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Author: Tarkas Story: Hunter and Maiden Rating: Teens Status: WIP Reviews: 6 Words: 204,697
[The disclaimer may be found at the start of the story, before the Prologue. It still applies.] Chapter Five: A Cry In The Dark Harry snapped awake, his senses fully alert -- but for what? Then he heard what must have woken him: somewhere in the house, someone was crying out in pain. The sound was very faint, but he could hear it clearly, and he could not ignore it. He threw back the bedclothes, grabbed his dressing-gown and tip-toed soundlessly past Ron and over to the door. Stepping out into the hallway, he listened: yes, there it was again, coming from downstairs. Carefully, he descended the stairs, his attention focussed on the soft cries ahead. Soon, he was outside the room from which the noise was coming -- Ginny's bedroom. He stopped and listened again; it sounded like she was having a nightmare, which was no real surprise. The question was, what could he do about it? Harry silently slipped inside the room to see Ginny thrashing around on her bed, her face contorted with distress as she murmured soft, tormented protests against whatever she was dreaming of -- or whoever, for the name "Tom" could be heard again and again. It took little effort to realise what she must be dreaming, but how to help her? Inspiration struck and Harry knelt down by the bed. As Ginny tossed and turned, he reached out to place one hand on her forehead; her struggles diminished almost immediately and she soon lay quietly. Harry smiled to himself. So far, so good; now for the real challenge... Ginny watched in horror as Tom Riddle slowly walked across the Chamber of Secrets towards her. She couldn't move and he was coming closer and closer, all the while urging her to give in. "Don't fight me," he was saying in a voice like snake venom and honey mixed together, "You are weak and can't resist; you shouldn't resist... you belong to me. Not to the great Harry Potter, who has never noticed you and will never think of you as anything but a foolish little girl, but to me. Just let yourself go; let me guide you and we will kill them all! You know you will..." Ginny tried to fight his insidious words, to convince herself that he was lying, but he ignored everything she said and kept coming for her. She felt herself tiring, felt his grip on her mind and soul grow stronger and stronger... She was on the verge of panicking, or perhaps giving in, when unexpected aid came, suddenly and dramatically. A wall of fire sprang into life between them. Tom recoiled from the heat and the bright blaze, but they followed him, forcing him back, away from Ginny. Over the crackle of the flames, another voice rang out, echoing eerily in the silence of the Chamber: "AWAY WITH YOU, SNAKE. BACK TO THE DARKNESS WHICH SPAWNED YOU, AND HEED THIS WARNING: THE HUNTER COMETH, AND YOUR TIME IS NEARLY OVER." Ginny couldn't turn her head to see who had spoken, but a startled Tom did. He shot a look of mingled hatred and despair in the direction of the speaker, then turned and left, striding -- or was that gliding, for his walk was odd, almost like the movement of certain kinds of snake -- quickly out of her sight and into the blackness of the Chamber. He was replaced by a man in a long cloak and an unusual-looking helmet, a golden light shining from his forehead, hiding his face from her. He gestured towards her and she felt a cool, gentle breeze on her face, calming her, easing her distress. Then, all around her, though not on her face, a wind sprung up and rose in strength until she felt herself lifted from the ground and whirled through the air as if she was riding a broom. The world blurred about her and when it, or she, stopped moving, she found herself lying comfortably with her back against a tree on a sun-lit grass bank overlooking the Hogwarts lake. She recognised where she was: it was one of her favourite places to come with friends when the weather was good, to read, study, talk or just to enjoy its beauty and peace. The giant squid broke the glassy surface of the lake and she had a stray, lazy thought: I must bring Harry down here soon, before the winter sets in... Before she could muse any more on that, a shadow fell across her and she looked up to see the man in the cloak, and the memory of what had just happened came rushing back. She felt as though she ought to be scared of him, as she had been of Tom Riddle, but she was so peaceful here that she couldn't seem to muster the strength of emotion; and besides, he'd saved her from Tom, so he couldn't be that bad, even if she knew nothing about him. Curious, she peered at him, but the sun was behind him and she couldn't see his face, even though he wasn't wearing the helmet now. She did notice that his cloak was an odd colour; it looked almost iridescent in the sunlight, with flashes of shining blue and green as it moved in the soft