!” he said, pointing his finger at Ginny as the ball turned red. Chaos erupted. Piers began yelling that he would never willing snog a boy, some of the group was laughing outright, and the others were yelling that Dudley was cheating by not following the rules of the game. Harry had jumped to his feet along with Ron, causing Hermione to step between them and the object of their anger to stop them from pounding Dudley. Harry felt his heart constrict with white-hot rage. He knew Dudley had only done that to get back at him and it wasn’t fair to Ginny to have to kiss a repulsive git like Dudley just because his cousin hated him. In fact, the thought of Ginny snogging anyone but him made Harry nauseous. The argument was brought to a screeching halt by Ginny, who whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. Defiantly, she looked directly at Harry and said, “I don’t have a problem with that, Dudley.” “Ginny…” Harry said, taken aback by the coldness in her gaze. “You know he’s only doing this to get back at me, right? You don’t have to do this.” Ginny arched an eyebrow. “It’s only a game, right Harry?” Harry’s eyes pleaded with her. “Not to him it’s not. Ginny… I know you’re upset with me-” “Grow up, Harry,” Ginny said harshly. “Not everything is about you.” “I never said it was!” Harry exclaimed angrily. “But I’m not stupid. You’re only agreeing to this because of what happened earlier.” “Maybe she just wants to compare,” Dudley interjected loudly. “What’s wrong, Potter? Afraid your girlfriend will figure out what she’s been missing?” “Shut up, Dudley!” Harry growled. “Sit down, Harry,” Ginny said. “I’m a big girl. I can take care of this myself.” “But-“ “Stop,” she commanded. “I’m not discussing this with you, Harry. You’re not my boyfriend or my brother. You’re not even my friend, really.” Her words cut him to the core, mostly because he knew they were true. He wasn’t her brother, or her boyfriend. At this point he didn’t know what they were, but the fact that she didn’t consider him a friend was what hurt him the most. He took a step back, stunned. “I-I didn’t know you felt that way. You’re right, of course.” He tried to school his features to hide the hurt. “Go on, then,” he told her. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Turning to Dudley, he snarled, “If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you… if it’s the last thing I do.” Then he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. He didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to get away and think. He knew that he had no right to tell Ginny what to do. He certainly hadn’t listened to her when she asked him not to go in there with Claire. In retrospect, he should have listened to her. He heard footsteps behind him and whirled around to see Hermione. “What do you want?” he said more harshly than he had intended. “Are you okay, Harry?” Hermione asked hesitantly. “I’m fine!” he snapped. At the moment he felt like a caged animal; he paced in the hallway feeling like he wanted to explode. “Harry,” Hermione said gently, coming up to him and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. He stopped pacing. Usually he was uncomfortable with this kind of contact, but right now it felt like a lifeline. He took a deep, calming breath. “I just can’t watch it turn blue, Hermione, and know that he… that she…” “I know, Harry,” Hermione said. “But think how Ginny felt when you went in the kitchen and she sat there and watched it turn bright blue. Merlin, Harry… it stayed that way for a long time! It looked like you…” She stopped abruptly, seemingly at a loss for words. “Like, I what?” Harry asked. Hermione gulped. “Like you enjoyed it,” she said very fast. “Did you?” Harry paused to think. Had he enjoyed it? On some level, that hadn’t even seemed like him in there with Claire. It was like something else had taken control, and he shivered. Turning to Hermione, he tried to explain. “I- I didn’t mean to hurt her, Hermione. I don’t know what happened. Something inside me is spinning out of control and I don’t trust myself anymore. Maybe it’s better if Ginny and I don’t start something.” “Better for whom, Harry?” she asked. “You, or Ginny?” “Better for Ginny, of course,” he said. “I’d only end up hurting her, and I couldn’t bare that.” “Harry, the fact that you’re even worried about hurting Ginny is a sign that you care about her.” “I do care about her,” he said firmly. “I care about her a great deal.” “Then come back into the living room,” Hermione pleaded. “I can’t. I can’t watch that.” “Trust me, Harry,” Hermione said, holding out her hand. “I promise you, it will be all right.” Harry stared at her hand for a long minute, then reached out and grabbed her hand. *** As it turned out, Harry didn’t have to watch anything. By the time they returned to the circle, Ginny and Dudley were coming back. Ron gleefully told them that the orb had glowed blue, but just barely and only for a split second. Dudley’s face looked very red, and he seemed to be walking funny. Harry looked at Ginny curiously, but she refused to look at him and took a seat far away from him. He tried not to stare at her as the game continued, but it was difficult. By the time the orb finally passed to Katie, one of the few who had not ended up in the kitchen, Harry was almost relaxed and enjoying himself again. Katie took the orb from Dennis and shakily said, “Reveal.” Harry was surprised when she did not read what it said aloud. Instead, she turned very pale and looked up at Fred and George with an expression that was a mixture of confusion and panic. “This isn’t right,” she said, her voice quivering. “I think it’s broken.” The twins exchanged a significant look. “I thought we fixed it,” George told Fred. “We did. What’s it say, Katie?” Fred asked. Katie did not answer; she opened her mouth mutely then shut it almost immediately. She glanced at Harry quickly but looked away as if she could not bear to look at him. A hard knot was welling in Harry’s gut he had a bad feeling about this. “Nothing,” Katie said, putting the orb down as if it were repulsive. “I think this game is over.” “Nonsense!” George exclaimed, grabbing the orb up. “If you don’t what to snog, that’s your business, but I haven’t had my turn yet,” he said raising an eyebrow to Audra, who blushed. Dennis had chosen her, but they were only in the kitchen for a total of two minutes before they returned. Katie tried to grab the orb out of George’s hands but he was too quick. “I really think we should just quit while we’re ahead,” she told George frantically. “What could be so... oh,” he said, turning pale and looking up sharply at Harry. “Fred, I think you need to take a look at this. I don’t think we’ve worked out all the bugs yet,” George said gravely, trying unsuccessfully not to look at Harry again. George rolled the ball to his twin who paled as well. “Not good…” he said, also looking at Harry. “What?” Harry asked, nervously. He was imagining his snog upstairs on his bed with Ginny and wondering how long he had to live before her brothers stripped him of his life. “For heaven’s sake, give it here!” Hermione said impatiently, jerking the Orb out of Fred’s hand. Harry watched her read and pale as well. Looking up, she simply said, “Harry?” The orb turned green. Katie squealed, covering her mouth. Fred and George both sucked in their breath audibly, and Hermione looked ready to faint. “What?” Harry asked again more insistently, the knot beginning to tighten. “Nothing,” Hermione squeaked. “This game’s over,” she said firmly, shooting the twins and Katie a meaningful look. “Look—” Harry said, glancing at Ginny. “If this has anything to do with what happened upstairs... we—we just got a bit carried away…” he said hesitantly, trailing off when three red-heads swung around and gave him surprised glares. “Upstairs?” Fred asked, confused. “I knew that couldn’t be your first kiss!” George accused. “Harry, you little devil!” Giving him an appraising look, he said appreciatively, “Well done, mate!” “What exactly happened between you two after Hermione and I left?” Ron asked angrily. “Nothing happened that didn’t happen between you and Hermione in the kitchen! And even if it did, it would be none of your business, Ronald Weasley!” Ginny informed him. “Of course, it’s my business! I’m your brother, and Harry is my best mate!” Ron countered. “Yeah, Ginny! What exactly did happen upstairs?” Fred asked curiously. “Come on, Gin-Gin – spill the beans! What exactly did happen between you and the Boy Hero?” George piped up insistently. “Harry, I need to speak with you in private,” Hermione whispered in Harry’s ear as the Weasleys distracted everyone’s attention with their family row. Looking up curiously at Hermione, he had the distinct impression that something more was going on with that orb other than what he had thought. Harry was confused, though. If it hadn’t been about what happened upstairs, could it have something to do with his first kiss with Cho under the mistletoe? But why would everyone act so shocked, if that was the case? His relationship with Cho hadn’t been well-known but it hadn’t exactly been a secret, either. Ginny couldn’t be angry about that because she had been with Michael Corner at the time. He was sure that most all of the Gryffindors there knew most of the gory details of his disastrous attempt at a first kiss, anyway. Not much was secret in the Common Room. “Please?” Hermione asked insistently when Harry hesitated. “You might as well come too, Ron,” she told him. Ginny was still being grilled by Fred and George. Harry got up and followed her and Ron into the kitchen. “What’s up?” he asked curiously. “Yeah, what’s this all about, Hermione?” Ron asked. Then his eyes widened. “They didn’t do anything… serious upstairs, did they?” He narrowed his eyes menacingly at Harry. “Why didn’t you tell us you heard the prophecy?” Hermione asked unexpectedly, completely ignoring the both