breeze and caught the light. Beneath it, she could see that he was wearing deep red clothes and a shiny black belt and boots. He was gazing down at her with what she knew was a kind, concerned expression, though she didn't know how she knew that. She was proved right when he spoke to her, his voice warm and caring, even if it still echoed somehow: "FEAR NOT, GINEVRA. HE IS GONE AND WILL NOT RETURN TONIGHT. REST NOW, AND REMEMBER: YOU ARE NOT ALONE." The figure in the cloak faded away, leaving Ginny staring at where he had been, astonished but with a peaceful heart in that lovely place. She closed her eyes and relaxed in the warm sun. Harry lifted his hand from Ginny's face, one finger tracing its way down her cheek before he finally let her go altogether. He got to his feet and leant over to kiss her very softly on the forehead. "Sleep well, Ginny," he murmured, so quietly that it was almost impossible to tell that he'd actually said it aloud, and let himself out of her room. Behind him, Ginny smiled in her sleep. ***** The next morning, everyone noticed that Harry was quieter than he had been of late. He'd talk to anyone readily enough and was perfectly friendly, but unless the other person made an effort to keep the conversation going, he'd lapse back into silence, his attention obviously concentrated on something else -- or, perhaps, someone, for his gaze was never very far away from Ginny when she was in the same room. No-one had any idea what he was thinking about, but he wasn't brooding in the usual way he had when something was troubling him, so the Weasleys left him to himself. Ginny didn't know what to make of the new way he had of watching her; she'd only just been getting used to the occasional intense glances she'd caught him casting at her for the last week or so, ever since his birthday. Now, he wasn't even really looking, half the time -- not at her; he was just... looking for her, and when he found her, he'd stare all right, but into space, lost in thought until she moved, or someone walked past, or something else happened, and then he'd look for her again. It might have been un-nerving, but there was nothing unpleasant about it; he just seemed to want to know where she was, and so she made sure that he could when they were together. Eventually, shortly before lunch, he seemed to perk up and was his old self for the rest of the day -- except that he still kept looking for and at Ginny occasionally. It wasn't until after dinner that he waited until Ron and Ginny had gone upstairs and approached the senior Weasleys: "Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley... can I talk to you about something? In private, I mean." Molly and Arthur exchanged a quick look that said to one another that this could be what they'd been expecting all day before calmly agreeing and sitting down at the kitchen table. "Go on, Harry," Arthur said evenly, "What do you want to talk to us about?" "It's... it's about Ginny," Harry said quickly, blushing, hoping that the others wouldn't misunderstand him or jump to any conclusions. "She's been having nightmares..." "Oh, dear," Molly sighed. "Again?" Harry looked surprised, so she explained, "She's had them, on and off, ever since her first year at Hogwarts. When she does -- and it doesn't happen every year; we'd hoped she'd got over them -- she starts to have them towards the end of the summer; this is a little earlier than usual, but with the way things are... They normally go away once she's back at Hogwarts." She paused, and the three of them exchanged meaningful glances that communicated much that could have been said, but wasn't. "Do we have any of that Dreamless Sleep Potion left, Molly?" Arthur asked. His wife pursed her lips in thought, but was interrupted by Harry before she could reply. "No!" he cried, surprisingly loudly. "Um, sorry," he apologised, going red again under their startled gaze, "I... I think I can help her, if you'll let me. I... had a similar problem until recently, but someone helped me get over it, and I think I can help Ginny the same way; the only thing is, doing it's going to hurt her -- quite a lot -- but once it's done, she hopefully won't have dreams like that ever again." The Weasleys were staring openly at Harry after this extraordinary offer, and Arthur's expression was grim. "How are you going to do this, Harry, and in what way is this going to hurt Ginny if we let you?" "It's... it's hard to explain. I think the reason Ginny and I have these nightmares is that we both have a kind of... connection with V-- You-Know-Who. In Ginny's case, it's something left over from what happened in her first year. There's... there's a way to break that connection -- actually, it's more like uprooting it, because it sort of digs itself into your mind like the roots of a plant. That's what hurts -- getting those roots out of you, because they don't let go easily and there are a lot of them; the longer the