of them. “Huh?” Ron grunted, confused. “Prophecy? What prophecy?” Harry paled. “What do you mean, Hermione? The prophecy broke. You know that,” he said carefully, trying not to let his voice betray the panic rising from his chest. He refused to meet her eye. “But somehow you found out what it said,” Hermione said impatiently. “I told you it broke,” Harry said through a clenched jaw. “Just drop it, okay?” “You know what was in that glass ball at the ministry?” Ron said incredulously. “And you didn’t tell us?” “So what if I do?” Harry asked angrily. He was beginning to get really irritated and wish that this night had never happened. What business was it of their, anyway? And how could Hermione know Dumbledore had told him? “But Neville said it broke before anyone heard it,” Hermione said, confused. “It did,” Harry said miserably, in a defeated voice. He sunk down on the floor with his back to the kitchen cupboards. “He did.” “Then how did you find out what was in it?” Hermione asked, sinking down beside him. Harry would not look at her. “Dumbledore’s Pensieve,” Harry said dully. “He was there when the prophecy was made and he showed it to me after—” he broke off because a great lump had formed in his throat. He couldn’t say after Sirius’ death, or after his confrontation with Voldemort, and he especially couldn’t say after Voldemort tried to possess him. He was not ready to share those details just yet. “Blimey, Harry. Why didn’t you say anything? What did it say?” she asked hesitantly. Harry looked over at Hermione sharply. “Why are you asking me this? What did that bloody ball of glass out there say, Hermione? And just how many people know about this, anyway?” “Well,” Hermione told him, “Katie, Fred, George, and me. I don’t think they’ll say anything, though, Harry. Fred and George may be prats but they’re not total gits. They can be serious at times – look at the success they’re making of themselves.” “You didn’t answer my question, Hermione,” Harry said through clenched teeth. “What did it say?” “It said,” she answered with a sigh, “Who is the one who will either kill or be killed by the Dark Lord?” “Crikey!” Ron gasped. “Well,” Harry said slowly, sucking in air, “that about covers it,” he said in a flat, matter-of-fact tone. For once, Hermione was at a loss for words. A tense silence hung in the air between the three of them. Finally, Harry broke it by saying dully, “There was more, but I don’t really feel like going into it right now. Suffice it to say, Voldemort’s marked me and now there’s no escape. It’s either him or me.” Quietly he looked down at his shoes and whispered, “That’s why my parents were killed, you know, and that’s why he wanted the prophecy. He never heard all of it, so he was trying to use me to get it for him so he could find out what it said.” “And did he?” Hermione asked. “Did he what?” Harry asked, confused. “Did he find out what it said? Did he get to hear the whole prophecy?” she asked. “No,” Harry answered. “I told you - it smashed and no one heard it. As far as I know, only Dumbledore and I know what it says in its entirety.” “Then you need to keep it that way, Harry,” she said wisely. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I mean that if you tell anyone, you could put them and yourself in danger. If they were captured, he could force them to tell and then he’d know how to destroy you,” she reasoned. “It didn’t say anything like that,” he said surprised. “It just talked about some power I’m supposed to have that he hasn’t got. And that’s the thing, Hermione - I don’t have any special power. I can’t even do half of what he can!” he said, frustrated. Harry ran a hand through his messier than usual black hair and banged the back of his head roughly on the cupboard behind him. “Harry,” she said gently, “do you remember what I told you back in first year when we were trying to get to the Stone?” Harry thought back to that time. What had Hermione said to him? Then it hit him. “You told me that I was a great wizard,” he said quietly. “But—” he began to protest. “But nothing! You are a great wizard, Harry,” she told him with conviction. “I believed that then and I believe it now. If anyone can beat him, it’s you.” “Hermione’s right, mate,” Ron said. “We’ve always known there was something special about you. Like it or not, you’re the only one who’s ever beaten him.” Harry jumped to his feet and began to pace irritably. “You don’t understand, do you?” he roared. “I can’t beat him this time! He’s too strong! You’ve never faced him, you have no idea!” Harry hit his hand on the countertop in frustration, noticing with satisfaction that they both jumped. ‘Good,’ he thought, ‘they should be scared’. “Trust me,” he said out loud with as much conviction as he could muster, “He’s as terrible as everyone says. I’d be dead right now if it weren’t for Dumbledore.” Hermione jumped to her feet and looked him straight in the eye. “Dumbledore hasn’t always been there when you’ve faced