connection's there, the more there are, in fact, and the worse the removal will be. "The pain is... awful, as bad or worse than a Cruciatus Curse, but it only lasts as long as it takes to get all the roots out; then it's over and it doesn't hurt any more -- and I haven't had a nightmare or had my scar hurt since it was done to me. I... I just thought that I might be able to help Ginny..." "That's... very thoughtful of you, Harry," was Arthur's slow, considered reply, "but I think we'd like to know more about this, and who it was who ‘helped' you the way you're proposing to help Ginny." "There's not much I can tell you," Harry said earnestly. "I... don't really know his name, but I know that he's not a Death Eater or anything Dark... Maybe you should ask Ginny; I heard her call out in her sleep last night -- that's how I know about her dreams -- and from something she said towards the end, I think he may have helped her then." Now Arthur looked really worried and Molly was horrified. Who was this stranger, invading their daughter's privacy -- or worse? Molly got up abruptly and went out of the kitchen to call up to her daughter, "Ginny! Would you come down here, please?" Familiar light footsteps on the Burrow's idiosyncratic stairs soon announced Ginny's arrival. "Yes, Mum? What did you want?" "We need to talk to you, dear. Sit down." Ginny sat, shooting Harry a quick look of mingled curiosity and concern after his odd behaviour that morning. He smiled back reassuringly, she thought; her parents, on the other hand, seemed to be worried about something. "Ginny dear, do you remember having a bad dream last night?" Mrs Weasley asked her tentatively. Ginny didn't, and she searched her memory without success until Harry, unseen by anyone, made a small but complex gesture with one hand. "Oh!" she gasped as the memory came flooding back. "Yes, yes, I remember now. I did have a nightmare... Why?" "Can you tell us about it, dear?" Ginny looked at Harry again, beginning to feel embarrassed at his presence, but he smiled and reached out to take her hand. "Don't worry, Gin. I heard you cry out last night, but you calmed down when I looked in on you. What's important is why you calmed down." Ginny was now completely red, though whether from Harry's confession or because he was touching her, she didn't dare to think. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and let her go, and she tried to pull herself together to answer her mother's question and not die of embarrassment from her parents' sudden not-very-well-hidden smiles... "I... I was in the Chamber of Secrets," she began, "and T-Tom was there..." At first nervously, but with increasing confidence as she went on, Ginny related the events of her dream fairly accurately. When she had finished, her father asked, "This man who got rid of..." He paused for a second before stumbling over the name, much as Ginny had done earlier. "...T-Tom... what did he look like?" "Um..." Ginny thought for a moment, slightly startled by her father's question and its unusually abrupt manner. "He... I couldn't really see him very well in the Chamber, because it was dark and he had a long cloak on that mostly hid him... and there was this light shining from his forehead, so that I couldn't see his face at all..." She looked to her father for some kind of response, but he merely humphed softly and waited for her to go on. "That's right," Harry said. At the questioning looks of the others, he amplified his earlier statement: "That's exactly how I would have described the man who helped me." Ginny was puzzled by that, but continued at a gesture from her father. "And when I was down by the lake, it was a beautiful sunny day, but he stood between me and the sun, so I still couldn't see him very well... sorry..." She stopped, unhappily apologetic and more than a little uneasy at the topic of conversation. "That's all right, dear," Molly said quickly. She turned to Harry. "Now, Harry, would you please tell Ginny what you've asked us?" Harry nodded and met Ginny's nervous gaze with his own, trying hard to soothe her fears. "Gin... you've had these nightmares ever since your first year, right?" She nodded. "And you know that I've had the same sort of thing for years, too..." A second, more confident nod; she could hardly not be aware of Harry's regular nightmares. As he'd hoped, she was relaxing as he spoke, her natural curiosity taking over from her worries as he turned the conversation away from her own dreams. He described how he thought that their respective nightmares stemmed from their encounters with Voldemort, and she listened with interest, even nodding occasionally in agreement. "Well, about a week ago -- the night before my birthday," he said, "I was asleep, dreaming, and someone who looked exactly like the man you just described appeared and helped me to break that connection -- and, as I told your mum and dad, I haven't had a nightmare since, nor