him, Harry.” “She’s right, Harry,” Ron agreed. “That was just dumb luck,” he tried to protest. “Our wands connected… my parents helped me... I couldn’t have done all those things on my own!” “Being great doesn’t mean doing things on your own,” Hermione informed him. “Greatness comes from knowing your weaknesses and overcoming them at any cost. It means doing the right things at the right times, even if it’s not the easiest thing to do.” “You sound like Dumbledore,” Harry said, jerking away from her violently. “He told me once that I might have to choose between what is right and what is easy. But... don’t you see? I don’t have a choice! It’s either him or me!” “Harry,” she said gently, putting a calming hand on his arm. “We all have choices in life. Surely you must see that you do have a choice. You can choose to fight or you can choose to give up.” She made sure that he was looking her in the eye when she said, “I know you, Harry. I know what choice you’ll make.” Harry opened his mouth to respond when Ginny burst through the door. They all turned to look at her, startled. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she asked, “What happened?” Harry silently pleaded with the others to drop the matter. He intended to tell Ginny soon, but right now he didn’t think he was up for rehashing it again. Luckily, Hermione caught his subtle body language and grinned at Ginny. “I was just giving Harry some friendly advice about girls,” she told the red-head. “Yeah,” Ron said, “about that...” “Ron,” Hermione warned, “Ginny is a big girl and can take care of herself. I suggest you drop it and let Harry worry about Ginny. I have a feeling that he’ll make the right choice,” she said, looking intently at her black-haired best friend. Harry knew she was talking about more than Ginny. She shoved Ron back into the other room, still protesting about the honour of his little sister. “Ginny,” Harry said hesitantly as they made to leave the kitchen. “Yes?” she said, her face a mask of indifference. “I- I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “About earlier, I mean. No matter what it looked like, I didn’t want to go come in here with Claire and I certainly didn’t enjoy myself.” She tried to brush past him. “Could have fooled me.” Just before she reached the doorway he caught hold of her. “You’re the only girl I want,” he said. “You’re the only one I want to kiss.” He felt her softening and pulled her closer. “Believe me, Ginny… what happened earlier will never happen again. I promise.” “All right, Harry,” she said reluctantly. “I believe you. But know that I won’t play this game with you. If you want me and only me, then I’m yours. But I won’t share you with anyone. If it happens again, it’s over between you and me.” Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He never intended to put himself in that position ever again. “Understood,” he told her firmly. “Friends?” Ginny grinned. “Friends.” Harry felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Ron and Hermione knew about the prophecy and Ginny wanted to be his friend. As long as he had her friendship, he knew he could work on rebuilding her trust. Catching sight of Hermione, he excused himself, telling Ginny he needed to clear something up. He made his way over to his two friends, who were both looking worried. “What do you think I should say to say to Fred, George, and Katie?” he asked them. “Don’t worry, Harry,” Hermione assured him. “I’ll take care of it. I just hope that Befuddlement charm is strong enough to work on wizards as well as Muggles. I’ll just make a suggestion to them that the game was picking up on your fears about being killed by V-Voldemort.” Harry was relieved to have such a smart witch for a friend. It had been nice to talk about the prophecy. He had not realised how much it had taken out of him to keep that secret. Maybe he should talk more about these things with his friends. Of course, Harry reasoned, there hadn’t been time at the end of term. He had been too wrapped up in grief to focus much on the future. Once he had come back to the Dursleys it had really hit home, the predicament he was in. Sure, he had thought about it before - but since he had come here he had thought of little else. The fear that he couldn’t beat Voldemort was weighing heavily on his mind and he was glad to have finally voiced that fear. Hermione’s confidence in him had been reassuring, even if a big part of him was not convinced he would survive this confrontation that he was destined to have with the Dark Lord. Deciding to think about it later, he made his way back to Ginny with a somewhat lighter heart, very glad that he had understanding friends who believed in him, but still uncertain about what the future held. [A/N: Thank you for your patience with this story and for taking the time to read it. Your encouragement means a great deal to me and keeps me motivated when I really need it.]
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