has my scar hurt." Ginny looked pleased to hear that, and Harry had to stop himself from reacting to the incredibly lovely sight of her that way. "I think-- no, I'm certain that the last bit of You-Know-Who that was in me is gone now. I'm not even sure if I'm still a Parselmouth; I'll have to find a snake and try to talk to it... "The thing is, Gin, I think I can do the same thing for you, if you want me to." Her eyes grew wide and she stared at him in amazement. "I'm not going to kid you: if I do it, it's going to really hurt. The... residue of Tom that his diary may have left in you will have burrowed itself deep into your mind, and getting it all out is going to be extremely painful. But once it's done, he'll be gone! He won't ever be able to affect you like that, ever again. And that's why I think it's worth trying, even though I can't really tell you how I'm going to do it -- or how it was done to me. It's not the sort of thing that you can put into words very well..." Ginny said nothing, simply continuing to stare at Harry -- but he could see in her eyes the first glimmerings of hope. She looked at her parents and asked, "Mum... Dad... do you think...?" "Ginny, I don't know what to think about this," her father said heavily. "If it were anyone other than Harry asking, I'd say that it was far too dangerous. We don't know who this man is, or what he's capable of, or why he's suddenly appeared from nowhere..." "But Dad," Ginny interrupted, the hope that Harry had seen now obvious in her voice, "he's not going to be doing it, is he? Harry will be... helping me, and you trust him, don't you?" There was no answer, and she repeated her last words more urgently: "Don't you?" "It's all right, Gin," Harry said softly. "I know it's a lot to ask. I just wanted to help you...." It was those words, and the apologetic tone in which they were said, that tipped the scales for Molly Weasley. She stood up in a single sudden, determined movement. "Come on, Arthur. Let's leave them to get on with it. How long will this take, Harry dear?" Her level, apparently confident gaze was met by two pairs of startled male eyes and a nervously joyful pair of female ones. Arthur appeared to be going to protest, but he subsided after another of those wordless exchanges that only two people who have been married for many years can have, and got to his feet slowly; he still looked worried, but also resigned to his wife's decision. Harry, still at the table, took a moment to realise what was happening -- or going to happen. Then, as his brain caught up with everything, he replied haltingly, "Uh... not long... I don't really know. It seemed a long time when it happened to me, but I don't think it can have been more than a few minutes..." The Weasleys seemed satisfied with that and went to leave. Before they could go, however, Harry had one last warning for them: "Please don't panic if you hear Ginny scream. I'll use a Silencing Charm, but it might not be enough..." Arthur and Molly both paled, but left after telling Ginny that she could trust Harry. When the adults had closed the door behind them, Harry found, to no surprise, that Ginny had not needed that advice; her manner, her whole being radiated complete faith in him -- but also more than a little apprehension. He was humbled by her confidence, but he needed to be sure that she knew what she was getting into. "Are you absolutely certain you want to do this, Gin?" he asked, kneeling by her chair, "Because I wasn't exaggerating when I said that this is going to hurt." Ginny nodded. "Please, Harry..." she said, swallowing nervously. "I want to be rid of Tom. I want the whole business of that dreadful diary to be over..." "Okay," Harry said soothingly. He stood up and got her to turn her chair so that she now sat with her back to the table, then came close and gently stroked the top of her head. She flinched at his touch at first, but became a little less tense when nothing happened immediately. "What do I have to do?" she asked. "You don't have to do anything. Just sit back and relax as much as you can... and forgive me for everything later." Ginny half-smiled at what she hoped was a joke... but had an awful feeling probably wasn't. Still, she did what Harry asked, leaning back and closing her eyes, trying to relax even though the anticipation was becoming overwhelming. Once her eyes were shut, Harry waved a hand to cast the Silencing Charm that he'd mentioned earlier, and then placed both his hands over, but not on, Ginny's face. To begin with, Ginny thought it felt as though someone-- that is, Harry -- was stroking her cheeks with the most gentle of caresses, and the tension in her diminished. Whatever Harry had been talking about couldn't have been like this; this was delightful... It didn't last. She heard his soft murmur of, "Here we go..." and would have reacted to what it implied, but she had no time. Ginny screamed. Not for long, for the pain in her every nerve was so overwhelming that she quickly ran out of breath, so that all she could do was suffer in silence between agonised attempts to breathe in. The torture seemed unending. Her pain went on and on until she might have been certain that she was about to die from it, but she couldn't summon the effort to think... ...and then, as suddenly as it had come, it stopped. She flopped back into her chair, panting heavily as her exhausted lungs tried to readjust to working normally. It took a short time for her consciousness to do likewise, and even longer for her to find the strength to open her eyes, but she did eventually -- and there was Harry, staring at her in unmistakable anguish. He seemed to be near tears, and that galvanised her into realising both that he'd done what he had promised and that he needed to be told that -- now. "Oh, Harry... you did it!" she forced herself to gasp out. "He's gone -- I can feel it! He's gone, he's gone, he's gone..." Pure determination, and perhaps a surge of adrenaline, gave her the energy to launch herself up out of the chair and, before he could react, wrap her arms around him in a joyous, thankful embrace. Harry staggered a little, but recovered his balance and gladly returned the hug. Ginny decided that she must be in Heaven, or a reasonable approximation thereof... right until she realised what she was doing. She was hugging Harry...! She blushed furiously and tried to pull away, but he was having none of it; she tried again, managing to stammer out at the same time, "I-- I'm sorry, Harry..." His response was immediate and emphatic. "Ginny Weasley, don't you dare apologise for hugging me!" he said with mock sternness. "Especially not right now! I just helped one of my adopted family escape from Voldemort's clutches; that's a pretty darn good reason for a hug, don't you think? So if you weren't hugging me, I'd be hugging you -- in fact, I think I am..." He grinned and Ginny relaxed, resting her head on his chest under his chin -- where it seemed to fit perfectly, Harry noted. After a short time in which they both said nothing and did nothing except enjoy being together, Ginny sagged against him, the aftermath of her recent agony and the relief from the panic she'd felt when she realised that she was hugging Harry combining to suddenly exhaust her strength. He held her up at first, but then quickly leant down and scooped her up in his arms. She lifted her head in surprise, but there was that same smile from him... She stopped worrying and let herself rest on him again; he was so comfortable... Soon, she was asleep. Harry just stood there, holding her, for some time; she wasn't heavy and he had no wish to put her down -- ever. He knew that her parents -- and Ron, if he'd finished writing to Hermione early enough to notice what was going on -- would want to know how she was but, just for the moment, he was going to be selfish and have her to himself. "Ginevra Weasley," he murmured, "I've never had a proper girlfriend, and now I know why; no-one else could possibly measure up to you, but I had to realise that... Well, I have now, so you're taken! If you want me, that is... I know that you're not really interested in a boyfriend right now, but I can wait -- and anyone who gets in my way had better watch out!" After a few more peaceful, blissful moments, Harry carried Ginny over to the door and towards the stairs. Molly and Arthur appeared, looking anxious, but were relieved almost immediately by the small smile on Harry's face. "She's fine," he assured them, "Just wiped out by the experience. It worked perfectly; those nightmares should be gone for good. I'll just take her upstairs." "Of course," a slightly tearful Molly said. "I'll come and undress her." Harry blushed; he hadn't really been thinking beyond laying her on her bed and saying good-night to her. They slowly went up the Burrow's twisty flights of stairs to Ginny's room, and Harry carefully placed the sleeping girl on her bed. He hesitated for a moment after putting her down, but gave in to the impulse and softly kissed her hair. "Sweet dreams, Ginny," he whispered, marvelling at his daring in doing so in front of her mother and hoping that she wouldn't notice. Molly did notice, of course, but said nothing, not wanting to embarrass him. She ushered him out of the room, catching his arm as he went to climb up to his own room. "Good night, Harry... and thank you. That's another wonderful thing you've done for my daughter..." "You're welcome, Mrs Weasley. I'm glad I could help. You Weasleys are pretty wonderful people yourselves..." Harry ducked his head and headed upstairs. Molly watched him go before closing the door and starting to get her not-so-little girl ready for bed. Sweet dreams? Well, if Molly was any judge, both Harry and Ginny would star in each other's dreams tonight -- so they would be sweet indeed... *****
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